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Russian Navy’s Research Vessel Berths at Iranian Port

navy

According to Iran’s Navy, the move is part of joint efforts by Iran and Russia to boost naval cooperation and enhance maritime security across the region.

Seamen on board the Russian vessel, under the command of Captain Lieutenant Alexey Vladimirovich, are going to take a tour of Bandar Abbas, which includes cultural and sports activities, the Iranian Navy announced.

The Russian Navy received Yantar, a modern oceanographic research vessel equipped with two self-propelled deep submergence vehicles, in May 2015, according to Sputnik.

Russian Navy’s Research Vessel Berths at Iranian Port

The ship was built at the Russian Baltic shipyard of the same name, Yantar, and is used for deep-sea research and rescue operations.

The Russian watercraft is equipped with advanced gear for acoustic, biological, physical, and geophysical surveys. It has a displacement of 5,200 tons and a maximum speed of 15 knots, and can accommodate a crew of 60 members.

Russian Navy’s Research Vessel Berths at Iranian Port

Cleric Hits Back at US for Terrorism-Related Sanctions on Iran

ayatollah mohammad emami-kashani

“Americans are committing crimes in Syria, Yemen and other countries, and they themselves have created and trained ISIS and terrorists,” Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani said in an address to worshippers in Tehran on Friday.

He also slammed as “flagrant” the US move to impose sanctions on Iran under accusation of sponsoring terrorism.

His comments came after US lawmakers passed a bill renewing sanctions on Iran for 10 years. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted 419 to one for a 10-year reauthorization of the Iran Sanctions Act, or ISA, a law first adopted in 1996 to punish investments in Iran’s energy industry.

Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Emami Kashani made it clear that results of the recent US presidential election will not have any impact on Iran.

The cleric also highlighted the serious “economic and moral problems” that the US is now facing.

On Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined that Iran makes no judgement about results of the US presidential election, stressing that Tehran is prepared for “any possible event” without any concern.

Unlike certain countries in the world that either rejoice at the outcome of the US presidential election or moan about it, Iran is indifferent to it, the Leader said, adding, “We do not feel any concern either, and by God’s grace, we are also ready to face any eventuality.”

Why Iranians Paid So Much Attention to Results of US Elections

According to a report by Asr-e Iran, as translated by IFP, the US election is an issue related to another country and not Iranians. However, Iranian people in their political, social and family circles have kept speaking about the reasons for victory of Donald Trump.

The event has been so much important that certain people speak of Mrs. Clinton’s failure as if they have lost a loved one and at the same time, certain people speak of Trump’s victory with so much passion as if he is going to offer part of his wealth to them. Their approach towards the issue is so strong that it seems a matter and business of Iran and Iranians.

But why Trump’s victory and Hillary’s failure and the whole process of the US presidential elections are so much interesting for politicians and elites as well as ordinary and non-political citizens or experts of other fields and even more interesting in this period than ever?

Here are 10 reasons:

The most important reason is that Donald Trump had threatened that in case of victory he would scrap the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. Though he softened his tone later on, he provoked public opinion in Iran because the JCPOA is influential in economy, living, trade and industry of Iran.

The election of a Democrat or Republican has never been so much important for the non-political strata, especially regarding the fact that many Iranians believe main events take place behind the curtain but, this time, more attention is being paid to the US election due to the JCPOA.

The second reason is that both candidates were very much famous even beyond the field of politics: One point is that Clinton was a woman and wished to be the first female US President in the history and the other candidate being widely known for his business, entrepreneurship and wealthy background as well as other attractions. They were also became more famous as they both used to accuse each other in debates. In the presidential debates the two sides even accused each other of having immoral and extramarital relationship and even sexual assault.

This was what made politics no longer so rigid and harsh, and it was treated like tabloid journalism and was touched upon in the dialogue of a large number of individuals.

The third reason was the Iranian population living in the US. Being directly engaged in the case, they shared the sensitivities with their relatives living inside Iran.

The fourth point is the expansion of social networks. In the past, people were informed of such events only through the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), satellite networks, the press and websites, but now mobile apps are used for the transfer of images and messages of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to a wide range of population.

Where the IRIB, the press and websites could not reflect certain images and messages due to certain considerations, social networks recklessly and without any censorships did the job and this got people more engaged.

The fifth reason is that Trump is known to be a populist figure, and since Iranian people had such an experience for highly scandalous eight years with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, they wished to know how the Americans would deal with such an issue.

It is not yet clear what type of populism is that of Trump. Will he continue to act in the same manner during his presidency? At any rate, despite ideological differences and positions, Trump is now compared with Ahmadinejad not only in Iran but also in other countries.

One more interesting point is that Iran was considered a thorny subject in debates and naturally, when Iran is the point of attention, Iranian officials and people follow up the subject, the content and the results with more patience.

The seventh point is that, though not being genuine, a comparison had been drawn in Iran regarding the US election; the competition between Democrats and Republicans is similar to the one between reformists and conservatives in Iran, and people compared the Iranian version with Clinton-Trump competition.

Certain media in Iran provoked such a mentality: Trump’s victory will likely guarantee the victory of conservatives in Iran, and President Hassan Rouhani is the Iranian version of Hillary!

The eighth reason is that politics has once again become an attractive issue in Iran. So many Iranians had distanced themselves from politics for a while but they have come to know again that it has cast its shadow on their daily life. They have come to think that if they leave politics, politics will not leave them. Therefore, they move further into politics, especially when the entire world is speaking about it.

The ninth reason for so much sensitivity about the issue is that Iranian economy has for a while waited to observe the achievements of JCPOA. On the other hand, the results of the US elections can be effective on prices of such items as gold, and people are undecided whether or not they should make investment.

Mentality of Iranian people is geared on profit or loss, and since Iranians favour business and trade, they look at the issue from the same point of view. Two or three weeks before the US elections, there were discussions whether gold price would go high because when the atmosphere is insecure, people turn to buy gold.

As the last word, let’s say people have special kinds of theories for themselves and some of them bet and share the same feelings.

Many individuals would bet that a woman would be the next president of the United States and due to the same reason, they considered a person such as Trump as a rival to her; they believed with a radical figure like Donald Trump as the rival, Hillary’s victory was guaranteed. Certain theorists had also made such a prediction and insisted on their claim.

People waited to see what would happen and like presidential elections in Iran they stayed awake the election night up to early Wednesday morning. Interestingly, many people were pleased with Trump’s victory. We [Iranians] are the kind of people in search of some adventure!

Iraqi Gov’t Confirms Kurdish Forces’ Withdrawal from Lands Retaken From ISIS

Haider Abadi

According to a report covered by Tabnak, the Iraqi government’s agreement with Kurdistan over the withdrawal of Kurdish Peshmerga forces from the regions recaptured from the ISIS militants remains unchanged, a statement from the Prime Minister Haider Abadi’s office revealed on Thursday.

“We would like to emphasize that the agreement between the federal government and KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government] regarding the liberation of Nineveh is steady and unchanged, according to which the Peshmarga is fighting side by side with the federal military forces to drive ISIS terrorism out of Nineveh.”

“We point out that this agreement includes an explicit clause stating that Peshmarga withdraws to their previous stations soon after the liberation of Nineveh,” the statement said.

Abadi’s office added that the affiliation of the disputed areas was bound by the constitution.

On Wednesday, during a visit to Peshmerga forces, Kurdistan’s President Masoud Barzani declared that Kurdish forces would stay in the territories that were reclaimed from the ISIS, under an arrangement with the United States and the Iraqi government.

On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi launched the operation to retake the city. The operation began with 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and 30,000 Iraqi soldiers backed by the US-led anti-terror coalition, Sputnik reported.

Iran’s Nejad Katesari Wins Gold at World Taekwondo Junior Championships

Mobina Nejad

She defeated Irene Laguna Perez of Spain 8-0 in the final match of the Female -42kg category at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre in Burnaby, Canada.

The Iranian athlete had already defeated her rivals from Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea and Russia.

Bronzes went to Sofia Zampetti of Italy and Karina Ushakova of Russia.

With 846 competitors and 458 officials registered, representing 102 countries, Burnaby 2016 is the biggest World Juniors ever.

Over 1.9 Million Pilgrims Have Arrived in Iraq from Iran

Arbaeen

According to a report by Mizan, as translated by IFP, more than 2 million visas have been issued for Iranian pilgrims so far.

Based on official reports, more than 1.9 million have already crossed Mehran (in Western Iran) and Shalamcheh and Chazzabeh (in Southern Iran) border crossings to enter Iraq.

Mehran border crossing, one of the most crowded ones, has been closed by the Iraqi government since Thursday morning, and pilgrims are obliged to use Shalamcheh and Chazzabeh as alternatievs.

Meanwhile, IRINN advised pilgrims to postpone their Arbaeen pilgrimage to next year because of a lack of enough facilities in Iraq.

Given the adverse situation in the Arab country, Iran’s Basij (volunteer forces) and Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have voiced their preparedness to help the pilgrims.

Arbaeen

Intelligence Minister Highlights Security at Iran-Iraq Border

Iran’s Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alawi said all of the border crossings used by Arbaeen pilgrims to cross into Iraq are safe and secure.

Alawi, during a visit to Mehran border crossing in western Iran on Thursday, said there are no security problems in the joint borders with Iraq, Tasnim reported.

He underlined that there is full security in all of the three border crossings in Mehran, Shalamcheh and Chazzabeh.

235741_762Interior Minister Urges Gradual Return of Iranian Pilgrims from Iraq

Iran’s interior minister called on pilgrims who have travelled to Iraq for Arbaeen religious rituals to return home gradually and delay their arrival to Iran preferably until days after Arbaeen –November 20- to prevent a jam at the border crossings.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday night, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said around 400,000 pilgrims have returned from Iraq so far, calling on the others not to flock into the border crossings immediately after end of Arbaeen, which falls on Sunday.

He also noted that Iranians can still travel to Iraq by plane or by land through Shalamcheh and Chazzabeh border crossings.

Heavy traffic on the Iraqi roads, together with the presence of Iranian pilgrims without a visa that caused a crowd disorder at Mehran border crossing, made Iraqi officials close it temporarily, the minister explained.

The Arbaeen mourning ceremony is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.

It marks the 40th day after the martyrdom anniversary of the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Imam Hussein (AS).

Each year, pilgrims, mainly from Iraq and Iran, travel long routes on foot to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located.

Last year, more than 20 million pilgrims from all over the world gathered in Karbala on Arbaeen.

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.