Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Home Blog Page 3096

World’s Largest Underground Blind Fish Habitat Found in Iran

Two Iranian researchers in collaboration with two prominent German researchers have found a new habitat of blind fish after two years of research. They have also proved the existence of a massive underground aquifer beneath the Zagros Mountains in the west.

According to Mehr News Agency, it is the largest known underground fish habitat in the world, with a length of at least 31 km and a maximum length of 162 km.

It is also the first habitat in the world with three species of blind fish. Only one similar habitat had earlier been found in China.

To date, four species of blind cavefish have been identified in Iran that are unique to the country and do not exist anywhere else in the world.

In research conducted by these scientists in the western part of the country and in the Zagros basin water resources, two species of the four have been discovered while two others had been discovered by foreign researchers in the years before the 1979 Revolution.

Given the high importance of these species, it seems that they should be a priority for the Department of Environment and that the roadmap for the conservation of the country’s species should be modified accordingly.

The results of this international research have been published in a recent issue of the Journal of Applied Ichthyology in Germany.

‘Pink Moon’ Exhibit Depicts Bitter Realities of Modern World

The exhibition seeks to depict the bitter realities of today’s world, with paintings focused on a range of issues, from poverty and economic hardship to the loneliness of people, in a surreal space.

Mehdi Dashti, the painter of this collection, says the main idea of the “Pink Moon” exhibition was originally inspired by two elements: human and architecture.

“The houses are stair-stepped; houses with dark windows that tell a tale of untidiness. I actually depict a city that is not alive.”

Describing the reason for the city lights being switched off, Dashti says empty houses may indicate people who are isolated. “The human being associated with the architectural element of the community in some works represents the set of influences that society has on him. In fact, in all the works, I tried to explore and illustrate the impact of society and the city on humans.”

The artist described the approach of the “Pink Moon” exhibition as social, saying “the goal I was looking for was more poverty and financial problems. I wanted to show how these problems would affect people and how they would change their lives.”

Asked why he portrayed social realities in a surreal space, he said the rules were not respected at this exhibition. “Surreal space allows for more concepts to be portrayed, and on the other hand, it can communicate with audiences more.”

Dashti also explains why “Pink Moon” was chosen as the title for this exhibition. “In one of the works there is moon and swine; I came across this combination and later found out that the pink moon and swine is an astronomical event.”

* Pink Moon happens when the moon is facing the earth and the sun is completely shining. The moon can appear red-orange due to the composition of Earth’s atmosphere and the angle at which it is viewed. Despite its moniker, the Pink Moon is not actually pink. The name “Pink Moon” comes from the bloom of ground phlox, a pink flower common in North America, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

What follows are Honar Online’s photos of the exhibition:

Iran, South Africa Discuss Closer Trade Cooperation

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) held in South Africa.

During the talks, the two sides exchanged views on ways of boosting cooperation and facilitating trade between the two countries.

They also reviewed a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Iranian National Standards Organization and the South African ministry of trade and industry.

The MoU is aimed at providing a mechanism in the fields of standardization, technical bylaws, metrology, confirmation of eligibility and the processes of conformity assessment in order to ease the exchange of goods and services through the identification, prevention and removal of technical barriers to trade.

The meeting was attended by directors for international trade, economic development and technical infrastructure as well as directors for Middle East and Central Asia from the South African delegation.

Iran, South Africa Discuss Closer Trade Cooperation

Tehran Denounces Israel, UAE Comments at IAEA

Iran Reacts to IAEA’s Latest Report on Its JCPOA Commitments

“The Israeli regime, with a long record of adopting opportunistic policies to deflect attention from its brutal and inhumane treatment of Palestinian people and other countries in the Middle East, is one of the key sources of crisis, instability, suffering and anger in this region’s recent history,” said Iran’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi

“It is utterly ridiculous that a regime which has ignored all non-proliferation and disarmament treaties and produced all types of weapons of mass destruction is blatantly preaching to a country which is a member state of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and whose nuclear facilities and materials are under the safeguards of the IAEA,” said Iran’s representative.

“All of Iran’s nuclear activities are being carried out in the most transparent way and are being verified by the agency,” he added.

He further said despite the international community’s support for the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Israeli regime and a handful of others have made extensive obstructive moves to undermine this achievement.

“We hope such disappointing attempts will not divert international attention from Israel’s crimes and nuclear program. Israel should abandon its nuclear weapons, joint the NPT without delay or preconditions and place all of its nuclear installations under the agency’s safeguards,” said Iran’s envoy.

Also in reaction to the comments made by the UAE’s representative, he said Iran is a source of stability in the region.

He said Tehran attaches great significance to nuclear safety, adding governments bear the main responsibility in that regard.

“Iran has used the highest standards in the construction and launch of its nuclear facilities, and believes national technical potential and culture are the necessary elements for applying standards, and that it is impossible to fully handle the issue of safety by simply buying and importing some pieces of equipment,” he said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said Iran has shown in a transparent manner that it is the main source of security and stability in the region, and has shown this reality on different occasions, namely in fighting terrorism and defeating terrorists, who were created and equipped by certain governments both inside the region and beyond.

“These governments have clearly and repeatedly shown that they have no reservations about launching aggression against other countries and getting involved in destructive wars, and that they even support and use internationally notorious terrorist groups such al-Qaeda and the ISIS in order to achieve their illegitimate objectives,” he said.

Iran’s envoy further stressed that all countries are entitled to utilize atomic energy for peaceful ends.

“It is the inalienable right of all countries to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. And Iran has a transparent and well stabilized nuclear program. We strongly suggest that newcomers to the nuclear domain, namely the UAE, show maximum transparency and not make any diversion in peaceful nuclear programs,” he said.

Iranian Official: Saudis Received Advance Warning of Aramco Attack

Iran Refutes UN's Allegations about Aramco Missile Attack
Photo of fire at Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia, caused by Yemeni drone attacks / Photo by Reuters

In remarks on Wednesday, senior adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker for international affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian commented on a recent drone strike the Yemeni forces launched on two oil processing plants of Saudi company Aramco.

Hailing the Houthi Ansarullah movement as a leading actor in the current conditions, he said Ansarullah had warned Saudi Arabia a couple of weeks ago that if the military aggression against Yemen did not come to an end, the Saudi oil facilities and strategic centers would be the next targets for strikes.

“Ansarullah’s drone attack on the Saudi oil facilities reveals an upheaval in the new regional order,” the former Iranian deputy foreign minister added.

Amir Abdollahian also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s inability to direct the war on Yemen, saying even the kingdom’s advanced American warplanes require help from the US drones to pinpoint the targets.

“In other words, the equipment the US has sold Saudi Arabia require complementary gear to work properly. But Americans have not provided Saudis with such equipment, like the advanced drones, which are flown by themselves,” he stated.

The Yemeni forces on Saturday launched drone attacks on two plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry, including the world’s biggest petroleum processing facility.

Ansarullah had repeatedly warned Riyadh that the continuation of aerial attacks on Yemeni people would draw a harsh response.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

Netanyahu Is Now Israel’s Biggest Trouble

Netanyahu

Netanyahu imposed a new election on Israelis in the hope that the right-wing and the religious parties will win the parliamentary majority, but has now failed to meet his objective, as his entire bloc has won no more than 56 seats out of a total of 120.

As a result, he will have no choice but to form a coalition government with “Yisrael Beiteinu” led by Avigdor Lieberman, or with the center-left alliance, including the “Blue and White”, the “Labor”, and the “Democratic Union”. But Lieberman is vigorously pushing for a national unity government comprised of the Likud and the Blue and White parties. However, the Blue and White, the Labour, and the Democratic Union will approve of a national unity government provided that Netanyahu would step down as leader of Likud and be taken to court for his financial corruption case.

Therefore, Netanyahu has been put in a new impasse, the way out of which may be dissolution of the new parliament and a pledge to hold new elections. A third election in this year, nevertheless, will be unpalatable to the public opinion. Moreover, Israel’s ceremonial president Reuven Rivlin would not easily approve of another election and the Knesset would not ratify it this time, either.

After all, Netanyahu cares about his own position more than anything else, and would not easily back off from the efforts to hold the post of prime minister. He is a cunning person, familiar with the complicated political games. Netanyahu might even plan to encourage the Labor party to join his coalition. Led by Amir Peretz, the Labor has formed an alliance with a branch of Yisrael Beiteinu party.

On the one hand, the formation of such coalition would require the Labor party to vote for Netanyahu’s immunity from prosecution during his political tenure, which would be naturally a big scandal for the Labor; on the other hand, Netanyahu will have to agree with the Labor party’s more moderate policies on the issue of Palestine, which will certainly enrage and irritate Ayelet Shaked’s far-right “Yamina” party, an ally of the Likud and a fervent proponent of expansion of West Bank settlements.

In fact, as long as Netanyahu is leader of the Likud party, it would be impossible for him or for his main rival –leader of Blue and White Benny Gantz—to form a new government.

As a result, in order for the government to be formed, Netanyahu will have to step down from the post of prime minister voluntarily, or the Likud party should remove him from the post. The Likud may even break apart amid the debates over Netanyahu’s fate, and the broken party might form the national unity government with Gantz, Lieberman, and the left-wing parties.

In any case, Netanyahu will be no more regarded as a solution to Israel’s problems. Indeed, he himself has turned into the biggest problem of the Israeli political society.

DM Says Iran Not Involved in Saudi Refinery Attacks

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Hatami rejected reports that Iran may have been behind Saturday’s attacks on Saudi company Aramco’s oil processing facilities.

“It is crystal clear. A clash has occurred between two countries. One side of the clash are the Yemenis, who have announced explicitly that they have done the job,” the minister said.

He added that the logic behind the Yemeni drone strike is quite clear, because the Yemenis have been suffering from harsh military attacks by the Saudi-led coalition for years and have been in critical condition under a blockade imposed by the Saudis.

“In military terms, the Yemenis had carried out a similar operation around two years ago, and had attacked an airport in the United Arab Emirates and fired a missile with a range of 1,200 kilometers,” the Iranian general said.

The Yemeni forces on Saturday launched drone attacks on two plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry, including the world’s biggest petroleum processing facility.

The US has accused Iran of involvement in the attack, alleging that a number of cruise missiles have been fired from Iran at the Saudi targets. Iran vehemently denies the claim.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

Official UN figures say that more than 15,000 people have been killed in Yemen since the Saudi-led bombing campaign began.

The Saudi war has impacted over seven million children in Yemen who now face a serious threat of famine, according to UNICEF figures. Over 6,000 children have either been killed or sustained serious injuries since 2015, UN children’s agency said. The humanitarian situation in the country has also been exacerbated by outbreaks of cholera, polio, and measles.

Iran to Stage Maneuver in Persian Gulf with 200 Frigates, Speedboats

According to Iranian military sources, two national parades are going to be held across the country on this day.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and a group of senior army and IRGC commanders will attend the ceremony in Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province.

Another parade will be held in Tehran.

The armed forces, while providing security for the country, will convey a message of peace and friendship to the countries of the region, saying that the security of the region depends on the unity of the neighbours and no foreign troops are required in the region.

Zarif Hails ASEAN as Exemplar of Collective Action

Foreign Minister Zarif delivered a speech at a ceremony on the 52nd anniversary of foundation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, held in Tehran on Wednesday.

“I want to tell the friends and the neighbors that there is nothing to prevent our cooperation and partnership. Nothing could hinder our bonds for cooperation,” Foreign Minister Zarif said.

“We must know that the others would never protect us, and could never ensure our security either,” he added.

“ASEAN is a good and successful example for us and for our neighbors to learn a lesson that we can shape a better future for the people and the region with cooperation and commitment,” the top Iranian diplomat noted.

ASEAN is a political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia. It was formed on August 8, 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

What follows are excepts of Zarif’s speech:

FM Zarif’s Speech at ASEAN Founding Anniversary

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif delivered a speech at a ceremony marking the 52nd anniversary of the foundation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), held in Tehran on Wednesday.

Following are excerpts of Foreign Minister Zarif’s remarks at the event:

 

In the Name of God;

In an era that multilateralism is at stake, and while unilateralism is destroying our achievements of the past seven decades, observing the success of ASEAN, which has brought together major Asian countries, is a sign of hope.

ASEAN is composed of people who can think of a better future, not only for their own citizens, but also for the citizens of the global community.

ASEAN is celebrating its 52nd birthday today, providing a valuable lesson about gathering around and synergy for progress together with each other.

ASEAN is a good example that we can act better, either collectively or individually, particularly for us in this region where some have tried to purchase security from abroad and rely on the foreign countries.

I paid a visit to Singapore to sign the document on Iran’s membership in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, which is a good sign and testimony of our willingness to cooperate with the Asian friends.

We are interested in expanding the grounds for cooperation with the ASEAN members. We are also willing to promote cooperation between the regional organizations, such as the ASEAN and the ECO.

I want to tell the friends and the neighbours that there is nothing to prevent our cooperation and partnership. Nothing could hinder our bonds for cooperation. We must know that the others would never protect us, and could never ensure our security either. ASEAN is a good and successful example for us and for the neighbours to learn a lesson that we can shape a better future for the people and the region with cooperation and commitment.

It is important to show that self-esteem and working with own people has always proved more successful.

We in Iran have great respect for the ASEAN countries. We respect your successes. If you want to be respected, you must respect yourself, and the ASEAN is a good example of respect for self. We seek to promote cooperation with the ASEAN in all fields.

We are keen to become the ASEAN’s partner for dialogue. We want to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran looks for cooperation and reaching the dialogue partnership stage.

We believe that we can forge a real partnership with the ASEAN.

 

The Strange Case of the Burning Saudi Refineries

That Yemen did it, destroyed the world’s largest oil refinery that has the world’s best air defenses, almost, is a surprise.  It is also quite possible that some other “player” is responsible.  Let’s postulate about that a bit, perhaps even delving into the kind of conspiracy theories that, of late, have turned out to be correct over and over.

First of all, Saudi Arabia had recently asked Russia for the S400 air defense system.  Saudi Arabia has spent endless billions on air defenses and, periodically, drones and missiles from Yemen get through.

The same thing happens to Israel as well, which has led that nation to make “under the table” deals with Hamas over and over while the Likudists play out their “goosestepping” militarist roles for Israel’s misled population, one subject to military censorship over everything they read and see.

You see, the S400 is for defense against lots of things, but for Saudi Arabia with highly robust defenses already, the S400 would be used to stave off attacks from stealth aircraft, its specialty.  Of regional players, only Israel has such aircraft.

But then, aren’t Saudi Arabia and Israel good friends, after all, each secretly aided ISIS and al Qaeda for years.  But are they really friends or was this a “marriage of convenience?  For those who read MSM, even those questions will be unfamiliar as the terror pact between those nations has been censored widely.

What might drive things to get to the point where Israel might bomb Saudi Arabia? Well, Israel is facing an election and a key part of that election is the meltdown Israel is having over its “first couple,” the Netanyahus.

Money dictates politics there as everywhere else and the Adelson family, richest Israelis, have been picking up the political bills for the Netanyahus for years.  That’s over.  The Adelsons now say the Netanyahus are crazy and Miriam Adelson is a psychologist.  This is no small problem as the Adelsons are the biggest political contributors in the US as well.

To get past this, Netanyahu promised to declare most if not all the West Bank as part of Israel, a deal-breaker for nations that had, temporarily at least, begun looking at rebuilding relations with Israel, that being Turkey, Saudi Arabia and maybe even Iraq.  That’s all done now.

Then the issue of random and continual bombing of Syria by Israel, bombing attacks supposedly on Iranian troops but too often killing civilians or clearly intended to aid operations of terror groups.

Let us add, by terror groups, we mean groups officially banned in Russia as terror groups, a list you don’t casually get on as in the US.  Russia really hunts down terrorists.

According to reports from the Jerusalem Post, Russia has expressed extreme “concern” of not only Israel’s attacks on Syria but their move to seize the ad hoc Palestinian State on the West Bank and “ethnically cleanse” its Palestinian population, causing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.

Netanyahu returned from his September 2019 visit to Mosco, with all reports indicating that he was deeply chastised by Putin.

Then there’s the loss of John Bolton, former presidential advisor who, for the past few decades, has been on the payroll of one Israeli run special interest group or the other, a man many if not most Americans consider the worst presidential advisor ever, one that keeps coming back to life like a zombie.

The answer was simple.  Israel is at the end of the road with Saudi Arabia.  ISIS is defeated and their cooperation in backing ISIS against Syria and Iraq is now an embarrassment.  Saudi Arabia is now seeking peace with Yemen, a disaster for Israel’s regional policy of “keep all wars going.”

Worst still, the UAE and Iran are now openly cooperating in Persian Gulf security. Thus, when a huge Saudi oil complex was hit over and over in a 9/11 style attack, figuring out who might well have done this is relatively easy.

It doesn’t benefit Iran.  This would be a direct attack on Saudi Arabia and Iran has been winning the political war, not just with the UAE but Russia and the EU as well along with continued support from China. Iran had no reason to attack.

Yemen is at war with Saudi Arabia and has some capabilities but not these capabilities, not to obliterate the biggest cash producer Saudi Arabia has.  Only one nation in the region has the F35, a plane designed to take out oil facilities.

You see, along with stealth, the F35 has limitations.  If it operates without other aircraft along, like the F15E bomber, the limited bomb load of the F35 is only useful against targets that are vulnerable to smaller weapons, targets like oil refineries.

This proves capability.  I think we have more than proven Israel’s motivation and timing. We can still claim Yemen did it and Yemen would be happy to take credit except for no military expert remotely accepts that Yemen did this.

We do know that, for Iran, there would have been no reason.  Iran was already winning. We could also look for recent analogs.  Why did Syria turn to poison gas whenever they were in the last stages of crushing areas controlled by terrorists closely tied to Israel?

What are we saying or perhaps not saying here?

Thus, when Russia took 40 members of the White Helmets organization to The Hague to testify to their complicity in staging fake gas attacks on behalf of unnamed Western powers and Israel, when dozens of witnesses, parents of children kidnapped by the White Helmets or doctors threatened by them testified, the press blacked it out.

In the long run, the now two-decade war that involves fake terror events, staged color revolutions and endless political misdeeds, at the center of it all we find Israel and their political allies who hold power in the US, Britain and France due to financial support from sectors tied to Israel, not just lobbyists but criminal groups as well.

Keeping the lid on this is the army of fake think tanks, bribed and blackmailed politicians, press operatives, wholly-owned media groups, and politicized social media monoliths.

Still, in the end, Israel seems to be circling the drain, more hated than ever, more Isolated and, oddly enough, less and less of a “Jewish state” and more of a “criminal state.”

Proving this point, we need only refer to the statements by Donald Trump of the betrayal of Israel by American Jews, people who put ethics above politics, who put America before a brutal Israeli regime.

Trump calls American Jews “traitors.”  Some simply call them Americans like others.  At one time, Israel was defended by its ability to draw on the holocaust and smears of anti-Semitism when their brutality against their own people was exposed.

Time is now closing in.  Did Israel bomb Saudi Arabia?  Will Israel’s remaining “man in Washington,” Mike Pompeo get the war Israel is asking for, a war where Israel will be destroyed as well?

Wait, who would want Israel destroyed to save himself?  Are the Netanyahus as “crazy” as Shelly and Miriam Adelson claim?

Would they “burn Israel to the ground” to save themselves from prison for corruption charges?  Who benefits if even Israel is destroyed in a war seemingly begun to advance Israel’s interests?

Do understand this, it is necessary to think of the world as being in a “post-nation-state” phase. When one does that, conspiracies are easier to understand and accept.

 

Disclaimer: Quoting and publishing the viewpoints of experts on this website and republishing articles originally published on other websites do not necessarily mean the Iran Front Page endorses and agrees with all those points of view.

 

* The above article has been written by Gordon Duff and published at veteranstoday.com. Gordon Duff is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War that has worked on veterans and POW issues for decades and consulted with governments challenged by security issues. He’s a senior editor and chairman of the board of Veterans Today, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.”