Russia, Iran Discuss Regional Developments

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi receives Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tehran last October (AP)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi receives Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tehran last October (AP)
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Russia, Iran Discuss Regional Developments

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi receives Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tehran last October (AP)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi receives Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tehran last October (AP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held telephone talks with their Iranian counterparts on Monday, several Russian media outlets reported.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Lavrov and Iran's FM Hossein Amirabdollahian strongly condemned the large-scale attacks on Yemen carried out by a group of countries led by the US and the UK, according to the Russian TASS agency.
The statement said the ministers focused "on the escalating tensions in the Middle East."
They spoke in favor of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ensuring unobstructed humanitarian access to the enclave to provide urgent assistance to the suffering civilian population.
The Foreign Ministers also discussed the progress in drafting a new treaty and other issues concerning bilateral trade and economic cooperation, and cooperation in transport, logistics, and other areas.
Bilateral relations between the two countries have shown major improvement in the past few months.
However, Moscow faced sharp Iranian criticism last month after the Russian Foreign Minister reiterated his country's support for an Emirati initiative offering Tehran to resolve the issue of the three occupied islands in the Arabian Gulf through dialogue or referring it to international courts.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the two ministers asserted their mutual commitment to the fundamental principles of Russian-Iranian relations, including unconditional respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and other principles of the UN Charter.
They noted that these issues will be reaffirmed in the major treaty underway for signing by Russia and Iran.
During the past few weeks, Amirabdollahian was subject to criticism after he claimed to have obtained Russian confirmation that it had corrected its position regarding the trio islands without providing evidence.
Last December, Marrakesh hosted the 6th Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum (RACF) session at the ministerial level.
In the concluding statement, the countries confirmed their support for all peaceful efforts, including initiatives aimed at reaching a solution to the three islands issue according to the principles of international law and the UN Charter and through bilateral negotiations or resorting to the International Court of Justice if the parties agree to that.
The Russian support revived internal disputes regarding rapprochement with China and distancing itself from Western countries.
Foreign policy adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati was among the most prominent critics of the Russian position.
Velayati warned Moscow of the repercussions of a "strategic" relationship between the two countries.
Furthermore, Mohsen Rezaee, senior military officer in the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and former VP for economic affairs, warned against repeating Russia's unfriendly interventions regarding the Iranian territory.
Rezaee added: "The three islands are not Crimea."
Last month, Iran summoned the Russian Chargé d'Affaires in a move similar to calling the chief Russian diplomat in Tehran last June.
Iran supplies Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine. Russia supports the parties supporting Iran's demands in the 2015 agreement on its nuclear program.

The diplomatic path to reviving the nuclear agreement faltered after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war.



Canada Foiled Iran Plot to Assassinate Former Minister

 Irwin Cotler (L) was targeted in an alleged Iranian assassination plot. (AFP)
Irwin Cotler (L) was targeted in an alleged Iranian assassination plot. (AFP)
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Canada Foiled Iran Plot to Assassinate Former Minister

 Irwin Cotler (L) was targeted in an alleged Iranian assassination plot. (AFP)
Irwin Cotler (L) was targeted in an alleged Iranian assassination plot. (AFP)

Canadian authorities recently foiled an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Irwin Cotler, a former justice minister who has been a strong critic of Tehran, Cotler's organization said Monday.

The 84-year-old was justice minister and attorney general from 2003 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2015 but has remained active with many associations that campaign for human rights around the world.

The Globe and Mail newspaper reported that he was informed on October 26 that he faced an imminent threat -- within 48 hours -- of assassination from Iranian agents.

Authorities tracked two suspects in the plot, the paper said, citing an unnamed source.

In an email to AFP, the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights, where Cotler is international chair, confirmed the Globe and Mail report.

Cotler "has no knowledge or details regarding any arrests made," said Brandon Golfman, an organization spokesman.

Tehran late on Monday denied what it described as "the claim of Canadian media that Iran tried to assassinate a Canadian person," the official IRNA news agency reported, citing Issa Kameli, the director general for the Americas at the foreign ministry.

The Iranian diplomat denounced the report as "ridiculous storytelling and in line with the misinformation campaign against Iran".

A spokesperson for Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc declined to comment, telling AFP: "We cannot comment on, nor confirm specific RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) operations due to security reasons."

Another senior government minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, called the plot "very concerning."

Jean-Yves Duclos, the government's senior minister in Quebec province, where Cotler lives, said it was likely "very difficult for (Cotler), in particular, and his family and friends to hear" about it.

The House of Commons, meanwhile, passed a unanimous motion praising Cotler's work in defense of human rights and "condemning the death threats against him orchestrated by agents of a foreign regime."

Cotler had already been receiving police protection for more than a year after the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel by Hamas gunmen.

Cotler, who is Jewish and a strong backer of Israel, has advocated globally to have Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps listed as a terrorist entity.

His name reportedly also came up in an FBI probe of a 2022 Iranian murder-for-hire operation in New York that targeted American human rights activist Masih Alinejad.

Ottawa, which severed diplomatic ties with Iran more than a decade ago, listed the Revolutionary Guard as a banned terror group in June.

It said at the time that Iranian authorities displayed a consistent "disregard for human rights both inside and outside of Iran, as well as a willingness to destabilize the international rules-based order."

As a lawyer, Cotler also represented Iranian political prisoners and dissidents.

His daughter, Michal Cotler-Wunsh, is an Israeli politician and diplomat who previously served as a member of Israel's parliament.