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Iran to Shine in 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia: Italian Website

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran to Shine in 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia: Italian Website

It seems the national teams of Iran and Mexico could grab the world’s attentions during the tournament because as experts say, the two teams have good players with high technical abilities, a report by Drive Sportive Radio said.

Iranian national football team managed to open its way to the world tournament as the second team after Brazil. While Iran does not have a good record in world cup tournaments, it is the winner of three Asian cups.

Under Carlos Queiroz, the Iranian national team have had a good performance over the past years. One of the main young players of the team is Sardar Azmoun who plays as a forward for the Russian club Rubin Kazan. He has already scored 20 goals for the Iranian national team. If Iran has a good chance to fall in a relatively average group, the country’s national team can gain the title of the “Wild Card” of FIFA World Cup 2018.

With the FIFA World Cup 2018 expected to be held in Russia in 2018 in the coming summer, many football fans have already begun to predict the results of the plays and the performances of the teams participating in the world tournament.

Russia had once hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1980. The tournament is set to open on June 14 in Moscow. 32 national football teams are taking part in this tournament, and the final game is set to be held on July 15.

Iran, Russia Discuss Syria Crisis in Moscow

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran, Russia Discuss Syria Crisis in Moscow

Jaberi Ansari on Tuesday conferred with Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Syrian Affairs, Alexander Lavrentiev, on the Syria crisis and ways to end the conflict in the Arab country.

During the meeting, which was held at the Russian Defence Ministry, they also talked about the latest efforts and initiatives of the three guarantor states of Astana Process – Iran, Russia, and Turkey – to de-escalate the ongoing tension and resolve the Syria crisis.

Earlier in the day, Jaberi Ansari also met his Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov.

Iran, Russia Discuss Syria Crisis in MoscowDuring the meeting, the head of Iran’s delegation to Astana Talks and the Russian official, who is Putin’s special representative for the Middle East, discussed the latest developments in the region and the cooperation between the two countries to resolve the Syrian crisis.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011.

Diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria gained momentum in 2017 with the announcement of a ceasefire in the Arab country in early January.

Iran, Russia, and Turkey have initiated a series of peace talks, known as Astana Process, to end more than six years of war in Syria. The 7th round of the peace talks began in the Kazakh capital of Astana on October 30.

The fourth round of the talks in May produced a memorandum of understanding on de-escalation zones in Syria, sharply reducing fighting in the country.

During the sixth round of Astana talks in September, Iran, Russia and Turkey agreed on a deal to establish and patrol a de-escalation zone in Syria’s northern Idlib province. In early October, Turkey deployed tanks and military vehicles on its Syrian border, building up military presence in Idlib.

According to a report by the Syrian Centre for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

Iran’s Beauties in Photos: Aynaloo Protected Zone

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The protected zone has been registered as a biosphere reserve in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

It has special and valuable herbs and animals, and natural, recreational and training tourist attractions.

Aynaloo area is a very small district of Arasbaran Protected Zone, which has an areas of 80 thousand hectares.

The nature of this area is very beautiful and glamorous and motivates every visitor. Its most outstanding feature is the intactness of its nature.

It dates back to the ice age and is one of the rich ecosystems on earth. This area is covered by forest, steppe and other vegetation.

Aynaloo is a mountainous and lush forest area with marvellous nature and in its surroundings, there are tens of hectares of forest which have been fenced by the Department of Environment.

Here are ISNA’s photos of the protected zone:

“Schools Destroyed in Iran Earthquake to Be Reconstructed Soon”

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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“Schools Destroyed in Iran Earthquake to Be Reconstructed Soon”

Education Minister Mohammad Bat’haee has expressed deep sorrow over the Sunday night’s deadly earthquake in western Iran, saying the temblor has inflicted heavy damage on schools, especially in Kermanshah province.

He went on to say a total of 22 schools have been destroyed, a Farsi report by ICANA said.

The minister added several aging schools with “low resistance’ in Ilam and Kurdistan provinces also run the risk of collapsing and, hence, cannot be used by students.

He vowed immediate efforts to reconstruct the destroyed schools and provide educational facilities for the affected areas.

“After surveying the damage, we will set aside a special budget for the immediate reconstruction of schools, so that the education of students, especially those in Kermanshah, will not be disrupted,” the minister added.

He said connexes will be used as makeshift classrooms for students before schools are rebuilt.

Hariri’s Interview Just Like Confession under Torture: Analyst

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Hariri’s Interview Just Like Confession under Torture: Analyst

Sabah Zanganeh, an expert on Arab world issues and the former Iranian envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has, in an article, weighed in on the developments surrounding Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri’s suspicious resignation and his recent interview with Future TV.

The highlights of the analytical piece follow.

Saad Hariri’s interview was a confession under torture. In most parts of his comments, Hariri supported the Saudi king and crown prince. The rest of his remarks was allocated to accusing Iran and Hezbollah. Hariri drank three glasses of water in the minutes-long interview, which indicated he was under stress. The Lebanese premier looked as if he had suffered from sleep deprivation for hours and probably days. Given how Hariri looked during the interview, Saudi Arabia cannot clearly deny having put him under pressure.

During his interview, Hariri was somehow calmer than when he was announcing his resignation. It should be noted that Hariri had been weak at using the Arab literature since long ago, which was completely clear in his interview with al-Mustaqbal (Future TV). Some of the words as well as the colloquial Arabic language he used were imperfect, but the text of his resignation included a stronger and better language. This shows the text of Hariri’s resignation statement had not been written by him. Anyway, in order to put into effect the scenario they have prepared for Lebanon, the Saudis needed that interview. To all appearances, Hariri must have been under pressure and detention till now.

[As for Riyadh’s call for an emergency meeting by the Arab League, the analyst said] The Arab League holding a meeting at Saudi Arabia’s request will reveal Lebanon’s expulsion from the league. In other words, by convening the extraordinary meeting, Saudi Arabia intends to build a regional consensus and an Arab coalition to invoke new sanctions on Lebanon. However, disarray within the Arab league shows such a meeting is unlikely to be held. The secretary general of the Arab League has talked with Egyptian officials about that, and Cairo has expressed its opposition to it. From this perspective, countries such as Algeria, Egypt and probably Kuwait will oppose the expulsion of Lebanon from the Arab League.

As for Hariri’s return to Lebanon, I should say it seems unlikely that Saudi Arabia will easily allow him to go back to his country. Riyadh’s saying that Hariri’s brother would be a good replacement for him shows the full extent of Saudi Arabia’s interference and of disagreement between Hariri and Riyadh. On the other hand, Hariri says his life is in danger, and on the other, announces he will return to Lebanon. The contradiction in his words together with his unstable behaviour proves that Riyadh has full control over him. All in all, the elimination of Hezbollah from Lebanon’s political arena could be regarded as the main scenario.

How Much Iraqis Spend to Host Arba’een Pilgrims

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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How Much Iraqis Spend to Host Arba’een Pilgrims

There may be only one single road in the world whose regular pedestrians walk along it with “love”: The road from Najaf to Karbala, Iraq’s two holy cities, is filled with kindness and human sympathy.

Most of the Iraqis living in the roadside houses share their homes with the pilgrims to make up for the shortages that their country is suffering from when it comes to hosting foreign pilgrims. During Arba’een ceremony, the house owners personally meet the pilgrims walking along the Najaf-Karbala road and invite them to their homes for a rest.

How Much Iraqis Spend to Host Arba’een PilgrimsAccording to a Farsi report by ISNA, most Iraqis living in the two cities of Najaf and Karbala save the salaries of only three months of each year for their own. They save the salaries of the remaining months for hosting Arba’een pilgrims.

The average cost of hosting these pilgrims for each Iraqi citizen is from 2 to 25 million Iraqi dinar (about $1,700 to $21,500) depending on their salary. They believe that with hosting the pilgrims, their income becomes blessed.

Mohammad Majid Shamekh is 46 years old. His house is located in Karbala. He works in a greenhouse. When Arba’een pilgrims start their trek to the holy shrine of the third Shiite Imam, he shares his two-storey house with them and each member of his family begins to offer services to the pilgrims. His daughters bake breads for the pilgrims and his wife does the cooking. He annually spends over $25,000 to host Arba’een pilgrims.

How Much Iraqis Spend to Host Arba’een PilgrimsHamed Nessari is 35 years old and lives in Karbala. He has several trucks and uses them during Arba’een ceremony to host the pilgrims along Najaf-Karbala road. He spends from $6,000 to $7,000 annually to host Arba’een pilgrims.

Majid Shamekh and Hamed Nessari are not alone in hosting Arba’een pilgrims. There are lots of Iraqis who spend their time and money to host the pilgrims. They don’t care about the identity or origin of the pilgrims. The door of their houses are open to all pilgrims regardless of their nationality or identity. The only thing that matters for them is that the pilgrims are taking step in one single road and destination:  Love.

Here is a video of the way some Iraqi people host their guests during Arba’een:

 











Iran, Singapore to Expand Ties in Investment, Tourism

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In a meeting with Singaporean ambassador to Tehran, Chairman of Tehran City Council, Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, called for further expansion of cooperation between the two sides in creating an appropriate ground to attract further foreign investments and tourists.

According to a Farsi report by Hamshari news website, Hashemi also said exchange of experiences in urban development between Iran and Singapore is of great significance.

He also expressed hope the two sides could establish good cooperation in building hotels and develop transportation routes in Iran. “We also hope Iran and Singapore could have good cooperation in long-term investments and financing.”

The chairman of Tehran City Council called for further exchange of tourists and added due to the international sanctions on Iran before 2016, “we still have some problems in offering banking services to foreign tourists which need to be resolved by close banking cooperation between Iranian banks affiliated with Tehran municipality and Singaporean banks.”

The meeting was also attended by a number of Tehran City Council’s members.

Majid Farahani from the Budget Commission of the council said during the meeting that Tehran Municipality is interested in expanding its international ties. “Singapore has a good record in attracting foreign tourists and we can take advantage of the country’s experience in this field.”

He also added Iranian officials have allocated at least one billion dollars to making Tehran smart.

Elham Fakhari, another member of the council, said “we are looking for creative ways to resolve urban problems and Singapore has good experiences in this field.”

Hassan Khalilabadi called Singapore a successful country in urban management and expressed hope that Iran could establish good cultural relations with the Asian country.

 

Singapore Ready to Cooperate with Iran

For his part, Singaporean Ambassador to Tehran, Ong Keng Yong, said managing a highly populated city like Tehran is highly difficult. “But the comprehensive structure of Tehran City Council is capable enough to cope with the task.”

He referred to the transportation problems in Iran and said by establishing close cooperation with the people, Iranian officials can take long steps in resolving the urban problems.

The ambassador finally expressed his country’s readiness to share urban experiences with the Iranian officials.

Iraq to Postpone Saudi Crown Prince’s Visit to Baghdad: Report

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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bin salman-haider al abadi

The Arabi 21 news website has quoted the source as saying that Baghdad for now cannot host the Saudi crown prince given the current regional conditions.

According to a Farsi report by Tasnim, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had invited Bin Salman to visit Baghdad in his recent visit to Saudi Arabia, and the visit was planned to be made this month.

Senior Iraqi parliamentarian Jassem Jafar, who is close to PM Abadi, says that the recent developments in Saudi Arabia, the region and Lebanon, particularly the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, have complicated the situation.

Given the sour relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, he said, the visit of Bin Salman to Baghdad may harm the Iraqi interests in future.

“Iraq wants to remain independent and not to support any side and the time is naturally not ripe for the Saudi crown prince’s visit unless the results of the current developments will become clear,” he added.

Jafar further noted that Iraq will definitely postpone the visit, because it cannot welcome a person who is strongly opposed to Iran and Hezbollah and even certain parties in Iraq.

Bin Salman is trying to visit certain regional states to establish warm relations with them and enjoy their support in future, he said.

However, he added, the situation in the Middle East is complicated and Saudi Arabia has been taking tough stances on Iran and the Lebanese Resistance Movement Hezbollah.

Iran’s Velayati Dismisses Hariri’s Remarks about Their Meeting in Beirut

By
IFP Media Wire
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Velayati-Saad Hariri

Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Tuesday, Velayati pointed to his meeting with Hariri in Beirut one day before his shock resignation and said despite Hariri’s claims, the talks were not “tough, violent or involving threats”.

“Mr. Hariri said that during the meeting he had with me, he called on (Iran) not to interfere in the internal affairs of Lebanon,” Velayati said, adding that Hariri did not make such remarks at all.

It became clear that his remarks have been made under the influence of Saudis, who are not willing to see Lebanon in peace, having friendly relations with Iran, the top official said.

Velayati also said that in the meeting, Hariri tried to play the role of a mediator between Tehran and Riyadh.

He expressed the hope that Hariri would return to his post soon.

Hariri, announced his resignation in a televised statement from Riyadh on November 4, citing many reasons, including the security situation in Lebanon.

He also said he sensed a plot being hatched against his life. Hariri blamed interference in Lebanon by Iran and Hezbollah Resistance Movement for his decision to quit, an allegation the two have repeatedly denied.

Reports say the Saudi regime had ordered Hariri to resign in an effort to destabilize Lebanon.

Saad Hariri is the son of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005. Hariri has also been the leader of the Future Movement party since 2005.

He became prime minister in 2016 after serving another term between November 2009 and June 2011.

Iranian Food Recipes: Celery Stew with Rice

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Celery Stew with Rice

The stew is served with rice and takes a relatively long time to be prepared.

Here is how it is made:

Ingredients:

250 grams of chopped meat

250 grams of celery

200 grams of chopped mint and parsley (parsley 150 g, mint 50 g)

1 medium-sized onion

20 grams of butter

Verjuice as much as needed

Salt, pepper, and turmeric as much as needed

Recipe:

Celery Stew with RiceChop the onion and sauté until translucent and then add turmeric. Add the chopped meat and sauté on low heat until they turn brown a little. If the heat is too high the meat will not be tender. Now add 2 to 3 cups of boiling water to the mixture to cook.

Fry the vegetables, but be careful not to fry too much because it gets bitter. Now sauté the celery a little. It should be kept in mind that it must be done with low temperature so that the celery would not become stiff.

After 1 to 1.5 hours when the meat is rather cooked, you must add vegetables and celery to it, and give both meat and celery enough time to cook well.

After one hour, meat and celery are probably cooked. Of course, at this stage, taste the celery, if it is not tender, you must wait more.

When the celery is cooked, add salt, pepper, verjuice, and if you like, a few dried plums.

Now the stew is ready to serve. Bon appétit

Notes:

  • Use thin, young celery stalks to cook well and soften.
  • The vegetables must be fried well, but it’s better to taste it every now and then not to become bitter.
  • The more sautéed onion you add, the tastier your stew will be.
  • If you use lamb, you can add vegetables and celery immediately after pouring water since the lamb become tender soon. But if you use veal, be sure to cook it one hour and then add the rest of the ingredients.
  • The more time you give to the stew to cook on a medium heat, the more delicious food you get at the end.
  • Add the verjuice slowly and taste it so that your stew does not get too sour.
  • Celery Stew with Rice
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