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Iran Fulfilling Heavy Water Obligations Under JCPOA: AEOI

behrouz-kamalvandi

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has fulfilled its obligations on heavy water stockpiles based on the JCPOA (the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), and remains committed to it,” the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, told IRIB on Friday.

Kamalvandi made the comments in reaction to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last week that claimed that Iran’s stocks of heavy water had slightly exceeded the 130-tonne level set out in the JCPOA.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano on Thursday chided Iran for exceeding the agreed limit on its stockpiles and said, “It is important that such situations should be avoided in future in order to maintain international confidence in the implementation.”

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the JCPOA in July 2015 and started implementing it in January 2016.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

The deal requires Iran’s storage of uranium enriched to up to 3.67 percent purity to stay below 300 kilograms. Tehran has also agreed to keep its heavy water stockpile below 130 metric tonnes.

“According to the JCPOA, we were required to offer on the international market any excess over 130 tonnes of heavy water and we have so far sold 70 tonnes,” Kamalvandi said.

He added, “Negotiations are under way with interested countries, the Europeans in particular,” to sell the rest.

The nuclear official emphasized that Iran would remain committed to its undertakings under the JCPOA on heavy water restrictions “so long as the JCPOA is in place.”

Last week, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner played down concerns about Iran exceeding the heavy water stockpile limit.

He said it was “important to note that Iran made no effort to hide this” and that he was “not sure whether that constitutes a formal violation.”

The AEOI head Ali Akbar Salehi said in October that the Islamic Republic had sold 32 tonnes of heavy water to the United States and delivered 38 tonnes of the nuclear substance to Russia.

“European firms, including German and French ones, seek to purchase Iran’s heavy water and we have expressed our readiness in this regard,” Salehi added.

Pointing to the increasing demand for heavy water worldwide, Salehi noted that Iran has become a major international supplier of the substance.

World Powers Must Avoid Steps Undermining Nuclear Deal: Iran IAEA Envoy

najafi

Reza Najafi said on Thursday that Iran continues to honor its commitments under the agreement dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and is, at the same time, monitoring if the other sides are fulfilling their obligations.

The accord, which stipulates the lifting of all United Nations Security Council sanctions as well as all nuclear-related unilateral and multilateral bans, should lead to more cooperation between Tehran and the P5+1 states in all areas without any obstacles, Najafi said.

Tehran and the P5+1 group of world powers, namely Russia, China, France, Britain, and the US plus Germany hammered out the nuclear accord in July 2015.

It went into effect in January and resolved a long-running dispute over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. The deal, which took effect in January, ended decades of economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.

He made the remarks hours after IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in his statement to the agency’s Board of Governors that “for the second time since implementation of the JCPOA began, Iran’s inventory of heavy water exceeded 130 metric tons,” but the Islamic Republic has made preparations for its transfer.

Iran’s stock of heavy water will decrease following the transfer to the level agreed under the nuclear deal, the IAEA head added.

Touching on the issue, Najafi said that Iran should export its extra heavy water under the JCPOA and has recently expressed its readiness to do so.

Last week, the IAEA once again confirmed in a report Iran’s full commitment to the nuclear agreement with world powers.

Commenting on the report, Najafi said it “clearly shows that all nuclear-related measures have been completely carried out by Iran.”

Since January, the agency has released regular reports confirming the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities and Tehran’s commitment to the agreement.

In April, Amano hailed Iran for respecting the nuclear accord, saying the Islamic Republic has even gone beyond its obligations.

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17

Newspapers today covered the remarks made by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a meeting with a group of people from Isfahan. They mainly pointed to Ayatollah Khamenei’s comments about the US elections and the election of Donald Trump as the new president.

Another top story today was the Arbaeen processions, where millions of Shiite pilgrims are heading to the Iraqi holy city of Karbala to mark the fortieth day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein.

The US House of Representatives’ move to extend the anti-Iran sanctions for 10 years and the consensus between Democrats and Republicans in this regard also received great coverage.

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

 

Abrar:

1- One-Third of Eastern Mosul under Iraqi Army’s Control

2- UN Condemns Russia’s Occupation of Crimea

3- Saudi FM to Visit US

4- Hollande: Trump Won’t Tear Apart Nuclear Deal with Iran

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Aftab-e Yazd:

1- Assad Cautiously Welcomes Trump’s Election; Syrian President Says Trump Can Be Damascus’ Natural Ally

2- Trump’s First Wife Tells about Life of Mr. T

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Amin:

1- Millions of People in Arbaeen Pilgrimage: Symbol of Shiites’ Power

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Arman-e Emrooz:

1- We neither Bemoan nor Celebrate US Election Results: Leader

2- Rouhani: No One Can Scrap Iran Deal

3- Multinational Bank in Iran to Be Established by Iran, Venezuela, China, and Turkey

4- Rafsanjani Calls for an End to Censorship and Blockage of Information

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Asr-e Azadi:

1- Iran’s First Charity Organization Becomes 100 Years Old

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Ebtekar:

1- National Resolve to Decrease Air Pollution: President

2- Air Pollution Incurs $22bn Damage on Iran: MP

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Emtiaz:

1- Increase in Number of Respiratory Patients in Tehran

2- Arbaeen Pilgrimage Shows Unity of Muslim Society

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Ettela’at:

1- Leader: Maintaining Internal Solidarity Is Only Way to Resolve Problems

2- US Democrat Party Proposes Bill to Cancel Electoral System in US Presidential Elections

3- Assad Urges Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces to Counter Syrian Terrorists

4- Rouhani: Iran Will Strongly Move towards Development

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Hemayat:

1- People Should Feel Effect of Resistance Economy: Leader

2- US House of Representatives Extends Anti-Iran Sanctions in Post-JCPOA Era!

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Iran:

1- President: We’ll Overcome Air Pollution

2- 1.5 Million Iranian Pilgrims Arrive in Iraq

3- Major Share of Women and Civil Institutions in Book Reading Campaign

4- We Should Take Earthquake in Iran Seriously: 550 Quakes Registered in Past 7 Months

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Jame Jam:

1- Leader: US Is the Same Country, We Have No Judgement about US Elections

2- Walking towards Love [Arbaeen pilgrimage]

3- All Anti-Iran Measures from New York to Washington: Human Rights Resolution Passed against Iran and D’Amato Sanctions Extended

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Javan:

1- Leader: We Are Ready to Deal with Any Development

2- Beginning of World’s Biggest Pilgrimage

3- USA’s Suspicious Violation of JCPOA: US Hostility towards Iran Extended for 10 Years

4- Iran Will Show Reaction to US Violation of JCPOA: Shamkhani

5- Friend of MKO Terrorists May Become US State Secretary

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

 

Ka’enat:

1- Leader Refers to Arbaeen Processions as Valuable Capital

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Kayhan:

1- Leader Highlights Hostility of Both American Parties towards Iran

2- Athens’ Integrated Rising against Obama

3- Rouhani: We’re Not a Government of Slogans

4- Bad Organisation Chief: Iraqi Popular Forces Will Head to Syria to Fight Takfiris after Liberating Mosul

5- Democrat and Republicans Agree on 10-Year Extension of Anti-Iran Sanctions

6- 20 Million Shiites in Arbaeen Processions: Islamic Unity

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Quds:

1- Arbaeen Processions Guarantee Iran’s Survival: Leader

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Resalat:

1- President: We Appreciate People’s Passion in Arbaeen

2- Democrats and Republicans Insist on Extending Iran Sanctions

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Sayeh:

1- Air Pollution Threatening Entire World as Terrorism Does: Rouhani

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17


 

Vatan-e Emrooz:

1- Leader: Both US Parties Are ‘Evil’

2- Sunni Clerics of Iran’s Golestan Head to Karbala on Arbaeen Pilgrimage

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 17

Conservatives to Benefit from Ahmadinejad’s Absence from Iran Presidential Votes

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently met with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. During the meeting, the former president was advised against running for the next year’s presidential elections as it would cause division within the society.

mesbahi-moghaddamIn an interview with Entekhab, as translated by IFP, Gholam-Reza Mesbahi Moqaddam, a senior conservative, noted that the conservative camp benefited the most from Ahmadinejad’s absence.

“Now that Ahmadinejad will not run for presidency, it will be much easier for conservatives to agree on choosing one candidate for 2017 Presidential elections,” Mesbahi Moqaddam noted.

“His presence in upcoming elections could cause division, because a major share of conservatives don’t believe in him, and if he would run for presidency, conservatives had to choose two candidates for the polls,” he added.

Mesbahi Moqaddam also dismissed the rumours about possible disqualification of President Hassan Rouhani from running for next year’s presidential votes, and said that it is very unlikely.

Iranian Athlete Struggles to Become a Champion Once Again

Sara Abdolmaleki

Formerly a champion in women’s rugby, Sara Abdolmaleki recently took the tests of Iran’s Sports Federation for the Disabled to restart her activities as a professional athlete.

Here is IFP’s translation of her interview with Arya News Agency:

We saw a cheerful, dynamic and hopeful girl in Sara Abdolmaleki. She talked about her desires, cheering up her parents, her trust in God, and her efforts to stand up, struggle and have a life again.

 

I adored dangerous sports

“I was a martial artist before attending sports school. I even didn’t consider ball games as sporting activities. But when I entered Physical Education school and knew ball games better, my talent was identified for handball. Then I found that this type of sports isn’t safe too! In my second year in high school, Mrs. Nouri [Zahra Nouri, the head coach of women’s national rugby team] introduced this field [rugby] to us. […] That year I was selected for Tehran Suburbs’ team. I did track and field before and had achieved some national and provincial titles. I was very faster than others. I learned not to look, to just run after receiving the ball. Next year I decided to join Tehran’s main team; I was invited to national team in the same year,” Sara said.

Sara AbdolmalekiI know that nothing is impossible

On January 19, 2016, Sara was seriously injured in a car accident when she was coming from Kermanshah [in Western Iran] to Tehran. In this accident, her hands, skull, and spinal cord were injured.

“When I visited my doctor for the first time, he said I will be on wheelchairs forever and there is no room to improve. Next time he said that at the best case scenario, I could walk using a cane or walker. Last time he told me that you will be recovered in less than two years. You hear a lot of words. I ignored much of them, I heard and forgot.”

“It was very hard at the beginning. I exactly couldn’t understand what happened to me for four or five months. I didn’t know it is so serious that the recovery would take a lot of time. I imagined it was like sport injuries that recover in one or two months. (She laughs) Of course I still say that I will recover in one or two months! Nothing is impossible … I can’t imagine myself on wheelchairs for the rest of my life.”

 

I’m resolved to struggle again to be a champion

“When the spinal cord is in shock, you can’t walk for about six months. Then you can’t expect a damaged spinal cord to recover in one or two years. It requires several years to improve and I strive for it. I am 22 now, I will be 27 after my recovery, and maybe it is too late to start again. So I decided to start my exercises now, and I will participate in higher ranks if my condition improves. After the tests of Sports Federation for the Disabled, I wanted to do boating; however, I finally chose javelin throw because of some problems.”

 

I love to compete!

“I’m decided to struggle to be a champion in javelin throw. I try to get prepared for Asian Para Games. Maybe I have less than a year, but I do my best.”

“God created the man who can reach any goal by making efforts. Surely, a wish without a goal is merely a dream. Your wish should be purposeful,” she noted.

Iran’s Faghani Nominated for Globe Soccer Awards

Alireza Faghani

Entering its seventh edition, the Globe Soccer Awards were created to recognize the best contributors to football — globally and regionally — both on and off the field.

Alireza Faghani, Bakary Papa Gassama (Gambia), Mark Clattenburg (England), Nestor Pitana (Argentina) and Joel Antonio Aguilar (El Salvador) have been nominated for the best referee of the year.

The award candidates have been chosen by the Globe Soccer jury, which includes international footballing coaches, directors and chairmen.

The full list of nominees for each category is as follows:

Player of the year
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Lionel Messi
• Gareth Bale
• Antoine Griezmann
• Jamie Vardy
• Gonzalo Higuain

Club of the year
• Legia Warsaw
• Leicester City
• Sevilla
• Molde FK
• Real Madrid

Coach of the year
• Claudio Ranieri
• Fernando Santos
• Massimiliano Allegri
• Unai Emery
• Zinedine Zidane

Referee of the year
• Alireza Faghani
• Bankary Papa Gassama
• Mark Clattenburg
• Nestor Pitana
• Joel Antonio Aguilar

Saudi-Proposed Anti-Syria Resolution Rewarding Terror Sponsors: Iran

Aleppo
Smoke billows after rockets fired by militants exploded in an area near Aleppo's western Minyan district on November 10, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Gholam-Hossein Dehqani made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing the Third Committee of the 71st session of the General Assembly.

He stressed that the draft resolution is without a doubt against the basic principles of international law and a “disservice” to the UN.

“It does nothing but rewarding violent extremism and terrorism and those who have helped them develop extreme ideologies and corresponding financial and logistical resources in the past many years,” he added.

He noted that the structural weakness of the UN human rights mechanisms gives the countries that are actually exporting “violent extremism and terrorism” the opportunity to abuse the system and pass such resolutions.

“Let me, however, assure those who initiated this resolution and those who abetted them to push it through this committee, that this and similar acts won’t dissuade us from our fight against violent extremism, as we are determined to clean our environment from extremists who try to sow terror in our neighborhood and export it to the entire world,” he added.

Syria’s Ambassador Bashar al-Ja’afari also condemned the resolution, noting that the “Saudi regime should be the last to talk about human rights.”

The West and its regional allies, particularly Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are widely reported to be supporting the militants fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since March 2011.

In September, media reports quoted unnamed US officials as saying that large numbers of man-portable missile systems, or MANPADS, could be delivered to militants in Syria through Washington’s Western and regional allies, particularly Persian Gulf Arab states and Turkey.

“The Saudis have always thought that the way to get the Russians to back off is what worked in Afghanistan 30 years ago – negating their air power (in Syria) by giving MANPADS to” the Takfiri militants, Reuters quoted one of the US officials as saying.

Iran rejects ‘baseless’ claims by Arab states

khoshrou

Gholam-Ali Khoshroo wrote to UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday after Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, UAE and Yemen accused Iran of seeking to destabilize their countries.

Khoshroo denounced the accusation by those who “had been providing unwavering military and financial support” to  former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in his eight-year bloody war against Iran in the 1980s.

The Iranian diplomat also dismissed accusations made by the same countries that Tehran was supporting terrorist groups in the region.

“It is ridiculous that those regimes who themselves are the nurturers and exporters of extremism and Takfiri dogma to Iraq, Syria and other countries are now accusing Iran of supporting terrorism,” he said.

Khoshroo also rejected “baseless” allegations that Iran was meddling in Bahrain’s internal affairs.

The official further censured UAE claims about Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb, reaffirming that the three islands are an “inseparable” part of Iran.

The three Persian Gulf islands have always been part of Iran historically, the proof of which can be found in and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents.

Golden Memories of Swedish Woman Who Ran across Iran All Alone

“It was mutual: I trusted people and they received me kindly in their homes,” said Kristina Palten, the Swedish runner who travelled to Iran with the motto of “trust”.

Here’s IFP’s translation of Khabar Online’s interview with Palten, a 45-year-old Swedish ultra-runner who ran across lots of Iranian towns and cities:

A lot of tourists travel to Iran from different countries and visit its cities during the year, but Kristina Palten, the 45-year-old Swedish woman who is the subject of our interview, is different as she travelled alone, visited some cities not very well known to foreign tourists, and passed through them on foot.

Carrying her brief luggage, she has been in different Iranian cities for about two months, running in our country with the motto of “trust”; a slogan that, she says, has become obvious to her during the journey.

During this interview, she talks about her agreeable and disagreeable experiences during her journey to Iran.

Why did you choose Iran?

The important reasons were nature and people`s culture; however, another reason that pushed me into visiting Iran was the existing prejudice about the country. In Sweden, and in Western countries in general, you can`t imagine a woman travelling to Iran by herself and be secure. This is why I chose “trust” as the slogan of my journey; I wanted to convey the message that people should trust each other.

I wanted to say that it is possible for people, especially people from different nations, to be curious about one another, to get to know each other; and we should be prepared for that. I wanted to be a window to knowing Iranian people, and introducing my country`s people to them. This is why I got prepared for this journey. I started to trust people I didn`t know, and the result was wonderful. During my journey, I lived with 34 different families. They received me with various foods; I entered Iran with a weight of 70kg and left the country with the same weight, despite having run for 1,840km. I never bought fruit in Iran since people used to give me fruit and food, and helped me in everything. Iranians showed me a big trust as they let me stay at their places. In fact, there is a mutual trust and an important, beautiful message for humankind.

swedish tourist

I wanted to be a window to knowing Iranian people, and introducing my country`s people to them. This is why I got prepared for this journey. I started to trust people I didn`t know, and the result was wonderful.

Didn`t you have such a slogan in your other journeys?

With this slogan I only travelled to Iran. I travelled with a friend to Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and some other countries in 2013, and it included 3,262 kilometres of running and 493 km of boating. We had no slogan at that time. I thought of this slogan before travelling to Iran.

Wasn`t the choice of “trust” caused by your mind-set? What did you think of Iran before your journey? Weren`t your family and friends opposed to your decision?

I should tell you that I had a lot of preconceptions, and my friends and family had a lot of pictures of Iran in their heads. Iran isn`t well-known for my people, I just heard some Iranian friends saying that Iran is a very beautiful country with hospitable people; but what I read in the news was different. They suggested that Iran is a horrible country with odd, severe laws. I had heard about the hatred between Iran and United States, and I thought maybe people will not like and accept me as someone from a Western country.

In the video clips taken from your journey, somewhere you mention “I am very afraid”. What was the reason?

In my journey to Iran, I was alone and as I intended to have a documentary about my trip, I was accompanied by a professional photographer named Soroush Morshedian for eight days of this 58-day journey. In all other days I was alone. It is frightening to be alone in a country where you don`t understand people`s language and you have difficulty in expressing yourself. Particularly because there, the majority of signs were written in Persian and I couldn`t find my way. I felt lonely and stranger, so I was frightened. Of course it was the beginning and these feelings disappeared gradually. Besides, I think another reason for fear at the beginning of my journey was that, in last days before my departure, my friend died of cancer and one of my family members was hospitalized because of diabetes. That caused me an unpleasant feeling, and made it more tragic to be far from my home country and family.

I have hundreds of pleasant, golden memories from my journey to Iran. I wrote them in my blog and a lot of people from different countries read them. By doing this, I guess many people developed a better viewpoint of Iran and my friendship with Iranians is passed to them.

Were other parts of your journey enjoyable?

Very much. I met very gentle people. Iranians are really kind and hospitable. I was surprised and gladdened by their hospitality. I have hundreds of pleasant, golden memories from my journey to Iran. I wrote them in my blog and a lot of people from different countries read them. By doing this, I guess many people developed a better viewpoint of Iran and my friendship with Iranians is passed to them.

swedish tourist

What cities did you visit?

I travelled to Tehran by airplane; then a friend drove me to Bazargan and that was where I began to run. I visited Maku, Marand, Tabriz, Sareyn, Ardabil, Astara, Talesh, Bandar-e-Anzali, Kianshahr, Lahijan, Ramsar, Tonekabon, Chalus, Nur, Amol, Babol, Sari, Neka, Behshahr, Galougah, Gorgan, Aliabad, Galikash, Bojnord, Shirvan, Ghuchan and finally, Bajgiran.
At the end, what I can say is that I love Iran very much. I wished I could speak Persian and talk and communicate more with Iranians.

Did you have any particular problem during your journey?

I`m not going to say there wasn`t any problem, but not a big and important one. There were some usual problems; for example early in my way, a man who I guess was a drug addict held my little carriage in which I carry my things and didn`t let me go; he insisted that I sit down and have a tea with him, which I refused because it didn`t feel good and he didn`t behave respectfully; however, he still didn`t let me go so that I had to blow him and pass through. I was very afraid when I looked at his very large and red eyes, but such a thing didn`t happen again.

Another case that hurt me was a man beating his son in a restaurant. I believe that someone who uses his physical force against others is a coward and not a brave person. That little boy was beaten, scared and crying, to the point that I interfered and asked the man to end his misbehaviour. I found his conduct very ill-bred. No discerning person behaves the younger or weaker like that.

Are you decided to continue your trips? Will you travel again to Iran?

I should see. I have no detailed plan for the future, but I`m sure that plans will find their way into me. Now I work on my documentary about my journey to Iran and I`m willing to write a book on that. On whether I travel to Iran again or not, I should say why not, I will be glad if I can.

 

Iranian Official Pledges Unwavering Support for Iraq’s Anti-Terror Fight

ali larijan and sheikh humam hamoudi

“The Islamic Republic of Iran always stands by the Iraqi nation and government and is fully ready to render any type of assistance [to Iraq],” Larijani said on Wednesday during a meeting with First Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Sheikh Humam Hamoudi in Tehran on Wednesday.

Iran supports Iraq’s territorial integrity and unity among Iraqi groups, including Sunnis, Shias and Kurds, Larijani said, expressing optimism that the Arab country could overcome its problems through solidarity.

He also hailed recent gains made by the Iraqi troops and volunteer forces against terrorists and hoped for their final victory against terrorism.

The Iranian official warned against rifts among Muslims and said, “The biggest threat to security and stability in the Islamic world is fanning the flames of religious strife and stoking tensions among Muslim brethren.”

The Iraqi official, for his part, lauded Iran’s full support for his country.

He described terrorism as the biggest challenge gripping his country and expressed hope that stability would be restored to Iraq in the near future.

This comes as the Iraqi forces are heading toward the final liberation of the northern city of Mosul from Daesh terrorists.

The key city of Mosul fell into the hands of the Takfiri group in June 2014.