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Iranian Farmer Doing Best to Save Crocodiles from Extinction

Malek Dinar Shajareh, from Bahu Kalat village, is a 65-year-old farmer who grows mangoes, lemons and bananas; however, in recent years most of the trees have dried up due to low precipitation.

In addition to farming, he also transfers his farmland’s water into the pond to save the endangered mugger crocodiles, locally called Gando.

He takes care of 24 mugger crocodiles in a pond near his house. It’s been about ten to twelve years that Malek Dinar is the honourary caretaker of crocodiles.

Iranian Farmer Doing Best to Save Crocodiles from ExtinctionThe life of this reptile is dependent on water, and now its only habitat in the world is somewhere in Sistan and Baluchestan province near the Sarbaz river and Bahu Kalat village. Mugger crocodile has been listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 1982.

Baluchs respect water and everything that depends on water very much.  When you travel to Sistan and Baluchestan province, the first thing they treat you with is a glass of drinking water which is the most valuable thing there.

Malek Dinar says in the summer at a temperature of 45 to 52 degrees, the water evaporates very quickly and the water of the pond disappears. Then the crocodiles go out to find food and  may eat the livestock or poultry in the village.

Iranian Farmer Doing Best to Save Crocodiles from Extinction“At this point, I will do my best to provide water from the river using my own pump or with the help of the environment department,” Malek Dinar says, according to a report by Etemad daily.

“I also provide the crocodiles with food. Providing food for them is not an easy job. Especially, in a situation that drought has affected people’s life. I usually go to the Chabahar Road to find chicken coops to get the chickens’ leg, head or whatever they do not need.”

“These creatures are friends with me and whenever I go to the pond they come to eat. Sometimes I go at nights, and they come out of the water to eat. Except me, my son Heidar also feeds them.”

He says these reptiles usually last for six months without water, but when the water runs out, they usually get out to find water and then they become dangerous. At the time of water scarcity, the animal goes out of the water to cool down.

Dinar has now applied for a licence from the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation to turn his house and farm into a lodging place for tourists.

“This can raise the morale of the rest of the people and make them realise how these creatures are important. We should all work to keep these animals alive,” he added.

 

Iranian Farmer Doing Best to Save Crocodiles from Extinction

Iran Leader Slams Europe’s INSTEX as ‘Sad Joke’

“What has recently been said about the new financial channel they created is more like a joke. This is a sad joke, a nonsensical joke. Their duty is totally different from what they are suggesting to do. In our most recent international affair, the Europeans betrayed us again,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on the first day of the 1398 Persian New Year at the Shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad, wherein he delivered his annual speech to the pilgrims and residents of the area.

According to official website of Ayatollah Khamenei, after congratulating the Iranian nation as well as all nations that celebrate Nowruz, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed his audience by calling the new Persian Year as the year of opportunities.

His Eminence asserted: Some have suggested that this year is a year of threats. I do not believe in that at all. I believe the Persian year 1398 is the year of opportunities, by God’s grace, the year of productivity and success.

The Leader described those inside the country who constantly talk negatively about the year ahead as influenced by the propaganda of the enemies and held: Of course those who suggest other views, and constantly threaten that unfavorable things will happen, are under the influence of the enemies’ propaganda, whether knowingly or unknowingly. The enemies of this nation, in addition to all other things they do, they also engage in a psychological warfare and spread propaganda. These propagandas must be known as they are. They had the same propaganda for the year 1397 aimed at trying to frighten people.

Referring to U.S. officials the Leader once named ‘First-rate Idiots’, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that the United States has failed in their calculations about Iran, and said: One of those idiots said that if they withdrew from the JCPOA, the people of Iran would go on riots and the people would not be able to afford even bread. Another of these idiots suggested that U.S. officials would celebrate 2019 in Tehran.

Imam Khamenei pointed to the faulty analysis offered by the United States regarding Iran’s situation and elaborated on the reason behind these poor analyses by stating that: Is their analysis really so out of touch regarding the events in the region and the country? Are they seriously suggesting such analysis, which is only another sign of their idiocy? Or do they offer such analysis as part of their psychological warfare, so they are publicizing these words all over the world out of malice? I am not sure which the case is. It could be both idiocy and malice.

The Leader elaborated on the enemies of Iran’s efforts to stage economic and psychological wars against the Iranian nation by asserting that: Today the enemy is engaged in an economic war against us. Well the fact that the enemy is fighting against us is now recognized by all; the officials have understood that the enemy has initiated a war on us. Wars are not fought only by armaments; security and intellectual war is also a type of war, and can at times be more dangerous than a military war. This type of war can be seen in economic affairs. We must defeat the enemy in this war; and by God’s grace, we will defeat them.

His Eminence went on to mention that: But this is not enough. My request from the various actors in the country– government officials, academia, or in public sectors– is different. In addition to defeating the enemy, we should repel the enemy. Sometimes, you might defeat the enemy but the enemy might wait for another opportunity to strike a blow; this is useless.

He stressed that Iran needs to achieve a deterrence level where enemies cannot harm the country’s economy; he asserted: We must achieve a level where we repel the enemy, too. So the enemy sees they cannot harm us in the economy. Repelling is possible, just as has been the case with our military power. There was a time when the enemy bombarded our cities and we could not defend. Now that we have developed our equipment, the enemies in the region know that we can counter any enemy in the region by our precision-guided missiles.

Ayatollah Khamenei further slammed the Saudi regime for its despotic and dependent inclinations and held: I do not know any state in this region, or maybe anywhere in the world, worse than the Saudi regime. It is a despotic, dictatorial, corrupt, tyrannical and dependent regime. They provide such a regime with nuclear infrastructure. They announced that they would build a nuclear plant for it.

Ayatollah Khamenei declared that he does not worry about Saudi Arabia’s developing nuclear plants as he predicts the fall of the Saudi regime in the near future. His Eminence held: They announced they would build missile producing sections. There, it is okay to build them because that country is dependent on them, and it belongs to them! Now even if they build them, I would not worry, because I know in the near future they will be in the hands of Islamic warriors, God willing.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution slammed Western coverage of the Christchurch terrorist attack for their double standards and Islamophobic motives and asked: Was not the recent incident in New Zealand—which entailed the massacre of Muslims—an incident of terrorist nature in their view? The Europeans, neither the politicians nor their media, would not call it a terrorist attack. They called it an armed attack instead. Whenever there is an action against someone supported by the West, terrorism and human rights are used to oppose it. But in this case – the attack in New Zealand- they would not call it a terrorist action. They are like this.

Ayatollah Khamenei criticized the European partners of the JCPOA for having breached their commitments by not standing against the United States and held: What was the responsibility of Europeans in the matter of the JCPOA? An agreement was achieved between six countries and Iran. One party was the United States which has already withdrawn. What did the other signatories commit to do? Europeans should have stood up to the US, saying that they would adhere to their commitments. Their commitment was to remove all sanctions. They should have resisted strongly.

His Eminence stressed that Europeans made excuse to evade their commitments and even went as far as imposing new sanctions on Iran, adding that: However they did not resist on the pretext of numerous excuses. Not only they did not stand up to the US, they also practically withdrew from the JCPOA even though they had insisted that we should keep to it. That is, they even imposed new sanctions against Iran.

The Leader went on to say: When Europeans act in this manner, what can we expect them? What has recently been said about the new financial channel they created is more like a joke. This is a sad joke, a nonsensical joke. Their duty is totally different from what they are suggesting to do. In our most recent international affair, the Europeans betrayed us again. We cannot expect them [to act appropriately].

Iran Expresses Regret over Iraq Ferry Sinking

In a Thursday statement, Qassemi sympathized with the Iraqi nation and government, and offered condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic incident.

Scores of people died after a ferry carrying families celebrating the Nowruz holiday capsized in the Tigris River near the Iraqi city of Mosul, according to officials.

In a visit to the site of the accident on Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi ordered an inquiry and said those responsible would be held accountable.

Major General Saad Maan, a spokesman for the interior ministry, said at least 71 people were killed in Thursday’s accident.

The Associated Press cited a Iraqi health official as putting the number of fatalities at 83.

Another 55 people, including 19 children, were rescued.

Red Willow Production Cuts Unemployment in Iranian Village

25 years ago, a resident of Bezijan travelled to Germany and the Netherlands for chemotherapy and treatment of cancer. As of that time the lifestyle of the village has changed. He found red plants in flower shops that he had seen many times in the mountains of Bezijan; tall branches of a red plant which is sold at high prices and has many customers.

As Mohammad Sultan Mohammadi had majored in agriculture, he found out that the precious plant is the same red willow which is burnt to get warm and by which the sheep are fed in his village.

Red Willow Production Cuts Unemployment in Iranian VillageWhen Sultan Mohammadi returned to Iran, he ran a farm of red willow, and now this business has kept all the population of the village employed.

One cuts them, one picks, one prunes and another person packs them. Somebody takes them to the export terminal and the other is responsible for marketing and negotiating with international companies. Selling 250,000 kilograms of this plant for $10 a kilo means $2.5 million annually.

The villagers have made their village known around the world, so much so that the name Bezijan has been shown at the Amsterdam Stock Exchange market for several times.

Officials say Iran exports $5 to 6 million worth of red willows annually. And now it’s unbelievable that it is a global brand from the Mahallat County. The product, which is now exported to countries such as Germany, the US, Italy, Australia, Russia, Japan and China, has decreased unemployment to zero in the town.

Red Willow Production Cuts Unemployment in Iranian VillageMohammadi says 100 households in the village of Bezijjan and three surrounding villages are constantly busy with the production of this plant in Mahallat. Growing this plant has directly given jobs to three people in every hectare, they say.

Villagers in Bezijan are now building a factory to grow red willows with the help of the Dutch. 51 percent of the company’s $10 million share belongs to Iran and the rest belongs to the Dutch. It seems that 40% of the job has been completed. The washing, disinfecting and packaging process are to be carried out at this factory. This factory not only standardises Iran’s flower packaging, but also reduces costs for producers.

Red willow is a relatively stable plant with a good global market. Flower manufacturers say the plant’s global market is almost guaranteed. Its planting season extends from early spring to mid fall. Villagers say all red willows produced in the world market are sold within two weeks.

Iran FM in Turkey to Attend OIC Emergency Meeting

Zarif had earlier called for the emergency meeting of the OIC following the barbaric massacre of Muslims in New Zealand.

He raised the issue in a phone conversation with Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister of Turkey, which is the OIC’s rotating president.

In the phone call, Zarif urged Muslim countries to show a “proper reaction” to the terrorist attacks on two mosques in New Zealand that killed at least 49 worshippers and wounded dozens during Friday prayers.

A gunman broadcast live footage on Facebook of the attack on one mosque in the city of Christchurch, mirroring the carnage played out in video games, after publishing a “manifesto” in which he denounced immigrants, calling them “invaders.”

Iran to Attend Prague Performance Design Quadrennial

The country is to put on show its performances at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, an event showcasing the best of performance design, scenography and theatre architecture.

With a 50-year history, the exhibit is the world’s largest international event in the domain of theatre. It is a unique forum for exchanging ideas as thousands of designs from dozens of countries are put on display at the event every four years.

Iran will, for the first time, attend the event in 2019 along with more than 80 other countries and display its outstanding theatrical performances which have gone on the stage over the past four years.

This year, the exhibition will run from June 6-16, 2019 with the theme of “transformation.” The event looks into how effective theatre and designing are in bringing about changes to the audience.

Mostafa Moradian, a professor at the University of Tehran, has weighed in on Iran’s presence at the event in an interview with Honar Online.

“Ms. Elaheh Marjavi is the curator of Iran’s project at the Prague event. She is a stage designer. She finished her education in the United States and lives in Canada. The management of this project in Prague has been handled in cooperation with her,” he said.

He said Iran has a separate and independent 5×5-metre pavilion at the exhibition where the country will display a number of its theatrical performances that have gone on the stage in Iran over the past four years and are prominent in terms of visual aspects.

“It goes without saying that every country designs its pavilion so as to introduce its theatre, and Iran, too, is trying to design its space in such a way that it depicts the situation of theatre in Iran and also conforms to the concept of ‘transformation’ as announced by the exhibition’s secretariat,” he said.

Iran will put on show between eight and ten of its works out of which the best works will be chosen by the panel of judges. Moreover, Iran will also take part in another section where the nation’s top and influential theatre director and designer Dr. Ali Rafiee will be introduced. Stage designer Manouchehr Shoja will also be present in this section where Dr.

Rafiee will deliver a speech on designing in Iran’s theatre as well as one of his performances called “fox hunting.” His lecture will come with photos and replicas.

He has recently staged “The House of Bernarda Alba” play in Iran.

Iran will also participate in the performance section where Mr. Shahab Agahi has directed the “Prometheus/Plague” play in the form of performance. The play will be performed in three different locations of the city of Prague on three different days.

The Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space was established in 1967 to bring the best of design for performance, scenography, and theatre architecture to the front line of cultural activities to be experienced by professional and emerging artists as well as the general public. The quadrennial exhibitions, festivals, and educational programs act as a global catalyst of creative progress by encouraging experimentation, networking, innovation, and future collaborations.

PQ aims to honor, empower and celebrate the work of designers, artists and architects while inspiring and educating audiences, who are the most essential element of any live performance.

The Prague Quadrennial strives to present performance design as an art form concerned with creation of active performance environments, that are far beyond merely decorative or beautiful, but emotionally charged, where design can become a quest, a question, an argument, a threat, a resolution, an agent of change, or a provocation. Performance design is a collaborative field where designers mix, fuse and blur the lines between multiple artistic disciplines to search for new approaches and new visions.

Iran’s Beauties in Photos: Ramsar Boulevard

The construction of the boulevard dates back to the first Pahlavi era. With a quite unique design, the boulevard is one of the few streets registered in the list of national heritage of Iran.

The boulevard is a 2-kilometre path that reaches the Caspian Sea. On both sides of the pathway, one can see the one-way streets of Moallem (Teacher) Boulevard which are surrounded by palm and alder trees and boxwoods. It is one of the most popular car ride paths in Ramsar.

Excursion on Moallem Boulevard, however, does not end when the paved road reaches its end. At the end of the boulevard, there is an old blue building, which in the old days was the location of the casino of the city, and today has turned into a traditional restaurant.

A little further away, there is the entrance to the beach and Touska funfair which ultimately leads us to the Caspian Sea.

The playground, cafe, restaurant, and a local market for souvenirs and handicrafts have made the tour more fascinating along the route.

Here you can see photos of Ramsar Boulevard retrieved from various sources:

Iran President Congratulates Leaders of Several States on Nowruz

Iran Hopes for Expansion of Ties with Brunei

Hassan Rouhani expressed congratulations to leaders of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, the Azerbaijan Republic, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq and Uzbekistan.

“The joyful song of Nowruz being sung, blossoms blooming, Mother Nature going green and spring swallows chirping, they all are signs of God Almighty’s inexhaustible power,” said the president.
“They are signs of forgetting the cold of winter and the renewal of beauty and kindness,” the president added.

In his messages, the president expressed hope that with the Earth becoming warm and the nature coming alive, humans’ attitudes and thoughts will become new like the nature and the year.

He expressed hope human beings will love each other more than before and begin a year replete with tranquility and love.

“I hope we statesmen, too, …, will set the stage for peace and unbreakable unity among nations, and bring more welfare and prosperity upon our peoples,” said the president.

President Rouhani also wished people in the Middle East a year full of hope, joy and prosperity.

‘4 Abducted Iranian Border Guards Released’

In a statement on Wednesday, Bahram Qassemi said 4 other border guards taken hostage on October 15, 2018 by terrorists on the Iran-Pakistan border in Mirjaveh in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan have been freed.

He thanked the Pakistani army and government for the successful operation which led to the release of the border guards.

He expressed hope the remaining border guards will be freed as soon as possible and return to the country safe.

Qassemi once again stressed the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan’s determination to tackle the scourge of terrorism and continue mutual intelligence and security cooperation.

As many as 12 Iranian border guards were abducted by the so-called Jaish ul-Adl terror group near the Pakistan-Iran border on October 15, 2018 and were taken across the border to Pakistan.

On November 22, 2018 five of them returned home through the efforts by, and cooperation between Iran and the Pakistani side.

Iran Leader Names 1398 ‘Year of Boosting Production’

In a message released shortly after the start of the New Year, the Leader called on all officials to put more efforts into the issue.

What follows is the full text of the message:

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

O’ the Conqueror of hearts and sights

O’ the Planner of night and day

O’ the Transformer of power and conditions

Transform our condition to the best of conditions!

I thank God for ordaining that I may congratulate the dear Iranian nation on this year’s Nowruz, which coincides with the auspicious birth anniversary of the Commander of the Faithful and Imam of the Pious (a.s.).

Dear compatriots, may this eid be an auspicious one for you. I hope that all of you will pass this year with happiness, with physical health, with joyful hearts and with increasing worldly and spiritual achievements, God willing.

I especially wish to congratulate the esteemed families of the martyrs, the dear disabled war veterans and their families. And I would like to send abundant greetings to the immaculate soul of our magnanimous Imam [Khomeini] and to the pure souls of the martyrs.

We experienced an eventful year. In the year that passed, the Iranian nation shone brightly in the true sense of the word. The enemies devised many plans. They had many plots for the Iranian nation. However, the solidity and insight of the nation and the determination of the youth foiled their plans. In the face of the harsh and – according to their own words – ‘unprecedented’ sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe, the Iranian nation gave a solid and powerful response both in the arena of politics and in the arena of the economy.

In the arena of politics, the manifestation of that response was the great 22nd of Bahman rally [February 11] and the people’s positions throughout the year. As for the people’s position in the economic confrontation, it was manifested through an increase in scientific and technical innovations, a substantial increase in the number of knowledge-based companies and an increase in infrastructural and fundamental products of the country, an example of which is the inauguration of different phases of the South Pars gas field just a few days ago and before that, the inauguration of the large Bandar Abbas Refinery and other such tasks.

Therefore, the people managed to show their power, their grandeur and their greatness in the face of the enmity and malevolence of the enemies and thereby – thank God – increase the reputation of our nation, our Revolution and our Islamic Republic.

The main problem of the country continues to be economic problems. Especially in recent months, people’s livelihood problems have increased. Part of these problems is related to inefficient management in the area of economic matters, which should definitely be compensated for. Certain plans and measures have been devised. By Allah’s favor, these measures should be implemented throughout this year – the year that begins from this moment: the year 1398 – and the people should feel the impact.

What I would like to mention in this regard is that the country’s urgent and serious matter and its priority in the present time is the issue of the economy.  Regarding the economy, the issues that we have are many: the issue of the decrease in the value of the national currency is an important matter. The same is true of people’s purchasing power. The same condition exists regarding factories, their lowered capacity and the closing down of some of them. These are the problems. Based on research and having benefitted from the viewpoints of experts, one concludes that the key to all these problems is the expansion of national production.

I named the year 1397, “The Year of Support for Iranian Products”. I cannot say that this slogan was fully implemented, but what I can say is that it was well received to a great extent, and in many cases, the people welcomed and acted on it. This will certainly exert its influence. This year, the issue of production is of great importance. I would like to make the issue of production the pivot of our activities. By Allah’s favor, in my new year’s speech, I will explain what I mean by ‘production’. If production is boosted, it can solve livelihood problems, it can ensure the country’s independence from foreigners and from the enemies, it can eliminate unemployment and it can solve the problems related to the decrease in the value of the national currency to a great extent.

That is why I believe that the issue of production is a pivotal issue this year. Therefore, the slogan I have chosen for this year is: “The Year of Boosting Production”. Everyone should try to do what they can to boost production in the country. By Allah’s favor, from the beginning to the end of the year, this notion should be completely tangible in the country. If this happens, we hope that the solution to economic problems will be achieved, God willing.

I wish to send my heartfelt peace and greetings to the Imam of the Time (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake). I plead for the prayers of that noble personality for you dear people and I ask Allah the Exalted to bestow happiness and bliss on the Iranian nation and all those nations who celebrate Nowruz.

Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings!