Iran-US tensions Archives - Iran News Daily

Japan Proposed Iranian Oil, US Grain Swap in Failed Bid

reporter 1222 — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 06:29:25 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a bid to ease tensions between Iran and the United States, secretly proposed the barter of Iranian crude oil for US grain via Japan last year, according to government sources.

Two sources confirmed to Kyodo News that the proposal was formally made in June 2019 when Abe made a visit to Iran — the first by a Japanese prime minister in 41 years — in an attempt to serve as a mediator between Iran and the United States.

In his June 12 meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Abe officially proposed the barter deal, worth several billion dollars, and it was initially received positively by Tehran and Washington.

The plan envisaged circumventing US sanctions on Iran by exchanging US corn and soybeans procured from the United States by Japan for Iranian crude oil, and to transport these after obtaining American approval.

But the diplomatic endeavor, primarily aimed at persuading Iran to agree to a dialogue with the United States, was ultimately unsuccessful as Japan could not overturn Iranian insistence that US sanctions be lifted first before there can be any such dialogue.

Besides Iran’s deep mistrust of the United States, the inconsistent policy of the US administration of Donald Trump was also regarded as a factor in the failure of the Japanese mediation effort, according to sources.

At the time the proposal was made, Washington was in the middle of a trade war with Beijing and seeking buyers for its crops, especially corn and soybeans, while Iran needed an oil export outlet due to the sanctions, as well as to boost its dwindling grain stocks.

Abe’s proposal was preceded by talks between Iran and Japan earlier that month in which Tehran asked Tokyo to add medication and machinery to its package, the report said.

Despite being keen to resume crude oil exports, Iran doubted the United States would accept the Japanese proposal and insisted on a US commitment in this regard.

The Japanese side was initially confident in persuading the United States but gradually became less so.

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Trump Keeps His War Powers against Iran

reporter 1222 — Thu, 07 May 2020 06:33:58 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – US President Donald Trump vetoed legislation passed by both houses of Congress to limit a president’s powers to wage war against Iran.

“This was a very insulting resolution, introduced by Democrats as part of a strategy to win an election on November 3 by dividing the Republican Party,” Trump, defending his war powers against Iran, said in a statement released by the White House on Wednesday.

“The few Republicans who voted for it played right into their hands.”

The Senate, where Trump’s fellow Republicans hold a 53-to 47-seat majority, is expected to hold a veto-override vote as soon as Thursday.

The resolution, which passed the House of Representatives in March and the Senate in April, was the latest effort by Congress to wrest back from the White House its constitutionally guaranteed authority to declare war.

Six Republicans in both houses supported the measure when it passed, but not enough to muster the two-thirds majority necessary in both houses to override a veto.

US-Iran tensions have risen since Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.

But Washington’s hostility skyrocketed in early January with a US drone strike that killed top Iranian commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani.

Iran responded with a rocket attack on two military bases in Iraq housing US troops. More than 100 US troops were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries caused by the attack.

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Iran summons Swiss envoy over US moves in Persian Gulf

reporter 1222 — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 12:36:31 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss envoy to Tehran, whose country represents US Interest Section in Iran, over US forces’ moves taken in the Persian Gulf.

Spokesman of Iranian Foreign Ministry Seyyed Abbas Mousavi made the remarks on Thursday.

In reaction to the provocative measures taken by the US forces in the Persian Gulf, Mousavi said, “in this regard, Swiss envoy to the Islamic Republic of Iran Markus Leitner was summoned to Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thu. to receive the official note of protest regarding threats of US forces including presence and illegal, destabilizing measures of the US Navy’s fleet near northern waters of the Persian Gulf and the Iranian coasts.”

The need for observing international maritime rules and regulations as well as freedom of navigation by all parties have been reminded and warned to the US administration in this note of protest, he said, adding, “in addition to defending its maritime right powerfully, the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to any threats and illegal actions in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman proportionately,”

He reiterated, “The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns the yesterday’s threatening and provocative remarks of the US President Trump and advises him [Trump], instead of adventurism and playing the blame game, to use its military fleet in his country to help contain and manage the growing spread of coronavirus at the current condition that COVID-19, has been spread in the region and world.”

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Oman FM: There’s Chance of Talks Between Iran, US

reporter 1222 — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 08:24:12 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Oman foreign minister said Muscat is in talks with Iran and the US to reduce tensions in the Persian Gulf as it sees prospects of talks between the two countries.

“We are in touch with the US and Iran,” Yousef Bin Alawi was cited as saying on Sunday by the state-run Oman News Agency at the Munich Security Conference.

“We feel that there is a possibility of dialogue between them.”

Iran and Oman share age-old and close diplomatic, economic, and commercial ties.

Tensions have been running high between Tehran and Washington since 2018, when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Iran has ruled out talks with the US unless Washington returns to the nuclear deal and ends the sanctions.

Earlier this years. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani congratulated Haitham bin Tariq on assuming the throne as the new sultan of Oman, hoping for the development of ties between Tehran and Muscat.

Rouhani also wished health and success for the new sultan and prosperity for the “brotherly” nation of Oman in the south of Iran.

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Iran will protect itself from aggression: Ambassador to Russia

reporter 1222 — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 10:31:55 +0000

TEHRAN, Feb. 10 (Iran News) – Tehran does not want escalation and war with the United States but will counter any aggression against itself, Iran Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said in an interview on Monday.

“Iran, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, took proportional actions for self-defense and targeted a base from where a cowardly armed attack was carried out against our country’s citizens and high-ranking officials. We do not want escalation or war but we will protect ourselves against any aggression,” Iran ambassador to Russia said in an interview with TASS.

Washington bears responsibility for its illegal steps in the Middle East region and its consequences, Jalali said.

“The US government’s criminal acts are a gross violation of fundamental principles and are contrary to international norms and rules, in particular the principle enshrined in the UN Charter, and the US government is responsible for violations of these norms and rules and their consequences,” he added.

The Iranian ambassador noted that the US actions violated Iraq’s sovereignty and the country’s government complained about this in the UN.

“Iran will definitely monitor this terrorist act by the American regime through the UN. In this context, Foreign Minister [Mohammad Javad] Zarif held a conversation and consultations on this issue in the first hours with UN Secretary-General [Antonio] Guterres,” the diplomat said.

The mere fact of including the country’s military force in the list of terrorist organizations like this was done against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps violates the principles of international law, the UN Charter and the state’s sovereign rights, he noted.

“This in no way can become a pretext for a threat or using force against them, in particular on other countries’ territory,” Jalali said.

“America’s hypocritical policy runs counter to the country’s international counterterrorism obligations, including [the UN] Security Council resolutions, and seriously weakens regional and global efforts on struggling against international terrorism. By this act America is actually waging war on those who are fighting terrorism,” he stressed.

The ambassador recalled that over the past years Iran has been making efforts in the anti-terror fight, meeting its international commitments and the UN Security Council’s resolution. He emphasized that Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, played an important role in providing assistance to regional nations in destroying the most dangerous terror groups such as the ISIL, which were recognized so by the UN Security Council.

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South Korea won’t attend joint military operations against Iran

reporter 1222 — Sun, 26 Jan 2020 07:54:18 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – South Korea Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo has announced that South Korea will not take part in joint operations in the event of any probable military operations between Washington and Tehran.

South Korea Cheonghae Unit whose operational boundary has been expanded to include the Strait of Hormuz will not intervene in probable military clashes between the US and Iran, he informed, according to KBS World.

He also clarified terminology saying it’s not a dispatch to the Strait of Hormuz but an expanded operating area.

He stressed the importance of preemptive measures to prevent any factors that may harm South Korean interests in the region.

Earlier this week, South Korean foreign ministry official said South Korea has briefed Iran, on the decision about dispatching troops to Strait of Hormuz, in advance over the weekend and Seoul will work closely with Tehran to take care of mutual relations.

Iran has expressed concern about South Korea’s decision to send troops to the Strait of Hormuz, the official was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

Seoul announced on Tuesday that it will dispatch troops in the form of having its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit operating in the Gulf of Aden take on additional missions to protect the key strategic waterway off Iran. The decision came after the United States called on allies to join its campaign to secure the waterway. But South Korea said the Cheonghae unit will conduct missions independently without joining the US-led coalition.

“Iran’s position is that it is basically opposed to foreign troops or ships coming to the region. They initially expressed concern according to that,” the ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Seoul will work closely with Tehran to take care of relations between the two countries, the official said.

“The Iranian side has responded the same way about that,” the official said.

Asked about possible negative effects on bilateral relations with Tehran, the official said the government puts national interest and the safety of South Korean citizens first when making such a decision.

“We have our own national interest. We must protect our people and guarantee the safety of our vessels. Iran has its own position and we have made ours in consideration of our national interest,” he said.

This is while last Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi described South Korea’s measure as unacceptable. “The Korean government has informed us that it wants to dispatch a part of its fleet in Aden to the region (Persian Gulf) for patrolling mission, but outside the US coalition, and we have told them that the decision is unacceptable.”

He underlined that such a decision if implemented, will be in line with the US adventurism policy and does not fit the age-old and friendly relations between Tehran and Seoul.

Iran has repeatedly announced that the presence of foreign forces in the region will lead to increased insecurity and instability. Tehran has proposed the HOPE initiative which aims to ensure regional security through boosting cooperation among regional states.

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US bans Iranian with certain visas

reporter 1222 — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 06:48:14 +0000

TEHRAN, Jan. 22 (Iran News) – The Trump administration is going to ban Iranian investors and business people from entering or staying in the United States on certain types of visas.

In yet another hostile move, the US Department of Homeland Security said Iranian and their families are no longer eligible to apply for or extend what are known as E-1 and E-2 visas, in this round of travel bans. The ban will take effect on Thursday, according to the notice from US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Those visas allow foreign “traders” and “substantial investors” in US companies to live and work in the United States. CIS said the change is a result of the US withdrawal last year from a 1955 treaty with Iran that had sought to promote commercial and economic ties between the countries.

Iranians in the United States on the affected visas will be required to leave the country when their visas expire, it said, although the new regulation does not bar Iranians from applying for or extending other types of visas for which they are eligible.

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Iran Attack on US Base Start of Major Operation

reporter 1222 — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 13:59:26 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh gave some details about Iran Wednesday missile attack on a US base in Iraq and described the attack as just the beginning of “a major operation”.

“Iran missile attack on the most important base of the US in the form of an operation code-named ‘Martyr Soleimani’ was the start of a major operation that would continue throughout the region,” Brigadier General Hajizadeh said on Thursday.

“We did not aim to kill (anybody)” the top commander said, adding, “We intended to hit the enemy’s military machine.”

“We fired 13 missiles at the (US) bases in Iraq, although we had prepared several hundred missiles for launching,” he stated.

“We did not seek to kill anyone in this operation,” he said, adding, “However, tens of people were killed and wounded.”

“We could mount the operation in a way that 500 would be killed in the first step and, if they responded, in the second and third steps, their casualties would have reached 4,000 to 5,000,” Brigadier General Hajizadeh went on to say.

The remarks came as Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday targeted two US airbases in Iraq, including the Ain al-Assad in the western province of Anbar, in retaliation for the US assassination of the top Iranian anti-terror commander.

An informed source at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said the IRGC’s missile attack on the US airbase of Ain al-Assad has killed at least 80 American forces.

“At least 104 targets from the positions of the Americans and their allies in the region have been identified, and if the Americans make any mistake again, those positions will be targeted,” the source warned.

The source also said that a number of American drones and helicopters and a large amount of military equipment were seriously damaged in the IRGC missile attack.

Fifteen missiles rained down on Ain al-Assad airbase, none of which were intercepted by the US army’s radar system, the source stated, adding that the accuracy and destructive power of the missiles have been so high that a number of the missiles annihilated several sensitive targets simultaneously each.

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Trump’s policy on Iran after assassination not approved by all

reporter 1222 — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 13:31:54 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – A majority of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s policy towards Iran and expect the countries to be at war in the near future after Trump ordered the US military to assassinate a top Iranian general, according to a new survey.

The Reuters/Ipsos polling released on Tuesday found that 53 percent of adults in the US disapprove of Trump’s policy on Iran, which is an increase of about 9 percentage points from a similar poll that ran in the middle of December.

Some 39 percent of US adults “strongly disapprove” of Trump’s actions in Iran, up 10 points from the December poll.

The poll also found that 71 percent of Americans believe that the US will be at war with Iran within the next few years, up 20 points from May’s poll.

The national opinion poll about the Republican president’s policies against Tehran was largely split along party lines, with disapproval up over the past month among Democrats and independents, while it did not change among Republicans.

The survey was conducted on January 6-7, shortly after Trump ordered the strike in Iraq that killed Iran’s most prominent anti-terror commander and escalated tensions in the region.

The US military carried out an airstrike on the direction of Trump at Baghdad’s international airport early on Friday, assassinating Iranian Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, as well as eight other companions.

Early on Wednesday, Iran responded to the assassination, striking the American airbase of Ain al-Assad in Anbar province in western Iraq and another in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Iraq’s parliament called for the withdrawal of all foreign troops led by the United States from the Arab country following the American assassination.

Trump said on Wednesday that his administration will impose new sanctions against Iran and will ask the NATO military alliance to get more involved in the Middle East following Iran’s retaliation.

A coalition of progressive advocacy groups in the US has called for massive rallies across the country Thursday to protest Trump’s “military brinksmanship” against Iran and demand immediate de-escalation of tensions with Tehran following the US assassination.

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Venezuela Defense Minister Supports Iran against US

reporter 1222 — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 13:04:19 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Defense Minister of Venezuela, General Vladimir Padrino Lopez condemned the US for assassinating Iran revered commander, General Qassem Soleimani, as “a terrorist act” and said Caracas sides with Tehran in the campaign against the global arrogance.

In a telephone conversation with Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami on Thursday, Padrino, his counterpart from Venezuela hailed Martyr Soleimani as “a brave and noble man” with “a praiseworthy character”.

“With this terrorist act, millions of General Soleimanis have been created in the world,” the Venezuelan minister said.

“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly condemns this terrorist act and I extend my heartfelt condolences to you and the people of Iran on behalf of the Venezuelan armed forces, the people of my country and all the commanders…,” he stated.

“We will side with Iran to fight the (global) arrogance,” Lopez added.

Brigadier General Hatami, for his part, thanked his Venezuelan counterpart for his sympathies and said he is grateful to the president and cabinet members of the Latin American country for their presence in Iran’s embassy to pay tribute to General Soleimani.

An informed source at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said the IRGC’s missile attack on the US airbase of Ain al-Assad has killed at least 80 American forces.

The source also said that a number of American drones and helicopters and a large amount of military equipment were seriously damaged in the IRGC missile attack.

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