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Iran FM to Visit Russia to Attend Valdai Club Conference

Zarif’s trip to Moscow is aimed at meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and delivering a speech at Valdai Discussion Club’s Middle East Conference.

According to a Farsi report by IRIB, this year the annual Valdai Conference’s theme is “Russia in the Middle East: Playing on All Fields.”

The annual Valdai Club Middle East Conference, to be attended by prominent politicians, diplomats, scholars and public figures from more than 30 countries, will kick off in Moscow on Monday, February 19.

Zarif and Lavrov are among the keynote speakers. The conference, jointly held by the Valdai Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is widely considered one of the Club’s most successful projects, since the format of expert dialogue makes it possible to bring together representatives of the region’s countries and jointly look for common ground despite differences.

The two-day conference will include eight sessions dedicated to various Middle East-related issues, including Russia’s diplomatic, mediatory, and political role in the region as well as its perception by other parties.

In particular, experts will discuss the post-war reconstruction of Syria, the prospects of settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the situation in Yemen, the mechanisms of providing assistance to Libya and resolving the Kurdish issue, as well as the ways to reduce tensions in Iran’s relations with its neighbours.

The Valdai Discussion Club is a Moscow-based think tank, established in 2004. It is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with the participants of the Valdai Club’s annual meetings every year since its founding.

No More Reliance on Foreigners after Nuclear Deal: Iran Leader

One of the "American Honesty" posters installed in different parts of Tehran amid the nuclear negotiations in 2013

Speaking in a Sunday meeting with a group of Iranian people from East Azarbaijan province in Tehran, the Leader urged the country’s officials to avoid relying on foreigners in developing Iran’s economy.

“Prosperity of domestic economy needs good exports, import of goods as much as required, and attracting foreign investment, but Iranian managers must be in charge, and foreigners should not be relied upon in this regard.”

The Leader pointed to the “economic earthquake” and “very heavy blow” that struck certain developed countries in Eastern Asia a decade ago, and described it as a great lesson for Iran.

“The blow took these countries to poverty and misery overnight, and that was a result of relying on foreign investment,” he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei also noted that the Islamic Republic did not gain anything by trusting foreign powers in the case of the nuclear deal and the negotiations that led to the finalization of the JCPOA.

“We witnessed the result of relying on foreigners in the case of JCPOA, and achieved nothing from trusting them in nuclear negotiations.”

“However, our officials are fortunately dealing with the issue well, and our foreign minister, to whom I am grateful, is adopting very good and strong approach to the deceits of Americans and Europeans,” he noted, adding that such approach must be continued.

“We must take advantage of the foreigners, but we should not trust and rely on them, because they would dominate the country’s fate through different ways,” he added.

No More Reliance on Foreigners after Nuclear Deal: Iran Leader

 

Promotion of Defence Power Necessary Even If Entire World Disagrees

The Leader further pointed to the renovation of the country’s defence power, and said the enhancement of all methods, instruments, and equipment needed for defending the country today and tomorrow must be given priority.

“Without even a moment of hesitation, the country must move towards anything it needs for defence, even if the entire world is opposed,” he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei strongly criticized the enemies who threaten the human kind using their warfare, but express opposition to the country’s missile defence power.

“It is none of your business. You want the Iranian nation not to have any missile and defence equipment so that you could bully it,” he added, addressing the enemies.

“We believe nuclear bombs and Weapons of Mass Destruction are haram [prohibited based on Islamic teachings], but we will strongly pursue acquiring whatever we would need,” the Leader noted.

Iran Leader Regrets Justice Not Yet Realized in Islamic Republic

Addressing a group of people in Tehran on Sunday, the Leader said he is totally aware of people’s complaints about certain issues in the country.
“We are totally informed about the people’s complaints and criticism,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

“People are not just critical of the government, the Parliament, and the Judiciary; they might be critical of me, as well,” he added.

However, the Leader noted, even if they are critical of certain issues, the people have developed a revolutionary and political awareness that helps them wholeheartedly defend the Establishment they created through the 1979 Revolution.

“We named the third decade of our Revolution as the decade of “Progress and Justice”. Progress has been realized in the real sense of the word, but this is not true about justice.”
“We admit that we have lagged behind in terms of realizing justice in the country. We must work harder, and apologize to people and God [for failing to realize justice],” the Leader added.

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that the country has problems in terms of justice, but progress will be made in this regard through the efforts of officials, our men and women.

Iran FM Meets World Officials on Sidelines of Munich Conference

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrives at Munich to attend the Munich Security Conference

Zarif on Sunday held talks with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian, during which the two sides conferred on bilateral relations and other issues of interest.

Iran FM Meets World Officials on Sidelines of Munich ConferenceIran FM Meets World Officials on Sidelines of Munich ConferenceThe Iranian foreign minister also held negotiations with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Mikheil Janelidze. During the meeting, the two top diplomats talked about issues of mutual interest including promotion of economic, transit, and banking cooperation.

Zarif noted that Chabahar port in southern Iran provides an exceptional opportunity for the two countries to expand cooperation in exporting goods to the regional countries.

For his part, Janelidze touched upon the growing cooperation between Tehran and Tbilisi in tourism sector and expressed his country’s interest in implementing small, short-term economic projects. Cooperation in transit and freight corridors was on the agenda as well.

Iran FM Meets World Officials on Sidelines of Munich ConferenceLakhdar Brahimi, who served as the United Nations and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria until May 2014, was the next political figure who held talks with Zarif. Brahimi was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria from 1991 to 1993. He is also a member of The Elders, a group of world leaders working for global peace.

Some other members of The Elders including Mexican ex-president Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León met with FM Zarif as well.

The Iranian Foreign minister further held talks with Catherine Ashton, the former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Additionally, Zarif held talks with a number of German institutes’ researchers, reporters and journalists on the sidelines of the security conference.

Iran FM Meets World Officials on Sidelines of Munich Conference

Iran Leader, President Offer Condolences over Plane Crash

Iran Leader, President Offers Condolences over Plane Crash

In his message, Ayatollah Khamenei said the heartbreaking incident filled the Iranians’ hearts with sorrow and regret.

“I sincerely offer my deep regret and sympathy to the bereaved families of the victims. I wish patience for the survivors, and mercy for those killed,” he added.

The Leader also urged all relevant officials to make every effort and take the required measures in this regard, including efforts to facilitate their funerals.

President Rouhani also condoled with the Iranian nation over the tragedy, and offered sympathy to the bereaved families of the victims.

He also wished mercy for those killed in the accident and patience for the survivors.

The Iranian president urged Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhondi to form a committee to probe into the crash, and pursue the delivery of emergency and rescue services as soon as possible.

“All necessary measures must be taken to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future,” he added in his message.

The Aseman Airline’s Tehran-Yasuj EP3704 flight with at least 66 people on board crashed in southern Isfahan province and all the passengers and crew members are feared dead.

The 20-year-old ATR plane, which disappeared from radars on Sunday morning 50 minutes after taking off from Mehrabad Airport, crashed into Dena Mountain near Bideh village in the city of Semirom, according to Iranian officials.

A spokesman for the Iranian emergency organization said at least 66 people, including 60 passengers and 6 crew members were on board. He also said it was not possible to send ambulances to the mountainous area.

Iranian, European Diplomats Discuss Yemen Crisis in Munich

Iranian, Swedish Diplomats Discuss Ways to End Yemen War

During the Saturday meeting in the German city, Seyyed Abbas Araqchi and his Italian, French, British, and German counterparts talked about ways to end the brutal siege of the Yemeni people and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the country.

The meeting came as the humanitarian crisis in Yemen has worsened as a result of indiscriminate attacks by the Saudi and Emirati jet fighters.

At least 13,600 people have been killed since the onset of Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against Yemen in 2015.

Much of the country’s infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and factories, has been destroyed due to the war. The Saudi-led war has also triggered a deadly cholera epidemic across the Arab country.

According to the World Health Organization’s latest tally, the cholera outbreak has killed over 2,000 people since the end of April 2017 and is suspected to have infected nearly 850,000.

Plane with 66 People on Board Crashes in Central Iran

The 25-year-old ATR plane, which disappeared from radars on Sunday morning 50 minutes after taking off from Mehrabad Airport, crashed into Dena Mountain near Bideh village in the city of Semirom, according to Iranian officials.

Several helicopters have been deployed to search the crash site, and rescue operation is underway. However, the heavy fog in the area does not let the copters land.

While the plane’s wreckage has not been found yet, the Iran Aseman Airline’s Public Relations chief said all the people on board including 60 passengers and 6 crew members were killed.

“Iran-India Ties Not Detrimental to Interests of Regional States”

In a Saturday meeting in New Delhi with India’s Senate Speaker, Venkaiah Naidu, Rouhani underlined that the historical and cultural commonalities between Iran and India are a great asset which both governments and parliaments can build on to expand their bilateral relations.

“The high-ranking officials of Iran and India have a strong will to further strengthen their bilateral relations,” he was quoted as saying in a Farsi report by the Iranian president’s official website.

He went on to say that Iran-India relations not only don’t pose any threat to any regional state but also are in the their interests of the two nations and the whole region.

The Iranian president also described the growing parliamentary relations between Iran and India as a prelude to further expansion of bilateral ties and noted Iranian and Indian parliaments can further pave the way for enhancement of two sides’ relations.

For his part, India’s senate chairman underlined that Iranian and Indian parliaments offer all-out support for strengthening of ties and have made whatever in their power to achieve the goal.

He also called for expansion of ties between Iran and India in fight against terrorism and added all countries across the world must play their role in this fight because terrorism hampers all countries’ efforts to make progress and prosperity.

Iran Condoles with Mexico over Deadly Copter Crash (+Video)

In a Saturday statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi expressed regret over the magnitude-7.2 earthquake in Mexico’s Oaxaca state and also the tragic flipping of a chopper which was on a relief mission, and sympathised with the Mexican government and nation, especially those affected by the incidents.

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake and a magnitude 5.8 aftershock — both with epicentres in Oaxaca state — struck Mexico Friday. No deaths have been reported in the earthquake itself.

However, a military helicopter carrying officials surveying earthquake damage crashed Friday night in the southeastern Mexican state of Oaxaca, killing at least 14 people.

Twelve people died at the site of the crash in Santiago Jamiltepec, while another person died in the hospital. Three of the dead were children, the officials said. Fifteen others were also injured.

Mexican Interior Minister Alfonso Navarrete Prida and Oaxaca’s governor, Alejandro Murat, were flying near the quake’s epicentre to evaluate damage when the helicopter crashed. Both men survived and only suffered “slight concussions,” the Interior Ministry tweeted.

Tehran Blasts US for Discouraging Others from Investing in Iran

In a statement on Saturday, Qassemi censured McMaster’s “irrelevant” statements at the Munich Security Conference, in which he called on the countries of the world not to invest in Iran.

“Disruptions and barriers caused by the US administration in the past few years to deprive Iran of the benefits of the nuclear deal next to repeating such remarks show that they are still pursuing their useless Iranophobic policy, and at the same time prove their failure in achieving their illegitimate goals which are contrary to their international obligations.”

Qassemi also added that the successive defeats of the US administration in various global arenas, especially in recent months, have led them to explicitly proclaim their non-commitment, unreliability, and non-compliance with the international obligations and also their hostile intentions to the world.

The Iranian spokesman underlined that such remarks by the White House National Security Advisor leave no doubt that the United States, as one of the parties to the JCPOA that has pledged not to prevent “successful” implementation of the deal with the “goodwill”, still strives to hurdle the interaction and mutual enjoyment of the international community and Iran from the advantages, opportunities and economic, commercial and investment capacities of the countries of the world and the Islamic Republic.

“Of course, it seems that the willingness of many countries to cooperate with Iran besides the volume of foreign investment in Iran after the nuclear deal have become a source of concern for Washington.”

“We take these statements by this US official as threatening other countries. Such remarks are not only contrary to the US commitments within the framework of the JCPOA, but also are in violation of international laws and regulations by the US government,” he emphasized.

Qassemi’s comments came after McMaster brought a hardline message to global leaders on Saturday in Munich saying the international community must do more to isolate North Korea and Iran.

“The time is now, we think, to act against Iran,” McMaster said. “Let’s do everything we can to cut off funding.”

He made an appeal to NATO members and allies at the Munich Security Conference to look hard at who they are doing business with overseas and cut off funding that indirectly funds Hezbollah.

“When you invest in Iran, you’re investing in the IRGC. And when we look at the biggest trading partners with Iran, we of course see Russia, we see China. But we also see Japan, South Korea and Germany. It’s time to focus business intelligence efforts to figure out who we are really doing business with, and cut off funding.”