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Iranian, Russian Diplomats Discuss Regional Issues in Moscow

In the Friday meeting, which was held at the Russian Foreign Ministry building and lasted three hours, the two sides discussed the latest developments in Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Palestine, and also the Syrian National Dialogue Congress.

At the beginning of the meeting, Bogdanov told reporters, “The situation in the Middle East and North Africa region is developing dynamically. Complex processes are unfolding in the area; sometimes they are very controversial.”

Therefore, he added, it is very interesting and important for Russia to exchange views, considerations and predictions with its Iranian partners and friends.

Touching upon the significance of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, the senior Russian diplomat added, “The presidents, foreign ministers and their deputies next to other officials of the two countries, maintain very close contacts and coordination and it reflects the strong ties between the two countries.”

In turn, Jaberi Ansari said at the beginning of the meeting that the high level of Tehran-Moscow relations and cooperation, as well as the speed and depth of the developments in the region and the world, have made diplomatic talks and consultations of the two countries a necessity at short intervals.

The senior assistant to Iran’s foreign minister further emphasized, “Today, we would discuss the whole regional developments, particularly those in Iraq, Libya, Palestine, Syria and Yemen.”

Jaberi Ansari also referred to the war and siege on Yemen and the massacre of the Yemeni people in such situation and called for a serious dialogue to help end the cruel war against Yemenis.

“The occupation of Palestine and the Jerusalem al-Quds crisis, which has lasted for decades and has escalated with the recent moves of the United States and the Israeli regime, is another important issue that will be raised in our talks today,” noted Jaberi Ansari.

The Iranian top diplomat also pointed out that the issue of Syria also constitutes an important part of consultations, saying that tomorrow these talks would continue at the Sochi tripartite Summit with Russian and Turkish partners who are part of Asatana Talks as well.

“Given the vast potentialities of Iran and Russia, these consultations can help resolve the current crises in the Arab region and restore peace and stability to this region of the world,” he added.

Furthermore, he stressed the need for continued Russian-Iranian cooperation in the area of fight against terrorism, adding that cooperation between the two countries in fight against terrorism will be continued with great seriousness.

Photo of Iranian Man Supplicating for Rain Goes Viral

The photo by Mojtaba Gorgi depicts the grief of people in Birjand showing a man hugging a lamb while crying for rain.

In the cities of Birjand in South Khorasan and Zabol in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province religious services have been held in a bid to end the dry spell and ease the strain on Iran’s dwindling water supplies.

According to the photographer, since the old days, it was necessary to separate lambs from their mothers while praying for rain.

“The rationale behind the move is to ask God to show mercy and pour rain for the sake of the innocence of these lambs. So, when I went to the prayers, I saw some people bringing their lambs.” said Gorgi in a Farsi interview with IRNA.

He went on to say that when these animals were separated from the mother, they were making a sound like moaning during the rain prayers.

“On the other hand, people themselves were crying for rain asking for God’s mercy. The man you see in the photo was one of the people who had brought a lamb.”

Gorgi noted that the people of South Khorasan are very religious people, and whenever they have prayed for rain, God has showed them mercy.

He also pointed out that once it started to snow after such prayers; therefore, it has turned into a ritual among the people of Birjand to hold such ceremony once or twice a year.

Photos from Qaen, another city in South Khorasan, and Zabol in Sistan and Baluchestan posted by IRNA also show citizens praying together for rain in the deserts.

Reports say that rainfall in the South Khorasan province has fallen by 81 percent from a year ago, placing the province among the regions with the least rainfall in the country.

South Khorasan is home to many farmers who are being directly affected by the drought and water shortages.

Iran’s Deputy Energy Minister, Rahim Meidani, warned over the weekend that the decline in rainfall is unprecedented in the last 50 years.

Meidani also mentioned that if this continues, the ministry will have problems in the field of power generation from hydroelectric power plants at the summer peak.

Meidani said on January 14 that precipitation was only normal in Ardebil in the northwest and Golestan in the north.

According to Iran’s meteorological organization Iran has experienced a 56-percent decrease in average precipitation over the period from September 23 to December 25 compared to the same period in the long run.

Moreover, nearly 96 percent of Iran’s total area is suffering from different levels of prolonged drought.

Experts cite a number of factors for the water shortages in Iran, including climate change, and wasteful agriculture practices.

Following you can find the photos of the rituals retrieved from IRNA:

Iran Approves Strategic Plan for Passive Defence of Genetic Resources

The document of the strategic plan, which was approved in 20 articles on Thursday, is aimed at protecting and preserving the country’s genetic resources, and contributing to promotion of food, health, and economic security of the country against potential threats and biological dangers.

According to a Farsi report by ISNA, the plan was passed during the 23rd session of the Committee of Iran’s Passive Defence, which was chaired by Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Major General Mohammad Baqeri. Brigadier General Gholam-Reza Jalali, the head of Iran’s Passive Defence Organization, and the members of the Committee also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, General Baqeri underlined the necessity of protecting the country’s biological and genetic resources by taking national interests and preservation of the country’s biological assets into consideration. He said this important inter-organisational issue must be protected by the country’s passive defence strategy.

Iran Standing Firm against Israeli Regime: Gen. Soleimani

Iran Detects 40 Americans Involved in General Soleimani’s Assassination

Speaking in a ceremony on Thursday, Major General Qassem Soleimani said, “In addition to its forces inside the country, Iran has other soldiers in other areas [outside the country] who have stopped this enemy (Israel).”

The top commander said Iran’s fight against terrorists in Syria could also be regarded as part of a move to stop the Israeli regime.

“They ask why we put up a fight in Syria. Well, because a deviant and impudent regime like the Zionist regime [of Israel], which is in possession of more than 300 nuclear warheads and has adopted a preemptive war strategy, would destroy and bombard whatever capability before it is actualized,” said the senior commander, as quoted by the Persian-language Mehr News Agency.

General Soleimani said the resistance front’s victory over Takifiri terrorist currents in Iraq and Syria was a triumph for all people around the world as well as for the regional people and Iranians.

He touched upon Iran’s fight against US-backed terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, adding Iran is strong enough to stand up to the enemy outside the country as well.

“We are strong outside the country, too, and we have thwarted all enemy plots, and, by God’s grace, will continue to do so,” general Soleimani noted.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the top commander said Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani being placed on Washington’s list of sanctioned individuals is a source of pride for Iran as the imposition of sanctions against Amoli Larijani shows he has been defending the Islamic Republic’s establishment.

The top general also reacted to some rioters setting fire to the Iranian flag during the recent chaos and unrest in the country.

“I wish they would have set me ablaze ten times instead of the flag,” said the senior commander.

He underlined that many people have been martyred and sacrificed their lives in order to keep the Iranian flag hoisted.

Hamas Chief Appreciates Iran’s Support for Palestine

Supreme Leader of Iran

In his letter Haniyeh has referred to the dimensions of the plot of arrogant (powers) against the holy Quds and the Palestinian people, which is aimed at overthrowing Gaza as a fortress of resistance and also ending the fight against the occupying regime to normalise the ties of regional rulers with the occupiers.

“With a massive Intifada in the West Bank and the holy Quds, God willing, we will neutralize the conspiracy of the tyrant of the time (Trump) and the plots of hypocrite rulers in the far and near capitals (who are seeking) to put an end to the Palestinians’ cause,” he added.

In this letter, Haniyeh has sent the greeting of the commanders and the fighters of the Hamas movement and all the people of Palestine to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Iranian nation, calling the Iranians genuine people who live in a stable, strong and anti-arrogance country.

He has added that all the Palestinians appreciate the firm stance of the Islamic Republic on Palestine and Jerusalem al-Quds that supports the popular resistance of Palestine in different ways.

Hamas leader further referred to the dangerous conspiracies that are organised against the Islamic Ummah, and in particular the holy Quds, to destroy the foundations of resistance.

“Although these conspiracies were clear to us from the past times, this fact became more touchable in the recent months and days and after the Riyadh conference and Trump’s statements, who described Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas as his enemies while insisting on his Zionist attitude towards Quds in recognizing the city as the capital of Jews.”

Haniyeh further proclaimed the US’ recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of the Zionist regime as a step towards removing the obstacles facing the regional rulers to form Arab-Israeli alliances to disarm the resistance movement.

He has also hailed the great role of the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of the project to defeat the Palestinian cause.

Haniyeh also reiterated that the resistance movement would never let the conspiracy of Trump come to a conclusion.

These Unique Nano Buildings Can Protect You during Earthquake

An Iranian expert has been the first in the world to have devised a system to construct earthquake-proof buildings in less than 24 hours.

Nasser Saebi developed the system years ago and had it registered in the Untied States. His invention also received the ICC certificate, reports the Persian-language Tasnim News Agency.

For the first time in the world, the Iranian inventor used nanotechnology to make materials which were the main building blocks of extremely inexpensive, light, quake-proof and fire-resistant administrative and residential buildings.

Saebi is known as the first inventor in the world to have developed a completely new system to set up quake-resistant structures. His invention has been practically and successfully applied in many countries around the world.

The structures have unique specifications; they are:

  1. light; air makes up around 95.8 percent of the materials used in the structures.
  2. heat- and sound-proof
  3. quake- resistant
  4. 100% recyclable (environmentally-friendly)
  5. resistant to storms
  6. capable of being designed and erected in any form or shape
  7. capable of being set up very quickly

The system developed by Saebi is applicable in all weather conditions. They are portable as well.

One such building was successfully set up in the United States back in 2004.

He also set up a house in Mexico three weeks before a strong earthquake struck in 2010. The structure was able to withstand the 7.2-magnitude temblor.

Nanotechnology has had, and will have a great impact on all industries worldwide through improving the existing products and creating new ones.

According to the data released by Iran’s Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology, Iranian universities and research institutes have conducted over 3,300 nanotechnology-related doctoral dissertations and more than 16,000 master’s theses.

By 2016, Iranian researchers have also published 8,246 articles in the field of nanotechnology, which puts the Islamic Republic at the 6th place in the world ranking of nanotechnology ISI articles after China, the US, India, South Korea, and Germany.

Iran’s Tabriz to Host Car Rally for Women from Muslim Countries

The head of the Iranian Motorcycle and Automobile Federation says Tabriz will play host to a car rally for women from Islamic countries as the city, the capital of the northwestern Iranian province of East Azarbaijan, has been designated as the tourism capital of Islamic countries in 2018.

“Consultations have been held with the world federation, and the contests will be held in the city of Tabriz in September, 2018,” said Mohammad Seidanloo in an interview with the Persian-language Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

He said the government has allocated pieces of land for building cross and off-road tracks.

The official said car rally tracks will be built on the land in cooperation with municipalities and the private sector supported by state funds.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Seidanloo said Iran is planning to attend the Asia motorcross rally in 2018.

“Planning has been made to take part in the drift, carting and drag contests, so that our sportsmen will be able to take part in international competitions as well,” he said.

The official noted Iran is also making the necessary coordination to host a rally event in the Middle East in 2018.

Israel Seeks to Create Chaos in Lebanon for Own Interests: Iran President

In a meeting with speaker of Lebanon’s parliament in Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani praised the Lebanese nation for its success to thwart a divisive plot hatched by the enemies.

“Undoubtedly, the Zionists benefit from creation of rift and division in Lebanon,” the president said, adding, “They thought they could keep terrorism and Daesh (ISIL) terrorists in this region for a long time.”

He also reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to helping the Lebanese government and nation in countering the Zionist regime’s aggression.

For his part, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri lauded Iran for backing the Arab country’s resistance against the Israeli enemy, saying Iran has also played a positive role in the settlement of regional crises.

Berri is in Tehran for the 13th conference of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States (PUIC).

Tehran has always voiced support for stability and peace in Lebanon. Even following Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s snap resignation in November 2017 and his harsh criticism of Iran, Rouhani stressed the need for peace and stability in Lebanon and joint efforts to foil hostile plots.

52 People Killed in Kazakhstan Bus Fire (+Video)

The bus was travelling along a road in Kazakhstan’s north-western Aktau region that links the Russian city of Samara to Shymkent, a city in southern Kazakhstan close to the Uzbek border.

It was unclear in which direction the bus had been travelling, but the route is widely used to transport Uzbek migrant workers to and from Russia where they often work on building sites.

57 people were on board, all of whom are believed to be Uzbek nationals.

Only five people managed to escape the burning vehicle, the interior ministry’s emergencies department said on Thursday.

The ministry said the apparent accident had happened at 10.30am local time (0430 GMT), but provided no details about its cause.

A photograph posted online from the site showed the bus completely burnt out, Reuters reported.

Video footage also showed it positioned diagonally across a two-lane road in the middle of a snow-covered steppe, in flames and emitting heavy black smoke.

OIC Lawmakers Blast Trump’s al-Quds Bid as Threat to World Peace

“We consider this measure as a threat to the international peace and security and an all-out violation of the unalienable rights of the Palestinian nation and a futile measure which distressed Muslims, Christians and all the free-thinking human beings across the world,” the 13th Session of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said in its final statement issued in Tehran on Wednesday.

In December 2017, Trump said Washington was recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel and planning to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.

Washington’s dramatic U-turn on Jerusalem al-Quds drew global condemnations, prompting the UN General Assembly to overwhelmingly approve a resolution against Trump’s declaration.

The entire Jerusalem al-Quds is currently under Israel’s control, while the regime also claims the city’s eastern part, which hosts the third holiest Muslim site.

The city, which Palestinians want as the capital of their future state, has been designated as “occupied” under international law since the 1967 Arab War.

The OIC parliamentarians expressed support for the Palestinian nation and their resistance movement in all forms as long as the Palestinian people’s right to return to their homeland and form an independent government with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital has not been restored.

The statement called on the Inter-Parliamentary Union to revoke the membership of Israel’s Knesset as a punitive measure for the regime’s violation of international law.

The Muslim lawmakers also condemned Trump’s “racist” statements against the people of color and his efforts to link Islam to global terrorism, expressing concern over divisive measures which create misperception among different civilizations and religions.

The OIC legislators also expressed concern over the grave humanitarian crisis in Yemen and underlined the need for efforts to find a political solution for the crisis and expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of the country.

The statement also slammed the blatant violation of the rights of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority. It urged the government of the country to immediately put an end to the atrocities and respect the fundamental human rights and freedoms of all without any racial and religious discrimination.

The Muslim parliamentarians also called on the OIC governments to establish a new economic system based on Islamic unity and lay the groundwork for promotion of financial and economic ties among all the member states.