The lorry driver whose car crashed with the bridge and caused its collapse is now under arrest, according to the prosecutor of Pakdasht.
The rare incident took place on Saturday night, and temporarily blocked the road connecting Pakdasht to Tehran.
Tehran’s Ebrat Museum: A Reconstruction of Pre-Revolution Cruelties
The Tehran-based Anti-Sabotage Joint Committee was operated by the notorious intelligence agency SAVAK under the Shah of Iran and worked against political opponents.
SAVAK was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service of the Pahlavi monarchy. It was established by Iran’s Mohammad Reza Shah with the help of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Israeli Mossad.
The joint committee’s building has now turned into a museum called Ebrat Museum (Edification Museum) of Tehran, putting abuses under the Shah on display.
The leading people, who played a key role in the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran, were imprisoned in this place. The museum displays their cells and the tortures they suffered.
Here are the photos of the museum retrieved from the Tasnim News Agency:
Iranian, Afghan DMs Discuss US Presence in Afghanistan
Iran’s Defence Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami says the US seeks to relocate ISIS terrorists to Afghanistan to justify its presence in the country.
General Hatami made the comments in a phone conversation with his Afghan opposite number Major General Tariq Shah Bahrami, as quoted by the Persian-language Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA).
The Iranian defence chief said it was Washington that created the ISIS terrorist group in order to manage it in Syria and Iraq. However, he noted, the US tried to save the terrorists from the maelstroms of Iraq and Syria after they were defeated in the two countries, and transfer them to Afghanistan.
General Hatami further said the US is pursuing the policy of increasing its troop numbers in Afghanistan,
“The Americans have proven that they are enemies of Muslims, and the declaration of holy Quds [Jerusalem] as the capital of the Zionist regime of Israel showed the world another layer of the United States’ hypocritical face and animosity toward Muslims,” said the top general.
He said only through the positive approach of the regional countries will it be possible to establish security in Afghanistan.
“In this path, the common potential of all regional countries should be utilized to counter terrorism and establish tranquility in Afghanistan,” said General Hatami.
He also offered condolences to the Afghan people, government and Armed Forces over the numerous deadly terrorist attacks which hit the country recently.
The Afghan defence minister, in turn, said more than 20 terror groups are operating in Afghanistan, and added regional security will be jeopardized if the terrorists are left to their own devices.
He highlighted that Iran and Afghanistan as well as other regional countries should not ignore their common enemy, and should keep working together closely in fighting terrorism.
Iran to Boost Defence Power as Long as Threats Exist: Rouhani
In an address to a ceremony on Sunday, Rouhani once again underlined that Iran’s defence power is absolutely non-negotiable.
“To strengthen their defence capabilities, the Iranian government and nation have never held and will never hold any talks with any state. On this issue, our stance is resolute and crushing,” he noted.
“As said, we press ahead with our defence capabilities only within the fatwa (Religious Decree) of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. And we have announced repeatedly that Iran is not after weapons of mass destruction (WMD) because our religion bans us from producing and using such weapons,” he was quoted as saying in a Farsi report by the Iranian president’s official website.
Elsewhere in his address, President Rouhani said today all states across the world are threatening each other with new weapons. “Amid such conditions, foreseeing a future with no threats seems impossible,” he underlined.
“In a world in which all states are against the WMD, the US officials shamelessly threaten Russia with new nuclear weapons. So, it seems the issue of WMD is still important in the world. Amid such a condition, can anyone talk of peace and coexistence and conclude that we don’t need any defence power? Today, even those countries which condemn WMD as a weapon against humanity are taking these weapons seriously,” he noted.
The Iranian president noted that national power is not a partisan issue, adding all parties in economic, political, cultural and defence fields should work together regardless of their affiliations to promote Iran’s national power.
He went on to say Iran has achieved self-sufficiency to a large extent in arms production and added, “If we need a special weapon which is not produced inside, we have to purchase it immediately from other states and become so powerful that the enemies would not dare to threaten us. The enemies must realize the fact that any invasion of Iran would have dire consequences for them.”
He then described strengthening of national power as a pre-emptive measure for permanent peace and said the Iranian government needs to remain vigilant under any condition against the enemies’ new threats endangering its people.
A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on February 4
The release of Nunes’ Memo in the US and the EU’s continued support for the Iran nuclear deal were among top stories in today’s newspapers.
Several papers also covered the remarks made by Iran’s First Vice-President Es’haq Jahangiri in defence of reformist leader and ex-president Seyyed Mohammad Khatami.
The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines and top stories:
19 Dey:
1- Rouhani’s Opponents Defeated in Russia
2- Imam Khomeini’s Grandson: Rulers Always Need People’s Supervision
Abrar:
1- Hariri Warns about Use of Weapons for Resolving Political Conflicts
2- Iran’s Strong Presence in Iraq Reconstruction Conference in Kuwait
3- Lebanese Paper: Iran Will Receive Fighter Jets from Russia in Return for Oil Sale
Aftab-e Yazd:
1- North Korea Sell Weapons to Syria
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- Tehran Prosecutor: 41 Judges to Be Tried
2- Iran First VP Says He Held Talks with Leader about Ex-President Khatami
3- Iran to Become Thirstier: Crisis Management Chief
Ebtekar:
1- Nunes Memo Helping White House Fight against Democrats
Etemad:
1- Big Cities Plagued by Poverty: Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz Poorest Cities of Iran
Ettela’at:
1- EU: We’ll Protect Iran Nuclear Deal in Case of US Withdrawal
2- Iranian Girl Claims Asian Title in Indoor Championships
Iran:
1- Iran First VP: $12 Billion Worth of Foreign Lines of Credit (LCs) Opened
Javan:
1- ICT Minister: 3 Iranian Satellites to Be Sent to Orbit
2- US’ Growing Interference in Iran’s Internal Affairs: This Time on Issue of Hijab!
Jomhouri Eslami:
1- Europe to Bypass Iran’s Dollar Sanctions Using Euro-Based LCs
2- Famous American Psychologist: Trump Most Dangerous Man in World
Kayhan:
1- Where Were We Forty Years Ago, Where Are We Now?
- A Report on Achievements of Iran’s 1979 Revolution
2- Houthi Leader: Saudi Coalition’s Problem Is Yemen’s Resistance Forces Don’t Obey US, Israel
3- New Achievement of Western Lifestyle: Britain Appoints Minister of Loneliness
Khorasan:
1- Tehran Prosecutor: Judges Being Inspected Secretly
Resalat:
1- US No Longer Has Soft Power: Gallup Poll
Shargh:
1- Iran First VP: Ex-President Khatami Strongly Defended Islamic Establishment
2- Reports Confirmed: Quake-Hit Children Freeze to Death
“Tourism Regarded as World’s 3rd Contributor to Economy”
The head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) says tourism is regarded as the world’s “third economy” and that one out of 11 jobs belongs to the tourism sector.
“The government can create many jobs in the tourism sector with the minimum budget,” said Ali-Asghar Mounesan as quoted by the Persian-language Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
The official underscored that the tourism sector should be taken more seriously, adding, “The basics in this sector have not been fulfilled.”
Speaking in a meeting in the central city of Yazd, the minister said small businesses have been successful in the city.
“The tourism sector has created jobs even in the most remote areas,” he underlined.
Mounesan’s remarks came as the Iranian government plans to adopt new measures to attract 20 million foreign tourists annually in the near future.
He had earlier noted that according to the Sixth National Development Plan, the government intends to raise the number of foreign tourists from 5 million to 20 million per year.
The Iranian official underlined that attracting tourists from Europe, China, Turkey as well as neighbouring and Islamic countries is high on the agenda of Iran’s tourism plan.
Senior Commander Says IRGC’s Missile Cities Immune to Attacks
In comments at a television talk show on Saturday, General Salami said there are lots of missile cities at the IRGC’s disposal in Iran, which are very safe from the enemy attacks, including the conventional and unconventional offensives.
He also noted that the IRGC missiles are not stored in those facilities alone, but numerous missiles of various types could be fired at once from various places, given the type of threats.
The commander also noted that the missile power is only a portion of Iran’s defense capabilities, pointing to the major advances in the drone industry.
He further noted that the IRGC has detailed information about the US military capabilities and bases around the country, stressing that Iran considers the regional countries as being within the range of its strategic security.
His comments came a few days after Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri rejected any foreign interference in the country’s missile program, stressing that the Armed Forces will keep boosting defense capabilities and deterrent power.
“US Using India to Reinforce Military Build-up in Afghanistan”
Senior Iranian diplomat and political analyst Mohsen Pakaeen has, in a Farsi article in Jame Jam newspaper, weighed on Washington’s plan to have a stronger military presence in Afghanistan. The full text of the analytical piece follows.
One of the United States’ strategies during Reagan’s presidency and even after the former Soviet Union’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was to be present in the country. The plan was aimed at containing Russia, creating instability in Iran, interfering in Tehran’s internal affairs and blockading China. Accordingly, the US has, at different junctures, adopted different strategies with a common principle: a strong presence in Afghanistan.
At one point, the Americans created the Taliban and supported it. The US-backed Taliban established a rule in Mazar-i-Sharif. Nevertheless, from then on, the US decided to confront the terror group that the country had created itself due to the conflict of interests between the Taliban and Washington. Later on, the Taliban expanded its sphere of activities and turned into Al-Qaeda. In other words, they spread terrorism beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
Fast-forward to today. Although Donald Trump announced during his election campaign that he had no intention of increasing US presence in Afghanistan and that he would withdraw American troops from the country, he announced in his recently-published strategy that he intended to remain on the ground and boost the United States’ military presence in Afghanistan.
Based on the approval of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), all NATO troops were to pull out of Afghanistan by 2011, but it did not happen and the UN reneged on its commitment. Now that ISIS has been defeated in Syria and Iraq, the terrorist group is pursuing a new objective. Backed by the White House, ISIS has set its eyes on Afghanistan as its most immediate target. Some of the terrorists of the Takfiri group were transferred to Afghanistan even before the collapse of the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq, and began moving towards the north. They are fighting both the central government and the Taliban. But their objective is to keep moving towards the north and the republics of the former Soviet Union, namely Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
This is the danger threatening Central Asia. Washington seeks to use the US-backed ISIS as a lever to make President Ashraf Ghani and the Afghan government lean towards the United States. This comes as Afghan groups and former militants are not satisfied with Ghani’s performance. So, the new US strategy puts Washington next to New Delhi, prefers India to Pakistan, and seeks to have a stronger presence in Afghanistan with the help of India. In this very strategy, India has been asked to make more investment in Afghanistan in return for the assistance it [New Delhi] receives from the US. Based on the new strategy, the US’ presence in Afghanistan will, on the one hand, rein in China, which seeks to revive the Silk Road passing through Afghanistan. On the other hand, the US is supporting India, which has serious differences with Pakistan, in order to confront Islamabad further. Meanwhile, the White House continues pursuing the policy of containing Russia.
If we look at the region’s makeup, we will see that Russia, Pakistan and China are on the one side, and on the other side are the US and India, which intend to have a stronger presence in Afghanistan. Therefore, given Trump’s strategy, the US is likely to maintain its presence in Afghanistan and keep supporting ISIS. The US also seeks to continue its backing for Ashraf Ghani as long as he maintains his pro-Western policies.
US’ Reliance on Nukes Bringing Mankind Closer to Annihilation: Iran
In a tweet published on Saturday, Zarif wrote, “The US Nuclear Posture Review reflects greater reliance on nukes in violation of the NPT, bringing humankind closer to annihilation.”
He added that “No wonder the Doomsday Clock is at its most dangerous since 1953. Trump’s obduracy in killing the JCPOA [Iran nuclear deal] stems from the same dangerous imprudence.”
Zarif’s comments came after the latest Pentagon policy statement known as the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) was released on Friday showing greater willingness to use nukes.
The US military has proposed diversifying its nuclear arsenal and developing new, smaller atomic bombs, largely to counter Russia.
The document said the US will develop for deployment a “low-yield” nuclear warhead for submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
Low-yield weapons are smaller, less powerful bombs with a strength below 20 kilotonnes.
“Our strategy will ensure Russia understands that any use of nuclear weapons, however limited, is unacceptable,” the document said.
It is the first time since 2010 that the US military has outlined its perception of future nuclear threats.
However, critics have accused the Trump administration of challenging the spirit of the NPT.
Iran Intercepts 4 Foreign Boats, Arrests 16 Crew Members
General Abdollah Nazarpour, a local border commander, says Iranian coastguards have intercepted four suspected fishing boats in the country’s territorial waters off the southern province of Khuzestan.
“The four illegal vessels were seized in the waters in the north of the Persian Gulf near Abadan, and their 16 crew members were arrested,” he said on Saturday.
“Yesterday [Friday], [coast] guards with the Abadan flotilla who were patrolling Iran’s territorial waters grew suspicious of four fishing vessels and intercepted them for further investigation,” he said, a Farsi report by IRNA said.
According to the investigations, he said, the four vessels belong to a foreign country and had entered Iranian waters without legal permission.
“They were stopped by the coastguards of Abadan, and their 16 crew members were arrested as border trespassers and handed over to legal authorities,” he noted.
