US-Iran tensions Archives - Iran News Daily

Trump warns Senate not to curb his power of war on Iran

reporter 1222 — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 07:30:09 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – US President Donald Trump has warned the Senate against adopting a resolution that would curb his power to wage war against Iran, saying “it would allow Tehran to act with impunity.”

Trump said “This is not the time to show weakness, and that the US security requires the Senate not vote for the Iran War Powers Resolution”, presstv.com reported.

The US president claimed, “Americans overwhelmingly support January 3 US drone attack” that assassinated top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.

Trump said “Sends a very bad signal. The Democrats are only doing this (limiting his power) as an attempt to embarrass the Republican Party. Don’t let it happen!”

The US president’s warning comes as the Senate advanced legislation on Wednesday to curb his authority to go to war with Iran, with its passage likely after eight Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the war powers resolution.

A vote on the war powers resolution could take place as early as Thursday amid concerns that the US president could launch on open military conflict with Iran without consulting Congress.

The resolution would require Trump to remove US forces engaged in hostilities against Iran unless Congress declares war or passes a specific authorization for the use of military force, Reuters said.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, the sponsor of the Senate resolution, said: “Congress has got to reassert our constitutional role in matters of war and peace.” He stressed that the resolution is aimed at preventing unilateral war.

“We don’t send a message of weakness when we stand up for the rule of law. That’s a message of strength and it especially speaks to people around the world who are in the streets protesting…because they want the rule of law,” Kaine said.

In January, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed its own version of the law after Trump’s order to assassinate general Soleimani, and Iran’s retaliatory missile strike against US-occupied bases in Iraq dramatically escalated tensions and raised fears of war.

After Iran’s retaliatory strike, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the missile attack was just “a slap”.

Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran is equipped in the face of the global bullying powers. “It is a very blatant mistake that some people think if they take a step back, the Americans will stop their hostility.”

The US military says more than 100 American soldiers have been treated for traumatic brain injuries following Iran’s retaliatory strike in Iraq, a number that was more than 50 percent higher than previously disclosed.

Trump had said a day after the Iranian missile strike that “We suffered no casualties, all of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases.”

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US ignorance expands tensions in region; Zarif says

reporter 1222 — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 12:00:14 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the spread of tensions in the Middle East region shows the ignorance of the US officials.

He made the remarks on Wed. in his speech in an international conference entitled ‘Raisina Dialogue 2020’ in New Delhi and stated that assassination of Iran’s top commander Gen. Soleimani by the US terrorist forces and rising tensions in the Middle East region are the result of ignorance of the United States.

When, with the violation of Iraq’s national sovereignty, US terrorist forces assassinated Iran’s IRGC Quds Force Commander Gen. Soleimani, they first imagined that people in Iranian and Iraqi cities would feel happy, he said, adding, “this issue indicates two important points that are very dangerous and when these two points i.e. ‘ignorance and arrogance’ are mixed with each other, they will become much more dangerous.”

He pointed to the constructive and effective measures taken by martyr Gen. Qasem Soleimani in the fight against ISIL terrorist groups and said, “nobody, except US President Trump and ISIL terrorist groups, will feel happy behind assassination of Gen. Soleimani in such a way that 430 regions in India mourned for him [martyr Gen. Soleimani] and endeared his name and memory.”

The recent developments in the region showed the US’s problem on the way of its thinking in the Middle East region, Zarif stressed.

‘Raisina Dialogue 2020’ is underway in New Delhi, India which kicked off on Tue. Jan. 14 and will run until Jan. 16 for a period of three days.

The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference held annually in New Delhi. Since its inception in 2016, the conference has emerged as India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics.

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Responsible of Ukrainian plane crash must be punished

reporter 1222 — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 04:56:57 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that all those responsible for the accidental downing and crash of the civilian Ukrainian plane last week must be punished.

“For our people it is very important in this incident that anyone who was at fault or negligent at any level” face justice, said Rouhani in a televised speech, adding that the “tragic event” would be thoroughly investigated.

He described the fatal incident “a painful and unforgivable” mistake and promised that his government would pursue the case “by all means.”

“More than just one person is responsible for the Ukrainian plane crash,” said the president, adding that those found culpable “should be punished.”

“There are others, too, and I want this issue to be expressed honestly,” he said, without elaborating.

Rouhani also called for a special court to probe the tragic incident.

“The Judiciary must form a special court with a high-ranking judge and dozens of experts…This is not an ordinary case. The entire world will be watching this court.”

Arrests in airliner case

Meanwhile, Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said: “extensive investigations have taken place and some individuals are arrested.” He did not say how many individuals had been detained or named.

The Ukraine International Airlines plane crashed after it was “unintentionally” targeted by Iranian air defense shortly after takeoff from Tehran last Wednesday, killing all passengers and crew on board.

On Saturday, Iran’s military said that the jetliner was brought down due to “human error”.

The plane, en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was carrying 176 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians — including many Iranians with dual citizenship — and 11 Ukrainians, according to officials.

The plane was downed at a time when Iran’s Armed Forces were on heightened alert after launching a volley of missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops.

Iran fired the missiles in retaliation for the US assassination of Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on January 3.

Addressing that issue on Tuesday, Rouhani said while “the root of all sorrows goes back to America… this cannot be a reason for us not to look into all the root causes” of the air disaster.

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