“The provocative, meddlesome, and undiplomatic remarks made by the US Secretary of State in Beirut once again revealed Washington’s patronizing attitude and behavior towards other free and independent countries and freedom-seeking nations of the world,” Qassemi said.

“Such stances and comments, on the one hand, stem from the failure of Washington’s destructive policies and excessive demands in the region, and on the other hand indicate the dissatisfaction and excessive outrage of the irrational rulers of the country over the popular solidarity and unity in Lebanon and the restoration of calm and stability in the Arab state, especially after the formation of its government,” Qassemi said, according to the |Foreign Ministry’s website.

The Iranian spokesman pointed to Pompeo’s comments against the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, and lashed out at him for making such “rude and unwise” remarks and raising “baseless, false, hackneyed, and futile” claims and accusations against a major political and legal part of Lebanon while he was visiting the Arab country.

Qassemi said Hezbollah enjoys the popular backing of the majority of the Lebanese, and accounts for a major part of the pillars of the country’s government and parliament.

He further referred to Washington’s long-lasting policy of intimidating regional governments, and said, “Now that it has failed to realize its ominous goals in the sensitive region of the Middle East, the US is resorting to the worn-out, hackneyed, and outdated trick of intimidating and threatening others in a bid to impose its hegemonic policies and behavior.”

In order to do that, he said, Washington not only creates sedition in ties among other countries, but also levels groundless accusations against others.

Qassemi pointed to the US government’s decision to relocate its embassy in Israel to the Holy Quds and recognize the fake Zionist regime’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is a blatant violation of the internationally accepted norms, laws, and regulations, and said Pompeo has been sent to the region in line with the same decisions.

“These indicate that the US government, accompanied by a few of the regional countries, intends to implement new plots and provide as much support as possible for the usurpers of the Holy Quds while ignoring the violated rights of the Palestinian people through the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’,” he added.

“Given the necessity of maintaining stability and calm in the region, the Islamic Republic of Iran underlines the (need for) reinforcement of convergence and cooperation among regional countries in fight against the Zionist regime’s expansionism and aggressions and in campaign against terrorist groups,” Qassemi stated.

“While respecting the government and nation of Lebanon and the independent will of the country, Iran stresses that it will tap into all its capacities in order to promote internal solidarity and unity in Lebanon, and to reinforce bilateral ties with the country in issues that are in the interest of the Iranian and Lebanese people,” he added.

Qassemi went on to say that Tehran “totally understands the US’ outrage over the praiseworthy performance and role of the resistance forces, the Hezbollah, and the wise people of the region, and all those who foiled the US’ new colonialist and ominous plots in the region.”

In his recent trip to Beirut, Pompeo expressed concern over the role of Hezbollah in the Arab country, saying that the Lebanese nation must pick a side.

“Lebanon and the Lebanese people face a choice: bravely move forward as an independent and proud nation or allow the dark ambitions of Iran and Hezbollah to dictate your future,” he said during a joint news conference with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil on Friday.

Bassil, however, rejected Pompeo’s comments, saying that “Hezbollah is a Lebanese party, not a terrorist group, and it enjoys a wide popular base.”

The post Iran Slams Pompeo’s ‘Provocative, Meddlesome’ Comments on Hezbollah appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Slamming Pompeo’s meddlesome comments about the bilateral ties between Iran and Iraq, Qassemi underlined that Tehran and Baghdad enjoy close bonds on the basis of respect, mutual trust, common interests and the will of the two nations and their leaders.

“Contrary to the United States of America’s usual interfering policies, neither of the countries (Iran and Iraq) seeks to impose its will and demands on the other,” the spokesman underscored.

“Iran and Iraq have been neighbors for hundreds of years and will remain so for hundreds of years to come,” he said, adding, “The leaders of the two countries have decided to stand together in tough conditions. If such a decision and choice irritates the US officials, they should not allow themselves to use undiplomatic terms and a language ignoring the common and conventional courtesy used in political interactions between two sovereign states just because of their absurd anger caused by their selfish wrath and habits.”

Qassemi further criticized Pompeo’s anti-Iran comments in a recent meeting with the UN chief, saying Washington has focused efforts on hostility towards Iran and resorts to bogus and fabricated allegations to maintain multiple tensions in the Middle East instead of trying to end the wars in West Asia and uproot Takfiri terrorism in some of its allied countries.

The Iranian spokesman went on to say that the US policies have resulted in the massacre of thousands of people, destruction of infrastructures in a number of regional countries, and aggravation of fighting and crises in the region, while the US itself has increased incomes from arms sale.

Speaking at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston, Pompeo said the US will continue to push Iran’s oil exports towards zero.

In remarks in December 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei highlighted the Iranian nation’s resolve in standing against the US plots over the past decades, saying Washington has been trying to regain control of Iran like the pre-Revolution era and create the same situation that it has established in certain weak regional countries who have been derided as cows milked by the US.

Iran’s archenemies are mired in moral and political corruption, Ayatollah Khamenei said, adding, “If you want to see the real image of the US, look at the current US president and government officials, as these people have now revealed the usual ugly and despicable face of the US politicians overtly and brazenly.”

The Leader also cautioned Iranian officials against the unending US plots, saying the Zionists and the regional reactionaries aid and abet the US hostile ploys against the Iranian nation.

The post Iran Raps Pompeo’s ‘Worthless’ Stances, US Attempt to Perpetuate Mideast Tensions appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“Carrying out terrorist attacks against innocent people is the most inhumane method used by terrorist groups to achieve their illegitimate political goals and privileges,” the Foreign Ministry’s website quoted him as saying.

“We are sure that the nation of Afghanistan will stand behind their government and continue its move, in a more determined way than ever, to strengthen stability and security in the country,” the spokesman added.

Qassemi also underlined that Afghans have the backing of the Iranian government and nation in their efforts.

A suicide bomber, who was on foot, detonated his explosives near the office of a construction company near Jalalabad’s airport on Wednesday, killing 16 employees of the Afghan company.

The Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Afghanistan has been gripped by nearly constant conflict since the Soviet invasion of 1979, which was followed by civil war, the Taliban rule, and the US invasion in late 2001.

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Qassemi was responding to recent comments by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who said his country is ready to impose further sanctions on Iran if no progress is made in talks over Tehran’s ballistic missile program.

“[Our] French friends should again pay attention to [UNSC] Resolution 2231 and see that Iran’s missile issues have no contradiction with Resolution 2231,” he said, Mehr reported on Sunday.

He described Iran’s missile program as a domestic issue, which is based on principles of “deterrence” and “defense”.

“The experience from past decades showed that in this chaotic region we have to develop the necessary capabilities for defending the country if needed,” the spokesman added.

Qassmi also emphasized that the Islamic Republic has an “absolutely clear policy” toward regional countries and neighbors, which is based on seeking peaceful and friendly relations with them in order to move the region toward stability and development.

Also on Friday, Qassemi said Le Drian’s threat to impose new missile sanctions was against the spirit of political talks and cooperation between the two countries.

“Iran has always sought to consolidate peace and stability in the region, and believes the mass sale of sophisticated and assault weapons by the U.S. and some European countries, including France, has undermined regional stability and balance,” he stated.

Le Drian’s remarks came as the European Union is expected to launch its exclusive payment mechanism, known as the special purpose vehicle (SPV), for facilitating non-dollar trade with Iran in a bid to circumvent U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

The SPV “should be implemented in the coming days,” the French foreign minister announced on Wednesday.

The post Tehran reiterates missiles are ‘non-negotiable’ appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Qassemi offered his sympathies to the Afghan people and government and the bereaved families of victims of the deadly raid on the Afghan military compound.

The spokesman also deplored as unacceptable any move to resort to killing and violence and stressed the necessity for talks and a national consensus to reach peace and security in Afghanistan.

The Monday attack began after a vehicle loaded with explosives rammed into the entrance of a compound in Maidan Shahr — the capital of Wardak province that lies about 30 miles south of the capital Kabul.

At least three gunmen stormed the base following the explosion, igniting a firefight with Afghan security forces. All three gunmen were later killed in the exchange, according to a provincial official.

“The Taliban used a Humvee vehicle to hit the compound,” Akhtar Mohammad Taheri — the head of Wardak provincial council — told AFP. The Reuters news agency said local officials had put the death toll at 126, most of the victims being members of the Afghan security forces, but that devastating toll was not immediately confirmed by Afghan officials speaking on the record.

The post Iran Condemns Deadly Suicide Attack on Afghan Military appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In a statement released on Monday, Qassemi said he would not confirm the report since it is completely false.

Iran’s temporary charge d’affaires has gone to the German Foreign Ministry at the behest of the Iranian Embassy and the claims on his being summoned are “basically untrue”, the spokesman added.

He further slammed allegations leveled against Iran aimed at undermining age-old relations between Tehran and the European Union, saying that it is not surprising to see such moves on the part of enemies.

Commenting on the claims by some German media about the arrest of an Afghan-German national for spying for the Iranian government, he rejected any link between the alleged individual and Islamic Republic, saying such allegations are made by those trying to harm Iran-EU relations at this sensitive juncture.

His comments came days after unconfirmed reports appeared in German media suggesting that a 50-year-old Afghan-German dual national who worked for the German military had been arrested on suspicion of transferring sensitive military data to Tehran.

Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday that Abdul Hamid S. had been remanded in custody pending an investigation.

The German defense ministry did not confirm the report although it said it was aware of the espionage case involving a member of the military.

The post Iran Rejects Reports on Germany’s Summoning of Envoy appeared first on Iran News Daily.

His comments came as Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Iran should leave Syria or Israel will continue hitting Iran’s positions in Syria.

Qassemi noted that Iran has advisory presence in Syria upon request by Damascus.

“Iran cannot be threatened. If needed, we will teach them how to talk and take move,” he said.

He added, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is a capable country and what it says is right and precise. So, what the prime minister of this regime [the Zionist regime of Israel] says is nonsense and propaganda.”

The post Iran warns Netanyahu about threatening Iran appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In comments on Wednesday evening, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi rejected the statements released by the US and France which have voiced concern about the launch of an Iranian satellite into space.

Faced with decades of cruel sanctions, the Islamic Republic of Iran has relied on its young space scientists and has gained reliable know-how in this field, the spokesman noted, stressing that such technology and capability is used for scientific purposes and for meeting the country’s demands in the space sphere.

“Such (space) capabilities have civilian nature and are by no means in violation of any of the international regulations in this area,” Qassemi noted, underscoring that such Iranian technology does not breach the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 or any other resolution.

“Every nation is entitled to use and enjoy such knowledge and technology, and the other countries have no right at all to deprive the other nations of enjoying the scientific technologies under any justification, reason, one-sided and incorrect motives, and by resorting to wrong interpretations,” he underlined.

Qassemi then described the Middle East as a crisis-hit region that has practically turned into a depot of arms due to the flow of billions of dollars in Western-made arms to the regional countries, denouncing the “shameful humanitarian catastrophes” caused by that the allies of the US and France in the region.

He concluded that such humanitarian crises are definitely more worrying than Iran’s local scientific activities.

“It is a great pity that in the contemporary world, the criteria of certain countries for worry and expression of concern are not humanitarian issues, but economic interests and the amount of revenue earned in the trade caused by the outbreak of wars in different parts of the world,” he deplored.

Denouncing the “groundless” concerns about Iran’s launch of satellite voiced by the foreign ministries of France and the US, Qassem said Iran sticks to a path that serves its “strategic long-term interests” and will never sacrifice its scientific growth for the bogus and fabricated concerns of the outsiders.

The post Iran Dismisses US, French Concerns over Satellite Launch appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In an interview on Wednesday evening, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi denounced as wrong and nonsense Benjamin Netanyahu’s threats against Tehran over military presence in Syria.

Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that the Israeli regime would press ahead with its campaign against Iranian entrenchment in Syria, saying, “I advise them to get out of there quickly because we will continue our offensive policy as we promised and as we do without fear and without pause.”

In response, Qassemi said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran does not have military units and forces –as what the negative propaganda of enemies claim- in Syria, but Iran’s advisory forces are present in that country at the request of Syria’s official government.”

He also noted that the Iranian advisory forces have been helping the Syrian Army, resistance front and people in retaking the Syrian territories occupied by the terrorists over the past years.

“We warn the Quds occupying regime (Israel), particularly its prime minister, to not overstep the mark and not make irrelevant, wrong and baseless comments, because we will never let you (Zionists) do so,” the Iranian spokesperson added.

Qassemi further underlined that no one could threaten Iran, and that Tehran will teach the Israeli leaders how to talk and behave if necessary.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is a powerful country and what it says is quite right and precise,” the spokesman noted, decrying Netanyahu’s comments as a pack of lies and a propaganda show.

He finally noted that Netanyahu would deal with the issue of Palestine and the anti-Israeli resistance if he were really capable of doing anything.

On Wednesday, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps also derided the Israeli prime minister’s remarks, cautioning the Zionist regime not to play with the lion’s tail and reminding Israelis about Iran’s “roaring missile with pinpoint accuracy.”

The post Iran Hits Back at Israeli PM for Syria Comments appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In a statement, Qassemi extended condolences to the Kenyan government and nation and offered sympathy to the families of victims of the inhumane move.

At least 21 people killed in an attack at a hotel complex in Nairobi as the incident was brought to an end Wednesday.

The hours-long assault, launched Tuesday by heavily armed militants, targeted the DusitD2 compound, an upmarket cluster of shops and hotel facilities in the Kenyan capital.

More than 700 people were evacuated to safety in the course of the attack.

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