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Iran Parliament Passes Bill that Lets Mothers Pass Nationality to Children

During a parliamentary session on Sunday, May 12, 188 lawmakers voted in favour of the bill which had been presented to the Parliament by the government of Hassan Rouhani back in April.

Out of the 226 MPs attending the session, 20 voted against the bill, and 18 abstained from voting (3 cast blank votes and 15 did not take part in the voting).

To be signed into law, the bill still needs to be ratified by the Guardian Council, which controls its contents in terms of compatibility with the country’s Constitution and the rules of Sharia.

If signed into law, it would be a breakthrough and the end of a long-time discrimination against women in Iran.

Currently, children in Iran acquire nationality of the country through their fathers, but not their mothers. The full nationality law is defined in Book 2 of the Civil Code of Iran, Articles 976 through 991.

Article 976 of the Civil Code of Iran defines who is an Iranian national:

All persons residing in Iran except those whose foreign nationality is established; the foreign nationality of such persons is considered to be established if their documents of nationality have not been objected to by the Iranian Government.

Those born in Iran or outside whose father is Iranian.

Those born in Iran of unknown parentage.

Persons born in Iran of foreign parents, one of whom was also born in Iran.

Persons born in Iran of a father of foreign nationality who have resided at least one more year in Iran immediately after reaching the full age of 18; in other cases their naturalization as Iranian subjects will be subject to the stipulations for Iranian naturalization laid down by the law. New legislation passed by the Iranian Parliament in 2012 grants permanent residency to children born to Iranian mothers and foreign fathers.

Every woman of foreign nationality who marries an Iranian husband.

Every foreign national who has obtained Iranian nationality.

According to Article 979 of the Civil Code of Iran, people can obtain Iranian nationality under following conditions:

Have reached the full age of 18.

Have resided five years, whether continuously or intermittently, in Iran.

Are not deserters from military service.

Have not been convicted in any country of non – political major misdemeanours or felonies.

Iran Strongly Condemns Attack on Hotel in Pakistan’s Gwadar

Seyyed Abbas Mousavi expressed deep disgust at this inhuman act and offered condolences to the Pakistani government and nation. He also sympathised with the families of the victims.

In his Saturday statement, Mousavi further expressed Tehran’s full support for the Pakistani government in an effective and joint fight against terrorist groups that threaten security, peace and development of the two neighbouring countries.

“With all our capabilities and determination we are standing by the Pakistani state and nation,” stressed Mousavi.

Casualties were left after three gunmen stormed a five-star hotel in the southwestern Pakistani city of Gwadar.

The gunmen shot dead a security guard at the entrance to the hotel, but the security forces cordoned off the area and safely evacuated the guests.

All the three assailants have been killed by security forces, the Pakistani Home Ministry confirmed.

The separatist group of Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Saturday’s attack came three weeks after separatist gunmen killed 14 people after forcing them off buses in Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

Earlier this week a suicide blast claimed by the Pakistani Taliban killed at least 12 people in the eastern city of Lahore.

Advantages of Conducting Market Research before Starting a Business

Marketing research is the process of analyzing the industry data so as a businessman you can ground your decisions in the realisms of the market to take a good start.

Advantages of market research cannot be underestimated by a good businessman. It is a great and dominant tool for the business of all sizes, but it is most vital for startups as it provides them useful insights about the target market, customers and competition too. Small businesses may not have room for errors and less-productive decisions but when financial stability of a business is on the line, each and every decision matter.

Whether it is a startup to sell iwc or expansion of an existing business, proper market research is a vital thing to understand target market, understanding the customer needs, to boost sales and for better business growth.

It Helps you Understand what your Customers Need and Want

Understanding the basic things like who are your target customers, what they need, how your products/services help them meet their needs and what they can pay for your products, can be the very first step towards setting up a successful business. Market research is a practice that answers all these questions in a best way. It provides detailed information about your target customers such as their age, gender, and economic status etc. Thoroughly conducted market research also shows that what type of services or products they are using currently and what they exactly want to meet their needs.

Lowers the Risk Factor

Conducting a market research for starting a business helps the concerns measure risks associated with the implementation of different actions. In simple words, it allows a business to identify that what decisions to be made in order to lower the risks of failure. A business owner will definitely go for the actions if the market research has shown the significant evidence of success. Specially when it comes to make some major investments, marketing research also helps the business concerns to evaluate whether the taking risk is work-taking or not.

Increase in Sales

Prudently carried out market research allows a business to present its products or services in a most effective way to ultimately boost its sales. When you know the target customers and exactly know their needs, it becomes easier for you to develop your products accordingly that boosts sales indirectly. As it is an approach to identify the areas of success of the business, it enables business owners to make productive decisions not only to improve operational efficiency but to increase sales as well.

Effective Business Marketing

A corporate message must fit the target audience in order to increase its effectiveness. Selection of the right words, tone and imagery is something that can make huge difference between success and failure of the marketing of a business. And market research is the way to have understanding of what your customers like the most and what type of words can grab their attention. In this digital era, market research can also help you find out the best suited marketing channels and mediums to reach the target audience more effectively and to put your message across accordingly for better outcomes.

Solve Several Business Challenges

If you are facing problems and issues right after starting a new business, market research reports can help you determine the source of problem and can also help you come up with appropriate solutions to get things on the right track. For instance, a market research can help you find out the causes of decrease in sales that possibly can be a new competitor in the market or short fall of the brand awareness.

New Business Opportunities

Market research can help a business find new markets that can be the best place to introduce its products or services to a wider audience. In this way, a business can secure more sales and also find the new business opportunities for better growth and expansion. In short, businesses of all types and shapes can enjoy myriad benefits offered by the market research.

World’s Only Two-Story Aqueduct in Iran’s Ardestan

Ancient water system of Iran, Qanat

In every story of this aqueduct, there exists an independent flow and the waters of these two qanats are not mixed together.

The aqueduct is an interesting sample of the ancient engineering science. The construction of this qanat is attributed to a digger from the city of Yazd; who spends a night in Ardestan and listens to the sounds of underground waters. Then, he recommends that the inhabitants dig the first qanat.

After a few days, the digger returns to find out that the aqueduct was not adequate to collect all the underground waters; so he tells them to dig the second one.

World’s Only Two-Story Aqueduct in Iran’s ArdestanTo dig a two-level aqueduct, it is necessary to analyse two layers of the soil to see if it is suitable for water to flow. They should also have enough solidity not to let the waters mix.

There are few lands that have such characteristics; and the two-story aqueduct of Ardestan reflects the knowledge of the people of that time about geology.

The World’s Strongest Aqueduct

The qanat of Ardestan is known as the strangest aqueduct of the world; because the first and second water flows of the qanat move along independently without being mixed.

The qanat’s water comes from the original well, about 4 kilometres away, located inside the city of Ardestan in Isfahan province, and about 40 wells have been built on this route.

The depth of the original well is 31 metres and its release rate is 60 litres per second. The water of the lower aqueduct is different from the upper one in terms of discharge and water hardness.

Therefore, the water of the upper aqueduct is sweet, light and cool and was used for drinking in ancient times; but the lower aqueduct’s water is warmer and heavier.

This masterwork was registered as the world’s strangest and only two-level qanat at the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee which was held in Istanbul in 2016.

Iranian Diplomat Elected as Deputy Executive Councilor of OPCW

Iran’s Envoy Elected Vice-Chair of OPCW Executive Council

The Iranian diplomat was elected in an extraordinary general meeting of the OPCW in The Hague.

As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 member states, oversees the global endeavour to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons.

The organisation promotes and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction.

Verification consists both of evaluation of declarations by member states and onsite inspections.

Japan, Iraq, Oman Say Ready to Mediate between Iran, US

Oman said on Saturday that it is ready to mediate between the two sides to resolve the tensions.

According to Deutsche Welle, Muscat’s ambassador to Washington said Oman is one of the few countries in the region that has close ties with both Iran and the United States.

“Earlier, we brokered the release of US climbers who were jailed in Iran. Now, we can do this about Iran’s oil sanctions,” said the Omani envoy.

Meanwhile, Japanese officials have also expressed hope to mediate between Tehran and Washington. Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Thursday that Tokyo intends to contribute to regional peace and stability, utilising its traditional friendly relations with Iran.

Iraq’s former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki also called for peace in the region saying that military tension in the region and unilateral economic sanctions by the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran are in contradiction with international rules and regulations.

Seyyed Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Iraqi National Wisdom Movement, also urged the mediation of Baghdad between the US and Iran.

In a speech on Friday, he stressed that the Iraqi government should play the role of mediator and prevent any possible conflict in the region.

“We know the dangers of the conflict between Iran and the United States and its consequences for Iraq. Iraq is at the heart of the region and at the centre of conflict, and we must keep the country away from polarisation,” he said.

Iran’s Pavilion Opens in Venice Biennial Arte 2019

The pavilion was opened on Friday, May 10, in a ceremony attended by officials and artists from Iran and other countries.

The opening ceremony was also attended by the director general of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s cultural diplomacy department, Seyyed Ali Pakdaman, as well as Iran’s cultural attaché in Italy Reza Qoli.

Before its official inauguration, Iran’s pavilion in the biennial was visited by various gallery and museum managers from across the world as well as leading journalists.

The Venice Biennial is among the most significant and oldest festivals of visual arts. This year the 58th edition of the festival is underway in Venice and is attended by artists from 90 countries. It is expected that over 600,000 people visit the art festival.

21 art events are also being organized by galleries, foundations as well as artists on the sidelines of the art festival.

This year Iran is attending the festival with three artworks: “The Life” by Reza Lavasani, “The Rigid Ghost of Memory” by Samira Alikhanzadeh, and “The Witness of The Song” by Ali Mir-Azimi. The Iranian artists held a presser to brief the reporters on the themes of their works.

“The title of my artwork is Life. And due to my interest in the Persian literature, my artworks always establish a connection to our poems. I’ve always sought to portray Persian poems in my works. This work is made of renewable materials,” Lavasani said in the press conference.

Samira Alikhanzadeh said her piece deals with the people who are not depicted in it. “The artwork is made up of five pieces which can be installed in an 11-metre long wall. I’ve named it The Rigid Ghost of Memory because our memories of people remain with us like a ghost.”

Ali Mir-Azimi said he began his project three years ago. “I’m interested in cinema and literature. My work is inspired by the works by French director Jean-Luc Godard on Palestine and Bosnia.”

Mir-Azimi underlined that in the artwork, he has used iron, wood, glass, lamp and so on. “The main issue is that I had to use raw materials in the work.”

At the end of the press conference, Iranian officials elaborated on the impacts of the US unilateral sanctions on Iran hampering the country’s efforts to take part in the biennial.  They also underlined that despite the odds, Iranian artists have done their best to take part in the international event to promote Iranian art.

The 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, held in locations throughout Venice, Italy, has been opened to the public since May 11. This year’s exhibition is titled “May You Live in Interesting Times,” and will remain open until November 24.

Below, you can see a series of photos of Venice Biennale Arte 2019 retrieved from Honar Online.

Yemen’s Houthis Start Unilateral Withdrawal from Hudaydah Ports

Reuters quoted witnesses as saying Saturday that UN teams were overseeing the withdrawal, breathing a fresh lease of life into the peace deal which had been stalled for months.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of Yemen’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee, said in Twitter post earlier Saturday that the withdrawal would begin at 10 a.m. local time (0700 GMT).

He said the intention to unilaterally redeploy from the ports was due to the Saudi coalition’s refusal to implement the truce agreement reached between Yemen’s warring sides in Stockholm last December.

Under the deal, representatives from the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed former government agreed to withdraw their troops from Hudaydah’s main port and two other nearby ports, as well as Hudaydah city and allow deployment of UN monitors.

Yemen faces a humanitarian catastrophe amid a Saudi war and blockade which does not allow the country to import and distribute vital food, fuel and medicines.

Al-Houthi said he holds the UN responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen because of its failure to put an end to the blockade, the closure of Sana’a airport and disruption of salary payments.

On Friday, the UN’s Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) said the Houthis would make an “initial unilateral redeployment” between May 11 and May 14 from three Yemeni ports.

The redeployment, it said, should allow the UN to take “a leading role in supporting the Red Sea Ports Corporation in managing the ports” and to enhance checks on cargoes.

The process, it emphasized, must be followed by “the committed, transparent and sustained actions of the parties to fully deliver on their obligations.”

In Stockholm, it was hoped that the redeployment would take place in January, but its implementation has repeatedly been stalled due to a lack of trust between the rival parties.

Yemen’s former information minister Moammar al-Eryani said on Friday the Houthis’ redeployment offer was “misleading” and unacceptable if it did not allow for “joint monitoring and verification”.

Hudaydah, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis, has seen some of the heaviest fighting in the four-year Saudi aggression against the impoverished nation.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched the Hudaydah offensive in June 2018, but they have faced strong resistance put up by Yemeni armed forces – led by the Houthis — and the city’s residents.

The Saudi-led coalition claims that the Houthis are using the port city for weapons delivery, an allegation the fighters reject.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the war on Yemen in March 2015 with the aim of crushing the Houthis and bringing the Riyadh-backed former regime back to power. They have failed to achieve either of the objectives.

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 19

All papers today covered US President Donald Trump’s call for bilateral talks with Iran, and his request from Iran to call him.

Also a top story was the readiness expressed by Japan, Iraq, and Oman to mediate between Iran and the US amid rising tensions between the two arch-rivals.

The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines and top stories:

 

Abrar:

1- Pompeo Cancels Visit to Greenland over Tehran-Washington Tension

2- EU Rejects Iran’s Ultimatum, Underlines Commitment to JCPOAA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11

 


 

Aftab-e Yazd:

1- Trump’s New Psy-War

* US President Talks of Negotiation with Iran

* Pompeo Says US Not after War with Iran

2- Europe’s New Means to Put Tehran under Pressure

3- Japan Says Ready to Mediate between Iran, US

 

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Arman-e Emrooz:

1- Everything before November

* Trump Wants to Take Iran to Negotiating Table to Win Nov. Elections

2- Analyst: Europe Prefers US to Iran

3- Chance of Talks High in Tense Situation [Editorial]

4- Oman, Japan Offer to Mediate

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Ebtekar:

1- Trump Once Again Calls for Talks with Iran amid Rising Tension

2- History of Tabriz Burns in Fire

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Etemad:

1- First Return to the Deal: Trump Repeats Request from Iran: Call Me!

2- IRGC’s Reaction to Trump’s Contradictory Remarks: We Won’t Negotiate

3- Trump to Get More Frustrated [Editorial]

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Ettela’at:

1- Zarif: Europe Must Live Up to Its Commitments

* US Bullies Europe, Others for One Year, Europe Just Expressed Regret

2- Iranian Worshippers Hold Rally in Support of Government’s JCPOA Decision

3- Russia: We Strongly Condemn US’ Sanctions against Iran’s Metal Sector

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Haft-e Sobh:

1- Does Any One Has Trump’s Number?

* Six Points about 3 Stormy Days in Iran-US Ties: Full of Sanctions, War, Negotiation

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Hemayat:

1- Great Anti-American Front: Russia, China, Iraq Support Iran in Oil Market

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Jame Jam:

1- France’s Threatening Remarks about Iran’s Deadline Reminiscent of ‘Good Cop/Bad Cop’ Game in JCPOA Talks

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Javan:

1- Trump’s Phone Trap

* One Week after Deploying Warship in Region, Trump Says I’m Waiting for Iran’s Call

2- Europe Hopes India, China Can Save JCPOA

3- SNSC: Iran’s New Decision to Be Pursued Non-Stop

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Jomhouri Eslami:

1- Russia, China Opposed to US’ Unilateral Decisions against Iran

2- 10 Million Sign Petition to Impeach Trump

3- US Admits Saudi-Emirati Coalition Defeated in Yemen

4- Nationwide Rallies of Fasting People in Support of Iran’s Nuclear Announcement

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Kayhan:

1- Trump Picks Up the Phone after Iran Stopped Passive Stance

2- Energy Expert: Export of Iran’s Oil Products Cannot Be Sanctioned

3- UK Ambassador Gives Iftar to Some Iranian Officials, Private Sector Activists

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Khorasan:

1- One Sanction Announced for Third Time!

* US Once Again Sanctions Iran’s Metal Sector

2- Europe’s Last Chance to Save JCPOA

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Sazandegi:

1- US Backs Off after Iran’s Reciprocal Measure

2- Fire in Tabriz

* Part of Tabriz Historical Bazaar Burns

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Shahrvand:

1- US Policies Influenced by Kerry-Zarif Ties

2- Trump Backs Off: Just Call Me!

3- 130 Stores in World’s Largest Covered Bazaar Burned

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Shargh:

1- Deal over INSTEX

* A Report on EU’s Message under Current Circumstances

2- First Reactions to Iran’s Nuclear Announcement: US Warns, Europe Concerned, Russia Supports

3- Hilary Clinton Worried about Iran-US Conflict

4- Hook: We Pay More Attention to Qassem Soleimani’s Acts, Not Zarif’s

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11


 

Sobh-e Now:

1- Europe under Pressure of Iran’s Ultimatum

2- Shamkhani: We’ll Adopt Stronger Measures than Withdrawing from JCPOA If Needed

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 11

Trump Asks Switzerland to Share His Phone Number with Iran

The White House contacted the Swiss on Thursday, the same day Trump publicly appealed to Iran to call him amid heightened tensions, the broadcaster cited a source as saying.

The source, however, said Iran was “highly unlikely” to demand the number from Swiss authorities.

The Swiss embassy represents US interests in Tehran, where Washington has had no mission since 1980.

While Trump called for talks on Thursday, he did not rule out military action against Iran.

Earliest this week, hawkish national security adviser John Bolton announced that the US was deploying an aircraft carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in a bid to send a “message” to Iran.

Asked about the deployment decision on Thursday, Trump said Iran had been “very threatening.”

“We have information that you don’t want to know about. They were very threatening, and we just want to have — we have to have great security for this country,” Trump said.

On Friday, a senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) stressed that Tehran would not engage in talks with the Americans.

IRGC’s deputy head for political affairs, Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, said the US thinks it can intimidate Iran into negotiations with a combination of military threats and sanctions, but to no avail.

The senior military commander also said the US will not dare to wage a war on Iran despite its deployment of bombers and an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf.

In a further provocative move Friday, the Pentagon announced that it would deploy an amphibious assault ship and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to counter the “Iranian threat”.

Many observers have questioned the US administration’s sudden and vague assertions about Iran in the region, citing contradictory remarks made by US intelligence officials and politicians.

Iranian officials have also dismissed the allegations as part of the US administration’s “psychological warfare” against the country.

The #B_Team is at it again: From announcements of naval movements (that actually occurred last month) to dire warnings about so-called “Iranian threats”.
If US and clients don’t feel safe, it’s because they’re despised by the people of the region— blaming Iran won’t reverse that.

860 people are talking about this

Speaking on Thursday, Iran’s envoy to the United Nations Takht Ravanchi slammed the Trump administration’s allegations of rising Iranian threats, saying they were based on “fake intelligence”.

Tensions rose after the US said last month that it would not renew waivers allowing Tehran’s eight largest customers to purchase oil from Iran in order to bring Iranian oil exports to zero.

Washington withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) last year and reimposed unilateral sanctions that had been lifted under the landmark 2015 agreement.

Iran on Wednesday informed the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany — the remaining five signatories to the deal — that it was suspending some of its commitments under the deal.

Tehran also gave the three European signatories 60 days to meet their commitments, especially in the banking and oil sectors, and guarantee Iran’s interests in the face of US sanctions.

US unilateralism

Countries affected by US sanctions have expressed discontent, citing tight market conditions and high fuel prices that harm oil-dependent industries.

Last month, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the US decision to end sanctions waivers had even angered Washington’s allies.

“People are not happy. China is not happy, Turkey is not happy, Russia is not happy. France is not happy. US allies are not happy that this is happening and they say that they will find ways of resisting it,” said Zarif.

On Friday, Germany’s leading news weekly Der Spiegel published an article highlighting how Washington’s bid to pressure Iran had endangered Washington’s European allies, specifically Germany.

“Trump’s confrontational Middle Eastern policy has exacerbated the tensions between the US and its European allies, because, unlike the situation in Venezuela, Europe would be directly affected. The continent’s very security is at stake,” read the article.

“Washington is exacerbating regional tensions with its policy of applying maximum pressure on Iran,” Niels Annen, a high-ranking official at the German Foreign Ministry, told the publication.

Member of the German parliament with the Green Party and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Jürgen Tritten said, “The US appears to be looking for a pretext to escalate the conflict with Iran.”

The paper also said the Europeans are in disarray in the face of Washington’s bid to pressurize Iran, with German foreign policy agreeing more with Tehran than its ally in Washington.

Deputy parliamentary group leader for the German SPD party, Rolf Mützenich, urged the German government to push for a UN Security Council resolution “requiring strict compliance with international law in the Middle East”.

The move, Mützenich said, will seek to counter US policies in the Middle East which disregard international law, notably in the case of Trump’s recent dealings over Palestine and Iran’s nuclear deal.