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Iran’s Rouhani declares end of Islamic State

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared the end of Islamic State on Tuesday in an address broadcast live on state TV, Hindustantimes.com reports.

A senior commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Major General Qassem Soleimani, also declared the end of Islamic State in a message sent to the country’s supreme leader on Tuesday which was published on Sepah News, the news site of the Guards.

Videos and pictures of Soleimani, who commands the Quds Force, the branch of the Guards responsible for operations outside of Iran’s borders, at frontline positions in battles against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have been posted frequently by Iranian media in recent years.

Last week, Iranian media published pictures of Soleimani at Albu Kamal in eastern Syria, a town which Soleimani said on Tuesday was the last territory retaken from Islamic State control in the region.

The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s most powerful military force which also oversees an economic empire worth billions of dollars, has been fighting in support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the central government in Baghdad for several years.

More than a thousand members of the Guards, including senior commanders, have been killed in Syria and Iraq.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has arrived in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia,

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photo presstv

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has arrived in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, on the first leg of a Central Asia tour, which will also take him to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan at the invitation of the respective countries’ heads of state.

Heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation, the Iranian chief executive left Tehran early Wednesday for Yerevan. President Rouhani was welcomed by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan at the airport upon arrival.

Shortly afterwards, an official welcoming ceremony was held for President Rouhani at the presidential palace.

Later in the day, the Iranian and Armenian presidents attended the signing ceremony of five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and cooperation agreements between Tehran and Yerevan in different areas, including tourism, sports and culture.

Rouhani is scheduled to hold meetings with designated parties in Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan followed by the signing of documents, which will enable further expansion of bilateral ties with each nation.

Together with Russia and Belarus, the countries form the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Ahead of his departure, Rouhani said ties with the three countries are highly important to Iran in the light of mutually-beneficial economic potentials.

The Iranian president further said cooperation with the three countries will contribute to the Islamic Republic’s national security.

“Over the past years, we have established closer ties with this group (EAEU),” said Rouhani, adding, “We are pursuing economic relations featuring preferential tariffs and ultimately free trade with these countries.”

The upcoming talks will also focus on the issues of terrorism and insecurity as well as unity among the nations concerning regional issues, Rouhani said.

On December 6, Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade said the country could be signing a preferential trade agreement with the EAEU in one or two months.

The potential signing of the deal would be followed by efforts to reach a free trade agreement with the body, the ministry added.

In a recent meeting with Iran’s Ambassador to Yerevan Seyyed Kazem Sajjadi, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said Rouhani’s trip would be a historic opportunity for the enhancement of mutual relations.

Iran’s President to Visit Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan

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The trip to Yerevan will be made at the invitation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, and is aimed at boosting bilateral relations and deepening mutual cooperation with neighbours and regional states, Esmaeili added.

Rouhani will then pay official visits to Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well.

Iran president Rouhani boycotts the final session of the OIC ” Organization of Islamic Cooperation”

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f57110adc9e04c_57110adc9e089.thumbPresident of Iran, Hassan Rouhani boycotted the final session of the Summit of Organization of Islamic Cooperation, reports Iranian MEHR News Agency.

According to the source, the President of Iran Islamic State, Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif and other representatives of the delegation boycotted the final session of the Summit of Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Turkey, as a sign of protest against the anti-Iranian provisions included in the final statement of the organization.

According to MEHR, during the Summit of Organization of Islamic Cooperation, several member states including Turkey and Saudi Arabia accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism in their statements.

Organization of Islamic Cooperation was founded in 1969 and consists of 55 member states.

Iran, Rouhani seals major business deals on France trip

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0,,19008931_303,00(DW) In his high-profile European visit, the Iranian president has gotten a taste of how eager the continent is to tap into his country’s market. Rouhani has hailed warming relations between Iran and France.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani was formally welcomed to France Thursday morning at the gold-dome Invalides monument ahead of meetings with business leaders, the head of UNESCO, and President Francois Hollande. He expressed a desire to “turn the page” during the highly-anticipated visit , the first by an Iranian president since 1999.

“Let us forget the resentment,” said Rouhani, weeks after Western sanctions against his country were dropped in exchange for curbs to its nuclear program. “We are ready to turn the page,” the president said, and create “a new relationship between our countries.”

After his talk, French automaker Peugeot announced a joint venture with Iranian car manufacturer Khodro to produce 200,000 cars a year at a plant outside of Tehran. Rouhani is also expected to confirm later a purchase of 100 passenger jets from Toulouse-based aircraft firm Airbus.

Following the Peugeot declaration, Rouhani met with France’s Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who said the new nations should put the past to bed. “France is available for Iran. Iran can count on France,” said the premier.

Rouhani Iran will weather oil price slide, Saudi Arabia will suffer –

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RuhaniIranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Iran can cope with the economic turmoil of falling oil prices, adding that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will be harder hit.

Rouhani said that while oil now only accounts for one-third of Tehran’s budget, some of the Gulf states are up to 95 percent reliant on it. Report RT

“If Iran suffers from the drop in oil prices, know that other oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will suffer more than Iran,” he said.

He added that “Kuwait’s budget is 95 percent reliant on oil,” and 90 percent of Saudi Arabia’s “annual exports are related to oil.”

READ MORE: Oil plummet: Crude dives below $45 for first time since 2009

Rouhani was addressing a crowd in the southern city of Bushehr – home to a nuclear power plant built with the help of the Russians, which became operational in 2011.

He also said that falling prices for crude oil are the result of “a plot that will be overcome with unity and resistance.”

“Those [countries] who have planned the oil price reduction against some countries should know that they will regret it,” he said, without elaborating on what countries he meant.

Rouhani was elected in 2013 on promises to turn around Iran’s sanctions-hit economy. He has successfully lifted the country out of recession and recently began to stress the importance of non-oil exports.

Iran was somewhat caught off guard by the slide in oil prices, as its current budget was based on sales at US$100 a barrel.

Tehran cut that estimate to $72 in March but oil has now hit a six-year low, with Brent crude trading at just $46.

With Rouhani at the helm, inflation rates have halved to less than 20 percent. With progress in talks regarding Iran’s controversial nuclear program, some sanctions by the West have been lifted.

But as oil prices continue to tumble, there is now the prospect of a deficit in Tehran, particularly as businesses are cut off from loans in the international banking system, as most of the sanctions still remain in place.

By seeking to hammer out a deal with the six world powers, Rouhani had hoped to breathe life into the Iranian economy by opening Iran up to foreign companies and partnership deals.

Due to Western sanctions, Iran’s oil exports have dropped from 2.5 million barrels a day in 2011 to about one million barrels today, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Iran: Attack on civilians in Yemen to bring disgrace to aggressors: Rouhani

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c74eb922-3b4c-4c26-b962-fb15f48f0046Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has warned against hatching plots in the region, saying the military aggression against civilians in Yemen will bring disgrace to the aggressors.

Addressing a special ceremony to mark National Army Day in Tehran on Saturday, President Rouhani added that Iran’s powerful Armed Forces seek to establish peace and security and protect the defenseless people.

Other countries must learn from Iran’s Armed Forces and prevent hatching plots in the region, he said, adding they should not attack innocent children and the aged people in Yemen. Report PressTV

“Others must learn from Iran’s Army and do not seek a plot in the region and do not attack innocent children and elderly women and men in Yemen,” Rouhani said.

He added that attack on the oppressed people would not bring honor to anyone.

“Why do the aggressors not extend a hand of friendship and reconciliation to other nations? What is the point in sending financial and arms aid to terrorists in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq? What is the point in the bombardment of the oppressed and innocent people in Yemen?” the Iranian president asked.

He said the airstrikes against the Yemeni people created a grudge among regional nations, emphasizing that the invaders would definitely receive a response for their deeds.

Saudi Arabia began its deadly aggression against Yemen on March 26 without any UN mandate. The military campaign enjoys the support of the US and some of its allies. Over 2.600 people have been killed in the unabated airstrikes so far.

 

Iran military acting in self-defense

The Iranian president further praised the Armed Forces’ brave moves to defend the country and the Islamic establishment after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Iran’s Army is the symbol of national might, order and civilization, Rouhani said, adding the Armed Forces are presently the “cause of the peace” not only for the Iranian people but for the regional nations.

He emphasized that the presence of Iran’s Navy in the high seas is not a cause for concern to any regional country.

“Our doctrine is not a military and war doctrine but [is] a defense doctrine. Our strategy is always an active deterrent strategy; deterrence to establish peace and security in our country and also in regional states,” Rouhani pointed out.

He stated that Iran’s powerful Armed Forces seek to establish peace and security and protect the defenseless people, added that they do not intend to carry out an act of aggression against the oppressed people and children.

 

Iran’s nuclear program peaceful

The Iranian president also addressed Western countries and said Iran held negotiations with the P5+1 group on Tehran’s nuclear program to “show that there is no problem in the region and across the world which cannot be settled at the negotiating table and through wisdom.”

He reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to all international regulations to prove the peaceful nature of the country’s nuclear activities and to build international confidence.

Rouhani stated that the great Iranian nation would proceed on the path to national development, stressing, “We all defend national interests with more unity and coherence.”

Select units from Iran’s Armed Forces on Saturday held parades across the country to mark National Army Day, which marks the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army. The country’s latest defense achievements were showcased during the parades.

Rouhani Invited to Commemorate Genocide Centennial in Yerevan

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abram-rouhaniTEHRAN—Armenia’s Prime Minister Hovik Abrhamian had a meeting with Iranian President Hasan Rouhani on Monday in Tehran, where he presented Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian’s invitation to President Rouhani to join him in commemorating the centennial of the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan in April 2015. report asbarez

“We appreciate the close, good-neighborly relations with Iran rooted in the basis of centuries-old friendship between our peoples. Armenian-Iranian relations are on a high level and continue to develop in an atmosphere of mutual understanding,” Abrahamian said during the meeting.

President Rouhani noted, in turn that the Armenian prime Minister’s visit would contribute to the further deepening of friendly relations in different spheres. He said “Iran is willing to support the initiatives of the Armenian side and the implementation of joint programs.”

Abrahamian noted that Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union provides an opportunity to assume the role of a bridge between the members of the Eurasian Economic Union and foreign trading partners. He added that favorable conditions have been created in Armenia for making investments.

The Iranian President also hailed the role of the Iranian-Armenian community in the development of the country.

The parties referred to the Karabakh conflict and other regional issues. Abrahamian noted that Armenia is committed to the settlement of the Karabakh issue exceptionally in a peaceful way within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. The parties emphasized the importance of resolution of regional conflicts and stressed the need to ensure peace and stability in the region.