Following several years of drought, snowfall this autumn helped people set aside their problems for a few days and rejoice.
Here’s Mehr News Agency’s Photos of autumn snow and people who are enjoying it:
Forex Rates to Keep Going Down in Coming Days: Iran
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the weekly cabinet meeting, Hemmati expressed hope that the forex market could regain its stability once a balance is created between the supply and demand.
“The supply of exporters’ foreign currencies into the market will create the balance and I urge all my fellowmen not to keep their foreign currencies,” he said.
According to Hemmati, any speculation in the foreign currency market may end up in total failure especially for ordinary citizens.
Today the country needs economic boom, the chief banker said, expressing hope that the boom could be achieved with the ongoing decline in foreign currency rates.
Reports say, as of Tuesday, the US dollar has been offered at 119,000 rials on the unofficial market compared to 120,000 rials on Monday.
Many maintain that the recovery is due to new forex policies and restrictions imposed by the government on banking transactions and purchases of dollars as well as a ban on money send-outs by unauthorized foreign exchange shops.
Foreign currency and gold coin prices witnessed huge rises in recent months, and this led the rial to plunge to a record low (nearly 190,000) against the US dollar in the unofficial market. But now the market seems to be regaining its lost stability.
Europe’s SPV Must Be Implemented as Soon as Possible: Iran
He made the remarks in a meeting with his Belgian counterpart Bruno van der Pluijm on Wednesday.
During the meeting held in the Belgian capital, Araqchi said following the increase in Washington’s illegal pressure and disruption of the balance between Tehran’s commitments and interests, the failure of Europeans and other parties to ease the pressures, as they had promised to, will increase concerns about the future of the nuclear deal.
“The Europeans and other remaining parties to the nuclear deal must adopt the required mechanisms as soon as possible to guarantee Iran’s economic benefits under the deal,” he noted.
For his part, van der Pluijm underlined the permanent commitment of his country and other European states to defending the Iran nuclear deal and its credit and said the nuclear accord plays a key role in international peace and security.
“We are seeking to preserve the Iran nuclear deal and believe that despite the US pullout, the JCPOA should remain intact through our patient and prudent measures because there is no alternative to the 2015 accord,” he noted.
“Accordingly, we hope we would soon be able to develop the special mechanism to preserve the deal,” he said.
The two sides also conferred on Tehran-Brussels cooperation on international issues and other issues of mutual interest.
Iran, Sweden Discuss Yemen Peace in Geneva
During the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the Geneva Conference on Afghanistan, the two sides exchanged views on Sweden’s efforts to resolve the Yemen crisis and mutual cooperation on international issues.
Zarif and Wallström also discussed the priority of holding international dialogue on the issue of human rights, and the need for international organizations to avoid taking arbitrary measures.
They also underlined the need for the two countries to remain in close touch on various mutual, regional and international issues.
The meeting came a few days after the two sides held a phone conversation on Yemen peace talks slated for December in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
The UN special envoy for Yemen is charged with brokering the talks. A previous effort to convene the talks in Geneva in September failed when the Houthi delegation was not allowed to show up.
Two Iranian Cities, One Village Registered by World Crafts Council
Ali-Asghar Mounesan said the city of Abadeh in Fars province, Meybod in Yazd province, and the village of Khorashad in South Khorasan province have made their way into the WCC’s list as new representatives of the Islamic Republic.
“According to WCC, Abadeh was registered as the world city of wood carving, Meybod as the world city of Zilu (pileless rugs), and Khorashad as the village of Tobafi (towel weaving),” said Mounesan.
The World Crafts Council, an affiliate of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has started registering world cities since 2014, he noted.
In 2015, Iran’s Tabriz was registered as the world city of handmade carpets and Isfahan as the world city of handicrafts, he added.
“Each year international referees in five regions of the world assess the cities. Iran is located in the Asia-Pacific region of this council.”
Mounesan further noted that at the moment 28 cities in the world are listed as world craft cities and this year international evaluators from India, Kuwait and Oman and an evaluator from Iran travelled to three Iranian provinces and visited different regions to assess them based on international indices.
International evaluators began their trip from Fars Province and Abadeh on the basis of indices including the number of workshops, sales and exports in late October this year. After that, they visited Meybod and finally went to the village of Khorashad in southern Khorasan, underlined Mounesan.
“After the visit of the WCC evaluators, these cities were globally registered and their plaque of registration has been sent to Iran,” added Mounesan.
He also congratulated all the people of Iran, especially the people of the provinces of Fars, Yazd and South Khorasan, on the global recognition, saying that Iran is now ranked first in world with eight cities and two villages registered globally for their crafts.
Lavangi Chicken: Yummy Food from Northern Iran
The word “lavangi” in the Taleshi language means “colorful stomach”. This name refers to the decoration and arrangement of trimmings in the belly of chicken or duck.
To fill the belly of chicken and duck, they usually use fragrant vegetables, onions, garlic, walnuts, common medlar paste, plum paste, pomegranate paste, sour grape juice, tomatoes, salt and pepper. People in the Republic of Azerbaijan also cook lavangi and they recognize it as the country’s national food.
The food is made in a slightly different way and with different ingredients in the Iranian city of Astara and in the Talesh (wikipedia) region in northern Iran. The chicken or duck lavangi is for the Nowruz eve and the fish lavangi for Chaharshanbeh Suri (Read more). The eggplant lavangi is served as snack.
Among the main ingredients of the dish is “sweet medlar paste” and “sour plum paste” or “pomegranate paste” which, when combined, give the food a sweet-sour taste.
The food can be made with duck or fish as well.
Ingredients for Lavangi Chicken
- Small Chicken: A whole one
- Walnut: 100gr
- Onions: up to 3 onions
- Salt: as much as needed
- Pepper: as much as needed
- Cinnamon: as much as needed
- Sour Plum Paste: as much as needed
- Tomatoes: 2 to 3 tomatoes
- Sour Lemon: as much as needed
Lavangi Recipe
Wash and skin the chicken the night before and cover the whole chicken with sour plum paste. Fill the chicken with sliced sour lemon.
Before cooking the chicken, grate the onions and put them onto the frying pan on low heat until its water evaporates.
Then crush the walnut and add it to the onions. Sauté the mix before turning off the oven. Add 2 to 3 spoonfuls of sour plum paste (depending on how sour the paste is) plus salt, pepper and cinnamon and mix them well until you get a smooth paste.
Gut the chicken and rub some salt on the inside before filling it with prepared ingredients.
Then sew the chicken’s stomach with a needle and thread, and tie its feet together, so that the ingredients inside will not get out.
Put some oil in a dish and fry the chicken in it on low heat. Peel the potatoes and chop them before putting them onto the dish with chicken, allowing them to be cooked.
When the chicken is half-cooked, put it inside the oven at medium temperature and leave it there until it gets brown in colour and is cooked through. Then bring out the chicken and dish it out.
Complementary tips to cook lavangi:
1-To make the chicken sour and delicious, you can inject some sour grape juice or lemon juice into the chest meat and thighs during the cooking process by using a clean syringe.
2-Making small holes in those areas of the chicken that have stronger meat is a key step toward cooking lavangi. As a result, the substances that are placed inside the chicken belly absorb heat better. This gives your lavangi a good taste.
3-If you do not have fragrant Gilani vegetables, then you can use whatever fragrant vegetables that are available.
4-To make your lavangi golden in color in the pot, you had better steam it initially and then fry it at the end.
Last word for make Lavangi
This food used to be made in pots and on charcoal or in the oven and on the stove in the past.
They would turn the lid of the pot upside down to cook lavangi, and charcoal was poured in the lid so that the food would cook slowly with charcoal.
Today this local food is however cooked in most homes and restaurants using the oven.
Iranian Couples Must Take Part in Counselling Sessions before Marriage
Tayyebeh Siavoshi, a member of the Iranian Parliament, says currently all Iranian couples must take part in two hours of counselling sessions before getting married.
“We are trying to increase the duration of obligatory sessions to six hours,” she told ICANA in a recent interview.
A senior official at the Ministry of Youth recently announced that the number of divorces among couples who had pre-marital counselling has decreased by 25%.
Tondguyan also announced that the sessions are held for free in centres affiliated with the Ministry.
Earlier, Mohammad Baqer Olfat, a deputy head of the Iranian Judiciary for Social Affairs and Crime Prevention, had noted that a lack of sufficient skills for married life is the main cause of divorce in the early years of marriage.
Therefore, he said, pre-marital training is necessary for couples to help them acquire sufficient skills for married life.
The permanent registration of marriage at legal offices is subject to the presentation of a certificate of pre-marriage education, Olfat said.
“Registration offices are required to refuse to register marriages without the certificate,” concluded Olfat.
He also stated that “at courts, we see most of the divorce applications belong to the married couples who have tied the knot less than a year earlier.”
“By examining divorce applications filed at early ages, we find that the issue results in some form of corruption, because the person is experiencing emotional problems at the time. And because of their young age, this kind of divorce contributes to the process of moral corruption.”
Referring to the cultural break between children and parents, the official stated that children do not obey their parents and do not accept life lessons from their families.
“Therefore, they do not learn the skills required for married life from parents, and when they get married, they do not know their rights and duties. They cannot have good emotional relationships with each other,” he added.
Iran Urges Facilitation of Dialogue between Taliban, Afghan Gov’t
Addressing the Geneva Conference on Afghanistan on Wednesday, Zarif said “all of us need to facilitate the intra-Afghan dialogue, by helping to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table with the Government for inclusive and comprehensive talks.”
“Domestic and regional inclusion is key to success,” he added.
He also noted that Iran is ready to continue to help the people and government of Afghanistan in their quest for peace and cooperate with all with the same objective.
What follows is the full text of his speech:
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
It is very timely to have this ministerial meeting when we face immense opportunities and challenges in Afghanistan. We appreciate UNAMA’s efforts and thank President Ghani and Chief Executive Dr Abdullah for their courageous leadership and insightful presentations. We are encouraged by their approach to reconciliation. Let me make a few brief points:
- There is national, regional and global consensus that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, and the time has come for national reconciliation and inclusive political solution in Afghanistan, owned and led by the Afghan government and people. This ministerial meeting and the complimentary Kabul, Tashkent and Moscow formats attest to this momentum which must be seized.
- There are old and new challenges. The presence of foreign forces has never brought stability in our region and has historically provided a recruiting ground for extremists. A new challenge is the introduction of Daesh (ISIS) to Afghanistan which has led to more bloodshed and introduced dangerous sectarian tendencies. More dangerously, it has radicalized the local armed groups in a competition over followers and recruits. Believe me, as no one gained from introducing and supporting Daesh and other extremists in Syria and Iraq, no one will gain from introducing them to Afghanistan and Central Asia. This horrific trend needs to be arrested before it reaches catastrophic proportions.
- Terrorism and drug trafficking have always been mutually reinforcing in Afghanistan. We need a comprehensive strategy to fight the drug menace, which must include economic development in this resource rich country. Connectivity is key and Iran’s sea and rail links including Chabahar are essential for Afghan development. It is regrettable that unlawful unilateral sanctions impede cooperation.
- All of us need to facilitate the intra-Afghan dialogue, by helping to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table with the Government for inclusive and comprehensive talks. Domestic and regional inclusion is key to success.
- The achievements of Afghan people over the last two decades, particularly the Constitution of Afghanistan and the democratic process provide the foundations for peace and stability. We welcome the recent parliamentary elections and look forward to a free and fair presidential election in April.
Iran is ready to continue to help the people and government of Afghanistan in their quest for peace and cooperate with all with the same objective.
Iran, EU Reiterate Resolve to Bypass US Sanctions, Save JCPOA
In a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherin, agreed on the need for staying committed to the landmark agreement, according to a press release by the European External Action Service (EEAS).
“They re-affirmed their commitment to the continued full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and took stock of the latest developments in this regard,” read the press release.
“They equally expressed their determination to preserve the nuclear agreement as a matter of respecting international agreements and a key pillar for the European and regional security,” it added.
During the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the third EU-Iran High-level Seminar on International Nuclear Cooperation, Mogherini pointed to the continued cooperation between Brussels and Tehran concerning civil nuclear activities.
Back in May, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA despite objections from the other signatories to the nuclear deal.
Since then, Washington has imposed “toughest ever” sanctions against Iran. It has also warned of severe penalties for the companies that evade the bans and engage in business with Iran.
The Trump administration had further vowed to reduce Tehran’s oil revenue to zero, but it went back on its pledge and gave waivers to almost all major customers of the country.
However, the European parties to the JCPOA have vowed all-out efforts to save the agreement and protect their firms in the face of American bans. They are now working to set up the so-called Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in a bid to circumvent the US sanctions against Iran and facilitate non-dollar trade with Tehran,
Prior to the meeting, the Iranian nuclear chief welcomed an EU plan to establish the SPV, but only if the payment mechanism system could preserve Iran’s oil sales.
Salehi, however, warned that Iran’s patience is running out as there has been no “tangible results” yet on the EU’s economic promises
Russia urges JCPOA parties to save deal
Separately on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow and Paris share “common positions” on the Iran nuclear deal, calling on the remaining signatories to the accord to preserve it.
He made the remarks after a meeting with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris.
“We want the remaining parties to the plan, including Iran and the three European nations (the UK, Germany and France), to stick to their liabilities under this major document and elaborate measures that will make it possible to keep the deal afloat after the United States’ unilateral withdrawal,” he said.
Iran Has No Intention to Wage War on Any Country: Leader
The Leader made the remarks in a Wednesday meeting with a group of commanders and officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Naval Forces on the occasion of Nov. 28, the National Day of Navy.
Urging armed forces to develop their capabilities to deter enemies from threatening Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei noted the threats have to be countered through solidarity, authority and effective presence of Iranian armed forces in the field.
The Leader said the military should depend on the abilities of its qualified personnel to overcome issues.
He further hailed the progress of the army, especially the Navy since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 to this day.
“The current generation of the Navy deeply believes in its own abilities, and building ‘Sahand’ destroyer, as well as Fateh and Ghadeer submarines shows the potential for ever-increasing advancements,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.
Iran’s new destroyer ‘Sahand’ will be deployed on an ocean mission after coming into service within the next few days, the country’s Navy commander said Tuesday.
Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said the homegrown Sahand destroyer will join the Navy’s fleet on December 1.
After coming into service, Sahand will be prepared in a short time span for an ocean mission, he added.
He also said that the Navy will receive ‘Ghadeer’ submarine on Thursday, while another destroyer, dubbed Dena, will become operational within the next six months.
Iran’s first medium class submarine, Fateh, will join the naval fleet in less than a month, the commander added.
