The post Iran Says It Will Not Be Intimidated by US Threats appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Speaking at a conference in Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that during recent discussions with American representatives, Iran clearly communicated that it would not abandon uranium enrichment. He stressed that Iran would not yield to pressure from powerful nations and that intimidation would not influence its decisions.
Araghchi added that no country has the authority to dictate Iran’s behavior or determine its national interests. Referring to the recent deployment of an American aircraft carrier in nearby waters, he said Iran is not afraid of US military positioning in the region. According to him, such actions do not weaken Tehran’s resolve.
On the issue of Iran’s missile program, Araghchi stated that Tehran does not consider it open for negotiation, as it is directly linked to national security. He reiterated that Iran seeks to avoid confrontation but is prepared to respond if attacked.
The foreign minister also expressed deep mistrust toward Washington, saying Tehran has little confidence in the United States. He questioned whether the American side is genuinely serious about pursuing fresh negotiations. Commenting on new sanctions imposed by the US administration, Araghchi said that while Washington speaks of peace, its actions raise doubts about its true intentions.
He said Iran is closely monitoring the situation and will soon decide whether to continue the talks or reconsider its participation. Meanwhile, senior American officials, including key negotiators, recently visited the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, signaling heightened attention to the developments in the region.
The ongoing diplomatic standoff underscores the fragile nature of relations between the two countries, with both sides maintaining firm positions on critical security and nuclear issues.
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]]>The post International Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh to Finalize Gaza Ceasefire Deal appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The meeting will be co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, with leaders from over 20 countries set to participate, according to the statement. The summit’s objective is to bring the war in the Gaza Strip to an end, bolster efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and initiate a new phase of regional security and stability.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect on Friday following three days of intensive negotiations between the two sides in Sharm El-Sheikh, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States. The first phase of the plan includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Yunis, and the northern region, the opening of five crossings for aid, and the release of hostages and prisoners.
A Hamas source stated on Friday that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is expected to reopen by the middle of next week for limited movement of people, although the details of the operation have not been announced. According to health officials in Gaza, Israeli military operations spanning over two years have devastated Gaza, killing more than 67,000 people and creating famine conditions.
Iran Ready for Fair Dialogue with US: Araghchi
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Syed Abbas Araghchi, said on Saturday that his government is prepared for a fair and balanced dialogue with the United States. In an interview given to state-backed IRIB TV, Araghchi outlined Iran’s position on resuming nuclear talks with the US and lifting sanctions. He stated that if the United States presents a competent plan that ensures the protection of Iran’s interests, it will certainly be considered.
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]]>The post Beijing will miss the New Delhi summit on Kabul after Islamabad; Iran and Russia will join appeared first on The Edge Media.
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While Russia, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan have chosen to stay away, the other key countries in the region — Russia, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan — are expected to attend the meeting, which will be chaired by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. China has stated that it is open to continuing contact and discussions through bilateral diplomatic channels, despite its refusal to attend.
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]]>The post Nearly 3,000 kg of heroin were intercepted at the Gujarat port of Mundra appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The breakthrough came when the agency received a specific tip about a shipment declared as semi-processed Talc stones originating from Afghanistan and delivered from Bandar Abbas Port in Iran to Mundra Port by Aashi Trading Company, based in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
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]]>The post EAM Jaishankar will attend a key meeting on Afghanistan this week appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>S Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister, will travel to Tajikistan this week for a major discussion on Afghanistan, where he will meet with counterparts from numerous nations, including Iran, to discuss the quickly changing situation in the war-torn country.
On September 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit of heads of state, while Jaishankar will represent India at the SCO and Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) conference on Afghanistan.
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]]>The post From Kabul, a Ukrainian Evacuation Plane was Hijacked and Flown into Iran appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Yevgeny Yenin said the plane was kidnapped by “armed guys.” The jet was hijacked from Ukraine, he added, and it “flew into Iran with an unnamed group of passengers on board.”
He did not, however, provide any other details on the flight’s fate. Iran’s authorities denied that any hijacked airliner had landed in the nation a few hours later. Ukraine, too, denied Yenin’s claim that the jet had been hijacked.
Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, disputed that one of the country’s planes had been hijacked in Kabul.
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]]>The post Iran to impose 6 day long general lockdown appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The lockdown includes all bazaars, markets and public offices, as well as movie theaters, gyms and restaurants in all Iranian cities.
The lockdown will begin on Monday and will last through Saturday.
The national coronavirus taskforce, which issued the decision, also ordered a travel ban between all Iranian cities from Sunday to Friday.
Also on Saturday, Iran reported 466 deaths and 29,700 new cases of coronavirus patients in a single day. That brought the total pandemic death toll to 97,208, and total confirmed cases to 4,389,085.
Last week, Iran hit a record in both its single-day death toll and confirmed new cases of Covid-19, with 42,541 new coronavirus cases and a daily death toll of 588.
Iran is struggling to vaccinate its people against the pandemic. Like much of the world, it remains far behind countries like the United States in vaccinations, with only 3.8 million of its more than 80 million people having received both vaccine doses.
Many front-line medical workers have been vaccinated with Iran’s locally produced shots, or the Chinese state-backed Sinopharm vaccine that may be less effective than other inoculations.
Iran’s government announced that its homemade vaccine provides 85% protection from the coronavirus, without disclosing data or details. Iran also imports Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, as well as the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot through the United Nations-backed COVAX program.
So far, authorities have avoided imposing heavy-handed rules on a population badly equipped to bear them. Iran, which has suffered the worst virus outbreak in the region, is reeling from a series of crises: tough US sanctions, global isolation, a heat wave, the worst blackouts in recent memory and ongoing protests over water and electricity shortages.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, in January slammed shut any possibility of American or British vaccines entering the country, calling them “forbidden.”
For now, the majority of Iranians receiving vaccines rely on foreign-made shots. A health ministry spokesman said that Iran could import Western vaccines “as long as they’re not produced in the US or Britain.”
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]]>The post Iran can enrich uranium upto 90 percent purity appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>“Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation can enrich uranium by 20% and 60% and if one day our reactor needs it, it can enrich uranium to 90% purity,” President Hassan Rouhani told a cabinet meeting, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
The nuclear deal caps the fissile purity to which Tehran can refine uranium at 3.67%, well under the 20% achieved before the agreement and far below the 90% suitable for a nuclear weapon. Iran has long denied any intention of developing nuclear weapons.
Iran has been breaching the deal in several ways after the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018, including by producing 20% and 60% enriched uranium.
Rouhani, who will hand over the presidency to hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi on Aug. 5, implicitly criticised Iran’s top decision makers for “not allowing” his government to revive the nuclear deal during its term in office.
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]]>The post Iran may face a fifth wave of Covid 19, warns Hassan Rouhani appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>“There are concerns that the whole country may enter a fifth wave if enough care is not taken in following health protocols. Today, reports are that just 69% of the people are observing the precautions,” Rouhani said in remarks broadcast on state TV. “The Delta variant entered the country from the south and southeast, and we should have been careful to prevent its spread in the country. All health regulations must be fully observed, otherwise we will have a problem,” Rouhani said.
Iran, with a population of 83 million, has recorded 84,627 deaths from coronavirus, the highest toll in the Middle East.
Health authorities have declared the capital Tehran and 91 other cities and towns as high-risk “red” zones, 30 more than a week ago. They are ordering internal travel restrictions, the closure of non-essential businesses and limiting work attendance to 30 per cent of employees in the capital.
The government has blamed a slow vaccination drive on US sanctions hampering efforts to buy foreign vaccines and on delays in deliveries. Rouhani said Iran has received a small portion of the 16.8 million vaccines it has ordered from the Covax global vaccine-sharing program.
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]]>The post The Kharg, Iran’s Largest Navy Ship Catches Fire Mid-Waters appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Rescue efforts for the Kharg lasted many hours, with the whole crew departing. However, all attempts to salvage the ship were futile, and it sunk. Iran announced in April that one of its ships, the Saviz, had been targeted in the Red Sea, following media allegations that the ship had been struck with limpet mines.
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