TEHRAN (Iran News)  Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, leader of Iraq’s National Wisdom Movement, has met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss bilateral ties and regional developments.

The Sunday meeting focused on the latest state of relations between Iran and Iraq, with both sides underlining the importance of strengthening cooperation across various fields of mutual interest.

Regional issues also featured prominently in the talks, particularly the ongoing Israeli genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories and the occupying entity’s expansionist policies and warmongering.

Both sides stressed the urgent need for serious action by the international community and regional countries to support the Palestinian people, halt Israel’s crimes, and prosecute the perpetrators.

Araghchi referred to recent aggressions by Israel and the United States against Iran and expressed gratitude for the firm stance of the Iraqi government, people, religious authorities, and political and religious figures in condemning such acts and showing solidarity with Iran.

He said the decisive response of Iran’s armed forces and the unity of its people under the wise leadership of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei thwarted enemy conspiracies.

For his part, al-Hakim praised Iran’s powerful defense against unlawful Israeli attacks and emphasized the need for regional cooperation and solidarity to safeguard peace and security.

The Sunday meeting focused on the latest state of relations between Iran and Iraq, with both sides underlining the importance of strengthening cooperation across various fields of mutual interest.

Regional issues also featured prominently in the talks, particularly the ongoing Israeli genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories and the occupying entity’s expansionist policies and warmongering.

Both sides stressed the urgent need for serious action by the international community and regional countries to support the Palestinian people, halt Israel’s crimes, and prosecute the perpetrators.”Iran’s foreign minister”

Araghchi referred to recent aggressions by Israel and the United States against Iran and expressed gratitude for the firm stance of the Iraqi government, people, religious authorities, and political and religious figures in condemning such acts and showing solidarity with Iran.

He said the decisive response of Iran’s armed forces and the unity of its people under the wise leadership of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei thwarted enemy conspiracies.

The post Iraqi political leader meets Iran’s foreign minister in Tehran appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“The U.S. acknowledged Pompeo’s claims re Res. 2231 had no legal validity,” Zarif wrote in a tweet on Friday, hours after the Biden administration rescinded Trump’s alleged restoration of UN sanctions on Iran back in September, which fell short of garnering enough support at the UN Security Council in the first place.

In recent weeks, Tehran and Washington have been at loggerheads over which side should first return to comply with the 2015 nuclear deal, which the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018 and tried to destroy with his so-called maximum pressure campaign.

“The U.S. unconditionally & effectively lift all sanctions imposed, re-imposed or re-labeled by Trump,” Zarif said. “We will then immediately reverse all remedial measures.”

Tehran argues that the U.S. should first lift all the sanctions put in place under Trump before the Islamic Republic returns to full compliance with the deal, as it was the U.S. that caused the complication by pulling out of the deal, which in turn prompted Iran to take remedial measures.

Iran says the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has kept up his predecessor’s “maximum pressure” policy towards Iran that has brought along nothing but defeat and disgrace for Washington.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh later responded to the U.S. move, which he called a mere “gesture” and said the US must lift sanctions in order to revive the JCPOA.

“Remember, Trump left the room and tried to blow it up,” Khatibzadeh tweeted. “Gestures are fine. But to revive P5+1, U.S. must Act: LIFT sanctions.”

Meanwhile, President Hassan Rouhani said the new U.S. administration needs to act swiftly to make up for the past mistakes and return to the rule of law by resuming its commitments under a UN resolution that endorsed the 2015 agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.

“Implementing and respecting international law, commitments and treaties are among the humanitarian and political duties of all governments,” Rouhani said in a videoconference address to the inaugural ceremony of four industrial and mineral projects on Thursday.

“Therefore, we hope that they [US] will return to the rule of law so that we will be able to conduct our interactions, particularly in the trade sector, in the world under better circumstances,” he added.

He said the former “madman” at the White House waged war against the Iranian nation that was unprecedented in history, referring to ex-US president Donald Trump.

Trump imagined that he could bring Iran to its knees by exercising pressure on the nation and forcing it to succumb, Rouhani added.

However, he said, American people and the current president of the country have realized that the former president was wrong,” expressing hope that “those mistakes will be compensated for as soon as possible, and the new U.S. administration will submit to the law, regulations and [UN Security Council] Resolution 2231.”

Later on Thursday, Rouhani said as an important international actor, the European Union must play a suitable role in counteracting the U.S.’ unilateral policies and protect the landmark nuclear deal with Iran as a major fruit of multilateral diplomacy.

Rouhani made the remarks in a Thursday phone call with Charles Michel, president of the European Council, during which he highlighted the important role of the Council in setting the direction of the European Union’s major policies and delineating its priorities.

“As an important actor in the international arena, the European Union must play a suitable role to counteract the U.S. unilateralism,” Iran’s president said.

Rouhani reiterated that as such an important achievement for globally-inclusive diplomacy, the deal — officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — should not be allowed to come apart easily.

He advised that Mogherini’s successor Josep Borrell continue serving the duty of coordinator by devising the steps that could salvage the deal.

Michel, for his part, laid emphasis likewise on the need to save the nuclear deal and ensure its complete implementation on the part of all the signatories. He reiterated Europe’s sustained support for the accord in the aftermath of the US’ self-willed withdrawal.

The post Tehran Urges Washington to Effectively Lift All Sanctions appeared first on Iran News Daily.

According To Iran News, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reminded Washington that American forces “have no business 7,000 miles away from home” and are provoking Iranian sailors in the Persian Gulf.

“The US military is hit by over 5000 #covid19 infections. @realdonaldtrump should attend to their needs, not engage in threats cheered on by Saddam’s terrorists,” Zarif said in a tweet on Thursday.

“Also, US forces have no business 7,000 miles away from home, provoking our sailors off our OWN Persian Gulf shores,” he added.

The remarks came after US President Donald Trump said he had instructed the US navy to destroy Iranian boats “if they harass” US ships in the Persian Gulf.

“I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea,” Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday morning.

On Sunday, the IRGC Navy released a video showing a recent confrontation between its forces and the US navy in the Persian Gulf, refuting claims by Washington that Iranian forces behaved in a dangerous manner when faced with US navy vessels.

The post US Forces Have No Business in PG 7,000 Miles Away from Home appeared first on Iran News Daily.

According To Iran News, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said US sanctions have made it “impossible” for Iranians to have access to essential drugs during the Covid-19 pandemic, warning that the bans are leading to a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

“The illegal blockade of Iran’s financial resources by the sweeping US sanctions makes access to drugs and medical equipment impossible,” Zarif wrote, in an op-ed titled “Fight the virus, not us” published by Russian business newspaper Kommersant on Monday.

“This is leading to a humanitarian catastrophe,” the top diplomat warned, noting that Washington’s campaign of ‘maximum pressure’ on Tehran undermines the country’s efforts in treating Covid-19 patients and slowing down the spread of the deadly virus.

Zarif stressed that the threat of US sanctions forces banks to avoid dealing with Iran and prompts European medical companies to refuse to sell vital equipment to Tehran.

“The world community must come to its senses and help Iran against economic, medical and drug terrorism,” Zarif wrote.

In his op-ed, Zarif argued that Tehran has a “strong” healthcare system, but severe sanctions by Washington are decimating its finances. “The American policy of maximum pressure hampers Iranian exports, while Iran has fewer and fewer sources of investment,” he wrote.

The United States has refused to lift sanctions on Iran and even tightened them several times in recent weeks, making it almost impossible for the Islamic Republic to access life-saving medications and medical equipment.

Iran says the unilateral US sanctions imposed on the country have seriously hampered its fight against the pandemic.

The disease has so far killed 2,757 people and infected 41,495 others in Iran. A total of 13,911 people have also recovered.

The post US Sanctions Leading to Humanitarian Catastrophe appeared first on Iran News Daily.

According To Iran News, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is scheduled to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, the Russian foreign ministry announced.

“On December 30, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif will arrive in Moscow on a working visit, during which he will meet with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation said in a statement on Thursday.

It added, “The ministers will discuss the state of Russian-Iranian relations, prospects for further strengthening the bilateral political dialogue and developing ties in the trade, economic, cultural and other fields.”

“When discussing current issues on the international and regional agendas, special attention will be paid to the situation regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program, the Syrian settlement, developments in the Persian Gulf area and other regional issues.”

The post Iran’s FM to Visit Russia Monday appeared first on Iran News Daily.

He suggested that Iran did not plan to respond militarily to the move unless the United States changed the rules of engagement guiding how it interacts with Iran’s forces.

“We will exercise prudence but it doesn’t mean that if the United States changed the rules of the game, or changed the rules of engagement, it would be able to get away with that,” Zarif said.

When asked if US warships could still pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Zarif said, “Ships can go through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“If the United States wanted to continue to observe the rules of engagement, the rules of the game, the channels of communication, the prevailing protocols, then in spite of the fact that we consider US presence in the Persian Gulf as inherently destabilizing, we’re not going to take any action,” Zarif said.

Elsewhere in the interview, the Iranian minister signaled Tehran would be resilient in the face of US sanctions.

“I mean there are always ways of going around the sanctions. We have a PhD in that area,” Zarif said.

The United States on Monday demanded buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers which allowed Iran’s eight biggest buyers, most of them in Asia, to continue importing limited volumes.

Zarif said that oil sanctions hurt ordinary Iranians and the government would do whatever it could to sell oil to provide for its citizens.

The post Iran’s Zarif Calls US Blacklisting of IRGC ‘Absurd’ appeared first on Iran News Daily.