*** Iran DAILY
-- Tehran: Capital of active regional diplomacy
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian Iran’s foreign minister ; Since its inauguration, Iran’s current administration, a transformative one for and of the people, without a doubt set its eyes on fortifying the country’s foreign policy, placing a high priority on establishing close relations with its neighbors and further activating Iran’s current constructive role in the region. In that spirit, with less than a year in office, Iran’s President Ayatollah Raeisi has made many visits to neighboring countries, including Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Qatar, and Oman, and reciprocally received heads of several neighboring states in Tehran. Such active interactions have so far led to consolidating Iran’s presence and role in the region as well as reaching agreements and signing many cooperation documents aimed at strengthening bilateral relations with regional and neighboring countries in all areas of mutual interest, especially in terms of economy, commerce, politics, tourism, culture, private sector cooperation, and even defense and security.
In that regard, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paying a visit to Iran to hold a trilateral meeting as part of the initiative known as the Astana format, should be analyzed within the context of a neighbor- and region-centered policy.
-- Raeisi to host Putin, Erdogan in Tehran
The Middle East region has become the destination of high-profile diplomatic trips in recent days. Three days after U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, where he met leaders of nine regional Arab countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have arrived in Tehran for a tripartite meeting with Iran’s President Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi.
The summit in Tehran is the continuation of a diplomatic drive known as the “Astana Process” which started in 2016 in the capital city of Kazakhstan – now Nur-Sultan – at the initiative of Russia, Iran and Turkey, to stop the war in Syria and restore peace in the Arab country. With a war raging in Ukraine and Russia’s shift of focus away from the developments in Syria, the heads of states of the three countries have come together in Tehran to coordinate more on Syria.
-- Four-gold Iran steals the show at International Biology Olympiad
Iran’s four-person team came first in the International Biology Olympiad with four gold medals, making it the best result of the country’s IBO profile in 23 years.
Mahdi Afshari, Amirreza Zeynali, Mohammad-Amin Kiani, and Mohammad-Mahdi Rahimpour were the four gold medalists of Iran in the scientific tournament.
*** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Iraqi President: Iran Is a Major Actor
Iraqi President Barham Salih has stressed the need for the promotion of cordial and amicable relations between Iran and Arab states, saying that the Islamic Republic is a very important player in the Middle East region.
“Iran is a major actor in that part of the world; and ... we (Iraq) have long borders with Iran. We have all kinds of interactions, social, cultural, and common security interests,” Salih said in an exclusive interview with CNN news network.
-- Iran Has Drilled Hitting Zionists Deep Inside Occupied Lands
A senior Iranian diplomat says the Islamic Republic will respond in kind to any measure against its national security from any neighboring country, in a veiled reference to the countries that have normalized their relations with the occupying regime of Israel.
Kamal Kharrazi, the head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, made the remarks in an interview with the Al Jazeera news network aided on Sunday.
“Targeting our security from neighboring countries will be met with a response to those countries and a direct response to Israel,” he warned.
Tehran has emphasized that it pursues a policy of improving relations with neighboring countries, while at the same time making it clear that the countries, which are normalizing their relations with Israel and allowing the occupying regime to establish a foothold in the region, are betraying the Palestinian cause and bringing instability to the region.
-- Iran Blacklists 61 Americans for Backing MKO Terrorists
Iran has imposed sanctions on 61 more Americans, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for backing a terrorist group.
Others blacklisted by Iran’s Foreign Ministry for voicing support for the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) included Republican former President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House national security adviser John Bolton.
The sanctions, issued against dozens of Americans in the past on various grounds, let Iranian authorities seize any assets they hold in Iran.
Giuliani, Pompeo and Bolton, all Republicans, have been widely reported to have taken part in MKO events and voiced support for the terrorist group. Both Pompeo and Bolton served under Trump.
*** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Ex-senior diplomat: Iran can build nuclear arms, but doesn’t want to
Mohammad Javad Larijani, a former senior Iranian diplomat and expert on international affairs, says Iran has the capability to build nuclear arms but it does not want to do so as it contrasts with its religious principles.
The former deputy foreign minister also said Iran's nuclear power is not something that can be destroyed by bombing as military analysts say the capabilities of Iran are not limited.
In response to a question about his assessment of Biden's visit to the occupied Palestinian territories, Larijani said, “During Biden's visit to Tel Aviv, they (Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid) also swore to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and naturally, according to the fatwa of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and sharia, we are not allowed to pursue production of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, but if we want to, we can do this. No one can stop us. If we want, we can build a nuclear bomb.”
-- Iran's exports to EU up 39% in 5 months on year
The value of Iran’s export to the European Union (EU)’s member states rose 39 percent in the first five months of 2022, as compared to the first five months of 2021, according to the data released by the European Union's statistics office Eurostat.
The Eurostat’s data show that Iran has exported commodities worth €465 million to the union in the five-month period of this year, while the figure was €333 million in the same times span of the previous year, IRNA reported.
The EU’s export to Iran has also rose six percent to €1.61 billion from €1.512 billion.
-- Relics, remains of Parthian building discovered in northwest Iran
Archaeologists have discovered some relics and the ruins of an ancient building in northwest Iran, which is believed to date from the Parthian era (247 BC – 224 CE). The findings came to light in Qareh Hasanlu, an archaeological site that is situated in Namin county of Ardabil province, IRNA reported on Sunday.
“Four burials and a number of objects have been unearthed at the site,” Ardabil’s tourism chief Nader Fallahi said. The ritual building was discovered during a conservation project conducted under the leadership of archaeologist Fariborz Tahmasbi, Fallahi said.
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