Monday, April 13, 2026
type here...
Home Blog Page 91

Foreign Minister: Iran’s Proposal to E3 Reasonable, Logical

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Seyed Abbas Araqchi said Thursday night that in his phone conversation the day before with the foreign ministers of the three European countries — Germany, France, and the United Kingdom — as well as with Ms. Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, he presented this plan to his European counterparts.

He added that, instead of addressing the substance of this plan, Iran is now facing a series of excuses and clear evasions — including the absurd claim that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not represent the entire political structure of Iran.

The Iranian foreign minister expressed satisfaction that French President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged that Iran’s proposed plan is reasonable.

Araqchi said, “Macron and the international community must know that I enjoy the full support of all branches of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the country’s Supreme National Security Council.”

He stated, “It is now time for the UN Security Council to step in and replace confrontation with diplomacy. The risk is at its highest level.”

On August 27, the three European countries sent a letter to the Security Council initiating the process of triggering the snapback mechanism to reimpose previously lifted UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.

Araqchi also referred on X to Iran’s recent agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a new chapter of cooperation with the Agency, as well as the presentation of a creative, fair, and balanced proposal addressing real concerns, adding that implementing this idea could be done swiftly and could prevent a crisis by resolving the main lines of disagreement.

Trump admin. wants key Afghan air base back

By
IFP Media Wire
-

American troops hastily evacuated the base in July 2021, a month before Taliban militants seized Kabul, toppling the UN-backed government and ending the 20-year US occupation of the country.

“We should have never given it up,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Friday. He added that during his trip to the UK the previous day, the US was negotiating the issue with the new Afghan government.

“We want that base back,” he said.

“One of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he stated Thursday during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Photos and videos of the looted base and abandoned military equipment became symbols of the failure of the US war in Afghanistan.

Although Trump had negotiated the transition of defense responsibilities to local authorities during his first term, he blamed the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on former US President Joe Biden, calling the chaotic departure of the last American soldiers “a disgrace.”

Zakir Jalaly, an Afghan Foreign Ministry official, wrote on X on Thursday that the people of Afghanistan would reject the return of American troops.

“Afghanistan and the US need to engage with one another, and can have economic and political relations based on mutual respect, without the US maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan,” he added.

Following the US withdrawal, the originally Soviet-built airfield came under the control of Afghanistan’s Taliban-led defense ministry. Trump has repeatedly alleged that the Chinese are using the base, but this claim has been rejected by Kabul and lacks credible evidence.

Trump blocks arms deal with Taiwan: WaPo

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The Post linked the decision to Trump’s efforts to negotiate a trade deal with Beijing and his potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which is expected to take place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea next month.

The weapons deal, reportedly worth more than $400 million, was described as “more lethal” than previous deliveries. According to the Post, Trump’s team believes Taiwan should purchase its own weapons, reflecting the president’s “transactional” approach to foreign policy. A White House official told the outlet that the decision has not yet been finalized.

Beijing, which considers the self-governing island its territory, strongly opposes any foreign military aid to Taipei. Xi has stated China seeks peaceful reunification but reserves the right to use force. In December, the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned Taipei that “relying on the US to seek independence and using military means to pursue independence is a path to self-destruction.”

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry declined to comment on the report but announced that “Taiwan and the US maintain a close security cooperation mechanism, with all exchange programs carried out on schedule to build a comprehensive defense system.”

Washington has approved several arms sales to Taiwan in recent years, including the delivery of NASAMS air-defense missile systems.

India ramping up Russian oil imports amid US trade negotiations: Bloomberg

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Indian refiners intend to continue purchasing Russian crude to meet rising fuel demand, even as New Delhi restarts trade talks with the US for a bilateral deal, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

India’s imports of Russian oil are likely to remain strong for November and December deliveries, although volumes may fall short of recent highs, the media outlet said, citing people familiar with the procurement plans.

Deliveries of Russian crude to India rose by 5.6% in August to 1.6 million barrels per day (mbd), according to data from analytics firm Kpler.

New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil have drawn the ire of the US, which has slapped 25% punitive tariffs on India, in addition to 25% levies imposed after the two countries could not arrive at a trade deal.

At a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, US President Donald Trump stated that he had imposed “sanctions” on India, a country he claimed to have a close relationship with, in an effort to help bring an end to the Ukraine conflict.

”When I found out that the European nations were buying oil from Russia… And, as you know, I am very close to India, I am very close to the prime minister of India. I spoke to him the other day, I wished him a happy birthday. We have a very good relationship. He put out a beautiful statement, too… But I sanctioned them,” Trump added.

Before Trump’s comments on Thursday, India’s chief economic adviser, V. Ananatha Nageswaran, said he felt the US may soon scrap the penal import tariff on Indian goods and also cut the tariff to 10-15% from the existing 25%, according to a Reuters report.

A delegation led by US Trade Representative for South Asia Brendan Lynch held a new round of negotiations with Indian officials in New Delhi on Monday. Following the talks, India’s Commerce Ministry characterized the discussions as “positive and forward-looking.”

Trump says ‘not the right time’ to call for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Russia Ukraine War

A reporter asked Trump aboard Air Force One whether it was time to press for a ceasefire, noting that a month has passed since his rare face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

“It doesn’t feel like it,” Trump said, adding, “But at the right time, if I have to do it, it will be harsh,” he added.

Trump, who has at times criticized both Russia and Ukraine, recently admitted that negotiating an end to the conflict would be harder than he had anticipated. Speaking at a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his trip to the UK on Thursday, the US president said that Putin had “really let me down.”

Last week, Trump stated that he would impose additional “major sanctions” on Moscow, but only if all NATO members stop purchasing Russian oil.

“This is not TRUMP’S WAR (it would never have started if I was president!), it is Joe Biden’s and Volodymyr Zelensky’s WAR,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, referring to his predecessor and the Ukrainian leader.

In a TV interview which aired in Russia on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that Trump had shifted “from issuing an ultimatum for an unconditional ceasefire to advocating for a long-term, sustainable solution.”

Moscow has demanded that Ukraine recognize its new borders, abandon its plan to join NATO in favor of permanent neutrality, and agree to limit its military. Zelensky has rejected these terms.

1 dead, 20 injured in Tehran–Mashhad bus collision in Iran

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran Road

According to Karen Yahyaei, spokesperson for Semnan University of Medical Sciences, the deceased was the bus driver, who succumbed to his injuries after being transferred to hospital. Among the injured, a 14-year-old boy remains in critical condition.

Nineteen of the wounded were transferred to a nearby Medical Center with the help of the Emergency Organization, while two others were transported by the Red Crescent.

Ten ambulances, a helicopter, and 25 emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene to carry out the rescue operation.

The accident occurred at 7:40 a.m. on the busy Tehran–Mashhad highway, a route of more than 900 kilometers, of which 650 kilometers pass through Semnan Province.

With over 15 million travelers using its roadways annually, the province is considered one of the most heavily trafficked transit corridors in Iran.

Iran’s top military chief: Diplomacy best path to resolving disputes

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Speaking in Tehran during a meeting with Sergey Tsivilev, Russia’s Minister of Energy, Mousavi highlighted the opportunities for expanding cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in the face of heavy Western sanctions imposed on both countries.

He praised Russia’s firm stance at the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency in condemning the Zionist regime’s recent attacks on Iran, calling Moscow’s position “resolute and constructive.”

“While Iran has demonstrated to the world that it has never been the aggressor, it is committed to diplomacy and negotiations as the most effective path to overcoming challenges,” Mousavi said.

He cautioned, however, that enemies in the past have misused dialogue as a pretext for deception, recalling that the U.S. and the Zionist regime launched an imposed war against Iran despite diplomatic engagements.

He stressed that Iran’s Armed Forces responded with strength and determination.

For his part, Tsivilev expressed condolences over the loss of Iranian commanders and scientists in the recent Israeli attacks and endorsed Mousavi’s call for strengthening bilateral commissions to enhance cooperation.

“I fully agree that Iran and Russia must raise their economic and defense cooperation to the highest levels,” Tsivilev affirmed.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan ink mutual defence pact

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Pakistan said the agreement “reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieving security and peace in the region, adding that the “agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”.

Asked by Reuters whether the agreement would place Saudi Arabia under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella, a senior Saudi official stated, “This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means”.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have enjoyed close military ties for decades. The Financial Times cited a Saudi official saying that the agreement had been under discussion for two or three years.

But the deal’s timing comes after Sunni monarchs were shocked by Israel’s attack on Qatar last week. Middle East Eye revealed that the Trump administration approved the attack beforehand, as subsequent reporting from Axios confirmed.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are all strong US partners that are home to US military bases. Qatar is home to al-Udeid, the largest US military base in the region.

The Persian Gulf states have long relied on the US to underwrite their security and have watched warily as Washington acquiesces to Israeli attacks on Syria, Lebanon and Iran despite their tense relations with the Islamic Republic.

However, few officials in the region expected Israel to attack Qatar with US backing, a major non-Nato ally that has been mediating between Hamas and Israel.

“This could potentially have profound implications for how regional states view US security guarantees,” Ted Singer, former head of Middle East operations for the US Central Intelligence Agency, told MEE after the Israeli attack.

The agreement was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh.

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was also in attendance. The Pakistani military exercises outsized influence in the country.

The defence pact is likely to have deep implications for the region. Pakistan has close military and economic ties with China, but Munir visited the White House earlier this year in a sign that Islamabad was also courting the Trump administration.

The US and Pakistan cooperated extensively on security during the US war in Afghanistan, but the relationship waned as a result of the US withdrawal and Beijing’s rising influence.

Saudi Arabia also enjoys good relations with Pakistan’s historic rival, India. Pakistan and India engaged in a deadly air war in May that almost brought them to the brink of nuclear conflict. Pakistan thanked US President Donald Trump for mediating an end to the war, but India bristled at the suggestion that it wanted a truce, hurting ties with the US.

Saudi Arabia’s nod to Pakistan will not go unnoticed in Washington. Islamabad has strongly condemned Israel’s genocide in Gaza and also criticised Israel’s attack on Iran, its neighbour, in June.

Analysts say that Pakistan was alarmed by the precedent set by US and Israeli air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities – and the potential extension of Israeli aerial dominance near Pakistan’s western frontier.

Pakistan is the only Muslim-majority country with nuclear weapons. It has always framed its arsenal as for defensive purposes, but does not have a “no-first-use” doctrine, which rules out preemptively attacking foes with nuclear weapons.

Israel is widely understood to possess nuclear weapons.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to forge a defence pact with Pakistan comes after it was rebuffed by the US, which wanted to condition a defensive agreement and the sale of civilian nuclear technology to Riyadh on normalising relations with Israel.

Saudi Arabia forcefully pushed back on US lobbying efforts ahead of Trump’s visit to the region in May, MEE reported.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has labelled Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide.

Saudi Arabia maintains close security ties with the US, and the crown prince is understood to have a strong relationship with Trump.

In May, Trump credited the crown prince for convincing him to drop sanctions on Syria. Riyadh also successfully lobbied the US to stop its attacks on the Houthis in Yemen earlier this year.

The kingdom pledged over $600bn in investments in the US when Trump visited.

 

Iran calls on E3 to act ‘responsibly’ amid ‘snapback’ threats

By
IFP Media Wire
-

In a joint phone call with the E3 counterparts and the EU’s foreign policy chief, the Iranian foreign minister warned that triggering the so-called snapback mechanism would undermine diplomacy and unnecessarily escalate tensions.

Araghchi said the European push to restore the previously lifted UN Security Council sanctions lacked any “legal or logical basis,” especially given Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Iranian minister added Tehran has developed a clear framework for fulfilling its safeguards obligations under the new circumstances, following the US-Israeli acts of aggression.

Tehran, Araghchi stated, has employed a responsible approach and expects international recognition of the value of its constructive behavior.

“It is now up to the other side to seize this opportunity to continue the diplomatic path and prevent an avoidable crisis.”

He also urged the E3 to demonstrate a genuine commitment to diplomacy rather than yielding to actors who disregard international law.

Araghchi reiterated Iran’s readiness to pursue a fair and balanced solution that protects mutual interests. However, he underscored, this requires a responsible stance on the part of the European powers.

“Achieving such a goal requires a responsible and independent approach from the three European countries and refraining from being influenced by actors who show no regard for diplomacy or the principles and norms of international law.”

The phone call concluded with an exchange of proposals aimed at sustaining diplomatic momentum.

The ‘snapback’ is the 2015 nuclear deal’s dispute resolution mechanism, under which parties who believe Iran has dishonored its commitments can move to restore six previous Iran-related Security Council resolutions adopted between 2006 and 2010.

The European parties have accused Iran of non-compliance over its decision to reduce commitments in response to the US withdrawal from the 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran argues that the E3 cannot invoke the mechanism as they first violated the agreement by refusing to compensate for the US withdrawal, which prompted Iran to reduce its commitments.

 

Iran tells UN Security Council Afghan migration poses growing strain

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Afghan Refugee in Iran

Speaking on Wednesday, Iravani said Iran has “no choice but to return undocumented Afghan nationals” due to mounting pressures, which he said have worsened following Israeli aggression against Iran earlier this year.

He stressed that Iran has carried the burden of hosting Afghan refugees for decades, often without adequate international support, and cannot continue to shoulder the responsibility alone.

The envoy also expressed condolences to Afghanistan over the recent deadly earthquake and noted that Iran had promptly dispatched humanitarian aid, pledging to continue assistance.

He underlined that Afghanistan’s future must be determined by Afghans themselves through an inclusive political process that respects sovereignty and protects the rights of all citizens, especially women and girls.

Iravani warned against politicizing humanitarian aid or using sanctions as leverage, urging the release of Afghanistan’s frozen assets by the US.

He reiterated Iran’s support for a stable, independent, and peaceful Afghanistan and affirmed cooperation with regional and international partners to achieve this goal.

1...909192...4,078Page 91 of 4,078

© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Us

Popular Articles

Editor Picks