Iran’s Development to Continue Despite Sanctions: Vaezi

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January 1, 2020

Iran Official Calls for People’s Massive Turnout in Elections

“Despite the sanctions and unprecedented pressures the trend of development and launching infrastructural projects continues,” the Iranian President’s Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi said on Tuesday night in a meeting with economic activists and entrepreneurs of Ardabil Province

Stressing the need “to join hands for the development of Iran”, Vaezi said “thanks to the nation’s resistance, we have survived a difficult situation and things are now changing in Iran’s favour.”

“The US and the Zionist regime have come to the conclusion that sanctions won’t fulfill their goals. Most countries in the world reproach the US for leaving JCPOA. The US has withdrawn its preconditions and asks for negotiations without any preconditions, but the Islamic Republic stresses that first they should deliver their commitments [under JCPOA],” he added.

“In spite of creating harsh conditions for the government and the nation, the US sanctions have also brought us blessings and advantages. The sanctions proved that the Iranian industry is able to stand on its own feet and today the country’s needs are met by our manufacturers, competent youths, and domestic knowledge-based companies.” Vaezi added, referring to the intensification of sanctions and unprecedented economic pressures exerted by the “enemies” since last year with the aim of bringing the Iranian nation to their knees.

Vaezi stated that the Iranian government spares no effort to make the process of the development continue and infrastructural projects to come on stream, and to get this aim fulfilled, banks and economic enterprises have been mobilized to support and activate the private sector.

He also said that Iran’s non-oil exports are on the rise with a growing trend despite the US sanctions on the country.

Iran Leader Condemns US Attack on Iraq’s PMU

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2020

“Look what they [Americans] are doing in Iraq and Syria. They are taking the revenge of Daesh [ISIS] from Hashd al-Sha’abi,” the Leader said in a Wednesday meeting with thousands of nurses.

“They are now taking revenge because Hashd al-Sha’abi bogged down and destroyed Daesh, which they [Americans] had created here,” he added.

“I, the Iranian government and nation strongly condemn this US mischief,” the Leader noted.

Ayatollah Khamenei said “the interesting point is that when such incidents happen to Americans – you see the extent of anti-US sentiments in Baghdad and entire Iraq – that guy still tweets that ‘we see Iran responsible for the events, and we will respond to Iran’.”

That guy has tweeted that we see Iran responsible for the events in Baghdad & we will respond to Iran.
1st: You can’t do anything.
2nd: If you were logical —which you’re not— you’d see that your crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan… have made nations hate you. https://t.co/hMGOEDwHuY

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 1, 2020

“First, you can’t do any damn thing; second, if you were logical, which you’re not, you’d see that people of the countries in this region hate the US. You Americans committed crime and killed people in Iraq and Afghanistan. The people of Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan hate the Americans, and that hatred will show itself somewhere.”

According to the Leader, this hatred is the prerequisite for the US’ political and security moves in the region.

“If the Islamic Republic decides to fight and struggle against another country, it will do it explicitly. We’re committed to the interests of our country and nation; we’re very much loyal to [maintaining] the dignity, progress, and greatness of the Iranian nation, and whoever threatens them, we’ll confront it without any consideration and will deal our blow,” he noted.

The comments came after the US forces in Iraq carried out an airstrike on a number of PMU facilities in the western Anbar Province, which led to the killing of nearly 30 people and injuring of over 50 others.

Quince Stew; An Iranian Tasty Dish for Cold Season

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2020

Quince Stew; An Iranian Tasty Dish for Cold Season

Quince Stew is cooked in different styles. Some use split peas to make it look like another Iranian stew called Gheimeh. Some like this stew sweet and others like its natural taste. But what we instruct here is the stew traditionally cooked with meat or even chicken pieces and has its own fans.

Ingredients for Quince Stew

400 grammes of chopped mutton or chicken breast
2 or 3 big-size quinces
1 chopped onion
10 to 15 dried prunes
1 or 2 tbsp of sugar (optional)
30 grammes of oil or butter
1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp of tomato paste
Salt, pepper, saffron and turmeric (as much as needed)

Quince Stew Recipe

First chop and sauté the onions. Add pieces of meat or chicken. Then add turmeric and some pepper and cinnamon (if you like).

Peel the quince and cut it to the desired size and shape. Keep in mind that the quince must not be too small and should be medium-sized. Now, sauté the quince in oil or butter in a separate pan.

Then, add the saffron (Britannica) or sugar and the prunes and keep sautéing. These ingredients must be added to the main dish where the meat was fried. After some minutes, add the tomato paste and some lemon juice and let your stew boil on a medium heat.

The amount of sugar in the stew depends on your taste. If you want to eat this stew with split peas, after sautéing the meat, add about half a cup of split peas.

The important point in preparing Iranian stews is to cook on a gentle heat.

Additional notes for quince stew:

1. If you are a fan of quince stew, you can keep quinces in the freezer and enjoy the stew in the later seasons of the year as well. This dish is known in certain parts of Iran as quince and plum stew.

2. If you use plums in your quince stew, make sure the plums are not crispy. If they are, you will be better off soaking them in water for one or two hours before use.

3. How much time is needed for the ingredients to really stew in the water depends on the heating. Make sure the chopped plums do not get soggy.

4. Finally, the volume of the water in the quince stew should be enough for the quinces to become oily and not be dry.

Frequently asked questions:

What kind of quinces work best with the quince stew?

Get your quinces light yellow and brush away the brown fuzz on the skin of the fruit. Quinces may be light green or gold/yellow, like apples. Usually they are greener early in the season and gold later on, but both are fine for cooking.

Still, if you keep green quinces in room temperature for a couple of days, they will be ripe and yellow. But remember not to keep them unrefrigerated for more than a week, because they will start to perish.

Refrigerated quinces can last almost as long as apples. Scented quinces are smaller in size and have peach fuzz on their skin, which can be easily removed once they are washed.

Iran to Electrify Motorcycles to Reduce Air Pollution: Minister

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2020

Iran to Electrify Motorcycles to Reduce Air Pollution Minister

Reza Ardakanian said a motorcycle pollutes the air up to 18 times more than other vehicles do; therefore, electric motorcycles will have a significant impact on reducing metropolitan air pollution.

Electrifying each motorcycle will save about 500 dollars a year on fuel consumption, he said at a press conference.

He further pointed to the severe air pollution the country is grappling with these days, and highlighted the plans underway to control it.

“It is a rational move to produce electricity using natural gas and use it instead of fossil fuels” in order to decrease the air pollution, underlined Ardakanian.

Tehran has suffered from dangerous levels of pollution and smog since mid-November. An odd-even traffic scheme was applied all across the capital and a ban was issued on the movement of trucks as well as the activity of sand mines and concrete industries in order to control the pollution that shut down schools and universities for almost a week.

Iranian Diplomat Meets Syrian President Assad in Damascus

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2020

Iranian Diplomat, Syrian President Discuss Return of Refugees

In the meeting, the ranking Iranian diplomat highlighted the significance of consultations between Tehran and Damascus on the developments in Syria and the region.

Khaji and President Assad also discussed the prospect of activities of Syria’s Constitutional Committee and its third round of meetings, as well as the latest developments in Idlib and in the east of the Euphrates.

Pointing to the Syrian government’s recent political and military achievements, Khaji reaffirmed the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for the Syrian Arab Republic.

The Iranian diplomat, who also represents the Islamic Republic in the Astana Process negotiations, talked about the topics mooted in the 14th session of the Astana Process with the Syrian president.

For his part, President Assad touched on the close coordination between Syria and Iran, stressing that the Syrian Arab Republic would press on with the fight against terrorism and with the promotion of the government’s sovereignty over all Syrian territories despite the problems created by the sponsors of terrorism.

In separate meetings in Damascus, the Iranian Foreign Minister’s Senior Assistant in Special Political Affairs also held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and with a number of other top Syrian officials.

The meetings revolved around the developments in Syria, the Arab country’s Constitutional Committee, and the regional developments, particularly the latest situation in Libya.

The Iranian and Syrian diplomats also highlighted the significance of the strategic relations between Tehran and Damascus, and stressed the need to keep up the constant consultations and exchange of views about the regional and international issues.

Iran Refutes US Allegations over Iraq Developments

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 31, 2019

Iran Condemns Expansion of EU, US Sanctions on Syria

In a statement on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi dismissed the bogus allegations that the American officials have made against Iran over the recent developments in Iraq.

“The surprising impudence of the American authorities is at such level that after slaughtering at least 25 people, wounding many Iraqi people, inflicting financial damages on Iraq and violating that country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, they (Americans) are now blaming the Islamic Republic of Iran for the protests from the Iraqi people against their own ferocious measures in a blatant and cheap act of pinning the blame on others,” Mousavi said.

Such American allegations amount to an insult to the people of Iraq, the Iranian spokesman noted, asking the US officials how and with what logic they expect the Iraqi nation to remain silent about such extensive crimes.

“On the one hand, the Americans have ignored the Iraqi nation’s liberality and pursuit of independence, and on the other hand, they have forgotten their role in supporting Saddam and in creating Daesh (ISIS) and the consequent massacre and depredation of the Iraqi people, and have apparently failed to remember that they are still deemed by the people of Iraq to be ‘occupiers’,” the spokesman added.

He finally dismissed the accusations leveled by the American officials against Iran, warned them against showing any thoughtless and wrong reaction in their calculations, and called on the White House to reconsider its destructive policies on the region.

The statement came after angry Iraqi demonstrators set fire to parts of the United States’ embassy in the Green Zone of Baghdad in protest at Washington’s recent airstrikes against the positions of Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).

While the US military strike on a number of PMU facilities in the western Anbar Province has killed around 30 people and injured over 50 others, the American officials have blamed Iran for the protests in the Arab country.

In a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump has claimed that millions of people in Iraq are opposed to be dominated and controlled by Iran, without citing the deadly American airstrikes that have triggered a fierce reaction from Iraqis.

Iran President Congratulates World Leaders on New Year

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 31, 2019

In his message, President Rouhani said, “I hope that in the coming year, world leaders exercise collaboration away from unilateralism, and using thought and action based on justice and freedom, make a year full of peace and kindness for all human beings, and bring about a life full of peace and security and welfare for their nations by overcoming the challenges faced by the humanity.”

At the end of his Tuesday message, President Rouhani wished a year full of prosperity and felicity for all people around the world.

Millions of people have begun ringing in 2020 with fireworks, dancing and champagne.

However, Australia’s celebrations were overshadowed by deadly wildfires while protests dampened the festive mood in Hong Kong and India.

New Zealanders were among the first to welcome the New Year, with fireworks lighting up the night sky over Auckland.

Large crowds thronged Sydney harbor to watch Australia’s famous New Year’s Eve fireworks, even as smoke turned the evening sky in nearby coastal towns blood-red.

Thousands in India also planned to greet the New Year with protests, angered by a citizenship law they say will discriminate against Muslims and chip away at the country’s secular constitution.
Sydney decided to press ahead with its fireworks display despite calls by some members of the public for it to be canceled in solidarity with fire-hit areas in New South Wales, of which the city is the capital.

In Hong Kong, rocked by months of sometimes violent demonstrations, protesters were urged to wear masks at a rally called “Don’t forget 2019 – Persist in 2020” on Tuesday evening, according to social media posts.

“My new year wish is this movement can end soon but not because we lost the fight, because we win the fight,” said 40-year-old clerk Kong, who joined a small lunchtime protest in the central financial district and gave only her last name.

Authorities have deployed 6,000 police officers and Chief Executive Carrie Lam appealed for calm and reconciliation in her New Year’s Eve video message.

India has also been gripped by weeks of protests over legislation introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government that eases the way for non-Muslim minorities in neighboring Muslim-majority nations such as Pakistan and Bangladesh to gain Indian citizenship.

Masoudieh Palace; Home to First Iranian Library, Museum

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 31, 2019

Masoudieh Palace; Home to First Iranian Library, Museum (7)

The edifice has been constructed during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar in the northern part of the barrier that Tahmasp I, the Safavid King, had erected around the Iranian capital.

Master Sha’ban Memarbashi, a great architect of his time, designed the Masoudieh Palace.

The edifice consists of inner and outer quarters, and has its unique features like other Persian gardens. That includes the fact that it has been home to many cultural buildings, such as the first Iranian national museum and library.

In fact, the Iranian Education Association started to use a room of the edifice as a library in 1925. Therefore, the first official Iranian library was formed and started to work, which has been a main pillar of the current National Library.

What follows are Moj News Agency’s photos of Masoudieh Palace:

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