In a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Pedersen and Khaji discussed the latest political and on-the-ground developments in Syria, the humanitarian issues, the Syrian people’s problems, and holding the next meeting of Syria’s Constitutional Committee.
The Iranian and the UN diplomats also stressed the necessity of providing humanitarian assistance for the people of Syria, particularly amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, helping the return of the displaced people and refugees, and the continuation of the political process for the peaceful settlement of the Syrian issue.
In the telephone conversation, the senior assistant to Iran’s foreign minister highlighted the unlawful and inhumane nature of the unilateral sanctions against people of Syria, calling for the removal of the bans.
Khaji also stressed the need for the restoration of stability and security to Syria and the fight against terrorism.
In his Wednesday briefing, Kianoush Jahanpour said 56 people have died of the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 7,564.
The spokesman said 111,176 patients have so far recovered from the disease, and been discharged from hospital.
2,551 patients are also in severe conditions of the disease, he added.
Jahanpour noted that 856,546 COVID-19 tests have been taken across the country.
According to the Seismological Centre of the Institute of Geophysics of Tehran University, the Wednesday quake hit an area near the city of Damavand, west of Tehran, at 13:41 pm (local time).
The epicentre, with a depth of 12 km, was determined to be at 35.78 degrees of north latitude and 52.04 degrees of east longitude.
Data from the seismological centre showed the location of the quake at 7 km from Damavand and 57 km from Tehran.
There have been no reports of casualties yet.
Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major fault lines that cover at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.
In November 2018, the western province of Kermanshah was hit by a major 7.3-magnitude quake that killed 620 people according to the latest toll.
The deadliest quake in Iran’s modern history happened in June 1990. It destroyed the northern cities of Rudbar, Manjil, and Lushan, along with hundreds of villages, killing an estimated 37,000 people.
Bam in the country’s southeastern province of Kerman witnessed a strong quake in December 2003 which killed 31,000
Addressing the parliament on Wednesday, President Rouhani said the government and Majlis together can counter the US sanctions and fight against coronavirus.
He noted that all must work in line with the national interest and security while the public interest must be the main priority.
The fact that Iran is on the list of successful countries in the fight against the coronavirus is because the foundations of treatment and health in the country has been strengthened by the government and parliament, added the Iranian president.
Rouhani further mentioned that the enemies wanted the Iranian establishment to be disrupted, the economy to collapse, and with all the psychological war and economic pressure wanted to overthrow the Islamic Republic before its 40th year. However, the nation stood against the enemies and they have not achieved their goals so far.
Rouhani referred to some of the achievements of his administration amid the outbreak of the coronavirus and thanked the parliament, the Leader of Islamic Revolution, and the armed forces for their cooperation in this regard.
Iran’s new parliament convened on Wednesday after the February 21 elections under strict health protocols and social distancing rules.
Next week, lawmakers will choose a parliament speaker for a one-year term.
1- New Parliament and Real Change [Editorial]
2- Specifications of Iranian-Made Gasoline in Venezuela: Good Quality, Reasonable Price
Arman-e Melli Newspaper:
1- Eid al-Fitr: Concerns about Return of Corona
Ebtekar Newspaper:
1- Unsafe Paternal House: A Report on Legal Voids to Ensure Security of Iranian Women, Girls
2- Rouhani to Swiss Counterpart: Bern Must Play More Effective Role in Countering US Illegal Moves
3- Challenges of New Conservative Parliament
4- Tehran Changes Its Tactic Instead of Altering Its Strategies in Syria
Etemad Newspaper:
1- South Korea Ruining 60 Years of Amicable Ties with Tehran
2- COVID-19 to Increase Poverty Across the World
Ettela’at Newspaper:
1- EU: End of US Leadership in the World Imminent
2- Tel Aviv: If US Attacks Iran, Hezbollah Will Hit Israel with Rockets
Iran Newspaper:
1- Victim of Paternal House
* Angry Man Beheads 14-Year-Old Daughter on Pretext of Defending His Honour
2- Tehran’s Message to Washington in Caribbean
Javan Newspaper:
1- Era of US Leadership Over: EU’s Borrell
2- World Atlas Changing
Kayhan Newspaper:
1- Teaching Diplomacy Using Sanction-Breaking Oil Tankers
2- Netanyahu to Set Israel on Fire by Annexing West Bank
3- Emphasis on Countering US’ Bullying
4- If JCPOA Was Beneficial, It Could Fuel Zarif’s Plane!
Khorasan Newspaper:
1- Coronavirus Changing Votes against Trump in Five Key States
Mardom Salari Newspaper:
1- Pentagon’s War of Words with White House over Corona
Shahrvand Newspaper:
1- Coronavirus to Change Poverty Line
Shargh Newspaper:
1- Coronavirus to Impact Iran’s 2021 Presidential Election
How Iran Will Cope with Health-Politics Crisis
2- Responsibility for Estimating Next Major Quake in Tehran [Editorial]
3- Shame Killing in Paternal House
While this strategy is one of the only ways to control the rampant spread of the virus, humans are social creatures. And, the impact of having to spend weeks and months not being allowed near anyone else, is resulting in negative consequences of their emotional and mental health.
American residents are reporting “significant and sustained increases in the symptoms of depression and anxiety.”
“Women, minorities, people with pre-existing conditions, and adults under the age of 34 are reporting higher rates of fear and anxiety.”
The challenge is that much of this pandemic is unscripted. No one knows what the future holds. And, it’s this fact that is causing much of the depression, fear, and anxiety in people. And, when this stress and anxiety is added to the emotional and mental health challenges as a consequence of the need for social distancing for the foreseeable future, the repercussions can be fairly severe.
At this juncture, it’s vital to note that we need to change what we can and accept what we can’t change. Therefore, we cannot change the virus’s infection rate and trajectory, but we can work at connecting with people during the seemingly unending lockdown phase.
Therefore, by way of offering a solution to the challenge of connecting with other people in the social distancing age highlighted above, let’s consider the following 3 ways to help you improve your mental health by connecting with other people:
Connect other people via an online speed dating platform
The benefits of signing up with an app that employs a random chat model are numerous. However, the most important advantage is that this app is country-independent; therefore, people can chat with many other people from all over the world. And, if there is a connection or match between two people, they can chat for as long as they would like to. On the other hand, a chat can be terminated almost instantly should one of the chatting couple decide they do not want to continue with the conversation.
Join an online discussion group
Discussion forums that cover general topics, as well as specific genres, are available on the Internet. Joining such a group is a great way to communicate and connect with people who share the same interests. A book club is a typical example of an online discussion platform. A virtual book club functions the same way as a physical club, except that members meet virtually, using a communication tool like Zoom, where everyone can join the chat simultaneously.
However, face-to-face communications are no longer possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, digital communications are a viable replacement for physical chats. Consequently, connecting with friends and family digitally forms, and will continue to form, an essential part of the post-COVID-19 era. And, these virtual relationships must be nurtured carefully so that people do not remain isolated and out of touch with other people for any length of time.
The inaugural session of the 11th Iranian Parliament after victory of the Islamic Revolution was attended by President Hassan Rouhani, Judiciary Chief Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, and Secretary of the Guardian Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati.
At the opening of the new legislature, Ayatollah Khamenei’s chief of staff took the podium to read a message from the Leader.
In the message, Ayatollah Khamenei has called on the newly-elected MPs to push for the settlement of the country’s economic problems on the basis of the Resistance Economy policies.
Describing “economy and culture” as the immediate priorities in the current circumstance, the Leader has urged the parliamentarians to formulate plans to improve the livelihood of the vulnerable groups and fulfill the economic justice goals.
“Recommendations of experts tell us that the correct path to that goal is a reform of the main lines of national economy, namely employment, production, national currency value, inflation, wastes and so on,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted in the message.
The Leader has also called on the newly-elected lawmakers to follow the Resistance Economy guidelines for lawmaking and consider a drop in crude oil incomes in the financial resources of the administration.
There are 290 seats in the Iranian Parliament. The lawmakers are elected for a 4-year term, with no limitation for the incumbent or former parliamentarians to run again.
The oldest lawmakers have formed a temporary presiding board, while the official presiding board and the next speaker of the Parliament will be elected in the next session.
On Monday, people of Gheyzanieh village in Khuzestan were waiting to receive potable water from tankers; however, as a member of the rural council says, “Officials didn’t keep their word and water tankers were not sent to the area.” Locals would even pay several times that of the real price of water to tanker owners to be able to save their cattle.
The Khuzestan governor announced more than three years ago that the problem of drinking water in the village would be solved, according to some Iranian media. However, the problem now remains. This issue prompted a rally by locals demanding authorities look into the matter.
Nevertheless, the event turned ugly as protesters blocked a road, so much so that a local police chief said two of the protesters had been wounded with rubber pellets shot by riot police.
Protesting people blocked a road
Unofficial reports even talked of live bullets being fired at protesters. “People’s protest at [officials’] failure to provide them with potable water is a legal demand, but it should take place via legal channels,” said the police chief.
The problem of drinking water is not limited to Gheyzanieh only. The whole province is gripped by the problem. People in Dehdez village have also been grappling with water rationing for 15 years now.
The representative of the provincial capital of Ahvaz in the Parliament says a third of the problem is due to a shortage of fund, and the rest is related to the provincial water and sewage company, which picks the wrong contractors through “connections” rather than “rules and regulations.”
“They gave the water to contractors and we were left without water. We and our cattle are thirsty,” say residents of Gheyzanieh.
“If there are no finances to build the water distribution network in Gheyzanieh, then where all the money has come from to construct all these luxury and garden buildings located 100 kilometres from the village,” ask users of social networks.
“Don’t people of Gheyzanieh village have any share of the 750 active oil wells in their vicinity,” they also ask.
“We don’t approve of road blockages, but during the February elections, people went to the ballot boxes with empty barrels and voted in order to get officials to hear their voices; unfortunately, that voice was not heard by authorities, either,” says a member of a local council. He says protesters support the Establishment, but they do not have access to potable water.
People went voting with empty barrels at hand
“Now in 2020, prices have increased and they are facing problems with [shortages of] funds yet again,” says the head of a local village council, adding that the provincial governor had promised more than three years ago that a water distribution network would be built.
Water at High Prices
The area has a population of around 30,000.
“These people live near the provincial capital and an oil region which is home to many petrochemical installations and refineries. There are 750 active wells in the region, but people are thirsty due to a lack of finances,” said a member of a local council.
“A water distribution project was implemented incompletely for the first time in 2003. The materials used in pipes were not of good quality; moreover, water was pumped through pipes for only one hour just once a week, at most,” he said.
Officials Break Word Again
Another rural councilor also weighs in on the event.
“Officials and reporters had been there since morning, but water tankers were not sent. So, they all returned,” another local councilor tells Iran newspaper.
“Then the journalists filed their reports and returned to their workplace. People, too, left without water, have been waiting outside the installations building,” the councilor adds. “We used to have a piped network, which was completely cut off,” he says.
He says the agriculture department has a legal responsibility to provide water tankers for cattle, but has long failed to fulfil its duty,” he says.
“The water pipe in the village was an old one and stopped functioning. Local oil companies must provide finances for its repair and reconstruction, but they don’t,” he says.
According to this official, pipes are corroded and leaks water. Sometimes people use the water leaked from the pipes and running on the ground, “which has resulted in a skin disease spreading among them.”
“Twenty days ago, authorities from the local water and sewage department came here and asked us to give them some funds from the village’s budget, so that they would fix the network. We gave them Rls. 150 million. They fixed the network, but still water didn’t reach the village,” says the councilor.
President Orders Move to Supply Water
President Hassan Rouhani held separate conversations with Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian and Khuzestan Governor Gholam-Reza Shairati on Monday. During the talks, they discussed some of the problems locals are facing with regard to the supply of potable water. Accordingly, the president ordered the necessary measures be taken by relevant authorities to solve the problem as soon as possible.
“The governor, provincial officials and all pertinent institutions should make the necessary planning and arrangements to prevent problems and hardship for the people of Khuzestan in summer with regards to the supply of potable water, so that they will not face such problems,” said the president.
Water to Be Supplied in Two Weeks
On Monday, the Water and Sewage Department of Khuzestan province issued a statement, explaining the water problem in the region. It said the reason behind failure to supply water was a lack of finances to provide raw materials and produce pipes as well as protestors, who included farmers and some from other government institutions. The department announced that the project resumed last year after a quite long pause, and that it is getting through the final stages of Phase 1 and will soon enter service.
The Khuzestan governor also told reporters that people were right to protest, adding water will reach Gheyzanieh in two weeks’ time.
In an interview with Al-Alam TV Network, Iranian ambassador Hojjatollah Soltani said that the reports of shipping 9 tonnes of gold from Venezuela to Iran is completely false.
He said there is no need for such a thing because there are other ways, such as bartering food, including coffee and cocoa.
The envoy further noted that the first Iranian oil tanker “Fortune” has already unloaded its cargo in the port of El Palito and the other tankers are also moving towards their destination.
“The two tankers that have arrived in Venezuela – Fortune and Forest – were not bothered by any country,” he said.
“The dispatch of tankers carrying fuel and raw materials to equip Venezuelan refineries was based on international protocols, as the tankers are moving towards Venezuela in accordance with international navigation regulations. The international organisations have been informed about the route and destination of these oil tankers.”
Soltani underlined the arrival of Iranian oil tankers is a great and historic achievement for the two nations of Venezuela and Iran, which are under the US pressure and have independent policies. He also described it as a victory for the international community.
“The United States, as a country that violates international treaties, has clearly failed to impose restrictions on these tankers,” Soltani said.
“The United States has a long history of breaching treaties and agreements. It has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, but claims it abides by international treaties, including the freedom of trade and seafaring. All countries, including the United States, can enjoy the benefits by respecting treaties and agreements. I believe this victory belongs to all countries.”
Soltani said the US unilateral sanctions against Venezuela, Iran and several other countries have lost their efficacy and are not as effective as before.
Further, the Iranian ambassador to Caracas noted that, for example, when the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal and imposed a unilateral embargo on Iran, even its allies opposed it and sought to bypass the sanctions in practice. The State Department also imposed unilateral sanctions on Venezuela, but some countries including Iran opposed the sanctions, and opposition voices grew.
“The United States has sought to boost its economy and put pressure on other countries using the leverage of its dollar, but countries opposed to the United States have not backed down,” concluded Soltani.
