THE Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) described confrontation with the US and Israel as the achievements of the Islamic Revolution, stressing that opposing ‘bullying powers’ should stay in place.
‘Opposition to tyranny and countering all bullies are among the achievements that should be preserved. We should keep the resistance front alive and keep to the path with fortitude and continuation of the mottos,’ Major-General Mohammad Ali Ja’fari said in a cultural ceremony on Friday 9 January.
Back in March 2014, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamene’i also warned about enemies’ continued hostility towards the Islamic Republic, and called on the country’s officials to avoid neglecting enemies’ animosity.
‘So long as the Islamic Establishment and the Iranian nation remain committed to the principles of Islam, the (Islamic) Revolution and (the country’s) independence, the enemies will not relinquish their hostility. Hence, the enemy should not be neglected,’ the Leader had warned.
‘The arrogance front has deep hatred towards the Iranian nation and today everyone can see the depth of the enemies’ hatred and spite in their remarks,’ the Leader added.
Ayatollah Khamene’i, at the same time, stressed that for all its animosity, the enemy has been unable to confront the Islamic Establishment and the Iranian nation.
The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro have stressed the further expansion of bilateral ties in political, economic and cultural fields.
Meeting in Tehran with Maduro, Rouhani said: ‘Boosting ties with Latin American countries, including Venezuela is one of the policies of Iran’s government.’
He added that Iran is ready for the export of goods and technical and engineering services as well as investment in Venezuela.
‘Venezuela can be a good base for export of Iranian goods and services to Latin America.’
‘The Islamic Republic of Iran can work with Venezuela on housing, building roads and foodstuff and medicine industries to meet needs of the country,’ he said.
Rouhani further highlighted the close positions of the two countries on political and international issues, and called for improving mutual cooperation in international organisations, including the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
‘Tehran-Caracas cooperation in the organisations is in favour of the Middle East and Latin America, and can lead to the establishment of security and development.’
Maduro, for his part, said his country is after boosting economic, political and diplomatic ties with Iran, and called for the continuous presence of Iranian housing, medical and auto-manufacturing companies in the Latin American country.
He also referred to the NAM’s role in regional and international issues, and said, ‘Venezuela will be the next president of the organisation. I demand Iran to provide Venezuela with its experiences.’
He also called for re-launching Tehran-Caracas flight line, and said the flight line can pave the way for exports of goods.
‘Venezuela is a large market and our country can be a bridge between Iranian companies to Latin American markets.’
Meanwhile, the Iranian embassy in Azerbaijan has denied news of Iran-US talks in Baku on regional issues and ISIL.
Mohammad Ayatollahi, an Iranian official in the embassy denied reports of talks between Iran and US in Baku, describing them as baseless and worthless.
During recent days, some media outlets had announced that Iran and US were going to negotiate regional issues including the ISIL in the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku.
The head of the Global Centre to Support Human Rights in Iran, Ahmad Esfandiary has announced that the country is due to release separate reports on human rights violations in the US and Britain in coming days.
The violators of human rights use it as a pressure tool against others at high levels and everywhere they see their interests endangered, they use it,’ Esfandiari said in a press conference in Tehran on Saturday 10 January.
‘The countries which claim to be advocates of human rights are themselves the biggest violators of human rights in the world,’ he added.
Esfandiari announced the Centre’s plan to unveil a report on human rights violations in the US on Monday and a similar report on the 2013 and 2014 human rights situation in Britain on 26 January.
If those countries which claim to be supporting the human rights, allow independent rapporteurs to visit their countries to report on human rights violations in there, hundreds of pages of documents will be collected in addition to this Centre’s reports, he added.
In November, 2010, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a report on the violation of human rights by the US inside and outside its borders, and urged Washington to sign the international conventions which prohibit such crimes.
It was stressed in the Foreign Ministry report that the United States, as a self-proclaimed standard bearer of defence for human rights in the world, has despite the international community and the UN demand, and even despite President Barack Obama’s promise, still not shut down the Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib horrendous prisons.
It is stressed in the report that the United States has not yet joined the most important convention related to the economic, social and cultural rights that is among the most important human rights documents.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has also called on Venezuela and other members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to launch collective efforts to defuse the plot hatched by certain world powers to decrease oil prices.
‘Undoubtedly, cooperation among the aligned countries in the OPEC can both defuse the plots of certain powers against the organisation and help stabilise an acceptable price for oil in 2015,’ Rouhani said in a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro in Tehran on Saturday 10 January.
Elsewhere, he called for the further development of bilateral relations with Venezuela in trade, investment, exports of technical and engineering services, medical industries, ship-building and direct flights between the two countries.
‘The Islamic Republic of Iran can have the necessary cooperation with Venezuela in areas of housing, road-construction, industry, and food and drug industries to meet the needs of the Latin American country,’ Rouhani said.
He also asked for strengthening cooperation between Tehran and Caracas in international organisations, and said such cooperation can lead to the establishment of security and development.
‘Both countries are opposed to terrorism and extremism in the world and help each other in the establishment of stability and security across the world,’ Rouhani stressed.
In relevant remarks in November, Rouhani in a meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Rafael Ramirez in Tehran underlined the need for cooperation between Tehran and Caracas to help stabilise the crude prices in the global markets in a bid to prevent instability of international economy.
‘The sudden fluctuations in oil prices negatively influence the stability of the global market and hence we should try to maintain balance in oil prices,’ the Iranian president said during the meeting.
He further pointed to the status quo of Iran-Venezuela relations, and said, ‘Tehran and Caracas should always stand beside each other and they should help each other to prevent the enemies from harming their national interest.’
President Rouhani reiterated that Iran and Venezuela should boost their economic cooperation, and said, ‘We will be looking for broadening bilateral ties, specially in economic areas.’
The Venezuelan foreign minister, for his part, said that his country will be beside Iran in all international areas.
