Rouhani flown to JFK for UNGA session in newly acquired A343

Above: President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Zarif aboard newly acquired IRIG (Meraj Air) Airbus A340-313, reg. EP-AJA (cn 257) on 24SEP15, departing THR on RWY 29L, bound for JFK.  [photo: Mehrad Watson]

Livery painting complete, EP-AJA takes the Iranian delegation to New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly session.

Flight details below, click to enlarge [source: Flightradar24]:

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrives at New York - John F. Kennedy International (Idlewild) (JFK / KJFK)

President Rouhani transfers to vehicle transport with assistance rendered by United States diplomatic security detail

At the United Nations General Assembly on 25SEP15: President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and UN Representative Gholamali Khoshroo.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on 25SEP15 at the United Nations

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on 25SEP15 at the United Nations.

Photos: Islamic Republic News Agency

Rouhani Blames West and Arab States for Rise of Extremism

Iranian President Links Security Cooperation to Lifting of Sanctions

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in a searing indictment of Western and Arab states, blamed them for sowing the seeds of extremism in the Middle East, which he said have given rise to the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Rouhani made the comments in his annual speech at UN General Assembly on Thursday.

Note: Rouhani did not discuss any contributions by the Islamic Republic and its allies to the spread of extremism and terrorism in the region in the past 35 years.

President Rouhani also addressed the ongoing nuclear negotiations, implying that successful outcome in the talks and lifting of sanctions could lead to Iran’s willingness to cooperate with the West on security issues.

“The people of Iran, who have been subjected to pressures especially in the last three years as a result of continued sanctions, cannot place trust in any security cooperation between their government and those who have imposed sanctions and created obstacles in the way of satisfying even their primary needs, such as food and medicine,” Rouhani said.

Photo credit: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressing the UN General Assembly; 25 September 2014 (IRNA)

Rouhani Meets with Cameron, Ashton

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and British Prime Minister David Cameron met today in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The meeting was first between the heads of government of Iran and Britain in more than 35 years. They called for closer bilateral relations between the two countries.

Rouhani also met with EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, who also acts as the chairperson in nuclear meetings between Iran and P5+1.

Meanwhile, Rouhani told a gathering of the New American Foundation, a policy think-tank, that all parties involved in nuclear talks should take advantage of the “historic opportunity” to reach a comprehensive agreement. He said that the two sides should first finish the plan they have embarked upon, the nuclear deal, and then look for cooperation on other areas.

Photo credit: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and British Prime Minister David Cameron; New York, 24 September 2014 (AFP)

Rouhani in New York

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had a busy schedule today in New York. In separate meetings, he has held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Francois Hollande, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and will be meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday. Rouhani and other heads of state and government are in New York to attend the 69^th session of UN General Assembly.

President Rouhani will address the General Assembly on Thursday at 9:00 AM.

Photo credit: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; New York, 23 September 2014. (Twitter@hassanRouhani)

Zarif, Ashton Meet Ahead of Talks with P5+1 - UPDATE

American and Iranian Delegations To hold Bilateral Meetings

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif arrived in New York on Tuesday and held talks with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton today ahead of the next round of nuclear talks between Iran and P5+1 on 19 September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The latest meetings are held amid growing concerns that the two sides are not close to strike a final deal prior to 24 November expiration of the current interim agreement. 

UPDATE: The American and Iranian delegations will be holding bilateral meetings on Wednesday night and Thursday in New York, the U.S. State Department announced.

Photo credit: Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and their delegations at Iranian mission to the UN on Fifth Avenue, New York; 17 September 2014 (Fars News Agency) 

Rouhani: Sanctions Will Not Damage Nuclear Talks

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a press conference in Tehran today that the U.S. action adding entities to the existing sanctions will not damage the on-going talks with world powers. Rouhani, who is expected to attend the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York, said he does not plan to meet with President Obama while visiting the United States.

Rouhani ignored questions about the arrest and continued detention of Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post correspondent in Tehran, although congratulated a Chinese journalist for his command of Farsi language.

Rouhani also said that the impeachment of his minister of science by the Majlis would not change the course of his administration. He added that the next minister of science will follow the same path as his impeached predecessor.

Photo: TV screen capture of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's press conference; Tehran, 30 August 2014. (Mashreq News)

Rouhani charters Iran Aseman A340 for UN trip

 

President Rouhani departs Tehran aboard a chartered Iran Aseman Airlines Airbus A340-311 bound for New York City and the United Nations General Assembly.

                                    Operator: Iran Aseman Airlines
                                    Aircraft type: Airbus A340-311
                                    Reg: EP-APA (cn 002)
                                    Date: Sept. 23, 2013
                                    Notes: Aircraft is one of the oldest A340 types in the world still currently flying.
                                    Iran National Football Team support emblem removed from fuselage for
                                    presidential flight.

Photo: Mahdi Marizad at FARS News Agency

Iran, P5+1 to Start Nuclear Talks in New York - Rouhani

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said today that nuclear talks between the six major powers and his new government could start on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York.

“Perhaps the talks (with P5+1) on the nuclear file would start in the coming weeks in New York and would continue at a venue that would be chosen later,” Rouhani said. (Mehr News Agency/BBC Farsi, 10 September).

Rouhani expressed hope that “successful steps” will be taken during the talks, but reiterated Iran’s position that the country will not give up its rights on the nuclear issue. Rouhani made the comments in a conference of Iran’s Friday Imams in Tehran.

Earlier today, the newly appointed foreign ministry spokeswoman, Marziyeh Afkham, told reporters in a news conference after being appointed as the first female foreign ministry spokeswoman in the country, that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine will meet on 22 September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Afkham had suggested, however, that the upcoming meeting would not be part of the nuclear negotiations between the two sides even though Zarif and Ashton are the chief nuclear negotiators for Iran and P5+1 respectively. Rouhani later reversed that assertion.

Last Tuesday, Zarif urged the P5+1 to show political will when negotiating with Iran.

“They should create a political will on their side and decide to resolve this issue,” Zarif said. “We hope that we will see this change in the behavior of the G5+1 and the two or three countries which more than others pursue the policy of pressure against Iran, that they want to settle the problem through negotiations,” he added.

The two sides wrapped up their latest round of negotiations on April 6 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

File photo: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (MEHR)

U.N. Overwhelmingly Approves Global Arms Trade Treaty

Iran, North Korea and Syria Cast Sole Votes Against Treaty

The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved the first treaty on the global arms trade, which is to regulate the $70 billion business in conventional arms and keep weapons out of the hands of human rights abusers. 155 nations voted in favor, while Iran, North Korea and Syria cast sole votes against the treaty, while 22 countries did not vote or abstained.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the vote, saying the treaty “will make it more difficult for deadly weapons to be diverted into the illicit market and ... will help to keep warlords, pirates, terrorists, criminals and their like from acquiring deadly arms.” (Reuters, 2 April)

In the U.S., the NRA opposes the treaty and has vowed to fight to prevent its ratification by the U.S. Senate when it reaches Washington. The NRA says the treaty will undermine domestic gun rights, a view the U.S. government has strongly rejected.

Iran Condemns UN Resolution on Human Rights Violations

Iran has condemned a recent resolution by the UN General Assembly on the country’s human rights records.

“Unfortunately and in line with a trend established over the past few years, a number of Western countries led by Canada and the United States have passed a resolution against Iran with political objectives and under the delusional pretext of human rights violations in the Islamic Republic,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Friday. (IRNA/Press TV, 21 December)

Mehmanparast added that Iran has always been committed to “supporting and promoting respect for its citizens.”

The UN General Assembly on Thursday by a vote of 86-32, with 65 abstentions, passed a resolution against human rights violations in Iran.

File photo: Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast (IRNA)