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Trump’s Secret Talks with North Korea amid Tensions

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Trump’s Secret Talks with North Korea amid Tensions

Tensions surrounding the Korean Peninsula are extreme, with no immediate sign of easing. North Korea has made it clear it will respond tit-for-tat to aggressive US moves by firing a missile on Sunday morning, although the launch failed dismally.

The geopolitical crisis is expected to face a critical juncture this week as US Vice President Mike Pence is on a three-day visit to Seoul as of Sunday afternoon, during which he discusses a possible breakthrough with his South Korean counterpart, Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn.

Against this backdrop, a senior journalist has raised startling claims that secret talks had begun between the US and North Korea in New York to end the crisis, according to a report by Korea Times covered by Javan newspaper in Iran.

The North’s recent revival of a parliamentary foreign affairs commission was a “prelude” to the alleged bilateral dialogue, said Korea Economic editorial writer Jeong Kyu-jae, in a self-produced news analysis video posted on YouTube on Friday afternoon.

He did not present any concrete evidence of the alleged secret talks, merely claiming that his claim was based on intelligence from credible sources. The video has been watched more than 150,000 times as of Sunday noon.

“It seems to be true that a secret meeting between the US and North Korea has begun,” Jeong says in the 20-minute video.” As far as I know, the US will demand that North Korea permanently abandon, not freeze, its nuclear program.”

The Korea Times contacted government bodies handling North Korean issues, but nobody confirmed such a meeting.

The favors Washington is reported to have offered in return for the North’s permanent abandonment of its nuclear program are somewhat mind-boggling.

According to Jeong, the US has expressed its willingness to establish a formal diplomatic relationship with North Korea. Once the relationship is formed, Washington would station an infantry outside Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, to protect the Kim Jong-un regime, and the US Navy would support the mission at North Korea’s military port in Wonsan, according to the journalist.

“If the dialogue turns out to be productive, US President Donald Trump might send his special envoy to the North in a clandestine manner in late April or early May,” he said. “This is a scenario that will play out only when things unfold smoothly. If the talks are unsuccessful, the US might consider a military strike as the next option.”

Experts called Jeong’s claims “absurd” and “unrealistic” A North Korea expert here said China would never agree to U.S. forces being stationed near Pyongyang.

Spring in Baharestan, North of Iran

By
Fatemeh Askarieh
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Spring in Baharestan, North of Iran (5)

Here are Mizan’s photos of Baharestan in Guilan province during the first month of spring:

Iran’s FM Arrives in Ashgabat as First Leg of Central Asian Tour

By
IFP Media Wire
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Iran's FM Arrives in Ashgabat as First Leg of Central Asian Tour

The three-day tour spans Turkmenistan, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. A 20-member delegation of businessmen and company representatives is accompanying Zarif who cited transit cooperation among the objectives of the visit.

“There is a possibility for transit cooperation with Georgia to link the Black Sea to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean which is a very favorable way for the future of transit and the North-South Corridor,” he said.

Zarif made the remarks as he landed in Ashgabat on Sunday and was received by Turkmenistan’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev.

The Iranian foreign minister started his visit in Turkmenistan with a meeting with President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, discussing regional developments as well as ways of expanding bilateral ties, IRNA news agency reported.

The International North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) was formalized among India, Iran and Russia in 2000 to link the Subcontinent and the Middle East to the Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe.

Besides Iran, India and Russia, countries that are on board to integrate into the transit network include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Turkey, Tajikistan, Oman, Syria and Bulgaria.

Zarif has already said the countries involved were discussing the “final details” of the project. Dry runs of the route were conducted in 2014, from Mumbai to Baku and Astrakhan via Bandar Abbas.

The NSTC opens a window for alignment with Silk Road Economic Belt pushed by China to establish new trade and transport links with Central Asia and Europe and provide a counterbalance to US “pivot” to Asia.

Iran's FM Arrives in Ashgabat as First Leg of Central Asian Tour

Before his talks in Ashgabat, the Iranian minister said his talks were aimed at reinforcing the bilateral ties among other things. “Enhancement of relations with neighbors has always formed the Iranian foreign policy’s most important priority,” he said.

Iran, Zarif said, also sought to pave the way for increasing its non-oil exports as well as technical and engineering services to the neighbors, and follow up on the memoranda of understanding already signed with them.

Zarif touched on the Iranian foreign ministry’s plans to help revitalize the country’s economy, saying exports of technical and engineering services to neighbors were one of the subjects which his delegation sought to bring up in the talks.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei named the new Persian year as “the year of production and employment and “the Foreign Ministry has been taking measures to help in their regard,” he said.

Zarif also touched on common threats to the regional countries and the need for collective efforts to confront them.

“Our region is faced with the threat of extremism and terrorism from all sides and we need close cooperation with the regional countries,” he said.

Over 1 Million Working in Executive Team of Iran Presidential Election

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran Elections

Kazem Mirvalad, a member of the Central Executive Board of Iran’s presidential election, said 1,000,150 individuals will constitute the team responsible for holding Iran’s May 19 presidential election.

According to a Farsi report by Al-Alam News Network, Mirvalad said reports indicate that the election process has progressed very well as the central board’s secretariat, headquartered in the Iranian capital of Tehran, is in constant contact with the counties in other Iranian provinces and a number of executive boards have been set up in other provinces.

Following the conclusion of the voting process and sending the ballot papers to Tehran, in case the central board approves of the reliability of the election process, the results will be announced, he added.

Commenting on the holding of the upcoming presidential votes, another member of the presidential election’s Central Executive Board, Gholamreza Tajgardoun, expressed optimism that the voting process would be gone through successfully and undisputedly.

“In case of any doubts about the reliability of the election system or result, we, as the Iranian people’s trustees, will promptly take necessary actions.”

He listed the other members of the Central Executive Board as Hossein-Ali Amiri, Hamid Mirzadeh, Mohsen Haji Mirzaei-Nekou, Hojjatoleslam Mohammad-Ali Shahidi, Ali Asghar Ahmadi and Kazem Mirvalad.

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Almost all newspapers today covered the deadly flood in northwestern Iran, which killed at least 41 people. Iran Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s message of condolences and order for expedition of aid delivery was also widely covered today.

Another top story was the end of the five-day registration process where over 1,600 signed up to run for presidency. The notable candidates on the last day (Saturday) were Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and First Vice-President Es’haq Jahangiri.

Many papers covered the decision by reformists and President Rouhani to introduce Jahangiri as an alternative candidate and Plan B, who can help the incumbent president respond to possible attacks by the team of conservatives including Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and his possible VP Qalibaf during the presidential debates.

North Korea’s imminent nuclear missile test as well as the inauguration of five new South Pars Gas Field phases were among other top stories today.

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

 

19 Dey:

1- A Different, Hot Election

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- 19 Dey

 

Abrar:

1- 300,000 Flee West Mosul, 3 ISIS Commanders Killed

2- Azerbaijan’s Defence Minister Arrives in Tehran

3- American Destroyer in China Sea

4- President Rouhani: We’re Proud of All Armed Forces, IRGC, Basij

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Abrar

 

Afkar:

1- Qalibaf: Four Years of Slogans Enough

  • Rouhani Should See People’s Problems in Person instead of Giving Statistics
  • I’ll Create 5 Million Jobs, Increase Income by 2.5 Times

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Afkar

 

Aftab-e Yazd:

1- Rouhani Makes His Decision: First VP Jahangiri Runs as Reformists’ Plan B

2- Jahangiri: Rouhani is Main Candidate of Moderate, Reformism Camp

3- First VP: I Complement Mr. Rouhani, We Stand by Together

 

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Aftab-e Yazd

Arman-e Emrooz:

1- Rouhani Allows First VP Jahangiri to Run for President

2- Flood in Northwestern Iran Kills 40

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Arman-e Emrooz

 

Ebtekar:

1- Rouhani’s Companion Runs for President

2- Zarif: Some Want to Challenge People’s Sources of Honour through Lies

3- Why Conservatives Attack Ahmadinejad: Evading Responsibility

4- Turkey on Edge of Blade: It’s Referendum Day

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Ebtekar

 

Emtiaz:

1- Muslim Iranian Basketball Players Can Attend Global Competitions

2- Most Effective Thing to Happen for Recognition of Muslim Women’s Hijab

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Emtiaz

 

Etemad:

1- First VP Jahangiri: I Complement Rouhani

  • I’d Like to Tell People in What Situation Iran Was, and How It is Now

2- Tehran Mayor Qalibaf: We’re All Tired of Promises, Slogans

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Etemad

 

Ettela’at:

1- Rouhani: We Seek No One’s Permission to Build Missiles, Jets

2- President Issues Order for Expedition of Aid Delivery to Floot-Hit People

3- Zarif: Iran Lost Billions of Dollars Thanks to Those Who Made Money Out of Sanctions

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Ettela'at

 

Ghanoon:

1- Iran’s Output from South Pars Gas Field Equals that of Qatar

2- Ordinary People’s Candidacy in Presidential Election Shows Cultural Schizophrenia in Iran

3- Iran Has Strangest Registration Process

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Ghanoon

 

Haft-e Sobh:

1- Rouhani’s Upper Hand in Election Chess

2- Presidential Race More Complicated than Ever after Registration of Hopefuls

3- Show Respect for This Persepolis: Tehran Giant Team Claims IPL Title

4- Shocking: Live from Flood-Hit Azarbaijan

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Haft-e Sobh

 

Hemayat:

1- Guardian Council’s Tough Job of Reviewing Qualifications

2- Over 20 Influential Figures Have Signed up

3- Grief in Northwestern Iran after Heavy Flood

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Hemayat

 

Iran:

1- Zarif’s Response to JCPOA Opponents

2- All-Out Aid Delivery to People in Flood-Hit Areas of Azarbaijan

3- Qalibaf, Jahangiri Run for President in Last Minutes

 

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Iran

Jame Jam:

1- Iran Leader: Officials Obliged to Immediately Help Flood-Hit People

2- Guardian Council Starts Reviewing Qualification of Presidential Candidates

3- GC Spokesman: Many of Those Who Signed Up Won’t Be Qualified to Run

 

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Jame Jam

Javan:

1- 5 Phases of South Pars Gas Field, Whose Construction Started 20 Years Ago, to Be Inaugurated Today

  • When Rouhani Took Office, These Phases Were 80% Complete

2- First VP Jahangiri: I’m Running for Presidency at Reformists’ Insistence

3- Rafsanjani’s Brother: I’m Running Due to Some Concerns

4- 50 Killed, 20 Wounded in Terrorists’ Attack on Shiite Civilians’ Bus

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Javan

 

Jomhouri Eslami:

1- Iran, Total to Sign Final Deal in Coming Days

2- Economy Minister: Iran’s Economic Growth Rate to Reach 8% Next Year

3- Central Bank Governor: We’ll Keep Inflation Rate below 10%

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Jomhouri Eslami

 

Ka’enat:

1- Last Three Candidates: Hashemi, Qalibaf, Jahangiri Run for President

2- End of Registration Deadline: What Happens to the Ones Waiting behind the Door?

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Ka'enat

 

Kayhan:

1- Government of Astronomical Salaries Suddenly Helps Deprived People on Verge of Elections!

2- Takfiris [extremists] Massacre Shiites of al-Foua and Kefraya after Giving Them Safe Passage

 

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Kayhan

 

Khorasan:

1- Puzzle of Registration in Presidential Race Completed

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Khorasan

 

Resalat:

1- Senior Cleric: People to Determine Their Destiny in Elections

2- Syria Friends United against US

3- Gorbachev: World Getting Ready for Another War

4- 35 Killed, 8 Missing after Flooding in NW Iran

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Resalat

 

Rooyesh-e Mellat:

1- Gov’t to Stop Giving Cash Handouts to 20 Million Iranians

2- Pyongyang’s Imminent Nuclear Missile Test

3- Iran Unveils Homegrown Jet Fighter ‘Kowsar’ Used for Training Purposes

 

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Rooyesh-e Mellat

Shahrvand:

1- Victims Who Were Watching, Filming the Flood

2- Return of Iran’s Natural Gas Treasure

 

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Shahrvand

Shargh:

1- Qalibaf’s Attack, Jahangiri’s Counterattack

2- How First VP Decided to Run for President

3- The Flood that Took Away Iranian Lives

4- Turkey Close to Erdogan’s Dictatorship

 

Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 16- Shargh

Iran Equals Qatar in Natural Gas Output from South Pars

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

President Rouhani officially inaugurated several oil, natural gas, and petrochemical projects worth of $20 billion in South Pars Gas Field in Iran’s Khuzestan province.

The phases 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 of South Pars Gas Field were among the mega projects launched by the president.

Speaking to reporters after the historic inauguration, Rouhani called the day a ‘memorable’ one for Iran’s oil and gas industry.

He noted that Iran’s natural gas production capacity currently stands at 575 million cubic metres, which shows a sharp rise compared to 240 mcm four years ago.

The Iranian president also vowed that the country’s output from the gas field will exceed that of Qatar thanks to the projects inaugurated today.

South Pars is the world’s largest gas field shared by Iran and Qatar in the Persian Gulf.

Iranian Petroleum Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh had earlier noted the total output from the new phases will amount to 150 mcm/d, or 50 billion cubic meters of gas per annum. Once fully operational, the new phases will push Iran’s gas output within a striking distance of Qatar’s production rate.

The minister added that Phase 19 alone is equivalent to two conventional South Pars phases in investment and operational terms.

“The new phases will also raise the production of gas condensates by 250,000 barrels a day, or 90 million barrels a year and generate upwards of $10 billion a year in revenues.”

 

Iran to Support OPEC Oil Cut Extension If Unanimity Reached

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Bijan Zangeneh
Speaking on Sunday, the official said, “OPEC and non-OPEC crude oil producers have displayed a historic spirit de corps in implementation of the organization’s output cut plan which has proved a success and producers have shown more cooperative month over month.”

“The market has also reacted in a way that the OPEC-non-OPEC decision has been earnest and practically successful because the prices, after a 20-day slump, returned to the $55/d domain indicating that the OPEC has lived up to its output cut plan.”

For its part, Iran has also honored the initiative and, provided that all other members follow suit, would stick to the plan as well, added the top Iranian energy official who was speaking ahead of historic inauguration of major gas and petrochemical projects in the southern region of Assalouyeh.

In December 2016, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reached a landmark agreement with Russia and other non-members to proceed with the plan and slash oil production by nearly 1.8 million barrels a day for six months starting January 2017.

The agreement exempted key member Iran from the plan, allowing it to increase its production by 90,000 bpd to reach pre-sanction levels of around 4 million bpd.

Nigeria and Libya were also exempted from the planned output cut due to internal conflicts which have already decreased their crude production.

2 Killed, 1 Injured on Sidelines of Turkey Referendum

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
2 Killed, 1 Injured on Sidelines of Turkey Referendum

In Yabanardı village of Çermik District of Diyarbakir, two people died in armed fight between two groups at the village school where the ballot boxes for Turkey’s historic referendum were established.

According to a report by IFP, in the village of Yabanardı, which is 30 kilometres away from Çermik, there was a fight in the morning hours in the garden of the village school where the ballot boxes had been established between two groups belonging to the same family.

The reason for the fight has not been reported yet, DHA reported.

Three people were injured in the fight where two weapons were used. Two of them were in severe conditions and lost their lives on the way to the State Hospital of Siverek in Şanlıurfa.

The Gendarmerie, which took security measures in the village, intervened in the fight and launched an investigation into the incident.

Military reinforcements were sent to keep the event from growing.

Iran Strongly Condemns Terror Attack on Civilians in Syria

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Bahram Qassemi

Expressing condolences to the Syrian government and nation over the “bitter and brazen massacre”, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said the cowardly attack on the buses packed with residents of Foua and Kefraya that killed tens of children and women marked another dark point in the dirty record of terrorists and their supporters.

He also lashed out at the sponsors of terrorist groups for their selective approach towards crime and for dividing terrorists into good and bad, saying the overt and covert supports for the terrorist groups would encourage them to mastermind more heinous crimes, such as the Saturday attack near Aleppo.

Thousands of residents of the predominantly Shiite towns of Foua and Kefraya were evacuated on Friday under an exchange deal. They have been stranded at Ramouseh area on the outskirts of Aleppo, waiting for the buses carrying militants and civilians from Zabadani and Madaya to be transferred to the town of Jarabulus.

 

Iran Strongly Condemns Terror Attack on Civilians in Syria

 

On Saturday evening, a bomber blew up an explosive-laden car near the convoy, killing nearly 40 people, mostly children.

Horror footage shows the buses engulfed in flames as people scream amid gunshots in the background.

Foua and Kefraya in the northwestern province of Idlib are encircled by Takfiri terrorists. The militant-held towns of Zabadani and Madaya near the Lebanese border are under siege by Syrian government forces.

Foua and Kefraya are the only government-held enclave in Idlib’s militant-held area.

The towns of some 20,000 people have been under siege since 2013. The humanitarian situation remains dire, with a lack of food and basic necessities.

55 Million Start Voting in Turkey’s Landmark Referendum

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Some 55 million Turkish voters are eligible to cast votes today following a divisive campaign that was launched in October 2016 when the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) announced its support to the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) long-anticipated project of replacing the current government system with a presidential system with power concentrated in one hand.

The MHP’s support represented a U-turn from its previous views and came in the wake of the failed July 2016 coup attempt that pushed the nationalist party to endorse the AKP’s plan to ostensibly strengthen the Turkish state against such potential attempts in the future.

Parliament approved the amendments in late January with 339 votes from the AKP-MHP alliance while the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) stood against government system alteration, Hurriyet Daily reported.

If the package is approved, the president will be able to retain ties with the political party he or she belongs to.

As part of the changes, both the office of the prime minister and the cabinet will be abolished while the president will acquire all executive powers with the authority to issue decrees on the state’s structure as well as its functions.

The changes also grant authority to the president to issue decrees within the executive jurisdiction, declare a state of emergency and appoint public officials. But presidential decrees will not be permitted on issues concerning human rights or basic freedoms, or to override existing laws.

The president will be able to declare a state of emergency without necessary cabinet approval and to draft the budget, which is currently drawn up by parliament. The changes will allow the president to dissolve the parliament which will trigger the renewal of presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously.

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