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UK to Pay £400m Debt to Iran in Coming Days: Envoy

By
IFP Media Wire
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Hamid Baeedinejad said on his Telegram channel on Thursday that the over £400-million ($596 million) sum will be transferred to the Central Bank of Iran “in the coming days.”

The Iranian diplomat further expressed regret over certain media attempts to link the debt pay-off to the case of an imprisoned Iranian national.

The payment “with regard to a 1974 arms deal has nothing to do with the case of Nazanin Zaghari who has been arrested in Iran over security charges or to any other issue,” Baeedinejad told reporters on Thursday.

Iran’s intelligence authorities arrested Zaghari at the Imam Khomeini International Airport in April 2016 on spying charges as she was on her way home to London after visiting her parents in Tehran.

Zaghari was subsequently tried in an Iranian court and sentenced to five years in prison for spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic.

British media have said that she worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation. However, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement to a parliamentary committee last week that Zaghari had been “simply teaching people journalism.”

The Telegraph cited unidentified sources as saying this week that London was planning to transfer the outstanding debt to Iran to have Zaghari released.

The British tabloid daily, The Sun, said Iran had demanded that Britain return the money which the former Shah of Iran paid in 1979 for 1,750 Chieftain tanks and other vehicles, almost none of which was eventually delivered.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi, dismissed the report on Thursday, saying that “the British government’s debt pay-off to Iran has no connection to the case of Mrs. Nazanin Zaghari and these two issues are two separate cases.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman also stressed Thursday that there was no link between the £400 million debt owed to Iran and the fate of Zaghari.

Iranian, Turkish Diplomats Discuss Syria Crisis

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Jaberi Ansari, who is also the head of the Iranian delegation to Astana Talks on Syria, sat for talks on Friday (November 19) with his Turkish counterpart, Sedat Onal, and Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Umit Yalchin.

During the talks, the two sides discussed the latest developments of the region and Syria crisis.

Jaberi Ansari arrived in Ankara following his visits to Russia and Syria.

The expert-level meeting of the guarantor states of Astana Talks – Iran, Turkey and Russia – is set to be held in Tehran on Saturday (November 18), which will be followed by a meeting of the three countries’ foreign ministers in Turkey’s Antalya on November 19 and a summit of Iranian, Russian, and Turkish leaders in Russia’s Sochi on November 22.

The latest round of Astana talks is aimed at establishing four so-called “de-escalation zones” in mainly opposition-held areas of Syria, with Russia, Turkey and Iran acting as guarantors.

The meeting is also expected to call for a cessation of hostilities between anti-government groups and forces fighting on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad, for a period of at least six months.

 

“Iran’s Oil Ministry Showing Tolerance towards France’s Total”

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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total

 Senior Iranian lawmaker Feraydoon Hassanvand says the Director of the French energy giant Total has spoken of a possible review of its agreement with Iran due to legal reasons and a change in the sanctions regime, reports ICANA.

“In the interviews before and after the conclusion of the agreement, the [Iranian] Oil Ministry was given the necessary warnings, and we insisted that the deal not be based on immediate sanctions, but such a thing happened,” said Hassanvand, the chairman of Parliament’s Energy Commission.

“Still, Total has announced it will coordinate [its work] with US policies, and that if it wants to pull out of the agreement, it will do it earlier to pay less damages,” said the legislator.

“If such a thing happens, it will be tantamount to disrespect for legal laws and international regulations, and can set the precedent for violating all international contracts; moreover, Total’s credibility will be undermined as well,” the parliamentarian underlined.

“The move, in fact, shows that Total lacks any credibility and wants to scuttle an international agreement for profiteering in order to secure its interests in some countries,” he noted.

He went on to say that the Iranian Oil Ministry is showing tolerance vis-a-vis Total.

“We already announced that Iran should take the lead and file a lawsuit with domestic and international authorities to receive damages, but the Oil Ministry has shown tolerance so far to find out whether or not Total’s decision is final,” said the MP.

He said the behaviour of the French energy company indicates it is not willing to implement the agreement, adding, “The [Iranian] oil minister should be held answerable for that.”

He said the minister is to attend a meeting of the Parliament’s Energy Commission next week where he will report on the trend of the implementation of the Total agreement, the possibility of Total’s withdrawing from the deal and the legal measures to be adopted.

Iran Warns about Consequences of Saudis’ Divisive Policies

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Bahram Qassemi

In a statement on Friday, Qassemi dismissed the latest anti-Iran claims made by Saudi foreign minister and warned about the repercussions of Riyadh’s destructive measures in the region.

“Over the past few years, the regional states have seen no positive measure from Saudi Arabia but violating human rights, sowing the seeds of discord among Arab and Islamic states, repeating baseless claims, imposing siege on its neighbours, threatening and embroiling other states into war, interfering in the internal affairs of other countries with the aim of destabilizing them and launching efforts to violate international deals,” he stressed.

Qassemi said such policies are a serious warning to the region and the whole world, and must be immediately stopped.

“It goes without saying that the gestures of Saudi foreign minister as well the blame-game he plays will not reduce Riyadh’s responsibility in making the region destabilized and insecure,” he concluded.

In a joint press conference with his French counterpart, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Thursday the kingdom’s actions in the Middle East were a response to what he called the “aggression” of Iran.

 

Iranian Athletes Auction Medals to Raise Money for Quake Victims

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Since the Sunday night’s deadly incident in Iran, a large number of high-profile Iranian athletes have rolled up their sleeves to help the victims of a deadly earthquake in the western part of the country.

Iranian Athletes Auction Medals to Raise Money for Quake VictimsOlympic gold medalist Kianoosh Rostami was the first Iranian sportsman to auction off his prestigious medal to raise money for the quake-stricken people in his hometown Kermanshah, one of the areas hit by the temblor. He had won the medal in the Summer Olympics in Rio in 2016.

Iranian Athletes Auction Medals to Raise Money for Quake VictimsAfterwards, Sabah Shariati, an Iranian heavyweight wrestler who is a member of Azerbaijan Republic’s team, followed suit and announced he would auction the bronze medal that he won in Rio Olympics to give the proceeds to the quake victims.

 

Iranian Athletes Auction Medals to Raise Money for Quake VictimsAnother Iranian athlete who has put her medallion to auction is Sara Javanmardi, who bagged the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio. The champion says she wants to contribute to efforts underway to reach out to her compatriots in the earthquake-stricken areas.

Iranian Athletes Auction Medals to Raise Money for Quake VictimsFreestyle wrestler Massoud Mostafa Jokar also put his only Olympic medal up for sale. He had won his silver medal in the 2004 Olympics.

Athletes have actually joined millions of Iranians who are giving their donations, either to the Red Crescent Society or to individual fundraisers like celebrities, to help the quake-hit people.

Dushanbe to Host 4th Meeting of Heads of ECO Natl. Libraries

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The fourth meeting of the heads of national libraries of countries which are members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is scheduled to be held in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, from November 27-29, reports Mehr News Agency.

The 3-day specialized meeting being held after a 7-day hiatus comes on the back of efforts by the ECO Cultural Institute in cooperation with the National Library of Iran.

The meeting will feature different events, including the unveiling of books and of the website of the centre running the ECO’s libraries as well as speeches and specialized panels attended by library directors and experts.

The event will also feature visits to cultural and literary centres.

The first, second and third meetings were earlier held in Tehran, Baku and Ankara respectively.

The ECO is and international institution which not only seeks to promote cooperation among member states, but also is engaged with other countries in the domains of culture, art, science and research.

“French FM’s Iran Concerns Unfounded, Not Helpful”

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In a Thursday statement, Qassemi slammed the anti-Iran remarks made by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian during his recent visit to Riyadh.

“Your voicing concern is not compatible with the realities in the region and amounts to barking up the wrong tree,” said Qassemi in response to the comments that Le Drian made in a joint press conference with his Saudi counterpart in Riyadh.

“[The fact] that some officials from countries beyond the [Middle East] region have travelled to the Persian Gulf region and once again expressed their fabricated, unfounded and hostile concerns about Iran, while turning a blind eye to the existing and very clear realities in the region and while being swayed by the [false] suggestions of delusional and warmongering Saudi officials, will not help settle any of the crises definitely and obviously fueled by Saudi Arabia, and will not even help this country weather the domestic and regional crises it is grappling with,” said Qassemi.

“Certain transregional countries’ selling lethal weapons to regional states while some of the

arms are used in the devastating war on Yemen and their support for Saudi Arabia and its allies in the region have only emboldened Riyadh to create more crises and complicated and intensified instability and insecurity in this sensitive region of the world,” Qassemi noted.

“Unfortunately, it seems that France has a unilateral and biased look at the crises and human catastrophes in the Middle East, and such an approach, intentionally or unintentionally, contributes to the realization of potential crises,” he said.

“The current situation in the region and the need to boost and expand stability and security together with the fight against terrorism to further destroy it entail pragmatic and responsible words and deeds by other countries’ officials,” the spokesman noted.

Facebook Blocks $200,000 Donation to Iran Quake Victims

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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When Tohid Najafi first learned that a devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake had struck his native country, Iran, he wasted no time.

A medical professional based in Detroit, US, Najafi quickly set up a Facebook page to raise money for the families of the victims and the survivors of Sunday’s disaster.

The quake killed at least 450 people and injured more than 7,000 in Iran and neighbouring Iraq. An estimated 15,000 houses were destroyed, leaving some 70,000 people homeless.

Seeing the extent of the damage, Najafi on Monday rallied the 65,000 members of his online group, Persian Americans, to help.

He set a goal for $110,000 over the next month and hoped that within the first day he would manage to raise up to $15,000.

But when he woke up the next morning, online donors had already chipped in more than $80,000. By Wednesday, the sum raised had surpassed $200,000.

“I was very surprised,” Najafi told Al Jazeera, saying he had doubts about hitting his goal on time – raising money online is a “novel thing” among the Iranian-American community, he said.

But his delight was short-lived.

On the first day of his effort, Najafi received a message by Facebook informing him the funds “will not be released”, until the social media site receives from him the required authorisation from the United States Department of Treasury.

On Thursday, to Najafi’s dismay, Facebook took down his fundraising page, saying “personal fundraisers are not eligible to receive funds for nonprofits”.

Iran Condemns Kabul Terrorist Attack

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In his Thursday statement, Qassemi condemned the attack and expressed sympathy with the Afghan nation and government and the bereaved families of the victims.

A suicide bomber killed nine people at a political gathering in Kabul in an attack claimed by ISIS.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the attacker detonated his payload at the entrance to a wedding hall where the event was being held, killing seven police and two civilians, and wounding another nine people.

ISIS claimed the attack in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency. The Taliban denied involvement.

Both the Taliban and the ISIS affiliate, which is largely made up of disgruntled former Taliban fighters, are at war with the government and have carried out major attacks in Afghanistan within the past years.

Iran Calls for Peaceful Settlement of Differences in Zimbabwe

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Bahram Qassemi

In a statement on Thursday, Qassemi said the Islamic Republic of Iran is closely observing all developments in Zimbabwe, and calls on all parties involved in the recent developments to settle the country’s recent problems only through dialogue and peaceful means.

He also urged them to refrain from resorting to violence and force and act democratically within the framework of the African country’s Constitution based on the will and interests of the Zimbabwean nation.

Qassemi pointed to efforts being made by African bodies, particularly the African Union and the South African Development Community (SADC), and certain African leaders to resolve the problems created in Zimbabwe, and expressed the hope that the efforts would bear fruit as soon as possible.

“We hope these efforts would lead to the restoration and establishment of peace, stability, and the rule of law in the friendly country of Zimbabwe,” he added.

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