University professors, students urge return of Reza Omidi
In the letter, the signatories said “firing” of the professor was “not only a serious blow to the scientific stature of the University of Tehran and students studying policy-making and social welfare, but will seriously damage the entire government and the society”.
They also described Omidi as a distinguished scholar in social welfare who is focused on teaching and “has never put personal interests before scientific, social and national interests”.
“Today, with poverty, inequity and tiered and social discrimination increasing in the country every day, Dr. Omidi’s concern for promotion of welfare policies in favor of underprivileged classes, attention to justice … is hugely significant,” the letter read.
“But rather than using his knowledge, expertise and experience … under the current difficult economic and living conditions, … unfortunately, we are witnessing that he is removed from the academic arena, under the pretext of security inquiries.”
The signatories questioned talks about security concerns saying security bodies have already clarified that Omidi’s continued tenure in the university is by no means prohibited.
University officials had earlier said the contract of the professor, who has been teaching in the University of Tehran since 2018, was not extended after its expiry, because he could not qualify in the vetting process.
Enemy sought to shatter Iran’s economy: Iran Leader
“By this war, the enemy south to shatter Iran’s economy,” said Ayatollah Khamenei in a meeting with manufacturers and economic players.
“Of course, the collapse of the economy was a precursor because by destroying Iran’s economy, they wanted to pit people against the Establishment of the Islamic Republic and reach their wicked political objectives through that,” he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader urged officials to further reinforce the industry sector in the country.
“Authorities shoulder two key responsibilities,” said Ayatollah Khamenei.
“First, they should delineate a strategic roadmap for the entirety of the country’s economy, particularly for certain industries; second, centralized management, management and guidance,” he explained.
He said he prefers state institutions not to get involved in economic activities. Rather, he added, government officials and institutions should monitor such activities and offer guidance and assistance.
He also urged producers to pay attention to “quality” in their work.
Israeli president begins first visit to UAE
The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed US-brokered normalisation agreements with Israel, dubbed the “Abraham Accords”, in 2020. The two Persian Gulf states and Israel share common concerns about Iran and its allied forces in the region.
En route to the UAE, Herzog’s plan flew over Saudi Arabia, which he said was “truly a very moving moment”. Riyadh and Tel Aviv do not have diplomatic ties, but Israel has announced it would like to establish a relationship with the kingdom which is home to Islam’s two holiest sites.
The presidency in Israel is a largely ceremonial post. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited the UAE in December.
The president was greeted on arrival in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi by Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“I will be meeting the leadership of the United Arab Emirates, at the personal invitation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince,” Herzog noted earlier.
“I wish him well and I am grateful for his courage and bold leadership, carving out a peace agreement with Israel and sending a message to the entire region that peace is the only alternative for the peoples of the region,” he added.
President Herzog will also be meeting Jewish communities in the UAE, which is the region’s commercial and tourism hub.
Israel has offered security and intelligence support to the UAE against further drone and missile attacks after a deadly strike by Yemen’s Houthi group, according to a letter released on Tuesday by Israel’s leader.
Iran MP raps Afghanistan over “water rights” commitments
“Despite the concessions we give to Afghanistan, they have not fulfilled their promises regarding the supply of water,” said Mohammad Sargazi.
“We are now exporting electricity to Afghanistan, supplying water to the town of Zaranj and providing the country with fuel,” the legislator explained.
“Transportation routes in our country are the major paths for sending commodities and fuel to Afghanistan, but unfortunately, despite Iran’s engagement with the Afghan side, they fail to deliver on their commitments with regards to water rights of the Helmand river,” he said.
Under a 1972 agreement between Tehran and Kabul, Afghanistan must open the gates of the river to flow a certain volume of water toward the southwestern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan on a regular basis.
However, Afghanistan has failed to fulfill its commitments in that regard.
This comes as locals in the province have staged protests over water shortage and Kabul’s breach of promise.
Safdarian wins Iran’s second ever ice climbing gold
The competitions were held in Saas Fee in Switzerland and Safdarian won the gold in the combined results of the competitions.
He also won the fifth spot in the speed discipline and the sixth spot in the lead section. The aggregate brought him and the Iranian team the previous gold medal.
This came a day after Mohsen Beheshti Rad won the first ice climbing medal in Iran’s history in the speed discipline of the competitions.
UN calls for independent probe into deadly Saudi attack on Yemen prison
The Saudi-led coalition’s air raids on the detention facility in Sa’ada killed at least 91 people and injured many more last week, the OHCHR announced, citing preliminary figures.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, OHCHR Spokesperson Rupert Colville said staff from its Yemen office were in Sa’ada this week as part of an interagency mission, and the information they collected “paints a chaotic and desperate picture” in the wake of the airstrikes.
“We are working to verify the civilian casualties but so far, we understand that some 91 detainees were killed, many when the upper floor of one building collapsed, and 236 others were injured,” Colville added.
Yemeni officials have called for an international investigation into the airstrike. The overnight attack created horrific scenes, with bombed-out buildings littered with bodies and hospitals overwhelmed.
The OHCHR spokesman urged Saudis “to ensure that the investigation is in line with international standards and is transparent, independent and impartial, to establish why the prison was hit, to ensure individual accountability for any breaches of international humanitarian law, and to identify measures and procedures required to prevent such incidents in the future.”
Colville stressed, “During the recent visit by our team this week, we saw no signs indicating that this site, formerly a barracks, continues to have a military function. And in light of this, we have asked the coalition to share their information with us.”
The UN chief Antonio Guterres has also condemned the Saudi-led air raids on Sa’ada and called for an investigation into the attacks.
Amnesty International has recently announced that the Saudi-led coalition used US-manufactured bombs in the Saada prison massacre.
According to Amnesty, the laser-guided bomb used by the Saudi-led coalition is manufactured by US defense company Raytheon.
The organization described the bomb as “the latest piece in a wider web of evidence of the use of US-manufactured weapons in incidents that could amount to war crimes.”
The organization accused US President Joe Biden of abandoning the promises that he made to end his country’s support for the war on Yemen and the claims he made to “center human rights in foreign policy” and ensure rights abusers “are held accountable.”
Amnesty International concluded that the Biden administration has failed to meet the US obligations under international law and violated the country’s own law.
Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a war against the Arab world’s most impoverished nation in March 2015. The war has been seeking to restore power in Yemen to Riyadh’s favorite officials.
The death toll of the war, now in its seventh year, will reach an estimated 377,000 by the end of 2021, according to a recent report from the UN’s Development Programme.
The fighting has seen some 80 percent of the population, or 24 million people, relying on aid and assistance, including 14.3 million who are in acute need.
Raisi to Macron: Any deal in Vienna must ensure verifiable sanctions removal
Raisi and Macron were speaking over the phone. The Iranian president then referred to the US admission that its so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran has failed.
He said the Islamic Republic of Iran has proved its determination and seriousness about reaching a deal in the Vienna talks which aim to revive the JCPOA.
The French president for his part said Iran has a right to not trust the US because it was Washington that created this crisis surrounding the nuclear deal in the first place by unilaterally withdrawing from the agreement. Raisi and Macron also spoke over a range of other issues including bilateral ties between Tehran and Paris and regional developments. The presidents of Iran and France explored ways of expanding Franco-Irani relations.
As for regional issues, Raisi stressed that stability and security in West Asia and the Persian Gulf can only be achieved by regional players, and not through foreign interventions.
The Iranian president then called for the international community to pay attention to the Yemen crisis and demanded an end to the Saudi-led blockade of the oppressed Yemeni people.
Macron also condemned the military aggression against the people of Yemen, most notably the recent Saudi-led attacks against the country.
The Iranian and French presidents also held talks over the the situation in Lebanon.
