Iran Archives - Defence Monitor

28 Aug

BRICS marching ahead (Opinion)

New Delhi, Aug 28, The 15th summit of the BRICS bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, was held in Johannesburg, and majorly focussed on two issues; first, admitting new members to the five-nation organisation and boosting trade using the local currency of the member nations. Reportedly, encouraged by BRICS success on the economic and geopolitical fronts, a growing number of countries in the Global South consider it as an attractive agent of multilateralism. More than 40 nations, including Algeria, Egypt, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as key G20 countries such as Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico,…

24 Aug

Six nations to join BRICS grouping from Jan 1, 2024

New Delhi, Aug 24, The BRICS grouping on Thursday announced that six nations -- Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Argentina, the UAE and Saudi Arabia -- will be included as full time members. South Africa president Cyril Ramaphosa announced this at the BRICS summit. The membership will be effective from January 1, 2024. "We have consensus on the first phase of this BRICS expansion process," Ramaphosa told reporters in Johannesburg. These six nations will join Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Speaking immediately after Ramaphosa's announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Johannesburg to attend the BRICS Summit, welcomed all…

10 Aug

Saudi embassy in Iran resumes operations after 7 years

Tehran, Aug 10, Saudi Arabia's embassy in Iran has officially resumed its operations after being shut down for seven years due to severed bilateral relations, a local media report said. The kingdom's embassy in Tehran resumed its operations on Sunday, the report cited a source in the Iranian Foreign Ministry as saying on Wednesday. Iran and Saudi Arabia announced in April the resumption of diplomatic relations with immediate effect, seven years after Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran in 2016 in response to the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed a Sha cleric. In early…

24 Jul

More than 40 countries willing to join BRICS

Johannesburg, July 23 (IANS) More than 40 countries have shown an interest in joining BRICS, Anil Sooklal, South Africa's ambassador-at-large responsible for ties with the economic alliance and Asian countries, has said. The diplomat said in Johannesburg that 22 countries have formally applied to join the group, while "an equal number" of states "have been informally asking about becoming BRICS members", RT reported. Sooklal described BRICS as an "inclusive" organisation that has always been open to dialogue with the larger global community. The group currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and accounts for over 40 per cent…

19 Jun

Iran, Uzbekistan sign cooperation agreements

Tehran, June 19, Iran and Uzbekistan on Sunday signed 10 cooperation agreements and one joint statement in Iran's capital Tehran, according to the website of the Iranian President's office. The agreements, including cooperation in transportation, pharmaceutical production, insurance, trade, technology, and agriculture, were signed by the two countries' high-ranking officials in the presence of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his visiting Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Xinhua news agency reported. Heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation, the Uzbek President arrived in Tehran earlier on Sunday. The trip marks the first visit by an Uzbek President to Iran since more than…

20 May

Iran, Russia sign MoU to expand tourism cooperation

Tehran, May 20 (IANS) Iran and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand tourism cooperation, according to media reports. The MoU was inked by Ali Asghar Shalbafian, Iranian deputy minister of cultural heritage, handicrafts, and tourism for tourism affairs, and Dmitry Vakhrukov, the deputy minister of economic development of Russia, on the sidelines of the 14th International Economic Forum "Russia-Islamic world" held in Kazan, Russia, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported on Friday. Under the MoU, related Iranian and Russian ministries will jointly push forward the implementation of a visa-free agreement signed in 2017 for granting visa waivers…

11 May

Iran ready to strengthen Syria’s military sector

Tehran, May 11 (IANS) Iran's top military officials have voiced the country's readiness to strengthen Syria's defence sector. Defence Minister Mohammadreza Ashtiani and chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Baqeri met separately with visiting Syria's Chief of the General Staff Abdel Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim in Tehran on Wednesday, reports Xinhua news agency. Ashtiani expressed Iran's readiness to use its capacities and capabilities to reconstruct and develop the Syrian defence industry's infrastructure. He said the bilateral ties are at a good level as a result of a strategic and brotherly alliance between the two states. For…

16 Aug

Iran possesses non-nuclear 10-tonne bomb: Commander

Tehran: Iran possesses domestically-made 10-tonne non-nuclear bombs, a senior Commander announced on Saturday."Following a proposal by the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Iran's Defence Industries manufactured the 10-tonne bombs. These bombs are at our disposal," IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said. "They can be launched from Ilyushin aircraft and they are highly destructive," Xinhua quoted Hajizadeh as saying.Iran's bomb is the "father of all bombs" as compared with the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), also known as the "mother of all bombs", which the US Air Force dropped on tunnels in…