Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi has called for prosecution of former US president Donald Trump, stressing that Iran will pursue the assassination of the country's top anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani. | Raeisi made the remarks as he was addressing the 77th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. ● The president hailed Iran's "prominent and progressive" role in confronting high-handed and interventionist policies, including the "United States-crafted terrorism." ● He noted how, thanks to General Soleimani's commandership, Iran managed to frustrate the plots that were aimed at manipulating the contours of the regional countries.

Iranian victims of MKO [CIA] terror urge President Raeisi to 'be our voice' (PressTV): The survivors of thousands of Iranian victims of terrorism, especially the acts of terror waged by the anti-Iran terrorist cult of Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), urge the Islamic Republic's president to relay their message to the world.

MKO Terrorists Working in Collusion with CIA: US Commentator (Tasnim News Agency): The MEK has been an agent of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and represents the single most expensive US covert foreign operation since the inception of the CIA at the close of World War II. From 1979 to 1989, the US, UK, and Saudi Arabia provided at least $3 billion dollars in funding to the MEK for the purpose of destabilizing Afghanistan subsequent to the Russian invasion. It is from this history that observers today should consider claims made by the MEK as lacking in credibility.

An initial Russian freight train has arrived at Iran’s Sarakhs railway station in Khorasan-Razavi province on the border with Turkmenistan, IRNA reported on July 12.

The rail haulage development is important in the context of the accelerated development of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). A big aim of the corridor is to provide Russia with substantial import-export trade access to the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman (Indian Ocean) via Iran, while also allowing it to develop trade links with Iran’s Arab neighbours to the west. INSTC has been under discussion for years, with little tangible progress in realising the project, but it has taken on a new lease of life given how Western countries have cut off access to Russian hauliers following the invasion of Ukraine. The Iran route now provides Moscow with increasingly vital options when it comes to trade with India and other points east. The Russian freight train is reportedly pulling 39 containers with building materials for India. It departed from Chekhov station in the Moscow region before covering 3,800 kilometres to reach Sarakhs.

International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) (ClearIAS)
Iran Proudly Embraces Its Geo-Economic Role In Integrating Eurasia (Andrew Korybko)

Israel is training members of the anti-Iran terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) in Jordan along the border with Saudi Arabia in order to carry out acts of terror inside Iran and neighboring Iraq, Press TV has learnt. ● According to sources, who declined to be named, the MKO terrorists are undergoing training on how to conduct terrorist operations in Iran and Iraq and receiving technical as well as information technology (IT) training from Israeli agents. This is the first time it is revealed that anti-Iran MKO terrorists are being trained in Jordan along the border with Saudi Arabia. [...] Out of the nearly 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist attacks since the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, 12,000 have fallen victim to the acts of terror carried out by the MKO.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 should lead to the recognition of the Islamic Republic’s right to the enrichment of uranium for peaceful purposes on Iranian soil. ● President Putin made the remark in a telephone conversation with Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Monday. During the conversation, both leaders discussed the developments regarding the recent nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 states – Russia, China, Britain, France, the US and Germany. In their last round of talks before a November 24 deadline, Iran and the six countries wrapped up a week of closed-door nuclear negotiations in Vienna, Austria, on Monday.

Sherwood Ross ■ Review of Michel Chossudovsky's Book: "Towards a World War III Scenario. The Dangers of Nuclear War" || U.S. plans to attack Iran with a mix of nuclear and conventional weapons have been in readiness since June, 2005, according to Michel Chossudovsky. a distinguished authority on international affairs. “What is unfolding (in Iran) is the outright legitimization of war in the name of an illusive notion of global security. America’s mini-nukes, with an explosive capacity of up to six times a Hiroshima bomb, are upheld as a ‘humanitarian’ bomb, whereas Iran’s nonexistent nuclear weapons are branded as an indisputable threat to global security,” Chossudovsky writes. He points out that a U.S.-Israeli strike against Iran would probably not be limited to Iran’s nuclear facilities but likely would be “an all-out air attack on both military and civilian infrastructure, transport systems, factories and public buildings.” Employed would be “the entire gamut of new advanced weapons systems, including electro-metric weapons and environmental modification techniques (ENMOD),” Chossudovsky writes. [...] “It is not Iran and North Korea which are a threat to global security by the United States of America and Israel,” he adds. What’s more, Western European governments have joined the bandwagon and “have endorsed the U.S.-led military initiative against Iran.”

The United States has once again resorted to anti-Iran rhetoric to curry favor with Israel amid the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Tehran. ● Just as nuclear talks between top nuclear negotiators of Iran, the US and EU was underway in the Omani capital, Muscat, US Vice President Joe Biden elaborated on Washington’s stance on Iran’s nuclear energy program while addressing the Jewish Federations of North America's 2014 General Assembly in the state of Maryland on Monday.

PressTV: US "investing" [vasting] trillions to fight wars for Israel

Iran and Russia plan to establish a joint bank as an effort to multiply bilateral trade and bypass sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s banking sector. ● Head of the Iran-Russia Joint Chamber of Commerce Asadollah Asgaroladi said that Tehran and Moscow are studying the possibilities of opening a new chapter in trade relations that could break the domination of Western currencies over bilateral exchanges. “Since Russian banks fear the implications of working with Iran due to sanctions, we want to establish the joint Iran-Russia bank with the help of our central banks and private sectors,” Asgaroladi said. “Such a bank would be able to exchange money between the two sides using rials and rubles and put aside dollars, euros and pounds,” he added. Unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran’s banking sector by the US and the European Union over Tehran’s nuclear energy program and the recent Western bans against Russia over Ukraine have prompted the two countries’ trade officials to boost economic cooperation.

The head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, who is in Beirut on a one-day official visit, said Tuesday that Tehran will provide military assistance to Lebanon. Ali Shamkhani made the announcement following talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail. He said the assistance includes military equipment to help its battle against militants. As Safir newspaper said that Shamkhani arrived in Beirut on Monday night.

ABNA: Shamkhani in Lebanon to discuss defense cooperation
Al-Manar News: Sayyed Nasrallah Receives Shamkhani, Meeting Tackles Latest Developments
SANA: President al-Assad receives Shamkhani…Iran rejects any foreign intervention in the region’s affairs

The US Justice Department has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit against an anti-Iran group on grounds that the case could reveal national secrets. ● Lawyers for the government moved Friday to invoke a powerful national security law to intervene in the private lawsuit by a Greek businessman against United Against A Nuclear Iran (UANI), arguing the proceedings could “cause harm to national security.” Victor Restis, Greek businessman and ship owner, sued the New York-based UANI for defamation last year after the non-profit group accused him of violating sanctions on Iran by exporting oil from the country.

■ We should not confuse two things: the UN – at least to me – it doesn’t represent the international community. Remember Iran’s nuclear issue, 120 members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) are supporting Iran - That’s two thirds of the world’s countries. But the UN chief and the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano, they are under the influence of the United States and Israel and they comply with their orders.

■ So, these international bodies do not really represent the world’s countries. If they wanted to do something they would do something with regard to the massacre the Israeli regime has done in Gaza in the last two months. They have killed over 2,100 people there mostly civilians, women and children.

■ They have not done anything with regard to Israel it was just the UN Human Rights Council probe into the massacre of the innocent people, but we have not seen any kind of move from the UN, from the UN Security Council and whenever some countries want to condemn or ratify a solution against Israel there is the United States, which vetoes that resolution. In this way regional security has been endangered and it will remain so.

Finian Cunningham ■ Time for NAM to boycott UN

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called for the prosecution of the Israeli regime in international courts for committing war crimes against Palestinians. ● In separate telephone conversations with Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement of Palestine Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shalah and Hamas Political Bureau chief Khaled Meshaal on Wednesday, Zarif said the Israeli officials must stand trial for the crimes they committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

The Israeli spy drone shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is an Israeli-made Hermes drone, says an Iranian commander. ■ The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can operate within a radius of 800 kilometers and is capable of flying 1,600 kilometers without refueling, said Commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh on Monday. The Israeli UAV is equipped with two cameras, enabling the espionage aircraft to capture high-quality images, added the top general. Earlier on Monday, the IRGC released the first pictures of the downed spy drone. The IRGC said in a statement on Sunday that its forces had intercepted and brought down an Israeli spy drone which was heading to Natanz nuclear facility in the central Iranian province of Isfahan. The stealth spy drone was targeted by a surface-to-air missile before it reached the strategic location, according to the statement.

PressTV: Israeli drone captured in Gaza: Hamas

Where is the USS New York? At 684 feet long and displacing over 24,900 tons, the Mayport, Fla.-based San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock is no smart car of the seas. Yet the vessel has gone “dark” for more than a week now. ● The low profile might have something to do with the fact that the New York is currently home to the recently captured Ahmed Abu Khattala, one of the accused ringleaders of the Sept. 11-12, 2012, Benghazi terrorist attacks that left four Americans dead. While any ship’s location is supposed to be a well-guarded secret when deployed, the New York is in a unique position, because instead of threading its way through the Suez Canal or dodging a Chinese destroyer, it’s believed to be steaming toward the East Coast: Abu Khattala is expected to be arraigned soon in Washington.

Russia built the one-unit nuclear power plant in Iran. The Bushehr nuclear power plant became first in the Middle East. The Bushehr first unit was put into operation in 2011. This was one of the most difficult projects in the history because the construction had started in 1974 and ended in 1980. Twelve year later Russia and Iran agreed to resume the activities. It took 14 years to build the plant. The Bushehr nuclear power has never been imposed any international sanctions. The plant is being built under the control of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). In compliance with the supplements to the 1992 agreement Iran obliged to return spent nuclear fuel back to Russia.

Israel allegedly has deployed a permanent nuclear submarine presence in the Persian Gulf "to keep an eye on Iran". ● Israel has allegedly deployed a permanent submarine presence in the Persian Gulf to keep an eye on Iran, according to media reports published Sunday. The three German-built submarines are reportedly equipped with nuclear cruise missiles. Flotilla 7 is comprised of three submarines that have visited the region before – the Dolphin, the Tekuma and the Leviathan. Each crew includes between 35 to 50 soldiers and is commanded by a colonel. At least one will remain in the area at all times, until further notice, according to “Colonel O,” the commander of the force quoted in the reports. “We are an underwater assault force, operating deep and far – very far – from our borders,” he said. The submarines can stay submerged as deep as 1,150 feet below the surface, for as long as a week, and can remain at sea for some 50 days. “We [also] serve as a solid base for collecting sensitive information because we can stay in one place for a long time,” said an officer in the fleet.

A political analyst says Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano’s “praise” for Israel will undermine the “legitimacy and credibility” of the UN nuclear agency. ● In a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday, the IAEA chief turned a blind eye to international concerns about Tel Aviv’s nuclear arsenal, saying that Israel is a “valued partner” for the agency. During the meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the United Nations nuclear agency in the Austrian capital of Vienna, Amano did not say anything about Israel’s illegal nuclear arsenal and activities. Speaking to Press TV in an interview, Kaveh Afrasiabi, a political analyst, said he strongly believes that “this is double standard run amok because the praise that Mr. Amano had for… Israel is totally uncalled for.”

Israel and the United States are now in broad agreement about the threat that Iran poses to the region and how to deal with it, the top U.S. military official said Tuesday. ● "I think they are satisfied that we have the capability to use a military option if the Iranians choose to stray off the diplomatic path," Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said of Israeli officials. "I think they are satisfied we have the capability. I think they believe we will use it." Acknowledging there were differences in the past, Dempsey said Israel and the United States are closer now in their assessment of the threat Iran poses and America's willingness to act. Dempsey made the remarks after [taking marching orders and] wrapping up a two-day visit to Israel, where he met with military and government officials.

Jason Ditz: Gen. Dempsey: Keeping the Military Option in Mind on Iran
VoR: [And RE: Palestine] Washington Getting Pushed Around By Israel
Peter Symonds: US and Israel in “lockstep” against Iran [02/08/12]

Despite talks between Iran and West, senior officers tell MKs 10b shekels ($2.9b) allocated to IDF to prepare for possible attack. ● Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon have ordered the army to continue preparing for a possible military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities at a cost of at least 10 billion shekels ($2.89 billion) this year, despite the talks between Iran and the West, according to recent statements by senior military officers. Three Knesset members who were present at Knesset joint committee hearings on Israel Defense Forces plans that were held in January and February say they learned during the hearings that 10 billion shekels to 12 billion shekels of the defense budget would be allocated this year for preparations for a strike on Iran, approximately the same amount that was allocated in 2013. The IDF representatives said the army had received a clear directive from government officials from the political echelon – meaning Netanyahu and Ya’alon – to continue readying for a possible independent strike by Israel on the Iranian nuclear sites, regardless of the talks now happening between Iran and the West, the three MKs said.

RT.com: Israel budgets $3 bn for strike on Iran - report
PressTV: Israel must go solo to strike Iran: Yaalon
Michel Chossudovsky: Israel Prepares to Launch “The First Strike”
Washington Post: Russia warns West it may change its stance on Iran

Israel’s minister for military affairs says Tel Aviv must go it alone in taking action against Iran over its nuclear energy program. ● “We had thought the ones who should lead the campaign against Iran is the United States,” Moshe Yaalon said during an event at Tel Aviv University on Tuesday. “But at some stage the United States entered into negotiations with them, and unhappily, when it comes to negotiating at a Persian bazaar, the Iranians are better,” he added. Echoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's threats of unilateral military action against Iran, Yaalon said the US is not going to do anything to stop Tehran's nuclear activities and Israel must act alone.

Timothy Alexander Guzman: Israeli Defense Minister Suggests Military Action against Iran because the US is “Weak”

Russia has dismissed the expansion of US “unilateral and illegitimate” sanctions against Iran, Press TV reports. ● Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters at the Iranian Embassy in Moscow on Monday that the sanctions have no legal ground and are baseless. “US unilateral sections are illegitimate and have no legal basis,” Ryabkov said. He said the illegal sanctions will impede further progress in the talks between Tehran and the Sextet of world powers on the Iranian nuclear energy program. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, Russia, Britain, France and the United States -- plus Germany are scheduled to hold the next round of nuclear talks in the Austrian capital Vienna on Tuesday.

Armed forces chief of staff General Hassan Firouzabadi has warned the Islamic republic's arch-foes that Iran is prepared for a "decisive battle" if attacked, Fars news agency reported on Wednesday. ● "We are ready for the decisive battle with America and the Zionist regime (Israel)," Fars quoted Firouzabadi as saying. He also warned neighbouring nations not to allow any attack to be launched on Iran from their soil. "We do not have any hostility towards regional states, but if we are ever attacked from the American bases in the region we will strike that area back," he said. Washington has many military bases in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Fars News: Commander: Iran Ready for “Decisive Battle” against US, Israel

A top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards boasted Saturday that his forces have plans in place to attack the United States from within, should the U.S. attack the Islamic Republic. ● “America, with its strategic ignorance, does not have a full understanding of the power of the Islamic Republic,” Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami said in a televised interview. “We have recognized America’s military strategy, and have arranged our abilities, and have identified centers in America [for attack] that will create a shock.” Reports indicate that terrorist Hezbollah forces — allies of Iran — have infiltrated the U.S. and have mapped out targets. “We will conduct such a blow in which they [America] will be destroyed from within,” Salami said. This is the second warning by a high-ranking officer of the Guards in two weeks. The chief commander of the Guards, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Jafari, addressing Secretary of State John Kerry, said on Jan. 24 that a direct conflict with America is the “strongest dream of the faithful and revolutionary men around the world.” Kerry had previously said that if Iran did not live up to the agreement reached in Geneva on its nuclear program, “all options are on the table.”

Jason Ditz: State Dept Assures Israel: War Likely if Iran Talks Fail
VoR: US sends ballistic missile destroyer to Spain to support NATO missile shield