Iran

TEHRAN, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian and Syrian foreign ministers highlighted the necessity of signing a comprehensive document for long-term cooperation between their countries, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Sunday.

Visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, on Saturday in Damascus, where they discussed the issue and exchanged views on bilateral and regional developments.

TEHRAN, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Two pilots survived a trainer aircraft crash Saturday morning in the northern Iranian province of Alborz, Iran's IRIB news agency reported.

The accident caused no property damage as the aircraft crashed into a non-residential area that is home to farmlands, the report said.

Investigators blamed "technical malfunction in the aircraft's engine" for the accident, it added.

14 Jan 2023; MEMO: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian confirmed there is an agreement with Saudi Arabia to continue the dialogue until relations between the two countries are normalised.

TEHRAN, January 12./TASS/: Russia’s Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan and Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department Zamir Kabulov met in the Afghan capital city on Thursday with the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Deputy Spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad reported.

"At the beginning, Muttaqi spoke at length about bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Russia, regional issues, economic cooperation and the latest developments in Afghanistan," Hafiz Zia Ahmad blogged on Twitter.

TEHRAN, Jan 11 (NNN-IRNA) – Iranian Intelligence Ministry, announced yesterday that, its forces destroyed six groups affiliated with Israeli intelligence service, Mossad.

The ministry said, the groups “intended to assassinate a military official and make sabotage attempts in some metropolitan cities across the country.”

The ministry added, it had identified 23 members of the network, 13 of whom were arrested inside Iran, with their equipment seized.

12 Jan 2023; MEMO: The Iranian judiciary yesterday sentenced former deputy defence minister Alireza Akbari to death on charges of spying for Britain.

An Iranian Ministry of Intelligence statement described Akbari, who served as deputy defence minister until 2001, as "one of the most important infiltrators of the British spy service in the country's sensitive and strategic apparatuses," according to the official Iranian news agency IRNA.

TEHRAN, Jan 11 (NNN-IRNA) – Iranian Intelligence Ministry, announced yesterday that, its forces destroyed six groups affiliated with Israeli intelligence service, Mossad.

The ministry said, the groups “intended to assassinate a military official and make sabotage attempts in some metropolitan cities across the country.”

The ministry added, it had identified 23 members of the network, 13 of whom were arrested inside Iran, with their equipment seized.

TEHRAN, Jan 10 (NNN-IRNA) – The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said yesterday that, negotiations on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal are continuing through relevant channels at both sides’ request.

Nasser Kanaani made the remarks at a weekly press conference, without further elaborating on “relevant channels.”

Kanaani added, Iran’s policy towards the nuclear issue is clear, and the country is acting within the same political framework.

He said, Iran is ready for the conclusion of the nuclear talks, based on the European Union’s proposed package.

10 Jan 2023; MEMO: Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has described demonstrators who have been protesting following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody as "traitors", claiming they "receive support from outside Iran".

Iran has been rocked by popular protests following the death of the 22-year-old in September.

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Meta's (META.O) Oversight Board on Monday overturned the company's decision to remove a Facebook post that used the slogan "death to Khamenei" to criticize the Iranian leader, saying it did not violate a rule barring violent threats.

The board, which is funded by Meta but operates independently, said in a ruling that the phrase is often used to mean "down with Khamenei" in referring to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been leading a violent crackdown on nationwide protests in recent months.