Iran today condemned a rally in held France over the weekend by an exiled opposition group it labelled a &quot;stinking corpse&quot; and said it would denounce any country that backed it.&nbsp; 
 
The National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI) claimed that 100,000 Iranians had attended its annual rally in Bourget, near Paris, on Saturday. 
 
&quot;The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to confront this hypocritical little group and will condemn any government that supports it,&quot; government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht told the official IRNA agency. 
 
He described the NCRI as an &quot;annihilated terrorist group&quot; and a &quot;stinking corpse&quot;. 
 
The NCRI is a political umbrella coalition of five Iranian opposition groups that includes the People&#39;s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK).&nbsp; 
 
The MEK, formed in the 1960s to overthrow the shah of Iran, fought the rise of the mullahs in Tehran following the 1979 Islamic revolution. 
 
It earned itself a listing as a &quot;terrorist organisation&quot; by the US State Department in 1997. 
 
It was only removed from terrorist watchlists by the European Union (EU) in 2008 and the United States in 2012. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI), that held the rally, has been tagged as "annihilated terrorist group" by Iran

Iran today condemned a rally in held France over the weekend by an exiled opposition group it labelled a "stinking corpse" and said it would denounce any country that backed it. The National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI) claimed that 100,000 Iranians had attended its annual rally in Bourget, near Paris, on Saturday. "The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to confront this hypocritical little group and will condemn any government that supports it," government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht told the official IRNA agency. He described the NCRI as an "annihilated terrorist group" and a "stinking corpse". The NCRI is a political umbrella coalition of five Iranian opposition groups that includes the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK). The MEK, formed in the 1960s to overthrow the shah of Iran, fought the rise of the mullahs in Tehran following the 1979 Islamic revolution. It earned itself a listing as a "terrorist organisation" by the US State Department in 1997. It was only removed from terrorist watchlists by the European Union (EU) in 2008 and the United States in 2012. (AFP)

Iran condemns opposition rally in France

The trial in Bahrain of prominent rights activist Nabeel Rajab was postponed until August 2 today and a request for his release rejected, his lawyer said, hours after 26 rights groups jointly called for him to be freed. 
 
Bahrain has made no public statements on Rajab&#39;s case, but his lawyer has said charges against him relate to anti-government tweets he allegedly published last year, including one accusing the security forces of torturing detainees. 
 
Rights group term Najab&#39;s arrest &#39;escalating crackdown on opposition&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Rajab was a leading figure in a 2011 pro-democracy uprising led by Bahrain&#39;s Shi&#39;ite Muslim majority, and he has been repeatedly detained. 
 
His latest arrest comes during what rights groups say is an escalating crackdown on Bahrain&#39;s opposition. 
 
The trial was postponed until August 2 and a request for his release by the defence was turned down, his lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi wrote on Twitter without elaborating. 
 
Violence between Shi&#39;ites and security forces continues since 2011 uprising&nbsp; 
 
Shi&#39;ites in Bahrain complain of discrimination from the Sunni-led government, which denies this. 
 
In recent weeks, a court shut down a main Shi&#39;ite opposition society and the interior ministry stripped the spiritual leader of the island&#39;s Shi&#39;ites of his citizenship. 
 
Violence between Shi&#39;ites and security forces has continued on the island since the 2011 uprising was put down with the help of Saudi Arabia. 
 
Hours before Rajab&#39;s hearing was due to take place, 26 human rights groups put out a joint statement. 
 
&quot;We remind the Bahraini government of its obligation to preserve the right to free expression,&quot; the campaign groups, including Human Rights First and Physicians for Human Rights, said. 
 
&quot;We reiterate repeated calls by United Nations officials, and others in the international community, to immediately release Rajab,&quot; they added. 
 
Government officials deny human rights abuse&nbsp; 
 
Rajab was taken to hospital for a day late last month for what his supporters said was an irregular heart beat, but a spokesman for the prisons authority described his condition as &quot;normal,&quot; in a statement e-mailed to Reuters. 
 
Bahraini rights groups said authorities on Monday freed Ibrahim Sharif, former head of the secular Waad party, after he served a year in jail for what state news agency BNA said was publicising &quot;hatred of the regime&quot;. 
 
Government officials deny systematic abuses of human rights and have accused the opposition of stirring sectarian hatred in the kingdom and serving the interests of their rival, Shi&#39;ite Iran. 
 
(Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

Rajab's lawyer has said charges against him relate to anti-government tweets he allegedly published last year

The trial in Bahrain of prominent rights activist Nabeel Rajab was postponed until August 2 today and a request for his release rejected, his lawyer said, hours after 26 rights groups jointly called for him to be freed. Bahrain has made no public statements on Rajab's case, but his lawyer has said charges against him relate to anti-government tweets he allegedly published last year, including one accusing the security forces of torturing detainees. Rights group term Najab's arrest 'escalating crackdown on opposition' Rajab was a leading figure in a 2011 pro-democracy uprising led by Bahrain's Shi'ite Muslim majority, and he has been repeatedly detained. His latest arrest comes during what rights groups say is an escalating crackdown on Bahrain's opposition. The trial was postponed until August 2 and a request for his release by the defence was turned down, his lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi wrote on Twitter without elaborating. Violence between Shi'ites and security forces continues since 2011 uprising Shi'ites in Bahrain complain of discrimination from the Sunni-led government, which denies this. In recent weeks, a court shut down a main Shi'ite opposition society and the interior ministry stripped the spiritual leader of the island's Shi'ites of his citizenship. Violence between Shi'ites and security forces has continued on the island since the 2011 uprising was put down with the help of Saudi Arabia. Hours before Rajab's hearing was due to take place, 26 human rights groups put out a joint statement. "We remind the Bahraini government of its obligation to preserve the right to free expression," the campaign groups, including Human Rights First and Physicians for Human Rights, said. "We reiterate repeated calls by United Nations officials, and others in the international community, to immediately release Rajab," they added. Government officials deny human rights abuse Rajab was taken to hospital for a day late last month for what his supporters said was an irregular heart beat, but a spokesman for the prisons authority described his condition as "normal," in a statement e-mailed to Reuters. Bahraini rights groups said authorities on Monday freed Ibrahim Sharif, former head of the secular Waad party, after he served a year in jail for what state news agency BNA said was publicising "hatred of the regime". Government officials deny systematic abuses of human rights and have accused the opposition of stirring sectarian hatred in the kingdom and serving the interests of their rival, Shi'ite Iran. (Reuters)

Bahrain activist Nabeel Rajab's trial postponed till August while clamour for his release rises

Iran&#39;s ballistic missile tests in March were &quot;not consistent&quot; with the spirit of the nuclear agreement signed with world powers, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the security council. 
 
However Ban, in a confidential report that AFP saw on Friday, leaves it up to the security council to determine what, if anything, should be done in response. 
 
The report does not clearly state whether the Iranian tests violated the provisions of the landmark nuclear deal signed in July 2015 in Vienna. 
 
Under the agreement, Tehran agreed to curb its atomic program. Western powers accused Iran of using the program to develop a nuclear bomb, but Tehran always denied the allegation. 
 
The deal led to the lifting of sanctions in January. However, Iran&#39;s ballistic missile program was not covered by the agreement. 
 
&quot;While it is for the security council to interpret its own resolutions, I am concerned that those ballistic missile launches are not consistent with the constructive spirit demonstrated by the signing&quot; of the nuclear deal, reads part of Ban&#39;s 16-page report, dated July 1. 
 
&quot;I am concerned by the ballistic missile launches conducted by Iran in March 2016. I&nbsp;call upon Iran to refrain from conducting such ballistic missile launches since they have the potential to increase tensions in the region,&quot; Ban wrote. 
 
&#39;It&#39;s up to us&#39; 
 
This is the first report regarding the application of UN security council resolution 2231, which includes the terms of the July 2015 nuclear accord. 
 
The resolution states that Iran &quot;is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology&quot;. 
 
The security council is set to examine the report on July 18, but diplomatic sources are not expecting a decision to be taken, or even for the 15 nations on the council to take a joint position. 
 
&quot;The report makes no recommendations to the security council,&quot; a council diplomat said. 
 
&quot;Having a report by the secretary general is very useful but it is up to us to decide what we are going to do about it,&quot; the diplomat said. 
 
The United States, France, Britain and Germany in late March said they believed that Iran&#39;s ballistic missile launches violated UN resolutions, and asked the security council to address the issue. 
 
The Western powers believe that some of the missiles could carry nuclear payloads, something that Tehran denied. 
 
(AFP)

In the secret report, the Secretary-General leaves it up to the Security Council to determine what, if anything, should be the response

Iran's ballistic missile tests in March were "not consistent" with the spirit of the nuclear agreement signed with world powers, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the security council. However Ban, in a confidential report that AFP saw on Friday, leaves it up to the security council to determine what, if anything, should be done in response. The report does not clearly state whether the Iranian tests violated the provisions of the landmark nuclear deal signed in July 2015 in Vienna. Under the agreement, Tehran agreed to curb its atomic program. Western powers accused Iran of using the program to develop a nuclear bomb, but Tehran always denied the allegation. The deal led to the lifting of sanctions in January. However, Iran's ballistic missile program was not covered by the agreement. "While it is for the security council to interpret its own resolutions, I am concerned that those ballistic missile launches are not consistent with the constructive spirit demonstrated by the signing" of the nuclear deal, reads part of Ban's 16-page report, dated July 1. "I am concerned by the ballistic missile launches conducted by Iran in March 2016. I call upon Iran to refrain from conducting such ballistic missile launches since they have the potential to increase tensions in the region," Ban wrote. 'It's up to us' This is the first report regarding the application of UN security council resolution 2231, which includes the terms of the July 2015 nuclear accord. The resolution states that Iran "is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology". The security council is set to examine the report on July 18, but diplomatic sources are not expecting a decision to be taken, or even for the 15 nations on the council to take a joint position. "The report makes no recommendations to the security council," a council diplomat said. "Having a report by the secretary general is very useful but it is up to us to decide what we are going to do about it," the diplomat said. The United States, France, Britain and Germany in late March said they believed that Iran's ballistic missile launches violated UN resolutions, and asked the security council to address the issue. The Western powers believe that some of the missiles could carry nuclear payloads, something that Tehran denied. (AFP)

Iran missile tests 'not consistent' with 2015 nuclear agreement, says UN report

Dubai: Iran will press on with its missile programme &quot;with full force&quot; based on national security needs, a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying on Saturday, adding that critical comments by Germany&#39;s leader were unhelpful. 
 
Chancellor Angela Merkel told the parliament in Berlin on Thursday that missile launches by Iran earlier this year were inconsistent with a UN resolution urging it to refrain for up to eight years from missile work designed to deliver nuclear weapons. 
 
Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said Merkel&#39;s remarks were &quot;not constructive&quot; and would have no bearing on the programme, according to state news agency IRNA. 
 
Reiterating Tehran&#39;s assertion that the missiles are not designed to carry nuclear weapons, he added: &quot;Iran will continue with full force its missile programme based on its defensive plans and national security calculations.&quot; 
 
On Friday, Iran rejected as &quot;unrealistic&quot; a report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticising its missile launches as inconsistent with its deal with world powers to curb sensitive nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief. 
 
Reuters reported on Thursday that a confidential report by Ban had found the tests to be inconsistent &quot;with the constructive spirit&quot; of the July 2015 agreement. 
 
Responding to German intelligence reports that Iran has been trying to acquire nuclear technology in Germany, Berlin said on Friday that certain forces in Iran may be trying to undermine the nuclear deal. 
 
Germany&#39;s domestic intelligence agency said in its annual report that Iranian efforts to illegally procure technology, especially in the nuclear area, had continued at a &quot;high level&quot; in 2015. 
 
(Reuters)

It also criticised Angela Merkel who had said the missile launches were inconsistent with a 2015 UN resolution

Dubai: Iran will press on with its missile programme "with full force" based on national security needs, a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying on Saturday, adding that critical comments by Germany's leader were unhelpful. Chancellor Angela Merkel told the parliament in Berlin on Thursday that missile launches by Iran earlier this year were inconsistent with a UN resolution urging it to refrain for up to eight years from missile work designed to deliver nuclear weapons. Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said Merkel's remarks were "not constructive" and would have no bearing on the programme, according to state news agency IRNA. Reiterating Tehran's assertion that the missiles are not designed to carry nuclear weapons, he added: "Iran will continue with full force its missile programme based on its defensive plans and national security calculations." On Friday, Iran rejected as "unrealistic" a report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticising its missile launches as inconsistent with its deal with world powers to curb sensitive nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief. Reuters reported on Thursday that a confidential report by Ban had found the tests to be inconsistent "with the constructive spirit" of the July 2015 agreement. Responding to German intelligence reports that Iran has been trying to acquire nuclear technology in Germany, Berlin said on Friday that certain forces in Iran may be trying to undermine the nuclear deal. Germany's domestic intelligence agency said in its annual report that Iranian efforts to illegally procure technology, especially in the nuclear area, had continued at a "high level" in 2015. (Reuters)

Iran says it will continue with missile programme 'with full force'

India has lifted a ban on trade of specified items with Iran after some western sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation were lifted earlier this year, the government said in a notification on Wednesday. 
 
&quot;Direct or indirect export to Iran or import from Iran is now permitted subject to UN Security Council Resolution... and IAEA specified documents,&quot; the notification added. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
 
&nbsp;

The development comes after some western sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation were lifted earlier this year

India has lifted a ban on trade of specified items with Iran after some western sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation were lifted earlier this year, the government said in a notification on Wednesday. "Direct or indirect export to Iran or import from Iran is now permitted subject to UN Security Council Resolution... and IAEA specified documents," the notification added. (Reuters)

India lifts trade ban on certain items with Iran?

Iran&#39;s supreme leader has blasted as &quot;foolishness&quot; a decision by Bahrain&#39;s leaders to strip a top Shi&#39;ite Muslim cleric of his citizenship, and said it could provoke violence from Shi&#39;ites, who make up the majority in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom. 
 
The speech by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, carried by state media, came after Bahrain&#39;s Sunni authorities stepped up measures against the island&#39;s Shi&#39;ites and stripped their spiritual leader, Ayatollah Isa Qassim, of his citizenship. 
 
&quot;This is blatant foolishness and insanity. When he still could address the Bahraini people, Sheikh Isa Qassim... would advise against radical and armed actions,&quot; Khamenei said in remarks carried by state television today. 
 
&quot;Attacking Sheikh Isa Qassim means removing all obstacles blocking heroic Bahraini youths from attacking the regime.&quot; 
 
Bahrain in 2011 put down an uprising led by Shi&#39;ites demanding reforms. Since then, there have been almost daily skirmishes between Shi&#39;ite youths and security forces, as well as several bomb attacks. 
 
Bahrain accuses Iran of fomenting unrest among its Shi&#39;ite population and providing financial and material support, a charge Tehran denies. 
 
In a series of moves over the past three weeks, authorities also closed down the main Shi&#39;ite opposition al-Wefaq Islamic Society, doubled the prison sentence on the group&#39;s leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, and detained prominent rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab. 
 
(Reuters)

The island's Sunni authorities stepped up measures against the Shi'ite majority and stripped their spiritual leader of his citizenship

Iran's supreme leader has blasted as "foolishness" a decision by Bahrain's leaders to strip a top Shi'ite Muslim cleric of his citizenship, and said it could provoke violence from Shi'ites, who make up the majority in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom. The speech by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, carried by state media, came after Bahrain's Sunni authorities stepped up measures against the island's Shi'ites and stripped their spiritual leader, Ayatollah Isa Qassim, of his citizenship. "This is blatant foolishness and insanity. When he still could address the Bahraini people, Sheikh Isa Qassim... would advise against radical and armed actions," Khamenei said in remarks carried by state television today. "Attacking Sheikh Isa Qassim means removing all obstacles blocking heroic Bahraini youths from attacking the regime." Bahrain in 2011 put down an uprising led by Shi'ites demanding reforms. Since then, there have been almost daily skirmishes between Shi'ite youths and security forces, as well as several bomb attacks. Bahrain accuses Iran of fomenting unrest among its Shi'ite population and providing financial and material support, a charge Tehran denies. In a series of moves over the past three weeks, authorities also closed down the main Shi'ite opposition al-Wefaq Islamic Society, doubled the prison sentence on the group's leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, and detained prominent rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab. (Reuters)

Bahrain's move against top Shia cleric risks violence, says Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei

Iran and US aerospace giant Boeing have reached a deal for the purchase of 100 aircraft to renew the country&#39;s ageing fleet, the head of Tehran&#39;s civil aviation authority announced today. 
 
&quot;We have 250 planes in the country, 230 need to be replaced,&quot; said Ali Abedzadeh, the head of the civil aviation body, adding that the deal still needed approval from the US government. 
 
(AFP)

Iran and US aerospace giant Boeing have reached a deal for the purchase of 100 aircraft to renew the country's ageing fleet, the head of Tehran's civil aviation authority announced today. "We have 250 planes in the country, 230 need to be replaced," said Ali Abedzadeh, the head of the civil aviation body, adding that the deal still needed approval from the US government. (AFP)

Iran, Boeing reach deal on purchase of 100 planes: Tehran

The oil market is now in balance thanks to unplanned outages and robust demand, particularly from emerging economies, but this equilibrium will tilt into surplus again early next year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today. 
 
The agency said in its monthly report that demand growth in 2017 is likely to reach 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd), the same level at which it estimates growth for this year, having revised up its May 2016 forecast of 1.2 million bpd. 
 
&quot;Again, on the planning assumption that OPEC oil production grows modestly in 2017, we expect to see global oil stocks build slightly in the first half of 2017 before falling slightly more in the second half of 2017. For the year as a whole, there will be a very small stock draw of 0.1 million bpd,&quot; &nbsp; said&nbsp;the IEA. 
 
&quot;At halfway in 2016, the oil market looks to be balancing; but we must not forget that there are large volumes of shut-in production, mainly in Nigeria and Libya, that could return to the market, and the strong start for oil demand growth seen this year might not be maintained,&quot; said&nbsp;the Paris-based agency . 
 
Most of the anticipated demand growth this year and in 2017 is expected to come from nations that are not part of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the agency said. 
 
&quot;We must stress that this is our first look at 2017 and the huge number of moving parts will see us amend our numbers accordingly. However ... the direction of travel seems to be clear,&quot; said&nbsp;the IEA. 
 
The IEA&#39;s latest demand estimate for the first three months of this year shows global oil deliveries rising by 1.6 million bpd to 95.2 million bpd, with nine out of every 10 extra barrels going to a non-OECD economy. 
 
On the supply side, the IEA said output fell by 590,000 bpd year-on-year to 95.4 million bpd in May, the first major decline since the start of 2013, as spending cuts and outages reduced non-OPEC production by 1.3 million bpd from a year earlier. 
 
Having fallen by 900,000 bpd in 2016, non-OPEC supply growth is expected to rise by 200,000 bpd in 2017, lifting output to 57 million bpd, the IEA said. 
 
Crude output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries fell by 100,000 bpd in May to 32.61 million bpd, after a spate of attacks on oil infrastructure in Nigeria offset higher output from the Middle East. Production was still 500,000 bpd higher than in May last year. 
 
&quot;Iran has clearly emerged as OPEC&#39;s fastest source of supply growth this year, with an anticipated annual gain of nearly 700,000 bpd,&quot; the IEA said. 
 
The only other substantial increase from OPEC in 2017 could be from Nigeria, should security issues in the Niger Delta be resolved. 
(Reuters)

Large volumes of shut-in production from Nigeria and Libya can return to the market and that may change oil demand growth

The oil market is now in balance thanks to unplanned outages and robust demand, particularly from emerging economies, but this equilibrium will tilt into surplus again early next year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today. The agency said in its monthly report that demand growth in 2017 is likely to reach 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd), the same level at which it estimates growth for this year, having revised up its May 2016 forecast of 1.2 million bpd. "Again, on the planning assumption that OPEC oil production grows modestly in 2017, we expect to see global oil stocks build slightly in the first half of 2017 before falling slightly more in the second half of 2017. For the year as a whole, there will be a very small stock draw of 0.1 million bpd," said the IEA. "At halfway in 2016, the oil market looks to be balancing; but we must not forget that there are large volumes of shut-in production, mainly in Nigeria and Libya, that could return to the market, and the strong start for oil demand growth seen this year might not be maintained," said the Paris-based agency . Most of the anticipated demand growth this year and in 2017 is expected to come from nations that are not part of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the agency said. "We must stress that this is our first look at 2017 and the huge number of moving parts will see us amend our numbers accordingly. However ... the direction of travel seems to be clear," said the IEA. The IEA's latest demand estimate for the first three months of this year shows global oil deliveries rising by 1.6 million bpd to 95.2 million bpd, with nine out of every 10 extra barrels going to a non-OECD economy. On the supply side, the IEA said output fell by 590,000 bpd year-on-year to 95.4 million bpd in May, the first major decline since the start of 2013, as spending cuts and outages reduced non-OPEC production by 1.3 million bpd from a year earlier. Having fallen by 900,000 bpd in 2016, non-OPEC supply growth is expected to rise by 200,000 bpd in 2017, lifting output to 57 million bpd, the IEA said. Crude output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries fell by 100,000 bpd in May to 32.61 million bpd, after a spate of attacks on oil infrastructure in Nigeria offset higher output from the Middle East. Production was still 500,000 bpd higher than in May last year. "Iran has clearly emerged as OPEC's fastest source of supply growth this year, with an anticipated annual gain of nearly 700,000 bpd," the IEA said. The only other substantial increase from OPEC in 2017 could be from Nigeria, should security issues in the Niger Delta be resolved. (Reuters)

IEA sees oil market balance in 2016, surplus to re-emerge next year

Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards killed five members of a Kurdish separatist group involved in assaults last month in the northwest of the country, state media said on Monday. 
 
The five were responsible for the killings of two members of the Revolutionary Guards in Sardasht last month and an engineer working there, the Guards said in the statement. It did not say when the five were killed. 
 
&quot;A five-member team of the terrorist group Party of Free Life of Kurdistan(PJAK)were identified in a region near Sardasht ... and were all killed by the Revolutionary Guards army,&quot; Tasnim news agency reported, citing the Guards&#39; statement. 
 
PJAK, is an outlawed group that seeks self-governance for Iran&#39;s Kurds and has links to Turkey&#39;s militant Kurdish Workers&#39; Party. 
 
A ceasefire between the government and PJAK was signed in 2011, when Iran said it would suspend executions of Kurdish political prisoners if PJAK stopped its attacks. 
 
Both sides regularly violated the deal, but in recent months the number of clashes has climbed. 
 
Iran&#39;s seven million Kurds make up around 10 per cent of the population. Most live in Kurdistan, a region in the northwest on the border with Iraq. It is among the most politically active regions in Iran, where little dissent is tolerated.

The five members were responsible for the killings of two revolutionary guards and an engineer

Iran's Revolutionary Guards killed five members of a Kurdish separatist group involved in assaults last month in the northwest of the country, state media said on Monday. The five were responsible for the killings of two members of the Revolutionary Guards in Sardasht last month and an engineer working there, the Guards said in the statement. It did not say when the five were killed. "A five-member team of the terrorist group Party of Free Life of Kurdistan(PJAK)were identified in a region near Sardasht ... and were all killed by the Revolutionary Guards army," Tasnim news agency reported, citing the Guards' statement. PJAK, is an outlawed group that seeks self-governance for Iran's Kurds and has links to Turkey's militant Kurdish Workers' Party. A ceasefire between the government and PJAK was signed in 2011, when Iran said it would suspend executions of Kurdish political prisoners if PJAK stopped its attacks. Both sides regularly violated the deal, but in recent months the number of clashes has climbed. Iran's seven million Kurds make up around 10 per cent of the population. Most live in Kurdistan, a region in the northwest on the border with Iraq. It is among the most politically active regions in Iran, where little dissent is tolerated.

Kurdish separatists killed last month say Iran's Revolutionary Guards

Indian oil refiners will clear around $6.7 billion (USD) of outstanding debt to Iran through Turkey`s Halkbank within a short period, a senior Iranian economy official said on Wednesday. 
 
India is one of the biggest buyers of Iranian crude and built up a payments backlog when Iran was under Western sanctions, with its refiners owing about $6.5 billion to Iran. They cleared around $770 million in euros through Halkbank to the National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) earlier in May. 
 
&quot;As per the instructions of the Central Bank of Iran, the local banks in India will transfer the money to Halkbank,&quot; Sadegh Akbari, Iran`s general director for foreign economic relations, told reporters at a conference in Istanbul. 
($1 = 0.8970 euros)

India will pay back the $6.7 billion oil dues to Iran.

Indian oil refiners will clear around $6.7 billion (USD) of outstanding debt to Iran through Turkey`s Halkbank within a short period, a senior Iranian economy official said on Wednesday. India is one of the biggest buyers of Iranian crude and built up a payments backlog when Iran was under Western sanctions, with its refiners owing about $6.5 billion to Iran. They cleared around $770 million in euros through Halkbank to the National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) earlier in May. "As per the instructions of the Central Bank of Iran, the local banks in India will transfer the money to Halkbank," Sadegh Akbari, Iran`s general director for foreign economic relations, told reporters at a conference in Istanbul. ($1 = 0.8970 euros)

India will soon pay the $6.7 billion oil payment backlog to Iran, Iranian official says.

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