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Qatar's diplomatic row with its Arab neighbors triggered a rush to the shops over fears of scarcity of food supplies.

A top Iranian official says the country stands fully ready to answer the food requirements of Qatar much beyond its current needs.

Abbas Maroufan, the deputy for domestic trade of the Government Trading Corporation of Iran, was quoted by media as saying that Iran could support the food requirements of 10 countries like Qatar.

Maroufan emphasized that Iran had no problem in answering Qatars food needs, stressing the Islamic Republic would quickly do so as soon as there was a request to the same effect from Doha.

Iran started to export food to Qatar immediately after the Persian Gulf country came under a blockade earlier this month by Saudi Arabia and several of its allies as a result of a row over regional politics.

Officials in Tehran over the past week said at least five planeloads of food supplies each weighing 100 tonnes had been sent to Qatar.

On Wednesday, Iran said it had sent a ship with 180 tonnes of fruits and vegetables to the Persian Gulf emirate.

Irans media said the shipment was made on Tuesday from the countrys southern port of Bandar Lengeh in Hormozgan Province.

Officials had already said it would take a maximum 12 hours for a ship to reach Qatar from Irans southern ports.

Other reports said Iran was also looking into exporting dairy products to Qatar and certain negotiations to the same effect were underway.

Officials have been quoted by media as saying that Iran could ship at least 45 tonnes of dairy products to Qatar.

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'Iran can supply food to 10 states like Qatar' - Press TV

Iranian forces have killed two suspected members of an armed Sunni Muslim group in southeastern Iran and arrested five others, a minister said, accusing Saudi Arabia of "sponsoring terrorists" in the country.

"A group of seven terrorists who wanted to attack a barracks in Chabahar (in Sistan Baluchistan province) was dismantled,"Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said late on June 14.

Two of the five people arrested were from "a neighboring country," and "unfortunately, an intelligence agent was also killed," he said. Iranian state media said the suspects were members of the militant Ansar al-Furqan group.

Sistan-Baluchistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, has seen repeated attacks by Sunni militants against security forces.

A second "terrorist group" was broken up in Iranian Kurdistan in the northwest, Alavi said, without elaborating.

"Saudi Arabia is sponsoring terrorist groups in Iran," he said.

Iranian leaders have accused Saudi Arabia of involvement in twin attacks in Tehran on June 7 on the parliament and a religious shrine, although the Islamic State has claimed responsibility.

After the assaults, dozens of suspects were arrested in Tehran and in the northwestern provinces of Kermanshah, Kurdistan,and West Azerbaijan, as well as in Sistan-Baluchistan.

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Iranian Forces Kill Two, Arrest Five Sunni Muslim Militants In Southeast Iran - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

It's part of a broader measure that would enforce new sanctions against Russia and strengthen existing ones. Video provided by Newsy Newslook

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee(Photo: AP Photo, Mark Humphrey)

WASHINGTON The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to place new sanctions on Iran and Russia, setting up a possible confrontation with the Trump administration as it attempts to improve relations with Moscow.

Republican and Democratic senatorssaid the sanctions, approved by a vote of 98-2,are needed to punish Iran for its recent flurry of ballistic missile tests and human rights abuses and to show Russia that its interference in last years presidential election and its aggression in Syria will not be tolerated. Voting no were Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

It truly is astounding what Iran continues to do around the world, said Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. For a people that are capable of so much, their foreign policy is shockingly counter to their own interest.

We see destabilizing act after destabilizing act from missile launches, to arms transfers, to terrorist training, to illicit financial activities, to targeting Navy ships and detaining American citizens the list goes on and on.

And its past time for us to take steps to protect the interests of the United States and our allies.

Regarding Russia, Corker said the sanctions send a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin while ensuring the Trump administration has the flexibility it needs for its ongoing talks with the Kremlin.

The White House has not said whether President Trump would veto the legislation but has sent signals that it opposes the bill partly because the measure prohibits Trump from unilaterally suspending or terminating the sanctions. Under the legislation, Congress would have the authority to review and potentially disapprove any attempt by Trump to lift the sanctions.

After Thursday's vote, the White House said it is still reviewing the new Russian sanctions legislation.

The new Iran sanctions also have raised concerns among top officials who served in former president Barack Obamas administration. Theyfearthe sanctionscould jeopardize the landmark nuclear deal struck with Tehran in 2015.

Corker, however, said Irans rogue behavior has escalated since the agreement was implemented and that the sanctions would give the Trump administration tools for holding Tehran accountable.

Read more:

Senate approves sanctions against Russia for meddling in presidential election, other abuses

Bob Corker, other senators back new sanctions on Iran

Tillerson to discuss Syria crisis with Russian counterpart

The bill, which awaits an uncertain future in the House, imposes mandatory sanctions on people involved with Irans ballistic missile program and those who do business with them. It also applies terrorism sanctions to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and enforces an arms embargo.

The Russian provisions, which resulted from bipartisan talks involving several committees, strengthen existing sanctions against key sectors of Russias economy and impose new sanctions on those engaged in cyber activity on behalf of the Russian government.

The legislation also puts in place new sanctions against Russia over human rights abuses and against those who suppliedweapons to the regime of Syrian president Bashar Hafez al-Assad.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said the sanctions strengthen the U.S.s hand against Putin, whose campaign to influence the U.S. election struck at the very core of our democracy and simply must not be permitted.

U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Putin and his accomplices will continue to meddle in future elections in the United States and Europe, Nelson said.

Beware, Nelson warned. Theyve laid the groundwork for next years (congressional) elections to try to interfere.

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Senate votes to punish Russia and Iran over election interference, aggression - USA TODAY

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 13, 2017, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. CREDIT: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The new U.S. policy towards Iran includes regime change, according to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Tillerson was asked on Wednesday whether the United States supports regime change inside Iran. He replied in the affirmative, saying that U.S. policy is driven by relying on elements inside of Iran to bring about peaceful transition of that government.

He made the comments in a hearing on the 2018 State Department budget before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) asked Tillerson about U.S. policy towards Iran, including whether the U.S. government would sanction the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and whether the U.S. supported a philosophy of regime change.

They are doing bad things throughout the world, on behalf of terrorism and destroying human rights of many people, Poe said, referring to the IRGC. Id like to know what the policy is of the U.S. toward Iran. Do we support the current regime? Do we support a philosophy of regime change, peaceful regime change? There are Iranians in exile all over the world. Some are here. And then theres Iranians in Iran who dont support the totalitarian state. So is the U.S. position to leave things as they are or set up a peaceful long-term regime change?

Well our Iranian policy is under development, Tillerson replied. Its not yet been delivered to the president, but I would tell you that we certainly recognize Irans continued destabilizing presence in the region, their payment of foreign fighters, their export of militia forces in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen, their support for Hezbollah. And we are taking action to respond to Irans hegemony. Additional sanctions actions have been put in place against individuals and others.

We continually review the merits both from the standpoint of diplomatic but also international consequences of designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in its entirety as a terrorist organization, he added. As you know, we have designated the Quds [Force]. Our policy towards Iran is to push back on this hegemony, contain their ability to develop obviously nuclear weapons, and to work toward support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of that government. Those elements are there, certainly as we know.

Trumps foreign policy team is filled with hawks on Iran, but Tillerson is the first administration official to advocate for regime change in his official capacity.

The Iranian government was quick to condemn Tillersons remarks. On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi called Tillersons comments interventionist, in gross violation of the compelling rules of international law, unacceptable and strongly condemned.

Since the 1950s, the United States tried to meddle in Iranian affairs by different strategies such as coup dtat, regime change, and military intervention. Qassemi said, referring to U.S. involvement in the 1953 coup in Iran, dubbed Operation AJAX by the CIA. These efforts have all failed, Qassemi said, adding that the new U.S. government was confused and could be easily manipulated by wrong information.

Tillersons focus on nuclear weapons in his comments on Wednesday are notable, given that he has previously acknowledged that Iran is in full compliance with the Iranian nuclear agreement (as has the International Atomic Energy Agency).

Last week, Iran suffered an attack claimed by the Islamic State that killed at least 17 people and injured dozens. The White House response implied that Iran deserved the attack. We grieve and pray for the innocent victims of the terrorist attacks in Iran, and for the Iranian people, who are going through such challenging times, the statement read. We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote.

The next day, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), a vocal Trump supporter, praised the attack in Tehran and suggested that the United States should work with the Islamic State to counter Iran.

On Thursday, the Senate passed an Iran sanctions bill, despite former Secretary of State John Kerrys warning that new sanctions could threaten the Iranian nuclear agreement.

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Tillerson calls for regime change in Iran - ThinkProgress

Congress is seeking new authorities that would enable it to expose and crack down on an Iranian state-controlled commercial airline known for transporting weapons and terrorist fighters to hotspots such as Syria, where Iranian-backed forces have begun launching direct attacks on U.S. forces in the country, according to new legislation obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Congressional efforts to expose Iran's illicit terror networks more forcefully come as U.S. and European air carriers such as Boeing and AirBus move forward with multi-billion dollar deals to provide the Islamic Republic with a fleet of new airplanes, which lawmakers suspect Iran will use to amplify its terror operations.

The new sanction legislation targets Iran's Mahan Airlines, which operates commercial flights across the globe while transporting militants and weapons to fighters in Syria, Yemen, and other regional hotspots.

Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon.

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Congress seeks embargo on Iran airline linked to terrorism as Tehran targets US forces - Fox News