Middle East & North Africa

TEHRAN, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Central Bank (CBI) on Monday unveiled a new policy to protect value of rial against foreign currency.

The policy includes the lift of ban on currency trade and the activity of official money exchange markets ordered by new governor of the CBI Abdolnasser Hemati, Tasnim news agency reported.

Hemati said the policy, endorsed by President Hassan Rouhani's administration, aims to control the currency market and allow economic activists to interact freely.

TEHRAN, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Monday that the Iranians would make the United States regret for re-imposing sanctions against the Islamic republic.

"Through unity and solidarity, the Iranians will weather away the return of sanctions," Rouhani said. "Trump will learn that these kinds of pressures did not surrender Iranians in the past and will never do so in the future."

Rouhani also said that the U.S. administration "is not trustworthy for any negotiations" after its withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal.

By Faruk Zorlu

5 Aug 2018; AA; ANKARA; Turkey on Sunday criticized the Greek justice minister halting the extradition of an accused far-left terrorist to Turkey.

"The extradition of Turgut Kaya was refused by the decision of the Greek minister of justice despite the Greek judiciary’s ruling in favor of extradition to Turkey," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy in a statement.

"This reveals once again that the traditional sentiments of the Greek political power against Turkey have not changed," he added.

Tehran, Aug 5, IRNA – Spokesman of the Interior Ministry Salman Sameti said on Sunday that foreigners have masterminded the recent chaotic situation in the country in protest to inflation, deplorable status of living standards being spread by cyberspace.

Tehran, Aug 5, IRNA – Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi on Sunday strongly denied awarding some 2500 US Green Cards to Iranian officials and their children during nuclear talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and G5+1.

'Alavi attended on Sunday to Majlis and answered to the questions posed by two MPs,' member of Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy commission Ali Najafi Khoshrodi quoted Alavi as saying in an open session of the parliament.

Tehran, Aug 6, IRNA – Cabinet session headed by President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday reviewed proposals of Central Bank of Iran to reorganize foreign exchange market, announcing that all basic commodities and pharmaceuticals will be provided at rate of 42,000 rials.

TEHRAN, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) confirmed on Sunday that it held a military drill in the Gulf this week with the aim of securing the strategic waterway and deterring potential threats posed by the enemies, state TV reported.

The exercise was conducted within the framework of the IRGC's annual exercises program, IRGC spokesman Ramezan Sharif was quoted as saying by Press TV.

6 Aug 2018; AFP; Saudi Arabia said Monday it was expelling the Canadian ambassador and had recalled its envoy while freezing all new trade, in protest at Ottawa's vigorous calls for the release of jailed activists.

The kingdom gave the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to leave the country, in an abrupt rupture of relations over what it slammed as "interference" in its internal affairs.

Tehran, Aug 4, IRNA – Iran will not talk with the US under pressure, Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

ANKARA; 4 Aug 2018; AA; The Turkish president said Saturday they will freeze assets of the U.S. "justice and interior" secretaries in Turkey.

"I am instructing my friends today. We will freeze assets, if there are any, of the U.S. justice and interior secretaries in Turkey," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, speaking at ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's Women Branch congress in Ankara.

Speaking about the U.S. move to freeze assets of Turkish justice and interior ministers, he said: "This is not logic."