By staff and agency

William Burns and Jake Sullivan call Trump’s decision to quit nuclear deal ‘foolish’

William J. Burns, a former U.S. deputy secretary of state, and Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser to former vice president Joe Biden, have said that the Trump administration’s decision to quit the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was “foolish”.

Iran has acted prudently by reducing nuclear commitments: Kamalvandi

TEHRAN - Behrooz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), has said that Iran has been acting prudently by reducing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the JCPOA.

Rouhani says 83 million Iranians “will not forget this crime” by the United States.

Rouhani: U.S. committing crime against humanity by targeting Iranians’ livelihood

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that the United States has committed “crime against humanity” by “economic terrorism” against the Iranians.

Russia: Revocation of Iran nuclear deal to fuel regional tensions 

TEHRAN – Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, the chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council, said on Monday that destruction of the 2015 nuclear deal will intensify security tensions in the region. 

Embassy: British experts in Iran to upgrade Arak reactor

TEHRAN – A team of British experts arrived in Iran on Monday to begin work to upgrade the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, the British embassy in Tehran said.

Turkish move against Syria ‘unacceptable’

Rouhani says separating budget from oil requires ‘precise surgery’

TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that separating budget from oil revenues requires a “precise surgery”.

By Javad Heirannia

INSTEX has a limited scope: Finaud

TEHRAN - Marc Finaud, the former French Foreign Ministry spokesman, says that the INSTEX mechanism is operational but has a limited scope.

What can we expect from Trump? Is Pastor Chuck Baldwin also a chosen one?

TEHRAN - Robert David Steele, a former Marine Corps infantry officer and CIA spy as well as an activist for Open Source Everything Engineering (OSEE), regularly answers questions for Tehran Times. by Javad Heirannia

By Javad Heirannia

Europe has not been honest with Tehran: Shireen Hunter

TEHRAN - Shireen Tahmaasb Hunter, a professor of political science at Georgetown University, tells the Tehran Times that “France is not capable of doing anything to ensure the JCPOA's survival without American approval.”

Zarif: Iran is categorically opposed to nuclear arms as a religious, moral duty and strategic imperative

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has reiterated Iran’s position on development and use of nuclear weapons, saying as stated by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran is categorically opposed to nuclear arms.

Iranian FM says the Adana agreement between Turkey and Syria is still valid

Zarif says Syria and Turkey should together guard border

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that the Syrian Army together with Turkey can guard the border with Turkey.

MP warns Europe to fulfil JCPOA duties or face Iran’s next step

TEHRAN – Chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Mojtaba Zonnour has warned that Iran would take the fourth step in reducing its commitments to the 2015 nuclear agreement of the JCPOA should the other side continue to fail to fulfil its obligations under the accord.

By Martin Love

Reasons to be optimistic and steadfast in Iran

NORTH CAROLINA - So, Donald Trump is abandoning the Kurds in northeastern Syria and allegedly pulling out U.S. troops, giving Turkey a green light to try to ensure that a Kurdish state will not threaten Turkey’s eastern Anatolia. But the fear is that ISIS will be resurrected somehow, and on it goes in a kaleidoscope of sectarian and political confrontations in the Middle East where the sands beneath one’s feet seem to shift on a weekly basis.

By Hmaid Bayati

Europe's pretext for evading Iran's demands

TEHRAN - The opportunity to save the JCPOA (the nuclear deal concluded between Iran and the 5+1 group in 2015) is narrowing down, but the European signatories of the international deal, known as EU3 (Britain, France and Germany), are not daring enough to counter the U.S. and accept the expenses of their resistance against Washington’s illegal withdrawal from the JCPOA.

Economic war has targeted people’s health, Zarif laments

TEHRAN - Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday that the United States’ sanctions and economic war on Iran have targeted the ordinary people’s health and livelihood.

By M.D.

Iran’s coup de grace

In a Washington round table in May 2012 I was asked what I thought about Iran’s role in our region. I said, when the U.S. and Iran reach a coexistence arrangement, we will all sleep peacefully. 

Iran to legally seek reparations caused by JCPOA violation

TEHRAN - Laya Joneidi, the presidential aide for legal affairs, has said that Iran will legally seek reparations caused by the U.S. violation of the JCPOA, the official name for the 2015 nuclear deal.

Nuclear Official: Nuclear energy for all, nuclear weapon for none

TEHRAN – Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi on Sunday reiterated that Tehran is committed firmly to the Supreme Leader’s guideline of “nuclear energy for all, atomic weapon for none”.

Europeans legally not in a position to quit nuclear deal: Zarif

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that the Europeans are not legally in a position to quit the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Senior MP censures weak reaction of Europeans to U.S. JCPOA violation

TEHRAN – MP Mohammad Javad Jamali, who sits on the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has criticized the E3 (France, Germany and Britain) for their weak reaction to the violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name for the nuclear deal.

By Afshin Majlesi

Words versus deeds: Are White House sanctions on Iranians economic terrorism?

Tehran accuses Washington of launching an economic terrorism against Iranian people, a claim that the U.S. denies.

Iran can only trust an independent Europe, MP says

TEHRAN - Hassan Norouzi, a spokesman with the Majlis Legal and Judicial Committee, has said that the European countries should prove their independence in order to gain Iran’s trust.

“Iran hasn’t got much for keeping its part of the deal”

IAEA chief candidate: Nuclear deal can be saved by goodwill not sanctions

Marta Ziakova, who is running for the post of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, has said that the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, can be saved by goodwill not sanctions.

Araghchi urges protection of nuclear deal against unilateralism

TEHRAN - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, must be protected against the U.S. unilateralist approach.

Rouhani says Iran’s status has improved over the past year and a half

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that despite economic pressure Iran’s status has improved over the past year and a half.

Ayatollah Khamenei says U.S. policy of maximum pressure has failed 

Iran will continue reducing nuclear commitments: Leader

TEHRAN - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Iran will continue to reduce commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Rouhani attends Eurasian Economic Union, calls for joint investment

TEHRAN - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who participated at the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) summit in Yerevan, Armenia, on Tuesday called for forming a special task force for joint investment.

Trump will change policy as he sees Iranians’ determination, government predicts

TEHRAN - Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Monday that the U.S. exit from “self-inflicted dead-end” requires something more than “enthusiasm”.

G-77 backs JCPOA, condemns unilateral sanctions on Iran 

TEHRAN – Foreign ministers of the Group of 77 (G-77) along with China issued a detailed statement at United Nations headquarters in New York on September 27 reaffirming their support for the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and its negotiating partners, including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Germany and the European Union, saying the deal exemplifies a “concrete case of a successful multilateral action for resolving outstanding global issues.” 

Nuclear deal ‘worthless’ if it does not benefit Iran: Vaezi

TEHRAN – Presidential chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi says the nuclear deal, also known as Barjam in Iran, is worthless if it does not benefit Iran.