Iran

6 Aug 2019; MEMO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said yesterday that the US imposed sanctions on him after he had refused to meet with US President Donald Trump, DPA reported.

Speaking in a press conference in Tehran, Zarif said: “While I was in New York, I was informed that sanctions to be imposed on me if I did not accept the invitation [to meet with Trump]… I did not accept it.”

06 August 2019; DW: War with Iran would be the "mother of all wars," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said in a live TV address. The US must lift all sanctions if it wants to negotiate with Tehran, he warned.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani demanded an end to US sanctions, declaring it was necessary for talks to continue.

In a speech broadcast on state TV Tuesday, Rouhani said that Tehran favored "talks and negotiations," but that "the US should lift all sanctions first."

TEHRAN, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that Iran's minimum demand for oil sales under the 2015 nuclear deal is 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd).

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has conveyed this demand to the European signatories of the nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), according to Zarif at a press conference.

"Iran's oil sales should be restored to the level in May 2018 when the United States withdrew from the JCPOA," he said.

TEHRAN, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Monday that the United States is responsible for tension in the Gulf region.

Iran is responsible to provide security of the Gulf, said Zarif at a press conference here on Monday, rejecting foreign intervention in the region's security.

Iran will not allow any violation of regulations in the Gulf, he said.

He decried what he called the British cooperation with the United States in marine "piracy."

Abadan, Aug 4, IRNA – Director General of Khorramshahr port and Maritime Organization Nourollah Assadi said on Sunday that non-oil exports from Khorramshahr port grew up by 59% since the beginning of the current Iranian year (beginning from March 21) compared to the preceding period.

Since the beginning of this year, some 738,483 tons of goods have been loaded in Khorramshahr port, which is 59 percent higher than the same period last year, Asadi said.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has seized an oil tanker carrying 700,000 liters of “smuggled fuel” in the Persian Gulf, Iranian media reported Sunday.

State TV and the semi-official Fars news agency reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized late Wednesday. They did not provide further details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.

“This foreign vessel had received the fuel from other ships and was transferring it to Persian Gulf Arab states,” Fars quoted Gen. Ramazan Zirahi, a Guard commander, as saying.

01 August 2019; AFP: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday mocked a US decision to impose sanctions on his top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif, saying it showed Washington was "afraid" of him as tensions again flare between the arch-enemies.

The US Treasury said the sanctions would freeze any of Zarif's assets in the United States or controlled by US entities, as well as squeeze his ability to function as a globe-trotting diplomat.

Tehran, Aug 1, IRNA - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message on Thursday said calling for dialogue and peace is an existential threat to B-Team.

"We know that calling for dialogue & peace is an existential threat to #B_Team," Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in his Twitter account.

"And since reason for designating me is my words, would "US persons" need OFAC license to "engage" with me by reading my writings or listening to interviews?" he added.

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Tehran, Aug 1, IRNA - Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message thanked US for considering him as a huge threat to their agenda.

"The US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's "primary spokesperson around the world," Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in his Twitter account. "It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran," he added by raising question whether the truth is really painful.
"Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda," he reiterated.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s president lambasted new U.S. sanctions by the Trump administration targeting the country’s foreign minister, describing the move on Thursday as “childish” and a barrier to diplomacy.

Hassan Rouhani’s remarks came after the Trump administration announced Wednesday it had imposed financial sanctions on Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as part of its escalating campaign of pressure against the Islamic Republic.