Speaking to the press from the balcony of his hotel in Vienna, Zarif reiterated that he was prepared to continue the ongoing negotiation process with six world powers — the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany.
Asked about his interpretation of his twitter message ‘Mark my words; you can’t change horses in the middle of a stream’, Zarif smiled and replied, I wanted you to guess, otherwise I would have said it in a more straightforward way.
I wanted to make this a little bit interesting, Iran’s top diplomat said.
Another reporter asked about the time the Iranian team will return home, Zarif said, “We will leave God willing.”
Asked whether he was optimistic of the accord, Zarif said, “Had we not been, we would not have been here.”
Talks on a comprehensive nuclear deal were scheduled to continue through the night and tomorrow as foreign ministers of the seven countries were trying to find ways to overcome lingering differences on a final agreement.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbass Araqchi and Presidential Aide, Hossein Fereydoun were also at the Palais Coburg balcony along Zarif at the time of the press conference.
Rouhani made the remarks on Thursday during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the joint summits of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Russian city of Ufa.
“Fortunately an accelerated momentum is taking shape in the relations between the two countries and I hope that the plan for the development of political cooperation between the two states … will go ahead at this pace,” he said.
Rouhani also expressed Tehran’s willingness to boost economic and banking cooperation with China.
He praised Beijing’s efforts for facilitating the progress of ongoing negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers for a comprehensive nuclear deal.
For his part, Xi said China favors a quick conclusion of the negotiations between Iran and six world powers – the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany.
Strong ties with Belarus
Also on Thursday, the Iranian president met with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) meets with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on the sidelines of the 7th BRICS summit in Ufa, Russia, on July 9, 2015.
He stressed that the Islamic Republic welcomes the development of ties in all sectors with Minsk, saying, “We hope that with the expansion of interactions, cooperation between the two countries will grow in all fields.”
Eradication of Afghan poppy production
Rouhani further met with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Thursday.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) meets with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the 7th BRICS summit in Ufa on July 9, 2015.
He emphasized the necessity of a ban on opium production by the Afghan government, saying that narcotic production in Afghanistan must be eradicated as soon as possible.
The Afghan president, for his part, called for Iran’s support for combating drug traffickers and terrorists in Afghanistan, saying his country is today “witnessing war and bloodletting” which need to be stopped.
The two presidents discussed “military-technological cooperation, cooperation in the military field, in particular, an exchange in missions of naval ships, which are taking place intensively now and which will continue,” during a Thursday meeting in Ufa, according Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
The Russian official further said Putin also praised Tehran-Russia cooperation in the nuclear power sector and discussed with Rouhani the options for further enhancing bilateral relations in this domain.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the joint summits of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Russian city of Ufa.
During the talks, Rouhani praised Russia’s efforts to facilitate the progress of ongoing negotiations between Tehran and the P5+1 states aimed at reaching a comprehensive nuclear deal, Russian media reported.
“I consider it my duty to thank Russia for the efforts it has made in resolving and negotiating the Iranian nuclear program, and for the personal efforts made by Mr. [Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov,” said the Iranian president.
Rouhani further highlighted Moscow’s “outstanding role” in both regional and international issues, according to the reports.
According to the Iranian president’s website, Rouhani also pointed to rising terror threats in the Middle East, emphasizing the need for collective cooperation to deal with the challenges facing the region.
The Iranian chief executive renewed calls for a political solution to the deadly crisis in Syria, saying Tehran and Moscow, which have both stood by the Syrian nation, need to take more serious measure to uproot terrorism.
He also touched upon the chaotic situation in Yemen which has been exacerbated by the ongoing Saudi air raids, saying Iran and Russia should work to end the “tragedy” in Yemen and the massacre of civilians in the Arabian Peninsula state.
The Iranian president further described Iran-Russia ties “strategic,” calling for closer cooperation between the two nations in different domains, particularly the economic sphere.
Putin, in turn, described the Islamic Republic as his country’s “traditional reliable partner,” stressing that Tehran-Moscow relations “are developing and have been positive despite all the difficulties in the global economy and the well-known restrictions.”
“Overall, we can be content with the way our relations have developed. There are always issues that require our special attention, and I am glad of this opportunity to talk about it today,” added the Russian leader.
Putin stressed the necessity of broader interactions between Tehran and Moscow for the establishment of peace and security in Syria and the entire region.
The Russian president also expressed hope that the sensitive nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the six world powers would result in a comprehensive accord, according to Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.
“Putin noted the positive dynamic in the development of the talks over the Iranian nuclear program,” Peskov added.
The talks between Rouhani and Putin come amid last-ditch diplomatic efforts by Iran and the P5+1 – Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany – in Vienna, Austria, to work out a final agreement on the Iranian nuclear case.
Rouhani arrived in Russia on Wednesday night for a two-day visit, which comes at the invitation of Putin. The Iranian president is slated to take part in the summit of BRICS group of emerging powers — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – as a special guest.
He is also scheduled to address the SCO summit as a keynote speaker on the second day of his trip. He will have an observer seat at the event.
In a Thursday meeting with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rouhani said Iran and India play a very key role in fighting terrorism in the region.
During the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the joint summits of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Russian city of Ufa, President Rouhani underlined the need for closer cooperation between Tehran and New Delhi not only in “trade and economic areas” but also in “uprooting terrorism in the region.”
Pointing to the spread of extremism and violence in the region, Rouhani expressed regret over the ongoing security crises in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying that the presence of Takfiri terrorist groups, including the ISIL, has further aggravated the situation in the region.
The Iranian president also voiced the Islamic Republic’s readiness to cooperate with India in the fields of energy, investment, tourism and technology.
The Indian prime minister, for his part, highlighted Iran’s strategic role in fighting terrorism and establishing stability and security in the region.
He further pointed to Iran’s proposal, the World Against Violence and Extremism (WAVE), which was adopted by the United Nations in the form of a resolution, saying New Delhi and Tehran should cooperate in fighting extremism.
The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to approve the WAVE proposal, put forward by President Rouhani himself, on December 18, 2013. The initiative calls on all nations across the globe to denounce violence and extremism. The Iranian president made the proposal in his address to the UN Disarmament Conference in New York on September 25, 2013.
The president arrived in the Russian city of Ufa, the venue of the events, on Wednesday night.
Rouhani is accompanied by First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri as well as Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
On the first day of his two-day visit, which comes at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rouhani will take part in the summit of BRICS which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The Iranian president is also scheduled to address the SCO summit as a keynote speaker on the second day of his trip.
Rouhani will also exchange views with heads of SCO and BRICS member states.
Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday that Putin and Rouhani will hold talks on July 9 on the ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 countries over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iran and the P5+1 countries – the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany – have been engaged in crucial talks in the Austrian capital, Vienna, to reach a deal over Tehran’s nuclear program.
“Various matters of purely bilateral cooperation in trade, economy, and the military-technical field will of course be discussed,” Ushakov added.
Rouhani has been invited to the BRICS summit as a special guest while he will have an observer seat at the subsequent summit of the SCO. The organization is awaiting the lifting of sanctions on Iran to accept it as a full-fledged member.
BRICS accounts for almost half of the world’s population and about one-fifth of the global economic output. Iran has always supported the group’s rising influence in the global economy, looking for an opportunity to join the five-nation bloc.
Lavrov said Thursday that the two sides agreed in Vienna, Austria that the quality of a final nuclear deal with due account of Iran’s interests is most important.
Russia’s top diplomat referred to anti-Iran sanctions, saying Moscow wants Iran’s arms embargo “lifted as soon as possible.”
“We are in favor of lifting the embargo as soon as possible and will support a decision made by Iran’s negotiators,” Lavrov pointed out.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has compared the final round of the ongoing talks between representatives from Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany – over Tehran’s nuclear energy program to the last and hardest stage of ascending Mount Everest.
“We are working together with colleagues from P5+1 group on proposals made by Iran on Tuesday. This work is hard and time-consuming. We did not meet the July 7 deadline. Those are right who say that talks are like ascending Mount Everest,” Ryabkov said on Thursday.
Moreover, diplomatic sources close to the negotiating teams in Vienna say the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of states may stretch into the weekend. They say it may take until July 13 for the sides to clinch a deal on Iran’s nuclear program. Negotiators had earlier extended the talks until Friday after they missed the self-imposed deadline of June 30.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in an article published in the Financial Times on Wednesday, reminded the six world powers engaged in nuclear talks with Tehran to choose between coercion and agreement, warning against opting for the former.
“There is growing acknowledgment that attempting to coerce a proud civilization into submission only leads to further conflict, resentment and hostility,” Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in an article published in the Financial Times on Wednesday.
“At the outset of this crisis, Iran had less than 200 centrifuges; today, it has 20,000. And so, my counterparts have rightfully opted for the negotiating table,” he said. “But they still need to make the critical choice between an agreement and coercion.” In a video message released on July 3, the Iranian foreign minister had likewise demanded the six powers to select between the two.
Iran and Tajikistan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to complete the Anzob tunnel, also known as Istiqlol (independence) project, in the near future.
The MoU was signed by Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian and Tajik Ambassador to Tehran Nematollah Emamzadeh in Tehran on Tuesday, Tajikistan’s foreign ministry announced on Wednesday.
In April 2013, Iran and Tajikistan signed a deal to complete the strategic tunnel in the Central Asian country.
The spokesperson for the Lower House of Tajikistan’s parliament Muhammadato Sultanov said earlier this year that the $3b agreement was signed by the two countries to complete the project.
He added that the Tajik minister of transport, Nizom Hakimov, has briefed the Tajik lawmakers on the project and presented them with the relevant documents.
The Anzob Tunnel is a five-km-long tunnel located 80 km Northwest of Tajikistan’s capital city of Dushanbe.
The tunnel connects the Tajik capital to the country’s second largest city, Khujand. Prior to the tunnel’s construction, the tourists needed to cross the border into Uzbekistan in order to travel between the two cities.
It is also a transit route between Dushanbe and Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent. Before the construction of the tunnel, especially during winter, the threat of year-round avalanches led to periodic disruptions of commerce.
A couple of days before International Quds Day, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stressed that the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people would result in sustainable peace in the region.
Sustainable peace in the Middle East cannot be realized unless the innocent people of Palestine would claim their full rights, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Fulfilling this objective requires strong opposition to the Zionist regime’s aggression and excessive demands, and the empowerment of Palestinians in their resistance, the statement added.
The statement went on to say that “resistance is the only way” to protect the rights of Palestinians and to liberate the occupied Palestine and the holy Quds.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry also invited the Iranian nation to take part in the rallies due to be held on Friday on the occasion of International Quds Day.
Millions of people in Iran as well as other countries in the world are expected to hold massive rallies on Friday to show their solidarity with the Palestinian people and the cause of Palestine.
The event’s overarching theme is the support for the Palestinians and fierce denunciation of Israel.
It is seen as an opportunity for freedom-seeking people across the world, regardless of faith, to voice their support for the cause of Palestine and vent their anger against the Apartheid regime of Israel, which has occupied Palestinian territories since 1967.
The day is also seen as the legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, who officially declared the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as International Quds Day back in 1979.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s warning to officials from P5+1 not to threaten the Iranians dominated the front pages of newspapers on Thursday. Also in the news was the call by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and various institutions on members of the public to turn out in droves for International Quds Day rallies on Friday (July 10).
Aftab-e Yazd: President Rouhani has said that he takes pride in the Iranian nuclear negotiating team.
Aftab-e Yazd: Will there be détente after 36 years?
The daily says there are speculations that Iran and the United States might resume diplomatic ties after a nuclear deal has been struck.
Arman-e Emrooz: Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has not ruled out the possibility of the US reopening its embassy in Iran.
In an interview with The Guardian, the top councilor said that the world has concluded that it needs to engage in dialogue with Iran.
Arman-e Emrooz:We are victorious.
Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has said that the text of the final deal is all but complete.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has advised his negotiating partners from P5+1 not to threaten the Iranians.
Arman-e Emrooz: Foreign tourists can bring in as much as $34 billion in annual revenues.
That can help the country shed its staple economy title.
Etemad: President Rouhani has called on the public to turn out in force for International Quds Day rallies on Friday.
Etemad: A fateful 24-hour period lies ahead. In case Iran and P5+1 fail to strike a deal by early Friday, the US Congress will have 60 days, rather than the current 30, to approve or reject the deal.
Etemad: With record electricity consumption and a halt in power generation in hydroelectric plants, power outages seem to be inevitable.
Iran: “Time has come for interaction with the world,” said President Rouhani.
Iran: On Friday, the public will throw its weight behind Quds and the Palestinian cause.
Iran Daily: Rouhani: Muslims won’t forget the Palestinian cause.
Jamejam: Water shortage alarms have sounded in 547 towns and cities across the country.
Kayhan: Shiite and Sunni Muslims have taken part in unity prayers in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, similar rituals had been held in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Kayhan International: Three-millennia-old Zarch Qanat to get world heritage status
Khorasan: Gold coin prices have fallen to 18-month lows.
Shahrvand: “In the early years of the revolution, no one dared to accept bribes,” said Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri, a former parliament speaker and presidential candidate.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has extended condolences to the people and government of Kuwait over the demise of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad Baqir al-Musawi al-Muhri.
In a message addressed to Secretary General of the National Islamic Alliance Sheikh Hussain al-Ma’touq on Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to Muhri’s constant endeavors to promote Islamic teachings and offered Iran’s deepest sympathy to the late cleric’s bereaved family, his adherents as well as the Kuwaiti nation.
The Leader also prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace.
Muhri, a renowned Shiite Muslim cleric and member of the Ahlulbayt World Assembly, passed away on Saturday after suffering a heart attack at the age of 66.
He had studied in seminaries in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf under Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei and Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr.
