IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK

TEHRAN – Chairman of Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce Majid Reza Hariri says anybody who talks about the future of China’s 25-year cooperation program with Iran just expresses his own opinion and it can be invalid and the only source whose opinion and news on this cooperation is valid and authentic is the center which has been launched in Iran and former Majlis Speaker Mr. Ali Larijani is in charge of it.

Speaking to ILNA, Hariri reacted to the remarks of one of Majlis lawmakers who claimed the China government delays implementing its 25-year cooperation program with Iran as the Chinese are waiting for the next government in Iran. He added when one government is in its last days and a new government is to take office, it usually affects on the international interactions but the comprehensive Sino-Iran 25-year cooperation program has been drawn up in a way that it is not dependent on the governments and for this reason a long-term plan has been drawn up, and  it means the relation between the Islamic Republic establishment and China.

He added therefore regarding these relations it makes no difference whether Mr Rouhani’s government to be in charge or the next government because it is not supposed the tastes of governments to be involved in this regard.

Hariri added that it has been tried this program to be above the government or political fraction approaches, and since the day one it has been decided the program to advance between the Islamic Republic establishment and China. He noted so for shaping this relation, in 2018 Mr. Larijani went to China as Iran’s representative, it means no government official has been chosen for this task and Mr. Larijani accompanied by seven government ministers conveyed Supreme Leader’s message to China.

He stipulated that it means this program has nothing to do with governments and after that visit, the government officially announced that Mr. Larijani is in charge of managing negotiations between Iran and China for drawing up the comprehensive plan. He noted Mr. Larijani has no parliamentary or government job and he has been appointed in charge of this program as the representative of the establishment and currently he is managing it and he is busy with his job in an office which has been allocated for it.

Hariri reiterated that some specialized workgroups are working on this program and it has nothing to do with the change of governments. He emphasized the necessity of univocal in negotiations, and avoiding any distractive remarks. He reiterated that the only legitimate place whose news on this relation is authentic and is allowed to talk on is this center.

He added that anybody except this center who talks about this program is just expressing his personal opinion and it may be wrong.

Hariri noted that any remark on this cooperation program is just for domestic consumption and inter-political front disputes and can have negative impact on the negotiations. He said all of us are to have one voice and the voice is that both Supreme Leader has ordered and the government has approved it, so other voices and remarks may disrupt the trend of these talks.

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IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

TEHRAN – Iran says it will not let those behind the assassination of the country’s legendary anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani evade punishment.

“We will not allow the martyr’s blood to go to waste and those who did it escape punishment,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a virtual news conference in Tehran Monday.

The Islamic Republic has ceaselessly pursued this matter and will keep doing so through the international channels, he said.

“This is not something that the Iranian government and the establishment could let go by. The U.S. administration is accountable in this regard,” the diplomat added.

Khatibzadeh said the United States committed a monumental strategic mistake by perpetrating the terrorist act.

“We will not abandon this pursuit until we have taken all those who abetted this [atrocity] or were involved in it, to the altar of justice.”

General Soleimani was the former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). He was admired as the Middle East’s most potent counter-terrorism combatant, with a unique charisma.

He was Iran’s lead military advisor helping in Iraq and Syria defeat foreign-backed takfiri terrorists, chiefly Daesh in late 2017.

He was assassinated in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on January 3 during an official visit. His Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Hashd al-Sha’abi anti-terror force, was also killed along with their other companions when their convoy was hit.

Khatibzadeh touched on Tehran’s efforts to present the enormity of the atrocity to the world and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Islamic Republic, he said, has registered more than five letters and official notes with the United Nations and used its diplomatic missions to introduce General Soleimani and the nature of his mission to the world.

The official said Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, denounced the assassination as an act of terrorism earlier this year, only after Iran’s Foreign Ministry presented the world body with a detailed account of the circumstances surrounding the terrorist act.

Tehran will follow up on its efforts in this area across international courts and tribunals, he added.

Apart from commanding the Quds Force, General Soleimani served as a “pillar of regional stability” who contributed most to the realization of peace and maintaining interaction with different leaders of the region, Khatibzadeh said.

The spokesman touched on General Soleimani’s famous “We are a nation of martyrdom” remarks, saying extremism cannot be defeated unless through the courage and pure blood of those confronting

Khatibzadeh further warned the outgoing administration of President Donald Trump against any new adventurism, saying the U.S. would bear responsibility for any act of mischief.

“We are not looking for tension, but we would defend Iran’s national interests with all our might,” he said, adding the Islamic Republic has given the message that it would hold “the U.S. and other plotters” responsible for any mischievous act against it.

Khatibzadeh said he hoped level heads would prevail at the White House over warmongering elements during the final days of the Trump administration.

The spokesperson also said that Iran has never been willing to resolve its issues in another region and it is the United States who has made regional countries as bases of insecurity against Iran.

Khatibzadeh answered questions raised by reporters over recent development in the field of foreign policy.

The senior Iranian diplomat spoke about the recent meeting JCPOA member countries at the ministerial level, stating that in the meeting the Islamic Republic emphasized the commitments of the other side, and the latest situation was discussed in this informal meeting.

In response to a question about Muqtada al-Sadr’s claims that Iran should not turn Iraq into a place of conflict with the United States and the purpose of the recent rocket attacks on the Green Zone in Iraq, he said, “I said last week that in our view, attacks on diplomatic and residential premises are completely rejected. Iranian diplomatic facilities in Iraq have been attacked several times.”

What Trump and Pompeo claimed are both condemned and rejected, he said, adding that the type, timing, and content of such claims and tweets are questionable and suspicious.

“We have made our message clear, while we do not seek tension, we defend the interests and national security of Iran with all our might”, he stressed.

According to Khatibzadeh Iran has never been willing to resolve its issues in another region and it is the United States who has made the countries of region bases of insecurity against Iran.

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TEHRAN (IFP) – Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has rejected any negotiation over the Islamic Republic’s “legitimate” ballistic missile program.

According To Iran News, Majid Takht Ravanchi said at a virtual UN meeting that Iran’s defense policy is crystal clear.

“On numerous occasions, we have made our position on the country’s defense capabilities completely clear,” he noted.

“Under the international law, every country is essentially entitled to develop a conventional missile program, and Iran is not exception,” said the official.

“Hence, Iran will not negotiate on its legitimate ballistic missile program,” he underlined.

He said Iran pays due regard to its national security.

“As Iran is located in a sensitive region such as the Middle East, we will not allow our security and conventional defense might to be compromised, restricted or undermined,” he said.

“Iran won’t be intimidated into abandoning its legitimate defense tolls by the bullying policies of certain powers,” said Takht Ravanchi.

He said the only source of instability and insecurity in the region is the presence of a large number of American troops in almost all countries neighboring Iran and the ones in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman region.

Another source of instability and insecurity, he said, is the flow into the region of the most sophisticated weapons made by the US and other Western countries.

“The Persian Gulf has been suffering from foreign interference and unfair rivalries for years. Due to the unrestrained inflow of dangerous Western weapons, this region has turned into a powder keg. In order to sell more arms, these countries fuel differences in the region and have adopted the ‘divide and rule’ policy,” he said.

He expressed hope countries in the region will soon welcome Iran’s peace initiative known as the Hormuz Peace Endeavour (HOPE).

He further noted the 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the JCPOA, was the outcome of marathon talks and there is no point putting it on the negotiating table again.

Takht Ravanchi said that under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the JCPOA was concluded as a comprehensive, long-term and appropriate solution to the Iran nuclear issue in order to establish a new relationship with Iran and facilitate and boost trade and economic cooperation and transactions with Tehran.

“The conclusion of the JCPOA was the result of marathon talks, including difficult tit-for-tat arrangements, and any offer of revising, renegotiating or extending the deal runs counter to UNSC Resolution 2231, and will definitely be not acceptable for Iran,” the top official added.

“After withdrawing from the JCPOA on May 8, 2018, the U.S. re-imposed all of its nuclear sanctions, and ever since, has adopted a hostile approach toward the JCPOA and Iran, covertly and overtly bothering Iran’s trade partners constantly and extensively,” he added.

“With these measures, the U.S. has committed blatant violations of the JCPOA and has systematically and constantly breached its legal obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the UN Charter and the international law,” he explained.

Moreover, by impudently threatening to punish other governments if they refuse to violate Resolution 2231, the US has both reneged on its commitments under that resolution and practically prevented other state parties from living up to their obligations,” he said.

Takht Ravanchi also touched upon Washington’s breach of a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“The United States has also refused to abide by a quia timet injunction issued by the unanimous vote of judges of the International Court of Justice on October 3, 2018 which obliges the US to remove impediments to the sales of humanitarian supplies to Iran,” he said.

“Still, instead of adopting remedial measures authorized under the JCPOA, Iran exercised maximum restraint and strategic patience for one year at the request of the three European countries,” he said.

However, he explained, Iran’s restraint was met with the United States’ so-called “maximum-pressure” policy and ever-increasing illegal sanctions as well as the three European countries’ absolute failure to deliver on their commitments.

“Under such circumstances, we had no choice but to take remedial steps in full compliance with paragraphs 26 and 36 of the JCPOA which stipulate that Iran has every right to stop the implementation of its commitments, in whole or in part, if new sanctions are slapped on the country or if previous sanctions are re-imposed,” he said.

“So, Iran’s measures are in full compliance with our rights and obligations under the JCPOA, and more importantly, they are reversible,” said the top official.

Takht Ravanchi underscored that the United States has slapped more than 1,500 sanctions on Iran targeting all of the country’s economic sectors and destroying almost all benefits of the JCPOA for Iran.

“Such sanctions, which are expected to increase even until the last minutes the current US administration is in office, amounts to a full-scale war where weapons have been replaced by an economic tool.

“Based on U.S. officials’ comments, the sanctions are aimed at starving Iranian people using food and medicines as a weapon, a practice which is even forbidden during wartime,” said Takht Ravanchi.

He said Washington’s claim that sanctions do not include humanitarian supplies is a “sheer lie.”

The post Iran Ballistic Missile Program Not Open to Negotiation appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Restrictions due to combatting the outbreak of Coronavirus had made observing this year’s National Day of Fight against Global Arrogance, November 3,  different with what was in the past. Attention to what the Supreme Leader in his remarks has stated makes completely clear the road of Iranian nation in keeping this cause alive.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

Today Islamic Iran has proved its power either spiritually or materially in the world especially to its enemy number one, the Great Satan. The most important reason to accept this claim is that the Supreme Leader in his remarks says today the U.S. sees the Islamic Republic of Iran standing like a strong and unreachable mountain against it. Of course, Iranian nation has not forgotten how UK and the U.S. and their internal devoted mercenaries have behaved as traitors, with the policy and dignity of the nation during the past century. The Islamic Revolution has been able to create ray of hope in the heart of innocent Iranian nation.

In 1979, exactly 25 years after the unsuccessful 28 Mordad 1332 coup d’état (August 18, 1953 coup d’état in Iran), Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line occupied the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. This event with the approval of the late Great Imam Khomeini (R) turned into a turning point in the relations of both countries, and since then the political and economic relations of Iran with the U.S. have remained severed and even during almost 42 years, it has sometimes led to military confrontations.

Although with August 18 coup  the presence of Americans in the country became more colorful, the reason behind this presence dated back to many years before the coup,  and it seems with taking those factors into consideration, one can analyze the relations between these two states and the lump hidden in the throat of Iranian nation both in pre and post Islamic Revolution victory eras, and he can find the reasons behind the occupation of the spy den (U.S. Embassy) with appropriate  understanding of what has happened to Iran and its people.

Addressing this fact that if the U.S. Embassy was not occupied, what could happen to the confrontation of the people and the U.S., and to the way of penetration and enjoying the penetration power. Who is that does not know after the World War II and since 1945, the U.S. hostility against Iranian people has turned into a program to minimize the British influence and to loot more oil resources of Iran. Before addressing the reason behind the U.S. enmity with Iranian nation, I should answer to this question how the U.S. has turned from a colonial country into an imperialist one.

The U.S. was an introversionist country and was busy with its own domestic disputes but after the World War II and the Cold War ended in favor of the West, it coveted West Asia region (Middle East) and stepped in challenging with Russian and British interests. The most important factor which dragged the U.S. into this region can be summarized in oil and what you understand is the very oil.

If I can dare to say how the U.S. was dragged into the oil and the region, I blame the then Iran Prime Minister Dr. Mosaddeq and his simplistic thinking about the world arrogance. When Mosaddeq was disappointed with the British and Freemasonry, he turned to the U.S., and the U.S. took advantage of the open gate and entered.

The U.S., after Mohammad Reza Pahlavi took power, adopted a special approach towards Iran.  Before then, the British used to dominate all rulers and statesmen of Iran but according to the documents, with the beginning of the movement for nationalizing the oil industry, the U.S. tried its efforts to attain its oil interests in Iran. Americans with the intention to enjoy Iran’s oil, which was used by the British, entered Iran and expanded their influence. After this, a serious competition between the U.S. and UK heated up for gaining more profits and interests from Iran’s national resources, and after the August 18 coup, the key turned in favor of joint cooperation between these two states.

Here it is necessary to point to the appointment of Fazlollah Zahedi as Iran Prime Minister. According to the existing and revealed documents, at first the British opposed this appointment because they had imprisoned and exiled Zahedi because of being unreliable but Zahedi was a trusted person of Shah as the kingmaker and for the U.S. as a mercenary.

In 1948 and 1949, implementation of U.S. President Harry Truman’s Point Four Program in Iran began, and political, cultural and economic advisors with American programs arrived in Iran. Hence, a joint commission between Iran and the .U.S. was set up that Zahedi presided it for two to three years. Americans found Zahedi a loyal and trusted person and for this reason after the August 18 coup, they brought him to power. The catastrophe of Iranian people’s innocence and converting the British-Russian colony into the American-British colony introduced Iran as the integrated colony state of the West while people kept this innocence inside themselves and considered this presence as a means for loot of their wealth, and in 1979 Iranians put an end to it. The irreplaceable role of the late Imam Khomeini (R) in directing the country towards putting an end to the U.S. presence in Iran cannot be ever forgotten.

  By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Secretary of Iranian Judiciary’s Headquarters for Human Rights Ali Bagheri-Kani on Monday dismissed special rapporteur’s report on Iran’s human rights situation, saying that the report has no legal basis.

In a live televised speech on Monday night, he said that politicization prevails in the report, as it has been drafted based on political considerations and lacks any legal standing.

All the report is full of views based on those of Western countries and powers that are in conflict with the policies and approaches of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he said.

This report is mainly based on allegations, accusations and information provided by groups affiliated to obstinate governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and terrorist groups, he said, noting that it lacks any expert view on the issue of human rights.

Earlier, he said that the special rapporteur for Iran was appointed by a country that has refused to sell medical equipment for the treatment of innocent sick children.

Emphasizing that the process of appointing a reporter was politically motivated, he added that even at the meeting of the Human Rights Council, the number of countries that agreed to appoint a reporter was less than those disagreed.

Furthermore, the assassination of Lieutenant-general Qasem Soleimani has not been mentioned in the report while the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions called this crime a violation of human rights, a violation of humanitarian law and a clear violation of the right to life, he said.

He also stated that the United States is not a negotiator and does not have a strategic view in this regard.

Delivering a speech at the International Conference on United States’ decline, Bagheri Kani expressed that what caused the U.S.’ failure in Iraq was the power of Islamic Revelation’s thoughts in Iraq, meaning that people went on streets because of their beliefs.

“U.S.’ decline is not a new topic, it has many reasons that in our point of view the effects of the Islamic Republic of Iran were the main causes of U.S.’ decline at the international level,” he added.

“The U.S. thought that it could be the only power, so it focused on reducing the gap between ‘will’ and ‘goal’. Moreover, it tried to reduce costs to achieve its goals by just focusing on the tolls that they have at their disposal,” Bagheri Kani noted.

“A look at recent decades represents that the U.S. could not impose its thoughts on countries like Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine which were under the auspices of the Islamic Revolution and did not let them fulfill their aims,” he highlighted.

“Soft power components have been challenged in the U.S. like freedom and human rights, so the US has to withdraw because they have to solve their internal issues first,” Bagheri noted.

“Although the U.S. is declining, it has not lessened its predatory to compensate its structural weakness, they do not even observe human rights and freedom in appearance,” he pointed.

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces slammed the enemy’s bid for negotiations with Iran as a tactic to force the Islamic Republic to surrender to the U.S.

Addressing a videoconference on civil defense on Monday, Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri dismissed the idea of negotiations with the US as a nonstarter.

“The enemy’s purpose is to make the Iranian nation cave in to the strategies and polices imposed by the U.S.,” the general warned.

“They want to bring Iran to the negotiating table, but the result of such negotiations has been already determined, and that is Iran’s surrender to the U.S.,” Major General Baqeri added.

The top commander underscored that capitulation runs completely counter to the goals of the Islamic Republic.

He then highlighted the significant position of Southwest Asia in determining the world leadership.

Referring to the geopolitical and geostrategic theories, which term some points in the world as “geopolitical heartlands and pivots,” the top commander said, “Today, there is no doubt that the pyramid of world power in Southwest Asia determines world supremacy and leadership.”

“Any power that can dominate this region will stand at the top of this pyramid,” he added.

Baqeri noted, “The Islamic Revolution was formed [in 1979] in an extremely sensitive region, and it has been following its divine goals and ideals and valuable mottos, such as revealing the role of external domination, supporting the oppressed and self-reliance of the Iranian nation.”

Therefore, he added, it is normal that the country is facing multiple threats on its path by those trying to dominate the region.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, without any expectation of interest from neighbors, has relied solely on its religious and revolutionary principles to seek to take control of its own affairs and reach self-reliance.”

He underlined the country’s undisputed will to continue the path of development, stressing that no threat can ever stop the Iranian nation from realizing such a goal.

Baqeri said that enemies’ threats are no more military in nature but rather in cyber, technology, and chemical ones so Iran’s Civil Defense must be fully ready to identify and counter them.

He added that it is not clear whether the coronavirus, which Iran and the world are challenging with, is a threat or a natural phenomenon to fight with.

Iran’s Civil Defense Organization is a place to cooperate and connect the organizations, government, and armed forces altogether.

He noted that Civil Defense helps Armed Forces against enemies’ threats which are changing continuously.

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IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

TEHRAN – The remaining signatories to a 2015 Iran nuclear deal say they will do everything possible to preserve the landmark accord following their first meeting since the United States launched an unlawful push to restore United Nations sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The meeting of the Joint Commission to the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was co-chaired by Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, European External Action Service Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid.

In a post on her Twitter account at the end of the talks, Schmid wrote that it was “important” that the participants — Iran, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China — were “united in resolve to preserve” the nuclear deal.

She added that the parties were also determined to “find a way to ensure full implementation of the agreement despite current challenges.”

All parties to the JCPOA –Iran, Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany- reiterated that the U.S. is not a participant in the nuclear deal and has no right to use the mechanisms embedded in the JCPOA or in the UNSC Resolution 2231, he underlined.

The JCPOA Joint Commission deems that the U.S. government’s anti-Iranian attempts at the UN are illegal, considers as null and void the U.S.’ bid to trigger the snapback mechanism, and believes that Washington’s measures will get nowhere, he added.

“All JCPOA members and the majority of the international community members are opposed to the U.S.’ unilateral policies and its policy of weakening multilateralism, international organizations and multilateral approaches in the international relations. Everybody complains about the measures the U.S. is taking to ruin the international institutions,” Araqchi stated.

He further criticized the inefficiency of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), a financial mechanism developed by the three European members of the JCPOA- saying while the channel was supposed to organize trade interaction between Iran and Europe in defiance of the US sanctions, it has fallen far below Iran’s expectations.

The European parties have come up with some ideas to improve the efficiency of the payment channel, Araqchi added, saying one initiative is to allow Russia and China to join the INSTEX and carry financial transactions.

The EU3 has also proposed the idea of increasing the number of INSTEX shareholders and finding new financial resources to fund the channel, the Iranian deputy foreign minister noted.

Speaking after the meeting, Araqchi also said Iran’s JCPOA partners do not recognize the U.S. as a participating side and “do not regard this country as entitled to use the mechanisms of the JCPOA or Resolution 2231.”

“The convergence among the participants sent an important message to the world about the position of the JCPOA’s members,” he said. “This is, of course, the stance of the majority of the international community. The mood at the UN Security Council is also similar.”

“All JCPOA members and the majority of the world community are against America’s unilateral policies and undermining multilateralism and global institutions in international relations. Everyone is complaining about the measures that the US takes to destroy international bodies,” he said.

The Iranian diplomat added that a number of initiatives have been put forward on ways to safeguard the JCPOA against Washington’s unilateralism, adding, “All signatories are determined not to allow the U.S. to impose its own will [on others] and unilaterally kill a deal that has the support of the international community and the Security Council.”

In turn, Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on Twitter that the Vienna meeting “demonstrated that its participants are fully committed to the nuclear deal and are determined to do their best to preserve it.”

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Iran says the overwhelming consensus among members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) against the U.S.’s push to reinstate all anti-Iran UN sanctions proves Washington’s isolation once again.

The Islamic Republic’s mission to the United Nations made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday, hours after the UNSC dismissed the controversial American bid because of a lack of consensus at the highest UN body over the so-called snapback of sanctions against Iran.

“Today, the overwhelming majority of the Security Council members rejected once again the admissibility of the recent letter” submitted by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “notifying” the council of Washington’s intention to “snap back,” or restore, all UN sanctions on Iran.

The statement reminded that “through individual or joint letters addressed to the Council’s President, 13 out of 15 members of the Security Council” as well as Iran “have already strongly refuted the legal merit of the US letter.”

The U.S.’s push comes while it has lost the right to enable re-imposition of the sanctions due to its 2018 departure from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and other countries — officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — that has been endorsed in the form of Security Council Resolution 2231.

The UN Security Council dismisses attempts by the U.S. to reinstate all UN sanctions against Iran due to a lack of consensus in the 15-member body over such a move.

The Iranian statement further said, “Given that the stated objective of the U.S. is to destroy Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA, Iran trusts that the Council members will continue preventing that country from undermining the UN, including the Security Council.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Indonesia’s UN Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, the UNSC’s president for August, said at a meeting on the Middle East that the 15-nation body was “not in the position to take further action” on the new US push.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet later that the UNSC members had to use a meeting on the Middle East, not Iran, to refute the US attempt “as null and void” after Washington prevented a debate at the Council about its “unlawful notification” a day earlier.

The new anti-Iran bid comes after the UNSC similarly snubbed a resolution drafted by the US to extend an arms embargo against Iran that will expire in October under the JCPOA.

The Iranian mission, meanwhile, pointed to the allegations that the United States has been using against Tehran in order to try and justify its anti-Iran campaigns throughout the world, including at the Security Council.

Washington ceaselessly accuses Iran of trying to “destabilize” the region and the world, alleging that the Iranian peaceful nuclear program features “diversion towards military purpose” with that end in mind.

“Regarding unfounded accusations against Iran raised in the Council meeting by the US, it must be stressed that almost all problems in the Middle East stem from the continued occupation of Palestine by the Israeli regime and its expansionist policies supported by the US, as well as the meddling, destabilizing policies and destructive practices of the United States, which cannot be covered up by no amount of smear campaign,” the mission said.

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani says the United States is not legally authorized to trigger the so-called “snapback” mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions against Iran.

President n Rouhani said on Wednesday that Washington has pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and, hence, is not legally authorized to invoke the sanctions.

“It is stipulated in that mechanism (snapback) that signatories or one of the signatories to the JCPOA can use this mechanism. However, the U.S. cannot use this mechanism as it has clearly announced that it has pulled out of the JCPOA, and that it is the worst agreement, and has withdrawn from it,” said Rouhani.

He then criticized some people who claim the U.S. would not have been able to withdraw from the JCPOA if the foundation of the agreement were stronger.

“Is there an agreement which the US has not pulled out of?” asked the president rhetorically.

“You are saying that the foundation of the JCPOA was not strong enough, but how about the US withdrawal from the WTO, UNESCO, NAFTA and the Paris Climate Agreement? Was their foundation weak, too? The U.S. has pulled out of whatever useful agreements,” said Rouhani.

He then touched upon sanctions, which, he added, has put Iranian people under pressure, and said, “We are standing up to these sanctions, which will come to an end one day … and the rule of tyrants at the White House will not last forever, either.”

“Economic war is in line with plots hatched by the global arrogance against the country,” Rouhani said speaking at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning.

He further said, “We have a very heavy responsibility during the Government Week, like the conspiracies that were plotted against us in the 1970s, and today the global arrogance has plotted against us. At that time, they wanted to overthrow the Islamic system by assassinating the officials. The next day, they pursued this goal with the imposed war and today with the economic war.”

The President called the month of Muharram a large and large school in the world of Shiism and Islam and said: the atmosphere of the country should be Hosseini from the first day of Muharram.

He added, “Once again we are on the eve of the blessed and life-giving month of Muharram. We receive the cultural blessings, trust, and strength of our resistance from the month of Muharram, and always in the month of Muharram, we open the windows of our souls and hearts to the shining sun of guidance and salvation, the Ashura culture, to receive both the light of guidance and the life-giving warmth of that sun.

President Rouhani noted, “The people of Iran witnessed well these days, and on August 19, 1956, the enemy apparently achieved an apparent success that year, but inwardly their path was wrong, but these days, on August 15, 2020, they did not seem to succeed either and they failed in the Security Council”.

“They prepared all this, they sent people and they were begging in different countries and they called, even on the day of the voting, they were constantly pressuring other countries, but they still failed,” he said.

The President said: “I thank the 11 countries that did not vote in the UN Security Council on the plan to extend the arms embargo on Iran, and the two friendly countries – Russia and China – that voted unequivocally against the United States.”

He stated that the U.S. is left alone, the Iranian nation must see this greatness because this victory belongs to the nation and the government is the representative and servant of the people and this event is unprecedented in the history of the United Nations.

The head of the government, stating that strengthening the Islamic Republic is in the interest of all of us, said: Of course, in these special circumstances, we understand and know that the enemy has not achieved and will not achieve its goals with its pressures, but has caused problems and harassed people.

President Rouhani pointed out: “We must stand against the enemy because this period is coming to an end. If anyone in Iran thinks that this regime of the White House and that these oppressive sanctions are permanent, they are both wrong. Both the tyranny of the White House will not last forever and the sanctions will not last forever and the sanctions will break and disappear.”

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IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation on Thursday underlined the need to confront the unilateral approaches practiced by the U.S. and called for the expansion of relations between Tehran and Moscow in all fields.

The presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation have discussed a broad range of issues in a phone conversation.

During the Thursday phone call, President Rouhani emphasized the development of balanced cooperation with Moscow at all political, economic, scientific and cultural levels.

President Rouhani called for further consultations and talks between the two countries’ officials, and expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the agreements.

Referring to the holding of a virtual summit of the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey with the aim of establishing peace and stability in Syria, President Rouhani stressed the need for continued cooperation between the three countries within the framework of the Astana process to achieve this goal, especially in humanitarian issues.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining and fully implementing the JCPOA as an international commitment, and underlined the need for countering unilateralism and the recent U.S. actions and efforts to prevent the expiration of arms embargo against Iran.

President Rouhani also referred to the outbreak of the COVID-19 in Iran and other countries, and stressed the need for cooperation between the two countries and the exchange of experiences in the fight against coronavirus.

Russian President Putin, in turn, said, “As in the past five years, we continue to support this international document (the JCPOA) and insist on its implementation and preservation.

He also stressed the significance of development of relations with Iran in all fields and added, “We welcome cooperation with Iran in the field of coronavirus and exchange of experiences”.

The Russian president also stressed the continuation of his country’s support for Iran’s position in international communities.

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