IRAN: Latest and Breaking News

Iran reportedly seizes U.S. ship



WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Iran has fired on a U.S. cargo ship and directed it to a port on the southern coast of the country, Al-Arabiya reported. The U.S. ship has up to 34 American sailors, the report added. Crude-oil futures appeared to move higher on the report However, NBC News, citing senior U.S. Navy officials, say the report isn't true.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ira...hip-2015-04-28









Iran Seizes Cargo Ship, U.S. Officials Say


iranian forces have seized a cargo ship, flagged to the Pacific island nation of the Marshall Islands, off the coast of Iran, senior American defense officials told NBC News on Tuesday.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard fired across the bow of the ship, then boarded it, the officials said.

The ship, the Maersk Tigris, was in Iranian waters, preparing to enter the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, the officials said.

A U.S. Navy destroyer, the Farragut, is headed to the area, and Navy planes are in the air watching, the officials said.

A spokesperson from Maersk told NBC News' that the Maersk Tigris is currently being run on what they called a "time charter" by Rickmers Ship Management, which lists its head offices as Hamburg, Germany, and Singapore on its website.

— Jim Miklaszewski, Courtney Kube and Alexander Smith
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ir...ls-say-n349681









Iran fires at, boards cargo ship; U.S. sending defense



Iranian troops boarded a cargo vessel early Tuesday morning after firing shots at the ship, prompting the U.S. to send assets to the ship’s defense.

The Pentagon said at least five Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy patrol vessels approached the Marshall Islands-flagged Maersk Tigris cargo ship at 4 a.m. eastern time as it was transiting the Straight of Hormuz and directed the ship to proceed further into Iranian waters.

When the ship’s master declined, the Iranian ship fired shots across the bridge of the cargo vessel, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said.

After shots were fired, the ship proceeded into Iranian waters near the vicinity of Larak Island.

It was boarded by members of the Iranian coast guard and is now being held in Iranian waters with about 30 people aboard.



http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...#ixzz3YdQKiQVJ

USS Farragut ordered to respond to distress call from cargo ship intercepted by Iran






Iran Revolutionary Guard patrol boats fired shots at a commercial cargo ship and then intercepted the vessel, the M/V Maersk Tigris, which was crossing the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday morning, according to a senior U.S. military official.

Despite reports in some media, there are no Americans on board, the official said.

Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said it was “inappropriate” for the Iranians to fire the warning shot. The U.S. Navy has dispatched one maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft to observe and monitor the situation, Warren told reporters.

The ship, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, was transiting the Strait into the Persian Gulf on an internationally recognized maritime route when the the Iranian military contacted the vessel and directed the ship master to “divert further into Iranian waters,” according to Warren.

“The master was contacted and directed to proceed further into Iranian territorial waters. He declined and one of the IRGCN craft fired shots across the bridge of the Maersk Tigris,” said Warren, referring to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. “The master complied with the Iranian demand and proceeded into Iranian waters in the vicinity of Larak Island.”

After the shots were fired, the Tigris issued a distress call which was picked up by U.S. forces in the area and the USS Farragut was ordered to head towards the incident. The closest U.S. warship was 60 miles from the incident. The Pentagon thinks about 30 individuals are on board.

The U.S. Navy has also sent aircraft to monitor its status.

According to the shipping company, which is in contact with the U.S. military, the Iranian military has boarded the ship.

Even though the Strait of Hormuz is in Iranian territorial waters, “innocent passage” is applied — ships are authorized to pass through the body of water assuming they abide by all the rules of the sea — because it is an internationally recognized shipping lane.

Warren said it was “to be determined” what the USS Farragut will do when it reached the vicinity of the incident.

The M/V Maersk Tigris was seized at the request of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (IPMO), Iran’s semi-official FARS is reporting, citing informed sources. The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was seized after a relevant court order was issued according to the source, indicating that the IPMO had monetary differences with the ship owner.

It’s significant that the vessel is from the Marshall Islands because of the Compact of Free Association between the U.S. and the Islands makes the U.S. responsible for its defense.

“The government of the United States has full authority and responsibility for security and defense matters in or relating to the Republic of the Marshall Islands,” the treaty states.

A U.S. Navy official tells CNN that on April 24, the U.S. flagged cargo ship Maersk Kensington was intercepted by four Iranian naval patrol craft in the Strait of Hormuz. “The Iranians encircled the Kensington and followed the ship on its course for a period of time before withdrawing and breaking away,” the official said.

After that, the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet issued a notice to mariners about the incident. “We have been in communication with U.S. shipping industry representatives with regards to how their vessels should respond to threatening encounters with foreign naval forces, and how to contact us,” the official said. In the April 24 incident, no shots were fired. The official declined to say what advice is being given to U.S. cargo ships.

http://wtkr.com/2015/04/28/uss-farr....epted-by-iran/

Real time location of The cargo ship :




http://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9694581
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/details/ships/shipid:1635726/mmsi:538005749/imo:9694581/vessel:MAERSK_TIGRIS

Iran to Put Maersk Tigris on Sale to Pay for Local Company's Losses





TEHRAN (FNA)- The Marshall Islands-flagged trade ship, Maersk Tigris, that was seized in Persian Gulf waters last week over a legal dispute between Iran's Pars Tala'eyeh Oil Products Company and the Danish shipping line Maersk will be put on tender for sale.

The announcement was made by Hamid-Reza Jahanian, the managing director of Pars Tala'eyeh Oil Products Company which is involved in the legal row with Maersk.

He said the ship will be put on sale to compensate for the $10 billion loss that Pars Tala'eyeh company has suffered and also a 5-billion-rial fine ($140,000) to the Iranian government.

The meetings between Maersk and officials from Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization have failed to make any significant progress to resolve the case, Jahanian said.

According to Iranian officials, all crew members have been free since the ship was seized to "travel to anywhere they like or stay on board the vessel and they have not at all experienced any limitation"

Read more:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext...13940216001434

EXCLUSIVE: Maersk Tigris Freed, Leaves Iran's Waters



"Today the (Maersk Tigris) ship was released and it left the Iranian territorial waters," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said.

She said all the ship crew members were fully safe and healthy when they left Iran's waters.

Meantime, Pars Tala'eyeh Oil Products Company officials hoped that the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization has received "sufficient assurances and a solemn promise" from Maersk Line company for guaranteed compensation of their financial losses as mentioned in the court ruling.

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari had announced on Tuesday that Maersk Tigris will be freed after its owner, Maersk Line Shipping Co. pays compensation money to the Iranian company that had sued it.

His remarks came after Managing-Director of Pars Tala'eyeh Oil Products Company Hamidreza Jahanian said Maersk Tigris had been kept in custody because it owed $10mln to his company.

"Unfortunately, a number of containers sent by Pars Tala'eyeh Oil Products Company through the Maersk Line Shipping Co. were not delivered to the customer in Jebel Ali in 2003, which initiated financial disputes between us and Maersk Line Shipping Co. then," Jahanian told FNA on Saturday.


http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940217000656


------------------------------------------------------------------------


''Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization said in a statement that the government had received the appropriate assurances from Maersk Line. The Danish company had, "ensured the provision of a letter of guarantee for the enforcement of the judicial decision,"
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iran-releases-seized-maersk-vessel-30865769

And then

"Today the (Maersk Tigris) ship was released and it left the Iranian territorial waters," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940217000656

Everything is solved and Case closed

Iran and U.S. cut deal on new diplomatic offices in Washington, Tehran






Secretary of State John F. Kerry, meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on April 27, 2015, in New York.

The United States, in what may be among the first negotiated deals with Iran since relations broke off in 1980, is allowing the Iranian Interests Section in Washington to move to new headquarters on 23rd Street Northwest in West End.

In exchange, Switzerland, which had been looking for new space for the U.S. Interests Section in Tehran — because the current offices, we were told, were “no longer viable and pretty decrepit” — will be getting new offices as well for the U.S. facility.

“Reciprocity is the hallmark of diplomacy,” one source told us. “This was a swap.”

This news comes after Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s visit in New York last week to the elegant second-floor parlor in the residence of the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations — making Kerry the first senior American official to, at least technically, set foot on Iranian soil in decades.

We asked whether the deal indicated a thaw in relations and was related to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programs.

“The Iranian Interests Section requested last year to relocate to a new address,” the official said, “and permission was granted, per standard protocol.” (The Iranians say they’ve been trying to move to new space for about 30 years.)

The Iranian mission here, which is technically under the auspices of Pakistan, basically handles visas, passports and some cultural matters for the estimated 1.5 million Iranian Americans in this country. It’s currently housed on Wisconsin Avenue north of the Georgetown Social Safeway and above the Wide World of Wines.

Well, this is one deal the Senate won’t get to review.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-new-diplomatic-offices-in-washington-tehran/

ShahryarHedayatiSHBA wrote:Iran and U.S. cut deal on new diplomatic offices in Washington, Tehran






Secretary of State John F. Kerry, meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on April 27, 2015, in New York.

The United States, in what may be among the first negotiated deals with Iran since relations broke off in 1980, is allowing the Iranian Interests Section in Washington to move to new headquarters on 23rd Street Northwest in West End.

In exchange, Switzerland, which had been looking for new space for the U.S. Interests Section in Tehran — because the current offices, we were told, were “no longer viable and pretty decrepit” — will be getting new offices as well for the U.S. facility.

“Reciprocity is the hallmark of diplomacy,” one source told us. “This was a swap.”



http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-new-diplomatic-offices-in-washington-tehran/

US EMBASSY revamp in tehran . Bad idea . Those usa embassies are epitome of color revolutions .

Return of 175 martyr divers agitates grievous memories in Iran


TEHRAN, May 30 (MNA) – It was on May 18 when the bodies of 175 Iranian divers who were reportedly buried alive with their hands tied during Iraq imposed War on Iran back in the 1980s were returned home from Iraq.
As many as 175 bodies belonging to Iranian divers who were killed by the forces of the Saddam’s Ba’ath regime during Operation Karbala-4 with their hands tied, were brought to the country through Shalamcheh Border Crossing in Khuzestan Province.

Brigadier General Mohammad Bagherzadeh, the commander of the Missing in Action (MIA) Search Committee of the Iranian Armed Forces, said some of the retrieved bodies bore no scars indicating that the divers might have been buried alive.

Once the news of the final homecoming of the martyred Iranian divers and what happened to them broke in the Iranian news, millions of Iranian mourned in social networking sites for their distressful loss after 29 years.

The facts on the divers being buried alive or being killed with their hands tied provoked a wave of hatred for the crimes of the Ba’ath regime in Iraq making Iranians to share posts and pictures of the divers on social networking sites, touching off a wave of sympathy on Iranian social media.

The link found its way to other online pages with users creating their own hashtags – including #hand-tied and #175 – to join fellow online mourners and remember the martyred divers.

Messages on the painful loss of divers and sympathetic comments for the martyrs quickly went also viral on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Many users started to share old pictures of the divers; even those with ideological and political differences were shocked by the event which prompted them to set aside their beliefs for a while and shed tears for the men who fought with dignity to protect their homeland.



A piece of design by Abbas Emad Haghi, a graphic designer, was shared on social media in memory of the divers who finally came back home, but not in one piece.

He wrote a caption under his design which depicts a single diver underwater with the number 175 on his chest. It reads: “When I was working on this design, initially I tied the hands. I got scared. It is horrible to tie somebody’s hands even in virtual world, let alone in reality!”



A subsidiary of Tehran Municipality’s daily paper Hamshahri (Persian for citizen) and a magazine for the youth, Hamshahri Javan (Young Citizen), dedicated its latest front page to a portfolio about the 175 martyrs where it used ‘Track 175’ as its headline which referred to a recognized 2014 movie, Track 143; the movie narrated the true story of a woman whose only son volunteers to war fronts and goes missing in action. The mother waits years searching for her son believing in his return and finally receives remnants of his son’s corpse after some 25 years. The movie by Nargess Abiar was extensively welcomed by the public.

A group of Iranian artists, in a spontaneous campaign, paid tribute to 175 martyrs of resistance by publishing photos captioned with heart-rending and touching posts in their memory.

Mahdi Pakdel, Mahnaz Afshar, Mehrab Ghasemkhani, Rasoul Sadrameli, Hossein Mehri, Aref Lorestani, Amir Mohammad Motaghian and Bhareh Rahnama are among Iranian celebrities who expressed their respect towards all those who sacrificed their lives serving humanity in the name of God.


Renowned Iranian actress Mahnaz Afshar posted a photo in the caption of which she wrote: “In respect to all who served our country, those who left us and those who remained alive unassuming in their dedication to their country.”

“Karbala-4, silence, tears and respect,” Iranian film director, screenwriter and film producer Rasoul Sadrameli wrote under a photo he published in his social networking page.

Former Head of the Cultural and Artistic Organization of Tehran Municipality and a popular religious leader Shahab Moradi also expressed his grief over the painful death of 175 Iranian divers. “The release of the facts on the painful martyrdom of Iranian divers shocked Iranians making them mourn for their lost beloved ones.”


Ehsan Bakeri, son of one of Iranian war heroes who was martyred in the Iran–Iraq War Mehdi Bakeri, published an impressive note in a magazine. “Once again, martyrs prompted unity and solidarity in the society, which proved Iranians’ dedication to the Islamic Iran.”

In a move to commemorate the martyrs, Islamic City Council of Tehran announced on Wednesday, May 27, it would review measures for naming a square in Tehran after 175 divers of operation Karbala-4 which was set in 1987 and became the largest battle of the war.

Public reactions shocked many people and revealed incredible facts. Iranians proved community values are far beyond conventional or media imaginations. Once again they proved they respect their heroes regardless of political inclinations or cultural beliefs and, above all, they proved they have always been united for domestic ‘values.’

http://en.mehrnews.com/news/107555/Return-of-175-martyr-divers-agitates-grievous-memories-in-Iran

This is how you properly fight terrorists, without making a noise.

Russia to deliver Iran’s S-300 soon: Lavrov


Russia says it will “soon” deliver Iran’s S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system.

“Preparations for the delivery are underway and the deal will be effected soon,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters following a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Thursday.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/06/05/414424/Iran-Russia-Lavrov-S300-Kozhin-Novikov-AlmazAntey

I'm trying to figure out what is the situation with the weapons embargo, the pro-american MSM says that it will be maintained for another 5 years, but an iranian article says that the weapons embargo will be lifted too and replaced with "some restrictions". So what is the truth?

Preparations for the delivery are underway and the deal will be effected soon

So does this mean the deal has already been signed or it WILL be signed? If it was signed, when, for how many of what S-300 variant, how much?

Watch: Iranian rapper celebrates nuclear power from the deck of a warship - The Washington Post

http://sputniknews.com/politics/20150721/1024890812.html

So it seems that washington is thinking what I was thinking might happen. Essentially, they used this nuclear deal to influence Iran into their fold to counter Russia and China and get Iranian oil into Europe.

In other words, they want to make Iran a vassal again to be uses against Russia.

sepheronx wrote:http://sputniknews.com/politics/20150721/1024890812.html

So it seems that washington is thinking what I was thinking might happen. Essentially, they used this nuclear deal to influence Iran into their fold to counter Russia and China and get Iranian oil into Europe.

In other words, they want to make Iran a vassal again to be uses against Russia.

There was never a different plan just like Cuba being now used to be another slave after decade long punishment, abusement, bombardment of their state leaders with hundreds of assassination attempts all failed and torturing folks on their soil, occuping their soil and refusing the country to have any possibility of the so loved and so advertized free market the west always is proud off.

You think us will be successful in getting Iran into their fold?

sepheronx wrote:http://sputniknews.com/politics/20150721/1024890812.html

So it seems that washington is thinking what I was thinking might happen. Essentially, they used this nuclear deal to influence Iran into their fold to counter Russia and China and get Iranian oil into Europe.

In other words, they want to make Iran a vassal again to be uses against Russia.

Bit of a misfire on getting Iran 'into the fold'. After all, did Kerry expect Iran to fall in love with America after all the talk of nuking it, using Stuxnet to disable its facilities, assassinating its nuclear scientists and US supplying chemical weapons and intelligence to Saddam who managed to kill 600,000 Iranians during the Iraq-Iran war?

This follows the "Iran’s military capabilities, including its ballistic missiles, are exclusively for legitimate defense; these equipment have not been designed for the capability to carry nuclear payloads and thus, fall outside the scope and the jurisdiction of the UNSC resolution and its annexes" comment last week.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a speech by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday vowing to defy American policies in the region despite a deal with world powers over Tehran's nuclear program was "very disturbing".

"I don't know how to interpret it at this point in time, except to take it at face value, that that's his policy," he said in the interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television, parts of which the network quoted on Tuesday. "But I do know that often comments are made publicly and things can evolve that are different. If it is the policy, it's very disturbing, it's very troubling," he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei told supporters on Saturday that U.S. policies in the region were "180 degrees" opposed to Iran's, at a speech in a Tehran mosque punctuated by chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".

Extracted from http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/21/us-iran-nuclear-kerry-idUSKCN0PV0KA20150721

This article (with no reference to the transcript itself) gives the impression that he was screaming "death to America" during the speech, whipping his radical followers into an anti-American frenzy and handing out AK-47's and suicide bomb vests as they left the mosque. This article is very selective in the way it mashes quotes and its own commentary.

"Whether the (nuclear) deal is approved or disapproved, we will never stop supporting our friends in the region and the people of Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon. Even after this deal our policy towards the arrogant U.S. will not change," he said, as cited by Reuters.

Not reported by Reuters: "The Americans say they stopped Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. They know it's not true. We had a fatwa (religious ruling), declaring nuclear weapons to be religiously forbidden under Islamic law. It had nothing to do with the nuclear talks, "Khamenei mentioned.

Iran's leader calls for continued anti-US struggle

As negotiators at Iran nuclear talks labored to make headway, the country's supreme leader called Saturday for the struggle against the U.S. to continue, in comments suggesting that Tehran's distrust of Washington will persist no matter what the outcome of the talks.


http://news.yahoo.com/top-us-iranian-meeting-amid-nuke-deal-target-085729600.html

Iran’s supreme leader slams ‘arrogant’ US



Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, still hates the United States.

“Even after this deal, our policy toward the arrogant US will not change,” he declared at a Tehran mosque, his speech punctuated by chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

The speech, given to mark Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan, was his first public comment on the landmark nuclear disarmament deal made last week with the United States and other world powers.


http://nypost.com/2015/07/19/irans-supreme-leader-slams-arrogant-us/

Iran has no reason to love the US or Israel... these sanctions have been imposed based on the accusation that Iran was trying to get nuclear weapons... with no evidence two nuclear armed countries have imposed severe economic sanctions against a country they have no proof against for trying to develop nuclear weapons like the weapons they already have.

All their bullying and sanctions give Iran every reason to want to have nuclear weapons, yet they have no evidence that they are trying to get a nuclear weapon capability...

Why would there be any question as to whether they like Israel or the US or not.

Thousands protest Iran nuke deal in Times Square


















I don't want to comment about these warmongers

but ,It doesn't matter what the American people want or think. This deal is over... it's done.


Iran nuclear deal: UN Security Council approves agreement

Resolution authorizes a series of measures leading to the end of UN economic sanctions

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iran-nuclear-deal-un-security-council-approves-agreement-1.3159634

Peace...

ShahryarHedayatiSHBA wrote:

No description needed...

GarryB wrote:Iran has no reason to love the US or Israel... these sanctions have been imposed based on the accusation that Iran was trying to get nuclear weapons... with no evidence two nuclear armed countries have imposed severe economic sanctions against a country they have no proof against for trying to develop nuclear weapons like the weapons they already have.

All their bullying and sanctions give Iran every reason to want to have nuclear weapons, yet they have no evidence that they are trying to get a nuclear weapon capability...

Why would there be any question as to whether they like Israel or the US or not.

Iran, like many non-Western countries still seems to understand the word 'honour'. 'Keeping your word' and 'telling the truth' seem to be part of the lost art of diplomacy in many countries now, especially those who have spent their future generations' wealth since the early 1970s and are now hopelessly in debt.

The US team at the Talks was an example, almost no diplomatic/military/nuclear expertise, it was heavily Department of Commerce. Having failed to turn any of the countries the US has 'dealt' with recently into consumer led commerce customers for US multi-nationals and banks (those who pay the bills in Washington) since they are all wrecked, the US and the bankers are now desperate to get into an educated and young population country like Iran. Turning it into another debt laden basket case where the 0.1% financially rape the rest of the population.

I just hope that the country's leaders keep their nerve as its going to be very tough withstanding the Western pressures, the bankers will show no mercy to get their way. The moment we see the 'Vampire Squid' Goldman Sachs in country we will know that their future is in really deep trouble.