Tag: IRAN

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his visiting Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro signed a 20-year partnership agreement to boost cooperation in energy, economy, tourism, culture, and politics, local media reported…reports Asian Lite News

Speaking at a press conference after the signing of the agreement on Saturday, Raisi said that Iran has always sought to have ties with “independent countries” and that “Venezuela’s resistance against imperialism and enemies was exemplary”.

The Iranian President added that Iran “has decided to leverage” sanctions imposed against it and make them “improvement opportunities for the country”.

Maduro, who arrived in Tehran on Friday with a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, said at the press conference that a weekly flight from Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, to Tehran would begin on July 18, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.

The Venezuelan President’s first visit to Iran comes amid the impasse of Iran’s nuclear talks with world powers. Sanctions imposed by the United States and rising global food prices are putting additional strain on Iran’s government and people, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Saturday, the Venezuelan leader met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during which Maduro said his country is drawing up a “precise roadmap for improving cooperation with Iran in various fields, particularly science and technology”.

“Venezuela has succeeded in fully confronting the US aggression through resistance,” said the Venezuelan President, adding that the economic situation in the South American country has improved greatly over the past few years.

ALSO READ:Iran Flexes Muscles Over Nuclear Talks

Lauding the relationship between the two sides, Khamenei said that by strengthening ties with Venezuela, Iran has shown that “it takes risks in times of danger and offers a helping hand to its friends”.

Iran has provided several fuel cargos to Venezuela and helped it in refinery repairs, despite the pressure from the United States. Venezuela started importing Iranian heavy crude in May, expanding on a swap agreement signed in 2021 to trade Iranian condensate for Venezuelan heavy crude.

Iran is the third country Maduro visited this week after trips to Turkey and Algeria.

Iran to remove 27 monitoring cameras from nuclear sites

The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran has informed that it is removing 27 surveillance cameras from its nuclear facilities.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told reporters here late Thursday that the move could deal “a fatal blow” to chances of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and also “poses a serious challenge to our ability to continue working there”, reports Xinhua news agency.

Iran’s move came a day after an IAEA board meeting on Wednesday passed a resolution to censure Iran for its nuclear safeguards issues.

The resolution had been proposed by the US, UK, France and Germany following recent IAEA reports that Iran has not provided “technically credible explanations” to uranium particles at three undeclared sites. However, Iranian officials rejected the reports and insisted the country did not carry out any clandestine and unrecorded nuclear activities.

  Grossi said that more than 40 surveillance cameras would remain in operation in Iran after the country’s latest move.

  He warned that if an agreement cannot be reached on restoring the cameras in three to four weeks, “this would be a fatal blow” to hopes of reviving the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

  Upon signing the deal, Iran agreed to put some curbs on its nuclear programme in return for the removal of the US-led sanctions.  However, former US President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to reduce some of its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA.

  Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties — China, the UK, France, Russia and Germany, to revive the pact.

  However, the talks have stalled since mid-March due to reported major differences between Iran and the US.

 Meanwhile, a Chinese envoy said putting pressure on Iran would not help solve the Iran nuclear issue after the IAEA board meeting passed a resolution to censure Tehran.

Wang Chang, deputy head of China’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna, said that China voted against the resolution, proposed by the United States, Britain, France and Germany to criticize Iran for its nuclear safeguards issues, at the meeting of the IAEA board of governors earlier in the day.

Wang said that China is opposed to relevant countries putting pressure on Iran with the resolution, as the pressure campaign will not help solve problems, but intensify tensions and escalate the situation.

Such a confrontational move at the IAEA board meeting will only compromise the Iran-IAEA cooperation and undermine the negotiations on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which is in the final critical stage, he noted.

Talks in Vienna over restoring the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have stalled in recent months.

The Chinese envoy said that China supports the IAEA and Iran in resolving their disagreements on safeguards issues through dialogue and cooperation.

ALSO READ:Iran explores alternative banking mechanism to promote trade with India

“The pressing task now is to conclude the Iran nuclear talks and bring the JCPOA back on track at an early date,” Wang said. “We believe all of Iran’s safeguards issues will be solved by then.”

Wang noted that the United States, as the initiator of the current Iran nuclear crisis, should make political decisions as soon as possible and actively respond to Iran’s legitimate concerns to push for an early deal in the nuclear talks.

“All relevant parties should create necessary conditions and a sound atmosphere for diplomatic efforts,” he added.

Both the sides discussed the possibility of rupee-rial trade and agreed on a conducive legal mechanism to promote two-way commerce…reports Asian Lite News

In a bid to promote two-way trade with India, Iran is exploring an alternative banking mechanism within the framework of the international law, its visiting Foreign Minister Dr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday.

In his address at an interactive meeting organised by MVIRDC World Trade Centre, Mumbai � an international trade promotion organisation, and the All India Association of Industries (AIAI), he said: “I had a fruitful discussion with senior ministers of the Indian government to establish such a banking mechanism.”

Both the sides discussed the possibility of rupee-rial trade and agreed on a conducive legal mechanism to promote two-way commerce, he said.

Also, in his presence, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between his nation and World Trade Centre, Mumbai to promote bilateral trade and investment as also with the All India Association of Industries.

Apart from establishing a banking mechanism, the two countries have also explored the possibilities of settling trade transactions in rupee or through barter system, said the minister, who is on a three-day visit to India.

Within the framework of international law, there are existing banking mechanisms which Iran has already implemented with a dozen countries, he said.

ALSO READ:Iran Cements Ties With India

Iran’s Deputy Minister of Judiciary, Fattah Ahmadi said: “Iran is clear in its intention to support trade and investment ties with India by signing an agreement on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters.”

The two Iranian ministers also invited Indian companies to explore trade and investment opportunities in Iran by assuring that its government will provide a conducive business environment to protect their commercial interests.

Iran has urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to avoid “politicising” issues concerning Iran’s nuclear programme…reports Asian Lite News

Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy chief of the Iranian Judiciary and a former envoy to the IAEA, was quoted by the Iran’s Press TV as saying that Iran has cooperated with the agency “in good faith and with transparency” and has provided “adequate explanations” to the IAEA’s questions, Xinhua news agency reported.

He was in response to the IAEA report issued last week which claimed that “undeclared” nuclear materials found in three Iranian sites still remained unanswered.

One reason why the IAEA amplified the issue and put it high on its agenda is the “constant political pressure that the United States and some Western countries have been exerting on the agency,” Gharibabadi said.

He reiterated Iran’s opposition to any anti-Iran resolution at the imminent IAEA Board of Governors’ meeting.

ALSO READ:Iran welcomes UN-backed truce renewal in Yemen

“I hope that Western countries and the US would come to their senses and opt not to officially submit the resolution because they know the move will further complicate the situation,” he added.

The US, UK, France and Germany have reportedly prepared a draft resolution concerning Iran’s nuclear programme for the IAEA Board of Governors’ meeting.