Iran Defies Nuclear Deal With Latest Ballistic Missile Test 9/25/2017 9:51:01 PM Iran displays a new multiple-warhead medium-range missile dubbed the Khoramshahr at a military parade in Tehran on September 22, 2017 Missile test amplifies calls for Trump to kill nuclear deal The Washington Free Beacon, September 25, 2017  - Iran's weekend test firing of yet another long-range ballistic  missile   is amplifying congressional calls for the Trump administration to formally declare Iran in violation of the landmark nuclear agreement, a move that would lay the groundwork for the United States to abandon the agreement. Iran claims to have successfully test fired a new long-range ballistic missile in response to threats by the Trump administration to leave the nuclear accord. President Donald Trump criticized Iran during  his first speech  before the  United Nations  last week, singling out the Islamic Republic as one of the ...

Tension with North Korea more political than military, US chief of staff says Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford tells senators North Korea has not changed the posture of its troops despite flaring political tensions with Washington WASHINGTON, AFP , 26 September 2017 -  US relations with North Korea may be 'charged' but tensions in the standoff remain political rather than military, the US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said Tuesday. 'While the political space is clearly very charged right now, we haven't seen a change in the posture of North Korean forces,' General Joe Dunford told the Senate Armed Services Committee. 'We watch that very carefully,' Dunford said, in response to questions from Republican Senator John McCain about rising tensions with Pyongyang after US President Donald Trump mockingly labeled North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un 'Little Rocket Man' and said his regime 'won't be a...

Iran: Production and testing of new ballistic missiles by the mullahs’ regime and the need for a decisive policy National Council of Resistance of Iran On Saturday, September 23 , the religious fascism ruling Iran informed of test launching a new ballistic missile named Khorramshahr. The range of the missile, which was shown on a military parade the previous day, is said to be the commander of the air force of the Army, is 2000 km, and has the ability to carry several warheads, according to the IRGC Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of IRGC Aerospace. The purpose of the mullahs’ regime for the development of ballistic missiles is to explicitly violate  United Nations  Security Council resolution 2231, and, on the other hand, to pave the way for intensifying the war and terrorist interventions in the region and cover up the internal crises. This action well confirms the fact that the unjustified concessions received in the nuclear dea...

Mohammed Alloush (C), the head of the Syrian opposition delegation, in the Syria peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, Jan. 23, 2017. Al Arabiya , 13 September 2017  - The State Department on Tuesday expressed concern about Iran’s participation in the Astana negotiations as a backer of the cease-fire and noted that Tehran’s support for Assad increases the severity of the conflict and the suffering of the Syrians. This comes as a preliminary consultation tour begins in the Kazakh capital of Astana between the representatives of Russia, Iran and Turkey, the day before the start of the sixth round of negotiations on Syria. Representatives of the three countries will discuss demarcation of the area and tension relief in the city of Idlib and its surroundings. The US State Department announced earlier that a delegation from Washington would travel to Astana to participate as observers in the Astana 6 negotiations on Syria, which will be held on 14 and 15 September.

AFTER HER ELECTION AS PMOI/MEK SECRETARY GENERAL, Z AHRA MERRIKHI PLEDGES TO BRING FREEDOM TO IRAN The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, PMOI, (the Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK) held its annual Congress simultaneously in Tirana and five other countries. On the PMOI’s 52nd anniversary, the Congress elected Ms. Zahra Merrikhi as its new Secretary General. Ms. Zohreh Akhyani, the Secretary General since 2011, chaired the Congress.According to the PMOI’s bylaws, the Secretary General is elected to a renewable term of two years. The election is held in three phases. In the first phase, members of the PMOI Central Council, and in the second the organization’s officials and cadres in different departments, cast their votes in secret ballots. In the third phase, at the PMOI Congress, all members vote by raising their hands. In the first phase, on August 20, 2017, Ms. Merrikhi was elected from among 12 candidates by a majority of the Central Council members. The four leading candida...

FILE PHOTO - A gas pump is seen hanging from the ceiling at a petrol station in Seoul June 27, 2011 TOKYO, Reuters , Sept. 12, 2017  - Oil prices were mixed on Wednesday, dampened by reports of rising U.S. crude stockpiles but retaining some of the gains made in the previous session after  OPEC  said it expected higher demand for its crude next year. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) CLc1 was unchanged at $48.23 a barrel at around 0359 GMT after rising earlier in the day. The contract rose 0.3 percent on Tuesday. International benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 was down 13 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $54.14 a barrel, having settled up 0.8 percent in the previous session. The difference between Brent and WTI, known as the spread, rose by 11 cents to $5.41 in the favour of the global benchmark, as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma continued to impact demand for both crude and oil products in the U.S. “The market is still trying to assess...the positioning on Brent and the...

FILE PHOTO, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir speaks in Manama, Bahrain July 30, 2017 LONDON, Reuters , September 2017  - Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that Iran’s talk of a possible rapprochement with the kingdom was laughable. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in London that Iran would have to change its policies for any rapprochement. He said that diplomatic exchanges with Iran over arrangements for the annual haj pilgrimage did not represent a normalization of relations and that such contacts had nothing to do with politics. He also said that if the rift with Qatar continued for two years then “so be it.”

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania head to Texas to survey Harvey Flood Damage, Confronting Harvey's fury, President Donald Trump made an all-out push Tuesday to show the federal government's responsiveness to the massive storm that has lashed the Texas coast and caused catastrophic flooding . France 24, August 29, 2017  - Trump is visiting Texas to observe the federal government's work to help the state recover after  Harvey's devastation . The storm, bringing torrents of rain and all but paralyzing Houston, marks the first time Trump has been tested by a major natural disaster. The president was scheduled to receive briefings on the relief efforts in Corpus Christi, Texas, and later meet with state officials at the emergency operations center in Austin. The president was joined by first lady Melania Trump and other officials. Confronting Harvey's fury, President Donald Trump made an all-out push Tuesday to show the federal governm...