The representative stated that the US also trained these terrorists on how to use the chemical weapons to frame Damascus.

During a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Tuesday, Dandi asserted that the monthly convening of meetings on the “Syrian chemical file,” despite the absence of any actual incidents, is an attempt to create justifications for certain Western nations to renew their allegations against Syria.

He emphasized Syria’s unequivocal condemnation of the use of chemical weapons by any party, at any time, and in any location. Dandi further highlighted the necessity to address the conduct of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and ensure its independence from misinformation, politicization, and polarization.

Accusations against the Syrian government for employing chemical weapons in the fight against terrorists have been frequently put forth by Western media and governments. Syria had relinquished its chemical weapon stockpile in 2014 under the supervision of a joint mission led by the United States and the OPCW, which oversaw the destruction of the weaponry. The country has consistently denied deploying chemical weapons.

In an incident on April 14, 2018, the United States, Britain, and France conducted a series of airstrikes on Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on Douma, a city situated approximately 10 kilometers northeast of the capital, Damascus. The alleged attack had been reported by the White Helmets group, which released videos purportedly showing their efforts to aid survivors.

Subsequent leakage of OPCW documents revealed that investigators involved in probing the Douma incident had discovered “no evidence” of a chemical weapons attack. Nevertheless, the organization withheld these findings due to pressure from the US and its allies, aiming to suppress evidence that could undermine the justification for the US-led bombing of Syria shortly after the alleged attack.

The Iranian Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy took delivery of the “Abu Mahdi” cruise missiles in a ceremony attended by senior military officials.

With a range of over 1,000 kilometers, the homegrown naval cruise missile would expand Iran’s naval defense coverage zone by several times and allow the Navy units to broaden their operational range.

The Abu Mahdi missile has distinguishing features in terms of precision-strike, destructive power, bypassing maritime terrains and penetrating into the enemy’s air defense systems.

Known as the first long-range naval cruise missile whose trajectory definition and command-and-control systems have been equipped with artificial intelligence, the missile can streak at low altitudes for radar-evading maneuvers and alter its course and height in midair.

In a meeting in Tehran on Monday, Amirabdollahian and Serbian Parliament Speaker Vladimir Orlic talked about the cooperation between Iran and Serbia, especially in the area of parliamentary diplomacy.

Iran’s top diplomat described the presence of the Serbian parliament chief and his accompanying delegation in Tehran as an important opportunity for promotion of cooperation between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

Hailing the positive and growing trend in political, economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries, Amirabdollahian expressed hope that the exchange of delegations at high levels would continue and play a role in closer cooperation between the two sides.

He further noted that the insults in Sweden and Denmark to the Holy Quran have hurt the feelings of two billion Muslims across the world.

“We condemn insults to divine scriptures and believe that desecrations of the sanctities of Muslims and followers of divine religions should not be permitted under the pretext of freedom of expression,” the Iranian foreign minister added.

For his part, the Serbian parliament speaker appreciated the principled policy of Iran in supporting the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of his country.

He said his meetings with the Iranian president, parliament speaker and a number of ministers were fruitful, emphasizing the Serbian government and parliament’s determination to bolster relations with Iran in all spheres.

Orlic said parliamentary cooperation between the two countries were positive, adding, “Due to the importance of relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Iran in the Parliament of Serbia is considered one of the most crowded friendship groups.”

The Iranian Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy took delivery of the “Abu Mahdi” strategic cruise missile in a ceremony attended by senior military officials on Tuesday.

With a range of over 1,000 kilometers, the missile would expand Iran’s naval defense coverage zone by several times and allow the naval units to broaden their operational range.

In comments at the event, IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri said a main feature of the new missile is keeping the enemy away from the Iranian coasts.

“We can fire the Abu Mahdi missile from deep inside the country. The missile has a dual seeker and performs successfully against the enemy’s electronic warfare,” the general said.

He explained that if an Iranian military vessel travels at a distance of 1,000 kilometers from the country’s coasts and launches the Abu Mahdi, the enemy’s aircraft carrier will have to retreat at least 1,000 kilometers farther away to evade the long-range cruise missile, so the fighter jets on board the aircraft carrier will be rendered useless.

The general noted that the new missile can be fired either from a vessel or a coastal launch pad, hunt multiple targets, and hit the target from various directions.

“Since the missile has a very low service ceiling and a very long range, it could be hardly tracked,” Rear Admiral Tangsiri noted.

He expressed hope that the missile, named after late Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis who was martyred at the hands of the “criminal US”, would conduct retaliatory attacks on the enemies at sea.

In a telephone conversation with his Kuwaiti counterpart Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Sunday, Amirabdollahian condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark.

The two senior diplomats underlined the need for the Muslim countries to adopt a decisive stance to condemn and prevent such acts.

Amirabdollahian further appreciated Kuwait’s condemnation of the insult to the Quran in the two European countries and called for an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to send a strong message and condemn the defiling of Islamic sanctities.

The top Iranian diplomat also pointed to good ties between Iran and Kuwait, saying, “We believe that in light of regional cooperation, we can have peace, stability and progress in the region without the presence of foreigners.”

The Kuwaiti foreign minister, for his part, welcomed Amirabdollahian’s proposal to hold an emergency meeting of the OIC, saying the Kuwaiti government strongly condemns any insult to the Holy Quran and Islamic sanctities.

The two sides then exchanged views on the issues of mutual interest.

In a meeting with Speaker of Serbia’s Parliament Vladimir Orlic, held in Tehran on Sunday, Raisi called for the promotion of relations between Iran and Serbia, especially in the economic and commercial fields.

He also emphasized the need to identify the capacities of the two countries and determine mechanisms for the development of relations in the joint commission of Iran and Serbia.

Highlighting Iran’s support for peace and stability in the Balkans, Raisi stated that Tehran does not see any obstacles in improving the level of relations with the countries of this region.

“The hegemons regulate relations with other governments only by looking at their own interests, and the leaders of countries must be vigilant in preventing their destructive influence,” the Iranian president warned.

Referring to the disgraceful failure of the sanctions against Iran, he said, “Not only wasn’t the Iranian nation deterred by the sanctions and pressure, but it has created many opportunities for growth and progress from these threats, especially in various fields of technology, which can help deepen cooperation with different countries.”

For his part, Orlic conveyed the warm greetings of the president of his country, presented a report on the latest developments in the Balkans, and thanked Iran for its support for the establishment of peace and stability in this region.

Voicing his country’s interest in developing and increasing the level of trade relations with Iran, the speaker of the Serbian parliament stated, “We are not only ready to increase the level of cooperation, but we are also working to achieve this goal, and holding a joint commission between the two countries will definitely be effective in strengthening and expanding relations, especially in the economic field.”

The Intelligence Ministry announced on Monday that members of the “extensive terrorist-Zionist network” have been arrested and 43 bombs have been seized from them.

The ministry said the main ringleaders reside in Denmark and the Netherlands.

According to the report, the arrested terrorists were going to carry out several acts of sabotage in Iran ahead of the lunar month of Muharram, including an explosion at the tomb of late Iranian commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani in Kerman.

The main stage of the war game, codenamed Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Velayat 11 (Devotees of Velayat Airspace 11), kicked off in the central province of Isfahan on Sunday night.

The spokesman for the drills said the Sukhoi Su-24 and F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers carried out nocturnal operations and detonated the hypothetical enemy’s ground targets with Qased upgraded standoff missiles.

General Alireza Roodbari said the Air Force units also utilized a range of laser-guided and thermal missiles to hit the aerial targets in various altitudes and fired diverse homegrown rockets and bombs.

The Iranian military drones also conducted major operations in the war game, the spokesperson added, noting that various combat, reconnaissance and electronic warfare UAVs, such as Kaman-12, Karrar, Mohajer-6, and Arash could destroy targets using different modified bombs with pinpoint accuracy.

The manned and unmanned military aircraft could conduct jamming operations with advanced electronic warfare techniques to paralyze the hypothetical enemy’s air defense systems, the general added.

More than 90 military aircraft have taken part in the exercise, including various fighter jets, interceptor aircraft, bombers, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

“The main axis of the war game is (ensuring) sustainable security, promoting and strengthening regional relations, good neighborliness and defending the country’s air borders,” Air Force Commander Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi said on Sunday.

Iran’s Armed Forces hold routine military exercises throughout the year.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.

During a meeting with resident foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Poland, Baqeri highlighted the effectiveness of Iran’s strategic neighborly policy, stating that it enhances bilateral political relations with neighboring countries.

He listed the essential elements of Iran’s strategic neighborly policy as follows: “mutual political trust,” “reliance on regional capacities to address issues,” “utilization of cross-regional potentials for development and progress,” and ultimately, “enhancement of economic ties,” adding that institutionalizing economic cooperation and promoting investment and trade development among regional countries are among the most significant elements of such a policy.

Regarding the revival of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Iranian diplomat stated that the strategic initiative taken by Tehran and Riyadh demonstrates that regional countries possess the necessary political maturity to solve internal issues within the region.

Baqeri also mentioned the positive response from all political actors to the Iran-Saudi agreement, except for the Zionist regime of Israel, which could not hide its concern and distress, as its nature is built on tension and instability, making it the sole factor of insecurity and turmoil in the region.

In response to a question from one of the ambassadors about NATO’s role in the region, Baqeri stated that NATO’s presence in Afghanistan has proven that it not only fails to establish security but also acts as a promoter of insecurity.

He added that the consequence of twenty years of NATO’s presence in Afghanistan was a 45-fold increase in drug production in that country.

During the gathering, attended by ambassadors and diplomats from Asia and Europe, several ambassadors also expressed their opinions.

“We hereby declare that we would hold any oil company that sought to unload our crude from the vessel responsible and we also hold America responsible,” Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said Thursday.

“The era of hit and run is over, and if they hit, they should expect to be struck back,” he added.

Adm. Tangsiri’s remarks came on the anniversary of Iran’s confiscation of a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz in 2019 after Britain had seized an Iranian oil tanker off Gibraltar.

The confiscation came “in response to the maliciousness of the British, and when our ships went towards that tanker, the escort helicopter came above the tanker, which we warned that if it does not land, we will shoot it, which it complied, and after that an escorting warship also approached our waters, which we also warned, if it does not move away from the area, it will be targeted, and it also followed the order,” he recalled.

“England has a lot of maliciousness and is more malicious than America,” Tangsiri said, Press TV reported.

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) revealed that at least 800,000 barrels of seized Iranian oil remains untouched in US waters.

According to the paper, American firms are reluctant to buy the Iranian cargo, which is worth $56 million as they fear potential reprisals from Iran.

“Companies with any exposure whatsoever in the Persian Gulf are literally afraid to do it,” an executive involved in the matter told the outlet.

More people concerned with the issue have also told the daily that they don’t think the oil will ever be sold off.

All of the fuel is boarded on an oil tanker called Suez Rajan, which was seized by the US in April. The vessel was seized near southern Africa and anchored off the coast of Texas in May, while the Greek owner was charged with sanctions evasion.

A few days later, Iran’s Navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Sea of Oman, which was carrying Kuwaiti oil for the second largest energy company in the US.

The oil tanker, named Advantage Sweet, had been involved in a maritime accident with an Iranian fishing craft, which resulted in the injury and missing of a number of its crew.

After the collision, the oil tanker attempted to flee the scene in serious breach of international laws and regulations, which require provision of medical treatment and supply of proper and sufficient medicine to seamen in case of sickness or injury.

The Iranian fishermen managed to issue a distress call long after recovering from the shock.

Washington has claimed to have hijacked oil tankers carrying Iranian oil several times, claiming that the ships had been flouting US sanctions.

The US usually auctions off Iran’s stolen assets, claiming it would use the money to pay “damages” to alleged victims of the Islamic Republic’s actions.