Page 8 - Iran

Iran's new prez Pezeshkian vows balance with all, warns US against pressure

Iran's newly elected president said his government will create "balance in relations with all countries in line with national interests and the prerequisites for peace but stressed to the United States that his country will not respond to pressure. Masoud Pezeshkian penned My Message To The New World in the country's state-owned Tehran Times late Friday, praising the latest presidential election that demonstrated remarkable stability and vowing to uphold promises I made during my campaign. ' Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, bested hard-liner former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to clinch July 5's runoff election to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May. He said in his message his administration would prioritise strengthening relations with our neighbours and urged Arab countries to use all diplomatic leverages to push for a lasting cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that started October

Oil tanker held by Iran for over a year reaches international waters

An oil tanker held by Iran for over a year after being seized amid tensions between Tehran and the United States reached international waters on Thursday, tracking data showed. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Advantage Sweet travelled through the Strait of Hormuz, where it was seized in April 2023 by Iran's navy while carrying USD 50 million worth of oil from Kuwait for Chevron Corp. The strait is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 per cent of the world's oil passes. Tracking data analysed by The Associated Press showed the Advantage Sweet had been unloaded while in Iranian custody and that the vessel listed as its destination Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, which has been the first port of call for other ships leaving Iranian detention. Iran did not acknowledge the ship's departure. It came after an Iranian court earlier on Thursday ordered the US government to pay more than USD 6.7 billion in compensation over a Swedish company stopping its supply o

Iran encourages Gaza war protests in US to stoke outrage, distrust

The Iranian government is covertly encouraging American campus protests over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza in a bid to stoke outrage ahead of the fall election, the nation's top intelligence official said on Tuesday. Using social media platforms popular in the US, groups linked to Tehran have posed as online activists, encouraged campus protests and have provided financial support to some protest groups, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement. "Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions," Haines said. This effort noted by the top US intelligence official is the latest evidence that America's adversaries are harnessing the internet to warp domestic debates and widen political divides ahead of the election. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was important to warn Americans to help them "guard against efforts by foreign

Hope & scepticism in Iran

A reformist becoming President will test the nation

In first address, Iran's Prez-elect Pezeshkian vows to serve all Iranians

At the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his commitment to overcoming challenges and providing prosperity for all Iranians

Iran holds runoff presidential election to replace late President Raisi

Iranians began voting on Friday in a runoff election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash last month, as public apathy has become pervasive in the Islamic Republic after years of economic woes, mass protests and tensions in the Middle East. Voters face a choice between the hard-line former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime parliament member who has allied himself with moderates and reformists within Iran's Shiite theocracy. An initial round of voting June 28 saw no candidate get over 50 per cent of the vote, forcing the runoff. It also saw the lowest turnout ever for an Iranian election, leaving turnout Friday a major question. There have been calls for a boycott, including from imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, though potential voters in Iran appear to have made the decision not to participate last week on their own as there's no widely accepted opposition movement operating

Iran's Presidential election heads to 2nd round amid voter apathy, tensions

The first round of voting, held on June 28, saw none of the initial candidates securing the required majority of over 50 per cent of the vote

As Iran votes for new President, rise in gasoline prices may spark protests

As Iran's runoff presidential election nears, comments by an official in the campaign of reformist Masoud Pezeshkian raised the possibility of his government increasing government-set gasoline prices a move that has sparked nationwide protests in the past. While still tentative, economists long have warned Iran needs to overhaul its system of subsidies, estimated to cost the Islamic Republic tens of billions of dollars a year. In 2019, a similar hike triggered mass demonstrations and a bloody crackdown that grew even more intense after the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. On Saturday, Pezeshkian campaign head Ali Abdolalizadeh told journalists that his possible presidency would see price hikes for fuel and other items handled without any outcry. Don't worry, petrol at any ... price, you will see that it would be allowed with calmness and cooperation by the people, Abdolalizadeh said. Hard-liners immediately accused Pezeshkian of planning to increase fuel prices by a ..

Saeed Jalili, hard-line former negotiator, seeks Iran's presidency

Hard-line Iranian presidential candidate Saeed Jalili may have been Tehran's top nuclear negotiator for years, but he won no plaudits from Western diplomats sitting across the table as he repeatedly lectured them on everything while offering nothing. As the weaving of Iranian carpets progresses in millimeter, precise, delicate and durable manner, God willing, this diplomatic process will also proceed in the same way, Jalili said then. Those hours of lecturing in 2008 stalled talks as hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei advanced the country's nuclear programme. That put pressure on the West that eventually eased with Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which lifted sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Now Jalili, 58, stands on the precipice of being elected as Iran's next president as he faces a runoff election Friday against the little-known reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon. With Iran's nuclear programme enriching urani

Iran's presidential candidates debate sanctions, nuclear deal before runoff

Iranian presidential candidates on Tuesday discussed the impact of economic sanctions imposed on their country by the United States and other Western nations and presented their plans about reviving a nuclear deal with world powers. It was the second, and last, live debate on state television pitting little-known reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili, a hard-line former nuclear negotiator, ahead of Friday's runoff election aimed at choosing a successor for the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died last month in a helicopter crash. Pezeshkian said that sanctions imposed by the West have badly hurt Iran's economy. He cited a 40 per cent inflation over the past four years and the increasing poverty rates. We live in a society in which many are begging on the streets," he said. Pezeshkian, a cardiac surgeon, said his administration would immediately work towards trying to get sanctions lifted and vowed to repair the economy. He also said he would find a solution to revive a ...

Iran's presidential candidates spar over lack of solutions before runoff

Iran's presidential candidates on Monday accused each other of having no solution for the country's problems ahead of Friday's runoff election aimed at choosing a successor for the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died last month in a helicopter crash. During a more than two-hour debate on public TV, reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian attacked his competitor, Saeed Jalili, a hard-line former nuclear negotiator, for his lack of experience, saying: Tell me, what single company have you ever managed to make you capable of running the country? Jalili, who is known as the Living Martyr after losing a leg in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and is famous among Western diplomats for his haranguing lectures and hard-line stances, defended himself highlighting his career and several positions held, including that of top nuclear negotiator. Pezeshkian further questioned his opponent on what plans he would have for reaching a nuclear deal, with Jalili responding he would approach it "based on ...

Lawsuit accuses Iran, Syria, and N Korea of backing Hamas' Oct 7 attack

Victims of Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel sued Iran, Syria and North Korea on Monday, saying their governments supplied the militants with money, weapons and know-how needed to carry out the assault that precipitated Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, seeks at least $4 billion in damages for a coordination of extrajudicial killings, hostage takings, and related horrors for which the defendants provided material support and resources. Iran's mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the allegations, while Syria and North Korea did not respond. The United States has deemed Iran, Syria and North Korea to be state sponsors of terrorism, and Washington has designated Hamas as what's known as a specially designated global terrorist. Because such countries rarely abide by court rulings against them in the United States, if the lawsuit's plaintiffs are successful, they could seek compensation from a fund created by Congress that all

Iran votes to replace Prez killed in chopper crash, but apathy remains high

Iranians were voting Friday in a snap election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash last month, as public apathy has become pervasive in the Islamic Republic after years of economic woes, mass protests and tensions in the Middle East. Voters face a choice between hard-line candidates and a little-known politician who belongs to Iran's reformist movement that seeks to change its Shiite theocracy from within. As has been the case since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and those calling for radical change have been barred from the ballot while the vote itself will have no oversight from internationally recognised monitors. The voting comes as wider tensions have gripped the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel over the war in Gaza, while militia groups that Tehran arms in the region such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels are engaged in the fight

No matter who wins Iran's election, much may hinge on the 'Great Satan' US

In the waning moments of Iran's final televised presidential debate, one of the top candidates to replace the late hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi invoked the name of the one person who perhaps has done more than anyone to change the trajectory of the Islamic Republic's relationship with the wider world in recent years. The next president could be "forced to either sell Iran to Trump or spark a dangerous tension in the country if economic problems aren't solved, warned Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and a candidate in Friday's election. President Donald Trump's decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw America from the Iran nuclear deal saw crushing sanctions reimposed and largely cut Tehran out of the world's economy. That worsened the political climate within Iran, already beset by mass protests over economic problems and women's rights. An escalating series of attacks on land and at sea followed, while Tehran also began enriching uranium at near weapons-grad

First candidate drops out of Iran presidential election amid voter apathy

A candidate in Iran's presidential election withdrew from the race late Wednesday, becoming the first to back out in order for hard-liners to coalesce around a unity candidate in the vote to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi. Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, 53, dropped his candidacy and urged other candidates to do the same so that the front of the revolution will be strengthened, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Ghazizadeh Hasehmi served as one of Raisi's vice presidents and as the head of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs. He ran in the 2021 presidential election and received just under 1 million votes, coming in last place. Such withdrawals are common in the final hours of an Iranian presidential election, particularly in the last 24 hours before the vote is held when campaigns enter a mandatory quiet period without rallies. Voters go to the polls Friday. Ghazizadeh Hasehmi's decision leaves five other candidates still in the race. Analysts broadly se

Iran's supreme leader calls for maximum turnout for presidential election

Iran's supreme leader called Tuesday for maximum voter turnout in this week's presidential election to overcome the enemy," denouncing politicians who he described as believing that everything good comes from the United States. While not naming any particular candidates, the comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to directly undercut the candidacy of the race's sole reformist candidate, 69-year-old heart surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian. In recent speeches, Pezeshkian has urged Iran to return to the 2015 nuclear deal and increase its outreach to the West. The one who has the slightest opposition to the revolution ... or the Islamic system, is not useful to you, Khamenei said. He will not be a good colleague for you. Khamenei's comments drew repeated cries of Death to America, death to Israel from a raucous crowd gathered to mark the Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir. The 85-year-old Khamenei urged the crowd to quiet themselves several times during his remarks. Friday's

US, allies clash with Tehran, Moscow over Iranian nuclear programme at UNSC

The United States and its key European allies clashed with Iran and Russia over Tehran's expanding nuclear programme, with the US vowing to use all means necessary to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran in a UN Security Council meeting on Monday. The US, France, Britain and Germany accused Iran of escalating its nuclear activities far beyond limits it agreed to in a 2015 deal aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, and of failing to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran and Russia accused the US and its allies of continuing to apply economic sanctions that were supposed to be lifted under the deal, and insisted that Tehran's nuclear programme remains under constant oversight by the IAEA. The clashes came at a semi-annual meeting on implementation the nuclear deal between Iran and six major countries the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Under the accord, Tehra

Iran, Bahrain to discuss resuming diplomatic relations severed since 2016

Iran and Bahrain have agreed to talk about how they might resume bilateral relations after nearly eight years, Iranian media reported Monday. The report by state-run IRNA news agency said Iran's acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani and his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani spoke on the sidelines of the ongoing Asian Cooperation Dialogue in Tehran. The report said both sides agreed on creating the framework to start talks on the requirements for resuming diplomatic relations. This is al-Zayani's second visit to Tehran in a month. The first came during the memorial for President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May. Bahrain cut its diplomatic relations with Iran after Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Tehran following Riyadh's execution of an opposition Shiite cleric and attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran in 2016. Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed their diplomatic relations in 2023.

Israeli offensive into Lebanon risks Iranian response: US military

The top U.S. military officer said Sunday that an Israeli military offensive into Lebanon will risk an Iranian response in defense of Hezbollah, triggering a broader war that could put U.S. forces in the region in danger. Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iran would be more inclined to support Hezbollah." He added Tehran supports Hamas, but would give greater backing to Hezbollah particularly if they felt that Hezbollah was being significantly threatened. Brown spoke to reporters as he traveled to Botswana for a meeting of African defense ministers. Israeli officials have threatened a military offensive in Lebanon if there is no negotiated end to push Hezbollah away from the border. Just days ago, Israel's military said it had approved and validated plans for an offensive in Lebanon, even as the U.S. works to prevent the months of cross-border attacks from spiraling into a full-blown war. U.S. officials have tried to broker a diplomatic solution t

Scores of Iran-backed fighters to join Hezbollah in fight against Israel

Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups in the Middle East are ready to come to Lebanon to join with the militant Hezbollah group in its battle with Israel if the simmering conflict escalates into a full-blown war, officials with Iran-backed factions and analysts say. Almost daily exchanges of fire have occurred along Lebanon's frontier with northern Israel since fighters from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip staged a bloody assault on southern Israel in early October that set off a war in Gaza. The situation to the north worsened this month after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah military commander in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah retaliated by firing hundreds of rockets and explosive drones into northern Israel. Israeli officials have threatened a military offensive in Lebanon if there is no negotiated end to push Hezbollah away from the border. Over the past decade, Iran-backed fighters from Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan fought together in Syria's 13-ye