on march 1st, iran held elections for its parliament, more than 25 million people went to the polls to choose the next members of the legislative branch which has a direct influence on the country's foreign policy. the rise of some new... figures has already changed dramatically the configuration of the next parliament, they've challenged the authority of established figures such as muhammad, the speaker of the parliament who has a long political career, including running for president and serving as tehran's mayor, but can they change the course of the country in the international arena, or will they keep the status quo? sanctions, the iran nuclear deal and the afghans living in iran are but few issues related. to iran's foreign

policy that the upcoming parliament has to deal with as matters of great urgency. the 2024 parliamentary elections have had some surprises for the country and the world that might affect the parliament's general approach towards issues of international significance. of the three of top vote getters in the capital city of tehran comprised of clerics, mahmoud nabavyan and hamid rassai who clinch first and third places respectively and amir hoseyn sabeti. young conservative activist and news

show host who came in second place. most notably, the election brought a stunning reversal of fortune for the current parliamentary speaker ghali bof. once the top vote getter with 1,265,287 votes in the 2020 parliamentary elections, he experienced a quick fall to fourth place this time around, securing only 447,905 votes. the three top vote getters in tehran are all members of the front of islamic revolution stability. its politicians have tracked records of opposing both moderate conservatives and reformists and were the loudest critics of the rohani administration. the top vote getter in tehran, nabavian is a former parliamentarian known for his rigid stance on foreign policy, especially his fierce opposition to the nuclear negotiations that resulted in the 2015 nuclear deal known all also as the

jcpoa. this is dr. kamran khazanfari, a senior expert on international relations who has been elected as a representative of tehran for the next parliament. it is said that the new parliament doesn't deeply believe in the jcpo as an agreement that could solve the country's problem. in other words, it could be an anti-jcpoa parliament so to speak. what do you think? as for the jcpo, the agreements died a few years ago and nothing is left of it except for its name, as you may remember, the leader of the islamic revolution referred to the jcpo in march 2015 in the holy city of mashed as a complete loss. what president rohani and form minister zarif called an international achievement actually caused great damage to the country, as the leader put it, it was a complete loss. naturally, the... 11th parliament was not a

fan of the jcpo and the next parliament should pay no attention to it. the deal was a non-started from the very beginning. the results of the march elections will certainly have its impacts on the direction of iran's political landscape with implications for both domestic policies and international relations. mr. abul faz zohravant is season diplomat. 'who has been working for the iranian ministry of foreign affairs for almost four decades. he is a former ambassador of iran to roma and cabool who has been elected as a representative of tehran in the next parliament. basically, what are the building blocks of iran's foreign policy? of any country's foreign policy. we should be able to determine our opportunities and turn them into...' tangible achievements, for

example, selling oil, capturing a market or establishing a cultural relationship with a certain country. this could be the main of mission of foreign policy. iran's parliament has a long history dating back to the early 20th century when the country underwent a period of constitutional revolution. since then, especially after the 1979 islamic revolution, the iranian parliament has played a significant role in shaping the country's foreign policy priorities. following the revolution, iran's foreign policy underwent a radical shift with focus on anti-western sentiments and support for freedom-seeking movements and across the region. in this regard, the iranian parliament has played a key role in supporting these policies and shaping iran's foreign relations. this is ruhullah, a representative of tehran in the 11th parliament who has been reelected for the next parliament. a about the resistance

movement, the previous parlaments were not as active as they were supposed to be, maybe because they thought that the government was active enough in this regard. but i think the parliament should get involved, especially in the palestinian cause. it has to take a strong stance on it and shape effective relations in favor of the resistance movement, along with the ministry of foreign affairs, the national security council and other related organs. the country's support for resistance groups such as hizbullah in lebanon and hamas in palestine has had positive effects such as promoting solidarity among countries in the region that share. similar anti-western, anti-hegemonic sentiments. the us in this sense has always been a problem in iran's foreign policy. tehran insists that washington should stop its hegemonic ambitions in west asia and considers it as the root cause of regional

instability. but will the new parliament take direct action so as to confront the us or is there any tendency among the top vote getters to bury the hatchet? now uh... "the relations with the united states is still considered as a main challenge in iran's foreign policy. how do you think the new parliament plans to tackle this issue? پیروزی انقلاب اسلامی بناromet. just after the victory of the islamic revolution in 1979, the united states took an antagonistic attitude towards our nation. they began arming opposition groups inside the country. supporting terrorist groups and separatists inside and outside the country and they tried to sew division among people with the aim of pushing the country towards civil war. all these subversive measures were followed by their help to saddam hussein to wage a bloody war against

iran, which took eight years. after the imposed war, none of the following administrations from the bush administration up to now took an amicable approach towards the islamic republic. on the contrary, each one hatched a plot to topple the islamic republic. they imposed all kinds of pressures on the country to topple the established system in iran. how do you expect us to talk and negotiate with them without wasting our breath? a gaza cease fire during the holy month of ramadan appears increasingly unlikely after hamas delegates left cairo talks without an agreement accusing zinus. of supporting efforts put forward by mediators. meanwhile, the cionist war cabinet deliberates the possibility for potential security escalations across various fronts during the month of ramadan, from gaza to the invasion of rafah, extending to the front with lebanon. on the ground, the israeli occupation army has expanded its operations

deep into the gaza strip, intensifying battles in the cities of hamad and khan unis as a prelude to entry into rafah as the resistance re-emerges again in northern gaza. ceesfire talks. falter this week on the mini stream, there's plenty more to be said, but first a quick media review to give other outlets a chance to get award in. hello everyone, welcome to the new section of the program, here we'll go over some news headlines. march the first polls fueled by patr. and political awareness. mohammad baqir khalib underscored the robot's turnout in both parliamentary and assembly of experts elections, expressing gratitude towards the iranian populists and election officials for their contributions to the democratic process. he specifically lodded the efforts

of security and police forces for their assute management in ensuring the elections security. in his address, speaker ghalibov emphasized the accountability of parliament representatives. to all constituents urging them to prioritize public interests over partisan agendas. iran leader says new parliament brings fresh hopes for country. the leader made the remark. a meeting with the chairman and members of the assembly of experts in tehran on sunday. ayatollah khamenei said new parliament is like fresh blood in iran's political and social structure. the leader urged the newly elected iranian lawmakers to be cautious not to imbitter the nation and the political atmosphere of the country. ayatollah kham emphasized that divisive wars, quarals and hostilities which are favorable to the enemy can kill the sweetness of the new parliament, advising the new law. to be very careful. the leaders stressed that iran should always

stand at the forefront of the battle against global arrogance and added that the country should strengthen its fight every day and never allow anyone to defeat it. iran says willing to improve ties with neighboring countries. iran's foreign minister hussein amir abdullahan sa tehran is willing to improve relations with neighboring countries. in a speech during the third tehran dialogue forum 2022, i abdullah yansa, tehran welcomed rebuilding trust and constructive cooperation with his neighbors, especially the persian gulf countries. and that brings us to the end of this section. let's go back to the main narrative. iran's parliament, also known as the islamic consultative assembly, has the power to influence and oversee the government's diplomatic decisions and engagements with other nations. what do you think? the country needs to revise its

economic policies and take initiatives instead of being on the sidelines. this can be done under the rubric of economic diplomacy, the government needs to have detailed guideline in this regard and stop acting on athock basis. the parliament should enter this area by passing comprehensive laws for the country's economic. diplomacy, at the same time we should tap into the potential of our neighboring states and simultaneously establish systematic economic ties with other countries. for example, we can establish even a stronger ties with russia as it sicks our advice and circummenting sanctions, especially after the outbreak of the war with ukraine. one of the key functions of the iranian parliament in shaping the country's foreign policy is through the ratification of treaties and international agreements, as outlined in the iranian constitution, all international agreements must be approved by

the parliament before they can be implemented. this process ensures that the interests and concerns of the iranian people are taken into consideration before committing to any international commitments. concerning foreign policy, everything begins from the country's interaction with its neighbor. since mr. ray came to office, we've had two key achievements: first, we officially joined the shanghai cooperation organization, and second, we officially joined bricks, that said, these memberships are just the first steps and we need to turn them into opportunities. so far, we haven't been very successful in this regard, and i think the next parliament should take proper action. if the administration needs any special support, the parliament should provide it.

the americans abandoned their hostile policies against the islamic republic, have they abandoned their hegemonic policies in the region? if you look at what is unfolding in gaza, you'll find out the answer. the fact is, the americans have not and will not abandon their hegemonic policies. over the past few months, they have lent their unconditional support to the israeli regime. the majority of bombs and ammunition the regime is using against the innocent people in gaza or provided by the us. "despite what they say, they have no respect for human rights at all, so i think we have to take a

more revolutionary stance against both the us government and its puppet regimes and treats them from a stronger position. further more, the iranian parliament plays a crucial role in overseeing the government's foreign policy decisions and actions. through its various committees such as the national security and foreign policy committee, the parliament..." conducts regular evaluations of the government's foreign relations and policies. this oversight mechanism ensures transparency and accountability in the conduct of iran's diplomacy.

ensure that the ministry of foreign affairs is pursuing the country's official foreign policy, we have to ensure that the ministry is fulfilling its mission of developing relations with other countries across the world. the parliament can and should help the ministery facilitate international agreements and accords on condition that they would be to the benefit of the iranian nation. moreover, the iranian parliament has the power to initiate and pass legislation that directly impacts the country's foreign. policy, for example, the parliament can introduce and enact laws related economic sanctions, trade agreements and diplomatic relations with other countries. by drafting and passing legislation, the parliament can influence the direction and priority policy.

as for our relations with the us, we had bitter experience in recent years. i'm talking about iran nuclear deal, the jcpoa, it was bitter lesson for us and an eye-opening experience for the rest of the world, that the americans do not honor their promises and that they are not even honest with their closest allies. i think post jcpi, iran will have fundamental changes in its relations with the us. in this parliament, we ratified the strategic action plan to lift sanctions and protect iranian nations interest, the rohani. administration tried to prevent the law from being passed, but the parliament passed it anyway, and according to the leader of the revolution, save the country from limbo. in addition to its legislative functions, the iranian parliament also plays a role in promoting dialogue and diplomacy with other countries. through its parliamentary diplomacy initiatives, the

iranian parliament engages in exchanges with foreign legislators and officials to promote mutual understanding and... these interactions can help build bridges between iran and other nations, foster peace and stability in the region and advance iran's foreign policy objectives. how can the upcoming parliament help the government in its foreign policy agenda? parliament has a significant capacity of its own. there is an important committee called the national security and foreign policy committee, which is composed of political aliats. time there are over 20 interparliamentary friendship groups in the parliament. this capacity can help any administration in their interacting with other countries. as national organ that represents the whole nation, the parliament can have independent relations with other countries parliament. this way the parliament can breach the gap with the target country, preparing the ground for diplomats to deepen

the country's relations with the rest of the world. iran's nuclear program, key aspect of its foreign policy agenda has been a source of contention, leading to sanctions and diplomatic tensions with the western block. the jcpo, also known as the joint comprehensive plan of action, is a landmark agreement over iran's peaceful nuclear program. signed in 2015 by united states, united kingdom, france, china, russia and germany, the jcpo was seen as a significant diplomatic achievement. however, the agreement has faced challenge. particularly with the united states under president donald trump withdrawing from the deal in 2018. the withdrawal of the us from the agreement has strained relations between iran and the other signatories, leaving the nuclear deal in a more bond state. will the rise of figures such as navon who were critical of the deal from the very beginning be the final nail in

the agreement's coffen? should we brace ourselves for any radical changes with respect to the new? has become clear that almost half of the current representatives have failed to win seat in the next parliament, it means that people expect serious changes, although the leader of the islamic revolution called the 11th parliament, the revolutionary parliament, in comparison to the 10th parliament, which was in line with the rohani administration's pro-western policies, it's seems that the 11th parliament has not fulfilled people's expectations, and it seems that they expect an even more revolutionary parliaments for the future. on the other hand will...

positive and its negative aspects. we should not put all our eggs in one basket. it's not to the benefit of our country. take china for example, although the country is not always on good terms with the united states of america, it is the main exporter of goods to the us. we should take a realistic approach in our foreign policy. we don't need to be perfectly good with a country before benefiting from ties with that country. we should balance our relations with both the west. and the east for the benefit of our country. afghan refugees in iran have been a pressing issue for tehran, issue with

significant social, economic and political implications. will the upcoming parliament have any plans for it? the influx of afghan refugees into iran dates back to the soviet afghan war in the 1980s, when millions of afghans sought refuge in neighboring countries and... including iran. the situation was further exacerbated by the rise the taliban in the 1990s and the us led invasion of afghanistan in 2001. despite international efforts to address the issue, the presence of afghans in iran remains a complex and challenging problem with far reaching consequences for both countries. another serious concern for the iranian nation is the amount of afghan refugee population which is estimated. to be around 7 to 8 million people uh, what do you think the next parliament plans to deal with this issue? we should know exactly what we have to

do with iran. needless to say, they should leave in iran legally, they should have legal permission for it, we should have detailed information about them, the jobs. their homes, their incomes, etc., etc., and we have to make sure that they are obeying the country's rules and regulations. the sheer number of afghans living in iran estimated as high as 7 to8 million as strain iran's resources and infrastructure, leading sometimes, if not always, to social tension, competition for jobs and overcrowded urban areas. the presence of afghan refugees has also had security implications from a pol the issue of afghans in iran has become a contentious topic with debates over citizenship rights, deportion policies and international obligations. the government has

taken measures in this regard, tehran has repeatedly asked the afghan authorities to move toward democracy. i think with democratic political system in afghanistan, afghans living in iran will go back to their own country. if they feel social security in their home. they will return to afghanistan. terran has discussed this issue with the afghan government. this is, i think, the root solution to the problem. overall, the iranian parliament is a crucial institution in shaping and overseeing the country's foreign policy. through its legislative functions, oversight mechanism and diplomatic engagement, the parliament ensures that iran's foreign policy is in line with the interests and aspirations of the iranian people. by working. cooperatively with the government, the parliament can contribute to a more effective and principal foreign policy that promotes iran's national interests and contributes to global peace and stability.

that's all for today. thank you for watching from the whole team. please do join us against same times to see what else is on. you can also follow us on telegram and x. till next time. take care. in late 2023 south africa filed case at the international court of justice icj over the israeli apath regime's genocidal war against palestinians in the besieg gaza strip. south africa stated that the televive regime has failed to uphold its commitments under the 1948 genocide convention. south africa filed the lawsit against the israeli regime at the end of december noting that israel's actions in gaza that sited last october are genocidal character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part the palestinian national, racial and ethnic group. we have a special guest to discuss.

the topic today, he's none other than south african ambassador to iran, his excellency dr. francis molloy. thank you, mr. ambassador for your time today. thank you very much for inviting me, mubarak. it's a pleasure to be here. bismillahirrahmani. انا نحن نزلنا الذكر وانا له لحافظون، ولقد ارسلنا من قبرك في شيع الاولين، وما ياتيهم من رسول الا كانوا به يستهزئون. كذلك نسلكه في

قلوب المجرمين لا يؤمنون به وقد خلت سنه الاولين ولو فتحنا عليهم بابا من السماء فظلوا فظلوا فيه

first to be headlines this hour, the un refugee agency says the onstat in gaza has killed more children than four years of wars around the world. president putin says ukraine's recent military operations intend to metal in russia's upcoming presidential vote. also coming up, iran, russia and china carry on with their joint naval drills in the indian ocean.