Eshagh Jahangiri Archives - Iran News Daily

Raeisi Registers to Run for President as Independent

mahla — Sun, 16 May 2021 05:37:00 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Raeisi Registers to Run for President as Independent. Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi, who heads Iran’s Judiciary, has registered to officially run in the June 18 presidential election, shortly after announcing his candidacy as an “independent.”

Raeisi turned up at the Iranian Interior Ministry’s election headquarters in Tehran on Saturday, the last day of the registration process, to officially hand in his credentials and put his name down for the race.

“Seeing the living conditions of the people; the issues of unemployment, high prices, the people’s livelihood, and the economic situation are a major cause for concern,” the Judiciary chief said after signing up for the vote.

Raeisi proclaimed that he would be running on a platform of fighting “corruption and incompetence,” and that he did not consider himself “a contender against political groups.”

In a statement earlier in the day, Raeisi — a figure largely associated with the Principlist camp — announced he was seeking to contest the key vote as an “independent” candidate with the aim of bringing about change in the country’s executive management.

“While respecting all the candidates and political groups, I have entered the scene…as an independent in order to bring about a change in the country’s executive management and put up a relentless fight against poverty and corruption, humiliation and discrimination,” he said the statement.

Raeisi said he had a good knowledge of the country’s challenges and problems besides its resources and capabilities, pledging efforts to help the nation in line with the “Second Step of the Revolution” statement issued in 2019 by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to Iran’s young generation.

Raeisi served as attorney general from 2014 to 2016, and was deputy Judiciary chief from 2004 to 2014. He was also prosecutor and deputy prosecutor of Tehran in the 1980s and 90s.

Another Principlist figure, Sa’eed Jalili, has joined the 2021 Iranian presidential race, despite widespread belief earlier that he would not run if heavyweight Ebrahim Raeisi did, and potentially contributing to a further division of Principlist votes.

Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri has registered to run in the June 18 presidential election, pitting himself against Ebrahim Raeisi, who is seen as the Principlists’ main candidate.

Jahangiri filed his application with the election headquarters at the Interior Ministry on Saturday, the final day of the registration process for presidential hopefuls.

Jahangiri was the Reformist camp’s second-best choice, after Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced on Wednesday that he would not be running, turning the spotlight on the Iranian vice president.

“Our Iran has faced various issues and difficulties in recent years and is now in serious need of real openings in people’s lives, all-out development, [and] the improvement of people’s livelihoods with the removal of sanctions, sustainable economic growth that would create jobs, and support for production and a fairer redistribution of wealth,” he said.

“Elections should be honored and made effective as an opportunity arising from the ideals of the Islamic Revolution and the constitutional capacity to exercise national sovereignty and reform the governance process,” he added.

Jahangiri said he had not intended to run, but decided against his initial intention after Zarif announced his own refusal to run.

A former Parliament speaker, Larijani headed to the election headquarters at the Iranian Interior Ministry in Tehran on Saturday — the last day of registration — to officially put his name down for the race.

His nomination comes after weeks of speculation about whether or not he would run and whether he would run a Principlist or Reformist ticket. A veteran politician, Larijani is associated with the Principlist camp but has been tapped as a potential ally by both sides in recent months.

Larijani served as the speaker of the Iranian Parliament from 2008 to 2020. He was the secretary-general of the Supreme National Security Council from 2005 to 2007.

Meanwhile, a number of other figures from the two Reformist and Principlist camps, including former cabinet ministers Abbas Akhoundi, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Shamseddin Hosseini, have so far appeared at the registration venue to file their applications.

Ex-lawmaker Mostafa Kavakebian and former IRIB chief Ezzatollah Zarghami also put down their names for the key vote.

The registration process will come to an end at 18:00 local time later in the day.

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Sye-kyun Seoul trying to release Iran’s blocked assets

mahla — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 07:21:08 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – South Korean prime minister here on Sunday expressed Seoul’s support for the constructive JCPOA negotiations and said his country will cooperate with Iran and various other countries to solve the problem of releasing Iran’s monetary assets. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun added in his joint press conference with Iran’s First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri that South Korea-Iran relations date back to hundreds of years ago, but the Seoul-Tehran diplomatic ties have just entered their 60th anniversary, and these ties will continue for long.

Referring to his previous visit of Iran as his country’s Parliament speaker, Sye-kyun pointed out that in the year 2017 he visited Iran as South Korea’s Parliament speaker, and today was here as the South Koran prime minister and this visit is quite meaningful.

He also reiterated that even before that he used to work for a commercial firm in Iran for 20 years during which he was not only working with Iran, but also with various countries in the Middle East, and during the 1960s with full trust he had signed contracts for many Iranian infrastructure projects, such as those in Khorramshahr, and the Isfahan Refinery with the Koran firms.

The South Korean prime minister emphasized: The Korean firms also trusted Iran during the war and completed their projects, and I and I quite well remember the mutual trust, close cooperation and friendly ties between Iran and Korea during the past half a century continually and even different crises times, but they are now faced with challenge.

I wanted to note that my visit of Tehran indicates South Korea’s will for expansion of ties with a prospect of the future bilateral ties and I believe from now on our transactions must continue at a high level and this trip must strengthen the foundation of bilateral ties, and therefore, today I invited Jahangiri to visit South Korea, said Chung Sye-kyun.

He added that the JCPOA negotiations are being pursued constructively and it seems as though being prepared for development of ties and problem resolving is necessary for the wellbeing and advancement of both nations.

Today I had constructive interactions with Jahangiri on strengthening of bilateral ties and other issues of mutual interest, said the top Korean official.

Prime Minister Sye-kyun said: First of all, the two countries decided to survey the ground for the cooperation that they can currently get involved in, and later on expand them in accordance with the decisions that they make for cooperation in campaign against Corona virus and the Covid-19, more strongly and effectively.

Thru the Iran and Kore workgroup expansion of humanitarian trades for provision of medicine and medical supplies will be pursued and I hope this will assist the Iranian people, he added.

The top Korean official also reiterated that in addition to that the two countries’ academic programs in medical and medical training fields that had earlier played significant role in boosting bilateral ties, have not been halted, and will soon be resumed.

The South Korean premier stressed that as the two countries try together to improve ties, when the JCPOA will be revived the process of expansion of ties will be further accelerated more than ever before.

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Iran to join national crypto owners

mahla — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 14:12:43 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) is to permit imports of goods into the country via domestically mined cryptocurrencies (rial-based ones); i.e., Iran will soon join the club of national crypto owners.

As Mehr News reported in an exclusive report on Wednesday, the CBI is to soon issue a permit for banks and licensed currency exchange offices to ease imports of goods via domestically coined cryptocurrencies and the related regulations will be approved by the Supreme Council of Combating and Preventing Money Laundering.

The news, however, comes while uncertainty surrounds the use of cryptocurrencies in Iran.

In April 2018, the Central Bank of Iran banned domestic banks and people from dealing in foreign cryptocurrency because of money laundering and financing risks.

Presently, the industry ministry is appointed to be in charge of mining cryptocurrencies. In July 2020, the Islamic Republic issued permits for the activity of 14 cryptocurrency mining centers, each with a capacity of 300 megawatts. Iranian Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri announced at the time that the country’s cryptocurrency miners will soon have to register their rigs with the government.

However, the government has not removed the ban on trading digital currencies yet i.e. the mined currencies have no permission to be traded despite the domestically approved regulations. Currency exchange bureaux that have traded cryptos have also been legally prohibited from carrying out crypto-based transactions in recent years despite the interest of the Iranian public in cryptocurrency transactions.

The CBI has decided to take a more moderate stance toward digital money and blockchain technology following the imposition of a new round of US sanctions, hoping that the digital technology would facilitate Iran’s international money transfers and let the country evade the sanctions.

To make using cryptocurrency and blockchain technology legal and official in the country, the Iranian government is drafting a policy framework with the help of the CBI and the Stock Exchange Organization which clarifies all its regulations and policies over cryptocurrency and mining.

The central bank and the ministry of finance are currently pursuing the adoption of regulations for the exchange of cryptocurrencies mined in the country.

In late February 2021, the Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s Economic Committee Mohammadreza Pour-Ebrahimi said a report on the activities of cryptocurrencies was being prepared to be proposed to the parliament in the form of a motion to legalize the matter.

The lawmaker said: “In this report, the transparency of the field of cryptocurrency activities from licensing to production and supervision is being taken into account, so if this report is approved by the MPs, we will try to turn these cases into legal provisions in the form of a motion.”

The prepared regulations are needed to be ratified by the Supreme Council of Combating and Preventing Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Crimes in a few days. Being approved, the authorized banks and exchange offices will be allowed to import goods from the digital currency produced.

As an official from the CBI told Mehr News: “Although the CBI in no way approves the current transactions of cryptocurrencies in Iran, it does not oppose its transactions under the framework of specific regulations that will be introduced.”

“The CBI believes that the future of the world’s economies is tied to cryptocurrencies, and Iran should join the club. But its terms and conditions must be precisely defined and it must be ensured that it does not pose a serious risk to the economy,” he added.

The central bank is simultaneously taking the last steps of mining Iran’s rial-based and gold-backed crypto to be used in domestic transactions.

In the past few years, the bank has been working with domestic knowledge-based companies to mine an indigenous digital currency, the activity, which is a heavy computational process that generates new cryptocurrency and the efforts seem to bear fruit in the near future.
The Islamic Republic is settled on the plan to utilize cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to make up for any drop in oil revenues due to the economic sanctions designed to cut its oil sales.

The country’s plan to create an indigenous cryptocurrency is improving incrementally and thanks to the highly dynamic nature of the cryptocurrency, it can act as a good means for Iran to skirt the draconian US sanctions through untraceable banking operations.

In fact, Iran is mainly aimed at testing the potentials of blockchain and crypto technology in running its financial system, making banks able to use the tokens as a payment instrument in transactions and banking settlement at the first phase of the blockchain banking infrastructure.

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Jahangiri: Iran not to change in policy towards Syria

reporter 1222 — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 12:37:34 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian First Vice President Es’hagh Jahangiri said that Tehran’s policy towards Syria has not changed.

“The cowardly assassination of Martyr General Soleimani has not changed policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards supporting Syria and the resistance front,” Jahangiri said on Thursday in a phone conversation with the newly-appointed Prime Minister of Syria, Hussein Arnous.

Iran will spare no effort in decreasing pressure on the Syrian people, Jahangiri said.

He noted that resistance of the Syrian people and government have come to fruition as the ‘powerful’ presence of Syria in the Arab world indicates that. These achievements have forced the Israeli regime to wage aggression and intervention in Syrian, he said, highlighting that Iran condemns these violations.

Pointing to his meetings with previous Syrian PM, Jahangiri called for following up on the implementation of earlier agreements between the two countries.

He also urged the international community and especially the United Nations to take practical steps in supporting the Syrian people by providing medicine and basic goods amid the pandemic.

The Vice President wished Arnous success and Syrian people prosperity and security.

Arnous, for his part, appreciated Iran’s support for the Syrian people. He said that Damascus is eager to cement ties with Tehran, adding, “Any issue that would lead to the strengthening of bilateral ties is of importance for the Syrian government.”

In a decree last week, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad replaced Imad Khamis with Hussein Arnous who was earlier Syria’s water resources minister.

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Launch of ‘Noor-1’ satellite, reminiscence of martyrs’ memorable services

reporter 1222 — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 15:24:37 +0000

Launch of ‘Noor-1’ satellite, reminiscence of martyrs’ memorable services

According To Iran News, Iran’s First Vice President Es’hagh Jahangiri said that successful launch of “Noor-1” satellite by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is reminiscence of salient achievements taken by martyrs such as Brigadier General Hassan Tehran Moghadam and other martyrs.

In his twitter account on Thu., he wrote, “I congratulate the successful launch of “Noor-1” satellite to the scientific community of the country, outstanding researchers and scientists of this revolutionary institution which was launched concurrent with the establishment anniversary of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.”

Jahangisir reiterated that such successes are reminiscent of relentless efforts and brilliant achievements taken by martyrs such as Hassan Tehran Moghadam and other martyrs.

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US sanctions made Iran ready to face unprecedented oil prices fall

reporter 1222 — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 15:00:17 +0000

US sanctions made Iran ready to face unprecedented oil prices fall

According To Iran News, First Vice President Es’hagh Jahangiri said on Tuesday that due to the US sanctions, Iran is in readiness for coping with the unprecedented drop in oil prices.

Making the remarks in a meeting with senior officials from the ministry of road, Jahangri said, “no country, even the US with a 25-percent share of the world’s gross production, can remain safe from the negative economic impacts of the coronavirus.”

“For sure, oil producers such as Saudi Arabi will face serious economic problems,” he added noting that according to Saudi officials the country would deal with serious difficulties with oil prices less than $70 per barrel.

Jahangir added that even the output cut by OPEC and non-OPEC countries could not avert the downfall of prices.

US oil markets have fallen back below zero as the coronavirus crisis continues to take a toll on oil demand.

The US oil price – which turned negative for the first time in market history on Monday– climbed above zero overnight before slumping back to -$4.29 a barrel as trading began in Europe on Tuesday.

A negative price means that traders are paying customers to take the oil off their hands and it is the result of the US running out of space to store a glut of crude caused by the global coronavirus lockdown.

The West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the benchmark for US crude prices, crashed to -$40 a barrel on Monday as oil storage facilities filled to the brim and producers were forced to pay buyers to take their barrels

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Jahangiri welcomes Syrian Delegation in Tehran

reporter 1222 — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 06:35:18 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – First Vice President Es’hagh Jahangiri officially welcomed Syrian delegation including Prime Minister Imad Khamis at Sa’dabad Cultural-Historical Complex on Monday morning.

Heading a high-ranking Syrian delegation, Khamis arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran on Sunday evening, welcomed by Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri.

The visit by the Syrian delegation aims at discussing bilateral ties and the latest regional and international developments, as well as offering condolences to senior Iranian officials over the martyrdom of Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani.

The delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem, and Defense Minister Ali Ayyoyb.

A Syrian government delegation headed by Prime Minister Imad Khamis arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran on Sunday evening.

According to SANA, the visit by the Syrian delegation aims at offering condolences to senior Iranian officials over the martyrdom of Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, and to express solidarity with the Iranian people.

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Peaceful protests must be guaranteed; Iran VP

reporter 1222 — Sat, 07 Dec 2019 08:25:52 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian First Vice President Ishaq Jahangiri said on Friday that the people are entitled to stage peaceful protests to seek their rights, urging the three branches of the government to create a mechanism for that purpose.

“All officials in the three branches of the government, as well as the country’s officials and elites, are committed to not only compensate the people’s losses but also they must embark on preparing the required mechanism to allow the people to protest peacefully,” Jahangiri wrote in his Twitter account in reference to the protests that followed an increase in gasoline prices on November 15.

“The mentioned mechanism will allay the society’s concerns, bolster social wealth and in the meantime will open new horizons for the society’s better future,” Jahangiri remarked.

The protests over gasoline prices turned violent in some cases, leaving a number of protestors and security forces killed.

Touching upon the National Student Day in Iran, which falls on December 7, the vice president said, “This year, our university students are marking the Day differently because the country has been experiencing bitter days (in the past recent weeks).”

“We are still affected by the recent days’ developments which inflicted heavy material and spiritual damages (on the country) and left unfortunately a number of the people and security guards killed,” the vice president lamented.

Student Day is the anniversary of the murder of three students at the University of Tehran on December 7, 1953 (16 Azar 1332 in the Iranian calendar) by police in the Pahlavi era. Every year there are local gatherings at many universities organized by students to commemorate the day.

Iran’s constitution’s chapter III (Article 19 to 42) refers to the rights of the people, saying, “Article 27 provides for freedom of assembly, provided that arms are not carried and the assemblies are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam.”

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Iran bypass US sanctions by different ways of selling oil

reporter 1222 — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:02:08 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri said that Iran has been able to bypass the US sanctions by finding different methods to sell crude.

“Despite maximum psychological and economic pressures, the Americans have failed to zero Iran’s crude exports and we sell crude through different methods,” Jahangiri said, addressing a forum in Tehran on Monday.

He warned that the US has focused its maximum pressure on Iranian people’s living, meantime, saying that the situation in the country is better than what the Americans intended.

“Today, Iran is in danger and the Americans, the Saudis and the Zionists are after knocking Iran out and the only way to confront them is consensus and unity,” Jahangiri said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has several times since last year said that American officials had admitted their incapability to stop Iran’s crude sales, and the US sanctions would only leave negative impacts on imports of foodstuff, medicine, and medical equipment.

“What the Iranian officials said that the US is not able to zero Iran’s oil exports was proved with the US recent admission,” President Rouhani said after a trilateral meeting with the parliament speaker and judiciary chief in Tehran on November 10, 2018.

“The US announced that it cannot zero Iran’s oil sales because the oil prices will rise to $150; this is what we had said (before). In this region, either Iran’s oil is exported or others will be in trouble as well,” he added.

President Rouhani referred to the US lies that the foodstuff, drugs and medical equipment were exempted from Washington’s sanctions against Iran, and said, “This is incorrect. When the banking system is sanctioned, everything is affected.”

Also, in August, President Rouhani blasted the US economic terrorism which has targeted the ordinary people in Iran, warning that attempts to zero his country’s oil exports may put the international maritime shipping in danger.

“The world powers should know that in case of imposing comprehensive sanctions on Iranian oil and pushing the country’s oil exports down to zero, international sea routes cannot remain as safe as before,” Rouhani said in a meeting with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei along with his cabinet members in Tehran.

He added that “unilateral pressures on Iran cannot be in their favor and secure their safety in the region and the world”.

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Increasing resilience Govt.’s duty in sanctions era: 1st VP

reporter 1222 — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 08:30:12 +0000

“The US has sanctioned the Central bank of Iran, which can be an opportunity as well as a threat,” he said, “The government’s duty under the tough US-sanctions against Iran is improving resilience to overcome the difficulties.”

“The government should increase efficiency and practicality of its bodies to improve social assets of the community,” he added.

US President Donald Trump announced new sanctions against Iran’s Central Bank on Friday describing them as the highest sanctions ever imposed on a foreign country by Washington.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif condemned the new anti-Iranian measure, saying, “The new sanctions are aimed at blocking Iran’s international transactions and its access to food and medicine. This move is unacceptable and dangerous.”

Governor of CBI Abdolnaser Hemmati said Friday that the US reimposition of sanctions on CBI revealed just how empty-handed the US is in pursuing the pressure campaign against Iran.

“The US’ reimposition of sanctions on CBI shows they lack any more leverage for exerting more pressure against Iran,” Hemmati added.

If such measures had any effect in advancing their unjust demands, Iran’s economic situation would have been different from what it is now, Hemmati noted.

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