Iran, Tajikistan move to build
biggest Persian economic
bloc yet
August 18, 12:49pm
(PressTV)
Tehran last week hosted one of Tajikistan’s most serious economic
delegations ever, bringing together the country’s energy and
transport ministers and the deputy foreign minister
and a group of Tajik businessmen.
The composition of the delegation suggested that Dushanbe is
seeking to redefine its economic relationship with Tehran by
placing energy, transportation, logistics, investment and
trade on the same negotiating table.
At the centre of the talks --- was a proposed long-term agreement
under which Iran would supply petroleum products to Tajikistan
while also providing crude oil to feed the country’s refineries.
The two sides have established a joint working group to
assess transport routes, logistics capacity and the
mechanisms for expanding energy trade, with
Tajik officials saying annual petroleum-
product shipments, currently around
800,000 tons, could rise........
substantially.
Yet the visit’s significance extends well beyond a prospective oil
deal, as Iran and Tajikistan are seeking to build, after decades
of limited engagement, an economic relationship capable of
generating durable trade and investment networks.
That distinction matters because the historical closeness of Iran
and Tajikistan has never automatically translated into close
political or economic relations, with the two countries
passing through periods of cooperation and tension
since Tajikistan gained independence.
Iranian-Tajik relations... contain a longstanding contradiction,
because the two countries are among the few independent
states, where Persian is an official language, yet their
extraordinary connection has produced surprisingly
limited commercial integration.
The picture is now beginning to change, with bilateral trade
reaching about $438 million in 2025, according to the Tajik
authorities, representing a 28 percent increase, while first
-half trade this year reportedly reached $254.3 million.
These figures remain small in the broader context of both
countries’ foreign trade, but their significance lies
precisely in the fact that the relationship is
starting from a relatively low base, and
therefore still has considerable room
to expand.
Iran’s first vice president, Aref, has proposed forming a union of
Persian-speaking countries and regions, citing strong cultural,
civilizational, and linguistic ties between Iran and Tajikistan.
The recent Tajik delegation can therefore be understood as the
most serious attempt yet to move bilateral economic relations
from scattered exchanges toward a more structured system
built around energy, transportation, logistics and
regional connectivity.
The logic behind the energy focus is relatively straightforward.
Iran is a major oil and gas producer with substantial refining
and petroleum-product capacity, while Tajikistan is land-
locked and depends heavily on imported energy to
satisfy its domestic requirements.
Between an Iranian refinery and a Tajik consumer, however,
lie international borders, transport networks, terminals
and several potential transit countries.
Expanded trade will require greater transportation capacity and
stronger logistics infrastructure, with Tajikistan preparing to
discuss the necessary arrangements with neighbouring
countries through which future cargoes would have
to pass.
For Dushanbe, closer cooperation with Iran is vital because
Tajikistan has increasingly sought to diversify its sources
and routes of external supply ---- as regional disruptions
have exposed the risks of relying on limited suppliers.
Russia remains deeply important to the Tajik economy, but
restrictions affecting Russian petroleum exports have
added pressure to a market already seeking greater
flexibility, making alternative suppliers and
transportation routes more valuable
to Dushanbe.
Iran offers two potential advantages simultaneously,
namely an alternative source of energy ...and a
possible alternative route into Central Asia.
Tajikistan has discussed importing Iranian diesel, aviation fuel
and other petroleum products, while also examining Iranian
crude supplies for its refineries, which have a combined
nominal capacity reportedly approaching.... 500,000
tons annually.
The proposed relationship could therefore cover both ends of the
petroleum chain, with refined products serving the consumer
market while Iranian crude potentially supplies Tajikistan’s
refining capacity and creates a more integrated
energy relationship.
Economically, long-term contracts allow both sides to plan, giving
Iran a defined market for part of its output ..and giving Tajikistan
greater predictability in securing energy supplies.
The success of the petroleum relationship, however, will
depend on the cost and reliability of physical delivery.
This is where Chabahar enters the equation, because Iran has
welcomed Tajik investment in the port - and highlighted the
planned completion of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway - as
a means of improving Tajikistan’s access to open waters.
Access to the sea is a structural economic problem for
Tajikistan --- while Central Asia represents a market
where Iran’s geographical position can provide
valuable alternative transit routes.
If the Chabahar-Zahedan railway and other transport links are
completed and connected to regional networks, Tajikistan
could route part of its foreign trade through Iran toward
the Indian Ocean and wider international markets.
Iran, meanwhile, would gain a stronger commercial connection
with Central Asian markets whose importance extends well
beyond the relatively small Tajik market, potentially
strengthening the economic rationale.... for
broader regional transport investment.
If Chabahar could connect Tajikistan to the sea, another proposal
discussed during the recent talks could expand relations in the
opposite direction through the development and activation of
an Iran-Afghanistan-Tajikistan-China transportation corridor.
This may be the clearest indication that Tehran and Dushanbe are
beginning to think beyond bilateral trade.... because a corridor
connecting the four countries would potentially place their
economic relationship ....within a much wider regional
trading system.
At a trilateral meeting hosted in Mashhad, the sides agreed to
examine and conduct field assessments of different routes
through Afghanistan that could connect Iran with
Tajikistan, bringing the proposal closer to
questions of practical feasibility.
The geography is significant --- because Iran sits at one end of the
proposed network, Tajikistan lies within Central Asia and China
represents a major eastern market, while Afghanistan could
provide the crucial land bridge ---- connecting these
economic spaces.
If reliable routes can be established through Afghanistan, trade
between Tehran and Dushanbe would no longer necessarily
terminate at the Tajik market, allowing Tajikistan to
become part of a wider network carrying Iranian
goods toward Chinese markets.
In the opposite direction, Central Asian and Chinese goods could
gain access to Iranian routes and southern ports, potentially
giving Tajikistan a greater role in regional transit while
providing Iran with access to markets beyond its
immediate neighbourhood.
In that scenario, Tajikistan would shift from being simply a
destination market toward becoming a transit node, a
transformation that could give its geographical
position greater economic significance than
the size of its domestic market alone.
For Iran, this distinction is important because Tajikistan’s market
is limited, whereas its position between Afghanistan, China and
the wider Central Asian region .........could give it substantially
greater geo-economic value.
That explains why recent negotiations have covered railways,
roads, aviation, ports and logistics alongside petroleum,
because expanding energy trade without addressing
transportation would leave the central constraint
of the relationship unresolved.
______________________________________
Hamas rep.: Resistance, arms
will remain as long as the
occupation exists
August 18, 11:11 am
Gisoo Misha Ahmadi
Press TV, Tehran
The representative of the Hamas resistance movement in Iran,
Khalid al-Qaddumi, has declared --- that the resistance and its
weapons will remain as long as the Israeli occupation exists.
Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, he emphasized that
disarmament is not an option for the Palestinian people,
and that the recent election of a new Hamas leader ---
demonstrates the movement's institutional strength.
___________________________________________
Yemeni forces conduct drone strike on
Saudi Aramco oil refinery in Jizan,
report says
August 18, 10:58am
(PressTV)
The Yemeni armed forces have reportedly carried out a successful
strike against an oil facility operated by the state-owned Saudi
Aramco petroleum and natural gas company in retaliation for
the Riyadh regime’s ongoing aggression and blockade
against their homeland.
Yemen’s official Saba news agency cited an unnamed military
source as saying that Yemeni military units conducted a
“qualitative military operation” on Tuesday, targeting
an Aramco refinery with several drones.
The source added that the unmanned aerial vehicles
accurately hit the designated targets inside
the refinery.
He noted that the strike was carried out in retaliation for
“violations of the Yemeni airspace” over the northern
provinces of Sa’ada and Hajjah.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi
authorities on the Yemeni drone attack.
Additionally, Saudi Aramco did not immediately issue public
comments regarding the reported attack or any potential
operational impact at the Jizan facility.
The Yemeni Armed Forces have reiterated: they will continue
implementing the “siege-for-siege equation” and will target
strategic sites inside Saudi Arabia besides the Saudi's
mercenary forces’ positions and concentrations
wherever they are located.
Yemen warns: Saudi territory, interests
will not be spared ...if war escalates
A senior Yemeni official has warned Saudi Arabia that its territory
and interests could face the consequences of the conflict if
Riyadh continues its military buildup and pressure
on Yemen.
On Monday, the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Expatriates
said the country’s armed forces are closely monitoring
developments, stressing that they will respond to
any threat and conspiracy by enemies, with
more severe and devastating attacks.
The ministry announced in a statement, that Yemeni military units
stand with open eyes, prepared, and more vigilant than ever, and
will not hesitate to respond in kind --- to any Saudi escalation of
the tensions.
On July 20, the Sana’a government announced a maritime blockade
against Saudi Arabia, stating that authorities in Riyadh have been
keeping “an unjust and oppressive siege” in place on Yemen for
nearly 12 years, “plundering our resources and implementing
a complete blockade.”
Subsequently... the Yemeni Armed Forces have announced multiple
successful operations against Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a blockade on Yemen in March
2015, initiating a comprehensive war supported militarily,
politically, and logistically by the United States
and certain Western countries.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have been killed, yet Saudi Arabia
has failed to achieve its primary goal of reinstalling a puppet
regime aligned with Riyadh.
_____________________________________________
Blood of martyrs of US-Israeli aggression
against Iran 'will not go unavenged’:
Qalibaf
August 18, 12:04pm
(PressTV)
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf vows that the
Islamic Republic will not let the blood of the martyred Leader of
the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and
other martyrs of unprovoked US-Israeli aggression
against the nation “go unavenged.”
The top legislator made the remarks on Tuesday... honouring the
memories of the 168 victims, mostly comprising schoolchildren,
who were fatally targeted at a school in the southern Iranian
city of Minab in the opening airstrikes of the February
28-April 7 aggression.
He pledged that, under the guidance of Ayatollah Khamenei’s son
and successor, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, the Islamic
Republic will “devote all its capabilities to securing the rights of
the Iranian people, ending the aggression, punishing the
aggressor, and upholding the country’s honour
and standing.”
“We will not allow the enemy to target national unity,
the popular participation, the nation’s resilience, or
the motivation of our officials,” he added.
The official expressed certainty that, benefiting from the
directions provided by Ayatollah Khamenei, the nation
will emerge triumphant from this historic test and
be granted divine victory.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Qalibaf asserted that Iran will
not reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which it has
shut down in retaliation for the foreign aggression,
unless the US lifts an illegal naval blockade it
has imposed on the Islamic Republic.
Reopening of the strait, he added, is also conditioned on the
unfreezing of the country’s assets, removal of unlawful oil
sanctions targeting the nation, and cessation of military
threats and aggression on all fronts, as well as the
fulfillment of all the other conditions contained
in the memorandum of understanding that
was signed between Tehran and
Washington in June.
Meanwhile, the official warned that the Islamic Republic is
prepared to “inflict an even heavier defeat on the enemy”
in the case of fresh violations.
Qalibaf identified the understanding as “a document of the
United States defeat in the legal and political spheres.”
The enemy accepted the understanding “out of desperation
to end the war,” he added, noting how Iran’s decisive and
successful retaliation against the aggression forced
Washington to announce a unilateral ceasefire on
April 7 and then agree to the understanding.
Qalibaf described subsequent violations by the US
of the understanding as its efforts at
“compensating for its heavy
political defeat.”
_________________________________________
US war on Iran has caused
significant environmental
damage
August 18, 10:38am
(PressTV)
The US-Israeli aggression against Iran has left
a toxic footprint, and the environment.... is a
silent victim.
A map of the region tells a story of contamination, of ecological
destruction, and of a war that has not just killed people, but
has poisoned the land, the water, and the air.
''The damage on the environment of this region --- is unbelievably
massive and extends to areas that have never been witnessed
before, and considering the hotspots of biodiversity that we
have in this region, and also the dependence of several
countries on the water resources that they're getting
from the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, the
whole circle of life in this region is in danger.''
Arman Khorsand, Iran Department of Environment
US-Israeli war takes heavy toll on
Iran's environment, Persian Gulf
US-Israeli attacks on Iran have caused severe environmental
damage, with toxic pollution potentially lasting for decades.
Recent images from the Persian Gulf have shocked the
nation. These are the obvious consequences of the
military aggression imposed on Iran.
''The attacks on the infrastructure of (the) Islamic Republic,
oil infrastructure of (the) Islamic Republic of Iran, and the
petrochemical infrastructure of the country have had
outcomes on the hotspots of biodiversity in Iran, on
the mangrove forests in Iran, on the whole coastal
line of (the) Islamic Republic of Iran, next to (the)
Persian Gulf and (the) Sea of Oman, which is
more than 1,000 kilometres.''
Arman Khorsand, Iran Department of Environment
From debris to acid rain: The environmental
cost of US-Israeli 'ecocidal war' on Iran
US-Israeli strikes on Iran - hit civilian and energy infrastructure,
causing severe environmental damage, toxic pollution, health
risks, and long-term impacts including soil and water
contamination and ecological harm.
But the environmental damage is not limited to the Persian Gulf,
the war has targeted infrastructure across the country.
Attacks on fuel depots ---- have released massive
amounts of toxic smoke into the atmosphere.
''When (the) Zionist regime and United States deliberately
bombed oil depots around Tehran, the amount of toxic
gasses released into the air and the carbon footprint
of this act of aggression... well, there have been
studies by European universities that show:
just the carbon footprint of the two first
weeks of this act of aggression was
equivalent to the carbon footprint
of 60 countries for a whole year.''
Arman Khorsand, Iran Department of Environment
US-Israeli strikes on oil depots
'intentional chemical warfare'
Iran says the US-Israeli attacks on oil storage facilities
amount to intentional chemical warfare on civilians.
Experts warn - that the damage is long-lasting.
They say pollution of this nature.. can persist
for decades.
''The Persian Gulf is a semi-enclosed body of water. It connects
to the open ocean only through the Strait of Hormuz, and
water circulation ....takes five to seven years.
''The Gulf ........is home to unique biodiversity,
including coral reefs and mangrove forests.
''But regional tensions have always caused terrible environmental
damage -- and now, with the US-Israeli attacks on oil depots
and petrochemical factories, we are --- once again ---
witnessing tragedy.
''The environment is always the victim, and it will take
decades for the pollution to fully dissipate.''
Ahmadreza Lahijanzadeh, Marine Environment
& Wetlands, Iran Department of Environment
US-Israeli aggression leaves toxic
environmental footprint on Iran’s
southern coast
Iran’s top environmental authority says the US-Israeli aggression
has caused oil pollution affecting parts of Qeshm Island and
nearby coastal areas.
Environmental pollution does not recognize borders, and countries
in the region ---- will soon be suffering the consequences as well.
As the environmental toll grows, Iranians are not only demanding
justice for the martyrs, but also accountability for the damage
done to the environment.