According to a Farsi report by Al Alam, Abu Ayyub, the ISIS’ mufti, had issued a fatwa to allow the extremists to shell the Western parts of Mosul.
However, sources in Iraq announced on Monday that the mufti has been killed by the residents of Mosul.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry strongly recommended that Iranians refrain from making unnecessary trips to Turkey given the “special circumstances in Turkey in recent days.”
On Tuesday, Iran also temporarily closed its consulates in the Turkish cities of Istanbul, Trabzon and Erzurum.
It came after assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov. He was shot in the back and killed on Monday as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery by an off-duty police officer.
Turkish authorities said the shooter was a riot policeman, Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22. A video showed the attacker shouting “Don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria” as screams rang out.
According to a report by IFP, senior Russian diplomat Petr Polshikov, 56, was found at his home in the capital city with a bullet wound to his head.
The shooting disclosed by Ren TV came soon after news broke of the assassination of Russian ambassador to Ankara, Andrey Karlov.
The circumstances of the shooting remained unclear, and it is understood police are examining all possible theories as to his death, media reports said.
According to a report by IFP, Yalda Night (also known in Iran as Shab-e Chelleh) is a Persian winter event which is commemorated on or around December 20 or 21 each year.
These days many Iranians are out making their purchases of such fruits as pomegranates, watermelons and various dried nuts.
Municipality of Tehran has thus announced that the public transportation system is available in the busiest areas of Tehran until 23:59 tonight [they will be working for extra hours].
Yalda celebrations have turned to a social occasion when friends and family gather to eat, drink and read poetry (especially the poems of Hafiz) until after midnight.
Each member of the family makes a wish and randomly opens Hafez’s book of poems and recites the poem, which is believed to be an interpretation to the wish.
Fruits, particularly pomegranates and watermelons, and nuts are served at this night. The fruits signify the hope for having a fruitful spring and summer.
The red-coloured fruits are believed to symbolize the crimson hues of dawn and glow of life, invoking the glory of Mithra. Pomegranates with angelica powder are also believed to protect individuals against the Devil.
Central Asian countries such as Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and some Caucasian states like Azerbaijan and Armenia share the same tradition as well and celebrate Yalda Night annually at this time of the year, Tasnim reported.
However, Iran is the only country that has submitted a file on Yalda Celebrations to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), asking the body to inscribe it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.
According to a Farsi report by ISNA, none of the abovementioned countries has asked to join Iran yet.
Yalda Night was officially added to Iran’s List of National Heritage during a special ceremony in 2008.
The annual winter ceremony manifests the traditional concept of light and good prevailing over darkness and evil in the ancient Iranian religion.
Iran’s consulates in the Turkish cities of Istanbul, Trabzon and Erzurum will offer no consular services on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement, asking the Iranian nationals not to go to those diplomatic buildings.
It came after assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey on Monday. Andrey Karlov was shot in the back and killed as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery by an off-duty police officer.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi condemned the attack as “brutal”, saying the criminal act indicates that “terrorists affiliated to extremist and Takfiri groups are not bound by any standards, principles or the international law.”
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), referred to the French-drafted resolution, which was passed on Monday, and said the document also prioritized the evacuation of militants in Aleppo over the safe exit of civilians in militant-held areas.
Aleppo, a hotbed of the nearly six years of foreign-sponsored militancy against the Syrian government, has almost entirely been liberated in recent military operations by Damascus and ally Russia. Fresh operations will be launched on Tuesday to retake the single remaining enclave still held by the militants in the city.
In the course of the push to free Aleppo, some Western and regional countries engaged in creating hype and vilifying the Syrian and Russian militaries. The Monday resolution, a result of such jockeying, calls for the deployment of UN observers to Aleppo, where anti-Damascus militants are being allowed by the Syrian government to evacuate to militant-held territory in the Idlib Governorate or government-held territory elsewhere.
Shamkhani, the Iranian official, said the resolution was giving the priority to the exit of militants and had chosen to ignore the role of the Syrian government.
“This unacceptable behavior by the West and some countries in the region shows that the approach of the instrumental use of terrorism for political objectives has strategic dimensions,” he said.
Under an evacuation deal, civilians are also being taken out of two militant-besieged villages of al-Foua and Kefraya. Earlier, the militants attacked the buses used to evacuate those civilians and set them on fire. The UN resolution has been criticized for making no references to such crimes by the anti-Damascus militants.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan are in Moscow for talks with Russian and Turkish officials on the situation in Syria.
Describing the meetings as routine, Shamkhani said Iran and Russia were determined to continue their cooperation in the war on terror. He said Moscow was Iran’s “partner in the fight against terror.”
Iran has been offering advisory military help to the Syrian government.
“We will honour his name [Karlov] both in Ankara and in our hearts. We will name the street housing the embassy building after Andrey Karlov,” Çavuşoğlu said.
He made the remarks at the trilateral meeting in Moscow between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran over Syria and Aleppo, Hurriyet reported.
According to media reports, Mert Altintas’ mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also arrested.
The state-run Anadolu agency said on Tuesday that the Police paced up and down behind a cordon on Tuesday morning outside the art gallery where the ambassador Andrey Karlov was shot, and Altintas was killed by police shortly after.
The assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey was the top story almost in all newspapers today.
The Charter on Citizens’ Rights unveiled by President Hassan Rouhani on Monday was also widely covered. Reformist and moderate papers said Rouhani has fulfilled its promise, and conservative ones asked him to do something about unemployment and huge salaries given to certain people.
Many papers also covered the ancient ceremony of Yalda Night, which will be observed by Iranian people tonight at the last night of autumn and the longest night of the year.
The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines:
19 Dey:
1- Rouhani: No One Is Favoured by the Law
2- MP: Rouhani Has a Good Position among Conservatives
Abrar:
1- MP Criticizes Increase in Taxes
2- Congress Trying to Empower Trump against Russia, Iran, and Turkey
3- Oxfam: Over 1 Million Iraqis Entrapped in Mosul
Afkar:
1- Rouhani: I Had Promised Iranian Nation to Save the Economy
2- Obesity and Overweight Threatening Iranians
3- Budget Allocated to Revival of Lake Urmia
Aftab-e Yazd:
1- A Report on Ancient Celebration of Yalda Night: Celebrating the Birth of Light
2- Deputy Head of Iran’s Meteorological Organization Gives Details of Iran’s Purchase of American Supercomputer after JCPOA
3- President Rouhani Carries Out His Campaign Promise: ‘Charter on Citizens’ Rights’ Unveiled by Rouhani Cautiously Welcomed by Jurists
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- President: I’ll Keep All My Promises until the End; No Individual, Body, or Medium Should Be Exempted from Law
2- We’re Worried that People Would Get Disappointed in Rouhani: Politician
3- Manoeuvre of Increasing Prices in Yalda Night
Asrar:
1- No Talks of Degrading Level of Ties with British Government: Foreign Ministry Spokesman
Ebtekar:
1- A Charter to Remember: Rouhani Fulfils His Promise to Develop a Charter on Citizens’ Rights
2- Iran’s Initiative in Moscow for Syria
3- Taking Revenge in Terrorists’ Style: Russian Envoy to Turkey Killed
4- Colourful Night
Etemad:
1- Civil Treaty: Rouhani Signs Charter on Citizens’ Rights While Emphasizing Responsibilities of Establishment and People
2- Russian Ambassador Shot Dead: Assassin Was Killed by Security Forces after Chanting Slogans about Aleppo
Ettela’at:
1- Rouhani: Government’s Resolve to Guarantee Civil Rights Is Serious
2- Iranians Will Celebrate Longest Night of the Year Tonight
3- Parliament Sets 8% as the Goal of Economic Growth Rate in ‘Sixth Development Plan’
4- Russian Envoy to Ankara Assassinated: Putin Holds Security Session
Ghanoon:
1- Our Share Was Just a Text Message!
2- Shooting Moscow from Ankara
Hemayat:
1- Judiciary Chief: Washington’s Long-Term Strategy Is to Restore Anti-Iran Sanctions
2- Zarif Voices Iran’s Protest at US Violation of Sanctions in Phone Conversation with Kerry
Iran:
1- Senior Clerics in Qom Support RouhaniCare
2- Yalda, a Night to Gather Together
Jame Jam:
1- Shadow of Terror over 2+1 Diplomacy: Russian Ambassador in Turkey Shot Dead
2- Celebration of Longest Night of the Year in IRIB TV Channels
Javan:
1- President Rouhani Sends Text Message to Inform People of Their Civil Rights, but Unemployed People, Those Living in Slums, and Single Young People Didn’t Receive the Message!
2- Rouhani: I Saved Iran’s Economy; He Cites a Deal with France for Joint Car Manufaturing as an Instance of Saving Iran’s Economy!
3- Kerry Allays Zarif’s Concerns
4- First Group of al-Foua and Kafrya Civilians Evacuated after 21 Months
Jomhouri Eslami:
1- First Purchased Airbus Will Land in Iran Next Month
2- Full Text of ‘Charter on Citizens’ Rights’: A Charter with 23 Titles and 120 Articles
Ka’enat:
1- A Report on Yalda Night in 2016
Kayhan:
1- If You End Giving Astronomical Salaries and Stop Favouring Certain People, Civil Rights Will Be Secured
2- In TV Show Poll: 70% of Iranian People Prefer Development of Railway System to Purchase of Planes
3- New Lebanese Cabinet Is Formed: Key Posts for Hezbollah
Khorasan:
1- Happy and Sweet Yalda Night
2- Assassination of Russian Ambassador in Turkey: Shadow of Crisis over Middle East
Shahrvand:
1- People’s Right
2- 500 Young Iranians Express Their Concerns in Q&A Session with 3 Ministers
Wedding ceremonies of Turkmens in Iran are full of colours and secrets. The customs have been passed down from generation to generation. Although ceremonies are now a bit different from the past, but they still are original.
Here are Mehr’s photos of their wedding ceremonies:
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