Iran

23 June 2021; MEMO: Iran said today that Washington had agreed to remove all sanctions on Iran's oil and shipping, and take some senior figures off a blacklist, at talks to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with global powers which are now on a pause, Reuters reported.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian news site close to security services says that authorities have thwarted a “sabotage attack” on the country’s civilian nuclear program, without providing further information.

Nournews, a website believed to be close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reported Wednesday that the attack was foiled “before causing any damage to the building.” It said the case was “under investigation.”

22 June 2021; MEMO: President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday that his support for the nuclear talks taking place between Iran and world powers in Vienna is "conditional", and depends on the achievement of his country's demands.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s sole nuclear power plant has undergone an unexplained temporary emergency shutdown, the country’s state TV reported.

An official from the state electric company Tavanir, Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, said on a talk show that aired on Sunday that the Bushehr plant shutdown began on Saturday and would last “for three to four days.” Without elaborating, he said that power outages could result.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The only reformist candidate in Iran’s upcoming presidential election dropped out of the race Wednesday on the last day of campaigning, state media reported, likely trying to boost the chances of a moderate candidate.

Mohsen Mehralizadeh, 64, resigned in a letter to Iran’s Interior Ministry, which runs elections in the Islamic Republic, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Such dropouts are common in Iranian presidential elections in order to boost the chances of similar candidates.

(Reuters) --- Iranians elect a new president on Friday in a race dominated by hardline candidates close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with popular anger over economic hardship and curbs on freedoms set to keep many pro-reform Iranians at home.

The front-runner in a carefully vetted field is Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline judge seen by analysts and insiders as representing the security establishment at its most fearsome.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A prominent contender in Iran’s presidential election appealed Tuesday for better economic and political relations with the West, his most extensive attempt yet to attract reformist voters just days ahead of the poll.

Former Iranian Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati, among the seven candidates allowed on the ballot for Friday’s vote, has no official ties to any political faction but is positioning himself as the likely candidate for moderate and reform-minded voters.

(Reuters) --- Iran does not expect Israeli foreign and security policy to change under its new government, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday, according to ISNA news agency, a day after Israel's parliament ended Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year run as prime minister.

"Iran's enemies are gone and powerful Iran is still here. I don't think Israel's policies will change with the new government," Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranians this week are preparing to vote in — or perhaps to boycott — a presidential election that many fear will only underscore their powerlessness to shape the country’s fate.

TEHRAN, Jun 13 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran has begun importing electricity from its northern neighbour, Azerbaijan, to tackle its power shortage.

On Thursday, the electricity grid of Moghan, in the north-west of Iran, was synchronised with an electricity grid in Azerbaijan, to feed 73 megawatts of electricity to Iran’s power grid, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, spokesman for Iran’s Power Generation, Distribution, and Transmission Company, was quoted as saying.

Recently, increasing demand in the summer, among other factors, has caused discontinuities in power supply across Iran.