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“US Lying Like a Rug When Saying It Wants to Help Iranians”

November 4, 2018

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

Brigadier General Amir Hatami said US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lie like a rug when they say their actions against Iran are aimed at supporting Iranian people.

His comments came ahead of the re-imposition of US unilateral sanctions against Iran on Monday, which is mainly aimed at destroying the Iranian economy, and will mostly hurt the Iranian nation’s access to basic supplies like food and medicine.

While the US claims it has exempted the export of food and medicine to Iran, its sanctions on the country’s banking transactions with the world practically keep Iranian people from having access to foreign-made drugs and food, which will finally endanger millions of civilian lives.

General Hatami further said Iranian officials are doing whatever they can to mitigate the hardships caused by the US for Iranians.

He said the most important threat to the Middle East is foreign presence and interference in the region. The defence minister urged all countries to join hands to establish security in the regional and not to rely on foreign powers for the maintenance of security.

He further said the Defence Ministry has plans to boost the country’s missile capability.

“Iran’s missile power is an effective contributor to deterrence against threats; that is why the enemies are sensitive about this issue,” he said.

The defence chief said Iran has precise plans for its missile program because the maintenance of “our own security and that of our friends in the region” hinges on the country’s missile capability.

“Our enemies do not want to prevent us [from doing our activities] only verbally; rather, they seek to reinforce anti-missile [defences] in the region; and we will, proportionately, seek to improve the quality, precision and power of our missiles to strike the targets that threaten our security,” he added.

Iran’s Gen. Soleimani Challenges Trump’s GoT Meme

IFP Media Wire

November 4, 2018

The commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) posted on Friday an Instagram photo inspired by the book series-turned-HBO hit show, which reads, “I will stand against you” in the show’s signature font, as used in Trump’s tweet earlier in the day threatening Tehran with more sanctions.

The photo was widely viewed as a direct response to the US president’s own Westeros-inspired tweet that read, “Sanctions are coming November 5.”

The post came shortly after the Trump administration announced plans to reinstate the last set of sanctions lifted on Iran under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal early next week. Trump announced in May that he was withdrawing the US from the International agreement.

The US-based cable network HBO also slammed Trump for his use of the show’s slogan – ‘Winter is coming’ – to promote his administration’s foreign policy agenda, saying it would prefer the American president not “misappropriate” their trademark.

“We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes,” said an HBO spokeswoman.

The network further took to Twitter – Trump’s favorite communication channel — and asked how to say “trademark misuse” in Dothraki, one of the show’s fictional languages.

On Saturday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei responded to persisting US political and economic hostilities against Iran for the past 40 years, insisting that the United States has always been defeated in its face-off with the Islamic Republic.

Speaking in a public address a day after the Trump administration decided to re-impose all US sanctions against Iran lifted under the 2015 agreement, the Leader said, “For 40 years, the challenge between America and Iran has continued and a variety of movements have taken place from the enemy’s side – from the military and economic warfare to the media war launched by America.

“The goal of the United States in all this was to regain the domination it had in the era of the tyranny, but it could not,” the Leader added, referring to the period prior to the Islamic Revolution when the Shah of Iran was the top US ally in the region.

Iran’s foreign ministry has accused Washington of seeking to wage an extensive “psychological war” against Tehran by imposing a new round of sanctions, insisting that such US measures are not worthy of much concern.

“There is no room for any concern. We should wait and see that the US will not be able to carry out any measure against the great and brave Iranian nation,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Friday. “It seems that the US has no more capability to put countries and global economic enterprises under pressure.”

The US plans to impose a second round of sanctions against Iran on Sunday, months after Washington scrapped the 2015 multilateral deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries.

The first round of the bans – which had been lifted under the nuclear deal — was re-imposed in August.

The Iranian general has previously reacted to other anti-Iran threats by the American president, warning Trump back in June against insulting the Iranian nation and president.

“Trump! You must not threaten our nation and must not insult our president… You must know what you are talking about; ask your predecessors and try to benefit from their experiences,” said General Soleimani on July 26.

Further pointing to Trump’s threat of waging military action against Iran, Soleimani insisted: “You know that this war would mean annihilation of all your assets. You may initiate the war, but it is us who will finish it off.”

Iranians Condemn US Policies in Huge Nationwide Rallies

IFP Editorial Staff

November 4, 2018

In Tehran, a large crowd of students gathered outside the former US embassy also known as the “Den of Espionage,” chanting slogans against the United States. They also held signs denouncing the US hostilities against the Iranian nation and vowed resistance against Washington’s plots.

Chief-Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari was the keynote speaker of the demonstration.

In his remarks, the Iranian top general said US economic and psychological war against the Islamic Republic has not been successful. He also underlined that the United States’ plots to create instability in the country have failed.

The IRGC commander warned US President Donald Trump against threatening the Iranian nation, reminding him of the voices of American and British soldiers in Tabas and Persian Gulf “groaning with fear”.

He also pointed to the Iranian revolutionaries’ takeover of the US embassy back in 1979, underscoring that the move was aimed at putting an end to Washington’s espionage in the newly-established Islamic Republic.

After General Jafari’s statements, representatives of student organisations are scheduled to deliver speech.

Over four thousand reporters and photographers are covering the National Day against World Arrogance. In Tehran, 120 foreign correspondents and photographers cover the event.

The demonstrations are held annually on November 4 to condemn the hegemonic policies of the US.

This year, the day has coincided with Trump’s re-imposition of US sanctions on the Islamic Republic, which will take effect on Sunday night.

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Iran Ready to Help Journalists Leave Saudi-Funded UK-Based Channel

IFP Editorial Staff

November 4, 2018

After The Guardian revealed the anti-Iran London-based TV channel Iran International is funded by Saudi Arabia, some employees have contacted the Iranian embassy in London and expressed concern about the legal consequences they face in case of terminating their contracts, Iranian ambassador Hamid Baeidinejad said in a tweet.

He said the embassy has hired experienced lawyers to assist these people and provide them with legal advice.

با افشای وابستگی شبکه های فارسی زبان مستقر در انگلیس بویژه ایران اینترنشنال، برخی از کارکنان در تماس با سفارت لندن، از تهدیدات حقوقی توسط این شبکه ها در صورت قطع همکاریها ابراز نگرانی کرده اند. سفارت برای کمک به این افراد، وکیل مجربی را برای ارائه مشاوره ی حقوقی در نظر گرفته است.

— Hamid Baeidinejad (@baeidinejad) November 3, 2018

Baeidinejad’s comments come as the journalists work for TV channels that try to overthrow the Iranian Establishment.

The Guardian revealed Iran International TV station is being funded through a secretive offshore entity and a company whose director is a Saudi Arabian businessman with close links to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Earlier, Iran’s ambassador to London filed a lawsuit at the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom after the news channel aired an interview with a spokesman of a separatist and extremist group that was behind the deadly terrorist attack in the southern Iranian city of Ahvaz.

Iran Legislation Watchdog Rejects CFT Bill, Returns It to Parliament

IFP Editorial Staff

November 4, 2018

Foreign Ministry Condemns FATF’s Blacklisting of Iran

Guardian Council Spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodaei said in a Sunday tweet that the CFT bill, one of the four bills proposed by President Hassan Rouhani’s government to get Iran out of FATF blacklist, had flaws and ambiguities including violation of religious rules (Sharia) and the Constitution.

The Guardian Council has sent the bill back to the Parliament, asking it to make the revisions and submit it again.

Iranian lawmakers had passed the bill on October 7, 2018, with 143 votes in favour, 120 against and 5 abstentions.

The Guardian Council’s rejection of the CFT bill comes as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international group that sets standards on fighting money laundering and financing of terrorism, announced on October 19 it once again extends the deadline for Iran to complete reforms to meet conditions for getting out of the body’s black list.

However, the FATF said it was disappointed with Tehran’s failure to implement a big part of the action plan.

The statement said Iran is expected to quickly take steps to make reforms to enhance the way it counters money laundering and financing of terrorism.

FATF had previously given Tehran until October to bring its laws against money-laundering and funding of terrorism up to its guidelines.

Back in June, 2018, members of the Iranian parliament discussed the CFT accession bill, which is one of the four bills proposed by the government on Iran’s adopting the standards of the Financial Action Task Force (FTAF), but shelved it for two months.

The Parliament earlier approved a bill on the country’s accession to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, also known as Palermo Convention, but the bill was rejected by the Guardian Council. Then the Parliament insisted on its decision, and the case was referred to the Expediency Council to make the final decision.

The same thing happened to an amendment to the anti-money laundering law of the Islamic Republic, which was proposed by the government, approved by the Parliament, but rejected by the Guardian Council. This one also needs the Expediency Council’s approval.

Meanwhile, the fourth bill, which was an amendment to the country’s law against financing terrorism, was approved by the Parliament and the Guardian Council, and signed into law by President Rouhani.

Iran’s accession to FATF has been the subject of heated debates in recent months.

Opponents believe FATF would limit Iran’s ability to support allies in the region, some of whom recognized as terrorist entities by the US and some of its allies.

This is while proponents of Iran joining FATF fear Iran’s inclusion on the body’s blacklist could make it impossible to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal following the US withdrawal.

European countries have in recent weeks been working to create a special mechanism to facilitate trade with Iran, ignoring US calls to hamper economic relations with Tehran.

Tehran Slams Ankara for Refusing to Refuel Iranian Aircraft

IFP Editorial Staff

November 3, 2018

Maqsoud Asadi Samani, an official with the organisation, says there is a good relationship between the governments of Iran and Turkey, and Ankara has stated that it does not abide by US sanctions against Iran.

However, he said, a Turkish company which supplies Iranian planes with fuel has unfortunately stated in an e-mail, without providing any explanation, that it will not be able to deliver fuel to Iranian airline companies as of November.

Asadi Samani stressed that for sure this will create problems for Iranian airlines, and in the meantime it is not in the interest of the two countries’ ties.

“We expect the problem be resolved through the ongoing efforts. We certainly expect that, given the added value of the establishment of flights between the two countries, the problem that the Turkish fueling company has created will be resolved as soon as possible.”

Certainly, the decision of the Turkish company is against the agreements between Tehran and Ankara. The Islamic Republic hopes the Turkish government would solve this problem, he added.

According to the bilateral agreement between Iran and Turkey, there are 200 flights per day between the two countries of which 100 are carried out by Iranian companies and 100 by Turkish ones.

Fars News Agency quoted Samani as saying that the number slightly increases or decreases in some weeks with respect to the travel season, but 2.5 million Iranians travel to Turkey annually.

Earlier, some foreign media had reported that the refraining of the Turkish company is a result of US sanctions against Iran.

This comes as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that Washington has agreed to temporarily allow eight countries to continue buying Iranian oil after it reimposes crippling sanctions on Tehran on November 5. Turkey is one of these eight countries.

Reuters reported on Friday that some Iranian airliners were refused fuel in Turkey’s Istanbul airports and had to cancel at least one flight, while other carriers had to cut the number of passengers on board in order to fly on less fuel.

However, some informed sources in the airline industry believe that with the official launch of the new Istanbul airport in Turkey, most companies are preparing to move to this new and major airport within the next three months and leave the Ataturk airport.

Turkey’s Petrol Ofisi, a subsidiary of Vitol Investment Partnership Ltd., is also one of the companies that will prepare itself for this relocation. Sources say the company is providing services and fuel to an Iranian airline that has a high debt to it and has also received warnings in this regard. Therefore, this is not apparently related to US anti-Iran sanctions.

Iran’s Mahan Air, ATA, Qeshm, Iran Air, Taban, Zagros, Meraj, Caspian, Iran Air Tour, and Aseman Airlines all operate flights between Tehran and Istanbul.

Iranian Students Enjoy Watching ACL Final Together at Schools

Fatemeh Askarieh

November 3, 2018

The students were given the chance after Iran’s Education Ministry called on all schools across the country to broadcast live the match, which was held at 9:30 am when the students had to be at school.

The Ministry made the decision in reaction to numerous calls by schoolchildren across the country to shut down the schools on Saturday morning. In a directive, the Ministry said since it’s not possible to close the schools on November 3, all schools are asked to broadcast live the final match of the AFC Champions League for their students.

The match ended with a 2-0 victory for the Japanese side, and thus did not have a happy ending for the Iranian students.

However, all Persepolis fans are hopeful that the Reds would show a brilliant performance next Saturday at Azadi Stadium in Tehran, where over 85,000 spectators are going to support them.

What follows are photos of Iranian students watching the football match at schools across the country:

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Bone Marrow Transplant: A Major Life-Saving Surgery

Seyedeh Maryam Hosseini Lahijani

November 3, 2018

Bone marrow is the main place where blood cells are produced, and, hence, is regarded as one of the key parts of human body.

Bone marrow transplant is an operation where the bone marrow of the patient is replaced by healthy bone marrow, so that the patient will be able to receive high doses of chemotherapy or radiotherapy drugs. The transplant is done using different methods, and has side effects as well. The rate of success for bone marrow transplant depends on the kind of disease, the age of the patient, the type of transplant operation and the stage of the disease.

The first bone marrow transplant surgery was successfully performed in 1986. Ever since, the bone marrow transplant operation has been used for the treatment of several diseases, including aplastic anaemia (disability to produce new tissues), blood cancer, bone marrow cancer, immune system disorders, lymphoid tissues tumours such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and some hard tumours such as the ones associated with breast and ovarian cancers.

For a more detailed review of Iran’s achievments in various fields of science and technology, check the book “Science and Technology in Iran: A Brief Review”, released by the Science and Technology Department of the Iranian President’s Office.

For the bone marrow transplant operation, the donor must match the receiver. Generally, brothers and sisters of the person who needs to receive bone marrow match. In the recent decade, many countries have established bone marrow banks, so that it would be possible to find matches for patients who cannot receive bone marrow from relatives. The most common types of bone marrow transplant include:

Autologous: In this type of operation, the patient receives bone marrow from his or her own body. In this method, the bone marrow is extracted from the patient and exposed to anti-cancer drugs, so that its malignant tissues are killed. Then the final product is frozen and preserved.
Syngeneic: In this method, the patient receives bone marrow from another member of a similar twin. Here, all bone marrow tissues in the patient’s body are killed using a large amount of anti-cancer drugs with or without radiotherapy. Then, healthy bone marrow is extracted from the organ of a similar twin whose tissues are very similar to those of the patient’s body.
Allogeneic: the patient receives bone marrow from a person other than himself/herself or similar twin (such as brother, sister or either parent, or somebody who is not related to the patient at all). The donor’s tissues should closely match those of the patient.

After the provision of bone marrow through one of the above-mentioned methods, the patient is given large amounts of chemotherapy drugs with or without radiotherapy, so that his/her remaining bone marrow is destroyed. In the last stage, healthy bone marrow is heated and injected into the patient’s vein with a syringe to replace the destroyed bone marrow.

After bone marrow enters the blood current, the transplanted tissues are directed toward the location of the bone marrow and begin producing new white and red blood cells as well as platelets.

The side effects of bone marrow transplant and stem cell transplant operations are infection, bleeding, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, anorexia, mouth ulcers, hail falling and skin reactions.

A successful operation can be performed on a person who is in good condition both physically and mentally because this surgery has complex stages which the patient should be able to pass through.

[vc_hoverbox image=”124682″ primary_title=”” hover_title=”“Science and Technology in Iran: A Brief Review“”]For a brief review of Iran’s achievments in various fields of science and technology, check the book “Science and Technology in Iran: A Brief Review”[/vc_hoverbox]

Iran Condemns New US Sanctions, Hails Europe’s Support

IFP Editorial Staff

November 3, 2018

Iran Appoints Female Ambassador to Denmark

In its Saturday statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry added that the administration of US President Donald Trump poses a threat to humanity and the whole world, and committed and responsible governments in the world should join hands to tackle the threats posed by this regime.

What follows is the full text of the statement released on Saturday, November 3, 2018:

Continuing its breaches of the law and blatant bullying, the [US President Donald] Trump regime yesterday announced the end of the so-called six-month grace period for the full implementation of the sanctions this regime re-imposed on our country on May 8 after illegally withdrawing from the JCPOA (the Iran nuclear deal also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

Although the move will, objectively and practically, have few negative consequences for Iran’s economy compared with the past six months, it is regarded as a major political and moral scandal for the ruling US regime.

This move alone amounts to a violation of the JCPOA, breach of the UN Security Council resolution [2231], violation of the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICC), direct opposite to the clear will of an overwhelming majority of world countries, and disregard for human, legal and moral principles.

The move also once again showed to all members of the international community, especially the countries which are “allies” and “partners” of the United States, that this government not only does not care about international regulations and norms, but also punishes other law-abiding countries for remaining committed to international commitments and regulations, and these countries include countries that are friends and allies of the US, countries whose companies and banks happen to be affected by the recent sanctions.

The US also showed that even a major and powerful military and economic power may lack political independence and yield to some foreign regimes’ demands in adopting and implementing its foreign policy.

It is not clear what is going on in the United States’ foreign policy arena as the statesmen of this country learn no lessons from the inappropriate experiences of their predecessors and it seems that every single president of this country must repeat all the previous wrong policies to achieve the same unpleasant results and experience the inefficiency of wrong approaches first-hand.

In his speech on Friday, the secretary of state of the Trump regime spoke of “maximum pressure” on Iran and at the same time expressed pleasure over the effectiveness of these pressures on Iran’s economy and the lives of Iranian people. Using the most unprofessional and most childish words, he tried to create the impression that those pressures are not directed towards Iranian people.

He seems to be unaware of the fact that every one of former US presidents, too, pursued the policy of pressuring Iran and patient and resistant Iranian people, even to extents more severe than what he calls “maximum pressure.”

Over the past four decades, the predecessors of Mr Trump have pulled no punches with regards to imposing pressure and showing inhumane behaviour towards Iran and Iranians, and hence, no tool for exerting further pressure is left for Mr Trump and his associates today.

Various presidents of the US have numerous anti-Iran moves in their track record, from launching direct military attacks on a passenger plane and oil rigs of Iran to lending full support to the most despicable enemies of Iran, including Saddam Hussein, the hypocrites and other terrorist, secessionist and racist groups, from the so-called “crippling” sanctions to the assassination of nuclear scientists.

Although these pressures and animosities have, so far, inflicted much suffering on innocent people, children, patients and the vulnerable strata of Iran, they have failed to sap the will of these people to continue the path to independence and resistance to foreign pressure.

The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns the imposition of illegal sanctions by the US while welcoming a joint statement issued by Ms [Federica] Mogherini and foreign ministers and finance ministers of the three European countries as well as the statements released and positions adopted by the governments of Russia and China vis-à-vis the United States’ illegal move, and their commitment to maintaining financial channels with Iran and ensuring the continuation of Iran’s oil and gas exports, and regards these statements as a proper step on the right path.

The progress made in executing the political commitments of these countries to ensure Iran’s economic interests has been welcomed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Indubitably, the continuation of the existence of the JCPOA is contingent upon these measures going into force and being successful. When it comes to interaction and cooperation with other governments, Iran, as a strong and responsible player on the regional and international stage today, believes in multilateralism based on the principle of mutual respect and seeks a better future for the people of Iran, the West Asia region and the whole world.

Iran strongly believes that in cooperation with friendly countries and with reliance on its domestic potential and international potentialities, it will be able to weather this challenge wisely and prudently and will not allow the Trump regime, which has stripped the US foreign policy of any principles, to achieve its illegitimate objectives.

The Islamic Republic of Iran once again draws everybody’s attention to the dangers posed by this law-defying regime to humanity, the future generations of humans and human life on earth, and believes committed and responsible governments in the world should join hands to tackle the threats posed by this regime.