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Oil minister: US will fail to reduce Iran oil exports to zero

Iran Oil Tanker

Mohsen Paknejad made the assertion in response to a recent executive order signed by US President Donald Trump aimed at completely cutting Iran’s oil exports.

“This is a dream for them, and they will never achieve it,” Mohsen Paknejad stated, referring to the U.S. efforts pertaining to the so-called maxumum pressure campaign against Iran.

He emphasized that the maximum pressure policy has already been tested and failed, and repeating it would yield the same results.

The minister highlighted that Iran’s oil industry experts are prepared to implement sophisticated measures to counteract increasing restrictions. “The more limitations imposed on us, the more complex the measures we will adopt,” he said.

Paknejad also pointed to Iran’s self-sufficiency in the oil and gas sector, noting that despite foreign companies leaving the country, Iranian professionals have successfully managed the complex operations from upstream to downstream.

“Today, we have achieved self-reliance in equipment production and the development of oil and gas fields, and the industry is largely managed domestically,” he added.

Riyadh condemns Netanyahu’s remarks on Palestinian relocation to Saudi Arabia

Gaza War

In an official statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its “categorical rejection” of such rhetoric, emphasizing that “the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes.”

The kingdom also stated that “this extremist, occupying mentality does not understand what the Palestinian land means to the brotherly people of Palestine,” and asserted that Israel “does not think that the Palestinian people deserve to live in the first place.”

“The proponents of these extremist ideas are the ones who prevented Israel from accepting peace,” the ministry added, emphasizing that Israel has been “systematically practicing injustice towards the Palestinian people for more than 75 years.”

Reiterating its commitment to a peaceful resolution, Saudi Arabia asserted that “the right of the Palestinian People will remain firmly established and no one will be able to take it away from them no matter how long it takes.”

“Lasting peace will not be achieved except by returning to the logic of reason and accepting the principle of peaceful coexistence through the two-state solution,” it noted.

On Thursday, Netanyahu suggested that Palestinians should establish their state in Saudi Arabia rather than in their own homeland, dismissing any notion of Palestinian sovereignty.

“The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there,” he stated.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said Washington would “take over” Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

His proposal was met with wide condemnations from the Palestinians, Arab countries, and many other nations across the world, including Canada, France, Germany, and the UK.

Iran to continue talks with E3, will never accept ‘dishonorable’ negotiations: Govt. spokesperson

Nuclear Talks in Vienna

“Negotiations with European countries will continue and everyone knows well that Iran will not accept negotiations that are dishonorable,” Mohajerani said in a post on her X account on Saturday.

Her post came a day after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said experience has shown that negotiations with the US do not affect solving Iran’s problems.

“Some people pretend that if we sit at the negotiating table, some problem will be solved, but the fact that we must understand correctly is that negotiating with the US has no effect on solving the country’s problems,” the Leader stated on Friday.

The government spokesperson stressed that the country is currently in need of more unity and solidarity to solve problems.

Mohajerani added that the government is aware of all problems and its strategy is based on reinforcing national unity.

Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will not back down due to the illegal Western-led sanctions and that it maintains a great potential to stand atop other states in the West Asia region.

Pezeshkian added that Iran’s enemies are mistaken to think that the country will starve to death under pressure.

President Pezeshkian says Resistance Front will definitely achieve ultimate victory

Pezeshkian made the remark in a meeting with Hamas Shura Council chairman Muhammad Ismail Darwish, acting Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, and other members of the group’s political bureau in Tehran on Saturday.

He said Iran would continue to support the resistance front and the oppressed people of Palestine in the Gaza Strip.

He stressed the need to form an international coalition, particularly with the participation of Muslim countries, to help the people of Gaza and reconstruct the war-ravaged strip.

“Certainly, Muslim countries will be able to rebuild Gaza in cooperation with each other and to restore life to the Muslim people of this region,” Pezeshkian added.

He cherished the memory of all martyrs of the resistance front and expressed his congratulations on the valuable achievements made by Hamas and the oppressed and resilient people of Gaza in thwarting the Israeli regime’s goals despite the high number of martyrs.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has resulted in the death of at least 62,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injury of 111,600 others since early October 2023.

A ceasefire deal went into effect in Gaza on January 19, halting Israel’s aggressive campaign against the coastal region.

The first 42-day phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for 33 Israeli captives and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners to be released.

So far, the agreement has held, but US President Donald Trump’s proposal to clear Gaza of its inhabitants and take over the territory is creating hiccups amid widespread denunciation around the world.

A member of the Hamas delegation said the recent claims by the United States and the Israeli regime regarding the future of Gaza have no value.

He added that the future of Gaza belongs to its people and emphasized that the besieged enclave will be managed through cooperation among the Palestinians.

He thanked the support of Iran and all the resistance groups for Hamas in the way of its victory against the Zionist enemy.

The Palestinian resistance is preparing for achieving the final stage of its battle against the Israeli regime, which is the liberation of Palestinian territory, he emphasized.

The Hamas official stated the resistance front defeated the Israeli regime not because of weapons but due to its firm determination to liberate the Palestinian land.

Israeli air attack kills six in Lebanon amid fragile ceasefire

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that a drone targeted the Shaara area, near the town of Jennata, in the eastern Bekaa region on Saturday.

Since the ceasefire deal came into effect, Israel has continued military action against what it claims are Hezbollah sites.

While the agreement called for a 60-day implementation period ending on January 26, Israel delayed the withdrawal of its troops from southern Lebanon, claiming the accord had not been fully enforced by Lebanon.

Under the terms of the truce, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside United Nations peacekeepers in the south, taking the place of Hezbollah forces.

Trump says has spoken to Putin about Ukraine war

The US president, who has repeatedly vowed to swiftly end the Ukraine conflict, made the remarks in an interview with the paper aboard Air Force One on Friday, which was only published the next day. The NY Post, however, hasn’t provided any quotes from the alleged phone call in its interview with Trump.

When asked how many times he had been in contact with Putin, he noted “I’d better not say.” The US president told the paper that he believed his counterpart wanted a cessation of hostilities.

“He wants to see people stop dying,” Trump continued, adding, “All those dead people. Young, young, beautiful people. They’re like your kids, two million of them – and for no reason.”

It is unclear from what data he derived the exact figure, and what timeframe he was referring to.

According to the NY Post, he delivered the remarks while accompanied by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. While addressing him, he noted “Let’s get these meetings going. They want to meet. Every day people are dying,” the report said.

Trump has repeatedly stressed he wanted to meet with Putin to discuss the settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

Moscow has announced it is open to talks, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirming on Wednesday that Russia and the US have had contacts “between individual departments,” and that they have recently “intensified,” without providing further details.

The US president added that he “always had a good relationship with Putin,” asserting that if had been president in 2022, he would have prevented the Ukraine conflict altogether while blaming his predecessor Joe Biden for allowing hostilities.

While the US president has not publicly revealed his peace plan, it reportedly involves the freezing of the conflict along the current front line, establishing a demilitarized zone patrolled by European soldiers, and suspending Ukraine from joining NATO.

Russia has ruled out the freezing of the conflict, stressing that any potential settlement must recognize “territorial reality on the ground” and see Kiev commit to permanent neutrality, demilitarization and denazification.

Lebanon forms new government, first in over two years

The presidency said on Saturday it accepted the resignation of the caretaker government and appointed Prime Minister Nawaf Salam‘s new cabinet of 24 ministers, the country’s first full-fledged government since 2022.

The cabinet is now charged with drafting a policy statement – a broad outline of the upcoming government’s approach and priorities – and will then need a vote of confidence from Lebanon’s parliament to be fully empowered.

Salam, a diplomat and former president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), promised to reform Lebanon’s judiciary, implement economic reforms and bring about stability.

Speaking to reporters at the presidential palace, he stated Lebanon would implement UN resolution 1701, which ended a previous war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 and calls for the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other non-state armed actors from the area south of the Litani River, on the border with Israel.

Lebanon’s new government marks a shift away from leaders that are close to Hezbollah, as Beirut hopes to access reconstruction funds and investments after last year’s devastating war with Israel and to recover from a debilitating economic crisis that has gripped the country since 2019.

Though Hezbollah did not endorse Salam as prime minister, the Lebanese group did engage in negotiations with him over the Shia Muslim seats in government, as per Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system.

Former army chief Aoun – also a candidate not endorsed by Hezbollah and key allies – was elected president in early January, ending that position’s vacuum.

The announcement comes after US Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus on Friday demanded that Hezbollah be excluded from Lebanon’s government, stressing that Washington had made its continued presence in the cabinet a “red line”.

The US Embassy to Lebanon issued a statement on Saturday saying it welcomed the new government and hoped it would implement reforms and rebuild state institutions.

The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, welcomed the announcement saying the end of the political impasse “heralds a new and brighter chapter for Lebanon”.

Nine days into major Iran cinematic event

Iranian MP: Iran will not negotiate with US

Iran US Flags

Alaeddin Boroujerdi said this lack of trust in the US on part of Iran stems from a bitter historical experience. “We will pursue and advance our national interests away from the US”, Boroujerdi noted.

The member of the national security commission of the Iranian parliament also said it’s necessary for Iran to strengthen its relations with major countries such as China and Russia as well as its neighbors.

According to this top Iranian MP, the US does not respect collective agreements and imposes sanctions unilaterally. “It’s the US that must change its policies”, Boroujerdi added.

The Iranian lawmaker’s comments come a day after Iran’s leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned that any talks with the US will not be intelligent and honorable.

Lebanese presidency dismisses US envoy’s remarks on Hezbollah

In a brief statement shared on social media, Aoun’s office dismissed Ortagus’s remarks, stating: “Some of what was said by the US deputy special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus in Baabda [the presidential palace] only represents her own viewpoints, and the presidency is not concerned with it.”

Ortagus’s visit comes as Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam struggles to form a new cabinet, which is expected to include all major political factions.

Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, hold significant sway in Lebanon’s 128-seat Parliament, making their exclusion an unrealistic demand.

Hezbollah has also denounced remarks by Ortagus, who claimed that Washington would not allow the group to “terrorise the Lebanese people” or participate in the government.

In a statement, Hezbollah said her comments were inflammatory and an intrusion into Lebanon’s internal affairs, calling them a violation of the country’s sovereignty and a breach of diplomatic norms.

“What the Israeli occupier, which enjoys the support of American policy, is doing harms the credibility of the democracy the United States is pretending to be,” the group added.