Moscow has completed supplies of S-300 missile systems to Tehran in 2016, TASS news agency quoted the Russian envoy to Iran as saying on Wednesday.

Levan Dzhagaryan also said that Russia was preparing to supply Iran with enriched uranium in exchange for heavy water, TASS reported.

Currently, Iran&#39;s import of uranium is under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency under the 2015 international nuclear agreement.

The international nuclear agreement between Iran and six global powers that included five permanent members of UN Security Council and Germany put curbs on Iran&#39;s uranium enrichment programme.&nbsp;

The US had&nbsp;relaxed sanctions imposed on Iran after the deal was agreed upon under the Obama administration.&nbsp;

But, relations between the two countries have soured since Obama left and Trump became president.

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Recently, the US&nbsp;imposed fresh sanctions on Iran after it test-fired a ballistic missile. Iran also features on the list seven countries whose citizens have been barred from entering the United States under the travel ban imposed by the Trump administration in an executive order signed by the US president on January&nbsp;27.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Russia is supplying Iran with uranium in exchange for heavy water coolant exported by Iran

Moscow has completed supplies of S-300 missile systems to Tehran in 2016, TASS news agency quoted the Russian envoy to Iran as saying on Wednesday. Levan Dzhagaryan also said that Russia was preparing to supply Iran with enriched uranium in exchange for heavy water, TASS reported. Currently, Iran's import of uranium is under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency under the 2015 international nuclear agreement. The international nuclear agreement between Iran and six global powers that included five permanent members of UN Security Council and Germany put curbs on Iran's uranium enrichment programme. The US had relaxed sanctions imposed on Iran after the deal was agreed upon under the Obama administration. But, relations between the two countries have soured since Obama left and Trump became president. × Recently, the US imposed fresh sanctions on Iran after it test-fired a ballistic missile. Iran also features on the list seven countries whose citizens have been barred from entering the United States under the travel ban imposed by the Trump administration in an executive order signed by the US president on January 27. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Russia has completed supply of S-300 missile systems to Iran: Report

China on Monday said it had &quot;lodged representations&quot; with the United States over Washington&#39;s new sanctions list targeting Iran, which includes Chinese companies and individuals.

The sanctions on 25 people and entities imposed on Friday by President Donald Trump&#39;s administration, and came two days it had put Iran &quot;on notice&quot; following a ballistic missile test.

Those affected by the sanctions cannot access the US financial system or deal with US companies, and are subject to secondary sanctions, meaning foreign companies and individuals are prohibited from dealing with them or risk being blacklisted by the United States.

The list includes two Chinese companies and three Chinese people, only one of whom the US Treasury Department explicitly said was a Chinese citizen, a person called Qin Xianhua.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that Beijing had lodged a protest with Washington, and that such sanctions, particularly when they harmed the interests of a third party, were &quot;not helpful&quot; in promoting mutual trust.

&quot;We have consistently opposed any unilateral sanctions,&quot; Lu told a regular press briefing.

Executives of two Chinese companies included on the list said on Sunday they had only exported &quot;normal&quot; goods to the Middle Eastern country and didn&#39;t consider they had done anything wrong.

China has in the past been angered by what it calls unilateral sanctions placed on Chinese firms by the United States and others in relation to Iran or North Korea&#39;s nuclear ambitions.

China has close economic and diplomatic ties with Tehran, but was also instrumental in pushing through a landmark 2015 deal to curb Iran&#39;s nuclear program.

(Reuters)

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said that such sanctions, particularly when they hurt a third party, are not helpful in promoting ties

China on Monday said it had "lodged representations" with the United States over Washington's new sanctions list targeting Iran, which includes Chinese companies and individuals. The sanctions on 25 people and entities imposed on Friday by President Donald Trump's administration, and came two days it had put Iran "on notice" following a ballistic missile test. Those affected by the sanctions cannot access the US financial system or deal with US companies, and are subject to secondary sanctions, meaning foreign companies and individuals are prohibited from dealing with them or risk being blacklisted by the United States. The list includes two Chinese companies and three Chinese people, only one of whom the US Treasury Department explicitly said was a Chinese citizen, a person called Qin Xianhua. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that Beijing had lodged a protest with Washington, and that such sanctions, particularly when they harmed the interests of a third party, were "not helpful" in promoting mutual trust. "We have consistently opposed any unilateral sanctions," Lu told a regular press briefing. Executives of two Chinese companies included on the list said on Sunday they had only exported "normal" goods to the Middle Eastern country and didn't consider they had done anything wrong. China has in the past been angered by what it calls unilateral sanctions placed on Chinese firms by the United States and others in relation to Iran or North Korea's nuclear ambitions. China has close economic and diplomatic ties with Tehran, but was also instrumental in pushing through a landmark 2015 deal to curb Iran's nuclear program. (Reuters)

Beijing lodges 'protest' with US over Iran sanctions affecting Chinese companies

The US Treasury has sanctioned 13 individuals and 12 entities under its Iran sanctions authority, days after the White House put Tehran &quot;on notice&quot; over a ballistic missile test and other activities.

Senior US administration officials said sanctions imposed against Iran earlier on Friday were only the &quot;initial steps in response to Iranian provocative behaviour.&quot;

In a statement on its website, the US Treasury listed the sanctioned individuals and entities, some of which are based in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and China.

The move is the first against Iran since US&nbsp;President Donald Trump took office on January&nbsp;20. The sanctions were similar to actions taken by the Obama administration targeting Iran&#39;s ballistic missile network. The new designations stuck to areas that remain under sanctions even with the 2015 nuclear deal in place, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Iran&#39;s ballistic missile program.

&quot;Today&#39;s action is part of Treasury&#39;s ongoing efforts to counter Iranian malign activity abroad that is outside the scope of the JCPOA,&quot; Treasury said, a reference to the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Among those sanctioned on Friday were companies, individuals, and brokers the US Treasury said support a trade network run by an Iranian businessman, Abdollah Asgharzadeh.

Treasury said he supported Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, which the United States has said is a subsidiary of an Iranian entity that runs Iran&#39;s ballistic missile program.

Treasury also sanctioned what it said was a Lebanon-based network run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite military body that is also powerful in Iranian politics and the economy.

President Trump tweeted almost immediately denouncing&nbsp;Iran.

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Iran is playing with fire - they don&#39;t appreciate how &quot;kind&quot; President Obama was to them. Not me!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/827478751931924480">February 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Iran has not confirmed or denied that the ballistic missile testing took place. The spokesman for Iran&#39;s foreign ministry, Bahram Ghasemi, said, &ldquo;regardless of authenticity and nature of these reports, it is a principal policy for Iran to test ballistic missiles in full compliance with the country&rsquo;s basic rights and international commitments&rdquo;.

Responding to a question by a journalist earlier on Thursday on whether military action is off the table, Trump had replied: &quot;Nothing is off the table.&quot; Earlier, the president had tweeted that Iran has been &quot;formally put on notice&quot; after it test-fired a ballistic missile.

The US National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, on Wednesday, had excoriated Iran for its &quot;destabilising behaviour&quot; in the West Asian region. Newly appointed US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, on Tuesday, had termed Iran&#39;s missile test as &quot;absolutely unacceptable&quot;.

Tension&nbsp;between the US and Iran is on the rise after Trump&#39;s election as the US president during his election campaign had constantly threatened that he would tear up the 2015 international nuclear agreement with Iran. 
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Iran is among the seven countries that have been put on the travel&nbsp;ban list. &nbsp;

(Reuters)

The Trump administration has sanctioned 13 individuals and 12 entities in Iran

The US Treasury has sanctioned 13 individuals and 12 entities under its Iran sanctions authority, days after the White House put Tehran "on notice" over a ballistic missile test and other activities. Senior US administration officials said sanctions imposed against Iran earlier on Friday were only the "initial steps in response to Iranian provocative behaviour." In a statement on its website, the US Treasury listed the sanctioned individuals and entities, some of which are based in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and China. The move is the first against Iran since US President Donald Trump took office on January 20. The sanctions were similar to actions taken by the Obama administration targeting Iran's ballistic missile network. The new designations stuck to areas that remain under sanctions even with the 2015 nuclear deal in place, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Iran's ballistic missile program. "Today's action is part of Treasury's ongoing efforts to counter Iranian malign activity abroad that is outside the scope of the JCPOA," Treasury said, a reference to the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Among those sanctioned on Friday were companies, individuals, and brokers the US Treasury said support a trade network run by an Iranian businessman, Abdollah Asgharzadeh. Treasury said he supported Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, which the United States has said is a subsidiary of an Iranian entity that runs Iran's ballistic missile program. Treasury also sanctioned what it said was a Lebanon-based network run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite military body that is also powerful in Iranian politics and the economy. President Trump tweeted almost immediately denouncing Iran. Iran is playing with fire - they don't appreciate how "kind" President Obama was to them. Not me! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2017 × Iran has not confirmed or denied that the ballistic missile testing took place. The spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, Bahram Ghasemi, said, “regardless of authenticity and nature of these reports, it is a principal policy for Iran to test ballistic missiles in full compliance with the country’s basic rights and international commitments”. Responding to a question by a journalist earlier on Thursday on whether military action is off the table, Trump had replied: "Nothing is off the table." Earlier, the president had tweeted that Iran has been "formally put on notice" after it test-fired a ballistic missile. The US National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, on Wednesday, had excoriated Iran for its "destabilising behaviour" in the West Asian region. Newly appointed US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, on Tuesday, had termed Iran's missile test as "absolutely unacceptable". Tension between the US and Iran is on the rise after Trump's election as the US president during his election campaign had constantly threatened that he would tear up the 2015 international nuclear agreement with Iran. Iran is among the seven countries that have been put on the travel ban list. (Reuters)

US imposes fresh sanctions against Iran

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the global fight against terrorism does not warrant putting groups of people under suspicion, adding US President Donald Trump&#39;s order to restrict people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States violates the spirit of international cooperation.

&quot;The necessary and decisive battle against terrorism does not in any way justify putting groups of certain people under general suspicion - in this case&nbsp;people of Muslim belief or of a certain origin,&quot; Merkel told a news conference in Berlin.

&quot;In my opinion, this act runs contrary to the basic principles of international refugee help and international cooperation,&quot; she said. &quot;The chancellery and the foreign ministry will do everything they can, especially for those dual citizens affected, to clear up the legal ramifications and to emphatically represent their interests under the law.&quot;

She added: &quot;We&#39;re clearly having close consultations with our European partners about this entire issue.&quot;

President Donald Trump in an executive order had&nbsp;banned nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries namely Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States for at least the next 90 days.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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While signing the new immigration order at the Pentagon ceremony, Trump said that the government will impose tighter vetting to prevent foreign terrorists from entering the United States. Here&#39;s more to this story. (WION)
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President Trump reacted strongly against the protests tweeting twice early on Monday morning justifying his stance on the matter.

&nbsp;

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If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the &quot;bad&quot; would rush into our country during that week. A lot of bad &quot;dudes&quot; out there!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/826060143825666051">January 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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There is nothing nice about searching for terrorists before they can enter our country. This was a big part of my campaign. Study the world!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/826044059647107073">January 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

There were protests in Europe and West Asia with even US citizens demonstrating against President Trump&#39;s executive order. Demonstrators shut down the traffic loop at Los Angeles International Airport and shouted slogans during a protest against the travel ban imposed by President Trump.

In Britain, people have signed a petition calling for President Trump&#39;s planned state visit to be cancelled to avoid embarrassing Queen Elizabeth, a grassroots backlash against his immigration policies.

The invitation to make a state visit, which will involve lavish displays of royal pageantry and a banquet hosted by the monarch, was conveyed by Prime Minister Theresa May when she visited Trump in Washington last week.

But May came under pressure to cancel the visit after Trump issued an executive order barring Syrian refugees from the United States and suspending travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, sparking protests at home and abroad.

The petition against the state visit, which is on the British parliament&#39;s website, passed the one million mark on Monday morning and by mid-afternoon local time had over 1.3 million signatories.

Guy Verhofstadt, one of the EU&#39;s top officials and its chief Brexit negotiator said President Donald Trump is part of a three-pronged attempt to undermine the European Union. The other two threats were from radicalised Islam and from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Verhofstadt said was also working against the progress of the European Union project.&nbsp;

&quot;We have a third front, for the moment, undermining the European Union, and it is Donald Trump,&quot; Verhofstadt said in a speech at the Chatham House think-tank. &quot;Trump spoke very favourably of the fact that also other countries will want to break away from the European Union, and that he hoped for a disintegration of the European Union.&quot;

Verhofstadt served for nine years as prime minister of Belgium and has served in the European Parliament since 2009.

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

There were protests in Europe and West Asia with even US citizens demonstrating against Trump's travel ban aimed at seven countries

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the global fight against terrorism does not warrant putting groups of people under suspicion, adding US President Donald Trump's order to restrict people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States violates the spirit of international cooperation. "The necessary and decisive battle against terrorism does not in any way justify putting groups of certain people under general suspicion - in this case people of Muslim belief or of a certain origin," Merkel told a news conference in Berlin. "In my opinion, this act runs contrary to the basic principles of international refugee help and international cooperation," she said. "The chancellery and the foreign ministry will do everything they can, especially for those dual citizens affected, to clear up the legal ramifications and to emphatically represent their interests under the law." She added: "We're clearly having close consultations with our European partners about this entire issue." President Donald Trump in an executive order had banned nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries namely Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States for at least the next 90 days. While signing the new immigration order at the Pentagon ceremony, Trump said that the government will impose tighter vetting to prevent foreign terrorists from entering the United States. Here's more to this story. (WION) × President Trump reacted strongly against the protests tweeting twice early on Monday morning justifying his stance on the matter. If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the "bad" would rush into our country during that week. A lot of bad "dudes" out there! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017 × There is nothing nice about searching for terrorists before they can enter our country. This was a big part of my campaign. Study the world! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017 × There were protests in Europe and West Asia with even US citizens demonstrating against President Trump's executive order. Demonstrators shut down the traffic loop at Los Angeles International Airport and shouted slogans during a protest against the travel ban imposed by President Trump. In Britain, people have signed a petition calling for President Trump's planned state visit to be cancelled to avoid embarrassing Queen Elizabeth, a grassroots backlash against his immigration policies. The invitation to make a state visit, which will involve lavish displays of royal pageantry and a banquet hosted by the monarch, was conveyed by Prime Minister Theresa May when she visited Trump in Washington last week. But May came under pressure to cancel the visit after Trump issued an executive order barring Syrian refugees from the United States and suspending travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, sparking protests at home and abroad. The petition against the state visit, which is on the British parliament's website, passed the one million mark on Monday morning and by mid-afternoon local time had over 1.3 million signatories. Guy Verhofstadt, one of the EU's top officials and its chief Brexit negotiator said President Donald Trump is part of a three-pronged attempt to undermine the European Union. The other two threats were from radicalised Islam and from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Verhofstadt said was also working against the progress of the European Union project. "We have a third front, for the moment, undermining the European Union, and it is Donald Trump," Verhofstadt said in a speech at the Chatham House think-tank. "Trump spoke very favourably of the fact that also other countries will want to break away from the European Union, and that he hoped for a disintegration of the European Union." Verhofstadt served for nine years as prime minister of Belgium and has served in the European Parliament since 2009. (Reuters)

Terror fight does not justify US travel ban: German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Pakistan and Iran have agreed to raise the volume of bilateral trade to five billion dollars, said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of Iran.&nbsp;

Boroujerdi made the comment&nbsp;while addressing a press conference in Islamabad during a three-day visit to Pakistan.&nbsp;

On Friday, Boroujerdi met with Pakistan National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua to discuss the security of the region.&nbsp;

Pakistan, Russia, China and Iran should cooperate with each other for regional peace and stability, Boroujerdi added. He said that Iran was a close ally of Pakistan and there was no need to further improve relations between the two countries.&nbsp;

Boroujerdi also declared that Pakistan&#39;s Gwadar port and Iran&#39;s Chahbaha are&nbsp;sister ports which will enhance bilateral trade. He indicated that Iran wished to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and that Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline was the main priority.&nbsp;

Boroujerdi also hinted at joining Pakistan, China and Russia&#39;s talks on ending the long-running unrest in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from ANI)

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Iran's Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security, announced the hike during a 3-day visit to Pakistan

Pakistan and Iran have agreed to raise the volume of bilateral trade to five billion dollars, said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of Iran. Boroujerdi made the comment while addressing a press conference in Islamabad during a three-day visit to Pakistan. On Friday, Boroujerdi met with Pakistan National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua to discuss the security of the region. Pakistan, Russia, China and Iran should cooperate with each other for regional peace and stability, Boroujerdi added. He said that Iran was a close ally of Pakistan and there was no need to further improve relations between the two countries. Boroujerdi also declared that Pakistan's Gwadar port and Iran's Chahbaha are sister ports which will enhance bilateral trade. He indicated that Iran wished to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and that Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline was the main priority. Boroujerdi also hinted at joining Pakistan, China and Russia's talks on ending the long-running unrest in Afghanistan. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Pakistan, Iran agree to increase trade to $5 billion

By Anchal Vohra

Iran, Russia and Turkey, the sponsors of peace talks between Syrian rebels and Damascus, agreed on Tuesday to a fragile three-week cessation of hostilities in Syria. The announcement comes after two days of peace talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

In a joint statement, the three countries said there was no military solution to the Syrian conflict.

It was not clear whether the Syrian government or the opposition backed the communique. Earlier, a rebel spokesman said &quot;no agreements&quot; would be signed.

The &quot;trilateral mechanism&quot; was agreed between Russia and Iran, which back Mr Assad&#39;s government, and Turkey, which supports the opposition.

It would &quot;observe and ensure full compliance with the ceasefire, prevent any provocation and determine all modalities&quot;, the statement said.

Earlier, however, the Guardian reported that rebel officials objected to Iran having a role because of its support of militia groups, which they accuse of repeatedly violating the cessation of hostilities.

Government negotiator Bashar Jaafari had accused rebel groups of violating the truce and defending &quot;war crimes&quot; by the allied jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which is excluded from the ceasefire along with so-called Islamic State (IS).

The talks in Astana were the first where the opposition delegation was formed exclusively of representatives of armed groups.

Rebel spokesman Yahya al-Aridi had earlier said that his delegation would also push for the lifting of government sieges of opposition-held areas and &quot;goodwill gestures&quot;, including the release of political detainees and aid deliveries.

He added that it was hoped the meeting would &quot;contribute&quot; to the UN-brokered negotiations on a political settlement that are due to resume in Geneva next month.

The negotiations in Geneva broke down last April with little progress having been made.

More than 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million others displaced since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.

(WION)

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The trilateral mechanism would 'observe and ensure full compliance with the ceasefire, prevent any provocation and determine all modalities'

By Anchal Vohra Iran, Russia and Turkey, the sponsors of peace talks between Syrian rebels and Damascus, agreed on Tuesday to a fragile three-week cessation of hostilities in Syria. The announcement comes after two days of peace talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana. In a joint statement, the three countries said there was no military solution to the Syrian conflict. It was not clear whether the Syrian government or the opposition backed the communique. Earlier, a rebel spokesman said "no agreements" would be signed. The "trilateral mechanism" was agreed between Russia and Iran, which back Mr Assad's government, and Turkey, which supports the opposition. It would "observe and ensure full compliance with the ceasefire, prevent any provocation and determine all modalities", the statement said. Earlier, however, the Guardian reported that rebel officials objected to Iran having a role because of its support of militia groups, which they accuse of repeatedly violating the cessation of hostilities. Government negotiator Bashar Jaafari had accused rebel groups of violating the truce and defending "war crimes" by the allied jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which is excluded from the ceasefire along with so-called Islamic State (IS). The talks in Astana were the first where the opposition delegation was formed exclusively of representatives of armed groups. Rebel spokesman Yahya al-Aridi had earlier said that his delegation would also push for the lifting of government sieges of opposition-held areas and "goodwill gestures", including the release of political detainees and aid deliveries. He added that it was hoped the meeting would "contribute" to the UN-brokered negotiations on a political settlement that are due to resume in Geneva next month. The negotiations in Geneva broke down last April with little progress having been made. More than 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million others displaced since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011. (WION)

Syria conflict: Iran, Russia and Turkey 'to enforce' truce

Syrian rebels are set to meet their war-torn country&#39;s government on Monday in the Kazakh capital Astana, in the latest push to end the conflict.

It will be the first time a delegation composed exclusively of rebel groups will negotiate with President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime since the war erupted in 2011 with protests against his rule.

Set to begin at 0800 GMT, the talks have been welcomed by all parties in the war.&nbsp;

However, delegates from both sides have arrived in Kazakhstan with apparently divergent ideas on the talks&#39; aims.

Rebel groups have said the meeting will focus on bolstering a frail nationwide ceasefire brokered last month by Turkey and Russia.

But Assad has insisted that rebels lay down their arms in exchange for an amnesty deal, and called for a &quot;comprehensive&quot; political solution to a conflict that has killed more than 310,000 and displaced more than half of the country&#39;s population.

Organised by Turkey, Russia and Iran, the talks come a month after the regime recaptured rebel areas of Aleppo, scoring its biggest victory since the war began.

Chief opposition negotiator Mohammad Alloush arrived in Astana on Sunday accompanied by around a dozen rebel figures, including Fares Buyush of the Idlib Army, an AFP correspondent said.

&quot;This is not a replacement for the Geneva process,&quot; Buyush told AFP, referring to the UN-hosted political negotiations set to resume in Geneva next month.

UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Sunday hailed the Astana talks as a &quot;good initiative&quot;, in comments carried by Russian news agencies.

Yehya al-Aridi, a spokesman for the opposition delegation, told AFP there was &quot;no final answer&quot; on whether his team would sit at the same table as the regime.

National reconciliation 
&nbsp; 
Russia&#39;s special envoy on Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, told Russian news agencies Sunday that the format of the talks was still under discussion.

A source close to the opposition&#39;s team told AFP that the delegation had been broadened from eight rebel figures to a total of 14, in addition to 21 legal and political advisors.

The 10-member government delegation, headed by UN ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari, also arrived on Sunday, Syrian state television reported.

Jaafari had initially dismissed the possibility of any government-level meeting with rebel backer Turkey.

But state television later quoted him as saying the regime &quot;will participate in any meeting that serves Syrian national reconciliation.&quot;

The regime&#39;s objectives include reaching &quot;common grounds&quot; with other participants, Syrian state news agency SANA quoted Jaafari as saying.

No shortcut

The talks will be held in Astana&#39;s luxury Rixos President Hotel, where staff members on Sunday were setting up a single large table in a conference room under blue banners bearing the hashtag #AstanaProcess.

Although Ankara and Moscow have backed opposing sides of Syria&#39;s nearly six-year conflict, they have worked hand-in-hand in recent weeks to try to secure an end to the brutal war.

The Astana talks will be a major test of this new partnership.

The rapprochement between Russia and Turkey, which saw them conduct their first joint air strikes against IS targets in Syria last week, has come to fill the vacuum left by Washington&#39;s disengagement from the conflict in recent months.

US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration was invited to participate in the talks but did not send a delegation.

Washington will instead be represented by its ambassador to Kazakhstan, the State Department said.

France and Britain will also be represented at the ambassador level, according to a European diplomatic source.

(AFP)

Delegates from both sides have arrived in Kazakhstan with apparently divergent ideas on the talks' aims

Syrian rebels are set to meet their war-torn country's government on Monday in the Kazakh capital Astana, in the latest push to end the conflict. It will be the first time a delegation composed exclusively of rebel groups will negotiate with President Bashar al-Assad's regime since the war erupted in 2011 with protests against his rule. Set to begin at 0800 GMT, the talks have been welcomed by all parties in the war. However, delegates from both sides have arrived in Kazakhstan with apparently divergent ideas on the talks' aims. Rebel groups have said the meeting will focus on bolstering a frail nationwide ceasefire brokered last month by Turkey and Russia. But Assad has insisted that rebels lay down their arms in exchange for an amnesty deal, and called for a "comprehensive" political solution to a conflict that has killed more than 310,000 and displaced more than half of the country's population. Organised by Turkey, Russia and Iran, the talks come a month after the regime recaptured rebel areas of Aleppo, scoring its biggest victory since the war began. Chief opposition negotiator Mohammad Alloush arrived in Astana on Sunday accompanied by around a dozen rebel figures, including Fares Buyush of the Idlib Army, an AFP correspondent said. "This is not a replacement for the Geneva process," Buyush told AFP, referring to the UN-hosted political negotiations set to resume in Geneva next month. UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Sunday hailed the Astana talks as a "good initiative", in comments carried by Russian news agencies. Yehya al-Aridi, a spokesman for the opposition delegation, told AFP there was "no final answer" on whether his team would sit at the same table as the regime. National reconciliation Russia's special envoy on Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, told Russian news agencies Sunday that the format of the talks was still under discussion. A source close to the opposition's team told AFP that the delegation had been broadened from eight rebel figures to a total of 14, in addition to 21 legal and political advisors. The 10-member government delegation, headed by UN ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari, also arrived on Sunday, Syrian state television reported. Jaafari had initially dismissed the possibility of any government-level meeting with rebel backer Turkey. But state television later quoted him as saying the regime "will participate in any meeting that serves Syrian national reconciliation." The regime's objectives include reaching "common grounds" with other participants, Syrian state news agency SANA quoted Jaafari as saying. No shortcut The talks will be held in Astana's luxury Rixos President Hotel, where staff members on Sunday were setting up a single large table in a conference room under blue banners bearing the hashtag #AstanaProcess. Although Ankara and Moscow have backed opposing sides of Syria's nearly six-year conflict, they have worked hand-in-hand in recent weeks to try to secure an end to the brutal war. The Astana talks will be a major test of this new partnership. The rapprochement between Russia and Turkey, which saw them conduct their first joint air strikes against IS targets in Syria last week, has come to fill the vacuum left by Washington's disengagement from the conflict in recent months. US President Donald Trump's administration was invited to participate in the talks but did not send a delegation. Washington will instead be represented by its ambassador to Kazakhstan, the State Department said. France and Britain will also be represented at the ambassador level, according to a European diplomatic source. (AFP)

Syria regime, rebel talks to begin shortly in Astana

US President Barack Obama has marked the first anniversary of the nuclear deal with Iran by emphasising its &quot;significant and concrete results&quot; and warning against undoing a pact supported by the world&#39;s major powers.

In language that seemed clearly directed at incoming president Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Friday, Obama said yesterday &quot;the United States must remember that this agreement was the result of years of work, and represents an agreement between the world&#39;s major powers - not simply the United States and Iran.&quot;

He said the deal had &quot;achieved significant, concrete results in making the United States and the world a safer place&quot; and &quot;verifiably prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.&quot;

Such a diplomatic solution, he added, was &quot;far preferable to an unconstrained Iranian nuclear program or another war in the Middle East.&quot;

Trump has often denounced the nuclear deal, and in a Sunday interview with The Times, London and Bild newspaper of Germany he continued his criticism, saying, &quot;I&#39;m not happy with the Iran deal, I think it&#39;s one of the worst deals ever made.&quot;

But he declined to say whether he intended to &quot;renegotiate&quot; the deal, as he asserted regularly during the presidential campaign.

Obama insisted yesterday that despite US reservations about other actions by Iran - including its support for &quot;violent proxies&quot; and &quot;terrorist groups&quot; - Tehran was &quot;upholding its commitments, demonstrating the success of diplomacy.&quot;

Iran, he said, had &quot;reduced its uranium stockpile by 98 per cent and removed two-thirds of its centrifuges.&quot;

&quot;There is no question, however, that the challenges we face with Iran would be much worse if Iran were also on the threshold of building a nuclear weapon,&quot; Obama said.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who helped negotiate the deal, said the Iran agreement had &quot;resolved a major nuclear threat without firing a shot or sending a single soldier into combat.&quot;

&quot;It was endorsed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council and earned the support of more than 100 countries across the globe,&quot; he added.

For all of Trump&#39;s sharp criticism of Iran and the nuclear deal, the policy he will embrace once in office remains unclear.

One of his top cabinet nominees, retired Marine general James Mattis, said last week that if he is confirmed as defence secretary, he will support the nuclear deal.

&quot;When America gives her word,&quot; he told senators during his confirmation hearing, &quot;we have to live up to it and work with our allies.&quot;

The pact was signed in July 2015 by Iran and six major powers - the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany - and led to the lifting exactly a year ago of most international sanctions against Iran.&nbsp;

(AFP)

Such a diplomatic solution, he said, was 'far preferable to an unconstrained Iranian nuclear program or another war in the Middle East'

US President Barack Obama has marked the first anniversary of the nuclear deal with Iran by emphasising its "significant and concrete results" and warning against undoing a pact supported by the world's major powers. In language that seemed clearly directed at incoming president Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Friday, Obama said yesterday "the United States must remember that this agreement was the result of years of work, and represents an agreement between the world's major powers - not simply the United States and Iran." He said the deal had "achieved significant, concrete results in making the United States and the world a safer place" and "verifiably prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." Such a diplomatic solution, he added, was "far preferable to an unconstrained Iranian nuclear program or another war in the Middle East." Trump has often denounced the nuclear deal, and in a Sunday interview with The Times, London and Bild newspaper of Germany he continued his criticism, saying, "I'm not happy with the Iran deal, I think it's one of the worst deals ever made." But he declined to say whether he intended to "renegotiate" the deal, as he asserted regularly during the presidential campaign. Obama insisted yesterday that despite US reservations about other actions by Iran - including its support for "violent proxies" and "terrorist groups" - Tehran was "upholding its commitments, demonstrating the success of diplomacy." Iran, he said, had "reduced its uranium stockpile by 98 per cent and removed two-thirds of its centrifuges." "There is no question, however, that the challenges we face with Iran would be much worse if Iran were also on the threshold of building a nuclear weapon," Obama said. Secretary of State John Kerry, who helped negotiate the deal, said the Iran agreement had "resolved a major nuclear threat without firing a shot or sending a single soldier into combat." "It was endorsed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council and earned the support of more than 100 countries across the globe," he added. For all of Trump's sharp criticism of Iran and the nuclear deal, the policy he will embrace once in office remains unclear. One of his top cabinet nominees, retired Marine general James Mattis, said last week that if he is confirmed as defence secretary, he will support the nuclear deal. "When America gives her word," he told senators during his confirmation hearing, "we have to live up to it and work with our allies." The pact was signed in July 2015 by Iran and six major powers - the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany - and led to the lifting exactly a year ago of most international sanctions against Iran. (AFP)

On first anniversary, Obama warns Trump not to undo Iran nuclear deal

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim paid a two-day&nbsp;visit to his Iraqi counterpart Haider Al-Abadi over the weekend in the attempt to restart a dialogue after relations between the two countries worsened&nbsp;in the last few months.&nbsp;

In a joint press statement, Al-Abadi requested Turkey to gradually withdraw his troops and Yildirim confirmed the commitment.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After a round of talks, the two countries have agreed to: boost their mutual effort to fight terrorism, respect&nbsp;each side&#39;s sovereignty, join efforts in post-war reconstruction, and&nbsp;resume all the investments they stopped due to the conflict. They also signed common water management projects. &nbsp;

The two heads of state also discussed the presence of a 500-soldier&nbsp;Turkish contingent on Iraqi&nbsp;soil, which was at the root&nbsp;of the diplomatic standstill.&nbsp;

In October 2016, Turkey repeatedly insisted on deploying its soldiers for the Mosul offensive, in Iraq, claiming it was their right to fight terrorists. The Iraqi prime minister denied authorisation, pointing out that their presence on its&nbsp;soil was a violation of Iraq&#39;s sovereignty. Ankara replied to the accusation,&nbsp;saying their troops entered the country on the Kurdistan Regional Government&#39;s invitation. &nbsp;

After a tough blame game, the two countries recalled their ambassadors and relations have been frozen ever since. &nbsp;

Yildrim&#39;s visit is not only about the two countries, it is part of a larger effort his country is taking to regain its powe&nbsp;in West Asia in a moment when it risks&nbsp;becoming&nbsp;isolated and vulnerable. &nbsp;

The massive purge and the round of arrests after the failed coup d&#39;&eacute;tat in July 2016 cost&nbsp;the country much of its international support. Several terror attacks have hit&nbsp;Turkey since, killing tens of citizens. The Russian ambassador was murdered in cold blood in front of the world&#39;s eyes. Kurdish autonomist organisations resumed the fight in the southeastern provinces after a fragile ceasefire broke. Iran and Lebanon are using all their influence to send money and weapons to Shia militias fighting terrorist organisations in both Iraq and Syria, a strategic move which indirectly expands their sphere of influence. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, heavily backed by Russia, is regaining momentum and he is a man Turkey has never perceived as a plausible ally. The US is providing air support to the Kurdish People&#39;s Protection Units (YPG), an organisation Ankara&nbsp;labels&nbsp;terrorists. &nbsp;

The fear of isolation is probably&nbsp;the main reason behind Turkey&#39;s decision to send troops directly within Syrian borders to attack the Islamic State.&nbsp;

Turkey-backed militias and the country&#39;s regular troops are now fighting in the vicinity of the Syrian town of Al Bab, some 40 kilometres&nbsp;from Aleppo. &nbsp;

The country had not played an active role in Syria until&nbsp;late August 2016, when they launched operation Euphrates Shield with the aim to close and secure the last 95 kilometres&nbsp;of border still under terrorist control. Many have accused&nbsp;Turkey of not&nbsp;having&nbsp;done enough to retake such a minor part of its border, through&nbsp;which IS terrorists, weapons and oil passed for five years.

Fighting the Islamic State is not&nbsp;Turkey&#39;s only aim&nbsp;in Syria though. President Erdogan has repeatedly declared his intention to stop the activities of the US-backed Kurdish and Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who are fighting boots-on-the-ground against the IS in northern Syria. The Kurdish People Protection Units (YPG) are the backbone of the SDF forces, and Turkey is staunchly opposed&nbsp;to&nbsp;any&nbsp;semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Syria, whatever the cost.&nbsp;

This last intention will probably involve directly the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK), an organisation fighting a three-decade war against Turkey,&nbsp;now&nbsp;headquartered&nbsp;on the Qandil mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan.&nbsp;

Recovering diplomatic and economic relations with Iraq could turn out to be vital for Turkey&nbsp;to get back on track in West Asia, where Iran is currently becoming the strongest regional actor.&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Binali Yildirim's visit is part of a larger effort Turkey is taking to avoid isolation in West Asia

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim paid a two-day visit to his Iraqi counterpart Haider Al-Abadi over the weekend in the attempt to restart a dialogue after relations between the two countries worsened in the last few months. In a joint press statement, Al-Abadi requested Turkey to gradually withdraw his troops and Yildirim confirmed the commitment. After a round of talks, the two countries have agreed to: boost their mutual effort to fight terrorism, respect each side's sovereignty, join efforts in post-war reconstruction, and resume all the investments they stopped due to the conflict. They also signed common water management projects. The two heads of state also discussed the presence of a 500-soldier Turkish contingent on Iraqi soil, which was at the root of the diplomatic standstill. In October 2016, Turkey repeatedly insisted on deploying its soldiers for the Mosul offensive, in Iraq, claiming it was their right to fight terrorists. The Iraqi prime minister denied authorisation, pointing out that their presence on its soil was a violation of Iraq's sovereignty. Ankara replied to the accusation, saying their troops entered the country on the Kurdistan Regional Government's invitation. After a tough blame game, the two countries recalled their ambassadors and relations have been frozen ever since. Yildrim's visit is not only about the two countries, it is part of a larger effort his country is taking to regain its powe in West Asia in a moment when it risks becoming isolated and vulnerable. The massive purge and the round of arrests after the failed coup d'état in July 2016 cost the country much of its international support. Several terror attacks have hit Turkey since, killing tens of citizens. The Russian ambassador was murdered in cold blood in front of the world's eyes. Kurdish autonomist organisations resumed the fight in the southeastern provinces after a fragile ceasefire broke. Iran and Lebanon are using all their influence to send money and weapons to Shia militias fighting terrorist organisations in both Iraq and Syria, a strategic move which indirectly expands their sphere of influence. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, heavily backed by Russia, is regaining momentum and he is a man Turkey has never perceived as a plausible ally. The US is providing air support to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), an organisation Ankara labels terrorists. The fear of isolation is probably the main reason behind Turkey's decision to send troops directly within Syrian borders to attack the Islamic State. Turkey-backed militias and the country's regular troops are now fighting in the vicinity of the Syrian town of Al Bab, some 40 kilometres from Aleppo. The country had not played an active role in Syria until late August 2016, when they launched operation Euphrates Shield with the aim to close and secure the last 95 kilometres of border still under terrorist control. Many have accused Turkey of not having done enough to retake such a minor part of its border, through which IS terrorists, weapons and oil passed for five years. Fighting the Islamic State is not Turkey's only aim in Syria though. President Erdogan has repeatedly declared his intention to stop the activities of the US-backed Kurdish and Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who are fighting boots-on-the-ground against the IS in northern Syria. The Kurdish People Protection Units (YPG) are the backbone of the SDF forces, and Turkey is staunchly opposed to any semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Syria, whatever the cost. This last intention will probably involve directly the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK), an organisation fighting a three-decade war against Turkey, now headquartered on the Qandil mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan. Recovering diplomatic and economic relations with Iraq could turn out to be vital for Turkey to get back on track in West Asia, where Iran is currently becoming the strongest regional actor. (WION)

Turkey Prime Minister travels to Iraq to mend relations

Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack, state media reported.

He was 82-years-old.

&quot;Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani was taken to hospital after heart attack and more than an hour long efforts by doctors to revive him were not successful,&quot; the deputy minister of health was quoted by Fars news agency as saying.

Rafsanjani was a pivotal figure in the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997.

According to the official IRNA news agency, the government announced three days of mourning.&nbsp; 
All state television channels carried a black banner on a corner of screen.

Tributes poured in from Iran&rsquo;s leadership, including President Hassan Rouhani.&nbsp;

&quot;The soul of the great man of the revolution and politics, the symbol of resistance and perseverence, ascended to heaven,&quot; he wrote on Twitter.

His death is a big blow to moderate president Hassan Rouhani five months before a presidential election.

His funeral will be held in Tehran on Tuesday, according to Reuters.&nbsp;

(WIth inputs from agencies)

The deputy minister of health told Fars news agency he died of a heart attack

Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack, state media reported. He was 82-years-old. "Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani was taken to hospital after heart attack and more than an hour long efforts by doctors to revive him were not successful," the deputy minister of health was quoted by Fars news agency as saying. Rafsanjani was a pivotal figure in the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997. According to the official IRNA news agency, the government announced three days of mourning. All state television channels carried a black banner on a corner of screen. Tributes poured in from Iran’s leadership, including President Hassan Rouhani. "The soul of the great man of the revolution and politics, the symbol of resistance and perseverence, ascended to heaven," he wrote on Twitter. His death is a big blow to moderate president Hassan Rouhani five months before a presidential election. His funeral will be held in Tehran on Tuesday, according to Reuters. (WIth inputs from agencies)

Former Iranian president Rafsanjani dies at 82

Iran&#39;s former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died on Sunday, was a pivotal figure in the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979 and he continued to shape it.

The pugnacious ayatollah, who was 82, was pronounced dead at a hospital in northern Tehran after suffering a heart attack, news agencies reported.

Rafsanjani&#39;s presidency, a breathing space after the end of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, was marked by reconstruction, cautious reform and repairs to Iran&#39;s relations with its Arab neighbours.

But it was also marred by human rights violations, rampant inflation and difficult relations with Europe, not least with Britain after the &quot;death sentence&quot;, or fatwa, handed down to writer Salman Rushdie by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the revolution.

After serving a maximum two consecutive terms, Rafsanjani played an important role in the election of the reformist Mohammad Khatami, who succeeded him as president from 1997 to 2005.

Rafsanjani was thrashed in the 2005 presidential election by hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a conservative backlash.

Rather than retreating from public view because of that humiliation, he remained in the limelight, emerging as a moderate counter-figure to the ultra-hardliners clustered around Ahmadinejad, under whom Iran&#39;s relations with the West plummeted.

But his intervention at Friday prayers after Ahmadinejad&#39;s disputed re-election in 2009 ultimately saw him slip outside the regime&#39;s most inner circle, being dubbed a traitor by some conservative foes.

Speaking after authorities had launched a crackdown that killed some of those who protested against Ahmadinejad&#39;s contested poll victory, Rafsanjani condemned the use of lethal force.

Sidelined but influential

&quot;Today is a bitter day. People have lost their faith in the regime and their trust is damaged,&quot; he said at the time, sympathising with the families of the dead and attacking the lack of freedom of expression.

&quot;It is necessary that we regain people&#39;s consent and their trust in the regime,&quot; he said in an explosive speech that sparked more demonstrations and another crackdown by security forces.

Rafsanjani was never seen again giving the Friday prayer sermon, the highest spiritual event of the week since the revolution.

A major test of how successful Rafsanjani&#39;s recovery was came in the 2013 presidential elections, seen as a confrontation between hardliners and more moderate forces, whom he supported.

His candidature was controversially rejected on the basis of his age.

The following year he delivered crucial support for the eventual winner, Hassan Rouhani, a moderate with whom he had a warm rapport.

He was an important backer of the deal Rouhani struck with world powers for sanctions to be lifted in exchange for curbs on Iran&#39;s nuclear programme.

Rafsanjani was always a member of Iran&#39;s top clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, charged with appointing -- and if required dismissing -- the country&#39;s supreme leader. He chaired the influential committee for several years.

He also held the chairmanship of Iran&#39;s main political arbitration body, the Expediency Council, since 1990, when he was appointed by Khomeini&#39;s successor and current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Rafsanjani remained influential in his latter years, though his political journey embodied the risks posed by standing out and challenging accepted convention among Iran&#39;s power elite.

A political kingmaker

Rafsanjani never shied away from contrary statements, including endorsing relations with the United States -- the &quot;Great Satan&quot; as the founder of the revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called it.

He also caused a stir by saying in one of his memoirs -- already a six-volume magnum opus -- that Khomeini wanted to drop the mantra of &quot;Death to America&quot;.

When Rouhani succeeded in clinching the nuclear deal with the US and other world powers, Rafsanjani hailed the diplomacy for ending years of tensions.

&quot;The (domestic) warmongers think our dignity depends on getting world extremists to like us, which is always easy to achieve,&quot; he said of the principle of negotiation.

The country should interact and &quot;participate in world affairs,&quot; he argued.&nbsp;

Rafsanjani, son of a wealthy pistachio farmer, had impeccable revolutionary credentials: he studied theology in the Shiite clerical nerve centre of Qom, was frequently arrested by the shah&#39;s secret police and became an early follower of Khomeini.

This masked his more pragmatic side.

His daughter Faezeh Hashemi was a leading champion of women&#39;s rights and a magazine publisher who became instrumental in helping women take part in competitive sports reversing post-revolution bans.

But there was controversy also.

Faezeh spoke out in favour of the pro-democracy Green Movement after the 2009 tumult. She spent six months in jail after later being convicted of committing propaganda against the regime.

And Rafsanjani&#39;s son, Mehdi, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for financial and security crimes in 2015, although he insisted his conviction was politically motivated.

While all his offspring have taken positions in public life, his wife Efat Marashi -- the couple had five children -- has remained in the shadows. All survive him.

(AFP)

His presidency after the Iran-Iraq War was marked by reconstruction, cautious reform and repairs to Iran's relations with its neighbours

Iran's former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died on Sunday, was a pivotal figure in the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979 and he continued to shape it. The pugnacious ayatollah, who was 82, was pronounced dead at a hospital in northern Tehran after suffering a heart attack, news agencies reported. Rafsanjani's presidency, a breathing space after the end of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, was marked by reconstruction, cautious reform and repairs to Iran's relations with its Arab neighbours. But it was also marred by human rights violations, rampant inflation and difficult relations with Europe, not least with Britain after the "death sentence", or fatwa, handed down to writer Salman Rushdie by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the revolution. After serving a maximum two consecutive terms, Rafsanjani played an important role in the election of the reformist Mohammad Khatami, who succeeded him as president from 1997 to 2005. Rafsanjani was thrashed in the 2005 presidential election by hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a conservative backlash. Rather than retreating from public view because of that humiliation, he remained in the limelight, emerging as a moderate counter-figure to the ultra-hardliners clustered around Ahmadinejad, under whom Iran's relations with the West plummeted. But his intervention at Friday prayers after Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009 ultimately saw him slip outside the regime's most inner circle, being dubbed a traitor by some conservative foes. Speaking after authorities had launched a crackdown that killed some of those who protested against Ahmadinejad's contested poll victory, Rafsanjani condemned the use of lethal force. Sidelined but influential "Today is a bitter day. People have lost their faith in the regime and their trust is damaged," he said at the time, sympathising with the families of the dead and attacking the lack of freedom of expression. "It is necessary that we regain people's consent and their trust in the regime," he said in an explosive speech that sparked more demonstrations and another crackdown by security forces. Rafsanjani was never seen again giving the Friday prayer sermon, the highest spiritual event of the week since the revolution. A major test of how successful Rafsanjani's recovery was came in the 2013 presidential elections, seen as a confrontation between hardliners and more moderate forces, whom he supported. His candidature was controversially rejected on the basis of his age. The following year he delivered crucial support for the eventual winner, Hassan Rouhani, a moderate with whom he had a warm rapport. He was an important backer of the deal Rouhani struck with world powers for sanctions to be lifted in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear programme. Rafsanjani was always a member of Iran's top clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, charged with appointing -- and if required dismissing -- the country's supreme leader. He chaired the influential committee for several years. He also held the chairmanship of Iran's main political arbitration body, the Expediency Council, since 1990, when he was appointed by Khomeini's successor and current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Rafsanjani remained influential in his latter years, though his political journey embodied the risks posed by standing out and challenging accepted convention among Iran's power elite. A political kingmaker Rafsanjani never shied away from contrary statements, including endorsing relations with the United States -- the "Great Satan" as the founder of the revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called it. He also caused a stir by saying in one of his memoirs -- already a six-volume magnum opus -- that Khomeini wanted to drop the mantra of "Death to America". When Rouhani succeeded in clinching the nuclear deal with the US and other world powers, Rafsanjani hailed the diplomacy for ending years of tensions. "The (domestic) warmongers think our dignity depends on getting world extremists to like us, which is always easy to achieve," he said of the principle of negotiation. The country should interact and "participate in world affairs," he argued. Rafsanjani, son of a wealthy pistachio farmer, had impeccable revolutionary credentials: he studied theology in the Shiite clerical nerve centre of Qom, was frequently arrested by the shah's secret police and became an early follower of Khomeini. This masked his more pragmatic side. His daughter Faezeh Hashemi was a leading champion of women's rights and a magazine publisher who became instrumental in helping women take part in competitive sports reversing post-revolution bans. But there was controversy also. Faezeh spoke out in favour of the pro-democracy Green Movement after the 2009 tumult. She spent six months in jail after later being convicted of committing propaganda against the regime. And Rafsanjani's son, Mehdi, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for financial and security crimes in 2015, although he insisted his conviction was politically motivated. While all his offspring have taken positions in public life, his wife Efat Marashi -- the couple had five children -- has remained in the shadows. All survive him. (AFP)

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani: Iran's evolving revolutionary

The US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the United States is encouraging Syria peace talks being prepared by Russia later this month in the Kazakhstan capital Astana.

The US hopes that the talks succeed in building peace in Syria, he said.

&quot;We&#39;re encouraging a meeting in Astana. We hope that could produce a step forward,&quot; Kerry told reporters during his final news conference at the State Department.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26 that Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had all agreed to hold the talks in Astana although no date has been set.

Kerry said he had talked to UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the objective remained &quot;to get to Geneva where the real meat of the talks is going to take place.&quot;

But Kerry said a December 30 ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey had run into difficulties with numerous violations.

&quot;The fighting is continuing, it`s difficult and the Assad regime seems to be playing the same card that it was playing previously,&quot; he said.

After several failed ceasefire attempts brokered by Kerry and Lavrov, the United States remained out of the latest Syrian talks. It is unclear whether the United States will attend the Astana talks.

Russia and Iran both back Assad, but Turkey, a NATO member, has long made clear it would prefer that Assad step down.&nbsp;

Ankara, however, has moderated its rhetoric on Assad in recent months and Lavrov said all three countries agreed the priority was to fight terrorism rather than to remove the Syrian leader.

(Reuters)

Russian President Putin had said that Russia, Iran, Turkey and the Syrian President Assad had all agreed to hold talks in Astana

The US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the United States is encouraging Syria peace talks being prepared by Russia later this month in the Kazakhstan capital Astana. The US hopes that the talks succeed in building peace in Syria, he said. "We're encouraging a meeting in Astana. We hope that could produce a step forward," Kerry told reporters during his final news conference at the State Department. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26 that Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had all agreed to hold the talks in Astana although no date has been set. Kerry said he had talked to UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the objective remained "to get to Geneva where the real meat of the talks is going to take place." But Kerry said a December 30 ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey had run into difficulties with numerous violations. "The fighting is continuing, it`s difficult and the Assad regime seems to be playing the same card that it was playing previously," he said. After several failed ceasefire attempts brokered by Kerry and Lavrov, the United States remained out of the latest Syrian talks. It is unclear whether the United States will attend the Astana talks. Russia and Iran both back Assad, but Turkey, a NATO member, has long made clear it would prefer that Assad step down. Ankara, however, has moderated its rhetoric on Assad in recent months and Lavrov said all three countries agreed the priority was to fight terrorism rather than to remove the Syrian leader. (Reuters)

Secretary of State Kerry: US encouraging Russia-sponsored Astana peace talks

India&#39;s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj will undergo kidney transplant at New Delhi&#39;s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Saturday.&nbsp;

Swaraj, who suffers from diabetes was admitted to AIIMS for kidney failure on November 7.&nbsp;

She has been on dialysis for weeks and tweeted about her condition from the hospital.&nbsp;

The minister, who is known for her quick response on Twitter is still reaching out to the public and trying to help.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Geeta - You have been issued Visa for Australia. <a href="https://t.co/kB3biWWCNu">https://t.co/kB3biWWCNu</a>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/805655861280411648">December 5, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

AIIMS recieved numerous offers to donate a kidney to Swaraj.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Some friends have also offered their kidneys for my transplant. I have no words to express my deep sense of gratitude towards them.
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/799210118382370816">November 17, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

(WION with inputs from ANI)

The vote to establish an evidence-gathering body won 105-15, with countries like China, Russia and Iran opposed to the measure

India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj will undergo kidney transplant at New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Saturday. Swaraj, who suffers from diabetes was admitted to AIIMS for kidney failure on November 7. She has been on dialysis for weeks and tweeted about her condition from the hospital. The minister, who is known for her quick response on Twitter is still reaching out to the public and trying to help. Geeta - You have been issued Visa for Australia. https://t.co/kB3biWWCNu — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 5, 2016 × AIIMS recieved numerous offers to donate a kidney to Swaraj. Some friends have also offered their kidneys for my transplant. I have no words to express my deep sense of gratitude towards them. — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 17, 2016 × (WION with inputs from ANI)

UN to set up Syria war crimes panel

Iran today said that Congress&#39;s decision to renew US sanctions for 10 years was a violation of last year&#39;s nuclear agreement and promised an &quot;appropriate&quot; response.

&quot;As repeatedly stated by high-ranking Iranian officials, the recent bill passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate to renew sanctions against Iran is against the (nuclear deal),&quot; foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said.

&quot;Iran has proved that it sticks to its international agreements but it also has appropriate responses for all situations.&quot;

The Iran Sanctions Act passed the Senate 99-0 yesterday, after easily clearing the House of Representatives last month.

President Barack Obama is expected to sign the measure, a White House official said, adding that the administration does not believe the extension violates the nuclear deal.

The legislation does not directly address the nuclear pact. But some say the restrictions in the bill go against the spirit of the agreement, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief from the United States and other nations.

The bill includes penalties against Iran&#39;s banking sector, as well as its energy and defence industries.

Senate Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Tim Kaine, who both backed the nuclear deal, said that while the president was currently waiving some sanctions as part of the agreement, &quot;sanctions legislation must remain in place to allow an immediate snap-back&quot; in the event of any violation by Iran.

The head of Iran&#39;s Atomic Energy Organisation, Ali Akbar Salehi, said the US sanctions legislation &quot;does exist but its effect has been currently neutralised by the US president&quot;.

&quot;If it becomes operational again, it&#39;s a clear violation,&quot; he told state television.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last month that he considered the sanctions bill a breach of the nuclear deal and warned Iran would &quot;react against it&quot;.

US President-elect Donald Trump heavily criticised the pact as he campaigned for the White House over the past year. Several fellow Republicans have called for its termination.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Threatening retaliation, Iran said Washington's decision to extend sanctions for 10 years violates the 2015 nuclear agreement

Iran today said that Congress's decision to renew US sanctions for 10 years was a violation of last year's nuclear agreement and promised an "appropriate" response. "As repeatedly stated by high-ranking Iranian officials, the recent bill passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate to renew sanctions against Iran is against the (nuclear deal)," foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said. "Iran has proved that it sticks to its international agreements but it also has appropriate responses for all situations." The Iran Sanctions Act passed the Senate 99-0 yesterday, after easily clearing the House of Representatives last month. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the measure, a White House official said, adding that the administration does not believe the extension violates the nuclear deal. The legislation does not directly address the nuclear pact. But some say the restrictions in the bill go against the spirit of the agreement, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief from the United States and other nations. The bill includes penalties against Iran's banking sector, as well as its energy and defence industries. Senate Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Tim Kaine, who both backed the nuclear deal, said that while the president was currently waiving some sanctions as part of the agreement, "sanctions legislation must remain in place to allow an immediate snap-back" in the event of any violation by Iran. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Ali Akbar Salehi, said the US sanctions legislation "does exist but its effect has been currently neutralised by the US president". "If it becomes operational again, it's a clear violation," he told state television. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last month that he considered the sanctions bill a breach of the nuclear deal and warned Iran would "react against it". US President-elect Donald Trump heavily criticised the pact as he campaigned for the White House over the past year. Several fellow Republicans have called for its termination. (AFP)

Iran: US extension of sanctions act violates nuclear deal

Iran expressed optimism that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) can strike a deal on limiting oil supplies after a meeting with the Alegrian representative in Tehran.&nbsp;

Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said the Gulf state had plans to announce its own decision about any output curbs at the group&#39;s meeting next week. &nbsp;

&quot;We are to present our views about this proposal at the ... November 30 OPEC meeting,&quot; Zanganeh said. &quot;The general trend and public statements suggest that OPEC can reach a viable agreement for its production and market management.&quot;

Iran &quot;carefully studied&quot; the proposal by the Algerian energy minister Nouredine Bouterfa on the oil production of each country.&nbsp;

Media reports said the minister called for 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in cuts by OPEC members and decreases totalling 600,000 bpd by non-members.

&quot;If OPEC members ... agree, oil prices will reach $50 to $55 next year and $60 by the end of the year,&quot; Bouterfa was quoted as saying.

The OPEC is working to reach a deal to limit oil output since 2008 but has faced opposition from Iran, which wants certain exemptions.&nbsp;

&quot;If we can agree, and I am optimistic, (oil) prices will increase and this is also what the world economy demands,&quot; Zanganeh said.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Oil minister said Iran will announce its own decision about any output curbs at the OPEC meeting next week

Iran expressed optimism that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) can strike a deal on limiting oil supplies after a meeting with the Alegrian representative in Tehran. Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said the Gulf state had plans to announce its own decision about any output curbs at the group's meeting next week. "We are to present our views about this proposal at the ... November 30 OPEC meeting," Zanganeh said. "The general trend and public statements suggest that OPEC can reach a viable agreement for its production and market management." Iran "carefully studied" the proposal by the Algerian energy minister Nouredine Bouterfa on the oil production of each country. Media reports said the minister called for 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in cuts by OPEC members and decreases totalling 600,000 bpd by non-members. "If OPEC members ... agree, oil prices will reach $50 to $55 next year and $60 by the end of the year," Bouterfa was quoted as saying. The OPEC is working to reach a deal to limit oil output since 2008 but has faced opposition from Iran, which wants certain exemptions. "If we can agree, and I am optimistic, (oil) prices will increase and this is also what the world economy demands," Zanganeh said. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Iran optimistic on finalising OPEC deal to limit oil supplies

The head of Iranian Railways resigned Saturday after three of his employees were arrested over a collision between two trains that left at least 44 people dead.

Mohsen Poor-Seyed Aghaie, a deputy minister in the transport ministry and head of the state-owned railway company, appeared on state television late Saturday and announced his resignation &quot;as a social responsibility and out of sympathy for the survivors of this accident&quot;.

Two trains collided and one caught fire in the northern province of Semnan on Friday, killing 44 people and injuring dozens more, in one of the country&#39;s worst ever rail disasters.

The crash took place on the main line between Tehran and Iran&#39;s second city Mashhad.

One of the trains had stopped between the towns of Semnan and Damghan after an apparent mechanical failure, forcing officials to halt others on the line.

But when a new shift started at the control centre in Shahroud, the second train was allowed to resume its journey.

The accident happened due to &quot;human error&quot;, Aghaie said, explaining that the official at the control centre had told the train driver to manually disable an automated system that was preventing it from moving toward the broken train.

Three people were detained over the resulting crash.

&quot;During the investigation, three people in charge of the northeast train control centre based in the city of Shahroud... were arrested,&quot; provincial prosecutor general Heydar Asiabi told reporters.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered his condolences on Saturday for the &quot;painful incident&quot;, which came just a day after more than 60 Iranian pilgrims were killed in a suicide attack in Iraq.&nbsp;

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The head of the Iranian Railways took the 'social responsibility' for the collision between two trains that left at least 44 people dead

The head of Iranian Railways resigned Saturday after three of his employees were arrested over a collision between two trains that left at least 44 people dead. Mohsen Poor-Seyed Aghaie, a deputy minister in the transport ministry and head of the state-owned railway company, appeared on state television late Saturday and announced his resignation "as a social responsibility and out of sympathy for the survivors of this accident". Two trains collided and one caught fire in the northern province of Semnan on Friday, killing 44 people and injuring dozens more, in one of the country's worst ever rail disasters. The crash took place on the main line between Tehran and Iran's second city Mashhad. One of the trains had stopped between the towns of Semnan and Damghan after an apparent mechanical failure, forcing officials to halt others on the line. But when a new shift started at the control centre in Shahroud, the second train was allowed to resume its journey. The accident happened due to "human error", Aghaie said, explaining that the official at the control centre had told the train driver to manually disable an automated system that was preventing it from moving toward the broken train. Three people were detained over the resulting crash. "During the investigation, three people in charge of the northeast train control centre based in the city of Shahroud... were arrested," provincial prosecutor general Heydar Asiabi told reporters. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered his condolences on Saturday for the "painful incident", which came just a day after more than 60 Iranian pilgrims were killed in a suicide attack in Iraq. (AFP)

Iran train crash: Top Railways official resigns after three employees arrested

US slammed Iran for overstepping of the limit on its stock of sensitive material for the second time this year at UN&#39;s International Atomic Energy (IAEA) on Thursday.&nbsp;

The IAEA which is regulating the deal said Iran violating the terms of the deal could undermine US support for the nuclear agreement, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between the countries last year.&nbsp;

US ambassador to the IAEA, Laura Holgate, said &quot;Iran must strictly adhere to all commitments and technical measures for their duration.&quot;

The clause limits Iran&#39;s stock of heavy water which is used as a mdoerator in reactors. The clause stipulates more than 130 tonnes of heavy water should not be used.&nbsp;

&quot;We note with concern Iran&#39;s accumulation of heavy water in excess of the limit set forth in the JCPOA of 130 metric tonnes,&quot; Holgate said.&nbsp;

Iran&#39;s envoy to the IAEA, Reza Najafi said the country is planning to export more than five tonnes of heavy water to come back under the 130 tonne limit. Iran had notified the IAEA about its plans to excceed the original limit.&nbsp;

However, Holgate said Iran will violate the deal until the heavy water was delivered to a foreign buyer as per the deal&#39;s requirement.&nbsp;

&quot;Simply notifying states that this heavy water is for sale without removing it from Iran does not fulfil this JCPOA commitment,&quot; she said.

Iran said the issue was not that clear-cut.

&nbsp;Najafi responded with &quot;Where is (the) limit?&quot;

&quot;The JCPOA is very clear,&quot; he added. &quot;It says that the needs of Iran are estimated (to be) 130 tonnes. Who is the native English speaker to tell me what estimated means?&quot;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The clause limits Iran's stock of heavy water which is used as a moderator in reactors and the estimated requirement is set for 130 tonnes

US slammed Iran for overstepping of the limit on its stock of sensitive material for the second time this year at UN's International Atomic Energy (IAEA) on Thursday. The IAEA which is regulating the deal said Iran violating the terms of the deal could undermine US support for the nuclear agreement, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between the countries last year. US ambassador to the IAEA, Laura Holgate, said "Iran must strictly adhere to all commitments and technical measures for their duration." The clause limits Iran's stock of heavy water which is used as a mdoerator in reactors. The clause stipulates more than 130 tonnes of heavy water should not be used. "We note with concern Iran's accumulation of heavy water in excess of the limit set forth in the JCPOA of 130 metric tonnes," Holgate said. Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Reza Najafi said the country is planning to export more than five tonnes of heavy water to come back under the 130 tonne limit. Iran had notified the IAEA about its plans to excceed the original limit. However, Holgate said Iran will violate the deal until the heavy water was delivered to a foreign buyer as per the deal's requirement. "Simply notifying states that this heavy water is for sale without removing it from Iran does not fulfil this JCPOA commitment," she said. Iran said the issue was not that clear-cut. Najafi responded with "Where is (the) limit?" "The JCPOA is very clear," he added. "It says that the needs of Iran are estimated (to be) 130 tonnes. Who is the native English speaker to tell me what estimated means?" (WION with inputs from Reuters)

US, Iran clash over Tehran's testing of limit in nuclear deal

Farhang Amiri, 63, was murdered outside his home on 26 September 2016 in the city of Yazd, Iran. The two attackers have cited his religious beliefs as the reason behind this violence. They have been arrested

Farhang&nbsp;worked as a driver and a farmer and&nbsp;lived a modest life. He was attacked outside his residence by two assailants who were later joined by several others. He was found by a family member, who found him severely injured with multiple stab wounds in the chest. A consequence of longstanding systematic effort by the Iranian authorities to encourage hatred and bigotry against Baha&rsquo;i community, according to Bah&aacute;&rsquo;&iacute; International Community (BIC), this intolerance has been on a rise since 1979 Islamic Revolution.&nbsp;

According to the Community reports, Baha&#39;is have been systematically persecuted as a matter of government policy. During the first decade, more than 200 Baha&#39;is were killed or executed, hundreds more were tortured or imprisoned, and tens of thousands lost jobs, access to education, and other rights &ndash; all solely because of their religious belief. This is being cited as one of the largest government-led attacks on Iran&rsquo;s largest non-Muslim religious minority. Since 2005, more than 890 Baha&#39;is have been arrested, and the number of Baha&#39;is in prison has risen to 85.&nbsp;

Outraged at this blatant attack,&nbsp;Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha&rsquo;i International Community to the United Nations said, &ldquo;This is not the first incident of persecution against&nbsp;Amiri&rsquo;s family. His children had their businesses and residences searched last year by government agents who confiscated laptops, telephones, and other items.&rdquo;

Currently, both the attackers have been caught and they have admitted to killing Amiri with a knife that they had bought for the sole purpose of meting out this attack.&nbsp;

In recent times, anti-Baha?i rhetoric in Iran has been on a high

Farhang Amiri, 63, was murdered outside his home on 26 September 2016 in the city of Yazd, Iran. The two attackers have cited his religious beliefs as the reason behind this violence. They have been arrested Farhang worked as a driver and a farmer and lived a modest life. He was attacked outside his residence by two assailants who were later joined by several others. He was found by a family member, who found him severely injured with multiple stab wounds in the chest. A consequence of longstanding systematic effort by the Iranian authorities to encourage hatred and bigotry against Baha’i community, according to Bahá’í International Community (BIC), this intolerance has been on a rise since 1979 Islamic Revolution. According to the Community reports, Baha'is have been systematically persecuted as a matter of government policy. During the first decade, more than 200 Baha'is were killed or executed, hundreds more were tortured or imprisoned, and tens of thousands lost jobs, access to education, and other rights – all solely because of their religious belief. This is being cited as one of the largest government-led attacks on Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. Since 2005, more than 890 Baha'is have been arrested, and the number of Baha'is in prison has risen to 85. Outraged at this blatant attack, Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations said, “This is not the first incident of persecution against Amiri’s family. His children had their businesses and residences searched last year by government agents who confiscated laptops, telephones, and other items.” Currently, both the attackers have been caught and they have admitted to killing Amiri with a knife that they had bought for the sole purpose of meting out this attack.

Baha?i man stabbed to death in Iran by two, assailants arrested

To counter India&#39;s influence over the eight-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Pakistan is exploring the possibility of forming a larger South Asian Economic Alliance, diplomatic observers say, the Dawn newspaper reported Wednesday.&nbsp;

The idea was pitched by a parliamentary delegation from Pakistan during its visit to Washington last week. The delegation is in New York now.

&quot;A greater South Asia is already emerging,&rdquo; said Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed&nbsp;in an interaction with the media. &ldquo;This greater South Asia includes China, Iran and the neighbouring Central Asian republics.&rdquo;

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was described by him as the key route linking South Asia with Central Asia. The Gwadar port&nbsp;would be the closest water port for the land-locked Central Asian states, he pointed out.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We want India to join this arrangement as well,&rdquo; said Hussain.&nbsp;However, India may be unwilling to accept such an arrangement, considering the advantage SAARC provides it with.&nbsp;

In a bid to isolate Pakistan, India last month exerted its influence on SAARC when it declared that it would not be attending the South Asia-based regional group&#39;s 19th summit, which was to be held in Islamabad on November 15 and 16 this year.&nbsp;

Pakistan&#39;s alleged involvement in&nbsp;the September 18 terrorist attack in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir was the reason cited by India behind its decision to boycott the summit. However, Pakistani has strongly denied the allegation,&nbsp;citing the absence of any concrete evidence provided by India to support its claim. Yet, India was supported by three other SAARC nations - Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan - who too boycotted the summit.

This exposed Pakistan&#39;s isolation within the group where it had once played a key role. Afghanistan and Bangladesh are India&#39;s close allies. Bhutan, surrounded by India, is way too small and dependent to question New Delhi&#39;s moves.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal share good relations with Pakistan but they are not powerful enough to take on India.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Apparently, the showdown forced Pakistan to conclude that in its present shape, SAARC will always be dominated by India. That&rsquo;s why they are now talking about a greater South Asia,&rdquo; a senior diplomat told Dawn,&nbsp;confirming reports that Pakistan is seeking a new regional agreement,

Pakistan hopes that this new arrangement will give it more room to manoeuvre when India tries to force a decision on it,&rdquo; said another diplomat to Dawn.

The Washington-based diplomatic observers say&nbsp;that the arrangement Pakistan is seeking will also suit China &nbsp;as it remains worried about India&#39;s growing influence in the region. The observers&nbsp;further argue that Central Asian states and Iran may be persuaded by China to join the new arrangement.&nbsp;

However, the analysts&nbsp;warn&nbsp;that SAARC&nbsp;members will not be too keen to support&nbsp;the idea. The new arrangement will not have much in store for Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka as joining a land route far from their borders will not be very favourable to them. Besides, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have their own ports.&nbsp;

Afghanistan, which is a land-locked Central Asian country, is likely to benefit&nbsp;the most from a larger South Asian alliance as any trade route that links South and Central Asian regions is beneficial for Afghanistan. But considering Afghanistan&#39;s links to India, it is unlikely to join any arrangement that hurts India&#39;s interest.&nbsp;

The application for SAARC membership by Afghanistan in 2006&nbsp;paved way for an interesting debate on the definition of South Asian identity as Afghanistan is essentially a Central Asian country.&nbsp;

A stipulation for Afghanistan to hold general elections was imposed by SAARC member states. The polls were held in 2005, later enabling the country to join the group in April 2007 as its eighth member.&nbsp;

Even if a larger South Asia became a reality, there is no certainty that its members will stand by the side of Pakistan in its disputes with India, a South Asian diplomat told Dawn.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Many Central Asian states have strong ties with India and Iran too has problems with Pakistan,&rdquo; the diplomat added.

(WION with inputs from Dawn) 
&nbsp;

The idea was pitched by a parliamentary delegation from Pakistan during its visit to Washington last week

To counter India's influence over the eight-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Pakistan is exploring the possibility of forming a larger South Asian Economic Alliance, diplomatic observers say, the Dawn newspaper reported Wednesday. The idea was pitched by a parliamentary delegation from Pakistan during its visit to Washington last week. The delegation is in New York now. "A greater South Asia is already emerging,” said Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed in an interaction with the media. “This greater South Asia includes China, Iran and the neighbouring Central Asian republics.” The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was described by him as the key route linking South Asia with Central Asia. The Gwadar port would be the closest water port for the land-locked Central Asian states, he pointed out. “We want India to join this arrangement as well,” said Hussain. However, India may be unwilling to accept such an arrangement, considering the advantage SAARC provides it with. In a bid to isolate Pakistan, India last month exerted its influence on SAARC when it declared that it would not be attending the South Asia-based regional group's 19th summit, which was to be held in Islamabad on November 15 and 16 this year. Pakistan's alleged involvement in the September 18 terrorist attack in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir was the reason cited by India behind its decision to boycott the summit. However, Pakistani has strongly denied the allegation, citing the absence of any concrete evidence provided by India to support its claim. Yet, India was supported by three other SAARC nations - Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan - who too boycotted the summit. This exposed Pakistan's isolation within the group where it had once played a key role. Afghanistan and Bangladesh are India's close allies. Bhutan, surrounded by India, is way too small and dependent to question New Delhi's moves. Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal share good relations with Pakistan but they are not powerful enough to take on India. “Apparently, the showdown forced Pakistan to conclude that in its present shape, SAARC will always be dominated by India. That’s why they are now talking about a greater South Asia,” a senior diplomat told Dawn, confirming reports that Pakistan is seeking a new regional agreement, Pakistan hopes that this new arrangement will give it more room to manoeuvre when India tries to force a decision on it,” said another diplomat to Dawn. The Washington-based diplomatic observers say that the arrangement Pakistan is seeking will also suit China as it remains worried about India's growing influence in the region. The observers further argue that Central Asian states and Iran may be persuaded by China to join the new arrangement. However, the analysts warn that SAARC members will not be too keen to support the idea. The new arrangement will not have much in store for Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka as joining a land route far from their borders will not be very favourable to them. Besides, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have their own ports. Afghanistan, which is a land-locked Central Asian country, is likely to benefit the most from a larger South Asian alliance as any trade route that links South and Central Asian regions is beneficial for Afghanistan. But considering Afghanistan's links to India, it is unlikely to join any arrangement that hurts India's interest. The application for SAARC membership by Afghanistan in 2006 paved way for an interesting debate on the definition of South Asian identity as Afghanistan is essentially a Central Asian country. A stipulation for Afghanistan to hold general elections was imposed by SAARC member states. The polls were held in 2005, later enabling the country to join the group in April 2007 as its eighth member. Even if a larger South Asia became a reality, there is no certainty that its members will stand by the side of Pakistan in its disputes with India, a South Asian diplomat told Dawn. “Many Central Asian states have strong ties with India and Iran too has problems with Pakistan,” the diplomat added. (WION with inputs from Dawn)

Pakistan seeks larger SAARC to counter India's influence

Iran today requested help from the UN to send a plane to Yemen to evacuate the wounded from Saturday&rsquo;s deadly air strike on a funeral ceremony.

The country&rsquo;s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed &quot;shock and indignation&quot; over the air strikes in Sanaa, AFP reported.

&quot;In view of the gravity of the situation in Yemen and the devastation caused by the attacks against the funeral hall, the Iranian Red Crescent Society is proposing to arrange for humanitarian assistance, including medical supplies, to the Yemeni people and evacuating the injured to hospitals in Iran,&quot; Zarif wrote in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, AFP reported.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have blamed the Saudi-led coalition for the attack that killed more than 140 mourners and injured over 525.

&quot;Not only Saudi Arabia, but also those who have supported the aggression by the Saudi-led coalition against Yemeni people should be held accountable for the war crimes perpetrated in Yemen over the past year and a half,&quot; Zarif wrote, AFP reported.

Ban earlier condemned the attack and called for an investigation of the air strikes.

Canada has also called for a prompt investigation into the air strikes, that are one of the deadliest since the Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign against the Shiite insurgents in March 2015.

&ldquo;The Saudi-led coalition must move forward now on its commitment to investigate this incident,&quot; Canadian foreign minister Stephane Dion said in a statement condemning the attack, AFP reported.

&quot;Canada calls on all parties in Yemen to avoid an escalation of violence as a result of this incident.&quot;

Dion said. &quot;Canada urges all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, and to commit to political dialogue and to a lasting cessation of hostilities to halt the tragic loss of civilian life.&quot;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The Iranian foreign minister has written to the UN chief requesting a plane for evacuation of the wounded

Iran today requested help from the UN to send a plane to Yemen to evacuate the wounded from Saturday’s deadly air strike on a funeral ceremony. The country’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed "shock and indignation" over the air strikes in Sanaa, AFP reported. "In view of the gravity of the situation in Yemen and the devastation caused by the attacks against the funeral hall, the Iranian Red Crescent Society is proposing to arrange for humanitarian assistance, including medical supplies, to the Yemeni people and evacuating the injured to hospitals in Iran," Zarif wrote in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, AFP reported. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have blamed the Saudi-led coalition for the attack that killed more than 140 mourners and injured over 525. "Not only Saudi Arabia, but also those who have supported the aggression by the Saudi-led coalition against Yemeni people should be held accountable for the war crimes perpetrated in Yemen over the past year and a half," Zarif wrote, AFP reported. Ban earlier condemned the attack and called for an investigation of the air strikes. Canada has also called for a prompt investigation into the air strikes, that are one of the deadliest since the Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign against the Shiite insurgents in March 2015. “The Saudi-led coalition must move forward now on its commitment to investigate this incident," Canadian foreign minister Stephane Dion said in a statement condemning the attack, AFP reported. "Canada calls on all parties in Yemen to avoid an escalation of violence as a result of this incident." Dion said. "Canada urges all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, and to commit to political dialogue and to a lasting cessation of hostilities to halt the tragic loss of civilian life." (WION with inputs from AFP)

Iran offers to treat wounded from Yemen funeral airstrike, Canada demands probe

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has supported attempts to stabilise the global oil market and raise prices, the Iranian oil ministry&#39;s SHANA news agency reported.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Instability and falling oil prices are harmful to all countries, especially oil producers,&quot; SHANA quoted Rouhani as saying. 
 
&quot;Tehran welcomes any move aimed at market stability and improvement of oil prices based on justice, fairness and fair quota of all the oil producers,&quot; the president said, referring to a meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC producers in Algeria next week, SHANA said. 
 
Rouhani, who is in Venezuela for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, was holding talks with the Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, SHANA reported.&nbsp; 
 
Tehran had earlier refused to join a previous attempt this year by OPEC and non-members such as Russia to stabilise production, and talks collapsed in April. 
 
Iran is OPEC&#39;s third-largest producer and has been boosting its oil output after the lifting of Western sanctions in January. 
 
OPEC members are set to meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria on September &nbsp;26-28. with Non-OPEC producer Russia also attending. 
 
OPEC might revive talks on freezing oil production levels when it meets non-OPEC nations in Algeria, Reuters reported. 
 
Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed to cooperate in oil markets earlier this month, saying they could limit future output. 
 
The OPEC secretary general Mohammed Barkindo, however, appeared to play down suggestions of a major agreement by saying the Algiers meeting would be an informal meeting for consultations and not for decision making, Algerian state news agency APS reported on Saturday. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Tehran had earlier refused to join OPEC and non-members like Russia in their attempt to stabilise oil production levels

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has supported attempts to stabilise the global oil market and raise prices, the Iranian oil ministry's SHANA news agency reported. "Instability and falling oil prices are harmful to all countries, especially oil producers," SHANA quoted Rouhani as saying. "Tehran welcomes any move aimed at market stability and improvement of oil prices based on justice, fairness and fair quota of all the oil producers," the president said, referring to a meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC producers in Algeria next week, SHANA said. Rouhani, who is in Venezuela for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, was holding talks with the Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, SHANA reported. Tehran had earlier refused to join a previous attempt this year by OPEC and non-members such as Russia to stabilise production, and talks collapsed in April. Iran is OPEC's third-largest producer and has been boosting its oil output after the lifting of Western sanctions in January. OPEC members are set to meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria on September 26-28. with Non-OPEC producer Russia also attending. OPEC might revive talks on freezing oil production levels when it meets non-OPEC nations in Algeria, Reuters reported. Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed to cooperate in oil markets earlier this month, saying they could limit future output. The OPEC secretary general Mohammed Barkindo, however, appeared to play down suggestions of a major agreement by saying the Algiers meeting would be an informal meeting for consultations and not for decision making, Algerian state news agency APS reported on Saturday. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Iran backs calibration of global oil market

Iranian oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh said today, that the country wants its pre-sanctions share of the crude oil market. 
 
This dampens the prospects of agreement on an output freeze at an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting next month.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Iran had no role in disrupting the stability of the oil market and after the (lifting of) sanctions we seek to revive our share in the global crude market,&quot; the ministry&#39;s SHANA news service quoted him as saying.&nbsp; 
 
On Thursday, he had announced he would attend the informal OPEC meeting in Algiers in late September, on a possible output freeze with Russia. 
 
But today he insisted Iran would not be abandoning its ambitions to restore its market share after the nuclear agreement with world powers led to the&nbsp;lifting of sanctions on its oil exports last year. 
 
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<h5>&quot;Iran will cooperate with OPEC on improving prices and the state of the crude market, but we expect our right to restore our lost market share in the market to be considered,&quot; Iran&#39;s oil minister said.</h5>
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&quot;Iran will cooperate with OPEC on improving prices and the state of the crude market, but we expect our right to restore our lost market share in the market to be considered,&quot; Iran" minister="" oil="" s="" said.="">&nbsp;</a></div>
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&quot;Iran will cooperate with OPEC on improving prices and the state of the crude market, but we expect our right to restore our lost market share in the market to be considered,&quot; Zanganeh said. 
 
&quot;Iran has made its sacrifices for the market and it`s no longer the time for Iran,&quot; &nbsp;Iranian website, Mizan Online, reported him saying. 
 
Iran has doubled its exports of oil and gas to 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) since signing the nuclear deal. 
The total output has risen from 2.7 million bpd to 3.85 million bpd. It is close to the level before international sanctions were imposed in 2012.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;When the instability occurred in the market, ... Iran&#39;s oil exports were less than one million bpd,&quot; Bijan Zanganeh said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We expect those who disrupted the market&#39;s stability to take the highest responsibility in restoring stability&quot; he said. 
 
Earlier on Friday, prices fell in Asian trade after Saudi energy minister Khalid Al-Falih played down prospects of any major move on output. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t believe that an intervention of significance is required. I certainly don&#39;t advocate a cut,&quot; he told Bloomberg News. 
 
In April, OPEC&#39;s attempt to freeze output collapsed due to Iran&#39;s refusal to join talks. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

This could dampen the prospects of agreement on an output freeze at an OPEC meeting in September

Iranian oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh said today, that the country wants its pre-sanctions share of the crude oil market. This dampens the prospects of agreement on an output freeze at an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting next month. "Iran had no role in disrupting the stability of the oil market and after the (lifting of) sanctions we seek to revive our share in the global crude market," the ministry's SHANA news service quoted him as saying. On Thursday, he had announced he would attend the informal OPEC meeting in Algiers in late September, on a possible output freeze with Russia. But today he insisted Iran would not be abandoning its ambitions to restore its market share after the nuclear agreement with world powers led to the lifting of sanctions on its oil exports last year. "Iran will cooperate with OPEC on improving prices and the state of the crude market, but we expect our right to restore our lost market share in the market to be considered," Iran's oil minister said. "Iran will cooperate with OPEC on improving prices and the state of the crude market, but we expect our right to restore our lost market share in the market to be considered," Zanganeh said. "Iran has made its sacrifices for the market and it`s no longer the time for Iran," Iranian website, Mizan Online, reported him saying. Iran has doubled its exports of oil and gas to 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) since signing the nuclear deal. The total output has risen from 2.7 million bpd to 3.85 million bpd. It is close to the level before international sanctions were imposed in 2012. "When the instability occurred in the market, ... Iran's oil exports were less than one million bpd," Bijan Zanganeh said. "We expect those who disrupted the market's stability to take the highest responsibility in restoring stability" he said. Earlier on Friday, prices fell in Asian trade after Saudi energy minister Khalid Al-Falih played down prospects of any major move on output. "I don't believe that an intervention of significance is required. I certainly don't advocate a cut," he told Bloomberg News. In April, OPEC's attempt to freeze output collapsed due to Iran's refusal to join talks. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Iran wants pre-sanctions crude oil market share

Russia launched a second day of air strikes against Syrian&nbsp;militants from an Iranian air base, rejecting US suggestions. 
 
State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Tuesday called the&nbsp;Iranian deployment &quot;unfortunate,&quot; saying the United States was 
looking into whether the move violated UN Security Council&nbsp;resolution 2231, which prohibits the supply, sale and transfer of 
combat aircraft to Iran. 
 
Russia bristled at those comments on Wednesday after announcing&nbsp;that Russian SU-34 fighter bombers flying from Iran&#39;s Hamadan air&nbsp;base had for a second day struck Islamic State targets in Syria&#39;s&nbsp;Deir al-Zor province, destroying two command posts and killing&nbsp;more than 150 militants. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not our practice to give advice to the leadership of the&nbsp;US State Department,&quot; Major-General Igor Konashenkov said in a&nbsp;statement. 
 
&quot;But it&#39;s hard to refrain from recommending individual State&nbsp;Department representatives check their own logic and knowledge of&nbsp;basic documents covering international law.&quot; 
 
Moscow first used Iran as a base from which to launch air strikes&nbsp;in Syria on Tuesday, deepening its involvement in the five-year-old Syrian civil war and angering the United States. 
 
Russia&#39;s use of the Iranian air base comes amid intense fighting&nbsp;for the Syrian city of Aleppo, where rebels are battling Syrian&nbsp;government forces backed by the Russian military, and as Moscow&nbsp;and Washington are working towards a deal on Syria that could see&nbsp;them cooperate more closely. 
 
Russia backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while the United&nbsp;States believes the Syrian leader must step down and is supporting&nbsp;rebel groups that are fighting to unseat him. 
 
On Wednesday the State Department reiterated its concern, saying&nbsp;Russia&#39;s use of the Iranian base &quot;doesn&#39;t help&quot; reach a cessation&nbsp;of hostilities in Syria and that U.S. lawyers were still assessing&nbsp;whether it violated the UN resolution. 
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier any US&nbsp;dismay over Moscow&#39;s military co-operation with Iran should not&nbsp;distract from efforts to realise the U.S.-Russia deal on&nbsp;coordinating action in Syria and securing a ceasefire. 
 
Lavrov said there were no grounds to suggest Russia&#39;s actions had&nbsp;violated the UN resolution, saying Moscow was not supplying Iran&nbsp;with military aircraft for its own internal use, something the&nbsp;document prohibits. 
 
&quot;These aircraft are being used by Russia&#39;s air force with Iran&#39;s&nbsp;agreement as a part of an anti-terrorist operation at the request&nbsp;of Syria&#39;s leadership,&quot; Lavrov told a Moscow news conference,&nbsp;after holding talks with Murray McCully, New Zealand&#39;s foreign&nbsp;minister. 
 
(Reuters)

The US is looking into whether the move violates UN resolution prohibiting supply, sale and transfer of combat aircraft to Iran

Russia launched a second day of air strikes against Syrian militants from an Iranian air base, rejecting US suggestions. State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Tuesday called the Iranian deployment "unfortunate," saying the United States was looking into whether the move violated UN Security Council resolution 2231, which prohibits the supply, sale and transfer of combat aircraft to Iran. Russia bristled at those comments on Wednesday after announcing that Russian SU-34 fighter bombers flying from Iran's Hamadan air base had for a second day struck Islamic State targets in Syria's Deir al-Zor province, destroying two command posts and killing more than 150 militants. "It's not our practice to give advice to the leadership of the US State Department," Major-General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. "But it's hard to refrain from recommending individual State Department representatives check their own logic and knowledge of basic documents covering international law." Moscow first used Iran as a base from which to launch air strikes in Syria on Tuesday, deepening its involvement in the five-year-old Syrian civil war and angering the United States. Russia's use of the Iranian air base comes amid intense fighting for the Syrian city of Aleppo, where rebels are battling Syrian government forces backed by the Russian military, and as Moscow and Washington are working towards a deal on Syria that could see them cooperate more closely. Russia backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while the United States believes the Syrian leader must step down and is supporting rebel groups that are fighting to unseat him. On Wednesday the State Department reiterated its concern, saying Russia's use of the Iranian base "doesn't help" reach a cessation of hostilities in Syria and that U.S. lawyers were still assessing whether it violated the UN resolution. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier any US dismay over Moscow's military co-operation with Iran should not distract from efforts to realise the U.S.-Russia deal on coordinating action in Syria and securing a ceasefire. Lavrov said there were no grounds to suggest Russia's actions had violated the UN resolution, saying Moscow was not supplying Iran with military aircraft for its own internal use, something the document prohibits. "These aircraft are being used by Russia's air force with Iran's agreement as a part of an anti-terrorist operation at the request of Syria's leadership," Lavrov told a Moscow news conference, after holding talks with Murray McCully, New Zealand's foreign minister. (Reuters)

Russia ignores US suggestions, launches air strikes against Syrian militants from Iranian base

A furious Iran slammed Georgian lifter Lasha Talakhadze&#39;s Olympic gold medal as a &quot;conspiracy&quot; on Tuesday, with riot police called to the Rio Games weightlifting venue as tensions boiled over. 
 
Iranian super heavyweight and favourite Behdad Salimikordasiabi sensationally crashed out of the men`s +105kg class after judges ruled he had failed to register a total in the clean and jerk.&nbsp; 
 
Defending champion Salimikordasiabi, known as &quot;Salimi&quot;, and his coach angrily remonstrated with officials for several minutes in the arena before the contest was finished as boisterous Iranian fans booed incessantly. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a conspiracy. Our enemies were on the jury,&quot; an irate Iranian coach Sajjad Anoushiravani told reporters, appearing to be referring to a judge from Iraq. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s obvious they took the medal from Salimi. The jury was selected for this to happen. 
 
&quot;He is a gold medallist from London. He broke the world record here. They may as well throw the whole thing in the trash,&quot; seethed Anoushiravani. 
 
Salimi, sometimes referred to as the &quot;Iranian Hercules&quot;, set a new world record of 216kg in the snatch to lead Talakhadze by 1kg going into the clean and jerk. 
 
Judges ruled that the 26-year-old super heavyweight&#39;s first jerk was a no lift. The jury then dramatically over-ruled the judges&#39; decision that his second lift had been legitimate. 
 
Salimi thought he had successfully raised 245kg above his head but the panel of referees on the jury ruled that his left arm had not been straight.&nbsp; 
 
He failed again on his third attempt and he and Anoushiravani left the podium gesticulating wildly at the judges. 
 
With the competition still going on the pair then re-entered the arena to remonstrate with them.&nbsp; 
 
Salimi wagged his finger and shouted at jury members while the coach was even seen arguing with International Weightlifting Federation President Tamas Ajan. 
 
Angry Iranian fans then booed every lift thereafter, including those of Talakhadze and Irakli Turmanidze, also of Georgia, who eventually claimed bronze. 
 
&quot;Why should they take this from us so easily?&quot; 26-stone (170kg) Salimi blubbed to reporters.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a malfunction in the system, people saw what happened,&quot; he sobbed.Talakhadze held his nerve as pandemonium went on around him to haul a combined total of 473kg -- a world record -- to beat silver medallist Gor Minasyan of Armenia by a massive 22kg. 
 
&quot;There was anger in the hall. But it had nothing to do with me. I just did what I was supposed to do,&quot; said Talakhadze, who has previously served a two-year ban for doping. 
 
&quot;The Iranian was an Olympic champion. But he made mistakes and he failed with his attempts. All my career I&#39;ve been trying to become Olympic champion and now I am. 
 
&quot;The crowd were booing when I was competing. They were wailing. Maybe this gave me more power and strength to become the champion,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Armenian silver medallist Gor Minasyan condemned the behaviour of the Iranian fans, who stayed on to boo and jeer after the competition had finished, sparking the riot police into action. 
 
&quot;It was bad sporting behaviour from the spectators,&quot; said Minasyan, who has also previously served a two-year band for testing positive for illegal substances. 
 
Around a dozen heavily-armed riot police entered the arena as tensions threatened to escalate but calmness was restored.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It was just for a precautionary measure and they weren`t used,&quot; the venue`s media manager said. 
 
Sam Coffa, chairman of the IWF&#39;s technical committee, said afterwards that the Iranian team could be disciplined for their behaviour as he defended the judges&#39; decisions against Salimi. 
 
(AFP)

Iran officials protested vociferously after men's +105kg class favourite Behdad Salimikordasiabi crashed out of the event

A furious Iran slammed Georgian lifter Lasha Talakhadze's Olympic gold medal as a "conspiracy" on Tuesday, with riot police called to the Rio Games weightlifting venue as tensions boiled over. Iranian super heavyweight and favourite Behdad Salimikordasiabi sensationally crashed out of the men`s +105kg class after judges ruled he had failed to register a total in the clean and jerk. Defending champion Salimikordasiabi, known as "Salimi", and his coach angrily remonstrated with officials for several minutes in the arena before the contest was finished as boisterous Iranian fans booed incessantly. "There's a conspiracy. Our enemies were on the jury," an irate Iranian coach Sajjad Anoushiravani told reporters, appearing to be referring to a judge from Iraq. "It's obvious they took the medal from Salimi. The jury was selected for this to happen. "He is a gold medallist from London. He broke the world record here. They may as well throw the whole thing in the trash," seethed Anoushiravani. Salimi, sometimes referred to as the "Iranian Hercules", set a new world record of 216kg in the snatch to lead Talakhadze by 1kg going into the clean and jerk. Judges ruled that the 26-year-old super heavyweight's first jerk was a no lift. The jury then dramatically over-ruled the judges' decision that his second lift had been legitimate. Salimi thought he had successfully raised 245kg above his head but the panel of referees on the jury ruled that his left arm had not been straight. He failed again on his third attempt and he and Anoushiravani left the podium gesticulating wildly at the judges. With the competition still going on the pair then re-entered the arena to remonstrate with them. Salimi wagged his finger and shouted at jury members while the coach was even seen arguing with International Weightlifting Federation President Tamas Ajan. Angry Iranian fans then booed every lift thereafter, including those of Talakhadze and Irakli Turmanidze, also of Georgia, who eventually claimed bronze. "Why should they take this from us so easily?" 26-stone (170kg) Salimi blubbed to reporters. "There's a malfunction in the system, people saw what happened," he sobbed.Talakhadze held his nerve as pandemonium went on around him to haul a combined total of 473kg -- a world record -- to beat silver medallist Gor Minasyan of Armenia by a massive 22kg. "There was anger in the hall. But it had nothing to do with me. I just did what I was supposed to do," said Talakhadze, who has previously served a two-year ban for doping. "The Iranian was an Olympic champion. But he made mistakes and he failed with his attempts. All my career I've been trying to become Olympic champion and now I am. "The crowd were booing when I was competing. They were wailing. Maybe this gave me more power and strength to become the champion," he added. Armenian silver medallist Gor Minasyan condemned the behaviour of the Iranian fans, who stayed on to boo and jeer after the competition had finished, sparking the riot police into action. "It was bad sporting behaviour from the spectators," said Minasyan, who has also previously served a two-year band for testing positive for illegal substances. Around a dozen heavily-armed riot police entered the arena as tensions threatened to escalate but calmness was restored. "It was just for a precautionary measure and they weren`t used," the venue`s media manager said. Sam Coffa, chairman of the IWF's technical committee, said afterwards that the Iranian team could be disciplined for their behaviour as he defended the judges' decisions against Salimi. (AFP)

Conspiracy claims mar weightlifting event at Rio, riot police called in

Russian warplanes on Tuesday flew a bombing run from an Iranian airstrip against jihadist groups in war-torn Syria, the defence ministry said. This is the first time Moscow has reported using an Iranian air base. 
 
The raids mark the first time that Russia has publicly stated that it has used a base in a Middle East country other than Syria since the Kremlin launched its bombing campaign in support of long-time ally Bashar al-Assad last September. 
 
&quot;On August 16 Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Su-34 frontline bombers, flying with a full bomb load from the Hamedan air base (Islamic Republic of Iran), conducted a group air strike against targets of the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groups in the provinces of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and Idlib,&quot; the ministry said in a statement. 
 
The strikes resulted in the destruction of &quot;five large warehouses with weapons, ammunition and fuel&quot; and jihadist training camps near Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, the village of Saraqeb in the Idlib region and Al-Bab, an IS-held town in Aleppo province, the statement said. 
 
The bombing also targeted three command centres near the village of Jafra and Deir Ezzor, killing &quot;a large number of fighters&quot;, Moscow added.&nbsp;Conducting its bombing raids from Iran will dramatically cut the time it takes Moscow&#39;s long-range bombers to reach Syria. They had recently been flying from a base in southern Russia. 
 
 
US cooperation? 
 
Moscow has used warplanes stationed at its Hmeimim airbase outside the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, as well as warships stationed in the Caspian Sea and a submarine in the Mediterranean Sea to launch cruise missile attacks on Syrian territory.&nbsp;A Russian senator last week said the country was mulling plans to expand its airbase in Syria into a permanent military facility. 
 
An unnamed military source also told Interfax news agency Monday that the Russian army had sent requests to Iran and Iraq to fire cruise missiles across their airspace.&nbsp;Iran and Russia are the two firmest backers of the Assad regime, and have opposed international calls for the Syrian leader to step down in a bid to resolve a civil war that has killed more than 290,000 people since it erupted in March 2011. 
 
Iran is Assad&#39;s main regional ally and has provided steady military, financial, and political support to the regime.&nbsp;Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov was in Tehran on Monday, where he discussed the &quot;high mutual interest&quot; of deeper cooperation between Russia and Iran in the Middle East, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. 
 
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu claimed separately in comments aired on Monday that Russia and the United States are also close to joining forces around Syria&#39;s ravaged second city of Aleppo, where Russian planes and regime forces are battling rebels for control. 
 
But in Washington, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau refused to confirm any collaboration.&nbsp;A senior Russian diplomat in Geneva, Alexei Borodavkin, told Interfax Monday that the Russian and American militaries were in the process of &quot;agreeing some concrete practical issues&quot; regarding humanitarian aid deliveries to the city. 
 
Fighting for Aleppo has intensified after regime troops seized control of the last supply route into rebel-held areas in mid-July.&nbsp;The increased fighting has raised concerns for the estimated 1.5 million civilians still in Aleppo, including some 250,000 in rebel-held areas. 
 
(AFP)

This is the first time Moscow has ever publicly admitted it has used an air base in a Middle Eastern country other than Syria

Russian warplanes on Tuesday flew a bombing run from an Iranian airstrip against jihadist groups in war-torn Syria, the defence ministry said. This is the first time Moscow has reported using an Iranian air base. The raids mark the first time that Russia has publicly stated that it has used a base in a Middle East country other than Syria since the Kremlin launched its bombing campaign in support of long-time ally Bashar al-Assad last September. "On August 16 Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Su-34 frontline bombers, flying with a full bomb load from the Hamedan air base (Islamic Republic of Iran), conducted a group air strike against targets of the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groups in the provinces of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and Idlib," the ministry said in a statement. The strikes resulted in the destruction of "five large warehouses with weapons, ammunition and fuel" and jihadist training camps near Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, the village of Saraqeb in the Idlib region and Al-Bab, an IS-held town in Aleppo province, the statement said. The bombing also targeted three command centres near the village of Jafra and Deir Ezzor, killing "a large number of fighters", Moscow added. Conducting its bombing raids from Iran will dramatically cut the time it takes Moscow's long-range bombers to reach Syria. They had recently been flying from a base in southern Russia. US cooperation? Moscow has used warplanes stationed at its Hmeimim airbase outside the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, as well as warships stationed in the Caspian Sea and a submarine in the Mediterranean Sea to launch cruise missile attacks on Syrian territory. A Russian senator last week said the country was mulling plans to expand its airbase in Syria into a permanent military facility. An unnamed military source also told Interfax news agency Monday that the Russian army had sent requests to Iran and Iraq to fire cruise missiles across their airspace. Iran and Russia are the two firmest backers of the Assad regime, and have opposed international calls for the Syrian leader to step down in a bid to resolve a civil war that has killed more than 290,000 people since it erupted in March 2011. Iran is Assad's main regional ally and has provided steady military, financial, and political support to the regime. Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov was in Tehran on Monday, where he discussed the "high mutual interest" of deeper cooperation between Russia and Iran in the Middle East, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu claimed separately in comments aired on Monday that Russia and the United States are also close to joining forces around Syria's ravaged second city of Aleppo, where Russian planes and regime forces are battling rebels for control. But in Washington, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau refused to confirm any collaboration. A senior Russian diplomat in Geneva, Alexei Borodavkin, told Interfax Monday that the Russian and American militaries were in the process of "agreeing some concrete practical issues" regarding humanitarian aid deliveries to the city. Fighting for Aleppo has intensified after regime troops seized control of the last supply route into rebel-held areas in mid-July. The increased fighting has raised concerns for the estimated 1.5 million civilians still in Aleppo, including some 250,000 in rebel-held areas. (AFP)

Russia uses Iran's airstrip to bomb jihadists in Syria

Iran has executed a nuclear scientist convicted of handing over &quot;confidential and vital&quot; information to the United States, a judicial spokesman said today. 
 
&quot;Shahram Amiri was hanged for revealing the country&#39;s top secrets to the enemy,&quot; Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie was quoted as saying by the Mizan Online news site. 
 
Amiri disappeared in Saudi Arabia in June 2009 and resurfaced a year later in the United States. 
 
Iranian officials welcomed him back to Iran but there has been little information released since. Amiri said after returning to the Islamic republic that he had been held in the US for more than a year after being &quot;kidnapped&quot; at gunpoint by two Farsi-speaking CIA agents in the Saudi city of Medina. 
 
Ejeie said the US had been &quot;outsmarted&quot; by Iran&#39;s intelligence services. 
 
&quot;American intelligence services thought Iran has no knowledge of his transfer to Saudi Arabia and what he was doing but we knew all of it and were monitoring,&quot; he was quoted by state television as saying. 
 
Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic ties since 1980, when students stormed the American embassy following the 1979 Islamic revolution. 
 
&quot;This person, having access to confidential and highly confidential information of the regime, had established a connection to our number one enemy, America, and had provided the enemy with Iran&#39;s confidential and vital information,&quot; Ejeie said. 
 
&quot;Shram Amiri was tried in accordance with law and in the presence of his lawyer.&nbsp;He appealed his death sentence based on judicial process. The Supreme Court confirmed it after meticulous reviews,&quot; he added. 
 
The spokesman dispelled a &quot;rumour&quot; by Amiri&#39;s family that he had received a 10-year prison term. 
 
Iran last year signed a landmark deal with world powers, including the US, to place curbs on its controversial nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. 
 
(AFP)

An Iranian judicial spokesman dispelled a 'rumour' by Amiri's family that he had received a 10-year prison term

Iran has executed a nuclear scientist convicted of handing over "confidential and vital" information to the United States, a judicial spokesman said today. "Shahram Amiri was hanged for revealing the country's top secrets to the enemy," Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie was quoted as saying by the Mizan Online news site. Amiri disappeared in Saudi Arabia in June 2009 and resurfaced a year later in the United States. Iranian officials welcomed him back to Iran but there has been little information released since. Amiri said after returning to the Islamic republic that he had been held in the US for more than a year after being "kidnapped" at gunpoint by two Farsi-speaking CIA agents in the Saudi city of Medina. Ejeie said the US had been "outsmarted" by Iran's intelligence services. "American intelligence services thought Iran has no knowledge of his transfer to Saudi Arabia and what he was doing but we knew all of it and were monitoring," he was quoted by state television as saying. Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic ties since 1980, when students stormed the American embassy following the 1979 Islamic revolution. "This person, having access to confidential and highly confidential information of the regime, had established a connection to our number one enemy, America, and had provided the enemy with Iran's confidential and vital information," Ejeie said. "Shram Amiri was tried in accordance with law and in the presence of his lawyer. He appealed his death sentence based on judicial process. The Supreme Court confirmed it after meticulous reviews," he added. The spokesman dispelled a "rumour" by Amiri's family that he had received a 10-year prison term. Iran last year signed a landmark deal with world powers, including the US, to place curbs on its controversial nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. (AFP)

Iran executes nuclear scientist for spying for US

The White House on Wednesday denied renewed accusations that it paid Iran ransom for the release of four American prisoners, carrying a tidal wave of condemnations from Republicans. 
 
Amid revelations that the US helped airlift $400 million worth of Swiss Francs and Euros to Iran after a prisoner release, the White House 
insisted the two were not linked. 
 
In January, five American prisoners were released as Washington granted clemency to seven Iranians and withdrew arrest warrants for 14 others. 
 
Within hours President Barack Obama announced he had also agreed to repay $1.7 billion owed to Tehran -- one of a string of agreements that followed a deal to curb Iran&#39;s nuclear program. 
 
The White House said it was returning cash from a 1970s Iranian military order that was not fulfilled because of the Islamic Revolution. 
 
On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal reported a chunk of that cash was loaded on wooden pallets and secretly airlifted to Iran in an unmarked cargo plane.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;This $400 million is actually money that the Iranians had paid into a US account in 1979 as part of a transaction to procure military equipment,&quot; said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. 
 
&quot;The fact of the matter is the United States does not have a banking relationship with Iran,&quot; Earnest said, explaining the airlift. 
 
Earnest heatedly denied accusations that a ransom was paid. 
 
&quot;It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages.&quot; 
 
Republicans, who have spent weeks reeling from scandals over the party&#39;s presidential nominee Donald Trump, leapt at the opportunity to go on the attack. 
 
&quot;If true, this report confirms our longstanding suspicion that the administration paid a ransom in exchange for Americans unjustly detained in Iran,&quot; said house speaker Paul Ryan. 
 
&quot;It would also mark another chapter in the ongoing saga of misleading the American people to sell this dangerous nuclear deal.&quot; 
 
&quot;Yet again, the public deserves an explanation of the lengths this administration went to in order to accommodate the world`s leading state sponsor of terrorism.&quot; 
 
Republicans had alleged that Iran would use a sanctions windfall worth hundreds of billions of dollars to fund terrorism. 
 
Trump issued a statement on what he called the &quot;terror money airlift,&quot; saying the money would &quot;undoubtedly find its way into the hands of terrorists.&quot; 
 
Earnest pushed back on Republicans&#39; assertions. 
 
&quot;People who made that prediction were either badly misinformed or lying to the American public, and I`ll leave it to them to explain why their predictions didn`t come true,&quot; he said. 
 
The White House and independent experts have insisted the funds would be much less than Republicans predicted and most of the cash would have to be spent on fixing Iran`s economy. 
 
&quot;We know that Iran supports Hezbollah and the Assad regime, and it certainly is possible that some of the money that Iran has is being used for those purposes, too,&quot; said Earnest. 
 
&quot;But the bulk of the money we know has been going to shoring up their economic weakness, and that`s exactly what we predicted.&quot; 
 
&quot;They used that money to prop up their currency that had been significantly devalued by the sanctions regime.&quot; 
 
The House Oversight Committee Wednesday requested in a letter to secretary of state John Kerry that he testify before the panel about the &quot;contemporaneous hostage release and cash delivery.&quot; 
 
The State Department said it had received the note and would respond. 
 
(AFP)

Iran had transferred $400 million into US account in 1979 when states had no banking relations with it, explained White House spokesperson

The White House on Wednesday denied renewed accusations that it paid Iran ransom for the release of four American prisoners, carrying a tidal wave of condemnations from Republicans. Amid revelations that the US helped airlift $400 million worth of Swiss Francs and Euros to Iran after a prisoner release, the White House insisted the two were not linked. In January, five American prisoners were released as Washington granted clemency to seven Iranians and withdrew arrest warrants for 14 others. Within hours President Barack Obama announced he had also agreed to repay $1.7 billion owed to Tehran -- one of a string of agreements that followed a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program. The White House said it was returning cash from a 1970s Iranian military order that was not fulfilled because of the Islamic Revolution. On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal reported a chunk of that cash was loaded on wooden pallets and secretly airlifted to Iran in an unmarked cargo plane. "This $400 million is actually money that the Iranians had paid into a US account in 1979 as part of a transaction to procure military equipment," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "The fact of the matter is the United States does not have a banking relationship with Iran," Earnest said, explaining the airlift. Earnest heatedly denied accusations that a ransom was paid. "It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages." Republicans, who have spent weeks reeling from scandals over the party's presidential nominee Donald Trump, leapt at the opportunity to go on the attack. "If true, this report confirms our longstanding suspicion that the administration paid a ransom in exchange for Americans unjustly detained in Iran," said house speaker Paul Ryan. "It would also mark another chapter in the ongoing saga of misleading the American people to sell this dangerous nuclear deal." "Yet again, the public deserves an explanation of the lengths this administration went to in order to accommodate the world`s leading state sponsor of terrorism." Republicans had alleged that Iran would use a sanctions windfall worth hundreds of billions of dollars to fund terrorism. Trump issued a statement on what he called the "terror money airlift," saying the money would "undoubtedly find its way into the hands of terrorists." Earnest pushed back on Republicans' assertions. "People who made that prediction were either badly misinformed or lying to the American public, and I`ll leave it to them to explain why their predictions didn`t come true," he said. The White House and independent experts have insisted the funds would be much less than Republicans predicted and most of the cash would have to be spent on fixing Iran`s economy. "We know that Iran supports Hezbollah and the Assad regime, and it certainly is possible that some of the money that Iran has is being used for those purposes, too," said Earnest. "But the bulk of the money we know has been going to shoring up their economic weakness, and that`s exactly what we predicted." "They used that money to prop up their currency that had been significantly devalued by the sanctions regime." The House Oversight Committee Wednesday requested in a letter to secretary of state John Kerry that he testify before the panel about the "contemporaneous hostage release and cash delivery." The State Department said it had received the note and would respond. (AFP)

US says it did not pay ransom to Iran

Iran&#39;s oil minister said today the oil market was oversupplied but predicted balance between demand and supply will be restored, Iranian state television reported on Monday. 
 
&quot;The oil market is oversupplied now but there are expectations that there will be balance between demand and supply in the market,&quot; Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying by Iran&#39;s state TV, without saying when that may happen. 
 
A Reuters survey on Friday showed the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries&#39; (OPEC) oil output was likely to reach its highest in recent history in July as Iraq pumps more and Nigeria manages to export additional crude despite militant attacks. 
 
Supply from OPEC rose to 33.41 million barrels per day (bpd) in July from a revised 33.31 million bpd in June, according to the survey based on shipping data and information from industry sources. 
 
Iran planning to raise crude production&nbsp; 
 
Since a landmark nuclear deal was reached with major powers in 2015 leading to lifting of sanctions, Iran has been planning to raise its crude production to the pre-sanctions level of four million barrels per day (bpd). 
 
To regain the production level, Iran has sweetened the terms it offers on oil development contracts to draw the interest of foreign investors. Iran needs $200 billion in foreign money to reach its goal. 
 
Zanganeh said that the first of Iran&#39;s new oil and gas investment contracts for international companies will be launched this week. 
 
&quot;The government will approve the new contracts on Wednesday,&quot; Zanganeh told reporters, state TV reported. 
 
The launch of Iran&#39;s new oil contracts, the Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC) has been postponed several times as hardline rivals of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani resisted any deal that could end the buy-back system. 
 
Iran&#39;s top authority supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last month that no new oil and gas contracts for international companies will be awarded without necessary reforms. 
 
&quot;Iran&#39;s priority is developing jointly owned oil and gas fields, as well as those in which we are after improved oil recovery.&quot; Zanganeh said 
 
Oil majors have said they would only go back to Iran if it made major changes to the buy-back contracts of the 1990s, which companies such as France&#39;s Total or Italy&#39;s Eni, said made them no money or even incurred losses. 
 
Under Iran&#39;s buy-back system foreign firms have been banned from booking reserves or taking equity stakes in Iranian companies. 
 
(Reuters)

A recent survey showed OPEC output was likely to reach its highest in recent history

Iran's oil minister said today the oil market was oversupplied but predicted balance between demand and supply will be restored, Iranian state television reported on Monday. "The oil market is oversupplied now but there are expectations that there will be balance between demand and supply in the market," Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying by Iran's state TV, without saying when that may happen. A Reuters survey on Friday showed the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OPEC) oil output was likely to reach its highest in recent history in July as Iraq pumps more and Nigeria manages to export additional crude despite militant attacks. Supply from OPEC rose to 33.41 million barrels per day (bpd) in July from a revised 33.31 million bpd in June, according to the survey based on shipping data and information from industry sources. Iran planning to raise crude production Since a landmark nuclear deal was reached with major powers in 2015 leading to lifting of sanctions, Iran has been planning to raise its crude production to the pre-sanctions level of four million barrels per day (bpd). To regain the production level, Iran has sweetened the terms it offers on oil development contracts to draw the interest of foreign investors. Iran needs $200 billion in foreign money to reach its goal. Zanganeh said that the first of Iran's new oil and gas investment contracts for international companies will be launched this week. "The government will approve the new contracts on Wednesday," Zanganeh told reporters, state TV reported. The launch of Iran's new oil contracts, the Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC) has been postponed several times as hardline rivals of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani resisted any deal that could end the buy-back system. Iran's top authority supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last month that no new oil and gas contracts for international companies will be awarded without necessary reforms. "Iran's priority is developing jointly owned oil and gas fields, as well as those in which we are after improved oil recovery." Zanganeh said Oil majors have said they would only go back to Iran if it made major changes to the buy-back contracts of the 1990s, which companies such as France's Total or Italy's Eni, said made them no money or even incurred losses. Under Iran's buy-back system foreign firms have been banned from booking reserves or taking equity stakes in Iranian companies. (Reuters)

Iran says crude market oversupplied but balance will be restored

Iran today condemned a shooting spree at a busy shopping centre in Munich by a teenage German-Iranian gunman who killed nine people before committing suicide. 
 
Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi denounced &quot;the killing of innocent and defenceless people&quot; and expressed Iran&#39;s solidarity with the German government and people, official IRNA news agency reported. 
 
Ghasemi also called for a &quot;relentless and comprehensive fight&quot; to eradicate violence. 
Sixteen people were also wounded in Friday&#39;s shooting spree in Munich, German police said, adding that the assailant was an 18-year-old 
 
German-Iranian who had no criminal record. 
 
A police spokesman in Germany had said on Friday that terrorism was suspected, without revealing any immediate indications of an Islamist link. 
 
The attack came just days after a teenage asylum seeker went on a rampage with an axe and a knife on a train on Monday near Wuerzburg, also in Bavaria, injuring five people. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

A police spokesman in Germany said that terrorism was suspected, without revealing any immediate indications of an Islamist link

Iran today condemned a shooting spree at a busy shopping centre in Munich by a teenage German-Iranian gunman who killed nine people before committing suicide. Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi denounced "the killing of innocent and defenceless people" and expressed Iran's solidarity with the German government and people, official IRNA news agency reported. Ghasemi also called for a "relentless and comprehensive fight" to eradicate violence. Sixteen people were also wounded in Friday's shooting spree in Munich, German police said, adding that the assailant was an 18-year-old German-Iranian who had no criminal record. A police spokesman in Germany had said on Friday that terrorism was suspected, without revealing any immediate indications of an Islamist link. The attack came just days after a teenage asylum seeker went on a rampage with an axe and a knife on a train on Monday near Wuerzburg, also in Bavaria, injuring five people. (AFP)

Iran condemns shooting spree by German-Iranian gunman in Munich

After a border official stopped him from leaving Bahrain last week, citing a security order, human rights lawyer Mohammed al-Tajer said he checked with the departments in charge of passports and investigations and was told no travel ban was in place. 
 
The 50-year-old lawyer, who had been planning a short visit to Saudi Arabia, was not surprised. He had joined a growing list of people confined to their country as part of what rights groups describe as an attempt to crush the opposition. 
 
Tajer said some people found out when they headed to the airport last month to fly to Geneva to attend a meeting by the UN Human Rights Council. Others were informed when they tried to cross the King Fahd Causeway to Saudi Arabia last week. 
 
&quot;There are 17 of us -- some of them are not rights activists or well known figures,&quot; Tajer, who has defended prominent Bahraini opposition activists, told Reuters. 
 
19 people prevented from travelling abroad: Human rights group&nbsp; 
 
Amnesty International says at least 19 people, including doctors, lawyers, academics and journalists, have been prevented from travelling abroad in the past month.&nbsp; 
 
Bahrain&#39;s Sunni-led government, mainly drawn from the ruling al-Khalifa family, has been rattled by opposition calls for major reforms, including a cabinet chosen from an elected parliament, and a deep financial crisis that has forced it to cut subsidies and increase basic prices. 
 
The crackdown also follows a deepening diplomatic row between Bahrain`s main Sunni backer, Saudi Arabia, and Shi`ite power Iran. 
 
The rift has grown wider since Iranian demonstrators, angry at the execution of a prominent Shi`ite Muslim cleric in January, ransacked Saudi missions prompting Riyadh and Manama to sever diplomatic ties with Tehran. 
 
Government maintains it does not tolerate human rights violations&nbsp; 
 
Bahraini authorities had no immediate comment on the travel ban in general or on Tajer&#39;s situation. The government says it does not tolerate human rights violations and has established bodies to receive complaints. 
 
Bahrain&#39;s National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) said it had &quot;noted with concern&quot; the increased number of cases of travel bans and called for them to stop. 
 
&quot;The NIHR notes that decision to ban travel without a judicial order obstructs the constitutional of movement and travel, which contradicts the kingdom`s international and regional commitments related to human rights,&quot; it said in a statement to Reuters. 
 
Shaken by bouts of unrest since Arab Spring-style mass protests in 2011, Western-allied Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based, has explained a crackdown on opponents in recent weeks as &quot;correcting&quot; the political discourse. 
 
Since June, Bahraini authorities have closed down the main Shi`ite opposition group al-Wefaq, revoked the citizenship of top Shi`ite Muslim cleric Ayatollah Isa Qassim and re-arrested prominent rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab for anti-government Tweets. A court has also more than doubled the prison sentence on al-Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman. 
 
&#39;Bahrain &nbsp;has entered a deeply worrying new phase of clampdown&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Rights groups have documented the travel bans. 
 
The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) said on July 4 it had recorded at least 14 cases of rights campaigners and civil society activists having been banned from travel in June. 
 
Amnesty International said it had recorded 21 cases since 2015, 19 of them in the past month alone. 
 
&quot;Preventing human rights defenders, journalists and former prisoners of conscience from leaving their own country is just one of a long list of repressive tactics the Bahraini authorities have sought to punish and muzzle its critics in recent weeks,&rdquo; said Ariel Plotkin, Amnesty International&rsquo;s Bahrain campaigner. 
 
&quot;Bahrain has entered a deeply worrying new phase of clampdown on human rights, instilling fear on civil society,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Apart from Tajer, they include Sharaf al-Mousawi, the head of Bahrain`s branch of Transparency International, Rula al-Saffar, president of the Bahrain Nursing Society and brain surgeon Taha al-Durazi and his wife.&nbsp; 
 
On July 7, Bahraini journalist and activist Ahmed Radhi was banned from boarding a flight from Manama to Oman, without any prior notification of any ban imposed on him. 
 
&quot;My name is not on any list of banned people and I have a certificate of good conduct from the investigations department, yet I am banned from travel,&quot; Radhi said, according to his Twitter account. 
 
Tajer said it was normal in Bahrain for people to be punished with measures such as travel bans without an official order being presented by any party. 
 
&quot;Don&#39;t be astonished. Many things that cannot be explained happen,&quot; Taker said. &quot;In Bahrain, everything is possible, especially against people who are not viewed with satisfaction by the government,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

'Preventing human rights defenders, journalists from leaving their own country is just one of a long list of repressive tactics'

After a border official stopped him from leaving Bahrain last week, citing a security order, human rights lawyer Mohammed al-Tajer said he checked with the departments in charge of passports and investigations and was told no travel ban was in place. The 50-year-old lawyer, who had been planning a short visit to Saudi Arabia, was not surprised. He had joined a growing list of people confined to their country as part of what rights groups describe as an attempt to crush the opposition. Tajer said some people found out when they headed to the airport last month to fly to Geneva to attend a meeting by the UN Human Rights Council. Others were informed when they tried to cross the King Fahd Causeway to Saudi Arabia last week. "There are 17 of us -- some of them are not rights activists or well known figures," Tajer, who has defended prominent Bahraini opposition activists, told Reuters. 19 people prevented from travelling abroad: Human rights group Amnesty International says at least 19 people, including doctors, lawyers, academics and journalists, have been prevented from travelling abroad in the past month. Bahrain's Sunni-led government, mainly drawn from the ruling al-Khalifa family, has been rattled by opposition calls for major reforms, including a cabinet chosen from an elected parliament, and a deep financial crisis that has forced it to cut subsidies and increase basic prices. The crackdown also follows a deepening diplomatic row between Bahrain`s main Sunni backer, Saudi Arabia, and Shi`ite power Iran. The rift has grown wider since Iranian demonstrators, angry at the execution of a prominent Shi`ite Muslim cleric in January, ransacked Saudi missions prompting Riyadh and Manama to sever diplomatic ties with Tehran. Government maintains it does not tolerate human rights violations Bahraini authorities had no immediate comment on the travel ban in general or on Tajer's situation. The government says it does not tolerate human rights violations and has established bodies to receive complaints. Bahrain's National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) said it had "noted with concern" the increased number of cases of travel bans and called for them to stop. "The NIHR notes that decision to ban travel without a judicial order obstructs the constitutional of movement and travel, which contradicts the kingdom`s international and regional commitments related to human rights," it said in a statement to Reuters. Shaken by bouts of unrest since Arab Spring-style mass protests in 2011, Western-allied Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based, has explained a crackdown on opponents in recent weeks as "correcting" the political discourse. Since June, Bahraini authorities have closed down the main Shi`ite opposition group al-Wefaq, revoked the citizenship of top Shi`ite Muslim cleric Ayatollah Isa Qassim and re-arrested prominent rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab for anti-government Tweets. A court has also more than doubled the prison sentence on al-Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman. 'Bahrain has entered a deeply worrying new phase of clampdown' Rights groups have documented the travel bans. The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) said on July 4 it had recorded at least 14 cases of rights campaigners and civil society activists having been banned from travel in June. Amnesty International said it had recorded 21 cases since 2015, 19 of them in the past month alone. "Preventing human rights defenders, journalists and former prisoners of conscience from leaving their own country is just one of a long list of repressive tactics the Bahraini authorities have sought to punish and muzzle its critics in recent weeks,” said Ariel Plotkin, Amnesty International’s Bahrain campaigner. "Bahrain has entered a deeply worrying new phase of clampdown on human rights, instilling fear on civil society," he added. Apart from Tajer, they include Sharaf al-Mousawi, the head of Bahrain`s branch of Transparency International, Rula al-Saffar, president of the Bahrain Nursing Society and brain surgeon Taha al-Durazi and his wife. On July 7, Bahraini journalist and activist Ahmed Radhi was banned from boarding a flight from Manama to Oman, without any prior notification of any ban imposed on him. "My name is not on any list of banned people and I have a certificate of good conduct from the investigations department, yet I am banned from travel," Radhi said, according to his Twitter account. Tajer said it was normal in Bahrain for people to be punished with measures such as travel bans without an official order being presented by any party. "Don't be astonished. Many things that cannot be explained happen," Taker said. "In Bahrain, everything is possible, especially against people who are not viewed with satisfaction by the government," he added. (Reuters)

Travel clampdown in Bahrain 'attempt to crush opposition', rights groups claim

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