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All in News
◢ The leaders of France, Germany and Britain on Monday agreed that Iran carried out this month's attack on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and called on Tehran to choose dialogue over further "provocation." The leaders backed the conclusion of the United States on the blasts at the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities.
◢ President Hassan Rouhani set off for New York on Monday to attend the UN General Assembly on a mission to win Iran support against "cruel" pressure from the United States. Speaking before boarding his flight, Rouhani said his delegation was heading to the UN gathering despite reluctance from President Donald Trump's administration to issue them visas.
◢ Iran's government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Monday that a British-flagged oil tanker is "free" to leave more than two months after it was seized in the Persian Gulf. "The legal process has finished and based on that the conditions for letting the oil tanker go free have been fulfilled and the oil tanker can move," Rabiei told a news conference.
◢ President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday denounced the presence of foreign forces in the Persian Gulf and said Iran will present a peace plan, after its arch-foe Washington ordered reinforcements to the tense region. "Foreign forces can cause problems and insecurity for our people and for our region," Rouhani said before a military parade commemorating the Iran-Iraq war.
◢ Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said the U.S. is “working diligently” toward a diplomatic resolution with Iran after accusing the Islamic Republic of attacks on Saudi Arabian oil fields, but that President Donald Trump is prepared to take other action if necessary.
◢ The U.S. sanctioned Iran’s central bank and sovereign wealth fund on Friday, a move aimed as retaliation for last weekend’s attacks on key Saudi Arabian oil facilities. “These are the highest sanctions ever imposed,” President Donald Trump told reporters during a meeting.
◢ Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is to leave for New York early Friday to attend the UN General Assembly, his ministry said, after reports he may not be granted a visa. "The minister usually departs a day or two before the President," he added, seemingly confirming that both had received visas from the United States.
◢ US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Thursday said he preferred a “peaceful resolution” to a crisis sparked by attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure, as Iran warned against “all-out war.” Pompeo has blamed Iran for the weekend assault on two facilities which wiped out half of Saudi oil production, dismissing its denials and condemning the “act of war.”
◢ President Donald Trump said he wants tougher U.S. sanctions on Iran as his top diplomat arrived in Saudi Arabia to consult with leaders and build a case against Tehran following weekend attacks on the kingdom’s key oil facilities. “We’ll be adding some very significant sanctions,” Trump said Wednesday.
◢ President Donald Trump said Wednesday he’ll appoint Robert O’Brien as his White House national security advisor, elevating the State Department’s top hostage envoy from relative obscurity to one of the most important jobs in U.S. government. O’Brien had the backing of Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.
◢ President Hassan Rouhani said Iran is not looking for a war in the Persian Gulf following weekend strikes on Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil installation, as the Islamic Republic sent a cable to Washington formally denying any role. Addressing a cabinet meeting, Rouhani said the assault was carried out by Yemeni Houthi rebels retaliating against Saudi Arabia’s military campaign in their country.
◢ Earlier this year, President Donald Trump warned that “it’s going to be a bad problem for Iran if something happens.” Something big has happened with an attack on Saudi oil infrastructure, and yet it isn’t obvious how the U.S. can effectively retaliate against a country that is already under maximum economic sanctions.
◢ Donald Trump risks a political backlash if he retaliates against Iran over a weekend strike on Saudi Arabian oil facilities after campaigning on promises to withdraw the U.S. from foreign wars. Speaking later to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said: “It’s certainly looking that way at this moment,” and “we pretty much already know” who did it.
◢ China on Monday urged the United States and Iran to "exercise restraint" after a drone attack on Saudi oil infrastructure, which Washington has blamed on Tehran. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also said it was not responsible to accuse others "in the absence of a conclusive investigation or verdict.”
◢ Iran has not made any plans for President Hassan Rouhani to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly, a spokesman said Monday. "We have neither planned for this meeting, nor do I think such a thing would happen in New York," the foreign ministry's Abbas Mousavi said in remarks aired on state television.
◢ Iran on Sunday dismissed US accusations it was behind drone attacks on Saudi oil installations, suggesting Washington was seeking a pretext to retaliate against the Islamic Republic. "Such fruitless and blind accusations and remarks are incomprehensible and meaningless," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was quoted as saying in a statement.
◢ U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo blamed Iran for a series of brazen attacks on a massive Saudi Aramco oil facility, saying there was no evidence the drones originated in Yemen as Tehran-backed rebels there claimed. Iran denied responsibility for the raids Saturday, which forced Saudi Arabia to slash its daily oil output in half.
◢ French President Macron tapped Emmanuel Bonne, an Arabic and Farsi speaker. to drive his foreign policy agenda in May, replacing Philippe Etienne, a European affairs specialist. The appointment symbolizes a change in foreign policy priorities for the French president after spending the first two years of his term trying to revamp the European Union.
