IAEA: Nuclear Case Must Be Resolved Peacefully

The UN nuclear watchdog chief has underlined to Israel’s president the need to resolve differences with Iran diplomatically, Yukiya Amano’s office said on Friday, rather than war as Israeli leaders have claimed, Reuters reported.
Israel, widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed country in the Middle East, has threatened possible military action if diplomacy and sanctions fail to prevent arch-adversary Iran from developing its nuclear energy program.
Iran says its uranium enrichment program is for peaceful purposes only.
Amano said in a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Thursday that the International Atomic Energy Agency had intensified ‘dialog’ with Tehran, the IAEA said in a statement.
That was a reference to the IAEA’s year-long push to negotiate a framework deal with Iran allowing the Vienna-based UN agency to resume a long-stalled investigation into suspected nuclear research by Tehran.
Director General Amano ‘made clear the Agency’s commitment to dialog, and the need to resolve issues with Iran by diplomatic means’, the IAEA said in a statement.
Analysts say any brewing or actual military adventurism against Iran will dim the chance of Iran opening up to IAEA investigators and spur Tehran to expel IAEA inspectors tasked with ensuring civilian safeguards on Iran’s nuclear activity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an election victory speech on Wednesday, said preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear arms would be the next government’s main challenge.
Iran, which strongly denies Israel and western accusations that it is seeking to develop the capability to make nuclear bombs, says it is Israel’s nuclear arsenal that poses a threat to peace and stability in the volatile Middle East.
Amano also ‘stressed the importance of a successful conference’ on a Middle East free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, the IAEA statement said.
The Israeli regime rejects all the regulatory international nuclear agreements--the NPT in particular--and refuses to allow its nuclear facilities to come under international regulatory inspections.
Talks on banning nuclear weapons in the region had been due last year. But the United States--a co-sponsor of the planned conference--said in November the meeting would not occur and did not make clear when it would take place.
US and Israeli rulers have said a nuclear arms-free zone in the Middle East could not be a reality until there was broad Arab-Israeli peace and Iran curbed its nuclear program.
Iran and Arab states have criticized the decision to put off the talks, with Tehran blaming Washington for what it called a ‘serious setback’ to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Bahraini Allegations Of ‘Meddling’ Baseless

A senior Iranian official has categorically rejected allegations by Bahraini officials of Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of the Persian Gulf kingdom.
In an interview with Mehr News Agency on Friday, Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab-African affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian described as popular the uprising in Bahrain against the ruling Al Khalifa regime and said the allegations against Iran were ‘an insult to the wise Bahraini nation’.
The people of Bahrain have ‘for more than two years been patiently demanding civil rights through democratic and peaceful means but have instead faced murder, suppression, expulsion from their jobs and threats’, Amir-Abdollahian said.
Pointing to the flagrant violations of human rights in Bahrain and the obstinacy of the Al Khalifa regime in employing security and military means to silence the people, Amir-Abdollahian said the unrest in the kingdom can only be handled diplomatically and resolved through negotiations.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports such negotiations, and we hope that by respecting the public’s democratic demands the Bahraini government prepares the ground for talks.”
The Bahraini revolution began in mid-February 2011, when the people, inspired by the popular revolutions that toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, started holding massive demonstrations.
The Bahraini government promptly launched a brutal crackdown on the peaceful protests and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring states.
Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown, and the security forces have arrested hundreds, including doctors and nurses accused of treating injured revolutionaries. A report published by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in November 2011 found that the Al Khalifa regime had used excessive force in the crackdown and accused Manama of torturing political activists, politicians, and protesters.
The protesters say they will continue holding anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically elected government is met.

P5+1 Wants Talks Adjourned Till February

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The US, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence that the Iranian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.

Egypt Interested in Iran Ties

Head of Egypt’s interest section in Iran, Khaled Amareh, said his country is willing to establish friendly and normal ties with all world countries including Iran.
He told IRNA that the two countries of Iran and Egypt have already exchanged delegations in cultural, social, political, scientific and research areas and are conducting speedy measures to make optimum coordination and convergence.
He pointed to the importance of diplomatic exchanges to improve relations.
He highlighted regional concerns of Iran and Egypt with a focus on Palestinian issue and elimination of weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East region, calling for enhanced cooperation in political, tourism and economic areas.
The diplomat further hoped that the bases of strategic ties between the two countries would be built in a way to augment cooperation of the two Islamic countries in such areas as creating jobs by carrying out joint economic projects.
Amareh said it was an honor for Egypt to host Islamic countries summit in Cairo on February 6-7 which includes Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at top of the list.
As for economic cooperation, the Egyptian official pointed to many existing potential in both countries and said Tehran and Cairo were interested in establishing trade and economic ties especially in textile, petrochemical industry, auto manufacturing, and spare parts.
He dismissed rumors spread by certain Arab media in the region regarding concerns the proximity between Iran and Egypt may cause, saying such claims were propaganda. He welcomed media cooperation between the two countries.

Direct US Talks in Oman Denied

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He said that the US suffered defeats in wars on Iraq and Afghanistan with significant human and financial loss, adding American officials would not think of an attack on Iran if they were wise.
The US and Israel have been spearheading a campaign against Iran, accusing Tehran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. The US and its European allies have also imposed sanctions against the Islamic Republic over the unfounded allegation.
Iran has strongly rejected the accusation and argues that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Attack on Syria, Strike Against Iran, Allies
The senior official has also praised Syria’s logistic support for Lebanon’s resistance group Hezbollah during the Israeli regime’s 33-day war, saying an attack on Syria is regarded as a strike against Iran and its allies.
“If Syria had not provided logistical support for Hezbollah, Hezbollah and Hamas would have failed to achieve victory in [Israel’s] 33-day and 22-day war,” Velayati said.
The Israeli regime waged a 22-day war on the densely populated Gaza Strip in 2008, which left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead including at least 300 children.
The Gaza war saw Hamas preventing Tel Aviv from materializing its stated aim of destroying the Palestinian resistance movement.
Forces with the Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah also defended Lebanon against Israeli invaders during the 33-day war in 2006 and Tel Aviv was compelled to withdraw its troops without having achieved any of its objectives.
Velayati further said that Syria plays a ‘very fundamental and key’ role in promoting resistance in the region.
He underlined that western countries and reactionary regional states, which oppose resistance against the Zionists, attacked the ‘golden resistance chain’ by waging a war on Syria.
The senior official reaffirmed the country’s foreign policy on support for Palestine, the Lebanese resistance, Syria and a popular government in Iraq.
“The maintenance of the resistance chain is the objective,” Velayati pointed out.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The Syrian government has said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.

Tehran Can Share Anti-Drug Expertise With Hanoi

Iranian Ambassador to Hanoi Hossein Alvandi Behineh in a meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang announced Tehran’s readiness to share experiences with Vietnam in fighting drug trafficking.
In a meeting in Hanoi on Saturday, the two officials discussed ways to further expand relations.
“I hope that the relations between the two countries will be strengthened and expanded in all fields through cooperation with your embassy in Vietnam,” General Quang said.
The Iranian diplomat, for his part, referred to the Iranian police forces’ good record in fighting drugs, and said Tehran is ready to share its experiences with Hanoi in this respect.
According to UN figures, Iran ranks first in the world in preventing entry of drugs and decreasing demand for narcotics.
The anti-drug squads of the Iranian Law Enforcement Police have intensified their countrywide campaign against drug-trafficking by staging long-term systematic operations for the last two years.
Iran lies on a major drug route extending from Afghanistan to the West.
With a 900-km (560-mile) common border with Afghanistan, Iran has been the main route for smuggling Afghan narcotics to drug cartels in Europe and beyond.
The Islamic Republic has spent more than $700 million to seal the borders and prevent the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.
The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past 33 years.

US Unable To Pressure Iran

The United States has nothing left to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program except for war, and if it chooses conflict, Iran could close a key energy chokepoint, Tehran’s Ambassador to Baghdad Hassan Danaeifar said.
The envoy told AFP that Tehran retained the right to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which a third of the world’s traded oil passes, in response to any aggression, military or otherwise.
“What else can (US President Barack) Mr. Obama do?” Danaeifar asked through an Iranian embassy translator.
“The only remaining card on the table is war. Is it to their benefit? Is it to the benefit of the world? Is it to the benefit of the region?”
The diplomat said that if it faced a ‘problem’, Tehran would be within its rights ‘to react and to defend itself’.
Asked if it could try to close off the strategic strait, Danaeifar replied, “If there is some movement and action from our enemies including the US against us, as a part of natural reaction, that may happen.”
“Everybody would be a loser in that case,” he added.
On whether only military or other types of pressure could spur Iran to make such a move, he said, “It can include all of them.” Iran regularly denounces the regional presence of foreign forces, including American, particularly those stationed in the Persian Gulf. It says the security of the region must be ensured ‘by regional countries’.

Islamic Unity

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The puppets of enemies of Muslims never stopped their plans and this year they also tried to stop Islamic philosophers and thinkers from other countries from attending ‘The 26th International Islamic Unity Conference’. But the purity and consistency of Iranian’s determination added to the demand and the will of Muslims around the world failed all their attempts so that Muslim thinkers all around the world proved they have a quest for unity. Therefore, they all gathered in Tehran and joined the International Islamic Unity Conference.
All participants of the conference have one objective in mind--’Islamic Unity’.

Power Struggle

Senior lawmaker Seyyed Hossein Naqavi-Hosseini said the Syrian opposition figures are engaged in a ‘power struggle’, which will be the key to their undoing.