Iran, Iraq Delineate Roadmap for Five-Year Cooperation: Minister

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December 27, 2020

In a virtual meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Adel Al-Rikabi, the Iranian minister also expressed hope that with the setting up of a joint committee, the two countries will be able to settle issues of mutual interest.

Shariatmadari said Tehran-Baghdad cooperation in the field of cooperatives can help boost mutual economic collaboration as well.

He underlined creating jobs and entrepreneurship, labour, social welfare, rehabilitation and the exchange of workforce are among other fields where the two sides can work together closely.

The Iranian minister noted enemies have failed to drive a wedge between the two countries.

He underlined Iran always stood by Iraq when Iraqi people were fighting terrorists.

Shariatmadari expressed hope the further promotion of cooperation between the two sides will contribute to the establishment of peace and tranquility in the region.

The Iranian minister also praised the move to issue visas to nationals of both countries free of charge as of May 2019, saying it could boost activities in the tourism sector.

“Nearly 6 million Iranian and Iraqis can visit the two countries annually, which amounts to great potential for the enhancement of mutual economic and cultural relations.

The Iraqi official, in turn, stressed the importance of boosting mutual cooperation on different fronts.

Iran Not to Delay Efforts to Provide COVID-19 Vaccine: Official

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 27, 2020

Es’haq Jahagiri added no one, including the country’s officials, will gain access to a COVID-19 vaccine outside the regulations of the health ministry.

“No state official or their families will receive vaccines outside the protocols of the health ministry,” he added.

“All Iranian people are equally exposed to coronavirus; so, all individuals will gain access to the vaccine based on the priority that the Ministry of Health and Medical Education will announce transparently,” Jahangiri said.

The vice president underscored that people’s health is among the top priorities for the government.

“The government is making every attempt to procure, as soon as possible, the vaccine needed to tackle the coronavirus which has gripped all countries,” he noted.

Iran Reports Lowest Number of New COVID-19 Cases in Two Months

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 26, 2020

In a press briefing on Saturday, Sima-Sadat Lari said the virus has also killed 134 patients since Friday noon, increasing the overall death toll to 54,574.

She said so far 942,548 patients have recovered from the disease or been discharged from the hospital.

Lari went on to say that 5,273 patients are also in critical conditions caused by more severe infection.

The spokeswoman noted that 7,354,931 COVID-19 tests have been taken across the country so far.

She said currently 108 cities are in the “orange zone” and 340 cities in the “yellow zone” in terms of coronavirus outbreak.

11 Killed after Avalanche Hits Northern Tehran

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 26, 2020

Mahdi Valipour, the head of the Rescue and Relief Organization of the IRCS, said the dead bodies were discovered at the heights of Kolakchal, Darabad, and Ahar in northern Tehran.

He said at least 14 people were rescued from dire conditions, and 100 skiing athletes stranded in Tochal heights were taken down.

Head of the country’s Mountain Climbing Federation said two climbers are buried under 15 metres of snow, and efforts are under way to recover their bodies.

Hamid Mosaedian, a mountain climbing federation official, said some of the dead bodies have yet to be taken down, but the other ones will be delivered to their families once their identities are determined.

11 Killed after Avalanche Hits Northern Tehran — Some of the people who were rescued after an avalanche hit northern heights of Tehran

Rouhani Says Iran Can’t Trust American ‘Robbers’

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 26, 2020

In comments on Saturday, President Rouhani said Tehran has been making efforts to buy the vaccines through COVAX, a global initiative aimed at working with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries worldwide equitable access to safe and effective vaccines.

“We provided the money needed to buy vaccines, but they said first we needed the approval of OFAC (The Office of Foreign Assets Control – a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the US Treasury Department) to make the payment. Then we tried to transfer the money through another country. Again, they said the money must first be transferred to an American bank,” said the president.

“How can we trust you (the US) when you are infamous for theft,” he said, referring to previous cases of US seizure of Iranian assets.

“The Americans hampered our efforts not only with regards to the purchase of vaccines. We can see traces of the United States’ wickedness with regards to anything we want to buy,” he said.

He then criticized media campaigns regarding Iran’s efforts to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Anti-Iran media outlets, which happen to be so cheeky, capitalize on an issue every day and use it as a pretext [to launch a campaign against Iran],” he noted.

“This time, they are using the issue of the coronavirus vaccine as an excuse and are taking advantage of the issue of purchasing foreign vaccines, the transfer of money and the production of a vaccine inside Iran,” the president.

“Since the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, one of the key issues in question was to provide a vaccine for the disease. All efforts in the country focused on a two-pronged approach: making attempts to develop a vaccine domestically while trying to buy safe foreign vaccines,” he noted.

He said all media campaigns regarding the issue of the coronavirus vaccine in Iran were false.

Ayatollah Khamenei Congratulates Christians, Muslims on Christmas

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 26, 2020

IMG_20201226_233359_003 — This file photo shows Iran's Leader Ayatollah Khamenei meeting an Iranian Armenian family in December 2015

“I congratulate all Christians and Muslims of the world, particularly our Christian compatriots, on the birth anniversary of Prophet Jesus Christ, the Messiah (PBUH),” read a Friday message posted by the official Twitter account of Iran’s Leader.

Earlier, President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had also felicitated the birthday anniversary of Jesus Christ and the New Year.

Christianity in Iran dates back to the early years of the faith, pre-dating Islam. It has always been a minority religion relative to the majority state religions (Zoroastrianism before the Islamic conquest, Sunni Islam in the Middle Ages and Shiite Islam in modern times), though it had a much larger representation in the past than it does today.

Christians of Iran have played a significant part in the history of Christian mission. Currently there are at least 600 churches and 500,000–1,000,000 Christians in Iran.

The Islamic Republic guarantees the recognized Christian minorities a number of rights including representation in the parliament, special family law, production and sale of non-halal foods, among others.

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on December 26

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 26, 2020

Aftab-e Yazd Newspaper:

1- Russia and Pakistan Ditch Iran

2- International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate [Editorial]

Arman-e Melli Newspaper:

1- Heavy Snow in 18 Provinces

2- Controversy over Latest Rocket Attack against US Embassy in Baghdad

Donya-ye Eqtesad Newspaper:

1- Britain and EU Agree to Get Divorce with Mutual Consent after 47 Years

Ebtekar Newspaper:

1- Snowy Iran

2- Zarif Warns Trump: You Can’t Distract Attentions from Your Domestic Disasters

3- Continued Controversy over Vaccine

4- Is Turkey Looking for Removal of Iran from Economic Map?

Etemad Newspaper:

1- Trump’s Dangerous Adventure

2- Parliament Planning to Encourage Women to Deliver More Children

Hamshahri Newspaper:

1- COVID-19 Vaccine to Be Imported Soon

Iran Newspaper:

1- Fresh Round of Reviewing FATF

2- Iran Will Both Produce Vaccine, Import It from Other Countries

3- Rouhani: It Is Great Honour Iran’s Petchem Production Has Doubled

Jomhouri Eslami Newspaper:

1- Five Big Petchem Projects Inaugurated in Western Iran

Kayhan Newspaper:

1- Big Lie Revealed: Central Bank Chief Says Vaccine Purchase Had Nothing to Do with FATF

2- US Logistics Convoys Destroyed in 4 Iraqi Provinces

3- Data of Big Israeli Cyber Firm Stolen

4- MP: Adopting FATF Standards Will Not Only Not Lift Any Sanctions, But Will Block Oil Sales

Mardom Salari Newspaper:

1- Democrats’ JCPOA Counter-Attack against GOP

2- US Self-Harming in Iraq

Shahrvand Newspaper:

1- Purchase of Foreign COVID-19 Vaccine Finalized

2- All Religions Respected Equally in Iran: Gov’t Spokesman

Shargh Newspaper:

1- No Discrimination against Women in Appointing Managers

2- Larijani Brothers’ Stances on FATF

Iran Warns against Plots to Trigger Religious Divide

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 26, 2020

Ali Rabiei said signs of this mutual respect can be seen all across the world as, for instance, there are mosques and churches on the same street in many countries, including Iran.

“But today, ‘deadly identities’ have jeopardized this tangible civilizational heritage,” he noted.

He touched upon the emergence of the ISIS terrorist group, which committed so many crimes under the guise of religion.

He underlined certain entities are caching in on religion to build extremist identities, “whether in the form of Daeshism (the ISIS ideology) or Zionism or a form of extremism on the other side of the world which, in its acute form, boils down to Trumpism.”

The spokesman underscored these fatal identities endanger the peaceful lives of people in the region, no matter what religion they follow.

He said Iran has always sought to promote peaceful coexistence among divine faiths.

“Having risen from an Iranian-Islamic civilization, Iran has drawn on religious teachings which are based on moderation and peace and tried to promote the spirit of coexistence in the region, which has been going in Iran for centuries,” Rabiei noted.

“We have always announced that peace is within reach in the region,” he added.

“This wishful event will be more achievable in these disappointing days if only all mankind and followers of divine faiths return to their traditions and real foundations of the beliefs and traditions of their prophets,” he noted.

“Today, every corner of the world is suffering from injustice, violence and discrimination,” he added.

“And even more bitter is the fact that much of these misanthropic acts are committed in the name of religion and under the guise of ostensibly religious rituals,” he added.

“What is called religious fundamentalism today is manifested in the unbelievable violence by the ISIS and the Israeli regime’s racism and the lust for endless wars in the United States,” he said.

“However, these are not fundamentalism; rather, they are an unprecedented distortion of the essence and heavenly message of divine faiths in order to serve the interests of forged civilizations,” he noted.

“By returning to the common precepts of divine faiths the centrepiece of which are individual and collective interests, justice, freedom, brotherhood and tolerance, one can once again experience bliss and peace,” the spokesman said.

“Returning as such to religious fundamentals and purging religion of all distortions is, more than anywhere else, necessary in our religion, which is rife with social and international conflicts,” he said.

All Religions in Iran Equally Respected: Official

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 26, 2020

Ali Rabiei said respecting one another is one of the positive points of the Iranian society.
“Tolerance, coexistence and respecting each other is one of the features and strengths of the Iranian society,” he said while visiting a Tehran nursing home for Christians.

“I behalf of the government, I congratulate my fellow Christian countrymen as well as all Christians across the world on Jesus Christ’s birthday,” he said.

In Iran, he said, one may find, a mosque, a synagogue and even a Zoroastrians’ place of worship on the same street, “which indicates a sort of coexistence.”

The spokesman said issues that followers of other religions face in Iran should be addressed as well.

“The government believes all issues which apply to Iranians also apply to Iranian minorities,” he noted.

In Pictures: Christmas and New Year Shopping in Tehran

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 26, 2020

Every year in the last days of December, one can see huge crowds of people in those streets and neighbourhoods of Tehran where Christians, mostly Armenians and Assyrians, are in the majority.

Christians, and even Muslims, annually go shopping on these streets ahead of new Christian year.

What follows are YJC’s photos of this year’s Christmas market in Tehran:

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