Archive for the ‘Iran’ Category

6 years after Nimr’s execution, Iran and Saudi ‘preparing to reopen embassies’ – Middle East Monitor

Six years after snapping their diplomatic ties, arch-foes Iran and Saudi Arabia are slowly moving toward rapprochement and preparing to reopen embassies, according to a senior Iranian lawmaker, reported Anadolu Agency.

Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's national security and foreign policy commission, in a Twitter post on Saturday, said the two countries are on course to restore their fractured ties.

The two neighbours fell out in January 2016 after attacks on two Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad, triggered by the execution of a prominent Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr, in Saudi Arabia.

Efforts to repair the broken relationship have intensified recently with four rounds of tension-easing talks between the officials of the two countries held in Baghdad since April last year, brokered by the Iraqi government.

While Iranian officials have noted progress in the marathon talks, Jahanabadi's latest remarks suggest that a breakthrough could be just around the corner.

Read: Putin to host Iranian president next week for talks state TV

The senior reformist lawmaker, who previously headed the parliament's judicial and legal committee, said diplomatic ties between the two countries are being "revived," with preparations afoot to "open the embassies."

He said the rapprochement between Tehran and Riyadh could contribute to "reducing regional tensions and increasing the cohesion of the Muslim world."

Jahanabadi, however, warned the country's security agencies and media about what he called "vicious activities of Zionists and imprudent acts of radicals" to thwart efforts being made to restore relations with Riyadh.

The negotiations to end the standoff were launched by the previous Iranian government and continued under the new administration led by Ebrahim Raisi.

Earlier this month, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed Tehran's "readiness" to continue talks with Riyadh, which were halted following the general elections in Iraq.

He said Tehran had presented "a set of practical proposals" to Riyadh, which elicited "positive response," paving the ground for the next round of talks in Baghdad.

Read: China confirms opposition to US sanctions on Iran

Last week, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the next round of talks between Tehran and Riyadh was "on the agenda," without specifying the exact date.

On whether developments in Lebanon or Yemen would have any bearing on the outcome of talks, the spokesman said Iran has "tried to continue the talks despite the differences."

Experts, however, believe the war in Yemen could still act as a stumbling block in a full restoration of diplomatic ties, despite the new Iranian government's push to realign its foreign policy priorities from the west to the east.

In his first press conference after winning the election in June last year, Raisi said there was "no obstacle" in having a dialogue with Saudi Arabia and in reopening the embassies.

The restoration of diplomatic ties between the estranged neighbours will see Iranians going to Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage first time in seven years.

Read: Biden will not allow Iran to have nuke, US says as talks hit critical phase

Originally posted here:
6 years after Nimr's execution, Iran and Saudi 'preparing to reopen embassies' - Middle East Monitor

Fate of Irans America-hating wrestling boss in jeopardy over Death to America call – Fox News

JERUSALEM The president of the Iran Wrestling Federation, who used his position to call for the destruction of America, might not be permitted to travel to the United States for a slated dual meet between the two countries national teams in February following aFox News Digital expos.

Alireza Dabir, holder of a U.S. Green Card,urged "Death to America"in atelevision interview last week.

"We always chant Death to America but importantly is showing it in action," said Dabir, who won a gold medal in freestylewrestling at theOlympics in Sydney in 2000. He added that "A doctor [in Iran], he might even be wearing a tie, but he is doing his job well. He is saying Death to America. Some talk a lot but dont do much. We need to prove it [Death to America] with an action."

File photo - Iran's national flags are seen on a square in Tehran February 10, 2012, a day before the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.Iran's national flags are seen on a square in Tehran February 10, 2012, a day before the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. (REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl)

Iranian regime-controlled media are abuzz with discussions on whether Dabir will be barred from attending the dual meet in Arlington, Texas on February 12. "According to rumors, the US embassy may not issue a visa to the president of the Wrestling Federation,"reported the Iran Labor News Agency.

In response to the Fox News Digital article, the U.S. government news organizationVoice of America reportedthat Dabirs "anti-American" remarks might produce "the possibility of canceling the Iranian national wrestling teams trip to the United States."

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday, "The U.S. and Iranian Wrestling teams are scheduled to compete against one another in an event planned for February 12, 2022, called The Bout at the Ballpark.

"Matters involving visa issuance for any individual members of the Iranian team are subject to Privacy Act concerns and will be adjudicated strictly in accordance with U.S. law," the spokesperson continued.

"As National Security Advisor [Jake] Sullivan said earlier this week, We are united in our resolve against threats and provocations. We are united in the defense of our people. We will work with our allies and partners to deter and respond to any attacks carried out by Iran. Should Iran attack any of our nationals it will face severe consequences."

CHINESE CITIES LOCK DOWN AHEAD OF OLYMPICS TO STOP COVID, 20 MILLION PEOPLE CONFINED TO HOMES

The U.S. spokesperson added, "The Bout at the Ballpark is a private, commercial sporting event hosted and operated by the Arlington, Texas-based REV Entertainment to be held at Globe Life Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Any questions related to its conduct or operation should be addressed to those entities."

Fox News Digital questioned the State Department about Dabirs claim following the Fox News Digital article that his Green Card had not been valid for seven years.

REV Entertainment did not respond to Fox News Digital media queries by press time.

Alireza Dabir of Iran, receives gold medal for 58 kg Freestyle Wrestling at Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games, photo on black (Associated Press)

Fox News Digital sent numerous press queries to Rich Bender, the executive director of USA Wrestling, and to all the sponsors of USA Wrestling, including the U.S. Marines and the multi-national sportswear corporation Nike.

Fars News, a news outlet controlled by IransIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corpsa U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizationreported that Iranian regime foreign ministry spokesmanSaeed Khatibzadehlashed out at Fox News for its reporting on Dabir. Khatibzadeh said, "We should not politicize sports," adding that "the direction of [Fox News] is clear."

Sardar Pashaei, an Iranian-American former star wrestler and ex-coach of Irans national Greco-Roman team, fired back atKhatibzadeh:"Isnt sending a wrestler to the U.S. with the slogan Death to America a political act?"

Pashaeitold Fox News Digital: "What about not allowing Iranian athletes to compete with Israeli athletes? What about the torture and execution of protesting athletes? People of the world should know that in Iran, if you compete with Israel as an athlete not only will you be banned from competing for the rest of your life but you and your family will be arrested."

The Islamic Republic of Irans Supreme Ali Khamenei made clear his discriminatory policy in September 2021.

"Any Iranian athlete worthy of the name cannot shake hands with a representative of the criminal regime in order to win a medal," Khamenei told Irans medalists from the Tokyo Games. Khamenei, who has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel and denied the Holocaust, added that "The genocidal, illegal Zionist regime attempts to gain some legitimacy by appearing in international athletic competitions. The worlds arrogant powers and their cohorts [the West] assist and support them in this."

Alireza Dabir of Iran celebrates gold medal win for 58-kilogram Freestyle Wrestling at Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games, photo on black (Associated Press)

Lawdan Bazargan, an Iranian-American human rights activist who was imprisoned in Tehrans notorious Evin Prison for dissent, told Fox News Digital, "How canU.S. Wrestling invite the wrestling team of the gender-apartheid Islamic Regime of Iran for a friendly match? They [Iranian women] are banned from participating in international competitions in several sports, including wrestling. Even in the sports that women can participate in, they are forced to wear a compulsory hijab that denies them the right to choose their clothes and makes them less competitive compared to the other teams with the appropriate uniforms."

Bazargan noted that "Iranian athletes such as Shirin Shirzad and Shiva Amiri had to flee to the West and wrote about their experiences in the #LetUsTalk Campaign, experiences such as discrimination, compulsory hijab, and even assault and sexual harassment."

She called for a boycott of the dual meet set for Texas.

Pashaei, who won a Greco-Roman wrestling world championship title for Iran, told Fox News Digital that USA Wrestling should pull the plug on the dual meet with Irans regime.

He sent a letter from the United for Navid organization to Bender at USA Wrestling, stating: "On behalf of thousands of Iranian athletes we urge you to refrain from inviting Iranian government-sponsored athletes as long as the government tortures and executes athletes, deprives women of participation in competitions, and chants Death to America in their media. Refrain from inviting officials and athletes who are government propaganda tools that are anti-women and anti-American."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The United for Navid campaign seeks justice for the late champion Greco-Roman wrestler Navid Afkari. The Islamic Republic of Iran hanged Afkari in September 2020 for his role in a demonstration against the regimes corruption.

Read the original:
Fate of Irans America-hating wrestling boss in jeopardy over Death to America call - Fox News

Iran nuclear deal: eighth round of talks begins in Vienna …

An eighth round of talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal has begun in Vienna, with Iran saying participants have been largely working from an acceptable common draft text and that its team was willing to stay as long as it takes to reach an agreement.

The Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said he wanted the focus of the coming round of talks to be on how Tehran could verify US sanctions had genuinely been lifted. The landmark 2015 deal, from which Donald Trump withdrew the US, had lifted sanctions on Iran in return for controls on its civilian nuclear programme.

We must reach a point where Iranian oil can be sold easily and without any restrictions so money for that oil can be transferred in foreign currency to Irans bank accounts, Amir-Abdollahian said.

He said the negotiators were working from two joint draft texts. The first broadly covers the nature of all the sanctions related to the nuclear deal that the US must lift and the second is on the staging and details of the steps Iran must reverse to come back into compliance with the deal, such as reducing its nuclear stockpile and ending the use of advanced centrifuges.

In terms of the third paper on the verification of the lifting of sanctions, Iran has spoken in terms of a fixed volume of oil and industrial exports that must be completed before it need take reciprocal action by returning fully to its compliance with its side of the deal.

Iran is concerned western companies will be reluctant to invest in Iran because of fears that a future Republican US president could reimpose sanctions in 2025, putting their investments in jeopardy, as happened in 2018 when Trump pulled out of the deal.

Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a speech in February that sanctions had to be lifted in practice, not just on paper. Research from the Iranian parliament set out the number of barrels of oil to be exported a day and the required value of transactions taking place in Iranian controlled banks in Europe.

Although the talks will be difficult, Iran seemed intent on injecting some optimism into a process that began in April.

In an important announcement the day before the eighth round, Irans atomic energy authority gave a public pledge that it would not seek to enrich uranium above 60%, a promise that came as a relief to Russian negotiators concerned that if Tehran pushed ahead to nuclear weapons-grade 90% enrichment, the European and US delegations would abandon the talks.

Western diplomats have said they will not allow the talks to drag on much longer, possibly with early February as the final deadline. They point out the talks first started and were then paused for three months while a new Iranian government reviewed its negotiating position. Israel meanwhile claims Iran is procrastinating while its scientists take Iran secretly closer to a nuclear bomb. Western diplomats accept Iran is closer to breakout time than ever before, but this is not the same as being close to possessing a nuclear weapon.

Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany, the UK and the EU attended the talks, with a US delegation indirectly involved a cumbersome procedure upon which Tehran has insisted even though it has delayed progress. Iran has complained in recent weeks that the European countries, especially France, have taken a position that is indistinguishable from the US.

The degree to which Iran needs western sanctions to be lifted to be able to produce a viable budget is contested within the country. The leadership team around the new president, Ebrahim Raisi, claims it can avoid lifting costly subsidies on petrol and still produce a viable budget, a claim rejected by many Iranian economists.

Continued here:
Iran nuclear deal: eighth round of talks begins in Vienna ...

Delegates at new round of Iran nuclear talks strike …

Progress has been made in Vienna, but both sides still need to make difficult decisions if an agreement is to be reached.

Tehran, Iran The eighth and possibly final round of talks in Vienna to restore Irans landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers has commenced on a cautiously hopeful note.

A Joint Commission meeting of the remaining participants of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the nuclear deal is formally known, concluded on Monday night in the Austrian capital, with a slew of bilateral and trilateral meetings between the different delegations.

There was, however, no direct meeting between Iranian and United States representatives as Tehran refuses to talk directly with Washington after the US in 2018 unilaterally abandoned the accord.

Following the main meeting at the Palais Coburg, Irans chief negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said the delegations agreed that good progress was made during the seventh round that ended 10 days earlier, and there is now a suitable framework to take the talks forward.

The important thing in this Joint Commission meeting was that different sides emphasised on the importance of prioritising the lifting of sanctions, and also verification and guarantees during the eighth round, he said.

Bagheri said the negotiations will continue on Tuesday. The Iranian delegation has previously said it is ready to remain in Vienna until a deal acceptable to Tehran is reached.

Due to the US exit from the JCPOA under former President Donald Trump, Iran is now demanding the full lifting of the sanctions, guarantees the US will not leave again, and a period to verify sanctions are effectively lifted.

The JCPOA provided sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. But after the US withdrawal and imposition of sanctions, Iran abandoned those curbs and is now using advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium up to 60 percent.

Enrique Mora, the European Unions coordinator in the meeting, told reporters outside the venue that time is limited due to Irans nuclear advances, but all delegations wish to end the talks successfully.

We have come a long, long way since the beginning of the negotiation. We have incorporated sensitivities of a new Iranian government. So from the point of view of the coordinator, we are exactly at the point where we should be if we want to get the final successful result, he said, referring to the government of conservative President Ebrahim Raisi that came to power in August.

If we work hard in the days and weeks ahead, we should have a positive result. It is going to be very difficult. Difficult political decisions have to be taken both in Tehran and in Washington.

Russias chief negotiator Mikhail Ulyanov described the meeting as businesslike and result-oriented with the aim of achieving an agreement as soon as possible, and described the eighth round as presumably final round of the negotiations.

Earlier on Monday, Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the eighth round will move forward revolving around a new and acceptable joint document.

Here is the original post:
Delegates at new round of Iran nuclear talks strike ...

US Gives Iran Weeks to Strike Nuclear Bargain or Slow Its Nuclear Program – Foreign Policy

U.S. President Joe Bidens administration opened big-power talks this week in Vienna to determine whether steady advances to Tehrans nuclear program render the landmark Iran nuclear deal a corpse that cannot be revived, as one senior U.S. official recently put it to reporters, or if theres still a chance to salvage the accord.

The United States has cast the eighth and latest round of negotiations as a last chance for achieving a diplomatic settlement of its nuclear dispute with Iran. U.S. officials warn that the window for reviving the 2015 nuclear pactknown as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)is nearly shut. Iran has weeks, not months, to strike a deal or curtail its nuclear activities to avoid facing the prospect of stepped-up coercive measures, from additional sanctions to the threat of military action, a senior U.S. official told Foreign Policy.

Either we reach a deal quickly or they slow down their program, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity given the negotiations confidential nature. If they do neither, [its] hard to see how [the] JCPOA survives past that period.

U.S. President Joe Bidens administration opened big-power talks this week in Vienna to determine whether steady advances to Tehrans nuclear program render the landmark Iran nuclear deal a corpse that cannot be revived, as one senior U.S. official recently put it to reporters, or if theres still a chance to salvage the accord.

The United States has cast the eighth and latest round of negotiations as a last chance for achieving a diplomatic settlement of its nuclear dispute with Iran. U.S. officials warn that the window for reviving the 2015 nuclear pactknown as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)is nearly shut. Iran has weeks, not months, to strike a deal or curtail its nuclear activities to avoid facing the prospect of stepped-up coercive measures, from additional sanctions to the threat of military action, a senior U.S. official told Foreign Policy.

Either we reach a deal quickly or they slow down their program, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity given the negotiations confidential nature. If they do neither, [its] hard to see how [the] JCPOA survives past that period.

Weve seen modest steps in recent weeks, but the Iranians are not working at a pace required to get a breakthrough in the coming weeks, the U.S. official added.

Russia and Iran pushed back on the need to establish a fixed deadline for the talks to conclude, with Moscow contending Iran is still far enough away from developing a weapon capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. (Iran claims it has no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons.)

This sense of urgency is a little bit exaggerated, said Mikhail Ulyanov, Russias chief nuclear negotiator and ambassador to Vienna. Yes, its urgent, but lets be prudent; lets [not] set up artificial deadlines.

In recent weeks, the Biden administration has been signaling its intention to tighten the economic screws on Iran if the talks, which resumed on Dec. 27, cant bring Iran back into full compliance with the pact. Andrea Gacki, head of the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, led a delegation to the United Arab Emirates as part of an effort to strengthen the enforcement of existing U.S. sanctions, warning banking and petroleum executives in the UAE to abide by the sanctions or face U.S. penalties.

Biden cited restoring the Iran nuclear pact as one of his top foreign-policy priorities, appointing Robert Malley as special envoy for nuclear talks during his first eight days in office. The 2015 deal was the singular diplomatic achievement of the Obama administration, a painstakingly negotiated pact that imposed a complex series of constraints on Irans nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

But then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, allowing Iran to rebuild and accelerate some of the most sensitive elements of its nuclear program, including the installation of more advanced centrifuges and the production of highly enriched uranium, while restricting international scrutiny of the program.

The day after the seventh round of nuclear talks resumed in Vienna on Nov. 29, Iran began enriching a higher-grade uraniumsome 20 percent puritywith a cascade of more advanced IR-6 centrifuges than permitted by the pact. Irans breakout timethe amount of time it would take to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a bombhas shrunk from about 12 months at the time the nuclear pact was concluded to about one month, experts said. It could take Iran another two years to produce a nuclear warhead.

Israel recently pressed Bidens national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, to either negotiate more far-reaching constraints on Irans nuclear program or tighten the economic noose. In an interview with the New York Times, Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid said the best outcome would be a stronger deal than the JCPOA, which could ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and the worst would be a bad deal that provides Tehran enough wiggle room to build a nuclear weapons program at some stage in the future. Second best would be no deal but tightening the sanctions and making sure Iran cannot go forward, he told the Times.

The Biden administration has focused on simply returning to the original deal, but that effort has been strained by even more than Irans nuclear advances. The United States carried out several rounds of talks with the Iranian government of former President Hassan Rouhani, who struck the original agreement with the Obama administration. But the start of a new president, Ebrahim Raisi, has scrambled those calculations. Iran replaced its nuclear negotiating team and appointed a hard-liner, Ali Bagheri Kani, to lead talks. He has backtracked on commitments his predecessors made.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, recently accused Irans new negotiating team of staking out vague, unrealistic, maximalist, and unconstructive positions on sanctions, reneging on compromises it made during the previous six months of talks.

We are fully prepared to lift sanctions inconsistent with our JCPOA commitments, which would allow Iran to receive the economic benefits of the deal, Thomas-Greenfield told the United Nations Security Council on Dec. 14. And were convinced that, if Iran approaches talks in Vienna with urgency and good faith, we can quickly reach and implement an understanding on mutual return [to the JCPOA]. We cannot, however, allow Iran to accelerate its nuclear program and slow-walk its nuclear diplomacy.

European powers have been losing patience with Iran but said they are reluctant to dump the diplomatic track. In mid-December, representatives from Britain, France, and Germany blamed Irans new negotiating team for the new unreasonable demands. Time is running out, they said in a joint statement. Without swift progress, in light of Irans fast-forwarding of its nuclear program, the JCPOA will very soon become an empty shell.

In recent weeks, European diplomats have received instructions from their capitals to be prepared, in the event of a breakdown in talks, for the possible reimposition of sanctions on Iran. The so-called snapback provision of the 2015 nuclear pact permits signatories to reimpose a wide range of U.N. sanctions if they deem Iran is in breach of the agreement.

Since then, Iran has taken a number of steps to ease diplomatic pressure, including meeting a demand by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to provide access to video cameras installed in an Iranian reprocessing facility in Karaj, Iran. That agreement, negotiated with Russias help, headed off an immediate collision with the United States, which threatened to seek formal censure of Iran at the IAEA, a move Tehran said would drive it out of the deal for good.

The process ebbs and flows for us, one European diplomat said. There has been slightly better mood music over the last couple of weeks, citing the Karaj agreement, a bit more flexibility over the scope of nuclear talks, and Irans acting somewhat less troublesome in the region by refraining from attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran is being as reasonable as one can ever expect the Iranians to be, the diplomat added. The alternative is worse. We are still pretty open-eyed about what Iran is up to, but the cost of dropping out and making it all about confrontation is not in anyones interest.

Bagheri Kani, Irans chief negotiator, opened talks Monday with representatives of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security CouncilBritain, China, France, Russia, and the United Statesas well as Germany and the European Union, which is serving as facilitator of the talks. The talks could continue through the end of January or early February 2022.

The Iranian delegation is seeking a sweeping rollback of sanctions and demanding assurances from the Biden administration that any agreement it strikes will be honored by future U.S. administrationsan assurance the president may not have the power to grant.

Despite the obstacles, Russias Ulyanov said: Frankly, Im rather optimistic at this stage. I see no objective reasons for being skeptical.

I cannot guarantee that an agreement will be reached, but I believe that chances are very, very high as the main prerequisite for success is already there, Ulyanov added. All countries, all participants, including Iran and the United States, look for the restoration of the nuclear deal.

Ulyanov said China and Russia persuaded Iran to back away from some of its maximalist positions, including its insistence that the talks focus only on sanctions, not the nuclear issue. In the end, he said, the Iranians agreed to begin negotiations on the basis of a draft hammered out by the previous Iranian government this past spring.

Ulyanov said now is not the time to threaten Iran with greater pressure. Even if they produce a significant amount of nuclear material, so what. It cannot be used without a warhead, and the Iranians do not have warheads.

Meanwhile, there is a risk of dangerous miscalculations on both sides. Ali Vaez, the Iran expert at the International Crisis Group, said although China and Russia have urged the United States and European powers to give Irans negotiating team more time and show greater flexibility, it is difficult for the West to show flexibility. There is fear on the Western side that Iran is not serious about the talks, that its wasting time.

From a technological standpoint, the Iranian nuclear program is reaching the point of no return, Vaez added. If Iran walks away from the deal and ratchets up its nuclear program, then I think the gloves will come off quicklyin a matter of days. The United States will switch to coercive diplomacy, and we might see the reimposition of U.N. sanctions and, shortly after, the specter of war.

See the original post here:
US Gives Iran Weeks to Strike Nuclear Bargain or Slow Its Nuclear Program - Foreign Policy