** IRAN NEWS

• Iran Opposes Japan's SDF Deployment

   A senior Iranian official has opposed Japan's plan to dispatch Self-Defense Forces to the Middle East to help ensure the safe navigation     of commercial vessels.

• Iran, Russia, China to Hold Joint Drills On Dec. 27

   Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi says Iran will hold joint naval drills with Russia and China in the Indian Ocean       later this month.

• President ready for talks if US lifts sanctions

    President Hassan Rouhani says the country is ready to sit for talks with the United States shortly after Washington removes the unlawful     anti-Iran sanctions.

** Financial Tribune

• P5+1 Summit Would Convene If All Sanctions Are Lifted

    President Hassan Rouhani reiterated on Wednesday that Iran is open to holding a meeting with heads of state of the countries that       originally signed the 2015 nuclear deal, including the United States, as soon as the American sanctions are completely removed.

• Soil Erosion Costs Iran $56b in Covert Damage p.a.

   About 2 billion tons of soil are eroded in Iran annually, costing the country a covert damage of $56 billion, according to the head of     Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization affiliated with the Agriculture Ministry.

• Time for Gov’t to Part Ways with Insurance Sector

    Economy Minister Farhad Dejpasand says the insurance industry has come of age and can be fully managed by the private sector.

** IRAN DAILY

• Rouhani: Iran still ready for talks if US lifts sanctions

   Iran is willing to return to the negotiating table if the United States first drops sanctions, President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday.

• Trump calls Canada PM ‘two-faced’ after NATO video

   US President Donald Trump called Justin Trudeau “two-faced” on Wednesday over comments the Canadian prime minister appeared to       have made about him at a NATO summit in Britain the day before.

• UN calls on Israel to withdraw from Syria’s Golan Heights

   The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding that Israel vacate the Golan Heights – the Syrian territory it captured in 1967     and has occupied since – arguing its presence in the disputed region is an obstacle to peace.

** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL

• Leader Calls for ‘Islamic Clemency’ After Riots

   Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyyed Ali Khamenei called Wednesday for those detained in recent gasoline price protests to be treated     with "Islamic clemency” even after authorities said several police and security forces had been killed by armed saboteurs.

• President: Resistance Only Option Left for Iran

    President Hassan Rouhani said here on Wednesday resistance is the only option left for Iran against those who have brought it under         sanctions.

• Leaders Caught Mocking Trump NATO Summit Descends Into Acrimony

   NATO leaders gathered at a golf resort near London on Wednesday for a summit acrimonious even by the standards of the Trump era, a      aiming to tackle sharp disagreements over spending, future threats including China and Turkey’s role in the alliance.

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