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 ..

Russian diplomat urges Europe to save nuclear deal Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Tuesday urged Europe to save the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“The Russian side confirmed that it is necessary to bolster joint efforts of all participants in the JCPOA, including Iran and the EU trio countries in favor of saving the agreements and ensuring their full implementation on the basis of abidance by their commitments by all the involved parties and with due regard for the principle of reciprocity on which the Plan of Action was based initially,” Ryabkov said in a meeting with British Ambassador to Russia Laurie Bristow, French Ambassador Sylvie Bermann and Charge d’Affaires ad Interim of the German Embassy in Russia Beate Crzeski.
According to TASS, Ryabkov said, “It was noted that the main challenges preventing an efficient implementation of the JCPOA are systemic violations and subversive actions from the U.S.”
Russ..

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 ..

Iran summons British ambassador over oil tanker seizureTEHRAN – The British Ambassador to Tehran, Robert Macaire, was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday evening in protest over the seizure of a tanker carrying Iranian oil.
The Foreign Ministry described the UK move as unacceptable and called for an immediate release of the tanker, given that it has been seized at the request of the U.S. based on the information currently available, the ministry said in a report on its website.
Pointing to the fact that the oil tanker was sailing in international waters, Iran called the UK Navy’s move tantamount to maritime banditry and stressed that Britain has no right to impose its own unilateral sanctions or those of the European Union in an extraterritorial manner against other countries.
This is the very bullying policy of the U.S., about which the European countries have been always protesting, the ministry said.
The ambassador was provided with the document about the oil tan..

Iran’s Expediency Council secretary calls for seizing British tanker in retaliationTEHRAN – Secretary of the Expediency Council (EC) has said Iran should seize a British oil tanker if London doesn’t release the Iranian tanker which was illegally seized by its forces.
“The Islamic Revolution has never been an initiator of tension during its 40-year-old history, however, it has not hesitated to respond to bullies and thugs,” Mohsen Rezaee tweeted on Friday.
The former IRGC chief added, “If Britain doesn’t return the Iranian tanker, the duty of responsible [Iranian] bodies is to seize a British oil tanker in a retaliatory measure.”
The British Royal Marines seized an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday for trying to take oil to Syria allegedly in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that could escalate tensions between Iran and the West.
Hours later, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Britain’s ambassador to Tehran, Rob Macaire, for the act.
“Following the illegal se..