Zarif: Europeans should be concerned over failure to ‘assert’ themselvesTEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that European countries’ failure to establish an effective financial channel to trade with Iran is a “source of concern” since “they have not been able to assert themselves” despite having a larger collective economy than the United States.
Zarif made the remarks in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria broadcast on Sunday, as he was asked by Zakaria “Are you surprised by how week the Europeans have been? They talk about providing an alternative payment system. They sort of set one up. But, let’s face it. It’s not working.”
Zarif answered, “Well, it hasn’t started to work. It should. It is a source of concern, I think, more for the Europeans than for us, that they have not been able to basically assert themselves.”
“Europe is, together, a larger economy than the United States. Certainly if all European oil companies, plus the Chinese and Indians an..

Details of Mogherini’s trip to Baghdad: Iraq’s clear messages about IranTEHRAN – Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, heading a diplomatic delegation, arrived in Baghdad on Saturday. This was Mogherini’s first trip to Iraq since 2014.
Over her trip to Iraq, Mogherini visited top Iraqi officials including President Barham Salih.
Over the meeting, the two sides discussed recent events in the Middle East and methods to develop mutual relationships. After the meeting, the Iraqi Presidency released a statement.
According to the statement, “in his meeting with Mogherini, the Iraqi President highlighted the importance of coordination and collaboration in order to address the current issues in the region.”
The statement added, “The Iraqi and European sides agreed that there should be joint plans and cooperation for saving the region from war and conflicts.”
During her trip, Mogherini also met Iraqi Foreign Minister ..

Iranian parliament studies motion to charge foreign ships in Strait of Hormuz TEHRAN – The Iranian parliament plans to approve a motion that would allow the country to begin charging foreign ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz for providing their security.
Amirhossein Qazizadeh Hashemi, a member of the parliament’s presiding board, said on Sunday that 10 motions have been proposed by a parliamentary faction, including the motion to charge foreign ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Since Iran is the true provider of security in the region and international waters, the parliament believes that based on international norms and given the U.S. government’s actions, the costs of providing security should be paid by commercial centers and all vessels in the region “in the form of tolls”, Tasnim quoted Qazizadeh Hashemi as saying.
As foreign ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz they enter the Iranian-controlled waters and therefore Iran should collect tolls from them, the ..

‘RAI determined to develop transport of goods from ports via railway’TEHRAN- The head of Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (known as RAI) said development of railways for transport of cargos from ports is a top agenda of RAI’s activities.
Making the remarks in an interview conducted by the news portal of Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), Saeed Rasouli also announced about the serious will of RAI for expansion of rail transportation.
Last week, the official said that 59 kilometers of railroads are planned to be built for connecting the major cargo hubs in the country to the national railway network by the end of current Iranian calendar year (March 19, 2020).
Rasouli mentioned linking the cargo hubs to the railway network as one of the main priorities of RAI in the current year, Mehr news agency reported.
The official has previously named boosting efficiency of railway fleet and network through benefitting from the most available capacities and supporting domestic production in ..

Harris takes Biden's place? Polls recently published in the United States indicate that former US Vice President Joe Biden can no longer guarantee his easy victory in the Democratic primaries! In other words, Biden's definitive move to the final stage of the US presidential election in 2020 is no longer possible. An overview of the latest news and polls in the United States illustrates this very well:
Biden’s Iowa support crumbles in new poll
As politico reported, As Joe Biden lands in Iowa for two days of events, he’s confronting signs of crumbling support in the first-in-the-nation caucus state: A new survey shows he’s plummeted 20 percentage points since September.
A Focus on Rural America poll released Wednesday suggests the ground has shifted significantly over the past several months, with Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Biden currently clustered together at the top: Warren had 20 percent, Harris at 18 percent and Biden 17 percent.
Bernie Sanders came in fourth at ..