IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

TEHRAN – Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force warned regional Arab countries that Iran would make no distinction between American military bases and the countries hosting those sites if a war broke out.

In an interview with Al-Manar, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh advised the regional countries working with the U.S. and Israel to rectify their policies.

“The U.S. and the Zionist regime have not created security anywhere, and if something happens in here and a war breaks out, we will make no distinction between the U.S. base and its host country. Naturally, the very same Arab countries of the region will bear the brunt,” he warned.

General Hajizadeh reasserted that the IRGC’s missile power would never be subject to negotiations, saying, “No (Iranian) official is allowed to negotiate about the missile power, and this is our red line.”

He also noted that Iran has independently decided to restrict the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometers, but such limitation on the range of missile is not eternal.

Reaffirming Iran’s support for whoever fighting against the Zionist regime, the commander said Gaza and Lebanon are at the forefront of the battle and all of their missile capabilities have been supported by the Islamic Republic.

“Instead of giving a fish or teaching to catch a fish, we taught our allies and friends how to make a hook,” he said, adding that they are now in possession of advanced missile technologies.

The Israeli regime is currently at a “crossroad of fire” coming from Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and other Muslim countries, General Hajizadeh said, adding that the friends of Iran are now equipped with missiles with pinpoint accuracy instead of simple rockets.

He said efforts have been made round the clock since years ago after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei warned the Zionist regime that Haifa and Tel Aviv will be razed to the ground if Israel makes a mistake.

Hajizadeh also pointed to Iran’s retaliatory missile strike on the US base of Ain al-Assad in Iraq after the assassination of Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, saying such attack destroyed the dignity of the US.

On the plans to hit back at the U.S. in January 2020 after the missile strike, the general said, “We were prepared for the American response. Our missile power was fully on alert. If they had given a response, we would have hit all of their bases from Jordan to Iraq and the Persian Gulf, even all of their warships in the Indian Ocean.”

The January 2020 missile attack on Ain al-Assad military base came in retaliation for Washington’s assassination of Lieutenant General Soleimani upon his arrival in the Iraqi capital at the invitation of the Baghdad government.

US forces initially reported no casualties, but it later emerged that at least 110 soldiers sustained traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – A ceremony was held on Friday to mark the first anniversary of the martyrdom of Iranian commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was martyred in a U.S. drone strike in January 2020.

The ceremony was attended by IRGC Quds Force Commander Brigadier General Esmaeil Qa’ani and Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi.

Addressing the ceremony, Hojjatoleslam Raiso said that the enemies wanted ISIS to rule in the region and disarm the resistance and introduce American Islam to the people instead of pure Islam and set the region on fire with sedition and conspiracy, adding that ISIS wanted to divert real Islam but they could not because Martyr Soleimani and the companions of the Quds Force, which created a huge capacity in the region, did not allow this.

“This is the awakening of the region from the pure blood of the martyrs. The martyrs who defended the shrine, whose blood was shed on the ground everywhere,” the senior cleric noted.

He added: “The enemy may place some puppets in power in the region, but the awakening cannot be eliminated. They may make sedition in one region, but eliminating ignorance cannot be ignored. Martyr Soleimani considers the Islamic Republic a sanctuary and believes that if this sanctuary remains, other sanctuaries will not be damaged, but if the sanctuary of the Islamic Republic is damaged, all sanctuaries will be damaged, so he for 40 years is defending the sanctuary that has been established with the name of the implementation of religion and religious teachings.”

The head of the judiciary stated that the ideology of resistance has disrupted the current of domination and arrogance. The resistance has done something that has made the enemy desperate. The assassination of Hajj Qassem is a sign of the desperation of the enemy, not a sign of its superior hand and the resistance has destroyed the think tank of infidelity and atheism.

Ayatollah Raisi stated that Gen. Soleimani generated power in the region and that the power that was created in the region should never be vanished, noting that he was looking for solitude to talk to Imam Reza and ask him for help. One of the characteristics and behavior of Gen. Soleimani was supplication, prayer, and divine conduct.

He added: “The creators of ISIS and al-Qaeda thought that the axis of resistance would weaken with the assassination of the hero of the fight against terrorism in the region and the world, but he received the message that the creators of ISIL could not undermine the resistance by assassinating our commanders and Martyr Soleimani. Today, more than ever, there is an insistence on the enemies in the people of the region, and the spirit of Gen. Soleimani has more than ever fueled and awakened the spirit of resistance in the people of the region.”

The head of the judiciary said: “There are signs of tough revenge, but the enemy must wait for tough revenge. They will see tough revenge, and what they have seen so far has been a manifestation of revenge. The Islamic Ummah itself will determine the time and place of revenge, but the enemy knows that life will be more difficult for him from now on, and the punishment of the masterminds and perpetrators of this crime will be manifestations of tough revenge.”

Hojjatoleslam Raisi noted: “The expulsion of the United States from the region will be the revenge of Hajj Qassem. Nobody assumes that someone in the guise of the U.S. president as a murderer has safety. All those who took part in this assassination will not be safe anywhere on this planet.”

Meanwhile Qa’ani warned that people inside the United States may retaliate the assassination of his predecessor General Soleimani.

Addressing the ceremony to mark the first anniversary of General Soleimani’s assassination, General Qa’ani said “it is possible that some people inside your home (the US) would respond to your crime.”

He said after what the U.S. did, they may find people all around the world who would be ready to take vengeance.

In his Friday remarks, General Qa’ani stressed that the U.S. mischievous acts in the region will not change the Resistance Front’s path.

The post Iran Marks First Anniversary of Martyr Soleimani Assassination appeared first on Iran News Daily.

IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Brigadier General Esmayeel Qaani lauded the role of Martyr Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in strengthening the Axis of Resistance, and vowed that the U.S. troops will soon leave the region.

Qaani praised the role of General Soleimani in resolving regional crises and strengthening the Resistance Front, stressing that according to the agenda of the Resistance Axis, the end of the US military presence in the region is imminent.

He made the remarks in a closed session of the Iranian Parliament on Wednesday, where he briefed the lawmakers on the details of the last year terror attack on his former boss, Martyr General Soleimani.

He emphasized the necessity of revenge for the blood of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

Hailing the role of General Soleimani in resolving regional crises and strengthening the Axis of Resistance, Qaani said that the bones of the enemy are being crushed due to such strengthened resistance.

Referring to the remarks of IRGC Quds Force Commander Brigadier General Qaani in the closed session of Iran’s Parliament on Wednesday, parliament member Ebrahim Rezaee said, “In the first place General Qaani stressed that the U.S. must leave Iraq and the region.”

Qaani, who served as Martyr Soleimani’s deputy for more than a decade, replaced him after his assassination.

He did not go into details of his meeting with lawmakers but it was expected the meeting to be on the latest developments in Iraq and in the region.

In relevant remarks on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker’s Special Aide for International Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian underlined once again that the country will certainly take a harsh revenge from the masterminds and perpetrators of the terror attack on the former IRGC Quds Force Commander, Lieutenant General Soleimani.

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IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

TEHRAN – Iran says it will not let those behind the assassination of the country’s legendary anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani evade punishment.

“We will not allow the martyr’s blood to go to waste and those who did it escape punishment,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a virtual news conference in Tehran Monday.

The Islamic Republic has ceaselessly pursued this matter and will keep doing so through the international channels, he said.

“This is not something that the Iranian government and the establishment could let go by. The U.S. administration is accountable in this regard,” the diplomat added.

Khatibzadeh said the United States committed a monumental strategic mistake by perpetrating the terrorist act.

“We will not abandon this pursuit until we have taken all those who abetted this [atrocity] or were involved in it, to the altar of justice.”

General Soleimani was the former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). He was admired as the Middle East’s most potent counter-terrorism combatant, with a unique charisma.

He was Iran’s lead military advisor helping in Iraq and Syria defeat foreign-backed takfiri terrorists, chiefly Daesh in late 2017.

He was assassinated in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on January 3 during an official visit. His Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Hashd al-Sha’abi anti-terror force, was also killed along with their other companions when their convoy was hit.

Khatibzadeh touched on Tehran’s efforts to present the enormity of the atrocity to the world and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Islamic Republic, he said, has registered more than five letters and official notes with the United Nations and used its diplomatic missions to introduce General Soleimani and the nature of his mission to the world.

The official said Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, denounced the assassination as an act of terrorism earlier this year, only after Iran’s Foreign Ministry presented the world body with a detailed account of the circumstances surrounding the terrorist act.

Tehran will follow up on its efforts in this area across international courts and tribunals, he added.

Apart from commanding the Quds Force, General Soleimani served as a “pillar of regional stability” who contributed most to the realization of peace and maintaining interaction with different leaders of the region, Khatibzadeh said.

The spokesman touched on General Soleimani’s famous “We are a nation of martyrdom” remarks, saying extremism cannot be defeated unless through the courage and pure blood of those confronting

Khatibzadeh further warned the outgoing administration of President Donald Trump against any new adventurism, saying the U.S. would bear responsibility for any act of mischief.

“We are not looking for tension, but we would defend Iran’s national interests with all our might,” he said, adding the Islamic Republic has given the message that it would hold “the U.S. and other plotters” responsible for any mischievous act against it.

Khatibzadeh said he hoped level heads would prevail at the White House over warmongering elements during the final days of the Trump administration.

The spokesperson also said that Iran has never been willing to resolve its issues in another region and it is the United States who has made regional countries as bases of insecurity against Iran.

Khatibzadeh answered questions raised by reporters over recent development in the field of foreign policy.

The senior Iranian diplomat spoke about the recent meeting JCPOA member countries at the ministerial level, stating that in the meeting the Islamic Republic emphasized the commitments of the other side, and the latest situation was discussed in this informal meeting.

In response to a question about Muqtada al-Sadr’s claims that Iran should not turn Iraq into a place of conflict with the United States and the purpose of the recent rocket attacks on the Green Zone in Iraq, he said, “I said last week that in our view, attacks on diplomatic and residential premises are completely rejected. Iranian diplomatic facilities in Iraq have been attacked several times.”

What Trump and Pompeo claimed are both condemned and rejected, he said, adding that the type, timing, and content of such claims and tweets are questionable and suspicious.

“We have made our message clear, while we do not seek tension, we defend the interests and national security of Iran with all our might”, he stressed.

According to Khatibzadeh Iran has never been willing to resolve its issues in another region and it is the United States who has made the countries of region bases of insecurity against Iran.

The post Iran Not to Let General Soleimani’s Assassins Go Unpunished appeared first on Iran News Daily.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

TEHRAN – Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani has said Iran is resolved to stop the United States and its stooges from committing acts of terrorism and destabilizing the region and to eventually force a complete US troop withdrawal.

Speaking at a meeting with Afghan president’s national security advisor Hamdullah Mohib, in Tehran on Tuesday, Shamkhani said that the U.S. acts of insecurity in West Asia reached their peak with the “cowardly” assassination of top Iranian and Iraqi anti-terror commanders, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is resolved to prevent the continuation of the terrorist, tension-fueling and destabilizing acts of the United States and its stooges and make them leave the region by exacting a severe revenge against those who ordered and perpetrated a crime that will go down in history,” he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Shamkhani referred to the threats facing both Iran and Afghanistan and their common interests, especially the need to stop the spread of terrorism and to restore stability and security in the region.

Warning of increased Daesh activity in Afghanistan and the dangers it posed to regional states, he called for collective vigilance and cooperation to fully eliminate “the cancerous tumor.”

Iran’s security chief also highlighted the Islamic Republic’s principal policy of strengthening good neighborliness. “Afghanistan has a special place in Iran’s foreign policy due to numerous commonalities that bond the two nations,” he said.

Shamkhani further stressed Iran’s firm support for the legitimate government of Afghanistan, underlining the need for enhanced Tehran-Kabul cooperation and interaction in political, economic and security areas.

Additionally, he expressed his satisfaction with the opening of the Khaf-Herat railroad and hoped that the project could play an effective role in promoting bilateral relations and improving the welfare of the Afghan people.

Mohib, for his part, voiced the readiness of the Afghan government and nation to boost cooperation with Iran, which he described as his second home.

He further appreciated the unwavering support and hospitality Iran has offered to the Afghan people over the past 40 years.

Later yesterday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks with Mohib.

In the meeting, Foreign Minister Zarif said supporting the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is the principled policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He highlighted the necessity for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, said, “We believe a comprehensive political solution with the presence of all Afghan groups will be the best guarantee for lasting peace in this country.”

He urged both Tehran and Kabul to enhance consultations at bilateral, regional and international levels.

Zarif expressed satisfaction with the inauguration of the Khaf-Herat railway which came on stream recently, and added the project will pave the way for closer cooperation between the two countries and facilitating connections with regions in the East.

“The Dogharoon crossing should be refurbished in order to boost mutual border cooperation,” Zarif underlined.

The Afghan official, in turn, presented a report on the latest developments pertaining to peace talks in his country, and appreciated Iran’s backing for the Afghan government and people.

He stressed the necessity of boosting political, economic and security cooperation.

The Afghan official also expressed hope linking routes such as the Khaf-Herat railway will further boost regional cooperation.

Among other topics on the agenda during the meeting were mutual cooperation on political, economic and security fronts, holding a meeting of the Iran-Afghanistan Joint Committee and following up on other ongoing projects as well as closer cooperation in the water sector.

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TEHRAN (PressTV) – A military advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei warns that an act of military aggression by the US against Iran that could lead to an even limited conflict is likely to set off a full-scale war that would afflict other parts of the region too.

According To Iran News,

The remarks were made by Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, defense minister during President Hassan Rouhani’s previous tenure and former commander of the Air Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). He made the comments to the Associated Press on Wednesday that the news agency published a day later.

“A limited, tactical conflict can turn into a full-fledged war,” Dehqan said.

He, however, not only clearly distanced Iran from any intention to trigger such a conflict, but also cautioned strongly about such confrontation’s repercussions for the region and, by extension, the world.

“We don’t welcome a crisis. We don’t welcome war. We are not after starting a war,” he said.

“Definitely, the United States, the region, and the world cannot stand such a comprehensive crisis,” the military expert noted.

He, accordingly, warned against any American military escalation in President Donald Trump’s final weeks in office.

Dehqan, meanwhile, addressed the likelihood of fresh negotiations with the U.S. and the quality that such talks could partake of.

He reminded that the U.S.’ atrocities under Trump had made it extremely difficult for Iran to accept its return to the negotiation table. Among the rest, he referred to the U.S.’ assassination of Iran’s senior anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani on Trump’s direct order near Baghdad airport in January.

He called the IRGC’s retaliatory missile strikes against U.S. bases in Iraq that came almost immediately after the assassination a mere “initial slap,” and asserted that the Islamic Republic continued to seek the expulsion of all American forces from the region as revenge for the barbaric assassination.

“We do not seek a situation in which [the other party] buys time to weaken our nation,” he also said — apparently signaling that Tehran would not tolerate any American trickery in the event of any fresh talks — and said, “We are not after negotiations for the sake of negotiations either.”

Further, the advisor reiterated the country’s principled stance that its missile power is non-negotiable due to its forming part of Iran’s “deterrent” might.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not negotiate its defensive power … with anybody under any circumstances,” Dehqan said. “Missiles are a symbol of the massive potential that is possessed by our experts, young people, and industrial centers.”

The official also warned about Israel’s regional expansionist ambitions that saw the regime normalizing its relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan earlier in the year. Dehqan warned that the ambitious march was a “strategic mistake” that could put Tel Aviv in a parlous state.

“It is opening an extensive front,” he said. “Just imagine every Israeli in any military base can be a target for groups who are opposed to Israel.”

Separately, the official said the United Nations nuclear agency could keep monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities as long as no inspector is a “spy.” He was seemingly referring to a case of apparent attempted sabotage last year that came amid the US and Israel’s escalated attempts at demonizing Iran’s nuclear energy program.

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Iran will definitely avenge the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, but it will only target those who are either directly or indirectly involved in the murder.

General Hossein Salami’s remarks on Saturday came after a US publication claimed that Iran planned to assassinate the American ambassador to South Africa in retaliation, prompting both Tehran and Johannesburg to dismiss the allegation.

“Our promise of avenging the martyrdom of General Soleimani is definite, serious and real. Mr. Trump, do not doubt our revenge, because it is quite definite and serious,” Gen. Soleimani said at the joint morning ceremony of the General Staff of the IRGC.

But “we will be targeting those who were directly or indirectly involved in the martyrdom of the great general Haj Qassem Soleimani,” he said.

“Do you think we will kill a female ambassador to South Africa in exchange for the blood of our martyr brother?” Gen. Salami added.

When the U.S. assassinated Gen. Soleimani and Iraq’s top anti-terror commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis outside Baghdad airport on Jan. 3, Iran responded five days later with a volley of precision-guided ballistic missiles which pommeled the Ain al-Asad base in Iraq, where US troops were deployed.

Gen. Salami said Saturday, “We are an honorable people and fair, and we take revenge fairly and justly, which is why we did not target your soldiers at Ain al-Asad.”

A flimsy U.S. report on the Politico this week, quoting unnamed officials, claimed that Iran had sought to assassinate US Ambassador to South Africa Lana Marks in retaliation for the January assassination of the top Iranian anti-terror commander.

South Africa’s State Security Agency said Friday it had found no evidence to support US media claims that Iran was planning to assassinate Marks.

Iran has categorically rejected the “malicious and baseless” report as part of “hackneyed and outworn methods to create Iranophobic atmosphere” by the U.S.

Gen. Salami on Saturday dealt with the threat, pledging that Iranian missiles are ready to rain down on U.S. troops.

“While you are severely plagued by your own internal problems, you are threatening us with a thousand-fold attack, but when we struck Ayn al-Asad, our assumption and prediction was not that you would not answer, but we were absolutely assuming that you would respond, and that we had hundreds of missiles ready to fire, and if you answered, we would destroy the intended targets.

“It is the same today, and if a hair sheds from an Iranian, we will blow away all your fleece and wool,” the top general said, using a Persian catchphrase.

“These threats are serious and we do not wage a verbal war and put everything to action,” the top general added.

“The Americans should know that we will strike anyone who was involved in the cowardly assassination of General Soleimani, and this is a serious message,” Gen. Salami said on Saturday.

The post ”Revenge” Awaits for All Involved in Assassinating Martyr Soleimani appeared first on Iran News Daily.

IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Defence Ministry has unveiled a surface-to-surface ballistic missile, named after the late IRGC commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, with a range of 1,400 kilometres.

In a televised speech on Thursday, Defence Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said the country has also unveiled a new homegrown cruise missile.

“The surface-to-surface missile, called martyr Qassem Soleimani, has a range of 1,400 km and the cruise missile, called martyr Abu Mahdi, has a range of over 1,000 km,” Hatami said.

Pictures of the new missiles, which were unveiled on the National Day of Defence Industry, were shown on state TV.

“The country’s achievements in the defense industry over the past four decades are not comparable to any other period,” said Hatami, describing the accomplishments as a “basis for military self-reliance and a must for [maintaining] the country’s independence.”

Commenting on the new achievement’s features, Iran’s Deputy Defense Minister Brigadier General Qassem Taqizadeh said the speed of the Martyr Qassem Soleimani missiles makes their interception impossible.

He added that the cruise missiles are capable of flying at a low altitude and getting around the enemy’s missile systems.

The new ballistic missile is an upgraded version of the pinpoint-accuracy missile Fateh-110, according to Tasnim.

General Soleimani, the commander of IRGC Quds Force, and Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were assassinated in January in a US drone strike on their convoy in Baghdad airport.

Earlier, the Iranian president had noted that “missiles and particularly cruise missiles are very important for us … the fact that we have increased the range from 300 to 1,000 in less than two years is a great achievement.”

The new missiles were unveiled as the United States is pushing in vain to extend a UN-imposed arms embargo against Iran, which is due to expire in October under Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Addressing the unveiling ceremony, President Hassan Rouhani reiterated that the Islamic Republic pursues a defence and deterrence strategy which poses no threat to any country in the region, especially Iran’s neighbors.

President Rouhani noted that Iran has never pursued a strategy of aggression.

“In the defence sector, whatever the Islamic Republic of Iran produces, and whatever research work it does, and whatever effort it makes and whatever preparations it makes, are all based on a deterrence and defence strategy,” said the president in a ceremony where several new achievements in the country’s defence sector were unveiled.

“We don’t intend to occupy any place. We don’t want to harm any nation. Our neighbours should rest assured that our defence power is in their interest,” he said.

“We will use our defence power to serve our friends’ interests. We won’t use it against them. Never ever in history, especially after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has Iran initiated a war. We have always only defended ourselves,” he said.

The president also expressed gratitude to local defence experts for increasing the range of domestically developed marine cruise missiles from 300 to more than 1000 kilometres.

He said weapons produced in the country should have enough precision, destruction power and maneuverability.

He also said Iran’s skies should be as safe as it can be. “We should have a radar which, given the technologies used in stealth aircraft, does not miss any target.”

The president appreciated efforts by domestic experts which, as he said, have led Iran to reach self-sufficiency in numerous weapons and defence systems.

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Humiliating defeat of the White House during the United Nations Security Council voting on the U.S. resolution for extending Iran arms embargo has gripped madly U.S. President Donald Trump and his surroundings from his Secretary of State to his National Security Advisor and even the U.S. Ambassador at the UN so that all have been infuriated in a way that they did not think of being remained so isolated in exercising their political will against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

After consecutive defeats in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Venezuela, and with a disgraceful record due to assassinating of Martyr Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and in order to undermine those defeats, the White House has tried in these days to present a resolution to the UNSC in order to take initiative in a way  to compensate the small part of its recent defeats, and to block lifting the Iran arms embargo which ends in October. Fortunately they did not achieve any success either in this issue.

Raging bulls in the Spanish bullfighting, after several times that they run in chase of the red cloth and failing to stop the bullfighter, strive madly and sometimes in the old tradition of “Saint Fermin”, they die of sorrow and anger. Nowadays Trump is in such a condition. Immediately after the result of the UNSC voting on the U.S. resolution on Iran arms embargo announced, Trump started efforts for attack and he throws his hand to grab any dust and trash at the time of drowning. In other words, we can say snapback mechanism is one of these efforts.

This time the White House has decided to highlight snapback mechanism and it tries by the scenario of the broken knife not to retreat at least in the media world and to compensate its defeat against the Islamic Republic of Iran by resorting to this mechanism.

Snapback mechanism is a JCPOA measure which has been stipulated in the articles 11 and 12 of Iran’s nuclear deal, namely the JCPOA. In a simple word one should say that snapback mechanism means immediate return to the pre-JCPOA era and return of the sanctions against Iran. In the Resolution 2231 of the UN, it has been mentioned that in case one of the signatories of the nuclear deal, the JCPOA, comprising of Germany, France, UK, Russia, China, the U.S. and Iran complains about lack of commitment, the complaint should be first reviewed at the joint commission of the JCPOA and if they do not reach an agreement, the case is to be referred to the UNSC.

This mechanism is applicable for those countries which are still committed to the JCPOA. When Mr. Trump officially signed the pullout of the U.S. from the JCPOA, the meaning of using the snapback mechanism by the U.S. is exactly the same as the behavior of a raging bull which has suffered defeat from the matador.

The bullfighting, ,which is called “Saint Fermin” and every year it was held on July 6 for seven days in the city of Pamplona in Spain, has precise instructions. According to the instructions and rules of the game, the matador after noticing disappointment and haplessness in the defeated bull should not attack at it or hitting his sword on it because this innocent animal is itself passing on due to fear and disappointment.

In the snapback mechanism exactly the same conditions are raised that if one of the permanent members of the UNSC vetoes , all sanctions will return automatically without re-voting about the previous resolutions of the UNSC against Iran as one of most important one was the Resolution 1929  which had been approved against Iran. In fact in this condition, the JCPOA will be totally destroyed and multilateral sanctions against Iran would return. But regarding the JCPOA, the condition is not so. There has been no obligation left that the Islamic Republic of Iran has not fulfilled in advance, of course, due to the imprudence of the Iranian officials.

So even those countries that still left in the JCPOA feel there is no justification for activating the mechanism leverage, let alone the U.S. which is not today a member of the JCPOA.

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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Iraq Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s visit to Tehran and the joint stand taken by both countries strengthened and revealed more the depth of their joint strategy amid the close multilateral interests of both nations. Without any doubt, the U.S. will consider the depth of this strategic tie in the region against itself, and its support of countries, so called, “Western, Arab, Hebrew Alliance,” and it will definitely try to destroy it. So all in Iraq and Iran are assigned to protect and support this deep strategic tie with full strength. Not providing pretext to the opposition current will safeguard Al-Kadhimi in fulfilling his expressed undertakings to Tehran.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

After assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, anti-Iran media created a vast hype which was aimed to show that Iran’s position in Iraq has weakened, and with designation of al-Kadhimi as prime minister, they accused Al-Kadhimi of being a figure close to Saudi Arabia and the U.S., and Iraqi government will distance itself from Iran more and get closer to Saudi Arabia and the West.

Even it was said that Al-Khadhimi had scheduled his first visit to Saudi Arabia and his second visit was to happen in Tehran, and in order to make Iranians happy, he had invited Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to visit Baghdad one day before his flight to Riyadh in order that he was not forced to have a visit to an impartial country like the UAE. But despite all preparations, Saudi King’s illness was a pretext for postponement of Al-Kadhimi’s visit to Saudi Arabia, and against all predictions and expectations, Al-Kadhimi’s first visit took shape in Tehran to overshadow ties with Saudi Arabia.

His visit to Tehran and his important meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has rejuvenated boom in the application of bilateral relations. Supreme Leader’s references to some past events in Iraq should have captivated the soul of the young Iraqi Prime Minister. In Iraq the Shiite majority will unlikely accept the expansion of ties with Saudi Arabia and unlikely they welcome closeness to the Saudis. Of course the number of negative propagations against Al-Kadhimi’s visit to Tehran was not few but despite all hype from anti-Iran media in the region, Al-Kadhimi was warmly welcomed in Tehran and the Supreme Leader in his first official visit after almost five months symbolically received him in order to signal this message to Iraqis that even the prime minister who is allegedly to distance Iraq policies from Iran is revered by Iranians because Iranians respect Iraqi people’s choice. This is while the U.S. President, due to different pretexts and despite former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demands, had refrained from meeting him due to his closeness to Iran. In fact, the U.S. president was irreverent about Iraqi nation’s choice and even when he paid a visit to Iraq, he did not inform Iraqi government.

Al-Kadhimi’s remarks in Tehran indicated his smartness and awareness regarding Iraq’s brotherly ties with Iran and despite the U.S. demands from Baghdad to cut its economic relations with Tehran while the Americans increase the pressures, he insisted on continuing economic and non-economic cooperation and even called for expansion of strategic criteria in relations with Iran.

After his remarks in Tehran and taking stands in return to Baghdad, most analysts believe that Al-Kadhimi’s stands in Tehran as well as his sincere meeting with the Supreme Leader could affect his relations with Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Today and after serious damages that Iran and Iraq have suffered from the U.S. and its allies in the region, unity and consolidation among neighboring states under the shade of resistance can be a solution for the future and the compensation for the past. And smartness of other involved countries would understand the significance of this issue that the West and especially the U.S. is on the verge of decline and subsequently on the course of collapse. Investment on a broken roof is to the benefit of no investor.

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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