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Showing posts with label Iran War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iran War. Show all posts

United States warns Israel its attacks on Iran nuclear program are counterproductive — NYT

United States warns Israel its attacks on Iran nuclear program are counterproductive — NYT


It is no long a new apotheosis that threatening Iran by America and allies, economy sanctions or "economy Terrorism" as Tehran called it has always been counterproductive and by continuing doing so America is only putting all it's Allies in the region at risk, although Washington has repeatedly claims all options are on the table.

In contrast, the he officials of the United States have warned Israel that its attacks against the Iranian nuclear program are counterproductive and have enabled Tehran to rebuild an even more efficient enrichment system, according to the New York Times report Sunday.

NYT, citing officials familiar with the behind-the-scenes discussion between Washington and Jerusalem, as the Biden Administration continues to try and bring Iran back into the nuclear deal, the report said that Israeli officials have dismissed the warnings, saying they have “no intention of letting up.”

While in the last 20 months there have been four explosions at Iranian nuclear facilities attributed to Israel, along with the killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, the report said Washington officials have cautioned their Israeli counterparts that while such efforts may be “tactically satisfying,” they are “ultimately counterproductive.” And that Iran has managed to resume enrichment within months, often installing newer machines that can enrich uranium far faster.

However, the officials said Israel appeared unmoved by the arguments, and this was one of the many areas on which the US and Israel disagree regarding efforts to thwart Tehran’s drive to build nuclear weapons.

Further complicating matters was the fact that Iran has apparently managed to improve its defenses, particularly in the cyber field, the report said. As a consequence, cyber attacks like the Stuxnet attack that crippled centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear enrichment site for more than a year, an attack widely reported to be a joint US-Israeli effort, have become “much harder now to pull off.”

The major concern now was how close Iran has come to being able to build a nuclear weapon since then-US president Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018.

This week, with Iran set for talks with world powers in Vienna on November 29, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran had again increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Iran’s stockpile, as of November 6, was many times in excess of the limit laid down in the agreement with world powers, said the IAEA report. Such highly enriched uranium can be easily refined to make atomic weapons, which is why world powers have sought to contain Tehran’s nuclear program.

The Vienna-based agency told members that it is still not able to verify Iran’s exact stockpile of enriched uranium due to the limitations Tehran imposed on UN inspectors earlier this year.

The IAEA has been unable to access surveillance footage of Iranian nuclear sites or of online enrichment monitors and electronic seals since February. The agency’s chief, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told The Associated Press this month that the situation was like “flying in a heavily clouded sky.”

Sunday’s NYT report said that since abandoning the agreement, Iran had managed to reduce its breakout time to a bomb from about a year to just a few weeks.

“Before Mr. Trump decided to scrap the deal, Iran had adhered to the limits of the 2015 agreement — which by most estimates kept it about a year from ‘breakout,’ the point where it has enough material for a bomb. While estimates vary, that buffer is now down to somewhere between three weeks and a few months, which would change the geopolitical calculation throughout the Middle East,” the report said.

US officials have publicly warned that Iran’s violations are making it increasingly unlikely that there can be a return to the 2015 deal as it was.


The US envoy for Iran Robert Malley warned Friday that Tehran was approaching the point of no return for reviving a nuclear deal after it boosted its stocks of enriched uranium before the talks resume this month.

“The time will come if Iran continues at this pace with the advancements they’ve made, [it] will make it impossible even if we were going to go back to the JCPOA to recapture the benefits,” Malley told the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain, referring to the deal by its official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“Iran’s advances are spreading alarm across the region… that’s what’s making the clock tick faster and making all of us say that the time is short for a return to the JCPOA,” Malley said.

And I want to be clear, because there’s no ambiguity about what they seem to be doing now, which is to drag their feet on the nuclear talks and accelerate the progress in their nuclear program,” he added.

The US envoy said he was not encouraged by the statements from the new Iranian government of President Ebrahim Raisi, which earlier on Friday accused Washington of conducting a “propaganda campaign” against the country.

With the possibility of a return to the 2015 deal fading, the US was examining the possibility of hammering out an interim deal with Iran, the New York Times report said, confirming a separate report last week. “Inside the White House, there has been a scramble in recent days to explore whether some kind of interim deal might be possible to freeze Iran’s production of more enriched uranium and its conversion of that fuel to metallic form — a necessary step in fabricating a warhead,” the Times said. “In return, the United States might ease a limited number of sanctions. That would not solve the problem. But it might buy time for negotiations, while holding off Israeli threats to bomb Iranian facilities.”

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan raised the prospect of an interim agreement with Iran, to allow more time for nuclear negotiations, in talks with his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Hulata, the Axios news site reported last week.

A pair of American sources said Sullivan and Hulata were just “brainstorming,” and that the proposal was suggested by an unspecified European ally of the US.

The US sources said the proposal was for Iran to suspend a disallowed nuclear activity such as enriching uranium to 60 percent, in exchange for the US and allied countries releasing some frozen Iranian money, or issuing sanctions waivers on humanitarian goods.

An unnamed Israeli official cited in the Axios report said Hulata told Sullivan he was against the idea and Israel’s concern was that any interim agreement could become permanent, allowing Iran to maintain its nuclear infrastructure and supply of uranium it has built up.

While Israel has been more direct, staying her readiness to attack Iran’s nuclear program and allocating billions of dollars to IDF to prepare and train for a potential strike, the United States has been trying to reassure its allies in recent days that if diplomacy fails, other options are available.

“The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. And we remain committed to a diplomatic outcome of the nuclear issue,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the Manama event, which was put on by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“But if Iran isn’t willing to engage seriously, then we will look at all of the options necessary to keep the United States secure,” he said.

However, Iran has proven on several occasions that they are not soft power. In retaliation for the assasination of general suleimani Tehran fired precision missiles from their territories and they successfully destroyed American military base in northern Iraq. On another occasion the Houthi forces in Yemen flew barrages of Armed drones into Aramco oil field in Saudi Arabia crippling oil production, Iran was behind the attack.

Any aggressive act against Iran will yeild response from Tehran no matter how and irrespective of who is the aggressor and may not halt the Persia nuclear programs for the time being.


Currently, Iran is not known to  possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and has been signatory to treaties repudiating the possession of WMDs including the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 


Iran has first-hand knowledge of WMD effects as over 100,000 Iranian troops and civilians were victims of chemical weapons during the 1980s Iran–Iraq War.


It is no long a new apotheosis that threatening Iran by America and allies, economy sanctions or "economy Terrorism" as Tehran called it has always been counterproductive and by continuing doing so America is only putting all it's Allies in the region at risk, although Washington has repeatedly claims all options are on the table.

In contrast, the he officials of the United States have warned Israel that its attacks against the Iranian nuclear program are counterproductive and have enabled Tehran to rebuild an even more efficient enrichment system, according to the New York Times report Sunday.

NYT, citing officials familiar with the behind-the-scenes discussion between Washington and Jerusalem, as the Biden Administration continues to try and bring Iran back into the nuclear deal, the report said that Israeli officials have dismissed the warnings, saying they have “no intention of letting up.”

While in the last 20 months there have been four explosions at Iranian nuclear facilities attributed to Israel, along with the killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, the report said Washington officials have cautioned their Israeli counterparts that while such efforts may be “tactically satisfying,” they are “ultimately counterproductive.” And that Iran has managed to resume enrichment within months, often installing newer machines that can enrich uranium far faster.

However, the officials said Israel appeared unmoved by the arguments, and this was one of the many areas on which the US and Israel disagree regarding efforts to thwart Tehran’s drive to build nuclear weapons.

Further complicating matters was the fact that Iran has apparently managed to improve its defenses, particularly in the cyber field, the report said. As a consequence, cyber attacks like the Stuxnet attack that crippled centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear enrichment site for more than a year, an attack widely reported to be a joint US-Israeli effort, have become “much harder now to pull off.”

The major concern now was how close Iran has come to being able to build a nuclear weapon since then-US president Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018.

This week, with Iran set for talks with world powers in Vienna on November 29, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran had again increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Iran’s stockpile, as of November 6, was many times in excess of the limit laid down in the agreement with world powers, said the IAEA report. Such highly enriched uranium can be easily refined to make atomic weapons, which is why world powers have sought to contain Tehran’s nuclear program.

The Vienna-based agency told members that it is still not able to verify Iran’s exact stockpile of enriched uranium due to the limitations Tehran imposed on UN inspectors earlier this year.

The IAEA has been unable to access surveillance footage of Iranian nuclear sites or of online enrichment monitors and electronic seals since February. The agency’s chief, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told The Associated Press this month that the situation was like “flying in a heavily clouded sky.”

Sunday’s NYT report said that since abandoning the agreement, Iran had managed to reduce its breakout time to a bomb from about a year to just a few weeks.

“Before Mr. Trump decided to scrap the deal, Iran had adhered to the limits of the 2015 agreement — which by most estimates kept it about a year from ‘breakout,’ the point where it has enough material for a bomb. While estimates vary, that buffer is now down to somewhere between three weeks and a few months, which would change the geopolitical calculation throughout the Middle East,” the report said.

US officials have publicly warned that Iran’s violations are making it increasingly unlikely that there can be a return to the 2015 deal as it was.


The US envoy for Iran Robert Malley warned Friday that Tehran was approaching the point of no return for reviving a nuclear deal after it boosted its stocks of enriched uranium before the talks resume this month.

“The time will come if Iran continues at this pace with the advancements they’ve made, [it] will make it impossible even if we were going to go back to the JCPOA to recapture the benefits,” Malley told the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain, referring to the deal by its official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“Iran’s advances are spreading alarm across the region… that’s what’s making the clock tick faster and making all of us say that the time is short for a return to the JCPOA,” Malley said.

And I want to be clear, because there’s no ambiguity about what they seem to be doing now, which is to drag their feet on the nuclear talks and accelerate the progress in their nuclear program,” he added.

The US envoy said he was not encouraged by the statements from the new Iranian government of President Ebrahim Raisi, which earlier on Friday accused Washington of conducting a “propaganda campaign” against the country.

With the possibility of a return to the 2015 deal fading, the US was examining the possibility of hammering out an interim deal with Iran, the New York Times report said, confirming a separate report last week. “Inside the White House, there has been a scramble in recent days to explore whether some kind of interim deal might be possible to freeze Iran’s production of more enriched uranium and its conversion of that fuel to metallic form — a necessary step in fabricating a warhead,” the Times said. “In return, the United States might ease a limited number of sanctions. That would not solve the problem. But it might buy time for negotiations, while holding off Israeli threats to bomb Iranian facilities.”

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan raised the prospect of an interim agreement with Iran, to allow more time for nuclear negotiations, in talks with his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Hulata, the Axios news site reported last week.

A pair of American sources said Sullivan and Hulata were just “brainstorming,” and that the proposal was suggested by an unspecified European ally of the US.

The US sources said the proposal was for Iran to suspend a disallowed nuclear activity such as enriching uranium to 60 percent, in exchange for the US and allied countries releasing some frozen Iranian money, or issuing sanctions waivers on humanitarian goods.

An unnamed Israeli official cited in the Axios report said Hulata told Sullivan he was against the idea and Israel’s concern was that any interim agreement could become permanent, allowing Iran to maintain its nuclear infrastructure and supply of uranium it has built up.

While Israel has been more direct, staying her readiness to attack Iran’s nuclear program and allocating billions of dollars to IDF to prepare and train for a potential strike, the United States has been trying to reassure its allies in recent days that if diplomacy fails, other options are available.

“The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. And we remain committed to a diplomatic outcome of the nuclear issue,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the Manama event, which was put on by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“But if Iran isn’t willing to engage seriously, then we will look at all of the options necessary to keep the United States secure,” he said.

However, Iran has proven on several occasions that they are not soft power. In retaliation for the assasination of general suleimani Tehran fired precision missiles from their territories and they successfully destroyed American military base in northern Iraq. On another occasion the Houthi forces in Yemen flew barrages of Armed drones into Aramco oil field in Saudi Arabia crippling oil production, Iran was behind the attack.

Any aggressive act against Iran will yeild response from Tehran no matter how and irrespective of who is the aggressor and may not halt the Persia nuclear programs for the time being.


Currently, Iran is not known to  possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and has been signatory to treaties repudiating the possession of WMDs including the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 


Iran has first-hand knowledge of WMD effects as over 100,000 Iranian troops and civilians were victims of chemical weapons during the 1980s Iran–Iraq War.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Says US, E3, PGCC statement worthless to reply

Iranian Foreign Ministry Says US, E3, PGCC statement worthless to reply


The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said the US, the E3 and the PGCC statement is worthless and deserves no reply.

According to the report by IRNA,  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying a recent anti-Iran statement by the United States, the E3 - Britain, France and Germany - as well as the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council is not worth answering.

Khatibzadeh, while addressing reporters said such a meeting and statement is a fake and illegitimate showoff that does not deserve any reaction.


According to him, the US administration who violated UN Resolution 2231 and withdrew the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is responsible for the current situation in respect of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)

 "The United States is the only country in the world that has a dark history of using nuclear weapons and it is also the one that intervenes in other countries internal affairs and now the US is trying to create a crisis and propagate against Iran." He said


While referring to certain Arab states in the region, he noted that these countries, which are responsible for the invasion of Yemen, are not in a position to put forward baseless accusations against other nations in order to get rid of the responsibility of their crimes.

Robert Malley, the US Special Representative for Iran, and representatives of three European powers, as well as envoys from PGCC states, met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last week to discuss the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The participants issued a statement, attempted to reiterate their unfounded charges on Iran's regional influence, and continued their Iranophobic policy.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Khatibzadeh pointed to comments made by his French counterpart Anne-Claire Legendre, warning that political officials' taking stances with the purpose of affecting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will definitely tarnish the reputation of the international body and question the legitimacy of the agency's moves.


France has called on the IAEA Board of Governors to convey "a strong message" to the Islamic Republic in their next session on November 24.


The Iranian spokesman further condemned the US's new sanctions on six Iranian individuals and one Iranian entity, underlining that such a failed policy to put more pressure on Iran shows the Americans' dismay.

The United States Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday that it has put names of six Iranian individuals and one Iranian entity into the sanction list, claiming that they have tried to affect the 2020 presidential elections in the United States.

On Saturday, American  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to counter its “dangerous use” of suicide drones in the wider Mideast.

This is a pledge coming as negotiations remain stalled over Tehran’s atomic deal with world powers. His comments in Bahrain at the annual Manama Dialogue appeared aimed at reassuring America’s Arab allies in the Gulf as the Biden administration tries to revive the nuclear deal, which limited Iran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.


“The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. And we remain committed to a diplomatic outcome of the nuclear issue,” Austin told attendees at an event put on by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “But if Iran isn’t willing to engage seriously, then we will look at all of the options necessary to keep the United States secure.”


Authorities in Tehran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful, though U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Tehran had an organized weapons program until 2003. 

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said the US, the E3 and the PGCC statement is worthless and deserves no reply.

According to the report by IRNA,  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying a recent anti-Iran statement by the United States, the E3 - Britain, France and Germany - as well as the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council is not worth answering.

Khatibzadeh, while addressing reporters said such a meeting and statement is a fake and illegitimate showoff that does not deserve any reaction.


According to him, the US administration who violated UN Resolution 2231 and withdrew the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is responsible for the current situation in respect of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)

 "The United States is the only country in the world that has a dark history of using nuclear weapons and it is also the one that intervenes in other countries internal affairs and now the US is trying to create a crisis and propagate against Iran." He said


While referring to certain Arab states in the region, he noted that these countries, which are responsible for the invasion of Yemen, are not in a position to put forward baseless accusations against other nations in order to get rid of the responsibility of their crimes.

Robert Malley, the US Special Representative for Iran, and representatives of three European powers, as well as envoys from PGCC states, met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last week to discuss the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The participants issued a statement, attempted to reiterate their unfounded charges on Iran's regional influence, and continued their Iranophobic policy.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Khatibzadeh pointed to comments made by his French counterpart Anne-Claire Legendre, warning that political officials' taking stances with the purpose of affecting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will definitely tarnish the reputation of the international body and question the legitimacy of the agency's moves.


France has called on the IAEA Board of Governors to convey "a strong message" to the Islamic Republic in their next session on November 24.


The Iranian spokesman further condemned the US's new sanctions on six Iranian individuals and one Iranian entity, underlining that such a failed policy to put more pressure on Iran shows the Americans' dismay.

The United States Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday that it has put names of six Iranian individuals and one Iranian entity into the sanction list, claiming that they have tried to affect the 2020 presidential elections in the United States.

On Saturday, American  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to counter its “dangerous use” of suicide drones in the wider Mideast.

This is a pledge coming as negotiations remain stalled over Tehran’s atomic deal with world powers. His comments in Bahrain at the annual Manama Dialogue appeared aimed at reassuring America’s Arab allies in the Gulf as the Biden administration tries to revive the nuclear deal, which limited Iran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.


“The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. And we remain committed to a diplomatic outcome of the nuclear issue,” Austin told attendees at an event put on by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “But if Iran isn’t willing to engage seriously, then we will look at all of the options necessary to keep the United States secure.”


Authorities in Tehran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful, though U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Tehran had an organized weapons program until 2003. 

Did Tehran Care? US defense chief vows to counter Iran in visit to Bahrain

Did Tehran Care? US defense chief vows to counter Iran in visit to Bahrain

UAE — America’s top defense official vowed Saturday to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to counter its “dangerous use” of suicide drones in the wider Mideast, a pledge coming as negotiations remain stalled over Tehran’s tattered atomic deal with world powers.



Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s comments in Bahrain at the annual Manama Dialogue appeared aimed at reassuring America’s Arab allies in the Gulf as the Biden administration tries to revive the nuclear deal, which limited Iran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.


His remarks also come after Gulf sheikhdoms saw the U.S.’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, raising concerns about America’s commitment to the region as defense officials say they want to pivot forces to counter perceived challenges from China and Russia.


“The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. And we remain committed to a diplomatic outcome of the nuclear issue,” Austin told attendees at an event put on by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “But if Iran isn’t willing to engage seriously, then we will look at all of the options necessary to keep the United States secure.”


Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is peaceful, though U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Tehran had an organized weapons program until 2003. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.


Since then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, a series of escalating incidents have struck the wider Mideast. That includes drone and mine attacks targeting vessels at sea, as well as assaults blamed on Iran and its proxies in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. also killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad in early 2020, which saw Iran target American troops in Iraq with ballistic missiles.


Under Biden, U.S. military officials are looking at a wider reshuffling of forces from the Mideast to other areas, though it still maintains a large presence at bases across the region. Austin hinted at that in his remarks, saying: “Our potential punch includes what our friends can contribute and what we have prepositioned and what we can rapidly flow in.”


“Our friends and foes both know that the United States can deploy overwhelming force at the time and place of our choosing,” Austin said.


Austin’s comments also touched on the ongoing war in Yemen, for which the Biden administration halted its offensive support shortly after he came into office.


Saudi Arabia has led a military campaign since 2015 against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who hold Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. The Houthis have launched drone and ballistic missile attacks on the kingdom to retaliate for a punishing aerial bombing campaign that also has killed civilians.


But while the kingdom constantly refers to every drone and missile fired by the Houthis as successfully intercepted by its defenses, Austin put the rate instead at “nearly 90%.” The U.S. also withdrew its THAAD air defenses and Patriot missile batteries from Prince Sultan Air Base several months ago.


“We’ll work with them until it’s 100%,” he said.


The Manama Dialogue takes place each year in Bahrain, a small island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia that’s home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Bahrain also has engaged in a yearslong campaign crushing dissent. Activists wrote to Austin before his trip, urging him to raise the detention of prisoners on the island and Bahrain’s involvement in the Yemen war.


Did Tehran cares anymore about US threats and economic sanctions again?


Source: Yahoo

UAE — America’s top defense official vowed Saturday to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to counter its “dangerous use” of suicide drones in the wider Mideast, a pledge coming as negotiations remain stalled over Tehran’s tattered atomic deal with world powers.



Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s comments in Bahrain at the annual Manama Dialogue appeared aimed at reassuring America’s Arab allies in the Gulf as the Biden administration tries to revive the nuclear deal, which limited Iran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.


His remarks also come after Gulf sheikhdoms saw the U.S.’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, raising concerns about America’s commitment to the region as defense officials say they want to pivot forces to counter perceived challenges from China and Russia.


“The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. And we remain committed to a diplomatic outcome of the nuclear issue,” Austin told attendees at an event put on by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “But if Iran isn’t willing to engage seriously, then we will look at all of the options necessary to keep the United States secure.”


Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is peaceful, though U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Tehran had an organized weapons program until 2003. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.


Since then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, a series of escalating incidents have struck the wider Mideast. That includes drone and mine attacks targeting vessels at sea, as well as assaults blamed on Iran and its proxies in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. also killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad in early 2020, which saw Iran target American troops in Iraq with ballistic missiles.


Under Biden, U.S. military officials are looking at a wider reshuffling of forces from the Mideast to other areas, though it still maintains a large presence at bases across the region. Austin hinted at that in his remarks, saying: “Our potential punch includes what our friends can contribute and what we have prepositioned and what we can rapidly flow in.”


“Our friends and foes both know that the United States can deploy overwhelming force at the time and place of our choosing,” Austin said.


Austin’s comments also touched on the ongoing war in Yemen, for which the Biden administration halted its offensive support shortly after he came into office.


Saudi Arabia has led a military campaign since 2015 against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who hold Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. The Houthis have launched drone and ballistic missile attacks on the kingdom to retaliate for a punishing aerial bombing campaign that also has killed civilians.


But while the kingdom constantly refers to every drone and missile fired by the Houthis as successfully intercepted by its defenses, Austin put the rate instead at “nearly 90%.” The U.S. also withdrew its THAAD air defenses and Patriot missile batteries from Prince Sultan Air Base several months ago.


“We’ll work with them until it’s 100%,” he said.


The Manama Dialogue takes place each year in Bahrain, a small island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia that’s home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Bahrain also has engaged in a yearslong campaign crushing dissent. Activists wrote to Austin before his trip, urging him to raise the detention of prisoners on the island and Bahrain’s involvement in the Yemen war.


Did Tehran cares anymore about US threats and economic sanctions again?


Source: Yahoo

Tehran Ballistic Missiles: Iran’s president-elect Ebrahim Raisi would not meet with President Joe Biden nor negotiate, sanctions must be lifted unconditionally

Tehran Ballistic Missiles: Iran’s president-elect Ebrahim Raisi would not meet with President Joe Biden nor negotiate, sanctions must be lifted unconditionally

By Associated Press



Iran’s president-elect said Monday he would not meet with President Joe Biden nor negotiate over Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its support of regional terror proxies, sticking to a hard-line position following his landslide victory in last week’s election.




Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi also described himself as a “defender of human rights” when asked about his involvement in the 1988 mass execution of some 5,000 people. It marked the first time he’s been put on the spot on live television over that dark moment in Iranian history at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.


“The U.S. is obliged to lift all oppressive sanctions against Iran,” Raisi said at the news conference.


Raisi sat in front of a sea of microphones, most from Iran and countries home to militias supported by Tehran. He looked nervous at the beginning of his comments but slowly became more at ease over the hourlong news conference.


Asked about Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support of regional terror proxies, Raisi described the issues as “non-negotiable.”


Iran also relies on militias like Yemen’s Houthis, Gaza’s Hamas, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, deemed terror groups by a number of entities throughout the world, to fight proxy wars against enemies like Saudi Arabia and Israel, respectively.


On a possible meeting with Biden, Raisi simply answered: “No.” His competitor in the election, Abdolnasser Hemmati, had suggested during campaigning that he’d be potentially willing to meet Biden.


The White House did not immediately respond to Raisi’s statements Monday. Raisi will become the first serving Iranian president sanctioned by the U.S. government even before entering office, in part over his time as the head of Iran’s internationally criticized judiciary — one of the world’s top executioners.


The so-called victory of Raisi, a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, came amid the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Millions of Iranians stayed home in defiance of a vote they saw as tipped in Raisi’s favor.


Of those who did vote, 3.7 million people either accidentally or intentionally voided their ballots, far beyond the amount seen in previous elections and suggesting some wanted none of the four candidates. In official results, Raisi won 17.9 million votes overall, nearly 62% of the total 28.9 million cast.


Observers have called the Iranian elections a sham.

Raisi’s victory puts hard-liners firmly in control across the government as negotiations in Vienna continue to try to save a tattered deal meant to limit Iran’s nuclear program, at a time when Tehran is enriching uranium at 60%, its highest levels ever, though still short of weapons-grade levels. Representatives of the world powers party to the deal returned to their capitals for consultations following the latest round of negotiations on Sunday.


Top diplomats from nations involved in the talks said that further progress had been made Sunday between Iran and global powers to try to restore a 2015 agreement to contain Iranian nuclear development that was abandoned by the Trump administration. They said it was now up to the governments involved in the negotiations to make political decisions.


Raisi’s election victory has raised concerns that it could complicate a possible return to the nuclear agreement. In his remarks Monday, Raisi called sanctions relief as “central to our foreign policy” and exhorted the U.S. to “return and implement your commitments” in the deal.


On Saudi Arabia, which has recently started secret talks with Iran in Baghdad to reduce tensions with Iran, Raisi said that Iran would have “no problem” with a possible reopening of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and the “restoration of relations faces no barrier.” The embassy was closed in 2016 when relations deteriorated.


Raisi struck a defiant tone, however, when asked about the 1988 executions, which saw sham retrials of political prisoners, militants and others that would become known as “death commissions.”

After Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini accepted a U.N.-brokered cease-fire, members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, heavily armed by Saddam Hussein, stormed across the Iranian border in a surprise attack. Iran ultimately blunted their assault.


The trials began around that time, with defendants asked to identify themselves. Those who responded “mujahedeen” were sent to their deaths, while others were questioned about their willingness to “clear minefields for the army of the Islamic Republic,” according to a 1990 Amnesty International report.

International rights groups estimate that as many as 5,000 people were executed. Raisi served on the commissions.

“I am proud of being a defender of human rights and of people’s security and comfort as a prosecutor wherever I was,” he said. “All actions I carried out during my office were always in the direction of defending human rights,” he added. “Today in the presidential post, I feel obliged to defend human rights.”

AP
By Associated Press



Iran’s president-elect said Monday he would not meet with President Joe Biden nor negotiate over Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its support of regional terror proxies, sticking to a hard-line position following his landslide victory in last week’s election.




Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi also described himself as a “defender of human rights” when asked about his involvement in the 1988 mass execution of some 5,000 people. It marked the first time he’s been put on the spot on live television over that dark moment in Iranian history at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.


“The U.S. is obliged to lift all oppressive sanctions against Iran,” Raisi said at the news conference.


Raisi sat in front of a sea of microphones, most from Iran and countries home to militias supported by Tehran. He looked nervous at the beginning of his comments but slowly became more at ease over the hourlong news conference.


Asked about Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support of regional terror proxies, Raisi described the issues as “non-negotiable.”


Iran also relies on militias like Yemen’s Houthis, Gaza’s Hamas, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, deemed terror groups by a number of entities throughout the world, to fight proxy wars against enemies like Saudi Arabia and Israel, respectively.


On a possible meeting with Biden, Raisi simply answered: “No.” His competitor in the election, Abdolnasser Hemmati, had suggested during campaigning that he’d be potentially willing to meet Biden.


The White House did not immediately respond to Raisi’s statements Monday. Raisi will become the first serving Iranian president sanctioned by the U.S. government even before entering office, in part over his time as the head of Iran’s internationally criticized judiciary — one of the world’s top executioners.


The so-called victory of Raisi, a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, came amid the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Millions of Iranians stayed home in defiance of a vote they saw as tipped in Raisi’s favor.


Of those who did vote, 3.7 million people either accidentally or intentionally voided their ballots, far beyond the amount seen in previous elections and suggesting some wanted none of the four candidates. In official results, Raisi won 17.9 million votes overall, nearly 62% of the total 28.9 million cast.


Observers have called the Iranian elections a sham.

Raisi’s victory puts hard-liners firmly in control across the government as negotiations in Vienna continue to try to save a tattered deal meant to limit Iran’s nuclear program, at a time when Tehran is enriching uranium at 60%, its highest levels ever, though still short of weapons-grade levels. Representatives of the world powers party to the deal returned to their capitals for consultations following the latest round of negotiations on Sunday.


Top diplomats from nations involved in the talks said that further progress had been made Sunday between Iran and global powers to try to restore a 2015 agreement to contain Iranian nuclear development that was abandoned by the Trump administration. They said it was now up to the governments involved in the negotiations to make political decisions.


Raisi’s election victory has raised concerns that it could complicate a possible return to the nuclear agreement. In his remarks Monday, Raisi called sanctions relief as “central to our foreign policy” and exhorted the U.S. to “return and implement your commitments” in the deal.


On Saudi Arabia, which has recently started secret talks with Iran in Baghdad to reduce tensions with Iran, Raisi said that Iran would have “no problem” with a possible reopening of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and the “restoration of relations faces no barrier.” The embassy was closed in 2016 when relations deteriorated.


Raisi struck a defiant tone, however, when asked about the 1988 executions, which saw sham retrials of political prisoners, militants and others that would become known as “death commissions.”

After Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini accepted a U.N.-brokered cease-fire, members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, heavily armed by Saddam Hussein, stormed across the Iranian border in a surprise attack. Iran ultimately blunted their assault.


The trials began around that time, with defendants asked to identify themselves. Those who responded “mujahedeen” were sent to their deaths, while others were questioned about their willingness to “clear minefields for the army of the Islamic Republic,” according to a 1990 Amnesty International report.

International rights groups estimate that as many as 5,000 people were executed. Raisi served on the commissions.

“I am proud of being a defender of human rights and of people’s security and comfort as a prosecutor wherever I was,” he said. “All actions I carried out during my office were always in the direction of defending human rights,” he added. “Today in the presidential post, I feel obliged to defend human rights.”

AP

How Iran’s largest navy ship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman

How Iran’s largest navy ship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman

By Associated Press


The largest warship in the Iranian navy caught fire and later sank Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman under unclear circumstances, semi-official news agencies reported.

The Fars and Tasnim news agencies said efforts failed to save the support warship Kharg, named after the island that serves as the main oil terminal for Iran.

The blaze began around 2:25 a.m. and firefighters tried to contain it, Fars said. The vessel sank near the Iranian port of Jask, some 1,270 kilometers (790 miles) southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.

Photos circulated on Iranian social media of sailors wearing life jackets evacuating the vessel as a fire burned behind them. State TV and semiofficial news agencies referred to the Kharg as a “training ship.” Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning.

a “training ship.” Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning.

 
Satellite photos from Planet Labs Inc. analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Kharg off to the west of Jask on Tuesday. Satellites from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that track fires from space detected a blaze at the site of the Jask that started just before the time of the fire reported by Fars.

The Kharg serves as one of a few vessels in the Iranian navy capable of providing replenishment at sea for its other ships. It also can lift heavy cargo and serve as a launch point for helicopters. The warship, built in Britain and launched in 1977, entered the Iranian navy in 1984 after lengthy negotiations that followed Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran’s navy typically handles patrols in the Gulf of Oman and the wider seas, while the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard operates in the shallower waters of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. In recent months, however, the navy launched a slightly larger commercial tanker called the Makran it converted into serving a similar function as the Kharg.

Iranian officials offered no cause for the fire aboard the Kharg. However, it comes after a series of mysterious explosions that began in 2019 targeting ships in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Navy later accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, timed explosives typically attached by divers to a vessel’s hull.

Iran denied targeting the vessels, though U.S. Navy footage showed members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing one unexploded limpet mine from a vessel. The incidents came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

The sinking of the Kharg marks the latest naval disaster for Iran. In 2020 during an Iranian military training exercise, a missile mistakenly struck a naval vessel near the port of Jask, killing19 sailors and wounding 15. Also in 2018, an Iranian navy destroyer sank in the Caspian Sea.
By Associated Press


The largest warship in the Iranian navy caught fire and later sank Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman under unclear circumstances, semi-official news agencies reported.

The Fars and Tasnim news agencies said efforts failed to save the support warship Kharg, named after the island that serves as the main oil terminal for Iran.

The blaze began around 2:25 a.m. and firefighters tried to contain it, Fars said. The vessel sank near the Iranian port of Jask, some 1,270 kilometers (790 miles) southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.

Photos circulated on Iranian social media of sailors wearing life jackets evacuating the vessel as a fire burned behind them. State TV and semiofficial news agencies referred to the Kharg as a “training ship.” Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning.

a “training ship.” Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning.

 
Satellite photos from Planet Labs Inc. analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Kharg off to the west of Jask on Tuesday. Satellites from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that track fires from space detected a blaze at the site of the Jask that started just before the time of the fire reported by Fars.

The Kharg serves as one of a few vessels in the Iranian navy capable of providing replenishment at sea for its other ships. It also can lift heavy cargo and serve as a launch point for helicopters. The warship, built in Britain and launched in 1977, entered the Iranian navy in 1984 after lengthy negotiations that followed Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran’s navy typically handles patrols in the Gulf of Oman and the wider seas, while the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard operates in the shallower waters of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. In recent months, however, the navy launched a slightly larger commercial tanker called the Makran it converted into serving a similar function as the Kharg.

Iranian officials offered no cause for the fire aboard the Kharg. However, it comes after a series of mysterious explosions that began in 2019 targeting ships in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Navy later accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, timed explosives typically attached by divers to a vessel’s hull.

Iran denied targeting the vessels, though U.S. Navy footage showed members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing one unexploded limpet mine from a vessel. The incidents came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

The sinking of the Kharg marks the latest naval disaster for Iran. In 2020 during an Iranian military training exercise, a missile mistakenly struck a naval vessel near the port of Jask, killing19 sailors and wounding 15. Also in 2018, an Iranian navy destroyer sank in the Caspian Sea.

Nuclear deal talks restart: Iran says it could enrich uranium to 90% purity if it wanted to, but is ‘not seeking weapon’ - Rouhani

Nuclear deal talks restart: Iran says it could enrich uranium to 90% purity if it wanted to, but is ‘not seeking weapon’ - Rouhani


(RT) The enrichment of weapons-grade uranium is within Iran's reach, but it chose to stick to a lower purity level because it does not want to make a bomb, President Hassan Rouhani has said as talks to revive the nuclear deal continue.


This week, Iran announced it would start enriching uranium to 60% purity after reporting an alleged Israeli sabotage attack at its Natanz nuclear facility, a move it said was intended to undermine indirect Iranian-US negotiations for a return to the 2015 agreement.

Speaking on Thursday, Rouhani dismissed US and European concerns about Iran moving toward weapons-grade uranium.

He also said Tehran would resume commitments under the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), once Western signatories uphold their side of the bargain.

“We could have done 60% [enrichment] before. Today we can do 90% enrichment if we want to, but we are not seeking a nuclear bomb,” he said during the inauguration of petrochemical projects.

Whenever you return to the JCPOA commitments, we will return to our obligations immediately and our enrichment will not be above 3.67% as allowed by the JCPOA,” he added, according to the Mehr news agency.

France, Britain and Germany have expressed “concern” at Iran's plans to achieve 60% enrichment and to install 1,000 additional nuclear centrifuges at Natanz.

The ‘E3’ trio signed the JCPOA in 2015, along with Russia, China, Iran, the EU and the US, before President Donald Trump announced America's unilateral withdrawal from the deal in 2018.

The deal's other signatories are mediating indirect talks for the agreement's revival between Iran and the US in Vienna, with discussions resuming on Thursday.

The parties have agreed to try and compile a list of US sanctions that could be lifted alongside nuclear commitments Iran could return to, according to Reuters. Washington has previously demanded Iran uphold its commitments under the nuclear deal before providing sanctions relief.

Under the JCPOA, Iran is not permitted to enrich uranium to a higher purity than 3.67%, while there are also limits on the centrifuges it can use and the amount of uranium it can stockpile.

The country began breaching its JCPOA commitments after Trump announced the US' withdrawal from the deal and imposed a “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions against Tehran.


Source

(RT) The enrichment of weapons-grade uranium is within Iran's reach, but it chose to stick to a lower purity level because it does not want to make a bomb, President Hassan Rouhani has said as talks to revive the nuclear deal continue.


This week, Iran announced it would start enriching uranium to 60% purity after reporting an alleged Israeli sabotage attack at its Natanz nuclear facility, a move it said was intended to undermine indirect Iranian-US negotiations for a return to the 2015 agreement.

Speaking on Thursday, Rouhani dismissed US and European concerns about Iran moving toward weapons-grade uranium.

He also said Tehran would resume commitments under the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), once Western signatories uphold their side of the bargain.

“We could have done 60% [enrichment] before. Today we can do 90% enrichment if we want to, but we are not seeking a nuclear bomb,” he said during the inauguration of petrochemical projects.

Whenever you return to the JCPOA commitments, we will return to our obligations immediately and our enrichment will not be above 3.67% as allowed by the JCPOA,” he added, according to the Mehr news agency.

France, Britain and Germany have expressed “concern” at Iran's plans to achieve 60% enrichment and to install 1,000 additional nuclear centrifuges at Natanz.

The ‘E3’ trio signed the JCPOA in 2015, along with Russia, China, Iran, the EU and the US, before President Donald Trump announced America's unilateral withdrawal from the deal in 2018.

The deal's other signatories are mediating indirect talks for the agreement's revival between Iran and the US in Vienna, with discussions resuming on Thursday.

The parties have agreed to try and compile a list of US sanctions that could be lifted alongside nuclear commitments Iran could return to, according to Reuters. Washington has previously demanded Iran uphold its commitments under the nuclear deal before providing sanctions relief.

Under the JCPOA, Iran is not permitted to enrich uranium to a higher purity than 3.67%, while there are also limits on the centrifuges it can use and the amount of uranium it can stockpile.

The country began breaching its JCPOA commitments after Trump announced the US' withdrawal from the deal and imposed a “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions against Tehran.


Source

NUCLEAR DEAL: US, Iran hold 1st indirect talks in Vienna

NUCLEAR DEAL: US, Iran hold 1st indirect talks in Vienna


The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran are holding indirect talks on Tuesday in what could be the first step toward reviving the 2015 nuclear deal that constrains Tehran's nuclear facilities in exchange for sanctions relief, ABC news reported.


According to the report, the indirect meetings which was hosted by the European Union will work toward two separate agreements -- on how the U.S. and Iran can both return to compliance with the deal's terms.


It should be recalled that the former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord in 2018, re-imposing strict U.S. sanctions on Iran's economy and government which was termed Economic Terrorism against the Islamic Republic.


Tehran in response began violating the restrictions on its nuclear program by enriching more uranium at higher levels, and with more advanced centrifuges which Iranian authorities claimed us reversible.


But especially amid fierce pressure in Washington and from regional allies like Israel, a renewed nuclear deal would still leave a long road ahead for the Biden administration, which seeks to "lengthen and strengthen" the original agreement, including by addressing Iran's support for proxy forces across the region and its ballistic missile program.


"We don't underestimate the scale of the challenges ahead. These are early days. We don't anticipate an early or immediate breakthrough," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Monday -- before calling the indirect talks a "healthy step forward."


U.S. special envoy for Iran Rob Malley will lead the delegation, which will meet with European, Chinese and Russian counterparts. Iran's delegation will have its own separate meetings with those teams, which together constitute the remaining members of the agreement.


While there is no face-to-face meeting planned with Iran, the U.S. still "remains open" to one, according to Price. The U.S. first offered to meet the Iranians in February, but weeks of outreach through European allies have been rejected by the Iranian government.


While both sides have downplayed Tuesday's meetings, it could mark the beginning of a quick return to the deal, which saw Iran agree to international inspections of and certain time-limited restrictions on its nuclear program. In exchange, sanctions were lifted by the United Nations, the U.S., and the other world powers who signed on -- the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China.


But especially amid fierce pressure in Washington and from regional allies like Israel, a renewed nuclear deal would still leave a long road ahead for the Biden administration, which seeks to "lengthen and strengthen" the original agreement, including by addressing Iran's support for proxy forces across the region and its ballistic missile program.


"We don't underestimate the scale of the challenges ahead. These are early days. We don't anticipate an early or immediate breakthrough," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Monday -- before calling the indirect talks a "healthy step forward."


U.S. special envoy for Iran Rob Malley will lead the delegation, which will meet with European, Chinese and Russian counterparts. Iran's delegation will have its own separate meetings with those teams, which together constitute the remaining members of the agreement.


While there is no face-to-face meeting planned with Iran, the U.S. still "remains open" to one, according to Price. The U.S. first offered to meet the Iranians in February, but weeks of outreach through European allies have been rejected by the Iranian government.


Just last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted a face-to-face meeting was "unnecessary." Iran has called for the U.S. to move first in returning to the deal since Trump was the first to violate it, even refusing to meet the Americans until the U.S. government begins lifting sanctions -- while Biden has vowed to keep sanctions in place until Iran returns to compliance.


"What is promising about the Vienna talks is there seems to be an understanding now by both the Biden administration and the Iranians that neither side is going to go first. It may seem like semantics, and maybe it is. But I think what we have is at least the germ of a process whereby both sides can say we're moving simultaneously, both sides can save a little face and put together a roadmap going forward," said Suzanne DiMaggio, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank.


The talks begin Tuesday in Vienna, the capital of Austria, where much of the diplomacy around the original deal unfolded. While they're slated for one day, it could extend on, especially if the separate "working groups" make progress and bring in technical experts to finalize details on Iranian and U.S. compliance.


That alone will be no easy task. There are critical questions remaining, including how quickly Iran can dismantle the advanced centrifuges now spinning, how it will reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium, and what to do about its gains in research and development as it violated its terms of the deal.


On the U.S. side, there are questions around which sanctions the Biden administration will lift, after the Trump administration targeted hundreds of Iranian businesses, officials, economic sectors, and state-owned firms and agencies.


Iran has called for all Trump-era sanctions to be removed, saying they violated the deal. But the State Department indicated Monday that it will only lift those related to Iran's nuclear program.


"We certainly will not entertain unilateral gestures or concessions to get Iran -- to induce Iran to a better place," Price said during the department's daily press briefing. "We'll continue to be guided by what the original JCPOA called for, which is nuclear sanctions."


But Press TV, an Iranian state media outlet, reported that Malley and the U.S. delegation will "leave Vienna empty-handed if the Tuesday meeting would result in anything other than the removal of all U.S. sanctions," citing an "an informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team."



The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran are holding indirect talks on Tuesday in what could be the first step toward reviving the 2015 nuclear deal that constrains Tehran's nuclear facilities in exchange for sanctions relief, ABC news reported.


According to the report, the indirect meetings which was hosted by the European Union will work toward two separate agreements -- on how the U.S. and Iran can both return to compliance with the deal's terms.


It should be recalled that the former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord in 2018, re-imposing strict U.S. sanctions on Iran's economy and government which was termed Economic Terrorism against the Islamic Republic.


Tehran in response began violating the restrictions on its nuclear program by enriching more uranium at higher levels, and with more advanced centrifuges which Iranian authorities claimed us reversible.


But especially amid fierce pressure in Washington and from regional allies like Israel, a renewed nuclear deal would still leave a long road ahead for the Biden administration, which seeks to "lengthen and strengthen" the original agreement, including by addressing Iran's support for proxy forces across the region and its ballistic missile program.


"We don't underestimate the scale of the challenges ahead. These are early days. We don't anticipate an early or immediate breakthrough," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Monday -- before calling the indirect talks a "healthy step forward."


U.S. special envoy for Iran Rob Malley will lead the delegation, which will meet with European, Chinese and Russian counterparts. Iran's delegation will have its own separate meetings with those teams, which together constitute the remaining members of the agreement.


While there is no face-to-face meeting planned with Iran, the U.S. still "remains open" to one, according to Price. The U.S. first offered to meet the Iranians in February, but weeks of outreach through European allies have been rejected by the Iranian government.


While both sides have downplayed Tuesday's meetings, it could mark the beginning of a quick return to the deal, which saw Iran agree to international inspections of and certain time-limited restrictions on its nuclear program. In exchange, sanctions were lifted by the United Nations, the U.S., and the other world powers who signed on -- the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China.


But especially amid fierce pressure in Washington and from regional allies like Israel, a renewed nuclear deal would still leave a long road ahead for the Biden administration, which seeks to "lengthen and strengthen" the original agreement, including by addressing Iran's support for proxy forces across the region and its ballistic missile program.


"We don't underestimate the scale of the challenges ahead. These are early days. We don't anticipate an early or immediate breakthrough," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Monday -- before calling the indirect talks a "healthy step forward."


U.S. special envoy for Iran Rob Malley will lead the delegation, which will meet with European, Chinese and Russian counterparts. Iran's delegation will have its own separate meetings with those teams, which together constitute the remaining members of the agreement.


While there is no face-to-face meeting planned with Iran, the U.S. still "remains open" to one, according to Price. The U.S. first offered to meet the Iranians in February, but weeks of outreach through European allies have been rejected by the Iranian government.


Just last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted a face-to-face meeting was "unnecessary." Iran has called for the U.S. to move first in returning to the deal since Trump was the first to violate it, even refusing to meet the Americans until the U.S. government begins lifting sanctions -- while Biden has vowed to keep sanctions in place until Iran returns to compliance.


"What is promising about the Vienna talks is there seems to be an understanding now by both the Biden administration and the Iranians that neither side is going to go first. It may seem like semantics, and maybe it is. But I think what we have is at least the germ of a process whereby both sides can say we're moving simultaneously, both sides can save a little face and put together a roadmap going forward," said Suzanne DiMaggio, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank.


The talks begin Tuesday in Vienna, the capital of Austria, where much of the diplomacy around the original deal unfolded. While they're slated for one day, it could extend on, especially if the separate "working groups" make progress and bring in technical experts to finalize details on Iranian and U.S. compliance.


That alone will be no easy task. There are critical questions remaining, including how quickly Iran can dismantle the advanced centrifuges now spinning, how it will reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium, and what to do about its gains in research and development as it violated its terms of the deal.


On the U.S. side, there are questions around which sanctions the Biden administration will lift, after the Trump administration targeted hundreds of Iranian businesses, officials, economic sectors, and state-owned firms and agencies.


Iran has called for all Trump-era sanctions to be removed, saying they violated the deal. But the State Department indicated Monday that it will only lift those related to Iran's nuclear program.


"We certainly will not entertain unilateral gestures or concessions to get Iran -- to induce Iran to a better place," Price said during the department's daily press briefing. "We'll continue to be guided by what the original JCPOA called for, which is nuclear sanctions."


But Press TV, an Iranian state media outlet, reported that Malley and the U.S. delegation will "leave Vienna empty-handed if the Tuesday meeting would result in anything other than the removal of all U.S. sanctions," citing an "an informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team."


#Mideast: United States Warns China Against Buying Iranian Crude Oil

#Mideast: United States Warns China Against Buying Iranian Crude Oil


The United States of America has again warned China that it will not turn a blind eye to rising Iranian oil exports to Chinese ports, the Financial Times reported

The report, citing a senior Biden administration official says Washington has not missed the substantial increase in Iranian crude shipments to China. 

U.S reminded Beijing that there are still sanctions in place against the Islamic republic of Iran. “We’ve told the Chinese that we will continue to enforce our sanctions,” the unnamed official told the FT. “There will be no tacit green light.”

Yet the Trump-era sanctions may be waived if Iran and the U.S. make it to the negotiation table. “Ultimately, our goal is not to enforce the sanctions; it is to get to the point where we lift sanctions and Iran reverses its nuclear steps,” the official told the FT.

The Asia leader and the second largest economy has been ramping up shipments of crude from Iran  from an average of 306,000 bpd last year. 

This month, China has been taking in some 856,000 bpd of Iranian crude—a 129-percent rise over February. The China’s interest in Iranian oil has been based on a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The initiative expects trade between the two countries to reach $600 billion over the next decade

In addition, China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI) attempts to strengthen regional political, economic, and strategic ties, with a focus on the energy industry. But Iranian oil is also attractive for a very simple reason: Iran is selling it at a deep discount because of the sanctions. 

According to oilprice.com The low price makes Iranian crude attractive for other Asian buyers too, such as India, which has been on the hunt for alternatives to Middle Eastern OPEC oil because of its high price.

As regarding the President Donald Trump Era sanctions that are still in effective which Iran tagged economic terrorism against the Islamic Republic, Tehran has insisted that the Wasington first lift sanctions before negotiations on the nuclear deal start while the U.S. wants negotiations first, sanction-lifting later.


Economic Terrorism, Genocidal Taunts Won't 'End Iran' - FM Zarif Reply Trump

The United States of America has again warned China that it will not turn a blind eye to rising Iranian oil exports to Chinese ports, the Financial Times reported

The report, citing a senior Biden administration official says Washington has not missed the substantial increase in Iranian crude shipments to China. 

U.S reminded Beijing that there are still sanctions in place against the Islamic republic of Iran. “We’ve told the Chinese that we will continue to enforce our sanctions,” the unnamed official told the FT. “There will be no tacit green light.”

Yet the Trump-era sanctions may be waived if Iran and the U.S. make it to the negotiation table. “Ultimately, our goal is not to enforce the sanctions; it is to get to the point where we lift sanctions and Iran reverses its nuclear steps,” the official told the FT.

The Asia leader and the second largest economy has been ramping up shipments of crude from Iran  from an average of 306,000 bpd last year. 

This month, China has been taking in some 856,000 bpd of Iranian crude—a 129-percent rise over February. The China’s interest in Iranian oil has been based on a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The initiative expects trade between the two countries to reach $600 billion over the next decade

In addition, China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI) attempts to strengthen regional political, economic, and strategic ties, with a focus on the energy industry. But Iranian oil is also attractive for a very simple reason: Iran is selling it at a deep discount because of the sanctions. 

According to oilprice.com The low price makes Iranian crude attractive for other Asian buyers too, such as India, which has been on the hunt for alternatives to Middle Eastern OPEC oil because of its high price.

As regarding the President Donald Trump Era sanctions that are still in effective which Iran tagged economic terrorism against the Islamic Republic, Tehran has insisted that the Wasington first lift sanctions before negotiations on the nuclear deal start while the U.S. wants negotiations first, sanction-lifting later.


Economic Terrorism, Genocidal Taunts Won't 'End Iran' - FM Zarif Reply Trump

Iran's IRGC Navy reveals new ‘missile city’ with advanced capabilities

Iran's IRGC Navy reveals new ‘missile city’ with advanced capabilities


The Islamic Republic of Iran on Monday released images and film footage of what it said was a new Revolutionary Guards base armed with cruise and ballistic missiles and "electronic warfare" equipment.

Watch: IRGC Navy has unveiled a new "missile city". Location undisclosed.

According to a report by state TV which described the base as a "missile city" and showed rows of what looked like missiles in a depot with cement walls. It did not give any details on its location. Alireza Tangsiri, the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards' naval unit, told state TV the base had equipment to detect enemy signals.

According to the report, the base's "electronic warfare equipment" included radar, monitoring, simulation and disruption systems. "The new systems and equipment make IRGC Navy capable of launching precision missiles from underground, launching naval mines with different ranges, firing at 360-degree[s], confronting electronic warfare, and increasing the range and destruction power in operations," reported Mehr, a semi-official Iranian news agency.


What we see today is a small section of the great and expansive missile capability of Revolutionary Guards' naval forces," Guards Commander Major General Hossein Salami said in the broadcast. According to Mehrs, Salami also "noted that four decades of enemies’ unity against the Islamic Republic has only resulted in their defeat and disappointment," and referred specifically to the "imposition of sanctions and waging [of] an economic war."

Iran, which routinely boasts of technological advances in its armed forces, has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East.

Last July, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy chief said that Tehran has built underground "missile cities" along the Gulf coastline, warning of a "nightmare for Iran's enemies."

Iran has established underground onshore and offshore missile cities all along the coasts of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that would be a nightmare for Iran's enemies," Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri told the Sobh-e Sadeq weekly.

In late June, there was an explosion from an area in its eastern mountains that analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites. American and Israeli officials have denied sabotage of the missile site.

In 2019, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said that Iran has the largest underground facility program in the Middle East.

According to an assessment by the agency that year, "Iran's size and sophistication of its missile force continues to grow despite decades of counterproliferation efforts aimed at curbing its advancement Iran considers missiles to be a strategic necessity due to the limitations of its air force."

The study also explained that since Iran considers missiles to be a strategic necessity due to the limitations of its air force. "Therefore, lacking a modern air force necessitated Tehran to embrace ballistic missiles as a long-range strike capability to dissuade its adversaries in the region – particularly the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia – from attacking Iran," the report said.


Source


The Islamic Republic of Iran on Monday released images and film footage of what it said was a new Revolutionary Guards base armed with cruise and ballistic missiles and "electronic warfare" equipment.

Watch: IRGC Navy has unveiled a new "missile city". Location undisclosed.

According to a report by state TV which described the base as a "missile city" and showed rows of what looked like missiles in a depot with cement walls. It did not give any details on its location. Alireza Tangsiri, the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards' naval unit, told state TV the base had equipment to detect enemy signals.

According to the report, the base's "electronic warfare equipment" included radar, monitoring, simulation and disruption systems. "The new systems and equipment make IRGC Navy capable of launching precision missiles from underground, launching naval mines with different ranges, firing at 360-degree[s], confronting electronic warfare, and increasing the range and destruction power in operations," reported Mehr, a semi-official Iranian news agency.


What we see today is a small section of the great and expansive missile capability of Revolutionary Guards' naval forces," Guards Commander Major General Hossein Salami said in the broadcast. According to Mehrs, Salami also "noted that four decades of enemies’ unity against the Islamic Republic has only resulted in their defeat and disappointment," and referred specifically to the "imposition of sanctions and waging [of] an economic war."

Iran, which routinely boasts of technological advances in its armed forces, has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East.

Last July, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy chief said that Tehran has built underground "missile cities" along the Gulf coastline, warning of a "nightmare for Iran's enemies."

Iran has established underground onshore and offshore missile cities all along the coasts of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that would be a nightmare for Iran's enemies," Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri told the Sobh-e Sadeq weekly.

In late June, there was an explosion from an area in its eastern mountains that analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites. American and Israeli officials have denied sabotage of the missile site.

In 2019, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said that Iran has the largest underground facility program in the Middle East.

According to an assessment by the agency that year, "Iran's size and sophistication of its missile force continues to grow despite decades of counterproliferation efforts aimed at curbing its advancement Iran considers missiles to be a strategic necessity due to the limitations of its air force."

The study also explained that since Iran considers missiles to be a strategic necessity due to the limitations of its air force. "Therefore, lacking a modern air force necessitated Tehran to embrace ballistic missiles as a long-range strike capability to dissuade its adversaries in the region – particularly the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia – from attacking Iran," the report said.


Source

Return to US, Iran nuclear deal will happen regardless says Ex-Mossad chief

Return to US, Iran nuclear deal will happen regardless says Ex-Mossad chief

Rouhani-Biden

An Israeli who is a former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo said on Wednesday that the US and Iran will likely return to a nuclear deal regardless of the current Israeli government's opposition, Jerusalem Post reported.

According to the report, speaking at a joint Commanders for Israel's Security and Haaretz conference, when asked if there would be a deal, Pardo said, "it is very hard to know for sure. I assume yes and the question is when, and how many variations will it undergo until we get there."


The former Mossad director also said that "I assume Israel will act like it should... [according to] its size... it can get to cooperative levels with" the US, but added that Jerusalem should not play games with the larger powers, given that it "has capabilities, but [they are] the capabilities of a small state – and at the end... it needs to recognize its place."

Without mentioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by name, but clearly referring to him, he warned that if Israeli leaders yell at the world that they will act on their own against everyone, then Israel will not get anywhere in terms of influencing developments.

Regarding Israeli threats to attack Iran’s nuclear program he said, “because everyone understands that blowing up one nuclear site will not end this situation, anyone attempting to handle this along the same lines as the Iraqi nuclear reactor [which Israel attacked in 1981] or the Syrian nuclear reactor [which Israel attacked in 2007] is dreaming and lacks a minimal understanding of the capabilities of who we are confronting, and their ability to deal with a situation like this."

Moreover, Pardo said that after the US-Iraq 2003 war that America heavily leans more toward diplomacy and has a much stronger aversion to using force globally, saying the US “is not structured for using extensive force.”

Again he emphasized the need for Israel to dovetail its public actions with the US, given that Washington provides Israel much of its advanced weaponry.

Former Netanyahu national security council chief Jacob Nagel took issue with Pardo's statements, saying that regarding "returning to the old deal, I am concerned that we are non-stop galloping toward it... this will be a disaster if it happens.

"If I estimate who could thwart this, it would be the Iranians. If I estimate who is pushing to make this happen with all of their energy, it would be some Israelis – not those in official positions – and obviously the new US government," he said.

"If there is a deal, it will be the last" and will lead to great harm, Nagel said.

The former national security council chief also warned that if the US returns to the nuclear deal “there won’t be any motivation for the US” to snap back sanctions if Iran violates the deal.

In addition, he said, “I would rather that if they are going to race to a nuclear weapon, that it be now and not in 6 more years. I would rather that if there is going to be a conflict,” it be sooner, implying there were advantages to confronting Tehran while it is weakened by sanctions and while the world is more concerned with its nuclear violations.

Staking out a middle, more analytical path, former Mossad Iran desk chief Sima Shine said, "I think both sides are interested in getting to an agreement. Since they are interested, it seems they will get there. But there are quite a few obstacles along the road... but in the end, they both want to get a deal."

Shine also confirmed the likelihood of an interim partial deal of "less for less" – partial reduction of US sanctions for partial reduction of Iranian nuclear violations.

But she said that despite any possible interim deal, the end point would be full removal of sanctions for a full return to nuclear limitations. 

However, later Shine and Nagel fought over whether the US could be convinced to accept Israel’s maximal positions on the Islamic Republic or whether that was unrealistic.

Shine said she had heard from US contacts that Washington would not give Iran more than 12-18 months to agree to a longer and stronger improved nuclear deal before snapping back sanctions – which Nagel expressed doubts about. 

Iran has repeatedly said US can not be trusted following the Donald Trump's unilateral withdrawal of America from the deal.


Rouhani-Biden

An Israeli who is a former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo said on Wednesday that the US and Iran will likely return to a nuclear deal regardless of the current Israeli government's opposition, Jerusalem Post reported.

According to the report, speaking at a joint Commanders for Israel's Security and Haaretz conference, when asked if there would be a deal, Pardo said, "it is very hard to know for sure. I assume yes and the question is when, and how many variations will it undergo until we get there."


The former Mossad director also said that "I assume Israel will act like it should... [according to] its size... it can get to cooperative levels with" the US, but added that Jerusalem should not play games with the larger powers, given that it "has capabilities, but [they are] the capabilities of a small state – and at the end... it needs to recognize its place."

Without mentioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by name, but clearly referring to him, he warned that if Israeli leaders yell at the world that they will act on their own against everyone, then Israel will not get anywhere in terms of influencing developments.

Regarding Israeli threats to attack Iran’s nuclear program he said, “because everyone understands that blowing up one nuclear site will not end this situation, anyone attempting to handle this along the same lines as the Iraqi nuclear reactor [which Israel attacked in 1981] or the Syrian nuclear reactor [which Israel attacked in 2007] is dreaming and lacks a minimal understanding of the capabilities of who we are confronting, and their ability to deal with a situation like this."

Moreover, Pardo said that after the US-Iraq 2003 war that America heavily leans more toward diplomacy and has a much stronger aversion to using force globally, saying the US “is not structured for using extensive force.”

Again he emphasized the need for Israel to dovetail its public actions with the US, given that Washington provides Israel much of its advanced weaponry.

Former Netanyahu national security council chief Jacob Nagel took issue with Pardo's statements, saying that regarding "returning to the old deal, I am concerned that we are non-stop galloping toward it... this will be a disaster if it happens.

"If I estimate who could thwart this, it would be the Iranians. If I estimate who is pushing to make this happen with all of their energy, it would be some Israelis – not those in official positions – and obviously the new US government," he said.

"If there is a deal, it will be the last" and will lead to great harm, Nagel said.

The former national security council chief also warned that if the US returns to the nuclear deal “there won’t be any motivation for the US” to snap back sanctions if Iran violates the deal.

In addition, he said, “I would rather that if they are going to race to a nuclear weapon, that it be now and not in 6 more years. I would rather that if there is going to be a conflict,” it be sooner, implying there were advantages to confronting Tehran while it is weakened by sanctions and while the world is more concerned with its nuclear violations.

Staking out a middle, more analytical path, former Mossad Iran desk chief Sima Shine said, "I think both sides are interested in getting to an agreement. Since they are interested, it seems they will get there. But there are quite a few obstacles along the road... but in the end, they both want to get a deal."

Shine also confirmed the likelihood of an interim partial deal of "less for less" – partial reduction of US sanctions for partial reduction of Iranian nuclear violations.

But she said that despite any possible interim deal, the end point would be full removal of sanctions for a full return to nuclear limitations. 

However, later Shine and Nagel fought over whether the US could be convinced to accept Israel’s maximal positions on the Islamic Republic or whether that was unrealistic.

Shine said she had heard from US contacts that Washington would not give Iran more than 12-18 months to agree to a longer and stronger improved nuclear deal before snapping back sanctions – which Nagel expressed doubts about. 

Iran has repeatedly said US can not be trusted following the Donald Trump's unilateral withdrawal of America from the deal.


UK's Boris Johnson demands Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's 'immediate release' in phone call with Iranian president

UK's Boris Johnson demands Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's 'immediate release' in phone call with Iranian president


British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has demanded the "immediate release" of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in a phone call with Iran's president.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The prime minister spoke to Iranian President Rouhani this afternoon.

"The prime minister raised the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other British-Iranian dual nationals detained in Iran and demanded their immediate release.

"He said that while the removal of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's ankle monitor was welcome, her continued confinement remains completely unacceptable and she must be allowed to return to her family in the UK.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

"The prime minister also stressed that while the UK remains committed to making the Iran nuclear deal a success, Iran must stop all its nuclear activity that breaches the terms of the JCPoA and come back into compliance.

"He stressed the importance of Iran seizing the opportunity presented by the United States' willingness to return to the deal if Iran comes back into compliance.

"The prime minister underlined the need for Iran to cease wider destabilising activity and be a positive force in the Gulf region."

Source: Skynews

British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has demanded the "immediate release" of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in a phone call with Iran's president.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The prime minister spoke to Iranian President Rouhani this afternoon.

"The prime minister raised the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other British-Iranian dual nationals detained in Iran and demanded their immediate release.

"He said that while the removal of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's ankle monitor was welcome, her continued confinement remains completely unacceptable and she must be allowed to return to her family in the UK.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

"The prime minister also stressed that while the UK remains committed to making the Iran nuclear deal a success, Iran must stop all its nuclear activity that breaches the terms of the JCPoA and come back into compliance.

"He stressed the importance of Iran seizing the opportunity presented by the United States' willingness to return to the deal if Iran comes back into compliance.

"The prime minister underlined the need for Iran to cease wider destabilising activity and be a positive force in the Gulf region."

Source: Skynews

Iran tensions at heart of UN nuclear watchdog meeting as Zarif says western powers start on wrong note for supporting US

Iran tensions at heart of UN nuclear watchdog meeting as Zarif says western powers start on wrong note for supporting US


Tehran last week said it will  limit inspections by the UN's nuclear watchdog into it's nuclear programs.


According to AFP report, the iran's new decision will be at the heart of a meeting of UN's Nuclear Watchdog board of governors on Monday, with some members mulling a formal rebuke to Tehran.


The report indicated that Western countries will be trying to find a way of censuring Iran without jeopardising fragile efforts to revive the 2015 deal between Tehran and major powers on its nuclear programme.


The possibility of a resolution criticising Iran being passed at the board attracted sharp diplomatic comment in the run-up to the meeting.


Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that  the Western powers have started again on a wrong note by supporting United state.


"The Europeans have started a wrong move by supporting the US in the board of governors," he said.


"We think this move will lead to the situation becoming disorganised," he said, according to the official Irna agency.


While President Joe Biden has said he is willing to bring the United States back to the 2015 deal, on Sunday Iran said the time was "not suitable" to hold an informal meeting with the US and the remaining parties to the accord -- France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia.


Diplomatic sources say that no decision has yet been taken by European states on whether or not to put forward a resolution as Iran will only be discussed later in the week at the meeting, being held via videoconference.


- 'Unfortunate miscalculation' -


Russia has made clear its opposition to the prospect of a resolution criticising Iran.


Russian ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov tweeted on Monday that such a move would be an "unfortunate miscalculation".


Earlier he had said that "the common responsibility of all 35 Governors is to ensure that the debates (even heated) do not negatively affect diplomatic efforts aimed at full restoration of #JCPOA," using the formal name for the 2015 deal.


Russia's deputy foreign minister also blasted Washington for US strikes on Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria last week, saying the move threatened to scupper talks.


"There is no doubt that influential forces in Washington have taken steps in order to derail this meeting," Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Russian state news agency TASS as saying.


The JCPOA was sent into disarray when former US President Donald Trump dramatically withdrew from it in 2018 and went on to impose swingeing economic sanctions on Iran which Tehran called Economic Terrorism against the iranians.


"We are running against time," Ulyanov said.


Zarif said that Iran hoped "that reason will prevail" at this week's meeting.


"If it does not we do have solutions," he said, without specifying what these were.


In a document circulated to IAEA member states ahead of this week's meeting, the Iranian mission to the organisation said a critical resolution would be "counterproductive and destructive".


The document also said the introduction of such a resolution would mark the "end" of the agreement reached with the IAEA last month to mitigate the impact of reduced inspections.


Under that temporary three-month arrangement, Iran has pledged to keep recordings "of some activities and monitoring equipment" and hand them over to the IAEA when US sanctions are lifted.


If a resolution censuring Iran is passed, it would be the first such resolution since June, which was itself the first in eight years.


- 'Time bought' by deal -


Diplomatic sources say the Iranian attempt at "blackmail" over a possible resolution has gone down badly among European states.


The latest tensions come after weeks in which Iran has continued breaking the limits laid down in the 2015 deal, for example by enriching uranium to 20 percent and producing uranium metal.


Tehran insists it has the right to take these steps in retaliation for American sanctions, and that the measures can be reversed as soon as sanctions are lifted.


According to Kelsey Davenport, director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association think-tank, "the US would be foolish to waste the time bought" by the temporary agreement hammered out between Iran and the IAEA.


"It would be positive to have a concrete reciprocal action from the US acknowledging that Iran showed some restraint by negotiating this technical understanding," she said.


"It is manageable in the short term but if drags on too long, it will start impacting the future of the nuclear deal and it will erode confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme," Davenport told AFP.




Tehran last week said it will  limit inspections by the UN's nuclear watchdog into it's nuclear programs.


According to AFP report, the iran's new decision will be at the heart of a meeting of UN's Nuclear Watchdog board of governors on Monday, with some members mulling a formal rebuke to Tehran.


The report indicated that Western countries will be trying to find a way of censuring Iran without jeopardising fragile efforts to revive the 2015 deal between Tehran and major powers on its nuclear programme.


The possibility of a resolution criticising Iran being passed at the board attracted sharp diplomatic comment in the run-up to the meeting.


Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that  the Western powers have started again on a wrong note by supporting United state.


"The Europeans have started a wrong move by supporting the US in the board of governors," he said.


"We think this move will lead to the situation becoming disorganised," he said, according to the official Irna agency.


While President Joe Biden has said he is willing to bring the United States back to the 2015 deal, on Sunday Iran said the time was "not suitable" to hold an informal meeting with the US and the remaining parties to the accord -- France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia.


Diplomatic sources say that no decision has yet been taken by European states on whether or not to put forward a resolution as Iran will only be discussed later in the week at the meeting, being held via videoconference.


- 'Unfortunate miscalculation' -


Russia has made clear its opposition to the prospect of a resolution criticising Iran.


Russian ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov tweeted on Monday that such a move would be an "unfortunate miscalculation".


Earlier he had said that "the common responsibility of all 35 Governors is to ensure that the debates (even heated) do not negatively affect diplomatic efforts aimed at full restoration of #JCPOA," using the formal name for the 2015 deal.


Russia's deputy foreign minister also blasted Washington for US strikes on Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria last week, saying the move threatened to scupper talks.


"There is no doubt that influential forces in Washington have taken steps in order to derail this meeting," Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Russian state news agency TASS as saying.


The JCPOA was sent into disarray when former US President Donald Trump dramatically withdrew from it in 2018 and went on to impose swingeing economic sanctions on Iran which Tehran called Economic Terrorism against the iranians.


"We are running against time," Ulyanov said.


Zarif said that Iran hoped "that reason will prevail" at this week's meeting.


"If it does not we do have solutions," he said, without specifying what these were.


In a document circulated to IAEA member states ahead of this week's meeting, the Iranian mission to the organisation said a critical resolution would be "counterproductive and destructive".


The document also said the introduction of such a resolution would mark the "end" of the agreement reached with the IAEA last month to mitigate the impact of reduced inspections.


Under that temporary three-month arrangement, Iran has pledged to keep recordings "of some activities and monitoring equipment" and hand them over to the IAEA when US sanctions are lifted.


If a resolution censuring Iran is passed, it would be the first such resolution since June, which was itself the first in eight years.


- 'Time bought' by deal -


Diplomatic sources say the Iranian attempt at "blackmail" over a possible resolution has gone down badly among European states.


The latest tensions come after weeks in which Iran has continued breaking the limits laid down in the 2015 deal, for example by enriching uranium to 20 percent and producing uranium metal.


Tehran insists it has the right to take these steps in retaliation for American sanctions, and that the measures can be reversed as soon as sanctions are lifted.


According to Kelsey Davenport, director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association think-tank, "the US would be foolish to waste the time bought" by the temporary agreement hammered out between Iran and the IAEA.


"It would be positive to have a concrete reciprocal action from the US acknowledging that Iran showed some restraint by negotiating this technical understanding," she said.


"It is manageable in the short term but if drags on too long, it will start impacting the future of the nuclear deal and it will erode confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme," Davenport told AFP.



Israel's PM Netanyahu accuses Tehran of attacking an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman last week

Israel's PM Netanyahu accuses Tehran of attacking an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman last week


Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has on Monday accused Tehran of attacking an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman last week.


The attack seen as a mysterious explosion that has further spiked security concerns in the whole of Mideast region.


Netanyahu who without offering any evidence to his claim told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that “it was indeed an act by Iran, that’s clear.”


According to the PM, “Iran is the greatest enemy of Israel, I am determined to halt it. We are hitting it in the entire region.”


The blast struck the Israeli-owned MV Helios Ray, a Bahamian-flagged roll-on, roll-off vehicle cargo ship, as it was sailing out of the Middle East on its way to Singapore on Friday. The crew was unharmed, but the vessel sustained two holes on its port side and two on its starboard side just above the waterline, according to American defense officials.


The ship came to Dubai’s port for repairs on Sunday, days after the blast that revived security concerns in Mideast waterways amid heightened tensions with Iran. Iran has sought to pressure the U.S. to lift sanctions on Tehran as President Joe Biden's administration considers option for returning to negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.


It remains unclear what caused the blast. The Helios Ray had discharged cars at various ports in the Persian Gulf before the explosion forced it to reverse course.


In recent days, Israel’s defense minister and army chief had both indicated they held Iran responsible for what they said was an attack on the vessel.


Overnight, Syrian state media reported a series of alleged Israeli airstrikes near Damascus, saying air defense systems had intercepted most of the missiles. Israeli media reports said the alleged airstrikes were on Iranian targets in response to the ship attack.


Israel has struck hundreds of Iranian targets in neighboring Syria in recent years, and Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel will not accept a permanent Syrian military presence there. Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah have provided military support to Syrian President Bashar Assad in the more than decade-long Syrian civil war.


The Israeli military declined comment. There was no immediate response from Iran to the Israeli allegations.


Iran also has blamed Israel for a recent series of attacks, including a mysterious explosion last summer that destroyed an advanced centrifuge assembly plant at its Natanz nuclear facility and the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian scientist who founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program two decades ago. Iran has repeatedly vowed to avenge Fakhrizadeh’s killing.


“It is most important that Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons, with or without an agreement, this I also told to my friend Biden," Netanyahu said, referring to the U.S. president.


Iranian threats of retaliation have raised alarms in Israel since the signing of normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in September.


Now that the Democrats are in the U.S white house again, it is expected that the Iranian Nuclear Deal with the world powers and Germany be re-perfected to ensuring ease of economy blockade against Tehran and peace in the Mideast region.


Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has on Monday accused Tehran of attacking an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman last week.


The attack seen as a mysterious explosion that has further spiked security concerns in the whole of Mideast region.


Netanyahu who without offering any evidence to his claim told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that “it was indeed an act by Iran, that’s clear.”


According to the PM, “Iran is the greatest enemy of Israel, I am determined to halt it. We are hitting it in the entire region.”


The blast struck the Israeli-owned MV Helios Ray, a Bahamian-flagged roll-on, roll-off vehicle cargo ship, as it was sailing out of the Middle East on its way to Singapore on Friday. The crew was unharmed, but the vessel sustained two holes on its port side and two on its starboard side just above the waterline, according to American defense officials.


The ship came to Dubai’s port for repairs on Sunday, days after the blast that revived security concerns in Mideast waterways amid heightened tensions with Iran. Iran has sought to pressure the U.S. to lift sanctions on Tehran as President Joe Biden's administration considers option for returning to negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.


It remains unclear what caused the blast. The Helios Ray had discharged cars at various ports in the Persian Gulf before the explosion forced it to reverse course.


In recent days, Israel’s defense minister and army chief had both indicated they held Iran responsible for what they said was an attack on the vessel.


Overnight, Syrian state media reported a series of alleged Israeli airstrikes near Damascus, saying air defense systems had intercepted most of the missiles. Israeli media reports said the alleged airstrikes were on Iranian targets in response to the ship attack.


Israel has struck hundreds of Iranian targets in neighboring Syria in recent years, and Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel will not accept a permanent Syrian military presence there. Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah have provided military support to Syrian President Bashar Assad in the more than decade-long Syrian civil war.


The Israeli military declined comment. There was no immediate response from Iran to the Israeli allegations.


Iran also has blamed Israel for a recent series of attacks, including a mysterious explosion last summer that destroyed an advanced centrifuge assembly plant at its Natanz nuclear facility and the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian scientist who founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program two decades ago. Iran has repeatedly vowed to avenge Fakhrizadeh’s killing.


“It is most important that Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons, with or without an agreement, this I also told to my friend Biden," Netanyahu said, referring to the U.S. president.


Iranian threats of retaliation have raised alarms in Israel since the signing of normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in September.


Now that the Democrats are in the U.S white house again, it is expected that the Iranian Nuclear Deal with the world powers and Germany be re-perfected to ensuring ease of economy blockade against Tehran and peace in the Mideast region.

Tensions in Mideast as 3 rockets hit US base in Iraq — 1 contractor dead, 1 US troop, 8 contractors injured

Tensions in Mideast as 3 rockets hit US base in Iraq — 1 contractor dead, 1 US troop, 8 contractors injured


BAGHDAD (AP) — Officials now say three 107 mm rockets struck an Iraqi airbase in Irbil where U.S. forces are based late Monday, killing one U.S.-led coalition contractor and injuring a U.S. service member and others, Iraqi security and coalition officials reported, sparking fears of new hostilities.


The rockets, part of a volley of about 14, hit areas near the civilian airport in the Kurdish-run region as well as the nearby base hosting U.S. troops. One civilian contractor with the coalition was killed and nine others were wounded, a coalition spokesman, Col. Wayne Marotto, said in a statement posted on social media. One U.S. service member was among the injured and is being treated for concussion protocol, he said.


In a later update, CJTF-OIR confirms approx. 14 107 mm rockets launched with 3 impacting within EAB, Feb 15 at 2130 hours (Iraqi time) One civilian contractor was killed (Not US), and 9 injured ( 8 CIV contractors/ 1 US MIL) - 4 US/ 1 US MIL concussion protocol

— OIR Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto (@OIRSpox) February 16, 20

Marotto said the contractor who was killed was not American, but did not reveal the individual’s nationality. In addition to the U.S. service member, four U.S. contractors were being treated for concussion protocol, he said


The Kurdistan Regional Government is leading an investigation into the incident.

A little-known Shiite militant group calling itself Saraya Awliya al-Dam, Arabic for Guardians of Blood Brigade, claimed responsibility for Monday’s attacks


At least two civilians were also wounded and material damage was caused to cars and other property, the security officials said, without providing more details. The rockets were launched from an area south of Irbil near the border with Kirkuk province and fell on some residential areas close to the airport.


The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulation.


Attacks targeting Irbil airport are rare. Monday’s attack was the first to strike the area in five months.


On Sept. 30, when six rockets hit near the airport. Kurdish authorities said they had been launched from a pickup truck in the nearby town of Bartella in Ninevah province, which falls under federal government control.


Hoshiyar Zebari, a politburo member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, said security officials were investigating the source of the attack. “There will be consequences against the culprits. This aggression will not stand,” he tweeted.


Rocket attacks have frequently target the U.S. presence in Baghdad, including the U.S. Embassy, as well as convoys ferrying materials for the U.S.-led coalition.


The frequency of attacks diminished late last year ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The U.S. under the previous Donald Trump administration blamed Iran-backed groups for carrying out the attacks. Tensions soared after a Washington-directed drone strike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani and powerful Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis last year.


Trump had said the death of a U.S. contractor would be a red line and provoke U.S. escalation in Iraq. The December 2019 killing of a U.S. civilian contractor in a rocket attack in Kirkuk sparked a tit-for-tat fight on Iraqi soil that brought the country to the brink of a proxy war.


Last year, 109 American troops were diagnosed with mild TBI after an Iranian missile attack on Jan. 8. 2020 that struck two Iraqi bases housing coalition troops


U.S. forces have been significantly reduced in Iraq to 2,500 personnel and no longer partake in combat missions with Iraqi forces in ongoing operations against the Islamic State group.


U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was pledging its support for investigating the attack and holding accountable those who were responsible.


The attacks drew condemnation from senior Iraqi, U.S. and other Western officials.


U.N. Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert deplored the deadly assault and called for national unity.


“Such heinous, reckless acts pose grave threats to stability. Iraq must be shielded from (external) rivalries,” she said in comments posted on Twitter. “We call for restraint and for close Baghdad-Erbil collaboration to bring culprits to justice.”


___


Associated Press writer Samya Kullab contributed to this report.



BAGHDAD (AP) — Officials now say three 107 mm rockets struck an Iraqi airbase in Irbil where U.S. forces are based late Monday, killing one U.S.-led coalition contractor and injuring a U.S. service member and others, Iraqi security and coalition officials reported, sparking fears of new hostilities.


The rockets, part of a volley of about 14, hit areas near the civilian airport in the Kurdish-run region as well as the nearby base hosting U.S. troops. One civilian contractor with the coalition was killed and nine others were wounded, a coalition spokesman, Col. Wayne Marotto, said in a statement posted on social media. One U.S. service member was among the injured and is being treated for concussion protocol, he said.


In a later update, CJTF-OIR confirms approx. 14 107 mm rockets launched with 3 impacting within EAB, Feb 15 at 2130 hours (Iraqi time) One civilian contractor was killed (Not US), and 9 injured ( 8 CIV contractors/ 1 US MIL) - 4 US/ 1 US MIL concussion protocol

— OIR Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto (@OIRSpox) February 16, 20

Marotto said the contractor who was killed was not American, but did not reveal the individual’s nationality. In addition to the U.S. service member, four U.S. contractors were being treated for concussion protocol, he said


The Kurdistan Regional Government is leading an investigation into the incident.

A little-known Shiite militant group calling itself Saraya Awliya al-Dam, Arabic for Guardians of Blood Brigade, claimed responsibility for Monday’s attacks


At least two civilians were also wounded and material damage was caused to cars and other property, the security officials said, without providing more details. The rockets were launched from an area south of Irbil near the border with Kirkuk province and fell on some residential areas close to the airport.


The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulation.


Attacks targeting Irbil airport are rare. Monday’s attack was the first to strike the area in five months.


On Sept. 30, when six rockets hit near the airport. Kurdish authorities said they had been launched from a pickup truck in the nearby town of Bartella in Ninevah province, which falls under federal government control.


Hoshiyar Zebari, a politburo member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, said security officials were investigating the source of the attack. “There will be consequences against the culprits. This aggression will not stand,” he tweeted.


Rocket attacks have frequently target the U.S. presence in Baghdad, including the U.S. Embassy, as well as convoys ferrying materials for the U.S.-led coalition.


The frequency of attacks diminished late last year ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The U.S. under the previous Donald Trump administration blamed Iran-backed groups for carrying out the attacks. Tensions soared after a Washington-directed drone strike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani and powerful Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis last year.


Trump had said the death of a U.S. contractor would be a red line and provoke U.S. escalation in Iraq. The December 2019 killing of a U.S. civilian contractor in a rocket attack in Kirkuk sparked a tit-for-tat fight on Iraqi soil that brought the country to the brink of a proxy war.


Last year, 109 American troops were diagnosed with mild TBI after an Iranian missile attack on Jan. 8. 2020 that struck two Iraqi bases housing coalition troops


U.S. forces have been significantly reduced in Iraq to 2,500 personnel and no longer partake in combat missions with Iraqi forces in ongoing operations against the Islamic State group.


U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was pledging its support for investigating the attack and holding accountable those who were responsible.


The attacks drew condemnation from senior Iraqi, U.S. and other Western officials.


U.N. Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert deplored the deadly assault and called for national unity.


“Such heinous, reckless acts pose grave threats to stability. Iraq must be shielded from (external) rivalries,” she said in comments posted on Twitter. “We call for restraint and for close Baghdad-Erbil collaboration to bring culprits to justice.”


___


Associated Press writer Samya Kullab contributed to this report.


IDF Demands Billions of Shekels to attack Tehran as Iran-Israel war looming

IDF Demands Billions of Shekels to attack Tehran as Iran-Israel war looming

Israel's Prime Minister

The Israeli Defense Ministry (IDF) made its demand in the background of Iran’s growing nuclear threat. A report said on Tuesday.


Accord to the report by  Kan 11 News, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday evening with the finance and defense ministers, their top staff, and the chief of staff to discuss the allocation of “at least” 3 billion shekels to prepare for a possible attack on Iran.


The Defense Ministry made its demand in the background of Iran’s growing nuclear threat as it continues to abrogate terms of the 2015 agreement.


The Islamic republic of Iran has greatly enlarged its uranium stockpile and recently began enriching the material to 20%, a level that sharply reduces the time needed to make a bomb.


In an interview with NBC News Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Iran could be “weeks away” from having enough fissile material for a bomb if it keeps up its current pace. Others say it is up to two years.


In a speech last Tuesday at an Institute for National Securities Studies conference, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi stated Israel would not just stand by and let Iran obtain a nuclear weapon.


Warning that a return to the 2015 nuclear deal with only slight modifications was untenable, Kochavi said that offensive military operations are already on the table. Such a long-range mission would be very complicated, as Iran has spread out the various components of its program over several sites in the country, some deep underground.


During the discussion over Kochavi’s 3 billion request, one sticking point was how to fund it. Finance Ministry officials objected to the funding unless budget cuts were made in other areas to make up for the shortfall. The Defense Ministry countered with two suggestions that were dubbed “creative” by Kan 11 commentator Shaul Amsterdamski.


The first was to take the money from a special emergency fund currently containing some 12 billion shekels that is set aside for rehabilitation of the country and compensation in case of a severe earthquake or war.


 This fund is replenishable as it consists of a certain percentage of property taxes that citizens pay. The second was to grant a VAT exemption to the defense establishment on future defense imports.


Neither proposal was acceptable to the Finance Ministry, Amsterdamski said. The first suggestion was nixed because the purpose of the emergency fund is not to supplement Defense Ministry needs, and the second idea would impair the future budget of the entire country.


No decision was made at the hours-long meeting as Netanyahu said he would convene the security cabinet Wednesday, the first time it is meeting in nearly two months.


Israel's Prime Minister

The Israeli Defense Ministry (IDF) made its demand in the background of Iran’s growing nuclear threat. A report said on Tuesday.


Accord to the report by  Kan 11 News, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday evening with the finance and defense ministers, their top staff, and the chief of staff to discuss the allocation of “at least” 3 billion shekels to prepare for a possible attack on Iran.


The Defense Ministry made its demand in the background of Iran’s growing nuclear threat as it continues to abrogate terms of the 2015 agreement.


The Islamic republic of Iran has greatly enlarged its uranium stockpile and recently began enriching the material to 20%, a level that sharply reduces the time needed to make a bomb.


In an interview with NBC News Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Iran could be “weeks away” from having enough fissile material for a bomb if it keeps up its current pace. Others say it is up to two years.


In a speech last Tuesday at an Institute for National Securities Studies conference, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi stated Israel would not just stand by and let Iran obtain a nuclear weapon.


Warning that a return to the 2015 nuclear deal with only slight modifications was untenable, Kochavi said that offensive military operations are already on the table. Such a long-range mission would be very complicated, as Iran has spread out the various components of its program over several sites in the country, some deep underground.


During the discussion over Kochavi’s 3 billion request, one sticking point was how to fund it. Finance Ministry officials objected to the funding unless budget cuts were made in other areas to make up for the shortfall. The Defense Ministry countered with two suggestions that were dubbed “creative” by Kan 11 commentator Shaul Amsterdamski.


The first was to take the money from a special emergency fund currently containing some 12 billion shekels that is set aside for rehabilitation of the country and compensation in case of a severe earthquake or war.


 This fund is replenishable as it consists of a certain percentage of property taxes that citizens pay. The second was to grant a VAT exemption to the defense establishment on future defense imports.


Neither proposal was acceptable to the Finance Ministry, Amsterdamski said. The first suggestion was nixed because the purpose of the emergency fund is not to supplement Defense Ministry needs, and the second idea would impair the future budget of the entire country.


No decision was made at the hours-long meeting as Netanyahu said he would convene the security cabinet Wednesday, the first time it is meeting in nearly two months.


US/IRAN TENSIONS: American Navy announces nuclear submarine passed through Strait of Hormuz amid tensions with Iran

US/IRAN TENSIONS: American Navy announces nuclear submarine passed through Strait of Hormuz amid tensions with Iran


The United States' nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine traversed the strategically vital waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula on Monday, the U.S. Navy said, a rare announcement that comes amid rising tensions with Iran.


According to a report by Navy Times, American Navy’s 5th Fleet based in Bahrain said the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia, accompanied by two other warships, passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passageway through which a fifth of the world’s oil supplies travel.


The unusual transit in the Persian Gulf’s shallow waters, aimed at underscoring American military might in the region, follows the killing last month of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist named by the West as the leader of the Islamic Republic’s disbanded military nuclear program. It also comes some two weeks before the anniversary of the American drone strike in January that killed top Iranian military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Iran has promised to seek revenge for both killings.


The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine’s presence in Mideast waterways signals the U.S. Navy’s “commitment to regional partners and maritime security,” the Navy said, demonstrating its readiness “to defend against any threat at any time.” The USS Georgia is armed with 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and can host up to 66 special operations forces, the Navy added.


The United States' nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine traversed the strategically vital waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula on Monday, the U.S. Navy said, a rare announcement that comes amid rising tensions with Iran.


According to a report by Navy Times, American Navy’s 5th Fleet based in Bahrain said the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia, accompanied by two other warships, passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passageway through which a fifth of the world’s oil supplies travel.


The unusual transit in the Persian Gulf’s shallow waters, aimed at underscoring American military might in the region, follows the killing last month of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist named by the West as the leader of the Islamic Republic’s disbanded military nuclear program. It also comes some two weeks before the anniversary of the American drone strike in January that killed top Iranian military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Iran has promised to seek revenge for both killings.


The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine’s presence in Mideast waterways signals the U.S. Navy’s “commitment to regional partners and maritime security,” the Navy said, demonstrating its readiness “to defend against any threat at any time.” The USS Georgia is armed with 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and can host up to 66 special operations forces, the Navy added.

Iran to possess ocean-going warships by 2021: Top IRGC Commander

Iran to possess ocean-going warships by 2021: Top IRGC Commander


The commander of the 2nd Region of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s naval forces, Admiral Ramadan Zirrahey, announced that they will induc of ocean-going warships to the Revolutionary Guard Navy, before next March.

Admiral Ramadan Zerrahey said, in a press statement on Monday, that “a number of ocean-going vessels that are currently manufactured will join the Revolutionary Guard Navy at the end of the current Iranian year that ends in March 2021.”


He added, “The Revolutionary Guard currently owns various missile launchers and drones, as 188 reconnaissance drones have joined the Revolutionary Guard Navy recently, which were manufactured in the defense industries sector of the Ministry of Defense.”

Ramadan Zirrahey stressed that the Revolutionary Guard’s navy is fully prepared and possesses the latest combat skills and training.

He stressed that “in the event that the enemies commit any stupidity, they will face a decisive response from the Revolutionary Guard’s freedom.”

The commander of the second region of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy said that “the capabilities of the navy, whether in terms of humanity or equipment, cannot be compared to the period of the eight-year war with Iraq, as the Revolutionary Guard possesses modern equipment and has information capabilities at the regional level and monitors all ongoing activities well.”

He noted that “one of the tasks of the Revolutionary Guard Navy is to combat illegal fishing and smuggling of fuel and drugs,” noting that “the quantities of smuggled fuel in the Gulf fell to their lowest levels, as thousands of tons were stopped and the smuggled fuel was delivered to the Iranian Oil Derivatives Distribution Company.”



The commander of the 2nd Region of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s naval forces, Admiral Ramadan Zirrahey, announced that they will induc of ocean-going warships to the Revolutionary Guard Navy, before next March.

Admiral Ramadan Zerrahey said, in a press statement on Monday, that “a number of ocean-going vessels that are currently manufactured will join the Revolutionary Guard Navy at the end of the current Iranian year that ends in March 2021.”


He added, “The Revolutionary Guard currently owns various missile launchers and drones, as 188 reconnaissance drones have joined the Revolutionary Guard Navy recently, which were manufactured in the defense industries sector of the Ministry of Defense.”

Ramadan Zirrahey stressed that the Revolutionary Guard’s navy is fully prepared and possesses the latest combat skills and training.

He stressed that “in the event that the enemies commit any stupidity, they will face a decisive response from the Revolutionary Guard’s freedom.”

The commander of the second region of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy said that “the capabilities of the navy, whether in terms of humanity or equipment, cannot be compared to the period of the eight-year war with Iraq, as the Revolutionary Guard possesses modern equipment and has information capabilities at the regional level and monitors all ongoing activities well.”

He noted that “one of the tasks of the Revolutionary Guard Navy is to combat illegal fishing and smuggling of fuel and drugs,” noting that “the quantities of smuggled fuel in the Gulf fell to their lowest levels, as thousands of tons were stopped and the smuggled fuel was delivered to the Iranian Oil Derivatives Distribution Company.”


Russia has ‘no problem’ with selling S-400 system to Iran starting on October 19 says a report

Russia has ‘no problem’ with selling S-400 system to Iran starting on October 19 says a report


Iran’s Air Defence Troops already operate four battalions of upgraded S-300PMU2s, including launchers plus the accompanying target detection and designation radar equipment. Furthermore, the country’s domestic defence industries have created a range of first-rate air defence systems, including the Bavar 373 and the Khordad-3.

Moscow would have “no problem” selling its S-400 air defence system to Iran, Russian Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan has said.

“As you know, S-300s have already been delivered. Russia has no problem delivering S-400s to Iran. This was never a problem from the very beginning,” Dzhagaryan said, speaking to Iran’s Resalat newspaper in an interview published Saturday.

Commenting on “US threats” to try to extend the United Nations arms embargo against Tehran indefinitely, the diplomat stressed that Moscow would not be intimidated by US pressure, would make good on any commitments made, and would be willing to listen to offers from the Iranian side to buy Russian arms when the UN embargo expires on October 18.

Dzhagaryan also recalled that immediately after the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, Moscow “took a strong stance against the United States and called on the deal’s three European signatories to stand together with us.”

“But the issue I want to address is very important: the three European countries did not support the United States, but they also continue to criticize Iran’s activities in the region. On one hand, they say that the arms embargo against Iran should be lifted. On the other, they say that Iran should not continue its activities. The Russian side has said from the start that there would be no problems selling arms to Iran starting on October 19,” he reiterated.

Last month, after its attempts to extend the international arms embargo against Iran fell through at the UN, Washington threatened to impose the “full force” of secondary sanctions against any arms producer dealing with Iran.

S-400s for Iran?


Iran already has experience with Russian-made military equipment, including the S-300 air defence system. In August, Iranian Defence Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami inspected a S-400 system during a trip to Russia for the ARMY-2020 military expo outside Moscow.

The S-400 is presently the most advanced road-mobile air-defence system in Russia’s arsenal, and is capable of shooting down everything from enemy planes, helicopters and drones to ballistic and cruise missiles at ranges up to 400 km.

In addition to Russia, the system is operated by China, Belarus and Turkey, with India expecting to receive several regiments of the system soon.

A 2019 assessment by the US Defence Intelligence Agency suggested that Iran may be interested in buying Russian S-400s, K-300P Bastion coastal defence systems, Su-30 fighters and T-90 main battle tanks once the embargo expires.

In September, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh announced that in addition to importing arms, the lifting of the embargo will enable Iran to export its military equipment abroad in full compliance with international law.

Over the past decade, Iran’s defence industry has taken major strides in the creation of advanced military hardware, ranging from missiles, tanks and aircraft to warships, radar systems and even domestically-produced satellites.

Iran’s new air defence equipment in particular proved its worth in June 2019, when a Khordad-3 medium-range missile system shot a stealthy $220 million US Global Hawk surveillance drone out of the sky after it illegally entered Iranian airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.


Source: Sputnik

Iran’s Air Defence Troops already operate four battalions of upgraded S-300PMU2s, including launchers plus the accompanying target detection and designation radar equipment. Furthermore, the country’s domestic defence industries have created a range of first-rate air defence systems, including the Bavar 373 and the Khordad-3.

Moscow would have “no problem” selling its S-400 air defence system to Iran, Russian Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan has said.

“As you know, S-300s have already been delivered. Russia has no problem delivering S-400s to Iran. This was never a problem from the very beginning,” Dzhagaryan said, speaking to Iran’s Resalat newspaper in an interview published Saturday.

Commenting on “US threats” to try to extend the United Nations arms embargo against Tehran indefinitely, the diplomat stressed that Moscow would not be intimidated by US pressure, would make good on any commitments made, and would be willing to listen to offers from the Iranian side to buy Russian arms when the UN embargo expires on October 18.

Dzhagaryan also recalled that immediately after the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, Moscow “took a strong stance against the United States and called on the deal’s three European signatories to stand together with us.”

“But the issue I want to address is very important: the three European countries did not support the United States, but they also continue to criticize Iran’s activities in the region. On one hand, they say that the arms embargo against Iran should be lifted. On the other, they say that Iran should not continue its activities. The Russian side has said from the start that there would be no problems selling arms to Iran starting on October 19,” he reiterated.

Last month, after its attempts to extend the international arms embargo against Iran fell through at the UN, Washington threatened to impose the “full force” of secondary sanctions against any arms producer dealing with Iran.

S-400s for Iran?


Iran already has experience with Russian-made military equipment, including the S-300 air defence system. In August, Iranian Defence Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami inspected a S-400 system during a trip to Russia for the ARMY-2020 military expo outside Moscow.

The S-400 is presently the most advanced road-mobile air-defence system in Russia’s arsenal, and is capable of shooting down everything from enemy planes, helicopters and drones to ballistic and cruise missiles at ranges up to 400 km.

In addition to Russia, the system is operated by China, Belarus and Turkey, with India expecting to receive several regiments of the system soon.

A 2019 assessment by the US Defence Intelligence Agency suggested that Iran may be interested in buying Russian S-400s, K-300P Bastion coastal defence systems, Su-30 fighters and T-90 main battle tanks once the embargo expires.

In September, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh announced that in addition to importing arms, the lifting of the embargo will enable Iran to export its military equipment abroad in full compliance with international law.

Over the past decade, Iran’s defence industry has taken major strides in the creation of advanced military hardware, ranging from missiles, tanks and aircraft to warships, radar systems and even domestically-produced satellites.

Iran’s new air defence equipment in particular proved its worth in June 2019, when a Khordad-3 medium-range missile system shot a stealthy $220 million US Global Hawk surveillance drone out of the sky after it illegally entered Iranian airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.


Source: Sputnik

NUCLEAR DEAL: Tehran Says No Talks with US After Russian Mediation Offer

NUCLEAR DEAL: Tehran Says No Talks with US After Russian Mediation Offer

 Lavrov: Washington snapback mechanism attempts are doomed to failure 
 Mahmoud Vaezi

The Islamic Republic of Iran on Friday declares that there will not be any talk with US US after the foreign minister of Russia expressed readiness to help Tehran and Washington hold talks.


According to Iran's Tasnim report, Iranian President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi dismissed any plan for negotiations with the US.

Asked by Tasnim about Sergei Lavrov’s idea of Russian mediation between Iran and the US for direct negotiations, Vaezi said, “We have no intention of negotiating with Americans, and we have declared our stance very clearly.”

"Tehran has already made it clear that the US must accept that it has made mistakes, realize that it has adopted the wrong policy of sanctions on Iran, and admit that it has made a mistake, he added. "

Vaezi also noted that the Russian foreign minister has not been the only person to have proposed the idea of mediation, stressing, “Americans must return to the JCPOA and speak within the framework of the JCPOA, otherwise, no other action would yield result.”

In recent remarks at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Lavrov said Moscow was ready to hold talks with both sides to pave the way for direct negotiations between Iran and the United States, but only if both sides are interested.

“We believe that it is better to raise differences and issues directly and receive direct answers,” The Russian foreign minister as saying.

He has also pointed to the US’ attempt to trigger the snapback mechanism of the JCPOA to reinstate the UN sanctions on Iran, saying that the attempts are doomed to failure.

Lavrov said Washington has lost all its rights by withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.


Source: Tasnim
 Lavrov: Washington snapback mechanism attempts are doomed to failure 
 Mahmoud Vaezi

The Islamic Republic of Iran on Friday declares that there will not be any talk with US US after the foreign minister of Russia expressed readiness to help Tehran and Washington hold talks.


According to Iran's Tasnim report, Iranian President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi dismissed any plan for negotiations with the US.

Asked by Tasnim about Sergei Lavrov’s idea of Russian mediation between Iran and the US for direct negotiations, Vaezi said, “We have no intention of negotiating with Americans, and we have declared our stance very clearly.”

"Tehran has already made it clear that the US must accept that it has made mistakes, realize that it has adopted the wrong policy of sanctions on Iran, and admit that it has made a mistake, he added. "

Vaezi also noted that the Russian foreign minister has not been the only person to have proposed the idea of mediation, stressing, “Americans must return to the JCPOA and speak within the framework of the JCPOA, otherwise, no other action would yield result.”

In recent remarks at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Lavrov said Moscow was ready to hold talks with both sides to pave the way for direct negotiations between Iran and the United States, but only if both sides are interested.

“We believe that it is better to raise differences and issues directly and receive direct answers,” The Russian foreign minister as saying.

He has also pointed to the US’ attempt to trigger the snapback mechanism of the JCPOA to reinstate the UN sanctions on Iran, saying that the attempts are doomed to failure.

Lavrov said Washington has lost all its rights by withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.


Source: Tasnim

New Iranian radar capable of tracking 300 targets simultaneously - Video

New Iranian radar capable of tracking 300 targets simultaneously - Video


The Iranian Armed Forces unveiled a new radar system this week after announcing that they have 27 new military achievements.

Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that the new Kashef-99 radar is a 3D mobile phased array system with a range of 12 kilometres used to detect small aircraft.

According to Tasnim news agency, the homegrown device is a 3D phased-array radar system that is carried on a vehicle, suitable for detecting small aircraft and objects.

Kashef-99 can detect 300 targets simultaneously within a range of 12 kilometers.

   
 
The radar system has been designed and produced at the New Technologies Research Center of the Air Defense Force of the Iranian Army. 

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei commended the Iranian Air Defense forces for their contribution to national security, saying, “The country owes its security to Air Defense’ preparedness and wakefulness.”

Iran has in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of military equipment, including air defense systems that use cutting edge technologies.

Tehran has repeatedly stated that its military might is defensive in nature and poses no threat to other countries.

Source: IRNA, TASNIM

The Iranian Armed Forces unveiled a new radar system this week after announcing that they have 27 new military achievements.

Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that the new Kashef-99 radar is a 3D mobile phased array system with a range of 12 kilometres used to detect small aircraft.

According to Tasnim news agency, the homegrown device is a 3D phased-array radar system that is carried on a vehicle, suitable for detecting small aircraft and objects.

Kashef-99 can detect 300 targets simultaneously within a range of 12 kilometers.

   
 
The radar system has been designed and produced at the New Technologies Research Center of the Air Defense Force of the Iranian Army. 

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei commended the Iranian Air Defense forces for their contribution to national security, saying, “The country owes its security to Air Defense’ preparedness and wakefulness.”

Iran has in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of military equipment, including air defense systems that use cutting edge technologies.

Tehran has repeatedly stated that its military might is defensive in nature and poses no threat to other countries.

Source: IRNA, TASNIM

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