Obama Has 9 Days Left to Destroy the World: Russian Spokeswoman

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January 12, 2017

According to a report covered by Khorasan newspaper in Farsi, with the incoming Trump administration set to take office nine days from now, on January 20, Russian spokeswoman Zakharova has warned that Obama now has just over a week to “destroy” the world.

“Each day, I read the news coming out of Washington: new sanctions against Russia, the supply of MANPADS [portable anti-aircraft missiles] to Syrian cutthroats – completely nonsensical but malicious actions in all areas of foreign policy,” Zakharova wrote.

“God created the world in seven days. The Obama administration has that plus two days more to destroy it,” she added, as reported by Sputnik.

Jordanian School Textbook Calls Avicenna an Apostate

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 12, 2017

“Despite his high scientific status, Avicenna was an impious unbeliever who insulted the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah, Al-Ghazali and Al-Farabi considered him unbeliever,” it is written in the Arabic Language textbook in a Jordanian elementary school’s fifth grade, according to a Farsi report by Al-Alam.

The Jordanian National Campaign for Defending Students’ Rights slammed the Jordanian Ministry of Education for bringing up such content in educational sources.

According to a report by Ray al-Youm, students accused the Ministry of creating an atmosphere to promote destructive Takfiri [extremist] thoughts.

Ibn Taymiyyah was a medieval Sunni Muslim theologian whose anti-classical interpretations of Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah and his rejection of some aspects of classical Islamic tradition are believed by some scholars to have had considerable influence on contemporary Wahhabism, Salafism, and Jihadism.

Ibn Taymiyyah’s controversial fatwa allowing jihad against other Muslims, is also referenced to by Al-Qaeda and other jihadi groups.

Hybrid Cars May Enter Tehran’s Restricted Zones without Traffic Permit

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IFP Media Wire

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January 12, 2017

Colonel Masoud Jabbarzadeh, however, added that owners of hybrid vehicles must refer to the transportation deputy for traffic permits and submit the needed documents such as driver’s license and the car’s registration documents before they can drive in the restricted zones.

This ruling might change in the future but for now owners of hybrid vehicles do not need to pay an extra amount for entering the restricted zones, Fars News Agency reported.

Jabbarzadeh cautioned that drivers of such vehicles must not assume that they can enter the restricted zones upon purchasing a hybrid vehicle; they must register the cars at the relevant offices before they can enter the restricted zones, and they will be informed later of the date from when they can enter the restricted zones.

Unfortunately, certain dealerships have falsely been advertising that owners of hybrid cars can enter the restricted zones without having a traffic permit, he said.

“While this is partly true, drivers will be fined for entering the zones if they do not register the vehicle details beforehand.”

There are currently 3,312 hybrid vehicles in Iran and 2,523 units are in Tehran.

Regular cars must pay $8 per day to obtain a traffic permit for entering restricted zones, which are in central Tehran and see high volumes of traffic that contribute to heavy air pollution. The restrictions have been put in place to tackle these issues. Cars which do not have permits may not enter the zones on weekdays between 6am to 7pm and are fined if they do so.

Recently, the Tehran Municipality has also expanded the restricted zones to cover further areas in all directions from the city center.

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on January 12

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 12, 2017

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 19

Newspapers today covered the memorial service held by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for the late former president Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

They also covered US President-elect Donald Trump’s first press conference and his clash with an American reporter.

The Vienna talks between members of JCPOA Joint Commission also received great coverage today.

The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines:

Abrar:

1- Ayatollah Hashemi’s Will: After 1979 Revolution, Nothing Was Added to My Properties

2- One Minute of Silence Observed in G77 Summit in Geneva to Commemorate Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s Death

3- Turkish Forces Must Withdraw from Bashiqa: Iraqi PM

Aftab-e Yazd:

1- Missing the Friend

2- Obama’s Farewell Speech with Tears

3- End of Vienna Talks amid Rumours

Arman-e Emrooz:

1- Ayatollah Hashemi’s Memorial Service Attended by Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Khamenei

2- Ayatollah Hashemi’s Will: Son Says Hashemi’s House Was a Rented One

3- Hashemi’s Ring of Prudence in Rouhani’s Finger

4- MKO Terrorist Group’s Ringleader Arrested in Isfahan

Ebtekar:

1- Remember the Flight: Impact of Iran’s Air Fleet Renovation on Foreign Flights’ Profit-Making

2- Village Tourism Hinges on Originality

3- Empty Seat of Ayatollah: How Are His Replacements Appointed?

Etemad:

1- Obama’s Farewell Speech: US President Called on American People to Defend Democracy

Ettela’at:

1- Practical Step in Aviation Industry after JCPOA: First Plane Purchased from Airbus Is an A321 with a Capacity of 190 Passengers

2- Ayatollah Khamenei Attends Memorial Service for Ayatollah Rafsanjani

3- Iran to Have a 5.2% Economic Growth in 2017

4- Lebanese President Defends Its Ties with Iran in a Visit to Saudi Arabia

Haft-e Sobh:

1- Black Day of Arak [Central Iranian City]: Murderer and His Accomplice Killed Six Citizens in Revenge Attacks

2- World Lessons for Resistance Economy: A Look at Iran Leader’s Views about US Use of Resistance Economy

3- First Airbus Lands in Iran’s Sky

Hemayat:

1- Russia’s Influence on New US President; Kremlin Says the Claims Are Part of Efforts to Damage Moscow-Washington Ties

2- Britain Admits to Selling 500 Cluster Bombs to Saudi Arabia

Iran:

1- ISA Should Remain Ineffective: JCPOA Joint Commission Says in Final Statement

2- Hashemi Rafsanjani’s Family Allowed to Appear on State TV after 7 Years

Jame Jam:

1- Selling Oxygen in Polluted Air: A Report on Pseudo-Jobs Created after Increase in Air Pollution

2- Women of Fire

3- Trump: Obama’s Administration Created ISIS

4- Growth of Marijuana Use among Young Iranians

Javan:

1- Bad Cop Grabbed All JCPOA Benefits: Airbus and Peugeot’s Profit from JCPOA Gained for France Sooner than Other P5+1 Member States

2- JCPOA Violation Taken for Granted; Iran’s Deputy FM Said No in Response to a Reporter Who Asked ‘Will You Pursue Violation of Nuclear Deal’

3- West Is Starting a Psychological War by Claiming that Russians Are Bypassing Iran: Analyst

Kayhan:

1- Obama Proudly Announced: Iran’s Nuclear Program Stopped without Firing a Single Bullet!

2- Saudi Jet Fighters in Yemen Attack a School

3- 5 Emirati Diplomats Killed in Afghanistan; Taliban: We Didn’t Do It

4- Peugeot: We Broke Our Six-Year Record by Selling Our Cars to Iran

Quds:

1- Sanctions to Be Suspended until Iran’s May Presidential Votes! This Is Achievement of Iranian Negotiators after Bargaining with US in JCPOA Joint Commission Meeting

2- Warning against an Iran without Villages

Resalat:

1- Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi: Nothing Is Heard about Case of Astronomical Salaries Given to Certain Executives

2- Obama: JCPOA Is One of Biggest Achievements of My Administration

3- Iranian Team to Visit Saudi Arabia on February 23 to Attend Hajj Talks: Official

4- Washington’s New Plot in Latin America: Democrats and Republicans Seek to Topple Caracas Government

Rooyesh-e Mellat:

1- Gas Production Record Broken in Two Phases of Iran’s South Pars Giant Gas Field

Shahrvand:

1- Great Men Mourning for Hashemi

2- Six Iranians among World’s Most-Cited Researchers Based on Thompson Reuters 2016 List

Shargh:

1- Keep Quiet, I Won’t Answer You: Trump in First Presser to American Journalist

2- Trump: There’s No Deal with Moscow; If Putin Praises Me, This Is Our Winning Card

http://www.jaaar.com/assets/images/pishkhan/1395/10/23/352fe25d.jpg

Iran Air Receives First Brand New Plane Purchased from Airbus

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IFP Media Wire

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January 12, 2017

Iran Air Chairman Farhad Parvaresh took delivery of the new A321 in Colomiers near the French city of Toulouse on Wednesday.

The 189-seat plane, painted in Iran Air’s livery, is the first of 100 planes purchased under a December deal worth $18 billion.

“Today marks a great day for this company as well as the relation between Iran and the European Union,” Parvaresh said at a ceremony to take delivery of the plane.

Iran Air Chairman Farhad Parvaresh (C) stands between Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier (L) and Airbus Group Chief Executive Tom Enders as Iran Air takes delivery of the first new Western jet following a landmark nuclear deal, Colomiers, France, January 11, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

Parvaresh said that Iran Air hoped to receive “at least two more from Airbus” by the start of the Iranian new year in March, and a total of six A320 aircraft in 2017.

Iran signed the deal with Airbus to purchase planes after the US removed a ban on selling Iran passenger aircraft and spare parts following the nuclear agreement signed between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries in July 2015.

Under the nuclear deal, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran undertook to put restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against the country.

Iran’s flag carrier has also signed a similar deal with Boeing for 80 jetliners that will not be expected to arrive in the country until 2018. Iran Air is also expected to seal an order for 20 turboprops from Europe’s ATR.

3 Iranian Universities among Top 500 Green Universities

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 12, 2017

University of Zanjan with a score of 5,971 has ranked 75th; Ferdowsi University of Mashhad has scored 4,484 and ranked 238th; and University of Tehran gained 3,109 scores, standing at 431st place.

UI GreenMetric World University Ranking presents a comprehensive perspective of the current environmental and sustainable development policies in various countries’ institutions to attract managers and policy makers’ attention to environmental and energy consuming issues.

UI GreenMetric uses 6 key indicators of environment and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste management, water, transportation and education for ranking institutions.

Over 10,000 institutions are assessed by UI GreenMetric system annually.

Based on UI GreenMetric 2016 ranking, University of California Davis has the highest score and it is the greenest university in the world.

Cultural Revolution in Saudi Arabia: Will Saudis Finally Be Allowed to Go to Cinema?

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 12, 2017

According to a Farsi report by ISNA, 2017 seems to be a very revolutionary year for Saudi Arabia: the General Authority for Entertainment has prepared a long list of measures to be taken in all Saudi regions during the new year. This authority strives to accomplish several objectives within the framework of Vision 2030 in a compact way.

Ray al-Youm, the well-known independent Arab newspaper, has hailed the “important” program as the implications of changes won’t be limited to religious areas: according to local Saudi newspapers, some extremist officials who take an active part in Saudi Arabia’s administration have been enraged after learning that the plans include holding some concerts near Mecca, Jeddah province, Saudi Arabia.

In his weekly program in Al-Majd TV Network, Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti (religious leader) of Saudi Arabia, recommended that the General Authority for Entertainment should evaluate the plan for establishing cinema and holding concert with tact and consideration. He emphasized the need to provide entertainment by taking into account the interests of Islamic society.

It is believed that the statements of Grand Mufti come from the prudential positions of the highest Saudi religious body that revises all affairs of this country. When he talks about evaluating the plan with tact and consideration, he shows in fact how people like him are discontent with the “revolutionary” changes the young administration of Saudi Arabia tries to impose on this extremist society.

This movement, which is described as “reformist” or “liberal”, gladly prepares the grounds for this implicit revolution, hoping to found a secular civil society. The changes begin with holding concerts and will continue until all bans on the currently forbidden plans are lifted in a country which has been under strict rules for 80 years. The stringent regulations were made based on the doctrine of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab who had a key role in founding Saudi Arabia.

People who are aware of Saudi Arabia’s domestic affairs talk about the likelihood of a conflict between Saudi political and religious administrations over the social structure of the country. The new approach will form a “liberal” generation who will comply with the “entertainment” program in Vision 2030 and will come out of the shell of jurisprudence books’ doctrine, which led to formation of extremist groups such as ISIS.

During its “revolution” against the Council of Senior Scholars, the Saudi government will rely on some “moderate” clerics who are well accepted by the society and able to bring about its desired changes.

Iran Arrests MKO Terrorist Group’s Ringleader in Isfahan

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IFP Media Wire

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January 11, 2017

The arrested member of the terrorist organization had been identified by Iranian security forces before entering the country, IRIB reported.

The individual, arrested in Isfahan on Tuesday, had come to Iran for the purpose of “creating chaos and confusion” during the funeral of Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president of Iran whose body was laid to rest in capital Tehran on Tuesday.

The captured person had recorded a lot of videos for the MKO-affiliated satellite channels, the report added.

The MKO – listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community – fled Iran in 1986 for Iraq and was given a camp by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

They fought on the side of Saddam during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-88). They were also involved in the bloody repression of Shiite Muslims in southern Iraq in 1991 and the massacre of Iraqi Kurds.

The notorious group is also responsible for killing thousands of Iranian civilians and officials after the victory of the Islamic revolution in 1979.

More than 17,000 Iranians, many of them civilians, have been killed at the hands of the MKO in different acts of terrorism including bombings in public places, and targeted killings.

Iranian Delegation to Visit Saudi Arabia in February for Hajj Talks

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 11, 2017

According to a report by IFP, Iran Leader’s Representative in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs Ali Qazi-Askar announced that Iran will send a delegation to Saudi Arabia on February 23 for bilateral talks on Iran’s attendance in Hajj pilgrimage.

Qazi-Askar had earlier on Monday noted that Iran has “officially received Saudi Arabia’s invitation to meet and hold bilateral talks on the Hajj.”

He added that the talks would focus on accommodation, transportation, safety, medical care, visas and banking.

In September 2015, a deadly human crush occurred during Hajj rituals in Mina, near Mecca. Days into the incident, Saudi Arabia published a death toll of 770 but refused to update it despite gradually surging fatality figures from individual countries whose nationals had been among the victims of the crush. Iran said about 4,700 people, including over 465 of its nationals, lost their lives in the incident.

Earlier that month, a massive construction crane had collapsed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing more than 100 pilgrims, including 11 Iranians, and injuring over 200 others, among them 32 Iranian nationals.

Serious questions were raised about the competence of Saudi authorities to manage the Hajj rituals in the wake of the incidents, and, facing Saudi intransigence to cooperate and refusal to guarantee the safety of Iranian pilgrims, officials in the Islamic Republic subsequently decided to halt pilgrimages over security concerns.

Saudi Arabia unilaterally severed its diplomatic ties with Iran in January this year after protests in front of its diplomatic premises in Tehran and Mashhad against the execution by Riyadh of prominent Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

Iranian and Foreign Officials Attend Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s Memorial Service

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 11, 2017

According to a report by IFP, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, the iconic figure on Iran’s political scene, who was hailed as the Leader’s “longtime companion, fellow fighter on the path of Islamic Revolution, and close colleague following the establishment of the Islamic Republic,” passed away on Sunday after suffering a heart attack.

He was laid to rest at Imam Khomeini’s mausoleum in southern Tehran following a huge funeral procession attended by millions of Iranians on Tuesday.

Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Wednesday hosted a memorial service for him at Imam Khomeini Hussainiya, which was attended by the bereaved family of the cleric, President Hassan Rouhani, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani, and other government and military officials.

The event was also attended by Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Ja’afari, Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Ammar al-Hakim as well as a number of other foreign dignitaries.

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