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China Plays Big Role in Iran’s Foreign Policy: FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif meets his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Feb. 19, 2019. / Photo by Reuters

“China is an important country for Iran and has a big role in Iran’s foreign policy,” IRNA quoted him as saying in a Tuesday meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

Zarif said the trip of a high-ranking politico-economic Iranian delegation, comprising senior officials including Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, is a new beginning in Tehran-Beijing relations and shows China’s importance for Iran.

“Iran’s most strategic relations in the world is with China,” he said.

The top Chinese diplomat, in turn, stressed the importance of relations between the two countries.

“The trip of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Tehran in March 2016 has boosted the two countries’ relations to a strategic level,” he said.

A number of senior Iranian officials, including Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh, Economy Minister Farhad Dejpasand and Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, are accompanying Zarif and Larijani in the trip.

Iran Develops New Apparatus for Mineral Exploration

Researchers at a knowledge-based company have developed the know-how to produce mineral exploration systems named portable gamma spectrometers.

The new apparatus can be used to explore copper, zinc, phosphate and gold mines, and to spot potassic zones in the earth and monitor environmental beams.

At the moment, 40 portable gamma spectrometers have been produced. The apparatus has been patented as well. It is an industrial and expensive apparatus, so it will be produced only when ordered by customers. The cost of production of the apparatus in Iran is between 35 and 40 percent less than that of foreign-made ones.

The device has received Europe’s CE standard.

According to the project manager, the apparatus is to be exported to neighbouring countries as well.

Iran Expresses Deep Regret over Zimbabwe Mine Tragedy

In his Tuesday statement, Qassemi offered sympathy to the Zimbabwean nation and government and the bereaved families of the victims.

Zimbabwean rescuers pulled the bodies of at least 22 illegal gold miners out of shafts west of Harare that were flooded earlier in the week, and rescued eight more alive, officials and witnesses said on Saturday.

The accident involving about 70 miners in Battlefields, 175 km (109 miles) west of the capital, happened last Tuesday and has shone a light on the risks run by illegal gold miners, who last year contributed a large part of Zimbabwe’s record 33 tonne bullion output.

The government has declared the incident a disaster.

Iran Condemns Terrorist Attack on Egypt’s Military

In a Monday statement, Qassemi offered condolences to the families of the victims, and wished speedy recovery for those wounded in the attack, whose responsibility was claimed by the ISIS terrorist group.

“Terrorism is a common threat to all regional states, and fight against this inauspicious phenomenon needs honest will and joint effort by all countries,” he added.

A Saturday attack on the Egyptian army checkpoint in the restive Sinai caused 15 casualties, while seven of the suspected ISIS fighters were killed, the military said.

The breakdown of the military casualties was not immediately clear. Two security sources told the Reuters news agency some of the injuries were serious.

The ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq website. The armed group said it killed at least 15 Egyptian troops, revising an earlier figure of 20 dead south of the provincial capital of Arish after clashes with “various kinds of weapons”.

As Godfather of Terror, Saudis Can’t Accuse Others of Terrorism: Iran

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir attends a press conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad on Feb. 18, 2019

Bahram Qassemi’s comments came in reaction to “totally false and hateful” remarks about Iran by former Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in a press conference during his visit to Pakistan.

“The empty and hateful remarks by him, who has a long record of making lies and showing hatred towards Iran and Iranians, will not change the reality that the real godfather of Takfiri terrorism in the world and the region is nobody but his government,” Qassemi said.

“There is no need for further explanation for those who know a little bit about his [Jubeir’s] hypocritical face,” he said.

“Saudi Arabia as the cradle of the fundamentalist ideology and the source of exporting organized terrorism at the international level has no competence and credit to accuse other countries of supporting terrorism.”

“Instead of pinning the blame on others and making vain efforts to divert the world’s public opinion away from his role in establishing and spreading such cruel and killer groups, the Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs should be answerable for the terrorism rooted in the structure of the establishment of Saudi Arabia and narrate the big inhumane crimes and catastrophes resulted from the military invasion against the Yemeni people and the killing of innocent people of other countries in the region and the world by the terrorist groups created by it in the region and the world.”

“Human rights groups have frequently issued resolutions attracting attentions to gross human rights violations in Saudi Arabia. However, this country is still supported by the US and the western communities,” he noted.

“Emboldened by the support and shielded by double standards of the US and some western governments, Saudi Arabia has for years been spreading extremism and arming and training its tamed terrorists,” he said.

Saudis Can’t Harm Iran-Pakistan Ties

Qassemi further pointed to the deep relations between Iran and Pakistan and said the two sides have the right understanding and knowledge of their neighbourhood relations.

“Iran expects Pakistan to deal more decisively with terrorist groups who use the country’s soil for designing, conducting and carrying out terrorist operations against targets in Iran,” he said.

“Considering the level and depth of our relations with Pakistan, we will express these criticisms or expectations through regular political, intelligence and military channels with related officials of this country and will follow up. “

Qassemi said Tehran will pursue issues resulting from spoiling acts of criminal terrorists while taking into account realities of relations between the two neighbouring countries.

“Certainly, there is vigilance and insight among the two countries of Iran and Pakistan so the hateful Saudi officials cannot satanically misuse recent incidents to harm Tehran-Islamabad relations,” he concluded.

On Monday, Jubeir assailed Iran for blaming Saudi Arabia for last week’s attack near Zahedan that killed 27 members of IRGC forces.

Jubeir said the allegations by Iran, as a “chief sponsor of terrorism,” were meant to divert attention of the Iranian people.

Iran Parliament Allows Gov’t to Get $5 Billion Loan from Russia

The lawmakers gave the greenlight while discussing the budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year (starting March 21).

Russia had agreed to provide a $5 billion loan to Iran for joint infrastructure projects in October 2015, when Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak travelled to Tehran.

Out of the $5 billion, the Iranian side has so far received $2 billion and now can get the remaining $3 billion.

The removal of the nuclear sanctions in 2016 triggered a race among international companies to tap into Iran’s lucrative market.

However, the withdrawal of the US from the nuclear accord last year has scared away international firms.

Russia, a party to the nuclear accord, has frequently voiced its opposition to the US withdrawal from the pact.

IRGC Arrests 3 Terrorists Linked with Attack on Border Guards

The Public Relations Department of IRGC said in a statement that the operation was carried out following the order of IRGC Chief-Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari to follow up the evidence and clues to find the agents behind the terrorist crime.

“With the enormous efforts of the IRGC forces and pursuing the clues provided by the intelligence and operational forces of Qods headquarter, some of the elements behind the recent crime who were hiding out in several houses in Saravan and Khash [in Sistan and Baluchestan], were identified and arrested,” reads the statement.

The statement added that in this successful operation, three terrorists were nabbed and 150 kilogrammes of explosives as well as a large number of weapons and ammunitions were discovered.

Referring to the fact that the arrested terrorists have guided and supported the suicide bomber who committed the recent terrorist crime on the Khash-Zahedan road, the IRGC statement added that efforts to track down clues for a definite and complete retaliation are underway and are expected to be implemented quickly with the cooperation of the Pakistani government and army.

Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri also announced Monday Pakistan has already started its operations against terrorists, after Iran warned them it would launch operations inside the Pakistani territory if Islamabad fails to punish the terrorists.

A terrorist attack in Sistan and Baluchestan province last Wednesday claimed the lives of 27 people and injured some others.

The suicide attacker targeted a bus carrying the IRGC personnel. The so-called Jaish ul-Adl terror group, which is based across the border in Pakistan shouldered the responsibility.

Iran Leader Urges Officials to Beware of Europe’s Deceit

In a Monday address to a large group of people from Azarbaijan, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Officials should know the friend and the foe, and not be deceived.”

“Enemies sometimes show their teeth, sometimes their fist, and sometimes their smile; they are not different, and even their smile is out of enmity,” he noted.

Their unclean souls are full of grudge against and hostility towards Islam and the Islamic Republic, he added.

“The US’ enmity is clear; Europeans are also trying to deceive [us] today. I don’t say [to officials] what to do, but officials should beware of being deceived,” the Leader added.

The Leader also warned Iranian officials not to put the country in trouble by getting deceived.

The European signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), issued a joint statement on Jan. 31, announcing the launch of a direct non-dollar payment mechanism.

The mechanism is meant to safeguard trade ties with Tehran following Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal and its imposition of the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Iran has welcomed the mechanism, called INSTEX, as “a long overdue first step,” but censured Europe for setting “humiliating” conditions for its enforcement.

‘Enemies Cannot Do Harm with Such Huge Turnout’

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the massive participation of Iranian people in rallies marking the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, saying the adversaries can never inflict harm on such a great nation.

Ayatollah Khamenei further noted that the enemies would negate that millions of people participated, but they know as long as a nation holds its ground like this, enemies cannot inflict any harm.

Millions of Iranians rallied last week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. This was much to the dismay of US officials including National Security Advisor John Bolton who had earlier said Iran will not see it’s fortieth anniversary.

Terror Attack Should Make People Aware

Talking about the recent deadly terrorist attack by a Pakistan-based terror group in southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province, Ayatollah Khamenei mentioned that “such incidents must make us aware of the price we have paid for our security.”

Earlier, the Leader had said in a message that those behind the terrorist attack in the southeast of the country definitely have ties to spy agencies of certain countries.

At least 27 IRGC personnel were killed and 13 others injured in Wednesday’s terror attack in Sistan and Baluchestan province. The Jaish al-Adl terror group that has links to al-Qaeda and Saudi Arabia claimed responsibility. Several entities and officials, including the Iranian president and foreign minister condemned the terrorist attack.

Chamomile Dish; Persian Food Suitable for Cold

In addition to a different and delicious flavour, the use of chamomile in it has made the food very useful for the body.

Chamomile is warm and dry according to the traditional Iranian medicine, and has been used since ancient times for medicinal and edible purposes.

One of the most important properties of chamomile is that it can treat gastric ulcers. This plant easily cures gastritis. Most people who have pain and stomach ache can regain their health by eating this plant.

Ingredients:

½ Cup of Chamomile

4 to 5 eggs

6 tbsp. of oil

Salt & pepper as much as needed

1000 grams of Wheat flour

4 medium-sized onions

Directions:

Chop the onions into small pieces and sauté them until they turn golden. Then add the flour and sauté more. At this stage, pour the boiling water. Stir it up to get the thickness you like. Then add eggs, chamomile, salt, and pepper. When you mix the eggs, do it fast. Then let it cook slowly for at least 2 hours on low heat. This food is very suitable for the times you have cold.

Persian Gulf Star Refinery Makes Iran Self-Sufficient in Petrol Production

Persian Gulf Star Refinery Makes Iran Self-Sufficient in Petrol Production

The refinery supplies petroleum products like gasoline, gas oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), hydrogen, sulfur and jet fuel.

The project has been developed with a capacity of producing 12 ml/d of gasoline which can be promoted to 15ml/d, a report by dolat.ir said.

The construction process of the plant created 3,500 jobs and the plant itself can create 600 permanent jobs.

Meanwhile, its feedstock capacity stands at 120,000 b/d. Now that the plant has come on stream, the Persian Gulf Star Refinery is capable of producing 45ml/d Euro-4 gasoline, 12.5ml/d gas oil, 3ml/d condensate gas and 2ml/d jet fuel.

The project is also aimed at promoting the quality of the gasoline and gas oil produced in Iran to further protect the environment.

Before opening the third phase, President Rouhani had inaugurated a separate project designed to promote the quality of Bandar Abbas Refinery’s gasoline and oil gas.

The projects are launched on the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The Persian Gulf Star Refinery was constructed in 2006 near the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. The feedstock to run the facility is supplied by the condensate produced at South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf.

Officials say the fourth phase of the mega project is set to be built in the future.