Iran

28 Oct 2020; MEMO: Following Bolivia’s election results last week, which saw the Movement to Socialism (MAS) party receiving 55 per cent of the votes and overall majorities in both houses of Congress, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has voiced Tehran’s support for the new Bolivian government and welcomed its “return to democracy”.

27 Oct 2020; MEMO: Insulting Muslims is an “opportunistic” abuse of free speech, Iran’s foreign minister said on Monday, in an apparent reference to remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron perceived to be critical of Islam.

“Muslims are the primary victims of the ‘cult of hatred’,” the minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tweeted, without directly addressing Macron.

TEHRAN, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry has summoned the French charge d'affaires over growing anti-Islam comments in France and French officials' support for them, Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported Tuesday.

In their meeting on Monday, a ministry official told French charge d'affaires to Tehran Florent Aydalot that "any insult and disrespect to the Prophet of Islam and the pure values of Islam are strongly condemned and rejected by every person and in every position," according to the news agency.

TEHRAN, Oct 26 (NNN-TASNIM) – Iran’s Guardian Council of Constitution, yesterday dismissed allegations, regarding his country’s “interference” in the U.S. upcoming presidential elections.

“Iran announced repeatedly that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Moreover, it sees no need for such interference,” Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, spokesman for Iran’s highest legislative body was quoted as saying.

Likewise, the U.S. presidential election is a domestic issue of the Americans, in which Iran does not intend or need to interfere, Kadkhodaei said.

26 Oct 2020; MEMO: Iranian ground forces conducted one-day manoeuvres in the West Azerbaijan Province near the border with Iraq’s Kurdistan.

The army said the manoeuvres, dubbed “Lovers of Velayat-99”, aimed to display the ground forces’ combat strength and readiness and promote mobility in the area.

The ground forces’ 164th Mobile Assault Brigade led the manoeuvres held overnight, supported by the infantry, engineering, unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery units.

TEHRAN, Oct 22 (NNN-TASNIM) – Iran’s Air Defence Forces began a large-scale military exercise yesterday, in different parts of the country.

In the air defence drill, codenamed “Guardians of Velayat Sky-99,” units from the Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), also participated.

According to the report, Iranian fighter jets, bombers, homegrown drones, missile systems, radars, electronic warfare equipment, and communications systems, have been deployed in the war game.

TEHRAN, Oct 22 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran supports role of Syrian national constitutional committee, in the country’s political peace process, senior assistant to the Iranian Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs, Ali Asghar Khaji, said yesterday.

“Building trust among members of the committee is the principled position of Iran,” Khaji was quoted as saying.

The Iranian official made the remarks at a meeting with visiting Russian President’s Special Syrian Envoy, Alexander Lavrentiev.

20 Oct 2020; MEMO: The Islamic Republic of Iran has the capacity to produce 90 per cent of its military needs, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry said.

TEHRAN, Oct 20 (NNN-IRNA) – Iranian Defence Minister, Amir Hatami, said, Iran is ready to sign “military and security” agreements with the Gulf states.

Pointing to the importance of the Gulf security, Hatami said, any threat in the region, following normalisation of ties between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, will trigger Iran’s “direct and clear response.”

Iran has repeatedly urged regional cooperation, for the security of the Gulf region, noting, foreign military presence as the cause of insecurity in the region.

TEHRAN, Oct 19 (NNN-IRNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry, earlier on Sunday, released a statement on the termination of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) arms restrictions and travel ban, saying, the “definitive and unconditional” termination requires no new resolution.