Iran, South Africa Hold Business Forum in Pretoria

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October 23, 2017

Iran, South Africa Hold Business Forum in Pretoria

South Africa’s Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies and business managers of the two countries were also attending the Business Forum.

Zarif on Sunday arrived in the administrative capital city of South Africa at the head of a high-ranking political-economic delegation.

The visit is made at the invitation of his South African counterpart Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

South Africa is the first leg of Zarif’s tour of African nations. Zarif’s next stop will take him to Uganda, where he will address expanding of bilateral political and economic relations. The Uganda stay is also scheduled to witness inauguration of a 50-bed hospital financed by the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian foreign minister will finally fly to Niger to meet with the country’s top officials.

Two Sisters Playing Key Role in Promoting Rugby in Iran

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IFP Editorial Staff

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October 23, 2017

Fatemeh Noori is the world’s first Muslim woman referee to have judged the Asian rugby championships. Fatemeh and her sister, Zahra, who is the coach of the National Iranian Women’s Rugby Team, are both mothers now. Still, they are enthusiastically accompanying the national team along with their 7-month-old babies. Fatemeh and Zahra Noori, one of them an international referee and the other Iran’s national rugby team coach, rejuvenated women’s rugby in Iran in the 1980s. In a Farsi interview with the Iran daily newspaper, they have explained how their private lives and motherly love are tied to sports.

The elder sister says, “Zahra and I grew up with sports. We were brought up in a house where all family members were keen on sports. Our father was a football player of the 1950s. Our mother is interested in swimming and hiking. Our elder brother is a referee at the football premier league. Our younger brother is a football player and has also judged matches as a referee. So, this sports climate prevailing in our home helped us experience many fields of sports. But none of them satisfied us until we got familiar with rugby.

Women’s rugby in Iran is barely 13 years old while men began doing the sport years earlier. We treaded the path of professional sport step by step until it was announced in the 2008 Olympic Games that women can become referees as well. The decision would bring all dimensions of women’s rugby under the control of women. At that time, we had no woman referees in Iran. Due to my age, they suggested I judge the games rather than become a member of the rugby team. So, I became one of the first referees to judge rugby games in Iran. I was the only Iranian woman to receive an international referee’s license from the international federation.”

Fatemeh finally attended the Asia championships as a referee with the Islamic headscarf.

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Fatemeh says her child and that of her sister’s are just 12 days apart. Fatemeh says her sister and she began exercising just two and a half months after their deliveries, and that now they attend sports events with their children.

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Zahra Noori, the coach of the National Iranian Women’s Rugby Team, is the younger sister. The 32-year-old coach says:

“I’m happy to see my sister and I played a role in promoting women’s rugby in Iran over the past years. We have savoured the taste of failures and victories together. I felt that happiness so much during the Asian championships where I was a player of Iran’s national team and my sister was the referee. Fortunately, my husband was a member of the national rugby team, and later became its coach. Now, he is the secretary of the Iranian Rugby Association. At the moment, both of us are working together to help our baby son begin to set foot on the path of success.”

Iran President Congratulates Hungary on National Day

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IFP Editorial Staff

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October 23, 2017

In his Monday message, Rouhani offered his congratulations to President János Áder and the people of Hungary as they celebrate the anniversary of their independence on October 23.

Rouhani voiced Tehran’s strong support for joint efforts between the two sides aimed at further enhancement of relations and expansion of international cooperation in various fields.

He also wished continued health and success for the Hungarian president and felicity and prosperity for the country’s nation.

October 23 in Hungary is a memorial day of the 1956 Revolution, which aimed at the departure of the Soviet troops from Hungary and free elections. It is also the day of the proclamation of the Third Hungarian Republic (1989), and is celebrated as the country’s National Day.

FM Zarif Refutes Tillerson’s Remarks about Iran’s Regional Role

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IFP Editorial Staff

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October 22, 2017

Today even the closest allies of the US across the world stand publicly against and object to Washington’s policies towards the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as well as President Donald Trump’s efforts to continue reneging on US international commitments, a trend which gained momentum since he took office in January 2017, Zarif noted on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in South Africa at the head of a political-economic delegation, Zarif went on to say, “Unfortunately, the US officials don’t like to correct their wrong views after many years and accept the fact that Iran plays a key role in creating peace and stability in the region and fight against terrorism.”

The Iranian top diplomat further noted that the US needs to correct its wrong view as soon as possible.

The ISIS terrorist group would have established its states in Damascus, Baghdad and Erbil without the Islamic Republic of Iran’s sacrifices, particularly those by the Defenders of Shrine, he noted.

Zarif’s comments came a few hours after Tillerson said in a press conference in Saudi Arabia that Iranian military advisors in Iraq need to go home now that the fight against ISIS is coming to an end.

“The foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control,” Tillerson said.

He also warned European companies against doing business with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), saying they could face “great risk” from sanctions.

Iran’s Turan Park Home to Largest Asiatic Cheetah Population

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IFP Editorial Staff

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October 22, 2017

With a size of 1,400,000 hectares (14,000 km2), Khar Turan National Park is the largest biosphere reserve in Iran. It is also the second largest UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Experts believe the total number of Asiatic Cheetahs in the world is around 60, all of which are living in Iran, and most of them have been spotted in Khar Turan.

However, statistics indicate that 25 percent of these critically endangered cats have been killed in road crashes within the past 13 years.

Here are Mehr’s photos of the national park:

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Iran to Launch First Air Taxi Service in Two Months

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IFP Editorial Staff

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October 22, 2017

Iran to Launch First Air Taxi Service in Two Months

“For the first time ever, the required certificate has been issued for the operation of air taxi in Iran and Bojnourd Airport has already bought two planes to establish the country’s first air taxi service,” said Seyyed Mehdi Razzaz, the manager of Bojnourd Airport.

Speaking in a Farsi interview with IRNA, he added, “The purchase of the planes is being finalized and we hope that the first air taxi in Iran will become operational within the next two months after training some pilots.”

He also said the planes have a capacity for four passengers each and are expected to start their work by December.

“The air taxis will fly to other cities of the country and we expect a warm public welcome for the taxis,” he noted.

He further referred to the European air taxis and said such services have been warmly received there.

To make the project more cost-efficient, the Europeans are now creating small runaways instead of large ones, Razzaz added.

He also touched on the arrangements underway to train pilots for air taxis and said the first training centre has been established in the eastern region of Bojnourd.

So far five people have been trained in the centre, he noted, adding that “in this semester, 15 people, none of whom are from Bojourd, have registered to undergo the training and will take their practical classes in Bojnourd Airport.”

Iran Denounces Attack on Its Consulate in Erbil

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IFP Editorial Staff

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October 22, 2017

According to a statement by the Iranian Consulate General in Erbil, on Friday evening, when the Consulate General was closed, certain individuals with political motives attacked the Iranian mission in Erbil.

The Consulate General in its statement condemned the aggression, and rejected the notion that it was carried out by the Kurdish people.

“Undoubtedly, such moves have nothing to do with the honourable people of Erbil, who remember the brave battle of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) forces against the ISIS terrorist group,” the statement added, referring to Iran’s aid to Erbil when it was falling to the ISIS terrorists.

The consulate general also urged the authorities in the Kurdistan Region to fulfil their duty to protect diplomatic missions there, Tasnim reported.

The statement came as the Iraqi central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have been at loggerheads since the Kurds voted overwhelmingly for independence that Baghdad declared illegal.

The Iraqi Kurdistan Region went ahead with its plan to hold the referendum on September 25 although Iraq’s neighbours and countries in the Middle East, including Iran and Turkey, had voiced opposition to such a move and supported the Baghdad central government.

Tehran to Host Exhibition of Tony Cragg’s Artworks

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IFP Editorial Staff

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October 22, 2017

After two years of preparation, the first solo exhibition of Tony Cragg will open in Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts on October 24.

Speaking in a press conference in Tehran on Sunday, Cragg said he is pleased to be in Iran and expressed the hope that he will have a friendly and fruitful cooperation with the TMoCA.

He said a total of 60 sculptures and 140 works on paper will be shown in the exhibition, according to a Farsi report by Honar Online.

Cragg noted that the oldest work belongs to 1970 and the latest one to early 2017. However, he said he did not intend to put on display a review of his life-time works.

“Rather, what matters to me is to display my works in a country whose people know nothing about my art,” he added.

The exhibition “Tony Cragg: Roots & Stones” gives an extensive insight into the sculptural and graphic work of the artist living in Wuppertal. Tony Cragg was the first British artist invited to Iran for holding an exhibition of his works: this is a symbol of hope. The exhibition links a connection between the West and Iran beyond diplomatic difficulties.

Born in Liverpool in 1949, Tony Cragg is one of the most important contemporary sculptors. His sculptural oeuvre, in the early years of his career, takes up the impulses from his exploration of the English land art and the performance art, and is still convincing today by an immense wealth of surprising inventions and constellations. Cragg’s works are characterized by tireless research on the possibilities of form, material and surface design. For Cragg, the future is the search for the ideal combination of material and form.

As different as Cragg’s works appear at first glance, one still feels an inner kinship. The visitor is surprised by a universe with abstract, representational and figurative motifs. In addition, work on paper is exhibited, documenting the emergence processes from the shaping to the realization of the sculptures.

The TMoCA has the largest collection of contemporary art outside Europe and the USA. It gives an extensive overview of laminated, molded, milled and polished sculptures made of wood, glass, steel, bronze, plastic and ceramics.

Opened in 1977, TMoCA is widely recognized as one of the most important museums of contemporary art. The Iranian architect Kamran Diba has built an extensive building on a 7,000 m² site, which is surrounded by a magnificent sculpture garden with works by famous artists such as Henry Moore, Alberto Giacometti, Max Ernst and Parviz Tanavoli.

The opening of the exhibition will include a work by Tony Cragg: a marble sculpture created especially for the TMoCa will be presented to the public for the first time on October 24, and will then be displayed within the range of the two Henrymore sculptures.

The exhibition of Tony Cragg’s workds is the fifth exhibition project of Galerie Breckner in Iran. Since 2011, Till Breckner and Afshin Derambakhsh have been initiating international exhibition projects in Iran to support the understanding of cultures. The mainstay is a close cooperation with the TMoCA based on mutual trust. The focus of the exhibitions is always on art, as it allows the society to be informed about topics that are not in the focus of the public. After successful projects such as Günther Uecker – Injuries, Connections (2012), Otto Piene – Rainbow (2015) or Günther Uecker – Homage to Hafez (2016), the Gallery Breckner team is particularly pleased with the upcoming exhibition in Iran with Tony Cragg, according to its official website.

Iran’s Intelligence Forces Seize Cache of Weapons

By

IFP Media Wire

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October 22, 2017

The intelligence forces of the southern province of Kerman managed to seize the arms cache from the criminal rings in parts of the province of South Khorasan and the province of Sistan and Balouchestan.

The weapons include two handguns, five AK-47 machine guns, a grenade launcher, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher with 6 rockets, an SPG-9 gun, five 107mm rockets, 68 cartridges for the DShK (Dushka) machine gun, and 40 grenades.

A couple of months ago, the intelligence forces confiscated a cache of brand-new weapons from a drugs ring in the city of Saravan, southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan.

In addition to a 500-kg haul of opium seized in the operation, the intelligence forces had confiscated a remarkable amount of new arms and ammunition from the gang.

An Iranian official said the seizure reveals the close links between narcotics trafficking and terrorism.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the link between terrorism and drugs trafficking is evident and has been recognized by the UN Security Council.

There have been numerous accounts identifying a linkage between drugs and terrorist networks that take multiple different forms, ranging from facilitation, protection, transportation, and taxation, to direct trafficking by the terrorist organizations itself in order to finance its activities, UN reports say.

Blue Mosque of Tabriz: Magnificence of 15th-Century Architecture

By

Fatemeh Askarieh

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October 22, 2017

Blue Mosque was constructed in 1465 upon the order of Jahan Shah, the ruler of Kara Koyunlu. It was severely damaged in an earthquake in 1779, leaving only the iwan (entrance hall).

Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization is now renovating the beautiful mosque, preparing it for tourists who will be visiting the city of Tabriz, the capital of Muslim world in 2018.

Here are Mizan’s photos of the Blue Mosque:

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