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Persian Architecture in Photos: House of Ayatollah Modarres

July 29, 2018

The house was purchased by a philanthropist named Mohammad Ansari in 2014 and restored into its current form shortly afterwards.

The house, located in Oudlajan neighbourhood in downtown Tehran, is estimated to age over 100 years.

Ayatollah Modarres was born in 1870. He played a big role in advancing the Constitutional Revolution (1905-1907) and after that served as a lawmaker for several terms.

He was a staunch opponent of Reza Shah, who overthrew the Qajar dynasty and took power in 1925. Modarres was eventually killed in a prison in 1937.

Following are photos of the house retrieved from Azad News Agency (ANA):

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Brides in Northern Iran Receive Special Gifts in Ancient Ceremony

IFP Editorial Staff

July 29, 2018

Presents are prepared by the bridegroom’s family and they are placed in large trays. Then the bridegroom’s female family members take these trays on their heads and joyfully head to the house of the bride’s family to give presents to the bride’s family.

What follows are ILNA’s photos of this traditional ceremony in a village in Gilan province:

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France Ready to Work with Iran on Syria Peace: Macron’s Envoy

IFP Editorial Staff

July 29, 2018

France Ready to Work with Iran on Syria Peace: Macron’s Envoy

Senemaud says Iran, as a big country and a major regional power, could play a big role in restoring stability to Syria and pushing forward the process for political settlement of the conflict.

The former French ambassador to Tehran said Paris supports the three priorities and stressed France’s readiness for cooperation with Iran for political settlement of the Syria conflict.

He made the remarks in a Saturday meeting in Tehran with Hossein Jaberi Ansari, a senior assistant to Iranian Foreign Minister.

Jaberi Ansari, for his part, congratulated Senemaud on his appointment as the special envoy of French president on Syria.

Pointing to the capacities available for improving relations between Iran and France in bilateral and multi-lateral sectors, Jaberi Ansari stressed Tehran’s readiness for boosting the two countries’ consultations and cooperation to help settle regional conflicts, particularly the Syria crisis.

The Iranian official said that since the beginning of the Syria conflict, Tehran has believed that the crisis has no military solution.

“Now that the fight against terrorism in Syria has resulted in great achievements and the ground has become prepared for restoring the sovereignty of the Syrian government over major parts of the country, the three issues of facilitating the return of refugees, getting the Syrian Constitutional Committee to start its work, and activating the committee on the exchange of detainees and the missing people are the major political and humanitarian priorities at the current stage,” he added.

14% Rise in Iran’s Non-Oil Exports despite US Pressures

IFP Editorial Staff

July 29, 2018

The Customs Administration announced that the balance of foreign trade in the country during the first four months of current Iranian year (starting on March 21) experienced a surplus of trade balance of $271 million while non-oil exports also increased by 14.69 percent.

According to the IRICA, Iran’s non-oil exports amounted to $15.5 billion, experiencing an increase of 14.69 percent, compared to the same period last year.

Last year during the same period, $13.471 billion worth of goods had been exported, a report by Fars News Agency said.

Based on this report, export of non-oil goods to China in the first four months of the current year has increased by 7.73%, respectively.

Iran’s non-oil exports to the United Arab Emirates and Iraq increased 31.95 and 23.19 percent respectively, and there was a drop of 40.48% in exports to South Korea.

During this time, non-oil exports to Afghanistan increased by 30.69%, while exports to other countries increased by 21.30%.

The report added that in the first four months of this year, $15.179 billion worth of goods were imported, which shows 4.05 reduction compared to the same period last year.

The main export items of Iran consisted of gas condensates worth $1.864 billion, $691 million worth of liquefied propane, $555 million worth of light oils and oil products except gasoline, $411 million worth of polyethylene film grade, and $407 million worth of methanol.

The main import items were the parts required for the production of cars worth $726 million, $711 million worth of livestock corn, $675 million worth of rice, $492 million worth of soybean, and $228 million worth of mobile phones.

The main buyers of Iranian goods in these four months were China with $3.46 billion, the United Arab Emirates with $2.808 billion, Iraq with $2.522 billion, Afghanistan with $1.108 billion, the Republic of Korea with $821 million, and other countries with $5.145 billion.

Major exporters to Iran during the aforementioned period included China with $3.890 billion, the United Arab Emirates with $2.169 billion, the Republic of Korea with $987 million, India with $912 million, and Germany with $753 million.

Iran FM to Attend ASEAN Summit in Singapore

IFP Editorial Staff

July 28, 2018

Iran’s Foreign Minister in Beirut for Talks

In a statement on Saturday, Qassemi said FM Zarif will visit Singapore in the coming days to sign the ASEAN Amity and Cooperation Treaty.

“Consensus among South-east Asian countries on accepting Iran as a member of the ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) indicates the importance of relations and interaction with Iran as an important and influential power in regional and international equations by all members of this Association,” noted Qassemi.

The ministerial summit of the ASEAN member states and its partners is due to be held from July 30 to August 4 in Singapore.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is also expected to attend the summit on August 3, fuelling speculations that there might be a bilateral meeting between top diplomats of Iran and the US after the recent escalation of war of words between Tehran and Washington.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian countries that promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration amongst its members. It also regularly engages other states in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia is a peace treaty among Southeast Asian countries established by the founding members of the ASEAN.

The treaty has been endorsed by the General Assembly stating that, “The purposes and principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and its provisions for the pacific settlement of regional disputes and for regional co-operation to achieve peace, amity and friendship among the peoples of Southeast Asia [are] in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”

Iran Sympathizes with Laos over Deadly Dam Collapse

IFP Editorial Staff

July 28, 2018

In a statement on Saturday, Qassemi sympathised with the government and the people of Laos and the families of the survivors of the incident.

It’s been almost a week since the Xepian Xe Nam Noy Dam collapsed, swallowing the villages and towns downstream in more than 5 billion cubic metres of water.

Roads were demolished, houses destroyed and lives lost as the enormous wave of water swept over the southern part of the country.

Government statistics say 27 people have been killed and 131 people are missing – but aid agencies believe the country may be downplaying the scale of the disaster and the final death toll may be considerably higher.

Local residents told the BBC that they believed as many as 300 people may have lost their lives.

Meanwhile up to 3,000 people are reportedly still stranded, their rooftops now islands in the murky floodwater.

“Iran to Reciprocate If Its Interests Jeopardized by Enemies”

IFP Editorial Staff

July 28, 2018

Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, the IRGC’s Lieutenant Commander for Political Affairs, says if others seek to endanger Iran’s interests, the Islamic Republic will use its facilities to endanger their interests in turn.

Speaking to Tasnim News Agency on Saturday, Javani said Iran’s threat to hamper oil flow in the region is “credible”, and its implementation depends on the behaviour of the US administration in the upcoming months.

Javani said without the Islamic Republic, it won’t be possible for others to secure the region’s waterways.

“The security of the waterways is affected by the Iranian political system’s will … that’s why Iran’s mutual threat is credible,” he said.

The US has threatened to cut down to zero Iran’s oil exports as part of its efforts to step up pressure on the Islamic Republic.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani suggested earlier this month that Iran would try to stop oil trade in the region, if the US halts Iran’s oil export.

Sky-Watchers in Iran Amazed by Longest Lunar Eclipse of Century

IFP Editorial Staff

July 28, 2018

Longest Lunar Eclipse of Century_in iran

The Friday eclipse was the longest one in the century, lasting for more than six hours from late Friday to Saturday morning.

A total lunar eclipse, which is one of the most interesting astronomical events, happens when Earth takes position in a straight line between the moon and sun, blotting out the direct sunlight that normally makes our satellite glow whitish-yellow.

During the total eclipse known as “blood moon”, the silver moon turned red for 103 minutes.

For a brief review of Iran’s achievements in various fields of science and technology, check the book “Science and Technology in Iran: A Brief Review”

The term comes from the crimson red shade the moon takes when it is in Earth’s shadow.

People equipped with telescopes and binoculars gathered at Tehran’s Milad Tower, Azadi Tower and other places to watch the total lunar eclipse.

Unlike with a solar eclipse, viewers needed no protective eye gear to observe the rare display.

The following are photos taken of the eclipse in various Iranian cities:

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French Video-Mapping Artist Impressed by Iranians’ Lavish Hospitality

IFP Editorial Staff

July 28, 2018

De Gerando, who staged a projection mapping performance at Tehran’s Azadi Tower last week, told IRNA the Iranians’ rich culture and their lavish hospitality has fascinated him.

Projection mapping, also known as video mapping and spatial augmented reality, is a projection technology used to turn objects, often irregularly shaped, into a display surface for video projection.

Accompanied by music, the show was dubbed “Le Labyrinthe du Temps et la Tour Azadi” (The Labyrinth of Time and Azadi Tower).

De Gérando, 53, has written several works for orchestras performed at Radio France and has won national and international awards.

His multimedia works have been staged on numerous sites across the world.

IRNA has conducted an interview with the French artist. The following is the full text of the interview:

Tell us about your goal of staging this performance. Did you intend to convey a message?

In fact, my goal is not to have a goal. I’ve been working on video mapping projects for 20 years, since I was a student. My goal of creating this work is not to have a goal. I wanted to create something that I cannot imagine. I wanted to do something that amazes the way I was amazed by seeing such performances. It is difficult to convey this feeling through the words.

Why did you choose Iran to put on your performance?

I made this decision following talks with one of my Iranian students. Iran’s culture and land has really impressed me and I found Iran has an incredible culture.

Is this your first trip to Iran?

Yes. This is the first time I’m visiting Iran and hear people speaking Persian language.

How many days will you stay in Iran after the performance?

I will be in Iran for one more week. These days are a big opportunity for me to get familiar with this culture.

What was your perception of Iran before coming to our country? Has this trip changed the perception?

I’ve talked about Iran with my Iranian friends in France and my perception of Iran has always been positive. The Iranian people are known for their cordiality and hospitality. During my trip to Iran, it was quite interesting for me to see Iranians approaching us with a smile and being eager to talk with us.

Describe Iran in words?

Breadth, culture, goodness, cordiality, generosity and dynamism.

Will this video mapping project run only in Iran?

This performance comes out of 20 to 30 years of experience. Art does not belong to a special place and it belong to the whole globe. Art is a way of creating connections and getting to know cultures. Yes, this show is about Iran, but it is not exclusive to Iran.