Each year, World Tourism Day is celebrated in different countries on September 27. To mark the international day, Tasnim has released photos that portray a small part of Iran’s beauties.
![Setaregan [Stars] Valley](https://ifpnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/139507061255328568772234.jpg "Beauties of Iran: An Overview on World Tourism Day 7")
Beauties of Iran: An Overview on World Tourism Day
Iran’s Intelligence Forces Bust Terror Cell in Border Area
Following intelligence and security measures, Iranian forces learned that two members of an Iraqi-based terrorist group had entered the country through common borders with the aim of carrying out acts of sabotage in the Islamic Republic.
Later, through separate operations on September 16 and 18, they succeeded in arresting them along with two of their accomplices near a village in Marivan.
The ringleader of the terrorist cell, better known by the nom de guerre Showan, confessed that they had planned to recruit more forces in Iran and conduct terror acts across the country.
A number of weapons and ammunition, including three Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles, 16 magazines, and one night vision device (NVD) were confiscated in their hiding place.
Despite being in a volatile region, Iran enjoys good security within its borders thanks to the competence and proficiency of its intelligence and security forces.
The forces have foiled several malicious attempts by terrorist elements against the country in the past few months
On June 13, troops from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force killed five members of the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) terrorist group in an ambush in Sardasht region in the northwestern province of West Azerbaijan.
On the same day, Iranian police forces killed five members of the Jaish-ul-Adl terrorist group in an exchange of fire in Sistan and Balouchestan, while a trooper was also martyred.
Two days later, the IRGC forces killed a number of militants in clashes with two terrorist teams trying to intrude into Oshnavieh border area near the frontier with Iraq.
On June 20, the Intelligence Ministry announced that its force thwarted a major plot hatched by Takfiri-Wahhabi groups for several terrorist attacks in Tehran and a number of other provinces, with terrorists arrested and a large amount of bombs and explosive material confiscated.
And on September 20, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence forces arrested two terrorists in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan.
Iran’s President Assures Syria of Resolute Support
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will keep assisting Syria in the fight against terrorism and in the establishment of security in the region,” President Rouhani said at a meeting with Speaker of the People’s Council of Syria Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, held in Tehran on Tuesday.
Such help for Syria is based upon Iran’s deeply-held belief that terrorism is a serious threat to the region and the world, the president added.
He also noted that efforts to preserve territorial integrity and solidarity of regional countries, including Syria, is a principle behind Iran’s policies, underscoring that changes in the borders would not benefit the region at all.
Elsewhere, President Rouhani said delivering humanitarian aid to the Syrian people is now a high priority.
For her part, the visiting Syrian speaker praised Iran for backing her country from the outset of crisis in 2011.
She also made it clear that the Syrian nation is the only entity entitled to decide the fate of the Arab country, recommending big powers, the US in particular, to try to stem terrorism if they are to provide any help.
Khalaf Abbas arrived in Tehran on Monday at the invitation of Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on September 27
The majority of newspapers reported the remarks made by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei who publicly announced that he has advised ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against running for next year’s presidential elections.
The presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump also remained a top story today among some newspapers.
Newspapers further covered the speech delivered by President Hassan Rouhani at the World Tourism Day conference on the rise of tourism in Iran.
The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines:
Abrar:
1- Australian Trade Minister: We Prefer that Iranian Asylum-Seekers Return to Their Country
2- Zarif: US Vowed Not to Punish Banks Engaged with Iran
3- Int’l Bodies Warn of Humanitarian Disaster in Aleppo: 50% of Victims Are Children
4- US: Russia Abusing Its UNSC Seat
Abrar-e Eqtesadi:
1- 30% Increase in Iran’s Liquidity in 1 Year
2- Return of World’s Major Economies to Doing Business with Iran
3- No Decision to Be Made in Algeria Meeting: Talks with Non-OPEC Members for Stability in Oil Market
4- US Is Biggest Customer of Iran’s Saffron
Afarinesh:
1- Larijani: It’s Not Possible to Deepen Democracy through Creating Security Crises
Afkar:
1- Foreign Ministry Spokesman: Syria Crisis Can Only Be Resolved through Negotiations
2- Iran’s Exports Stands near $22bn
3- Russia Receives 38 Tons of Iran’s Heavy Water
Aftab-e Yazd:
1- Conservative Mayor of Tehran: I Agree with JCPOA; Qalibaf Hails Rouhani’s Greatest Achievement on Contrary to Previous Stances
2- Hillary and Trump’s Competition for Pleasing Netanyahu: Separate Meetings of US Candidates with Leaders of Occupying Regime [Israel]
Amin:
1- President: Countering Iranophobia Is an Honour for Government
2- Erdogan: Even Iran Says Reza Zarrab Is Innocent
3- Government Dedicates over $84m to Revival of Lake Urmia
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- Leader on Candidacy of a “Gentleman” in Presidential Elections: We Don’t See His Participation Appropriate
2- Goodbye Ahmadinejad: Experts’ Analyses Given the Leader’s Explicit Advice
Asr-e Iranian
1- Arabs Seize Shares of 7 OPEC Member States
2- Tsunami of Youths’ Marriage with Old People
3- Russian Representative’ Fight with Envoys of US, Britain, and France
Ebtekar:
1- President: Interaction with the World, Step by Step
2- Judiciary Chief: Huge Number of Prisoners Taints Image of Islamic Republic
Etemad:
1- IRGC General Mohsen Rezaei Won’t Run for Presidential Elections
2- Conservatives and Third Division: Another Group of Cons Establish ‘Faction of Revolution’
3- Iranian Spokesman: No Time Can Be Bought for Terrorists in Syria
Ettela’at:
1- Rouhani: Progress Is a Fruit of Security; We’re Thankful of All Security and Armed Forces
2- Senior Nusra Front Commander: US Gives Us Weapons Directly
Iran:
1- President: 10% Increase in Number of Foreign Tourists Visiting Iran
Javan:
1- Salehi’s Warning to the West: JCPOA Is Being Threatened
2- Battle in Aleppo, Fight in UNCS: Unprecedented Tension between Western Powers and Russia and Syria in UN Session
Jomhouri Eslami:
1- Value of Iran’s Non-Oil Foreign Trade Exceeds $42bn
2- Australia to Open Trade Office in Iran
3- President: Establishment and Government Will Continue Its Constructive Interaction Approach
Kayhan:
1- Leader Foils Enemy Plots by Underlining Movement on Opposite Side of the Enemies
2- Iranian-Islamic Architecture of the Freeway Connecting Tehran to Northern Iran Assigned to Italians!
3- Yemeni People Go to Banks and Give Their Money and Assets to Ansarullah
4- During Netanyahu’s Meetings with Clinton and Trump, It’s Said that US Is Coordinated with Israel in JCPOA Implementation
Khorasan:
1- Iran’s Nuclear Chief: Some Sanctions Are Still in Place in Spite of What Agreed Upon in JCPOA
2- 810 Killed in Road Accidents in Iranian Month of Shahrivar
Resalat:
1- New York Times: US Explicit Robbery of Iran’s Assets
2- Interior Minister: Unemployment Rate Is as High as 60% in Some Cities
Shargh:
1- President: Tourists Visit Countries with High Cultural Toleration
2- Founding Member of IRGC Mohammad Gharazi: If I Had Three Mortar Shells, Khorramshahr Might Not Fall
Vaghaye Ettefaghieh:
1- Leader Publicly Announce His Advice to Ahmadinejad: I Don’t Think It’s to Iran’s Interests that You Run for Presidential Elections; Country Would Be Polarized
2- Reverse Trend of Globalization? Crisis in Political Leadership of Europe
Vatan-e Emrooz:
1- Judiciary Chief: Iran’s Security Finds Meaning under Shadow of Its Defensive Might
2- Leader Underlines the Need for Unity among Revolutionary Forces
Iran Not to Accept Conditional Delivery of Newly Purchased Planes
Comments by Western countries or some members of the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) about the sale of planes to Iran are an attempt to justify their own failure to live up to commitments and the delay of about a year in exporting the planes to Iran, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi told IRIB.
The spokesman underlined that Iran will never accept any conditions set by the sellers if they contravene Iran’s sovereignty and independence.
Iran definitely acts within the framework of its own interests and dignity in any business contract on the exchange of goods or services with foreign countries, Qassemi stressed.
Over the past three decades, Iran has faced a host of cruel sanctions and limitations, but never given in to the unjust demands of others, he stressed.
Last week, the US decided 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), a nuclear agreement between Tehran and the group of six countries.
But the US still demands that even non-American manufacturers wishing to sell to Iran obtain an export license if their products include materials made in the United States. Airbus, based in Europe, buys more than 40 percent of all its aircraft parts from the US.
In January, Iran signed a major contract with Airbus worth about $27 billion to buy 118 planes. The contract was signed during the visit to Paris by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani.
Iran also sealed a deal in June worth around $25 billion with the US aerospace heavyweight, Boeing, for the purchase of 100 passenger planes.
Wahhabism Even More Evil than Israel: Nasrallah
Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah, made the remark during his annual meeting with Muslim eulogists and the people responsible for commemoration ceremonies during the Lunar month of Muharram, Lebanon’s Al Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The Hezbollah chief said he considered Wahhabism to be responsible for damaging Islam’s image worldwide. “Wahhabism is more evil than Israel, especially [in] that it seeks to destroy others and eliminate whatever thing that has to do with Islam and its history,” he said.
Not a Shia, Sunni matter
“This project was launched in 2011, and it not a Shia and Sunni matter. The role played by spy services is completely evident here. We should use this opportunity to pin Wahhabism down and deal a blow to it,” he added.
The existent conflict, Nasrallah said, was not between Shias and Sunnis, but with Wahhabism.
Wahhabism is the radical ideology dominating Saudi Arabia, freely preached by government-backed clerics there, and inspiring terrorists worldwide. Daesh and other Takfiri terror groups use the ideology to declare people of other faiths as “infidels” and then kill them.
Nasrallah also said what posed a yet bigger threat than Wahhabism and Zionism was “British Shiism,” which, he said, was being promoted by pseudo-religious figures, whom he called mercenaries of intelligence services.
Hezbollah has been crucial to keeping Wahhabi terrorism out of Lebanon, while helping neighboring Syria in holding back the scourge, too.
The Hezbollah chief said Saudi Arabia had escalated tensions to a climax and was trying, with the help of the US and Britain, to portray conflicts as sectarian.
Referring to the Syrian conflict, he said there were no “moderate” armed groups in Syria, warning that all those fighting Damascus were either working with Daesh or al-Nusra, which has recently renamed itself.
Nasrallah also said he saw no prospect for a political solution for the Syrian conflict. “Developments on the [battle] ground will ultimately determine [the outcome],” he said matter-of-factly.
Syria has been fighting a foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. Hezbollah fighters have been assisting Syrian government forces fighting back the militants, including Daesh and other dangerous groups.
Ahmadinejad Pens Letter to Leader: I Have No Plan for Presidential Elections
“In a letter to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Dr. Ahmadinejad has declared that, in a move to obey what Ayatollah Khamenei says, he has no plan to run for the 2017 presidential elections,” Ali Akbar Javanfekr, a media advisor to the ex-president, announced on Tuesday, September 27.
According to a report by ISNA, as translated by IFP, Javanfekr said that the full text of the letter will be published soon.
The letter came after Ayatollah Khamenei implied on Monday that he has advised Ahmadinejad against running for next year’s presidential elections.
Speaking at the beginning of an advanced course on Islamic religious studies, the Leader confirmed that he has advised a gentleman [without mentioning a specific name] in a recent visit to “avoid getting involved in a certain event [election]” for the good of the country and of that individual himself.
“We did not tell him not to participate either,” the Leader explained, saying the individual has been told that his involvement “is not deemed expedient.”
Ayatollah Khamenei noted that a holistic view of the country’s situation and that specific figure’s conditions led to the recommendation that he had better avoid engagement in the event to prevent polarization of the country.
The Leader once again stressed that he has not ordered anybody to get involved or stay away, saying this is not about ruling, but about expediency.
Israel’s Nukes Threaten Regional Stability and NPT Credibility
“Iran, as the initiator of establishing Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the Middle East since 1974, reiterates its deep concern over Israeli clandestine military nuclear program,” Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said in the 60th Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference in Vienna on Monday.
The Israeli regime, which pursues a policy of so-called deliberate ambiguity about its nuclear bombs, is estimated to have 200 to 400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. The regime has refused to allow inspections of its military nuclear facilities or to sign the NPT.
According to March 2015 emails by former US secretary of state Colin Powell leaked earlier this month, Israel has 200 nuclear weapons “targeted on Tehran.”
Salehi reiterated Iran’s motto of “Nuclear Energy for All and Nuclear Weapon for None,” saying, “This message, if realized, would accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world.”
“The world without nuclear weapons under the full implementation of Article VI of NPT and the realization of nuclear disarmament by 2025 as proposed by the Non-Aligned Movement is an inevitable necessity and certainly one of the best guaranties for nuclear security,” he said.
Salehi further underscored the Islamic Republic’s resolve to expand its nuclear program for civilian purposes following the implementation of last year’s agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany.
Citing a key report last December by the UN nuclear monitoring body that it has found no indications of the diversion of nuclear material for non-civilian objectives in Iran’s nuclear program, Salehi said “the official and decisive report on the final assessment of Iran’s past and present nuclear issues … closed for ever [the] false and fabricated nuclear file” on the Islamic Republic’s atomic program.
The top Iranian nuclear official expressed the country’s readiness to cooperate with interested technologically advanced IAEA member states for advancing peaceful nuclear technology as well as exchanging experiences and know-how with developing countries.
He further expressed regret over the failure of the P5+1 to fully honor its obligations under the JCPOA despite Iran implementing “all its JCPOA commitments, which was monitored and verified by the agency as well as continuing its close cooperation with the IAEA through voluntary effectuation of the Additional Protocol in accordance with the provisions of the JCPOA.”
Iran and the P5+1 signed the JCPOA in Vienna in July 2015. It went into effect on January 16, and resolved a long-running dispute over the Iranian nuclear program.
Under the JCPOA, the Islamic Republic has agreed to roll back certain aspects of its nuclear program – including the volume of its uranium stockpiles enriched to the 20-percent level – and has provided international atomic monitors enhanced access to its nuclear facilities.
In return, Iran’s partners agreed to terminate all nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran.
Some international banks, however, still shy away from financing trade deals and processing transactions with Iran fearing US penalties.
Meetings With IAEA, Rosatom Chiefs
On the sidelines of the IAEA session, the Iranian official also met with IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and Sergey Kiriyenko, the head of Rosatom, which Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation.
During the meeting with Amano, “we discussed arriving at a final conclusion as regards [Iran’s] nuclear activities and [the agency’s] monitoring activities that are underway either as part of the Safeguards [agreement], the Additional Protocol or the JCPOA,” Salehi said.
Speaking about his meeting with the Rosatom chief, the Iranian nuclear chief said the Russo-Iranian ties are of a strategic nature, adding that in the area of nuclear energy it is Russia that has the highest level of cooperation with Iran.
The two also held follow-up negotiations on ongoing cooperation between Iran and Russia aimed at completing the construction of the second and third power plant units at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in southern Iran.
They also discussed financing and other issues concerning the cooperation in order to review the rigor with which the work is expected to take place.
Salehi cited the Russian official as having said that Russia had earlier received the 38 tons of heavy water sent by Iran around eight days before.
“It is a great step that we managed to sell 70 tons of heavy water to the US and Russia within eight months of the JCPOA’s implementation. Other European countries are likewise interested in buying the commodity and relevant negotiations are taking place,” he said.
Salehi-Moniz Meeting
Meanwhile, the AEOI head said on Monday that he had met with US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz in Vienna the previous day to review the two countries’ obligations under the JCPOA.
He added that he would likely hold another meeting with the US energy secretary later on Monday to discuss issues of mutual concerns.
Moniz said on Monday that Washington has kept its side of the JCPOA.
“The sanctions that were to be relieved have been relieved. That’s what was the commitment. That has happened,” the US energy secretary told a news conference on the sidelines of the IAEA annual meeting.
“The consequences of that in terms of how many companies make foreign direct investments in Iran is not for the government to decide, that’s for companies to decide,” he said.
Moniz added that US officials “at their highest levels” have explained in Europe and to banks how to transact with Iran without falling foul of the remaining restrictions.
Iran Raps Assassination of Jordanian Anti-Wahhabism Writer
“The responsibility of this assassination lies with those individuals who cannot tolerate the writings and opinions of this anti-Zionism and anti-Wahhabism author,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday.
“The spread of the wave of violence and terror is a direct outcome of incorrect policies and double-standard approaches by international political and media circles and of disgusting passivity in countering the ideological and political roots of Takfirism and violence,” the Iranian spokesperson added.
He called for immediate action to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators and masterminds of such a terrorist act.
A gunman on Sunday shot dead the Jordanian writer, Nahed Hattar, outside a courthouse where he was expected to stand trial on charges of sharing a cartoon deemed insulting to Islam.
The assailant fired three shots at Hattar in front of the Palace of Justice in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
Hattar had been arrested in August after posting the caricature on his Facebook account. The 56-year-old Christian was charged with inciting sectarian strife and insulting Islam before being released on bail in early September.
The authorities accused the writer of violating law by sharing the cartoon.
Hattar had later apologized and said that he had not meant to disrespect God but rather to mock radicals and their perception of the religion.
Iran’s Zarif Urges Deeds Not Words on Syria, Yemen
“Talk is cheap at the UNSC (United Nations Security Council),” Zarif posted on his Twitter account on Monday.
He added that “ceasefire, aid and inclusive political settlement” are the only ways to settle the Yemeni and Syrian crises.
The Iranian foreign minister expressed the Islamic Republic’s readiness to help solve the conflicts but rhetorically asked, “Are others too?”
Zarif’s tweet came after the UN Security Council held a crisis meeting Sunday to discuss the critical situation in Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo. At the meeting, diplomats exchanged blame and fierce words.
Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, has been divided since 2012 between government forces in the west and foreign-backed terrorists in the east, making it a frontline battleground.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. Over the past few months, the Takfiri militants active in the Arab country have suffered major setbacks as the Syrian army has managed to liberate several areas.
Saudi Arabia has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015, with the UN putting the toll at around 10,000. The offensive was launched to reinstate Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Saudi ally who has resigned as Yemen’s president.
Iran, Russia Urge Aid to Syria
Meanwhile, deputy foreign ministers of Iran and Russia on Monday stressed the importance of accelerating the delivery of humanitarian aid to conflict zones in Syria.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov made the call in a telephone conversation.
The two top diplomats exchanged views about the latest developments in Syria, particularly the situation in Aleppo.
A week-long truce, brokered by Russia and the US, came to an end across Syria on September 19.
Damascus refused to extend the deal after its military base was hit by US-led airstrikes near the eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr in violation of the agreement.
The air raids, which left more than 80 Syrian troops dead and some 100 others wounded, paved the way for the Takfiri militants to make some gains in the area.
