Iran, France to Swap Ambassadors After Strained Ties

Iran and France are set to exchange ambassadors, officials said on Wednesday, after months of tensions including over an alleged Iranian plot to bomb an opposition rally near Paris.  

Bahram Ghasemi, a former envoy to Spain and Italy and current spokesman of the foreign ministry, has been appointed as Iran's new ambassador to France, an official source in Tehran told AFP.

In Paris, the Official Gazette on Wednesday said that Philippe Thiebaud, a former envoy to Pakistan who once represented France at the UN atomic watchdog, had been appointed as ambassador to the Islamic republic of Iran.

Ghasemi and Thiebaud will fill posts that had been vacant for more than six months after a series of diplomatic fallouts between France and Iran broke out last year.

The previous French ambassador left Iran at the end of his mandate in August while Tehran's envoy left Paris last summer before finishing his term. No official reason was given for his abrupt departure.

In June, France accused a branch of Iran's intelligence ministry of attempting to bomb a meeting of the People's Mujahedin, an Iranian opposition group, near Paris.

Tehran vehemently denied the accusations and in return slammed France for hosting the group which it calls a "terrorist cult of hypocrites".

Relations between France and Iran have also been strained over demands by Paris that Iran limits its ballistic missiles program—which Tehran says is purely defensive.

Iran reined in most of its nuclear program under a landmark 2015 deal with major powers—Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States—that lifted sanctions on the Iran.

In May the United States withdrew from the deal and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.

France and the other European partners to the deal, have been trying to salvage the nuclear accord and set up a payment mechanism to maintain trade and business ties with Iran that would circumvent the US sanctions.

But Tehran has accused them of dragging their feet, it has also criticized France for selling advanced warplanes and other weapons to its regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

News that Iran and France will exchange ambassadors came a day after the ultraconservative Iranian newspaper Kayhan called for the expulsion of French diplomats from the country.

Kayhan claimed that Paris had expelled an Iranian diplomat last autumn. Neither the Iranian nor the French foreign ministries have denied or confirmed the expulsion.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Arrests 3 'Terrorists' over Suicide Bomb Attack

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said Monday it has arrested three "terrorists" involved in last week's deadly suicide bomb attack on security forces in a region bordering Pakistan.

"Safe houses in (the cities of) Saravan and Khash were identified and eliminated, and the terrorists based in them were arrested," the force said on its official Sepah news agency.

"Three of the terrorists were arrested and 150 kilograms (330 pounds) of explosives and 600 kilograms of explosive materials as well as weapons and ammunition were confiscated," it said. 

The Guards said the three arrested had "produced, guided and supported" the vehicle used in Wednesday's suicide bombing.

The attack killed 27 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards traveling on a bus in the volatile southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, which straddles the border with Pakistan.

It was claimed by the jihadist outfit Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice).

Iran has provided Pakistani officials with "information on the terrorist groups' hidden and semi-hidden training centers", army chief-of-staff Mohammad Bagheri told Tasnim news agency.

In a phone call with Pakistani army commanders, Bagheri asked them to "either confront the groups or allow (Iranian) forces to enter."

Islamabad launched an operation against the "terrorists" in its Balochistan border province on Sunday, he said.

Guards commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari has accused Pakistan's army and intelligence agency of sheltering the jihadists.

The foreign ministry said Iran "cannot tolerate" Pakistan's inability to stop cross-border attacks on Iran and said Tehran's frustration had been communicated to Islamabad.

"We hope the Pakistani government can and wants to prevent such things from happening again," spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told reporters on Monday.

The ministry has summoned the Pakistani ambassador in Tehran and urged Islamabad to "seriously confront... the terrorist groups active on its border" with Iran.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Summons Polish Diplomat to Protest US Summit

Iran's foreign ministry summoned Poland's top diplomat in the country to protest its decision to host what it called an "anti-Iranian" summit, a spokesman said Sunday.

Poland's charge d'affaires was summoned to "protest the anti-Iranian so-called peace and security conference," ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said on his Telegram channel.

He was told "this is a hostile act by the United States against Iran and Poland is expected to refrain from going along with the US in holding this conference," Ghasemi added.

The summit was announced Friday by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said dozens of countries would participate.

They will "focus on Middle East stability and peace and freedom and security here in this region, and that includes an important element of making sure that Iran is not a destabilising influence," he told Fox News.

Poland's representative in Iran, Wojciech Unolt, reportedly said the conference, to be held February 13-14 in Warsaw, was not anti-Iranian and that Poland did not share recent remarks by the US against Iran.

The Iranian official said this was inadequate and Iran would be "forced to retaliate" if Poland did not back down.

Poland's foreign ministry said in a statement late Sunday "the international community has the right to discuss various regional and global issues.”

And Poland had the right "to co-organize a conference, whose goal is to develop a platform for actions promoting stability and prosperity in the Middle East region," it added.

Iran's cinema organization said it had cancelled a Polish film festival scheduled for next month, according to local media.

"A guest who does not honor their host cannot continue to be a guest. To honor Iran's dignity, the Polish film week in Tehran will be postponed until Warsaw's behaviour is proper," tweeted cinema organisation chief Hossein Entezami, according to the semi-official news agency ILNA.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif earlier poured scorn on the Warsaw summit and pointed out that the country, then impoverished after invasion by Britain and the Soviet Union, welcomed more than 100,000 Polish refugees during World War II.

"Polish Govt can't wash the shame: while Iran saved Poles in WWII, it now hosts a desperate anti-Iran circus," Zarif tweeted.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Denmark Recalls Ambassador to Iran Over Foiled 'Attack'

Denmark on Tuesday recalled its ambassador to Iran after it accused Tehran of plotting a foiled "attack" against three Iranians living in the Scandinavian country.

"I have decided to recall Denmark's ambassador in Tehran for consultations... Denmark can in no way accept that people with ties to Iran's intelligence service plot attacks against people in Denmark," Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen told reporters.

"It is the Iranian government, it is the Iranian state that is behind" the plot, Samuelsen said.

He added that he was consulting with "partners and allies", including the EU, about possible sanctions.

Earlier Tuesday, the head of Denmark's intelligence service PET, Finn Borch Andersen, said his agency believed the Iranian intelligence service "was planning an attack in Denmark" against three Iranians suspected of belonging to the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz.

A Norwegian of Iranian origin was arrested on October 21 for allegedly planning the attack and spying for Iran.

The suspect was detained in the southwestern Swedish city of Goteborg, according to the Swedish security service Sapo.

Iran has denied the Danish allegations, with foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi saying they were part of a European conspiracy against Iran.

In late September, Tehran accused Denmark, the Netherlands and Britain of "hosting several members of the terrorist group" that Iran holds responsible for an attack in the mainly ethnic Arab city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran.

The September 22 attack, during which five commandos opened fire on a military parade, left 24 people dead.

The so-called Islamic State group and a separatist Arab group claimed responsibility, and Iran staged several operations in Iraq and Syria in response.

’Will Stand Up to Iran'

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen echoed Samuelsen's comments, writing on Twitter: "It is totally unacceptable that Iran or any other foreign state plans assassinations on Danish soil. Further actions against Iran will be discussed in the EU."

In Oslo, where he was meeting other Northern European leaders, Rasmussen spoke with British counterpart Theresa May, whom he said expressed "support" for Denmark.

"In close collaboration with UK and other countries we will stand up to Iran," he added.

Iran's ambassador to Denmark was summoned to the foreign ministry Tuesday for an explanation.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US also stood behind Denmark.

"We congratulate the government of Denmark on its arrest of an Iranian regime assassin. For nearly 40 years, Europe has been the target of Iran-sponsored terrorist attacks. We call on our allies and partners to confront the full range of Iran's threats to peace and security," Pompeo wrote on Twitter.

The US and European countries nonetheless have different approaches to engagement with Iran.

In May, the US pulled out of a 2015 international accord on Iran's nuclear program and in August it reimposed sanctions against Tehran.

A second wave of sanctions is to take effect on November 5.

EU countries, China and Russia want to preserve the 2015 agreement and maintain trade ties with Iran however.

PET's announcement ended weeks of speculation about why Denmark shut down bridges and ferries to Sweden on September 28 during a manhunt that mobilized hundreds of police and the military. 

The shutdown was aimed at foiling the Iranian operation, PET acknowledged on Tuesday.

Photo Credit: Wikicommons

Iran Calls US Sanctions on Paramilitary Force 'Blind Vindictiveness'

Iran called new US sanctions against its paramilitary Basij group an act of "blind vindictiveness" on Wednesday.

“America's new sanctions are a clear insult to international and legal mechanisms and a result of the American government's blind vindictiveness against the Iranian nation," said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi.

He called Washington's "lack of adherence to international legal mechanisms" a threat not only "to the Iranian people's interests but also the world's stability and security."

On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department slapped sanctions on the Basij paramilitary group along with a network of more than 20 businesses it said had financial links to the organisation.

The US pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers in May and is reimposing punishing sanctions on the Middle Eastern country, hoping to pressure Tehran into what President Donald Trump calls a "better deal.”

Iran's biggest steel company, among the companies sanctioned on Tuesday, dismissed the measures as "nothing new", saying they will not affect its operations.

In a statement to investors, Mobarakeh Steel Company said: "International sanctions are nothing new and Mobarakeh has faced them throughout the years just like other sectors of the Iranian economy.

"This will not disrupt the company's production, financial activities and exports," it added.

’Can't Stop Exports'

Mobarakeh, the largest steelmaker in the Middle East and North Africa region, was accused of supporting the Mehr Eqtesad Iranian Investment Company, which is linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to the US Treasury.

A steel industry expert in Tehran said the sanctions would hurt Mobarakeh, but without entirely stopping its exports.

"The company will now have problems doing anything, be it attracting financing from abroad or having any overseas accounts," Mojtaba Fereydouni told AFP.

"But sanctions cannot just stop Iran's exports. You just ship it to a third country, unload the shipments there and leave it for a few days. Then you reship them from there with no mention of Iran and a new certificate of origin.

"All this will incur a cost of USD 20 - USD 30 on each tonne, but it's not impossible," he added.

Iran's steel industry was targeted under the first wave of US sanctions reimposed in August.

But Mobarakeh said it had indigenized its production line.

Fereydouni added that it had set up a factory to produce the key raw material of electrode graphite, which is normally imported, primarily from India.

Iran is the 10th biggest crude steel producer, according to the World Steel Association.

The government said it exported USD 2.53 billion of steel products between March and September, up 53 percent on the previous year—an increase which is thought to be driven by a rush by buyers to make purchase before sanctions hit.

Photo Credit: Mizan

Iran Wants France Talks to Clear 'Misunderstanding' Over Alleged Bomb Plot

Tehran called on Tuesday for talks with Paris to clear "misunderstanding" over an alleged bomb plot targeting an exiled opposition group near the French capital.

"If there is a misunderstanding... about a thing that does not exist, be it a conspiracy by others or a mistake, we can sit down and talk about it," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told AFP in an interview.

The only way to overcome the issue was through "the art of diplomacy," he said. "We know of no other way."

French authorities on Tuesday accused Iran's intelligence ministry of being behind a foiled plot to bomb a meeting of the People's Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK), according to a French diplomatic source.

Tehran considers the MEK a "terrorist group".

'Devious Moves'

"When the base issue is wrong and no more than an allegation, basing other hypotheses on such a claim is totally useless and wrong," Ghasemi said.

"You cannot accuse the intelligence ministry or anyone else working at it of being involved in an unconfirmed thing.

"Iran can definitely cooperate to fix any misunderstanding between France and Iran, or any other country in the region or Europe," said Ghasemi.

When the alleged bomb plot was foiled in late June, Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif called it "a sinister false flag ploy" in a July 2 tweet and said that Iran is ready to work with all concerned to uncover the truth.

Ghasemi echoed the same remarks on Tuesday, saying that "certain conspiracies" are in play meant to affect Iran's "positive relations with France and other European countries", rooted in the environment created by "the US policies regarding Iran (focusing) on sowing division between Iran, Europe" and regional neighbours.

"Some centres (of power) do not approve of Iran's good relations with Europe—that it is staying in the JCPOA and that its economic ties continue with the EU," he said, refering to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers. 

This all started after the US pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May, he hinted.

"The French government, whom we have a long-standing and significant relationship with ... must be vigilant and do not allow such devious moves to affect Iran's good relations with France and other European countries," Ghasemi said.

The diplomat also described Iran's missile program as its right to "have an acceptable level of defensive capability" and "not a threat to others.”

This came just a day after the Islamic Republic launched six missiles at a jihadists' headquarters in Syria over a deadly attack on an Iranian military parade that killed 24 people, and renewed French comments expressing concerns about the country's missile program.

The strike targeted the town of Hajin, about 24 kilometres (15 miles) north of Albu Kamal near Syria's eastern border with Iraq.

Despite the developing missile program, "Iran's military spending is very low compared to our neighbors, like Saudi Arabia and the Emirates," Ghasemi added.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Says Talks With Trump Would be 'Humiliation'

Skepticism was rife in Iran on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump offered talks, with one lawmaker saying negotiations would be a "humiliation."

The country's top leaders did not give an immediate response to Trump's statement a day earlier that he would meet them "any time" without preconditions.

But several public figures said it was impossible to imagine negotiations with Washington after it tore up the 2015 nuclear deal in May. 

"With the contemptuous statements (Trump) addressed to Iran, the idea of negotiating is inconceivable. It would be a humiliation," said Ali Motahari, deputy speaker of parliament, according to the conservative Fars News. 

"America is not trustworthy. After it arrogantly and unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement, how can it be trusted?" added Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, according to Fars.

The US is set to start reimposing full sanctions on Iran from August 6—a move that has already contributed to a major currency crisis with the rial losing two-thirds of its value in six months.

Only last week, Trump fired off an all-caps tirade at his counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Twitter, warning of untold "suffering" if Iran continued to threaten the US. 

Many in Iran are therefore suspicious of his latest volte-face.  

"We cannot negotiate with someone who violates international commitments, threatens to destroy countries, and constantly changes his position," said analyst Mohammad Marandi, of the University of Tehran, who was part of the nuclear negotiating team. 

Some officials remained more receptive. 

"Negotiations with the United States must not be a taboo," said Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, head of parliament's foreign affairs commission, in an interview with the semi-official ISNA news agency. 

"Trump understands that he does not have the capacity to wage war with Iran, but due to historic mistrust, diplomatic ties have been destroyed," said Falahatpisheh, adding that this left no choice but to work towards reducing tensions.

Motahari added that hardliners, who have long opposed any rapprochement with the US, share the blame for the collapse of the nuclear deal.

"If the whole Iranian system had worked to implement this agreement, today we would be witnessing the presence of European companies in Iran and their investments, and even Trump would not be able to withdraw so easily from the deal," he said.  

"But from the start one part of the system did not want the agreement to work."
   
'Maybe an opportunity'

On the streets of Tehran, meanwhile, the focus remained resolutely on Iran's domestic economic difficulties. 

"All of us believe that Trump is the enemy of Iran and Iranian people. But now maybe Trump wants to give the Iranian people an opportunity and, God willing, it could be a way to get past our disastrous situation," added Hushiar, an office manager in her 50s. 

Many Iranians find it hard to believe that the man who is trying to destroy their economy, and has banned them from flying to the US, can be trusted. 

"If they are honest in their words that they want to have negotiations with us without any preconditions, at least they should stay in the JCPOA (nuclear deal) or they should let us get the benefits of European trade," said Morteza Mehdian, a software engineer in his 20s. 

"But the reality is this man is a liar and we cannot trust his word."

For now, this is also the official line, with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying earlier this month that talking to Trump would be "useless."

Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi on Monday said "there is no possibility for talks", ahead of Trump's statement.

"Washington reveals its untrustworthy nature day by day," Ghasemi said, according to the conservative-aligned Mehr news agency. 

The Trump administration says its "maximum pressure campaign" is designed to force Iran into a new deal that goes beyond limiting its nuclear program and includes curbs to its regional behavior and missile program.

Photo Credit: Mohtahari Twitter