Take a "Sniff" ! It goes good with Press TV !...

Take a "Sniff" ! It goes good with Press TV !...

ABOUT US

Press TV takes revolutionary steps as the first Iranian international news network, broadcasting in English on a round-the-clock basis.

Our global Tehran-based headquarters is staffed with outstanding Iranian and foreign media professionals.

Press TV is extensively networked with bureaus located in the world's most strategic cities.

VISION

Heeding the often neglected voices and perspectives of a great portion of the world;

Embracing and building bridges of cultural understanding;

Encouraging human beings of different nationalities, races and creeds to identify with one another;

Bringing to light untold and overlooked stories of individuals who have experienced the vitality and versatility of political and cultural divides firsthand.

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Iran 'still to send aid ships to Gaza'

Iran has brushed aside threats by Israel to block Iranian aid shipments to Gaza, saying the plan to send relief aid ships to the besieged strip is still on the agenda. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Reza Sheibani dismissed reports that Iranian officials had reversed their decision to deploy a blockade-busting ship to Gaza. "The plan to send nongovernmental aid ships to Gaza is still on the agenda," Sheibani explained. The comments came after earlier media reports quoted an Iranian lawmaker as saying that the plan for sending 1,100 tons of relief supplies and 10 pro-Palestinian activists had been canceled "due to restrictions imposed by the occupying Zionist regime." Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said last week that Tel Aviv would block Iranian and Lebanese aid shipments to the Gaza Strip, referring to the humanitarian mission as "flow of arms." "We have the right to inspect and prevent the flow of arms into Gaza. We can't let Gaza become an Iranian port," he said. Meanwhile, Sheibani said Iran had plans to dispatch humanitarian and medical aid to Gaza by plane via the Egyptian border. "We have raised the issue with Egyptian officials and are awaiting their response," he said. He went on to criticize the US support for Israel and the failure of international organizations to take serious measures against the Israeli acts. "The Zionist regime seeks to turn this international humanitarian move into a political-security issue to cover its own problems," he stated. The pro-Palestinian campaign comes after Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid convoy on May 31, killing at least 9 civilian activists and injuring dozens of others in international waters.

'Israel to take over Lebanon gas by force'

Israel has threatened to use military force to take the full control of a newly-discovered gas field partly in Lebanese waters in the Mediterranean Sea. Israel's Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau made the remarks after Beirut announced that parts of the giant reserves actually belong to Lebanon and that it does not allow Tel Aviv to loot Lebanon's resources. "Israel is racing to make the case a fait accompli and was quick to present itself as an oil emirate, ignoring the fact that, according to the maps, the deposit extends into Lebanese waters," Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri said, adding that "Lebanon must take immediate action to defend its financial, political, economic and sovereign rights". Lebanon has also called on gas drilling companies to respect its territorial integrity and warned them against working close to its economic zone. Israel, however, insists the entire gas field lies on its territory. The newly discovered field is estimated to contain 15 trillion cubic feet of gas -- worth some USD 40 billion -- and might enable Israel to export gas to other countries in the future.

''Israel bullying Lebanon over gas field'

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri says Israel only seeks to "frighten" the Lebanese nation, following a new threat by Tel Aviv over a newly-discovered gas field.

"Israel can do nothing but threaten and frighten the Lebanese," Ynet quoted Hariri as saying on Saturday.

His response came after Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau threatened to use military force to take full control of the gas field partly in Lebanese waters in the Mediterranean Sea.

"We will not hesitate to use our force and strength to protect not only the rule of law but the international maritime law," Landau said.

The newly discovered field is estimated to contain 15 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Reacting to Landau's remarks, Hariri said Israel was targeting Lebanese "stability," as Tel Aviv finds it "threatening."

On Friday, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced a plan to approve an oil law, which would assert Lebanon's gas rights in the Mediterranean.

"Israel is ignoring the fact that, according to the maps, this field is included within Lebanon's territorial waters," he said, adding that the best way to counter Israeli threats was to rush to approve the law.

The Lebanese government is expected to discuss the bill on Monday.

Lebanese Energy Minister Jubran Bassil had earlier said that the government would "not allow Israel or any company working for Israeli interests to take any amount of gas that falls in our zone."