Iran

TEHRAN, Feb 22 (NNN-IRNA) – The Iranian Foreign Ministry, imposed yesterday, new sanctions on several individuals and entities of the European Union and Britain, for “supporting terrorism and inciting violence.”

The “retaliatory” move targets those supporting terrorism and terrorist groups, encouraging terrorist acts and violence against Iranians, interfering in Iran’s domestic affairs, spreading false information about Iran and escalating “economic terrorism” against the country, the ministry said.

20 Feb 2023; MEMO: Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, will not attend the Raisina Dialogue in India, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday, criticising a video posted by the conference organisers showing protests in the Islamic Republic, Reuters reports.

TEHRAN, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Behrouz Kamalvandi rejected media reports Sunday indicating the country has enriched uranium to levels beyond 60 percent purity, saying it is a "distortion of the facts."

Kamalvandi denied such reports in an interview with the official news agency IRNA, following a Bloomberg report which said that international atomic monitors in Iran last week had detected uranium enriched to 84 percent purity, a concentration just 6 percent below of that needed for a nuclear weapon.

TEHRAN, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman on Sunday condemned an Israeli missile attack earlier in the day on Syria's capital Damascus.

In a statement published on the ministry's website, Nasser Kanaani said the continuation of the attacks by Israel proves that it seeks to aggravate the Syrian people's pains and suffering who are still grappling with the consequences of the deadly and destructive quakes.

TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman on Saturday strongly condemned the "brutal" attack by the Islamic State (IS) group in eastern Syria that killed more than 50, blaming the United States for the "continued insecurity" in the Arab country.

In a statement published on the ministry's website, Nasser Kanaani expressed his condolences to the "brotherly and friendly" Syrian government and people over the tragic incident.

TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman chided the United States for its "politically-motivated and opportunistic" approach toward the issue of exchanging prisoners with Iran.

In an interview with semi-official Mehr news agency published on Saturday, Nasser Kanaani said that despite the agreement between the two sides on the prisoner swap, the U.S. government has not fulfilled its pledge, and conditioned the issue on other matters, including the talks on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal, which has led to a halt in the prisoner swap process.

TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday described his state visit to China as "very successful and fruitful."

Raisi made the remarks in an address to reporters upon arrival in Tehran from his Beijing visit, according to the website of the Iranian president's office.

Noting that he held meetings with Chinese leaders, Raisi said the strategic level of the two countries' communication had given a strategic aspect to bilateral talks so that the two countries could pursue the issues of common interest.

15 Feb 2023; MEMO: Iran is reported to have killed two Israeli officers in retaliation for the sabotage attack that targeted a military facility in Isfahan, Iranian media have reported.

TEHRAN, February 14. /TASS/: Tehran greatly appreciates China’s role in Iran’s accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and hopes for Beijing’s backing for its BRICS (an association of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) membership bid, the ISNA news agency said on Tuesday, commenting on Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to China.

13 Feb 2023; MEMO: Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi is set to embark on a three-day visit to China on Tuesday, in what will be the first state visit by an Iranian leader to the country in almost two decades, reports Anadolu Agency.

The high-profile visit, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, will test the relationship between Tehran and Beijing after a diplomatic row over a joint statement by China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in December.