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US Moving towards Ruining Int’l Treaties, Humanity: Iran

Signs of US Decline Clearer Than Ever: Iran Official

In remarks made on Thursday, Ali Shamkhani said the US has no hesitation to use whatever at its disposal, from using terrorist groups and waging propaganda wars to imposing economic sanctions, to inflict a blow on Iran’s national interests.

“The US administration has explicitly announced that to implement its aggressive security strategy in the region and its illegitimate regional policies, it is facing up a huge obstacle called Iran,” he was quoted as saying in a Farsi report by Fars News Agency.

The senior official also called on the Iranian nation to remain vigilant against the enemy plots to spread hatred and violence across the region and the world.

Shamkhani also said the enemy is seeking direct confrontation with Iran particularly in the region with the aim of negatively affecting the power of the Islamic Republic.

“Following their regional failures in different fields, the enemies have resorted to other tools like imposing sanctions, fabricating dichotomies and sowing seeds of discord among the regional states to restrict the regional role of Iran,” he noted.

PyeongChang Olympics Organizers Apologize to Iranian Athletes

In a letter to the head of Iranian convoy to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, the committee officially apologized over the move.

According to a Farsi report by Khabar Online, the committee said the incident took place as a result of “miscommunications within the teams working” on the phone distribution.

Also in a letter signed by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) Deputy Director General Pero Miro, the IOC expressed its “deepest regret for the unfortunate incident concerning the distribution of the phone to the Iranian athletes.”

The IOC also said it is ready hold a meeting on Saturday with the Iranian athletes as part of a mollifying gesture.

Iran summoned South Korean ambassador on Thursday over the “immoral” decision to exclude Iranian athletes from receiving Samsung’s special gift under the pretext of international sanctions on Tehran.

The games’ sponsor Samsung Electronics had donated some 4,000 “Olympic edition” Galaxy Note 8 smartphones as a gift to all the athletes and officials visiting PyeongChang for the international tournament, but Iranian and North Korean athletes were initially denied the gifts.

Four athletes are presenting Iran in the winter games. 12 participating North Korean athletes have faced the same exclusive policy.

Iranian, British Diplomats Hold Talks in Paris

The Iranian diplomat met Britain’s Minister of State for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, on a number of bilateral, regional and international issues. During the meeting, the two sides also exchanged views on the latest developments regarding the Iran nuclear deal.

Earlier on Wednesday, Araqchi held talks with Secretary-General of France’s ministry of foreign affairs Maurice Gourdault-Montagne over bilateral and international issues.

He also discussed a range of issues with Nicolas de Riviere, the Political Director of the French Foreign Ministry, and Philippe Etienne, a top foreign policy advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Araqchi traveled to France’s capital Paris to participate in the one-day Euromoney Iran Conference 2018 held on Thursday. The Iranian diplomat delivered a speech at the closing ceremony of the conference.

The Euromoney Iran Conference 2018 was attended by hundreds of investors and representatives of banks and financial institutes from European and Asian countries. The conference was organized jointly by Central Bank of Iran and Euromoney Institute.

Grand Bazaar of Isfahan, World’s Longest Roofed Market

Isfahan’s Grand Bazaar, World’s Longest Roofed Market

The bazaar dates back to Seljuk and Safavid eras and is the longest roofed market in the world.

At the entrance of the bazaar, you will see the superb view of the Naqsh-e Jahan square, which is one of the biggest squares in the entire world.

The roofed market extends across the square with many shops full of magnificent Persian handicrafts. They sell antique and old objects that are the symbols of the history and civilization of Isfahan.

Here are photos of the Grand Bazaar of Isfahan retrieved from IRNA:

Iran, Turkey Call for Promotion of Ties to Strategic Level

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on April 16, 2016. (Photo by AFP)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on April 16, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

In a phone conversation on Thursday, Rouhani and Erdogan  conferred on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues.

The two sides also expressed their interest in expansion of bilateral ties between Iran and Turkey in all fields, a Farsi report by the Iranian president’s official website said.  

Rouhani called for further promotion of economic relations and said immediate use of national currencies of Iran and Turkey in their economic exchanges could speed up the expansion process.

He then referred to the latest visit of Iranian foreign minister to Turkey and said today there are lots of elements in the region threatening the interests of Iran, Turkey and other Islamic states.

“So, cooperation and exchanging views between Iran and Turkey should continue over regional and international issues to cope with the threats.”

Touching on the trilateral relations among Turkey, Iran and Russia on the regional issues, he said the cooperation is a must in fight against terror in the region.

He then welcomed the upcoming Syria summit to be held in Istanbul and called for a meeting between foreign ministers of the three countries to prepare the agenda of the summit.

For his part, the Turkish president congratulated the Iranian government and nation on the 39th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

He also called for the use of national currencies between Iran and Turkey for economic exchanges.

Elsewhere in his statements, Erdogan highlighted the commonalities in Iran and Turkey’s stances towards many regional and international issues and expressed satisfaction over the current level of cooperation between Iran and Turkey in fight against terrorism.

He lauded the achievements of Sochi Congress on Syria peace and officially invited his Iranian counterpart to attend the second round of such talks slated to be held in Istanbul.

Erdogan also said a number of western leaders have expressed their interest in taking part in Iran-Russia-Turkey talks on Syria.

Iran May Ban Import of Samsung Products after Olympics Controversy

Iran’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi will propose a ban on the import of Samsung mobile phones if the South Korean company does not apologize by the end of Thursday, an informed source told ISNA.

The move came after South Korean officials said they will not provide Iranian and North Korean players with Samsung smartphones which are available free to all other athletes at the Winter Olympics starting Friday.

State news agency Yonhap quoted PyeongChang Olympic organizers as saying Wednesday that the decision had been taken in line with sanctions on the two countries.

In reaction to the move, the South Korean Ambassador to Tehran Kim Seung-ho was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry. According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi, the Korean envoy received Iran’s strong protest over the immoral behaviour.

Qassemi said the move stands in direct contradiction to the spirits of Olympics because the international event calls for coming together regardless of colour, race, politics and religion.

The spokesman also said Iran has pointed out that the issue will strongly affect the trade relations between the Islamic Republic and Samsung Electronics if the South Korean company doesn’t offer apology for this “unwise” move.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s office in Tehran told Bahram Radan – a famous Iranian actor who was also one of the torch bearers of the 2018 Winter Olympics – that the company has provided the International Olympics Committee (IOC) with enough smartphones to be distributed among all athletes.

Therefore, Samsung had no role in the controversial decision, and the IOC must be held accountable for denying the Iranian athletes the gift.

However, the chief of Iran’s Olympics Committee Reza Salehi Amiri told Khabar Online on Thursday that the IOC has rejected having any role in the discrimination against Iranians, and said the sponsor (Samsung) has distributed the phones itself.

“The IOC was not at all in charge of distributing the gifts,” Salehi Amiri quoted the IOC officials as saying.

Salehi Amiri also noted that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has promised to seriously pursue the issue until the Korean company and officials apologize to the Iranian nation.

“Our national identity must be preserved and they must apologize over the inappropriate behaviour,” he quoted Zarif as saying.

FM Zarif also said he will no longer use his own Samsung smartphone and he will urge the government to reconsider its cooperation with Samsung in case the Korean officials fail to provide reasonable explanation for the move.

Meanwhile, the IOC seems to have backed off from its earlier decision as it told the BBC that all athletes, including the Iranian and North Korean Olympians, will receive the smartphones. “Iranians will be able to keep the phones, but not the North Korean athletes.”

Samsung has at least 18 million users in Iran, according to the popular Iranian app store Café Bazaar, and the ban on the import of its products to Iran’s lucrative market would cost the company dearly.

Iran Summons S. Korea Ambassador over Samsung’s ‘Immoral’ Move

In a Thursday statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said following the decision of the International Olympic Committee and Samsung Electronics to exclude Iranian athletes from the Korean company’s welcoming pack for athletes in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, the Assistant to Iran’s foreign minister and Director-General for East Asia and Oceania Affairs Mahmoud Farzandeh has summoned South Korean ambassador Kim Seung-ho to the foreign ministry.

“During the meeting, the Iranian official expressed Iran’s strong protest against the immoral behaviour which stands in direct contradiction to the spirits of Olympics because the international event calls for coming together regardless of colour, race, politics and religion,” he noted.

The spokesman also said Iran has pointed out that the issue will strongly affect the trade relations between the Islamic Republic and Samsung Electronics if the South Korean company doesn’t offer apology for this “unwise” move.

For his part, South Korean ambassador has expressed his deep regret over the move and said given the sensitivity and importance of the issue, he has seriously followed it up with his government and Samsung Electronics through repeated calls with the related officials in the South Korea foreign ministry.

According to the South Korean government and Samsung Electronics, he said, South Korea’s foreign ministry had played no role in causing the misunderstanding.

The games’ sponsor Samsung Electronics had donated some 4,000 “Olympic edition” Galaxy Note 8 smartphones as a gift to all the athletes and officials visiting PyeongChang for the international tournament.

The Olympics’ committee, however, announced that Iranian and North Korean athletes will be excluded from this offer to “avoid any possible violations of United Nations sanctions on the country.”

The statement did not clarify how the handouts may relate to the sanctions which involve a ban on providing potential military goods to Iran.

Four athletes are presenting Iran in the winter games. 12 participating North Korean athletes have faced the same exclusive policy.

Iran Leader Calls for Serious Fight against Corruption among Officials

Addressing a group of Iran Air Force commanders and personnel in Tehran on Thursday, the Leader said people are complaining about corruption and discrimination.

“People tolerate many of problems, but they don’t like corruption and are complaining about discrimination,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.

“These complaints must be seriously pursued by the government, the Judiciary, and the Parliament,” he added.

Addressing a group of navy commanders in Tehran on Thursday, the Leader said people are complaining about corruption and discrimination.

“People tolerate many of problems, but they are complaining about corruption and discrimination,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.

“These complaints must be seriously pursued by the government, the Judiciary, and the Parliament,” he added.

“Fight against cruelty and corruption is one of the ways to realize social justice,” he noted, adding, however, that such fight is very difficult.

“As I said a few years ago, corruption is like the mythical dragon with seven heads, which is not easy to kill, but it must be destroyed,” the Leader noted.

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that fight against cruelty and corruption among state officials must be harsher and more serious than other cases, and all officials and executives must pay attention to this fight.

The Leader further noted that enemies are restoring to any means at their disposal, including cyberspace and sanctions, to undermine the Iranian nation’s faith in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The enemy is bent on “preventing the Revolution’s continuation and perseverance; it uses any means at its disposal” to achieve that goal, the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that apart from the cyberspace, the enemy resorts to sanctions to impact the Iranian people’s lives, but they have so far failed to weaken their faith in the Revolution as the nation has remained vigilant in the face of such schemes.

Despite all the enmities, the Islamic Revolution is “alive and growing,” Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.

The Leader drew attention to the upcoming nationwide rallies marking the 39th anniversary of the Revolution, saying there will be a stronger turnout this year against the backdrop of recent hostile positions of US officials against the Islamic Republic.

“Given the nonsense statements by some US officials, the [Iranian] people feel that the enemy is waiting in ambush for aggression and hostility,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “This year, the participation of people will be more vigorous than ever and everyone will take part, God willing.”

Water Released into Gomishan Wetland in Northern Iran

Construction of canals, transfer of surface waters and drainage of the farms are among the main reasons for releasing water into the wetland.

More than 2,000 swans and about 5,000 ducks are now living in this wetland.

Gomishan is also a recreational place that annually attracts many visitors in different seasons. Due to its sparse varieties of hydro-plants, it is an important and valuable genetic resource for protecting birds, water species and aqueous plants.

Following you can find IRNA‘s photos of the wetland after the release of water:

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 18

The top story today was the air pollution in Tehran which has plagued the people’s lives and it seems it is not going to leave the citizens alone these days.

Several papers also covered the remarks made by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani about book censorship and the need to put the publishers and authors in charge of it.

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

 

Aftab-e Yazd:

1- Women to Be Allowed to Go to Stadiums If Men Guarantee They Won’t Swear: MP

2- Recent Protests Awakened Reformists: Politician

3- N. Korean Leader Sends His Sister to S. Korea to Improve His Face

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Arman-e Emrooz:

1- Impeachment of Roads Minister: Politicized or Professional?

  • 45 MPs Call for Akhondi’s Impeachment

2- People’s Rights Should Not Be Sacrificed for Partisan Interests

3- Air Pollution Will Definitely Lead to CancerA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Ebtekar:

1- Which One Will Tehranis Choose: Living in Smoky Air or Escaping?

2- Souvenir of Berlin for Tehran

  • New German Gov’t Calls for Removal of Economic Restrictions against Iran

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Etemad:

1- Shamkhani Urges “Setad” to End Its Competition with Private Sector

2- President or Sultan? Trump Calls for Military ParadeA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Ettela’at:

1- Rouhani: Authors, Publishers the Ones Who Should Decide about Book Censorship

2- People Have Turned Their Backs Not on Islam, but on Incompetent Officials: Imam Khomeini’s Grandson

3- Oil Minister: Quality of Petrol Distributed in Big Cities Good

4- HAARP Has No Role in Earthquakes, Climate Change

5- Iran-UN Cooperation to Decrease Consequences of Natural Disasters

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Hamshahri:

1- Main Cause of Tehran Air Pollution

  • Black Carbon Emitted from 100,000 Trucks Moving in Tehran Overnight

2- Municipality to Organize Street Vendors

3- Rouhani: Officials Should Read What People Write in Social MediaA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Iran:

1- Rouhani: Culture Professionals Must Make Decision about Book Censorship

2- Air Pollution in Tehran to Persist Until WeekendA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Javan:

1- Brains of Iranian Elites Serving Foreign Executives

  • Operation of Certain Multinational Start-ups in Iran More Dangerous than Dual-Nationality Officials

2- Price of Imported Cars to Decrease by 40%: OfficialA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Jomhouri Eslami:

1- Top Clerics, Bodies, Groups Call for People’s High Turnout in 22 Bahman Rallies

2- Iraqi Popular Forces Call for Full Withdrawal of US Forces from Iraq

3- Hundreds of Economic, Construction, Cultural Projects Inaugurated during Fajr Days

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Kayhan:

1- Why Gov’t Insists on Denying Priority of Economic Woes

2- Philippine Gov’t Bulldozes Luxurious Cars Illegally Imported

3- Boycotting Samsung Products, Minimum Response to S. Korea’s Humiliating Move

4- Lebanon’s Hezbollah in Reaction to Israeli DM’s Threats

  • We’ll Attack Israeli Oil Facilities Wherever They Are

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Khorasan:

1- Iran’s Nanotechnology Ranks Fourth in the World

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8


 

Vatan-e Emrooz:

1- Qom Disappointed with Rouhani

  • Society of Qom Seminary’s Teachers Once Again Write to Rouhani to Protest Mismanagement

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 8