WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, February 1, 2019.

Iran-Europe trade ties

The foreign ministers of the three European signatories to the 2015 Iran deal announce the creation of the special payment system to facilitate trade with Tehran. France’s top diplomat said European enterprises must be allowed to have legal trade with Iran. His British counterpart said the registration of the special vehicle system is a big step but more work remains to be done. Germany’s foreign minister also said the initiative is aimed at giving assurances to Iran that the EU remains committed to the 2015 nuclear agreement. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad has welcomed the establishment of the payment system, calling it a belated first step. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also hailed the move as a positive step.

Trump's U-turn

Another verbal U-turn by the US president, Donald Trump now claims he and his top intelligence officials are in agreement after saying they should go back to school. In a twitter post, Donald Trump said he held a meeting with his intelligence team. The US president added, the intelligence officials’ testimonies at a Senate hearing had been mischaracterized by the media. He also said they are in agreement on Iran, Daesh and North Korea. Earlier, Trump lashed out at the same officials calling them naïve. This, after they contradicted the US president's most fundamental foreign policy claims. The top intelligence chiefs challenged Trump's claim that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. That’s the justification Trump gave for unilaterally withdrawing the US from the Iran nuclear deal. They also contradicted Trump's claims on North Korea and Daesh.

US withdrawal from INF

Russia says it regrets an impending US move to withdraw from the nuclear missile pact between the two countries. Kremlin spokesman Demitry Peskov blamed Washington for refusing to hold substantive negotiations to save the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Peskov said the US made the decision to scuttle the landmark treaty a long time ago. The US has accused Russia of violating the Cold-War era treaty. Earlier in December, it set a February 2nd deadline for the Kremlin to get back into what it called full compliance with the INF, or it would suspend its participation in the agreement. Moscow has repeatedly rejected the accusations, saying it has not breached the INF.

Catalan leaders’ trial

Seven jailed Catalan leaders are taken to Madrid overnight through a booing crowd trying to stop the convoy. The leaders are to stand trial in the capital. The Catalan officials are to appear in court in Madrid over their role in the 2017 independence referendum in Catalonia. If convicted, they will face decades in jail on charges including misappropriation of funds and rebellion. Catalonia’s former President Carles Puigdemont, who was the main drive behind the vote is still in self-exile in Belgium. Madrid is yet to request his extradition. The majority of people in Catalonia voted yes to the 2017 referendum on independence. Madrid didn’t recognize the vote, calling it illegal and void.

Iran trade mechanism

China has supported the establishment of the INSTEX trade mechanism to facilitate trade with Tehran. Geng Shuang said the 2015 nuclear deal is an important outcome of multilateralism and an international agreement approved by the United Nations Security Council. He said the agreement should be fully and effectively implemented because it is in the common interests of the international community. Germany’s BGA trade association has also welcomed the new channel for non-dollar trade with Iran. It said the move is an important signal by Europe to show its reliability as a trade partner.

US suspends obligations under INF

The US Secretary of State says Washington is suspending its compliance with a Cold War era arms control agreement with Russia. Mike Pompeo said America will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty if Russia does not end its alleged violation of the pact. The West also claims Russia's new generation of medium-range missiles put European cities at risk. The Kremlin has denied the allegations. The INF treaty was the first arms control measure to ban the US and Russia from possessing or test-firing ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 300 and 31-hundred miles.