According to Fars News Agency, Ahmadinejad had travelled to the UAE to visit Expo 2020 hosted by Dubai, but had to return home upon Emirati officials’ recommendation.
Fars added , he failed to achieve any of his objectives during his visit.
During the visit, many visitors found photo opportunity with former Iranian president.
More US military members have died from suicides in the second quarter 2021 than since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, a recent Pentagon report finds.
Between the beginning of April and the end of June 2021, there were 139 total military suicides – 99 in active service, 14 among reservists, and 26 in the National Guard – the latest report from the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) says.
The statistics released show a 46% surge in suicides among the US Army active-duty forces over the same span of time in 2020.
The new figures also mean that suicides in just that calendar quarter amount to more than double the official death toll from Covid-19 in the armed forces, which the Pentagon has put at 58 so far.
The Defense Department’s 2020 annual report on military suicides, published at the end of September, showed 580 such deaths over the course of 2020 – corrected to 581 in the latest quarterly – up from 505 total the year before.
While the rate of suicides among reservists and the National Guard has stayed “statistically flat” since 2016, the active-duty force saw a significant increase, Dr. Karin Orvis, who took over as chief of the DSPO in 2019, said. The rate of suicides in active service was 28.7 per 100,000 in 2020, the highest since detailed records started being kept in 2008, when it was 16.9 per 100,000.
Enlisted men under the age of 30 were at highest risk, making up 42% of the total military population in 2020, but accounting for 63% of military suicides that year, Orvis said. The Army’s suicide rate of 36.4 per 100,000 was nearly double that of the Navy’s 19.3.
The second-quarter figures from 2021 predate the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which began in August. Any suicides related to the Kabul airlift and the end of that 20-year conflict would be tallied in the next quarterly report.
“As previously announced, the visit by Deputy Foreign Minister Baqeri to Brussels will be solely for the purpose of continuing talks with European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell’s deputy Enrique Mora based on an agreement reached in Tehran,” Saeed Khatibzadeh stated on Sunday evening.
His explanation came after some interpreted remarks made by Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a closed session of the parliament on Sunday as an announcement of a new round of talks between Iran and the remaining parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
An Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday negotiations will resume in the coming days on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Behrouz Mohebbi made the comment in a tweet on the sidelines of a closed-door meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
Mora and Baqeri met in Tehran last week to discuss Iran-EU relations, regional issues, and lifting of anti-Iran sanctions.
They agreed to continue talks in Brussels over the possibility of further negotiations between Iran and the P4+1 group in the Austrian capital Vienna.
He referred to the Friday terrorist attack at the Fatemieh Mosque in the Afghan city of Kandahar, saying the incident once again saddened the Muslim Ummah.
Raeisi extended condolences to the Afghan people and urged the Muslim ulema and the international bodies to heed the suffering of “Afghan brothers and sisters”.
He stressed that the increasing number of terror attacks that are carried out in line with the US destabilization strategy in Afghanistan, indicates the expansion of the circle of terrorist acts in the country.
Therefore, Raeisi noted, the rulers of Afghanistan are expected to fulfill their responsibility in ensuring the security of the nation.
The president said the Islamic Republic of Iran stands on the side of Afghanistan and is ready to provide full assistance and cooperation to create lasting stability and security for the people of Afghanistan.
Hassan Kazemi Qomi, who was appointed as the president’s special envoy for Afghanistan on Sunday, was formerly in charge of the Iranian embassy in Iraq and the Iranian Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan.
The president issued a decree to appoint Karimi to the post.
The decree reads: “Given your valuable record and your commitment, by virtue of this decree, you are appointed as the President’s advisor for ethnic and religious minorities’ affairs. I hope that, by relying on God and striving for justice, revolutionary spirit, democracy, purity and opposition to corruption, rule of law and the provisions of the Covenant of People’s Government Managers, and with your effective and timely follow-up on issues related to ethnic minorities’ affairs, you will work hard to create unity, empathy and solidarity between different ethnicities and religions and advance the goals of the government in line with laws and regulations”.
Raeisi wished Karimi success in his new post.
54-year-old Karimi holds a PhD in Arabic Language and Literature. He also received an Ijtihad certificate from the Great Islamic Center of Western Iran in 1991. Karimi also served as the city of Divandareh’s governor for 5 years.
Bagheri made the remark on Sunday in Moscow. He’s visiting Russia heading a military delegation for talks with high-ranking Russian officials.
Bagheri noted that the administration of President Ebrahim Raeisi has a special view on the East and Asian countries and that the beginning of the process of Iran’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization took place under the Raeisi administration.
The chairman of Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said he’s visiting Russia at the invitation of Russian defense chief, adding that during his stay in Moscow, the two sides will discuss bilateral issues and Afghanistan because the situation in the country affects both Iran and Russia. Bagheri added that he and the Russian officials will also hold talks over military ties, defense industries and cooperation in establishing full security in Syria.
He also said that during his visit, he and the Russian officials will hold negotiations on Tehran’s military purchases from Moscow after the end of the UN arms embargo on the Islamic Republic.
Bagheri arrived at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Sunday heading a military delegation.
Bagheri was greeted by General Sergei Istrakov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
General Bagheri and members of the high-ranking Iranian military delegation inspected the ceremonial guard of the Russian Ministry of Defense upon arrival at Vnukovo Airport, after the anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran was played.
General Sergei Istrakov, a group of high-ranking Russian generals, Kazem Jalali, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Moscow, and a group of directors of Iranian institutions based in Russia were also attending the ceremony.
General Bagheri will hold talks with Russian officials during his stay in the country.
Bagheri earlier visited Pakistan where he met Pakistani military officials and Prime Minister Imran Khan and they discussed important regional and international issues including the Afghanistan situation and war on terrorism.
In Isfahan, the Speaker of the Swiss National Assembly met with Bishop Kashichian, the Armenian religious leader of Isfahan and southern Iran.
Aebi also visited various sections of the Vank Church and then the Khajavi Bridge, two historical sites of Isfahan. He also visited other historical monuments of Isfahan such as the Imam Square and Mosque, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Aali Qapo Palace and a cloth engraving workshop.
Abei then met with Isfahan’s Governor Seyed Reza Mortazavi at the city’s Abbasi Hotel.
The Speaker of the Swiss National Assembly and the Swiss Ambassador traveled to Yazd with their families. During their two-day visit to Yazd, they met with the Governor of Yazd and discussed cultural and economic assets of Switzerland and Iran, especially regarding ways of helping with the economic development of Yazd, which is a world famous ancient city.
Abei visited Yazd’s fire temple and the historical parts of the city like the Yazd Grand Mosque. Of course, in one part of their trip, the group also visited the city of Meybod and the Zilu (A kind of Iranian carpet) projects as global handicrafts.
They also went to Ardakan.
Alireza Kamarei also said schools with more than 300 students will be reopened from November 6.This reopening will include all public and private schools at all levels of education, but special schools will be reopened according to a separate procedure.
He added that in line with the decision of Iran’s National Covid Taskforce, vaccination is not a condition for the presence of teachers and students in the classrooms, but we hope that students who have not been vaccinated or have received only one dose will get the second dose by the end of November.
Currently, 85% of teachers and 68% of students have been inoculated”, Kamarei said. He described the personal and environmental health of students and school staff and the creation of proper ventilation in classrooms as the main conditions for reopening schools.
Kamarei said the distance between students in the classrooms will be at least one and a half meters and social distancing in the break time must be observed.
Erdogan said on Sunday that the United States had proposed the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in return for its investment in the F-35 programme.
Reuters reported earlier this month that Turkey made a request to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 jets and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes.
Speaking to reporters before departing for a trip to West Africa, Erdogan stated Turkey wants a return for its investment in the F-35 programme and that talks on the issue are ongoing.
“There is the payment of $1.4 billion we have made for the F-35s and the U.S. had such a proposal in return for these payments,” Erdogan added.
“And regarding this, we said let’s take whatever steps are needed to be taken to meet the defence needs of our country,” he said, adding that the new F-16 jets would help develop its fleet.
Ankara had ordered more than 100 F-35 jets, made by Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), but the U.S. removed Turkey from the programme in 2019 after it acquired Russian S-400 missile defence systems.
The decades-old partnership between the NATO allies has gone through unprecedented tumult in the past five years over disagreements on Syria policy, Ankara’s closer ties with Moscow, its naval ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean, U.S. charges against a state-owned Turkish bank and erosion of rights and freedoms in Turkey.
Ankara’s purchase of the S-400s has also triggered U.S. sanctions. In December 2020, Washington blacklisted Turkey’s Defence Industry Directorate, its chief, Ismail Demir, and three other employees.
Since then the U.S. has repeatedly warned Turkey against buying further Russian weaponry. But Erdogan has indicated Ankara still intends to buy a second batch of S-400s from Russia, a move that could deepen the rift with Washington.
The request for the jets will likely have a difficult time getting approval from the U.S. Congress, where sentiment towards Turkey has soured deeply over recent years.
There is bipartisan support in U.S. Congress to push the Biden administration to put further pressure on Ankara, primarily over its purchase of Russian weapons and its human rights track record.
Ankara has announced it hopes for better ties under U.S. President Joe Biden.
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