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All in News
◢ US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Riyadh Wednesday for talks with Saudi leaders focused on countering Tehran, his first visit since a top Iranian general's killing sent regional tensions soaring. The top US diplomat, whose visit follows his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa, will hold talks with King Salman and his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well as Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.
◢ Two people have died in Iran after testing positive on Wednesday for the new coronavirus, the health ministry said, in the Islamic republic's first cases of the disease. Kianoush Jahanpour, a ministry spokesman, said the cases were detected in the holy city of Qom, south of the Iranian capital.
◢ Iran's supreme leader said Tuesday it is a "religious duty" for people to vote in this week's general election and strengthen the Islamic republic against the "propaganda" of its enemies. "Participating in elections and voting... is a religious duty, not just a national or revolutionary duty," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech, parts of which were aired on state television.
◢ So-called “principlists”—conservatives wedded to the theocratic ideals of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and often connected to the IRGC—are set to win elections to Iran’s parliament on Friday. And although the legislature has only limited powers, the vote will set the foundations for presidential elections due next year and the eight-year political cycle to follow.
◢ An Iranian man arrested in Germany on suspicion of violating U.S. sanctions returned home Monday after being released, the foreign ministry said. Ahmad Khalili had been detained "on the pretext of violating the illegal and cruel sanctions of the United States,” ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.
◢ Iran would be willing to move back towards the 2015 nuclear deal if Europe provides "meaningful" economic benefits, the country's foreign minister said last Friday. "We have said that we are prepared to slow down or reverse these measures commensurate with what Europe does," Mr Zarif told reporters at the Munich Security Conference.
◢ Oman is working to reduce tensions in the Persian Gulf and sees prospects of talks between arch-rivals Iran and the U.S., its foreign minister said. “We are in touch with the U.S. and Iran,” Yousef Bin Alawi, Oman’s foreign minister, was cited as saying on Sunday at the Munich Security Conference.
◢ Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday ruled out resigning and vowed to see out his term, even as he admitted he had offered to step aside twice since being elected. Speaking ahead of a general election next Friday, Rouhani also appealed to voters to turn out despite the fact that many moderate and reformist candidates were disqualified from the race.
◢ The Senate voted to restrict President Donald Trump’s ability to take military action against Iran, with eight Republicans joining Democrats to approve a measure that would require express congressional approval before a strike.
◢ Campaigning kicked off in Iran on Thursday ahead of next week's crucial parliamentary election at which conservatives are expected to win most seats after thousands of moderates and reformists were disqualified. The February 21 election comes after months of escalating tensions between Iran and its arch enemy the United States.
◢ France condemned efforts by Iran to build a new ballistic missile with a range of more than 500 kilometers, further complicating efforts to keep Tehran operating within the framework of a faltering nuclear accord. France also said Iran had fired off a “space launcher” with ballistic missile technology.
◢ Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was jeered by supporters of hard-line conservative rivals as he called for national unity and fair elections in a key address just weeks head of parliamentary polls. Marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, Rouhani praised Iranians for withstanding the economic hardship.
◢ The Senate will take up a resolution this week intended to rein in President Donald Trump’s ability to attack Iran without congressional authorization, as Democrats and a small group of Republican senators push back following the killing in January of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
◢ Iran overtook Russia to emerge as the top buyer of Indian tea last year, after sanctions against the Islamic Republic halted imports other than specially negotiated deals. India and Iran have been trading through a rupee-based bank account to bypass restrictions imposed by the U.S.
◢ In a country weighed down by sanctions, shaken by protests and stressed by military tensions with the United States, many Tehranis struggle to hide their pessimism. Iran's economy has been battered since US President Donald Trump in 2018 abandoned an international nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions and a "maximum pressure" campaign.
◢ Iran said it "successfully" launched a satellite Sunday but failed to put it into orbit, in a blow to its space program that the US alleges is a cover for missile development. The attempted launch of the Zafar—"Victory" in Persian—comes days before the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and crucial parliamentary elections in Iran.
◢ Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani asked his top aides and lawmakers to draft a bill revising the election-related powers of the Guardian Council, one of the Islamic Republic’s most powerful institutions. The move comes after swathes of candidates, including allies of Rouhani, were disqualified from standing in the February 21 parliamentary vote.
◢ Iran has launched a new domestic bond to support manufacturers and non-oil sectors, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said. The new bond is expected to raise the equivalent of $3.6 billion at the current free market exchange rate.
◢ A federal appeals court granted a temporary halt in the U.S. prosecution of Turkish lender Halkbank over sanctions violation charges while it weighs other requests by the bank. Halkbank had previously sought to pursue a dismissal of the case without entering a plea on the charges.
◢ Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell on Monday held talks in the Iranian capital on a mission aimed at lowering tensions over the Islamic republic's nuclear program. Borrell's mission aims "to de-escalate tensions and seek opportunities for political solutions to the current crisis," said the office of the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
