Daily Archives: September 26, 2020

2020-09-26: News Headlines

Juan Cole (2020-09-26). Russia tells Trump to Jump in Lake. zcomm.org Commits 80,000 Personnel to War drill alongside Iran, China…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). Iran, UN official discuss latest developments in Syria. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister's Senior Assistant for Special Political Affairs Ali Asghar Khaji held a phone talk with the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen on the latest developments in Syria.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). 1st VP's visit to Bandar Abbas. en.mehrnews.com BANDAR ABBAS, Sep. 27 (MNA) – In his one-day trip to Bandar Abbas, the First Vice President of Iran Eshaq Jahangiri inaugurated several projects including the second phase of steel-making of Kish South Kaveh Steel Company (SKS).

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). Iranian short 'Talker' wins at Tirana Intl. FilmFest. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 27 (MNA) — Iranian short film, 'Talker' directed by Mehrshad Ranjbar, has won the best film award at student film competition in the 18th edition of the Tirana International Film Festival (TIFF) in Albania.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). Iran COVID-19 update: 3,204 new cases, 172 deaths in 24h. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) — Iran's Health Ministry confirmed 3,204 new COVID-19 infections and 172 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). Kuwait calls for dialogue between Iran, Arab states. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) — Kuwait's Prime Minister Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah urged Iran and Arab countries to dialogue in order to end tensions in the region.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). Iranian, Iraqi FMs hold meeting in Tehran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met and held talks with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein on Saturday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). Iran considers US presence detrimental to regional security. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran considers the presence of US terrorist forces in the region as detrimental to the security and stability of the region.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). Iran's Army not worried about regional threats: Pourdastan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) — The Head of Army's Strategic Studies Center said that Iran's Army is not worried about the regional threats.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). Zarif talks US assassination of Iran top general with Iraq FM. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed the US terrorist murder of Iran's top general Martyr Soleimani with visiting Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein in Tehran on Saturday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). AEOI promoting use of nuclear tech. in determined manner. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) — Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said that it is pursuing and promoting the use of nuclear technology in a precise and determined manner.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). US attack on top generals, 'insult to Iraq sovereignty'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) —Iranian Parliament Speaker said that US assassination of former IRGC Quds Force Cmdr. General Soleimani and second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Unit (PMU) Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis was an insult to sovereignty of Iraq.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-26). El Salvadorian filmmaker hails medical personnel. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) — Iran's 16th Resistance International Film Festival has held an interview with Susana Beatriz Serrano, a filmmaker from El Salvador.

sputniknews (2020-09-26). Tehran Accuses Trump of Being Even More of a Threat to Iran Than Saddam Hussein. sputniknews.com Iran and Iraq fought a brutal, eight-year war between 1980 and 1988, with Baghdad invading the Islamic Republic to try to seize the oil-rich province of Khuzestan soon after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Up to 1.2 million people died in the conflict, which included Iraqi use of chemical weapons against both Iranian troops and civilians.

yenisafak (2020-09-26). Lebanon's parliament speaker says still sticks to French initiative. yenisafak.com Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is the leader of the Shi'ite Muslim Amal Movement, said his group would stick to a French initiative after the plan was dealt a blow by the prime minister-designate's decision to step down."Our position is to stick to the French initiative and its content," Berri said in a statement, after a dispute over the new cabinet that centred around a demand by Amal and its ally Iran-backed Hezbollah to name several ministers.

yenisafak (2020-09-26). Iran prepares to impose new coronavirus lockdowns as cases rise. yenisafak.com "We are forced to intensify regulations and supervisions," starting in the capital Tehran, Rouhani said in televised remarks.He said government-run coronavirus task-force offices around the country would make recommendations on restrictions and whether to impose one-week lockdowns.Iran's death toll from the coronavirus has surpassed 25,000 and identified cases on Friday totalled 439,882, according to the health ministry.Iran's health officials have expressed alarm over a surge in infections, urging the country to respect health protocols to control the spread of the disease.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-09-25). American Space Force Installs Military Base in the Persian Gulf to Monitor Iran. globalresearch.ca The sixth and newest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces now has an overseas base. A squadron of 20 soldiers has been sent to an air base in Al Udeid, which is in a desert in Qatar, where the first …

Eve Ottenberg (2020-09-25). Provocation on the High Seas: U.S. Naval Adventures Near the Shores of Russia, China and Iran. counterpunch.org The war on terror is slowly ending. The U.S. military will try to keep bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, but with most troops gone in the next few years, the lives of the few who remain will be at constant risk. Pressure will mount to get those soldiers out. But Pentagon bureaucrats and brass are masters of institutional infighting, and, apparently, ignoring presidential orders they don't like, so who knows how that will turn out? One thing is sure: the military's focus has shifted, from the Middle East to Russia and China. That means U.S. soldiers and materiel will continue to be in places they shouldn't, in ever g…

MEE staff (2020-09-25). US cuts $20m in funding for group helping pro-democracy efforts in Iran. middleeasteye.net US cuts $20m in funding for group helping pro-democracy efforts in Iran | Open Technology Fund supports activists operating in Iran, Belarus and Hong Kong, helping them bypass internet censorship and state surveillance | Fri, 09/25/2020 – 16: 33 | Iranian protesters run for cover from riot police (unseen) during an anti-government demonstration in Tehran in 2011 (AFP/File photo) | The Trump administration bloc…

RT (2020-09-25). 'The Army just killed my wife!': Soul-crushing video provokes online outrage towards Colombian military. rt.com A young Colombian man filmed himself crying over his dead wife, who was shot in her car by soldiers. The emotional video led online users to denounce both the country's government and US foreign policy. | The woman, reported as Juliana Giraldo Diaz, was killed on Thursday, while she and her husband were driving through the rural area of Miranda, Cauca. In the graphic video, her body can be seen lying in the car's front seat, apparently shot in the head, and in a pool of blood. | WARNING: DISTURBING VIDEO | The Colombian army shot this man's wife in the head and killed her. He's begging for help. "Help me plea…

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-25). Trump Regime War on Cuba by Other Means. globalresearch.ca Unlawful US sanctions on nations, entities and individuals are weapons of war by other means. | Since taking office in January 2017, Trump imposed sanctions on numerous countries extrajudicially, including Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba….

_____ (2020-09-25). Is Steven Bannon Still Advising Trump? U.S. President Leads the Country Into Dangerous Waters With Latest Iran Move. strategic-culture.org Trump looks at the reporter and an opaque gaze of confusion and vulnerability takes over his face as he mutters that he didn't know Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the U.S. Supreme Court's iconic feminist, had passed away. Many of us were left wondering if anyone is actually advising The Donald on anything. Shouldn't the U.S. president have smart people around him keeping him informed of current affairs? Or world affairs? | This is not the first time that Trump has been blind-sided by a seismic news event. But it gives us a reminder that if he had any advisers on policy when he took office, that we now have a president in t…

news.un (2020-09-25). 'Reverse course' towards full nuclear disarmament — UN chief. news.un.org On the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons marked on Saturday, the UN chief has underscored the need to "reverse course and return to a common path to nuclear disarmament".

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-25). Diplomat raps US accusations on Iran's role in Afghanistan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 25 (MNA) — The Iranian foreign minister's special envoy for Afghanistan has slammed his American counterpart's "untrue and irresponsible" remarks on the Islamic Republic's role in Afghanistan.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-25). GC reacts to US sanctions on two Iranian judges. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 25 (MNA) — Iranian Guardian Council Spokesman showed reaction to the US imposition of sanctions on two Iranian judges.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-25). Iran summons Tajik envoy over baseless accusations. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 25 (MNA) — Tajik ambassador to Tehran was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Fri. following the broadcasting of false and biased accusations put forward against the Islamic Republic of Iran in a series on state TV.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-25). Tehran-Moscow cooperating in producing COVID-19 vaccine. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 26 (MNA) — Iranian envoy to the Russian Federation said that Tehran and Moscow are cooperating in the field of producing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-25). Iran's Navy safeguards country's economy: Sayyari. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 25 (MNA) – Deputy Coordinator of Iran's Army Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari on Fri. said that the Navy has preserved and safeguarded the economy of the country.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-25). Kish hosting 'Where Are Our Hands, Mamhasan" play. en.mehrnews.com KISH, Sep. 25 (MNA) — The Play of "Where Are Out Hands, Mamhasan" was performed on Kish Island on Fri. which narrates the presence and martyrdom of several teenagers and youth during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-25). Seven Iranian prisoners in Armenia repatriated to Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 25 (MNA) — At the continuous efforts and numerous follow-ups of the Iranian Embassy to Yerevan, seven Iranian prisoners in Armenia were released and returned to the Islamic Republic of Iran on Fri.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-25). Iran, Nakhchivan mull over developing bilateral ties. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 25 (MNA) — the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic mulled over the developing bilateral ties.

yenisafak (2020-09-25). Iran, Russia discussing joint production of COVID-19 vaccine. yenisafak.com Iran and Russia's sovereign wealth fund RDIF are discussing the joint production of a vaccine against COVID-19, Russian news agencies cited the Iranian ambassador to Moscow as saying on Friday."We are holding talks, I spoke with the head of RDIF Kirill Dmitriev, our officials have held several rounds of consultations and we announced that we will co-operate," Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali was cited as saying.Thus far, Russia has struck a manufacturing partnership deal with India, which is due to produce 300 million doses of the 'Sputnik-V' vaccine domestically. It is also discussing such partnerships with sev…

MEE correspondent (2020-09-24). Iranian press review: Middle East's highest peak gravely threatened by mining. middleeasteye.net Iranian press review: Middle East's highest peak gravely threatened by mining | Meanwhile, US sanctions lead to flu vaccine shortage and conservatives want the next president to be a military commander | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 12: 35 | Mount Damavand is under threat from mining in its foothills (Greger Ravik/flickr) | Conservatives say next president should be from military : | Conse…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-24). Iran's coronavirus death toll surpasses 25,000. middleeasteye.net Iran's coronavirus death toll surpasses 25,000 | Health Ministry says 5,000 people have died from Covid-19 in past month and warns of 'third wave' | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 18: 47 | Islamic Republic has suffered worst outbreak of Covid-19 in Middle East (AFP) | The death toll from Covid-19 in Iran has surpassed 25,000, the highest total in the Middle East, with infection rates continuing to surg…

South Front (2020-09-24). Video: Iran Says Houthis Use Its Military Knowhow in Battle Against Saudi Arabia. globalresearch.ca Iran has supplied Ansar Allah (also known as the Houthis) with technical expertise and know-how, a spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said on September 22. However, the general claimed that Yemeni forces "have learned how …

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-24). Russia Intends Military Cooperation with Iran When UN Arms Embargo Expires. globalresearch.ca On issues related to the JCPOA nuclear deal and expiring UN arms embargo on Iran next month, the Trump regime is isolated on the world stage. | Commenting on its unlawful imposition of what it called "snapback" sanctions on Iran, its …

yenisafak (2020-09-24). US to announce more Iran sanctions on Thursday, top envoy says. yenisafak.com The United States will slap new sanctions on a number of Iranian officials and entities including a judge who sentenced Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari to death, U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela Elliott Abrams told a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday.Navid Afkari was executed earlier this month after being convicted of stabbing a security guard to death during anti-government protests in 2018, Iranian state media reported, in a case that has sparked international outcry. Iran's Supreme Court rejected a review of the case in late August.

WSWS (2020-09-24). Iran: Reopening of schools fuels resurgence of coronavirus. wsws.org According to Iran's health minister, as of August 22, at least 164 medical workers had lost their lives fighting the pandemic.

_____ (2020-09-24). One Hundred Seconds Till The Apocalypse. popularresistance.org Since 1947, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has adjusted its Doomsday Clock to provide humanity with an expert estimate of just how close all of us are to an apocalyptic "midnight" — that is, nuclear annihilation. A century ago, there was, of course, no need for such a measure. Back then, the largest explosion ever caused by humans had likely occurred in Halifax, Canada, in 1917, when a munitions ship collided with another vessel, in that city's harbor. That tragic blast killed nearly 2,000, wounded another 9,000, and left 6,000 homeless, but it didn't imperil the planet.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-24). Sports, tourism key pillars in boosting vitality, health. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 24 (MNA) — At the inauguration ceremony of 422 projects on Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani noted that Sport and tourism are two key pillars in boosting vitality and health in society.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-24). US must compensate for damage caused to Iranian nation. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 24 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the US must compensate for the damage it caused to the Iranian nation.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-24). Martyrs teaching new generations to be no afraid of enemy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 24 (MNA) — Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei noted that martyrs have taught the generations of the Iranian people to not be afraid of the enemy.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-24). Iran's COVID-19 death toll tops 25,000. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 24 (MNA) — According to the Iranian Health Ministry, more than 25,000 people have died due to the COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-24). Rouhani felicities National Day of Armenia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 24 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani congratulated National Day of the Republic of Armenia in separate messages to the president and prime minister of the country.

Staff (2020-09-24). We Are Closer to Nuclear Annihilation Than We Have Ever Been. truthout.org Whether you're reading this with your morning coffee, just after lunch, or on the late shift in the wee small hours of the morning, it's 100 seconds to midnight. That's just over a minute and a half. And that should be completely unnerving. It's the closest to that witching hour we've ever been. | Since 1947, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has adjusted its Doomsday Clock to provide humanity with an expert estimate of just how close all of us are to an apocalyptic "midnight" — that is, nuclear an…

yenisafak (2020-09-24). Iran 'coordinates steps in Syria with Russia, Turkey'. yenisafak.com The Syrian issue requires an exceptional strategy, and Iran coordinates its steps in Syria with Russia and Turkey, the Iranian foreign minister said Thursday."There are serious problems in our region," Javad Zarif told Iranian media during his visit to the Russian capital Moscow."Syrian issue requires special coordination. We coordinate our steps with Turkey and Russia in Syria under Astana process."The Astana peace process to end the Syrian conflict was launched in January 2017 by Turkey, Russia, and Iran.Since the eruption of the bloody civil war in Syria in 2011, thousands of people died, millions fled the cou…

yenisafak (2020-09-24). Turkey says dialogue with EU crucial in East Med tensions. yenisafak.com A senior Turkish diplomat on Thursday urged dialogue and cooperation between the country and the EU on the Eastern Mediterranean as a way to contribute to security, stability and prosperity in the region. Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kiran was speaking at the International Conference on the Eastern Mediterranean, organized by Turkey's Communications Directorate, after making a presentation on Turkey's priorities in the region, as well as its vision of fairness and cooperation.Dialogue between Turkey and the EU is crucial for the Eastern Mediterranean, said Kiran at the videoconference, urging Brussels to w…

_____ (2020-09-23). 'Confirmed' Has Become a Meaningless Word in Mainstream News Reporting. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | Last week Politico published a The claim was nonsensical on its face; the idea that Iran would see the assassination of some random ambassador to an irrelevant country as a proportionate…

MEE staff (2020-09-23). Saudi King Salman delivers scathing attack on Iran in UN speech. middleeasteye.net Saudi King Salman delivers scathing attack on Iran in UN speech | Saudi monarch suggests kingdom backs its Gulf neighbours' normalisation deals with Israel on second day of UN General Assembly | Wed, 09/23/2020 – 17: 09 | 'We support the efforts of the current US administration to achieve peace in the Middle East,' Saudi Arabia's Salman says (AFP/File photo) | Saudi Arabia's King Salman delivered a scathing at…

Melvin Goodman (2020-09-23). Arming the Planet: the USA as the World's Leading Weapons Dealer. counterpunch.org For the past several decades, the United States has been the world's leading producer of major weapons systems and the leader in global arms sales. More of these sales have taken place in the globe's most volatile region, the Middle East, than in any other region of the world. The so-called peace deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrein, which were brokered by the United States, were business deals designed to expand U.S. arms sales in the Persian Gulf.