Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone conversation with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, in which the two sides also discussed certain regional and international issues and the ongoing Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the ministry's website.
Amir-Abdollahian noted that Iran has, in practice, proved that its will for achieving a "robust and lasting" agreement is serious and real.
He added that Iran received on Wednesday the American side's response to Tehran's views on the European Union (EU)'s proposed draft of a potential nuclear agreement and is reviewing and assessing it.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said on Thursday that the UN chief emphasized in the call that it is very important that all parties work towards the resumption of the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country. However, former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
The talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March because of political differences between Tehran and Washington.
The latest round of the nuclear talks was held in Austria's capital Vienna in early August after a five-month hiatus. On August 8, the EU put forward a "final text" of the draft decision on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran submitted its written response to the EU's draft of a potential agreement a few days later, and received on Wednesday, through the EU, the US government's response to Tehran's views about the resolution of the remaining outstanding issues in the nuclear talks.
In no time, the video went viral with thousands of likes and comments. Soon, he was identified as Amin Sa’les, a model by profession from the middle east country. Just like Johnny Depp, the man is sporting a long distinct hairstyle. He also has a goatee with matching shades.
Social media users soon tracked him and found his Instagram account in the name of Sa'les (username @dr.aminsales). It has been full of comments from people who complimented him for his striking resemblance to the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor.
His instagram handle has many pictures of him where he looks exactly like Johnny Depp. Soon, many users posted hilarious comments on his photoshoots and questioned if Johnny Depp had abandoned acting and Hollywood following his legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard and ran away to Iran.
A user commented, "He left his doppelganger back in the states to fool everybody."
Similarly, another commented, "He's learning how to fend off Amber."
Earlier, in June, another lookalike of Mr Depp went viral from Stockholm with over 2 million views on TikTok and other platforms.
Worth mentioning, Johnny Deep won the much talked about defamation case against his ex wife and actress Amber Heard. Now, Mr Depp has got back to work and has started working on his next project in which he is playing the role of controversial King Louis XV.
Meanwhile, if reports are to be believed, Depp will return to the director’s chair for the first time in 25 years, to direct a biopic on Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, simply titled Modigliani.
Yaqub Soleimani, secretary general of the IRCS, told the media that 30 other people are still missing in the floods that started last week, reports Xinhua news agency.
Some 60 cities and 516 villages, as well as 85 connecting roads, have been affected by the recent floods, Soleimani was quoted as saying.
So far, 1,332 people have been transferred to safe places, 5,215 others are receiving accommodation, and 944 houses have been evacuated, he said.
President Ebrahim Raisi hasordered the ministers, heads of organisations and governor-generals across the country to mobilize all their facilities to manage the possible floods.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has put the number of the wounded at 50, Xinhua news agency reported.
The incident occurred at 5:30 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) as the train was moving from the eastern city of Tabas to the central province of Yazd, the agency quoted Mehdi Valipour, head of the IRCS's Rescue and Relief Organisation, as saying.
Teams of rescuers have been dispatched to the site of the incident, which is located 50 kilometers off Tabas, he said, adding ambulances and helicopters have been sent to the site.
There were 348 people on board the train, the official news agency IRNA reported.
The train colliding with an excavator parked along the railroad was reportedly the cause of the accident.
Aid organisations estimate that around 4,000 to 5,000 people are crossing into Iran each day, the report said.
Though many are choosing to leave because of the immediate economic crisis, the prospect of long-term Taliban governance — including restrictions on women and fears of retribution — has only added to their urgency.
"There's an exponential increase in the number of people departing Afghanistan through this route, particularly given how challenging this journey is in the winter months," said David Mansfield, a researcher tracking Afghan migration.
By his estimates, up to four times as many Afghans were leaving Afghanistan for Pakistan and then Iran each day in January compared with the same time last year, the report said.
The exodus has raised alarms across the region and in Europe, where politicians fear a repeat of the 2015 migrant crisis, when more than a million people, mostly Syrians, sought asylum in Europe, setting off a populist backlash.
Many fear that this spring as temperatures rise and the snow-covered routes become easier to traverse, a deluge of Afghans could arrive at the European Union's borders.
Determined to contain migrants in the region, the European Union last fall pledged over $1 billion in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries hosting Afghans who have fled, the NYT reported.
"We need new agreements and commitments in place to be able to assist and help an extremely vulnerable civil population," Jonas Gahr Store, the Norwegian Prime Minister, said in a statement at the UN Security Council's meeting on Afghanistan last month.
"We must do what we can to avoid another migration crisis and another source of instability in the region and beyond."
More than half of the population is facing "extreme levels" of hunger, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said last month.
"For Afghans, daily life has become a frozen hell," he added.
Now with no immediate respite in sight, hundreds of thousands of people have fled to neighbouring countries.
Since the US withdrew troops and the Taliban seized power, Afghanistan has plunged into an economic crisis that has pushed millions already living hand-to-mouth over the edge.
Incomes have vanished, life-threatening hunger has become widespread and badly needed aid has been stymied by Western sanctions against Taliban officials, the report said.
In a speech on Monday during a plenum session of the Knesset or Parliament, Gantz addressed the deadly drone attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman on July 29, reports Xinhua news agency.
Iran has denied any involvement in the attack on the Israeli-managed ship, but security officials in Israel, the UK and the US have estimated that Tehran is behind the assault.
"Iran's aggression in the region in general, the maritime front in particular, is escalating," Gantz said.
The attack on the oil tanker Mercer Street, which killed two crew members, was against international law and human morals, he noted, adding that "this is exactly the reason why we must act right now against Iran".
He said that Iran poses "a tangible and immediate threat" to the region, warning that Israel has "a variety of tools and options to protect its citizens and we'll settle the score with whoever seeks to hurt us".
On Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said "Iran carried out the attack against the ship", adding that the Jewish state has intelligence evidence of Tehran's involvement.
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has dismissed the allegations, saying they were "baseless".
She bagged the medal in the category of 10 meter Air Rifle Shooting. Shriyanka had qualified for the finals individually by achieving fifth position in the shooting championships. The first, second and third positions were bagged by China contestants.
Representing India, Shriyanka has achieved this feat. Besides Shriyanka, Anjum Moudgil and Sima Sirur are in the India’s women shooting team.
Visakhapatnam Superintendent of Police (Rural), Koya Praveen said the group comprised two couples and a 20-year-old youth.
“Based on the information passed on by Odisha Police, we intercepted a Toyota Corolla vehicle bearing Delhi registration number yesterday night. After verifying documents and all other factors, they were found to be genuine tourists with valid documents. Moreover after crosschecks we found the information provided by them are true. They have been let off,” Visakhapatnam SP (Rural) Koya Praveen said.
The scrutiny of documents and verification with the Indian embassy in Iran confirmed that they were tourists and had visited India twice before, the official stated.
"They have valid documents like, visa, passport and immigration certificate. After through interrogation we allowed them to proceed to Bengaluru," the SP said.
Reaching India in the last week of December, the group visited Delhi, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata and reached Bhubaneswar on January 25.
At a hotel in Bhubaneswar, the staff asked to see their passports. The group left because they didn't like the hotel; but the hotel staff didn't understand this and alerted the police thinking they were fleeing, Praveen said.
Since it was the eve of Republic Day, Odisha police who were on high alert traced their Delhi-registered car to the border with AP, and alerted the police here.
The officials of Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police who jointly interrogated the group at Nakkpalli said the group before proceeding to Srikakulam in AP had visited four hotels in Bhubaneswar but didn’t find the accommodation suitable. They stated, the police stopped the group at Nakkpalli before the latter could reach Srikakulam.
(With agency inputs)
The cargo plane with 16 on board crashed in a residential area, 45 km west of Tehran, the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) quoted Pir Hossein Kolivand, head of the Emergency Centre of Iran, as saying.
It was supposed to land in Karaj's Payam Airport but the pilot mistakenly took the plane to the Fath airport, which was not suited for large cargo aircraft.
After landing at the wrong airport, the plane went out of control and overshot the runway, hitting an empty residential building and catching fire, ISNA reported.
A woman was among the dead. Ten bodies were identified while five others needed genetic examinations, said Hamid Davood Abadi, head of the Forensic Medicine Centre of Alborz province.
The Iranian Army said only one person -- a flight engineer -- of the 16 people had been found alive and taken to hospital for treatment.
The plane was flying from Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek and was carrying a cargo of meat to Iran, the Army said.
It was not clear who owned the plane. A spokesman for Iran's civil aviation department said the plane belonged to Kyrgyzstan, while Kyrgyzstan's Manas International Airport said it was operated by Iran's Payam Air.
During the meeting, the Indian diplomat Saurabh Kumar and the Iranian official Masoud Khansari reviewed the ways to continue trade relations during sanctions.
After US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from Iran's nuclear deal in May, the US has reimposed the stringent sanctions on Iran, including embargoes on Iran's banking and oil sectors, reports Xinhua.
The US sanctions may present a new window of opportunity for Iran-India ties, Khansari said, adding that the focus of mechanisms to facilitate cooperation between Iran and India should be laid on banking and financial cooperation.
He also highlighted the role of Iranian Chabahar Port in developing close cooperation with India, adding "now that the port has been exempted from US sanctions, the two sides must capitalise on this opportunity."
"Sanctions create many problems, but they have also created this opportunity for us to tap into neglected capabilities and capacities," he was quoted as saying.
Tehran Chamber is conducting studies on regional trade partners, including India, for import and export purposes, Khansari said.
For his part, Kumar presented a list of 1,000 goods items that Iran can import from India.
"Fortunately, trade based on national currencies of the two countries has become a clear and transparent mechanism, so Iran can provide a portion of its important needs by using India's rupee," Kumar said.
The Indian diplomat said that his country can import 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day for the next six months from Iran based on the US exemption, and half of its money will be wired to accounts belonging to the Iranian banks in Indian banks in rupees.
Iran can, in turn, purchase essential goods such as food, medicine and humanitarian trade goods that are exempt from sanctions, according to the report.
The remaining half of the oil money may be exchanged into euros or other foreign currencies for Iran to receive and transfer, Kumar added, noting that a mechanism should be developed for this money to be transferred out of India.
The two sides also agreed to further strengthen their Strategic Partnership which will be a boost to India's increasing engagements with Central Asia.
"We have agreed to strengthen trade and investment ties and have set a bilateral trade target of $1 billion by 2020," Modi said in a joint address to the media with Mirziyoyev following the the talks.
"We have also decided to start negotiations for a preferential trade agreement," he said.
India-Uzbekistan bilateral trade stands at around $350 million now and the new target represents a six-fold increase over this.
Modi also said that India has decided to extend a line of credit (LoC) of $200 million to Uzbekistan for housing and other social infrastructure projects.
"Apart from this, we will welcome Uzbekistan's proposals under $800 million line of credit and buyer's credit from Exim Bank," he said.
"We have proposed to help Uzbekistan in the areas of space, human resource development and information technology."
Modi said that in Monday's talks, they discussed ways to boost connectivity.
In this connection, he stressed on the importance of Chabahar port in Iran that is jointly being developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan.
He also expressed gratitude to Uzbekistan for its support in India becoming a member of the Ashgabat Agreement, which seeks to establish an international transport and transit corridor between Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, earlier this year.
"We are happy that Uzbekistan has agreed to be a part of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC)," he said.
The INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-modal network of ship, rail and road routes for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
Modi said that during the talks, both sides shared their vision and plans to further strengthen the Strategic Partnership that they share.
The India-Uzbekistan relationship was elevated to that of a Strategic Partnership during the visit of then Uzbek President Islam Karimov to India in 2011.
"Meaningful discussions were also held on regional issues of importance that are linked to our security, peace, prosperity and cooperation," Modi said.
He said that both sides also agreed to deepen cooperation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and other international forums.
India was made a member of the SCO, a Eurasian inter-governmental organization, last year.
In terms of defense cooperation, the Prime Minister said that India and Uzbekistan discussed joint military exercises and military education and training among other areas.
Stating that both India and Uzbekistan seek a secure and prosperous external environment, he said that a stable, democratic, inclusive and prosperous Afghanistan will be beneficial for the whole region.
"We also discussed issues of e-visa, tourism, academic exchanges and air connectivity," Modi said.
On his part, Mirziyoyev said that the India-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership is very important for Tashkent's foreign policy.
He said that Uzbekistan supports India's bid for permanent membership in the UN Security Council.
"We discussed the fight against terrorism, extremism, and narcotics trafficking," the Uzbek President said.
"We are very concerned about the conflict in Afghanistan and feel that the only solution is a dialogue between the Afghan government and the opposition."
Following the talks, 17 agreements were signed between the two sides, including in the areas of tourism, military training, law and justice, agriculture, science and innovation, health, and pharmaceuticals.
Earlier in the day, Mirziyoyev was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the visiting dignitary and discussed cooperation in trade and investment, development cooperation, education, renewable energy, connectivity and tourism.
The Uzbek President arrived here on Sunday on his first official visit to India since assuming office in 2016.
In the operation, which targeted an area in the east of the Euphrates river in Syria, the Revolutionary Guard Corps used six mid-range missiles and seven drones, according to a statement cited by the BBC.
"A big number of the terrorists were killed or injured in the attack," said the statement posted on Revolutionary Guards' Sepah News website.
Iran's action came in response to the September 22 terror attack on its military parade in Ahvaz city, in which 25 people were killed and dozens were injured.
Al-Ahvazieh, an Iranian Arab-affiliated separatist group, had claimed responsibility for the September strike. The Iranian officials later blamed the US and its regional allies for the Ahvaz attack.
Iran has supported President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war, sending hundreds of troops and backing pro-Syrian government militias.
The Ministry confirmed on Sunday that all Iraqi state institutions were committed to the Constitution that states that its territory should not be used as a base or passage for any operation targeting the security of any other state, Xinhua news agency reported.
The western media reported earlier that Iran had given ballistic missiles to allied Shiite militias in Iraq and was developing the capacity to build more there.
The Ministry's statement came a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called up Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
According to a statement by Abadi's office, Pompeo renewed his country's support for a strong, stable and prosperous Iraq in accordance with the Strategic Framework Agreement which was signed (in 2008) by the two countries.
The epicentre of the quake was almost 9 km from the city of Tazehabad and about 30 km from the city of Javanrud, reports CNN.
Both cities are close to the Iran-Iraq border. The earthquake struck at a depth of some 10 km.
Iran's Emergency and Natural Disaster Agency told state-run Press TV that five rescue teams have been sent to the area.
Residents in Baghdad, Iraq, told CNN they felt the capital city shake. Baghdad is located about 342 km from the Iran border.
More than 400 people were killed when a 7.3-magnitude earthquake had struck Kermanshah in November 2017.
The defending champions lost 24-27 in a nail-biting encounter as Iran celebrated its first ever gold medal at the Asiad.
This is the first time the Asiad will see a team other than India win the gold medal. The Indians had won both the previous editions since women's kabaddi was included in the Asian Games programme at Guangzhou 2010.
This is a historic win for Iran as they now have both their men's and women's teams in the kabaddi finals for the first time. The Iranian women, who took silver at Incheon 2014, will now meet South Korea in the final. The Koreans also have both their men's and women's teams in the finals.
For India, this was a devastating blow, specially after their men's team were outplayed by Iran in Thursday's semi-finals.
The first half was a well balanced affair before Iran gradually asserted their supremacy as the match wore on.
The Indians enjoyed a slender lead in the initial few minutes before the Iranians gradually found their rhythm. While the Indian defenders struggled to get their act together, the Iran defence was tighter and their attackers reaped rich rewards by repeatedly targeting the bonus line.
With the Indians desperate to make a comeback, the match exploded with excitement after the break.
Immediately after the restart, a couple of failed raids and some poor defending by India saw Iran tighten their grip on the match as they inflicted an all out on the defending champions.
Kavita then fumbled her tackle which gave away a cheap point to an Iranian raider.
The Indians tried to make a comeback as Sayali took bonus to reduce the margin to two while skipper Payal Chowdhury took another couple of points in the next Indian raid.
But consecutive raid points and a successful tackle by Iran maintained their advantage.
The Indians continued their attempts to chip away the lead, but the poor defence by the Indians continued to leak points as Iran held on to the three-point lead. An unsuccessful raid by Payal saw Iran increase their lead to four points.
The match was set up for a dramatic finish as Sakshi produced a three-point raid to bring the deficit to a single point and give India hope.
But Iran immediately hit back with a point in the very next raid before an unsuccessful Indian raid in the final seconds killed the defending champion's hope of retaining their crown.
Trump described the new sanctions, which hit Iran's access to dollars, gold and precious metals, as "the most biting ever imposed".
"In November they ratchet up to yet another level," he tweeted. "Anyone doing business with Iran will not be doing business with the US. I am asking for world peace, nothing less!"
Some re-imposed sanctions already took effect and tougher ones relating to oil exports will begin in November. The sanctions followed the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, earlier this year.
Orchestrated by the Obama administration, the agreement was signed in 2015 between Iran and China, France, Russia, the US, the UK, plus Germany and the EU. It was aimed to restrict Iran's nuclear programme in return for the lifting of international sanctions.
Trump's new warning appeared to be aimed at the EU, which is attempting to protect European businesses trading in Iran from facing US sanctions, according to CNN.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the measures "psychological warfare" which aimed to "sow division among Iranians". The sanctions take aim at various sectors, with further punitive action planned against Iran's oil trade.
Rouhani said the US government had "turned their back on diplomacy" with the action. "They want to launch psychological warfare against the Iranian nation," he said. However, the Iranian President also said that he was willing to hold talks with Washington to resolve the matter.
He indicated that Iran would want the US to scale back sanctions before any talks could begin.
"Negotiations with sanctions doesn't make sense. We are always in favour of diplomacy and talks... but talks need honesty." The Iranian President also accused the Trump administration of using Tehran as domestic political leverage ahead of November's midterm elections in the US.
"They will exert pressure on us and cause pain, but we will certainly come out of the end of this healthier," he said about the penalties that went back into effect at 12.01 a.m. on Tuesday.
Trump has called the deal "one-sided", "disastrous" and the "worst I've ever seen". He believes renewed economic pressure will force Iran to agree to a new deal and end its "malign" activities.
The other signatories to the deal were sticking with the accord. In a statement on Monday, the EU, the UK, France and Germany said they "deeply regret" the US action. The EU announced it would take legal steps to protect European companies "doing legitimate business in Iran."
The epicentre of the earthquake, with a depth of 8 km, was determined to be at 30.834 degrees north latitude and 51.559 degrees east longitude, Xinhua reported.
People in Sisakht city rushed out onto the streets in panic following the quake. Firefighters were patrolling on the streets and asking people to stay out of their houses.
Major damage has not been reported in the city so far, but the residential areas in the suburban rural regions have sustained damage.
The cell phone communication and power supplies in some areas of Dena region and Sisakht have been disrupted.
The Governor of Boyerahmad county, Shahrokh Kenari, said that the drinking water of Madvan city and vicinity has been cut off due to the damage of a major water pipe.
Rockfalls in some mountainous areas have blocked the roads to Yasooj, the capital city of Kohgiluye and Boyerahmad province.
The Managing Director of Red Crescent Society of the province, Amanollah Jahanbin, warned the locals and the mountaineers of the rockfalls and asked them to avoid climbing the heights of Dena Ranges.
Relief teams and five evaluations teams have been dispatched to the region, Jahanbin told ISNA.
Iran sits on the earth plates' chasms and daily occurrence of tremors is anticipated. Multiple strong quakes have shaken western Iran in the past months.
In November 2017, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook the same area, killing at least 530 people and injuring more than 8,000.
"What Americans say out of desperation about exerting restrictions on Iran's missile capabilities is their unreachable dream," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said on Saturday, Xinhua reported.
The US concerns about Iran's nuclear power stems from "their failures and defeats in the region," Jazayeri said.
Besides, development of Iran's defence power has put the United States in a weaker position, he said, urging the US forces to leave the region.
"The precondition for talks on Iran's missiles program is the dismantle of the US and Europe's nuclear weapons and long-range missiles," Jazayeri stressed.
Under the US pressures, Europe has stepped up pressures on Iran to start negotiations on the country's developing missile programme.
Iran has reiterated that its military forces will keep boosting defence capabilities and deterrent power.
Also, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Iran does not allow any interference in its domestic affairs and defensive policies, especially its missile programme.
The ATR 72, a twin-engine turboprop operated by Aseman Airlines, crashed due to bad weather into the Dena Mountain near the town of Semirom, an official at the Iranian carrier confirmed to the media.
The plane was flying from Tehran to the southwestern city of Yasuj, reports Press TV.
Officials in Semirom said the crash site was hard to reach and rescue helicopters had been unable to land because of heavy fog and rain.
Spokesman for Iran's emergency services Mojtaba Khaledi said rescue teams has reached the crash site by land and were trying to find the debris.
Air controllers lost contact with the airplane at around 8 a.m. The people on board were 60 passengers, two security guards, two flight attendants, the pilot and co-pilot.
Donald Trump threatened on Friday to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement and blasted Tehran for misdeeds ranging from the 1979 hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran to recent ballistic missile tests.
"Allegations, threats & profanity will never intimidate Iranians. Trump will eventually discover this; as every predecessor did," Javad Zarif said in a post on Twitter.
"Everyone knew Trump's friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is too," he added.
On Friday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in response to Trump's speech that the nuclear deal was endorsed by the international community and "cannot be renegotiated or altered".
Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the P5+1 (the US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany) agreed to lift economic sanctions against Tehran in exchange for Tehran's accepting curbs on its nuclear programme.
Trump blamed Iran for committing "multiple violations" of the nuclear pact, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and "not living up to the spirit of the deal".
"The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasizes the inadmissibility of using aggressive and threatening rhetoric in international relations," it said in a statement on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.
Attempts to use such methods to solve foreign policy problems affecting the fundamental security interests of other countries are doomed to failure, it said.
"Iran strictly adheres to its obligations, which is regularly confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency," the statement read.
The JCPOA, which is multilateral and supported by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, has already contributed to the strengthening of international peace and security and the creation of a more predictable atmosphere in the Middle East, according to the Russian ministry.
Russia remains committed to the JCPOA and will continue to fulfill its obligations under it, said the ministry, calling on all other participants to do the same.
The warning came after the White House said that President Donald Trump would announce new US responses to Iran's missile tests, support for "terrorism" and cyber operations as part of his new Iran strategy.
"If America's new law for sanctions is passed, this country will have to move their regional bases outside the 2,000 km range of Iran's missiles," Guards' commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said, according to Press TV.
Jafari also said that additional sanctions would end the chances for future dialogue with the US, according to state media, and issued a stark warning to the US troops.
Iran has repeatedly announced that "its defence programme will never be subject to negotiations," Xinhua cited IRNA news agency that quoted spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying.
Developing "missile programme is Iran's inalienable right and will determinedly be continued in line with the country's strategic and conventional defence programme," said Qasemi.
On Friday, western media quoted an unnamed source as saying that Iran has suggested to six world powers that it may be open to talks about its ballistic missile arsenal, seeking to reduce tension over the disputed programme.
Iran and the US are at loggerheads over Iran's missile programme. Over the past months, Washington has imposed sanctions on some Iranian and international entities linked with Tehran's missile tests.
Iranian military and governmental officials have unanimously vowed to bolster ballistic missile programme for deterrent purposes.
In a meeting here on the day, Iran and Turkey's top military officials dismissed the results of the Kurds' referendum and rejected it as "unacceptable," Tehran Times daily reported.
The visiting Chief of the General Staff of Turkey Hulusi Akar and Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri called for the boost of ties and the reinforcement of security cooperation.
Military cooperation between Iran and Turkey will increase, and the two neighbours will hold joint war games and exchange experiences, Baqeri and Akar said in a joint press conference.
In the meantime, Iran's foreign minister on Monday criticized Kurds secession efforts and called for talks between the Iraqi government and the Kurdish authorities to settle their disputes politically, Press TV reported.
"The referendum in Kurdistan was against the Iraqi constitution, which does not help the people of Kurdistan, and is not justifiable for Iraq's security," Mohammad Javad Zarif said.
The results of Kurdish independence vote showed that the referendum would have "a lot of risks for the security of Iraq and the region," he was quoted as saying.
Tensions have been running high between Iraqi government and the Kurdish region after the region held a controversial referendum on independence of Kurdistan and disputed areas, including Kirkuk.
The independence referendum was opposed by many countries because it would threaten the integrity of Iraq and it could undermine fight against Islamic State militants.
In addition, neighbouring countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria see that such a step would threaten their territorial integrity, as larger populations of Kurds live in those countries.
Besides, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani on Monday slammed the independence referendum by the Kurds, saying the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) adopted an "irresponsible and amateurish approach."
Speaking at a meeting with Akar in Tehran, Shamkhani said the KRG's approach to hold the independence vote was "irresponsible and amateur."
"Paying no attention to the time and security requirements and pursuing tribal goals through this move will reduce the focus on the fight against Takfiri terrorism ... and will rapidly spread the harmful security impacts on the Kurdish region of Iraq," he said.
Shamkhani also stressed the need for coordinated efforts among Tehran, Baghdad and Ankara to manage developments and prevent the negative effect of the independence vote on the fight against terrorism in Iraq.
The Turkish top commander, for his part, stressed the need to support the central government in Iraq and preserve the integrity of the Arab country.
Akar said Iran, Iraq and Turkey will prevent the implementation of separatist plans in the region through joint efforts.
On Monday, Iraqi military forces joined the Iranian Army to stage military exercises in common border regions, Tasnim reported.
In the war game, code-named Heidar-e-Karrar, various units of the Iranian Army, including the Rapid Reaction Unit, the Artillery Unit, and the Drone Unit participated.
The military drills, contributed by some forces of the Iraqi Army, is conducted near the Parviz Khan border post in western Iran.
Following the recent controversial independence referendum of Iraqi Kurdistan region, Iran's air force reinforced its defensive role along the country's western borders by deploying new missile hardware.
Last week, the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) staged joint military drills along the country's western border areas.
The IRGC also staged independent drills in the Kurdish populated western provinces.
According to the Iranian military officials, the ongoing war games signals the message of peace and security to the friends and reminds the enemies that the country's borders will be powerfully protected against hostile moves.
State-run Press TV broadcast a footage of the launch of the Khoramshahr missile, which was first displayed at a high-profile military parade on Friday with President Hassan Rouhani and senior military officials in attendance.
The ballistic missile is capable of carrying multiple warheads, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division, told the media on Friday.
"The missile has become smaller in size (compared to other Iranian ballistic missiles) and more tactical, and it will be operational in the near future," Hajizadeh said without further elaboration.
On Friday, the Iranian armed forces commemorated the 1980-1988 war with Iraq by holding a parade in which Iran's most advanced military power and abilities were showcased.
Iran also displayed other home-made advanced missiles, including ballistic missiles, which are reported to have ranges of 1,300 km to 2,000 km.
The video also contained telemetry camera footage from four different angles which, according to its caption, showed the moment when the warhead of the missile was discharged.
The ballistic missile, which is Iran's third type of missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers along with the Qadr-F and Sejjil ballistic missiles, is capable of carrying multiple warheads.
Iran has repeatedly insisted that its military capabilities are solely aimed for defense purposes and they pose no threat to other countries. Tehran has also been assisting its allies, including Iraq and Syria, in their ongoing fight against terrorism.
Washington has on several occasions slapped new sanctions against Iran over its missile programme.
The US claims that Iran's missile tests and rocket launches violate UN Resolution 2231, which was adopted in July 2015 to endorse the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
Iran has strongly rejected the US allegations that it has violated the UN resolution, and insists that its missile tests and rocket launches are solely for defense purposes and not designed to carry nuclear warheads.
The bomb was developed under a special request of the IRGC, the corps' Aerospace Force commander, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said in an interview on Friday to Press TV.
"Following a proposal by the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), (Iran's) Defence Industries (Organisation) manufactured a 10-ton bomb. These bombs are at our disposal," Press TV cited the commander as saying.
"They can be launched from Ilyushin aircraft and they are highly destructive," he added, without providing any further details on the capabilities of the ordnance.
The commander called the device the "father of all bombs", comparing it to the US GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), commonly known as the "mother of all bombs". Since the American device weighs 9.8 tons and yields 11 tons in TNT equivalent, the IRGC commander presumably referred to the weight of the new Iranian ordnance rather than its destructive potential.
The MOAB was developed in 2003 and first used in combat this April, when the US dropped the device in Afghanistan on a mountain tunnel complex used by the Islamic State terrorists.
The new Iranian ordnance, however, might trigger a bomb paternity dispute, as Russia already possesses a non-nuclear ordnance known as the "daddy".
The Aviation Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power, known as the 'father of all bombs' (FOAB), was successfully tested by Russia in 2007, with impressive results for a non-nuclear device - a 44-ton yield when detonated. The bomb explodes midair, vaporizing its targets, collapsing structures, and leaving a moon-like scorched landscape.
The sanctions announced on Thursday targeted one entity engaging in supporting IRGC ballistic missile program, two Ukraine-based entities supporting designated airlines, and two Iran-based networks responsible for cyber-enabled attacks against the US financial system, Xinhua news agency cited a statement by the Treasury.
"Treasury will continue to take strong actions to counter Iran's provocations, including support for the IRGC-Qods Force and terrorist extremists, the ongoing campaign of violence in Syria, and cyber-attacks meant to destabilize the US financial system," said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement.
Treasury's actions will freeze all the assets the designated entities and individuals may hold in the United States and generally prohibit US individuals from doing business with them.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday that Iran's nuclear deal with the powers is not renegotiable.
"The #JCPOA is not (re)negotiable. A 'better' deal is pure fantasy," Zarif tweeted on Thursday, adding that it was time for the US to "stop spinning and begin complying, just like Iran."
After years of tension with the West, Iran struck a deal with the five world powers of Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany in July 2015, under which Iran agreed to limit its uranium-enrichment activities in return for the lifting of western and international sanctions.
The 68-year-old cleric kissed the Quran and took the oath of office before lawmakers, foreign dignitaries and senior Iranian politicians, IRNA news agency reported. The inauguration ceremony was aired live on Iranian state TV.
Over 100 of the world leaders and officials, including representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, attended Rouhani's oath-taking ceremony.
During the ceremony, Rouhani vowed to use all means of power to serve the country, Iranian nation and the Islamic establishment.
"I swear to protect the Constitution and justice and to devote myself to protect freedom and people's dignity and rights on the basis of Constitution," he said during the inauguration.
He vowed to defend the country's borders and politico- cultural independence.
The incumbent moderate President was re-elected for a second term in office on May 19, for another four years, sweeping over 23 million or 57 per cent of the votes.
His nearest conservative challenger Ebrahim Raisi got 38.5 per cent of the ballots. Rouhani was endorsed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday.
At least one gunman fired shots inside Parliament, wounding a guard, the reports said.
There were also reports of a shooting at the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the modern state, the BBC reported.
"Iran must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon," Trump said, standing beside Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
Donald Trump on Monday was on the second stop of his first international tour, having arrived from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, aboard Air Force One, Efe news reported.
The President reinforced the message when he went on to have a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump also labeled the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the Group 5 + 1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) as a mistake.
"It was a terrible, terrible thing for the United States to enter that deal and, believe me, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, that I can tell you," Trump said to Netanyahu.
Trump warned of Iran's escalating presence in the region.
"No matter where we go we see the signs of Iran in the Middle East," Trump said.
Rouhani defeated his conservative challenger Ebrahim Raisi in the Presidential election on Friday in a victory for the reformist camp in the predominantly Shia nation, IRNA reported.
Rouhani won 23,549,616 of the total 41,220,131 votes while Raeisi, a principlist candidate, received 15,786,449 ballots, said Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli.
Two other hopefuls -- Mostafa Mirsalim and Mostafa Hashemi Tab -- won 478,215 and 215,450 votes respectively.
Over 40 million people took part in the polls and Rouhani received more than half of those counted, with some areas still to declare, officials said.
"The National Media (IRINN) congratulate the victory of Hassan Rouhani in the Presidential election," state media channel IRINN announced.
Rouhani, a moderate, was a key architect of the 2015 nuclear deal with the world powers in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. He seeks to normalise ties with the West.
Rouhani's rival Raisi complained about alleged voting irregularities and accused Rouhani's supporters of hundreds of acts of propaganda at voting booths, banned under electoral law, the BBC reported.
Voting time was extended by five hours on Friday, until midnight, amid an unexpectedly high turnout of about 70 per cent.
Election officials said the extensions to voting hours were due to "requests" and the "enthusiastic participation of people".
President Rouhani will now have a bigger mandate to push through his reforms, put an end to extremism, build bridges with the outside world and put the economy back on track, said the report.
Every incumbent President has been re-elected in Iran since 1985, when Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself won a second term, reported the BBC.
Earlier on Friday, Russian media reports cited Russia's head of the main operational directorate of Russia's military, as saying that the agreement brokered by Moscow, Ankara and Tehran to establish "de-escalation zones" in main battlefields in Syria will go into force at midnight on Saturday.
According to the agreement, the government and opposition forces will halt fighting for six months in four zones: the northwestern province of Idlib, the central province of Homs, the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus and areas in the Daraa and Qunaitera provinces in southern Syria, local al-Watan online newspaper reported.
Under the deal, the safe zones, or de-escalation zones, will be free of battles and airstrikes.
On Thursday evening during the Astana talks, Russia, Iran and Turkey signed a memorandum on the creation of four or more safe zones in Syria.
"The cease-fire guarantor states announce that the memorandum on the establishment of de-escalation zones in Syria provides the creation of security zones to stop violence, improve humanitarian situation and create conditions for the advancement of the process and political settlement of the Syrian conflict," Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said.
The deal excludes the terror-designated groups such as the Islamic State (IS) group and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, as the battles against those groups will continue, Xinhua news agency reported.
On Wednesday, Syria's Foreign Ministry announced the acceptance of the Syrian government to the safe zone plan. However, some factions of the Syrian opposition refused to accept it, saying the pact threatens Syria's territorial integrity.
They were travelling in a car when a jeep blocked their path and two masked attackers opened fire at them in Maslak Square here on Saturday, the Hurriyet daily reported.
Karimian died at the spot and his partner M.M. succumbed to injuries in a hospital here.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
The jeep used in the attack was found burnt here.
Sariyer Mayor Sukru Genc said the murder was related to money.
Earlier Ahmadinejad had said he would not stand, but he registered as a candidate last week. It was on the request of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that Ahmadinejad had decided not to run for elections.
The qualified candidates can now start their election campaigns until May 18, Xinhua news agency reported.
Iran's presidential election is slated for May 19.
The approved candidates include the incumbent president Hassan Rouhani, Tehran Mayor Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, Ebrahim Raisi, the custodian and chairman of the Shrine of Shiite Imam Reza, the first Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, Mostafa Mirsalim, former adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as president, and former vice president Mostafa Hashemitaba.
While registering his name in Iran's Interior Ministry, Ahmadinejad, expressed hope for victory.
He vowed to serve the Iranians, and try hard for the establishment of "justice and freedom" if he was re-elected as President.
Ahmadinejad was accompanied by his confidant former controversial deputies Hamid Baqaee and Rahim Mashae. Baqaee also registered his name for the Presidency.
In September 2016, local media quoted Iran's Supreme Leader as saying that "I do not find it advisable that you (Ahmadinejad) participate" in the next presidential elections.
Ahmadinejad, was a two-term President for eight years, before President Hassan Rouhani took office in the 2013 election.
On Tuesday, Iran's Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli announced registration of candidates for Iran's 12th presidential race in capital Tehran.
The registration will last for five days and all the hopefuls will undergo the subsequent vetting process by the country's high legislative body, namely the Guardian Council of the Constitution.
The Guardian Council will assess the qualification of the applicants and announce the names of the qualified candidates by April 27.
According to the schedule released by Iran's Interior Ministry, the campaign for the presidential race will kick off on April 28 and will continue till the end of May 17.
The hopefuls will have 20 days for electoral campaign, ahead of the election day slated for May 19.
At least 1,032 people were executed in 2016. In 2015, the Amnesty International recorded 1,634 executions in 25 countries worldwide - a historical spike unmatched since 1989.
However, the number of executions globally fell 37 per cent in 2016, excluding figures from China, whose data is a state secret.
Excluding China, 87 per cent of all executions took place in just four countries - Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan, the report said.
For the first time since 2006, the US was not one of the five biggest executioners, falling to seventh behind Egypt.
The 20 executions in the US was the lowest in the country since 1991.
In 2016, 23 countries, about one in eight of all countries worldwide, are known to have carried out executions, according to the Amnesty report.
This number has decreased significantly from 20 years ago (40 countries carried out executions in 1997).
Belarus, Botswana, Nigeria and authorities within the State of Palestine resumed executions in 2016; Chad, India, Jordan, Oman and United Arab Emirates - all countries that executed people in 2015 - did not report any executions last year.
Ttwo countries - Benin and Nauru - abolished the death penalty in law for all crimes. In total, 104 countries have done so - a majority of the world's states.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International recorded 3,117 death sentences in 55 countries in 2016, a significant increase on the total for 2015 (1,998 sentences in 61 countries).
At least 18,848 people were on death row at the end of 2016.
The following methods of execution were used across the world: beheading, hanging, lethal injection and shooting. Public executions were carried out in Iran (at least 33) and North Korea, the report added.
The two leaders discussed during the meeting prospects for expanding bilateral trade, economic and investment ties and agreed to deepen Russian-Iranian cooperation in various areas, primarily the economy, Xinhua reported.
"We noted with satisfaction that trade between Russia and Iran grew by more than 70 percent in 2016. This is a truly good result, since we managed to achieve it amid an unstable global economy and persisting volatility on the commodity and currency markets," Putin said.
According to a joint statement published by the Kremlin, with a consensus of accelerating the implementation of the Roadmap for Cooperation in Trade and Industry, both sides expressed their support for facilitating bilateral product deliveries and developing interbank ties, as well as welcomed an early completion of the preparation work for signing an interim agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran with regard to the formation of a free trade zone.
The two countries are set to expand cooperation in multiple energy sectors and continue coordinated efforts to stabilize international markets, with "particular attention" being paid to bilateral projects in the nuclear power industry, the statement said.
Russia's Rosatom state nuclear corporation and the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) signed a memorandum of understanding on transport of nuclear materials following the meeting between the two leaders.
Other agreements signed on the day include documents on cooperation in railway transport, oil and gas, information technologies and communications, construction, sport, tourism and the legal sphere.
"We are at a new stage in our economic relations, and our overall links have graduated from ordinary to major long-term projects," said Rouhani, "we are making the right decisions serving the long-term strategy of our relations."
In addition to enhancing bilateral cooperation, Putin and Rouhani also toughed upon important current issues on the global and regional agenda, underling the importance of fighting international terrorism. The two leaders pledged to further strengthen cooperation in pushing forward a peaceful political settlement in Syria and the national reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Rouhani's two-day trip to Moscow, which started on Monday, was considered as one of his important and historical official visits to Russia, as bilateral ties in various fields have been flourishing over the past years. The Middle East conflicts, particularly the Syrian issue, have recently brought the tow neighbours closer for cooperation, experts say.
During the test, conducted in the presence of several Iranian military and government officials, the missile system successfully detected, tracked and intercepted a ballistic missile, the report said.
The test was also aimed at analyzing the performance of the S-300 system, assessing the capability of the system in engaging targets with a low radar cross section and ballistic missile threats as well as the ability of Iranian officers to use the system.
Iran purchased the system from Russia and integrated it into the defence system of the country in 2016.
Tehran is now designing and manufacturing an indigenous version of the S-300 system, called Bavar-373, Brig. Gen. Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defence Base, was quoted as saying.
Bavar-373 would be more technologically advanced than S-300 and would be tested "in the near future", he said.
The port in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich nation's southern coast lies outside the Persian Gulf and is easily accessed from India's western coast and is considered as a "gateway to golden opportunities" for trade with central Asian countries.
The first phase of the Chabahar port project is known as the Shahid Beheshti port and it was inaugurated by Rouhani in the presence of representatives of several countries of the region.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan represented India at the inauguration.
"The routes of the region should be connected on land, sea and air," Rouhani said at the inauguration ceremony, according to his office.
The port is likely to ramp up trade between India, Afghanistan and Iran in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi for trade with the two countries. India has been closely working with Afghanistan to create alternative, reliable access routes, bypassing Pakistan.
Under the agreement signed between India and Iran in May last year, India is to equip and operate two berths in the Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of USD 85.21 million and annual revenue expenditure of USD 22.95 million on a 10-year lease.
Rouhani's office said the president noted that transit is the best communication tool for nations, adding "the routes of the region should be connected on land, sea and air".
Ahead of the inauguration of the port, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday met her Iranian counterpart Javed Zarif in Tehran during which the implementation of the Chabahar port project was discussed among other issues.
Swaraj made a stopover at Tehran on her return from Russian city of Sochi where she had attended the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
The port is likely to ramp up trade between India, Afghanistan and Iran in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi for trade with the two countries.
Over a month ago, India sent its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan by sea through the Chabahar port, marking opening of the new strategic transit route.
Jindal, who joined his rivals in an interview with PBS, gave three reasons for his opposition.
First, Iran will be allowed to hold onto "thousands of centrifuges," which Jindal said will allow the country to maintain uranium enrichment capacity.
Second, Iranian leaders aren't going to be required to sever ties with militant anti-Israel groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, he said.
Third, inspectors won't be allowed free rein to inspect nuclear sites, even though Jindal said President Barack Obama "said we will get anywhere, anytime inspections."
"I worry under this president's deal we could end up with a nuclear arms race in the Middle East," Jindal said.
Jindal hoped that Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary "Clinton, who's been the architect of this president's foreign policy will come out and oppose this deal and say it is time for America to stand with Israel."
"There is still time for America to come out and say we will not allow Iran to become a nuclear power."
Jindal went on to say that if he is elected president, he would impose tougher sanctions on Iran.
Asked about his insistence on people to stop using "hyphenated" terms such as Indian-Americans, Jindal returned to familiar rhetoric about how he thinks immigrants should embrace US values and learn English.
"The great thing about America is, we're a wonderful melting pot," he said. "Folks can be proud of their heritage. But I think the hyphenations, the divisions are keeping us apart," he said.
"I think it's common sense to say, if you want to come here, you should want to be an American. Otherwise, why are you coming here?
"We can still embrace our Italian heritage or our old country heritages, but we should be Americans. Stop the hyphenated Americans," Jindal said.
Meanwhile, according to a report in the Washington Examiner, Jindal raised nearly $579,000 in his first week as a presidential candidate, but has another $8.6 million in his corner thanks to supportive outside groups.
Believe Again, the super PAC supporting Jindal's presidential bid, raised $3.7 million since launching in January. An additional almost $4 million was raised by America Next, a nonprofit backing Jindal, with another $1 million flowing to American Future Project.
Jindal, 44, is lagging in the polls, registering at 1.4 percent nationally among Republican primary voters, according to the RealClearPolitics average, placing him far out of contention to qualify for the first televised debate, set for Aug 6 in Cleveland.
In the Syrian north, Bashar al Assad’s army was scoring victories. This development also favoured the Iranians.
Soon, the US would sign a nuclear deal with Iran. That would crown Iran as a legitimate player in the new West Asian balance of power. Viewed from, say, Riyadh, Iran was becoming too big for its boots.
As it is, Jerusalem and Riyadh had been throwing a ginger fit even at the prospect of a deal looming in the distance. Now, that it was about to be signed, there was panic in Jerusalem, Riyadh, Cairo, Ankara.
Each one of these regional powers had for a while been fretting on another count: they were visualizing life without the US which had given notice of its pivot to Asia, where China’s rise would be its primary focus.
An overextended superpower which no longer had the capacity to remain engaged in several theatres would encourage regional powers (proxies) to manage the new equilibrium. A sense of being abandoned was in the air. Saudis needed their shattered self esteem to be restored.
With this intent, the restless but rich Saudis were allowed to lead the attack on the poorest country in the Arab world. This one fact - along with so many others - will plague the Saudis.
The Monarchies, Sheikhdoms and others in the region have not yet digested the cardinal truth: the Arab Spring was an expression of popular resentment with Arab rulers. This anger will not go away by assertive state power. And the superpower which helped maintain the status quo is eager to disinvest and depart.
In the immediate aftermath of the Yemen airstrikes, the Saudis, at the head of a “Sunni” coalition, may momentarily look muscular for having thwarted Shia Iran in the region. But at what cost?
Likewise, Iranian officers and Shia militia were stopped by the Americans from “finishing” the Tikrit operations against the ISIS. Apparently, the Saudis wanted some of their assets embedded with the ISIS to be given safe passage.
Also, the US and their Arab coalition partners were keen that Iran and Shia militia not be in the frontline of victors. In fact pressure was brought to bear on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad to “choose between the US and Iran” to conclude the endgame in Tikrit.
It must have been an incredible operation, a mixture of serious military operations and an open competition in trophy hunting between the Americans and the Iranians.
The Wall Street Journal reported: “Iraq began its attack without alerting the US or its partners. Instead, Iran played a leading role, commanding Shia militia and providing weapons.”
Beyond this point, there are two versions to the story.
The American version says the Shia advance on the ISIS got stalled prompting the Iraqi government to seek US aerial help.
The Iranian version blames the US for bringing pressure on Baghdad that they withdraw the Shia militia from Tikrit. Only then would the US launch airstrikes.
A senior US defense official gave the game away: “Iraq is going to have to decide who they want to partner with. We’ve been demonstrating all across the country and now in Tikrit, that we are a good and able partner.”
Was this hands on action by the Americans designed to reassure Arabs who feared that Americans may cut and leave?
There is a more sensible reason why the Americans inserted themselves just when the Iranian led militia was about to capture or kill ISIS soldiers: a Shia victory over the ISIS would aggravate Arab Sunni anxieties.
The third balancing act the US and its allies performed was to check Bashar al Assad’s successful drive to recover territories lost to the opposition during four years of the civil war: the provincial capital of Idlib was allowed to fall into the hands of the opposition consisting of Al Qaeda linked Nusra Front. Great liberal, democratic victory?
The Syrian accusation that Turkey helped the opposition front occupying Idlib is credible because the town is barely 20 miles from the Turkish border.
At a time when Iran is on a high, inching towards a nuclear deal, the effort is to deflate it somewhat. This is supposed to give heart to states who see a threat in Iran’s rise.
That is why actions in Yemen, Tikrit, Idlib, were launched simultaneously to calm nerves in the region about Iran’s rise. In doing so, the Americans may have encouraged the Saudi gerontocracy to go a little over the top in Yemen.
"Congratulations to Ebrahim Raisi on his election as President of Iran. I look forward to working with him to further strengthen the warm ties between India and Iran," Modi said in a tweet.
Congratulations to His Excellency Ebrahim Raisi on his election as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. I look forward to working with him to further strengthen the warm ties between India and Iran.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 20, 2021
Raisi won Friday's presidential election by a landslide with over 17.8 million votes.
In the second place was Mohsen Rezaei, a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and current secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, with 3.3 million ballots.
Raisi, who has been the Chief Justice since 2019, has formerly held several other posts in the country judicial branch following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Although associated with the Principlist camp, Raisi said he ran in the election this year as an independent.
He was campaigning with the slogan "Popular Administration, Strong Iran" aimed at uprooting corruption in the executive branch, fighting poverty, creating jobs and containing inflation.
Deputy Interior Minister Jamal Orf said 28.6 million Iranians participated in Friday's election, and with around 90 per cent of the votes counted, Raisi garnered over 17.8 million votes, Press TV reported.
In the second place was Mohsen Rezaei, a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and current secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, with 3.3 million ballots.
Meanwhile, former Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Nasser Hemmati garnered 2.4 million votes, and conservative MP Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi won almost one million votes, the Ministry figures revealed.
Orf added that vote counting was still ongoing an official announcement will be made later.
Addressing a meeting of the national committee fighting the coronavirus, outgoing President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday praised the participation of the voters and welcomed the winner without naming Raisi, reports Xinhua news agency.
"Although I will delay the official congratulations in conformity with the law, the people's choice is already clear and he will take over the government in 45 days," Rouhani said.
In a message on his personal Instagram account, Hemmati expressed hope that the new leader "will make the Islamic Republic of Iran proud, and also improve the livelihood and prosperity, and provide welfare for the great nation of Iran".
Rezaei and Hashemi have also extended their congratulations to Raisi.
Raisi, who has been the Chief Justice since 2019, has formerly held several other posts in the country judicial branch following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Although associated with the Principlist camp, Raisi said he ran in the election this year as an independent.
He was campaigning with the slogan "Popular Administration, Strong Iran" aimed at uprooting corruption in the executive branch, fighting poverty, creating jobs and containing inflation.
"The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has signed a contract worth USD 1.78 billion with Petropars Group for the development of Farzad B Gas Field in the Persian Gulf," the Iranian oil ministry''s official news service Shana reported. "The deal was signed on Monday, May 17, in a ceremony held in the presence of Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh in Tehran."
The field holds 23 trillion cubic feet of in-place gas reserves, of which about 60 per cent is recoverable. It also holds gas condensates of about 5,000 barrels per billion cubic feet of gas.
The buyback contract signed on Monday envisages daily production of 28 million cubic meters of sour gas over five years, Shana said.
ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), had in 2008 discovered a giant gas field in the Farsi offshore exploration block.
OVL and its partners had offered to invest up to USD 11 billion for the development of the discovery, which was later named Farzad-B.
PTI had on October 18, 2020, reported that NIOC had informed OVL of its intention to conclude the contract for Farzad-B development with an Iranian company, in an apparent rejection of the Indian firm''s bid.
After this, it kept sitting on OVL''s investment proposal for years.
The 3,500 square kilometer Farsi block sits in a water depth of 20-90 metres on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf.
OVL, with 40 per cent operatorship interest, signed the Exploration Service Contract (ESC) for the block on December 25, 2002. Other partners included Indian Oil Corp (IOC) with 40 per cent stake and Oil India holding the remaining 20 per cent stake.
OVL discovered gas in the block, which was declared commercially viable by NIOC, on August 18, 2008. The exploration phase of the ESC expired on June 24, 2009.
The firm submitted a Master Development Plan (MDP) of Farzad-B gas field in April 2011 to Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC), the then designated authority by NIOC for the development of Farzad-B gas field.
A Development Service Contract (DSC) of the Farzad-B gas field was negotiated till November 2012, but could not be finalized due to difficult terms and international sanctions on Iran.
In April 2015, negotiations restarted with Iranian authorities to develop the Farzad-B gas field under a new Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC). This time, NIOC introduced Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) as its representative for negotiations.
From April 2016, both sides negotiated to develop the Farzad-B gas field under an integrated contract covering upstream and downstream, including monetization/marketing of the processed gas. However, negotiations remained inconclusive.
Meanwhile, on the basis of new studies, a revised Provisional Master Development Plan (PMDP) was submitted to POGC in March 2017, sources said, adding that in April 2019, NIOC proposed development of the gas field under the DSC and offtake of raw gas by NIOC at landfall point.
However, due to the imposition of US sanctions on Iran in November 2018, technical studies could not be concluded which is a precursor for commercial negotiations.
The Indian consortium has so far invested around USD 400 million in the block.
According to ILMO website, Mehrdad Ali Bakhshi, deputy head of the organisation said that among the deceased, 19 people were from southern Shiraz city, five from northeastern Caspian Sea Golestan province, two from western Lorestan province, and each of four provinces of Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Kermanshah, and Semnan had one death report, Xinhua reported on Wednesday.
Over the last week, unprecedented snowstorm and flash floods swept northern, western and central Iran, when people were out celebrating the Iranian New Year started on March 21.
According to local media reports, hundreds were also injured while scores of families were relocated due to the destructive force of the floods and landslides.
The flood also caused losses of hundreds of millions of dollars to the agriculture sector, and damage to the residential rural areas.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has put all officials on full alert as widespread flooding continues in several parts of the country.
The 105-carat diamond has been part of the British crown jewels for the past 150 years.
Chaudhry also endorsed the demand that the British empire must apologise to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh for the Bengal famine and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, in which British forces led by Brigadier General Reginald Dyer opened fire on thousands of unarmed and peaceful protesters, including women and children, killing scores of them on April 13, 1919.
"Fully endorse the demand that the British empire must apologize to the nations of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh on Jallianwala massacre and Bengal famine. These tragedies are the scar on the face of Britain," the Minister tweeted. "... Also KohENoor must be returned to Lahore museum where it belongs."
Chaudhry's remarks came a day after British Prime Minister Theresa May expressed regret over the worst bloodbath committed by the British Army during the colonial period, terming it as a "shameful scar" on the British Indian history.
"We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused," May told the British Parliament, as India prepares to mark the 100th anniversary of the killings.
The escalation in tensions came as European diplomats said Monday that Iran appeared poised to breach portions of the 2015 international nuclear pact that restricted Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions, US officials told Dow.
The additional US military capabilities in the Middle East were requested by Gen Kenneth McKenzie Jr, the head of US Central Command after intelligence indicated the emergence of the threat to US forces, according to the military officials.
In response, the Trump administration is sending an aircraft carrier strike group and four to six bombers as extra force to the region.
As recently as last week, there were no obvious signs of a new threat, officials said.
But that changed dramatically after a fresh intelligence assessment late Friday showed there were "multiple threat streams" and that the US forces might be in danger in Iraq and possibly in other Middle East nations like Syria and Kuwait, officials said.
It followed a rocket barrage fired into Israel by an Iranian-backed militia in Gaza over the weekend, the Efe news reported.
Washington has been stepping up pressure on Iran.
McKenzie requested the additional forces to send a signal to Tehran that it would be held responsible if either its regular army, the Guard Corps or even Iranian proxies operating in Iraq or elsewhere attempted to do harm to US forces, military officials said.
Patriot antimissile systems may also be sent, some officials said.
Under the new US orders, the carrier is expected to forego some port visits, including in Croatia, and should be inside the Persian Gulf within the next 48 hours.
In April, the US said it was ending waivers for Iran to export oil to a handful of its largest buyers in a bid to push Iran's oil exports to zero, and designated Iran's ideological military arm, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organisation.
The new US intelligence showed that Iran drew up plans to target US forces in Iraq and possibly Syria, to orchestrate attacks in the Bab el-Mandeb strait near Yemen through proxies and in the Persian Gulf with its own armed drones, the US officials said.
There have also been intelligence that Iran may be seeking to target US forces in Kuwait.
A US official also said it was unclear whether the new intelligence indicated operations Tehran planned to carry out imminently or contingency preparations in the case US-Iran tensions erupted into hostilities.
A partial Iranian withdrawal from the nuclear pact would mark Iran's strongest reaction yet to the American measures aimed at intensifying pressure on Tehran.
The Trump administration pulled out of the multicountry deal in 2018. Iranian officials have previously indicated that Tehran might modify its adherence to the pact if Iran failed to receive the economic benefits it anticipated.
A spokesman for Iran's Supreme National Security Council dismissed the US military deployment as psychological warfare.
President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, in a phone call with Qatar's Emir, called for moderation in international relations, state news agency IRNA reported. He described the Gaza flare-up as "worrisome".
The threats included concerns from both land and water, officials said.
US officials said they were struck by the specificity of the Iranian plans and the fact that Americans were mentioned as potential targets.
Iran long has backed several Shiite militias in Iraq, including Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq. It has backed Hezbollah and other Shiite militias who are operating in Syria, and the US accuses it of arming the Houthis in Yemen.
The US military officials said that the intent is to send a clear message to Iran to "think before they do something against US forces in the region."
"In this case, Centcom said that it was serious enough that (McKenzie) requested the carrier and the bomber task force be sent," a senior US military official said. "Ultimately, they are who requested the support."
There are between 5,000 and 7,000 US forces operating in Iraq, more than 1,000 in Syria and more in Kuwait, according to officials.