Britain accuses Iran of breaching its assurances that a tanker held off Gibraltar this summer would not transport oil to Syria, and summons Iranian ambassador to protest
"This sale of oil to brutal [Syrian] regime is part of a pattern of behaviour by the Government of Iran designed to disrupt regional security," British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab says.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Iran of "possible undeclared nuclear activities," as the UN's nuclear watchdog presses Tehran for answers on its atomic safeguards. "Today we reveal that yet another secret nuclear site was exposed in the archives that we brought from Tehran," Netanyahu said.
He said that in his meetings he "stressed the need for Iran to respond promptly to Agency questions related to the completeness of Iran's safeguards declarations," adding: "Time is of the essence." Reuters first reported in April that the IAEA, which is policing the nuclear deal, had inspected the site - a step it had said it takes "only when necessary" - and environmental samples taken there were sent off for analysis.
"There are lots of possible explanations," that diplomat said. But since Iran has not yet given any to the IAEA it is hard to verify the particles' origin, and it is also not clear whether the traces are remnants of material or activities that predate the landmark 2015 deal or more recent, diplomats say.Iranian officials were not available to comment.
The state television also reported that Mousavi said an Iranian tanker "has gone to its destination" and "the oil has been sold. "Iran will continue to reduce its nuclear commitments as long as the other parties fail to carry out their commitments." Feruta, also met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday who said Iran's reduction of commitments under its 2015 nuclear deal were allowed under the accord, according to reports by the semi-official Farsreported. Iranian officials say the paragraph allows one party to the deal to cut its commitments if others do not live up to theirs.
"The centrifuge machines, as they are engaged in research and development, will help with increasing the stockpile," he said. However, centrifuges that speed up uranium enrichment would further shorten the time Tehran would need to to build a nuclear weapon were it to choose to do so.Iran will announce details on Saturday of its latest scaling back of its commitments under the nuclear deal in response to the sweeping US sanctions, the ISNA news agency reported.
In announcing these new steps, US officials appeared to dampen expectations for European-led efforts to salvage the remainder of the nuclear deal. The sanctions on 16 entities, 10 people and 11 vessels were announced just as Iran was threatening to cut further its commitments under a nuclear deal unless the United States eases its pressure.President Hassan Rouhani reiterated a threat that Tehran would take additional steps away from the 2015 nuclear accord on Friday and accelerate nuclear activities if Europe fails to provide a solution, calling it Iran's third, "most important step" away from the deal.
The idea of a phased credit line to pre-purchase Iranian oil has been floated amid the diplomatic efforts, something Araghchi reiterated. The Stena Impero was detained by Tehran on July 19, two weeks after Britain detained an Iranian tanker off the territory of Gibraltar. The Iranian ship was released in August.Iran said it would further scale back its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal if EU signatories failed to shield Tehran’s economy from US sanctions reimposed by President Donald Trump after exiting the deal last year.
In a confidential quarterly report distributed to member states, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday that Iran's stockpile of low-enriched uranium still exceeds the amount allowed by the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.The violations were announced by Iran, and confirmed by the IAEA last month, and are meant to put pressure on the signatories to the JCPOA to provide new economic incentives to help offset new tough American sanctions.
"We have not been informed of the Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya heading [here]," Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said."We are always in favour of talks, the more people talk, the more people understand each other better, on the basis of clarity and on the basis of respect," EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said as she arrived for the Helsinki meeting.
He says Tehran has the right to reduce its compliance under the nuclear pact after the US left but it can easily "revert back to full implementation" if the US fulfils its commitment and returns to the table.If they want to negotiate, they have to abandon terrorism," in reference to the rollback of sanctions.Japan will try to help ease tension in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said on Tuesday at a meeting with Zarif.
Trump had said less than 24 hours earlier he was ready to meet with Rouhani within weeks, in a potential breakthrough reached during a G7 summit in the French seaside resort of Biarritz.An Iranian government spokesman says the oil aboard an Iranian tanker pursued by the US has been sold to an unnamed buyer.
The US has a warrant in federal court to seize the ship and has been warning nations not to accept it.Iranian tanker no longer has Turkey destination - shipping data The crew of the Adrian Darya 1 updated its listed destination in its Automatic Identification System to Mersin, a port city in Turkey's south and home to an oil terminal.
"The shipping sector is on notice that we will aggressively enforce US sanctions," the official said, days after warning countries not to allow the tanker to dock. French President Emmanuel Macron offered on Wednesday to either soften sanctions on Iran or provide "a compensation mechanism to enable the Iranian people to live better" in return for full compliance with the pact, which the US quit last year.
"It's clear that the US' intention.. naval presence in the Persian Gulf is to counter Iran. Don't expect us to remain quiet when somebody comes to our waters and threatens us," Zarif said.Iran's president struck a muscular tone on dealings with the US, saying "talks are useless" as Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers crumbles further.
On Wednesday, Iran's state TV reported that the Bavar-373 is able to recognise up to 100 targets at the same time and confront them with six different weapons. Iran shot down a US military surveillance drone in the Gulf with a surface-to-air missile in June. It says the drone was over its territory, but the US says it was in international airspace.
Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said Athens is under pressure from US authorities, which claim the Iran-flagged Adrian Darya 1 is tied to a sanctioned organisation. "If that ship again heads to Syria we will take every action we can consistent with those sanctions to prevent that." Speaking to reporters at a news conference, he dismissed the notion that there was a link between the seizure of the Iranian tanker off Gibraltar and the British-flagged tanker in the Gulf."The court is looking into it. We hope the is completed as soon as possible and the verdict is issued."Zarif said Iran is not interested in talks with Washington, but any mediation should focus on bringing the United States back to the 2015 nuclear deal which it left last year.
"With the arrival of two specialised engineering teams to Gibraltar ... the vessel is expected to leave tonight," Hamid Baeidinejad said on Twitter. The US had unsealed a warrant on Friday to seize the vessel, a day after Gibraltar lifted the ship's detention. "The vessel is ongoing some logistical changes and requirements that have delayed the departure," Astralship managing director Richard De la Rosa told The Associated Press.
The Grace 1 was seized by British Royal Marine commandos in darkness at the western mouth of the Mediterranean on July 4 on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran. The department stated that it intends to fully enforce all US sanctions related to Iranian oil exports despite the decision by Gibraltar to allow the ship to leave.Gibraltar’s Supreme Court ruled to release an Iranian supertanker seized last month on suspicion of shipping oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions, despite a last-minute US request to detain the vessel.
The move was announced by attorney Joseph Triay and delayed the court decision on the vessel's fate. Gibraltar's Supreme Court Chief Justice Anthony Dudley made clear that were it not for the US move, "the ship would have sailed".
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency quoted unidentified Gibraltar authorities as saying the tanker would bee freed on Tuesday evening.In touch with Britain over seized tanker - Iran "We continue to seek to de-escalate issues arising since the lawful detention of Grace 1," a spokesman for Gibraltar said. Saturday, August 10Iran unveiled a new air defence system it says is capable of detecting missiles and drones at a range of 400 kilometres , ISNA news agency reported.
"The military coalition that America is seeking to form with the excuse of securing maritime transport will only increase insecurity in the region," Defence Minister Amir Hatami said in a conference call with counterparts from Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Vessels should also alert the US Navy's Fifth Fleet and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations in the event of any incident or suspicious activity, it added, saying that crews should not forcibly resist any Iranian boarding party.Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has said that his country will join the US-led coalition, to protect trade routes in the Persian Gulf, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran favours talks and negotiations and, if the US really wants to talk, before anything else it should lift all sanctions," Rouhani said in remarks aired live on state television.Rouhani, speaking at the foreign ministry after meeting with his top diplomat Zarif, said Iran was ready for talks regardless of whether or not the US was party to a landmark nuclear deal.
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