With the winter having set in, the beautiful landmark has been attracting many tourists from across the country amid freezing temperatures.
Iran resumes gasoline exports to crisis-hit Afghanistan amid frigid winter
In a tweet on Sunday, Hassan Kazemi-Ghomi said the three-month permit had been issued at the request of the caretaker Taliban officials in Kabul.
“In line with fulfilling the needs of Afghan people in winter and given a request by the country’s officials from the Islamic Republic of Iran, the permit had been issued for a period of three months,” reads the tweet.
Afghanistan relies on Iran for transit route and imports, including fuel. Iranian fuel flows have been vital to the country in the past few years.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) had stopped fuel exports to Afghanistan since August 6, 2021 over the concerns about the safety of trading in the country.
Afghanistan’s economic crisis took a turn for the worse following the lightning takeover of the Taliban in mid-August last year. There has been a sharp hike in fuel prices, unemployment, and poverty among the people.
Following a humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States imposed economic sanctions on Afghanistan, doubling the sufferings of its people.
Iran has been sending consignments of humanitarian aid to various Afghan cities over the past months.
Iran’s leader urges religious gatherings to enlighten society
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was addressing a group of eulogists s on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter Hazrat Fatemeh. Referring to some high personality traits of Hazrat Fatemeh, such as social movements and selfless service to the people, Ayatollah Khamenei described religious gatherings as centers for calcification.
The leader also called the unconditional service and sincere help to the needy as important signs of a Fatemi society and said, “By the grace of God, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian society has become Fatemi in the past 43 years and we have seen this many times during the sacred defense, in the scientific movements and during the services of martyrs such as the nuclear martyrs, and in natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes.”
Ayatollah Khamenei mentioned the era of the Covid pandemic and the services that were provided free of charge as a continuation and as another example of the movement inspired by the Fatemi school of thought.
Russia urges UK to stop engaging in provocations over Ukraine
“The misinformation spread by the British Foreign Office is another evidence that these are the NATO countries, led by the Anglo-Saxons, that are escalating tensions around Ukraine,” a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry told TASS.
“We call on the British Foreign Office to stop provocative activities, stop spreading nonsense and focus on studying the history of the Tatar-Mongol yoke,” the representative added.
The UK’s Foreign Office claims on Saturday the Russian leadership is considering a possibility of installing a pro-Russian government in Ukraine and former Ukrainian MP Yevgeny Murayev may lead it.
“We have information that indicates the Russian Government is looking to install a pro-Russian leader in Kiev as it considers whether to invade and occupy Ukraine. The former Ukrainian MP Yevgeny Murayev is being considered as a potential candidate,” according to the statement.
“We have information that the Russian intelligence services maintain links with numerous former Ukrainian politicians including; Sergey Arbuzov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2012-2014, and acting Prime Minister in 2014; Andrey Kluyev, First Deputy Prime Minister from 2010-2012 and Chief of Staff to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich; Vladimir Sivkovich, former Deputy Head of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (RNBO); Nikolay Azarov, Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2010-2014,” the Foreign Office said, adding that “some of these have contact with Russian intelligence officers currently involved in the planning for an attack on Ukraine.”
In this respect, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called on Moscow to de-escalation and negotiations. According to her, “the information being released today shines a light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine, and is an insight into Kremlin thinking.”
“Russia must de-escalate, end its campaigns of aggression and disinformation, and pursue a path of diplomacy. As the UK and our partners have said repeatedly, any Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake with severe costs,” she stressed.
The Foreign office stressed that “the UK’s position on Ukraine is also clear.”
“We unequivocally support its sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea. Ukraine is an independent, sovereign country,” the Foreign office announced.
On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab said the UK government is ready to impose tough economic penalties against Moscow if it allegedly tries not only to invade Ukraine but also bring pro-Russian politicians to power.
“Russia will face serious consequences, if [it] takes this move to try to invade [Ukraine] but also install the puppet regime,” Raab told Sky News.
In response to the question, whether London is considering the possibility to disconnect Russia from SWIFT, the deputy prime minister noted that a wide package of economic and financial restrictions would be imposed against Moscow.
The White House has also announced London’s statement raises concern in Washington, commenting on the British Foreign Office’s statement about Moscow’s alleged plans to create a pro-Russian government in Ukraine.
“This kind of plotting is deeply concerning. The Ukrainian people have the sovereign right to determine their own future and we stand with our democratically-elected partners in Ukraine,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne stated.
US not doing enough to lift Iran sanctions: Iranian MP
“We disapprove of this (the US approach),” said Vahid Jalalzadeh, the chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Parliament.
“The current Iranian administration kicked off the talks in very tough conditions and should bargain to ensure the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the negotiations as much as possible,” added the MP.
He said the “Western party” to the talks was seeking to gain more concessions from Iran when the new Iranian administration took office, being under the delusion that it could cash in on the problems that any administration normally faces at the beginning of its tenure.
However, said the lawmaker, the Iranian negotiating team kept their scheme at bay.
He then touched upon the West setting a deadline for bringing the talks to an end.
“By this, they want to launch a war of nerves,” he said.
The legislator then urged Washington to make good on its obligations under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“If the Americans [really] seek to reduce the duration of the talks and make them bear fruit, they should return to their commitments under the JCPOA with regards to the lifting of sanctions against Iran,” he said.
“The US and the Western side wouldn’t like to fully live up to their commitments regarding the removal of sanctions against Iran, and, in return, their expectations of the Islamic Republic of Iran are at their maximum. This runs counter to the spirit of the JCPOA,” he said.
Iraq boosts security on Syrian border after Daesh jailbreak
“There are directives issued by the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi forces to double the security measures on the Iraqi-Syrian border,” Yahia Rasoul, spokesman of the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The Iraqi security forces are ready to confront any attempt by IS militants to infiltrate Iraqi territory, Rasoul was quoted as saying by INA.
On Thursday, a group of IS militants escaped from a prison in the Gweiran neighborhood of Hasakah, followed by violent clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the IS.
Iraqi Minister of Defense Juma Inad has urged the army to hold firm against “psychological warfare” by the “enemy”.
In an audio recording, the DM stated, “before 2014, the enemy (IS) was well-armed inside and outside Iraq. It had ready sleeper cells and booby-trapped vehicles, but now its cells are less, and the Iraqi-Syrian borders are well protected.”
Iran envoy rejects reports of Russia offer over temporary nuclear deal
“News that Russia has offered to sign a temporary nuclear deal with Iran is utterly false and it is a lie,” said Kazem Jalali.
He also dismissed as “media speculation” reports that Iran has called on Russia to stand up to Turkey, and that Russia has turned down the request.
He said such claims show Western media are not aware of the content of the recent talks between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
“The achievements of President Raisi’s two-day trip to Moscow can be classified into three domains: Bilateral relations as well as regional and international cooperation,” said Jalali.
The top diplomat made the comment after some Western media claimed Russia had offered to sign a temporary nuclear agreement with Iran during recent discussions between the two presidents.
Russia is a signatory to the Iran nuclear deal, JCPOA, and is engaged in talks with Tehran in Vienna to revive the agreement. The deal that was thrown into disarray following the US withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 under former president, Donald Trump.
Several killed, injured in Afghanistan blast
“Four women were among the seven killed,” the head of Herat’s provincial hospital, Arif Jalali, told the AFP news agency.
Herat’s Taliban commander Mawlawi Ansari told Reuters news agency that nine people had been wounded.
The explosion was confirmed by Herat’s intelligence office.
“Initial reports indicate it was a sticky bomb attached to the fuel tank of the passenger vehicle,” said Sabit Harwi, a spokesman for the office.
Herat provincial police and the department of culture also confirmed the bomb blast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Security in Afghanistan has vastly improved since a 20-year-long armed battle by the Taliban ended with the group’s capture of the capital, Kabul, in August.
However, several attacks have been reported each week throughout the country, including some claimed by the regional chapter of ISIL (ISIS), Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K).
ISKP has been accused of regularly targeting the country’s Shia Hazara community with deadly attacks, and the area where Saturday’s blast occurred near a bus station is also inhabited by the community.
Herat is the country’s third-biggest city, close to the border with Iran, but had remained relatively peaceful in recent months.
In addition to security-related concerns, the Afghan economy remains dire as support for the country has dried up amid the Taliban takeover. The international community remains wary of the group with the United States imposing sanctions on some of its leaders.
The United Nations estimates nearly 23 million Afghans – about 55 percent of the population – are facing extreme levels of hunger, with nearly nine million at risk of famine as winter takes hold.
Iran, Pakistan to do trade by barter soon
La’l Mohammad Baluchzehi added that a Pakistani delegation has been scheduled to visit Zahedan, the capital of Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, and hold talks on barter system and free trade with the ICCIMA officials.
The provincial official said Pakistan exports different products, including basic goods, clothes, bananas, and mangoes, to Iran while it imports various products from Iran such as petrochemical products, tiles, ceramics, apples, and dates.
According to Baluchzehi, the two sides have already negotiated on barter and the necessary arrangements have been made.
In November, Iran and Pakistan reached an agreement on barter trade aimed at expanding their transactions in the face of U.S. sanctions, Pakistani media reported.
The decision was announced by Pakistan’s Commerce Secretary Sualeh Faruqi in a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce, reported the Pakistan daily Dawn.
Given the lack of banking channels with Iran, some issues existed in trading with Tehran and the barter trade agreement is expected to resolve the problems, said the commerce secretary.
The two neighboring countries have earlier announced that a free trade agreement would be implemented within the coming months, as Tehran and Islamabad are seeking to increase their annual trade volume to $5 billion by 2023.
Iranians mark National Mother’s Day
As Hazrat Zahra is regarded as the paragon of virtue in Islam, the occasion has been designated as Mother’s Day in Iran.
Hazrat Zahra enjoys a lofty and highly commendable status and serves as a role model for women with her praiseworthy demeanor.
Iranians go visit their mothers on this day and give them presents.
Or if their mothers have departed this life, they go visit their tombs and lay flowers on their mothers’ final resting places.
