Page 44 - Iran

Thousands of Iranians died of Covid-19 due to US sanctions: Official

The sanctions, preventing Iran from transferring money through financial channels, made it difficult for the country to import Covid-19 vaccines and the necessary medicine during that period

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Iran can expect more EU sanctions

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly criticized the Iranian government Saturday for its bloody crackdown on protests in the country said Germany stands shoulder to shoulder with the Iranian people. Scholz said the ongoing protests sparked by the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her detention by Iran's morality police were no longer merely a question of dress codes but had evolved into a fight for freedom and justice. The protests have grown into one of the largest sustained challenges to Iran's theocracy since the chaotic months after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. We can barely begin to imagine how much courage this takes," Scholz said in his weekly video address. "More than 300 killed, dozens of death sentences and more than 14,000 arrests. So far. Those who demonstrate against oppression in Iran risk their lives, and often also the lives of their loved ones and face the prospect of torture and decades in prison. Hundreds of thousands of people in Germany with

UN rights body to hold urgent session on Iran amid crackdown on protestors

The UN's top human rights body is poised to hold a special session on Iran in the wake of the government's deadly crackdowns on protesters, threats against journalists and other alleged human rights violations in the Islamic republic. The Human Rights Council will hold the session in the week of November 21 "if possible on November 24," following a diplomatic request by Germany and Iceland. Germany sent a letter to the council offices Friday announcing the call for a special session "to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially with respect to women and children." At least one-third of the council's 47 member states need to support such a request and the move by Germany suggests it has lined up enough backing. The protests in Iran, sparked by the September 16 death of a 22-year-old woman after her detention by the country's morality police, have grown into one of the largest sustained challenges to the nation's theocracy since the

Protests in Iran rage on the streets as officials renew crackdowns

Protests in Iran raged on streets into Thursday with demonstrators remembering a bloody crackdown in the country's southeast, even as the nation's intelligence minister and army chief renewed threats against local dissent and the broader world. The protests in Iran, sparked by the September 16 death of a 22-year-old woman after her detention by the country's morality police, have grown into one of the largest sustained challenges to the nation's theocracy since the chaotic months after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. At least 328 people have been killed and 14,825 others arrested in the unrest, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that's been monitoring the protests over their 54 days. Iran's government for weeks has remained silent on casualty figures while state media counterfactually claims security forces have killed no one. As demonstrators now return to the streets to mark 40th-day remembrances for those slain earlier commemorations common in Iran and the wider .

Iranian, Russian security officials discuss Ukraine crisis, bilateral ties

Shamkhani noted that Iran welcomes and supports any initiative that leads to a ceasefire and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and is ready to play a role in ending the conflicts

Russia, Iran set to ink massive energy deal to offset Western sanctions

In early October, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister had announced that Moscow and Tehran may agree to a swap of 5 MT of oil and 10 billion cubic metres of gas, to be completed by the end of the year

Ukraine's President Zelensky wants Iran punished for helping Russia

"If it was not for the Iranian supply of weapons to the aggressor, we would be closer to peace now," Zelensky said Sunday evening in his daily address

Iranian FM says US should prove 'real will' in nuclear negotiations

The Iranian foreign minister stressed that his country adheres to the continuation of nuclear negotiations for the revival of the nuclear agreement

Iranian minister acknowledges supplying drones to Russia for first time

Iran's foreign minister on Saturday acknowledged for the first time that his country has supplied Russia with drones, insisting the transfer came before Moscow's war on Ukraine that has seen the Iranian-made drones divebombing Kyiv. The comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian come after months of confusing messaging from Iran about the weapons shipment, as Russia sends the drones slamming into Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian targets. We gave a limited number of drones to Russia months before the Ukraine war, Amirabdollahian told reporters after a meeting in Tehran. Previously, Iranian officials had denied arming Russia in its war on Ukraine. Just earlier this week, Iran's Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani called the allegations totally unfounded" and reiterated Iran's position of neutrality in the war. The US and its Western allies on the Security Council have called on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to investigate if Russia has used Irani

Iran is ready to deliver oil to India, says ambassador Iraj Elahi

"We always express our readiness to increase our economic ties with India. It's up to India, we are ready to deliver oil," Elahi said

US President Biden says 'we're gonna free Iran' as protests there go on

President Joe Biden on Thursday told supporters we're gonna free Iran after audience members appeared to call on him to address the ongoing protests that have spread through that country in the aftermath of the death of a young woman in the custody of its security forces. Don't worry, we're gonna free Iran," Biden said in an aside during a campaign rally for Democratic Rep. Mike Levin. He added, They're gonna free themselves pretty soon. Biden made the comments as supporters in the crowd held up cellphones displaying the message FREE IRAN. The Biden administration has faced growing criticism from Iranian American activists who are calling on the White House to abandon its efforts to resurrect the Iran nuclear deal because of the protests. The administration announced sanctions last month against Iranian officials for the brutal treatment of demonstrators following the September death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by Iran's morality police. The administration has also recently hi

Iran anti-hijab protest: 14, 000 arrested in last six weeks, says UN

Protests have swept through the Islamic Republic for weeks following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died on September 16 after being detained by 'morality police'

G7 ministers seek to expand unity on Ukraine war, China's economic clout

Top diplomats from the world's major industrialized democracies sought on Thursday to expand unified positions on Russia's war in Ukraine, China's growing global economic clout and Iran's crackdown on anti-government protestors. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations began two days of talks in the historic western German city of Muenster to take stock of the war in Ukraine and keep up economic, military and other support for the country more than eight months after Russia's invasion and as winter approaches. The significance of the venue the same room in which the Treaty of Westphalia ending Europe's bloody 30 Years War was signed in 1648 was not lost on the participants, some of whom commented on the relevance of the principles it enshrined in international diplomacy. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made reference to the 374-year-old document at an event with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, saying Russia's actions in Ukraine are a direct attack on the .

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Iran to send delegation to Vienna for talks with IAEA, says FM Abdollahian

He expressed hope for progress to be made in the talks as long as the IAEA sticks to a technical approach

Saudi Arabia tell US that Iran may attack the kingdom, says officials

Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with American officials that suggests Iran could be preparing for an imminent attack on the kingdom, three US officials said on Tuesday. The heightened concerns about a potential attack on Saudi Arabia come as the Biden administration is criticising Tehran for its crackdown on widespread protests and condemning it for sending hundreds of drones as well as technical support to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine. We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis, the National Security Council said in a statement. We will not hesitate to act in the defence of our interests and partners in the region. Saudi Arabia did not respond to requests for comment. Iran's mission to the United Nations told The Associated Press on Wednesday the US claims are baseless. Western and Zionist regimes spread biased news aimed at creating a negative mood towards the Islamic Repub

US to seek Iran's ouster from United Nation's top women's rights body

The United States announced Wednesday it will seek to oust Iran from the UN's premier global body fighting for gender equality because of its violation of the rights of women and girls and its ongoing crackdown on demonstrators who took to the streets in September after the death of a 22-year-old woman taken into custody by the morality police. Vice-President Kamala Harris made the announcement of the US intention to work with other countries to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women, saying no nation that abuses women's rights should play a role in any international or United Nations body charged with protecting these very same rights. She said Iran is unfit to serve on the commission and its presence discredits the integrity of its work. At an informal meeting of the UN Security Council later Wednesday on the protests in Iran, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield added that Iran's membership is an ugly stain on the commission's credibility and in our view it canno

Iran preparing for an attack on the kingdom, Saudi Arabia tell US

Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with American officials that suggests Iran could be preparing for an imminent attack on the kingdom, three US officials have said. The heightened concerns about a potential attack on Saudi Arabia as the Biden administration is criticising Tehran for its crackdown on widespread protests and condemning it for sending hundreds of drones as well as technical support to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine. We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis, the National Security Council said in a statement. We will not hesitate to act in the defense of our interests and partners in the region. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Nor did Iran's mission to the United Nations. One of the officials who confirmed the intelligence sharing described it as a credible threat of an attack soon or within 48 hours. No US embassy or consulate in

Iran signs contracts worth $6.5 billion in gas sector with Russia

Iran and Russia have signed contracts worth around $6.5 billion for cooperation in the gas sector, a Minister announced here.

US sanctions Iranian group that put bounty on Salman Rushdie's life

The US is imposing financial penalties on an Iranian-based organization that raised money to target British-American author Salman Rushdie, who was violently attacked in August at a literary event. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the 15 Khordad Foundation, which issued a multimillion-dollar bounty for the killing of Rushdie. He wrote The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous. Rushdie's agent says the author has lost sight in one eye and the use of a hand as he recovers from an attack by a man who rushed the stage at the event in western New York. The United States will not waver in its determination to stand up to threats posed by Iranian authorities against the universal rights of freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of the press, said Brian Nelson, Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. This act of violence, which has been praised by the Iranian regime, is appalling. We all hope fo