TEHRAN (Iran News)  Hundreds of anti-war activists and human rights advocates gathered in central London on Saturday to protest against Israel’s ongoing military aggression against Iran, and call for an immediate end to Western political and military support for Tel Aviv.

Waving Iranian and Palestinian flags, the demonstrators chanted slogans against Israel and demanded a halt to arms sales to the regime.

Some carried placards reading, “Hands off Iran” and “Stop the war,” while others displayed images of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei with a message reading, “Choose the right side of history.”

The rally was organized by a coalition of over a dozen anti-war and rights groups.

In a statement, the Stop the War Coalition condemned the Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, oil depots, and residential areas as illegal, arguing that they would not have been possible without U.S. and British backing – the same support that, it said, has fueled the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The group drew parallels between the ongoing Israeli aggression against Iran and past U.S.-led military interventions in the region, warning of a repeat of the discredited “weapons of mass destruction” narrative used to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

“Israel remains the region’s only nuclear-armed power, led by an increasingly reckless leadership,” the statement said.

Lindsey German, a leading activist in the Stop the War Coalition, said the rally also aimed to pressure the British government to end arms sales to Israel.

“The war on Iran must stop,” she said. “Israel’s aggression amounts to a war crime, and its claims of self-defense are a complete fabrication.”

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TEHRAN (Iran News)  Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of London on Saturday to mark the 77th anniversary of Nakba Day, protesting against Israel’s continued occupation and aggression in Gaza and the West Bank.

Nakba, meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the forced displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians following the illegal creation of Israel on May 15, 1948. Protesters accused the British government of being “a partner in genocide in Gaza” due to its support for Israel and arms sales to the regime.

The protest, organized by the Palestinian Forum in Britain, was supported by groups including the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Friends of Al-Aqsa, the British Muslim Association, and several civil society organizations.

Demonstrators first gathered in Victoria Square, chanting slogans before marching towards Whitehall Street, home to the Prime Minister’s Office and key government ministries.

The rally comes amid growing international pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza and increased humanitarian aid for Palestinians. Protesters called for an end to British arms sales to Israel and demanded stronger diplomatic action to halt the genocide.

The protest follows weeks of global demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians, as humanitarian agencies warn of worsening conditions in Gaza. Organizers vowed to continue their efforts to pressure the British government into taking a stronger stance against Israel’s assaults on Gaza.

The protesters, carrying Palestinian flags, held placards with slogans such as “Stop the war in Gaza,” “No to the occupation,” “No to the siege,” and “Stop the genocide.”

Others waved signs that called for an immediate end to the Israeli regime’s attacks on Gaza and preventing the recurrence of “another Nakba.”

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Woodward repeated earlier accusations that Iran has attacked Israel’s Mercer Street. “The UK knows that Iran was responsible for this attack. We know it was deliberate and targeted. There is no justification for what happened,” she said, accusing Iran of disregarding international law.

She added, “The global economy, our food, our goods depends on the safety of commercial shipping. That’s why we have international laws that protect the freedom of navigation.”

The Iranian embassy took a jab at the British diplomat using its own words. “Good points,” the embassy said on Twitter.

It added, “Food, goods and commercial shipping of Iran is also being jeopardized for years either by unlawful sanctions or attacks on its vessels. But no reaction. International law shall apply on all and work for all.”

The embassy also called on the UK to present evidence to support its “grave” allegations. “Grave allegations need hard evidence,” it said.

Woodward reiterated the Group of Seven foreign ministers’ claim on Friday that Tehran was involved in the attack on the Israeli-managed oil tanker, which resulted in the death of two civilians, a British and a Romanian citizen.

The Iran on Saturday roundly dismissed the G7 accusations, calling them “groundless” and “anti-Iran.”

“We categorically condemn the unfounded statement by G7 foreign ministers and the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy in which baseless accusations have been leveled against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

“It is noteworthy that the scenario of this incident played out only a few days before the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president, which is a manifestation of the democratic transition of power in Iran,” he explained.

“Such baseless scenarios, which are usually developed by the Israeli regime, are aimed at stirring up tension, and are unfortunately believed by those who are ready to draw unreal and unwise conclusions,” said Khatibzadeh.

“In fact, those who are familiar with the history of this region are no strangers to such conspiracies by the Israeli regime at different points in time,” he noted.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has been fully committed to ensuring the security of the strategic Persian Gulf waterway and the Strait of Hormuz, and regards it as part of its own security and remains ready to work with the regional countries to establish and ensure a lasting collective security system in the region,” he noted.

Meanwhile, he added, Iran will not hesitate one iota to defend its sovereign rights in that domain.

Mercer Street was attacked off the coast of Oman on July 29 while traveling from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. The oil tanker, managed by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime, was reportedly attacked by suicide drones. Zodiac Maritime said two crewmen, a British and Romanian national, died in the attack.

“With profound sadness, we understand the incident onboard the M/T Mercer Street on 29 July, 2021 has resulted in the deaths of two crew members on board,” the UK-based Israeli company said in a statement on Friday afternoon, a day after the attack.

Israel, the U.S. and the UK blamed Iran for the attack without presenting any evidence to support their accusations.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett claimed that Tel Aviv knows with certainty Iran attacked the Mercer Street ship and will respond to it.

“I determine, with absolute certainty – Iran carried out the attack against the ship,” Bennett stated, according to the Jerusalem Post. “The intelligence evidence for this exists and we expect the international community will make it clear to the Iranian regime that they have made a serious mistake.”

He noted, “In any case, we know how to send a message to Iran in our own way.”

Iran has said it was not behind the attack on the Israeli ship. Khatibzadeh has responded to allegations by U.S. and UK top diplomats against Iran about the suspicious attack on the Israeli oil tanker.

Khatibzadeh said the statements issued by U.S. and UK top diplomats contain “contradictory” claims and “provocative and false accusations.” He condemned these statements and called them “deeply regrettable.”

“Such coordinated statements (from Britain and the U.S.) include contradictory phrases per se, in a way that they first level accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran without providing any evidence and document and then talk about the ‘possibility’ of this,” Khatibzadeh said.

The spokesman described Iran as an advocate and supporter of the safe navigation of ships in the Persian Gulf and international waters, and said as a country that has the longest sea borders in the Persian Gulf, Iran is always prepared for cooperation with regional countries to ensure maritime security.

He also noted that Iran considers the presence and interference of the extra-regional forces in the Persian Gulf waters and its littoral states to be harmful to the region’s stability and security.

“It is a pity that these countries (the U.S. and Britain) have remained supportively silent about the terrorist attacks and acts of sabotage against Iranian trade vessels in the Red Sea and international waters, but have raised bogus allegations against Iran with political bias in a brazen manner. If these countries have any evidence for their bogus claims, they should present them,” he added.

In a following tweet, Khatibzadeh warned, “As guarantor of Persian Gulf security, Iran strongly condemns provocative & orchestrated UK/US statements. Having kept silent abt REPEATED terrorist attacks on IRANIAN ships, they now baselessly accuse IRAN. Any anti-Iran adventurism will receive IMMEDIATE & DECISIVE response.”

In the midst of the kerfuffle over Mercer Street, several Western media outlets alleged that a number of commercial ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates were harassed by allegedly Iranian forces. Iran strongly denied any involvement and even said there were no incidents taking place in the Gulf of Oman, where the alleged harassment reported happened.

Allegations propagated by Western media were dismissed by Iranian officials as a prelude to new adventurism by the West against Iran. The senior spokesman for the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, denounced the Western press reports about the alleged incidents in the Gulf of Oman as “psych ops” and an effort to pave the way for new adventurism against Iran.

“Conflicting reports by Western, Zionist, and Saudi media about any maritime insecurity and hijacking of vessels in the region’s waters are sort of psych ops and a prelude to new adventurism,” the Iranian general said. “The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, while supporting passage of commercial ships, are well-prepared and have full intelligence surveillance over any suspicious moves.”

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Curated by Tima Jam, the month-long exhibition opens on July 1 exhibiting works by Salman Khoshru and Milad Musavi from Iran, Mustafa Horasan from Turkey, Olamide Ogunade Olisco from Nigeria and Horacio Quiroz from Mexico.

In an Instagram post, the gallery said, “Each artist explores notions of identity and the self through their own inventive use of color.

“The concept of identity and perception of the self is perhaps now more pertinent than ever.

“Throughout art history, color has been used in artworks to help create a sense of identity, by conveying intangible concepts such as emotions, dreams and mental states.

“Drawing on the theoretical framework of surrealism and seminal psychoanalytic studies, this exhibition aims to engage viewers with the subconscious perceptions of the self through artworks that utilize color to reveal emotion and expressivity.”

In his collection of deformed portraits, Khoshru has featured very emotional expressions, while Musavi mixes some media such as cinema and animation to showcase the subject of identity in his artworks.

Horasan’s artworks provide a deep insight into the issues concerning capitalism, social media and global economic inequality.

The artworks by Ogunade Olisco and Quiroz also represent the concept of indemnity in Africa and Latin America.

All the artists have organized many exhibitions in their homelands and prestigious art centers across the world.

Founded in 2016 by Daniel Levy, the Daniel Raphael Gallery is dedicated to emerging contemporary art.

By its exhibitions, the gallery intends to be interactive, thought-provoking and original.

The gallery has said that it aims to act as a platform for an international range of emerging and mid-career artists to establish themselves in the art world.

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At the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on May 1, the agenda was to discuss the names of the Iranian individuals and entities on the United States and European Union sanctions list.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on May 1, after the Joint Commission meeting, discussions are underway about a long list of individuals and organizations put on the sanctions list and that Iran wants them removed as well.

He stressed that there are disputes about a few names and entities.

“According to the agreements reached so far, sanctions on the energy sector or the car industry, financial sectors, banking systems, and ports should be lifted,” Araghchi said after the JCPOA joint commission meeting.

This clarifies the Vienna negotiations agenda, denying claims that the Tehran-Washington and Tehran-London prisoner swap was discussed in the Joint Commission meetings.

According to Al Mayadeen News Network, Tehran and Washington have agreed to exchange four American spies for $7b and four Iranian prisoners.

The Iranian prisoners have helped circumvent the U.S. sanctions, while the American prisoners have been spying for the CIA.

Similar negotiations have taken place between Iran and the UK, resulting in the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, in exchange for London unfreezing 400 million pounds of frozen Iranian funds in London.

History suggests that these negotiations take place between top foreign policy and national security officials. Therefore, it cannot be expected that deputies would discuss such issues.

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As the death toll rises, the government is facing growing criticism over its response to the pandemic. It was slower to impose a lockdown than European peers and is struggling to raise its testing capacity.

Back in mid-March, the government’s chief scientific adviser said that keeping the death toll below 20,000 would be a “good outcome”.

Deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals across the United Kingdom increased Friday by 684 in 24 hours to 19,506, meaning the 20,000 marks may well be crossed Saturday, Reuters reported.

Britain has the fifth-highest official coronavirus death toll in the world, after the United States, Italy, Spain, and France. Scientists have said that the death rate will only start to decline quickly in another couple of weeks.

The total number of deaths is likely to be thousands higher once more comprehensive but lagging figures that include deaths in nursing homes are added. As of April 10, the hospital toll underestimated deaths by around 40 percent.

Stephen Powis, the medical director of the National Health Service (NHS) in England, declined to give a new number, but told BBC Radio:

“It will take some time, it may take many years, before the full effect of the pandemic is known in this country.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is still recovering after falling seriously ill with COVID-19 earlier this month and in his absence, government ministers have been struggling to explain high death rates, limited testing, and shortages of protective equipment for medical workers and carers.

There are concerns that limited testing could mean a slow exit from lockdown and a worse hit for Britain’s economy, the world’s fifth-largest.

The government’s target of hitting 100,000 tests per day by the end of April is just days away. Reaching it would require a big leap from the 28,532 tests carried out on 23 April, the last day for which data is available.

Striking a positive note, medical director Powis said the NHS had not been overwhelmed in the way that hospitals in some other countries have been. Healthcare providers were now preparing to ramp up non-coronavirus treatments, such as restarting planned surgeries.

“As we are now beginning to see a decline, a decrease, in the number of patients with coronavirus, it is absolutely the time to start building up our services again,” he said.

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Around 150 firefighters struggled to tackle a blaze at an office building in London’s historic law district.

The London Fire Brigade was called to Chancery Lane in Holborn at 10.40 pm Saturday after receiving reports of a fire at the six-storey building.

A large section of the roof and parts of the third, fourth and fifth floors were alight, a fire brigade spokesman said, Sky News reported.

Nearly 30 people managed to flee the building before fire crews arrived. Eleven people were forced to leave their flats nearby which were evacuated as a precaution.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known.

Twenty five fire engines remained at the scene on Sunday morning after crews from across London were called to help tackle the blaze.

There were no reports of any injuries.

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Protesters chanting expletive-laden slogans eventually converged on Downing Street, which was temporarily placed under lockdown – disrupting cabinet members coming and going through the evening to learn of their new roles, AFP reported.

Images of the scene showed plumes of blue and pink smoke from flares lit by demonstrators rising above the crowds.

“I’m here to protest against Boris Johnson’s policies,” Andy Unger, a university professor in London, said as the youthful crowd cheered various addresses by activists.

“We’ve gone into an age in politics where facts don’t matter and Johnson has been spectacularly successful in exploiting that.

“I just don’t think he’s the right person to be prime minister – he’s not my prime minister,” he added.

Attendees, holding an array of placards – emblazoned with slogans like “kick Johnson out!” and “wake me up from this nightmare” – marched to Westminster after first rallying in Russell Square by the University of London campus.

The “street festival” demonstration was supported by various progressive groups, including Momentum, the left-wing campaign organization closely aligned with the main opposition Labour Party.

They said up to 10,000 people had attended the protest.

Shadow finance minister John McDonnell was among those to address the crowds.

“Do not fall for this buffoonery: Boris Johnson is dangerous,” he warned, in reference to the new premier’s trademark bombastic style.

“He’s dangerous for our communities, he’s dangerous for our society, he’s dangerous for the rest of Europe and our globe as well.”

Valentina Frasca, of south London, was another to turn out with family members.

“I dislike Boris a lot,” said the 37-year-old teacher.

“He’s a racist and a xenophobe, he’s a liar, he’s not a leader.

“I know how Americans feel now – I feel quite embarrassed,” she added, in reference to those similarly opposed to US President Donald Trump.

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The SPV was aimed at preparing the ground for saving normal financial activities between European small medium-sized enterprises with Iran and in the first step, it was to cover medicines and food trades.

The head of the SPV Mr. Fischer went to London last week to talk with British businessmen, traders and financial institutes to find legal mechanisms and grounds for launching the SPV, and ways to lessen fears of British businessmen from the U.S. reactions.

In a meeting with the British commercial companies and officials in London, he presented an explanation on the function of the system and addressed concerns of the British companies in doing business with Iran.

The meeting was held on the initiative of the UK Department for International Trade and the British Iranian Chamber of Commerce.

In London, Fischer said that he was there to develop interactions between the INSTEX and British banks and business institutes, adding that he was happy to say that the INSTEX was seriously seeking to conduct the first trade exchange with its similar Iranian company in the shortest time possible despite existing challenges.

He added that the meeting indicates that London is fully eager to take advantage of this new mechanism “INSTEX”, adding while they are getting closer to the launch of the mechanism, those talks become important in order to become certain that the mechanism is on the right track, saying that the mechanism has been prepared in accordance with Iran’s demands.

Before his meeting in London, Fischer had meetings with Iranian officials in late April. He then in London got necessary licenses and green-lights and both sides signed agreements for the next steps and UK’s share of the INSTEX.

European sides have claimed that since February, the INSTEX has witnessed good progresses and effective steps have been taken, adding that after removing hurdles, it will become operational.

Many in Iran believe that Europe will never enter this game with Iran and the INSTEX is like an elusive rattlebox which has been created to entertain Iran for a while.

That it is said some good progresses have been made since February is like a joke and this progress has not been felt by any Iranian to confirm this belief that Europe has been really after a solution

By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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As CNBC reported, Theresa May managed to convince EU leaders to grant the U.K. more time before it leaves the bloc, but experts say her days in office are now numbered. “A six-month period is clearly enough for the Conservative Party to contemplate a change in leadership while still allowing some time for the incoming PM to seek to negotiate with the EU,” J.P. Morgan economist Malcolm Barr said in a research note Thursday. “One could even cram a general election into that time frame too if PM May were to resign by roughly the end of May.”

More tumult in British politics is expected despite a reprieve from Brussels on Wednesday night, with EU leaders agreeing to a “flexible extension” of the Brexit deadline until October 31, following a request from May.Despite the Brexit extension Wednesday evening, May will still work to get her deal passed (which would allow the U.K. to leave earlier) and would like to do so before a May 22 cut-off point — after which the U.K. must take part in EU Parliamentary elections.

The fact is that many British officials are planning to make the situation in the country more politically complicated.

They believe that the complexity of the situation will lead to a new referendum in this country. The six-month deadline for European officials to England will also provide the ground for a new referendum in Britain. Everyone knows well that senior officials and supporters of the British Labor Party and the British Conservative Party are opposed to the exit from the European Union.

The authorities seem to have sent signals to the European Union on a six-month extension of the talks. Meanwhile, one cannot ignore the role of politicians such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (the main opposition to leaving Europe).

At present, many British citizens are confused about the political situation in this country. This confusion is the result of the joint London and Brussels game. The “automatic exit from the European Union” option, if the negotiations were not successful, was previously raised by French President Emmanuel Macron but he and other European officials retreated. The secret purpose of some European officials and most British officials is clear: to hold a referendum again in Britain and stay in the EU! The purposeful game started two years ago and approaches its end point.

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