US Sanctions Targeting Civilians, Breaching UN Charter:Iran

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February 21, 2020

US Sanctions Targeting Civilians, Breaching UN Charter:Iran

“The sanctions are targeting non-military and humanitarian items such as food and drugs, which, accordingly, puts people’s safety at risk, and the sanctions are in violation of numerous articles of the UN Charter,” said Seyyed Hamid Pourmohammadi, who holds the rotating presidency of the Board of Governors of the Asian and Pacific Center for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM) in his speech at the fourth meeting of the board.

He added the US sanctions run counter to the sustainable development objectives set by the United Nations.

“The United States’ unilateral sanctions have created a serious challenge for the Islamic Republic of Iran reaching its economic growth objectives and have led to income inequality,” said the official.

“As a committed member of the United Nations, the Islamic Republic of Iran is implementing its sixth five-year [economic] development plan, which focuses on the role of knowledge-based economy and the development of new technologies in various fields,” added Pourmohammadi, who handed over the board’s rotating presidency to Pakistan at the meeting.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has, recently, witnessed serious challenges in the way of achieving the goals of economic growth, and has also experienced inequality in income, which is a fallout of the US government’s unilateral economic sanctions,” said the Iranian official.

Iran Elections 2020: Voters Start Casting Ballots

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IFP Editorial Staff

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February 21, 2020

The polling stations opened across the country at 8:00 am (local time) despite concerns about an outbreak of Coronavirus.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was among the early voters.

More than 7,000 candidates are competing to enter the parliament. A winning candidate must have at least 20 percent of the votes cast in their constituency in order to become lawmaker for a four-year term.

A total of 57,918,000 people are eligible to cast their ballots. There would be one lawmaker at Majlis per each 190,000-strong segment of the Iranian population.

Iranian Female Sprinter Farzaneh Fasihi Sets New Record in Istanbul

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IFP Editorial Staff

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February 21, 2020

Iranian Female Sprinter Farzaneh Fasihi Sets New Record in Istanbul

Iran’s champion Farzaneh Fasihi, who was invited to represent the country at the Istanbul Cup, had a spectacular performance against her rivals. She could register 7.25 second record and stood at the first place.

She had earlier registered 7.29 record in Belgrade competitions.

Fasihi is now the best athlete in Iran’s premier league and has joined Belgrade’s Partizan Club.

Conservatives Form Coalition ahead of Iran Parliamentary Election

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IFP Editorial Staff

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February 20, 2020

Conservatives Form Coalition ahead of Iran Parliamentary Election

In the late hours of Tuesday night, February 18, the coalition council of the Forces of the Revolution arrived at a consensus about a “unity list”, including 30 principlists.

The list, whose top name is Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the former mayor of Tehran, was hammered out after several rounds of debates between the Forces of the Revolution and another group of principlists, dubbed the Front of Islamic Revolution Stability.

The 30-strong list that has been finalized just three days before the election day was a last-ditch effort by the principlists to win all of the 30 seats in the national legislature allocated to Tehran electoral district, which includes the regions of Tehran, Ray, Shemiranat, Eslamshahr and Pardis.

The momentous decision from the principlists came against a backdrop of failed attempts by the reformists to conclude an agreement on a single list of candidates.

The election campaigns in Iran formally began on February 13 and ran until 8 am this morning, February 20.

The countrywide votes for the parliament and the midterm election of the Assembly of Experts will be held simultaneously on Friday, February 21.

A total of 7,148 candidates have gone through a formal qualification process by Iran’s Guardian Council to run for the Parliament. They include hundreds of women and citizens from the religious minorities.

There are 290 seats in the parliament up for grabs. In capital Tehran, 1,453 candidates are contesting one of the 30 allocated seats.

The lawmakers are elected for a 4-year term, with no limitation for the incumbent or former parliamentarians to run again.

Election Campaign in Iran Ends as Countdown to Parliamentary Vote Begins

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IFP Editorial Staff

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February 20, 2020

The Elections Headquarters announced that any election campaign is forbidden as of 8 am Thursday, February 20.

“Based on the provisions of Article 56 of the Parliamentary Election Law and Article 23 of the Executive Bylaw of the Assembly of Experts Election Law, campaigning by candidates running in the eleventh parliamentary elections and the first by-election of the 5th Assembly of Experts ends at 8 am on Thursday (February 20, 2020),” announced the headquarters.

“After 8 am today, any campaigning will be forbidden,” it added.

“By virtue of the law, all parties, political groups, candidates, supporters and the general public are kindly requested not to conduct any campaign activities for or against candidates after the period for the election campaign ends,” the headquarters noted.

Under the Iranian law, candidates are not allowed to engage in campaign activities within the 24 hours before polls open.

Iran Sets Up Headquarters to Combat Coronavirus

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IFP Editorial Staff

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February 20, 2020

Iran Sets Up Headquarters to Combat Coronavirus

The move comes upon orders by President Hassan Rouhani, according to Rabiei.

Members of the commission include ministers of health, interior, tourism, and roads and urban development, as well as the government spokesman and the representative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

Other institutions will also take part in the meetings on an ad hoc basis.

Meanwhile, a meeting was held on Thursday to discuss ways of tackling the deadly virus.

The meeting brought together the health minister as well as senior health ministry officials. Deans of medical universities from across the nation also joined in via videoconferencing.

Iran Confirms Three New Coronavirus Cases

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IFP Editorial Staff

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February 20, 2020

Head of the Iranian Health Ministry’s Public Relations and Information Centre announced on Thursday that the laboratory tests confirm three new cases of COVID-19 in Qom and Arak.

According to the official, all of the three patients are Iranians and have been admitted to the hospital.

The infected person in Arak is a doctor who is a resident of Qom, the official noted.

With the new infection cases reported on Thursday, the total number of coronavirus cases in Iran rose to five.

Minister of Health Saeed Namaki has ordered to cancel all leave in the medical universities and faculties until a further notice, and all of the missions to foreign countries have been also shelved.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has made a proposal to restrict visits to the holy religious sites in the city of Qom and other crowded places.

The Health Ministry has also advised that all excursions, seminars and conferences in the city of Qom be cancelled until further notice.

The Interior Ministry has also taken into account a series of medical recommendations and advisory information for holding the parliamentary election across the country, particularly in the city of Qom on Friday.

Two patients infected with the novel coronavirus have already died in Qom.

The new virus emerged in China in December. Since then, more than 70,000 people have been infected globally, with more than 2,000 deaths being reported, mostly in China.

The virus comes from a large family of what are known as coronaviruses, some causing nothing worse than a cold. It causes cold- and flu-like symptoms, including cough and fever, and in more severe cases, shortness of breath. It can worsen to pneumonia, which can be fatal.

IRGC Urges Large Turnout in Feb. 21 Iran Legislative Vote

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IFP Editorial Staff

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February 20, 2020

Anti-Islamism Expediting Fall of US, Zionism: Iran's IRGC

In a statement, the IRGC said in order to have a “strong Iran,” it is necessary to have a “strong parliament” which has what it takes to help solve people’s economic problems and put up stiff resistance against enemies in a bid to safeguard national interests and the ideals of the Islamic Revolution.

“Elections, as a manifestation of national will and religious democracy, is one of the arenas where the great Iranian nation has … over the past 41 years, always shown off Islamic Iran’s grandeur, dignity and power, and regarded elections as a religious, national and revolutionary duty,” read part of the statement.

It also read that a mass voter turnout on Friday will be a slap in the face to “the terrorist and criminal United States” and foil the enemy’s “wicked aspirations.”

The statement also expressed hope that the upcoming parliament will bring together “faithful, brave, efficient, responsible and motivated” members who are loyal to the nation, revolution and the country and will stand firm to deal with the enemy’s economic war and unfair sanctions against Iran.

People’s Solidarity to Bring US Back to Negotiating Table: President

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IFP Editorial Staff

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February 19, 2020

Lift Medicine Sanctions First If You Want to Help, Rouhani Tells Foes

Iran has already managed to beat the US sanctions and can once again make the US regret doing the wrong things vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic, Rouhani said in a cabinet session on Wednesday.

“We once made it (the US) regret (its actions) and forced it to come to the negotiating table, and it (the US) signed a document it didn’t like. We must do this again,” he added.

“How should we force the US into the negotiating table? The way is our unity and solidarity and power. We must show to Americans that we are capable and powerful,” Rouhani said, adding that one thing to do to stand against the US is participation in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

Highlighting the severe foreign pressures and sanctions imposed by the “global arrogance”, Rouhani called for concerted action to break the sanctions and improve the livelihood of people.

“Neither the administration nor the Judiciary can do that (foil the sanctions) alone. We must all stay with each other. The administration and the parliament must stand by each other,” he said, according to Tasnim.

It is necessary for the administration and the parliament to promote coordination and support each other in order to break the sanctions and increase domestic production, the president underlined, describing efforts to thwart the cruel sanctions on Iran as a collective responsibility.

“If we want to stand against the US, an example (of practical action) is that we must appear on the scene on February 21. All of us must go to the ballot boxes,” he emphasized.

The nationwide votes for the parliament and the midterm election of the Assembly of Experts will be held simultaneously on Friday.

A total of 7,148 candidates, including dozens of Iranians from the religious minorities, are running for the parliament. There are 290 seats in the parliament up for grabs.

The lawmakers are elected for a 4-year term, with no limitation for the incumbent or former parliamentarians to run again.