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Home Blog Page 4695

Russia’s Putin to visit Iran in late November

November 14, 2015

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to pay an official one-day visit to Iran later this month, the Kremlin says.

President Putin will set off for Tehran on November 23 to attend a meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), the Kremlin’s top foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov told journalists on Friday.

He added that the Russian president – who last visited Iran in 2007 – will likely hold talks with senior Iranian officials.

“It is entirely logical that some bilateral contacts are envisioned, including with the hosts,” Ushakov said.

He, however, added that the schedule of President Putin’s meetings has not been finalized yet.

Also on Friday President Putin held a telephone conversation with President Rouhani and discussed Tehran-Moscow relations. The two presidents agreed to continue dialogue during Putin’s visit to Tehran for the GECF meeting.

Iran and Russia seek to step up economic cooperation after Tehran and P5+1 reached a nuclear agreement in Vienna on July 14.

Moscow is also keen to use its long-standing relations with Tehran to win lucrative contracts in the energy sector.

The GECF has 18 main and observer members and its permanent secretariat is located in Doha.

Iran, Russia, Qatar, Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Peru, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman are the main members of GECF.

GECF members account for 42 percent of global gas output, 70 percent of global gas reserves, 40 percent of pipe gas transmission, and 65 percent of global trade of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

President Rouhani condemns multiple terror attacks in Paris

Golrokh Askarieh

November 14, 2015

President Hassan Rouhani has denounced multiple terror attacks in Paris which killed more than 150 people and injured 200 others late Friday.

Entekhab.ir on Saturday released a report on the reaction of the Iranian president and Foreign Ministry to Friday’s terror attacks in Paris. The following is the translation of the report:

The Iranian president released a message of condolence to his French counterpart Francois Hollande, saying that the terror attacks which killed and wounded a large number of people in Paris filled our hearts with agony and grief.

“On behalf of the Iranian nation, which has fallen victim to the ominous phenomenon of terrorism, I condemn in the strongest possible terms these inhumane crimes and express [heartfelt] condolences to the French nation and government,” the president further said.

President Rouhani went on to say that the world will definitely signal a unified message in such incidents: Stronger determination to launch an all-out fight against terror groups.

In another development, the Foreign Ministry spokesman on Saturday denounced the bloody attacks in Paris, saying that Iran stands by the families of the victims in these trying times.

Hossein Jaberi Ansari further said that the perpetrators of these crimes have nothing to do with Islam and other divine faiths, stressing the need for integrated international determination to address the root causes of terrorism.

He also said that Iran will carry on with its efforts to fight terrorism and extremism and is ready to cooperate with world nations in this regard.

No link between JCPOA, Iran-US ties: Rouhani

Golrokh Askarieh

November 14, 2015

President Rouhani has dismissed claims that the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and P5+1in July has had an impact on Iran’s ties with the US.

“The nuclear deal is one thing, and relations with the US another,” President Rouhani said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, released on Thursday.

[…]

President Rouhani described the problems in Iran-US relations as “long-standing,” saying they started following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and “have persisted” to date.

The president said that even following the signing of JCPOA, the US will not lift all sanctions against Tehran but only those related to the nuclear program.

“Therefore, the relation between Iran and the US is a different issue. But the way we’ll implement the agreement can have an impact in the future,” he pointed out.

He emphasized that if JCPOA is implemented well, it will lay the foundation for “fewer tensions” with the US and create “the conditions for a new era.”

“But if the Americans don’t meet their nuclear deal commitments, then our relations will certainly be the same as in the past,” the president said.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has ruled out any negotiations between Tehran and Washington on matters other than the nuclear issue.

Iran “did not and will not hold talks with the US on issues other than nuclear negotiations,” the Leader said on September 9, adding that the US animosity toward Iran cannot be concealed.

“One [US official] smiles, while another draws up a bill against Iran.”

New phase in Iran-Italy ties

The president also said Tehran and Rome have had “long good relations economically, culturally and politically” and expressed hope that his trip will start a new phase in ties.

“As to international and political issues, the Italian leaders have always taken a moderate stance on us,” President Rouhani said.

He added that Iran regards Italy as a partner and a friend in Europe.

The president’s remarks came ahead of his [now postponed] scheduled visit to Italy and France, which would mark the first visit of an Iranian president to Europe in a decade.

[…]

No military solution to Mideast conflicts: Iran

Emad Askarieh

November 13, 2015

“The current crises [in the Middle East] have no military solution. We should be able to help bring an end to war and conflicts between Muslims,” Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday during a one-day visit to the holy city of Qom in central Iran.

The top Iranian diplomat also said foreign governments must stop meddling with internal affairs of regional states, noting that foreign interference is the root cause of the regional crises.

Zarif further criticized some governments for adopting double-standard approaches toward terrorism and extremism in the Middle East. He said people in regional countries should decide the future of their countries.

During his stay in Qom, Zarif briefed a number of senior Iranian clerics on the latest developments in the three Muslim countries of Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

He said Qom, where Iran’s top authorities on religious matters are based, could be instrumental in promoting Islamic teachings in the fight against extremism and Takfirism in the region.

Iran urges UN action to stop Israeli atrocities

Golrokh Askarieh

November 12, 2015

Iran’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations (UN) has called on the international community to take action to stop Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians.

Addressing a meeting of the UN Special Political and Decolonization Committee, Gholam Hossein Dehghani denounced Israel’s “systematic violation of Palestinian rights,” including the demolition of their homes, the forced displacement of residents and the detention of women and children.

Dehghani referred to Tel Aviv’s expansion of settlements on the occupied Palestinian lands, citing it as the main source of the recent escalation in tensions in the occupied Palestinian lands.

More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem) in 1967.

Much of the international community regards the settlements as illegal because the lands taken by Israel in 1967 fall under the Geneva Conventions, which forbid any construction on occupied territories.

“It is time to end the abhorrent Israeli atrocities and occupation that have brought so much sufferings to the Palestinian people, and are the most destabilizing factors at the regional and global levels,” the Iranian envoy said.

Tensions have dramatically escalated since Israel imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds.

Palestinians are also angry at settler attacks on their properties and rising Israeli raids on the al-Aqsa Mosque, which they see in line with Tel Aviv’s policy to change the demographic status of the compound.

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Nov. 12

Golrokh Askarieh

November 12, 2015

The comments of the Supreme Leader at a meeting with university presidents from across the country dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Thursday.

Ettela’at: The Supreme Leader has underlined the role of universities in helping create a modern Islamic civilization.

“Scientific needs assessment and investment in the kind of science the country needs are of paramount importance,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with university presidents from across Iran.

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on Nov. 12

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Nov. 12

Afkar: It is disastrous to think there are military solutions to regional crises, said Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Aftab-e Yazd: Following the launch of a plan to grant some $8,000 in car loans to applicants, a car is sold every two seconds.

More than 47,000 vehicles have since been bought, carmakers say.

Aftab-e Yazd: Nategh-Nouri [a former speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly] is staying away from fellow principlists.

It seems that as long as hardliners dominate decision-making in the rightist camp [a reference to principlists] the speaker of the fifth parliament will stay away from principlists.

Akhbar Sanat: The Central Bank has put the country’s liquidity at less than $291 billion.

Arman-e Emrooz: The imaginary €22 billion!

The justice minister and the Central Bank have dismissed claims by Babak Zanjani [on trial for corruption] that he has €22 billion in cash.

Arman-e Emrooz: Ali Motahari [a Tehran MP who was attacked earlier in 2015 when he was in Shiraz to deliver a speech] has said that he’d forgive the assailants only if those who ordered the attack were put on trial.

Arman-e Emrooz: I am neither worried about the [upcoming] elections, nor about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, said Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Arman-e Emrooz: An end to the ban on Fatemeh Motamed-Arya’s appearance on the small screen.

Asrar: Blocking Telegram [a very popular messaging app in Iran] is once again on the agenda.

Asrar: The Saudis need to stop their evil acts against Iran, said the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Ali Shamkhani further said that the individuals involved in a shooting incident in Dezful [southwestern Iran] were on the payroll of the Saudi security agency.

Asrar: The Central Bank says having more than one bank account will be banned.

Bahar: Larijani’s woes in Qom

A US flag was painted outside his office overnight.

Ebtekar: Politicizing the removal of centrifuges is not right, said Hamid Baeedinejad, an Iranian nuclear negotiator.

Ebtekar: Three Cabinet ministers of the Ahmadinejad administration played a role in confirming Babak Zanjani, an 8^th hearing in the corruption trial of the young billionaire heard.

Emtiaz: Iranian Referee Alireza Faghani has been invited by FIFA to officiate in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Etemad: The Supreme Leader has called for the country’s scientific drive to gather momentum.

Etemad: Let’s not take advantage of technical nuclear issues for political gamesmanship, said Hamid Baeedinejad, a senior nuclear negotiator.

Iran: The Money and Credit Council will finalize its decision to lower interest rates in two weeks.

Javan: President Obama has renewed hostility toward Iran by extending the state of emergency against the Islamic Republic.

Jomhouri Islami: The decision made with regard to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was the most logical one, said Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

Jomhouri Islami: Autumnal snow has blanketed the mountains to the north of Tehran.

Kaenat: The Cultural Heritage Organization has said that “unique historical objects” have been found in Tehran.

Kayhan: Executive officials are leading the way in seeking parliamentary seats.

Mardomsalari: A strategic victory for the Syrian Army

Government forces have broken the siege on Kweyris military airport.

Resalat: People of Azerbaijan [in northwestern Iran] have distanced themselves from opportunists, said Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari.

Sayeh: Faezeh Hashemi [a daughter of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani] has said that her brother Mohsen, her sister Fatemeh and herself will run for parliament.

Sharq: A lunch-less banquet in the Elysee Palace

Presidents Rouhani and Hollande will simply have tea.

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on Nov. 12

Golrokh Askarieh

November 12, 2015

♦ The Supreme Leader has underlined the role of universities in helping create a modern Islamic civilization.

♦ There will be no fluctuations in foreign currency values, said a senior official with the Central Bank of Iran.

The CBI’s anti-money laundering chief said that there are 38 million idle bank accounts with no national code numbers.

♦ The strategic Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb is now fully controlled by Yemeni forces.

An offensive by Yemeni forces against a Saudi-led coalition base in Taiz has left 20 Saudi forces killed.

♦ Moscow’s plan for holding early elections in Syria

According to the plan, the Syrian government and opposition should agree to amend the Constitution within 18 months before early presidential elections are held.

♦ The vice-president for parliamentary affairs has likened media to the respiratory tract of society.

Majid Ansari said that any attempt to block this tract would limit life and political liveliness in society.

♦ Talal Salman, the editor-in-chief of Lebanon’s As-Safir daily, has visited the offices of the Ettela’at daily.

♦ A ceremony has been held at the Society for the Appreciation of Cultural Works and Dignitaries to honor the memory of Ayatollah Beheshti.

What are the reasons behind Saudi Arabia’s hostility to Iran? (PART ONE)

Golrokh Askarieh

November 12, 2015

The hostility of Saudi Arabia toward the Islamic Republic of Iran came to a head with the Mina tragedy. Officials in the kingdom insist on maintaining their hostile attitude instead of walking down the path of realism and being accountable for their mismanagement of the deadly stampede.

Hostile ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia have a long history dating back to when the kingdom was formed. Saudi Arabia’s hostile approaches to Iranian pilgrims and dispute over three Iranian islands [in the Persian Gulf] are classic examples of such historical hostility. This hostile attitude, which has been escalated following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, has shown itself in different forms, from a proxy war to threats to wage war.

Fararu.com on November 10 released a report on the reasons behind the hostility Saudi Arabia nurses against Iran. The following is PART ONE of the partial translation of the report which references an article by the Islamic Revolution Document Center:

Support for Saddam Hossein during the imposed war and attempts to undermine Iran’s interests in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, etc. are among the measures Saudi Arabia takes to counter Iran. Nonetheless, what Saudi Arabia has done to consolidate its foothold in the region – to bring to power a government in Iraq with close ties with Al Saud family; to separate Syria from Iran; to stop Hezbollah in Lebanon from gaining power, to name only a few – has done little to help it achieve its stated objectives, even through open support for ISIS.

Reasons behind Saudi hostility toward Iran are as follows:

1. Changing the Persian Gulf’s name

[…] A number of countries, including Saudi Arabia, use the term “Arabian Gulf”, which is a fake name, instead of the Persian Gulf. All fabrications by the Arab countries come in line with longer-term objectives such as tribal disputes directly plotted by Britain. To prove that the British hands are at work, we can say that all through these years the British embassies in Arab countries have adopted conflicting stances fuelling the differences, with protests by Iran and Iran-lovers leading nowhere.

2. Saudi role in separation of Bahrain from Iran

[…] Bahrain was part of Iranian territory until 1957 when it was separated from mainland Iran thanks to interferences by the British government. History shows that the Iranian government held no sway in Bahrain from the start of the Qajar era because of the presence of colonial powers. In fact, Bahrain was under the influence of Britain with the Iranian government maintaining its nominal sovereignty over its islands. […]

After Iran declared Bahrain its 14^th province in 1957, Saudi Arabia tried to separate Bahrain from Iran by setting up a union of which Bahrain was an independent member. […] In 1968, the [then] Saudi king welcomed the emir of Bahrain as the head of state. […] Eventually the Iranian government renounced its claim to Bahrain. It was either because it was afraid of the US and Britain, or it was preparing Arab nations to accept Iran’s offer to trade Bahrain for the islands of Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs. As a result, Bahrain was separated from Iran through a distorted referendum.

3. Triple Persian Gulf islands

[…] Since 1992, Saudi Arabia has supported baseless claims by the UAE to the three Iranian islands [in the Persian Gulf], saying that Iran’s takeover in 1971 of these islands from Britain has had expansionist intentions. […] Unfounded claims by the UAE which have the backing of Arab rulers are repeated each year.

4. Saudi Arabia’s downright hostility to Islamic Republic

[…] Post-revolutionary Iran’s ideas such as establishment of a global government of Islam, negation of domination, support for the oppressed, etc. drew reactions first from authoritarian governments such as that of Saudi Arabia. Propaganda by Arab nations against Shiite Iran and news on human rights violations in Iran influenced the public opinion in the Arab world.

[…] Opponents of the Islamic Revolution, especially in Saudi Arabia, took advantage of any development inside and outside the kingdom to undermine the revolution in court of public opinion. […]

5. Fight against ideals of Islamic Revolution

[…] Thanks to its oil and Hajj revenues, the Al Saud government has spent staggering amounts of money on promoting Wahhabism, which paints a conservative picture of Islam. The Saudi clerics – backed by Riyadh and the West – have tried to offset the Pure Muhammadan Islam which is championed by the Islamic Republic.

[…] Iran is facing regional rivals such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Turkey is the leading country from an economic point of view, but Saudi Arabia is unique among Middle Eastern countries for its socio-cultural structure in which different tribes and sects – with their traditional and religious teachings –have created a special culture.

6. Cooperation with the US in Tabas Desert

Following the failure of the US government to release the Americans taken hostage during the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran by Iranian university students, President Jimmy Carter ordered the launch of an operation to release the hostages. The Delta Force carried out Operation Eagle Claw [in vain] to release the hostages in Tehran.

[…]

Later Zbigniew Brzezinski [an American political scientist] pointed to the cooperation of Egypt and a few other countries [in this plot] saying that a friendly nation cooperated with the US and a few other regional countries indirectly helped the US in this operation. […] He refused to name names, but the Iranian students said that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Oman and Pakistan participated in the US operation, citing some documents which survived the US bombing of the helicopters which crashed in the botched rescue attempt. […]

7. Historic disrespect for Iranian pilgrims in 1943

– Disrespect for Iranian pilgrims and the killing of an Iranian pilgrim

[…]

In 1943, Iran and Saudi Arabia severed their diplomatic ties due to the killing of an Iranian pilgrim in Saudi Arabia.

– Massacre of Iranian Hajj pilgrims in 1987

[…] In 1987, Saudi security forces killed as many as 400 Iranian and non-Iranian pilgrims. This disaster escalated hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The late Imam Khomeini slammed Saudi Arabia as the symbol of the so-called US-style and Royal Islam. […]

The massacre of Iranian pilgrims dealt the heaviest blow to ties between the two countries. The late Imam Khomeini said the crime Riyadh committed in this incident is unforgivable. […]

Commander: Enemy never dares to attack Iran

Golrokh Askarieh

November 12, 2015

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the enemies do not dare to attack Iran because they are well aware of the Iranian Armed Forces’ preparedness.

“No enemy will dare to give a dirty look to Iran due to the extent of the Iranian Armed Forces’ readiness,” Admiral Sayyari said, addressing the Navy personnel in the southern city of Sirjan in Kerman province on Wednesday.

The Iranian Navy commander underlined the full preparedness of his forces to confront and defeat all types of enemies and under any condition.

Last week, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan underlined the Armed Forces’ capability to give a rapid and crushing response to any enemy threat.

“The Iranian Armed Forces are able to control and repel threats decisively and swiftly in accordance with their level and type,” Dehghan said, addressing a gathering Iran’s diplomatic corps abroad.

He also underscored the country’s huge progress in the past few years in building different weapons and military equipment to defend itself.

[…]

Saudi must stop mischievous acts against Iran: Shamkhani

Golrokh Askarieh

November 12, 2015

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani says the Saudi regime has to “stop acting mischievously” against the Islamic Republic if Riyadh seeks settlement of differences with Tehran.
Saudi Arabia takes “unfavorable actions” inside Iran, the website of Iranian al-Alam Arabic-language news channel quoted Shamkhani as saying in an interview with the network .
Referring to a recent terrorist attack in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan, he said the perpetrators had been funded by the Saudi security service.
At least two people were killed and two others sustained injuries after masked assailants opened fire on a group of people who were holding a mourning ceremony for Imam Hussein, the third Shia imam, in the city of Safiabad, located in Dezful county in Khuzestan, on October 16.
Shamkhani further said Saudi money is instrumental in Syria, which is in the grip of a deadly foreign-sponsored conflict that erupted in March 2011, adding that Riyadh is also bombing the defenseless people of Yemen.
The relentless bombardment of the impoverished nation, which started on March 26, without any international mandate, has been meant to undermine Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to the fugitive former Yemeni president and a major ally of Saudi Arabia, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Shamkhani, however, stressed that Iran and Saudi Arabia enjoy good historical relations and that the rift in the Muslim world must be healed.
He also pointed to the upcoming round of talks on Syria in Vienna, Austria, planned for November 14, saying that the Islamic Republic will support the Syrian people’s opinion about the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
During the previous round of talks on October 30, the participants, including the United States, Russia and Iran, agreed to push forward a peace plan for Syria that would include a ceasefire.
However, the talks failed to reach consensus over the role President Assad would play in Syria’s political process. While some countries want the removal of the Syrian leader as part of a solution to the issue, Iran and Russia say only the Syrian nation can have a say on that matter.
Shamkhani said the West has sought in vain to topple the Syrian government since 2011 militarily, adding that the same governments are now seeking the ouster of Assad politically.
The foreign-backed militancy in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has so far claimed the lives of over 250,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.