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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Iran Into World Cup in Style

ULSAN, South Korea (Dispatches) -- Iran produced a resolute defensive display to snatch a 1-0 away win over South Korea on Tuesday and qualify for the World Cup finals in Brazil.
Despite the defeat, the Koreans also qualified for the finals after they edged Uzbekistan - 5-1 winners over Qatar on Tuesday - for the runners-up spot on goal difference.
Forward Reza Ghoochannejhad was Iran's hero, latching on to an error by defender Kim Young-gwon to score the winner in the 60th minute with the visitors' only real chance of a one-sided match in Ulsan.
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz punched the air in delight at the final whistle after their third qualifying win in June sealed a fourth finals appearance.
The under-pressure Portuguese had traded verbal volleys before Tuesday's Group A clash with Korean counterpart Choi Kang-Hee, who had vowed to beat Iran and force them to watch the World Cup on television.
Choi's side showed the same intent by making a fast start at the Ulsan Football Stadium, with lanky striker Kim Shin-wook going close to giving them a fifth-minute lead, but his volley flew just over the bar.
Kim was part of an attacking lineup employed by Choi with Son Heung-min, Lee Dong-gook and Ji Dong-won all starting, but the home side were guilty of using too many long balls for the tall striker rather than mixing up their play.
Iran knew a draw was likely to be enough to qualify unless Uzbekistan could score a four-goal win over Qatar, so they chose to sit back and allow Korea plenty of possession. But the home side failed to create many chances.
The Koreans had a strong appeal for a penalty five minutes before halftime, when midfielder Lee Myung-joo raced clear only to be brought down by Iran fullback Khosro Heydari and goalkeeper Rahman Ahmadi, but the referee awarded a goal kick.
Korea were sluggish at the start of the second half, and Iran grew in confidence before taking a shock lead.
Korea defender Kim Young-gwon missed his kick as he attempted a back-pass to his keeper, and Ghoochannejhad raced through to curl home a left-foot shot.
Choi introduced AFC player of the year Lee Keun-ho as the hosts searched for an equalizer against an Iran team that had conceded just two goals in their previous seven qualifiers.
Kim Young-gwon came close to making up for his error when he fired a sharp shot in the 76th minute that was well saved by Ahmadi, while his glancing header two minutes from time sailed just wide.
Substitute Lee had half the stadium on their feet thinking he had scored a 94th-minute leveler but his header edged past the far post with Ahmadi motionless.
While the Iranians celebrated, the Korean players waited for news of Uzbekistan, who cruised past Qatar 5-1 but ultimately fell two goals short of overhauling Korea on goal difference, allowing them to rejoice at a ninth World Cup finals appearance.
Iran, South Korea and Australia now join Japan, the Asian Cup-holders who booked their ticket a fortnight ago, at next year's World Cup as the only countries to have qualified alongside hosts Brazil.

Although all four Asian qualifiers are familiar names at the World Cup, the year-long elimination process has been hard-fought and came down to the last week of the final group stage.
Australia left it late before substitute striker Josh Kennedy earned a 1-0 win over Iraq in Sydney, enough to take the Socceroos through to their third successive World Cup.
The hosts wasted countless chances in wet conditions before coach Holger Osieck replaced a visibly angry Tim Cahill with Josh Kennedy in the 77th minute.
But the towering Nagoya Grampus striker justified the substitution when he saved the day with a clinical 83rd-minute header that sent the crowd wild.

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Russian FM Lavrov:
West Must Reciprocate Iran's Good Will

MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Iran has taken constructive steps toward resolving the decade-old standoff over its nuclear program and world powers should reciprocate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in remarks published on Tuesday.
Iranians elected a new president, Hassan Rohani, on Friday and he held out the prospect on Monday of a thaw in relations between Iran and the world, including the United States, and progress on resolving the nuclear issue.
Asked by a Kuwaiti news agency if he was satisfied with the state of the still inconclusive talks and whether Rohani's rise would help, Lavrov made little mention of Rohani but said "hopeful signs" had emerged for the first time in years and it would be "inexcusable not to take advantage of this opportunity".
His remarks appeared aimed at coaxing the Islamic Republic into a new round of talks with six powers and encouraging Western nations, which have been tougher on Tehran than Russia has, to bring strong incentives to the table.
"The international community should respond to constructive moves by Iran adequately and with reciprocity, including the gradual suspension and removal of sanctions," he told the KUNA news agency in an interview posted on his ministry's website.
The six powers - the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and German - want Tehran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities to reassure the world that it is not seeking to develop the means to build nuclear weapons.
Iran denies having any such purposes, saying it aims to produce nuclear energy only for electricity or medical purposes.
Rohani was Iran's nuclear negotiator from 2003 to 2005 during which time he negotiated a suspension of Tehran's uranium enrichment. But on Monday, he said Iran would not halt those activities again.
"That period has ended," he said, but added that Tehran would be more transparent about its activities in the future.
"Our nuclear programs are completely transparent. But we are ready to show greater transparency and make clear for the whole world that the steps of the Islamic Republic of Iran are completely within international frameworks," he said.
Lavrov said Iran's readiness at least to discuss suspending enrichment of uranium up to 20% fissile purity could be the key to resolving the dispute.
"The Iranians affirm the most important thing - readiness already at this stage to agree the suspension of uranium to 20%. This could really become a breakthrough agreement," the Russian FM alleged, without saying what was the basis of his allegation.
At talks in April in Kazakhstan, Iran did not accept an offer of modest sanctions relief in exchange for steps including suspension of enrichment to 20%, but it has said that such a suspension can be discussed.
Rohani on Monday pledged to "revive ethics and constructive interaction with the world through moderation" but signaled no immediate change in Iran's core negotiating stance: the powers must recognize what he called Iran's right to enrichment, not interfere in Iranian internal affairs and end hostile policies.
"I hope that all countries use this opportunity," he told his first news conference since his election win.
In a separate statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow "welcomes (Rohani's) declaration of Tehran's readiness to display more openness about its nuclear program" and hopes the promise will be borne out in practice swiftly.
After talks at a G8 summit in Northern Ireland on Monday, Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama voiced cautious optimism that Rohani's election would open up nuclear dialogue.
But State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the Obama administration won't welcome the election of Rohani as Iran's next president with any new nuclear offer.
Psaki told reporters Monday the U.S. is open to new nuclear talks with Iran. But Washington and its allies first want a response to an offer they presented in April.
Iran's Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei holds ultimate authority over major state policies including the nuclear program.
Russia, which built Iran's first nuclear power plant and sells Iran weapons, has been more upbeat than the United States and European Union about Tehran's attitude toward the negotiations.
Lavrov said a date and site for a new round of talks between the six powers and Iran should be set as soon as possible. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov repeated that call on Tuesday on the sidelines of a G8 summit in Northern Ireland.
Iran says its nuclear program is for energy and medical purposes only, and its sovereign right under international treaties which guarantee countries access to peaceful atomic technology if they forego weapons.

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IAEA Urged to Drop Political Approach

TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Iran on Tuesday urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano to drop his political approach towards the Islamic Republic's peaceful nuclear activities.
"We expect Amano as a technical expert on the international scene and the one in charge of a technical body to avoid politically-driven attitudes and interact with Iran within the framework of IAEA's technical duties," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said in his weekly press conference.
He reminded that Iran has always had full cooperation with the UN nuclear agency within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other IAEA-related agreements. "But if the agency expects anything beyond this, it is then required to find a new framework for such cooperation."
His remarks alluded to the IAEA's demand to send inspectors to visit Iran's Parchin military site. Iran has announced that the UN inspectors might be allowed to visit the military site but only after Tehran and the IAEA finalize the framework of a modality plan for cooperation.
Iran says the framework of the modality plan should once and for all clarify the measures that Tehran should adopt, and the other side's undertakings should also be clear and definite vis-à-vis those measures.
Meantime, Araqchi said as long as no such action plan and framework is in place, "Iran will not accept to meet demands beyond its international undertakings".
"Mr. Amano should be asked why the negotiations have not progressed," Araqchi said.
He underlined Iran's readiness to still continue talks with the IAEA, but said no specific date has yet been fixed for negotiations between the two sides to proceed with their differences.
Iran and the IAEA wrapped up their latest round of talks on Tehran's peaceful nuclear program late May. Their talks focused on a technical framework for cooperation.
Iran's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency Ali Asqar Soltaniyeh and head of IAEA's Department of Safeguards Herman Nackaerts jointly presided over the meeting in the Austrian capital.
The IAEA inspectors have conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but have never found any evidence showing diversion from peaceful purposes in the Iranian nuclear energy program.

Canadian FM's Remarks 'Idiotic'

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi on Tuesday dismissed recent remarks by Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird on the June 14 presidential election in the Islamic Republic.
On June 16, Baird, who has a reputation for making rude interfering remarks, described Iran’s 11th presidential election as “effectively meaningless”.
Asked about the remarks by the Canadian foreign minister, Araqchi said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, “I see little necessity to respond to these remarks.”
“Remarks of this type have been made by the Canadian foreign minister several times, and I have come to the conclusion that one should doubt his (Baird’s) political judgment,” he said.

Protests in Turkey

Commenting on recent protests in Turkey, Araqchi called on both the Turkish people and the government to exercise restraint.
He rejected any foreign meddling in the internal developments in Turkey, and said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan must meet the demands of the Turkish people.
The unrest in Turkey erupted after police broke up a sit-in staged at Istanbul’s Taksim Square on May 31 to protest against a government plan for the redevelopment of Gezi Park in the city.
The Turkish prime minister has faced international condemnation for his handling of the crisis. Turkish police have also been strongly criticized for using excessive force against the peaceful protests.
Five people, including a police officer, have reportedly been killed in the clashes and nearly 7,500 have been injured.
Araqchi meanwhile denied media reports that Iran had sent 4,000 troops s to assist government forces in Syria.
“Since government troops in Syria are fully capable of fighting effectively against terrorist groups operating in Syria, there is no need to help them," he said.

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U.S. Plans New Talks With Taliban

KABUL (Dispatches) -- Perhaps channeling Winston Churchill's famous warning about "The end of the beginning", the White House on Tuesday announced plans for direct talks with Afghanistan's Taliban militia, but cautioned against expecting any quick breakthrough that might speed the end of America's longest war.
Among the likely items on the agenda: The return of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, held captive by the Taliban-allied Haqqani network since 2009.
U.S. and Taliban negotiators will hold formal talks "in a couple of days" in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar, where the Taliban officially opened an office on Tuesday, U.S. officials said on a conference call with reporters.
The White House announced the face-to-face negotiations even as Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai proclaimed that his war-torn country’s military and police had taken the lead from NATO forces. Karzai also announced the start of separate peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar while calling for them to move to Afghanistan as soon as possible.
"We need to be realistic. This is a new development, a potentially significant development. But peace is not at hand,” a senior administration official cautioned on the call, which was held on condition that none of the participants be named. The process of political reconciliation in Afghanistan "will certainly promise to be complex, long and messy," another top official said on the call.
In the U.S.-Taliban talks, Washington is likely to send James Dobbins, who took over May 10 as the State Department's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Officials on the call said they believed that the Taliban negotiators would be "fully authorized" by the militia's leader Mullah Omar, who has eluded capture since U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan in late 2001.
One of the officials said the Taliban would shortly release a statement saying “that they oppose the use of Afghan soil to threaten other countries and, second, that they support an Afghan peace process" as long sought by the United States. The first part of the statement is meant to indicate that they will break with Al-Qaeda, the official said.
The Taliban and other insurgent groups must also commit to ending their attacks and accept Afghanistan's constitution—including protections for women and minority rights, the official said.
While the negotiations are a good first step on the path to peace, "there's no guarantee that this will happen quickly, if at all," the first official underlined. "The core of this process is not going to be the U.S. Taliban talks. Those can help advance the process, but the core of it is going to be negotiations among Afghans, and the level of trust on both sides is extremely low, as one would expect. So it's going to be a long, hard process if indeed it advances significantly at all."
The officials declined to spell out in detail how the talks might affect the timetable for withdrawing America's roughly 60,000 troops. While U.S. and NATO combat forces are due to depart by the end of 2014, putting their Afghan counterparts solely in charge, President Barack Obama is expected to leave a residual force to help train the local military and police, and carry out counter-terrorism operations.
The U.S. invaded Afghanistan with the express purpose of eliminating Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The extremist group was basically created by the U.S., UK, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia with as a proxy group in the region.
According to the independent organization iCasualties, 2238 Americans have died in Afghanistan, including 64 in 2013.

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Leader Offers Congratulations

TEHRAN (Kayhan Int'l) – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday offered congratulations over the Iranian national football team's victory and their qualification for 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
"The victory of the national football team pleased the people, specially the country's sport fans. I thank all those who dearly brought about this joy and tell them to keep up the job," the Leader said in a message after Iran defeated South Korea 1-0 in Ulsan.

Precision of Naval Missile Improved

TEHRAN (Fars) -- Iranian experts at the IRGC aerospace research center have increased the precision of the supersonic "Persian Gulf" ballistic missile to lest than 10 meters, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on Tuesday.
"When, in its second test, the Persian Gulf missile hit a moving vessel with 30m precision, we felt to have made a great success," Hajizadeh said. "Less than six months later, our experts improved the precision capability of this missile to less than 8.5m," he added.
"And when the Persian Gulf missile became operational in the IRGC Navy, the countdown started for the trans-regional countries to end the mission of their warships."