Iran’s envoy named IAEA conference vice president

TEHRAN - Kazem Gharib Abadi, Iran’s representative to the Vienna-based international organizations, has been elected as the vice president of the International Atomic Energy Agency annual conference.

‘Pompeo should thank Kerry for maintaining back channel to Zarif’

TEHRAN - Former Deputy Director of the CIA John McLaughlin has said that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should thank John Kerry, former secretary of state, for maintaining back channel to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Velayati: Russia, China are Iran’s major economic and political partners 

TEHRAN – Senior Iranian politician Ali Akbar Velayati has provided an analysis of the Islamic Republic’s policy of orientation towards the East, saying Russia and China are Iran’s major political and economic partners in countering the U.S. hegemony, Tasnim reported.

Chinese envoy: We support JCPOA 

TEHRAN – China’s ambassador to Tehran says his country will support the Iran nuclear deal, aka the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran says not even thinking of talks with ‘naïve’ Trump administration

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday that Iran does not even think about holding talks with the U.S., insisting negotiation with the “naïve” Trump administration is not on Tehran’s agenda.

'Gradualism' not proper approach to save nuclear deal, Salehi tells EU

TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Salehi, director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said on Monday that “approach of gradualism” adopted by the European Union’s is not a proper way to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

UN watchdog: Iran living up to its nuclear commitments 

TEHRAN - Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano once again confirmed on Monday that Iran is honoring its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran, the European Union and the 5+1 nations (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany).

Mattis questioning efficacy of Trump’s nuclear deal exit: NYT 

In Defense Secretary James Mattis has begun questioning the efficacy of Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal — a move that, again, was made against his advice, the New York Times said on Sunday in a commentary headlined “Fraying Ties With Trump Put Jim Mattis’s Fate in Doubt”.

Anarchists target Iranian embassy in Athens

TEHRAN – Members of an anarchist group in Athens on Monday attacked the Iranian embassy in Athens, the Greek Reporter online news portal said.

By Marjohn Sheikhi

Currency slump gives rise to visits from neighbors, sanctions wane visits from EU

TEHRAN– The fall in Iran’s national currency value has attracted a new wave of visitors from neighboring countries, particularly Iraq. According to recent figures, the arrival of foreign tourists to Iran has had a 45% increase in a five-month period compared to last year.