Iran-India committed to strengthen relations

India and Iran have stated their unwavering commitment to fostering better ties in many areas of cooperation. Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iranian Foreign Minister, stated that senior officials from both nations are committed to strengthening their relations at a meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary Shri Vinay Kwatra in Tehran.

Kwatra pointed out that the Indian government is adamant about deepening its ties with Iran and that it expects that via working together, the two nations’ economic ties would grow in a number of areas, such as traditional medicine, agriculture, and fishing.

The Indian diplomat expressed New Delhi’s commitment to sending humanitarian help to the Palestinian people while applauding Iran’s leadership position in West Asia.

Expressing satisfaction with the political consultations between the two countries, he said, “The Indian government, at the highest levels, is firmly determined to enhance relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Earlier, the Indian foreign secretary attended the 18th round of political consultations between Iran and India.

A broad range of political, economic, and consular matters, as well as regional and global trends, were covered during the four-hour meeting. The agenda for the future phase of the two nations’ relations was also discussed at the conference.

In a phone conversation in August, President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran and Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations, mutual cooperation and the realization of the full potential of Chabahar Port.

Raisi stated that Iran and India should increase their cooperation in the areas of transportation and energy security.

The Iranian president emphasized the need for increased dialogue along the North-South Corridor.

“Iran seeks to strengthen regional convergence and develop economic relations with all countries across the globe, particularly those in Asia, in this regard,” Raisi noted.

The president remarked that historical similarities between Iran and India provide solid justification for the development of ties at all levels.

For his part, the Indian prime minister praised long-term collaboration with Iran. India, he asserted, was prepared to complete the necessary paperwork for the project’s completion.

The Indian prime minister was quoted by the ministry as saying that the relationship between Tehran and New Delhi is underpinned by close historical and civilization connections, including strong people-to-people contacts.

 

Production of medicinal plants in Iran

Reportedly over 400,000 people are working in the production of medicinal plants in Iran. Also, 32,000 people are working in packaging of these plants.

As stated by Ministry of Health, Iran holds some 40% share of the market for medicinal plants in the neighboring countries.

“A large volume of pharmaceuticals, supplements, food products, and beverages are exported to Iraq, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Afghanistan,” IRNA quoted Hamidreza Banafsheh as saying in late October.

Iran is among the leading countries in the field of medicine and health technology, supplying 98% of pharmaceutical items to the domestic market, the official noted.

“Nearly 450 out of 1,400 knowledge-based companies are active in the field of herbal medicines, biotechnology, and food industries.”

He went on to say that the National Institute for Medical Research Development aims at expanding exports of medicinal products.

Since most of the raw materials for the production of herbal medicines are native to the country, these products can internationally compete with those of the other countries, he added.

Besides, some 15 to 20 percent of Iran's herbal medicines are unique in the world. Iran has the capacity to introduce new herbal medicines to the world, he highlighted.

Producing and commercializing pharmaceutical plants are the best ways to introduce the rich resources of herbal medicines which, in addition to making foreign currency revenues for the country, will lead to the scientific authority of Iran in this field, he concluded.

According to the chairman of the Union of Medicinal Plants Exporters of Iran, the country’s export of medicinal plants can be increased through compliance more with the world standards.

Mohammad-Ali Rezaei Kamal-Abad stated that world standards are increasing due to the health-oriented consumption of herbal products, and failure to comply with these standards will lead to the return or destruction of these products.

“In the past years, poisons have entered the country, which are not only not used in other countries, but have also caused water and soil pollution in our country”, he lamented.

Referring to the importance of agricultural product export standardization, he added, “Standardization is done in our country, but this standardization is not up-to-date. With the coordination of ministries, expenditure and updating of information can help to standardize agricultural products and develop the export of these products”, he commented.

He said that having more than 11 climates out of 13 climates, Iran has 8,000 varieties of medicinal plants, which is at least twice as much as Europe.

 

Iran aims boosting trade with Pakistan

The Islamic Republic of Iran is aiming to expand its economic and trade relations with Pakistan through establishing joint free zones and trade centers with the country, IRIB reported.

According to Ahmad Jamali, the deputy secretary of Iran’s Free Zones High council, Tehran has reached an agreement with Islamabad to establish a joint free zone on the border between the two countries.

“We have identified 200 investment opportunities in potential joint free zones with Pakistan which can be used to boost export to the country,” Jamali said in a meeting held on Monday by the Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) for exploring Iran-Pakistan business opportunities.

Noting that Chabahar free zone in Sistan-Baluchestan Province is a good platform to develop exports from Iran to Pakistan, the official added, “Identifying investment opportunities in free zones can lead to the prosperity of businesses and trade of the two countries’ economic operators.”

Jamali further noted that Iran has considered significant incentives for the exporters to Pakistan and the government fully supports business operators active in the mentioned country.

Mentioning an upcoming exhibition of Iran-Pakistan trade opportunities, which is scheduled to be held in mid-January 2024, Jamali said holding such exhibitions would also be another great way to expand economic relations between the two countries.

Also speaking in the same meeting, Director of TPO’s South Asia Department Hadi Talebian-Moghadam announced a plan for establishing trade centers in Pakistan in the coming months, saying: “We are planning to increase the volume of trade between Iran and Pakistan, because the two countries need each other's goods and products.”

Stating that currently the highest level of trade between Iran and Pakistan is nearly US$2.5 billion, he added. “In the two countries’ strategic cooperation roadmap, we seek to increase the level of exports and exchanges between the two countries to five billion dollars bartering and free trade.”

The value of Iran’s non-oil export to Pakistan increased by 62% during the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year, as compared to the same period in the past year, the spokesman of the International Relations and Trade Development Committee of Iran's House of Industry, Mining and Trade announced.

Ruhollah Latifi said that Iran exported non-oil commodities worth US$1.14 billion to its neighbor Pakistan in the seven-month period of this year.

He also announced that Iran imported commodities valued at US$352.64 million from Pakistan during the first seven months of this year, with 39% drop YoY.

The official has previously announced that Iran’s non-oil export to Pakistan increased by 18% in the previous Iranian calendar year.

Pakistan was Iran’s fifth largest export market in the previous calendar year, importing non-oil products worth US$1.488 billion from Iran, Latifi said in May.

He added that Iran imported non-oil goods worth $842 million from Pakistan last year, up 170% from the previous year.

The intertwining of economic, security, and transit relations between Iran and Pakistan has made the relations of the two countries beyond the neighborhood and turned them into strategic partners with common interests at the regional level.

Having more than 900 kilometers of joint border can lead to closer cooperation between the two countries in areas such as transit corridors and bilateral trade.

Iran and Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in mid-January to facilitate bilateral trade between the two countries.

The MoU was signed by the former Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Alireza Peyman-Pak and Head of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Muhammad Zubair Motiwala.

Based on the MoU, which was signed on the sidelines of Iran’s Exclusive Exhibition in Karachi, the parties pledged to exchange business information, support each other’s private sectors, and provide the conditions and context for the presence of their trade delegations in the other country.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Peyman-Pak said that signing this MoU was indicative of the two sides’ determination for removing the obstacles in the way of bilateral trade and prepare the ground for the businesspersons of both sides to bolster cooperation.

He considered the holding of exclusive exhibitions, exchanging trade delegations and investment in joint production units as positive steps for knowing the capacities and needs of the two countries and expressed hope that such events would continue.

 

Yemen: Houthis hijack cargo ship in Red Sea

Reportedly, Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis have seized an Israeli cargo ship in the Red Sea. They said the vessel was then taken to a port in Yemen.

Israel said the ship was not Israeli, and no Israelis were among its crew. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said this was another act of Iranian terrorism.

Iran has not commented.

Houthis had threatened to hijack Israeli ship within their reach over Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israel says 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 taken hostage during the surprise Hamas attack on the south of the country on October 07.

Israel has launched a massive military operation — involving air and artillery strikes as well as ground troops — with the aim of eliminating Hamas.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry says the death toll in Gaza since then has reached 12,300. More than 2,000 more are feared to be buried under rubble.

The Houthis have fired several missiles and drones towards Israel just after Israel launched its retaliatory operation.

The United States said at the time that all the missiles and drones were intercepted by its warship in the Red Sea.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the attack on the ship — which it did not name — as a very grave incident of global consequence.

The IDF said the vessel was on its way from Turkey to India when it was seized in the southern Red Sea near Yemen.

Although, Israel says the seized vessel does not have any connection with it, unconfirmed reports suggest the ship may have an Israeli owner.

In Sunday’s statement on social media, Netanyahu said that Israel strongly condemns the Iranian attack against an international vessel.

He said the ship was owned by “a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm”, adding that “25 crew members of various nationalities including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Mexican” were on board the ship.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has recently said that what he called resistance groups allied to Tehran were cleverly adjusting pressure on Israel and its supporters.

Earlier this month, the Houthis shot down a US military drone off Yemen’s coast, American officials said.

The Houthis have been locked in a prolonged civil war with Yemen’s official government since 2014.

Iran to educate female students from Gaza

An Iranian vice president has announced that Tehran will allow female students from the Gaza Strip to enter Iranian universities, as education in the besieged Palestinian territory remains halted due to relentless Israeli attacks. 

Ensiyeh Khazali, the vice president of Iran for women and family affairs, said Iran is willing to support Gazan students who are struggling to continue their education in the face of Israeli aggressions.

“In the first step, three female students from Gaza will receive scholarships to study at Bou Ali Sina University in Hamadan as a symbolic move, so that we can witness the expansion of this movement in other universities,” announced the VP, adding that women’s universities should particularly try to extend a helping hand to female students in Gaza. 

Khazali said it is important to show support for female pupils, as women are the ones that shape the future of their societies.

“The women of Gaza are among the most patient and resistant women in world history, sending their children to the resistance front with courage and not bowing their heads in shame,” she noted.

She also stated that hosting students from other countries can be effective in introducing Iran’s culture to the world. 

“In the face of the crimes of the usurping Zionist regime, no practical action, restraint, sanction, or resistance by those who claim to be advocates of human rights and women's rights is visible, which is regrettable for humanity,” Khazali stressed.

She called on regional countries to take cohesive action in order to put an end to Israel’s massacre of Palestinian women and children.

Since October 07, Israel has been bombing civilian sites across the besieged Gaza Strip including schools, universities and other education centers. Students in Gaza are currently unable to attend classes, as they struggle to stay alive under relentless Israeli attacks.

Half of the buildings in Gaza have so far been destroyed, and more than 11,000 people have been killed. 

 

Britain based anti Iranian TV channel to close operations

Manoto, a Britain based television channel, often attracting criticism for its anti-Iranian stance and being the platform for monarchists living outside the country, has announced the cessation of its operations by the end of January 2024.

Keyvan and Marjan Abbassi, the heads of this network, communicated the decision via a Telegram message, stating that they might continue broadcasting until the end of January 2024, after which they will bid farewell to the network.

Manoto TV, a longstanding player in Iran's media landscape, has been a source of controversy due to its alignment with anti-Iran sentiments. Accused of propagandist inclinations and aligning with monarchists, this media outlet has faced substantial criticism for its productions.

The recent announcement unfolds against the backdrop of a turbulent year for anti-Iran fronts, where media outlets sharing similar ideologies grappled with credibility challenges and a decline in audience engagement.

The development draws parallels with the fate of Iran International TV channel, once funded by Saudi capitalists. Compelled to undergo a paradigm shift due to a change in ownership, the network found itself aligning with Zionists’ views. The transformations in media ownership and allegiance underscore the intricate interplay of political and financial forces shaping the narrative in the region.

Having operated for over 14 years, Manoto TV attempted to propagate news against the Iranian government, serving as a mouthpiece for particular political and religious groups who are mostly funded by foreign spy agencies.

 

Iranian president lands in Riyadh for landmark summit

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his delegation touched down in Riyadh on Saturday to partake in the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit.

Welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman, Saudi Ambassador to Iran Abdullah Al-Anzi, Iranian Ambassador to the Kingdom Dr. Alireza Enayati, and various officials, this marks the first visit of an Iranian president to the Kingdom in over a decade.

Notably, diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran were reinstated in March 2023, leading to the exchange of diplomatic missions and the reopening of embassies in both capitals.

Raisi is slated to participate in the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, convened in response to the situation in Gaza.

The summit aims to underscore the significance of consolidating efforts and presenting a unified stance that reflects the joint Arab-Islamic stance concerning the serious and unprecedented developments in Gaza and the Palestinian territories.

Who will ultimately get control over Gaza?

Israel’s unabated bombardment at Gaza is raising questions over how the coastal enclave would be managed once the fighting is over. This exposes a growing divide between United States and Israeli officials on the issue. 

Several US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have said Israel should not occupy Gaza and the strip must be run by Palestinians. That has contrasted with Israel’s messaging. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing to hold Gaza for an indefinite period once the dust settles, though he has not clarified what exactly that would mean for Palestinians. 

The post-conflict management of Gaza is also dependent on the outcome of the war and whether Israel fulfills its mission to eradicate Palestinian militant group Hamas — along with how much destruction is inflicted to that end. 

“The military operation itself may go on for a very, very long time, depending upon what form it takes and how successful it is, there are different possibilities,” said Ian Lesser, the vice president of German Marshall Fund US.  

“In the worst case, it could be that Israel is dealing with an ongoing counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operation that is essentially open-ended,” he added. “So it could be a long time until we even see some kind of new phase.” 

Israel held Gaza from 1967 to 2005, when it withdrew following a major Palestinian uprising.  

Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, but the US-designated terrorist group is now fighting for its survival after it launched a surprise attack on southern Israel October 07 and killed 1,200 people, according to Israel’s revised figures.

Both Israel and the US agree that Hamas cannot be returned to power in Gaza, but the messaging on what happens next is muddied. 

Blinken said there may need to be a transition period at the end of the war, but that it was imperative that the Palestinian people be central to governance in Gaza. 

“We’re very clear on no reoccupation, just as we’re very clear on no displacement of the Palestinian population,” he said at a press event this week. “We need to see and get to, in effect, unity of governance when it comes to Gaza and the West Bank, and ultimately to a Palestinian state.” 

On Friday, Blinken also reiterated that the US is against the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and any efforts to reduce its territory. He also said Gaza must not be used as a terrorist base ever again. 

But Israel is still reeling from the October 07 attacks and officials are pushing to take whatever steps necessary to protect their people, both during and after the war. 

Netanyahu told ABC that he is committed to ensuring Israel cannot suffer the fate of October 07 again, promising a new security reality for the citizens of Israel. 

“For an indefinite period, Israel will have the overall security responsibility because we’ve seen what happens when we don’t have it,” he said. “When we don’t have that security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn’t imagine.” 

While Netanyahu later clarified he does not seek to reoccupy Gaza, he said at a meeting on Friday that Israel would have total security control of the coastal enclave after the war, according to Israeli media. 

It’s unclear what that will look like, whether it would mean an Israeli presence along the border of Gaza or involve control within the territory itself. 

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday the US was having active discussions with Israel about the issue but declined to speak on Israel’s specific intentions. 

While Israel has resisted a global pressure campaign calling for a ceasefire, it remains susceptible to pressure from the US, its key security partner. Israel agreed to officially implement four-hour humanitarian pauses each day after pressure from the Biden administration. 

Paul Fritz, a professor of political science at Hofstra University who specializes in international conflict, said he views the ongoing dialogue as bargaining between allies with different objectives. 

“There are definitely some significant rifts between the US and Israel, along with other states in the international system, but the sort of quiet diplomacy that’s going on might be bearing some fruit,” he said. 

“Any movement in that way could ultimately be helpful because these are small issues compared to the big political questions that are regarding what to do after the war.”

The war in Gaza is dividing the United States into pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel camps, and any Israeli occupation after the fighting would only widen those divisions. Occupation could also spark more anger against Israel, including among those still supportive of its retaliatory war. 

In the Senate, progressives like Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have not joined calls for a ceasefire, but they have issued statements opposing any potential occupation.  

“Palestinians have a right to determine their own future,” Warren posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Israeli military occupation of Gaza undermines efforts to build two independent states that advance respect for every human being.” 

Rather than occupation, the US has backed the idea of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs the Israeli-occupied West Bank, also taking over the Gaza Strip. 

PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told PBS the government is open to governing Gaza only in the event of a comprehensive solution that creates a Palestinian state. 

“We are not going to go to Gaza on an Israeli military tank,” he said. “We are going to go to Gaza as part of a solution that deals with the question of Palestine that deals with occupation.” 

There’s no guarantee that Palestinian people accept the PA as a governing body, given its own issues with corruption, ineffectiveness and being perceived as too passive toward Israel. 

Will Wechsler, the senior director of the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council, said, it was unrealistic to go back to the PA in the event that Israel defeats Hamas. 

He said they are struggling to do the practical work to govern in areas of the West Bank they currently control. 

Wechsler said the PA can still play an important role in the transition process, which could involve an international peacekeeping force.

“It’s going to be a real challenge and this is the most positive scenario,” Wechsler added. 

The war has also brought a renewed focus on a two-state solution — in which Israel and Palestine would exist in separate countries side-by-side — which many see as the only path toward lasting peace. 

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Reuters there must be a serious negotiation for a two-state solution with the involvement of the US and other interested parties. 

Blinken said at a press briefing on Friday that the tragedy of October 07 reinforces us in our conviction and our commitment to durable and lasting peace through a two-state solution.

However, Hamas represents a swath of the Palestinian population that rejects the idea of existing peacefully alongside Israel, and even if the militant group is defeated in the war, the ideology will live on in some form. 

The war is already taking a massive death toll, with more than 11,000 Palestinians killed so far, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. That has spurred fears that more Palestinians will be radicalized after the war, continuing the cycle of violence.  

“That’s the real danger,” said Fritz from Hofstra University, for Israel, for the Palestinians that they are going to be driven in this way.”

 

 

 

 

 

Exploring reasons for current situation in Gaza

An Iranian parliament member has condemned Arab countries for their inaction and impotence against the Israeli regime. He went to the extent of saying today’s dire situation in the Gaza strip is the result of their largely pro-Israeli policies. 

Mohammad Sargazi warned that the behavior of Arab states will ultimately lay waste to their own interests. “If the inaction and disunity of Arab countries continue and they fail to stop the crimes of the Zionist regime against the oppressed people of Palestine, they themselves will soon turn into legitimate targets for the military of the United States and Israel,” he added. 

The lawmaker stated that Israel began a massive massacre of Palestinians in Gaza after Arab governments refused to get themselves involved in the affairs of Palestine for years. 

“Arab governments and Islamic countries must come together to stop these crimes and take practical action. The inaction of Arab governments to stop the crimes against the oppressed people of Palestine will have no result other than what we are witnessing today,” he noted.

In recent years, Some Arab countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and most recently Saudi Arabia, have moved towards recognizing the Israeli regime as the acting government of Palestine while disregarding Palestinians’ call for support. 

Since Israel began its latest onslaughts against Palestinians, certain Arab states in the region have merely released statements condemning the regime for its actions. 

The Cairo Peace Summit that was held in Egypt last month failed to bear any concrete results. Some videos circulating online have shown aid trucks sent to 
Gaza by some Arab countries filled with shrouds and expired antibiotics, which are unlikely to be of significant help as more than 2.3 million people in the territory are being deprived of food, water, and fuel. 

Several Palestinian activists have also taken to social media in recent weeks, complaining that they have long been abandoned by the majority of the Arab world. 

 

Iran and China reach new agreements

Iranian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Ehsan Khandouzi said the 25-year strategic partnership plan between Iran and China has entered a new phase with new agreements being reached between various ministries of the two countries, IRIB reported.

According to Khandouzi, the mentioned agreements have been reached between the two sides during the visit of Iran’s delegation to the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE).

“Specific projects were defined between the government departments of the respective ministries of Iran and China, and agreements were reached on the details of the implementation of the mentioned projects,” Khandouzi said.

Regarding the private sectors of the two countries, some Iranian companies operating in China and some large Chinese companies operating in Iran faced obstacles, which were discussed and resolved by the relevant authorities, he explained.

“We are going to witness a significant growth in economic cooperation and investment between the two sides with the implementation of these projects,” the minister noted.

Headed by Iran’s First Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber, a senior delegation comprised of Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi, Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Abbas Aliabadi, as well as the deputies of various ministries and the economic deputy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited China last week to attend the 6th CIIE.

Iran and China officially signed the document for 25-year comprehensive cooperation in March 2021.

The document was signed between Iran’s former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Back in December 2022, Iran and China finalized 16 memorandums of understanding (MoU) under the framework of the two countries’ strategic 25-year agreement.

The MoUs were signed in an Iran-China comprehensive cooperation program summit which was held in Tehran on December 13 in the presence of Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and China’s Vice Premier Hu Chunhua.

The summit was focused on four areas explored by four committees between the two countries with the aim of paving the way for the implementation of the 25-year agreement.

Iran and China also signed 20 memoranda of understanding in the presence of the presidents of the two countries in Beijing in mid-February.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi was on a three-day state visit to China starting February 14.

During President Raisi's visit to China, Tehran and Beijing signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of agriculture, trade, tourism, environmental protection, health, disaster relief, culture, and sports.

The documents include agreements in the field of transportation and industry worth US$12 billion and US$3.5 billion, respectively; the agreements cover various joint projects like the high-speed rail link between Tehran and Mashhad, and investment in the Imam Khomeini Airport City.

Investment in Iran's southeastern Mokran Coast and the purchase of Iranian oil were also mentioned in the documents.

Raisi's visit served as an example of the high level of mutual trust between China and Iran, as well as a milestone for bilateral ties.

Then in mid-July, the agreements signed between Iran and China during President Raisi’s trip to Beijing in mid-February were turned into specified projects during the two countries’ joint cooperation committee meeting, the Iranian finance and economic affairs minister announced.

Ehsan Khandouzi left Tehran for Beijing on July 12 to attend the Iran-China Joint Cooperation Committee meeting, which was held after four and half years.

“With the constructive atmosphere of the committee, we will soon witness good events in the fields of business and investment”, the official wrote on his Twitter account on July 16.

Khandouzi further announced that Iran and China are going to begin the execution of some joint projects agreed upon in February by the presidents of the two countries, as of the following month.

According to the minister, the necessary follow-ups regarding the mentioned projects have been made over the last five months and the final decisions for the start of their implementations were made during a joint business event on July 13.

“President Raisi had an important trip to Beijing last winter and good agreements were made with the president of China; in this regard, the necessary follow-ups were made by various ministries during the last five months, and on Thursday (July 13) the first joint committee between Iran and China was held after 4.5 years,” Khandouzi said.

“China is Iran's largest trading partner and the most important destination for the export of Iranian goods and an important part of our imports are also from China. Last year, China's share in Iran's (non-oil) trade was 24 percent,” the minister added.

Back in early April, the Chinese ambassador to Tehran said, "This year is a good year for Iran-China relations."

Chang Hua made the remarks in a meeting with the members of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and a number of Iranian traders and businessmen, who conduct trade with China, held at the place of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) in Tehran.

Referring to China's growing economy, the envoy said this year is a good year for Iran-China relations, adding that during the meeting between the leaders of the two countries, important agreements were made, including the implementation of the 25-year cooperation agreement between the two countries, and a number of bilateral cooperation documents were signed in the fields of agriculture, tourism, culture, relief, and rescue, etc.

Majid-Reza Hariri, the head of the Iran-China Joint Chamber, also emphasized the desire of Iran's private sector to develop business relations with China and said there are obstacles in this direction. Among other things, issuing visas for Iranian businessmen, especially for their presence at trade fairs in China, is associated with problems, and facilitating it will definitely help the development of relations between the two sides.

 

 

Deepening relations between Iran and Afghanistan

Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi held talks with Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of the Taliban government on Monday. 

Baradar is leading a high-ranking Taliban delegation that arrived in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Saturday. He also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Sunday. 

According to Baradar’s office, the two sides discussed political and economic relations, effective coordination between their respective nations, water resource management, transit agreements, and enhancement of Afghanistan’s imports and exports through Iran.

The official and his protégé have traveled to Iran with the aim of meeting and negotiating with Iranian economic officials in order to enhance trade and economic cooperation, develop bilateral relations, and explore more areas of cooperation in transit, transportation, customs, and environment.

The delegation, consisting of 30 Taliban officials, will also travel to other Iranian provinces and are due to be briefed on major economic projects of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This trip is taking place while according to the latest statistics, Iran's share of the Afghan market amounts to 35%. Afghan investors also account for a considerable portion of foreign investments in Iran.

Iran has repeatedly voiced its support for Afghanistan’s security and prosperity. The country currently hosts a population of more than 5 million Afghan refugees and attaches great significance to its ties with Afghanistan. 

Since taking office, President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration has emphasized the necessity of friendly and comprehensive relations with Iran’s neighbors. 

Afghanistan has been ruled by the Taliban since the United States. hastily withdrew its forces from the country in August 2021. It currently grapples with various security and humanitarian challenges, which are thought to be the results of more than two decades of American occupation.

Iran has repeatedly expressed willingness to work closely with the Taliban while calling for an inclusive government in the war-stricken country. 

 

Construction of EU-China transport corridor via Iran

The transport ministers and representatives of the member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the creation of a new transport corridor from China to Europe via Iran, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Thursday.

The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the 12th meeting of ECO transport ministers which was held in the capital of Uzbekistan with the participation of Iran’s Deputy Transport Minister Shahriar Afandizadeh, IRIB reported.

The unification of tariffs on transportation procedures and border processes will be implemented within the framework of the mentioned MoU, according to which, a significant share of the transit volume from China to Europe can be carried out via Iran's east-west transit route.

At the meeting, the ECO transport ministers also exchanged views on strengthening transport communications in the ECO region.

The need to finance infrastructural projects in the ECO region with the participation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), completing the missing rail and road links and strengthening the regional corridors including Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul and Almaty-Tehran-Istanbul and also east-west corridors for connecting China to Europe as well as Caspian Sea routes were among the other issues discussed at the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, Afandizadeh expounded on the Iran Road transport initiative and emphasized that all countries in the region will be able to have safe and cheap access to other destinations via Iran using the initiative.

The 13th Meeting of Transport Ministers of the ECO will be held in Tehran in 2024.

 

Secret US Base in Israel

According to a report, two months before Hamas attacked Israel, the Pentagon awarded a multi million dollar contract to build US troop facilities for a secret base it maintains deep within Israel’s Negev desert, just 20 miles from Gaza. Code-named ‘Site 5’, the longstanding US base is a radar facility that monitors the skies for missile attacks on Israel. 

On October 07, however, when thousands of Hamas rockets were launched, Site 512 saw nothing — because it is focused on Iran, more than 700 miles away.

The US Army is quietly moving ahead with construction at Site 512, a classified base perched atop Mt. Har Qeren in the Negev, to include what government records describe as a ‘life support facility’: military speak for barracks-like structures for personnel.

Though President Joe Biden and the White House insist that there are no plans to send U.S. troops to Israel amid its war on Hamas, a secret US military presence in Israel already exists. And the government contracts and budget documents show it is evidently growing. 

The US$35.8 million US troop facility, not publicly announced or previously reported, was obliquely referenced in an August 02 contract announcement by the Pentagon. Though the Defense Department has taken pains to obscure the site’s true nature — describing it in other records merely as a “classified worldwide” project — budget documents reviewed by The Intercept reveal that it is part of Site 512.

“Sometimes something is treated as an official secret not in the hope that an adversary would never find out about it but rather because the U.S. government, for diplomatic or political reasons, does not want to officially acknowledge it,” Paul Pillar, a former chief analyst at the CIA’s counterterrorism center who said he had no specific knowledge of the base, told The Intercept.

“In this case, perhaps the base will be used to support operations elsewhere in the Middle East in which any acknowledgment that they were staged from Israel, or involved any cooperation with Israel, would be inconvenient and likely to elicit more negative reactions than the operations otherwise would elicit.”

Rare acknowledgment of the US military presence in Israel came in 2017, when the two countries inaugurated a military site that the US government-funded Voice of America deemed “the first American military base on Israeli soil.”

Israeli Air Force’s Brig. Gen. Tzvika Haimovitch called it “historic.” He said, “We established an American base in the State of Israel, in the Israel Defense Forces, for the first time.” 

A day later, the U.S. military denied that it was an American base, insisting that it was merely a living facility for US service members working at an Israeli base. 

The US military employs similar euphemistic language to characterize the new facility in Israel, which its procurement records describe as a life support area.

Such obfuscation is typical of US military sites the Pentagon wants to conceal. Site 512 has previously been referred to as a “cooperative security location”: a designation that is intended to confer a low-cost, light footprint presence but has been applied to bases that, as The Intercept has previously reported, can house as many as 1,000 troops.

Site 512, however, wasn’t established to contend with a threat to Israel from Palestinian militants but the danger posed by Iranian mid-range missiles.

The overwhelming focus on Iran continues to play out in the US government’s response to the Hamas attack. In an attempt to counter Iran — which aids both Hamas and Israel’s rival to the north, Hezbollah, a Lebanese political group with a robust military wing, both of which are considered terror groups by the US — the Pentagon has vastly expanded its presence in the Middle East.

Following the attack, the US doubled the number of fighter jets in the region and deployed two aircraft carriers off the coast of Israel. 

“My speculation is that the secrecy is a holdover from when US presidential administrations tried to offer a pretense of not siding with Israel.”

Top Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have nonetheless castigated Biden for his purported “weakness on Iran.”

While some media accounts have said Iran played a role in planning the Hamas attack, there have been indications from the US intelligence community that Iranian officials were surprised by the attack.

The history of the US–Israel relationship may be behind the failure to acknowledge the base, said an expert on overseas US military bases.

“My speculation is that the secrecy is a holdover from when US presidential administrations tried to offer a pretense of not siding with Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab conflicts,” David Vine, a professor of anthropology at American University, told The Intercept.

“The announcement of US military bases in Israel in recent years likely reflects the dropping of that pretense and a desire to more publicly proclaim support for Israel.”

 

Iran: Khamenei urges Muslims to boycott Israel

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslim states to cease oil and food exports to Israel, demanding an end to its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

"The bombings on Gaza must stop immediately ... the path of oil and food exports to the Zionist regime should be stopped," Khamenei told a group of students in Tehran.

Israel has vowed to wipe out Tehran-backed Hamas, which rules Gaza, in retaliation for an October 07 attack that killed 1,400 people and saw hundreds taken hostage.

Israel has launched an unprecedented bombardment of Gaza and imposed a siege of the enclave. Palestinian authorities say more than 8,000 people have been killed.

Iran's clerical rulers have warned Israel of an escalation if it failed to end aggressions against Palestinians, with authorities indicating Tehran-backed proxies in the Middle East were ready to act.

Backing the Palestinian cause has been a political pillar of the Islamic Republic since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and a way in which its Shi'ite Muslim theocracy has fashioned Iran as a leader in the Muslim world.

Khamenei, Iran's top authority, said the United States was complicit in Israel's "recent crimes against Palestinians".

"The Islamic world should not forget that in the crucial issue of Gaza, those standing against the oppressed Palestinian nation were the United States, France and Britain," Khamenei said to chants of "Death to Israel" and "Death to America".

Israel, which Tehran refuses to recognize, has long accused Iran's clerical rulers of stoking violence by supplying arms to Hamas. Tehran says it gives moral and financial support to the group, which controls the Gaza Strip.

"One of the shameless acts of the West is accusing Palestinian fighters of terrorism," Khamenei said.

Isolating Iran No Longer Possible

The US President Joe Biden is convinced that one of the reasons Hamas launched the attack on Israel was the announcement during the G-20 Summit in New Delhi on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor .

Biden has been telling so many lies to reclaim its leadership role in the Muslim Middle East. The two most compelling realities rejecting the American leadership are: one, a strong united regional solidarity cutting across sectarian divides to seek a settlement on Palestine, like at no time before, and, two, the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement. 

The latest developments involving Hamas and Israel undermined the US efforts to persuade Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel. No doubt, the Saudi stance on the Palestine problem has hardened.

Do these words sound as if Biden is preparing for a war with Iran? For the first time, perhaps, there is a ray of hope that the US will no longer work around the Palestine problem. The bottom line, as the deliberations at the UN Security Council also testify, is that all responsible powers understand that the Middle East continues to be the centre of gravity in world politics and a conflagration in the region could easily turn into a world war. And none of the big powers wants such an apocalyptic outcome. 

That said, while the US still has unrivalled power in the Middle East, its influence has diminished, as new realities emerged which include:

Israel has grown more powerful militarily and economically vis-a-vis Palestinians, but no longer enjoys regional dominance. 

Saudi Arabia and the UAE, two dominant powers in the Middle East, are increasingly asserting their own interests. 

China, although a relatively new player, is no longer confining itself to economic diplomacy. 

US has lost the capacity to leverage the world oil market, as Russia works closely with Saudi Arabia within the ambit of OPEC Plus to calibrate oil production level and prices. 

Consequently, petrodollar is weakening.  

The Abraham Accords have been shelved practically. 

The Arab-Israeli conflict has assumed new dimensions in the recent years, thanks to the ascendance of the axis of resistance, which require new postures and operational thinking on the part of the US. 

Israeli politics has swung sharply to extreme right. 

The global environment is highly complicated; the peace process can no longer be under US mentorship.

Russia hosted a trilateral meeting in Moscow with Iran’s deputy foreign minister  and a Hamas delegation. Later, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, announced that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will soon arrive on an official visit to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  

In an all-out war with Iran, the US will take heavy casualties and the state of Israel may face destruction.

Iran may opt for nuclear deterrent capability. It is a near-certainty that a US-Iran war will turn into a world war. Clearly, war is not an option. 

There is high risk, therefore, in an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. If Israel gets bogged down in Gaza, which by no means cannot be ruled out, there is a high possibility that Hezbollah may open a second front. And that, in turn, can trigger a chain reaction that may spin out of control. There is a danger if a ceasefire is not agreed upon early enough in the conflict, the repercussions could be very serious.

 

Iran votes in favor of Arab-drafted resolution

The Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York has defended its vote in favor of the Arab-drafted resolution on the situation in Palestine, saying any vote otherwise would have played into the hands of the Israeli regime. 

The resolution in question was passed overwhelmingly at the UN General Assembly on Friday, with 120 countries voting in favor, 14 voting against, and 45 abstaining.

The resolution called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities in Gaza.

Iran’s UN mission said that the resolution was proposed by the Arab League, and its text had not even been put into debate at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, adding that the Islamic Republic did not approve of some parts of the resolution as they were in conflict with Iran’s principled and definite policies towards Palestine, according to IRNA.

Iran voted in favor of the resolution, because the Zionist regime and its allies were attempting to portray the October 07 resistance operation as a terrorist act, the mission said in reference to the Operation Al-Aqsa Storm that Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas launched against Israeli positions from the Gaza Strip.

That attempt was foiled through strong efforts by Islamic nations and a number of other states, the Iranian mission said, adding that the Zionist regime and its allies were also trying to create division among countries so that the resolution was approved with the least number of votes.

Considering all these, the mission said, any Iranian vote other than a positive one would have been playing into the hands of the Zionist regime and its supporters, IRNA reported. 

 

Two-state solution for lasting peace in Middle East

Israel hasn’t expressed interest in following the advice of world leaders that it revives the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.

In the past wars against Hamas, Israel moved quickly to invade Gaza, seeking to degrade the militant group’s ability to fire rockets into the country, now Tel Aviv’s stated aim is Hamas’s destruction.

In the three weeks since the group killed 1,400 people in Israel, it has staged several limited ground incursions into Gaza, the latest on Friday night.

The stakes are high for Israel, from the lives of some 200 hostages to worries about triggering a regional war.

While US President Joe Biden has expressed strong support for Israel’s professed goals, he also advised delay of any full-scale invasion as he seeks to win release of the hostages and insure the flow of much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.

The Pentagon is also scrambling to put defensive measures in place for US assets that may come under attack (Iran has warned of such escalation, and skirmishes between the two are increasing).

At the same time, global outrage has been rising at the massive number of Palestinian casualties inflicted by Israel, with more than 7,000 dead—including thousands of children.

As the Israel Defense Forces lay waste to large swathes of the Gaza Strip, Biden has urged Israel to consider America’s mistakes after the 9/11 attacks–and to have a clear plan for the aftermath.

“Anything that could lower risks and collateral damage, while still attaining the goal of crippling Hamas, is worth consideration.” Marc Champion writes in Bloomberg Opinion.

Iran: Chinese investment in railway and renewable energy projects

First Vice President of Iran on Thursday discussed the strengthening Tehran-Beijing ties with Premier of the People’s Republic of China Li Qiang in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 22nd session of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Iran officially became a full member of the SCO in April 2023.

Mohammad Mokhber said the relations between Iran and China rooted in history and culture and said Iran has extensive capacities and capabilities that can be put to use in the two countries’ ties. 

Mokhber announced that Iran sees the development of ties with China as extremely important. “The development of Makran and Chabahar coasts, the construction of 15,000 megawatts of renewable power plants, mining development, Tehran-Mashhad and Tehran-Isfahan high-speed train projects, and transit cooperation in the west and east are all on Iran's agenda, and we welcome China's participation and investment in these areas,” the official noted. 

The vice president also emphasized the full implementation of the 25-year cooperation agreement between Iran and China. The deal signed in 2021 includes economic, military and security cooperation.

Mokhber also took the time to thank Beijing for its stance on Israel’s brutal attacks on Gaza which have so far resulted in the death of more than 7,000 civilians. 

“The bitter events in Gaza and Palestine hurt the heart of every noble, free, and conscientious person, and unfortunately, in the current chaotic situation and war crimes being committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza, most of the casualties are among civilians, women, and children”. 

The Chinese premier, for his part, described Iran as one of the major and influential countries in the West Asian region. “Iran's full presence and membership in Shanghai and BRICS will strengthen these organizations and be very useful for regional and global peace and stability,” he said. 

“The relations between the two countries have always had a growing trend since the establishment of political relations fifty years ago, and this year important agreements have been concluded between Tehran and Beijing with two meetings between the presidents of the two countries,” Li said, adding that Beijing regards Tehran as an important partner and seeks to further enhance ties with the West Asian country. 

 

US should stop backing Israeli genocide in Gaza

Addressing the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian accused the US of siding with the occupying regime of Israel in its relentless bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip.

He also said the resistance forces that are fighting to liberate their stolen lands are branded as terrorists but say the Israeli regime that has occupied the Palestinian lands is defending itself.

“They call the Palestinian self-liberation movement, which has a right to self-defense, terrorists, but they refer to the occupying and war criminal regime ‑ Israel, that is committing genocide in Gaza, as having the right to self-defense,” Amir Abdollahian lamented.

“The US and several European countries are watching and supporting the killing of about 7,000 civilians in less than three weeks by the Israeli regime. They help this regime militarily and financially,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.

“We recommend that the US works for peace and security, not war against women and children … and to stop sending rockets, tanks and bombs to be used against the people of Gaza. The US should stop supporting genocide in Gaza and Palestine.”

US President Joe Biden visited Tel Aviv on October 18 to express unwavering support for Israel in its relentless onslaught on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The night before his arrival in Tel Aviv, Israeli fighter jets exploded Al-Ahli al-Arabi in the city of Gaza killing 500 civilians, including the injured, medical staff, and citizens who had taken shelter there from the Israeli bombardments. 

The bombardment of the hospital prompted Arab leaders, including the Palestinian Authority president and the king of Jordan, to cancel a meeting with Biden in Egypt.

The US has also aborted draft resolutions at the UN Security Council to halt the war.

The Israeli war on Gaza, which is home to over 2 million people, has been described as genocide and war crime in terms of international law. 

After the Biden visit to the occupied territories, the leaders of Germany, Britain and France have visited Israel to express their solidarity with the occupation regime of Israel.

The war started after the Hamas resistance group launched a surprise attack on portions of lands occupied by Israel in 1948 in retaliation to the regime's brutal attacks on the Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank.

Richard Falk, an international law scholar who taught at Princeton University for forty years, has said the West's refusal to call for a ceasefire is a green light to Israel’s ethnic cleansing.

“By failing to advocate for a ceasefire, western states have given a green light to Israel’s agenda of collective punishment, which might itself be grotesque cover for the regime’s end goal of massive dispossession and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,” Falk wrote in Middle East Eye on October 24.

 

Israel preparing for ground invasion of Gaza, says Netanyahu

Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Wednesday, but he declined to provide any details on the timing or other information about the operation.

He said the decision on when forces would go into the Palestinian enclave, controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas, would be taken by the government's special war cabinet, which includes the leader of one of the centrist opposition parties.

"We have already killed thousands of terrorists and this is only the beginning," Netanyahu said.

"Simultaneously, we are preparing for a ground invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how or how many. I will also not elaborate on the various calculations we are making, which the public is mostly unaware of and that is how things should be."

Israel has carried out days of intense bombardment of the densely populated Gaza Strip following the October 07 Hamas attack on Israeli communities that killed some 1,400 people. More than 6,500 Palestinians have been killed in the bombardments, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Netanyahu, who has so far not taken responsibility for the security failures that led to the Hamas attack, said all involved would be called to account.

"The scandal will be fully investigated," he said. "Everyone will have to give answers, me too. But all this will happen only after the war."

Earlier, citing US and Israeli officials, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had agreed to delay the invasion of Gaza for now, so the United States could rush missile defences to the region.

Reuters reported on Monday that Washington advised Israel to hold off on a ground assault and is keeping Qatar - a broker with the Palestinian militants - apprised of those talks as its tries to free more hostages and prepare for a possible wider regional war.