Archive for the ‘Iran’ Category

Iran condemns deadly Takfiri bombing of bus convoy in Syria’s Aleppo – Press TV

Syrian children, wounded in a car bombing that targeted their buses in Rashideen, west of Aleppo, as they were being evacuated from al-Foua and Kefraya as part of a deal between the militants and the Syrian government receive treatment at a hospital in the government-held part of Aleppo on April 15, 2017.

Iran has condemned a deadly Takfiri bomb attack on buses carrying people from two Shia-majority villages in Syrias northwestern province of Idlib.

Iran'sForeign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi made the condemnation on Saturday while offering his condolences to the Syrian government and nation.

Earlier, at least 40 people were killed in the blast, which hit al-Rashideen district on the western outskirts ofAleppo, located some 355 kilometersnorth of the capital Damascus, as buses were stopping at a checkpoint.

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The buses were evacuating residents of Kefraya and al-Foua villages in accordance with an agreement reached between the Syrian government and foreign-sponsored Takfiri militant groups last month.

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The shameful criminal act by Takfiri terrorists in the cowardly attack on buses carrying the people of al-Foua and Kefraya in Syria and killing tens of innocent and defenseless women and children have added to the record of atrocities carried out by terrorists and their supporters, said Qassemi.

He went on to slam those who claim to be supporters of the Syrian nation but refrain from commenting on such actions.

Qassemi further stressed that dividing militants into good and bad by supporters of such groups only serves to embolden terrorists.

Evacuee buses arrive in Aleppo

Later on Saturday, the SANA news agency announced that the final series of buses taking people from the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya have arrived in Aleppo.

Some 15 buses transporting hundreds of civilians arrived in al-Ramousawhere they were put up in a fully stocked temporary housing center.

Before that, several ambulances transporting those injured in the earlier attacks arrived in the city.

A total of 75 buses and 20 ambulances had been scheduled to arrive in Aleppo on Friday, but infighting between the terrorists had halted the convoys departure.

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Iran condemns deadly Takfiri bombing of bus convoy in Syria's Aleppo - Press TV

Russia and Iran say U.S. ‘crossed red lines’ with strike on …

A statement released by "the joint command operation center of Syrian allies," a group that includes Russia and Iran, warned the U.S. against further military actions in the war-torn country, following a missile strike on a Syrian air base last week.

Referring to its defense of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, the group warned that they would support Syria and its people "with all means that we have."

"The United States crossed red lines by attacking Syria, from now on we will respond to anyone, including America if it attacks Syria and crosses the red lines," the statement read. "America knows very well our ability and capabilities to respond well to them, [and] we will respond without taking into consideration any reaction and consequences."

The statement did not include critical details like what kind of military operation would cross such a red line, or what kind of response would be made on the part of Syria and its allies, but noted that they would work to "liberate" Syria from occupation.

"Rest assured that we will liberate Syria from all kinds of occupying forces, it does not matter from where they came to the occupied part of Syria," the statement warned. "Russia and Iran will not allow the United States to be the only superpower in world."

The statement warned the U.S. that allies of Syria were "closely and deeply following American forces' moves and presence" in the areas of northern Syria and northwestern Iraq, and that they will "consider them [to be] an occupying force."

Russia and Iran have backed Assad in Syrias six-year-long conflict, as has the Shia militia Hezbollah. The United States and other Western countries have thrown their support behind rebels fighting the Syrian regime.

The statement follows heated rhetoric from American lawmakers suggesting that Syrian allies like Russia may have had prior knowledge of the chemical attack that took place in Syria last week, killing scores of civilians, including many children.

Earlier on Sunday, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on ABC News' "This Week" that Russia is "complicit" in the chemical attack in Syria.

"Absolutely they're complicit," Schiff told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos. "Russian intelligence may not be as good as ours, but it's good enough to know the Syrians had chemical weapons, were using chemical weapons."

The question of Russian complicity in the attack also came up in an earlier interview on "This Week" Sunday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Tillerson said he has "not seen any hard evidence" that Russians were involved in planning or carrying out the attack.

But the secretary of state said when he meets with the Russian foreign minister this week, he will bring up Russia's obligation under a 2013 agreement to ensure the Syrian government got rid of its chemical weapons.

"It agreed to be the guarantor of the elimination of the chemical weapons, and why Russia has not been able to achieve that is unclear to me," Tillerson said. "Clearly they've been incompetent and perhaps they've just simply been out-maneuvered by the Syrians."

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Russia and Iran say U.S. 'crossed red lines' with strike on ...

Iran issues threat over US strikes in Syria | Fox News

Iran "won't be quiet" after the U.S. missile attack that hit a number of military targets in central Syria, Iran's parliament news agency, ICANA.ir,reported Friday.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, declared "Russia and Iran won't be quiet against such acts which violate interests of the region," according to the report.

Boroujerdi warned serious consequences would follow the U.S. action.

SYRIA CALLS MISSILE ATTACK 'RECKLESS IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR'

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to Twitter on Friday to denounce the strikes, saying: "Not even two decades after 9/11, U.S. military fighting on same side as al-Qaida & ISIS in Yemen & Syria. Time to stop hype and cover-ups."

Zarif also called the allegation that the Syrian military used chemical weapons as bogus.

ABOUT 20 SYRIAN JETS DESTROYED IN AIRSTRIKE, DEFENSE OFFICIALS SAY

"US aids Saddam's use of CW against Iran in 80's; then resorts to military force over bogus CW allegations: 1st in 2003 and now in Syria, Zarif tweeted.

The U.S. strike came in fiery retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians.

About 60 U.S. Tomahawk missiles hit the Shayrat air base, southeast of Homs, a small installation with two runways, where aircraft often take off to bomb targets in northern and central Syria. The U.S. missiles hit at 3:45 a.m. Friday morning and targeted the base's airstrips, hangars, control tower, and ammunition areas, U.S. officials said.

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said Friday the U.S missile strike was dangerous, destructive and violates the principles of international law, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

Ghasemi described Iran as "the biggest victim of chemical weapons in recent history," referencing Iraqi use of the weapons during its 1980s war with the Islamic Republic. He said Iran condemned the missile launch "regardless of the perpetrators and the victims" of Tuesday's chemical weapons attack in Syria.

He also warned it would "strengthen terrorists" and further add to "the complexity of the situation in Syria and the region."

Iran is one of the biggest supporters of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Its hardline paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is deeply involved in the war. America's Sunni Arab allies in the Gulf view Syria as a proxy conflict between it and Shiite power Iran.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Iran issues threat over US strikes in Syria | Fox News

Russia, Iran and Syria issue warning to US – ABC News

Russia, Syria and Iran strongly warned the United States Friday against launching new strikes on Syria and called for an international probe into last week's chemical attack there.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who hosted his Iranian and Syrian counterparts at a trilateral meeting in Moscow, denounced last week's U.S. attack on Syria as a "flagrant violation" of international law and warned that any further such action would entail "grave consequences not only for regional but global security."

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said the meeting sent a "strong message" to Washington. Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif emphasized that the participants warned that any unilateral action by the U.S. is unacceptable.

The U.S. has blamed the Syrian government for launching a deadly chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun that killed over 80 people on April 4, and responded by striking a Syrian air base. Russia has alleged that the victims were killed by toxic agents released from a rebel chemical arsenal and warned against putting the blame on Damascus until an independent inquiry has been conducted.

Moscow vetoed a Western draft U.N. resolution Wednesday, saying it failed to mention the need to inspect the area of the attack.

Lavrov on Friday accused the U.S. and its allies of what he described as attempts to stymie an international probe into the attack. He expressed strong skepticism about a preliminary investigation conducted by the U.N. chemical weapons watchdog, saying that its experts have failed to visit the site and it has remained unclear to Russia where the samples have been taken and how they have been analyzed.

In Russia's view, the probe conducted by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons should be widened to include experts from many nations, he said.

"If our U.S. colleagues and some European nations believe that their version is right, they have no reason to fear the creation of such an independent group," Lavrov added. "The investigation into this high-profile incident must be transparent and leave no doubt that someone is trying to hide something."

Lavrov said the U.S. strike on the Syrian base has undermined peace efforts in Syria and reflected Washington's focus on ousting Syrian President Bashar Assad's government. "Such attempts won't succeed," Lavrov said.

The three ministers also discussed the beefing up of U.S. forces on Jordan's border with Syria. Moallem said. He added that Russia, Iran and Syria have "common procedures against any aggression," but wouldn't offer any specifics.

Lavrov that Moscow has asked Washington about the purpose of the buildup and received assurances they were there to cut supply lines between the Islamic State group factions in Syria and Iraq.

"We will keep monitoring the issue, since the only possible reason for using military force on the territory of Syria is to fight terrorism," Lavrov said.

Russia has staunchly backed Assad's government throughout a civil war that has dragged into a seventh year. It has conducted an air campaign in Syria since September 2015, saving Assad from imminent collapse and helping reverse military fortunes.

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Russia, Iran and Syria issue warning to US - ABC News

Trump administration sanctions Iran prison torture industry – Fox News

The Trump administration is leveling new economic sanctions against senior Iranian officials and its prison system for widespread human rights abuses, including the systematic torture of those being held in these facilities, according to White House officials familiar with the matter.

The latest sanctions target the Tehran Prisons Organization and Sohrab Suleimani, a senior official in the prison system and the brother of Qassem Soleimani, a senior Iranian military figure responsible for operating Iran's rogue activities in Syria and elsewhere.

Sohrab Soleimani is responsible for overseeing Iran's notorious Evin Prison, which is known for torturous interrogations, forced interrogations, and widespread mistreatment of inmates.

The latest sanctions are certain to rankle Tehran, already the subject of a range of new sanctions under the Trump administration, which is currently conducting a widespread review of all matters related to the landmark nuclear agreement.

A senior official on the White House National Security Council told theWashington Free Beaconthat the Soleimani family has a history of fomenting violence and unrest both inside and outside Iran.

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Trump administration sanctions Iran prison torture industry - Fox News