PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (left) and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi (File Photo)
LATEST
- Video: Crowd Chants for Detained Opposition Leader Mousavi
- Revolutionary Guards Begin Wargames in Strait of Hormuz, Blow Up Model “US Warship”
- Rouhani Government: Inflation Drops Close to Target Rate of 15%
- Lead Nuclear Negotiator Has “Very Good Meeting” With Head of International Atomic Energy Agency
Showing Iran’s support for the Iraqi Government, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has paid a sudden visit to Baghdad.
Zarif went directly to the Iraqi capital from two days of nuclear talks in Geneva with US Secretary of State John Kerry. In the words of Iran’s State media, he declared, “[We] will not leave Iraq alone in the fight against terrorism.”
Tehran usually handles high-level political discussions with Iraq through the Secretary of the National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani.
No official explanation was given for the sudden change in Zarif’s travel plans. However, the theme of counter-terrorism continued with Iraqi Prime Haidar al-Abadi’s statements on “Iran’s role in the campaign against terrorism” and “the need for cooperation among countries in the Middle East to fight the menace, according to Iranian outlet Press TV.
Another clue to Zarif’s visit came from his statement on the four-year Syrian crisis, where Iran is facing difficulties over its economic and military backing of the Assad regime. Speaking along Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Zarif condemned Turkey’s military intervention in northwest Syria last weekend, moving the tomb of the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire:
In our view respecting territorial integrity and not using force in international relations is a fundamental and rigid principle in the international law and disrespecting this principle could be of no help to the establishment of security in the region.
We ask all the neighboring and regional countries to seriously and accurately consider this important principle because deviating from this path could pose a serious danger to the region.
Iran’s political and military involvement in Iraqi affairs has escalated since the Islamic State’s offensive last June took much of northern and eastern Iraq and challenged the Baghdad Government. Tehran has despatched equipment, troops, and commanders, notably the head of the elite Qods Force, Qassem Soleimani.
At the same time, the Supreme Leader has led denunciations of US intervention in the country, with Iranian officials repeatedly claiming that Washington — along with Britain and Israel — created the Islamic State.
Video: Crowd Chants for Detained Opposition Leader Mousavi
Video has been posted, from the funeral of the sister of former President Mohammad Khatami, which shows a crowd chanting for freedom for the detained opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Mousavi, who “lost” to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the disputed 2009 Presidential election, was put under strict house arrest in February 2011. Mousavi’s wife Zahra Rahnavard, a prominent academic and activist, and opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi are also confined.
Revolutionary Guards Begin Wargames in Strait of Hormuz, Blow Up Model “US Warship”
The Revolutionary Guards have begun wargames in the Strait of Hormuz, staging a gunboat attack on a model US warship on Wednesday.
Guards commanders and Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani attended a ceremony launching the exercise, “Great Prophet 9”. Larijani said, “With attention to the situation in the region, we have noticeably expanded the defense budget of the armed forces to ensure the stable security of the region/
Guards outlet Fars News proclaimed that the “maquette of an American aircraft carrier” was built to scale and targeted with missiles.
Gunboats carried out mine operations, and Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said 20 new missiles, “including underwater ones with a speed of 100 meters per second”, will be tested.
Rouhani Government: Inflation Drops Close to Target Rate of 15%has announced that the inflation rate for the 11-month period ending on February 19 has dropped to 15.2%.
The rate for the comparable period ending in January was 15.8%.
The Rouhani Government inherited inflation of more than 40% when President Ahmadinejad left office in August 2013.
In March 2014, Tayyebnia said inflation would fall below 15% within a year. He said in July that the government would pursue programs leading to a single-digit rate.
The administration has prepared a comprehensive plan to combat high inflation and bring the national economy out of recession, the IRNA news agency quoted Tayyebnia as saying.
In March 2014, Tayyebnia said that the country’s inflation rate would fall below 15 percent in Iranian calendar year 1393 (March 2014-March 2015).
Lead Nuclear Negotiator Has “Very Good Meeting” With Head of International Atomic Energy Agency
Trying to ease relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran’s lead nuclear negotiator met IAEA head Yukiya Amano on Tuesday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke with Amano after four days of nuclear talks between Iran and the US in Geneva.
Amano has repeatedly expressed frustration, including comments last week, that Iran has not met all the conditions of an agreement with the IAEA last year over inspection and supervision of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Araqchi said Tuesday that, in the “very good discussion”, Iran “agreed…to move faster and in a better sense” over issues such as provision of information on explosive detonators that could be used in a militarized nuclear effort.
The IAEA said in a statement, “Today’s meeting was useful and facilitated a better understanding between the two sides.”
