Social and Political

radiofarda – In an unprecedented remark Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (Araghchi) has said that “Any U.S. president other than Trump would have also pulled out of the nuclear deal with Iran, the official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying Wednesday August 28. President Donald Trump withdrew from the landmark nuclear accord in May 2018, criticizing it as …

radiofarda – The EU’s diplomatic chief said Thursday that the bloc would support talks between the US and Tehran, but only if the current nuclear deal with Iran is preserved. Tehran and Washington have been locked in a bitter standoff since last year when US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the 2015 deal that gave Iran relief from …

radiofarda – Iran’s defense minister has said his country’s pursuit of satellite deployments is “a normal endeavor”, after several reports in international media about an impending launch by Tehran. General Amir Hatami told the official news website IRNA, “The Defense Ministry is continuing its research regarding launching rockets and satellites based on a codified program” and when some observers notice …

radiofarda – Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York next month as Tokyo continues to seek a leading role in attempts to defuse rising tension in the Middle East. Japan’s foreign ministry said Wednesday the meeting was arranged during Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s visit to Tokyo on Tuesday, and would …

rferl.org – The United States has imposed sanctions on two networks it says are engaged in “covert procurement activities” benefiting Iranian military organizations and supporting Iran’s “missile proliferation programs,” the Treasury Department has said. One of the networks used a Hong Kong-based front company to “evade U.S. and international sanctions and facilitate tens of millions of dollars’ worth of proliferation …

rferl.org – An Iranian journalist who accompanied Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif earlier this month on an official trip to Europe has fled the entourage and sought political asylum in Sweden. But critics are questioning the credibility of Amir Tohid Fazel, accusing him of working with Iranian intelligence agents to help undermine critics of the Iranian clerical establishment. Some suggest …

radiofarda – Japan will try to help ease tension in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said on Tuesday as he began a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif. Zarif said he looked forward to discussions with Kono as both countries had special interests in the security of the energy market and stability in the Gulf. “We …

radiofarda – A member of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, IRGC has been assassinated in the town of Piranshahr in West Azerbaijan province, the local governor announced on Tuesday. Ali Torabi told the media that IRGC member was shot dead in Esteqlal (Independence) avenue in the Kurdish town near the Iraqi border. The town has a substantial Kurdish community. There …

radiofarda – Israel is ready to use “all means necessary” to defend itself against Iranian threats “on several fronts”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday. The warning comes after the Israeli army launched strikes late Saturday in Syria to thwart what it said was an impending Iranian attack against the Jewish state. Just hours later, Lebanon’s army said two Israeli …

rferl.org – Iran won’t talk to the United States unless it lifts all the sanctions Washington has imposed on Tehran, President Hassan Rohani has said, after President Donald Trump said he was open to meeting him under the “right” circumstances. In an August 27 speech broadcast live on state television, Rohani said that Iran is ready to hold talks, “but …