Crews of municipal workers were battling to clear roads and pavements in parts of the capital, where snow began falling at the start of the morning rush hour and continued through the day.
What follows are photos of Sunday snow.
President Rouhani Visits Flood-Hit Areas in Iran’s Southeast
Accompanied by a number of his ministers, President Rouhani visited Dashtiari county near Chabahar in the southeasternmost corner of Iran on Saturday morning.
Speaking to people at the Kalani village, the president gave an assurance that the administration will keep supporting residents of the flood-stricken areas.
Hailing the local people as the “dear border guards” of Iran who live near the friendly nation of Pakistan, President Rouhani pledged that the administration will repair the damages, reconstruct the houses and provide emergency treatment for the injured.
He also noted that precautionary measures following the warnings from the national weather service prevented the loss of lives, stressing that the financial damages will be compensated.
The president also lauded the Army, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Basij for mobilizing forces for rescue and relief operations.
Heavy flooding in the province of Sistan and Baluchestan has affected 14 cities and 850 villages. Access to at least 200 villages in the large province is still blocked.
It is estimated that around 20,000 dwellings have been damaged or destroyed and some 7,000 farm animals have been killed in the flooding.
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Iran Unveils Homegrown Simulator for Airbus A320
The domestically-made flight simulator is used for training pilots of Airbus A320 airliners.
The flight simulator, comparable in quality and features to the foreign products, has been developed by an Iranian pilot training centre.
The application of the Iranian flight simulator would reduce the direct and indirect costs of training pilots by at least ninety percent and cut down hard-currency expenditures.
Iran’s Architecture in Photos: Church of Sohreqeh
Sohreqeh or Sohrel Church is located on a hill overlooking Sohrel village, 40 kilometres northwest of Tabriz. It is named after John the apostle, called “Surp Hovhannes” in Armenian language.
The church dates back to the fifth or sixth century AD; however, its building has been destroyed and reconstructed many times. The current building, constructed by Russian and French architects and Azerbaijani masters, dates back to 1840. Its brick dome is an important work of Qajar era.
What follows are IRNA’s photos of the church, which was registered in Iran’s National Heritage list in March 1968:
Iranian Football Clubs to Withdraw from AFC Champions League
A meeting was held on Saturday between the Iranian Sports Ministry and the presidents of the four football clubs – Persepolis, Esteqlal, Sepahan, and Shahr-Khodro – at the Iranian Football Federation.
At the end of the talks, the Iranian clubs announced they will withdraw from the AFC Champions League if the confederation still insists on its decision until Sunday noon.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) sent a letter to Iran’s national football federation saying they will not be hosting international matches in the country following the recent tensions.
The Iranian federation rejected the notion that the country is unfit to host matches in a responding letter to the AFC.
“Iran is fully ready to host various teams as it has repeatedly proven during the past several years,” Amirmahdi Alavi, a spokesman for the Iranian federation, said.
IRGC Explains Reason for Delay in Declaring Downing of Ukraine Plane
Iran’s Armed Forces declared on 11 January that three days earlier it had unintentionally shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 people on board.
“Had we publicized the issue from day one, our forces would have been shocked, found it unacceptable, and started to doubt everything, whilst there was the possibility that we get attacked [by the US] at any moment,” Hajizadeh said in a video interview.
Hajizadeh added in the video that that the General Staff of Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran suspected that the incident might be a case of “electronic warfare,” even though it had been informed about the incident by IRGC.
The remarks come amid harsh criticisms both in Iran and abroad of IRGC for its delayed public notification of its responsibility for downing of the passenger plane.
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Iranian, Canadian FMs Discuss Cooperation on Plane Crash
Mohammad Javad Zarif’s meeting with Francois-Philippe Champagne in the Omani capital, Muscat, came at the request of the Canadian side.
In the Friday meeting, the two top diplomats discussed consular, technical and legal cooperation between Iran and countries whose nationals lost their lives in the plane crash.
During the discussions, it was decided that expert teams from the foreign ministries of Iran and Canada maintain their contacts in that regard.
The two ministers also agreed to meet again in due time in the future.
Iran Says Surprised by London Meeting on Tragic Plane Crash
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said he was surprised over the remarks made at the statement.
“We were surprised at some viewpoints expressed and even at the holding of this meeting,” said Mousavi on Friday, while once again condoling with families of the deceased.
“In order to console the bereaved families and due to the humanitarian dimensions of this incident, the Islamic Republic of Iran offer great and more-than-expected cooperation to the delegations dispatched by these countries,” he said.
“To inform the public and people of other countries, we announce that almost all bodies have been identified, and technical examinations are underway in cooperation with all parties, and the different institutions of our country will continue such cooperation as far as it is permitted under the law and regulations,” he said.
“Still, it is strange that one day after initial procedures were conducted and work was underway to identify almost all victims not to mention cooperation in other areas, the Canadian foreign minister read out such a statement and even called for consular access while such access had been granted on the day of the accident due to the humanitarian dimensions of the incident,” said the spokesman.
“Over the past few years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has announced to the Canadian government through different channels that regardless of the condition of political relations between the two countries, it would be in the interest of nationals of both countries if consular agencies were active in both countries given that consular relations are associated with individuals’ rights,” he said.
“However, the Canadian government refused to hold direct talks in that regard due to political issues and cooperation with the US to put pressure on Iranian and Iranian-born nationals,” he added.
“Now, it is unclear what motive lies behind such comments and claims,” he noted.
“We ask all parties not to cash in on humanitarian issues, especially this tragic event, to secure political interests, and to allow affairs to run their course the way they are being handled at the moment away from any controversy and be completed,” he said.
Iranian, Canadian FMs to Hold Rare Meeting in Muscat
The meeting is to be held in the Omani capital of Muscat, where Zarif will have a stopover en route from India to Iran, said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi.
As of September 2012, there are no formal diplomatic relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Canada.
The rare meeting today is to be aimed at following up on the recent Ukrainian plane crash, during which 176 people – mostly Iranian and Iranian-Canadians – were killed.
FM Zarif Addresses Indian Industrialists in Mumbai
During the meeting, the Iranian top diplomat delivered a speech and responded to the questions of Indian merchants and entrepreneurs on trade cooperation between the two countries.
