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“Iran has always said that the United States should leave the region.”

Iranian Foreign Minister also talked of Afghanistan-Iran relations, Iran’s relations with the Taliban, the situation of Afghan refugees in Iran, and the Liwa Fatemiyoun.

He noted that Iran has not yet removed the Taliban from the terrorist group.

About Fatemiyoun, he said, “These are the best forces the Afghan government can use if it wishes.”

The full interview will be published in a few days.

Iran believes that the presence of foreign forces is a source of instability in the region and calls for foreign troops for an orderly and responsible withdrawal from the regional countries.

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IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

TEHRAN – Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis described his meeting with Iranian counterpart as ‘fruitful’.

In a Monday tweet, Cassis wrote, “Peace, economic development and human rights – fruitful discussion with my counterpart, @JZarif.”

“I’m glad we could establish together the Swiss Humanitarian Channel for the transfer of food and medical supplies to the people of Iran,” he added.

Heading a delegation, Ignazio Cassis met and held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday morning and later with President Hassan Rouhani.

During meeting with Cassis, President Rouhani urged Europe to stand against the U.S. unilateralism and called for boosting bilateral ties with Switzerland.

The president called on Switzerland to enhance the effectiveness of a financial mechanism it has set up for trade with Iran, so that Tehran could release part of its assets abroad.

The Swiss embassy in Tehran handles U.S. interests in Iran, since ties were cut in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

“Peace, economic development and human rights – fruitful discussion with my counterpart,” Cassis wrote on Twitter following the talks.

Switzerland has also played a major role in prisoner swaps between Tehran and Washington.

The Swiss Foreign Minister arrived in Isfahan on Saturday morning to pay a three-day visit and meet with officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Cassis was marking 100 years of Swiss diplomatic presence in Tehran and 40 years of representing U.S. interests in the country.

On Sunday, Cassis visited the Swiss embassy foreign interests section, which has been representing U.S. interests in Iran for 40 years. Switzerland has been serving as an intermediary between the two countries since 1980 after the collapse of diplomatic relations between them.

The main aim of the visit is to strengthen relations between Iran and Switzerland, Cassis told Swiss public television, SRF.

“This serves to create trust for the bilateral path between Switzerland and Iran and for the protecting power mandate – as a mediator between the United States and Iran,” he declared.

On Sunday evening, Cassis opened an exhibition at the Negarestan Garden in Tehran on the history of Swiss-Iranian bilateral relations. The exhibition showcases 100 years of Swiss diplomatic presence in Iran.

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According To Iran News, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran will keep working in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

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According To Iran News, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the United States’ war crimes, violation of agreements and terrorist acts and said Washington has no right to vilify Iran by abusing the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“US has tried to heighten tension w/ Iran & bully others to follow,” Zarif wrote in a post on his Twitter account on Thursday.

“But having admitted to:

-Terror assassination in Iraq

-Complicity in war crimes in Yemen & Palestine

-Piracy

-Breaching JCPOA, UNSCR 2231, & IAEA decisions,” he added.

The Iranian top diplomat underlined that, therefore, “It (the US) retains NO right to abuse UN & IAEA to vilify Iran.”

Zrif also attached a copy of an International Court of Justice ruling in 1971 that reads, “One of the fundamental principles governing the international relationship thus established is that a party which disavows or does not fulfill its own obligations cannot be recognized as retaining the rights which it claims to derive from the relationship.”

It came after US officials said that Washington would seek to restore all previously canceled sanctions against Iran if the UN Security Council fails to preserve an embargo on weapons supplies to Tehran, which expires this fall.

Under UNSC Resolution 2231, the arms embargo on Iran will be lifted in October 2020 as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal; however, the US says it will use a range of options to prevent this and use a Security Council provision to block the expiration of ban.

While the US is no longer a party to the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it recently launched a campaign to renew the Iran arms ban — in place since 2006/2007 — through a resolution at the Security Council, but Russia and China are most likely to veto it.

US President Donald Trump quit the JCPOA in 2018, calling the accord from Barack Obama’s presidency “the worst deal ever.”

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Neither the US nor Europe can lecture Iran on flimsy misreading of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, reiterating that none of Iran’s missiles have been designed to be capable of carrying nukes.

In a message on his Twitter account on Friday, Foreign Minister Zarif lashed out at the US for violating the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and forcing the others to defy the resolution as well.

“US has been bullying all against UNSC Resolution 2231 since 2017. Europe obeyed US instead of 2231. Neither can lecture Iran based on flimsy misreadings of UNSCR 2231 ,” the top Iranian diplomat underlined.

“Iran neither has nukes nor missiles ‘DESIGNED to be capable of carrying’ such horrific arms. Guess who do?” Zarif underscored.

He has also attached two photos to his post, showing the US government’s paradoxical policy on the UNSC resolutions and Washington’s budget on nuclear warheads.

Resolution 2231 calls upon Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.”

Iranian officials have time and again underscored that none of the country’s missiles have been designed to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads, because nuclear weapons have basically no place in Iran’s defense doctrine.

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According To Iran News, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed a proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin to create a green corridor for the global battle with the coronavirus pandemic.

“In order to contain the situation of coronavirus, different countries have closed their geographical borders, but opened them to provide assistance,” Zarif said in a tweet on Wednesday, posted in the Russian language.

“(US President) Donald Trump continues to resist the international demand for lifting the sanctions on Iran in order to counter the coronavirus infection. Coronavirus may spread to the neighboring countries,” he added.

“Iran welcomes the Russian idea of ‘creating a green corridor instead of an economic war and sanctions’,” Zarif emphasized.

Last week, Putin called for a common plan to support the global economy. Speaking via teleconference to the leaders of the G-20 group of nations, the Russian president urged the creation of ‘green corridors’ to transport essential goods and technologies without sanctions as the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

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According To Iran News, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on world countries to join a global campaign to disregard the US sanctions against Iran.

In a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday, Zarif said the unlawful US sanctions have drained Iran’s economic resources and impaired its ability to fight COVID-19.

“They (US sanctions) literally kill innocents,” he added.

“It is immoral to observe them: doing so has never saved anyone from future US wrath,” the Iranian foreign minister stated.

He asked other countries to “join the growing global campaign to disregard US sanctions on Iran.”

Last week, Zarif sent a letter to Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, denouncing the US’ sanctions as a major obstacle to the Islamic Republic’s fight against the coronavirus and urging that such unilateral and illegal sanctions should end.

Zarif emphasized in the letter that despite Iran’s scientific capabilities and the commitment that the country’s health system has shown to the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, the US’ sanctions on legal trade and the preconditions that the United States’ authorities have set recently in order to prevent the sale of medicine, medical equipment and humanitarian supplies have posed serious obstacles to the efforts to battle against the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran.

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According To Iran News, Large quantity of aids provided by China to Iran in the fight against coronavirus indicates that Tehran’s timely support of China led to a deeper phase in relations between the two countries.

Iran’s timely support of China at the time of the coronavirus outbreak led Beijing to support the Islamic Republic by providing health care relief.

Coronavirus has currently created global chaos and some politicians who seemingly believed in the “Borderless World” have ordered the closing of borders with their neighboring countries.

US Economic terrorism against Iran’s health system

In addition to the ominous shadow that the coronavirus has cast over the world, we see images that still inspire hope. Iran’s health care system is currently heavily involved in the fight against COVID-19 and US economic terrorism has created a shortage in some essentials to save the infected patients. However, Iran has received nine shipments of medical aid from the Chinese government and people. Beijing’s actions are rooted in the measures taken by Iran in the form of public diplomacy at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in China.

Iran’s message to China: stay strong

When the spread of coronavirus begun in china, some governments swiftly initiated closing their borders with this country and anti-Chinese feelings were aroused in the West, as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referred to coronavirus as “the Wuhan virus”. However, the Islamic republic stood by China.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif appreciated the efforts made by China in the fight against the coronavirus and noted that Iran will support China. He further sent a message to the Chinese nation and said, “China, stay strong.”

China thanks Iran for its support in the fight against COVID-19

China immediately appreciated these remarks and the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying noted that Iranian Foreign Minister was the first official in the world who voiced his support for the Beijing government.

Meanwhile, Iran sent shipments of medical relief to china including three million masks. These measures prompted the Chinese government and people to send a large quantity of health care aid to Iran as soon as it needed help. According to the Chinese ambassador to Tehran, nine shipments of aid from the Chinese government, businessmen and people have been sent to Iran and more are on the way.

The compensation from the Chinese government and people

The chairperson of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Li Xiaolin said, “After the spread of coronavirus in China, we received aid from the Islamic republic which truly reflects the deep friendship between Iranian and Chinese people.”

Numerous videos on social media show Chinese people talking to Iranians and asking them to stay strong. Bilateral cooperation between the two countries in times of crisis has led to a new phase in diplomatic relations.

Iran will grow stronger

According to Chinese media, Iran was the first country to support China by sending medical supplies after the outbreak of coronavirus. China will do the same for Iran and will always remember the masks donated by Iranians.

This is why Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi maintained that the Iranian government and nation will never forget their friends who offered help in times of difficulty.

Iran’s public diplomacy helped china in times of need which made the Chinese government and people realize the depth of relations between the two countries. It can be said that a new phase in Tehran-Beijing relations has begun.

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According To Iran News, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, discussed various topics, including the outbreak of the new coronavirus, known as COVID-19.

In a telephone conversation on Sunday afternoon, Abdullah voiced the United Arab Emirates’ solidarity with the Iranian people and government in their fight against the coronavirus.

Zarif, for his part, expressed his gratitude for the Emirati side’s assistance to Iran and said the coronavirus epidemic is a global problem, whose resolution needs all countries’ determination and cooperation.

First detected in Wuhan city in central China in December, the virus has spread to more than 120 countries, infecting more than 140,000 globally.

Iranian Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoosh Jahanpoor announced on Sunday that 113 people have died of COVID-19 in the country over the past 24 hours, the country’s highest daily death toll since the outbreak of the infectious disease.

The number of people tested positive for the coronavirus in Iran has also hit 13,938 after detection of 1,209 new cases over the past 24 hours, he added.

Jahanpoor said while the coronavirus death toll in Iran has reached 724, a total of 4,590 patients have been discharged from the hospital after recovering from the disease.

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