Iran’s Policy Towards Palestinian Cause Unchangeable: Spokesman

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January 2, 2019

In an interview with ISNA, Qassemi referred to some reports released by certain Arab as well as social media on the stance of the Islamic Republic towards the occupying Zionist regime underlining that the stance and approach of Iran towards the illegitimate regime of Israel is unchangeable.

“Over the past recent days, two Palestinian delegations visited Tehran for talks with high-ranking Iranian officials. Iranian and Palestinian delegations have always been in close contacts with each other and have held talks regularly and this is not a new issue,” he said.

According to Qassemi, given the importance of Palestinian cause and the stance of the Islamic Republic towards it, Iran and Palestinian groups, which do not necessarily have similar views on various issues, sit for talks regularly and continuously.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the spokesman slammed some Muslim states for their indifference towards Palestine and the crimes committed by the Zionist regime against the oppressed people of Palestine.

“The Zionist regime and the US have been seeking, through establishing contacts with certain Muslim and Arab states, to not only create divisions among Muslim countries with the goal of undermining the global status of Islam, but also distract them from Palestine’s issue and remove the Palestinian cause from the top of Islamic states’ priority list,” he said.

Qassemi then underlined that throughout history, no occupying regime or oppressor has managed to achieve its illegitimate goal and the Zionist regime is not an exception. As said earlier, the Americans and the Zionists have been seeking over the past years, through creating certain crises, to increase tensions and conflicts among Muslim states and keep the Muslim world busy with its internal conflicts like what happened in countries like Libya, Syria and Yemen.

“These are the very countries which used to be named as the resistance front against the Zionist regime over the past decades. But, today they are struggling with various problems due to the deceptive policies of the Muslim World’s foes. As a result of such policies, we are witnessing internal conflicts and lack of social and economic developments in the Muslim World,” he noted.

The spokesman then blamed imprudence and lack of realistic views among some rulers of the regional and Muslim states for creation of the current situation and expressed hope that unity in the Muslim World and peaceful coexistence of the regional states could pave the way for reaching unanimity among Muslim states on the Palestinian cause and the Zionist regimes’ crimes.

“We also hope that Muslim countries’ cooperation could protect the rights of the Palestinians, return Palestinian refugees to their homelands, and establish an inclusive unity government with Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

‘Yemen Plight Shouldn’t Be Forgotten During Christmas’

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2019

In a statement titled ‘Celebrate New Year But Don’t Forget Yemenis’, published in the trans-regional Rai al-Youm paper, Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi described Yemenis’ plight as the touchstone of humanitarian consciousness.

“With a brief review of the statute of the International Criminal Court also known as Rome Statute, one comes to this conclusion that Yemen is the scene of crimes which are much brutal than those categorised in the statute,” he was quoted as saying in a report by Fars News Agency.

Elsewhere in his remarks, al-Houthi said it is nearly four years that Yemen has turned into the scene of a military operation under the leadership of the US.

“The US is sponsoring and prolonging the war despite the fact that the war is violating Rome Statute and all humanitarian laws. The war is aimed at creating draught, spreading diseases and committing other crimes by the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other allies,” he noted.

He also dismissed as unfounded the figures released by the politicians on the death toll in Yemen. “So far, no report has been released on the toll of the civilians who have lost their lives due to the war’s fallouts like drought and malnutrition. The UN has recently released a report saying nearly half of Yemenis are on the verge of starvation.”

According to al-Houthi, the international community has come to this sense that it should address Yemen’s crisis immediately before it becomes too late.

The Yemeni official then referred to the latest peace deal made in Sweden among warring sides in Yemen saying the Houthis regard the deal very seriously and maintain that if implemented, the deal could end up in the Yemenis’ favour.

“Perhaps the main step to implement the deal is restoring peace and stability to the port city of Hudaydah. But unfortunately no efforts have been made to this end by the US and its allies,” he said.

Al-Houthi went on to say that during Christmas holidays, Yemenis are starving to death due to the wrong policies adopted by the US and its regional allies.

“The world should know this fact that in return for each smile growing on the lips of people around the world during Christmas holidays, Saudi Arabia and its allies are removing the smile from the lips of each Yemeni kid forever,” he noted.

According to al-Houthi, along with ceremonies marking Christmas, Saudi officials are importing lots of deadly weapons to commit crimes in Yemen.

‘Khashoggi Corpse Kept in Saudi Consul Residence’

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2019

Three months after the death of Khashoggi in Istanbul, investigations by Turkish police are now focused on finding the remaining of the slain journalist’s body.

“The newly-released book in Turkey titled Diplomatic Terror: Some Black Facts on Khashoggi’s Murder is built on interviews with Turkey’s intelligence officials which have not been published yet,” a report by Fars News Agency said.

The book’s authors claim that Saudi Arabia has not yet allowed Turkey’s police to inspect the water well inside the residence of Saudi consul in Istanbul, adding, it is highly likely that either Kashoggi’s corpse is kept in the well or parts of his body are kept in separate corners of the residence.

Saudi officials have only allowed Turkish police to take samples of the water well of the residence, but they have rejected any call by Turkey to inspect the well.

According to the authors, Vienna Convention does not allow Turkey to investigate diplomatic missions in the country. “It is possible that the Saudi officials have put the dead body in the well after wrapping it in anti-water package.”

They also went on to say that the Turkish intelligence officials have provided them with a report on the audio files retrieved from Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Khashoggi’s death.

“The officials told us that the perpetrators of Khashoggi’s death were members of a group named Tiger Squad headed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. They committed their crimes after tracking Khashoggi and visiting a number of areas in Istanbul like Belgrade Forest and a luxurious villa in Istanbul.”

According to the audio files, the authors added, two members of the Tiger Squad held talks just one hour before the crime in the consulate. Based on the files, the two members exchanged views on how to convince Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia or kill him. “If he declines to cooperate with us, we will kill him and get rid of his corpse,” one of them told the other.

The authors say the files convinced Director of the Central Intelligence Agency of the US Gina Haspel that Khahoggi was murdered by Saudis in their Istanbul consulate. “She listened to the files during a visit to Ankara in a meeting dominated by a deadly silence. In another meeting, when UK intelligent officials arrived in Istanbul to probe the case, their translator could not hold back his tears while translating the files.”

According to the writers, the files included various voices. Somewhere in the files, Khashoggi shouts he will not return to Riyadh while the sounds of some cold weapons like knife and circular saw is heard.

“When five members of the Tiger Squad attacked Khashoggi to keep him quiet, he desperately shouts: Don’t keep my mouth shut. I’ve asthma. You are choking me,” the authors said.

The Turkish security officials also told the authors that the squad members removed Khashoggi’s blood with a special sucker machine and then dismembered his body with a circular saw.

Four members of the squad played a key role in the crime and the squad members did not notice they were tracked by Turkish security forces on their visit to Belgrade Forest in Istanbul.

The book also rejects Saudi Arabia’s claim that the perpetrators of the crime have been arrested.

Meanwhile, the Turkish media have recently released a new footage in which the squad members are seen entering Saudi consul residence with big plastic bags in their hands. This has contributed to speculations that Khashoggi’s corpse is being held in the residence.

Khashoggi was brutally killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 in a premeditated operation. Saudi officials first denied the crime was carried out inside the consulate, but later facing growing evidence, they acknowledged he was murdered inside the consulate saying the crime was carried out by some rogue elements.

No pain, No Gain: Zarif Tells Europeans as JCPOA Hangs in Balance

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2019

In an interview with Hamshahri daily, Mohammad Javad Zarif said Europeans say the delay in finalising the Special Purpose Vehicle, a mechanism to facilitate Iran foreign trade which was expected to be finalised by the end of last year, is that they want to ensure it really works.

“We have for several times seen that they were on the verge of announcing the launch of the mechanism, but there were developments that prevented such announcement,” he said.

However, Zarif added the main reason is that they are not yet ready to pay the cost for saving JCPOA.

The Iranian foreign minister urged Europeans to stand on their own feet and work harder to overcome challenges created by the US.

The US unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear pact last year and reinstated anti-Iran sanctions suspended under the accord, offering a list of 12 conditions for the sanctions to be removed.

Following the US pullout, Iran warned it will not remain in the pact unless other signatories guarantee its interests would be served if it keeps up honouring JCPOA commitments.

JCPOA Withdrawal; One of Options

Asked if Iran would withdraw from the accord in case Europe fails to finalise the mechanism, Zarif said Iran has various options and it would choose how to respond considering the interests of the nation.

“Iran has various options and withdrawing from the pact is one of them. But this is one of dozens of options. We can take measures under the JCPOA and outside the JCPOA and regarding bilateral and multilateral relations to advance people’s interests,” he said.

Iran Not to Negotiate Under Pressure

Asked if Iran would resume talks with other parties to the nuclear pact to achieve a compromise in order to salvage the pact, Zarif said this is not an option in the current circumstances.

The top Iranian diplomat said Tehran has proved it would not engage in talks when it is being pressured by others, especially during the tenure of former US president Barack Obama.

“Some people wrongly think that the pressure of sanctions pushed us to negotiate with Obama. But the fact is Obama could negotiate with us when he accepted Iran’s nuclear program,” he said.

“We have never given response to calls for talks because of sanctions and threats. The world has understood that they should talk with a language of respect, if they want to reach agreement with Iran,” he underlined.

US Needs to Compensate

Zarif further mentioned that a requirement for talks between Iran and the US is that the country starts respecting its international commitments.

“If Americans are honest in their willingness for talks, they need to change their behaviour … and recognise realities,” he stated.

Trump, who has hardened the US line on Iran since coming to power in January 2017, in recent months has invited Iranian officials to talk and said he is hopeful they will come to the negotiating table soon.

Trump apparently hopes restoring anti-Iran sanctions suspended under the accord and pushing countries in Asia and Europe to hamper trade with Iran and force Iran to accept renegotiation of the nuclear deal.

Notably, State Secretary Mike Pompeo announced in September that the US was willing to hold a summit with Iran’s leaders during last year’s UN General Assembly.

However, Iranian officials ignored frequent messages, saying the US behaviour shows it is not honest in its request for negotiations.

Iran Aware of Netanyahu’s Oman Trip

Zarif said Tehran was informed of October trip of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to Oman beforehand, and it had told Oman government that the trip is not in their interest.

“After the trip, they informed us of the [talks in] the trip … and stressed this trip is not against Iran’s interests … but we announced our views,” he said.

Although Iran and Oman enjoy friendly bilateral relations, they were not on the same page during the visit, he went on to say.

Netanyahu’s unprecedented trip to Oman came at the invitation of Sultan Qaboos, despite the fact that Oman does not formally recognise Israel.

Asian Black Bear Seen in Southeastern Iran

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2019

Director of Sarbaz Environmental Protection Department announced on Monday eyewitness have reported black bears have been living in Begaband Mountain in Sarbaz since a long time ago.

“Based on reliable reports about the footprints of the bears in the region as well as images of the animals taken by telephoto lens, it is believed that the black bears are still living in the region,” he was quoted as saying.

Due to its wild nature and rich food resources including dates and honey, Begaband Mountain is home to various species of wild animals like black bears, leopards and gazelles.

Asian black bear is one of the eight remaining species of black bears in the world, which is scattered in Asia from Japan to Iran.

Also known as the moon bear and the white-chested bear, Asian black bear is medium-sized bear species native to Asia and largely adapted to arboreal life.

Iran’s southeastern mountains are viewed as one of the main homes of such bears in Iran.

The bear was enlisted as critically endangered species in the world by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, founded in 1965 to become the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species.

In addition to the Asian black bears, Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan is home to other wild species which are as follows:

Marsh Crocodile:

The crocodile is widely cherished in Sistan and Baluchestan. The locals attach importance to protecting the crocodile, viewing it as a sign of blessing.

Living in a desert area, the locals retrieve their water from fountains in which the crocodiles live.

Chinkara

The chinkara (Gazella bennettii), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species which is relatively smaller compared with the Iranian Gazelle. Both male and female Chinkara have horns. It can live on a small portion of water for a long time in harsh conditions.

Iranian Leopards

Iranian leopard is among famous species of cats across the globe. Sistan and Baluchesan is one of the main homes of the species. The leopard is registered as a critically endangered species in the world.

Baluchi Squirrel

Baluichi Squirrel known as Northern Palm Squirrel is another species in the province living among the palm trees. It is white-belly with wide dark lines on its white back. Its tail is a combination of black and white hairs.

Sistan and Baluchestan Province is the second largest province in Iran. It is in the southeast of the country, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The province is home to various wild species and is considered as an ideal destination for wildlife tourists, because hunting certifications are issued easily in the region.

Iranian Pottery Artists Hold Collective Gallery

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2019

Iranian Pottery Artists Hold Collective Gallery (4) — Sour-e Esrafil: Milad Azizi has put on display a set of clay whistles resembling heads of some animals. Each whistle has a hologram, which can be scanned to recognize the biological feature of the animal.

The main feature of the gallery being held in the Iranian Artist Forum is the common surreal outlook among the pieces.

Over the past years, given the willingness of Iranian artists to use ceramic materials in pottery as an artistic style, a new wave of ceramic art pieces have been emerged.

These pieces have managed to grab attentions, due to the long history of pottery art in Iran and the Iranian nation’s interests in such materials.

The pieces showcased in the gallery reveal that the new trends are going beyond traditional and contemporary outlooks in Iran. The colorful combination of the pieces has created some unique forms.

The trends come from various intellectual backgrounds. Now, independent curators are showing great interests in following the new trends.

Expansion Gallery is underway in Tehran from December 21 to January 1.

First section of gallery is titled “Change of Idea”: The section includes pieces of three artists who have put together special pieces of pottery revealing special concepts.

Second section is Pluralism: Most of the artists have showcased their pieces in this section. The section includes various ceramic forms with various combinations in terms of colors and contents.

Third Section is named Worry: This section deals with environment crises like animals’ extinctions.

Fourth Section is named Utopia: This section deals with the links between identity and geographical locations.

Below you can watch a collection of photos of the gallery retrieved from Honaronline:

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Tang Port in Sistan and Baluchestan: Unique Beauty

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2019

Kenarak town on the coast of the Oman Sea has been widely remembered since years ago for its large and active fishing pier. The town attracts tourists with its pristine and unique nature.

Sandy and rocky coasts, the Sacred Fig and hills covered with flowers are among the main tourist attractions of the unique port.

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A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 1

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2019

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 19

The top story in all papers today was the remarks made by the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, about the Palestinian nation’s ultimate victory over the Israeli regime.

Several papers also covered a controversy over the Operation Karbala IV, a failed Iranian operation against Iraq in the eight-year war in the 1980s, which was recently described by then commander Mohsen Rezaei as an operation to deceive the enemy. The remarks were widely criticized, even by senior general Qassem Soleimani, and were finally taken back by Rezaei in a televised interview.

The Leader’s addition of Mohammad-Javad Ali-Akbari to the list of Tehran’s provisional Friday prayer imams also received great coverage. The appointment was hailed by some papers which described him as the youngest imam of Tehran.

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

Aftab-e Yazd:

1- Inflation Rate to Be Kept Secret until Further Notice

2- Iran Leader Says Palestinians Will Achieve Greater Victories against Israel

Arman-e Emrooz:

1- Iran Leader: Palestinian Nation to Emerge Victorious

2- Taliban Delegation Meets Iran’s Araqchi in Tehran

3- Donald Trump’s Concerns about 2019 [Editorial]

Ebtekar:

1- The World in 2018: A Look at Most Important Events

2- Acid Attacks to Be Punished More Severely

Etemad:

1- Change in Rouhani’s Strategy

* President Talks of Water Crisis, Need for Cloud Seeding

2- Putin Keeps Communication Channels with Trump Open

* Letters to Get Out of Crisis

3- Future of Iran’s Presence in Syria

Ettela’at:

1- Gen. Soleimani Criticizes Recent Controversy Regarding Iran-Iraq War

2- US Forces Transferred from Syria to Iraq: Baghdad

Ghanoon:

1- Health Minister Resigns over Insufficient Budget Allocation

Iran:

1- Iran President Calls on Nation, Gov’t to Save Water

2- Christmas Market Dominated by Chinese Products

Jahan-e San’at:

1- Government against Workers

* 13m Iranian Families Living under Absolute Poverty Line

Javan:

1- Iran Not to Stop Supporting Palestine under Hegemonic Powers’ Pressure: Leader

2- Ali-Akbari Added to List of Tehran’s Provisional Friday Prayer Imams

3- Taliban at Iranian Foreign Ministry: Iran Holds Extensive Talks with Militants

4- Tel Aviv Hampering US’ Escape from Syria

Jomhouri Eslami:

1- Iran, Russia Sign Border Deal

2- New Year Celebrations in Europe Held with Tight Security Measures

Kayhan:

1- Happy New Year to Christians in Iran

2- Palestinian Gov’t to Be Established in Tel Aviv: Ayatollah Khamenei

3- Trump Made Baghdad Visit Secretly for Fear of Iraqi Hezbollah

4- France on Standby at New Year’s Eve

Khorasan:

1- Palestinians Will Establish Their Rule in Tel Aviv: Iran Leader

2- Europe Has Failed to Finalize SPV: Iran

Shargh:

1- Iran Leader Appoints Youngest Provisional Friday Prayer Imam of Tehran

2- Iran’s National Football Team Humiliated [in Qatar]

Iran Warns Regional States against Pinning Hope on US Support

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 1, 2019

Regional states should not pin their hopes on the US support because “the US is the same country that had no option but to leave Syria after years of efforts to create violence and chaos in the country,” General Baqeri said.

He made the remarks during his Monday visit to the southern Island of Abu Musa, which was aimed at closely watching the military capabilities of the Iranian army units deployed in the island.

“Some Persian Gulf states call on the US to come to the region and sow seeds of discord among regional states,” he said.

However, he added, the Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong and decisive military presence in the region to defend its sovereignty in case of emergency and it holds Persian Gulf states responsible for any consequences.

The Iranian commander warned some regional enemies of the Islamic Republic against hatching plots against Iran and said the foes should know that although Iran has adopted a peacekeeping doctrine, it has a strong military presence in the region.

General Baqeri described the high level of security in the Hormoz Strait and the Persian Gulf as exemplary, saying such security could not be created without the sacrifices made by strong forces of Iran, their military capabilities and cutting-edge military equipment.

The Iranian commander then recalled Iran’s peacekeeping measures throughout history and added that the Islamic Republic has always been the pioneer of peace and friendship.

“Even our drills have been conducted with the same theme,” he added.

The commander concluded that protecting regional security is possible only through establishing multi-lateral cooperation among regional states, adding that foreign presence hampers regional states’ goal to bring about stability.

Iranian Armenians Celebrate New Year with Persian Customs

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Fatemeh Askarieh

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December 31, 2018

Among the New Year traditions of Iranian Christians is eating foods exclusive to Iran.

Many Armenians in Iran cook and eat Sabzi Polo with Fish (Persian herbed rice with white fish) on the eve of the New Year. This is the same food Iranians eat on the day before the new Iranian year.

Iranian Armenians Celebrate New Year with Persian Customs Iranian Armenians eat sweets including Gata on the new year eve.

Iranian Armenians Celebrate New Year with Persian Customs Another popular sweet among Iranian Armenians is Pirouk, a sweat similar to apple pie which is cooked using marmalade.