Friday, December 26, 2025
type here...
Home Blog Page 3655

JCPOA Violators Should Be Held Responsible for Consequences: Iran DM

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
No Obstacle to Development of Strategic Arms in Iran: DM

In an address to Moscow Security Conference, the Iranian official said Tehran deems the JCPOA as a successful example of international cooperation which has been achieved through sustained efforts by all involved sides within mutual respect for national and international rights to reach an agreement on the principles of regional and international security.

JCPOA Violators Should Be Held Responsible for Consequences: Iran DM“In the eyes of Iran, the US violations of its commitments under the deal as well as its western allies’ support for the violations and their excuses to hamper the implementation of the nuclear deal amount to a heavy blow to the ongoing trustful relations at international levels,” he was quoted as saying in a Farsi report by IRNA.

The Iranian general went on to say Iran views strengthening of its defence capability and deterrent particularly in missile technology as its natural right to establish a legitimate regional defence mechanism.

“We will resolutely follow up our defence development because it is a must in coping with various and emerging threats in the region,” he noted.

Part of World-System’s Power Transferring to East
Elsewhere in his address, the defence minister said with a comprehensive understanding of the ongoing sensitive international situation, Moscow Security Conference has rightly put its focus on the most critical security crisis of the region.
“That’s why the conference is expected to have positive results and achievements for the international security.”

According to General Hatami, the current trend of globalization reveals that the economic-security and political structure of the international system is undergoing new changes.

He said the changes are brought about by the communication era as well as the emergence of the new geopolitical values which have created new conditions and paved the way for the emergence of new global players.

“This means that for the first time over the past four centuries, the international developments are not necessarily initiated by the West. Meanwhile the leadership of the new developments is not exercised by one side, like what we witnessed during the Cold War. Today, a new group of global players are going to undertake the initiatives at regional and international levels and play their leading role,” he said.

US Not Interested in Asian System Development, Security
He said the western Asia region is mistakenly called the “Middle East” by the west based on its hegemony over the world and added the new changes have worried some global players like the US.

“They have come to this conclusion that a unified and comprehensive Islamic World will create a secure and strong system in terms of geopolitics within the current world system. That’s why they are seeking to hamper the realization of the new system and prevent from the establishment of an Asian-system,” he said.

General Hatami underlined that the dominant global players are afraid of any unified, secure and strong system in the region because it would stand in stark violation of their interests and threaten their power by establishing new law and norms.

“To preserve their interests, they are seeking to make divisions among the regional states.”

Self-Interest-Seeking Paves Way for Terrorism
The Iranian official also referred to the regional policies of big powers and said monopolization, hegemony and self-interest-seeking prepare the ground for emergence and growth and terrorism.
“Today, we are witnessing that the worst inhumane campaigns developed in Washington are leading to the massacre of innocent people. Based on the experiences gained over the past 20 years, the campaigns are predicted to unfold a long series of crises for human beings over the next twenty years,” he noted.

The Iranian defence minister underlined that the leading role played by the extreme groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda over the last two decades and their strategies to create complicated civil wars across the world especially in Iraq and Syria reveal how dangerous and destructive the US-developed campaigns are.

He said the US is fuelling the regional tensions by using ISIS as proxy group, offering relentless support for the occupation of the Palestinian lands, recognizing Jerusalem Al-Quds as the capital of Israel and adopting racist policies toward regional young Muslim groups.

ISIS Ideology Still Alive
Elsewhere in his address to Moscow Security Conference, General Hatami said though ISIS has suffered heavy blows in Western Asia, the ideology of the terrorist group is still alive.

He went on to say that the complete defeat of ISIS requires full understanding of its ideology and rejecting it in all forms.

“The threats of terrorism will not be eliminated as long as the main sponsors of ISIS in the region and abroad provide the terrorist group with expensive complicated weapons and the US evades its regional responsibilities and refuses to abandon its self-seeking policies in the region,” he added.

Region Far From Stability
The Iranian defence minister said since the radical administration of Donald Trump took office in the US in 2017, there has been no bright prospect of stability in the region.

He said not only Iraq and Syria but the whole region is predicted to face a complicated and harsh condition in the coming years.

“Amid the current situation, our region seems to be far from stability because ISIS has not yet been defeated completely and the regional and international tensions are getting deeper,” General Hatami said.

Iran Calls for Partnership Instead of Balance-Making
The defence minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran also praised the constructive role of Russia in the region and said interfering in regional states’ internal affairs and making divisions stand in stark contrast with the will and interests of the nations and governments of the region.

He called for developing new strategies to ensure regional security and said such strategies contribute to the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all regional states.

General Hatami said the Islamic Republic of Iran offers partnership instead of balance-making to achieve the mentioned goal.

The seventh Moscow International Security Conference was kicked off on April 4. Attended by 700 delegations from 95 countries including the Islamic Republic of Iran, the conference is to last till April 5.

Controversy Raging in Iran over “Threat” of Telegram Messaging App

By
Alireza Hashemi
-

“The decision has been made and I believe by the end of this [Iranian] month [April 20], Telegram will be replaced by a domestic messenger.”

Last Saturday, the above remarks went viral on the popular messaging service Telegram, raising eyebrows among 40 million Iranian users who were enjoying two-week holidays of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

They were made in a radio interview by the conservative lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who said the decision to ban Telegram indefinitely was made “at the highest levels.”

Boroujerdi cited “national security” concerns as the reason why the messaging service will no longer be accessible, saying it was a response to what he called Telegram’s “destructive” role in the violent protests in late December.

The lawmaker was referring to price protest that began in the eastern city of Mashhad and spread to several cities across the country.

The demonstrations were later turned political and even violent in some cities, leaving several dead and injured.

At the time, Telegram was blocked by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, which is tasked with regulating Iran’s cyberspace, after it requested the messaging service to block channels inciting armed violence in Iran to no avail.

Telegram initially agreed to shut down one channel accused of encouraging armed clashes. However, the service later refused to take down the same channel’s new address and other channels publishing criminal content.

The restrictions on Telegram were lifted two weeks later, after President Rouhani reportedly fought for the government to reinstate access to the service.

Need for Online Privacy
Controversies over Telegram were not new to Iranians, but the remarks triggered an overdrive in the rumor mill, which in recent months was whispering the end of Telegram in Iran.

Moreover, the comments become a hot subject in political circles, with some prominent figures, notably parliament members, starting to push back against what they perceived to be part of preparations for the permanent filtering of Telegram.

Some people angered by the remarks took to social media to voice protest against the decisions that would affect tens of millions of Iranians.

A number of them expressed concern about the surveillance of homegrown applications by the government, while some others were worried the domestic services could be easily hacked.

One user wrote on Twitter,” What the hell do they think? A domestic messenger cannot be trusted at all.”

Another Iranian objected, “Instead of holding sessions to solve people’s problems such as water shortage, corruption, they hold sessions on filtering.”

“And they are active on the services they themselves ban,” he continued, referring to some government officials who hold accounts on Twitter.

“Before the filtering of Telegram, I was using just Telegram. After that, I use Telegram, anti-filter application and Twitter!” one user wrote humorously.

National Security at Risk
After the social media firestorm, Boroujerdi, the chairman of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, gave a follow-up interview on Sunday describing the “threats” posed by Telegram.

In an interview with the Persian-language ICANA, the senior legislator said that Telegram founder Pavel Durov is a “Jewish-born Russian” who has close ties with Iran’s arch-foe Israel, and that means the information exchanged among Iranian Telegram users could be accessed by the Tel Aviv regime.

Boroujerdi claimed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked Durov in a meeting for working with Israeli security and military organizations.

The lawmaker said Britain and Germany, two western states who are not in good terms with Iran, could also use the information stored on Telegram servers.

He said Telegram’s security threats are not exclusive to Iran and they have prompted countries such as China and Pakistan to block the service.

Boroujerdi expressed the hope the Iranian messaging service Soroush could be a viable alternative to Telegram, saying Iranian developers need to work harder so they can compete with foreign rivals.

Soroush is estimated to be used by about three million Iranians, a figure which lacks luster when compared to Telegram’s 40 million.

Threats to Iranian Economy
Boroujerdi was not the only Iranian official complaining about Telegram’s “threats” to the country.

Abolhassan Firouzabadi, the secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, also said he is wary of Telegram threats to economy.

Pointing to Telegram’s plans to launch what it calls the Telegram Open Network and create its own crypto-currency, Firouzabadi said the messaging service could become a huge actor in Iran’s economy while it is not bound by the country’s law and acts outside the purview of Iranian regulatory bodies.

In February, Telegram launched an Initial Coin Offering, an unregulated means by which funds are raised for a new cryptocurrency venture.

The ICO has so far raised of $1.7 billion, the technology news website The Verge reported on Tuesday.

In an interview with the Persian-language Fars News Agency on Tuesday, Firouzabadi said Telegram could have formed partnership with Iranian private sector firms to launch the project, but it instead has chosen to work with American investors.

The official said the project allows Telegram to pull out of the country the assets of millions of Iranians and eliminate thousands of jobs in Iran.

However, Firouzabadi said the council has not yet made decisions about the application.

President Comes in
The heated debate about the fate of Telegram prompted Rouhani, whose government is under great pressure to block the messaging app, to make an intervention on Tuesday.

The president, who heads the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, said it would be an honour for all Iranians to use “capable, secure and cheap” domestic messengers that satisfy their needs.

However, Rouhani said he does not favour restricting public access to foreign services and that the efforts should be aimed at breaking up the foreign monopoly over Iran’s instant messaging market.

“A good cyberspace is built by creating attractive, useful content and not by merely limiting access to [online services],” he said in an address to a gathering of government officials on the occasion Nowruz, according to a transcript of his words posted on President.ir.

Remarks by the centrist president showed Iranian officials hold conflicting views about the filtering of Telegram. But it seems safe to conclude that a consensus has emerged among government officials on diminishing the influence of foreigners on the country’s cyberspace

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 18

Several papers today covered the Wednesday talks between Iranian, Russian, and Turkish presidents in Ankara on the political resolution of the Syria crisis.

Also a major story was Russia’s contract with the Turkish government to construct a nuclear power plant in Turkey. The deal was signed during the visit of President Vladimir Putin to Ankara.

The ongoing speculations in Iran over the possible blocking of Telegram messaging app also received great coverage in the Iranian media.

The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines and top stories:

 

Afkar:

  • Zarif: Westerners Shouldn’t Consider Themselves as Guardian of Syria

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Arman-e Emrooz:

  • Rouhani: Telegram Won’t Be Blocked
  • Good News for Producers: VAT to Be Removed
  • Rouhani, Putin, Erdogan to Hold Trilateral Talks in Ankara

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Ebtekar

  • Impact of Iranian Media’s Closure during Nowruz on Society
  • Online Media Awake When Traditional Press Sleeping
  • Busy Days of National Museum of Iran

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Etemad:

  • Rouhani Blasts Rumours about Restriction of Telegram Messaging App
  • Don’t Make People Sad

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Ettela’at:

  • Bin Salman Recognises Israel’s Existence
  • Rouhani: Future of Syria Belongs to Syrian People
  • Roads Minister Says Maximum Mortgage to Be Increased

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Iran:

  • Iran’s Theatre Deserves to Become Global: Director
  • World Renowned Iranian Artist Taking Photos of Drug Addicts around Tehran

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Javan:

  • Turkish Media: Iran Didn’t Accept Macron’s Presence in Ankara Talks
  • Media, Fourth Pillar of Supporting This Year’s Slogan (Supporting Iranian Products)

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Jomhouri Eslami:

  • First VP: National Solidarity Needed to Resolve Iran’s Problems
  • Senior Cleric: Certain Programmes Aired by State TV Promote Western Culture
  • Red Cross Society: People of Yemen Gradually Dying

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Kayhan:

  • Women’s Position in the West: From Imagination to Reality
  • Tehran Mayor’s Resignation Finalised: Speculations about Next Mayor

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Mardom Salari:

  • Erdogan Signs Deal with Putin on Construction of Nuclear Power Plant
  • Turkey Fulfilling Nuclear Goals Using Russian Engineers

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Payam-e Zaman:

  • Oil Minister: $6 Billion Deals Signed with Manufacturers of Iranian Oil Equipment

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Resalat:

  • Europe: Trump Wants Iran Nuclear Deal Annulled

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Sayeh:

  • One-Fourth of Iranian Chicken Farms Illegal

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Shahrvand:

  • Smoking Weed at Iranian Stadiums: When No-Smoking Laws Not Implemented

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Shargh:

  • Russia Makes $50 Billion Investment in Iran: Turning from Western to Eastern Bloc

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Sobh-e Now:

  • Iran’s National Song for FIFA World Cup Must Display Hope: Musician

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

 

Vatan-e Emrooz:

  • This Year’s Nowruz in Tehran Had Worst Air Pollution in 10 Years
  • Boris Johnson Left Tehran with Empty Hands: His Promise Not Fulfilled
  • Zaghari’s Husband Disappointed about Release of His Wife

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 4

“US, Europe First Losers of Iran Deal’s Termination”

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Iranian parliamentarian Valiollah Nanvakenari has weighed in on Washington’s possible pullout from the agreement in an interview with the Persian-language Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA).

“The odds of the US withdrawing from the JCPOA are very slim because the first losers of pullout from the JCPOA would be the Americans and Europeans. That’s why the Europeans are seeking to prevent the agreement from falling apart,” said Nanvakenari, who sits on Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.

“Still, the Americans dithering on whether or not to scuttle the deal showed some behaviour that would suggest [their inclination for] withdrawal from the JCPOA. However, they don’t do it (pull out of the deal) in practice because such a move would be met with reaction from the public opinion,” said he MP.

He noted that Iran should adopt a “unified” position both inside and outside the country to give a firm response to whatever negative action they might take.

“[A position of] power and an active diplomacy are among the stances that Iran will adopt vis-à-vis the Americans’ decisions,” said the parliamentarian.

He said Iran should adopt its stances prudently, adding Tehran will adopt such positions only when the US seeks to scupper the JCPOA. Otherwise, said the MP, Iran will treat them on an equal footing and will remain committed to its obligations.

“Changes in the White House and the installation of officials who are opposed to Iran will not lead to a withdrawal from the JCPOA,” the lawmaker stressed.

“The Americans will not easily do an unwise action because such a move will be to their detriment,” he said.

“By putting forward new issues and making changes both inside and outside [the country], the US is seeking pretexts to get involved in new issues, so that it will be able to speak of holding a dialogue on the missile issue; therefore, Iran should respond to their negative moves vigilantly, so that they won’t be able to move forward,” the lawmaker added.

Iran, Turkey, Russia Urge Conflicting Sides to Stick to Syria Truce

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin held trilateral talks in Ankara on the resolution of Syria crisis/ Photo retrieved from the Telegram channel of Iranian FM's top aide Hossein Jaberi Ansari

In the draft joint statement by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin released after a trilateral meeting in Ankara, the three states welcomed the UN Security Council Resolution 2401 in response to the grave humanitarian situation all across Syria, including in Eastern Ghouta, Yarmouk, Foua and Kefraya, Idlib Governorate, Northern Hama Governorate, Rukhban and Raqqa.

They also strongly urged the conflicting parties to comply with the provisions of the said Resolution, including by refraining from ceasefire violations

The three heads of state also called upon the international community, particularly the UN and its humanitarian agencies, to increase its assistance to Syria by sending additional humanitarian aid, facilitating humanitarian mine action, restoring basic infrastructure assets, including social and economic facilities, and preserving historical heritage.

What follows is the full text of the statement released on Wednesday:

Draft Joint Statement by the Presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey

4 April 2018, Ankara

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran H.E. Hassan Rouhani, President of the Russian Federation H.E. Vladimir Putin and President of the Republic of Turkey H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gathered in Ankara on 4 April 2018 for a tripartite meeting.

The Presidents

Took note of the developments regarding Syria since their last meeting on 22 November 2017 in Sochi;

Expressed their satisfaction with the outcomes of the first year of the Astana meetings held since January 2017, underlined that the Astana format had been the only effective international initiative that had helped reduce violence across Syria and had contributed to peace and stability in Syria, giving impetus to the Geneva process in order to find a lasting political solution to the Syrian conflict;

Reaffirmed their determination to continue their active cooperation on Syria for the achievement of lasting ceasefire between the conflicting parties and advancement of the political process envisaged by the UN Security Council Resolution 2254;

Emphasized their strong and continued commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and non-sectarian character of Syria. They highlighted that none of the actions, no matter by whom they were undertaken, should undermine these principles, confirmed by relevant UN resolutions and by the will of the representatives of all segments of the Syrian society. They rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the pretext of combating terrorism and expressed their determination to stand against separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as well as the national security of neighboring countries;

Expressed their conviction that the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, which was convened in Sochi on 30 January 2018, constituted an important milestone in paving the way for the political process, reiterated their commitment to follow up on the results of the Congress, reflecting the will of representatives of all segments of the Syrian society, in particular the agreement to form a Constitutional Committee, supported by the UN Secretary-General and the international community. They reaffirmed their support to facilitate the beginning of the Committee’s work in Geneva as soon as possible with the assistance of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria and in coordination with three guarantor states;

Called upon the representatives of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the opposition committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and non-sectarian character of Syria as well as the international community to support the results of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress;

Expressed their conviction that there could be no military solution to the Syrian conflict and that the conflict could be ended only through a negotiated political process;

Reiterated the necessity to assist the Syrians in restoring the unity of their country and in achieving a political solution of the ongoing conflict through an inclusive, free, fair and transparent Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process based on the free will of the Syrian people and leading to a constitution enjoying the support of the Syrian people, and free and fair elections with the participation of all eligible Syrians under appropriate UN supervision;

Reaffirmed their determination to continue their cooperation in order to ultimately eliminate DAESH/ISIL, Nusra Front and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaeda or DAESH/ISIL as designated by the UN Security Council in Syria and underscored the success of their collective efforts in the fight against international terrorism;

Underlined that, in the fight against terrorism, separating the above-mentioned terrorist groups from the armed opposition groups that had joined and would join the ceasefire regime bore utmost importance with respect to preventing civilian casualties;

Welcomed the UN Security Council Resolution 2401 in response to the grave humanitarian situation all across Syria, including in Eastern Ghouta, Yarmouk, Foua and Kefraya, Idlib Governorate, Northern Hama Governorate, Rukhban and Raqqa; strongly urged the conflicting parties to comply with the provisions of the said Resolution, including  by refraining from ceasefire violations;

Underscored their joint determination to speed up their efforts to ensure calm on the ground and protect civilians in the de-escalation areas as well as to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to these areas and emphasized that the creation of de-escalation areas was temporary as provided for by the Memorandum of 4 May 2017;

Called upon the international community, particularly the UN and its humanitarian agencies, to increase its assistance to Syria by sending additional humanitarian aid, facilitating humanitarian mine action, restoring basic infrastructure assets, including social and economic facilities, and preserving historical heritage;

Welcomed the convening of the first meeting of the Working Group on the release of detainees/abductees and handover of the bodies as well as the identification of missing persons in Astana on 15 March 2018 with the participation of three guarantors as well as the UN and ICRC, and emphasized the importance of the effective functioning of the Working Group which would help build confidence between the conflicting parties;

Decided to hold their next meeting in the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the invitation of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran H.E. Hassan Rouhani.

The Presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation expressed their sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic of Turkey H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for hosting this Tripartite Summit in Ankara.

Arab League Calls for Int’l Probe into Israel’s Crimes against Gazans

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The pan-Arab body convened at the regional grouping’s headquarters in Cairo on Tuesday on an ad hoc basis to address Israel’s attacks on anti-occupation Palestinian demonstrators on March 30.

Gazans on that day marched to the fence separating the enclave from Israeli-occupied lands at the start of a six-week protest, dubbed “The Great March of Return.”

The mass protest, however, turned violent when Israeli military forces used lethal force to disperse the crowd. Besides the 18 killed, some 1,500 Gazans were injured.

Israel had previously deployed military vehicles and special forces, including 100 snipers, to Gaza’s border. The regime’s forces had also been authorized to shoot at the demonstrators.

“The AL condemns the Israeli obvious, systematic, and large-scale crimes against the defenseless Palestinian civilians that are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity according to the international humanitarian law and the international human rights law,” a final statement said.

The Arab League also backed a request by the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement to sue Israel at the ICC for its crimes against Gazans.

Addressing the meeting, Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Aboul Gheit called on the United Nations Security Council to form an international commission to investigate Israel’s killings.

“Going to the UN General Assembly to provide protection to the Palestinian people and form an investigation commission will be an option if the Security Council continues to fail,” he added.

The Security Council held an emergency meeting over the mass killings by Israeli forces on Saturday, but failed to condemn the regime as the US hindered a final statement against its ally.

Aboul Gheit’s second-in-command Saeed Abu Ali stressed that the deaths had been caused after Israel deployed weapons against unarmed people.

Also addressing the meeting, Palestinian Ambassador to Cairo Diab al-Louh said the US is “encouraging” Israel to continue committing “heinous crimes” against defenseless Palestinians.

Israel “has occupied more than 60 percent of the West Bank, builds illegal settlements, and continues to impose a crippling blockade on Gaza,” he added.

The regime has defended its bloodshed in Gaza and even threatened a more violent response to future protests on Gaza’s border.

The Israeli minister for military affairs, Avigdor Lieberman, has rejected calls for a probe into the killing of Palestinians by the regime forces, saying, “We shall not cooperate with any commission of inquiry.”

The Palestinian protests are to reach their high point on May 15, the anniversary of Israel’s Western-backed war of 1948, during which it expelled Palestinians from their homeland before proclaiming existence.

Iran President Congratulates Senegal on National Day

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

In a message to his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall on Wednesday, Rouhani offered his “sincere” congratulations to the Senegalese president and nation, and expressed the hope that friendly ties between Tehran and Dakar would be enhanced in areas of mutual interest.

He also wished health and success for Sall and prosperity for the Muslim nation of Senegal.

On April 4, 1959 Senegal and the French Sudan merged to form the Mali Federation, which became fully independent on 20 June 1960, as a result of the independence and the transfer of power agreement signed with France on 4 April 1960.

Due to internal political difficulties, the Federation broke up on 20 August, when Senegal and French Sudan (renamed the Republic of Mali) each proclaimed independence.

“Arab States Seeking to Bring Syria Back to Arab League”

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

It seems the policy of soft infiltration into Iraq, which could be extended to Syria, coupled with a hard and tension-provoking policy in countering Iran, is part of the strategy adopted by the White House and its regional Arab allies. Now it is time for the Arab League to show whether or not it will adopt the same soft policy vis-à-vis Syria that it has adopted towards Iraq.

 

Watershed in Arab League’s History?

The Persian-language Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) has quoted the Lebanese Addiyar newspaper as saying that the return of Syria to the Arab League could be a turning point in the history of the Arab body over the past few years and in regional developments.

Concerning Syria’s possible return to the Arab League, wrote the Arab daily, a senior Iraqi official, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan’ King Abdullah II are to travel to Damascus and urge Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to attend an Arab League meeting. They will also accompany the Syrian president to the meeting.

The newspaper says nine Arab countries, including Iraq, would like to see Syria take part in an Arab leaders’ summit slated to be held in May in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

In its report, the Addiyar daily writes that information obtained from diplomatic sources suggest Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, Mauritania, Palestine and Maghreb are keen to see Syria attend the event.

According to the paper, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul-Gheit is trying to convince Saudi Arabia to annul the suspension of Syria’s membership in the Arab League, so that Syria could be invited to the meeting.

To that end, writes the newspaper, the highest Iraqi official along with Jordan’s King Abdullah II or Abdel Fattah el-Sisi himself will go Damascus to accompany Bashar al-Assad on a plane flying from Damascus to Riyadh to attend the Arab leaders’ summit there.

 

Saudi Arabia, Money, Rhetoric and Nothing Else

Given the trend of the developments in the Middle East in recent months, especially the realities on the ground in Iraq and Syria, it seems the Saudi regime has no ally left except money as Riyadh is highly frustrated at the failure of its recent policies and adventurism. That money is the windfall cash which can, until further notice, please bellicose White House businessmen and the remnants of terrorists in the Middle East region, so that young bin Salman will feel he has more support to counter the myriad of challenges facing Saudi Arabia both at home and abroad.

The end of the ISIS terror group’s rule in Iraq and Syria means the failure of the American-Saudi-Zionist project aimed at disintegrating Syria and Iraq as a prelude to the disintegration of the whole region. The ISIS’ defeat has also put Saudi Arabia in a bind.

It seems that young bin Salman has been entrusted with the historical task of helping Saudi Arabia shed its skin. Now, with the expensive consultations that bin Salman obtains from his friends in the Trump administration and the Israeli regime, he enters into a new field without caring for historical realities and without knowing his limits. By taking a look at Bahrain and Yemen cases, one can predict the fate of bin Salman’s adventurism in this new arena.

Although bin Salman admits that the policy of “Assad must go” is no longer effective and he needs to get along with the legitimate Syrian government. Nevertheless, it seems that he needs more time to change his hard policy in Syria to a soft one (similar to what he has adopted vis-à-vis Iraq). For this obvious reason, he wants the US not to hurry to leave Syria and maintain its presence on the ground for some more time.

Despite honest efforts by some countries, namely Iraq, Algeria, Oman and the like, and also the ambivalent policy that some other countries, including Egypt, have adopted toward the issue, one thing is certain: If this does not happen, it will become clear that Riyadh, for the moment, has no mission to return Syria to the Arab League.

In fact, Syria’s attendance or non-attendance in the Riyadh meeting will show Saudi Arabia’s stance on Damascus during the very same short period that bin Salman wants the US to remain in Syria, so that the balance of power will not be tipped against supporters of terrorists and secessionists.

As with the Iraq case, Riyadh’s new policy of returning Iraq/Syria to the “bosom of the Arab community (taking the two countries on board with Riyadh’s anti-Iran front) will not necessarily be fruitful due to the young crown prince’s immaturity, his lack of knowledge about regional nations and making efforts to make up for all his shortcomings and shortages with petrodollars and to please neo-conservatives in Washington.

Syria’s likely participation in the upcoming summit of the Arab League will amount to a major triumph for Bashar al-Assad and his allies and another definitive defeat for Saudi Arabia and the Western-Zionist front supporting it even if bin Salman thinks he can sell this “retreat” to Damascus as a concession and use it to pave the way for his new and soft policy to return to Syria.

To put it in a nutshell, one can say that Bashar al-Assad will be the centre of attention in Riyadh’s upcoming summit irrespective of the outcome of attempts by Arab countries to bring Syria back to the Arab League.

Idlib, Key Focus of Talks among Presidents of Iran, Turkey, Russia

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Iran’s Hassan Rouhani, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan will soon meet in Turkish capital Ankara to discuss the ongoing situation in the war-torn Arab country and follow up on agreements made in various rounds of Syria peace talks held in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana.

The issue of Idlib and the de-escalation of conflict in the city is said to be the key focus of talks between the three heads of state.

The Ankara summit will be the second such meeting among the three countries’ presidents, the first of which was held in Russia’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi on November 22 last year, according to a Farsi report by IRNA.

While Moscow and Tehran support the Syrian government in its anti-terror drive, Turkey has been a major supplier of arms to militants fighting Assad.

The three countries have helped set up de-escalation zones across Syria to reduce fighting on the ground.

The Wednesday event was preceded by a meeting on Tuesday in Ankara between the three countries’ foreign ministers, in which the agenda of the Wednesday talks was discussed.

The collapse of the ISIS terrorist group’s so-called caliphate late 2017, along with a significant drop in violence in the country thanks to a December 2016 ceasefire, has raised hopes that a dialogue-based solution to the conflict will be soon in sight.

The 2016 ceasefire was also brokered by the trio, after the liberation of Aleppo knocked the final nail on the coffin of western countries’ regime change dreams, which have left hundreds of thousands dead and millions homeless in Syria.

The trio later started holding peace talks in Astana, which are aimed at achieving a political settlement to the lingering conflict.

The meeting came shortly after US President Donald Trump said he wanted to “bring American troops back home” from Syria, after indicating last week the US would withdraw from the country “very soon”.

“Iran to Keep Working with Russia until Eradication of Terrorists”

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Hatami made the remarks on Tuesday after a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, in Moscow, where he is slated to take part in an international security conference.

The Iranian defense chief hailed his meeting with Shoigu, saying they had discussed bilateral defense ties as well as regional and international cooperation.

The two sides, Hatami said, exchanged views on counter-terrorism fight, the main issue on the agenda of the Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS), which will be held on Wednesday.

“As promised to the Syrian nation and regional nations, this [counter-terrorism] cooperation will continue until the total annihilation of terrorists and the liberation of regional nations from the scourge of terrorism,” Hatami said.

He further praised the opportunity provided by the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement to expand Tehran-Moscow relations in different areas, including defense, technology and education.

The Russian defense minister, for his part, said that joint Iran-Russia efforts in Syria have led to “appreciable results.”

He further noted that Moscow and Tehran now need to focus on boosting regional security, restoring stability to Syria and helping refugees return home.

Hatami’s talks with Shoigu came ahead of a trilateral meeting of the presidents of Russia, Iran and Turkey in Ankara regarding the Syria crisis.

At the Damascus government’s request, Iran and Russia have been assisting Syria in its fight against terrorists. Tehran gives the Syrian army military advisory assistance, while Moscow provides air cover to its ground operations against terrorists.

Iran and Russia, along with Turkey, have also been mediating a peace process between Syria’s warring sides, which has significantly reduced violence in the Arab country.

1...3,6543,6553,656...5,125Page 3,655 of 5,125

© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Us

Popular Articles

Editor Picks