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Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s Brother Runs for Iran President

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s Brother Runs for Iran President

Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani showed up on Saturday in the Interior Ministry to register his name for the country’s presidential election due to be held on May 19.

As his late brother Ayatollah Rafsanjani was the main backer of President Rouhani, it is not clear why Mohammad is trying to compete with the incumbent president.

Speaking to reporters after signing up, Hashemi Rafsanjani said he will stay in the competition if conditions are prepared.

“I consulted a number of reformist figures about my registration, and I was urged to run, because the upcoming election is a sensitive one, and it is not clear what the result will be. So I decided to register,” he noted, according to a Farsi report by Ghanoon daily newspaper.

30 Killed, 10 Missing as Flood Hits Iran’s Northwest

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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At least 30 were killed and 10 are still missing after spring rains pouring in Iran’s provinces of East and West Azarbaijan, Kordestan, and Zanjan struck 17 towns.

The majority of victims and missing citizens were in the cities of Azarshahr and Ajabshir in the province of East Azarbaijan.

30 Killed, 10 Missing as Flood Hits Iran’s NorthwestAccording to media reports, rescue teams have provided relief aid for 1,100 people in the flood-hit areas as of Saturday morning. 77 residents have been transferred to makeshift camps, while six have been hospitalized.

Flash floods have also inundated the intercity roads and have damaged a number of bridges, Tasnim reported.

Traffic police has warned travellers against trips to the northwestern areas, calling on people to avoid camping along the riverbanks.

Meantime, schools in a number of cities in West Azarbaijan Province have been closed due to flooding and expected continuation of rainfall.

Iran’s First Cruise Ship Since 1979 Completes Maiden Trip

By
Fatemeh Askarieh
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Iran’s First Cruise Ship Since 1979 Completes Maiden Trip (2)

The ship – which reports said were built in Sweden – carried more than 200 passengers on the 127-kilometre voyage from Kish, Iran’s other main resort island. The trip – that was made overnight –reportedly took around 12 hours.

The nine-storey ship is 176 meters long by 23 meters wide. It has 130 cabins and a total of 417 beds and can carry up to 1,600 passengers. Sunny can also carry 200 vehicles between Qeshm and Kish islands on four- to seven-day cruises, AFP reported.

It features two cinemas, restaurants, a swimming pool and a conference hall, the head of Qeshm’s maritime transport and port affairs, said Pejman Bahrami, the director in charge of port affairs of Qeshm Free Trade Zone.

Here are ISNA’s photos of Sunny’s first voyage:

Cannes Festival to Screen Works by 5 Iranian Filmmakers

By
IFP Media Wire
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According to the festival’s official selection released on Thursday, Iran has participants in five competitive and non-competition sections.

Unlike last year’s edition where Iran had Asghar Farhadi’s ‘The Salesman’, which eventually won two awards for best script and actor, there is no Iranian production in the main competition of feature films in the upcoming festival. However, Iran will have contenders in three competition sections of Un Certain Regard, Short Films and Cinefondation.

‘Dregs’ written and directed by Mohammd Rasoulof is Iran’s representative in the Un Certain Regard section.

Rasoulof, 45, has already won two prizes at Cannes. His ‘Goodbye’ premiered at the 2011 Festival in Un Certain Regard and won the prize for directing. His ‘Manuscripts Don’t Burn’ was also screened in the same section at the 2013 Festival and won the FIPRESCI Prize.

The short production ‘Lunch Time’ directed by Alireza Ghasemi will compete with works from Finland, France, Poland, China, Sweden and the US among others in the Short Films Competition section.

The nine competitors, eight works of fiction and one animation, will be awarded by the section president of the jury Cristian Mungiu, Romanian filmmaker, at the official award on May 28.

The short film ‘Animal’ directed by Bahman and Bahram Ark, a production of Iranian National School of Cinema is Iran’s representative in the Cinefondation section. It will compete with works from Slovakia, Japan, India, France, Belgium, Argentina, Hungary, Taiwan, the US and the UK.

16 Films From 2,600 Submissions

The Cinefondation Selection has selected 16 films from the 2,600 works submitted this year by film schools around the world; 14 countries from three continents are represented and four of the films are from schools taking part for the first time. The three Cinefondation prizes will be awarded at a ceremony on May 26.

‘24 Frames’ by the late Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami (1940-2016) will be shown at the 70th Anniversary Events.

The film is a compilation project based on 24 four-and-a-half minute films that he directed during the last three years of his life. The film consists of 24 tableaux – five are based on paintings; 19 on photographs – which come to life with blue-screen technology.

The Iranian-born director Anahita Ghazvinizadeh who lives in the US will also attend the event with ‘They’ in the Special Screenings section.

Born in Tehran, Ghazvinizadeh, 28, got her bachelor’s degree in cinema from Tehran University of Art. She also attended Kiarostami’s filmmaking workshops from 2007-2011. When she was 22, she moved to Chicago to continue her studies, and got her master’s degree in studio arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013.

Her short film ‘Needle’ was premiered in the Cannes Film Festival, Cinefondation Selection and won the Premier Prix. Anahita was selected as one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Cinema in 2013 by the Filmmaker Magazine.

This year will mark the 70th anniversary of the fest, and at least half the directors whose films are among the 19 in the main competition are renowned figures including Michael Haneke, Todd Haynes, Sofia Coppola, Michel Hazanavicius and Francois Ozon.

‘Mother of All Bombs’ Both Hailed, Condemned in Afghanistan

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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‘Mother of All Bombs’ Both Hailed, Condemned in Afghanistan

Afghanistan officials said Friday that the attack on a tunnel complex in remote eastern parts of the country with the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat by the US military left 36 ISIS fighters dead and no civilian casualties.

The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that several ISIS-Khorasan caves and ammunition caches were destroyed by the giant bomb, which terrified villagers on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border with its “earsplitting blast.”

The U.S. military headquarters in Kabul said the bomb was dropped at about 7:30 p.m. local time Thursday on a tunnel complex in Nangarhar province, where the Afghan affiliate of the ISIS group has been operating. The target was close to the Pakistani border.

“I want a hundred times more bombings on this group,” said Hakim Khan, 50, a resident of Achin district, the site of the blast, according to Washington Examiner.

‘Mother of All Bombs’ Both Hailed, Condemned in Afghanistan1However, former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai ‘vehemently and in strongest words’ condemned the dropping of the latest weapon, the largest non-nuclear bomb, on Afghanistan by the US military.

In a series of tweets shortly after the bombing, Karzai said, “This is not the war on terror, but the inhuman and most brutal misuse of our country as a testing ground for new and dangerous weapons.”

“It is upon us, Afghans, to stop the USA,” he went on to say.

‘Mother of All Bombs’ Both Hailed, Condemned in AfghanistanThe bomb, known officially as a GBU-43/B, or Massive Ordnance Air Blast weapon, weighs 21,600 pounds [nearly 10 tonnes] and unleashes 11 tons of explosives. When it was made in 2003 as a deterrent to Saddam Hussein, it was nicknamed the “Mother of All Bombs.” This was its first use in combat.

Other observers have also questioned the necessity of deploying a weapon of that scale against a group whose estimated 600 to 800 fighters pose only a limited threat to the Afghan state.

“There is no doubt that ISIS are brutal and that they have committed atrocities against our people. But I don’t see why the bomb was dropped,” said the mayor of Achin, Naweed Shinwari. “It terrorised our people. My relatives thought the end of the world had come. Every day fighter jets, helicopters and drones are in the area.”

The US had sustained an air campaign to eradicate ISIS in eastern Afghanistan for more than a year, and according to Borhan Osman, an ISIS expert with the Afghanistan Analysts Network, it had already been effective, The Guardian reported.

“ISIS was on the brink of losing their stronghold. It didn’t seem like there was a need for such a dramatic military measure,” he said.

Rouhani, Raisi Register to Run for Iran’s Presidency

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Rouhani, Raisi Register to Run for Iran’s Presidency

Rouhani arrived at the Interior Ministry a few hours ago and registered to run for his second term in office.

After signing up, he said he has come for ‘Iran and Islam’ and urged the Iranian nation to vote for him for the same sake.

He also told reporters that protecting the nuclear deal, known as JCPOA, is one of his main plans in political and economic fields.

“The ‘rival-wives’ who for several times decided to kill the nuclear deal ‘baby’ cannot be good parents for it,” he noted.

Minutes after Rouhani, Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, the Custodian of Astan Qods Razavi and Rouhani’s main rival, also showed up in the Interior Ministry and registered to run for presidency.

Rouhani, Raisi Register to Run for Iran’s Presidency-7654Earlier in the day, former MP and a senior conservative candidate Alireza Zakani had also applied for the post.

The 12th presidential election in Iran will be held on May 19.
Among the other renowned figures applying for candidacy for the post of president on Friday was Mostafa Kavakebian, a member of the parliament.
Moreover, the reports said on Friday that a heavyweight of the “principalist” political faction, Saeed Jalili, would not participate in the presidential race, Tasnim reported.
During the previous presidential election in June 2013, Rouhani garnered 50.7 percent of a total of over 36 million votes.
Nearly 50.5 million Iranians were eligible to vote in the 11th presidential election, and the voter turnout in the polls stood at 72.7 percent.

US in No Position to Judge Iran’s Human Rights Situation

By
IFP Media Wire
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Bahram Qassemi

In a statement released on Friday, Qassemi denounced the US move to add an Iranian organization and a judicial official to its sanctions list as “contrary to the indisputable principles of international law”.

“Such measures are repetitive and in line with certain political objectives of the US government,” he said, adding that the unilateral sanctions against individuals or entities of independent countries are in violation of “the indisputable principles of international law and human rights and it is illegitimate and illegal”.

“Due to its domestic and international record, the US government is not in a position to comment or take action on the human rights situation in other countries,” the spokesman noted.

The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions against some Iranian entities over alleged human rights abuses.

A Treasury Department statement said the sanctions were imposed on the Tehran Prisons Organization and Sohrab Soleimani in connection with serious human rights abuses in Iran.

The statement says the action reflects deep concern regarding human rights in Iran, according to AP.

The report said Soleimani is the younger brother of Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force who also advises Iraqi military forces in their fight against Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group.

The Treasury Department alleges that the prison organization is responsible for, or complicit in, the detention of many prisoners of conscience and well-documented accounts of their mistreatment and abuse.

Iran, Russia, Syria Blast US Strike on Homs

By
IFP Media Wire
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Iran, Russia, Syria Blast US Strike on Homs

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, along with his Iranian and Russian counterparts Mohammad Javad Zarif and Sergei Lavrov, was speaking at a joint press conference in Moscow on Friday.

Muallem further slammed Washington for its hostile policies against the Syrian nation, stressing that Damascus wants an “impartial” and “swift” investigation into the alleged gas attack which killed over 80 people in Khan Shaykhun earlier this month.

The Westerners and the militants have accused the Damascus government of being behind the attack, without offering any proof to support the claims. The Syrian government has,however, rejected any role in such an assault against civilians.

Using the Idlib incident as a pretext, United States struck a Syrian army airfield in western Syria with 59 cruise missiles last Friday.

At the presser, the three top diplomats slammed the US missile attack as an act of aggression and stressed they have convergent and close cooperation in efforts to resolve the crisis in Syria.

“We have reiterated our position and were united in stating that the attack was an act of aggression, which blatantly violated the principles of international law and the UN Charter,” Lavrov said.

“We call on the US and its allies to respect Syria’s sovereignty and refrain from actions similar to what happened on April 7, and which have serious ramification not only for regional, but also global security,” he added.

The press conference came following closed-door negotiations between the three foreign ministers on the situation in Syria.

Iran, Russia, Syria Blast US Strike on Homs

Meeting with Zarif and Muallem, Lavrov pledged continued Russian support for Damascus in fighting terrorism and restoring peace to Syria, RT reported.

“We insist on a thorough, objective and unbiased investigation of the circumstance of the use of chemical substances in Khan Shaykhun on April 4,” he said, adding that the investigating team must include inspectors chosen from nations from different parts of the world to ensure its objectivity.

Zarif, in turn, said “certain countries” have adopted a hyporticical approach in dealing with the issue of chemical arms, citing Iran’s history of suffering from chemical weapons attack by the US-backed regime of ex-Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, in the 1980s war.

Declassified CIA files showed that the US was well aware that Saddam was using CWs against Iranians, but didn’t oppose it and even provided intelligence for such attacks.

The Iranian foreign minister is visiting Moscow at the invitation of his Russian opposite number..

Upon his arrival in Moscow earlier in the day, Zarif said the visit serves to enable some other bilateral coordination concerning President Hassan Rouhani’s late March visit to Russia.

The visit saw Iran and Russia issuing a joint statement outlining a roadmap for the future status of their bilateral relations and cooperation on the regional and international stage.

Zarif also down for talks with the Russian foreign minister to discuss closer Tehran-Moscow cooperation in regional and international issues as well as the fight against terrorism.

At the meeting, the top Iranian diplomat emphasized the need for a political settlement of the Syria crisis and end to foreign meddling in the affairs of the Arab country.

Zarif further called for investigations into a purported gas attack that killed over 80 people in the town of Khan Shaykhun in Syria’s Idlib Province, stressing that such an attack must be used as a pretext against the Syria.

Last October, the three top diplomats held similar talks in the Russian capital where they emphasized the need for unyielding fight against terrorism and working towards the resumption of UN-brokered Syria talks in Geneva, which started last year before breaking down.

In December 2016, Moscow also hosted a meeting of foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey on the Syria crisis.

The Moscow talks resulted in more concerted cooperation against terrorists in Syria and laid the groundwork for Syria talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

Iran has been lending Syria military advisory support against the foreign-backed militancy, which has been plaguing the country since 2011. Russia has been backing up the fight with airstrikes since last September.

Tehran Hosts ‘Iran-Sweden Journey of Singing’

By
IFP Media Wire
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Tehran Hosts 'Iran-Sweden Journey of Singing'

The event scheduled for April 15 is formally known as ‘Iran-Sweden Journey of Singing.’ The show starts at 9 pm at Niavaran Cultural Center’s Persian Gulf Hall.

The group comprises 35 choir singers and is headed by artistic director and conductor Erik Westberg — who studied choral conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

The choir will be performing a range of works from the romantic era to the present as well as Swedish folk music, a cappella. Perhaps the most interesting section is the second part of the concert in which the Swedish choir will be performing with Tonal, an Iranian choir conducted by Milad Omranloo.

“The two choirs will jointly perform Iranian and Swedish folk music,” event organizer Adele Zamani told the Financial Tribune.

The musical performance has been organized by the Swedish Embassy in Tehran along with Artasam Cultural Center. Headed by Zamani, Artasam institute started work in 2016 as an organizer of cultural and artistic events.

According to Zamani, the Swedish choir will also meet with musicians in Isfahan. “They will be exchanging choral repertoires and practice together.”

After having toured Europe, the US, Brazil and Africa, this is the first time the choir is performing in the Middle East.

Journeys of Singing are a series of events which look to promote cultural and artistic exchange between nations. “We believe that the best way to transition to globalization is through artistic and cultural exchange with a focus on local cultural identity,” Zamani said.

“This induces natural communication and dialogue among different cultures and nations, which is more effective.”

The first edition of the Journey of Singing was held last year in Tehran when two German choir conductors, Markus Detterbeck and Jan Schumacher, held a workshop and competitions for Iranian choirs. The winning Iranian choirs will attend a musical festival slated for May 25-28 in Germany, Zamani said.

The Chamber Choir of the School of Music in Pitea at Lulea University of Technology was founded in 1990 by Westberg. The choir has performed works by composers such as Bach, Brahms and Mendelssohn and has several recorded albums.

Iran, ATR Sign Major Aircraft Deal

By
IFP Media Wire
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ATR aircraft

ATR Spokesman David Vargas confirmed the deal for the sale of 20 ATR-600s, a twin-propeller aircraft, was signed on Thursday.

“They will definitely help Iran Air to modernize and develop regional connectivity across the country,” Vargas told AP.

The spokesman of the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer declined to offer a value for the overall deal. The confirmed portion of the deal is worth $536 million at list prices, though buyers typically negotiate discounts on bulk orders.

Managing Director of Iran Air Farhad Parvaresh had earlier confirmed the deal for 20 twin-engine turboprop ATR 72-600 aircraft, adding that the European airplane manufacturer will deliver nine ATR 72-600s in 2017 and the rest in 2018.

He said four of the aircraft will arrive within a month after signing the contract.

Iran has taken steps in recent years to renovate its commercial air fleet.

On January 12, the first commercial airliner purchased from Airbus following the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers landed at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport.

During a January 2016 visit to Paris by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Tehran signed a major contract with Airbus worth about $27 billion to buy 118 planes.

Iran and Airbus intensified business negotiations in October 2016 following the US decision to remove a final hurdle for Western aircraft manufacturers to sell planes to Iran under contracts signed after coming into force of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear agreement between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France, and Germany).

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