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The family of a Frenchman released this week after he had been jailed by Iran said on Saturday he was "relieved" to be back in France.

On Friday, Benjamin Briere, whose ordeal in Iran lasted three years, and French-Irish citizen Bernard Phelan, held since October, were freed from their prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad, the French foreign ministry said.

There had been grave concerns about the health of the men, both of whom had been on hunger strikes to protest their conditions.

'Relieved'

Briere, 37, was first detained while traveling in Iran in May 2020 and later sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage.

"We were able to hold him in our arms at 1930 (1730GMT) on Friday, May 12, after three years of hell," Briere's family said in a press release.

"He is, like all of us, relieved, calm, and he is trying to realize that he's really here, with us," they said. "He is, however, very weak, physically and morally, a return to normal life will be long and certainly difficult, but now he is in good hands."

Dozens of foreigners jailed

The pair were among some two dozen foreigners jailed in Iran, who campaigners see as hostages held in a deliberate strategy by Tehran to extract concessions from the West.

Four more French citizens, described previously as "hostages" by the French foreign ministry, are still in prison by Iran.

A fifth individual, French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah was released from prison in February but appears still unable to leave the country.

Several U.S., German, British, Swedish and other European citizens, such as Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele who was arrested in February 2022 also remain detained.

"All our thoughts now turn toward the five other French hostages still held in Iran," Briere's family said.

"Our thoughts are also with other families of European hostages held in Iran, with whom we share this heavy and painful battle," they said. "We send them strength and courage, and we continue to fight alongside them," they added.

Read the rest here:
Frenchman 'Weakened' by Iran Prison Ordeal - Voice of America - VOA News

Iran and Iraq signed an agreement on Wednesday to expand energy ties and establish a joint office aimed at overlooking cooperation between the two countries, the Iraqi Oil Ministry announced, coming as part of Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji's visit to Baghdad.

Upon arriving in the Iraqi capital, Owji was received by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and discussed with him "the overall cooperation between Iraq and Iran, and ways to develop them," as well as the ability to jointly confront "global economic challenges."

The energy agreement was signed between Owji and Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghanni. The meeting between Sudani, Owji, and Abdul Ghanni "resulted in an agreement to establish committees to discuss the development of joint fields under international agreements and cooperation in refining, petrochemicals, as well as oil exploration and infrastructure development," an Iraqi Oil Ministry statement reads.

According to the statement, the Iranian oil minister expressed his country's desire "to expand the horizons of cooperation in the implementation of joint projects in oil and gas sectors, projects for the construction and development of oil refineries, the expansion of oil and gas pipelines, and environmental cleanup."

On Tuesday, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi called for expanding energy ties between Iraq and Iran.

Raisi also emphasized the need for Baghdad "fulfill its commitments" regarding gas and electricity payments owed to Tehran.

As a result of harsh US sanctions, billions in Iraqi funds owed to Tehran have been frozen as an attempt by Washington to pressure Iraq into avoiding energy cooperation with the Islamic Republic.

Iraq has paid around $1.6 billion out of the staggering debt; however, US sanctions continue to complicate matters. Due to the sanctions on Iran, Iraq is only allowed to receive Iranian energy imports and pay for them via waivers that extend up to 120 days, a policy implemented by former US president Donald Trump and kept in place by current President Joe Biden.

In March, an Iranian trade official announced that a US sanction waiver resulted in Iran receiving another $500 million from Iraq. Iran provides a third of Iraq's electricity and gas supplies, and the two countries continue to cooperate despite the complications.

As a result of US economic hegemony, Iraq is one of the many regional countries considering the path of de-dollarization and fiscal independence from the west.

By The Cradle via Zerohedge.com

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Iraq And Iran Ignore U.S. Sanctions In Talks To Expand Energy Ties - OilPrice.com

Egypt and Iran are continuing to move towards better relations as talks in Baghdad have continued since the announcement that Saudi Arabia and Iran reconciled.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain generally work closely together. Egypt was one of the countries to pursue ties with the Syrian regime and helped pave the way for Saudi Arabia and the UAE to do the same.

Reports at The National recently said that Egypt and Iran have been holding talks in Iraq's capital Baghdad since March to discuss normalizing relations between the two regional powerhouses.

These reports reiterate what was learned back in March, which is that the talks have also touched on reducing tension in places where Iran wields significant influence, such as Yemen, Lebanon and Syria, by supporting allied governments or armed groups, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations have not been made public, as per The National. A meeting between the Iranian and Egyptian leaders could be in the cards.

An article in Irans pro-regime media, Tasnim, also noted that Egypt and Iran are moving to restore ties.

It is very important to restore relations between Iran and Egypt because Egypt is one of the oldest and most civilized countries in the region and the world, therefore Egypt's position is very high and important compared to other countries, the report says. In this regard, negotiations between Iran and Egypt are ongoing in Iraq, and in the near future Iran-Egypt relations will be restored and we will see the opening of embassies in both countries and after this action, a meeting between Raisi, the president of Iran. And El-Sisi, the president of Egypt, will be prepared.

These scant reports indicate that moves are slowly being made in the region. This is part of a new diplomatic era. The era has included reconciliation between Syria and the Arab League. In addition, there are talks in Moscow between Turkey, Iran and Syria.

Originally posted here:
Egypt and Iran continue path toward normalized ties - The Jerusalem Post

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UPDATE: 1:00 PM CET

In an article entitled The Qalibaf-elimination Project Kickstarted, the state-run Eqtesad News wrote today: The horns of infighting among the principalists are blowing. Every time there is a parliamentary election, a presidential election, or even an election on deciding about the parliaments leadership, the war rises from the bottom of the endless ocean of differences and appears at the surface. This time, the reason for their differences, which is more evident than in the past, is the two upcoming elections, including the election of the Speaker of the Majlis on May 2 and the election of the 12th parliament, which is scheduled to be held on March 1, 2024.

In the meantime, it seems that in both their short-term and long-term goals, the Paydari bloc [the faction close to former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] is pursuing to remove Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf from politics and power. So far, their great rivals among the principalists, such as Nateq Nouri, and Ali Larijani, have been eliminated with different tactics and excuses, the source added.

UPDATE: 11:30 AM CET

Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was arrested on February 24, 2022, in Iran. But was Vandecasteele taken hostage as a token of the implementation of an agreement that Tehran and Brussels had been negotiating for months? In January 2023, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison, a $1 million fine (910,000) and 74 lashes for espionage.

The hacking of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs computer system on Sunday, May 7, by a group of hackers called Ghyam Sarnegouni (From Uprising to Overthrow), close to the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (an exiled movement thats banned in Iran), is of great interest to Vandecasteeles family.

Read more

UPDATE: 9:30 AM CET

The brave people of Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan & Baluchestan in southeast Iran, took to the streets on Friday to remind the mullahs regime of the Iranian peoples utter hatred of their dictatorship. They chanted slogans against the regime in its entirety and voiced their wishes to live in a democracy while rejecting any and all forms of dictatorships, be it the already eliminated monarchy and the current theocratic despotism. People throughout Iran continue to specifically hold the mullahs Supreme LeaderAli Khamenei responsible for their miseries, while also condemning the oppressive Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and paramilitary Basij units, alongside other security units that are on the ground suppressing the peaceful demonstrators.

Read more

While Olivier Vandecasteele is still detained in Iran, new information about the case has leaked, wrote the BelgianDH newspaper on May 8, referring to a Belgian aid worker held hostage by Irans regime since 2022.Theobtained documents reveal the backdrop of the Assadi affair; Olivier Vandcastel has been used as a bargaining chip. The documents confirm the role played by the Iranian regimes Ministry of Intelligence and describe how Brussels and Tehran negotiated their prisoner swap treaty before Olivier Vandesteel was taken hostage in Iran.The career diplomatAsadollah Asadi, the third-highest-ranking official at the regimes embassy in Vienna, was convicted of a state terrorist act as he tried to bomb a gathering of the Iranian Resistance in France in 2018.

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The appointment of Ali Bahreini, Irans ambassador to the United Nations Office in Geneva, as the president of the Social Council of the Human Rights, is a blatant mockery of humanity. On Thursday, May 11, 2023, Ali Bahreini, Irans ambassador to the United Nations Office in Geneva, was appointed as the president of the Social Council of the Human Rights of this organization. The publication of this news has sparked widespread negative reactions both in the international community and among Iranian citizens. While the Iranian government is considered one of the major violators of human rights in the world and has the highest number of resolutions against violations of the people in the Third Committee and the General Assembly of the United Nations, this appointment is seen as a mockery of modern human values.

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The clerical regime puts more pressure on teachers through arrests, summonses, and expulsions. The Security Department and the Administrative Violations Board of the Ministry of Education have practically turned into the arms of security forces over the past year. They have concentrated all their efforts on baseless file-making for activist teachers to suppress their protests.The Coordinating Council of Teachers Associations announced that the Violations Board of the Department of Education of Gilan Province had expelled Ms.Fariba Anami, a brave and well-respected teacher in Anzali, upon an unjust and oppressive order.Fariba Anami has been teaching in high schools in Gilan and Anzali for over 25 years. She is one of the hundreds of activist teachers who have solely pursued the realization of their professional rights.

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In an interview with Elaheh Azimfar, the representative of the Iranian Resistance in international organizations,Grand-Lebanonexamined the ongoing popular uprising in Iran sparked by the brutal killing ofMahsa Amini.The interview highlights the uprisings underlying causes, extending beyond the mandatory hijab, and emphasizes the Iranian peoples discontent with the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.Azimfar advocates for womens freedom to choose their attire, arguing against the mandatory hijab, and discusses the broader aspirations of the revolution, including womens equality, freedom of speech, and the establishment of a democratic republic.

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Aarhus, DenmarkMay 11, 2023:Supporters of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and freedom-loving Iranians gathered to show their solidarity with the ongoingIranian Revolution.Supporters of the Iranian Resistance strongly condemned the recent executions by the religious dictatorship regime of the mullahs in Iran, especially the execution of Baloch compatriots. They called for urgent action by the international community to stop the executions in Iran.

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Italy, Piedmont, Cuneo May 6, 2023:The governor and 22 mayors of Italys Piedmont region gathered in Cuneo,Ashrafs sister city, supporting the Iranian peoples uprising and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). They declared their full support of the NCRIs President-elect, Mrs.Maryam Rajavi, and herten-point planfor the future of Iran.

Read more

Also, read Iran News in Brief May 13,2023

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Iran News in Brief May 14, 2023 - NCRI - National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

Iran has been accused by Ukraines president of selling more than 1,000 drones and other weapons to Russia.

Volodymyr Zelenskyrevealed the extent of Tehrans sanctions-busting support for Putin's invasion of Ukrainein an interview with Italian media on Saturday.

Ukraines leader said: Thanks to the sanctions, the number of missiles they [the Russians] produce has decreased several times. However, there are such challenges as Iran which has sold them [Russia] more than 1,000 Iranian-made drones and other weapons.

Forces of the Russian Federation began using drones in its attacks against Ukraine's infrastructure last fall, temporarily depriving millions of Ukrainians of heating, water and electricity during the winter.

Iran first denied it had supplied drones to Russia but in early November foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian admitted the deliveries, while claiming they were sent before the Russian invasion.

Recent intelligence reports suggest that Tehran may be planning also to supply long-range missiles to Russia.

Ukraine says its air force has shot down more than 500 Iranian drones so far, figures confirmed by Western intelligence.

Irans supply of drones to Russia for use in its war on Ukraine has been condemned by the US and its NATO allies and met with sanctions by the US, European Union and other states.

Washington has halted talks with Tehran aimed at resurrecting a deal over Irans nuclear programme, indicating that it expects the Islamic Republics deliveries to Putin to stop before any further negotiations take place.

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Iran Sells 1,000-Plus Drones And Other Weapons To Russia: Zelensky -