Numerous Iranian pilgrims visit the Iranian hospital in Mecca every day, receiving services from over 570 doctors and specialists, nurses, pharmacy technicians, hospital staff as well as laboratory, radiology, and dentistry personnel.
Here are IRNA’s photos of the hospital and its staff:
If you are interested in off-road driving, you can experience it by setting off a journey to Mamarz Lake through a byway.
Throughout most days of the year, the virgin ecosystem of the lake is covered with fog and non-stop far sounds of wild animals. Add to the scene, the presence of dried out trees in the lake making it more and more closer to what is called the Ghosts Lake.
With a length of 700 metres and width of 300 metres, the lake is very attractive. Due to its unique scene and rare beauty, it has been registered as a natural heritage.
One of the main features of Mamarz Lake which attracts the visitors’ attentions is the remains of some old trees in the middle of the lake. They are known as dead trees. As a part of the lake’s nature, the scene contributes to the horrible nature of the lake.
The lake is located in the middle of an eye-catching forest near Nowshahr, which the visitors can enjoy along with the lake’s nature.
Here are photos of the lake retrieved from the Karnaval.ir website:
Jalil Rahimi Jahan-Abadi, the head of the International Affairs Committee of the Iranian Parliament’s Judicial and Legal Commission, has weighed in on the reports that two women could possibly be picked as Iran’s ambassadors overseas.
“Running an embassy is an intellectual work, not a manual job, and it’s been centuries that physical power has no determining role in humans’ affairs,” he said, according to a Farsi report by ICANA.
“The power of thinking is something which runs today’s world, and, intellectually speaking, women are no less than men and can easily handle complex affairs in today’s world.”
The Iranian lawmaker stressed that women hold key positions in many countries.
“In many countries, presidents, prime ministers and parliament speakers are women. Women in many countries have made their presence felt on the international stage and have discharged their professional responsibilities well,” said the lawmaker.
He touched upon the presence of Marzieh Afkham at Iran’s embassy in Malaysia and added, “Given the success of Ms. Afkham in Iran’s embassy in Malaysia, the Iranian foreign minister must consider choosing more women ambassadors.”
Ambassadors Should Also Be Chosen from Sunni Community
The MP expressed hope that two more woman ambassadors will be designated by the Foreign Ministry.
“Of course, if one of the women is a Sunni, we will have killed two birds with one stone: we have chosen both a woman and a person from religious minorities, which will help promote national interests,” he added
“The presence of women in domains of activities such as embassies can be very effective because embassy activities are analytical work. … Women are not incapable of handling complex issues, and I believe more women can be designated as ambassadors, and I can tell you confidently that women can be successful.”
The first vice-speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Massoud Pezeshkian, has stressed that the Parliament intends to make considerable effort to shore up those involved in domestic handwoven carpet industry.
According to a Farsi report by ICANA, he further called for the identification of new export markets to increase overseas sales of Iranian handwoven carpets.
Pezeshkian made the remarks in a meeting with the head of Iran National Carpet Centre (INCC), Hamid Kargar, on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the 26th Iran Handmade Carpet Exhibition – the biggest of its kind worldwide – in Tehran on August 23.
Given that the demand for handwoven carpets in global markets is limited, efforts are required to create or identify new markets to boost exports of Iranian carpets, he added.
Pezeshkian put the current total global demand for handwoven carpets at $1.3 billion, expressing satisfaction with the fact that Iran has always been the world’s top producer of handmade carpets, followed by India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Nepal, and China.
“In the first decade of the 21st century, Iran’s annual handwoven carpet exports stood at $500m. Unfortunately, following the intensification of the sanctions by the US, the figure decreased to $300 million due to fluctuations in domestic forex market, increased price of raw materials, internal problems of a number of Arab states and the European countries’ economic recession.”
The MP said however, Iran’s handmade carpet exports have witnessed growth again after the going into effect of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – signed between Iran and the P5+1, and the removal of the western sanctions targeting the country’s carpet industry.
He put Iran’s handwoven carpet exports at $350 million in the 12-month period ending March 2017.
The 26th Iran Handmade Carpet Exhibition will be open to visitors until August 29.
In a Farsi interview with ICANA, the vice-chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s Judiciary Commission, Yahya Kamalipour, threw his weight behind granting Iranian nationality to the children born to an Iranian mother and a non-Iranian father.
“Although the Parliament earlier put aside a bill set forth by the government on the nationality of the children born to an Iranian mother and a non-Iranian father, we are seeking to put together a comprehensive plan,” he said.
He went on saying that the lawmakers have done their utmost to provide the mentioned children with a single nationality.
“This means that it is up to the children themselves to obtain a dual nationality if they like,” he added.
He emphasized that the Iranian Parliament will not put any effort into granting dual nationality to the children and said the bill set forth by the government is too general.
“So, we the lawmakers have decided to develop a detailed plan drawing on the government’s bill to tackle the current problems in this field,” he said.
The lawmaker added unfortunately some people have married non-Iranian immigrants without going through the legal and civil regulations.
“This has left their children without any clear identity,” he said, adding that’s why the lawmakers are now working on a plan to remove these people’s identity problems.
“The number of children with the same identity problem is high in some regions and provinces. Such people are deprived of all legal rights of Iranian citizens like education, job and insurance coverage. This comes as they are secretly taking advantage of our resources and facilities. So, they fall prey to administrative corruption nets,” he said.
Kamalipour stressed that to manage and control the country’s population as well as to stop growing insecurity, “the government needs to address the problem of these people.”
“We resolving the current problems, we can also prevent from damages to our national resources,” he concluded.
Deputy Manager for Economic Evaluation of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Maryam Khazaee, says by signing a free trade agreement with Azerbaijan, Iran can have an appropriate share in Azerbaijan’s market.
According to a Farsi Report by the Azad News Agency (ANA), she made the statements during a meeting on the capacities for Iran’s exports to Azerbaijan. The meeting was attended by representatives from private sectors as well as the Trade Promotion Organization, Export Development Bank and Iran-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce.
During the meeting, Khazaee read out a brief report on the economic indexes of Azerbaijan. “The latest table of the World Bank ranks Azerbaijan among countries with an average upward income. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan is categorized as a state with a relatively high annual income. The average foreign investment in Azerbaijan has been $4.3m per year from 2012 to 2015; however, the number rose to $4.5m in 2016,” she noted.
Khazaee went on saying that Azerbaijan plans to turn into a developed country by 2020 with a high level of income. She said Iran has not yet managed to play a key role in the Azeri market. “One of the main measures which can contribute to Iran’s growing role in the region is signing a free trade agreement with the neighbouring state,” she added.
Insurance Coverage and Exporters’ Financial Provision
Ashkan Abbasi Tehrani, the head of the State Risk and International Cooperation Group at the Export Guarantee Fund of Iran briefed the participants on the official approach of the Fund towards the exporters. He said the fund issues insurances for all exporters. “Simply, we insure the buyers’ risk,” he noted.
Touching on other services to be offered by the fund, he said the fund is committed to financially support the exporters. “The Fund issues insurances at the request of the exporters. It can also guarantee their credits in the banks. So, the exporters along with the foreign banks, companies and governments can rely on the Fund’s letter of guarantee to press ahead with their project,” Abbasi added.
He said the Fund offers various other services and added the details of the services are available on the portal of the Fund.
He referred to the services offered by the Fund to facilitate exports to Azerbaijan, adding that the Republic is one of the main CIS states which has the largest insurance coverage. “We have allocated $21m to short-term and $120m to long-term insurance coverage in the Azerbaijan Republic.”
He also noted that the insurance covers software, plastic goods, industrial machines, food and clothes.
Azerbaijan Republic is categorized by the Export Guarantee Fund of Iran as one of the five high-risk countries in terms of export of goods. The short-term and long-term coverage of the export to the country stands respectively at $90m and $180m.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley’s recent visit to Vienna and her meeting with IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano wan meant to press the UN nuclear agency for US inspection of Iran’s nuclear facilities, member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Ebrahim Rezaei told Tasnim.
Iran would never permit Americans to visit its nuclear sites, he underlined.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump dispatched Haley to Vienna to press the UN nuclear chief on their reading of Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
Thereafter, Iran’s mission to the IAEA issued a statement, saying the objectives and the results of Haley’s trip to Vienna “contradict” the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, which the UN Security Council adopted to endorse the nuclear agreement.
In a letter dated August 19 but released on August 23, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned about US lack of adherence to the nuclear deal.
Zarif has also said that Haley’s visit to the IAEA undermines “the independence and credibility” of IAEA inspectors.
The framework agreement between Iranian banks and Korea Eximbank was signed in Seoul on Friday, under which the Korean side will provide an 8 billion euro ($9.4 billion) loan to finance various projects by South Korean companies in Iran.
“The spell of the capital flow into Iran was broken,” the daily Sharq headlined on its front page, while the daily Shahrvand described it “Seoul’s golden loan to Tehran.”
“The 8 billion euro finance by the Koreans will break a big barrier. Those banks that were afraid of cooperating with Iran can now finance Iranian projects. It is expected that after the Korean banks, Japanese banks and later European banks will be more comfortable working with Iran,” the state news agency IRNA wrote.
The financial daily Jahan-e San’at carried an article by Governor of Central Bank Valiollah Seif, saying the loan was a sign of “return of global trust in Iran’s banking system,” following problems created by sanctions for the country due to the suspension of international financing contracts.
Return of global trust
“As a result of the tyrannical and illegitimate sanctions against the country, not only the provision of new credit lines to finance the construction and production projects of the country was stopped, but the repayment of some of the former loans was also hampered by the disappearance of payment channels,” Seif wrote.
“Following the nuclear deal and lifting of sanctions, one of the first steps taken was to settle former debts, which resulted in improving the country’s credit rating. Now, after extensive and long negotiations, we see that new financing contracts bear fruit one after the other and are finalized,” he added.
Korea Eximbank said it signed the agreement with three Iranian banks and will do so with nine other Iranian banks in the coming week to complete the agreement.
Seif said, “I hope we will be able to announce more good news in the days and months ahead.”
He said the loan will facilitate several development and production projects and it showed the international community was ready to restore “long-term” banking ties with Iran.
Government eyeing $65 billion of foreign investment
The celebratory tone on Saturday, mostly reflected in the pro-government media, also exposed the pressure which President Hassan Rouhani is facing because of his administration’s nuclear agreement with the West and rising questions about its tangible results for the country.
Hardly a week into his new term, the government is fighting a new push by the US to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the nuclear accord is known.
President Rouhani has spent much of his political capital on the nuclear accord in his bid to revive Iran’s economy and cut unemployment through bringing in foreign investment.
According to the objectives of the sixth five-year development plan (2016-21), $65 billion of foreign investment should be absorbed in various sectors, deputy director of the foreign investment office of Organization for investment Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran Akbar Qahremani said.
“This expected amount of investment includes $30 billion in finance, $20 billion in economic partnership and $15 billion in direct investment, which requires a change in the attitude of managers and authorities towards attracting these funds in order to realize it,” IRNA quoted him as saying Thursday.
“Capital is cowardly, so to speak, and it does not go where there is no security; this agreement represents the existence of security in the Iranian economy,” member of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture Abbas Argoon told IRNA on Saturday.
Iran secured its first credit line of $10 billion from the Chinese in 2015 as nuclear negotiations between Tehran and a number of world countries neared a settlement.
Management of resources
According to Argoon, “increasing foreign investment, foreign contracts, and foreign facilities encourage other countries to enter the Iranian economy.”
“The Iranian economy is in need of financing at a cheaper rate than the banking system; the government must provide a place for the entry of foreign capital,” he said.
However, it is not enough to bring resources only and there is need to have effective resource management where these resources are spent on sectors that have economic advantage, leading both to economic growth and employment opportunities.
“We need to direct the bulk of these resources to the private sector; as long as the private sector does not develop, we cannot have a wealth-generating economy with sustainable growth,” Argoon said.
Several newspapers today covered a huge deal between Iran and South Korea, based on which the Korea Export–Import Bank (Kexim) will provide €8 billion worth of finance for Iran’s projects.
Another top story was the visit of US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Nikki Haley to Vienna in order to convince the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to put Iran under pressure. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s letter of warning to IAEA chief and EU foreign policy chief was also highlighted in this regard.
The Apple’s move to remove Iranian apps from its App Store also remained a top story today.
The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines and top stories:
Abrar:
1- Germany: Turkey Will Never Be EU Member under Erdogan
2- US Has Fulfilled Commitments on Redesigning Iran’s Arak Reactor: Official
Abrar-e Eqtesadi:
1- Iran Becomes China’s Fifth Biggest Oil Supplier
2- Oil Minister: Babak Zanjani Owes Ministry of Petroleum over $1bn
Aftab-e Yazd:
1- 4 Ministers Make Interesting Populist Moves Immediately after Taking Office
2- Muqtada Sadr: I Didn’t Coordinate My Saudi Visit with Iran
3- Zanjani Asks for MPs’ Mediation on Oil Debts to Ministry
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- MP Discloses Secrets about Parliament’s No Vote of Confidence to Energy Minister
2- Children without Identity (of Homeless Mothers) Selling Drugs
3- Mashhad Finally Hosts Music Concert
4- Arak Heavy-water Facilities Renamed to Khondab: Official
Etemad:
1- Zarif’s Protest against Haley’s Meeting with Amano
Ettela’at:
1- Zarif: We Need to Show Smart Reaction to US Violation of Commitments
2- South Korea Allocates €8bn to Iran
3- Hezbollah Secretary-General: Great Victory over Terrorism Imminent
Ghanoon:
1- Zarif Urges IAEA to Maintain Its Independence
2- Apple in Puzzle of Sanctions!
3- Redundant Women! Women Football Teams Dissolved One after another
Iran:
1- Biggest Foreign Loan after JCPOA: South Korea Signs €8bn Deal with Iran
2- 4 Female Heads of City Councils Talk of Increased Trust in Women’s Abilities
3- Bloody Hostage-Raking in Friday Prayers of Kabul’s Shiites
Javan:
1- IRGC’s Drone Counter-Attack on Takfiri Terrorism
2- Taliban Denounces ‘Divisive’ ISIS Attack on Kabul Shiite Mosque
3- Using Apple Phones, US Says ‘No’ to Mother of Negotiations
Jomhouri Eslami:
1- Trump Special Envoy’s Mission to Abuse Nuclear Deal Fails
Kayhan:
1- Iran Can Fully Meet Its Food Needs inside the Country: Official
2- Half of Iraq’s Tal Afar Liberated: ISIS Fully Surrounded by Iraqi Forces
3- Yemeni People Accept Ansarullah’s Call to Fight in War Fronts
Setareh Sobh:
1- Justice Minister: I’m Ready to Pursue Karroubi’s Request from Judiciary
Shahrvand:
1- Seoul’s Golden Loan to Tehran
2- A Report on Kids Who Make a Living by Selling Water in Cemeteries
Shargh:
1- Zarif: JCPOA Removes Plaster Cast from Iran’s Foot
2- Qatar Turning to Iran
Iranian lawmaker Jalil Rahimi Jahan-Abadi referred to the new strategy adopted by US President Donald Trump towards Afghanistan and the Middle East, and said, “In his statements, Trump has said his country is no longer fighting to establish and promote democracy and is only thinking about championing [its] common interests. These remarks reflect the naked and true face of the US.”
According to a Farsi report by ICANA, the lawmaker said since the very beginning, the US presence in Afghanistan was not aimed at creating democracy or fighting terrorism, adding the main reason for Pentagon’s military campaign in Afghanistan was the country’s geopolitical importance.
“Following the establishment of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on 15 June 2001, which increased the influence of China and Russia in Central Asia, the US lost its last two remaining bases in the region, because under the SCO’s pressure, Washington was forced to close its airbases in Manas, Kyrgyzstan, and southeastern Uzbekistan (Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Air Base).”
Of the utmost importance to Washington is that, based on the US security strategies, the country should have a significant presence in Central Asia, Rahimi Jahan-Abadi added.
“[The US] Presence in this region will enable the country to infiltrate into Russia’s backyard, put pressure on China and control India’s growing power.”
By seeking to expand its presence in Afghanistan, the US seeks to fill the void created by the closure of its bases in Central Asia, he said.
“We must not forget that Central Asia is home to enormous oil and gas resources that are important to China.”
US Definition of Shared Interests with Kabul
The Iranian lawmaker said a major part of what occurs in Kabul takes place to justify the Americans’ presence in Afghanistan.
On the other hand, the MP added, since Kabul lacks full authority, it would fail to guarantee Afghanistan’s security in the absence of the US.
He noted that the true definition of what Washington calls its “common interests” with Kabul is that the US presence in Afghanistan benefits both countries.
However, Rahimi Jahan-Abadi said, the fact is that, at present, Washington fails to have an accurate understanding of what is really taking place in the region on the ground.
As an underdeveloped country, Afghanistan is struggling with poverty, high unemployment rate and racial as well as ethnical differences and conflicts, he said, adding, “Therefore, it is tolerating a major portion of the problems.”
“Unless the country’s social, economic and cultural problems are resolved, we will witness conflicts, bloodshed and the continued presence of terrorism in the Asian state.”
He said the presence of trans-regional forces in Afghanistan will fail to produce favourable results in the country and will only lead to the imposition of a heavier burden and terrible costs on Kabul as it will strengthen Taliban, al-Qaeda and, even, ISIS.
How to Rescue Afghanistan
The MP said everyone will have to accept that Kabul would not welcome the US withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, unless the Afghan government forms a regional coalition with its neighbouring states and assumes full internal authority.
He urged countries including Iran, India, China, Russia and Pakistan to bolster support for Kabul to enable Afghanistan to reduce its dependence on the US.
“The only way to force the US to exit Afghanistan is by strengthening the Asian state’s central government and preparing the ground for its accelerated economic development.”
The US has fiercely clung to Afghanistan to use the country as its watchtower and maintain its dominance over China’s new energy artery, he said
“Today, the Chinese government prefers to meet its energy needs by importing oil from the Central Asia and is making considerable effort to this end.”
This comes as China has not stopped importing energy from the Persian Gulf as Beijing knows it very well that Russia would not refrain from reaching a deal with the enemy in critical moments in case it feels that the other side [China] has become reliant on it, Rahimi Jahan-Abadi added.
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