Author: Steven Sahiounie

Announcing the achievement of an agreement on the exchange of prisoners between Iran and the US, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the swap will be done if everything goes well. In comments broadcast by the state TV on Sunday, Amirabdollahian said Iran and the US are exchanging messages in relation to the talks on the removal of sanctions against Tehran. “We have reached a deal (with the US) on the issue of exchange of prisoners. If everything goes well, we will see the swap of inmates,” the top Iranian diplomat added. He noted that Iran and the US signed…

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi described plans for stronger relations with neighboring countries as an essential element of his administration. In a meeting with Uzbekistani Acting Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, held in Tehran on Sunday, Raisi said one of his administration’s main objectives is to strengthen convergence with neighboring countries. Hailing the good measures for the promotion of relations between Iran and Uzbekistan, the president said the two sides need to step up their efforts to broaden ties considering their mutual capacities. Raisi pointed to his visit to Uzbekistan in September 2022 for participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit,…

Iranian Oil Minister has said the country’s exports of crude oil have registered their highest level since 2018, after the US unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and re-imposed sanctions against Tehran to curb the exports and the associated revenue to Iran. Javad Owji said that the country exported 83 million more oil barrels in the current year (starting March 21, 2022) compared to the previous Iranian calendar year running March 2021-2022. He added that the figure represents 190 million more barrels than two years earlier, saying that gas exports increased by 15 percent in 2022-23 compared to the previous…

Protesters in Bilbao underline that they are against NATO’s strategy, against military support for Kiev, and against the increase of EU countries’ military budgets. More than 2,000 people took to the streets of the northern Spanish city of Bilbao as part of a march in support of Russia, a representative of an anti-NATO movement told RIA Novosti. “Russia has been striving for peace since 2014. But the West leaves Russia no other choice. For this reason, we express our solidarity with Moscow,” the representative said. The protest was held on Saturday, with the demonstrators marching to the Bilbao mayoral building, holding…

The Syrian air defenses intercepted the Israeli missiles. Israeli aggression targeted several sites in the countryside of Tartous and Hama provinces, the Syrian state agency SANA reported. Syrian air defenses managed to intercept some missiles, while the aggression left three Syrian soldiers wounded, in addition to some material damage reported. “Israel” carried out the aggression early in the morning at around 7:15 am from Northern Lebanon, violating Lebanon’s sovereignty and targeting several sites in the countryside of Tartous and Hama provinces, SANA added. “Our air defenses intercepted the hostile missiles and shot down some of them,” a military source confirmed. Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli…

Speaking at the annual Gridiron dinner, the former Vice President lashes out at his one-time former boss US President Donald Trump. Former Vice President Mike Pence has chastised his former boss Donald Trump, stating that history would “hold him accountable” for his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Pence was in the Capitol at the time when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to prevent Congress from recognizing the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden. Pence was presiding over what had historically been the ceremonial process of approving…

Leading Conservatives in the UK condemn ‘sickening’ plans to detain unaccompanied youngsters, reversing previous legislation. UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s strategy to reduce small boat crossings will effectively repeal David Cameron’s restriction on child detention and pave the way for its extension, The Observer reported. With a potential Tory rebellion forming over the measures, it has been revealed that the Illegal Migration Bill will allow the detention of families with children and even the repatriation of unaccompanied youngsters if their country of origin is deemed secure. Priti Patel, the former Home Secretary, is planning a potentially explosive intervention in the Commons on Monday regarding the…

That allowed the Russian forces “to control the movement of the enemy,” retired Lieutenant Colonel of the LPR People’s Militia says The Russian air forces’ assault units have taken advantageous positions in the industrial zone of the city of Artyomovsk (Ukrainian name – Bakhmut) in the Donetsk People’s Republic, thus creating a ‘good bridgehead’ for further advancement, Andrey Marochko, retired Lieutenant Colonel of the LPR People’s Militia, told TASS on Sunday. “In the town of Artyomovsk, the assault groups took advantageous positions in the territory of the Artyomovsk non-ferrous metals processing plant’s industrial zone,” he said. Marochko specified that positions…

The agreements signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022 should be implemented in conjunction with each other to solve the humanitarian tasks of overcoming the food crisis, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman says The Ukrainian part of the grain deal is working effectively, while Russian agricultural exports continue to be blocked as a result of unilateral Western sanctions, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday, commenting on the potential extension of the grain deal. “Our position in general on the ‘package’ proposal of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, an integral part of which, in addition to the abovementioned Black…

The town is practically liberated, retired colonel points out Russian forces have practically liberated the town of Krasnogorovka north of Avdeevka, retired colonel and military expert Eduard Basurin told TASS on Sunday. “The settlement is practically liberated, mopping-up operations are going on in the outskirts,” the expert said. “The complete liberation of Krasnogorovka allows the Russian forces to further encircle Avdeevka,” Basurin pointed out. On Sunday, the Donetsk People’s Republic reported almost complete liberation of Krasnogorovka north of Avdeevka. Krasnogorovka is located north of Avdeevka. The Ukrainian armed forces regularly strike Donetsk and Yasinovataya from there Source: Tass