Iran's Acting President Addresses New Parliament

Iran's interim president Mohammad Mokhber speaks during the opening ceremony of Iran's 12th parliament in Tehran, Iran, May 27, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iran's interim president Mohammad Mokhber speaks during the opening ceremony of Iran's 12th parliament in Tehran, Iran, May 27, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
TT

Iran's Acting President Addresses New Parliament

Iran's interim president Mohammad Mokhber speaks during the opening ceremony of Iran's 12th parliament in Tehran, Iran, May 27, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iran's interim president Mohammad Mokhber speaks during the opening ceremony of Iran's 12th parliament in Tehran, Iran, May 27, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iran's acting President Mohammad Mokhber addressed the country's new parliament Monday in his first public speech since last week's helicopter crash that killed his predecessor and seven others.
His speech comes as Iran prepares for a presidential election to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi in just a month, a vote that could see the previously behind-the-scenes bureaucrat potentially run alongside others. Meanwhile, Iran's new hard-line parliament is expected to select its new speaker Tuesday.
In his remarks, Mokhber praised Raisi's time in office, noting that Iran's crude oil production— a key source of hard currency for the country — climbed to more than 3.6 million barrels a day. That comes after Oil Minister Javad Owji said Sunday that Iran was now exporting around 2 million barrels a day, despite Western sanctions.
Mokhber also asserted that the country’s economy remained stable under Raisi when Iran took military actions in Iraq, Israel and Pakistan in recent months.
“Three countries were hit. We hit Israel, people find that figures and indexes are the same in the morning when they wake up, price of hard currency is the same, inflation is the same, liquidity is the same and the market is full of people’s needs,” Mokhber claimed. “This strength, this settlement and this power is not a usual thing, they all were because of guidance by the supreme leader and the sincere efforts of Ayatollah Raisi.”
The Iranian rial has tumbled from a rate of 32,000 rials to $1 at the time of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Today, it stands around 580,000 to $1 in the wake of the US' unilateral withdrawal from the accord and a series of attacks on shipping in the Mideast, first attributed to Iran and later involving Yemen's Houthis as Israel's war against Hamas on the Gaza Strip began over seven months ago.
On May 20, rescuers recovered the bodies of Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others in a mountainous region in northwestern Iran following a fatal helicopter crash.
Iran will hold presidential elections on June 28 to replace Raisi. On Thursday, a five-day registration period for candidates will open.



UK's Foreign Minister: US, Ukraine Should Deepen Partnership

Britain's new foreign secretary, David Lammy, is pictured at a meeting in Beirut, Lebanon in January 12, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
Britain's new foreign secretary, David Lammy, is pictured at a meeting in Beirut, Lebanon in January 12, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
TT

UK's Foreign Minister: US, Ukraine Should Deepen Partnership

Britain's new foreign secretary, David Lammy, is pictured at a meeting in Beirut, Lebanon in January 12, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
Britain's new foreign secretary, David Lammy, is pictured at a meeting in Beirut, Lebanon in January 12, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

British Foreign Minister David Lammy said on Saturday he would encourage US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to deepen their partnership in the future.

"I would encourage Donald Trump and the Ukrainians to look very carefully at a deepening partnership over the next generations," Lammy said at the Munich Security Conference, Reuters reported.

Britain and Ukraine signed a landmark 100-year partnership agreement last month to deepen security ties and strengthen their countries' relationship.

Lammy said the best security guarantee for Ukraine against future Russian aggression was binding US industry, business and defence capability into its future.

"That is what will make Putin sit up and pay attention, and that is what's attractive to a US president who knows how to get a good deal," Lammy added.