No U.S. politician wants Islamic Republic to exist: ex-diplomat

TEHRAN – No American politician – whether Republican or Democrat – wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to exist, says Hamid Reza Asefi, a former Iranian diplomat.

Iran ready to scale up nuclear work by installing advanced centrifuges: top MP

TEHRAN – The head of the Majlis Nuclear Committee has said Iran is ready to use advanced centrifuges in the third phase of reducing its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

By staff and agency

Kremlin: Russia and France share common task to preserve nuclear deal

Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov has said that Russia and France share the common tasks of preserving the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the JCPOA.

‘Intl. community is responsible to guarantee Iran’s benefits from nuclear deal’

TEHRAN - Agnes Von Der Muhll, the French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, has said that the international community is responsible to guarantee Iran’s benefits from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.

Europe must fulfil JCPOA commitments: MP

TEHRAN - Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a veteran MP sitting on the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has said that Europe must fulfil its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Rouhani says Iran will take next step to limit nuclear commitments if demands not met

No need to foreign forces for Persian Gulf security, Rouhani says

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday insisted on Iran’s position that there is no need to foreign forces to maintain security in the Persian Gulf region.

By majid Rafee

Will Democrats’ return revive JCPOA?

TEHRAN - We Iranians have a proverb, 'the yellow dog is the brother of the Jackal', that implies "none of these two people is better than the other, both of them are bad and vicious". Its etymology is as follows:

By staff and agency

UK reiterates support for nuclear deal

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said on Monday that the United Kingdom’s position on the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, has not changed, FXSTREET reported.

Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile hits 370 kg

TEHRAN – Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile has increased to reach 370 kilograms, according to the country’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman.

Iran: No noteworthy proposal from France

(Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has said Tehran has not received any noteworthy or definite offer from France in the course of efforts to save the 2015 nuclear deal and make up for the EU’s failure to fulfill Iran’s interests under the agreement.

By staff and agency

China, France to work on reducing tension on Iran nuclear issue

In a phone conversation on Friday with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing is willing to work with France to prevent further escalation of tensions on the Iran nuclear deal.

German head of INSTEX resigns

A former senior German diplomat designated to head a mechanism to facilitate trade with Tehran has resigned, AP reported.

Top lawmaker likens INSTEX to an empty bucket

TEHRAN – In its current form the European Union’s financial mechanism for trade with Iran is like an “empty bucket”, which is useless to the Islamic Republic, a senior MP said on Wednesday.

Oil trade, banking ties are Iran’s basic rights, Rouhani says in phone call with Macron

TEHRAN - In a phone conversation with French President Emanuel Macron on Tuesday afternoon, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said oil export and banking transactions are the “most important economic rights of Iran”.

Iran to review nuclear decision if other sides fulfil commitments: MP

TEHRAN - Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, the spokesman for the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has said Iran will review its decision to reduce its nuclear commitments if other sides take practical actions to fulfill their obligations.

By Mehdi Sepahvand

Zarif says while in UN he was told to go to White House or be sanctioned

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told a press conference on Monday that while he was in New York the Americans told him that if he did not accept to go to the White House to meet President Donald Trump he will be sanctioned in two weeks.

By Sadeq Dehqan & Amirhadi Arsalanpour

MP: US has no choice but to return to JCPOA

In order to preserve a nuclear agreement with Iran, “there is no choice for the United States and the European countries but to adhere to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” said the Iranian lawmaker, Seyyed Hossein Naqavi-Hosseini.

Mogherini's Adviser: EU Will Continue Efforts to Save JCPOA despite US Ban on Zarif

TEHRAN – A special adviser to European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini described the Trump administration’s move to sanction Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as “paradoxical”, noting that it will not affect Europe’s efforts aimed at saving the JCPOA.

Iran will take next step to scale back nuclear activities if obligations not met: Zarif

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said Iran will take the next step in reducing commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal if the remaining parties to the agreement do not honor their obligations.

By staff and agency

China, EU agree to safeguard nuclear deal

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini agreed on Thursday to continue safeguarding the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

By Mohammad Ghaderi

How plans for restraining Iran backfired

Iran’s active resistance and strategic patience have nullified all plans of western opponents to restrain Iran. In the latest meeting on Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the western countries stepped back from their previously harsh policies. It seems that Iran has been successful in restraining the west, as the remaining members of JCPOA Committee stopped talking about using the trigger mechanism.

INSTEX might be beginning of autonomous Europe in world: expert

TEHRAN – INSTEX, a European special purpose vehicle for trade with Iran to bypass U.S. sanctions, might actually be the beginning of an autonomous Europe, free of the influence of Washington, a political science professor at Tampere University from Finland believes.

By staff and agency

Top German official calls for upholding nuclear deal

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday that Germany is working with Britain and France to uphold the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Rouhani to Macron: Normalizing oil and banking ties is first step Europe should take

TEHRAN – In a phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron late on Tuesday, President Hassan Rouhani said the first step that Europe should take to save the 2015 nuclear deal is to normalize oil and banking ties.

By Haniyeh Sadat Jafariyeh

May Iranian economy resuscitate from doldrums

TEHRAN – Inflation rate (the increase in consumer prices besides those of the producer), as one the main economic indices, has skyrocketed during the past recent year, i.e. as of the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, May 8, 2018. 

Iran mustn’t leave JCPOA on any account, says top MP

TEHRAN – Spokesman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee says Tehran must certainly not leave the nuclear agreement, also referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was struck between Tehran and six world powers in 2015 but was abandoned by the U.S. in 2018.

Austria committed to nuclear deal, diplomat says

TEHRAN – The Austrian Ambassador to Tehran, Stefan Scholz, said on Tuesday that Vienna is committed to the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

By staff and agency

EU: Nuclear commitments and lifting sanctions are essential parts of JCPOA

Helga Schmid, secretary general of the European External Action Service (EEAS), issued a statement on Sunday saying that participants at the emergency meeting of the JCPOA in Vienna reaffirmed their commitments to preserve the JCPOA.

Tehran welcomes rapprochement with Riyadh

TEHRAN – Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on Monday described as a “positive signal” a call by Riyadh for talks with Tehran, calling on all Muslim countries to set aside their differences to move forward. 

By Payman Yazdani

US attempts to find Amano’s replacement to serve its interests: Cartalucci

TEHRAN – Referring to Yukiya Amano’s death and the US attempts to find a replacement to serve Washington's interests Cartalucci says Tehran must expect the worst and prepare for it while attempting to maintain diplomatic and strategic patience for as long as possible Yukiya Amano, who led the International Atomic Energy Agency for a decade and was extensively involved in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, died at the age of 72.