Iran’s interior ministry says Iraq will not accept foreign pilgrims in October to visit Shiite holy sites during mourning rituals, due to the coronavirus epidemic sweeping the region.
Hossein Zolfaghari who is the security deputy of Iran’s interior ministry told reporters in Tehran September 1 that despite extensive preparations by the Iranian side to organize a massive annual pilgrimage to the neighboring country, Iraq has indicated it will not allow foreigners to visit.
The Arbaeen mourning marks the 40th day of the death of Shiites’ third Imam Hussein Ibn Ali in Karbala Iraq in the 7th century. Since 2013, Iran has made great efforts to send millions of mourners to Iraq as a big show of political reach and influence. Two to three million Iranians every year have crossed the border into Iraq, receiving government subsidies and assistance for their travel.
The Arbaeen ritual has come to rival the Muslim annual Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Iran’s Sunni rival in the region.
The security official of the interior ministry said Iran started preparations this year from February, but according to the latest information received from Baghdad, Iran’s ambassador says Iraq has decided not to accept any foreign pilgrims this year.
Iran was the second hotspot for the COVID-19 pandemic in the world after China and was a conduit for the spread of the virus in the region. The epidemic in Iran shows no sign of abating as Iraq also grapples with a rising number of cases and deaths. So far, the country has reported 235,000 cases and more than 7,000 deaths.
Israeli Prime Minister’s Visit To Washington Will Focus On Iran
The US government announced on Wednesday that Israel’s new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will be visiting Washington on August 26 to meet with President Joe Biden. In a statement from the White House, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the prime minister’s trip “will strengthen the enduring partnership between the United States and Israel.” Psaki also noted that the two leaders “will discuss critical issues related to regional and global security, including Iran.”
In separate remarks today, Prime Minister Bennett said at a news conference that he will hold an “important meeting with President Biden that will focus on Iran. We will come very focused with a policy of partnership that aims to curb Iran’s destabilizing, negative regional activity, its human rights abuses, terrorism and preventing its nearing nuclear breakout.”
This visit will mark the first trip of Naftali Bennett to Washington as Israeli prime minister and the first such visit by an Israeli prime minister since President Biden took office. He last met with Israel’s outgoing President Reuven Rivlin in June. In recent weeks, CIA Director William Burns has travelled to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Bennett on Iran. The White House gathering also comes as talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal remain stalled and after the International Atomic Energy Agency released reports on Iran’s progress on production of uranium metal and a new centrifuge configuration for the enrichment of uranium to 60%.
Some Covid Vaccination Centers Close In Iran Due To Ashura Mourning
Several Covid-19 vaccination centers in Iran will be closed during Shiite Ashura mourning days this week despite a serious surge in the pandemic and promises by the health ministry to accelerate vaccinations.
This week marks one of the most important mourning periods for Shiites, which is the death anniversary of the Imam Hussein in the 7th century. At the same time, there is a nationwide shutdown to slow down the Covid pandemic, which has brought record numbers of deaths in the past one week.
Iran’s vaccination program has progressed slowly because of an earlier ban by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on purchasing American and British vaccines. Less than five percent of the 85-million population has received the required two doses.
Mourning processions by religious groups, which led to controversy last week, continue, with police saying they cannot prevent marchers and religious gatherings that break Covid distancing rules. Some health officials have warned that the negative impact of these gatherings will emerge in the coming weeks when more people are infected with the coronavirus.
The government official news website IRNA reported on Wednesday that hospitals are full in some cities and many patients have to battle the disease at home, but finding oxygen tanks is difficult and costs a lot more than in ordinary times.
Turkey Building Border Wall As More Afghan Refugees Arrive From Iran
Fearing a new refugee crisis, Turkey is reinforcing its border with Iran to stop a potential influx of Afghans fleeing following the Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan.
Irregular arrivals are already up as Afghans who fled weeks and months ago show up at the rugged border area after a long trek across Iran.
A group of Afghans encountered by The Associated Press near the border said they had deserted the Afghan military and fled the country as the Taliban offensive accelerated.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government had brushed off warnings and criticism from opposition parties about an increase in the number of migrants from Afghanistan.
This week, he admitted that Turkey faces a new refugee wave from Afghanistan and said his government would work with Pakistan to try and bring stability in the war-ravage country.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the border with Iran is being reinforced with troops and that a wall being erected at the border is nearing completion.
Iran said on Wednesday it will not allow refugees to cross the border from Afghanistan.
Anti-migration sentiment is already running high in the Turkey with 4 million refugees, as it grapples with economic woes - including high unemployment - that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Video images circulating on social media over the past months have shown groups of young men allegedly arriving in Turkey from Iran.
Some media reported that up to 1,000 migrants have been crossing the border with Iran every day.
Iran Orders Its Forces To Prevent Afghans From Crossing The Border
Iran’s interior ministry has ordered border guards on Wednesday to turn away refugees trying to cross the border from Afghanistan, after the Taliban victory led many Afghans to try to leave the country.
Hossein Ghassemi, the general director of the interior ministry’s border affairs told local media that all along Iran’s eastern border with Afghanistan, involving three provinces, border guards have been ordered to prevent possible entry by refugees.
Over the past four decades up to three million Afghans have fled war and poverty and chose residence in Iran, where they have become an integral part of the economy, but few have been able to gain citizenship. The quick Taliban victory has caught many Afghans by surprise and they want to leave the country expecting a harsh rule by the religious fundamentalists.
In making the announcement, Ghassemi stressed that the decision to turn away Afghans has a lot to do with the Covid-19 pandemic. He explained that currently border crossings are subject to pandemic regulations and strict restrictions.
He also argued that the internal situation in Afghanistan seems to be moving toward stability. The Taliban have pledged in recent days not to repeat their harsh conduct when they were in power before 2001. They have said that people should feel safe and there is a general amnesty for everyone. However, many Afghans are skeptical and expect the Taliban to tighten freedoms once they consolidate power.
Iran Guards Deputy Says 'America Escaped Ignominiously' From Kabul
Mohammad-Reza Naghdi, the deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has said that the United States escaped from Afghanistan “ignominiously” and American bases in the Middle East will soon meet the same fate.
Hamshahri newspaper in Tehran quoted Naghdi on Wednesday as saying that Taliban’s takeover of Kabul was “the victory of the Afghan people against America” and added that this should be a lesson to all, which shows how a poor people can win against an empire, the same way Great Britain was defeated in Afghanistan.
The president of the Islamic Republic Ebrahim Raisi has also called the events in Afghanistan “the military defeat of America”. Iran’s state-controlled media have adopted a positive tone regarding the Taliban and state TV has been airing glowing reports from Kabul about how happy the people are.
Naghdi called on all countries and groups in the Middle East “to separate their path from America” and added that soon other US bases in the region will meet the same fate that befell them in Afghanistan.
Naghdi, who has served in the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) since the early 1980s and has commanded its paramilitary Basij forces, also mocked armies that rely on the United States. “Whoever entrusts his armed forces to America will not get anything but an inefficient and weak army,” Naghdi said.
Explosions Heard In Quneitra Province In Southwestern Syria
AMMAN, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Explosions were heard on Tuesday in Quneitra province in southwestern Syria near the border with Israel, state media said, an area where military defectors say Iranian-backed militias are dug in.
The pro-Damascus Lebanese Mayadeen television channel said that Israeli missiles struck an area near the Druze frontier town of Hadr, a particularly sensitive zone as it lies next to the Golan Heights that Israel captured from Syria in 1967.
"We don't comment on foreign reports," an Israeli military spokesperson said.
The area near where U.N. peacekeepers maintain a longstanding ceasefire between Israel and Syria has a strong presence of Iranian-backed militias led by the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
Israel has over the last two years dramatically expanded air strikes on suspected Iranian targets in Syria to repel what it sees as a stealthy military encroachment by its regional arch-enemy.
Israel says it will not allow Iran and its militias to establish a permanent military presence along its borders that would allow Hezbollah to pose a major threat to its security.
Afghans In Iran Hold Anti-Taliban Protest In Esfahan
Afghans living in Iran protested in the central city of Esfahan against the Taliban, on the third day in a row on Tuesday, and also condemned former president of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani.
Around three million Afghans live in Iran, who emigrated as migrant workers to escape harsh conditions and poverty in their country in the past 40 years. Many young Afghans have grown up in Iran but never received citizenship.
The protesters chanted slogans that the Taliban would always remain their “enemies” and condemned Ghani for abandoning the country and fleeing abroad.
Afghans also held anti-Taliban protests on Sunday and Monday, in Tehran, Mashhad and Qom. They also said Pakistan was responsible for supporting the Taliban and providing their leaders with sanctuary for years. Protesters in Tehran gathered outside the United Nations office on Sunday and chanted slogans, including “Death to the Taliban”.
Iranian security forces in Qom on Monday dispersed the protesters. The Islamic Republic has adopted a conciliatory tone regarding the Taliban and state-controlled media avoids criticizing the militant group. The new president Ebrahim Raisi on Monday expressed satisfaction with he called the “military defeat of America” in Afghanistan.
Iran Calls For Dialogue In Afghanistan, Says Embassy Open In Kabul
The foreign ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) said on Tuesday that it is in contact with all parties and supports a peaceful solution for the country. Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Tehran is following the situation closely and urges all sides to strive for peace and stability through talks.
The Taliban have taken control of the country and top officials of the former government have disappeared. It is not clear which sides IRI foreign ministry has referred to.
Khatibzadeh also said that IRI’s embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul remains open and fully active, a day after Tehran welcomed the "military failure" of its arch-foe the United States as it withdraws its forces from Afghanistan.
The report came as many countries evacuated their embassy staff from Kabul due to concerns over the security situation after Taliban insurgents seized the city.
Shi’ite Muslim Iran has long been a foe of the hardline Sunni Muslim Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan, but in the past few years its officials have openly met Taliban leaders. In July, Tehran hosted a meeting of then-Afghan government representatives and a high-level Taliban political committee.
The Taliban have ordered their fighters to maintain discipline and not to enter any diplomatic buildings or interfere with embassy vehicles, a senior official of the group said on Tuesday.
On Sunday, Khatibzadeh said Iran had wound down activities at its consulates in the Afghan cities of Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, and Kandahar.
Senior Sunni Cleric In Iran Congratulates The Taliban, Urges Moderation
Molavi Abdolhamid, a senior Sunni religious leader in Iran has congratulated the Taliban for their “big and impressive victory” in Afghanistan and the general amnesty the militant group is said to have offered everyone in the country.
Abdolhamid also praised the Taliban, who are also Sunnis, for pausing at the gates of Kabul before taking the city and the “admirable” way they “prevented bloodshed in Afghanistan”.
These remarks contradict most of the violent methods the Taliban used to destabilize Afghanistan since 2002, including bombings of crowded places to kill civilians, attacking schools and assassinating people who disagreed with them.
The senior cleric has been critical of the Islamic Republic in the past for not respecting the political and religious rights of Sunnis in Iran and has demanded more equitable policies.
In his statement published on Tuesday, Abdolhamid expressed optimism that the Taliban “will respect women and protect their rights,” respect human rights, individual and social freedoms, as well as freedom of speech and “constructive criticism.”
Abdolhamid said, I assure the world that today’s Taliban are not the Taliban fo 20 years ago. They have gained experience and their views have undergone changes. If there would be any shortcomings, these could be fixed.”
He also called on Taliban to form an inclusive government with members of all religions and ethnic groups. He also asked all the countries to establish good relations with the new government of Afghanistan and helping the people facilitate the return of refugees.
IAEA Says Iran Produced Uranium Metal Despite Western Objections
VIENNA, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Iran has made progress in its work on enriched uranium metal, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in a report to member states on Monday seen by Reuters, despite Western warnings that such work threatens talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal.
"On 14 August 2021, the Agency verified ... that Iran had used 257 g of uranium enriched up to 20% U-235 in the form of UF4 (uranium tetrafluoride) to produce 200 g of uranium metal enriched up to 20% U-235," the International Atomic Energy Agency said, adding that this was step three in a four-step plan by Iran. The fourth includes producing a reactor fuel plate.
Iran's work on enriched uranium metal has angered Europe's three top powers and the United States because that technology, and knowledge of how to produce it, can be used to make the core of a nuclear bomb. Iran insists its aims are entirely peaceful and it is developing a new type of reactor fuel.
"Iran has no credible need to produce uranium metal, which has direct relevance to nuclear weapons development," U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
"Iran should cease its nuclear escalations and return to negotiations toward full implementation" of the nuclear agreement, he said.
