Iran Says Ball of Implementing INSTEX in Europe’s Court

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May 12, 2019

Ali-Asghar Nouri has, in an interview with IRNA, slammed the European Union for its failure for implementing the financial mechanism which is supposed to facilitate doing business with Iran in the wake of the US sanctions.

He says Tehran, unlike what Europeans claim, has done what it was supposed to do for the implementation of the INSTEX, and now it’s Europe’s turn to do its turn within the 60-day deadline Iran gave in recent days.

Here is the full text of his interview:

Q: German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said at a news conference on Friday that the INSTEX mechanism could not be realised yet due to some expectations from the Iranian side. Is this correct?

A: First, let me make it clear that by fulfiling the obligations assumed by the Iranian side in the text of the JCPOA, other parties, including Europe, are obliged to guarantee the economic benefits of the nuclear deal for Iran. Therefore, any action that the Islamic Republic is taking on the basis of the INSTEX is Iran’s contribution to Europe in order to fulfil its obligations as mentioned in the deal. Basically, according to the agreement, the Iranian side is not obliged to take any further actions. Therefore, the Iranian side cannot be blamed for the other party’s non-compliance. Let me make it clear. We have launched a Special Trade and Finance Institute to do business with Europe. This is precisely a proportionate mechanism to EU’s INSTEX. If Europe is ready today, we have no problems to carry out the processes that must be done in Iran.

Q: But German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said we expect Iran to comply with international standards on money laundering and financing terrorism.

A: As you know, the relevant regulations of these issues have already been implemented in the banking system and complementary ones are in progress. But the point is that before the withdrawal of the United States, European banks used to work with Iran, so now there should not be any problem either. In addition, the INSTEX mechanism essentially minimises the level of banking transactions between the two sides, and as a result these issues are less important in this mechanism, as long as the banks on both sides are directly interconnected.

Q: Isn’t the establishment of this mechanism bound to the approval of the FATF?

A: No. Of course, the European side insists that international standards must be respected and we are committed to implementing these standards within our domestic laws.

Q: The German spokeswoman also claimed that INSTEX’s complex structure was one of the problems in the way of launching it. What do you think?

A: Anyway, the complicated structure of US sanctions needs creativity to invent a mechanism that can circumvent all these sanctions. It also requires the same amount of complexity and time. Let’s not forget that Iran waited a whole year for the European side’s decision, and this time was enough to set up this mechanism. Therefore, it is expected that Europe will eventually be able to launch the INSTEX despite its complications.

Q: So, do you mean that the Iranian side has taken the necessary steps to start the INSTEX?

A: Yes, certainly. We have set up a mechanism proportionate to EU’s INSTEX and now the ball is in the Europeans’ court.

Heavy Explosions Reported in UAE’s Fujairah Port

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IFP Editorial Staff

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May 12, 2019

Seven to ten oil tankers in the port have caught fire and are completely burnt, the Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen news channel quoted sources as saying.

Al Marzouqah super tanker (9165762), Miraj tanker (9394741), A.Michel tanker (9177674), Amjad tanker (9779800), and FNSA10 tanker (9432074) are among the tankers damaged in the explosions, reported the TV channel.

The exact cause of the blasts is currently unknown.

American and French aircraft of unspecified type have been seen flying over the port city, local media reported.

The UAE officials later rejected the reports, saying the port is operating normally. However, previous attacks on the UAE by Yemen’s Ansarullah movement had also been rejected by Emirati officials despite being confirmed later.

The explosions come amid tension in the Persian Gulf which escalated after the US designated Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist group and the Islamic Republic reciprocally blacklisted the US CENTCOM.

The US has in recent days deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln and a number of B-52 bombers in the Persian Gulf, and is sending another warship and its Patriot missile defence system to the area for what it describes as the Iranian threat.

Later on Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson has described the Sunday explosions that hit several vessels in the Sea of Oman as “alarming” and “regrettable”, calling for a probe into the incidents.

UAE Confirms Vessels Hit Near Fujairah Port

Iran FM to Make Official Visit to Turkmenistan Sunday

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IFP Editorial Staff

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May 12, 2019

During the visit, which will be made within the framework of bilateral consultations between the two states, Zarif will hold talks with top Turkmen officials on ways to expand mutual ties in the fields of politics, business, transportation, energy, and customs, among others.

They will also exchange views on the latest regional and international developments.

The visit will come one year after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani paid an official visit to Turkmenistan.

During the trip in March 2018, Rouhani signed 13 accords with his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in different fields.

Iran Parliament Passes Bill that Lets Mothers Pass Nationality to Children

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IFP Editorial Staff

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May 12, 2019

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

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IFP Editorial Staff

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May 11, 2019

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

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IFP Media Wire

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May 11, 2019

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

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IFP Editorial Staff

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May 11, 2019

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.

To 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.

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Iranian Diplomat Elected as Deputy Executive Councilor of OPCW

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IFP Editorial Staff

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May 11, 2019

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

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IFP Editorial Staff

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May 11, 2019

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

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IFP Editorial Staff

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May 11, 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 58^th 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.

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