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Speaking at a news conference in Beirut on Friday, Amir Abdollahian said Iran has repeatedly made proposals to resolve the electricity shortage in Lebanon and is now prepared to deploy technical and engineering teams to Beirut to build power plants that can produce 2,000MW of electricity.

He asserted that significant Iranian corporations have constructed power plants in nearby states as well as in other nations, adding that “this contract is to the benefit of both sides.”

The minister went on to note that Iran supports any measure that aims to address Lebanon’s electricity and energy shortfall as soon as possible.

As a result of severe sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies, Lebanon has been engulfed in one of the greatest economic crises in recent history, according to the World Bank. Since 2019, the value of the Lebanese pound has decreased by about 95% on the black market.

Additionally, the Arab nation has faced a major fuel crisis that has caused homes and businesses to struggle with ongoing power outages, and its economic collapse since 2019 has slowed down fuel imports for government facilities.

Amir Abdollahian, who on Wednesday started a tour of Syria and Lebanon on Wednesday, also spoke with top officials of the two nations regarding important domestic, regional, and global topics.

In his press conference, he also said only Baghdad and Damascus must make decisions about border transportation. “The borders of our region should be the borders of economic and commercial friendship. There is no need for restoration of the military and security measures along with Iraq-Syria common borders.”

The top diplomat stated that Iran considers any rapprochement with the fictitious Israeli regime to be a “strategic” error.

“We always advise our friends in the region to prevent any normalization of relations with a regime that brought nothing to the region but insecurity,” Amir Abdollahian averred.

Elsewhere, Amir Abdollahian mentioned the long-standing strategic links between Iran and Lebanon and said that Tehran constantly follows events in Beirut.

He said Iran will continue to back the resistance movement in an effort to save Lebanon and the rest of the region from Israel.

Any foreign interference in Lebanon’s political issues was also condemned by the minister.

The chief diplomat emphasized that Iran has never meddled in Lebanon’s internal affairs and promised that at its request, it will “continue to strongly support the government, nation, army and resistance in Lebanon.”

He reaffirmed Tehran’s support for any deal reached by the political leaders of Lebanon on the election of the president and the establishment of a new government.

Amir Abdollahian said he had a “very promising” meeting with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of the Hezbollah resistance movement.

The Iranian minister quoted the Hezbollah leader as saying that should the Israeli regime commit any error, the situation against the Zionists would quickly shift.

The Israeli regime, according to Amir Abdollahian, is “suffering from multifaceted and security crises inside the occupied territories.”

Also, Amir Abdollahian said that Iran has consistently backed diplomacy and talks to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name for the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The foreign minister went on to say that a recent agreement between Iran and the United States on unfreezing Iran’s assets illegally frozen in foreign banks and the exchange of prisoners will have a “positive impact on indirect talks about the removal of sanctions.”

The senior diplomat reaffirmed Tehran’s political commitment to reviving the JCPOA in the event that all parties adhere to the terms of the agreement.

On Oman’s request, he said, messages are now being exchanged between Iran and the signatories to the nuclear accord.

Iran was given some sanctions relief thanks to the JCPOA and in return offered to modify parts of its nuclear program.

However, the U.S. withdrew from the accord in 2018 as part of the so-called “maximum pressure” strategy pursued by U.S. President Donald Trump against Iran, reinstating all the sanctions that the deal had eased.

Then, on pressure from Washington, the U.S. allies party to the agreement —France, Britain, and Germany — bowled to the sanctions and suspended their commerce with Tehran.

In April 2021, talks to renew the accord were underway. However, because Washington has refused to provide assurances that it won’t back out of the pact again, the negotiations have stopped.

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Since Ebrahim Raisi took office as president in August 2021 his administration has prioritized active diplomacy to advance national interests, Amir Abdollahian said on Saturday.

The foreign minister emphasized that while Iran has continued with its measures to counteract the unlawful sanctions, it has never given up on the path of discussions and diplomacy.

“The efforts will go on until the achievement of ultimate results and the complete fulfillment of Iran’s rights,” he remarked.

His remarks followed a confirmation by the Foreign Ministry that $6 billion of Iranian funds that have been illegally frozen in South Korea because of U.S. sanctions are being released under an agreement between Iran and the U.S. brokered by Qatar and Oman.

The ministry underscored that releasing the funds has consistently been on its agenda, noting that these funds were “illegally blocked” under the pretext of “overseas banks’ concerns about America’s oppressive sanctions.”

The statement added, “In addition to the unfreezing of the financial resources that were illegally seized, safeguarding the rights of Iranians worldwide is a fundamental duty of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As part of this commitment, the diplomatic apparatus has pursued the release of several innocent Iranian prisoners who have been unlawfully detained in the United States for years under false accusations of circumventing American sanctions. The release of these prisoners will be realized in the near future.”

Iran continues full nuclear work: report

Meanwhile, an Iranian source has rejected a report by the Wall Street Journal that Iran has slowed down its nuclear work as part of a developing deal with the United States.

“The peaceful nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran are going on without interruption and based on the previous plans of the Atomic Energy Organization [of Iran] in all areas,” the source said.

The source added, “The strategic action plan of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (parliament) is being meticulously implemented.”

The law in question regulates Iranian nuclear activities and obligates the government to press ahead with the activities until U.S. sanctions on Iran are lifted.

Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that “Iran has significantly slowed the pace at which it is accumulating near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and has diluted some of its stockpile.”

Iran has repeatedly denied that it’s seeking a nuclear weapon.

No concessions

On Saturday, an Iranian lawmaker said that Iran did not make concessions to unfreeze its funds.

The lawmaker, Fada Hossein Maleki, a member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said, “Now, the release of parts of Iran’s money that is blocked in Korea, America and other countries is being implemented without taking into account making concessions.”

The U.S. also confirmed the agreement with Iran. Under the new agreement, Iran’s funds will be transferred from South Korea to Qatar.

Iran also released four American prisoners and put them under house arrest. The prisoners are expected to leave Iran once Iran gains access to its funds in Qatar.

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The most famous pirate of them all was probably Edward Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard. Blackbeard was born in Bristol and started his career as a crew member for the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. He looked like a devil who had stepped right out of hell and onto a pirate ship and most of his victims simply surrendered their cargo rather than fight him.

Now after almost four centuries, it seems the British have not quit their bad habit and they still continue piracy but in a modern and sophisticated style by taking hostage and freezing the assets of countries under different pretexts.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the victims of the British piracy as the country’s money has been blocked in the UK despite the court’s order for its return. Britain owes as much as £450m to Iran arising from the non-delivery of Chieftain tanks ordered by Iran’s former monarchical regime. An international arbitration in 2008 ruled the UK owed the debt.

Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Britain and Iran had relatively close relations, with Britain offering support to the Persian state in exchange for concessions in sectors such as oil and banking.

The relationship was bumpy at times: in 1953, Britain urged the CIA to carry out a coup against the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, who had nationalized the oil industry.

From 1971 to 1976, the ex-Shah of Iran – faced with the rise of Arab nationalists in Iraq and elsewhere – turned to Britain for a large order of tanks: 1,500 Chieftain battle tanks and 250 repair vehicles in total.

The bill added up to £650m, and the Shah paid it up front, rather than on delivery. Britain managed to deliver 185 tanks to Tehran before history got in the way. Then came 1979, the Shah’s exile and the creation of the modern Islamic Republic of Iran. Relations between London and Tehran went south quickly, with Britain suspending all diplomatic relations. The Islamic Republic of Iran was no longer an ally of the United Kingdom, and it was no longer reasonable to send state-of-the art tanks there. And therefore, British habit of piracy  revealed itself once again.

In September 2020, the British Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace, for the first time acknowledged that he is actively seeking to pay a debt to the Iranian government. The UK is thought to owe as much as £450m to the Iranian government arising from the non-delivery of Chieftain tanks ordered by the Shah of Iran before his overthrow in 1979.

An international arbitration in 2008 ruled the UK owed the debt, but in subsequent protracted court battles, lawyers acting for International Military Services, the Ministry of Defense’s now-defunct arms sales agency, have questioned not only the debt’s size, but at times whether any debt was payable.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in meeting with the new British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss once again urged that the UK take action towards repaying its debt towards Iran.

Rebuilding of the bilateral ties took serious action, Amir-Abdollahian asserted, urging London to note that taking such action on its obligations constituted the only means of reconstructing the relations.

Tehran responds proportionately to any positive and constructive step, he, meanwhile, pledged. The British official, for her part, alleged that the UK was prepared to repay the debt.

But it is not the first time that the British statesmen announce readiness for repaying the debt but each time they have refrained from paying due different baseless pretexts like the U.S sanctions.

The British should stop their habit of piracy and respect the international norms and laws and they should not forget this fact that the end of the hit-and-run is over and the Islamic Republic of Iran is not like the Shah’s era and it will fight for any bit of its rights. They should now this fact that Iranians historically  have no positive approach or trust to the British and they used  to blame the British for any incident in the country.

So if the British want to win Iranian’s trust, they should first repay their debts and stop following the U.S.’s wrong policy of sanctions because it is useless and the West and especially the U.S. and UK will see its backlash in the future as the Islamic Republic is determined to stand against any hegemonic and hit-and-run policy.

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He pointed to the Vienna talks on reviving the JCPOA, saying, “We have clearly stated to the other side that the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes a logical negotiation, and we certainly do not seek to escape from the negotiating table, but it is a very important point that the 13th administration believes in negotiations that have tangible achievements in the interests of the Iranian people.”

“Negotiation is one of the tools of diplomacy, and we hope that good things will happen in this regard and that the other parties will be present at the negotiating table on the basis of wisdom, not non-constructive messages,” he added.

Regarding the next round of talks, Amir-Abdollahian said, “The other side understands that it will take two to three months for the new government to take office and plan for any decision.”

He also put all of Afghanistan’s woes down to the United States’ misdeeds concerning the Central Asian country.

“All of Afghanistan’s problems are rooted in the Americans’ deeds,” he said, adding, “If foreigners let go of Afghanistan’s people, those people can [then] take decisions for their own country’s future.”

Iran, he said, backs a “safe” Afghanistan, where the Afghan nation can exercise their right to self-determination and form an all-inclusive government that represents all Afghan ethnicities.

The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001 under the so-called banner of “war on terror.” The invasion toppled the Taliban militant group, but it soon rallied and started establishing effective presence in the majority of Afghanistan’s expanse.

Iraq, another regional country, that has taken the brunt of American interference has likewise “suffered much damage as a result of the U.S.’s 2003-present trial-and-error policies” towards the Arab nation, the senior Iranian diplomat noted.

This is while “foreigners cannot play any role in the region’s development, and this (foreign interference) is not to the region’s benefit,” he asserted.

In the same context, he underlined that the Islamic Republic welcomes whatever gathering that could attract the region’s own members, rather than outside meddling.

Amir-Abdollahian addressed the contents of his participation in one such convention in Baghdad recently, which saw him sit down with many regional officials, including those from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

He criticized the conference’s forgoing Syria, wondering how the event managed to ignore Damascus, while inviting many others, which are not even Iraq’s neighbors.

The foreign minister said during his talks with his Saudi counterpart, the latter congratulated him on the occasion of the start of his ministerial duties.

According to Amir-Abdollahian, the Saudi official said Riyadh would resume its diplomatic relations with Tehran during the incumbency of Iran’s new government, which is steered by President Ebrahim Raeisi.

The Saudi kingdom broke off its diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic in early 2016. It cited earlier protests in front of its diplomatic facilities in Tehran and Mashhad, against Riyadh’s earlier execution of Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

Amid constant accusations and reluctance on the part of the kingdom, Tehran would, however, keep urging the country not to close the door to remedial negotiations.

Amir-Abdollahian, however, said his talks with the Saudi foreign minister did not feature any actual “negotiations” towards the resumption of the relations.

Separately, the official pledged determination on the part of the Foreign Ministry to help due and proper implementation of Iran’s comprehensive strategic partnership deal with China.

The two sides inked the historic agreement earlier this year, setting out a roadmap for the quality of their strategic ties for the upcoming 25 years.

“We will pursue this model towards [helping Iran] draw benefit from the capacities that are offered by other countries of the region too, including Russia and India,” Amir-Abdollahian noted.

His first day in office, the official said, was spent holding a meeting aimed at expediting imports of coronavirus vaccines.

The foreign minister expressed delight that the imports had picked up speed and vowed that the ministry would try to expedite the process even further.

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Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks during a meeting in Tehran with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

The designate for foreign minister was openly referring to the 2015 nuclear deal that was abandoned by the former Trump administration but negotiations started in April to revive it after Joe Biden took power at the White House. However, negotiators from Iran, E3, China, Russia and the U.S. failed to bridge differences for the restoration of the deal despite the fact that Biden administration had openly announced readiness to rejoin the multilateral agreement. The U.S. was involved in the talks indirectly as Iran has refused direct negotiations until the U.S. returns to the JCPOA.

Amir-Abdollahian is currently the special aide to the parliamentary speaker on international affairs. Amir-Abdollahian, the former deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, is highly likely to get a vote of confidence as foreign minister by the parliament on Wednesday.

The nominee for the foreign minister also told Motegi that the new Iranian government is resolved to expand economic relations with Asian countries.

The current level of economic and trade relations between Iran and Japan is not commensurate with the existing capacities, Amir-Abdollahian said.

He called for taking new initiatives to raise the level of interactions between the two countries.

The Japanese minister, for his part, said that his country attaches special significance to promotion of ties with Iran as an important country in the West Asia region.

He called for further cooperation between Tehran and Tokyo in different areas, particularly in humanitarian issues which he said would benefit the interests of both countries and help protect the regional security.

Expressing support for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the Japanese minister said it is necessary that all parties to the JCPOA to honor their commitments.

He also hailed Iran for hosting millions of Afghan refugees for four decades, saying Tokyo appreciates Tehran’s support for settling the crisis in Afghanistan.

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Mahmoud Abbas-Zadeh Meshkini expressed hope that Amir Abdollahian would garner a high number of confidence votes in the parliament to be endorsed as foreign minister.

Amir Abdollahian was deputy foreign minister for Arab and North African affairs when Ali Akbar Salehi was foreign minister. He also held the post in the first three years of Mohammad Javad Zarif who took the helm at the Foreign Ministry in 2013. He also served as Iran’s ambassador to Bahrain.

Amir Abdollahian, 57, has a bachelor degree in diplomatic relations from the faculty of the Foreign Ministry, master’s and PhD degrees in international relations from the University of Tehran. He speaks Arabic and English.

Reportedly, he has no affiliation to reformist and principlist camps in and his focus is on national interests. Reportedly, he has also held talks with former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and former British foreign secretary Philip Hammond after the British embassy was reopened in Tehran in August 2015.

He also served as foreign policy advisor to former parliament speaker Ali Larijani and the current speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

In the parliamentary session on Sunday a number of lawmakers talked in favor and against Amir Abdollahian.

Seyyed Salam Zaker, the representative of Urmia in the parliament, said why Amir Abdollahian have not paid attention to border areas during these years. The MP also asked why the foreign minister nominee has not strengthened parliamentary associations with neighboring countries during the years that he served as foreign policy advisor to parliament speakers and has not sought this demand from the government.

He also said the proposed foreign minister has not taken steps for “economic diplomacy”.

MP Ali Asghar Anabestani from Sabzvar said Amir Abdollahian should precisely elaborate on his “balanced policy” slogan in foreign policy areas and explain how he wants to realize the goals through such as policy in the next four years.

MP Hassan Mohammad Yari from Talesh and Rezvanshahr said it is necessary that the proposed foreign minister express his views about the Mena stampede incident and the U.S. terrorist act in assassinating Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and do the necessary diplomatic moves in connection with these two mishaps.

MP Mohsen Alizadeh from Sepidan favored the nomination of Amir Abdollahian as foreign minister and said it is expected that he will observe “revolutionary stance” in appointing his right-hand men.

MP Abbas Golrou from Semnan also defended the nominee for foreign minister, saying Amir Abdollahian has the competence to take leadership at the Foreign Ministry.

MP Abolfazl Amoui from Tehran said Amir Abdollahian has the competence to reform the Foreign Ministry.

“The proposed choice for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the aptitude to implement ideas (in foreign policy areas) and is capable of establishing coordination among all different political, security, military and diplomatic perspectives.”

Amoui, who sits on the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said pursuing efforts to implement the 25-year partnership between Iran and China, following strategic talks between Iran and Russia, joining the Eurasian Economic Union and the Shanghai Economic Cooperation Organization (SCO) and more importantly the fate of the 2015 nuclear deal and continuation of nuclear talks prove that a person should take the driver’s seat at the ministry that can handle all these issues. He said add these things developments in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq along with Iran’s talks with other countries.

I will use all my effort to make sanctions ineffective 

Elaborating on his foreign policy priorities, the proposed foreign minister said he will use all his efforts to neutralize economic sanctions and cancel them.

“I will not link the Foreign Ministry to Barjam (JCPOA) and will use all efforts to neutralize sanctions along with cancellation of sanctions,” he explained.

The career diplomat also said, “We will never leave logical negotiating table that is afforded by power and wisdom. However, we will not link the Foreign Ministry to Barjam.”

He said all countries give priority to “national interests” and “national power” and “we also don’t not show oblivion to these issues by making ourselves committed to all values, Islamic principles and relying on our rich Iranian culture.”

He added, “We believe that through dignified diplomacy and capacities we can realize the slogan of ‘we can’ and achieve maximum rights and protect national interests in foreign policy.”

“Asia-centered foreign policy”

He went on to say that the foreign policy priority of the Ebrahim Raisi government is to prioritize relations with neighbors in particular and the Asian continent in general.

He said the three principles of “dignity”, “wisdom” and “expediency” will form the cornerstone of the Islamic Republic’s dynamic and smart foreign policy.

On a question by MP Anabestani who had asked him what he meant by balanced foreign policy, Amir Abdollahian said, “Balanced foreign policy means that the priority of the government of Dr. Raisi is” is good relations with neighbors and Asian countries “because the 21st century belongs to Asia and that we are witnessing the new emerging economic powers in Asia.”

Summarily, Amir Abdollahian said, the foreign policy of the Raisi government is “Asia-centered”.

The nominee for the post of foreign minister said his ministry will seek to use the “capacity of new emerging economic powers” for the progress of the country and increase “international business” in line with “improving the livelihoods” of Iranian people.

“We will honorably back resistance front”

The proposed minister added that he will try to “institutionalize” the international behavior of the resistance front and “we will honorably support the resistance front.”

When there is talk of balanced foreign policy it means that “our foreign policy will not be restricted to a single region or area, but it will include all continents.”

In following this policy certain countries are given “first priority”, he pointed out.

“However,” he added, “neighbor-centered and Asia-centered policy is the main priority and cementing relations with Muslim countries are defined within our balanced economic policy.”

“Capable persons needed to implement great plans”

Amir Abdollahian also said good plans are presented in the Iranian ministries but “the important is that we need capable and great persons to materialize these great plans.”

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Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met Indian Ambassador Gaddam Dharmendra and exchanged views on parliamentary cooperation and bilateral ties.

Pointing to the historic ties between Iran and India, Amir-Abdollahian emphasized the stance of India in Asia and also necessity for improving ties between the two states in different fields especially in the parliamentary relation. He also stated that Iran and India as two biggest civilizations in Asia enjoy a sustainable historic and old relation.

He underscored the significance of cooperation between Asian states as the 21st Century belongs to this continent, and reiterated that Iran’s relations with Beijing and Moscow are on the right track and emphasized significance of creating vigor in the old ties between Tehran and New Delhi.

Ami-Abdollahian noted that Iranians have good knowledge of Indians’ independence-seeking struggles, adding that efforts’ of the third party for influencing Iran-India ties are in vain.

Meanwhile Indian Ambassador for his part explained his country’s ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran and said the ties between the two countries enjoy strong bases and although it has not enjoyed growth for some while, relations between them have always remained normal and there is a positive prospect ahead of their ties.

Dharmendra also pointed to the independent role of both states in the international scenes and called for developing co-operations like in the field of parliament.

He noted that Iran and India have always had constructive and positive cooperation in the international communities like in the United Nations, the NAM and in the IPU, and they have enjoyed this capacity in resolving some international challenges like climate change, environment and the rule of laws in the international scene.

Then Amir-Abdollahian on behalf of Majlis Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf invited the  parliament speaker of India for an official visit to Tehran and announced all commissions and friendship groups of Iran’s Majlis for cooperation with their Indian counterparts.

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“Preserving the security of the Persian Gulf needs collective cooperation of regional countries,” Amir Abdollahian said in a tweet, Mehr reported on Tuesday.

“The outcome of the United States and other foreigners’ military presence and the foreigners’ stockpiling of weapons in the Persian Gulf would be an increase in insecurity,” he pointed out.

Amir Abdollahian stated that dialogue, building trust, and mutual respect are currently necessary for the region.

“And the Islamic Republic of Iran has always recommended this path,” he added.

Iran has in recent months called for closer cooperation with regional countries to counter threats.

President Hassan Rouhani, during his speech at the 74th UN General Assembly, called on regional states to join the Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE).

“Based upon the historical responsibility of my country in maintaining security, peace, stability, and progress in the Persian Gulf region and Strait of Hormuz, I would like to invite all the countries directly affected by the developments in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to the ‘Coalition for Hope’, meaning Hormuz Peace Endeavor,” Rouhani said at the summit.

He added, “The Coalition for Hope is based on important principles such as compliance with the goals and principles of the United Nations, mutual respect, equal footing, dialog and understanding, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, inviolability of international borders, the peaceful settlement of all disputes, and more importantly, the two fundamental principles of non-aggression and non-interference in the domestic affairs of each other. The presence of the United Nations is necessary for the creation of an international umbrella in support of the Coalition for Hope.”

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 Terrorist who perpetrated the brutal terror attack in Ahvaz should await a ‘shocking blow’ since they know that capabilities of Iran’s military and security forces, said Iranian Parliament Speaker’s Special Aide.

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