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Iran DM in Syria for Two Days of High-Level Talks

August 26, 2018

Iran’s DM Vows Firm Response to Enemy’s Moves

The Iranian general, heading a high-ranking delegation, entered Damascus for a two-day visit on Sunday.

Hatami is slated to hold meetings with senior commanders of the Syrian Army and Defence Minister Ali Abdullah Ayyoub.

Discussing regional developments, the anti-terror fight, strengthening the resistance axis and exploring ways of broadening defence and military cooperation are the main goals of the trip.

Speaking upon arrival in Syria, Hatami expressed hope Tehran will be able to play an active role in the reconstruction of the war-torn country.

The Iranian defence minister congratulated the resistance axis on its victory over terrorism, describing it as a milestone in regional cooperation against the scourge.

Iran has since 2011 been assisting the Syrian army in its fight against terrorism.

US Fixated on Anti-Iran Psychological Warfare: Zarif

IFP Editorial Staff

August 26, 2018

Speaking in a live interview with the state TV Sunday morning, Zarif said the US has been unable to achieve its goals following its pull-out from the nuclear deal.

Zarif said the US has taken contradictory steps regarding Iran, striking a harsh tone towards Iran, offering unconditional talks and then forming the Iran Action Group.

The foreign minister was referring to US President Donald Trump’s remarks that he is ready for unconditional talks with Iran last month and a group in the US State Department created earlier this month to coordinate the US pressure campaign against Iran.

US Contradictions

Zarif said the reason for contradictions in the US behaviour is that their expectations are not met.

“The Americans couldn’t believe they had faced a deal that is so robust that they cannot kill easily. They thought harassments will force Iran out of the pact or they could find pretexts to accuse Iran of violating the JCPOA,” IRNA quoted him as saying.

The foreign minister said the US’ main allies are currently standing against the country regarding the nuclear deal, except a few Arab countries and the Zionist regime.

Psychological Pressure

Zarif said the US’ failure in convincing allies to stand by its policies has forced Washington to focus on deterring international companies working in Iran from continuing their cooperation.

The foreign minister said Washington is also trying to disappoint Iranians about their future and stop their resistance against the US.

“Currently, Americans have focused on psychological warfare and are doing their best to place psychological pressure on Iranians and our international partners,” he said.

The US re-imposed parts of anti-Iran sanctions earlier this month, and is working to push the world to cut trade with Iran and stop purchasing the country’s oil before November, when further sanctions on oil and transactions with the central bank of Iran will be restored.

High-ranking US officials have also talked about plans to stage a media campaign against Iran, which includes creation of a Persian-language media outlet by the US government.

5.9-Magnitude Quake in Western Iran Kills 3, Wounds 243

IFP Editorial Staff

August 26, 2018

The centre of the 5.9-magnitude quake was Tazehabad region, and hit about 88 kilometres west-northwest of Kermanshah early on Sunday.

Several aftershocks have hit the region so far. The quake was so strong that it was felt in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad as well, but no casualties have been reported there.

The Director General of Kermanshah Province’s Crisis Management Department says the quake has so far left three people dead and 243 injured, but the figures are expected to rise.

The quake comes as the people of Kermanshah were still recovering from a deadly 7.3 magnitude earthquake which struck their province last November, and killed over 600 and injured thousands of others.

Iran in Talks with Russia for Construction of New Nuclear Plant

IFP Media Wire

August 25, 2018

“Talks are underway to construct a new 3,000-megawatt nuclear power plant to increase electricity generation capacity to 4,000 megawatts from the current 1,000 megawatts,” Tasnim news agency quoted Ardakanian as saying on Saturday.

In November 2014, Tehran and Moscow struck a deal to build eight more nuclear power plants in Iran.

Russia has already built a power plant in Bushehr in southern Iran. The agreement for the Bushehr nuclear power plant was finalized in 1995, but the project was delayed several times due to a number of technical and financial issues.

The 1,000-megawatt plant, which is operating under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reached its maximum power generation capacity in August 2012.

In September 2013, Iran officially took over from Russia the first unit of its first 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant for two years.

Back in May, Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom said Russia has begun “soil stabilization” work on the site of Phase 2 of the Bushehr power plant.

“On 3 May 2018, soil stabilization works under the reactor building of power unit No 2 commenced at Bushehr-2 NPP construction site,” the agency said on its website.

The construction of the power plant’s second and third phases began in November 2017. It was reported at the time that the two phases would begin supplying electricity to Iran’s power grid in 10 years.

The resumption of talks between Tehran and Moscow came as the United States has ramped up pressure on Iran after US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington in May from the landmark Iran nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015, and decided to re-impose unilateral sanctions against Tehran.

Under the deal, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.

International Puppet Theatre Festival Opens in Tehran

IFP Editorial Staff

August 25, 2018

Iranian Culture Minister Seyyed Abbas Salehi and a group of artists participated in the opening ceremony.

The Festival, which was established in 1989, is biennially held in the Iranian capital Tehran. Puppetry acts from around the world are presented at this event.

What follows are photos of the event retrieved from Honar Online and Mehr News Agency:

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Iran Waiting for EU to Guarantee Continued Oil Sales, Banking Ties: FM

IFP Editorial Staff

August 25, 2018

Asked about the EU’s €18 million support package proposed to Iran, Zarif said on Saturday, “This package helps both sides to communicate with each other and has nothing to do with the JCPOA. It is baseless that some say this package is proposed to save the nuclear deal.”

“The European Union was supposed to do such a thing, [and to take other measures] including maintaining Iran’s oil sales and banking ties, which we are still waiting for,” added Zarif.

The European Union on Thursday adopted an €18 million package to support development projects in Iran, especially those that are undertaken by the private sector.

The EU has announced that the aid is part of a larger package worth €50 million to help the Islamic Republic resolve its economic and social challenges.

The package will be spent on development of private sector including small and medium-sized companies as well as environmental projects and fight against drugs.

After the withdrawal of Washington from the Iran nuclear deal, the EU has been trying to maintain its trade with the Islamic Republic.

“EU’s €18m Iran Budget Not Related to Its Package to Save JCPOA”

Iran Protests at Blocking of IRIB’s Social Network Accounts

IFP Editorial Staff

August 25, 2018

In a statement on Saturday, the IRIB World Service regretted that over the past few days, accounts of some of the World Service channels have been blocked on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.

The administrators of these social networks claim these accounts have been blocked for misleading audiences by publishing false information, the statement said.

The IRIB World Service condemned the act, stating that it is a clear example of censorship and blocking the publication of facts and viewpoints on social networks.
“Independent media such as Press TV, Hispan TV, Al-Alam, Sahar, Al-Kawthar, etc.,

apart from releasing facts that the US government and its allies are reluctant to publish, have not committed any crime to be deserved to be blocked.”

The IRIB World Service once again rejected the claims raised by the Western media giants, pledging that these channels will continue to reflect the “voice of the voiceless”.

The IRIB World Service broadcasts programs in a variety of languages for audiences outside Iran. It runs a number of radio and television networks as well as numerous social media accounts and other online platforms.

In 2012, Britain’s media regulator Ofcom took Press TV off the air for what it called breaking of the UK’s broadcasting code.

The body revoked Press TV’s license after the English-language network broadcast confessions of a man named Maziar Bahari who was accused of spying for Western countries. Iranian officials responded to the decision at that time and called Ofcom “the media arm of the Royal family.”

Persian Carpet Exhibition Kicks Off in Tehran

IFP Editorial Staff

August 25, 2018

The exhibition opened in the city’s permanent centre for international exhibitions during a ceremony attended by Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Shariatmadari.

Persian Handmade Carpet Exhibition is the largest of its kind in the world in terms of quality and quantity with nearly 700 carpet weaving units from across the country displaying a wide range of their products for the interested visitors, a report by IRNA said.

Being held on a 50,000-square-metre land within 13 halls, the exhibition showcases antique and contemporary handmade rugs.

In an address to the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Head of Iran National Carpet Centre Fereshteh Dastpak said Iran’s carpet industry should develop a new design to keep up with the changes in the political and economic areas in Iran and the world.

The exhibition is held with the main goals of promoting the status of Persian carpet in the world, entering new markets and expanding the current markets.

Attracting foreign investments and creating a fair ground for competition among domestic units are also among the targets in the minds of the organizers of the event to promote further the quality of the Persian carpet.

The exhibition will be open to visitors every day from 10 to 18 until September 1.

As an annual event, the exhibition usually attracts over 40,000 visitors including traders, researchers and those interested in the carpet industry from Iran and other countries.

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Fire in Chinese Hotel Kills 19, Injures 18

IFP Editorial Staff

August 25, 2018

The fire broke out at 4:36 am at North Loong Hotel in Harbin’s Sun Island resort area. It was put out in about three hours, an official report on the government’s social media account said.

The government said firefighters had searched the site thoroughly by 11:30 am, with 19 injured people having been taken to hospital, of whom one later died, South China Morning Post reported.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, the government said. The provincial fire department said in an official post that the fire had started from the kitchen on the second floor, but gave no further details.

The fire spread to cover about 400 square metres of the four-storey brick-and-concrete block, partially burning the second, third and fourth floors, according to a report from state-run China Central Television.

Its footage from the site also showed that the hotel’s main hall had burned down.

The disaster added to a string of deadly blazes that have plagued China despite official efforts to improve public safety over the past two decades.