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The new Iranian long range missile Khorramshahr is displayed during the annual annual Sacred Defense Week, on September 22, 2017 in Tehran. (Photo by AFP)

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, September 22, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, September 23, 2017.

Iran defense capabilities

Iran unveils a new ballistic missile during military parade in the capital Tehran to mark the first day of the annual Sacred Defense Week. The ballistic missile, named after Iran’s southwestern city of Khorramshahr that bore the brunt of Iraq’s imposed war during the 1980s, has a range of two-thousand kilometers. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has released a video showing the successful test of the ballistic missile.

Iran nuclear deal

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has rejected US proposal of renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the JCPOA. Speaking at a press conference at the UN in New York, Lavrov said the agreement has been finalized and endorsed by the UN Security Council. The top Russian diplomat stressed that renegotiating the JCPOA is not an option as it would mean ignoring the accord. Lavrov said Russia, China and all European countries that participated in the nuclear negotiations believe the agreement must remain in place. He also criticized Washington for trying to tie Iran’s missile program to the nuclear deal, describing it as a wrong move. He said such matters are beyond the scope of the JCPOA and should be addressed through relevant formats.

Turkey’s reaction to Kurdistan vote

Turkey's National Security Council has called a planned independence referendum in Iraq’s Kurdistan region illegitimate and unacceptable. It also urged the leader of the semi-autonomous region, Massoud Barzani, to stop the vote. Rahshan Saglam reports.

UK credit rating cut

The international rating agency, Moody’s, has downgraded Britain's long-term credit rating. The rating agency cut the UK’s grade by one level with a stable outlook. It cited economic uncertainty sparked by complex Brexit negotiations and the likelihood of weaker public finances. The downgrade came hours after Prime Minister Theresa May said the UK would largely maintain its current ties with the European Union ahead of a fourth round of talks with the European Commission next week.

G77, China backing Iran deal

Members of the Group of 77 and China at the United Nations have unanimously supported the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The statement was issued after a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers, which was also attended by the UN chief and the president of the General Assembly. Iran’s permanent representative to the U-N said the members also expressed their opposition to any economic sanctions on Tehran. Gholam Ali Khoshru said the Group of 77 and China deem the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as a constructive and real model which contributes to sustainable development through international cooperation. The group of 77 is a body of developing economies, now comprising 134 countries. China is a non-official member of the group.

US lawsuit

Rights activists have sued authorities in the US city of Saint Louis over police conduct during protests, sparked by the acquittal of a white officer in the death of a black suspect. The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit, said police used unlawful and unconstitutional techniques in the handling of protests. The civil rights group said police used chemical-based weapons such as pepper spray at will, while not threatened. The ACLU said police also barred people from filming officers’ activity and arrested over 100 for failure to disperse. This is while the protesters were reportedly not able to leave due to police cordons. Police had earlier also used tear gas and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters.

Myanmar atrocities

There seems to be no end in sight to the persecution of Myanmar’s Muslims as Amnesty International says it has received evidence showing Myanmar's army continues to burn down Rohingya villages. The UK-based rights group says satellite imagery as well as new videos coming from Rakhine State show large plumes of smoke rising above the Rohingya villages. This is while Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, had claimed that military operations ended in the volatile state. The army-led violence in Myanmar has already forced over 400,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh in less than a month. They joined hundreds of thousands of refugees who had fled prior rounds of violence in the country. Rohingya have faced decades of persecution and discrimination at the hands of the army and extremist Buddhists in the South East Asian country.

US role in Syria war

Syria has accused the United States of using terrorists to undermine the progress in peace talks in Kazakhstan. Syrian Foreign Minister Waleed al-Muallem said the US is using Nusra Front terrorists to impede the negotiated agreements because Washington is dissatisfied with the fruitful outcome. He also accused the US military of hindering the advance of Syrian troops in Dayr al-Zawr. Muallem made the remarks after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, on Friday. Lavrov, for his turn, pledged to respond to any provocation by the US-backed militants in Syria. Astana has hosted five rounds of peace talks since January aimed at putting an end to the Syria conflict. The negotiations have so far resulted in an agreement on four de-escalation zones across Syria.

 


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