43 Iranian Pilgrims Wounded by Fire in Iraqi Hotel

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December 12, 2017

Najaf Civil Defence Department announced in a statement that 43 Iranian pilgrims suffered from smoke inhalation when a fire broke out in al-Qabtan Hotel in the holy city.

The statement added the incident has been reportedly caused by an electrical malfunction and civil defence teams are trying to contain the fire.

The injured people are being treated at the hospitals of the Iraqi city, a Farsi report by Al Alam said.

Governmental offices and business centres in Baghdad and several other provinces experience similar problems every now and then while civil defence authorities say they are caused by electrical malfunction.

Kabul Official Asks Iran to Train Afghan Military Forces

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 12, 2017

Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri has, in an interview with the Persian-language Mehr News Agency, called for closer cooperation with Iran in various areas, particularly in the military sector.

In his interview, Waziri called on Iran to train Afghan military forces by offering scholarships to Afghan cadets.

He hailed Iran’s cooperation on political, economic and military fronts, calling for closer collaboration between Tehran and Kabul, especially in the military domain.

The spokesman underlined that military assistance to a country does not only include offering weaponry and equipment such as tanks and artillery, and there are numerous other ways to reinforce a country’s Armed Forces.

He said Iran can considerably help Afghanistan in strengthening its Armed Forces and fighting terrorism.

Iran’s assistance can help Afghanistan’s Armed Forces stand on their own feet, the spokesman noted.

He said Afghanistan’s security is intertwined with Iran’s security. The spokesman said 20 terrorist groups are currently operating in Afghanistan, which can be detrimental to Iran as well. Therefore, he said, all terrorists should be taken down in order for security to take hold in Afghanistan.

Waziri underlined that if there is security in Afghanistan, narcotics will not be smuggled into Iran and terrorists will no longer pose a threat to Iran border security, which would free up Iranian troops positioned on the country’s eastern borders to be redeployed to other areas.

He also asked Iran to treat the Afghans wounded in the war with terrorists.

The spokesman then rejected accusations which suggest Iran is colluding with the Taliban.

He also said cooperation with Iran is the best way to topple the ISIS terrorist group in Afghanistan.

Waziri further accused Pakistan of supporting terrorists in Afghanistan, and added Islamabad has not yet fulfilled its promise of fighting terrorists.

He said Pakistan is under pressure to rein in terrorists, and keeps promising to do so. He expressed hope that Islamabad will make good on its promise.

“Resistance Forces in Region Ready to Defend Al-Aqsa Mosque”

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 11, 2017

Iran Detects 40 Americans Involved in General Soleimani’s Assassination

In a phone conversation with the commanders of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which are the armed wing of Hamas Movement, and also Islamic Jihad Brigades in Gaza, the Iranian General stressed that the other resistance forces in the region are ready to defend al-Aqsa mosque.

The remarks by General Soleimani came as a new phase of Palestine’s armed resistance against the Israeli regime seems to be starting.

The tensions in Palestine escalated after US President Donald Trump, in a move that was globally condemned, recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel and said the US embassy will also be relocated from Tel Aviv to the disputed city.

Iran Urges Muslims to Unite against US Plot on Palestine

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 11, 2017

Rouhani said Trump’s decision was a conspiracy against Palestine and the Muslim world and called on all Muslims to stand united against this plot.
In a phone conversation with Hamas’ Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh Monday afternoon, Rouhani highlighted that the oppressed nation of Palestine and the Muslim Ummah will undoubtedly defeat the Zionist-American plot with unity and resistance.
Slamming Trump’s decision, the Iranian president said the wrong decision once again revealed the real nature of the United States and the Zionist regime and showed they never want to recognize the rights of Palestinian people.
“In this situation and as the first step, all Palestinian movements must preserve unity to stand up firmly against the Zionist regime and the US, and as the next step, the Muslim world must stand up against this conspiracy unanimously.”
He further mentioned that the Muslim governments will unanimously voice their protest during the extraordinary meeting of the leaders of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Turkey on Wednesday.
The Iranian president also referred to the martyrdom of four Palestinians and injury of over 1,500 others during the new intifada and noted, “We are proud of the great Palestinian nation for their resistance and sacrifice against the Zionist enemy, and we are sure the new intifada will continue to tread the right path to safeguard the Palestinian people’s rights.”
Haniyeh also appreciated the firm stance of the Islamic Republic of Iran in support of the Palestinian people and the holy al-Quds, saying, “From the viewpoint of the Palestinian people, Iran is a strong pillar that supports the Palestinian cause.”
Haniyeh also described the decision of the President of the United States as a blatant violation of the rights of the entire Muslim community underlining that the Palestinian people would never allow the Israeli regime and the United States to achieve these goals as Jerusalem al-Quds belongs to Palestine and the Muslim World.

“Burning of Saudi King’s Photo in Palestine Reveals Failure of Riyadh Policies”

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 11, 2017

In an address to a seminar in Tehran, Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami referred to the failure of Saudi Arabia’s policies in the region, and said, “The recent burning of the Saudi kings’ photos and the slogans chanted against them are new phenomena that show their strategies have failed in Palestine, Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.”

He underlined that some regional states think they can turn into regional powers by following up ambitions plans. “But the main issue is that there is a huge gap between the realities on the ground and their ideals.”

“This no secret that foreign powers have been seeking to make regional changes in the Middle East, and huge wars have been waged to make the changes possible,” he was quoted as saying in a Farsi report by the Mehr News Agency on Monday.

He added the Muslim nations can determine their own fate through suppressing Takfiri ideologies.

“Wiping off Israel from the map of the world will lead to security and stability of the region and God willing we will achieve the goal,” he said.

The Iranian commander said the region of Western Asia is a strategic point where the Zionist regime’s security is provided.

“That is why the region has turned into a point of convergence for the world and regional powers’ strategies.”

He went on to say the Zionist regime is part of the colonial identity of the US, adding the arrogant powers have sought to divide the regional countries into smaller states and establish weak governments within them.

He called the Zionist regime a source of tension in the region and said in line with its strategy, the Islamic Republic of Iran does not view the Zionist regime as a serious threat.

“Meanwhile, as part of the resistance front, Lebanon’s Hezbollah has the upper hand in fight against the regime.”

Elsewhere in his address, the top commander said the existence of the Zionist regime is threatened by any new war. He added this reveals the failure of the US in protecting its long-time ally in the region.

“Fight against the terrorist groups in the region took six years during which the US never got involved in any direct confrontation with them. So, it resorted to proxy wars by throwing its weight behind the Takfiri groups,” he noted.

General Salami underlined that the US’ huge defence budget does not guarantee the country’s triumph in new wars and added the US strategies in the region have failed.

He referred to the popular forces in Iraq saying the forces guarantee the stability of the central government. “The enemies cannot defeat the popular forces in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Pakistan fighting in one front. As we saw in Syria, they failed to stand up against the resistance forces. Today we see similar wars in Yemen and Bahrain. At the end of the day, the people will have the upper hand.”

He accused Saudi Arabia and the Zionist regime of seeking to create tensions in the region by jointly hatching new plots and added the Islamic Republic of Iran is after honouring the dignity of the Muslims and foiling the plots of the Muslims’ enemies.

Iran’s Kermanshah Once Again Hit by Strong Quake

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IFP Editorial Staff

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December 11, 2017

According to the Seismological Centre of the University of Tehran’s Institute of Geophysics, the epicentre of the quake was about 10 km deep.

It struck the area of Azgaleh in Kermanshah province at around 17:39 local time on Monday.

The closest cities in the area are Azgaleh, 26km and Nowsood, 38km away from the epicentre and the provincial capital city of Kermanshah is 143 km away.

No damages or casualties have been reported yet.

Back on November 12, another massive earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale had rattled the same spot in Kermanshah province and killed at least 620 people.

Iran Raps Arab League for “Weak” Statement on Jerusalem

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IFP Media Wire

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December 11, 2017

“The Arab League’s statement was not as incisive as it was expected,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday at a press conference, adding, “The statement was not proportionate to the [issue of the] Palestinian cause.”

The US president on Wednesday defied global warnings and said Washington formally recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel and would begin the process of moving its embassy to the occupied city, breaking with decades of American policy.

The announcement prompted harsh international warnings that it would bring more chaos to the Middle East region.

The Arab League met to address the issue late on Saturday, releasing a final statement which called on Washington to retract its decision, adding that such a move would only amplify violence throughout the region. It added that Trump’s announcement was a “dangerous violation of international law” which has no legal impact and was “void.

Qassemi said, “An instance of ignorance and maybe a certain policy caused the statement to be lacking in the required and adequate proportions.”

He hoped that the regional situation would prompt the League’s member states to adopt a more realistic approach as the body’s current attitude could prove “dangerous” even for the member states.

The spokesman, meanwhile, praised “more serious” stances adopted concerning the US’s move by many individual Muslim and Arab countries.

He said the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was to meet on Wednesday and expressed hope that the event produces “a more positive” outcome vis-à-vis the matter.

Yemen ‘report’

Qassemi also addressed a report ascribed to a United Nations investigative mission, which had allegedly claimed that a missile fired from Yemen towards Saudi Arabia had been made by Iran.

He dismissed the matter as “news fabrication seeking certain [ulterior] motives, which lacked credibility and authenticity.”

“Whatever happens inside Yemen concerns Yemen’s people and resistance and does not concern the Islamic Republic.”

British-Iranian national

The official said British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had discussed during his recent travel to the country the issue of Iranian-British national Nazanin Zaghari.

Iran’s intelligence authorities arrested Zaghari at Imam Khomeini International Airport in April 2016 on spying charges as she was on her way home to London after visiting her parents in Tehran.

Zaghari was subsequently tried at an Iranian court and sentenced to five years in prison for spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic.

Qassemi said given the fact that the person in question is a dual national, she is considered an Iranian and a convict by the Islamic Republic and is serving her prison term.

Johnson said London would be following up on the issue in the light of “humanitarian issues” and pursue the matter with Iranian judiciary officials, he added.

“However, this is a judicial issue and taking into consideration that the government comprises [different] branches in Iran, it should ultimately be pursued in the judicial system and we have to wait and see what comes next,” Qassemi said.

Macron’s Iran trip

The spokesman also addressed the issue of an expected visit to Iran by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The visit can be an important one, Qassemi said, adding that it can “help rectify some of the positions that have been adopted or could be adopted [by Paris concerning Iran].”

“Our perception is that there has been a sort of faulty understanding or recklessness in remarks made by European officials, and even French officials, which have to be redeemed.”

In a November 11 visit to Saudi Arabia, Macron had said he was “very concerned” about Iran’s ballistic missile program, adding, “There are negotiations we need to start on Iran’s ballistic missiles.”

Tehran has warned Paris against interference in its domestic and defensive affairs, warning that its missile activities are non-negotiable.

Beauties of Iran in Autumn

By

Fatemeh Askarieh

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December 11, 2017

Autumn is the season when the nature wears its most fascinating gown consisting of red, gold, orange, purple, brown, and green colours. These beautiful colours can attract every tourist in October, November and December.

What follows are IRNA’s photos of autumn in Oroumiyeh in West Azarbaijan province, Boroujerd in Lorestan province, and Sanandaj in Kurdistan province:

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A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on December 11

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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December 11, 2017

Almost all Iranian newspapers today covered the remarks made by the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a Sunday meeting with Alireza Karimi, the wrestler who intentionally lost his match against the Russian rival in order to avoid facing an Israeli wrestler. The Leader praised Karimi for what he did, and said he felt proud that the wrestler gave up on his right to defend the high cause of Palestine.

The visit of UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to Tehran and his meetings with top Iranian officials also received great coverage.

Meanwhile, the top story today was President Hassan Rouhani’s submission of his proposed budget for the next fiscal year. The details of the budget have been widely discussed, praised, and criticized by both reformists and conservatives.

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

19 Dey:

1- IRGC in Pursuit of Tehran’s Bullies, Thieves

2- Iran Leader Praises Wrestler Who Avoided Facing Israeli Rival