Iran warships to 'transit Suez'

Israel's foreign minister says Tehran is about to send two warships through the Suez Canal for the first time in years.

Lieberman's office said in a statement that Israel "cannot ignore provocations forever" [Reuters]

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201121618533618622.html

Israel's foreign minister claims Iran is about to send two warships through the Suez Canal for the first time in years, calling it a "provocation," but offering no evidence.

The Egyptian authority that runs the canal has denied any knowledge of the transit.

Avigdor Lieberman said on Wednesday the ships would cross later in the day, en route to Syria. He offered no evidence and did not say how he knew it.

Ahmed Al Manakhly, director of transit in the Suez Canal Authority, told Al Jazeera that for any warship to cross through the canal, "requires approval from the Egyptian ministry of defence and security officials 48 hours in advance."

Al Manakhly said until now they had not received such a request.

He said under international treaties, Egypt cannot prevent passage to vessels of any country unless it is in a state of war with that country.

Al Jazeera's Cal Perry, reporting from Jerusalem, said that the Israeli media does not seem alarmed by Lieberman's claims.

"We have to remember that this is Lieberman's job here in Israel. He has to stay on top of these things and he has been beating this drum for the past week."

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency had reported on January 26 that Iranian navy cadets were going on a year-long training mission into the Red Sea and through Suez to the Mediterranean.

They were training to defend "the country's cargo ships and oil tankers" against the threat of Somali pirates, it said.

Barack Obama, the US president, is aware of Iran's plans for sending the ships through the Suez, the White House said.

"We're aware of it," spokesman Jay Carney said. He declined further comment on the issue.

"It would be inappropriate to speculate about the future movements of another country's ships," Chris Perrine, a Pentagon spokesman said. "I recommend you contact the government of Iran."

Christian Le Miere of the International Institute for Strategic Studies said Iranian commercial ships regularly used Suez but he was not aware of the Iranian navy ever doing so.

"That said, it's hard to see this as a credible threat to anyone. Two warships don't make a flotilla," Le Miere said.

"As long as they (Iranians) are not conducting some sort of belligerent operation I think they would have a right to go through the canal like any other country," said James Kraska, professor of international law at the US Naval War College.

Iran to P5+1: Stop following up Zionists

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161521.html


A day after multifaceted talks between Iran and the P5+1, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad advises the six major world powers to stop following up the path of Israel.

Addressing thousands of enthusiastic people in the northern city of Rasht on Sunday, the Iranian president said certain arrogant Western powers, including the US, are not interested in resolving issues with Iran.

He added that Iran repeats to the officials of the P5+1 (Russia, China, France, Britain and the US plus Germany) to get rid of pressure by certain "narrow minded" Zionist individuals “if you wants talks to bear fruit.”

“In that case, grounds will be prepared for further interaction,” Ahmadinejad stressed.

The Iranian chief executive emphasized that talks should be based on justice and respect, saying, “Negotiations should lead to the recognition of legal rights of the Iranian people and other nations.”

He warned that animosity with Iran and the Iranian nation would be to the detriment of Western interests and noted that the Islamic Republic welcomes “cooperation and interaction.”

The Iranian president said the path of interaction with Iran is still open for the P5+1, adding Iran would not allow anyone to violate its rights.

He pointed to several rounds of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1, and said, “We have never expected that issues will be resolved through two or three rounds of talks.”

"However, if the other side is determined and committed to justice, law and respect, one can hope that appropriate results could be achieved in future sessions," President Ahmadinejad went on to say.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany wrapped up their latest round of comprehensive talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday.

Following the multifaceted talks, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili told reporters that Tehran is ready for further talks with major world powers provided that its rights are not violated.

He also refuted claims by EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, that Tehran seeks to set "preconditions on talks relating to enrichment and sanction."

"We are still prepared for further negotiations with the P5+1 on common issues. [We are] prepared for comprehensive talks like we said in Geneva," Jalili said.

US prodding China over Iran sanctions

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161032.html


Washington is putting more pressure on Beijing in an attempt to enforce unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States and the European Union.

"They [Chinese officials] did not agree to either European, American… sanctions that were imposed unilaterally [on Iran]," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview with ABC television on Wednesday.

The top US diplomat also expressed her country's dissatisfaction with China over failing to comply fully with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions.

"We think that there are some entities within China that we have brought to the attention of the Chinese leadership that are still not as, shall we say, as in compliance as we would like them to be," she went on to say.

"And we are pushing very hard on that and we may be proposing more unilateral sanctions," Clinton pointed out.

She made the remarks as Chinese President Hu Jintao is in the United States to hold talks with US President Barack Obama and other top American officials.

On Tuesday, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad downplayed the sanctions and said the Islamic Republic is making progress on its nuclear energy and the Western states are only issuing resolutions.

He was referring to US-sponsored resolutions adopted by the UNSC as well as unilateral measures adopted by the US and the EU with the aim of hindering Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

The United States and its allies accuse Iran of following a military nuclear program, but the Islamic Republic has repeatedly refuted the baseless charges.

Under Western pressure, the UNSC imposed a fourth round of sanctions against Iran's financial and military sectors in June.

Tehran argues that as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the country has the right to use peaceful nuclear energy.

Meanwhile, former head of the IAEA Mohamed ElBaradei said on Tuesday that Western countries are "hyping" concerns over Iran's nuclear program.

US imposes more sanctions against Iran

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160318.html


Ahead of the next round of talks between Iran and major world powers, the US has imposed another set of unilateral sanctions against 24 Iranian companies.

The US Treasury Department on Thursday imposed new sanctions against 22 Iranian companies affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL).

Two other companies, Shahid Ahmad Kazemi Industries Group and Babaie Industries, are subordinates of Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), The Wall Street Journal reported.

This is while less than one week remains to the next round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany -- in Turkish city of Istanbul on January 21 and 22.

The representatives of Iran and the P5+1 held their previous round of multifaceted talks in Geneva on December 6 and 7.

The US and its allies accuse Iran of developing a military nuclear program, and used this pretext to pressure the UN Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran's financial and military sectors in June.

Iranian officials have repeatedly refuted the allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran has a right to use peaceful nuclear technology.

As a goodwill gesture aimed at displaying the “transparency” of its nuclear program in the spirit of international cooperation, Iran invited diplomats representing political and geographical groups in the IAEA to tour the country's nuclear facility.

Representatives from the IAEA, the Non-aligned Movement (NAM), Group of 77 and the Arab League arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a two-day tour of the country's nuclear sites.