EU hits Iran with sanctions after murder plots

France24 – AFP, 8 January 2019

Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok says the Dutch secret service 'has strong indications
 that Iran was involved in the assassinations of two Dutch nationals of Iranian origin'
in 2015 and in 2017

The EU hit Iran's intelligence services with sanctions Tuesday after accusing Tehran of being behind plots to assassinate regime opponents on Dutch, Danish, and French soil.

The move by the 28-nation bloc was announced as the Dutch government said it believed Iran was behind the murders of two dissidents in 2015 and 2017.

"Very encouraging that (the) EU has just agreed on new targeted sanctions against Iran in response to hostile activities and plots being planned and perpetrated in Europe, including Denmark," Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.

The "EU stands united -- such actions are unacceptable and must have consequences," he tweeted.

Sanctions include the freezing of funds and other financial assets of the Iranian intelligence ministry and individuals, officials said.

Denmark led efforts for sanctions after allegations that Tehran tried to kill three Iranian dissidents on Danish soil.

A manhunt related to the alleged plot against three Iranians suspected of belonging to the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA) led to the shutdown of bridges to Sweden and ferries on September 28.

France last year imposed sanctions on two suspected Iranian agents and others from Iran's ministry of intelligence and security.

The French security services concluded that the head of operations at the Iranian intelligence ministry had ordered a plot to bomb a rally of the People's Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK) opposition group in a suburb of Paris in June last year -- which Tehran strongly denied.

"When the sanctions were announced, the Netherlands, together with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark and Belgium met Iranian authorities," Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said.

The meeting conveyed "serious concerns regarding Iran's probable involvement in these hostile acts on EU territory," Blok said in a letter to the parliament in The Hague, also signed by Interior Minister Kajsa Ollongren.

"Iran is expected to cooperate fully in removing the present concerns and, where necessary aiding in criminal investigations," the letter said.

"If such cooperation is not forthcoming, further sanctions cannot be ruled out," it added.

Nuclear deal

In the past, the EU has trod cautiously on Iran as it sought to save a beleaguered nuclear deal with Tehran after the US withdrew last year and imposed new sanctions.

The Dutch ministers said that at a meeting with Iranian officials "it was emphasised that the measures were not linked" to the Iran nuclear deal.

"Nevertheless, Iran will be held to account for all matters that affect EU and international security interests...," including the assassinations in the Netherlands in 2015 and 2017, the letter said.

Dutch police have previously named the two victims as Ali Motamed, 56, who was killed in the central city of Almere in December 2015, and Ahmad Molla Nissi, 52, murdered in The Hague in November 2017.

Dutch news reports had said Motamed was living in the Netherlands under a false name and is really Mohammad Reza Kolahi Samadi -- the man behind the largest bomb attack in Iran in 1981.

Nissi was shot dead in The Hague from a moving car, later found to have been stolen from a suburb outside Rotterdam.

Dutch police said Nissi was the chairman of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, a group working for the independence of the Ahwaz area in southwestern Iran.

Last June, the Netherlands expelled two Iranian embassy workers in connection with the murders.

Tehran at the time protested the expulsion as an "unfriendly and destructive move" and threatened to retaliate.

EU announces legal entity to maintain business with Iran

Yahoo – AFP, Shaun TANDON, September 25, 2018

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini (r), speaking alongside Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (l), said a new payment system would be set up to allow
oil companies and businesses to continue trading with Iran (AFP Photo/Stéphanie LECOCQ)

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The European Union said Monday its members would set up a payment system to allow oil companies and businesses to continue trading with Iran in a bid to evade sanctions after the US withdrew from a nuclear agreement.

Iran and the European Union announced their defiance towards US President Donald Trump's administration after high-level talks at the United Nations among the remaining members of the accord.

The countries said in a statement that they were determined "to protect the freedom of their economic operators to pursue legitimate business with Iran."

With the United States and the dollar dominating so much of global trade, the statement said the new mechanism would "facilitate payments related to Iran's exports (including oil) and imports, which will assist and reassure economic operators pursuing legitimate business with Iran."

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, speaking at the United Nations alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, said the countries were still working out the technical details.

"In practical terms, this will mean that EU member states will set up a legal entity to facilitate legitimate financial transactions with Iran and this will allow European companies to continue to trade with Iran in accordance with European Union law and could be open to other partners in the world," she told reporters.

She said that the remaining members of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- would also maintain their commitments to support Iran on civilian nuclear energy.

"The participants recalled that these initiatives are aimed at preserving the JCPOA, which is in the international interest," she said.

Pressure on Iranian economy

In line with findings of UN inspectors, Mogherini reiterated that Iran has been in compliance with the nuclear agreement -- under which Tehran drastically scaled back its nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions.

The agreement was sealed in 2015 in a signature achievement for then US president Barack Obama.

Trump pulled out of the agreement in May, describing it as a "disaster" and quickly moving to reimpose sanctions on Iran.

Despite the protests of the European Union, a number of business including French energy giant Total and carmakers Peugeot and Renault as well as Germany's Siemens and Daimler have already suspended operations in Iran for fear of triggering US sanctions.

With Iran's economy already feeling the pinch, US national security adviser John Bolton earlier Monday vowed to impose "maximum pressure" on Tehran, while insisting that Washington was not pushing for regime change.

US Arab allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Israel have long sought for Washington to work to curtail non-Arab and predominantly Shiite Muslim Iran's influence in the Middle East, including in war-torn Syria.

The EU move comes a day before Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani separately address the UN General Assembly, with the US leader expected to take a hard line on Iran.

#UPDATE European Union says members will set up a payment system to allow oil companies and businesses to continue trading with Iran in a bid to evade sanctions https://t.co/nRjgZ4hKty pic.twitter.com/YToLkgOZph

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 25, 2018

Germany to strengthen sanctions against North Korea

Germany plans to tighten sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear program in line with UN resolutions and EU laws. The North Korean embassy in Berlin will be banned from renting out its property to earn hard currency.

Deutsche Welle, 9 May 2017

In the center of Berlin, between the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie, North Korea is conducting business that helps fund Kim Jong Un's brutal regime and nuclear program.

During the Cold War, North Korea had a sprawling diplomatic compound in East Germany represented by some 100 diplomats. Today, the isolated regime occupies the same property but only has about 10 diplomats.

For nearly a decade North Korea has leased part of its unused property to City Hostel, a low budget travel option where dorm rooms go for as little as 17 euros ($18) a night.  Another building on the property is leased out as an event hall.

North Korea earns tens of thousands of euros in hard currency from the rentals every month. It is only part of the pariah state's use of diplomatic posts around the world to get around sanctions, run businesses and conduct clandestine, often illicit, activities to earn much needed hard currency.

City Hostel leases property from the North Korean embassy in Berlin

The money, according to experts, is used to buy restricted technology, luxury goods and finance diplomatic missions.

Germany now plans to ban North Korea from leasing the embassy property, Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper and broadcasters NDR and WDR reported.

"We must increase pressure to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table," said Foreign Ministry State Secretary Markus Ederer. "This means above all that we must consistently apply sanctions that the United Nations and European Union imposed."

"In that regard, it is particularly important that we do even more to dry up the financial resources used to fund the nuclear program," he said. "The German government is in complete agreement and the responsible authorities will now take the necessary steps."

According to UN Security Council Resolution 2321 passed in November in response to Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test, countries shall prohibit North Korea "from using real property that it owns or leases in their territory for any purpose other than diplomatic or consular activities."

Relations between North Korea and the rest of the international community have grown tense in recent months as Pyongyang conducts ballistic missile tests and threatens Japan, South Korea and the United States with a nuclear attack.

The United States has said all options including military force are on the table to stop North Korea's nuclear program. It has also upped pressure on countries, especially China, to enforce UN resolutions and cut financial sources for the regime in North Korea.

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North Korea is a 'big worry for all of us': Obama at G7

"Quantum Patterns" - Jan 23 - 24, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

"... The Darkness Can't See Beyond Itself

I want to give you proof yet again of something unusual and very telling of the way low vibration works. Within the first channel of the year [2016], I spoke about the young North Korean leader. I'm going to do it again. I'm going to do it again as a profound example of how low consciousness cannot see above itself. That means that it can only work with what it sees and knows. As powerful, as smart, as intellectual as it thinks it is, it can't get out of its own circle.

The former leader of North Korea was a classic egotist. When he died, his son took over and could do anything he wanted. This boy had watched his father for decades and knew he would take over someday. Naturally, he inherited the attributes his father taught him of self-importance, and he also became egotistically driven to the max. When he took power, he had the choice to make changes that would allow him to be even greater than his father. He wanted something that would elevate his name and his position to the highest egotistic place imaginable. His father was the model, and now he could do anything he wanted to be even more famous. What happened is classic. He completely missed the greatest opportunity that any man has had to become the most famous and beloved person on the earth. The idea never occurred to him. Even though he had been educated in the western world, he missed it.

If he had considered the high road and included the earth instead of a restricted population of his own country, he could have been the most famous and beloved leader on Earth, all of his life. At the moment he took over, all he had to do was to think beyond his circle. He was in the unique position to be a "wild card" and do something amazing - unify North an South Korea, drop the zone of death that was between those countries, bring families together after generations, stop nuclear programs that he really never needed other than to look important and, thereby, give his people abundance, food for all and peace in his region. All of Korea would worship him and the earth would give a sigh of relief in thanks for his wisdom and courage.

He would have received standing ovations upon entering the United Nations great room and they would bow before him and give him the highest peace prizes. He would have his ego stroked and stroked and stroked and stroked and be far greater than his father had ever been. But it never occurred to him. Instead, he perpetuated the dark box he inherited, and now he presides over the lowest energy possible, representing the most dangerous renegade energy on the planet. At the expense of keeping his people poor and impoverished and creating instability in his region, he gets to be a powerful and famous person for a moment in time from a small population. He will not last long. He can't see that what he is doing has no support within the majority of the planet's population, and he will lose everything. Isn't it interesting how strong the circle is that keeps a low vibration low. All of this is beginning to change, dear ones. If you examine individual people and the way they act, you're going to see this coming. You're going to recognize it.  ..."

THE OLD SOUL 2013 TOOLKIT" – Jan 13, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll)  (Text version)

"... The Change in the Way Things Work

Now I'm going to be very cautious with number five, and I'm going to change a paradigm of the way we channel. For 23 years, we have given you information in the soup of potentials that we read around you as the highest probable potential that exists. These things eventually become your reality because they are your free choice, and we know what you're thinking. We know what the potentials are because we know what the biases are, and we see all of humanity as a whole. Potentials are energy, and it gives us the ability to project your future based on how you are working these potentials. We have done this for a long time. Twenty-three years ago, we told you about many things that were potentially going to happen, and now they are your reality.

But now I'm going to depart from that scenario and I'm going to give you a potential on Earth that is not the strongest. I am going to tell you about a Human Being who has a choice. This potential is only about 50 percent. But I'm going to "read a potential" to you that you didn't expect. It's about a paradigm that is starting to shift.

Let's talk about North Korea. There's a young, new leader there. The potential is that he will never, ever hear this channel, so I can talk freely about him. He is facing a dilemma, for he is young and he knows about the differences in the energy in his land. He feels it. The lineage of his departed father lies upon him and all that is around him expects him to be a clone of this lineage. He is expected to continue the things that he has been taught and make North Korea great.

But he's starting to rethink them. Indeed, he wants to be a great leader, and to be heard and seen, and to make his mark on North Korea's history. His father showed him that this was very important. So he ponders a question: What makes a world leader great?

Let's ask that question to someone in an older earth paradigm from not that long ago. He will be an expert and a successful one. So this is a valid exercise, asking someone from the past who knows. We will ask that question to a man who you know and whose name is Napoleon. For us, this was yesterday and some of you were there. 

If you asked Napoleon, "What makes a world leader great?", he will say, "the size of the army, how much area can be efficiently conquered with a given amount of resources and men, how important the leader appears will then be based upon how many citizens call him emperor or king, the taxes he can impose, and how many fear him." Not only was that Napoleon's reality, but he was right for the energy he was part of at the time. So Napoleon went back and forth between world leader, general and prisoner. He accomplished almost everything he set out to do. His expertise was obvious, and you remember his name to this day. He was famous.

What makes a world leader great? What I am showing you is the difference in thinking between then and now. There are some choices that this evolving young Human Being has that could change everything on the planet if he wanted. His father would tell this boy that what makes a world leader great is the potential of his missile power, or how close he can get to having a nuclear weapon, or how he stands up against the power of the West, or how he continues to aggravate and stir drama as a small country - getting noticed and being feared. His father would tell him that this is his lineage and that is what he's been told all his life. His father did it well and surrounded himself with advisors who he then passed on to his son.

Now, there's a 50 percent chance of something happening here, but this is not a strong potential, dear ones. I'm bringing this forward so you can watch it work one way or the other. For if the son continues in his father's footsteps, he is doomed to failure. The energy on the earth will see it as old and he will be seen as a fool. If, however, he figures it out, he could be the most famous man on the planet... which is really what his father wanted.

If Kryon were to advise this man, here's what I would tell him. He could be the greatest known leader the current world has ever known, for what he does now will be something the world will see as a demarcation point from the old ways. Not only that, but what he does now will be in the history books forever, and because of his youth, he has the potential to outlive every other leader on the planet! So he's going to have longer fame than anyone ever has.

I would tell him this: Tell the border guards to go home. Greet the south and begin to unify North and South Korea in a way that no past prophet ever said could happen. Allow the two countries to be separate, but have them as two parts of a larger Korean family with free trade and travel. Start alliances with the West and show them that you mean it. Drop the missile programs because you will never need them!

This will bring abundance to the North Korean people that they never expected! They will have great economic sustenance, schools, hospitals and more respect than ever for their amazing leader. The result would be fame and glory for the son, which the father had never achieved, something that the world would talk about for hundreds of years. It would cause a United Nations to stand and applaud as the son walked into the Grand Assembly. I would ask him, "Wouldn't you like that?"

Doesn't this seem obvious to most of you? He could achieve instant fame and be seen as the one who made the difference and started something amazing. But watch him. He has a choice, but it's not simple. He still has his father's advisors, but one of which he's already dismissed. He may get it, or he may not. There is a 50 percent chance. But I'll tell you that if he doesn't do it, the one after him will. Because it is so obvious. 

We show you this to tell you that this is the evolvement of the Human species. It is the slow realization that putting things together is the answer to all things, instead of separating them or conquering them. Those who start promoting compromise and begin to create these energies that never were here before will be the ones you're going to remember. Dear ones, it's going to happen in leadership and politics and in business. It's a new paradigm...."

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Switzerland on trail of hidden funds

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Switzerland to discuss science, business and the moot question of funds alleged to be hidden in Swiss banks, away from Indian tax authorities. The Swiss deny the claim.

Deutsche Welle, 6 June 2016

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his whirlwind trip to Switzerland early on Monday by declaring his intentions to meet with prominent business leaders, and scientists at the CERN European research organization, which operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world.

Modi also met Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann in Geneva (photo).

"In Geneva, I will meet prominent businesspersons. Our agenda will be to expand economic and investment ties. I will meet Indian scientists working at CERN. India takes pride in their contribution to exploring new frontiers of science in the service of humanity," he said.

Hidden assets

According to Indian news agency PTI, Modi was to press the issue of so-called "black money," or funds stashed by Indian nationals in Switzerland - either because the funds came from illicit profits or were being hidden from tax authorities.

Although some reports, including one from India's Central Bureau of Investigation, indicated $500 billion (440 million euros) was hidden in Swiss banks, authorities in the Alpine confederation have consistently denied this.

A closer engagement with the heart of Europe. President and PM lead delegation level talks #IndiaSwitzerland pic.twitter.com/vtvVWXbP8l

— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 6, 2016

Nuclear Suppliers Group

Modi was also expected to ask for Switzerland's support for India's bid to join Nuclear Suppliers Group, a 48-member organization aimed at reducing the threat of nuclear war.

Indian membership has been backed the UK, the US and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. However, some countries have voiced opposition to non-signatories of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) joining the group.

Modi has stopped in Switzerland as part of a five-nation tour which has included Afghanistan and Qatar so far.

He is set to leave Geneva for Washington later on Monday.

EU slaps North Korea with new sanctions

Europe has decided to follow the lead of the UN, which recently hit Pyongyang with its toughest restrictions yet. The reclusive nation refuses to adhere to a Security Council ban on its missile program.

Deutsche Welle, 27 May 2016

The European Union adopted new restrictions against North Korea on Friday. The move came in protest to missile tests carried out by Pyongyang that flouted UN resolutions forbidding development of the country's nuclear program.

The new sanctions include a ban on importing any petroleum or luxury products from North Korea and prohibit selling anything to the regime that could be used for military purposes. Additionally, no aircraft or ships coming from North Korea are allowed to enter, use or fly over EU territory.

A further tightening of restrictions on investments in North Korea and a ban on money transfers were also part of the new raft of sanctions.

"The EU decided to further expand its restrictive measures targeting the DPRK's nuclear, weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs," said an EU statement, referring to the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The 28-member bloc was following the UN's lead. The UN Security Council imposed its toughest sanctions yet on Pyongyang in March. The UN move was also a response to continued nuclear and ballistic missile testing.

Diplomatic relations between Europe and North Korea were nominally established in 2001 but remain minimal. The bloc first imposed sanctions against the isolated country in 2006.

Earlier on Friday, Pyongyang startled the international community when it threatened to retaliate after South Korea fired what it said were warning shots on two vessels from the North. Seoul said that a patrol vote and fishing boat had crossed the disputed maritime border between the two countries.

es/sms (AFP, AP, Reuters)

US, Britain, France, Germany back business with Iran

Yahoo – AFP, 20 May 2016

Foreign banks and private businesses should not hold back from conducting legal
 business with Iran, said the United States, France, Britain and Germany (AFP
Photo/Atta Kenare)

Brussels (AFP) - Foreign banks and businesses should not hold back from conducting legal business with Iran, Western powers said Friday.

In a joint statement released after talks in Brussels, the United States, the European Union, France, Britain and Germany sought to reassure companies that, after the Iran nuclear deal, certain forms of trade are permitted.

"We will not stand in the way of permitted business activity with Iran," the four powers plus the European Union said.

"And we will not stand in the way of international firms or financial institutions engaging with Iran, as long as they follow all applicable laws," they added.

Under the terms of the Iran nuclear deal signed last year and implemented in February, international sanctions aimed at Tehran's nuclear programme have been dropped.

But the United States has maintained its sanctions targeting Tehran's alleged sponsorship of armed movements in the Middle East and its ballistic missile programme.

European banks, which often have subsidiaries on US soil, have therefore been slow to resume business with Iran, fearing prosecution in the United States.

But, a joint statement by the western parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- the implementation side of the Iran deal -- gave business the green light.

"The interest of European and other global firms in Iran is high," the statement said.

"And it is in our interest and the interest of the international community to ensure that the JCPOA works for all participants, including by delivering benefit to the Iranian people," it continued.

"This includes the reengagement of European banks and businesses in Iran."

US Secretary of State John Kerry -- a key architect of the Iran deal -- was in Brussels for a NATO ministers meeting, and held talks on the Iran deal while he was there.

President Barack Obama's administration has been criticised at home for moving too quickly to allow Iran to return to the international fold after agreeing to nuclear controls.

But Tehran's leaders have complained that the deal was oversold, arguing that they upheld their end of the bargain in surrendering most of their nuclear enrichment capacity in return for sanctions relief.

Meanwhile, European banks have been reluctant to renew ties with the Islamic republic, fearing that -- despite the end of some sanctions -- they could fall foul of US law.

"We understand that firms may continue to have specific sanctions-related questions or concerns about doing business in Iran," the statement said.

"And we stand ready to provide expeditious clarifications," it added, encouraging banks and other enterprises to come forward and seek advice as to how to deal legally with Iran.

"We encourage firms to approach our governments to address remaining questions, rather than forgo opportunities due to misperceptions or lack of information."

EU Parliament chief Schulz: Iran-EU relations at 'key stage'

During a visit to Tehran, European Parliament chief Martin Schulz has said that relations between Iran and the European Union (EU) are at a "determining stage." The comments follow a nuclear deal earlier this year.

Deutsche Welle, 7 Nov 2015

Speaking at a news conference in the Iranian capital on Saturday, Schulz said the Iran and its partners in the nuclear deal were "at the implementation stage of this agreement."

"At the end of this stage a door can be opened for economic cooperation and positive economic development," Schulz said.

The EU announced last month that it had adopted the legal framework to lift sanctions against Iran, once Tehran has curbed its nuclear activities.

The announcement came shortly after US President Barack Obama ordered the White House to also take steps towards lifting sanctions on Iran.

Damaging sanctions

The EU and US sanctions have proved to be extremely damaging to Iran, locking up billions in the country's assets overseas and depriving its oil-dependent economy of vital technology and investment.

The nuclear agreement was reached in July this year, after 18 days of grueling talks in the Austrian capital, Vienna. The deal imposes new provisions for the inspection of Iranian facilities and aims to keep Iran from producing enough of the fissile material it would need to make a nuclear bomb.

Iran has always claimed, however, its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes.

'Key role' in Syria talks

During his one-day visit to the Iranian parliament on Saturday, Schulz also said that Iran plays a "key role" in regional stability, especially in Syria.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is an element of stability in a region full of instability," Schulz said.

"As a result of terrorism in Syria we are facing an influx of refugees in Europe. Right now our main and common goal is fighting Daesh," the 'Islamic State' (IS) group, he said.

In a bid to end more than four years of conflict in Syria, Iran joined talks with world powers for the first time in Vienna last month. The Syrian regime and the opposition were not represented.

Both Iran and Russia support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, while Western powers have pushed for the leader to step down.

ksb/rc (AFP, dpa)

Related Article:

Iran, major powers trumpet historic nuclear deal (Jul 14, 2015)

US President Barack Obama, standing with Vice President Joe Biden, delivers

 remarks on in the East Room of the White House in Washington on July 14, 2015,

after an Iran nuclear deal was reached (AFP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

UK's Hammond hails 'new phase' of ties with Iran

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said the ties between the UK and Iran have entered a new phase as he reopened his country's embassy in Tehran. This follows an agreement with Iran to curb its nuclear program.

Deutsche Welle, 23 Aug 2015

Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (L) and non-resident charge d'affaires
 Ajay Sharma watch as the Union flag is raised at the British Embassy in Tehran,
Iran, August 23, 2015

Hammond arrived in the Iranian capital on Sunday to attend the opening ceremony of the British Embassy and to hold talks with the officials of the Shiite state.

Britain severed diplomatic ties with Iran following an attack on its embassy in 2011. His trip to Iran was the first by a British foreign secretary since 2003.

"Four years on from an attack on the British Embassy, I am today re-opening it," Hammond said in a statement. "Today's ceremony marks the end of one phase in the relationship between our two countries and the start of a new one - one that I believe offers the promise of better," he added.

Iran simultaneously opened its embassy in London, confirmed the Iranian ISNA news agency.

"Our relationship has improved since 2011. President (Hasan) Rouhani's election and last month's nuclear agreement were important milestones. I believe that we have the potential to go much further," said Hammond.

Pleased to announce the re-opening of the British Embassy in #Tehran. Important milestone in improved relations. pic.twitter.com/Gfu8PnB3P1

— Philip Hammond (@PHammondMP) 23 augustus 2015

Common threats

According to the foreign secretary, terrorism, regional stability and the threat of the Sunni militant group "Islamic State" in Syria and Iraq are among some of the challenges which Britain and Iran will be trying to overcome together.

The new British charge d'affaires, Ajay Sharma, was also present at the Sunday's ceremony, which was attended by representatives of the Iranian foreign ministry. Hammond was also accompanied by a small delegate of trade representatives who will discuss the possibility of economic cooperation with Iran following the nuclear deal.

Under the terms of the P5+1 deal, sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United Nations and the United States are to be gradually lifted in exchange for Iran agreeing on the long-term curbs, which are mean to prevent Tehran from developing the capacity to produce a nuclear weapon.

The trip marked the first time a British
foreign secretary has visited Tehran
since 2003

While the United States and its Western allies have long suspected that Iran could be using its nuclear program as a cover to develop a nuclear bomb, Tehran has consistently insisted that the program is for peaceful purposes only.

Iran back on the world stage

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed the reopening of the British Embassy and said it proved his country's regional and global significance.

"The world has realized Iran's constructive role in the region and globe," Zarif was quoted as saying on Sunday. "Of course, we have differences with some European countries, but that can be negotiated through interaction, open eyes and a realistic approach," he added.

While the thaw in relations between Iran and the West has been hailed by most countries in the world, the US' Arab allies in the region and Israel are skeptical about it.

Earlier this month, US Secretary of State John Kerry visited the Middle East to assure the Arab nations that the Iran deal would not undermine their interests in the region.

shs/se (Reuters, AP, dpa)

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Iran, major powers trumpet historic nuclear deal

Obama thanks Putin for Iran nuclear deal

US President Barack Obama has thanked his Russian counterpart for his role in achieving a nuclear agreement with Iran. Washington says the two leaders also pledged during the talk to work to reduce tensions in Syria.

Deutsche Welle, 16 July 2015

Barack Obama called the Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and agreed to remain in touch following the nuclear agreement that was signed with Iran a day earlier.

"The President thanked President Putin for Russia's important role in achieving this milestone, the culmination of nearly 20 months of intense negotiations," the White House said in a statement.

Putin and Obama also decided to remain in close contact over the conflict in Syria and "work together to reduce regional tensions," the White House said in its statement.

Help despite differences

Moscow was among the representatives of the P5+1 group of countries, which includes the United Nations Security Council's five permanent members - France, US, UK, China and Russia - along with Germany, that participated in the talks to reach an agreement with Iran on its nuclear plants.

Obama praise for his Russian counterpart - calling Moscow "a help" - comes as Western powers are having a difficult time with the country, which is believed to be siding with pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine's east. The conflict, which has been going on since last year, has killed more than 6,000 people and prompted the EU and US to impose severe sanctions on Moscow.

"I'll be honest with you. I was not sure given the strong differences we are having with Russia now around Ukraine, whether this would sustain itself," Obama said of Moscow's role in the Tehran talks.

Ashton Carter to travel to Riyadh

Meanwhile, the US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter was planning to travel to Saudi Arabia as part of Obama's efforts to convince his allies in the area that the deal represents a victory.

Carter's trip is set to involve a stop in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been vehemently condemning the agreement, National Security Adviser Susan Rice told Reuters news agency.

"Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter will be going out to Israel this weekend, and to Saudi Arabia, and he will be continuing our practical cooperation with both Israel and our partners in the Gulf," she added.

mg/gsw (AFP, Reuters)

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Iran, major powers trumpet historic nuclear deal