Home Blog Page 3267

Iran Says Ready for Dialogue to Settle Rows with Regional States

February 12, 2019

Speaking to Fars News Agency in an interview published Tuesday, Bahram Qassemi said neighbours are the top priority in Iran’s foreign policy and the country has worked to develop amicable ties with governments in its surroundings.

“But we face several countries among [neighbours] in southern areas that have problems and are under the influence of certain parties that try to weaken Iran,” he said.

The senior diplomat said Iran has shown patience in the face of provocative moves and avoided falling into traps set be the country’s adversaries.

“Iran is ready to solve differences with a few number of countries in the region behind the negotiating table and peacefully,” he said.

“Iran is not eyeing soil of neighbouring countries and it is an independent country that develops its policies in Tehran,” Qassemi said.

Saudis Ought to Take Steps

Fortunately, Qassemi said, Saudi officials have in recent months been more careful in their positions on the region and Iran.

“We hope that Saudi Arabia’s new conditions would lead to serious interaction among regional countries, as we like to see all regional countries able to pursue their policies with full independence,” he said.

Iran has worked hard in recent years to promote peace, stability and security in the region, which has been stricken by US wars.

“It’s clear no country is able to move other countries or omit them from the region’s map and geography,” he said.

However, Qassemi said it is up to Saudi Arabia and other governments to take steps to improve relations with Tehran.

“Iran is not to blame and it could take necessary measures whenever those countries make efforts to improve relations,” he said.

12th International Tourism Exhibition Kicks Off in Tehran

IFP Editorial Staff

February 12, 2019

Farhad Aminian, an organizer of the event, said in a press conference that “660 Iranian companies as well as 57 companies from 12 countries” are attending this year’s edition.

“The turnout [of companies] is great this year, and all 31 provinces of Iran are present at the fair.”

The organiser argued that 2,000 square metres of outdoor space and 42,000 square metres of indoor space have been allocated to this exhibition.

According to Aminian, companies from Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Italy, Indonesia, Pakistan, Germany, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Afghanistan have participated at the Tourism Fair.

The exhibition kicked off on Tuesday and will be open to visitors until February 15.

Iran’s Economy to Undergo Structural Changes upon Leader’s Order

IFP Editorial Staff

February 12, 2019

“In the coming weeks, we will put structural shakeup of the economy on the agenda of the High Council for Economic Coordination, in which heads of the country’s branches are present,” said Mohammad Reza Pourebrahimi, the head of the parliament’s economic commission.

The lawmaker said US sanctions have had a negative impact on the economy, but mismanagement is to blame for the majority of economic hardships.

“The country’s domestic capacity in any sector is so high that we will remove any obstacle the US throws,” he said.

Last Wednesday, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said top officials have been tasked by Ayatollah Khamenei to bring about reforms in the country’s structure.

The top lawmaker did not elaborate further on the plan, but it was later explained that the changes will be made to the structure of the country’s economy and budget system.

Zarif Reminds Trump of 40 Years of US Failure to Destabilize Iran

IFP Editorial Staff

February 12, 2019

Trump had tweeted late Monday, “40 years of corruption. 40 years of repression. 40 years of terror. The regime in Iran has produced only #40YearsofFailure. The long-suffering Iranian people deserve a much brighter future.”

Zarif, in response, tweeted, “#40YearsofFailure to accept that Iranians will never return to submission. #40YearsofFailure to adjust US policy to reality. #40YearsofFailure to destabilize Iran through blood & treasure.”

“After 40 years of wrong choices, time for Trump to rethink failed US policy,” he said.

Millions of Iranians took to streets on Monday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the victory of a revolution that toppled the US-backed rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and created the Islamic Republic.

During the ceremony, President Hassan Rouhani vowed the country would overcome US efforts to isolate Tehran.

“We will not allow the US become victorious … the Iranian people experience some economic difficulties but we will overcome the problems by helping each other,” Rouhani said.

In a tweet earlier on Monday, Zarif had hailed Iran’s “resilient” people who poured into streets by the millions, saying the US should take note that real Iranians never succumb to diktats.

Trump has taken a hard line on Iran, with Washington pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran and pushing countries to stop trade with Iran.

Also on Monday, National Security Adviser John Bolton, who in 2017 had vowed he would celebrate in Tehran before 2019, tweeted that it was up to the Iranian government to change its behaviour and that the US supports “the will of the Iranian people.”

Top Iranian Cleric Condemns Beheading of Kid in Saudi Arabia

IFP Editorial Staff

February 12, 2019

Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani, in response to the killing of a 6-year-old innocent child in the city of Medina, said, “Why do international bodies and rulers of Islamic countries, especially Saudi Arabia, have kept silent regarding this brutal crime?!”

In a statement, the Iranian cleric noted that “the horrific crime by a person, who has anti-Islamic and anti-human thoughts, reflects the brutality of some human beings, who, unfortunately, have long been living in this holy city and near the holy shrine of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH),” Fars News Agency quoted him as saying.

He also sympathised with the parents of this Shiite kid, who had come to Medina with his mother on a pilgrimage.

The six-year-old boy was stabbed and beheaded by a taxi driver as his mother desperately tried to save him.

A campaign group said that the child, Zakaria al-Jaber, was brutally beheaded with a piece of broken glass after he was confirmed to be a Shiite Muslim.

Sources close to the family said that Zakaria was in a taxi to visit the shrine of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Medina.

Iran’s Zarif Holds Talks with Lebanese President, FM

IFP Editorial Staff

February 11, 2019

During the meeting, the two sides discussed political, business, and economic relations between Iran and Lebanon.

They also conferred on the readiness of Iranian companies to participate in Lebanese projects.

Regional issues, in particular the issue of Syria and its displaced people in Lebanon, were also discussed in the meeting.

Later in the day, the Iranian top diplomat also held talks with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil in Beirut.

During the meeting, the two sides welcomed further cooperation between Iran and Lebanon in all areas particularly in most significant regional issues like Syria and the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

They also touched upon the ongoing negotiations on Syria, exchanged views on the Arab country’s crisis and underlined the need for finding a political solution to it through political talks.

Zarif also had a meeting with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, during which the Iranian foreign minister congratulated the Lebanese official on the successful formation of Lebanon’s government which became possible by the parliament and Berri’s hard efforts.

The two sides further exchanged views on ways to develop and deepen mutual relations and parliamentarian cooperation and expand trade and economic ties with a focus on public and private sectors’ participation in projects in Lebanon.

They also discussed regional issues including those of Palestine and Syria.

People’s Turnout in Rallies Shows Failure of Enemies’ Plot: Rouhani

IFP Editorial Staff

February 11, 2019

“This year, we are celebrating the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution while the criminal US, the Zionists and the regional reactionaries have intensified the pressure of sanctions on our people through their conspiracies,” Rouhani addressed demonstrators in the iconic Azadi Square in Tehran.

“So, today the presence of people on the streets across the nation means that the year-long plots of the enemies have been foiled. This turnout also shows that the enemies will never achieve their evil objectives,” he added.

The Iranian President also noted that the Islamic Republic will overcome US sanctions and Iran will boost its military power and missile program despite mounting pressures from hostile countries.

Rouhani said Iran has never sought permission of anyone to develop different types of missiles and will never do so.

Millions of Iranians took to the streets across the country on Monday to mark the fortieth anniversary of victory of Islamic Revolution.

They pledged allegiance to the aspirations of the Islamic establishment and also condemned the US and Israel for plotting against the country.

The demonstrators said the Iranian nation will not bow to the pressure of US sanctions.

Each year, Iranians hit the streets to commemorate the 1979 Islamic Revolution that put an end to the monarchical rule of the US-backed Pahlavi regime.

Millions of Iranians Attend Rallies Marking 40th Revolution Anniversary

IFP Editorial Staff

February 11, 2019

The huge turnout came in a rainy day despite all the economic pressures and sanctions imposed against the nation, as well as the extensive propaganda against the Islamic Republic.

What follows are photos of the rallies retrieved from various sources, with people holding flags of Iran and banners in support of the Islamic Republic:

1 of 44