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US Presence in Region Root Cause of Tensions, Rouhani Tells Swedish PM  

Hassan Rouhani - President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

He made the comments in a phone conversation with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. 

During the Sunday talks, Rouhani also noted that all should denounce US crimes and killings in the region as all must respect other countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

Iran’s President further stressed that everyone must work for stability and security of the region.

Rouhani offered condolences over the deaths of a number of Swedish nationals who lost their lives in the recent Ukrainian airliner crash.

“The Islamic Republic will keep up its investigations until the final results are reached and it will inform the public about the results,” he continued.

Rouhani also hailed the Iranian Armed Forces’ move to admit its role in the crash of the Ukrainian jetliner saying that “We must try to prevent such appalling incidents from happening around the world.”

He stated that the US military presence in the region and the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani has led to tensions in the region and angered the nations.

“We should all help to restore security to the region and allow peace to prevail.”

The President also underscored that the issues of the region should be resolved just by regional countries through diplomatic channels.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani described the attack on Ain al-Assad Air Base in Iraq in accordance with the United Nations Charter, noting that “Washington is responsible for recent events in the region.”

For his part, the Swedish Prime Minister expressed condolences over the loss of dozens of Iranians in the plane crash and hailed Tehran for accepting responsibility for the incident.

He also called for transparency in the investigations to determine the cause of the crash and announced Sweden’s readiness to participate. 

“Sweden, along with other EU countries, is against escalation of tensions in the region and welcomes the development of ties and cooperation with Tehran to promote regional stability and security,” he added.

 

Iran Advises No Resistance Group to Act against US: Spokesman

Iran Says Ready for Prisoner Swap with US without Preconditions

Referring to the aftermaths of assassination by the US of General Qassem Soleimani, Rabei said “the Americans did something which they did not think would bring on so much alarm … These gamblers [the US officials] reveal whatever they have at once and have no conception of another alternative move.” Fars News Agency quoted Rabiei as saying.

We have always stated our measures transparently and clearly, such as the operation we did in Ain al-Assad [the US military base in Iraq], shooting down the US drone and seizing the British ship, Rabiei said.

He added if the US wishes to remove its worries “it can send a message to the sates in the region through leaving the region.”

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12

Iran Newspaper - Tehran-Kiyev Boeing-737 plane crash

Iran Newspapers

Abrar:

1- Iran Leader Orders Armed Forces to Prevent Recurrence of Such Incidents

2- Rouhani: Those Behind This Error Will Be Prosecuted

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Afkar:

1- We’re Deeply Sorry

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Aftab-e Yazd:

1- Unveiling Bitter Truth

* Boeing 737 Plane Crashed Not for Technical Problem, but by Air Defence Missile

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Arman-e Melli:

1- We Can’t Believe It

* Official Denials Unforgivable Sin

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Donya-ye Eqtesad:

1- Second Shock of a Crash

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Ebtekar:

1- IRGC Aerospace Commander Accepts All Responsibility, Blames Human Error

2- Rouhani: A Wrong Shot Created Big Disaster

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Etemad:

1- Apologize, Resign

* People Call for Apology, Resignation of Officials Involved

2- IRGC General: Armed Forces Didn’t Want to Hide Truth

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Hamshahri:

1- Embarrassment: Iranian Media Apologize to Nation for False News

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Iran:

1- Unforgivable: Three Days after Disaster, Human Error Blamed for Ukraine Plan Crash

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Jame Jam:

1- Catastrophe Hits Ukraine Plane

* Another Grief over Role of Human Error in Tragedy

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Javan:

1- Deep Apology for Painful Mistake

2- IRGC Aerospace Chief: I Wish I Had Died and Wouldn’t See That Incident

3- Zarif: US Adventure Resulted in Human Error behind Plane Crash

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Jomhouri Eslami:

1- Apology, Resignation, Compensation: These Are What Should Be Done

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Kayhan:

1- Iran Leader Orders Officials to Follow Up on Painful Crash of Plane

2- Judiciary Orders Accelerated Efforts to Prosecute Culprits

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Khorasan:

1- Even More Bitter than Coffee

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Resalat:

1- Double Catastrophe

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Sazandegi:

1- National Mourning

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Setareh Sobh:

1- Grief of Crash Renewed

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Shahrvand:

1- Being Prosecuted by Public Opinion: 27 Questions on Disastrous Plane Crash

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Shargh:

1- Big Apology for Huge Tragedy

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12


 

Vatan-e Emrooz:

1- A World of Sorrow

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12

UK Ambassador Not Arrested but Detained as Unknown Foreigner: Iran

Araqchi tweeted on Sunday, “He wasn’t detained, but arrested as unknown foreigner in an illegal gathering. When police informed me a man’s arrested who claims to be UK Amb, I said IMPOSSIBLE!”

“Only after my phone conversation with him I identified, out of big surprise, that it’s him. 15 min later he was freed.”

The tweet came in reaction to EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell’s expression of concern over the detention of the UK Ambassador. Borrell had called for “full respect of the Vienna Convention”, “de-escalation” and “space for diplomacy.”

Young Couple Selling Iranian Handicrafts Online

Aranick - Iranian Handicrafts

Managers of the Aranick Crafts website – Narges Shayeq and Reza Qiami – are a couple with MA degrees in handicrafts.

“We travelled to different provinces and examined the handicrafts in different places. It was a field research work on Iranian handicrafts and we were not after economic gains. We had one or two trips to different provinces each month,” the couple said.

“We toured the remote villages and identified their crafts, purchased their works, and prepared a database. On these trips, we found about 40 handicraft fields that were being destroyed in Iran because of the lack of sales. Many of them did not speak Farsi and had no access to major cities to sell their products. They could not attend the exhibitions. So they could not sell their products,” they said.

The couple also talked about launching their website saying they came to the conclusion that the only way to save these handicrafts is to have a sales market.

“So we thought about starting a business that would make money for these people. We decided to introduce and sell handicrafts that even people in Iran were not familiar with. We wanted to profit from the results of our many years of research as well.”

Young Couple Selling Iranian Handicrafts Online“In 2013, we launched a website to introduce and sell all of Iran’s handicraft products, which was unprecedented till then. Many opposed the idea saying that one would not buy handicrafts without touching them. But at the same time, similar Indian sites were selling their products well around the world,” they noted.

“We corresponded with the managers of those websites and they were happy with their sales. The variety and scope of handicraft production in Iran is much higher than in India so we became sure we could succeed. Therefore, we launched Aranick website.”

Reza and Narges say their focus is on the handicrafts of the nomadic villages and they are trying to create a market for them which, of course, requires a specific buyer and is a difficult task.

“We knew that its profit does not cover the costs of the company, so we tried to cover modern urban crafts as well. That has thrived our economy and so we can support even more forgotten handicrafts,” they underlined.

Handicraft is an environment-friendly product since all its raw materials come from natural sources. Unfortunately, due to the large population and droughts, the country is faced with a shortage of natural resources and a lack of producers in many areas. This couple has tried to help the nomadic crafts with the proceeds we receive through selling urban and routine crafts.

Aranik is ready to export a wide range of Iranian handicraft products with the best quality and reasonable price to many countries.

Iranians in Kiev Pay Tribute to Victims of Plane Crash

On Saturday night, a group of Iranian and Ukrainian people held vigil for the victims at Kiev Airport by laying wreath and lighting candles.
What follows are Mizan News Agency’s photos of the vigil:

UK Ambassador Denies Attending Protest Rally in Tehran

“I stress that I did not attend any demonstrations. I just went to the commemorative ceremony for those killed in the flight PS752. It is natural that I pay tribute to those who lost their lives, as some of them were British citizens. I left the place after five minutes when some started chanting slogans,” said Rob Macaire in a Sunday tweet in Persian.

British Ambassador Rob Macaire, who was briefly arrested last night, says he did not attend a protest gathering outside Amirkabir University of Technology on Saturday evening.“I was arrested half an hour after I left. It is illegal in any country to arrest a diplomat,” he added.

This is while Tasnim News Agency quoted an informed security source as saying that Macaire “had been provoking and organizing protesters when security forces became suspicious of, and arrested him inside a shop nearby.”

The source added “due to his illegal presence which mismatched diplomatic protocols, he was arrested in accordance with the law and was handed over to the Foreign Ministry, but the Foreign Ministry released him.”

Stressing that “fear and worry was visible” in the face of the British Ambassador at the time of the arrest, the security source added that “the British government has always considered unity and camaraderie among the Iranian nation as a menace to itself, and therefore after the million-strong funeral procession held for General Soleimani they are planning a revenge on the Iranian people.”

Iranians Hold Protest Rallies after Real Cause of Plane Crash Revealed

Iranians Hold Protest Rallies after Real Cause of Plane Crash Revealed

There was a protest gathering held by Amirkabir University of Technology students after the IRGC announced its air defence has unintentionally shot down the Ukrainian passenger plane, leaving all the 176 people on board dead.

The protests were initially limited to the campus, but as the number of students joining the gathering increased, ordinary people also joined, and around 6 p.m. a gathering of around 1,000-1,500 people started to chant slogans.

Tasnim news agency reports that “after a few minutes the slogans took a different direction and a few individuals covering up their faces with masks and shawls provoked the crowd into chanting norm-breaking slogans” against the country’s leadership and General Qassem Soleimani, whose funeral had been attended by millions of Iranians a few days ago.

“As the disturbing activities went on security forces who had so far shown restraint started to disperse the crowd,” the report said. Photos of the protest rallies showed tear gases had also been fired.

In the end, the crowd present around the university’s main entrance dispersed as a water cannon arrived.

There were also gatherings at Sharif University of Technology, the campus of University of Tehran, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology in northern Iran, University of Shiraz in Iran’s south, and some rallies in Isfahan and Rasht.

There was almost no report of violence during the protest gatherings and vigils held on Saturday night.

 

179 Killed in Passenger Plane Crash Near Tehran

Iran Says Didn’t Want to Hide Truth about Plane Crash

plane crash

Asadollah Abbasi said a task force was set up immediately after the crash to look into the incident.

“The delay in announcing the cause of the Ukrainian plane crash was not because of concealment. Rather, the General Staff of the Armed Forces and Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) formed a team immediately to expedite efforts to shed light on the cause of the incident,” said Abbasi, the spokesperson for the Parliament’s Presiding Board.

He underlined that the Iranian military apologized after it became known that the plane had been downed due to human error.

“After the assassination of General Soleimani, we were in an unknown war situation, and the US had also threatened to strike 52 targets in the country if Iran showed any reaction,” he noted.

“Our objective was not just to take revenge; rather, we took deterrence factors into account as well,” he said.

He reiterated that the Ukrainian plane was unintentionally targeted by Iranian air defence systems as it was mistaken for a cruise missile thought to have been fired at Iran by the US following Iran’s attack on the American base in Iraq.

Emir of Qatar in Iran for Talks

The Qatari emir was officially received by President Hassan Rouhani at Tehran’s Saadabad Palace on Sunday, January 12, 2020.

The two sides then started a meeting behind closed doors, and discussed bilateral issues and regional affairs.

The Qatari emir is going to meet with Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei later in the day.

Earlier, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani had visited Iran the day after General Qassem Soleimani was assassinated at US President Donald Trump’s order.

The visit came as the drone that carried out the mission had reportedly taken off from a US military base in Qatar.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to target any country in the region which is used by the US to attack the Islamic Republic.