P5+1 Urged to Curb Sanctions

Political Desk

An American newspaper has called on the six major powers negotiating with Tehran over its peaceful nuclear program to “put forward a broader deal” to shelve the sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
“Some experts are now urging the West to put forward a broader deal that would offer Iran far greater relief from sanctions and an eventual end to diplomatic isolation” in return for Tehran’s cooperation with the P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US plus Germany -- New York Times wrote said in an article published on Tuesday.
The article added that the US would offer Iran a “modified proposal” in the upcoming meeting between Tehran and P5+1.
“American officials now say that when negotiations resume, the major powers will offer a somewhat modified version of their original proposal that includes some new relief if Iran takes additional steps to curb its program.
They say they would be prepared to discuss a more extensive proposal if Iran showed real interest in negotiating seriously. Whatever package is offered has to include meaningful relief from sanctions or there will be no incentive for Iran to do anything.”
The daily also called on Washington to start face-to-face talks with Iran.
“While negotiations with the major powers are important, Iran and the United States need to start talking directly,” it said.
In October, The Times reported that the two countries, adversaries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, had agreed in principle to hold one-on-one talks. “The window for a deal won’t be open forever,” it said.
After a six-month hiatus, the United States and other major powers are trying to resume negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
On December 20, Russia expressed optimism that the next round of negotiations between Iran and the six world powers will be held next month.
“Currently negotiations are underway with Tehran on the place and date,” a Russian foreign ministry spokesman told RIA Novosti.
“We hope that this work will be completed in the near future and such a meeting will take place in January of next year,” he added.
Iran and the P5+1 have held several rounds of talks with the main focus being Iran’s nuclear issue.
The United States, Israeli regime and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran argues that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Mehmanparast: Iran-Turkey Ties Bring Stability to Region

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast underlined the importance of strong relations between Iran and Turkey as two “important and powerful” countries in the region.
“Promotion of good relations between the two countries can lead to regional stability,” Mehmanparast said in a meeting with Murat Karakaya, head of Turkish Prime Minister Office’s Press and Information Department in Ankara on Monday.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mehmanparast pointed to the current sensitive situation in the Middle East and added, “Media play a very effective role in this sensitive situation.”
He added that increasing public awareness of the people of the two countries will be very effective for promoting bilateral ties.

Interference in Syria Opposed
During the meeting, Mehmanparast also stressed Tehran’s opposition to foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs, saying that the Syrians must be allowed to decide their own fate.
“Ceasing conflicts, paving the ground for holding national dialog and holding a free and democratic election are the solutions to Syria’s problem,” Mehmanparast said.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is opposed to the interference of Western countries in Syria,” Mehmanparast added.
Syria has been the scene of unrest since March 2011 and tens of thousands of people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the turmoil.
The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country.
Damascus blames western countries and some of their regional allies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey of arming the opposition and fueling the crisis in the country, as reports indicate that a large number of insurgents fighting the Syrian government are foreign nationals.
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said in August that the country is engaged in a ‘crucial and heroic’ battle that will determine the destiny of the nation.
Iran has repeatedly rejected foreign intervention in Syria’s internal affairs, calling for national dialog as the only way out of the country’s prolonged impasse.
“The persistence of instability and the continuation of violence are what the Westerners want in Syria in line with providing for the interests of the Zionist regime (of Israel),” Mehmanparast said.
The Iranian official further cautioned the regional states against taking measures that would facilitate the military interference of Western countries in Syria.
Karakaya, for his part, stressed the importance of expanding ties between Iran and Turkey and said, “Establishing peace and stability in the region are important for both countries.”
Referring to the cultural and historical commonalities between Iran and Turkey, Karakaya added that Ankara is ready to expand media cooperation with Tehran. Heading a media delegation, Mehmanparast arrived in Istanbul on Saturday to hold talks with Turkish officials.

Tehran, Yerevan Study Ways To Develop Relations

Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Oceania Seyyed Abbas Araqchi and his Armenian counterpart Robert Koucharian conferred on ways to expand ties between the two neighboring countries.
During a meeting in Yerevan on Tuesday, the two sides exchanged views over the latest developments in the region and the world, Fars News Agency reported.
Araqchi who arrived in Yerevan on Monday evening also attended a meeting of Iran-Armenia Political Consultative Committee, in which bilateral relations between the two countries in political, economic, cultural, consulate and legal fields went under discussion.
The two sides reviewed the latest regional and international developments, specially the Karabakh dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the events in the crisis-hit Syria.
During the visit, Araqchi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and the country’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisian to discuss ways to further the relations between the two countries and exchange views over regional and international developments.

Egypt Vote Result Of Islamic Awakening

A member of Majlis lauded the approval of Egypt’s new constitution in the recent referendum as an outcome of Islamic Awakening in the region.
“People’s vote to Egypt’s new constitution can be construed as their vote to Islam,” said Mehdi Sanaei, member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission on Monday.
Unofficial reports say over 70 percent of Egyptians who participated in the second round of the two-stage referendum have voted in favor of the draft constitution.
Sanaei pointed to the growing tide of Islamic Awakening in the Arab world, saying that the result of the referendum reflects the impact of Islamic Awakening in Egypt, Press TV reported. The lawmaker called on the Egyptian political factions to respect the results of the vote and pave the way for the implementation of economic development policies. “The Islamic Republic of Iran supports any decision based on people’s votes because people are the true owners of any country,” Sanaei added. The new constitution stipulates that Egypt must be governed by the principles of Islamic law. In the first round, which was held on December 15 in ten provinces, 57 percent voted in favor of the draft constitution.

Iran Felicitates Christians on Xmas

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Justice for All
Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, in a message to his Christian counterparts, also extended his felicitations to all Christians on Jesus Christ’s birth anniversary, and wished peace and justice for all people across the world in the New Year.
Larijani described Jesus Christ as the prophet of justice and salvation, and said that the world people who have inclination toward religious teachings and divine values cannot tolerate more and continued insults against the prophets of divine religions by extremist groups under the pretext of freedom of speech.
“Increasing tensions and unrests in the international community by provoking cultural misunderstanding among nations with various cultural identities is the motive behind insults against the prophets of divine religions; all divine prophets invited the human beings to justice, morality, monotheism and peace and urged them to live with each other in peace and to work for the others’ comfort and progress,” he said.
Larijani underlined that the international community should not allow some minute minorities to threaten the world security by insulting the joint history, beliefs and cultural feelings of nations under the pretext of freedom of speech.
“Undoubtedly, achieving the human ideals would be possible only through logical discourse without satire,” he added.

Moscow, Delhi Back Tehran’s Nuclear Rights

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Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran’s civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.

Navy Plans Massive Wargames in Southern Waters

Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the country’s naval forces are to conduct weeklong massive exercises across one million square kilometers of southern waters as of December 28.
“The specialized maritime maneuver, codenamed Velayat-91, will be held east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Sea of Oman and north of the Indian Ocean as far as the 18th parallel north,” Sayyari told a press conference on Tuesday, Press TV reported.
“We are sure to respect the maritime boundaries of neighboring countries and conduct our drill in compliance with the international rules and regulations,” he said.
Sayyari also said that the exercises will involve submarines, destroyers, missiles, surface and subsurface combat, torpedoes, homegrown drones and electronic warfare.
“Tareq submarine, two Ghadir-class submarines and two hovercrafts that recently joined the Navy fleet will be practically assessed during these maneuvers,” he said, adding that new arms and ammunitions would be also tested during the war games.
Over the past few years, Iran has held several military drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and equipment.
Iran’s Navy has been also increasing its naval presence in the international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for Iranian merchant vessels and tankers.
Iran has repeatedly assured other nations, especially neighbors, that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stressing that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.

US Treatment of Iranian Inexcusable

Senior lawmaker Ismail Kowsari slammed the “unjustifiable” treatment of Iranian national Dariush Sarreshtehdar by the US customs officials that led to his death.
“The Americans behave unjustifiably toward their own citizens, particularly with regard to the Iranians in this country, an example of which is the unconventional measure of the US airport police to interrogate an Iranian national for five hours,” Kowsari said on Tuesday.
The lawmaker added that the US administration must be held accountable for the manner in which the airport police treated the elderly Iranian national, ISNA reported.
Sarreshtehdar and his wife were detained by the Customs and Border Protection at Dulles International Airport and interrogated for five hours after returning from Tabriz, Iran, on the US election night on November 6.
Sarreshtehdar suffered a sudden heart attack two days later and died on the same day. His family believes that the harsh and forceful interrogation by the customs officers was the reason for his heart attack and is considering filing a lawsuit against the customs office. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Monday that Tehran would pursue the matter and advised Iranian nationals to refrain from making unnecessary trips to the US.
He also recommended that Iranians avoid unnecessary travels to the United States following the suspicious death of an Iranian national after interrogation by US airport officers.
“The purposive trend of [promoting] Iranophobia in the United States has created conditions which make any travel by Iranians to that country precarious. Recalling previous warnings by [Iran’s] Foreign Ministry to that effect, the countrymen are recommended to avoid unnecessary travels to this country, and if they do travel, show maximum degree of caution,” Mehmanparast said.

When Will P5+1 Talks With Iran Succeed?

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Coming to my point that because Iranians have rejected to be under control of this mafia, then they are considered bad and the western media exert all power to ruin Iran’s image. These media will close their eyes over whatever America’s allies do (like what is happening in Bahrain and Myanmar), and stick on ruining the figure of countries who are against this system.
I would like to remind all pro-Israeli-American rulers all around the world to the end of Saddam Hossein, bin Ladin, Hosni Mobarak, Gaddafi, Ali Abdollah Saleh, bin Ali and… All of them were US men once upon the time. When the time of puppets expire, they should expect facing the same eventuality. In sum, I should say the talks between Iran and P5+1 will succeed only when they understand that they should sit on a round table with Iran and discuss a fair result.

Names of Major Debtors

Prosecutor General Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, in a letter to President Ahmadinejad, said Judiciary is ready to bring to justice all 300 major bank debtors if it gets access to their names and details.