Speaking with IRNA on Saturday, Hassan Fadlallah said Americans had long strived to depict Iran as an enemy of the Arab world and the Israeli regime as a friend and ally of Arabs.

Israel, he asserted, is the primary loser of the Tehran-Riyadh reunion since it profited by portraying itself as an ally of Arab nations against Iran.

On March 10, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish relations after years of estrangement.

The deal, brokered by China, was announced after four days of previously undisclosed talks in Beijing between top security officials from the two regional powers.

Tehran and Riyadh agreed to resume diplomatic relations and re-open embassies within two months, according to a statement issued by Iran, Saudi Arabia and China. “The agreement includes their affirmation of the respect for the sovereignty of states and the non-interference in internal affairs,” it said.

Based on the agreement the two sides agreed to re-activate a 2001 security cooperation accord, as well as another earlier pact on trade, economy and investment.

“We witnessed Israel’s expression of grave concern and displeasure once the agreement was announced. Zionists also displayed their wrath over the matter publicly. This is while all those parties which favored peace and establishment of intimate relations between Iran and Arab states welcomed the development,” Fadlallah added.

The Lebanese lawmaker also described the reconciliation as a significant step, saying Beirut supports close relations between Tehran and Arab nations.

He went on to highlight, “The Israeli regime is a saboteur, enemy and seditionist among Arab countries. The Tehran-Riyadh détente has many impacts, above all at the political level, on the region.”

Tehran and Riyadh finalized the reconciliation agreement on March 10 following several days of intense discussions held in Beijing.

On April 6, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian met with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud for the first time in seven years, emphasizing the need to implement the China-brokered accord.

Now, Iran and Saudi Arabia feel that the agreement can help reduce tensions in West Asia.

Saudi Arabia suspended diplomatic relations in January 2016 when a group of Iranian protestors stormed its embassy in Tehran, enraged over the Saudi execution of famous Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.

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The Iranian ministry issued an 11-article statement on Thursday in reaction to the latest sanctions which were imposed by EU’s foreign ministers on Monday.

The statement expressed “strong protest” against the imposition of “unacceptable and baseless” sanctions by the European Union, noting, “The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that dialogue with the EU and its members are possible through mutual respect, trust, and interests.”

“Accordingly, we have left the doors of dialogue open but meanwhile, we do not stop expressing our demands and criticisms. Naturally, the opportunities to promote mutual interests will be significantly affected if the media hype that is being followed in the framework of Iranophobia is not stopped,” it read.

According to a statement issued by the EU foreign ministers, 20 individuals along with one entity — the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting — have been sanctioned over alleged human rights abuses, while four more people and as many entities blacklisted over the issue of drones. The bloc’s new sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans to the EU.

Foreign-backed riots have hit various Iranian provinces since 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini died at the hospital on September 16, three days after she collapsed at a police station. An investigation has attributed Amini’s death to her medical condition, rather than alleged beatings by the police.

The new sanctions came after Iran imposed a round of sanctions on dozens of the EU and British officials and entities over their support and instigation of recent deadly riots in the country and their meddlesome statements about the Islamic Republic’s internal developments and support for terror in Iran.

The Thursday statement further noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been “steadfast” in supporting and promoting human rights despite campaigns waged by some governments to defame the country.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran by no means accepts the fabricated agendas, which are part of an organized political campaign to put maximum pressure on a thriving government and nation which are resisting two simultaneous challenges, namely international isolation and the US’s economic warfare,” it stressed.

The statement slammed in “strongest terms” the exploitation of international mechanism, be it in the UN Human Right Council or meetings of EU foreign ministers.

It noted that Iran’s police and security forces have acted to contain the violence according to “precise and defined” regulations which are based on laws and religious teachings and respect for the rights of individuals.

According to the latest figures, more than 50 Iranian security forces have lost their lives during recent riots.

The issue of human rights has become a tool for pursuing the “political goals” of some European and American governments, the ministry added.

The statement reminded the West of its “brazen double standards” with regard to its allies such as the Israeli regime that is flagrantly violating human rights in the occupied territories of Palestine.

These countries are “morally disqualified” to preach others about human rights, it stressed, adding that according to a UN report, Western countries have violated human rights because of following the illegal and inhumane American sanctions against Iranian people and hence, should be held accountable.

European countries have complied with unilateral sanctions imposed by the US since 2018 against Iran. These sanctions have basically targeted civilians as they have, for instance, restricted Iran’s access to medicine and medical equipment.

Citing UN General Assembly resolutions A/RES/60/288, and A/RES/2625, the ministry noted that “Western countries are obliged to confront violence, hatred, terrorism, offenses, and riots of individuals in their territories.”

These states do not want to or cannot adhere to their international commitments under these resolutions, the statement said.

The Islamic Republic of Iran does not tolerate activities of those individuals or institutes that are involved in the promotion of terrorism and violence and will use “all its legal and judiciary capacities at the national and international levels” to secure the rights of the Iranian people, it added.

Elsewhere, the statement referred to the stalled talks on the removal of the US sanctions and revival of the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA), noting that Iran’s demands fall within the framework of Vienna talks.

The “long list of blatant violations” of the JCPOA by Europeans and the US leaves no other choice for Iran but to “be realistic” for the future, it maintained.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran aims to clinch a lasting and stable agreement that firstly guarantees Iran’s benefits from the removal of sanctions and secondly, cannot be easily violated under the influence of internal policies of governments.”

Tehran is ready to conclude the talks based on a draft that has been earlier obtained after months-long negotiations in Vienna, the statement said, adding that it is the Western side that is “confused” given its adoption of “unrealistic and miscalculated” policies.

The talks have remained stalled since August, as Washington continues to insist on its hard-nosed position of not removing all sanctions that were slapped on the Islamic Republic by the previous US administration.

The Foreign Ministry also noted that as a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Iran has always cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency according to its international commitments and is “determined” to maintain this cooperation.

It also advised the Western states “not to politicize” the case and “disturb technical cooperation” between Iran and the IAEA.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also reiterated the country’s “principled stance” on the Ukrainian crisis which has always been “supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the need to end the conflict through political solutions.”

It once again rejected the Western media’s reports of drone delivery to Russia, noting that “Iran has not offered any drone to any side for using in the Ukraine war.”

The statement further noted that governments of the US, the UK, and France have “knowingly” provided the Saudi-led coalition with lethal arms which according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights have been used in attacks against civilians.

These arms, provided by Western states, have played a major role in war crimes in Yemen, it stressed.

Iran has never waged war on its neighbors, but has been the target of attacks, the ministry added in another article of the statement.

The 8-year war with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime, which enjoyed the “all-out” support of some countries in Europe and West Asia as well as the US, turned the “development of defense capabilities” into a necessity for Iran and this “will never be negotiable,” it added.

“Iran is committed to endogenous and inclusive security, stability, and welfare of the region,” it added.

Iran has extended hand of brotherhood to all its neighbors as bilateral cooperation with neighbors have increased in the past one and a half year, noted the ministry.

Regional stability and security will be guaranteed only by the cooperation of regional states, the statement stressed.

Iran will continue the policy of neighborliness with the aim of arriving at collective security in the region, said the statement, adding that “baseless accusations” will not hamper Tehran’s efforts on this path.

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Talking to the Iranian state TV on Tuesday night, Zarghami said that in the last 11 months, especially after the reissuance of visas, more than 2.9 million foreign tourists have traveled to Iran, adding that the number of foreign tourists is increasing rapidly.

Zarghami said that according to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the tourism industry will return to the normal situation before the COVID-19 Pandemic by the end of 2024 and the tourism industry in Iran will progress earlier than this date.

Over 2.9 million foreigners visit Iran in 11 months

He also said, “Iranophobia is one of the main obstacles to tourism development. Both our rivals in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and our enemies in the U.S. and Europe are trying to propagate Iranophobia.”

Zarghami pointed out that Qatar has invested 200 billion dollars only in attracting tourists, while none of the countries in our region have the diverse advantages of Iran’s tourism, including our historical, natural, cultural, and medical advantages.

Referring to the importance of developing tourism diplomacy, the minister added: “In the development of tourism, we gave priority to neighboring countries. We signed MoCs with 11 neighboring countries and presented a plan for the development of land tourism with Tajikistan, which was welcomed by the president of the country, we offered the land route and cheap tourism to the countries of Central Asia.”

“Our cultural attaches have a mission to introduce Iran’s tourist attractions and handicrafts all over the world. This is our strategy to deal with the Iran-phobic policy,” the Minister of Cultural Heritage noted.

He said that according to the World Tourism Organization estimates, it is expected tourism industry   return to its normal condition which has been affected by the COVID pandemic.

Zarghami went on to say that the ministry is pursuing some land travel for neighboring countries in order to attract more tourists from those countries. He admitted that the country despite having many historic monuments and sites has fallen behind in promoting them, adding that despite existence of 800 museums in the country they have been passive and they should show some dynamism in displaying history of the country.

He admitted that recent floods in the country has inflicted damages on the historic places in the country and some 730 places have been damaged which costs over 2,000b tomans and the country needs investment to protect these historic assets.

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Reacting to the remarks and statements in the Israel and Jeddah of Saudi Arabia, countries took different stances which show that the U.S. and Zionist efforts to spread Iranophobia for justifying their presence in the region have been ineffective.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said the United States is trying to foment tension and crisis in the West Asia region by resorting to its policy of Iranophobia.

Nasser Kan’ani made the remarks in reaction to the latest remarks by Biden, who accused Iran of destabilizing activities in the West Asia region during an address to a summit of regional Arab states in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Saturday.

“Around the world, we’re seeing efforts to undermine the rules-based order: with China’s increasingly coercive actions in the Indo-Pacific and beyond; with Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war against its neighboring Ukraine; and with Iran’s destabilizing activities,” Biden claimed.

Responding to Biden’s remarks, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman described the U.S. president’s remarks as baseless and unacceptable, saying, “Such groundless allegations are in line with Washington’s policy to incite sedition and create tension in the region.”

Kan’ani said the United States is the sole country that has used nuclear weapons and in addition, its track records are marked with continued interference in the internal affairs of regional countries, occupation and military aggression as well as massive weapons sales and promoting militarism in West Asia.

“Once more, the United States is trying to create tension and crisis in the region by resorting to its failed policy of Iranophobia,” he said.

He said Iran’s strategic policy is to avail itself of peaceful nuclear technology within framework of international rules and regulations while, at the same time, continue negotiations for the removal of sanctions imposed on the country.

The Americans and Zionists in recent years have tried to use the nuclear talks or false claims regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear programs as a club over the head of the country but the West should know that Iran does not tend to make A-bomb and in case it wants, it will be definitely able to do it because nobody can stop the country progressing. Although West knows this point well that Tehran does not make bomb because of its Supreme Leader’s fatwa which has called A-bomb forbidden, the Americans resort to such charges to create Iranophobia for milking the countries in the region.

A senior Iranian diplomat correctly stated that the Islamic Republic will respond in kind to any measure against its national security from any neighboring country, in a veiled reference to the countries that have normalized their relations with the Israeli regime which is aimed at threatening Iran.

Kamal Kharrazi, the head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, in an interview said, “Targeting our security from neighboring countries will be met with a response to those countries and a direct response to Israel,” he warned.

Tehran has emphasized that it pursues a policy of improving relations with neighboring countries, while at the same time making it clear that the countries, which are normalizing their relations with Israel and allowing the occupying regime to establish a foothold in the region, are betraying the Palestinian cause and bringing instability to the region.

The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s naval forces also said the Islamic Republic will teach a painful lesson to enemies in case they launch any act of aggression against the country.

Brigadier General Alireza Tangsiri made the remarks in a tour of four Iranian islands near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which include the Lesser and Greater Tunbs in addition to Abu Mousa and Siri islands.

“If the enemy takes any foolish measure to foment sedition or carry out an act of aggression against the Islamic establishment, we will respond in a way that would teach them and their allies a painful lesson and will nip that plot in the bud,” Tangsiri said.

He added that the IRGC naval forces, which are deployed in the islands and along the operational routes of the elite force, maintain their combat readiness at the highest level in order to be able to carry out the most difficult missions at any time.

Americans and Zionists have always tried to spread Iranophobia for milking the regional states or justifying their presence in the region but so far they have failed in convincing the regional states about Iran’s threats and it seems Iranophobia does not work any longer and Americans and their allies will have to find another pretext to encourage others to step up pressure on Tehran.

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy of being independent and reliance on own power is being welcomed by countries and nations in the region and in the world, and the jig is up because the U.S. and Israel’s words have no weight on the regional states any longer and they have to leave the region and let the countries in the region live together in peace and stay away from tensions.

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On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department placed six Iranian persons and one institution on Washington’s sanctions list under the pretext of their trying to impact on the 2020 U.S. presidential elections and a couple days ago some Iranian nationals and entities were hit with the U.S. sanctions.

This kind of hostile reactions against Iran and Iranians is nothing new and Americans under any of their administrations have taken such hostile actions against Iranians since 1979 when the Islamic Revolution conquered Iran and its impact is currently conquering the world. Since then, the U.S. hostility against Iran has been ignited and sanctions one after the other has been imposed on the Iranians. Under different pretexts.

Reacting to the U.S.’s Thursday decision for slapping Iranians with sanctions, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman called the new U.S. sanctions against Iran the continuation of Washington’s abortive policies concerning the Islamic Republic.

“The Islamic Republic considers the U.S.’s new sanctioning efforts to be the continuation of [former US president Donald] Trump’s defeated maximum pressure policy,” Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Thursday.

The Iranian official also commented on an anti-Iran statement issued on Thursday following a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh between the U.S.’s point man on Iran, Robert Malley, European envoys, and officials from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council.

The statement repeated the collective countries’ Iranophobic remarks concerning the Islamic Republic’s nuclear work and its regional influence.

Khatibzadeh highlighted the countries’ own history of regional trouble-making and interference, saying the meeting and its concluding statement was “so factitious and lacking in legitimacy that does not warrant a reaction.”

The spokesman said that a recent anti-Iran statement by the United States, the E3 – Britain, France and Germany – as well as the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council is not worth answering.

The Iranian spokesman further condemned the U.S.’s new sanctions on six Iranian individuals and one Iranian entity, underlining that such a failed policy to put more pressure on Iran shows the Americans’ dismay.

Of course Iranians know the U.S. administrations very well and they know that the U.S. officials follow blindly the Zionist regime’s demands and milk the Arab states by creating Iranophobia.

Everybody expected Democrat U.S. President to stop the policy of sanctions or minimize it during his presidential election because during the presidential election campaign in 2020 he had promised to remove sanctions or at least major part of it but practically he has done nothing yet and on the contrary he has continued President Donald Trump’s path of imposing sanctions either on Iran or any other contrary like Nicaragua and Yemen which does not follow the West.

The Biden Administration like the previous administrations in the U.S. is suffering from the sanction disease and they try to bring to their knees resisting countries by imposing sanctions while they have forgotten this point that the era of winning through sanction has ended and nations are ready to tolerate sanctions but they are not ready to bow to the pressures of aliens like the Western states.

So it is better for the Americans and its allies to quit this dirty habit of sanctioning against countries because this will not work any longer. The U.S. is also better to stop spreading Iranophobia in order to milk Arab states through issuing such worthless statements because the Islamic Republic of Iran is now so strong that it does not need any help of foreign forces and it can have proper response to any bullying and it can expel any invasion on its soil.

And Arab states especially in the West Asia are better to realize that the U.S. has never helped its Arab allies in the hard times because it is some part of the nature and habit of this arrogant country and it cannot quit because as the proverb says, “Old Habits Die Hard” and a united Muslim world can shatter the dream of the world arrogance over dominance on the wealth of Muslim states and looting their wealth and the Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported unity among the Muslim and regional countries and it advises the countries in the region not to be fooled with the West’s luring vows because their chief Biden has even so far failed to fulfill the promises that he has given to his own nation.

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In an address to the the UN Security Council Mon., Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo condemned states behind Iranophobia with the aim of selling more arms in the region.

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Following is the full text of the interview with Nosratollah Tajik, Tehran based political analyst:

Q: What does PM Saad Hariri’s surprise resignation in Saudi Arabia indicate? What relation may exist between his announcement and Saudi Arabia’s objectives?

A: In response to your question, I should say that Saudi Arabia should be blamed for resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. I am of the opinion that a veteran politician or a charismatic national figure does not allow himself to do such hasty decision especially at the condition that regional countries are grappling with a series of political problems. It is obvious that Hariri did not resign in his country, rather, he announced his resignation in Saudi Arabia. The mistaken time and venue of resignation is a solid evidence of the said claim.

I am of the opinion that Hariri destroyed his political life due to his debt to Saudi Arabia. The dawning time of ISIL in Iraq and Syria was not a proper time to resign. With his unsatisfactory resignation, Hariri intermingled his political destiny to a series of regional developments that had sought to form a caliphate in the region almost six years ago. Once again, Hariri’s resignation proved and confirmed Saudi Arabia’s direct involvement in disrupting the region by ISIL. Announcing Hariri’s resignation in Saudi Arabia reflects the extent of interference of Saudi Arabia in the domestic situation of Lebanon and destiny of regional countries such as Lebanon.
As one of the U.S. allies in the region over the past six years, Saudi Arabia has been striving to save itself from Arab Spring breeze by providing necessary condition for waging proxy war in Syria and Iraq and fomenting extremism and development of violence in the region but it did not succeed in this way.

Q: Will his resignation lead to more instability and tensions in Lebanon and the region, especially now that we are approaching the end of ISIL and other terrorist groups in some of the regional countries?

A: The surprise resignation of Hariri as Lebanese Prime Minister was a bid kick to his political future while the least consequence of this issue is associated with fomenting a proxy war inside Lebanon. As mentioned in above, Hariri submitted his resignation letter forcibly caused by Saudi Arabia. Under such circumstances that ISIL is on the very of fall in most parts of Iraq and Syria, it indicates that ISIL terrorist group will likely head to other parts of the region.

It can be said that Lebanon will be the next destination for brutal attacks of ISIL, the issue of which is very hazardous geopolitically. Of course, a great number of experts believe that tension will be escalated in Lebanon in future but I am optimist that tensions will be deescalated in case of cooperation of political parties and influential forces of this country.

Relying upon the assistance of the Almighty God, Lebanese government will move out from this political crisis successfully. In such a grave condition, Zionist regime is sowing seeds of discord in the region especially Lebanon and makes its utmost effort to take advantage of this messy situation for its favor. Happiness of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of resignation of Hariri is a solid evidence for the said claim.

Q: What connection do you describe between the plots of White House, Riyadh and Zionist regime against the region and Saad Hariri’s resignation?

A: In response to your question, I should say that Saudi Arabia is now experiencing a transient period. The previous generation in this Arabic country is spending their aging period on the one hand and new generation has come to the scene with new specifications on the other hand.

Nowadays, we are witnessing that there is not stable political situation in Saudi Arabia. That is to say that Saudi King Salman introduced Mohammad bin Salman as new crown prince in order to correct ailing policy and preventing Saudi Arabia from being collapsed. Under such circumstances, Saudi authorities are after maintaining their political and social standing. In this line, Saudi Arabia’s Iranophobia measures and opposition with Iran’s foreign policy in the region can be contemplated.

With due observance to the said issue, Saudi Arabia is fomenting war in the region in order to maintain its social and political cohesion and is after settling its problem in the region.

For this purpose, Saudi Arabia forced Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to step down from his position shortly after approval of CAATSA (Confronting with Americas Adversaries through Sanctions Act) in the US Congress and release of documents showing that Al-Qaeda is linked with Iran. Therefore, second phase of Iranophobia was kicked off by S. Arabia in the region.

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