According to a report by IFP, Qassemi said in his weekly press conference that Iran is examining placing some American individuals and institutions on a sanction list in reaction to the Trump administration’s recent “unfair and wrongful” bans against the Islamic Republic.
The sanctions, he said, will be targeting those assisting Takfiri [extremist] terror groups such as ISIS and the groups that contribute to the Israeli regime’s aggression against Palestinians.
Speaking at a weekly press conference at the Foreign Ministry on Monday, Qassemi described the Caucasus as a “very delicate and important region”, saying the historic, cultural and political relationship between Iran and Caucasia makes Tehran pursue regular negotiations with the nations in that region.
He then made a reference to Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan’s recent visit to Iran, saying bilateral talks between Tehran and Yerevan revolve around economic, political and cultural issues, as well as regional matters, including the crisis in Syria.
Iran’s ties with Armenia have experienced much less snags in comparison with other neighbors, Qassemi said, making it clear that Iran-Armenia cooperation is not against any third country.
Given its friendly relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan, Iran was the first country to mediate between Yerevan and Baku in a conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, the spokesman added.
Qassemi then denounced mischievous moves to harm Iran’s ties with Azerbaijan, stressing that such hostile measures could not damage the “friendly and deep” relations between the two Muslim neighbors.
“We are trying to expand our relations with other countries in the region (Caucasus), including Georgia, as well,” he went on to say.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has time and again stressed that improving ties and cooperation with neighbors is a top priority in Tehran’s foreign policy.
According to a report by IFP, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing trip to London to shore up Britain’s support against Iran, and said such pointless efforts are just wishful thinking.
“The Zionist regime [of Israel] has always been pursuing such wishes and has tried to gain others’ support in this regard whenever possible,” he noted, speaking in his weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday.
However, he added, I don’t think such efforts would lead to any result, because the current situation of Iran, region, and the world would not let that happen.
“There are many wise statesmen in European countries who consider the issues and then make decisions,” Qassemi said, adding that Tel Aviv is just flogging a dead horse.
Netanyahu is due to seek British PM Theresa May’s support against what he called “Iran’s defiant aggression” during his Monday trip to London.
The Yemeni army made the announcement of their first ever attack on the city via a statement released by the official state Yemen news agency on Sunday.
In the statement, they claimed that the missile had been launched at a Saudi military base located to the west of the capital in retaliation for the kingdom’s relentless war against their country.
It went on to stress that the attack shows that Riyadh is well within the range of Yemen’s missiles.
Saudi officials have not made any comments on the reports yet, but locals have said on Twitter that the missile struck a military camp to the west of al-Mazahimiyah town near Riyadh.
The regime in Riyadh has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in a bid to reinstall the country’s ex-government and crush the Houthi Ansarullah movement.
The military aggression has claimed the lives of over 11,400 Yemenis, including women and children, according to the latest tally by a Yemeni monitoring group.
Newspapers today covered a public session of Tehran’s City Council where Mayor of Tehran Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf defended his performance in managing the Plasco incident’s crisis, but was faced with councillors’ call for his resignation.
US President Donald Trump’s clash with the US judiciary over the cancellation of his visa ban also received great coverage.
Another top story was Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s meeting with new Portuguese ambassador where Rouhani said Tehran is ready to expand its cooperation with the European Union in fight against terror.
The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines:
Aftab-e Yazd:
1- Reformist MP: Rouhani Might Give in to Pressures and Refuse to Run for Presidential Votes
2- Trump’s Self-Flagellation to Support Putin: Reporter Said Putin Is a Murderer, Trump Replied US Is Not Innocent Either
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- Mayor of Tehran: I Apologize Because I Was Present at All Scenes and Sites! [In reaction to City Council members who asked him to apologize for Plasco building collapse]
2- Opponents Trying to Discourage Rouhani from Running for Presidency
3- US Wrestling Team Allowed to Enter Iran for World Cup; Zarif Says Iran’s Visa to Be Granted to Wrestlers Given the Federal Judge’s Ruling
4- Trump Hurting US Democracy: Analyst
Besharat-e Now:
1- Iranian Women Surprise Tour Guides from All over the World: 270 Tour Guides Were So Fascinated by Iran’s Tourist Attractions in Their Visits to Yazd, Isfahan, and Shiraz that They Called Iran the Paradise of World Tourism
Ebtekar:
1- Mayor of Tehran: Interior, Labour, and Urban Development Ministries Are Responsible for Plasco Incident!
2- Trump Loses: Appeals Court Upholds Federal Judge’s Ruling against President
Emtiaz:
1- Mayor of Tehran’s Report about Plasco Incident and Relevant Authorities’ Negligence
2- Iran Needs 1,000 Hospital Beds: Health Minister
Etemad:
1- Plasco Secret Remains Untold: Reformist Members of City Council Call for Mayor’s Resignation
2- US Constitution More Powerful than Trump: Government’s Appeal Rejected
Ettela’at:
1- Iran Welcomes Expansion of Cooperation with EU
2- President Rouhani: Iran Prepared to Develop Cooperation with EU in Fight against Terrorism and Extremism
3- Powerful Iran Can’t Be Indifferent to Regional Developments: Former Diplomat
4- People in Paris Hold Massive Demonstrations against Trump’s Racist Policies
5- Thousands of Jews in Tel Aviv Hold Rallies against Zionists’ Racism
6- People’s Merits Should Be Considered, Not Their Gender: Academic
Iran:
1- Unfinished Unfolding of Secrets: 8-Hour Controversial Marathon in Tehran’s City Council to Discuss Municipality’s Role in Management of Plasco Incident
2- Oil Incomes under Scrutiny of Court of Audit
Javan:
1- Trump’s Secretaries Thinking about Resignation
2- Mayor of Tehran: I Apologize to Iranian Nation, but I Don’t Pay Ransom to Counter-Revolutionary Forces
3- Reformist Member of City Council: Even If Qalibaf Was Not Mayor of Tehran, I Would Have Invited Him to Manage Plasco Crisis
4- Basij Chief: US Enmity Has Not Decrease a Bit; Some Should Not Get Emotional for US Visa
Jomhouri Eslami:
1- You May Have Different Tastes, but Tolerate Each Other: Veteran Conservative to Politicians from Different Factions
2- Why Do You Think US Is Innocent, Trump Tells Fox News
Ka’enat:
1- Moscow’s Greenlight to US
2- Constitution Needs Revision: Veteran Iranian Conservative
Kayhan:
1- US Frowns, Europe Smiles: Good Cop Bad Cop Game Played Once Again
2- By Threatening Iran, Trump Wants to Steal Saudi Arabia’s Money: Saudi Prince
3- Huffington Post: Iran to Respond to Trump’s Bluff and Washington Will Be Ashamed
Resalat:
1- Judiciary Chief: Countering Enemy’s Infiltration and Aggression Is Jihad
2- Trump: US Is Full of Murderers
3- First Shock to Trump: US President Sues Federal Judge
4- Millions of Americans Call for Trump’s Impeachment: Polls
Seda-ye Eslahat:
1- Iran’s Doors Open to All Iranian Experts: Official
2- Surprise Is Only Reaction of Officials to Incidents
“The increasing number of new art galleries is a wonderful phenomenon in Iran,” said Gizella Varga Sinai, a Hungarian painter, according to a Farsi report by Mehr.
“We should still wait to see the results; however, the opening of second and third branches of some galleries in Tehran proves that they have a potential for growth.”
She also pointed to the Iranian young artists with great works. “I find these changes promising.”
“After the development and presentation of Iranian cinema to the world, it is the visual arts’ turn to be internationally recognized,” Sinai stressed.
“Visual arts might not improve as quickly as cinema, but I’m hopeful to see changes in future.”
“I am proud to have always been cooperating with Iranian galleries since the first ones were launched, especially after the Islamic Revolution and during the Iran-Iraq war, to help them prosper. Now I’m glad that two or three gallery owners in a week call me for display of my artworks in their galleries.”
“This is a good move,” she added.
Speaking at a joint press conference with UN Special Representative for Iraq Jan Kubis, held in Tehran on Sunday, Velayati took a swipe at the US government for razing Iraq’s infrastructures to the ground in the 2003 invasion unnecessarily.
While Americans claimed the military campaign was targeted at Saddam Hussein, they bombarded Iraq’s infrastructures, including bridges and factories, which had cost hundreds of billions of dollars to build, he deplored.
Pointing to the long blackouts in many cities of Iraq, Velayati said people of the Arab country enjoyed better conditions in terms of infrastructures before the US invasion.
“People of Iraq should claim compensation for the damage to their infrastructures caused by Americans” and for thousands of civilians killed in the US attack, head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran’s Expediency Council added.
For his part, the UN envoy said Iraq is going to enter the post-Daesh era, noting that Iraqi groups are seeking a united nation.
Hailing the democratic processes in Iraq, Kubis underlined the need for national reconciliation and compromise in the Arab country and efforts to protect its economic and social interests.
The meeting, part of regular talks between Iran and the UN on Iraq, came after Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in January that Baghdad was demanding full disclosure about events surrounding the 2003 US-led invasion.
Abadi told reporters that he would like to see a “thorough investigation” of America’s decision-making that took the US forces from “liberating” the country from “Saddam (Hussein’s) terrorist regime” to “occupying” Iraq.
Al-Abadi said the invasion in fact unleashed instability and “led to chaos” that persists to this day, noting that America’s involvement in Iraq opened the doors for “all terrorist groups from all over the world to enter” the country – something Iraqis “paid dearly” for.
According to a Farsi report by ISNA, after the US President banned the visa issuance for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, leaving many Iranians stranded in airports last week, the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacted to Trump’s decision.
“While showing our respect for American people, and distinguishing between them and the US administration’s hostile policies, appropriate legal, consular and political measures are to be taken to uphold Iranian citizens’ rights until the humiliating bans against them are lifted,” Zarif said.
“We will take counteractions on visa issuance for American citizens. The Foreign Ministry has set up a mechanism to follow up this issue,” announced Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi.
However, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, didn’t agree that Iran must prohibit Americans from entering Iran, calling such a countermeasure “a symmetrical, though not attractive solution.”
Larijani referred to the large number of mostly American academics who wish to visit Iran, and noted, “We have to take an official, accurate action; something direct and strong, and asymmetrical, at the same time.”
A recent report by Forward Keys website, prepared through daily observation and analysis of 16 million airport bookings all over the world, shows a 9.3% increase in the number of Americans who travelled to Iran last year, making up 10.7% of the Islamic Republic’s international tourism market.
“Trump ordered to prohibit seven countries’ citizens from entering the US because he feels insecure about his country’s safety. We are 100% sure that Iran is safe, however,” Said Ebrahim Pourfaraj, head of Iran Tourist Guides Association, who cited these statistics to show that Iranian tourism industry will be definitely affected if the number is cut.
“Many American tourism agencies called me to express their worry about the situation of American travellers to Iran,” he added. “Many of them have plane tickets, their visa references are ready, and now, these tourists don’t know whether they have to cancel their trips to Iran.”
“Half of the Golden Eagle Luxury Trains passengers, which come from Hungary to Iran several times a year, are Americans; so are the professors of important universities such as Harvard, and museum authorities who wished to visit Iran for years.”
He went on to say that Americans are among the visitors who provide Iran with a huge income, using the best services and buying a lot of items.
“We respect the international protocols and our officials’ decisions. We hope that the Iranian authorities make the best decision possible towards this unwise policy of the US.”
Trump has used his Twitter account, especially in the midnight or early morning, to explicitly declare his policies and comments about everything since the beginning of US presidential campaign, and he has kept his habit even now that he’s elected as the US president.
Nishkhat website has released this cartoon by Iranian cartoonist Taravat Niki about Trump’s late-night tweets.
On February 4, 2017, a few hours after the US announced the imposition of a new round of sanctions against Iran, US new Secretary of Defence James Mattis called Iran “the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world” in a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, in his most detailed remarks on Iran since taking over the Pentagon, according to a report by IFP.
This is while, following his remarks, Mattis, who has once (in 2005) been forced to apologize for his impolite and scornful comments about Afghan men, ensured that he is not considering hiking the number of US forces in the Middle East to address Iran’s “misbehaviour” at this time, according Reuters.
He was apparently trying to modify remarks made by President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Flynn on Wednesday (February 1, 2017) who had condemned Iran’s recent ballistic missile test, calling it a “provocative” breach of a UN Security Council resolution and officially warning Iranian officials that “as of today, we [the US] are officially putting Iran on notice”, CNN reported.
Mattis added, “I don’t see any need to increase the number of forces we have in the Middle East at this time. That’s not in the cards right now,” he said. “We always have the capability to do so. But right now I don’t think it’s necessary.”
This is while, Flynn’s unexpected Wednesday remarks concerning Iran, were met with widespread international reactions. Following Flynn’s comments, Iranian military and political officials, including Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi and Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the second-in-command of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), underlined Iran’s military preparedness to defend itself [against foreign invasions].
Mattis, who due to his bellicose background is also known as ‘Mad Dog’, has always adopted hostile approaches and stances towards Iran since 1980. According to a report by Politico, this has worried senior US officials. Mattis’ belligerent and hostile stance towards Iran made the former president of the US, Barack Obama, to sack him from his former post, as the head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), and force him into announcing retirement.
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