By Afshin Majlesi

Iran travel sector: Ups and downs since U.S. reimposed sanctions

TEHRAN – Last November, the Trump administration reinstated sanctions on Iran, mainly the ones that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, in order to batter Iran’s economy, however, according to official data, they have so far failed to lessen foreign arrivals to the Islamic Republic.

By Negar Asadi

Room for negotiations is ‘wide open’ if U.S. lifts sanctions on Iran, Zarif says

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that the room for negotiations is wide open if U.S. President Donald Trump lifts sanctions against Iran.

Sanctions hamper access to life-saving medicines in Iran: M8 Alliance 

TEHRAN- M8 Alliance, the academic backbone of the World Health Summit, has announced in a recent resolution that “economic sanctions imposed by certain countries (not the United Nations) against Iran had harmful effects on the countries’ economies, people’s welfare, healthcare, and the availability of life-saving medicines.” 

Interior minister predicts Iran will emerge victorious from sanctions

TEHRAN – Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said on Saturday that Iran is in the best security situation due to the support that it enjoys from its own people.

U.S. ‘holding off’ sanctions on FM Zarif: sources

TEHRAN – The U.S. has decided to put off imposing sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for now, Reuters quoted two unnamed sources as saying on Thursday.

Iraqi arrivals in Iran gaining momentum

TEHRAN - The number of Iraqi nationals visiting Iran is gaining momentum this year as the Islamic Republic endeavors to boost its tourism revenues in the face of U.S.-led sanctions. 

Bolton claims Trump admin’s pressure campaign against Iran is working

TEHRAN – U.S. national security adviser John Bolton has claimed that the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Iran is working.

Trump’s zigzags on Iran threaten U.S. alliance structure: Australian National University academic

In an article on The Strategist published on Monday, Ramesh Thakur, the director of the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament at Australian National University, has written that U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy towards Iran is threatening the U.S. alliance structure.

Kharrazi says INSTEX does not go beyond a “claim”

TEHRAN - Kamal Kharrazi, chairman of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, believes that INSTEX, a European payment system for trade with Iran designed to circumvent U.S. sanctions imposed on Tehran, lacks teeth.

New bans expose U.S. insincerity in calls for talks: top official

TEHRAN – Any U.S. sanctions targeting the Iranian foreign minister would block the road of diplomacy and would further expose the insincerity of Washington’s calls for negotiations with the Islamic Republic, says President Rouhani’s deputy for parliamentary affairs.

Macron: Europe plans no immediate sanctions if Iran scales back nuclear commitments 

Europe has no immediate plans to follow the U.S. and impose sanctions on Iran, even if Tehran makes good on its threat to scale back its commitment to a nuclear accord, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday in Osaka, Japan, the venue of the G20 summit.

‘Power drawn from spiritual influence can’t be subject to sanctions’

TEHRAN – The secretary of Supreme National Security Council says Iran’s power, which “is drawn from spiritual influence” cannot be subject to sanctions.

President says Iranian nation become livelier, stronger after each U.S. move

White House has become mentally crippled: Rouhani

TEHRAN – The U.S. ruling authorities are baffled and wondering why none of the measures they adopt against Iran bears fruit, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday after Washington announced a new round of sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s officials.

Rouhani advisor: War and sanctions are two sides of the same coin

TEHRAN – Hesamoddin Ashena, an adviser to President Hassan Rouhani, said on Monday that Iran does not differentiate between sanctions and war, calling them “two sides of the same coin”.

Russia says ready to help offset U.S. sanctions on Iran

TEHRAN – Moscow says along with its partners it is prepared to take steps to counter new sanctions that the U.S. imposed on Iran on Monday. 

U.S. sanctions disrupting anti-drugs fight: Zarif

TEHRAN – Iran’s foreign minister has criticized the U.S. sanctions for hindering Iran’s effort and cooperation with other countries in the fight against drug trafficking, saying Washington and a number of Western countries are responsible for the consequences of such interruption.

No more passport stamps for foreign nationals visiting Iran

TEHRAN - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has issued an order for the waiver of physical stamping on travelers’ passports upon entering or leaving the country. 

Iran in talks with several countries for monetary agreements: Zarif

TEHRAN – Negotiations for monetary agreements are underway with several countries, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday.

Partial suspension of nuclear commitments is Iran’s least reaction

Rouhani: U.S. sanctions are ‘crime against humanity’

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the U.S. sanctions against Iran constitute examples of “crime against humanity and economic terrorism” because they have targeted ordinary people’s “lives and needs”.

Iran says to scale back nuclear commitments to create balance

TEHRAN - Behrooz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), has said that if the Europeans refuse to uphold Iran’s rights under the 2015 nuclear deal, Tehran will continue to scale back its commitments to “create a balance”.

Jahangiri: Iran is a peace-seeking nation but ready to defend itself

TEHRAN – Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri has said Iran is a “peace-seeking nation” but does not fear military confrontation and will defend itself against enemies in case of a war.

U.S. grants energy-hungry Iraq new Iran sanctions waiver: source

(AFP) - The United States has granted Iraq another 90-day waiver to continue with vital energy imports from neighboring Iran despite re-imposed sanctions, a government source said Saturday.

By Payman Yazdani

Abe not to be able to achieve any real breakthrough: Italian expert

TEHRAN - Dr. Pastori Gianluca says that Shinzo Abe will not be able to achieve any real breakthrough in tensions between Iran and the U.S.

By Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi

Post-JCPOA talks and the Deal of Century: Two sides of the same coin

TEHRAN - One year ago, U.S. abandoned its nuclear deal with Iran and imposed a wide range of sanctions on Iran. Furthermore, over the last year, U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Economic War Room, created by Donald Trump’s administration, adopted a series of strategies to impede Iran from exporting oil and transferring foreign exchange to other countries. 

With sanctions on, talks offer ‘hypocritical’: Iranian minister

TEHRAN – Iran’s defense minister has questioned the sincerity of U.S. officials’ offer for unconditional negotiations, characterizing the offer as “bogus and hypocritical”.

EU mechanism for settlements with Iran failing to gain momentum: Russia's EU envoy

(TASS) - The Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), a European Union’s mechanism for financial settlements with Iran, is failing to gain momentum, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov told TASS on Friday.

Tehran says sanctions on petrochemical company proves Trump’s talks offer is hollow 

TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Saturday strongly denounced the U.S. Treasury’s latest move to impose new sanctions against an Iranian petrochemical company.

EU cannot confront U.S. sanctions: ex-envoy

TEHRAN – Former Iranian Ambassador to Italy Abolfazl Zohrevand has said the European Union is not able to resist and confront the United States’ policy of sanctions and pressure against Iran, noting that the EU instead wants to buy time.

Rouhani: Enemy can never bring Iranian nation to its knees

TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that enemy can never bring the noble Iranian nation to its knees.

Rezaee says Iran will surely overcome U.S. economic blockade

TEHRAN – Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of the Expediency Council, has voiced certainty that Iran will finally defeat the economic blockade imposed by the United States.