Iran has been adhering to a deal with world powers limiting its nuclear programme, the UN atomic watchdog said Friday, as diplomatic wrangling continues over the future of the accord.

The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran was still complying with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with global powers under which Tehran drastically scaled back its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

The IAEA's latest report showed that over the past three-month period, Iran's stock of heavy water had risen from 122.8 to 124.8 metric tonnes and that it held 163.8kg of enriched uranium, up from 149.4kg in November.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/irans-hassan-rouhani-says-us-sanctions-are-terrorist-act-198591">Iran's Hassan Rouhani says US sanctions are 'terrorist act'</a>

Both levels are within the limits foreseen by the JCPOA.

Last week, European nations rejected a call from US Vice President Mike Pence to follow the US lead in withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal.

Israel has welcomed the US withdrawal from the deal, claiming that Iran is harbouring a secret atomic warehouse.

Without naming specific countries, in January IAEA chief Yukiya Amano rejected pressure on the agency, saying: "If our credibility is thrown into question, and, in particular, if attempts are made to micro-manage or put pressure on the Agency in nuclear verification, that is counter-productive and extremely harmful."

In May, US President Donald Trump dramatically withdrew from the JCPOA. This was followed by sweeping new American sanctions on Iran in November.

Trump's own intelligence chiefs have contradicted him over the question of Iran's adherence to the deal.

Last month Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel told a Senate hearing that Iran was "technically" in compliance with the JCPOA.

The European Union -- along with the European signatories to the deal, collectively known as the E3 -- have been scrambling to find ways to keep the deal alive, last month setting up a special payments vehicle to bypass US sanctions.

However, while Iran initially welcomed the creation of the vehicle -- called INSTEX -- as a "first step", last week Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the mechanism "falls short of the commitments by the E3 to save the nuclear deal". 
&nbsp;

Iran has been adhering to a deal with world powers limiting its nuclear programme, the UN atomic watchdog said Friday, as diplomatic wrangling continues over the future of the accord.

Iran has been adhering to a deal with world powers limiting its nuclear programme, the UN atomic watchdog said Friday, as diplomatic wrangling continues over the future of the accord. The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran was still complying with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with global powers under which Tehran drastically scaled back its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. The IAEA's latest report showed that over the past three-month period, Iran's stock of heavy water had risen from 122.8 to 124.8 metric tonnes and that it held 163.8kg of enriched uranium, up from 149.4kg in November. Also read: Iran's Hassan Rouhani says US sanctions are 'terrorist act' Both levels are within the limits foreseen by the JCPOA. Last week, European nations rejected a call from US Vice President Mike Pence to follow the US lead in withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal. Israel has welcomed the US withdrawal from the deal, claiming that Iran is harbouring a secret atomic warehouse. Without naming specific countries, in January IAEA chief Yukiya Amano rejected pressure on the agency, saying: "If our credibility is thrown into question, and, in particular, if attempts are made to micro-manage or put pressure on the Agency in nuclear verification, that is counter-productive and extremely harmful." In May, US President Donald Trump dramatically withdrew from the JCPOA. This was followed by sweeping new American sanctions on Iran in November. Trump's own intelligence chiefs have contradicted him over the question of Iran's adherence to the deal. Last month Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel told a Senate hearing that Iran was "technically" in compliance with the JCPOA. The European Union -- along with the European signatories to the deal, collectively known as the E3 -- have been scrambling to find ways to keep the deal alive, last month setting up a special payments vehicle to bypass US sanctions. However, while Iran initially welcomed the creation of the vehicle -- called INSTEX -- as a "first step", last week Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the mechanism "falls short of the commitments by the E3 to save the nuclear deal".

Iran adhering to terms of 2015 nuclear deal: UN atomic watchdog

It’s easy to dismiss Iranian denunciations of the United States and its Middle Eastern allies as part of the Islamic republic's long-standing rhetoric. The rhetoric makes it equally easy to understand American distrust.

But as President &nbsp;Trump and Hassan Rouhani, his Iranian counterpart, gear up for two days of diplomatic sabre rattling at the United Nations in advance of next month's imposition of a second round of harsh US sanctions, both men risk fuelling a conflict that could escalate out of hand.

Both are scheduled to address the UN general assembly on Tuesday and Trump is slated to chair a meeting on Wednesday of the Security Council expected to focus on Iran.

Adding to the likely drama at the UN, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, speaking alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, snubbed Trump, by announcing the creation of a payment system that would allow oil companies and businesses to continue trading with Iran despite US sanctions.

The risk of escalation is enhanced by the fact that Trump and Rouhani are sending mixed messages.

Trump's administration insists that its confrontational approach is designed to alter Iranian behaviour and curb its policies, not topple its regime.

Yet, the administration stepped up its engagement with exile groups associated with the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, a controversial Saudi-backed organisation that calls for the violent overthrow of the government in Tehran and enjoys support among current and former Western officials, as Messrs. Trump and Rouhani battle it out at the UN.

John Bolton, who has repeatedly advocated regime change before becoming Trump’s national security advisor, is scheduled to give a keynote address at the United Against Nuclear Iran’s (UANI) annual summit during the UN assembly. So is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, another hardliner on Iran.

Pompeo and Bolton, who has spoken in the past at events related to the Mujahedeen, had so far since coming to office refrained from addressing gatherings associated with opposition groups.

The administration left that to Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, who last weekend told the Iran Uprising Summit organised by the Organisation of Iranian-American Communities, a Washington-based group associated with the Mujahedeen and attended by the exile’s leader, Maryam Rajavi, that US. sanctions were causing economic pain and could lead to a “successful revolution” in Iran.

“I don’t know when we’re going to overthrow them. It could be in a few days, months, a couple of years. But it’s going to happen,” Giuliani, said speaking on the day of an attack on a military march in the southern Iranian city of Ahvaz that killed 25 people and wounded at least 70 others.

Bolton, Pompeo and Giuliani’s hardline stems from US suspicions rooted in anti-American and anti-Western attitudes that are grafted in the Islamic republic's DNA and produced the 444-day occupation in 1979 of the US Embassy in Tehran. They are reinforced by the humiliation of a failed US military operation to rescue 66 Americans held hostages during the occupation.

Iranian rhetoric; bombastic threats against Israel; denial of the Holocaust, support for anti-American insurgents in Iraq, the brutal regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas in the Gaza Strip; propagation of religiously inspired republican government as an alternative to conservative monarchy in the Gulf; and degrees of duplicity regarding its nuclear program, reaffirm America's suspicion.

Iran's seemingly mirror image of the United States traces its roots further back to the 1953 US-supported overthrow of the nationalist government of prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh and his replacement by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi whom Washington staunchly supported till his fall in 1979.

Iranian concerns were reinforced by American backing of Iraq in the 1980s Gulf war, US support for Kurdish and Baloch insurgents, the broad spectrum of support of former and serving US officials for the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, unequivocal Saudi signals of support for ethnic strife as a strategy to destabilize Iran, and Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program despite confirmation of its adherence to the accord.

Responses by the US and its Gulf allies as well as a series of statements by militant Iranian Arab groups, including the Ahvaz Resistance Movement, suspected of being responsible for this weekend's attack, have only deepened Iranian distrust.

Those statements included one by the Arab Liberation Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz effusively praising Saudi Arabia on its national day that the kingdom celebrated a day after the attack.

Yadollah Javani, the deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the target of the attack, vowed revenge for what he termed years of conspiracies against the Iranian revolution by its enemies.

Javani was referring to past US attempts to destabilise Iran and a four-decade long global Saudi campaign that included backing of Iraq in the Gulf war during the 1980s and an estimated $100 billion investment in support of anti-Iranian, anti-Shiite ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim groups.

All of this means that mounting hostility between the United States and Iran is muddied as much by fact as by perception – a combustible mix that is easily exploitable by parties on both sides of the divide seeking to raise the ante. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

It’s easy to dismiss Iranian denunciations of the United States and its Middle Eastern allies as part of the Islamic republic's long-standing rhetoric. The rhetoric makes it equally easy to understand American distrust.

It’s easy to dismiss Iranian denunciations of the United States and its Middle Eastern allies as part of the Islamic republic's long-standing rhetoric. The rhetoric makes it equally easy to understand American distrust. But as President Trump and Hassan Rouhani, his Iranian counterpart, gear up for two days of diplomatic sabre rattling at the United Nations in advance of next month's imposition of a second round of harsh US sanctions, both men risk fuelling a conflict that could escalate out of hand. Both are scheduled to address the UN general assembly on Tuesday and Trump is slated to chair a meeting on Wednesday of the Security Council expected to focus on Iran. Adding to the likely drama at the UN, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, speaking alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, snubbed Trump, by announcing the creation of a payment system that would allow oil companies and businesses to continue trading with Iran despite US sanctions. The risk of escalation is enhanced by the fact that Trump and Rouhani are sending mixed messages. Trump's administration insists that its confrontational approach is designed to alter Iranian behaviour and curb its policies, not topple its regime. Yet, the administration stepped up its engagement with exile groups associated with the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, a controversial Saudi-backed organisation that calls for the violent overthrow of the government in Tehran and enjoys support among current and former Western officials, as Messrs. Trump and Rouhani battle it out at the UN. John Bolton, who has repeatedly advocated regime change before becoming Trump’s national security advisor, is scheduled to give a keynote address at the United Against Nuclear Iran’s (UANI) annual summit during the UN assembly. So is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, another hardliner on Iran. Pompeo and Bolton, who has spoken in the past at events related to the Mujahedeen, had so far since coming to office refrained from addressing gatherings associated with opposition groups. The administration left that to Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, who last weekend told the Iran Uprising Summit organised by the Organisation of Iranian-American Communities, a Washington-based group associated with the Mujahedeen and attended by the exile’s leader, Maryam Rajavi, that US. sanctions were causing economic pain and could lead to a “successful revolution” in Iran. “I don’t know when we’re going to overthrow them. It could be in a few days, months, a couple of years. But it’s going to happen,” Giuliani, said speaking on the day of an attack on a military march in the southern Iranian city of Ahvaz that killed 25 people and wounded at least 70 others. Bolton, Pompeo and Giuliani’s hardline stems from US suspicions rooted in anti-American and anti-Western attitudes that are grafted in the Islamic republic's DNA and produced the 444-day occupation in 1979 of the US Embassy in Tehran. They are reinforced by the humiliation of a failed US military operation to rescue 66 Americans held hostages during the occupation. Iranian rhetoric; bombastic threats against Israel; denial of the Holocaust, support for anti-American insurgents in Iraq, the brutal regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas in the Gaza Strip; propagation of religiously inspired republican government as an alternative to conservative monarchy in the Gulf; and degrees of duplicity regarding its nuclear program, reaffirm America's suspicion. Iran's seemingly mirror image of the United States traces its roots further back to the 1953 US-supported overthrow of the nationalist government of prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh and his replacement by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi whom Washington staunchly supported till his fall in 1979. Iranian concerns were reinforced by American backing of Iraq in the 1980s Gulf war, US support for Kurdish and Baloch insurgents, the broad spectrum of support of former and serving US officials for the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, unequivocal Saudi signals of support for ethnic strife as a strategy to destabilize Iran, and Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program despite confirmation of its adherence to the accord. Responses by the US and its Gulf allies as well as a series of statements by militant Iranian Arab groups, including the Ahvaz Resistance Movement, suspected of being responsible for this weekend's attack, have only deepened Iranian distrust. Those statements included one by the Arab Liberation Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz effusively praising Saudi Arabia on its national day that the kingdom celebrated a day after the attack. Yadollah Javani, the deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the target of the attack, vowed revenge for what he termed years of conspiracies against the Iranian revolution by its enemies. Javani was referring to past US attempts to destabilise Iran and a four-decade long global Saudi campaign that included backing of Iraq in the Gulf war during the 1980s and an estimated $100 billion investment in support of anti-Iranian, anti-Shiite ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim groups. All of this means that mounting hostility between the United States and Iran is muddied as much by fact as by perception – a combustible mix that is easily exploitable by parties on both sides of the divide seeking to raise the ante. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Potholes overshadow US-Iran confrontation at UN

The White House promised Monday to keep exerting "maximum pressure" on Iran and said new sanctions were in the pipeline while insisting that the US was not seeking the overthrow of Tehran's clerical regime.

"As I have said repeatedly, regime change in Iran is not the administration's policy," national security advisor John Bolton told reporters as he previewed President Donald Trump's week at the United Nations General Assembly.

"We've imposed very stringent sanctions on Iran, more are coming, and what we expect from Iran is massive changes in their behaviour."

"And until that happens we will continue to exert what the president has called maximum pressure," he said.

As a private citizen, Bolton had advocated supporting Iran's armed opposition, a position reiterated recently by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who serves as Trump's personal lawyer.

Trump, who has warm relations with Iranian rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel, has pulled the United States out of an international agreement to constrict Iran's nuclear program and instead has restored sanctions.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused US allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of supporting Arab separatists who killed 24 people at a military parade last week in southwestern Iran.

The White House promised Monday to keep exerting "maximum pressure" on Iran and said new sanctions were in the pipeline while insisting that the US was not seeking the overthrow of Tehran's clerical regime.

The White House promised Monday to keep exerting "maximum pressure" on Iran and said new sanctions were in the pipeline while insisting that the US was not seeking the overthrow of Tehran's clerical regime. "As I have said repeatedly, regime change in Iran is not the administration's policy," national security advisor John Bolton told reporters as he previewed President Donald Trump's week at the United Nations General Assembly. "We've imposed very stringent sanctions on Iran, more are coming, and what we expect from Iran is massive changes in their behaviour." "And until that happens we will continue to exert what the president has called maximum pressure," he said. As a private citizen, Bolton had advocated supporting Iran's armed opposition, a position reiterated recently by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who serves as Trump's personal lawyer. Trump, who has warm relations with Iranian rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel, has pulled the United States out of an international agreement to constrict Iran's nuclear program and instead has restored sanctions. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused US allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of supporting Arab separatists who killed 24 people at a military parade last week in southwestern Iran.

US vows to up Iran pressure but says not after regime change

President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Saturday said that US&nbsp;sanctions on Iran are leading to economic pain that could lead to a "successful revolution," contrasting with administration comments that government change in Tehran is not US&nbsp;policy.

"I don't know when we're going to overthrow them," said Giuliani, who spoke in his own capacity though he is a Trump ally, at an Iran Uprising Summit held by the Organisation of Iranian-American Communities, which opposes Tehran's government.&nbsp;

"It could be in a few days, months, a couple of years. But it's going to happen," Giuliani told a crowd at a hotel in Times Square.

Giuliani's comments were in contrast with the Trump administration`s policy of not seeking a change of government even though it is reimposing sanctions that are crippling Iran's economy.&nbsp;

Trump ripped up a global deal on Iran`s nuclear program in May and his administration is snapping back sanctions on the Islamic Republic, including measures on its oil exports from November 4.&nbsp;

The Trump administration hopes the sanctions will force Iran not only to curb its nuclear program but also halt militancy in the Middle East.

Iran says it has complying with the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran, the United States and five other world powers. A quarterly report by the UN atomic watchdog late last month said Iran had remained within the main restrictions of the agreement.&nbsp;

Trump`s National Security Adviser John Bolton told Reuters in August that "regime change" in Iran is not American policy. He said the administration wants a massive change in the regime's behavior.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused US backed Gulf Arab States of carrying out a shooting attack at a military parade that killed 25 people on Saturday, though he did not name the regional states he believed were to blame.

"The people of Iran obviously have now had enough," Giuliani said on Saturday. "The sanctions are working. The currency is going to nothing ... these are the kinds of conditions that lead to successful revolution.”

Giuliani has suggested before that the re-imposition of sanctions was aimed at regime change. At a conference in June where he addressed the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, he said Trump`s policy would suffocate Iran`s ayatollahs.&nbsp;

The US State Department has said Giuliani does not speak for the administration on Iran.&nbsp;

President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Saturday said that US sanctions on Iran are leading to economic pain that could lead to a "successful revolution," contrasting with administration comments that government change in Tehran is not US policy.

President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Saturday said that US sanctions on Iran are leading to economic pain that could lead to a "successful revolution," contrasting with administration comments that government change in Tehran is not US policy. "I don't know when we're going to overthrow them," said Giuliani, who spoke in his own capacity though he is a Trump ally, at an Iran Uprising Summit held by the Organisation of Iranian-American Communities, which opposes Tehran's government. "It could be in a few days, months, a couple of years. But it's going to happen," Giuliani told a crowd at a hotel in Times Square. Giuliani's comments were in contrast with the Trump administration`s policy of not seeking a change of government even though it is reimposing sanctions that are crippling Iran's economy. Trump ripped up a global deal on Iran`s nuclear program in May and his administration is snapping back sanctions on the Islamic Republic, including measures on its oil exports from November 4. The Trump administration hopes the sanctions will force Iran not only to curb its nuclear program but also halt militancy in the Middle East. Iran says it has complying with the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran, the United States and five other world powers. A quarterly report by the UN atomic watchdog late last month said Iran had remained within the main restrictions of the agreement. Trump`s National Security Adviser John Bolton told Reuters in August that "regime change" in Iran is not American policy. He said the administration wants a massive change in the regime's behavior. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused US backed Gulf Arab States of carrying out a shooting attack at a military parade that killed 25 people on Saturday, though he did not name the regional states he believed were to blame. "The people of Iran obviously have now had enough," Giuliani said on Saturday. "The sanctions are working. The currency is going to nothing ... these are the kinds of conditions that lead to successful revolution.” Giuliani has suggested before that the re-imposition of sanctions was aimed at regime change. At a conference in June where he addressed the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, he said Trump`s policy would suffocate Iran`s ayatollahs. The US State Department has said Giuliani does not speak for the administration on Iran.

Trump lawyer Giuliani says Iran's government will be overthrown

Gunmen fired on a military parade in southwestern Iran on Saturday, killing 25 people, half of them members of the Revolutionary Guards, state news agencies reported, in one of the worst attacks ever on the elite force.

State television said the assault, which wounded more than 60 people, targeted a stand where Iranian officials had gathered to watch an annual event marking the start of the Islamic Republic's 1980-88 war with Iraq.

"There are a number of non-military victims, including women and children who had come to watch the parade," state news IRNA agency quoted an unnamed official source as saying.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) have been the sword and shield of Shi'ite clerical rule since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Guards also play a major role in Iran's regional interests in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

"Three of the terrorists were killed on the spot and a fourth one who was injured died in hospital," Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesman for Iran's armed forces, told state television.

A video distributed to Iranian media showed soldiers crawling on the ground as gunfire blazed in their direction. One soldier picked up a gun and got to his feet as women and children fled for their lives.

Ali Hosein Hoseinzadeh, deputy governor in Khuzestan province, was quoted as saying the death toll was expected to rise. One of those killed was a journalist.

The bloodshed struck a blow to security in OPEC oil producer Iran, which has been relatively stable compared with neighbouring Arab countries that have grappled with upheaval since the 2011 uprisings across the Middle East.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the city of Ahvaz.

State television blamed "takfiri elements", a reference to Sunni Muslim militants, for the attack. Ahvaz is in the centre of Khuzestan province, where there have been sporadic protests by the Arab minority in predominantly Shi'ite Iran.

Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said the assault was the handiwork of "regional terror sponsors", language that usually refers to Iran's enemies Saudi Arabia and Israel, and "their US masters". He vowed Tehran would respond decisively.

The semi-official news agency ISNA said an unnamed spokesman for the Revolutionary Guards blamed Arab nationalists backed by Saudi Arabia for the attack.

Dominant Military Force

The Revolutionary Guards are the most powerful and heavily armed military force in the Islamic Republic and also have a vast stake worth billions of dollars in the economy.

Kurdish militants killed 10 Revolutionary Guards in an attack on an IRGC post on the Iraqi border in July, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, the latest bloodshed in an area where armed Kurdish opposition groups are active.

Iran will be scrambling to determine the motives for the Saturday's high-profile attack as it faces growing US pressure.

President Donald Trump decided in May to pull the United States out of the 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran and reimpose sanctions in a bid to isolate the Islamic Republic.

"Where did they come from?"

Trump will fail in his confrontation with Iran, just like Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, referring to the war in the 1980s between the two Middle Eastern powers and vowing that Tehran will not abandon its missiles.

As Rouhani spoke, Iran began displaying its naval power in the Gulf during annual parades in the capital Tehran and the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf.

Iran has suggested in recent weeks that it could take military action in the Gulf to block other countries’ oil exports in retaliation for US sanctions intended to halt its sales of crude.

A video on state television's website showed confused soldiers at the scene of the attack. Standing in front of the stand, one asked: "Where did they come from?" Another responded: "From behind us."

Four militants carried out the attack and two of them were killed, according to ISNA. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack in the city of Ahvaz.

Iran was holding similar parades in several cities including the capital Tehran and the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf.

"Shooting began by several gunmen from behind the stand during the parade. There are several killed and injured," a correspondent told state television.

Tensions between mainly Shi'ite Iran and mostly Sunni Saudi Arabia have surged in recent years, with the two countries supporting opposite sides in wars in Syria and Yemen and rival political parties in Iraq and Lebanon.

Attacks on the military are rare in Iran.

Last year, in the first deadly assault claimed by Islamic State in Tehran, 18 people were killed at the parliament and mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder and first supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.

Gunmen fired on a military parade in southwestern Iran on Saturday, killing 25 people, half of them members of the Revolutionary Guards, state news agencies reported, in one of the worst attacks ever on the elite force.

Gunmen fired on a military parade in southwestern Iran on Saturday, killing 25 people, half of them members of the Revolutionary Guards, state news agencies reported, in one of the worst attacks ever on the elite force. State television said the assault, which wounded more than 60 people, targeted a stand where Iranian officials had gathered to watch an annual event marking the start of the Islamic Republic's 1980-88 war with Iraq. "There are a number of non-military victims, including women and children who had come to watch the parade," state news IRNA agency quoted an unnamed official source as saying. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) have been the sword and shield of Shi'ite clerical rule since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Guards also play a major role in Iran's regional interests in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Yemen. "Three of the terrorists were killed on the spot and a fourth one who was injured died in hospital," Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesman for Iran's armed forces, told state television. A video distributed to Iranian media showed soldiers crawling on the ground as gunfire blazed in their direction. One soldier picked up a gun and got to his feet as women and children fled for their lives. Ali Hosein Hoseinzadeh, deputy governor in Khuzestan province, was quoted as saying the death toll was expected to rise. One of those killed was a journalist. The bloodshed struck a blow to security in OPEC oil producer Iran, which has been relatively stable compared with neighbouring Arab countries that have grappled with upheaval since the 2011 uprisings across the Middle East. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the city of Ahvaz. State television blamed "takfiri elements", a reference to Sunni Muslim militants, for the attack. Ahvaz is in the centre of Khuzestan province, where there have been sporadic protests by the Arab minority in predominantly Shi'ite Iran. Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said the assault was the handiwork of "regional terror sponsors", language that usually refers to Iran's enemies Saudi Arabia and Israel, and "their US masters". He vowed Tehran would respond decisively. The semi-official news agency ISNA said an unnamed spokesman for the Revolutionary Guards blamed Arab nationalists backed by Saudi Arabia for the attack. Dominant Military Force The Revolutionary Guards are the most powerful and heavily armed military force in the Islamic Republic and also have a vast stake worth billions of dollars in the economy. Kurdish militants killed 10 Revolutionary Guards in an attack on an IRGC post on the Iraqi border in July, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, the latest bloodshed in an area where armed Kurdish opposition groups are active. Iran will be scrambling to determine the motives for the Saturday's high-profile attack as it faces growing US pressure. President Donald Trump decided in May to pull the United States out of the 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran and reimpose sanctions in a bid to isolate the Islamic Republic. "Where did they come from?" Trump will fail in his confrontation with Iran, just like Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, referring to the war in the 1980s between the two Middle Eastern powers and vowing that Tehran will not abandon its missiles. As Rouhani spoke, Iran began displaying its naval power in the Gulf during annual parades in the capital Tehran and the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf. Iran has suggested in recent weeks that it could take military action in the Gulf to block other countries’ oil exports in retaliation for US sanctions intended to halt its sales of crude. A video on state television's website showed confused soldiers at the scene of the attack. Standing in front of the stand, one asked: "Where did they come from?" Another responded: "From behind us." Four militants carried out the attack and two of them were killed, according to ISNA. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack in the city of Ahvaz. Iran was holding similar parades in several cities including the capital Tehran and the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf. "Shooting began by several gunmen from behind the stand during the parade. There are several killed and injured," a correspondent told state television. Tensions between mainly Shi'ite Iran and mostly Sunni Saudi Arabia have surged in recent years, with the two countries supporting opposite sides in wars in Syria and Yemen and rival political parties in Iraq and Lebanon. Attacks on the military are rare in Iran. Last year, in the first deadly assault claimed by Islamic State in Tehran, 18 people were killed at the parliament and mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder and first supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.

Gunmen kill 25, including 12 Revolutionary Guards, in attack on Iran military parade

Iran is &quot;not living up to the spirit&quot; of the nuclear deal struck with world powers in 2015, US President Donald Trump said Thursday, warning America would set out its position on that soon.

Trump`s administration has been publicly tightening the noose on Iran over the deal, which was negotiated by the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany to roll back Tehran`s nuclear program in return for the easing of sanctions.

&quot;It was a terrible agreement,&quot; said Trump, who has regularly blamed his predecessor Barack Obama for securing it. &quot;That was a bad one, as bad as I`ve ever seen negotiated.&quot;

&quot;Iran has not lived up to the spirit of the agreement, and they have to do that,&quot; Trump said in a joint news conference in the White House with Italy`s visiting Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

&quot;We`re analyzing it very, very carefully and will have something to say about it in the not-too-distant future.&quot;

Trump on Tuesday ordered a review of the deal led by his National Security Council, which will decide whether suspending sanctions &quot;is vital to the national security interests of the United States.&quot;

Although the State Department admits Iran has so far stuck to its side of the bargain, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday called the pact a failure and warned Iran risked becoming another North Korea: a hostile, nuclear-armed state.

He said Iran is &quot;the world`s leading state sponsor of terrorism&quot; and highlighted its military support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Huthi rebels in Yemen and militias in Iraq and in Lebanon.

&quot;Iran`s provocative actions threaten the United States, the region, and the world,&quot; Tillerson said.

On Thursday, the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, called Iran the &quot;chief culprit&quot; in Middle East conflicts and urged the UN Security Council to make handling the country a &quot;priority.&quot;

Iran`s ambassador to the UN, Gholamali Khoshroo, hit back by accusing the United States of waging a &quot;misleading propaganda campaign&quot; against his country.

Tehran has given no indication of wanting to ditch the deal.&nbsp;

But Iranians in their day-to-day lives have not seen as much advantage from the eased sanctions as they had hoped.

Disappointment over their continued economic stagnation has created an opening for conservative candidates in May 19 elections who are opposed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who helped oversee the nuclear deal`s conclusion.

(AFP)

'It was a terrible agreement,' said Trump, who has regularly blamed his predecessor Barack Obama for securing it

Iran is "not living up to the spirit" of the nuclear deal struck with world powers in 2015, US President Donald Trump said Thursday, warning America would set out its position on that soon. Trump`s administration has been publicly tightening the noose on Iran over the deal, which was negotiated by the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany to roll back Tehran`s nuclear program in return for the easing of sanctions. "It was a terrible agreement," said Trump, who has regularly blamed his predecessor Barack Obama for securing it. "That was a bad one, as bad as I`ve ever seen negotiated." "Iran has not lived up to the spirit of the agreement, and they have to do that," Trump said in a joint news conference in the White House with Italy`s visiting Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. "We`re analyzing it very, very carefully and will have something to say about it in the not-too-distant future." Trump on Tuesday ordered a review of the deal led by his National Security Council, which will decide whether suspending sanctions "is vital to the national security interests of the United States." Although the State Department admits Iran has so far stuck to its side of the bargain, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday called the pact a failure and warned Iran risked becoming another North Korea: a hostile, nuclear-armed state. He said Iran is "the world`s leading state sponsor of terrorism" and highlighted its military support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Huthi rebels in Yemen and militias in Iraq and in Lebanon. "Iran`s provocative actions threaten the United States, the region, and the world," Tillerson said. On Thursday, the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, called Iran the "chief culprit" in Middle East conflicts and urged the UN Security Council to make handling the country a "priority." Iran`s ambassador to the UN, Gholamali Khoshroo, hit back by accusing the United States of waging a "misleading propaganda campaign" against his country. Tehran has given no indication of wanting to ditch the deal. But Iranians in their day-to-day lives have not seen as much advantage from the eased sanctions as they had hoped. Disappointment over their continued economic stagnation has created an opening for conservative candidates in May 19 elections who are opposed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who helped oversee the nuclear deal`s conclusion. (AFP)

Iran 'not living up to the spirit' of the nuclear deal: Trump