Parliament drops plan to impeach Rouhani

TEHRAN – After days of a political tug-of-war between proponents and opponents of the plan to impeach President Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian Parliament has announced that it will not proceed with the plan.

Moscow blasts Washington over Iran-related sanctions on Chinese firms

TEHRAN – Russia has blasted the United States for trying to substitute the UN Security Council with regard to Iran, urging the U.S. to stop humiliating itself in such pointless endeavor.

Iran’s correct policy of not exiting JCPOA has borne fruit, says government

TEHRAN – Iran’s correct policy of not exiting the nuclear agreement has borne fruit, says government spokesman Ali Rabiei.

Iran comprehensively supports Afghan-led peace process: Abdullah

TEHRAN – Abdullah Abdullah, the head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, has said that during his visit to Tehran, he received comprehensive support from Iran for an Afghan-led peace process.

Ghalibaf calls for wise measures amid U.S. economic war

TEHRAN – Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagheri Ghalibaf on Monday called for wise political decisions, saying Iran is in a full-blown economic war which demands careful decision-making.

Tehran congratulates Luis Arce on Bolivian presidential election victory

TEHRAN – Iran has congratulated the new president of Bolivia on election victory, expressing the Islamic Republic’s full support for the elected government of Luis Arce.

Tehran, Kiev hold second round of talks on downed Ukrainian plane

TEHRAN – Iran and Ukraine on Monday held the second round of negotiations about the Ukrainian passenger plane which was accidentally shot down on January 8 near the capital Tehran.

Iran denies shipping Russian arms out to Armenia

TEHRAN – Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami has rebuffed allegations that Iran was siding with Armenia by allowing Russian weapons to pass through its territories to neighboring Armenia.

Abdullah Abdullah says Iran is “a good friend and neighbor of Afghanistan”

Rouhani: Trump abusing Afghan peace talks as election boost

TEHRAN — President Hassan Rouhani has warned that U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to abuse Afghanistan’s peace talks to reach his presidential election objectives.

Raisi suggests there’s no political solution to economic problems

Problems can be solved by people: Judiciary chief

TEHRAN — Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi has said the country’s problems can be solved by the capable hands of the Iranian nation.

Expiration of UN arms embargo a ‘major victory’: Iran

TEHRAN – Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said on Monday that the expiration of a UN arms embargo on Iran was a major win for the country.

U.S. regional allies see JCPOA as ‘greatest threat against themselves’, says ex-diplomat

TEHRAN — Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian nuclear negotiator who now works as a researcher at Princeton University, believes the United States’ allies in the region regard the Iran nuclear deal as the greatest threat against themselves.

Iran will sell more weapons than it will buy: defense chief

TEHRAN — Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said on Sunday that Iran will sell more weapons than it will purchase following the expiration of a UN arm embargo on Tehran that expired on October 18.

Russia ready to start military-technical cooperation with Iran: diplomat

TEHRAN – Russia is not afraid of U.S. restrictions on Iran and will move forward with military cooperation with the country, according to Sergey Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister of Russia.

Iran no longer needs UNSC permission for arms trade: envoy

TEHRAN – As of mid-October, Iran’s arms trade will no longer be subject to prior permission from the United Nations Security Council, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN said on Sunday.

Rouhani: Enemies have invested in domestic disputes

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani says that his administration has thwarted U.S. ominous goal to bring about the collapse of national economy through sanctions.

Abdullah holds talks on Afghan peace process with Zarif, Ghalibaf

TEHRAN – Chairman of Afghan peace council Abdullah Abdullah, who is in Tehran to hold talks with top Iranian officials, held talks on Sunday with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Iran’s defense co-op with the world a win for multilateralism: Zarif

Chief diplomat says it is ‘momentous day for international community’ as arms embargo against Iran is terminated

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has congratulated the international community over defiance of “malign U.S. efforts” to extend an arms embargo on Iran, which officially came to an end on Sunday.

Iran announces termination of UN arms embargo

TEHRAN – In an official statement on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry announced the termination of a UN arms embargo on Iran in defiance of the United States’ failed efforts to extend the embargo.

Zarif’s visit to China accelerated strategic partnership: ambassador

TEHRAN – The recent visit by Iran’s chief diplomat to China has accelerated the process of moving forward with a comprehensive strategic partnership plan between Tehran and Beijing, Mohammad Keshavarzzadeh, the Iranian ambassador to Beijing, said.

Iran denounces Ganja attack as ‘war crime’

TEHRAN – Iran’s embassy in Baku has denounced a deadly missile attack on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja, saying the attack violated international norms and was a “war crime”.

Atrianfar criticizes reformists for ‘radical slogans’  

TEHRAN - Mohammad Atrianfar, a member of the central council of the pro-reform Servants of Construction Party, has advised the reformists if they find no candidate in the upcoming presidential elections turn to “existing qualified candidate” like the 2103 elections in which they backed Hassan Rouhani as their favored candidate.

Bolton admits receiving money from MEK terror group

TEHRAN — Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton has admitted to receiving money from the cultish Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) group, at a time when the group was still not removed from Washington’s blacklist.

Abdullah Abdullah set to visit Tehran on Sunday

TEHRAN — Chairman of Afghan Peace Council Abdullah Abdullah is scheduled to arrive in Tehran on Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Saturday.

Al-Jubeir predicted defeat of Houthis in three weeks: advisor

TEHRAN — A senior foreign policy advisor to the Iranian Parliament speaker has said that Saudi Arabia thought it could defeat the Houthis in Yemen in just three weeks but has failed to reach its goal in nearly six years.

Iran says looking forward to buying, selling weapons with ‘many friends’

TEHRAN — An Iranian diplomat has said that the Islamic Republic is looking forward to buying and selling weapons with a number of international partners after a UN arms embargo on Tehran is lifted.

Iran condemns attacks on Pakistani troops

TEHRAN - Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has condemned the terrorist attacks on Pakistani troops in Ormara and Quetta over the past two days, expressing sympathy with the people and government of Pakistan.