Iran’s Prisoner Swap Offer Response to US Call: Zarif

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April 28, 2019

Speaking in a recent interview with Face the Nation program of CBS News, Zarif said the previous US administration was trying to engage in a prisoner exchange deal with Iran.

“The new administration initially showed interest. We made an offer in September that we are ready, and we are ready,” he added.

“We responded to the offer that they had actually made to engage and we are waiting for a reply,” he noted.

A few days ago, Zarif announced that Tehran was ready to negotiate the issue of prisoners with Washington, in a move that was widely described as a gesture of goodwill from the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian foreign minister said at the Asia Society in New York on Wednesday that he was putting an offer on the table to execute the exchange.

However, later on Saturday, Zarif suggested in an interview with IRNA that he is disappointed with the response he received from the State Department.

He said the response of the US State Department reveals the negative mind-set of the American side towards the Islamic Republic.

“The US should realize that it can’t speak to the Iranians with the same language it uses with certain regional states which heavily depend on Washington for their survival.”

He further noted that the American people should come to this realization that there is a group inside the White House who lead most of the dangerous policies of President Donald Trump.

“The Americans should know that most of their national interests are sacrificed in order to preserve the interests of Israel and an extremist group. This is not a new thing but nobody dares to declare it publicly,” he said.

According to Zarif, there is a group inside the White House who is leading Trump’s dangerous policies in the region.

He singled out Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, and John Bolton, the US National Security Advisor, as extremists who play a key role in pushing the whole region into a new war. Zarif also blamed certain regional states for fanning the flames of discord in the region.

The top diplomat then said the Iranian nation has managed to leave behind pressures over the past years and added this time the Iranians are standing against the foreign pressure with stronger unity.

“To this end, the government should send this clear message to all sides in the US to warn them about the repercussions of their decision during the upcoming elections,” he noted.

He then referred to the US illegal sanctions and said over the past few days, the American officials have explicitly declared that the sanctions are designed to directly target the Iranian people.

“Over the past 40 years, we have been under sanctions. The Iran nuclear deal showed that Iran never violates its international treaties and this is the American officials who don’t care about their obligations,” he noted.

Zarif underlined that Washington is not a reliable partner for any talks and added today the Islamic Republic of Iran has no way but to stand against the sanctions. “We have to decrease our reliance on oil revenues and put our focus on non-oil exports. Today, Iran has achieved good experiences to bypass the sanctions.”

In response to a question on Iran’s decision about the future of the Iran nuclear deal, he said Iran’s top decision makers are assessing the situation closely and will make the due decision in the due time.

Zarif also referred to the upcoming UN meeting on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and said the Islamic Republic of Iran views Israel’s non-membership in the NPT as the greatest threat against the regional and global security.

“During the UN meeting, we will raise the issue and underline the fact that all members of the NPT should be entitled to use peaceful nuclear program,” he said.

The Iranian diplomat then referred to the delays by the EU to implement its trade mechanism to keep trade ties with Iran despite the US sanctions and said the EU had one year to fulfill its promise but failed to do so.

“We expect them to remain committed to their pledges. They are now highly behind the schedule and there is no enough time,” he added.

Iran FM Says to Visit North Korea Soon

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 28, 2019

Iran’s Foreign Minister in Beirut for Talks

In a Saturday interview with IRNA, Zarif underlined that the visit will be planned and announced as soon as possible.

“I don’t know whether or not the Iranian president plans to make a visit to North Korea as well, but I’m going to make such a visit in the near future,” he said.

“Within the next ten days, I will visit Russia for talks over our mutual ties. Before that, I will make two visits to our neighbouring states which are always of great significance for the Islamic Republic,” he said.

Zarif made the remarks during his trip to New York, the US, where he attended a one-day high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on global peace and multilateralism.

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on April 27

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 27, 2019

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 19

The top story in all papers today was the remarks made by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during his speeches in New York, where he expressed Tehran’s preparedness for a prisoner swap with Washington, and warned the US against the repercussions of cutting Iran’s oil exports down to zero.

The suspicious murder of an influential Iranian lawyer in Tehran also received great coverage. Hamid Hajian was reportedly the lawyer of a controversial and big legal case on the financial corruption of several bankers and business tycoons.

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

Abrar:

1- US to Reconsider Issuing Waivers for Import of Iran’s Oil: AP

2- No Need for Any Interpretation of Zarif’s Call for Prisoner Swap

Arman-e Emrooz:

1- Iran-US; A Move to Swap Prisoners

2- ‘Cutting Iran’s Oil Exports’ Is Declaration of War

3- Reformists Cannot Convince Public Opinion: Politician

4- Tragic Events of a Football Match in Tehran: 245 Wounded, One Dead

Etemad:

1- Iran 2-0 US, in Game Played in US Territory

* Zarif Checkmates His American Counterpart

Farhikhtegan:

1- Agents of Sanctions in Iran

Why Sending Signal of Negotiation Now Will Just Increase Sanctions?

2- Little Chance of Biden, VP of “Mr Sanctions”

3- It Takes 53 Years for Iranian Families to Buy a House

Javan:

1- Trump’s Mouth Shut after Oil Market’s Reaction

2- Iran Won’t Provide Security for Persian Gulf If Its Oil Not Exported

Kayhan:

1- Closing Hormuz Strait Just One of Iran’s Options: NPR to Trump

* Iran’s Cyber Power Can Disrupt Arab States’ Oil Infrastructures

2- IRIB under Fire for Promoting Lottery-Like Games

3- US, UK Seeking One-Sided Release of Their Spies in Iran

Sazandegi:

1- Zarif’s Game in Opponent’s Ground

2- Over 10 Parts of Tehran in Danger of Flood

Shahrvand:

1- Shooting at Black Box: Lawyer Who Knew a Lot about Open Corruption Case Shot Dead

2- Book Worms at Rendezvous of Tehran Book Fair

Shargh:

1- Iran Has PhD in Bypassing Sanctions: Zarif

2- We Won’t Let Anyone Replace Iran in Oil Market: Foreign Ministry

3- Suspicious Murder of Iranian Lawyer

Vatan-e Emrooz:

1- Reformist MPs Seeking to Withdraw from JCPOA

2- Iranians Win Top Awards at Fajr Int’l Film Festival

Iran Denies Asking for Negotiation with US

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 27, 2019

In a Saturday statement, Mousavi emphasised that Iran has made no request for talks with the United States, and in the case of Saudi Arabia, there is no negotiation underway between the two countries, except on Hajj issues that the two sides have agreed to separate from their bilateral political issues.

“The policy declared and implemented by the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding its neighbours is totally clear and based on mutual respect, good and peaceful neighbourliness, cooperation and dialogue,” added Mousavi.

“All neighbours of Iran that look at regional and global developments and facts realistically are among the priorities of the Islamic Republic for constructive relations with mutual respect.”

He further noted that from Iran’s point of view, Saudi Arabia is an important country in the region, which has been moved in the wrong direction over the past years with an unconstructive approach, and this has caused many disasters and crises in the region.

The spokesman expressed hope that the Saudi officials would return to an honest and benevolent approach towards the people of the region. “Definitely in that case, as always, the Islamic Republic will be ready to interact with the [Arab] country within the framework of regional and mutual cooperation.”

His remarks came after certain media reports claimed that Iran has signaled readiness for negotiations with the US, and that it has also kicked off its talks with the Saudi government.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif offered publicly on Wednesday to negotiate a prisoner exchange with the United States, saying he had been authorised to conduct such talks.

Iran Hails Nigeria for Allowing Medical Team to Visit Zakzaky

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 27, 2019

In a Saturday statement, Seyyed Abbas Mousavi expressed hope that with Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife receiving full treatment inside or outside Nigeria, the trend of interaction and constructive talks between authorities of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the Nigerian government will result in the settlement of problems and the release of the top cleric.

Sheikh Zakzaky has been held in detention since December 2015 and was charged just in April with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, disruption of public peace and other accusations. He has pleaded not guilty.

His legal team has called for his release, saying he is suffering from health issues that require urgent medical care.

A group of medical experts and consultants completed its initial health assessment of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife, who have been in detention since late 2015.

The delegation led by UK-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) visited the cleric and his wife, Mallima Zeenah, on Thursday and highlighted the need for urgent investigations into their health which it hoped would be carried out in the next couple of days.

The IHRC, an NGO which campaigns for justice, said in a statement it “acknowledges the authorities’ change of position in making this possible and hopes this heralds a full and just resolution of the situation.”

‘B-Team’ Dragging Trump into War with Iran, Zarif Tells Fox News

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 27, 2019

Zarif referred to the four officials – Mohammed bin Salman, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Benjamin Netanyahu, and John Bolton – as the “B-Team”, saying that they are “at least” trying to “exercise regime change” in Iran.

“They have all shown an interest in dragging the United States into a conflict. I do not believe that President Trump wants to do that, I believe President Trump ran on a campaign promise of not bringing the United States into another war,” he said.

“But I believe President Trump’s intention to put pressure, the policy of maximum pressure on Iran in order to bring Iran to its knees so that we would succumb to pressure, is doomed to failure,” he added.

The Iranian top diplomat made the remarks in a rare interview with Donald Trump’s favourite news channel Fox News, whose full version is to be aired on Sunday, April 28.

A recent report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) also argued that US President Donald Trump’s so-called “maximum pressure” policy against Iran has failed, citing the results of an internal assessment by his administration.

“A preliminary internal assessment by the administration described to Crisis Group purportedly concludes that the US approach has yet to curb Iran’s behavior or entice Tehran back to the negotiating table,” the ICG report says, citing an interview conducted by the group with a senior US administration official this month.

Zarif’s remarks in his interview with Fox News came a couple of days after he publicly expressed Tehran’s preparedness for a prisoner swap with the US, saying he has been authorized to negotiate the deal with American officials.

“My job is to try to arrange for a deal, an exchange; I did it once, we reached an agreement and I put this offer on the table publicly now: exchange them,” Zarif said on Wednesday at the Asia Society in New York, calling on Washington to swap all Iranians jailed in the US and on extradition requests from the US, mostly for alleged violations of US export restrictions and sanctions violations, with those imprisoned in Iran.

“We believe their charges are phony. The United States believes charges against these people in Iran are phony. Fine, let’s not discuss that. Let’s have an exchange. I am ready to do it and I have the authority to do it,” he noted.

The offer was widely described as a gesture of goodwill from the Islamic Republic.

However, the US State Department responded to the offer by urging Iran to immediately release the American prisoners first.

Jaghoor Baghoor: Delicious Taste of Sheep’s Pluck

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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April 27, 2019

Zanjan is a cold climate with numerous local foods. The ingredients of the foods cooked by locals are all natural, nutritious and healthy. They are all very useful for the body.

Jaghoor Baghoor also known as Jaghool Baghool is one of the special foods of Zanjan (Wikipedia).

It is prepared quickly and easily, and it is very delicious, making it a popular food in many cities across the country.

Probably the most interesting point about this food is that it is commonly served as a breakfast meal.

If you happen to visit Zanjan, you will see many restaurants serving this food in the morning.

In terms of ingredients, it is similar to the Scottish food haggis.

Ingredients for Jaghoor Baghoor:

Sheep’s liver: One whole liver
Sheep’s lung: One whole lung
Onions: 4
Oil: As much as needed for frying
Turmeric: As much as needed
Water: One glass
French fries: 300gr
Salt and pepper: As much as needed
Potato paste: One spoonful
Pomegranate paste or lime juice: As much as needed

Recipe for Jaghoor Baghoor:

Shred the onions and fry them in oil until they turn gold. Wash the lamb lung, chop it, add it to the onions, turn down the flame, put the lid on and wait until the water inside evaporates.

Then add turmeric, sauté the food and add a glass of water. Put the lid back on again, so that the lung will be cooked through with mild heat.

Lungs normally take a long time to cook. If the water evaporates and the lung is still not cooked through, add some more water. There must remain two or three spoonfuls of water after the food is cooked.

Now skin the liver and chop it into very small pieces. Clean it well before adding it to the cooked lung. Mix them and add salt, pepper and tomato paste. If you like, you might add half a spoonful of pomegranate paste or lime juice and let it cook for a few minutes.

Complementary tips for making Jaghoor Baghoor

1-If this food is cooked using animal oils such as sweet intestine, tail fat, etc., it will taste much better. Jaghoor Baghoor is a common food in some parts of Iran, such as in Gilan and Shiraz, where it is respectively known among people as Vavishka and Tutuvei (meaning “cooked in a pan”).

Interestingly, Scots have a food which is similar to Jaghoor Baghoor named Haggis, which is the national dish of Scotland. That’s a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep (or other animals), minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices.

2-Cooking the liver does not clear the toxins and hormonal drugs. But germs and parasites are killed by heat. For this reason, you should cook the liver completely and it should not be juicy after it’s cooked.

3-The lung has lots of air sacs. For this reason, it must be boiled in water for at least two hours so that it’s cooked completely.

4-You can add mushrooms to the food to make it taste better. This depends on your taste. However, the original recipe does not include mushrooms. For this purpose, it must be cut into small pieces and after the onion gets golden, the mushroom pieces must be added to it and roasted until its juice is evaporated and it is fried.

5-If you want your Jaghoor Baghoor to taste sour, you can use some sour grape juice and even tamarind.

So put the tamarind in a glass of boiling water. Then pass it through a sieve to get a smooth and even liquid. Toward the end of cooking, add it to the food so that its sourness does not harden the raw materials. Allow the ingredients to mix for a few minutes.

Complementary questions

How can I eliminate the stench of liver and heart?

To eliminate the bad smell of liver and heart, you can chop or grate one or two onions and add salt, pepper, a quarter cup of saffron and half a cup of lemon juice, and finally add liver, heart, lung to the mix.

Then allow it to rest for two to three hours to absorb the taste of the additives. As the lung cooks more slowly, it is better to flavor it separately.

Can I make this food with meat instead of heart and liver?

Vegetarians can go for eggplant instead of red and white meat.

Fajr Int’l Film Festival Wraps Up with Announcing Winners

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IFP Media Wire

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April 27, 2019

The weeklong event celebrates the cultural exchange, and it is considered one of the most prestigious cinematic events in western Asia, by bringing together veteran directors and new filmmakers in the country.

The festival announced the full lineup of winners at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall for their works on independent, art house, alternate, fiction, documentary and animation films from across the globe, according to official website of FIFF.

Iranian and international officials, dignitaries, filmmakers and guests attended the closing ceremony on Thursday, April 25.

Addressing the ceremony, Festival Director Seyyed Reza Mirkarimi said unilateral sanctions imposed, have not only targeted Iran’s economy but its culture as well: Despite these difficulties, we managed to organize the annual cinematic event. The good news is that many international filmmakers, critics, and scholars who love Iranian cinema didn’t leave us alone.

“This is one of the oldest and the most important film festivals in West Asia,” the award-winning director and screenwriter added.

Full Lineup is as follows:

International Competition (Cinema Salvation)

Golden Simorgh for Best Film: A Russian Youth directed by Alexander Zolotukhin, produced by Eduard Pichugin, Alexander Sokurv (Russia)

Silver Simorgh for Best Director: Soroush Sehat for Dance with Me! (Iran)

Silver Simorgh for Best Script: Gernot Kraa, Oliver Haffner for Wackersdorf by Oliver Haffner (Germany)

Silver Simorgh for Best Actress: Martina Apostolova for Irina by Nadejda Koseva (Bulgaria)

Silver Simorgh for Best Actor: Jesper Christensen for Before the Frost by Michael Noer (Denmark)

Diploma of Honor for Best Actor: Ali Mosaffa for Dance with Me by Soroush Sehat (Iran)

Silver Simorgh for Special Jury Prize: Best Costume Design for Spring Sparrow by Jingxiang Li (China)

Silver Simorgh for Best Short Film: Excess Will Save Us by Morgane Dziurla-Petit (Sweden)

International Competition Jury (The Cinema Salvation): Wang Xiaoshuai (China), Mike van Diem (Netherlands), Muzaffer Özdemir (Turkey), Navid Mohammadzadeh (Iran), Labina Mitevska (Macedonia), Peter Fleischmann (Germany), Narges Abyar (Iran).

Asian Film Awards

Trophy for Best Asian Film: Without My Friend by Mohammad Ali Talebi (Iran)

Diploma of Honor for Best Asian Film: Rona, Azim’s Mother by Jamshid Mahmoudi (Afghanistan)

Trophy for Best Asian Director: Huo Meng for Crossing the Border (China)

Trophy for Best Short Film: Sacrifice by Mehdi Mahmmad-Nejadian (Iran)

Eastern Vista Jury (Panorama of Films from Asian and Islamic Countries): Khosro Masoumi (Iran), Rusudan Glurjidze (Georgia)

Best First Film Award

Trophy for Best First Feature Film: A Russian Youth by Alexander Zolotukhin (Russia)

First Film Jury: Behrouz Shoeibi (Iran), Ghassan Salhab (Lebanon), Ammar Hadi Al-Arady (Iraq)

Muhammad Al-Ameen Award

Trophy and Diploma of Honor for Muhammad Al-Ameen Award: Hamid by Aijaz Khan (India)

Certificate of Peace

Amina by Iyman Zidan (Syria)

International Critics Award

Diploma of Honor to Best Feature Film in Eastern Vista Section: The Announcement by Mahmut Fazil Coskun (Turkey/Bulgaria)

International Critics Jury: Cüneyt Cebenoyan (Turkey), Robert Safarian (Iran), Barbara Lorey (Germany)

Interfaith Award

Diploma of Honor to Rona, Azim’s Mother by Jamshid Mahmoudi (Afghanistan)

Interfaith Competition Jury: Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Navab (Iran), Inês Mendes Gil (Portugal), Douglas P. Fahleson (Scotland)

NETPAC Prize

Narrow Red Line by Farzad Khoshdast (Iran)

NETPAC Jury: Latika Padgaonkar (India), Seyyed Gholamreza Mousavi (Iran), Aijaz Gul (Pakistan)

New Wearable Robot Can Help Disabled People Walk

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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April 27, 2019

The robot called “Exterior Skeleton” was designed and produced in the form of a National Technology Initiative, with the support of the Science and Technology Department of the Iranian president’s office to help patients with leg paralysis.

The CEO of the company that has produced this robot said this is a robot worn by humans, and works in partnership with humans.

For a brief review of Iran’s achievements in various fields of science and technology, check the book “Science and Technology in Iran: A Brief Review”

“This robot helps the user walk, sit, and get up and can be used as a replacement for wheelchair. The technology is known as one of the most advanced and up-to-date robotic technologies, and so far few companies in the US and Japan have managed to commercialise it,” Seyyed Mostafa Havayeji noted.

He further noted that the foreign sample of this product costs about $80,000, while the Iranian product’s price is $20,000.

So far, several foreign investors from Germany and Switzerland have offered to cooperate with the company. The firm is also in talks with Iraqi businessmen for the export of the device.

Qalat; A Village with Unique Nature, Old History in Southern Iran

By

Seyedeh Maryam Hosseini Lahijani

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April 26, 2019

The village dates back to several thousand years ago, and a church on the hillside and among the wild trees of Qalat is a testimony to this claim.

One kilometre away from the village, staircase houses – where the rooftop of one house is the yard of the other – are not well visible, as the tall trees cover all of them.

The houses of this village are mostly made of stone, clay, mud, plaster and wood and their ceilings are flat.

Most people in the village of Qalat in Shiraz are engaged in animal husbandry, horticulture and handicrafts. Walnuts, almonds, grapes, figs, pomegranates, apricots, plums and green tomatoes next to dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter and whey are the main products of this village.

Other items that people sell to make a living are giveh (a kind of soft, comfortable, durable and handwoven-top shoe common in several parts of Iran), hand-made baskets, musk (used to keep water cool) and wooden tools.

Next to its beautiful nature and unique waterfalls, there is an old church in the village which has a stone-like and interesting architecture and represents the old history of this village. The church, which was the pastoral home of Christians in the countryside, now has been ruined after the immigration of local people.

Water mills, the Qalat cemetery, the carvings, and, most importantly, the Qezel Arsalan castle are other attractions of the historical village.

What follows are IRNA’s photos of the village:

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