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I tell you, this regime is on some serious hallucinogens
The funniest thing I have ever heard.
Iranian Affairs
- Thread starter Rakan.SA
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!eon
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What the Mulla of Iran is cooking in Pakistan?
Gripen9
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Iranian Report Details Chain Of Mistakes In Shooting Down Ukrainian Passenger Plane
July 12, 20201:56 PM ET
MATTHEW S. SCHWARTZ
Twitter
Rescue teams examine the wreckage of the Ukrainian airliner that was shot down shortly after takeoff in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Jan. 8. Iran says a tragic series of mistakes led to the missile strike.
Akbar Tavakoli/IRNA/AFP via Getty Images
Human error, a misaligned missile guidance system and a decision to fire without authorization contributed to Iran's downing of a civilian passenger plane in January, according to a new report from Iran's Civil Aviation Organization.
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down shortly after takeoff from the Iranian capital, Tehran, killing all 176 people on board. For several days, no one took responsibility, but signs pointed toward it being struck by a missile. Eventually, Iran admitted it had targeted the plane after mistakenly believing it was a U.S. missile.
"PS 752 was identified by one of the air defense units as a threat and targeted consequently," Iran's accident investigation report says in its introduction, before laying out the pertinent facts. The Kyiv-bound plane received permission from air traffic control to take off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport. The flight plan was relayed to Iran's air defense coordination center, and the military granted clearance for the plane to depart.
That's when everything went awry. Mistake No. 1: One of Iran's air defense units had been moved — but because of human error, its radar system was never realigned. So when the unit spotted an object traveling on an unknown flight path, the unit didn't realize that it was the Boeing 737-800 that had already gotten clearance.
The air defense unit operator notified command about the object and identified it as a threat. But command never responded and never let the unit operator know that it was the Kyiv-bound flight. "Another link in the chain of events was formed at this point," the report says.
By now, the tragedy still could have been averted, the report says, if not for mistake No. 3: "If at this point he had identified the target as a passenger aircraft, the missile would not have been launched."
The errors continued. From air traffic control's vantage point, PS 752 was following its assigned flight path. But having not heard back from command, the air defense unit operator fired upon the target. He wasn't supposed to do that; Iran's military procedure states that individual units aren't authorized to fire without explicitly getting orders to do so. "The fourth link leading to the firing of the missile was now formed."
The first missile likely hit the plane, the report says. But the rogue unit, still tracking the object, fired again. By now, the aircraft had lost radio communication. It turned to the right. A fire broke out inside the plane. Two minutes later, it crashed into a playground in Khalajabad, exploding on impact. "The aircraft then kept hitting the ground and bouncing on a route towards the airport, making the aircraft pieces, victims' properties, objects and body remains disintegrate completely in a vast area near a residential complex, recreational and sports park, gardens and the surrounding agricultural land," the report says.
All passengers and crew members were killed.
"The sequence of events clearly shows the occurrence of a chain of events initiated by a human error," the report says.
Iran's government had previously explained that it was on high alert after it fired missile strikes on Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops. That attack was a retaliation for a U.S. drone strike that killed the prominent Iranian military commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad on Jan. 3.
Iran has delayed providing international investigators with the flight's black box recorder but has reportedly pledged to provide it to French investigators on July 20.
www.npr.org
July 12, 20201:56 PM ET
MATTHEW S. SCHWARTZ
Rescue teams examine the wreckage of the Ukrainian airliner that was shot down shortly after takeoff in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Jan. 8. Iran says a tragic series of mistakes led to the missile strike.
Akbar Tavakoli/IRNA/AFP via Getty Images
Human error, a misaligned missile guidance system and a decision to fire without authorization contributed to Iran's downing of a civilian passenger plane in January, according to a new report from Iran's Civil Aviation Organization.
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down shortly after takeoff from the Iranian capital, Tehran, killing all 176 people on board. For several days, no one took responsibility, but signs pointed toward it being struck by a missile. Eventually, Iran admitted it had targeted the plane after mistakenly believing it was a U.S. missile.
"PS 752 was identified by one of the air defense units as a threat and targeted consequently," Iran's accident investigation report says in its introduction, before laying out the pertinent facts. The Kyiv-bound plane received permission from air traffic control to take off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport. The flight plan was relayed to Iran's air defense coordination center, and the military granted clearance for the plane to depart.
That's when everything went awry. Mistake No. 1: One of Iran's air defense units had been moved — but because of human error, its radar system was never realigned. So when the unit spotted an object traveling on an unknown flight path, the unit didn't realize that it was the Boeing 737-800 that had already gotten clearance.
The air defense unit operator notified command about the object and identified it as a threat. But command never responded and never let the unit operator know that it was the Kyiv-bound flight. "Another link in the chain of events was formed at this point," the report says.
By now, the tragedy still could have been averted, the report says, if not for mistake No. 3: "If at this point he had identified the target as a passenger aircraft, the missile would not have been launched."
The errors continued. From air traffic control's vantage point, PS 752 was following its assigned flight path. But having not heard back from command, the air defense unit operator fired upon the target. He wasn't supposed to do that; Iran's military procedure states that individual units aren't authorized to fire without explicitly getting orders to do so. "The fourth link leading to the firing of the missile was now formed."
The first missile likely hit the plane, the report says. But the rogue unit, still tracking the object, fired again. By now, the aircraft had lost radio communication. It turned to the right. A fire broke out inside the plane. Two minutes later, it crashed into a playground in Khalajabad, exploding on impact. "The aircraft then kept hitting the ground and bouncing on a route towards the airport, making the aircraft pieces, victims' properties, objects and body remains disintegrate completely in a vast area near a residential complex, recreational and sports park, gardens and the surrounding agricultural land," the report says.
All passengers and crew members were killed.
"The sequence of events clearly shows the occurrence of a chain of events initiated by a human error," the report says.
Iran's government had previously explained that it was on high alert after it fired missile strikes on Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops. That attack was a retaliation for a U.S. drone strike that killed the prominent Iranian military commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad on Jan. 3.
Iran has delayed providing international investigators with the flight's black box recorder but has reportedly pledged to provide it to French investigators on July 20.
Iranian Report Details Chain Of Mistakes In Shooting Down Ukrainian Passenger Plane
A missile operator who didn't properly calibrate his radar system fired on the Ukrainian passenger plane without authorization, Iran says. All 176 people on board were killed on Jan. 8.
www.npr.org
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Tehran Says It Has Executed Alleged Iranian Spy For CIA
July 14, 2020
Iran’s judiciary says a a former defense ministry worker convicted of selling information to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been executed.
Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said on July 14 that Reza Asgari had been in touch with the CIA during his last years serving at the Defense Ministry and sold the agency information about Iran's missile program.
Esmaili said Asgari was executed last week, adding that he had worked in the aerospace department of the Defense Ministry and retired four years ago.
Separately, Esmaili said a death sentence for Mahmud Musavi-Majd, an Iranian accused of spying for the United States and Israel, is still to be carried out.
Iranian authorities have said that Musavi-Majd passed on information about the whereabouts of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC), who was killed in a U.S. air strike in Iraq in January.
The judiciary said last month that Musavi-Majd’s death sentence has been upheld by the Supreme Court and will be carried out “soon.”
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and ISNA
July 14, 2020
Iran’s judiciary says a a former defense ministry worker convicted of selling information to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been executed.
Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said on July 14 that Reza Asgari had been in touch with the CIA during his last years serving at the Defense Ministry and sold the agency information about Iran's missile program.
Esmaili said Asgari was executed last week, adding that he had worked in the aerospace department of the Defense Ministry and retired four years ago.
Separately, Esmaili said a death sentence for Mahmud Musavi-Majd, an Iranian accused of spying for the United States and Israel, is still to be carried out.
Iranian authorities have said that Musavi-Majd passed on information about the whereabouts of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC), who was killed in a U.S. air strike in Iraq in January.
The judiciary said last month that Musavi-Majd’s death sentence has been upheld by the Supreme Court and will be carried out “soon.”
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and ISNA
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Iranian Port Hit By Fire, Latest In String Of Incidents At Military, Civilian Sites
July 15, 2020 17:55 GMT
Firefighters combat a blaze at the Delvar Kashti Bushehr boat factory in the Iranian city of Bushehr on July 15.
Several vessels caught fire on July 15 at Iran’s port of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, local media reported.
The official IRNA news agency published a photo showing black smoke billowing into the air at a shipyard at the southern port as firefighters battled the blaze.
No casualties were reported, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.
Reports said at least seven vessels were damaged in the fire.
The incident appeared to be the latest in a string of fires and explosions at military and civilian sites across Iran in recent weeks.
Two explosions rocked the capital, Tehran, in late June, one near a military site and the other in a health center, the latter killing 19 people.
A fire also broke out at Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear facility on July 2, officials said.
Iran's top security body said on July 3 that the cause of the Natanz fire had been determined but would be announced at a later time.
Some Iranian officials said it could have been a cyberattack, and one warned that Tehran would retaliate against any country carrying out such attacks.
In an article in early July, state news agency IRNA addressed what it called the possibility of sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United
States, although it stopped short of accusing either directly.
Israel's defense minister said on July 5 his country was not "necessarily" behind every mysterious incident in Iran.
Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, and RFE/RL's Radio Farda
July 15, 2020 17:55 GMT
Firefighters combat a blaze at the Delvar Kashti Bushehr boat factory in the Iranian city of Bushehr on July 15.
Several vessels caught fire on July 15 at Iran’s port of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, local media reported.
The official IRNA news agency published a photo showing black smoke billowing into the air at a shipyard at the southern port as firefighters battled the blaze.
No casualties were reported, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.
Reports said at least seven vessels were damaged in the fire.
The incident appeared to be the latest in a string of fires and explosions at military and civilian sites across Iran in recent weeks.
Two explosions rocked the capital, Tehran, in late June, one near a military site and the other in a health center, the latter killing 19 people.
A fire also broke out at Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear facility on July 2, officials said.
Iran's top security body said on July 3 that the cause of the Natanz fire had been determined but would be announced at a later time.
Some Iranian officials said it could have been a cyberattack, and one warned that Tehran would retaliate against any country carrying out such attacks.
In an article in early July, state news agency IRNA addressed what it called the possibility of sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United
States, although it stopped short of accusing either directly.
Israel's defense minister said on July 5 his country was not "necessarily" behind every mysterious incident in Iran.
Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, and RFE/RL's Radio Farda
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A Jist?
Gripen9
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Commentating on UB JIT. Elaborating on UB's links to Iranian Intelligence (Haji Nasir). Details what iranians asked him to i-e spy on Pak Military & Intelligence locations and personnel specifically in Karachi. Corp Commander 5 Corp, PN HQ, ISI/MI personnel.
He then goes on to say what did the Iranians want from this Info or where they just collecting for Indians.
He then criticizes Sindh Gov version that removed all Iranian version.
Zulu
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Chalo Allah ka shukur means real JIT poori bahar tu aai yeh alag baad control media kabhi woh hissay highlight nahi karyy gaa which against their master.All media houses acc to their pay masters .ganda hai par dhanda hai yeh
Zulu
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Haji Nisar Jan 2015 sy gaib haii phase 5 wala villaa .One thing very serious for me most of them have dual nationality didn't know we are in dual national agreement with Iran as they using it against us just their operators but not our norm citizens
Gripen9
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Iranian state hackers caught with their pants down in intercepted videos.
arstechnica.com
Iranian state hackers caught with their pants down in intercepted videos
IBM researchers steal 40GB of data from group targeting presidential campaigns.
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Iran police vow to deal 'decisively' with any further protests
July 17, 2020 / Updated 8 hours ago
Internet disrupted in Iran province as police disperse rally
July 17, 2020
Iran security forces fire tear gas to disperse protesters
July 16, 2020
July 17, 2020 / Updated 8 hours ago
Internet disrupted in Iran province as police disperse rally
July 17, 2020
Iran security forces fire tear gas to disperse protesters
July 16, 2020
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US has 'several' indications Iran has put portions of air defense on high alert
July 16, 2020
(CNN)The US has "several" intelligence indications that Iran has put portions of its air defense system on "high alert" in recent days, following unexplained explosions at key facilities tied to the country's military and nuclear programs, according to a US official who is closely tracking developments.
The change in alert status means Iranian surface-to-air missile batteries would be ready to fire at targets perceived to be a threat.
The official would not say how the US picked up on these indicators, but American satellites, spy planes, and ships routinely operate in nearby international airspace and waters where they continuously monitor Iranian activity.
Several US military officials declined to publicly comment on whether the US has intelligence related to Iran's alert status.
The US currently assesses the Iranian alert is not part of a training exercise but is a response to recent events and nervousness over whether there is an unknown threat to the regime in the wake of multiple mysterious explosions at various facilities this month.
A struggle to explain
Iran has struggled to explain the cause of those incidents, including a fire that caused major damage to a site that has been key to the country's uranium enrichment program, prompting questions about potential sabotage.
International speculation has centered on a theory that Israel may be behind some of the explosions, even though US officials originally said the Israelis had assured them they were not responsible.
However, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz did not rule that possibility out while discussing the issue on July 5, saying, "Not every incident that transpires in Iran necessarily has something to do with us. ... All those systems are complex, they have very high safety constraints and I'm not sure they always know how to maintain them."
Publicly, the US has not commented on a potential Israeli connection. Top US officials are trying to learn more about the explosions and who, or what, might have been responsible, the official said.
One of the most critical incidents came July 2 when a fire caused significant damage to a building at Iran's Natanz nuclear plant. That site was previously the target of a cyberattack widely believed to have been carried out by Israel and the US that came to light with the 2010 discovery of the Stuxnet computer virus.
Iranian state TV has previously cited an anonymous security official saying an investigation of the fire at the Natanz nuclear complex found "no evidence" of sabotage.
However, the BBC's Persian service has also reported receiving an oddly worded statement from an unknown group calling themselves "Cheetahs of the Homeland," who claimed they were behind that explosion without providing evidence.
Other unexplained incidents that have occurred in recent weeks include a large blast near the town of Parchin and its military complex. Another explosion hit the Zargan power plant in Ahvaz. That incident was quickly followed by a suspected chlorine leak that made dozens ill in southeast Iran.
While the cause of these incidents still remains unclear, top US military officials are also beginning to indicate privately that it appears increasingly unlikely all these events are due to industrial accidents given the number that have occurred.
Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, has only provided vague answers when asked about the series of incidents.
"I'm going to leave that one alone. The Iranians --- they're talking a lot about it. I just listen to what the Iranians say on that," he told reporters earlier this month.
But just days after making those comments, McKenzie appeared to suggest there was intelligence on what might have happened.
"We have seen and observed those explosions in Iran. I'm not going to be able to speculate what that may or may not have done to the Iranian nuclear program," he said.
One key concern is that Iran could "lash out" and counterattack in an unpredictable fashion if it believes it may be under attack by Israel or the US, the official said.
The US is also concerned that Iran's unreliability in operating its air defense systems means moving to a high alert status could also pose a threat on its own.
In January, a civilian Ukraine airliner was shot down shortly after takeoff by a surface to air missile launched mistakenly by Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran's military tactic of putting its air defenses on alert may not really address the potential threat it perceives, the official said.
There is no indication that any fighters, bombers or missiles were launched against Iran, meaning any potential attack could have been been ground- or possibly cyber-based.
But if there are opposition groups on the ground in Iran conducting attacks against key facilities there, it is not clear to the US if any outside personnel, money or organization is supporting such an effort.
CNN's Zachary Cohen contributed to this report
July 16, 2020
(CNN)The US has "several" intelligence indications that Iran has put portions of its air defense system on "high alert" in recent days, following unexplained explosions at key facilities tied to the country's military and nuclear programs, according to a US official who is closely tracking developments.
The change in alert status means Iranian surface-to-air missile batteries would be ready to fire at targets perceived to be a threat.
The official would not say how the US picked up on these indicators, but American satellites, spy planes, and ships routinely operate in nearby international airspace and waters where they continuously monitor Iranian activity.
Several US military officials declined to publicly comment on whether the US has intelligence related to Iran's alert status.
The US currently assesses the Iranian alert is not part of a training exercise but is a response to recent events and nervousness over whether there is an unknown threat to the regime in the wake of multiple mysterious explosions at various facilities this month.
A struggle to explain
Iran has struggled to explain the cause of those incidents, including a fire that caused major damage to a site that has been key to the country's uranium enrichment program, prompting questions about potential sabotage.
International speculation has centered on a theory that Israel may be behind some of the explosions, even though US officials originally said the Israelis had assured them they were not responsible.
However, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz did not rule that possibility out while discussing the issue on July 5, saying, "Not every incident that transpires in Iran necessarily has something to do with us. ... All those systems are complex, they have very high safety constraints and I'm not sure they always know how to maintain them."
Publicly, the US has not commented on a potential Israeli connection. Top US officials are trying to learn more about the explosions and who, or what, might have been responsible, the official said.
One of the most critical incidents came July 2 when a fire caused significant damage to a building at Iran's Natanz nuclear plant. That site was previously the target of a cyberattack widely believed to have been carried out by Israel and the US that came to light with the 2010 discovery of the Stuxnet computer virus.
Iranian state TV has previously cited an anonymous security official saying an investigation of the fire at the Natanz nuclear complex found "no evidence" of sabotage.
However, the BBC's Persian service has also reported receiving an oddly worded statement from an unknown group calling themselves "Cheetahs of the Homeland," who claimed they were behind that explosion without providing evidence.
Other unexplained incidents that have occurred in recent weeks include a large blast near the town of Parchin and its military complex. Another explosion hit the Zargan power plant in Ahvaz. That incident was quickly followed by a suspected chlorine leak that made dozens ill in southeast Iran.
While the cause of these incidents still remains unclear, top US military officials are also beginning to indicate privately that it appears increasingly unlikely all these events are due to industrial accidents given the number that have occurred.
Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, has only provided vague answers when asked about the series of incidents.
"I'm going to leave that one alone. The Iranians --- they're talking a lot about it. I just listen to what the Iranians say on that," he told reporters earlier this month.
But just days after making those comments, McKenzie appeared to suggest there was intelligence on what might have happened.
"We have seen and observed those explosions in Iran. I'm not going to be able to speculate what that may or may not have done to the Iranian nuclear program," he said.
One key concern is that Iran could "lash out" and counterattack in an unpredictable fashion if it believes it may be under attack by Israel or the US, the official said.
The US is also concerned that Iran's unreliability in operating its air defense systems means moving to a high alert status could also pose a threat on its own.
In January, a civilian Ukraine airliner was shot down shortly after takeoff by a surface to air missile launched mistakenly by Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran's military tactic of putting its air defenses on alert may not really address the potential threat it perceives, the official said.
There is no indication that any fighters, bombers or missiles were launched against Iran, meaning any potential attack could have been been ground- or possibly cyber-based.
But if there are opposition groups on the ground in Iran conducting attacks against key facilities there, it is not clear to the US if any outside personnel, money or organization is supporting such an effort.
CNN's Zachary Cohen contributed to this report
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Iran judiciary may halt protesters' executions after social media storm
By Jiyar Gol BBC Persian
Amirhossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi denied the charges laid against them
Iran's judiciary has suggested it might halt the executions of three young men convicted in connection with November's mass anti-government protests, following a social media campaign.
The Persian hashtag #do_not_execute was used five million times after it was announced on Tuesday that the Supreme Court had upheld their death sentences.
Many celebrities backed the campaign.
On Wednesday night, the judiciary said its chief would consider any request from the men to review their sentences.
Lawyers for the three men also were reportedly told that they could for the first time examine the court papers and evidence against their clients.
Iran is the world's second most prolific state executioner after China.
Despite having to deal with the Middle East's biggest outbreak of Covid-19, which has killed more than 13,000 people and deepened an economic crisis, the Iranian authorities have not stopped trying capital cases and carrying out death sentences.
Early on Tuesday, two Kurdish men were executed in Urumieh prison in West Azerbaijan province.
Diaku Rasoulzadeh and Saber Sheikh Abdollah, who were in their early 20s and 30s respectively, had been on death row since 2015. They were convicted of planting a bomb at a military parade in Mahabad in 2010.
By Jiyar Gol BBC Persian
- 16 July 2020
Amirhossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi denied the charges laid against them
Iran's judiciary has suggested it might halt the executions of three young men convicted in connection with November's mass anti-government protests, following a social media campaign.
The Persian hashtag #do_not_execute was used five million times after it was announced on Tuesday that the Supreme Court had upheld their death sentences.
Many celebrities backed the campaign.
On Wednesday night, the judiciary said its chief would consider any request from the men to review their sentences.
Lawyers for the three men also were reportedly told that they could for the first time examine the court papers and evidence against their clients.
Iran is the world's second most prolific state executioner after China.
Despite having to deal with the Middle East's biggest outbreak of Covid-19, which has killed more than 13,000 people and deepened an economic crisis, the Iranian authorities have not stopped trying capital cases and carrying out death sentences.
Early on Tuesday, two Kurdish men were executed in Urumieh prison in West Azerbaijan province.
Diaku Rasoulzadeh and Saber Sheikh Abdollah, who were in their early 20s and 30s respectively, had been on death row since 2015. They were convicted of planting a bomb at a military parade in Mahabad in 2010.
Counter-Errorist
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After rail, India set to lose Iran gas project
Anadolu Agency 18 Jul, 2020
After being "dropped" from a key rail project in southeastern Iran along the border with Afghanistan, India is also set to lose an ambitious gas field project in the country that had been in the pipeline for past 10 years.
India's Ministry of External Affairs in a statement on Thursday said Tehran would develop the Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf region "on its own" and might engage India "appropriately at a later stage".
Last week, Masoud Karbasian, managing director of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), told reporters that a new operator had been roped in to develop the gas field, replacing India's ONGC.
The field, estimated to possess 21.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, 12.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 212 million barrels of gas condensates, was discovered in 2008 by a consortium of three Indian companies — ONGC, Oil India Limited and Indian Oil Corporation.
According to the deal, the Indian side was supposed to develop the field but they abruptly stopped work in 2012, following the intensification of sanctions against Iran.
After sanctions were eased in 2015 following the signing of a nuclear deal between Iran and Western countries, India showed its willingness to return to the project.
However, things again fell apart amid the reinstatement of US sanctions on Iran in May 2018, which further "discouraged" India from making headway in the project, said sources familiar with the issue who requested not to be named.
"By May 2018, the two sides had made tremendous progress and agreed on key details of the project," the sources said. "However, the US sanctions played the spoilsport."
The two sides had disagreements among themselves as well, particularly on the number of pipelines to be laid and financial investment in the development plan, according to reports.
In May 2019, Iran's oil minister, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, said his ministry had devised a plan to finance the development of the Farzad-B gas field.
The NIOC had asked the Indian side to submit a financial plan for the field's development. However, Tehran was "not impressed" with the plan and asked for a new one, said the sources. India had reportedly made a $5.5 billion investment plan
In August 2019, after slow progress by the Indian side to submit a new plan, Karbasian said Iran would proceed with another operator for the project.
India's External Affairs Ministry, however, said the "follow-up bilateral cooperation" was impacted by "policy changes on the Iranian side".
Double blow
India's loss of the project marks a "big setback" for relations between the two countries, Tehran-based analysts, who asked to remain anonymous, told Anadolu Agency, as the Farzad-B gas field and Chabahar port were the two largest bilateral accomplishments between the two sides.
Earlier reports claimed that Iran had "dropped" India from a rail project after the Indian side showed reluctance to start work due to US sanctions.
Read: Iran drops India from key Chabahar project
The memorandum of understanding to construct the 628-kilometre railway line from the port city of Chabahar to Zahedan was first discussed between the two sides in May 2016.
It came on the sidelines of the signing of a trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan to develop a transport and trade corridor from India to Afghanistan through the Chabahar port in southeast Iran. The port has been operational since 2016 and has been exempted from US sanctions.
India's External Affairs Ministry dismissed the reports that Iran excluded it from the rail project as "speculative," saying Tehran was to "nominate an authorised entity to finalise outstanding technical and financial issues". The matter, it said, was "still awaited".
"IRCON was appointed by Government of India to assess the feasibility of the project. It was working with CDTIC, an Iranian company under their Ministry of Railways in that regard. IRCON has completed the site inspection and review of the feasibility report," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday, referring to the state-run Indian infrastructure firm undertaking the project.
"Detailed discussions were thereafter held on other relevant aspects of the project, which had to take into account the financial challenges that Iran was facing. In December 2019, these issues were reviewed in detail at the 19th India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting in Tehran."
Read: US sanctions, coronavirus make for Iran's toughest year, says Rouhani
An official from Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation has also denied the reports. However, he said Iran "has not inked any deal with India" for the construction of the Chabahar-Zahedan railroad.
"Iran has only signed two agreements with Indians for investment in Chabahar: One is related to the port's machinery and equipment, and the second is related to India's investment to the tune of $150m," Farhad Montaser told state news agency IRNA on Wednesday.
According to the 2016 MoU between India's IRCON and Iran’s CDTIC, IRCON was to "provide requisite services for the construction of Chabahar-Zahedan railway line which forms part of transit and transportation corridor in trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan".
Services to be provided by IRCON, as part of the MoU, included all "superstructure work and financing the project", estimated to be around $1.6 billion.
However, the two sides failed to reach an agreement, sources said. Last week, Iran went ahead with a track-laying ceremony for the rail line, which will eventually stretch to Zaranj on the Afghan side.
After rail, India set to lose Iran gas project
Anadolu Agency 18 Jul, 2020
After being "dropped" from a key rail project in southeastern Iran along the border with Afghanistan, India is also set to lose an ambitious gas field project in the country that had been in the pipeline for past 10 years.
India's Ministry of External Affairs in a statement on Thursday said Tehran would develop the Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf region "on its own" and might engage India "appropriately at a later stage".
Last week, Masoud Karbasian, managing director of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), told reporters that a new operator had been roped in to develop the gas field, replacing India's ONGC.
The field, estimated to possess 21.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, 12.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 212 million barrels of gas condensates, was discovered in 2008 by a consortium of three Indian companies — ONGC, Oil India Limited and Indian Oil Corporation.
According to the deal, the Indian side was supposed to develop the field but they abruptly stopped work in 2012, following the intensification of sanctions against Iran.
After sanctions were eased in 2015 following the signing of a nuclear deal between Iran and Western countries, India showed its willingness to return to the project.
However, things again fell apart amid the reinstatement of US sanctions on Iran in May 2018, which further "discouraged" India from making headway in the project, said sources familiar with the issue who requested not to be named.
"By May 2018, the two sides had made tremendous progress and agreed on key details of the project," the sources said. "However, the US sanctions played the spoilsport."
The two sides had disagreements among themselves as well, particularly on the number of pipelines to be laid and financial investment in the development plan, according to reports.
In May 2019, Iran's oil minister, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, said his ministry had devised a plan to finance the development of the Farzad-B gas field.
The NIOC had asked the Indian side to submit a financial plan for the field's development. However, Tehran was "not impressed" with the plan and asked for a new one, said the sources. India had reportedly made a $5.5 billion investment plan
In August 2019, after slow progress by the Indian side to submit a new plan, Karbasian said Iran would proceed with another operator for the project.
India's External Affairs Ministry, however, said the "follow-up bilateral cooperation" was impacted by "policy changes on the Iranian side".
Double blow
India's loss of the project marks a "big setback" for relations between the two countries, Tehran-based analysts, who asked to remain anonymous, told Anadolu Agency, as the Farzad-B gas field and Chabahar port were the two largest bilateral accomplishments between the two sides.
Earlier reports claimed that Iran had "dropped" India from a rail project after the Indian side showed reluctance to start work due to US sanctions.
Read: Iran drops India from key Chabahar project
The memorandum of understanding to construct the 628-kilometre railway line from the port city of Chabahar to Zahedan was first discussed between the two sides in May 2016.
It came on the sidelines of the signing of a trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan to develop a transport and trade corridor from India to Afghanistan through the Chabahar port in southeast Iran. The port has been operational since 2016 and has been exempted from US sanctions.
India's External Affairs Ministry dismissed the reports that Iran excluded it from the rail project as "speculative," saying Tehran was to "nominate an authorised entity to finalise outstanding technical and financial issues". The matter, it said, was "still awaited".
"IRCON was appointed by Government of India to assess the feasibility of the project. It was working with CDTIC, an Iranian company under their Ministry of Railways in that regard. IRCON has completed the site inspection and review of the feasibility report," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday, referring to the state-run Indian infrastructure firm undertaking the project.
"Detailed discussions were thereafter held on other relevant aspects of the project, which had to take into account the financial challenges that Iran was facing. In December 2019, these issues were reviewed in detail at the 19th India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting in Tehran."
Read: US sanctions, coronavirus make for Iran's toughest year, says Rouhani
An official from Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation has also denied the reports. However, he said Iran "has not inked any deal with India" for the construction of the Chabahar-Zahedan railroad.
"Iran has only signed two agreements with Indians for investment in Chabahar: One is related to the port's machinery and equipment, and the second is related to India's investment to the tune of $150m," Farhad Montaser told state news agency IRNA on Wednesday.
According to the 2016 MoU between India's IRCON and Iran’s CDTIC, IRCON was to "provide requisite services for the construction of Chabahar-Zahedan railway line which forms part of transit and transportation corridor in trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan".
Services to be provided by IRCON, as part of the MoU, included all "superstructure work and financing the project", estimated to be around $1.6 billion.
However, the two sides failed to reach an agreement, sources said. Last week, Iran went ahead with a track-laying ceremony for the rail line, which will eventually stretch to Zaranj on the Afghan side.
After rail, India set to lose Iran gas project
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Another fire followed by a large explosion at a factory in the city of Tabriz in Iran.
Another fire followed by a large explosion at a factory in the city of Tabriz in Iran.