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☆ How Iran and the US reached the prisoner swap deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Sept 18 (Reuters) - Iran and the U.S. were to swap five detainees each on Monday after Qatar mediated a deal between the arch foes that also unfroze $6 billion of Tehran's funds. The transfer of Iran's funds has drawn Republican criticism that President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is in effect paying ransom for U.S. citizens. WHY WERE IRAN'S FUNDS FROZEN IN SOUTH KOREA? He also reimposed harsh U.S. sanctions designed to choke off Iran's oil exports as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign on the Islamic Republic. Seoul, normally one of Iran’s largest oil customers, received a waiver in 2018 from the United States to continue purchases of Iranian oil for several months.

Persons: Joe Biden, Tehran's, Dado Ruvic, Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz, Mehrdad Moin, Ansari, Kambiz Attar, Kashani, Reza Sarhangpour, Amin Hassanzadeh, Kaveh, Donald Trump, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Parisa Hafezi, William Maclean Organizations: Qatar, Reuters, Iranian Foreign, Democrat, Doha, U.S, Iranian, REUTERS, WHO, United Nations, KOREA, Washington, U.S ., Islamic, Thomson Locations: Iran, U.S, Qatar, Doha, Tehran, Qatar's, United States, Iranian, Lebanon, Israel's, Washington, Islamic Republic, Seoul, IRAN

☆ The US-Iran prisoner deal is a diplomatic breakthrough, but the bad blood persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The carefully choreographed agreement was years in the making and is being seen as a major diplomatic breakthrough for the two foes. The Biden administration is unlikely to engage in “meaningful revival” of the 2015 nuclear deal, said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Chatham House think tank in London. Production is the highest it’s been since 2018, when Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran. The Islamic Republic’s oil exports have also increased, averaging 1.9 million bpd in August, Reuters reported, citing shipping firm TankerTrackers.com. “Those claiming that Biden is ignoring Iran’s exports are assuming that Biden can just shut down Iran’s exports through sanctions,” he said.

Persons: “, ”, Biden, Trump, Sanam Vakil, Ali Vaez, That’s, Ali Ahmadi, there’s, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Nasser Kanaani, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, ” Raisi, Trita Organizations: CNN, Five, Biden, Chatham House, Group, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Petroleum, Trump, Reuters, US Energy, Geneva Centre, Security, Islamic, Sunday, US Republican Party, US Treasury Department, NBC, Quincy Institute Locations: Iran, Qatar, United States, Washington, Tehran, East, North Africa, London, China, Islamic Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Washington ,

☆ India’s capital renews firecracker ban to combat pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Blassy Boben | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Sept 11 (Reuters) - India's New Delhi has reimposed a ban on firecrackers ahead of the Diwali festival to curb air pollution in the winter, when air quality reaches hazardous levels, the capital city's environment minister said on Monday. "Manufacturing, storage, sale, online delivery and bursting of any type of firecrackers is completely prohibited in Delhi," Minister Gopal Rai said at a press conference, adding that police have been instructed to stop issuing licenses for fireworks. Firecrackers are a part of celebrations for the Hindu festival of Diwali, which falls in mid-November this year. The government said that the city reported its best air quality since 2015 last year, driven by measures including a push for greener vehicles. Reporting by Blassy Boben; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gopal Rai, Blassy Boben, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Thomson Locations: DELHI, Delhi, New Delhi, India

☆ Iran, US on Verge of Prisoner Swap Under Qatar-Mediated Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

"Iran initially wanted direct access to the funds but in the end agreed to having access via Qatar," said a senior diplomat. Reuters pieced together this account of previously unreported details about the extent of Qatari mediation of the secret talks, how the deal unfolded and the expediency that motivated both parties to clinch the prisoner swap deal. Ties between the U.S. and Iran have been at boiling point since Donald Trump quit a nuclear deal with Iran as U.S. president in 2018. Reaching another nuclear deal has gained little traction since then, as President Joe Biden prepares for the 2024 U.S. election. Then president Trump in 2018 reimposed the sanctions when he pulled Washington out of a deal under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program.

Persons: Parisa Hafezi, Andrew Mills, Antony Blinken, Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, hasn’t, Jin, Washington, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Blinken, Iran’s, Trump, Iran Robert Malley, Abram Paley, Ali Bagheri Kani, Mehdi Safari, Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al, Khulaifi, Malley, Paley, Kani, Al Khulaifi, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, U.S, British, Islamic, Washington, Doha, Iranian, State Department, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The State Department, Democrat, Qatari, TRANSIT QATAR, Iran, The Central Bank of, U.S ., State, Foreign Ministry Locations: Andrew Mills DUBAI, DOHA, Qatar, Iran, U.S, Tehran’s, Emad Sharqi, Islamic Republic, Western, Gulf, South Korea, Washington, Switzerland, Tehran, Seoul, Doha, Iranian, The Central Bank of Iran, Beirut

☆ Iran, US on verge of prisoner swap under Qatar-mediated deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Reuters pieced together this account of previously unreported details about the extent of Qatari mediation of the secret talks, how the deal unfolded and the expediency that motivated both parties to clinch the prisoner swap deal. 'You can build trust'The U.S. administration has not commented on the timing of the funds transfer. Ties between the U.S. and Iran have been at boiling point since Donald Trump quit a nuclear deal with Iran as U.S. president in 2018. Reaching another nuclear deal has gained little traction since then, as President Joe Biden prepares for the 2024 U.S. election. Then president Trump in 2018 reimposed the sanctions when he pulled Washington out of a deal under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, hasn't, Jin, Washington, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Blinken, Trump, Iran Robert Malley, Abram Paley, Ali Bagheri Kani, Mehdi Safari, Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al, Khulaifi, Malley, Paley, Kani, Al Khulaifi Organizations: Capitol, Iranian, National, Washington D.C, U.S, Reuters, British, Islamic, Washington, Doha, State Department, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The State Department, Democrat, Qatari, Iran, The Central Bank of, U.S ., State, Foreign Ministry Locations: Iranian, Washington, United States, Qatar, Iran, U.S, Tehran's, Emad Sharqi, Islamic Republic, Western, Gulf, South Korea, Switzerland, Tehran, Seoul, Doha, The Central Bank of Iran

Persons: Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, Iran Dr, Ali Bagheri, Antony Blinken, Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, hasn’t, Jin, Washington, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Blinken, Iran’s, Trump, Iran Robert Malley, Abram Paley, Ali Bagheri Kani, Mehdi Safari, Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al, Khulaifi, Malley, Paley, Kani, Al Khulaifi, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul, William Maclean Organizations: Regional Affairs, Political Affairs, Qatar News Agency, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Qatar, Qatar DUBAI, U.S, Reuters, British, Islamic, Washington, Doha, Iranian, State Department, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The State Department, Democrat, Qatari, TRANSIT QATAR, Iran, The Central Bank of, U.S ., State, Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: Islamic Republic, Iran, Tehran, Qatar Gulf, DOHA, Qatar, U.S, Tehran’s, Emad Sharqi, Western, Gulf, South Korea, Washington, Switzerland, Seoul, Doha, Iranian, The Central Bank of Iran, Beirut

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Greek shipper has pleaded guilty to a charge over it smuggling sanctioned Iranian crude oil and agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine, U.S. federal court papers seen Thursday by The Associated Press show. In July, the top commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s naval arm threatened further action against anyone offloading the Suez Rajan, with state media linking the recent seizures to the cargo’s fate. In its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran regained the ability to sell oil openly on the international market. It also began a cat-and-mouse hunt for Iranian oil cargo — as well as series of escalating attacks attributed to Iran since 2019. China is believed to be a major buyer of Iranian oil, likely at a significant discount.

Persons: shipper, Tourkantonis, Mark Wallace, George W, Bush, “, ” Wallace, Biden, Suez Rajan, Donald Trump Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Associated Press, Navigation, U.S, Nuclear, Empire, United Nations, Nuclear Iran, AP, Suez, Chevron Corp, Revolutionary, Embassy, U.S . Navy, Iranian, “ Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Suez, Islamic Republic, Tehran, Washington, South Korea, Iran, U.S, Nuclear Iran, Persian, South, Singapore, Mexico, Houston , Texas, Athens, Greece, Gulf of Mexico, America, Hormuz, Swiss, Switzerland, Bataan, Strait, Gulf of Oman, China

☆ Iran says uranium enrichment continues based on domestic law
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami looks on during a news conference with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi as they meet in Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Iran's enrichment of uranium continues based on a framework established by the country's parliament, nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Sunday when asked about reports regarding Tehran slowing down its 60% enrichment. "Our nuclear enrichment continues based on the strategic framework law," Eslami said, referring to a related legislation. In 2020, Iran's hardline parliament passed a law requiring the government to take measures such as stepping up uranium enrichment beyond the limit set under Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal if other parties did not fully comply with the deal. After Washington ditched the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, Tehran began to violate the nuclear curbs set out in the pact.

Persons: Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami, Rafael Grossi, Majid Asgaripour, Mohammad Eslami, Eslami, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Wall Street Journal, U.S, Washington, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran

☆ Warehouses, grain silos damaged in Russian attacks on Ukraine's Danube port
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A grain warehouse heavily damaged by a Russian drone attack is seen at a compound of a port on the Danube, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa region, Ukraine August 16, 2023. "Russian terrorists attacked Odesa region twice last night with attack drones," Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app. "The main target is port and grain infrastructure in the south of the region." Ukraine's Air Force said that it had destroyed 13 Russia-launched drones over the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions in the south. read moreThe drone attacks destroyed buildings in the port and halted ships as they prepared to arrive there to load with Ukrainian grain in defiance of a de-facto blockade Russia reimposed in mid-July.

Persons: Oleh Kiper, Izmail, Pavel Polityuk, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: Press Service, Operational Command, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Ukraine's Air Force, Russia reimposed, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Odesa region, Odesa, Russia, Mykolaiv, Constanta, Romania

Siamak Namazi, left, a U.S. citizen who has been held prisoner in Iran for nearly eight years, with his father, Baquer Namazi. The U.S. government has identified three American citizens held in Iran — Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz. NBC News first reported on the prisoner exchange negotiations in February. The families of the Americans held in Iran say their loved ones are "hostages" taken captive on false charges and used as bargaining chips by the government. And Siamak Namazi has been held prisoner in Iran for nearly eight years, longer than any of the other current American detainees.

Persons: Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Barack Obama, Emad, Shahab Dalili, Jared Genser, Namazi, Joe Biden, Obama, Biden, Donald Trump, Tahbaz, Shargi, Baquer, Robert Levinson, Levinson, Bob Levinson Organizations: NBC, Administration, NBC News, International Atomic Energy Agency, U.S, Congress, British, Tufts, Rutgers, FBI, CIA Locations: U.S, Iran, Tehran, Washington, Qatar, South Korea, United States, Israel, Iranian American, Iranian, Iran's

☆ Russia strikes Ukraine's Danube port, sending global grain prices higher
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine's defence ministry said a grain silo was damaged in the Danube port of Izmail in the Odesa region: "Ukrainian grain has the potential to feed millions of people worldwide," the ministry wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Russian terrorists have once again attacked ports, grain, global food security." "The enemy... is trying to destroy Ukrainian grain, attacking industrial and port infrastructure. Ukrainian officials have said Moscow has hit 26 port facilities, five civilian vessels and 180,000 tonnes of grain in nine days of strikes since quitting the grain deal. Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia also launched a drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight.

Persons: Oleh Kiper, Kiper, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Izmail, Ukraine's, Serhiy Bratchuk, Pavel Polityuk, Jacqueline Wong, Tom Hogue, Simon Cameron, Moore, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Ukrainian Volunteer Army, United Nations, Ukraine's Air Force, Air, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Odesa, REUTERS KYIV, Russia, Romania, Moscow, reimpose, Izmail, NATO, Ukraine's, Chicago, Constanta, Turkey, Kyiv

☆ Russia strikes Ukraine's Danube port, driving up global grain prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Kubrakov, writing on Facebook, said the Danube ports' infrastructure had been "devastated". "Ukrainian grain is indispensable for the world and cannot be replaced by any other country in the coming years," he wrote. "The port of Izmail suffered the most damage, including the terminal and infrastructure of the Danube Shipping Company." Russian state news agency RIA said the port and grain infrastructure hit was housing foreign mercenaries and military hardware. Seaport authority head Yuriy Lytvyn said on Facebook that repair work had already begun and the port infrastructure continued to operate.

Persons: Oleksandr Kubrakov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, RIA, Oleh Kiper, Yuriy Lytvyn, Nina, PUTIN, Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, West, Putin, Erdogan, Ukraine Bridget Brink, Russia's, Farhan Haq, Pavel Polityuk, Peter Graff, Hugh Lawson, Daniel Wallis, Michelle Nichols, Simon Cameron, Moore, Philippa Fletcher, Giles Elgood, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: NATO, Romania Kyiv, Ukraine's, Russia reimposed, Facebook, Danube Shipping Company, Reuters, REUTERS, United Nations, Kremlin, International, Court, TASS, U.S, Rih, Thomson Locations: Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Izmail, Africa, China, Israel, Moscow, NATO, Russian, Odesa, Turkey, Soviet, Tehran, Kerch, Crimea, Ports, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, Constanta

☆ Exclusive: US issues new 120-day waiver letting Iraq pay Iran for electricity
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Arshad Mohammed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday moved to let Iraq pay Iran for electricity via non-Iraqi banks, a U.S. official said, a step Washington hopes may keep Tehran from forcing unpopular power cuts during the sweltering Iraqi summer. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a 120-day national security waiver allowing Iraq - heavily dependent on Iranian electricity - to deposit such payments into non-Iraqi banks in third countries instead of into restricted accounts in Iraq, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We have to help the Iraqis with this perennial pressure from the Iranians to access the money," said the U.S. official. It is not clear, however, whether Iran might ease up on Iraq as a result. Tehran could decide it has greater leverage over Iraq than over other nations and continue to exert pressure.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden's, Arshad Mohammed, Chris Reese, Sonali Paul Organizations: U.S, Iraq, U.S ., United Nations, Thomson Locations: United States, Iran, Washington, Tehran, Iraqi, Iraq, Baghdad, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, Israel

☆ Iran's President Raisi embarks on Africa tour to boost trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi received a red-carpet welcome from Kenyan counterpart William Ruto on Wednesday as he began a three-country tour of Africa that Tehran has touted as a “new beginning” in relations with the continent. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (C) inspects the guard of honour during his state visit at the State House in Nairobi on July 12, 2023. Raisi is expected to next fly to Uganda to discuss trade and bilateral relations with President Yoweri Museveni, and then to Zimbabwe. In June, Raisi visited three Latin American countries to shore up support with allies also saddled with US sanctions. Iran’s trade with African countries will increase to more than $2 billion this year, its foreign ministry said on Saturday, without providing a comparative figure for 2022.

Persons: Reuters —, Ebrahim Raisi, William Ruto, Simon Maina, Ruto, Raisi, Kenya’s, Yoweri Museveni, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Shoring, Donald Trump Organizations: Reuters, Kenyan, State, Getty, Ruto Locations: Africa, Tehran, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Nairobi, AFP, Iran, Kenya, Central, East

☆ Iranian President Raisi begins Africa trip with visit to Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Raisi's trip to Africa, which will also take him to Uganda and Zimbabwe, is the first by an Iranian president in more than a decade, and represents a bid to diversify economic ties in the face of crippling U.S. sanctions. Iran stepped up its diplomatic outreach to developing world countries after then-U.S. President Donald Trump ditched a nuclear pact in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. In June, Raisi visited three Latin American countries to shore up support with allies also saddled with U.S. sanctions. Raisi is expected to next fly to Uganda to discuss trade and bilateral relations with President Yoweri Museveni, and then to Zimbabwe. The last Iranian leader to visit Africa was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2013.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, William Ruto, Donald Trump, Raisi, Kenya's, Yoweri Museveni, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bhargav Acharya, Hereward, Aaron Ross, Jason Neely Organizations: Kenyan, Ruto, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, Africa, Tehran, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Iran, Kenya, East, Hereward Holland

☆ Cheap oil from Iran is filling the hole left by Saudi Arabia and Russia's productions cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Iran has been selling more of its crude as Saudi Arabia and Russia dial back oil production. The nation sold 1.6 million barrels a day on average in May and June, notching a five-year record. The surge comes as Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other OPEC+ producers take major steps to dial back oil production, with Saudi Arabia extending its 1 million barrel-a-day production cut through August, and Russia recently vowing to slash its oil production by another half million barrels a day. Iranian suppliers have also offered steep discounts on crude relative to Saudi Arabia and even Russia, which has discounted its oil heavily since beginning its invasion of Ukraine. Iranian oil is sold around a $30 discount per barrel compared to competitors in the Persian Gulf, officials told the Journal.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Petro, Logistics, Wall Street Locations: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Persian, China, Syria, Venezuela, OPEC, Ukraine

☆ Why Iran and Cuba Turned Their Back on the U.S. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Peter Beinart | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

One reason Cuba still needs Beijing’s money is that the Biden administration has kept key Trump sanctions in place. When the two countries signed the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran’s foreign minister at the time, Mohammad Javad Zarif, called it “not a ceiling but a solid foundation. We must now begin to build on it.” Iran’s leaders, like Cuba’s, hoped better relations with the United States would spur Western investment. Mr. Trump canceled the nuclear deal and reimposed harsh sanctions. This isn’t the first time the United States has driven smaller nations into the arms of its superpower adversaries.

Persons: Obama, Conan O’Brien, Andrew Cuomo, Steve Nash, Michael J, Bustamante, ’, Donald Trump, Evan Ellis, Biden, Mohammad Javad Zarif, ”, Zarif, Hassan Rouhani, Trump, ” Fredrik Logevall, Ho, Ho Chi Minh, Viet Minh Organizations: University of Miami, White, Wall Street, Cuban, U.S . Army, College, Trump, National Security, Strategic Services, Japan Locations: Cuban, Havana, University of Miami Cuba, Cuba, America, China, Iran, United States, Moscow, Russia, Ho Chi, France, Viet

WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) - A powerful Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives has asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken for details about an investigation into the security clearance of the U.S. envoy for Iran, amid reports he may have mishandled classified documents. Citing media reports, Michael McCaul, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote to Blinken on Friday, asking why the State Department's special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, was placed on unpaid leave after his security clearance was suspended earlier this year to investigate the alleged mishandling of classified documents. "Given the gravity of the situation, it is imperative that the Department expeditiously provide a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances surrounding Special Envoy Malley's clearance suspension and investigation and the Department's statements to Congress regarding Special Envoy Malley," McCaul wrote Blinken in a letter posted on the panel's website. On Thursday, Malley told Reuters: "I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. Appointed soon after Democratic President Joe Biden took office in 2021, Malley had the task of trying to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Michael McCaul, Blinken, Rob Malley, Malley, McCaul, Joe Biden, Donald Trump's, Iran Abram Paley, Brett McGurk, Valerie Volcovici, Arshad Mohammed, William Mallard Organizations: Republican, U.S . House, U.S, Foreign Affairs, State, State Department, Reuters, Democratic, reimposed, Iranian, National Security, Thomson Locations: U.S, Iran, reimposed U.S, Tehran, United States, East, North, Washington, Saint Paul , Minnesota

☆ Iran holds talks with EU mediator Mora in Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) organisation's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 5, 2023. REUTERS/Leonhard FoegerDUBAI, June 21 (Reuters) - Iran held talks in Qatar with the European Union's Enrique Mora, who coordinates talks between Tehran and six powers on reviving a 2015 nuclear pact, top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani tweeted on Wednesday. Talks between Iran and world powers to re-establish a 2015 accord meant to curb Tehran's disputed nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief have stalled since last September. We exchanged views and discussed a range of issues including negotiations on sanctions lifting," Bagheri Kani said in a tweet. Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; editing by Jon Boyle and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Leonhard Foeger DUBAI, Enrique Mora, Ali Bagheri Kani, Bagheri Kani, Donald Trump, Jon Boyle, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, REUTERS, Mora, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Vienna, Austria, Iran, Qatar, Tehran, Doha

☆ Thais host Myanmar junta official for talks; key ASEAN members stay away
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Myanmar's junta-appointed foreign minister, Than Swe, is due to join the talks, two sources with knowledge of the meeting told Reuters. But some ASEAN members have declined to attend and others are only sending junior officials. ASEAN FRUSTRATIONThe military took over in Myanmar in 1962, isolating it for decades until a tentative opening up began in 2011. Malaysia's foreign minister has also declined to attend the Thai talks, saying it remained supportive of the efforts being undertaken by Indonesia. Cambodia on Monday said Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who last year served as an ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar, would be represented by his deputy.

Persons: Aung, Athit, Don Pramudwinai, Don, Retno Marsudi, Suu Kyi, Prak Sokhonn, Panu, Ananda, Kanupriya Kapoor, Kay Johnson, Robert Birsel Organizations: Protesters, Embassy, REUTERS, Monday, Association of Southeast Nations, ASEAN, Myanmar's, Reuters, Thai PBS, Indonesian, Peace, Myanmar, ASEAN Chair, Malaysian, Cambodian, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Bangkok, Thailand, BANGKOK, ASEAN, Indonesia, Suu, Cambodia, Ananda Teresia, Jakarta, Rozanna, Kuala Lumpur

☆ Iran's Khamenei says 'nothing wrong' with a nuclear deal with West
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visits the Iranian centrifuges in Tehran, Iran June 11, 2023. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File PhotoDUBAI, June 11 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader said on Sunday that a deal with the West over Tehran's nuclear work was possible if the country's nuclear infrastructure remained intact, amid a stalemate between Tehran and Washington to revive a 2015 nuclear pact. "There is nothing wrong with the agreement (with the West), but the infrastructure of our nuclear industry should not be touched," Khamenei said, according to state media. Echoing Iran's official stance for years, Khamenei said the Islamic Republic has never sought to build a nuclear bomb. Khamenei, who has the last say on all state matters such as Iran's nuclear programme, said the country's nuclear authorities should continue working with the U.N. nuclear watchdog "under the framework of safeguards".

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's, Khamenei, Donald Trump, Parisa Hafezi, Alex Richardson, David Holmes, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Iranian, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, West, International Atomic Energy, IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, DUBAI, Washington, Islamic Republic

WASHINGTON/DUBAI, June 8 (Reuters) - The United States and Iran on Thursday both denied a report that they were nearing an interim deal under which Tehran would curb its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. U.S. and European officials have been searching for ways to curb Tehran's nuclear program since the breakdown of indirect U.S.-Iranian talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. That accord, aimed at keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, required Tehran to accept restrictions on its nuclear program and more extensive U.N. inspections in exchange for an end to U.N., U.S. and EU sanctions. One possible solution has been an interim deal under which Iran would accept fewer limits on its nuclear program in return for more modest sanctions relief than under the 2015 pact. The 2015 deal, which capped Iran's uranium enrichment at 3.67%, was abandoned in 2018 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, who reimposed U.S. sanctions to choke Iran's oil exports.

Persons: Iran Rob Malley, Amir Saeid Iravani, Malley, Irvani, Donald Trump, Trevor Hunnicutt, Parisa, Arshad Mohammed, Chris Reese, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: White House National Security Council, United Nations, White House, U.S, State Department, Reuters, Iranian, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, DUBAI, United States, Iran, Tehran, London, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, U.N, Washington, Dubai

☆ Iran presents its first hypersonic ballistic missile, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, June 6 (Reuters) - Iran presented what officials described as its first domestically-made hypersonic ballistic missile on Tuesday, the official IRNA news agency reported, an announcement likely to heighten Western concerns about Tehran's missile capabilities. "The precision-guided Fattah hypersonic missile has a range of 1,400 km and it is capable of penetrating all defence shields," Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guards' aerospace force, was quoted as saying by Iranian state media. Last year, the Islamic Republic said it had built a hypersonic ballistic missile which can manoeuvre in and out of the atmosphere. "It can bypass the most advanced anti-ballistic missile systems of the United States and the Zionist regime, including Israel's Iron Dome," Iran's state TV said. Despite U.S. and European opposition, the Islamic Republic has said it will further develop its defensive missile programme.

Persons: Ebrahim Rahisi, Donald Trump's, Trump, Joe Biden's, Parisa, Andrew Heavens, Angus MacSwan, Christina Fincher Organizations: Revolutionary Guards Corps, Guards, Zionist, U.S, Trump reimposed, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran, Republic, United States, Islamic Republic, Tehran, U.S, Israel

Those concerns intensified in February after U.N. inspectors revealed their discovery of uranium particles of 83.7% purity at an Iran nuclear facility built deep underground to protect it from air strikes. Western officials fear a nuclear-armed Iran could threaten Israel, Gulf Arab oil producers, and spark a regional arms race. A senior Iranian nuclear official said Tehran would not take the revival of U.N. sanctions lying down. But Western officials and analysts say that Iran's production of 90% uranium would demand a significant response. 'FACE A CRISIS AT SOME POINT'While Western officials want to leave the door open for diplomacy, tensions with Russia and China make that harder.

☆ Iran says deal reached with US for prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Some Iranian media reported last week that Iran had reached a prisoner swap deal in exchange for the release of $7 billion in frozen Iranian oil funds under U.S. sanctions in South Korea. In 2018, then-U.S. president Donald Trump ditched a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the Islamic Republic's economy. The deal imposed restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international sanctions. In reaction to Washington's sanctions, Tehran has gradually violated curbs of the pact on its nuclear programme. The deal imposed restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international sanctions.

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