politics Archives - Iran News Daily

Kyrgyzstan President Jeenbekov Resigns

reporter 1222 — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 11:51:06 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov has declared his resignation, the presidential press service said on Thursday.

“I do not cling to power. I do not wish to go down in Kyrgyzstan’s history as a president who shed blood and shot at his own citizens. For this reason, I have made a decision to resign,” the president said in a statement uploaded to his website, TASS reported.

Jeenbekov said he valued the country’s integrity, the unity of the people and calm in society above all. “Nothing is more precious to me that the life of each fellow citizen,” Jeenbekov said.

The situation in Kyrgyzstan is close to a conflict between law enforcers and demonstrators, the outgoing leader said. He asked Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov and other politicians to persuade their supporters to leave the country’s capital and restore life to normal.

“Regrettably, the aggression continues unabated and demands for my resignation are still there.

“The current situation is close to a bilateral conflict. On the one hand, there are the protesters, and on the other, the law enforcement agencies. Servicemen and law enforcers are obliged to use weapons to protect the state residence. In this case there will be bloodshed. It is inevitable. I am calling upon both parties to avoid yielding to provocations.”

Jeenbekov has been Kyrgyzstan’s president for three years. He was elected on October 15, 2017. All of Kyrgyzstan’s presidents left office at 61 years of age. Some did so voluntarily and others were ousted.

On October 4, Kyrgyzstan saw parliamentary elections. The next day the supporters of those political parties which failed to gain seats in the national legislature staged overnight mass rioting in the capital Bishkek, seized government buildings and freed the country’s former president, Almazbek Atambayev, and a number of other politicians, including Sadyr Japarov, the country’s current prime minister, from a detention center. More clashes between the supporters of different opposition forces followed in the center of Bishkek.

Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov and Parliamentary Speaker Dastanbek Jumabekov stepped down. After that Jeenbekov imposed a state of emergency on the capital city. The Central Election Commission declared the election returns void. An election rerun date is to be set before November 6. On Tuesday and Wednesday, a new speaker of parliament and head of government were elected.

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Iran Would Take Decisive Action Against US Blow to JCPOA

reporter 1222 — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 09:39:11 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would take decisive action should the US government attempt to deal a political blow to the 2015 nuclear deal, JCPOA.

Addressing a cabinet session in Tehran, Rouhani said the US has so far dealt with economic blows to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

If the US seeks to harm the JCPOA politically, Iran will not tolerate it and will take decisive action, the president cautioned.

He also described the full support that 14 members of the UN Security Council voiced for the JCPOA and for the UNSC Resolution 2231 at a Tuesday meeting of the council as a “display of another political defeat for the US” vis-� -vis Iran.

Rouhani also reiterated that Iran will immediately begin to honor its JCPOA commitments in full as soon as the other parties fulfill their JCPOA commitments.

He also highlighted Iran’s policy of constructive interaction with the region and the world, saying Iran has established close ties with Russia and China in a way that the three nations are standing together over all regional and international issues.

Rouhani pointed to an upcoming videoconference with his Russian and Turkish counterparts as an example of the Iranian administration’s policy of constructive interaction.

The presidents of Iran, Russia, and Turkey are going to hold an online summit of the Astana Peace Process on Wednesday.

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Lebanon Summons US Ambassador

reporter 1222 — Sun, 28 Jun 2020 11:50:45 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the US ambassador to Lebanon to protest against his interference in the country’s internal affairs.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned US Ambassador Dorothy Shea and she will meet with Lebanese Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti on Monday, Elnashra reported.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that according to the Vienna Agreement, the ambassador has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the host country and should not say anything to provoke Lebanese against the government.

US ambassador to Beirut, Dorothy Shea, claimed on Friday that Hezbollah is an obstacle to resolving the Lebanese economic crisis and that Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah is threatening Lebanon’s stability.

Following these remarks, Lebanese media outlets were forbidden to interview with Shea for one year.

Shea was also summoned on March 20 regarding the escape of Amer Fakhoury, the Israeli regime’s spy.

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Iran ready for prisoner swap with US

reporter 1222 — Mon, 11 May 2020 03:54:39 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran said Sunday it is ready for a full prisoner swap with the United States “with no preconditions” but that Washington was yet to respond.

“We said some time ago that we are ready to exchange all prisoners without preconditions… but Americans have not responded yet,” government spokesman Ali Rabiei said.

“It now appears that Americans are more ready than before to end this situation,” he added, implying that Iran was waiting for a reply.

“Washington is aware of our readiness and we think there is no need for a third country to mediate between Tehran and Washington for the prisoner exchange,” Rabiei said.

“However, if the American side agrees, the interest section of Iran in Washington will inform the US of our views on the details, including how and when the exchange will take place.”

Tehran and Washington cut diplomatic relations shortly after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Switzerland looks after US interests with Tehran.

Rabiei also expressed concern about the health of some Iranian prisoners detained in the United States and said they are not being treated well.

“We are worried about the safety and health of jailed Iranians in America … We hold America responsible for their safety amid the coronavirus outbreak,” Rabiei said.

One of them is Sirous Asgari, an Iranian scientist infected with the novel coronavirus while in detention, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said Monday that “everything is prepared” and declared “he will soon return to Iran”.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in December that Tehran was ready for a full prisoner exchange with the United States, tweeting: “The ball is in the US’ court”.

Last December, Iran freed US citizen Xiyue Wang, who had been held for three years on spying charges, and the United States released Iranian Massoud Soleimani, who faced charges of violating US sanctions on Iran.

Several dozen Iranians are being held in US prisons, many of them for “breaking American sanctions” on Iran.

Iran is holding US citizens Siamak Namazi, convicted on charges that include espionage, his father Baqer, and Morad Tahbaz.

According to the US State Department, Iran temporarily released US Navy veteran Micheal White on March 19.

Both countries have called for releasing prisoners over the virus outbreak.

If a swap goes ahead, it would be one of the very few instances of cooperation in an otherwise deeply frayed US-Iran relationship, which has grown more hostile since US President Donald Trump took office.

Iran is battling what is West Asia’s most deadly outbreak, while the US has reported the highest total number of virus deaths worldwide.

The Islamic Republic has temporarily released more than 100,000 inmates in several stages since March, according to its judiciary.

Iran and the US have been at loggerheads for decades.

Tensions between them have escalated since 2018 when Trump withdrew the US from a landmark nuclear accord and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

Animosity reached historic heights in early January when top Iranian military commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike in Baghdad. Iran retaliated on Jan. 9 by firing missiles at bases in Iraq where US troops were stationed.

AFP and Reuters contributed to this story.

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Zarif: World to fail again if pandemic can’t stop unilateralism

reporter 1222 — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 08:03:46 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed if the coronavirus pandemic fails to stop melancholy in politics and irresponsible unilateralism, the world and its moral values will fail again.

In an Instagram post in Persian on Monday, Zarif wrote, “These days the world is fighting against a pandemic. This time, it is not related to the borders and interests but it is about humanity, living, and staying.”

“The painful image of these days is the only image of our day that has put the whole world in an unprecedented quest against a universal challenge,” he added.

“For the world to come back to life, we must believe that all this earth is a land of struggle and that wherever we fail, the whole world has failed,” Zarif noted.

“The world owes all efforts whether in Wuhan, Tehran, Milan, Madrid or New York,” he said, adding, “Every bitter news and sad picture of human deaths demand the mourning of the whole world.”

The Iranian diplomat highlighted, “Fighting against coronavirus is a human campaign and disrupting it will be immoral and inhumane.”

FM Zarif insisted that if the global coronavirus epidemic fails to stop melancholy in politics and irresponsible unilateralism, the world and its moral values will fail again.

“The Iranian health sector, citizens and government, like Europe and the United States, are engaged in countering coronavirus, but what doubles the suffering of Iranians, what limits their choices in crisis management, and what aggravates concerns for citizens’ livelihood, is that sanctions and coronavirus are coming at the same time,” he said.

“Iran is the only country that does not have access to all of its resources to protect its citizens; Iran is the only country that cannot easily buy medical equipment and supplies in the face of disease,” Zarif noted, adding, “The combination of sanctions and coronavirus is a more dangerous enemy and a more serious complication which makes corona bolder and makes crisis management decisions more difficult.”

Iranian FM said, “The world needs a moral will against the US’ excessive demands, and complying with sanctions should not lead to more war crimes.”

“This is the nastiest face of a government, addicted to sanctions, that seeking to revive the failed campaign of maximum pressure by weakening Iran against coronavirus,” he added, saying, “Every effort of the Iranian diplomacy is to protect the health of the citizens because people are always a top priority.”

“Along with nurses, doctors, hospital staff, and other sectors, Iranian diplomats are also ready to confront coronavirus,” Zarif said.

“To fight the coronavirus, along with the efforts of my colleagues around the world to fulfill the medical needs of the country, we must try to discredit the sanctions and this is the duty of Iranian diplomacy,” the Iranian FM stressed.

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UK to improve policy with Iran: Spox

reporter 1222 — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 05:30:00 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – A spokesman for the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the UK wants a better relationship with Iran in the post-Brexit period. The spokesperson made the remarks on Saturday in an exclusive interview with IRNA correspondent in London on condition of anonymity. The full text of the interview is as follows:

Q: Following Britain’s exiting the EU, the prime minister has launched a review on UK’s foreign policy to redefine its place in the world. How does the PM look at the UK and Iran’s relationship in the post Brexit period? (e.g. trade, political , health, agriculture,…)?

A: The UK wants a better relationship with Iran. Our response to the coronavirus outbreak shows that we are committed to working together on issues of shared concern.

And we remain committed to working with Iran to preserve the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] nuclear deal. Our objective, alongside France and Germany, in triggering the deal’s dispute mechanism is to preserve it and work with all parties, including Iran, to find a diplomatic way forward.

Q: For many, the idea of UK leaving the EU means that it will get closer to US policies. Does the PM agree with this statement?

A: The UK continues to work closely with our partners on foreign policy, including the EU and the US.

But we have also been clear that where we disagree with any partner, we will always seek open and frank discussions, and when we think something is wrong, we say it.

Q: Does UK’s independence from the EU make the case for any coordinated UK-US approach towards Iran and in contrary to EU’s position?

A: The UK’s foreign policy will not be determined by choosing between the US, and Europe or indeed anyone else, but instead by considered judgements of where our national interests lie.

Q: Could you also elaborate on the idea of “Trump’s deal”, and if it means UK is signaling to withdraw from the JCPOA?

A: The JCPOA is the only deal that currently exists, and we are committed to preserving it.

Q: When there is a case for Trump’s deal, there will always be a case for US-deal after President Trump. This will become precedent in international norms that the US steps out of an internationally agreed deal and pushes for another one. Would you agree with this statement?

A: It’s no secret that we and the US have different views on the nuclear deal. We have always said we regret US withdrawal and the reimposition of US sanctions. But as the prime minister has said before, including at the UN General Assembly in September, if in the future we can agree a better deal that has the support of the US as well then that is something we will work towards.

Q: It was reported that US is putting pressure on the UK that if it wants a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, then it must withdraw from the JCPOA. Your comments please if this is true, and if so what has been UK’s response.

A: We remain committed to finding a diplomatic way forward to preserve the JCPOA.

Q: The outbreak of coronavirus worldwide and in Iran is worrisome. The country is largely suffering from lack of access to medication due to US sanctions.

It was mentioned today in the briefing that the UK will cooperate with other countries to combat the virus. Does this include cooperation with Iran? If so in what form and scale?

A: We continue to work closely with the WHO and the international community to ensure that we can best work together on our response to this outbreak.

As announced this week, the UK, together with France and Germany, are offering UN agencies in Iran a comprehensive package of material and financial support to combat the rapid spread of the disease there.

Q: Will the UK try to persuade the US to practically lift medical sanctions on Iran to combat this global outbreak? If so what practical measures has been taken.

A: As we’ve said before, we do not agree with the policy of maximum economic pressure. We work closely with the US on matters relating to the Middle East, and the US is aware of our position.

We, alongside international partners, are developing INSTEX [the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges] as a mechanism to overcome some of the blockages in financial channels for trade with Iran.

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Rouhani Appreciated Iranians Cooperation in Battle with COVID-19

reporter 1222 — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 11:22:04 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranians President Hassan Rouhani hailed people of the country for cooperation with the Health Ministry in the fight against the COVID-19 and prayed that the disease would be eradicated soon.

In comments after planting a sapling in Tehran to mark the national Week of Natural Resources, Rouhani applauded Iranians as doctors, nurses and medical staff for their devotion to duty in the efforts to contain the novel coronavirus, aka COVID-19, in the country.

He also appreciated Iranian people for cooperating with the Health Ministry in the battle with COVID-19.

The president said that healthcare considerations have been given much more attention after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, and people have realized that they must attach greater significance to the protection of the health of themselves, their children and others.

“Undoubtedly, one thing that could ensure the health of society is paying attention to the protection of rangelands and planting trees,” he further said.

Describing plans to protect the health of cities and boost social vitality as a main duty of the administration, Rouhani prayed God that the country would soon get rid of the coronavirus epidemic.

In the event, the president inaugurated a major project to establish a stand of trees covering an area of 1,290 hectares around the metropolis of Tehran as part of the ‘Green Belt Plan’.

Highlighting the significance of afforestation and protection of the environment, the president said a report released by the Municipality of Tehran indicates that the number of trees and forestation projects around the capital has risen by 16.5 times in comparison to the early days after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

“Paying attention to planting trees as the respiratory airways and lungs of the society could greatly help tackle air pollution,” he stressed.

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Libyan Crisis Demand Political Solution: PM

reporter 1222 — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 10:15:34 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj reiterated Saturday that the Libyan crisis could be solved through negotiations and officials should go after political solution.

The Libyan crisis could be solved politically rather than military but as long as commander Khalifa Haftar continues to target civilian settlements, talks for a solution and negotiations could not continue, Sarraj told reporters in Tripoli. And he characterized as “war crimes” the warlord’s recent attacks targeting civilians, Anadolu Agency reported.

At least 30 people were killed and 33 injured Jan. 5 when Haftar’s forces launched an airstrike on the dormitory of a military school in Tripoli, mainly targeting students.

Since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: Haftar in eastern Libya, supported mainly by Egypt and the UAE, and the GNA in Tripoli, which enjoys the UN and international recognition.

Libya’s government has been under attack by Haftar since last April, with more than 1,000 lives lost in the violence.

Warring parties announced a cease-fire Jan. 12 in response to a joint call by Turkey and Russia. However, talks for a permanent cease-fire ended without an agreement after Haftar left Moscow on Jan. 14 without signing a deal.

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Failure to join FATF is harmful

reporter 1222 — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 06:29:56 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – A senior political analyst has said that failure to join the Financial Action Task Force, aka FATF, is harmful to the country.

“Opposition and failure of acting despite regulations of the FATF is harmful to the country and will make the situation of the country worse and will add to the economic problems. So, this issue must not be viewed just from political and factional aspects. There should be a more comprehensive view on the country’s interests,” Davoud Hermidas-Bavand, professor of political science and international law, told ISNA in an interview published on Wednesday.

He noted that failure to conform to banking and financial standards will cause serious problems.

However, Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of the Expediency Council, said on Wednesday that politicizing the issue of FATF and exerting pressure on the council to approve it are “suspicious”. Rezaee said the issue is being discussed by the opponents and proponents in the council.

On December 24, Rezaee said that Palermo and CFT bills are still under assessment in the council. “The FATF-related bills (Palermo and CFT) are still under evaluation in the Expediency Council, so, I can’t say anything now (about the outcome of assessment),” Rezaee said, according to Fars.

Diako Hosseini, director of the World Studies Program at the presidential Centre for Strategic Studies, told IRNA in an interview published on Monday that being blacklisted by the FATF will have serious consequences.

“The consequences can be equal to return to the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions against Iran,” Hosseini said.

He noted that a wise decision must be taken regarding the country’s situation.

Abolfazl Soroush, a member of the Hope parliamentary faction, told ISNA in an interview published on Saturday that joining the FATF will prevent the economic isolation of Iran.

“The truth is that Iran’s joining to the FATF will not result in a miracle, however, it will prevent worsening of the country’s economic situation,” he said.

He noted that joining the FATF does not mean an end to the United States’ sanctions, however, it will prevent more economic pressure on the country.

Mehdi Zakarian, an expert on international relations, also told IRNA in an interview published on Saturday that “standards of the FATF have turned into an international convention in countering corruption and money laundering, and Iran is required to join it in order to be present at the international arena.”

Hossein Abbasinejad, the dean of the faculty of economics at the University of Tehran, also told IRNA in an interview published on Saturday that it is wise to take a decision in line with the country’s interests.

He said that refusing to approve bills related the FATF will cause more economic problems for the country.

The FATF must be studied regardless of factional disputes, Abbasinejad noted.

In a letter to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a number of MPs have pushed for the approval of the FATF by the Expediency Council.

MP Shahabuddin Bimeghdar told IRNA on Wednesday that it is said in the letter that being blacklisted by the FATF will isolate the economy which is already restricted by the United States’ “cruel sanctions”.

The MPs said failure to join the FATF will cause “closure of the bank accounts in foreign countries”, “accusations of money laundering against the country”, “international distrust”, “financial and banking crisis”, “inefficiency of Iranian bank branches in foreign countries” and also “destabilization in stock exchange market”.

In October 2018, the parliament voted to join the FATF. However, the Guardian Council rejected it. Now the ball is in the Expediency Council’s court.

When there is a dispute between parliament and the Guardian Council the issue is referred to as the Expediency Council for final arbitration.

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said on October 18 that it has given Iran a final deadline of February 2020 to tighten its laws against money laundering in compliance with the global watchdog’s financial standards.

“If before February 2020, Iran does not enact the Palermo and Terrorist Financing Conventions in line with the FATF Standards, then the FATF will fully lift the suspension of counter-measures and call on its members and urge all jurisdictions to apply effective counter-measures, in line with recommendation 19,” the FATF said in a statement, Reuters reported.

The government is pushing for the approval of the FATF.

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Any war between the US and Iran would be a catastrophe. And no one could win it

reporter 1222 — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 08:30:39 +0000

Donald Trump’s recent decisions to avoid military action against Iran in the face of tactical humiliation and strategic threats have been smart, subtle and ethically unimpeachable. Iran News quotes CNN story of consequences of potential war between the US and Iran.

They’re also a gamble.

According to intelligence sources in the Middle East and the West, recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities were launched from Iranian soil. Iran has been blamed by the US, UK, France and Germany among others for being behind the cruise missile attacks; claims that the Houthi rebels in Yemen were responsible were dismissed as implausible.

But the outright allegation that the Iranians actually attacked Saudi Arabia from Iran — an act of war — has yet to be made in public, even though, according to the sources, intelligence officials have told politicians they are 100% certain their information is accurate.

The choice to hold such data back rests in the hope that, while it remains an open secret, there might be opportunities to dial down the dangers of war in the Gulf through diplomacy.

The extent of the urgency of achieving this was visible at the United Nations General Assembly last week where the French led efforts to lead the US and Iran towards talks.

Acknowledging a brazen act of violence against a sovereign nation would almost inevitably demand a violent response from that nation or her allies and put an end to diplomacy.

The gamble for Trump and other leaders is that a reluctance to act, in retaliation for what was a strategically effective attack on Saudi Arabia, may be seen in Tehran as weakness.

And that could result in a further escalation which, in the view of many sources in diplomacy and intelligence across the region, would most certainly trigger a conflict.

Attacking Iran would set off a complex war that simply could not be won by the West and its allies — and could easily be lost.

So far operations that the US has blamed on Iran against shipping in the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia’s oil industry and the downing of a US drone have been bloodless.

However much the Iranians deny their involvement, it seems their actions hae been carefully calibrated to signal greater dangers to come — and Iran’s military reach.

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