TEHRAN: Iran&rsquo;s foreign ministry has sharply rejected accusations by former US President Donald Trump that Tehran is developing missiles capable of striking the United States, calling the allegations &ldquo;big lies.&rdquo; In a statement posted on X, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Washington was repeating unfounded claims about <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-to-submit-draft-nuclear-proposal-as-us-military-presence-grows" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran&rsquo;s nuclear</a> and ballistic missile programs, as well as casualty figures from recent unrest. &ldquo;Whatever they&rsquo;re alleging regarding Iran&#39;s nuclear program, Iran&#39;s ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January&#39;s unrest, is simply the repetition of &lsquo;big lies&rsquo;,&rdquo; Baqaei wrote. Although Baqaei did not directly reference Trump, his remarks came hours after the former president claimed that Iran was seeking to develop long-range missiles capable of reaching American soil. In a February interview with Al Jazeera, Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Minister <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-fm-says-agreed-with-us-on-guiding-principles-for-deal" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Abbas Araghchi</a> said Tehran did not possess the capability to target the United States directly. However, he warned that Iran would retaliate against American military bases in the Middle East if Washington launched an attack. During his recent State of the Union address, Trump reiterated that Iran would &ldquo;never be allowed&rdquo; to build a nuclear weapon, accusing Tehran&rsquo;s leadership of once again pursuing what he described as &ldquo;sinister nuclear ambitions.&rdquo; Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons, maintaining that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful energy purposes and that it has a sovereign right to develop civilian nuclear technology. Trump also alleged that Iranian authorities were responsible for the deaths of 32,000 people during a wave of <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-arrests-four-political-figures-over-disruption-of-political-social-order" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">protests</a> that began in December and peaked on January 8 and 9. Iranian officials have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest but attribute the violence to what they describe as &ldquo;terrorist acts&rdquo; backed by the United States and Israel.

The building of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Middle East

Iran rejected US allegations about missile and nuclear ambitions, disputed protest death toll estimates and warned it would strike American bases in the Middle East if attacked by Washington.

Iran rejects US claims on missile program as 'big lies'

TEHRAN: Iran is ready to compromise on its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in exchange for US sanctions being lifted, its deputy foreign minister said in a BBC interview published Sunday.&nbsp;Majid Takht-Ravanchi&#39;s remarks came after the resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in Oman on Feb. 6.&nbsp;Switzerland announced on Saturday that a new round of talks would take place in Geneva next week, without specifying the day.&nbsp;Iran has not yet officially confirmed the new round of talks, but Takht-Ravanchi, who was in Iran&#39;s delegation to Oman led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said they would be on Tuesday, the BBC reported.&nbsp;Western countries, led by the United States as well as by Israel, Iran&#39;s arch-enemy and considered by experts to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, accuse the Islamic republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.&nbsp;Tehran denies having such military ambitions, but insists on its right to this technology for civilian purposes.&nbsp;Iran is ready to compromise to reach an agreement with the United States, including diluting its highly enriched uranium, but Washington must lift its sanctions, which are crippling Iran&#39;s economy, Takht-Ravanchi said, according to the BBC.&nbsp;&quot;If we see the sincerity on their (American) part, I am sure we will be on a road to have an agreement,&quot; he said, speaking in English.&nbsp;The BBC said he was also questioned about the possibility of Tehran agreeing to ship its stockpile of more than 400 kilos of highly enriched uranium out of the country and did not rule out a compromise, saying &quot;it is too early to say&quot; what will happen at the talks.&nbsp;Several countries, including Russia, have offered to take responsibility for the stockpile, an offer Iran has so far refused.&nbsp;Considerable uncertainty surrounds the fate of Iran&#39;s stockpile of more than 400 kilos of 60% enriched uranium that was last seen by nuclear watchdog inspectors last June 10, before Israeli and US strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.&nbsp;Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent, well above the 3.67 percent limit allowed by the now-defunct 2015 nuclear agreement and close to 90 percent needed to make a bomb, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for zero enrichment in Iran.&nbsp;&quot;The issue of zero enrichment is not an issue any more and as far as Iran is concerned, it is not on the table any more,&quot; Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC.&nbsp;The Fars news agency, citing a foreign ministry official, reported on Sunday that the talks would also cover potential American investments in Iran&#39;s energy sector.

Asia

Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi says Iran is open to diluting or compromising on its highly enriched uranium stockpile if the United States lifts sanctions, as nuclear talks resume and disputes over enrichment limits persist.

Iran says ready for nuclear compromise if US lifts sanctions

MUSCAT: Iran and the United States were holding talks in Oman on Friday that were seen as a critical chance to avert any new escalation between the foes, after President Donald Trump threatened military action.&nbsp;With an American naval group led by an aircraft carrier in Middle Eastern waters, Iran has insisted the talks will be centred solely on its nuclear programme, although the US wants to discuss Tehran&#39;s backing for militant groups in the region and its ballistic missile programme.&nbsp;The talks are the first between the two foes since the United States joined Israel&#39;s war with Iran in June with strikes on nuclear sites. They also come just under a month after Iranian authorities launched a crackdown on protests that left thousands dead according to rights groups.&nbsp;US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, accompanied by Trump&#39;s influential son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the Iranian side are leading their delegations at the talks.&nbsp;Iranian state media described the talks as indirect and there was as yet no indication of the Iranian and American officials meeting directly.&nbsp;Images published by the Oman foreign ministry showed both sides meeting separately with Oman&#39;s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi.&nbsp;&quot;The deliberations centred upon establishing the requisite foundations for the resumption of both diplomatic and technical negotiations,&quot; said the Oman foreign ministry, describing the talks as &quot;pivotal&quot;. &#39;Don&#39;t want us to hit them&#39;&nbsp;Araghchi said as the talks began that Tehran maintains &quot;full readiness to defend the country&#39;s sovereignty and national security against any excessive demands or adventurism&quot; by the United States.&nbsp;&quot;Iran enters diplomacy with open eyes and a steady memory of the past year. We engage in good faith and stand firm on our rights,&quot; he added on X.&nbsp;According to Iran&#39;s state television, the Iranian delegation first handed over its message to Oman&#39;s foreign minister which was then passed on to the US.&nbsp;A second such round of talks was now underway, it added.&nbsp;The White House has made clear it wants the talks to rein in Tehran&#39;s ability to make a nuclear bomb, an ambition the Islamic republic has always denied.&nbsp;The US delegation intends to explore &quot;zero nuclear capacity&quot; for Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, warning that Trump had &quot;many options at his disposal aside from diplomacy&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;They&#39;re negotiating,&quot; Trump said of Iran on Thursday.&nbsp;&quot;They don&#39;t want us to hit them, we have a big fleet going there,&quot; he added, referring to the aircraft carrier group he has repeatedly called an &quot;armada&quot;.&nbsp;&#39;Compromise or war&#39;&nbsp;The meeting comes just under a month after the peak of a wave of nationwide protests in Iran against the clerical leadership, which rights groups say were repressed with an unprecedented crackdown that has left thousands dead.&nbsp;Trump initially threatened military action against Tehran over its crackdown on protesters and even told demonstrators &quot;help is on its way&quot;.&nbsp;The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said that according to its latest toll 6,495 protesters were confirmed to have been killed as well as 214 members of the security forces and 61 bystanders.&nbsp;But it and other rights groups warn that the final toll risks being far higher, with the magnitude of the crackdown masked by the blanket internet shutdown imposed by the authorities for a fortnight.&nbsp;Almost 51,000 people are also confirmed to have been arrested, according to HRANA.&nbsp;But Trump&#39;s rhetoric in recent days has focused on reining in the Iranian nuclear programme.&nbsp;Underlying the gravity of the situation, the United States has manoeuvered a naval group led by aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln into the region.&nbsp;The Wall Street Journal cited a source as saying that the head of US military forces in the Middle East would join the latest talks.&nbsp;Iran has repeatedly vowed it will hit back at US bases if attacked.&nbsp;&quot;We are ready to defend and it is the US president who must choose between compromise or war,&quot; state television on Thursday quoted army spokesman General Mohammad Akraminia as saying, warning that Iran has &quot;easy&quot; access to US regional bases.&nbsp;The US initially wanted to hold the talks in Turkey, include regional countries and explicitly expand the agenda beyond nuclear but then had to change course due to Iranian demands, a regional source close to the talks told AFP.

Americas

Iran and the United States hold indirect talks in Oman to ease rising tensions, focusing on Iran’s nuclear programme, as Washington warns of military options and Tehran insists it will defend its sovereignty firmly today.

Iran, US hold talks in Oman after Trump military threats

TEHRAN: Iranian authorities have arrested a foreign national and seized a shipment of hand-to-hand weapons in the country&#39;s northwest, state media reported on Wednesday.&nbsp;&quot;A 14-ton shipment of various types of professional weapons and items that can be used in riots was discovered and seized upon entering Iran,&quot; the official IRNA news agency said.&nbsp;&quot;A foreign national was detained,&quot; it added, without specifying the individual&#39;s nationality.&nbsp;The shipment allegedly included stun guns, batons, knives, and weapon accessories.&nbsp;The seizure took place in West Azerbaijan province amid heightened security measures following mass anti-government protests that peaked last month and left thousands dead, including members of the security forces.&nbsp;The demonstrations erupted on December 28, initially over the rising cost of living, before spreading nationwide.&nbsp;Iranian authorities have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest, which they say began as peaceful protests before turning into &quot;riots&quot; involving killings and vandalism, and which they blame on the United States and Israel.&nbsp;The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has confirmed 6,872 deaths, mostly protesters killed by security forces, while other rights groups warn the toll is likely far higher.

Iran seized a 14-ton weapons shipment in West Azerbaijan and arrested a foreign national, amid deadly nationwide protests authorities call riots, blaming foreign powers, while rights groups report far higher death tolls than official figures.

Iran arrests foreign national, seizes weapons shipment: state media

TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told his Egyptian counterpart on Saturday that Tehran was not seeking a conflict with the United States and any clash would do neither side any good.&nbsp;According to a statement from the Iranian presidency, Pezeshkian held a call with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a Washington ally who has been invited to join US President Donald Trump&#39;s Board of Peace.&nbsp;&quot;The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought, and in no way seeks,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-iran-is-talking-to-us-well-see-if-we-can-do-something" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">war</a>&nbsp;and it is firmly convinced that a war would be in the interest of neither Iran, nor the United States, nor the region,&quot; he said.

Iranian President Pezeshkian told Egypt’s al-Sisi that Iran does not seek conflict, emphasizing that war would benefit neither Iran, the United States, nor the region, according to an official statement

Iranian president says war neither in interest of Iran nor US

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;A US naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier has deployed to Middle Eastern waters, the United States said Monday, as Tehran warned it was ready to hit back at any American attack launched in response to a crackdown on anti-government protests. The protests started in late December, driven by economic grievances, but turned into a mass movement against the Islamic Republic, with huge street demonstrations for several days from January 8. US President Donald Trump has previously threatened to intervene, saying last week that Washington was sending a &quot;massive fleet&quot; to the region, &quot;just in case.&quot; The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group dramatically boosts American firepower in the region. The strike group has arrived in the Middle East, US Central Command said Monday, adding it was there &quot;to promote regional security and stability.&quot; The United States backed and briefly joined Israel&#39;s 12-day war against Iran in June, and while Trump last week appeared to step back from his threats of new military intervention, he has never ruled the option out. &#39;Regret-inducing response&#39;&nbsp;Iran&#39;s foreign ministry warned on Monday of a &quot;comprehensive and regret-inducing response to any aggression.&quot; Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said: &quot;The arrival of such a battleship is not going to affect Iran&#39;s determination and seriousness to defend the Iranian nation.&quot; A senior military official told state television that the &quot;buildup of extra-regional forces and equipment ... would not act as a deterrent but rather increase their vulnerability and turn them into accessible targets&quot;. Meanwhile, a new anti-US billboard has appeared in the central Enghelab Square in Tehran that appears to show an American aircraft carrier being destroyed. &quot;If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind,&quot; its English-language caption reads. In Lebanon, Iran-backed Shiite fighter group Hezbollah, whose capabilities and leadership were severely degraded in a war with Israel in 2024, organised a rally in support of the Islamic Republic featuring an address by its leader Naim Qassem, who warned &quot;a war on Iran this time will ignite the region.&quot; Iran&#39;s Gulf neighbor, the United Arab Emirates, which hosts a US airbase, said it would not allow attacks on Iran to be launched from its territory.

The US has deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East during unrest in Iran. American officials cite security concerns, while Iran has dismissed the move and warned against foreign intervention.

US deploys aircraft carrier as Iran warns against attack

PARIS:&nbsp;Iran&#39;s top police officer issued an ultimatum on Monday to protesters who joined what authorities have deemed &quot;riots,&quot; saying they must hand themselves in within three days or face the full force of the law. But the government also pledged to tackle economic hardships that sparked the demonstrations, which were met with a crackdown that rights groups say has left thousands dead. The protests constituted the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years, with the full scale of the violence yet to emerge amid an internet blackout. National police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan on Monday urged young people &quot;deceived&quot; into joining the &quot;riots&quot; to turn themselves in and receive lighter punishment. Those &quot;who became unwittingly involved in the riots are considered to be deceived individuals, not enemy soldiers&quot; and &quot;will be treated with leniency,&quot; he told state television. Officials have said the demonstrations were peaceful before descending into chaos, fuelled by Iran&#39;s arch-foes, the United States and Israel, in an effort to destabilise the nation. The heads of the country&#39;s executive, legislative, and judicial branches on Monday all pledged to work &quot;around the clock&quot; in &quot;resolving livelihood and economic problems&quot;, according to a joint statement published by state television. But they would also &quot;decisively punish&quot; the instigators of &quot;terrorist incidents,&quot; said the statement from President Masoud Pezeshkian, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei. The scale of the crackdown has emerged piecemeal as Iran remains under an unprecedented internet shutdown that is now in its 11th day. &#39;New test&#39;&nbsp;Alarm has grown over the possibility that authorities will use capital punishment against protesters. The United Nations on Monday warned the country was using executions as &quot;a tool of state intimidation.&quot; Iran reportedly executed 1,500 people last year, UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that authorities &quot;must break the back of the seditionists.&quot; Internet access would &quot;gradually&quot; return to normal this week, Hossein Afshin, Iran&#39;s vice president for science, technology, and the knowledge economy, said Monday on state television, after limited access briefly returned the day before. Pezeshkian criticised the internet restrictions, urging &quot;better governance&quot; of cyberspace. Images from the capital Tehran, showed buildings and billboards destroyed during the rallies. In Iran&#39;s second-largest city of Mashhad, damage to public infrastructure exceeded $15 million, Mayor Mohammadreza Qalandar Sharif told state television. Outside Iran, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of neighbouring Turkey, in his first comments on the protests, described the unrest as a &quot;new test&quot; for Tehran, pledging Turkey would &quot;stand against any initiative&quot; that would drag the region into chaos. &quot;We believe that, with a... policy prioritizing dialogue and diplomacy, our Iranian brothers will, God willing, get through this trap-filled period,&quot; he said in a televised speech.

This image shows woman using mobile phone in Tehran.

The protests constitute biggest challenge to Iranian leadership in years, with the full scale of the violence yet to emerge amid an internet blackout; National police chief urges young people "deceived" into joining the "riots" to turn themselves in and receive lighter punishment.





Iran warns protesters who joined 'riots' to surrender

BEIRUT: Iran&#39;s foreign minister accused the United States and Israel on Friday of fueling a growing protest movement in the country, while dismissing the possibility of direct foreign military intervention after US warnings over crackdowns on demonstrators.&nbsp;&quot;This is what the Americans and Israelis have stated, that they are directly intervening in the protests in Iran,&quot; said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a visit to Lebanon.&nbsp;&quot;They are trying to transform the peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones,&quot; he said, adding that &quot;regarding the possibility of seeing military intervention against Iran, we believe there is a low possibility of this because their previous attempts were total failures&quot;.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States and Israel of directly intervening in Iran’s protests, claiming they are turning peaceful demonstrations violent, while dismissing the likelihood of any foreign military intervention.

Iran FM says US, Israel 'directly intervening' in protests

TEHRAN: The Iranian foreign ministry designated the Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organization on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Canada&#39;s 2024 blacklisting of Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards.&nbsp;In a statement, the ministry said that the move was in reaction to Ottawa declaring the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran&#39;s military, a terror group &quot;contrary to the fundamental principles of international law&quot;.&nbsp;Iran &quot;within the framework of reciprocity, identifies and declares the Royal Canadian Navy as a terrorist organization,&quot; the statement added, without specifying what ramifications if any the force will face.&nbsp;On June 19, 2024, Canada declared the IRGC a terror group. This bars its members from entering the country and Canadians from having any dealings with individual members or the group.&nbsp;Additionally, any assets the Guards or its members hold in Canada could also be seized.&nbsp;Canada accused the Guards of &quot;having consistently displayed disregard for human rights both inside and outside of Iran, as well as a willingness to destabilize the international rules-based order.&quot;&nbsp;One of the reasons behind Ottawa&#39;s decision to designate the force as a terror group was the Flight PS752 incident.&nbsp;The flight was show down shortly after takeoff from Tehran in January 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents.&nbsp;The IRGC admitted its forces downed the jet, but claimed their controllers had mistaken it for a hostile target.&nbsp;Ottawa broke off diplomatic ties with Tehran in 2012, calling Iran &quot;the most significant threat to global peace&quot;.&nbsp;Iran&#39;s archenemy, the United States, listed the Guards as a foreign terrorist organization in April 2019 while Australia did the same last month, accusing the force of being behind attacks on Australian soil.

Iran has called the Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist group in response to Canada labeling Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as terrorists, citing human rights abuses and the 2020 downing of Flight PS752.

Iran designates Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organization

TEHRAN: Iran launched three domestically built observation satellites into space from Russia on Sunday, state television reported, marking a new step for Tehran&#39;s space programme despite Western sanctions.&nbsp;The country maintains that its aerospace industry is peaceful and complies with UN Security Council resolutions imposed over its nuclear programme.&nbsp;&quot;Three Iranian satellites, Zafar-2, Paya and Kowsar 1.5, were launched into space by a Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia,&quot; Iranian television reported.&nbsp;The satellites were to be used for &quot;observation&quot; and were designed by &quot;the private sector&quot;, the official IRNA news agency said.&nbsp;Paya is Iran&#39;s most advanced domestically produced imaging satellite, using artificial intelligence to improve image resolution, IRNA said.&nbsp;It said the satellite would focus on water resource management, environmental monitoring and mapping.&nbsp;The Russian Soyuz launcher was chosen because it is one of the most reliable in the world for transporting sensitive satellites, according to the Fars news agency.&nbsp;Iran has carried out 10 satellite launches in the last two years, including one in July from the same launch site in Russia.&nbsp;Western countries fear that these satellite launch systems incorporate technologies interchangeable with those used in ballistic missiles, potentially capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.&nbsp;Tehran denies those accusations and refutes that it is trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

Iran launched three domestically built observation satellites from Russia using a Soyuz rocket, marking progress in its space programme. Tehran says the launches are peaceful, despite Western concerns over missile-related technology.

Articles tagged with "iran"

Iran rejects US claims on missile program as 'big lies'

Iran says ready for nuclear compromise if US lifts sanctions

Iran, US hold talks in Oman after Trump military threats

Iran arrests foreign national, seizes weapons shipment: state media

Iranian president says war neither in interest of Iran nor US

US deploys aircraft carrier as Iran warns against attack

Iran warns protesters who joined 'riots' to surrender

Iran FM says US, Israel 'directly intervening' in protests

Iran designates Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organization

Iran says launched three satellites into space from Russia

Iran rejects US claims on missile program as 'big lies'