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Iran Not to Accept Anything beyond JCPOA, Rouhani Tells Macron

April 29, 2018

In a Sunday phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, which lasted more than an hour, President Rouhani said the JCPOA has ensured regional security and cooperation.

Rouhani slammed the US for seeking to violate the JCPOA and said over the past few days, Iran has adopted highly significant economic decisions in banking and forex areas in response to the US possible pullout of the nuclear accord.

The Iranian president blasted the US stance towards the JCPOA over the past two years and said continuation of the stance is not acceptable for Iran anymore.

He reiterated that the JCPOA is non-negotiable and said Iran will not accept any further commitments beyond the nuclear deal.

Rouhani called the Iran nuclear deal a main basis for building trust between Iran and the west, and said, “Given high capacities for expansion of ties in various political, cultural, economic and regional areas, we are determined to strengthen our relations with France.”

The French president, for his part, called for further expansion of ties between Iran and France.

He then underlined that France and other European sides of the Iran nuclear deal support the JCPOA and added his country will remain in the deal resolutely.

Macron also called on the Iranian president to remain in the nuclear deal even if the US decides to pull out.

He then referred to the regional issues and said France has always been after a stable region and said the JCPOA can serve as a good model for resolving regional issues.

Iran State TV to Air Documentary on US-ISIS Cooperation

IFP Editorial Staff

April 29, 2018

Named Lord of War, the documentary provides its viewers with a new account of US support for terrorists in the region.

According to a report by the Persian-language news agency Young Journalist Club (YJC), the new documentary draws on rarely-seen videos to shed light on an undeniable fact about the US support for the ISIS terrorists.

The documentary is set to be broadcasted for the first time when the US begins to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to East Jerusalem Al-Quds.

Provided by the Resistance Front which has managed to penetrate into the US Command and Control in the region, the videos used in the documentary portray a vivid account of the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The videos reveal how the US commanders provide ISIS with direct and indirect military and logistic support helping the terrorists to survive.

Lord of War is produced by Owj Arts and Media Organization which is a non-governmental media organization affiliated with the IRGC. It is active in launching propaganda campaigns, film production and distribution.

US has been accused repeatedly by Syria, Russia, Iran, Turkey and a number of other regional states of sponsoring terrorist groups in the region.

A study by Conflict Armament Research (CAR) said last year that sophisticated weapons the US and Saudi Arabia secretly provided for so-called moderate militants fighting the Syrian government quickly fell into the ISIS hands.

Iran Develops Its Own Digital Currency

IFP Editorial Staff

April 29, 2018

Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi says the Iranian cryptocurrency is being developed under a joint project involving the ministry’s ICT Research Institute, Central Bank of Iran’s Monetary and Banking Research Institute and the state-run Post Bank.

“Last week, in a joint meeting aimed at exploring the progress of the project, it was announced that the experimental model is ready,” he said, according to a report by the Persian-language Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

The announcement came after the central bank last Sunday banned Iranian banks from dealing in foreign cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.

“Banks and credit institutions and currency exchanges should avoid any sale or purchase of these currencies or taking any action to promote them,” a central bank circular said, based on a ban on cryptocurrencies passed by Iran’s anti-money laundering body in December.

Cryptocurrencies’ underlying block-chain technology eliminates the need for a third party and allows for instant, irrevocable and secure transactions.

Iran joined the growing list of nations to crack down on cryptocurrencies, including India and Pakistan who made roughly similar moves in early April.

Azari Jahromi says the CBI ban does not cover home-grown digital currencies and it does not mean Iran will resist against cryptocurrencies, which could shape the future of finance world.

“The CBI ban on Bitcoin dealings was made out of concerns such as [it could lead to] foreign currency flight and that the [volatility in the crypto market] could lead people to lose their assets. But Bitcoin is not the one and only cryptocurrency,” the minister said.

Dozens of countries such as China, Russia, and Singapore have already developed their own digital currencies, as they address needs of consumer anonymity and transaction efficiency.

National Cryptocurrency Not in Conflict with Sharia

In a Farsi interview with banking news website IBENA on Friday, Azari Jahromi said the Iranian cryptocurrency will be backed by assets, so it will have no Sharia (Islamic rules) problems.

Iranian clerics have expressed concerns that doing business with virtual currencies could have problems, as Islamic Sharia believes money should hold real value or be backed by such assets.

The Iranian cryptocurrency will be backed by assets, just like the Malaysian cryptocurrency which is backed by gold and the Venezuelan one which is supported by oil, Azari Jahromi said.

Referring to reports by western media that Iran is developing cryptocurrencies as a means to circumvent financial sanctions by avoiding traditional financial avenues, the minister said, “All cryptocurrencies are capable of circumventing sanctions because they are not under supervision of the US financial regulatory body, and the national digital currencies are naturally capable of this.”

Both Venezuela and Iran are currently the targets of heavy sanctions imposed by the US.

Iran moved this month to formally unify its official and open market exchange rates and banned money changing outside of banks, after its currency rial plunged to an all-time low earlier this month.

Government officials described the sudden plunge as unnatural, suggesting it could be caused by an economic plot hatched by the US and its allies.

Sarbaz; The Little India Inside Iran

IFP Editorial Staff

April 29, 2018

Sarbaz, one of the most beautiful cities in Sistan and Baluchestan, has a population of 186,165, the majority of whom live in rural areas along Sarbaz River.

When you enter the city, palm trees and grassy fields grab your attention as if a small paradise is built in the heart of the dry and underdeveloped province.

Sarbaz is very much similar to India when it comes to climate, food culture and clothing; therefore, it is widely known in Iran as the Little India and the City of 72 Nations.

The city’s weather in the coldest season of the year is quite like springtime, and you can rest in the shade of the palm trees.

The climate variability in Sarbaz provides conditions for planting and harvesting different fruits such as dates, tree melon, banana, jujube, mango, sapodilla, guava, and citrus types like lemon, orange, and mandarin.

The existence of green palm trees and rivers in Sarbaz make it a suitable habitat for breeding fish and crocodiles. The locals of Sarbaz call their dwarf crocodiles “Gando”.

The use of traditional agricultural tools next to arts like needlework and architecture reflect the preservation of traditional values by the people of this city.

If you wish to see beautiful houses, special decorations and varied shapes on the exterior of the houses, travel to Sarbaz and see different traditional designs on the exterior walls of this region.

What follows are photos of the city retrieved from various sources:

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Iran Says West Trying to Distort Name of ‘Persian’ Gulf

IFP Editorial Staff

April 29, 2018

Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, says any change in the name of the Persian Gulf will be a prelude to false claims of ownership on Iran’s territory.

Velayati made the comment in a ceremony to unveil the “Persian Gulf” book, reported the Persian-language Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).

“We haven’t done enough regarding the Persian Gulf and other parts of Iran,” the Leader’s advisor noted.

“The story of the Persian Gulf and the wicked talk of changing its name by certain entities are, in my view, a transient issue and what is right will finally rule the day,” he said.

“In the items left behind by the [ancient] Greek and the maps they had drawn in accordance with the circumstance of the time, the words used are synonymous with the Persian Gulf,” Velayati said.

He underscored that it was the UK that initiated the move to change the name of the Persian Gulf, not in a bid to change it to the “Arab Gulf,” but to eliminate the word “Persian,” and that is why British media use the misnomer “Gulf” to refer to the body of water.

Velayati, however, noted that even the UN has stressed that the right phrase is “The Persian Gulf.”

“The reason why there is so much emphasis on using the name ‘The Persian Gulf’ is that changing the name is the preamble to changing the identity and ownership of, and creating false claims on Iran’s territorial integrity. So, the reason they use the false phrase ‘The Arabian Gulf’ is that they want it to take on a legal connotation,” he said.

“This is while our shores in the Persian Gulf along with all our islands there cover an area more than all of the shores belonging to the six Persian Gulf littoral countries combined,” he said.

He then put emphasis on the strategic importance of the Persian Gulf.

“From the viewpoint of geopolitics experts, anyone who dominates the Persian Gulf has, in fact, dominated the Indian Ocean.”

He said countries such as Saudi Arabia are the mouthpieces of the US and Israeli regime and other global hegemons.

Velayati said, “God willing, the name of Persian Gulf will remain the same forever.”

Tehran’s Cultural Heritage in Photos: Museum of War

Fatemeh Askarieh

April 29, 2018

Tehran’s Cultural Heritage in Photos: Museum of War

House of Teymourtash is located in Hor square in central Tehran and on a street called War Street. Weapons have been put on display for the public in this historic house; including the artillery donated by Russia after the Treaty of Turkmenchay.

The house belonged to Abdolhossein Teymourtash, the defence minister of deposed Pahlavi king Reza Shah, and then was converted into the War Museum. It was built in 1931 in two stories.

The house is an elegant monument with beautiful brickworks and artistic plasterworks.

The painted-glass door panels and the mirror-work ceiling are part of an army unit, and the cannon and prototypes of warships and military aircrafts have been put on show.

The War Museum was reopened to the public for the second consecutive year during Nowruz 2018.

What follows are photos of Museum of War retrieved from Tehran Picture Agency:

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Iran VP Denies Washington Post’s Report on Her US Visits

IFP Editorial Staff

April 29, 2018

On her Twitter page, Ebtekar rejected claims that she has travelled to New York after the Revolution.

“Misinformation or deliberate distortion of historical events; Washington Post using ambivalent title & photo to target an Iranian official. I officially announce that I have never entered the United States of America after the Islamic Revolution in 1979,” tweeted Ebtekar on Saturday.

Her response came in reaction to an article by Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, who suggested that Ebtekar has been to the US following the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran.

“A surprisingly large number of Iranian officials travel to New York each year for the UN General Assembly. Not only president Hassan Rouhani and foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, but lower-profile ones such as Masoumeh Ebtekar, Rouhani’s vice president for women’s affairs,” wrote Rezaian in his article published by Washington Post on April 27.

Ebtekar was the spokesperson and translator of the Iranian students who, back in 1979, seized the former US Embassy in Tehran known as the Den of Espionage. Documents found at the building showed that the US was conducting spying activities there.

The students took dozens of American diplomats at the embassy hostage and held them for 444 days before they were released.

First Iranian Women Weightlifters Make History in Uzbekistan

IFP Editorial Staff

April 29, 2018

The four-strong team is currently in Uzbekistan to attend the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship. The team is led by Reyhaneh Tariqat, the deputy chairwoman of the Iranian Weightlifting Federation for women’s affairs.

As the Iranian women athletes are first-timers, naturally they are not expected to set very good records in their first overseas event.

Still, the breaking of a 70-year spell is a significant development for Iranian female weightlifters. This will blaze a trail for Iranian women weightlifters to wrestle with steel and tussle for international and Olympic medals as men do.

The four members of the Iranian Female Youth Weightlifting Team include Parmida Mahmoudian, Elnaz Bajelani, Mahdieh Kolali and Seyyedeh Narges Mirzaki in the 58, 63, 69 and plus 75kg categories, respectively. The four athletes had an interview with the Persian-language Varzesh3 sports website while in Uzbekistan for the contests.

Mahmoudian: I was afraid of standing behind the weight, but …

Parmida Mahmoudian, whose name has gone down in history as Iran’s first female weightlifter in international contests, competed in the 58kg division and finished sixth. The presence of this weightlifter received extensive coverage and even led to the creation of the Parmida Hashtag on social media networks in support of the Iranian sportswoman. This is what she said about her first experience in the Asian competitions:

“Although I was the first athlete to go on the deck, I had a very good feeling. I had very strong rivals and they had a high level of preparation. Maybe it was frightening for me to go on the deck and stand behind the weight when I looked from the outside, but when I lifted the weight for the first time, I had a very sweet feeling. I was very excited and, thank God, I lifted all the weights properly.”

Concerning the fact that she was the first Iranian woman with the Islamic headscarf that took part in the contests, she said, “They had designed very good clothes for us, and lifting weights caused me no discomfort.”

Bajelani: Women, Too, Can Succeed in Weightlifting

Elnaz Bajelani, Iran’s second representative in the women’s weightlifting contests, competed in the 63kg category and has, so far, had the best performance of all team members by having finished fifth. This is what she told Varzesh3 about her sweet experience:

“I feel proud for having taken part in the contests for the first time and being a member of Iran’s first female team. That we could lift weights with Islamic outfits approved by officials made us happy.”

In reaction to those who believe weightlifting is a man’s sport, she added, “It’s right that weightlifting is a physically demanding sport, but it’s no reason for women not to succeed in it. I assure you that Iranian women, too, can pull off many successes in the future.”

Kolali: I’m Thinking of Grabbing Medals for Coming Years

Mahdieh Kolali has attended the competitions in the 69kg category. As for how she felt during the competitions, she said, “I’m very glad to be a member of the first women’s team in Iran’s weightlifting history. I wasn’t stressed out at all, and I managed to repeat the records I had set during my exercises. I had a very good experience, and the kind of outfit I was wearing indicated my difference with others. I assure you that wearing the Islamic headscarf is not a limitation for us, whatsoever, and I promise to bring medals for my country in the coming years with this very

outfit.”

Mirzaki: We Showed That Girls Can Also Do It

Narges Mirzaki, the athlete in the plus 75kg category, is the last of the four Iranian weightlifters to compete in the championship. In her interview, she told Varzesh3 about her presence in Uzbekistan and the contest ahead.

“It’s a good feeling to be attending Uzbekistan competitions as the first Iranian women weightlifters. We take pride in being exercising and attending the contests while observing the Islamic dress code. I will redouble my efforts in the future, and I’d like to finish among the top three as of next year. Some say women cannot be weightlifters and cannot succeed. This is not true. We four people have been practicing for four months and we’ve got here now. Definitely, other girls can come forward and succeed.”

Uzbekistan’s Weightlifting Federation has been honoured by the Asian Weightlifting Federation to host the 19th Asian Youth (qualification event for the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games), 24th Asian Junior Women and 31st Asian Junior Men Weightlifting Championships from April 20-30 in Urgench.

Iranian Villagers Defend Women’s Right to Go to Stadiums

IFP Editorial Staff

April 29, 2018

These days, many government officials and Iranian people in social networks are talking about the presence of women in sports stadiums, and at the same time the issue has sparked a lot of reactions among its opponents and proponents.

At such a time, photos released of a football match in a remote village with the presence of female spectators grabbed the headlines in media and social networks.

Here is a report by the Persian-language daily newspaper Sobh-e Now about this village and its inhabitants:

A few simple photos were enough to make Shahijan village of Bushehr Province famous. It was the place in which a football match was held and women sat to watch it. During the match, one of the players raised his shirt to show the slogan “It is women’s right to enter stadiums” to the cameras. At the end, a few ladies were honoured, but few people know where the village is located and what its people do.

Shahijan is one of the small villages of Bushehr province. 209 people live there and the main job of the inhabitants is farming. Abouzar Omrani-Nasab, the secretary of football department in the village, says all the residents are from a clan called Omrani.

“The move was totally spontaneous and that player had not coordinated anything with us. We did not know about his decision,” added Omrani-Nasab.

He also talked about the presence of women saying “since the beginning of the tournament, the women of the village have been supporting us. The aim of holding such tournament was to commemorate Shahijan’s late football player Haj Morteza Omrani. In fact, his memorial ceremony was held in 2007 as he passed away, and a football match was started to be held to commemorate him. As his family and the village inhabitants participated in this memorial ceremony, a tradition was established based on which women of Shahijan along with their families could watch the matches. Their presence creates a lot of joy among the villagers, especially during Nowruz holidays.”

He further added that the presence of women created a friendly atmosphere and contributed to the discipline of the tournament.

“With the presence of women, many things were taken into consideration and this was a great pleasure for us as the organisers. On the final day, all the women in the village came to see the match. Even the mothers and ladies, who had not watched any football match over the year, came to watch the game and their move created a great atmosphere.”

Omrani-Nasab further explained how they decided to appreciate these women’s move and their enthusiasm for watching the match.

“We appreciated their move by honouring a grandma on behalf of the village’s women. This grandma had attended all matches as a spectator. She walked with a stick to receive the prize while all the spectators applauded her for several minutes. Those who are opposed to the presence of women in the stadiums would have changed their minds if they attended this ceremony.”

Ali Omrani, who is the village’s former chief and a member of Shahijan’s football team, says there has always been a belief among the villagers that women could work along with men in economics, agriculture and farming.”

“From the very first day, it was planned to allow women to enter the stadium so that they could watch the matches,” he noted, stressing that the move has sparked a lot of positive reactions in the media.