What follows are IRNA’s photos of the magnificent nature of the two provinces:
Bahraini FM Claims Shutting Hormuz Strait ‘Self-Choking’ for Iran
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in Paris, Sheikh Khalid noted that “the Islamic Republic made big mistakes when it interfered in the internal affairs of the regional countries and sent money, arms and militias.
“The nuclear deal the US withdrew from was the main cause of current situation. The JCPOA dealt with Iran’s nuclear program and did not consider the country’s ballistic program which was threatening us. The deal also left aside the policy of Iranian hegemony,” he added.
He said as these issues have not been resolved, Tehran felt free to keep on its practices, to such an extent that it is now threatening to shut the Strait of Hormuz, but it knows that the shutting means self-defeating.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Bahraini official highlighted that Iran should review its policies towards the region and the US.
“We see a chance for Tehran to reconsider its policy, which has brought Tehran to the edge of the abyss,” he declared.
“We take these threats seriously and interact with each other, and these threats pave the ground for our allies to take positions to defend our interests.”
Sheikh Khalid said Iran’s threats are blunt threats to all regional states. “I still believe that Iran may think carefully before making such a decision because it would be a dangerous escalation that would not last for even one day.”
“In the past, Iran has made important decisions, such as ending the war with Iraq, which at that time Iran said it was like drinking the cup of poison. Perhaps Iran will move towards changing its policies. We do hope that at this sensitive moment they will make the right decision.”
Khalid’s comments came a few days after Iranian Foreign Minister said at the Asia Society in New York that “it is in our vital national security interest to keep the Persian Gulf open, to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. We have done that in the past and we will continue to do so in the future.”
“But the United States should know that when they enter the Strait of Hormuz, they have to talk to those protecting the Strait of Hormuz — and that is the Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps,” he added.
Tension with Iraq
On the recent tension with Iraq, the Bahraini minister said there are people in Iraq who are conspiring with the outside world, such as Muqtada al-Sadr, to insult Bahrain in the way Iran wants.
“When they saw Iraq was approaching Saudi Arabia and developing its ties with Bahrain and had opened embassies and consulates, they did not want it to continue, and he [Sadr] issued an insulting statement,” added Sheikh Khalid.
Earlier, Muqtada al-Sadr issued a statement demanding that the conflicts in Yemen, Bahrain and Syria be stopped immediately, and their rulers immediately step down. He also called on the United Nations to intervene to prepare the ground for fair elections in Manama without the intervention of other countries.
Bahraini foreign minister said “we waited for two and a half hours for the Iraqi government’s response to the statement but did not receive a response. Therefore, we summoned the Iraqi Charge d’Affaires and gave him a letter of protest, saying what was stated by Sadr is not acceptable.”
“We stressed that the Iraqi side is responsible for destruction of our relations, and you saw what happened. The Iraqi government subsequently issued a statement in support of Sadr and defended him and announced that he would summon Bahrain’s ambassador.”
He added that the key to solve this issue is in the hands of Iraq. “Does it want to interact with Arabs or it wants to continue this line? What is important to us is that we do not accept these statements and condemn any intervention in our affairs.”
He further called on the Iraqi government to continue its progress in improving relations with the Arab countries and to take care of it.
“If today an anti-Bahraini statement is issued, tomorrow it will be issued against Saudi Arabia which is now honestly trying to build strong ties with Iraq. These people, who make statements, are plotting under an order from outside Iraq. We want the Iraqi government not to allow these people to spoil the interests of both sides.”
“They want me to apologise to them for the answer to the person who insulted us, but they should have asked that person to apologise to us because he has insulted the Bahraini nation beforehand.”
Sheikh Khalid’s comments come after Iraq’s foreign ministry demanded that Bahrain issue an official apology after the kingdom’s top diplomat said the Iranian government controlled Baghdad and called the top Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr a “dog”.
“The statements of the Bahraini foreign ministry are offensive to Muqtada al-Sadr and are totally unacceptable in diplomatic arena,” the Iraqi foreign ministry said in a statement back on Sunday.
“They also harm Iraq, its sovereignty and independence, especially when the Bahraini minister speaks of Iraq being controlled by Iran,” Al Jazeera quoted him as saying.
Bahraini Foreign Minister Khaled bin Ahmed in a tweet called al-Sadr a “dog” after the Iraqi top cleric denounced the wars in Yemen, Bahrain and Syria.
Iran Strongly Condemns US’ Coup Attempt in Venezuela
Mousavi made the remarks on Thursday in reaction to reports of American officials’ comments about the use of force and military action against Venezuela.
“Threatening to use force against other countries is a stark violation of international laws, particularly the United Nations Charter,” he noted.
“The UN Secretary General and all members of the international community are expected to condemn such remarks and show an appropriate reaction to them,” Mousavi went on to say.
Unfortunately, he added, the global order and stability is under threat by a group of warmongering, lawless, and chaos-seeking individuals in the US administration.
“It is imperative that all members of the international community take their momentous responsibility to contain such measures and heresies [by the US],” he added.
On Tuesday morning, opposition leader Juan Guaido, standing near the La Carlota air force base in capital Caracas and surrounded by a group of some 70 armed men in uniforms, called for military units to support him in the “final phase” of a plan to end Maduro’s “usurpation” of power.
The revolt sparked two days of clashes between dozens of Guido’s supporters and security forces.
However, Guaido’s plan to dislodge Maduro proved to be unsuccessful as top leaders and high-ranking military officials reiterated their full support for the government, and 25 rebel troopers sought asylum at the Brazilian embassy in the capital.
As the apparent coup attempt was unfolding, Pompeo told reporters that Washington was prepared to take military action on President Donald Trump’s order.
The comments came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, top military leaders and national security advisor John Bolton all threatened that military action against Venezuela is possible if required.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive report on Tuesday, Reuters said the notorious US mercenary firm Blackwater has been reportedly lobbying with the administration of President Donald Trump as well as opposition figures of Venezuela for a secret mission to topple the Latin American country’s president.
Citing four unnamed sources, the report revealed that Erik Prince, the founder of the controversial private security firm, who is also a firm Trump supporter, has offered to deploy an army to the South American country in order to oust Maduro.
Impossible to Exclude Iran from Oil Market: OPEC
Barkindo, who was in Tehran to attend the 24th International Oil, Gas, Refining & Petrochemical Exhibition, noted that there is no unilateral decision in the OPEC.
He further mentioned that the Islamic Republic had faced similar issues in the past years and “I am sure it can overcome these challenges.”
“Over the 60 years after the launch of OPEC, we have faced many problems, but the unity of member states has always helped us. If we can preserve this unity, we can overcome the challenges again,” he said on Thursday.
He further underlined that he was concerned about differences among OPEC members, stating that “Iran’s challenge does not just concern this country; it also impacts OPEC as a whole and what happens to Iran, Libya and Venezuela would influence the market and the oil industry.”
OPEC is determined to avoid a global “energy crisis” as some of its members are facing international sanctions and others struggling with unrest, the cartel’s chief said.
“As an organisation, we will remain focused on our goal of avoiding an energy crisis that may affect the global economy,” Barkindo said on the sidelines of the exhibition.
Barkindo’s remarks come as Turkey said it cannot replace Iran’s exports. Qatar has also warned that the sanctions on Iran’s oil would certainly harm the countries that are dependent on the Iranian oil.
“The sanctions should not be extended because they have an adverse impact on countries benefiting from Iranian oil,” Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told a press conference in Doha on Wednesday.
“In Qatar, we do not believe unilateral sanctions bring positive effects for crises which must be resolved through dialogue and dialogue only,” he underscored.
Earlier, Iran’s oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said anyone who uses oil as a weapon is bringing forward the death and collapse of OPEC.
“Those who use oil as a weapon against members of OPEC are disturbing the unity of OPEC and causing the death and collapse of OPEC and are responsible for the consequences,” noted Zanganeh in a speech made at the exhibition.
The White House said after its Iran move that it is working with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to make sure oil markets were “adequately supplied”, but traders worry about tight supplies.
Washington demanded that buyers of Iran’s oil stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions. By this move the US ended six months of exemptions to Iran’s eight major customers to import limited volumes of oil from the Islamic Republic.
Persian Lion Returns to Iran after 80 Years
Under a new project, a Persian Lion has been sent from Britain’s Bristol Zoo to save the rare cat by reproducing it in the country.
Born in Britain six years ago on Christmas day, the male lion named Kamran, a son of Kamal, arrived in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport on Wednesday night, and was sent to the Tehran Zoo.
A Persian lioness will also arrive soon from Ireland to help re-introduce the world’s last ranging population of Persian lion to their original habitat.
Seyyed Mohammad Reza Parhizkar, the head of Tehran Zoo, says “Our main goal is to try to re-introduce this species firstly to help the generation of this animal and, secondly, to make people acquainted with our country’s wildlife.”
On the return of these lions to Iran, Parhizkar said due to the membership of the Tehran Zoo in the Union of European Zoos (EAZA) these lions are returned under the program of proliferation and maintenance of endangered species.
Officials say under this plan, they will strengthen new measures for conservation and recovery of Persian lion with the help of disease management, and other works to ensure a stable lion population in the Islamic Republic.
Persian lion has now gone extinct in Iran and there are no confirmed modern records of lion presence in the country. Some say the lions that still live in India are the same lions that once were living in Iran.
History reveals that the Persian lion went extinct as a result of the selfishness of foreign occupiers. They used to hunt the Persian lion for fun. The mistakes of the previous Iranian rulers must not be ignored either.
In the past, Persian Lions were living in south Iran. They were somewhat smaller than their African descendants, with an obvious belly fold, and shorter mane. Current weather and other physical conditions in Iran seem nice to host these lions.
Iran’s Cooperation Warded Off Disintegration of Iraq: DM
Brigadier General Amir Hatami made the remarks in a Thursday meeting with commanders of the Iraqi Navy, Air Force and air defence units.
He also touched upon the current political-security situation in the Middle East region and across the world, calling for closer collaboration between Tehran and Baghdad.
“The threats and opportunities facing the two countries make it all the more necessary for their military and state officials to hold further consultations in order to secure the interests of both nations and boost economic growth and development of the two countries and ensure stability and security in the region,” said the top general.
He said a heavy price has been paid to ensure stability and security in the region.
“The blood of faithful, dedicated and patriotic Iranian and Iraqi youth guarantees the stability and security of both countries,” said the top general.
Elsewhere in his remarks, he touched upon Washington’s putting Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on the list of terrorist groups.
“Calling the IRGC a terror group by the US was in revenge for the IRGC’s actions against terrorism in Iraq and Syria. With this move, they intended to prevent the trend of political-security stabilization in Iraq and Syria, and care should be taken in that regard,” he noted.
He said Iran-Iraq defence cooperation will ensure balance, peace, stability and security in the region.
“The two countries are determined to boost mutual relations,” he said.
In the meeting, Iraqi military top brass expressed content over their visit to Iran, stressing the need to further reinforce bilateral defence cooperation based on the principle of good neighbourliness as well as political, security, religious and social bonds between the two countries in conformity with the interests of both nations.
Iran’s First Meteorite Exhibition Opens in Golestan Palace
The exhibition is organised by UNESCO’s Lut Desert World Heritage Centre in collaboration with Hojjat Kamali who is a record holder in discovery of meteorites and the only Iranian collector of meteorites.
In this exhibition, the meteorite of Varamin, Iran’s largest meteorite, and one of the world’s seven Mesosiderites, has been put on show. The meteorite fell 138 years ago near Eshtehard, west of Tehran.
The Shahsevan nomads were tenting around the meteor shower, and they witnessed the incident three hours before the sunset. They sent the meteorite to the court of Naser al-Din Shah and the king donated pieces of it to his close friends.
Later on, Henry Ward, an American and social activist, noticed the existence of this meteorite and travelled to Iran to complete his collection and eventually took a piece of this meteorite. This was how the meteorite pieces were distributed in more than 10 major natural science museums of the world, and its name was repeatedly published in the world’s largest meteorite books.
This meteorite has a mass of about 54 kg and now its main part is kept at the Golestan Palace. Other pieces are kept at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and museums in Washington, Philadelphia, Vienna and the United Kingdom, as well as the universities of Harvard, Oslo, Strasbourg, Arizona, the Vatican, Tehran Geophysics Institute, and other museums of natural sciences.
The exhibition is organised by Hojjat Kamali, who has collected more than 1,200 pieces of unique meteorites from around the country. In 2016, he registered over 200 pieces of meteorite in the International Meteoritical Bulletin, upgrading Iran’s rank from 122 to 2. And the overall ranking of Iran among 136 countries reached 9.
The exhibition was opened on April 28 and will be open to visitors until May 18, 2019 at the Golestan Palace in Tehran’s Arg Square.
A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 2
The top story in all papers today was the remarks made by Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, about the need for the country to be on a war footing as the enemy seems to be in battle array as well.
Comments by President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi about the US sanctions and Iran’s efforts to bypass them also received great coverage.
The Tuesday coup in Venezuela, which the government of Nicolas Maduro says was thwarted, remained a top story today.
The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines and top stories:
Abrar:
1- Iran Must Be on Appropriate Footing to Confront Enemy’s War Footing
2- Army Chief: All Forces Must Practice War, Threats Are Serious
3- Iran Says Closely Watching Venezuela Developments
4- Saudi Envoy’s Claims at UN against Iran
5- Entire Region to Pay Costs of War: IRGC General
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- Iran Leader Urges Nation to Be United
2- Cutting Iran’s Oil Exports Down to Zero ‘Pious Dream’
Besharat-e Now:
1- Europe Not Doing Enough to Save JCPOA; Political Support Not Sufficient
2- Oil Minister: It’s Pious Dream to Think Iran’s Oil Exports Will Be Stopped
Ebtekar:
1- Rouhani Inaugurates Major Water Projects in Kermanshah after 16 Years
2- Bolivarians in Decisive Dilemma: A Review of Latest Developments in Venezuela
3- Impacts of Iran-Turkey Border Walls on Environment
Etemad:
1- Iran President Vows to Compensate for Reduced Oil Revenues from Other Sources
2- Nation Must Be on War Footing: Leader
3- The Flames Fanned by Americans: Coup against Maduro Failed
4- Venezuela’s Emergency for Trump [Editorial]
Ettela’at:
1- Oil Industry’s Plans to Bypass Sanctions, Boost Production
2- Pompeo: Military Attack on Venezuela among Options
3- Rouhani: We Won’t Remain Idle
4- Iran Leader: Nation’s Power Hinges on Unity; Enemy’s Plots to Be Thwarted
Jomhouri Eslami:
1- Rouhani: We’re Not Anyone’s Enemy, but Won’t Stand Idle in Face of Foreign Plots
2- Zarif: One Power’s Imposition of Its Will on Others Threat for Everyone
Kayhan:
1- Education 2030 Agenda Means We Train Soldiers for US, UK: Leader
2- Paris Turns into Barracks on Int’l Labour Day
3- Rouhani: We’ll Sell Our Oil; Americans Not as Powerful as Their Words Imply
4- Araqchi: Iran Earned Almost ‘Nothing’ from JCPOA
Sazandegi:
1- Iran Leader Says Wise Criticism Always Welcomed
2- Unsuccessful Bet: Coup in Venezuela Thwarted
3- End of Emperor: Why Japan Emperor Resigned?
Shargh:
1- Iran Leader: Enemies Will Fail If Nation Remains United
2- Rouhani: We Should Return Americans to Point of Rationality
3- Iran Finalizes Plan to Bypass US Sanctions
Zarif’s Visit to N Korea Sends Clear Message to US: Analyst
In an interview with Fararu website, Rahman Qahremanpour said there is no clear sign yet on Iran’s decision to change its foreign policy because while in New York, Zarif sent ambiguous messages to the White House.
“On the one hand, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said the country has no plan for talks with the US and on the other hand, Zarif said a group of warmongers are preventing Trump from holding talks with Iran. That means if it wasn’t for these people, Iran would have no problem with holding talks with Trump,” he said.
“But his visit to North Korea may have a clearer message. This will show the US that if it plans to exert more pressure on Iran, Iran will take longer steps to get closer to the US enemies,” he added.
The analyst went on to say that despite diplomatic ties between Iran and North Korea, the two sides have never gotten close to each other. “But amid the current situation and due to the failure of the US-North Korea talks, the visit of the Iranian foreign minister to North Korea is meaningful. Zarif has decided to pay the visit to send a clear message to the US.”
Qahremanpour, an expert in international affairs, then rejected some speculations that Iran is seeking to restore its nuclear program and said the upcoming visit does not necessarily imply that Iran is restoring its nuclear program hindered after the clinching the Iran nuclear deal back in 2015.
“The situations of Iran and North Korea are different from each other. The nuclear case of North Korea has taken a different road since its beginning. The country has been seeking to produce nuclear bomb. North Korea wants to blackmail the US into accepting its conditions through its nuclear program. But Iran’s case is totally different,” he noted.
Back on Monday, Zarif said he plans to visit North Korea without giving the date of the visit.
“The date of this trip will be set and announced soon,” he added.
North Korea’s top diplomat, Ri Yong Ho, whose country faces international and US sanctions, visited Iran in August as the United States reintroduced sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
A North Korean delegation, headed by the country’s deputy foreign minister, started a tour of Iran, Syria, Azerbaijan, and Mongolia a couple of days ago. The details of the visits have not been disclosed, but experts believe Pyongyang is trying to improve its ties with its friends following the failure of talks with US.
Iran’s SATMA, EU’s INSTEX to Do First Transaction Soon
The CEO of SATMA, Ali Asghar Nouri, announced that after the establishment and registration of SATMA, and according to the meetings held with the European countries and the European company INSTEX, the first financial transfers between Iran and Europe will be carried out in coordination with both sides and banks in Iran and Europe.
“In the talks with the European side, Iran announced it is prepared to work on the mechanism and receive payments, emphasising the importance of speeding up the financial channel’s implementation process.”
Coordination meetings are held with Iranian banks and a series of meetings will be held next week to introduce mechanisms to Iranian exporters and importers, underlined Nouri.
The central bank and other banks are continuing their efforts to accelerate the process.
Director of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) Per Fischer on Monday voiced the company’s readiness for undertaking first transaction with Iran at the earliest.
In a meeting with the British commercial companies and officials in London, he presented an explanation on the function of the system and addressed concerns of the British companies in doing business with Iran.
Iran’s Ambassador to London who attended the meeting wrote in his Twitter account that Fischer announced that despite challenges, INSTEX is seriously seeking to conduct first transactions with its Iranian counterpart SATMA.
Earlier, Germany, France and the UK set up the payment channel with Iran to help continue trade and circumvent US sanctions.
Washington has cautioned EU nations against such moves. After repeated delays in launching the system Iran is criticising the European party for being pressured by the US.
