Social and Political

Al-Arabia – Foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Sunday Britain is “almost certain” Iran was behind attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, adding that London did not believe anyone else could have done it. On Saturday, Iran summoned the British ambassador to Tehran after London blamed it for the attacks, the semi-official Students News Agency ISNA reported. …

RFL/RE – Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has directly blamed archrival Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and said his country “won’t hesitate to deal with any threat” against its people or interests.“The Iranian regime did not respect the Japanese prime minister’s visit to Tehran, and while he was there replied to his efforts by …

VOA – Iran summoned the British ambassador to Tehran on Saturday after Britain placed the blame on the country for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency. “During the meeting with Iran’s Foreign Ministry official, Iran strongly criticized Britain’s unacceptable stance regarding the attacks in the Gulf of Oman. … …

gatestoneinstitute.org – That leaves the remaining members of the P5+1 with a clear choice: either pronounce the Obama [Iran] “deal” dead and seek a framework for new talks on how to solve the perennial “Iran problem” which, paradoxically, all say they are concerned about, or to unite to neutralize the United States and help Iran carry on as usual. The …

Radiofarda — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke by phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, emphasizing “our shared desire for a strong, free, and sovereign Iraq,” the State Department said.Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said on June 14 that Pompeo thanked the prime minister for Iraq’s continued efforts to counter threats to Iraq’s sovereignty from Iran-backed militias.Pompeo reiterated the U.S. commitment …

Radiofarda – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Friday for an independent investigation to establish the facts and who was responsible for attacks on two oil tankers this week in the Gulf of Oman. The United States blamed Iran for the attacks on Thursday, a charge Tehran rejected. Amid the rising tensions, Guterres said he was available to mediate …

Radiofarda – Former Deputy President of Iran Shahindokht Molaverdi has criticized the intelligence and judiciary authorities over the imprisonment of a U.S. permanent resident who was set free on June 11 after almost four years behinds bars. Lebanese citizen and U.S. permanent resident Nizar Zakka had attended a 2015 conference in Tehran on the invitation of Molaverdi, who was deputy …

Al-Arabia – Calling Iran “a nation of terror,” President Donald Trump confirmed the assessment of his top advisers and publicly accused Tehran of responsibility for recent attacks on tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Trump said on Friday that Iran’s culpability was “exposed” by the United States. While calling into Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” he said of …

RFL/RE – The Iraqi military says three mortar shells have hit an Iraqi Air Force base just north of Baghdad where U.S. soldiers are training Iraqi forces.In a statement, Iraq’s military said the shelling early on June 15 ignited a small fire at Balad Air Base but did not result in any casualties.The attack occurred amid rising tension in the …

RFL/RE – Iranian President Hassan Rohani says his country will continue scaling back on compliance of its nuclear deal with world powers unless other signatories to the agreement show “positive signals.” Speaking on June 15 at a summit of Asian leaders in Dushanbe, Rohani said his country “has made a decision to terminate the implementation of some of its obligations” …