The post Iran, Ukraine Hold Second Round of Plane Crash Talks appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Iran, UN Stress Talks to End Syrian Crisis appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Iran Dismisses Talks with US After Russia Mediation appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Russian Foreign Minister, Zarif to Meet in Moscow on Tuesday appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Addressing a cabinet session on Wednesday, Rouhani said the White House keeps talking about readiness for talks with Iran and advises Tehran not to wait for the result of the US presidential election.

“We are not awaiting anything,” the president underlined, saying Tehran is always prepared for negotiations provided that the US observes the UN law and regulations, returns to the 2015 nuclear deal, and declares that the White House and the Congress are determined to make up for their mistakes.

“This is not something that we say we will make a decision about later. Our decision is clear,” the president said, urging the US to abide by the law, apologize to Iran, and pay compensation for the damages it has caused to the Iranian nation.

“They (Americans) created problems themselves. They were the ones who smashed the negotiating table and did injustice to the Iranian nation,” he said, adding that the US’ groundless talk of negotiations with Iran is a mere rhetoric ahead of the US election.

Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected the idea of direct negotiations with the US, stressing that Washington must first resume honoring its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and lift the sanctions on Tehran.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has ruled out the notion that settlement of Iran’s problems hinges on rapprochement with the US.

Negotiation with the US will by no means solve Iran’s woes as Washington’s main objective is to hinder Iran’s progress, American officials are liar and deceitful, and, moreover, the US itself is plagued with crises, Imam Khamenei said in 2016.

The post Rouhani: Iran Talks If US Apologizes, Returns to JCPOA appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Leader advisor rules out any possibility for talks with Trump appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The Chinese side is expected to be led by Yang Jiechi, a state councilor and member of the Communist Party Politburo, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will head the US team, the person said on condition of anonymity, the South China Morning Post reported.

The exact details and date of the meeting had yet to be decided, the source said.

Political media firm POLITICO reported on Saturday that Pompeo was planning a trip to Hawaii to meet Chinese government officials, though the arrangements had yet to be finalized.

The report, which cited two unnamed sources, did not specify which officials Pompeo would meet.

Should the meeting go ahead it would be the first involving top officials from the two sides since their relationship was hit by fresh pressures over the Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong, the protests linked to the killing of George Floyd, and their mutual military activity in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.

The last high-level face-to-face meeting was on January 15 in Washington when Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He and US President Donald Trump signed a phase one trade deal, although Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump have spoken twice over the telephone, on February 7 and March 27.

China-US tensions have been rising steadily in recent weeks. In early June, Trump threatened to revoke Hong Kong’s special status after China’s National People’s Congress endorsed a resolution to enact a national security law in the city, a move critics said would curtail its autonomy.

Beijing hit back by accusing Washington of meddling in its internal affairs.

The Trump administration has also lambasted Beijing for allowing the coronavirus to become a pandemic, which has so far killed more than 425,000 people around the world, though Beijing has accused Washington of trying to pass the buck to hide its own failings in dealing with Covid-19 in the US.

China’s state media has directly attacked Pompeo, describing him as the worst US secretary of state ever, while he has hit back by accusing Beijing of politicizing the Black Lives Matter protests.

Observers from both sides have appealed for calm from Beijing and Washington, with Chinese analysts saying the efforts of “Wolf Warrior” diplomats to defend Beijing had backfired and more effort was needed to avoid a total breakdown in China-US relations.

China is facing a hostile international environment as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, with many nations criticizing Beijing’s initial handling of the health crisis and trying to cover it up.

In his annual press conference last month, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Beijing and Washington should find ways to work together, and that decoupling would only do harm to both sides.

The post China, US Could Hold Talks in Hawaii, Source Says appeared first on Iran News Daily.

At least seven intelligence personnel were killed by a car bomb in the eastern province of Ghazni, Wahidullah Jumazada, spokesman for the province’s governor told AFP.

“The terrorists have used a humvee in their attack. They have targeted the National Directorate of Security unit in Ghazni city,” he said, adding that 40 people were wounded.

The interior ministry in Kabul and a health official in Ghazni also confirmed the car bomb.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter that its members had carried out the attack.

The bombing comes a day after President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah signed a new power-sharing accord in Kabul, ending their bitter months-long feud.

The agreement overcomes one of the hurdles to negotiations with the Taliban, which warned Monday that talks cannot open until a piecemeal prisoner swap is completed.

“That which is taking place in Kabul is only a repetition of the past failed experiences,” Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, said on Twitter in what was the group’s first reaction to the Ghani-Abdullah deal.

“Afghan sides should focus on the real and sincere solution to the issue… The prisoners’ release process should be completed and the intra-Afghan negotiations should start.”

Last week Ghani ordered security forces to switch to an “offensive” position against the Taliban after two deadly attacks killed dozens of people.

A daylight raid on a Kabul hospital left at least 24 people dead, including mothers and infants.

That attack, which triggered international outrage, was followed by a suicide bombing at a funeral that killed at least 32 mourners.

The Taliban denied involvement in either attack, although Ghani blamed the militants and the ISIL or ISIS group.

Following Ghani’s order, the Taliban warned it would increase attacks against Afghan security forces.

Afghanistan has seen a rise in insurgent attacks since the Taliban signed an agreement with the US meant to pave the way for talks between the government and militants.

The United States, willing to end its involvement in what has become its longest war, expressed hope that those talks could now move forward following the government’s political breakthrough.

The new power-sharing deal stipulates that Abdullah will lead the peace process and will fill 50 percent of the new cabinet positions.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Ghani and Abdullah “that the priority for the United States remains a political settlement to end the conflict”, his spokeswoman said in a statement.

The post Taliban Claims Attack As Pushing for Talks appeared first on Iran News Daily.

TEHRAN (Iran News) – President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday Iran will overcome US sanctions by either bypassing them or through negotiations, and it will not cross its red lines in any talks.

The post Bypassing sanctions or talks, we overcome appeared first on Iran News Daily.