The Takfiri [extremist] group, which is known for using people as human shields and sex slaves, is now forcefully taking people’s blood to treat its fighters, as reported by ILNA and translated by IFP.
Whoever refrains from giving his blood will be sentenced by ISIS to 70 lashes.
According to a report by IRNA, as translated by IFP, Ayatollah Khatami, who is also a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, emphasized that Russian warplanes landed in Nojeh airbase in Hamadan just for refuelling.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has never dedicated its airbase to Russians’ military operations,” Khatami said in an address in Imam Khomeini’s Mosalla Mosque in Iran’s Western city of Shahr-e Kord.
Refuelling is pretty common and frequently seen in different parts of the world, Khatami said, adding, “Russian warplanes which were heading to Syria for bombing ISIS positions had a brief stop just for refueling.”
On August 16, Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Su-34 frontline bombers, flying with a full bomb load from the Nojeh airbase located in Iran’s western city of Hamadan, conducted a group air strike against targets of ISIS in Syria.
Iran has been ramping up output since the lifting of sanctions in January to reclaim its lost market share, dismissing demands to join the freeze initiative.
In a recent 30-day period (the Iranian month of Khordad), Iran’s oil output exceeded 3.8m bpd, while it used to be 2.7m under the sanctions, as reported by IRNA and translated by IFP.
On Tuesday, August 23, Reuters cited unnamed sources as saying that Iran was sending “positive signals” that it might get behind the push to curb production.
“Though Iran has not yet decided whether to join a new effort, Tehran appears to be more willing to reach an understanding with other oil producers,” the news agency quoted the sources as saying.
Iran, the source said, was on course to reach its pre-sanction production level soon, after which it would join other producers to freeze output.
Iranian officials have already signalled that the country would support the initiative after its crude production reached the level it desired.
The Islamic Republic exported up to 2.3 million barrels per day of crude before sanctions cut it by half in 2012.
On Friday, Reuters said its latest figures confirmed that Iran’s exports had surpassed two million bpd.
Director for international affairs of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Mohsen Qamsari said Iran’s total exports hit 2.74 million bpd in June. The figure included 0.6 million bpd of condensate.
Qamsari said Iran was still exporting around 0.4 million bpd less than the average it released on the market before sanctions were imposed against the country.
There was no immediate reaction from Iranian officials to Reuters’ report on Wednesday, as reported by Press TV.
Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries are due to meet informally in Algeria next month on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum which groups both producers and consumers.
Reuters quoted an unnamed OPEC source as saying that Iran had confirmed it would participate in the Sept. 26-28 meeting in which members would probably revive talks on freezing oil production levels.
The report caused oil prices to jump on Tuesday. In London, Brent North Sea crude for October rose 80 cents to $49.96 a barrel. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for October delivery ended up 69 cents from Monday at $48.10 a barrel.
The previous attempt to freeze output collapsed in April after Saudi Arabia insisted that it would join the initiative, supported by non-OPEC producers such as Russia and Venezuela, only if Iran were on board.
The kingdom has reached record production, leading to a collapse in prices which has hit the country hard as well as other producers.
“Cooperation between Iran and Nicaragua can include collaboration in the construction of the [Grand] Interoceanic Canal to the areas of agriculture, energy production, petrochemistry, banking, credit, transportation, food and pharmaceutical industries, and science and technology,” Zarif noted.
Zarif visited Nicaragua on Tuesday, August 23, along with representatives of Iranian companies and discussed their possible involvement in the 50-billion-dollar project which is groomed to rival the Panama pathway.
China’s HKND group is tasked with carrying out the megaproject, with the construction about to begin at the end of this year.
At 172 miles (278 km), Interoceanic Grand Canal is over three times the length of the 100-year-old Panama Canal, which was completed by the United States 34 years after French engineers began it.
The new route is also deeper and wider than the Panama Canal, triggering a flurry of resentment from the US and its allies which have tried to cast doubt on the project and question its viability.
Moreover, China’s involvement would be a direct challenge to the United States, which controlled the Panama Canal until 1999.
Iran Greatly Values Latin America Ties: Zarif
Speaking in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua on Wednesday and after meeting with his counterpart Samuel Santos López, Zarif said the large politico-economic delegation accompanying him on the trip testifies to the significance that Iran attaches to ties with Nicaragua and other Latin American countries.
The Nicaraguan foreign minister, for his part, said his country had for long been awaiting a visit by the Iranian delegation.
The visit, he said, signalled that Iranian officials and enterprises were determined to expand the Islamic Republic’s already-good relations with countries in the Latin American region.
During his stay in Nicaragua, Zarif also met with René Nuñez Tellez, the head of Nicaragua’s National Assembly (Parliament), as well as the country’s President Daniel Ortega.
Zarif has travelled to the region at the head of a high-ranking politico-economic delegation comprising 120 businessmen and financial executives from government and private sectors. The tour started off in Cuba on Monday, and has now taken him to Ecuador.
Zarif is on the landmark tour of six Latin American nations to boost trade relations following the lifting of US-led sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
He started his visit in Havana where he met Cuban leaders, including President Raul Castro in what they described a new chapter in bilateral ties.
His tour of Latin American countries will further take him to Chile, Bolivia, and finally Venezuela.
Boosting Trade Profile
More than 100 representatives of state and private companies are accompanying Zarif in the visit which also includes trips to Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela.
Iran has good relations with almost all Latin American countries, including with Nicaragua where Zarif discussed investment opportunities in a variety of areas.
Zarif told reporters aboard the flight to Cuba that promoting diplomatic and economic relations with Latin American countries is among Iran’s fundamental policies.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has had strong and age-old relations with the Americas and Latin American states and is determined to expand its relations with and political and economic presence in this important region of the world,” he said.
Zarif said Iranian firms have implemented several projects in Latin American countries over the past few years, and Iran has diplomatic relations with nearly all the counties in the region.
Among the Latin American countries, Iran has developed more advanced ties with Venezuela. The country is involved in a series of joint ventures worth several billion dollars in energy, agriculture, housing, and infrastructure sectors in Venezuela.
In June, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the Islamic Republic had agreed to a $500 million credit line for his country to finance joint investments there.
Iran’s main industrial projects in Venezuela include a car assembly plant, a tractor manufacturing complex and a cement factory. It has also built more than 3,000 residential housing units for less privileged citizens in Venezuela, with 7,000 more to be completed.
Shared Grievances
Most Latin American states and Iran have shared grievances toward the US because of Washington’s history of supporting authoritarian regimes and engineering coups in those countries and pressuring them through sanctions and other means.
On Monday, Zarif was told in Cuba that US sanctions on the Latin American country and Iran have opened a common ground for the two countries to forge special trade ties.
“Both Cuba and Iran have reached a roadmap after years of sanctions which they should use to explore new economic opportunities and take advantage of each other’s capabilities,” Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Malmierca Diaz said, as reported by Press TV.
The first Iran-Cuba economic forum opened in Havana on Monday, with Diaz telling Iranian companies that they could become the engine of economic growth and dynamism in his country.
Newspapers on Wednesday covered the message by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to the Team Iran, the athletes coming back from Rio 2016 Olympics. The Leader in his message thanked the athletes and praised their efforts.
The remarks made by Ali Larijani, the Parliament Speaker, about Russia’s continued use of Iranian airbase also received good coverage today.
Some papers also covered the arrest of a member of Iranian negotiating team on charge of espionage.
The cancellation of concerts in Mashhad, north-eastern Iran, has also remained a top story in many newspapers.
The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines:
Abrar:
1- Larijani: No Halt to Russian Aircraft’s Use of Hamadan Airbase
2- US State Dept.: Washington Paid $1.3bn of Iran’s Debt
3- Prosecutor-General: Babak Zanjani’s Assets Will Be Given to Oil Ministry
Abrar-e Eqtesadi:
1- 127-Fold Increase of Foreign Investment in Tehran
2- China Returns to Iran’s Oldest Oilfield
3- Deputy Oil Minister: Iran’s Plan for Sale of Gas to Japan
Aftab-e Yazd:
1- Leader’s Message: We Appreciate Value of Olympic Athletes
2- No Regress in Iran’s Ties with Latin America during Rouhani Term: Analyst
Amin:
1- Asghar Farhadi’s ‘A Separation’ Named as 9th Best Film of 21st Century
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- Rouhani: Those Who Make People Frustrated Are Giving Hope to Enemies
2- Zibakalam to Defence Minister: It’s MPs’ Right to Probe into Russia’s Use of Hamadan Base
3- 450 Telegram Channel Administrators Arrested and Summoned
Asr-e Rasaneh:
1- Increase in Production of Raw Steel in Iran and the World
2- 15% Increase in Export of German Goods to Iran
3- Thanks to JCPOA, Oil Industry’s Frozen Equipment Are Released: Official
4- Rouhani’s Government Created National Integrity in Iran: Minister
Asrar:
1- Rafsanjani: Implementation of Law, Most Important Index in Analysing Civil Rights
2- Health Minister: I’m Opposed to Transplant of Iranian People’s Body Organs to Foreign Nationals
3- Ebtekar: 11 to 17 Billion Cubic Metres of Water Stolen from Aquifers
4- Iran’s Customs Office: Iran’s Foreign Trade Is near $36bn
Besharat-e Now:
1- Economist: Opposition to Oil Contracts Isn’t out of Compassion, But Politically-Motivated
2- 45 People in Iran Die in Car Accidents Every Day: 280,000 Killed by Road Crashes in Past 10 Years
3- 80% Decrease in Number of Foreign Tourists, and 20% in that of Iranian Ones Visiting Mashhad: Hotel Syndicate Chief
Etemad:
1- A Greek National Arrested for Refusing to Repay $28bn of Iran’s Money
2- First VP Warns Government Executives: Implement President’s Policies, If You Can’t, Just Leave
Ettela’at:
1- President Rouhani: Imam Khomeini’s Family Is a Great Backing for Revolution and Government
2- 75,000 Jobs Created for the Disabled during Rouhani’s Government: Official
3- Ansarullah Praises Iran’s Peaceful Stances towards Yemen Crisis
Hemayat:
1- Human Rights Official: Revision in Law of Fight against Illicit Drugs Doesn’t Mean Removal of Death Penalty
2- Al Saud’s Moves to Weaken Syrian Army Continue: Saudi Arabia Offers Bribe to Syrian Kurdish Opposition
3- 1 Single Apartment Registered for 4,299 Companies in Kish Island [Free Trade Zone]: Judiciary
4- Ayatollah Jannati: Ties with US Don’t Resolve Iran’s Economy Problems
Iran:
1- CBI Governor: 6,000 LCs Opened after JCPOA
Javan:
1- Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi: Telegram Messenger App’s Harms Are More than Its Benefits [The Grand Ayatollah said he has cried when he heard the report on young Iranians’ use of cyberspace. He said unethical behaviours, particularly un-Islamic relationships, are spreading in Telegram. The bandwidth given to Telegram should be dedicated to National Information Network]
2- ICT Minister: I Don’t Accept that Telegram Continues Its Operation in Iran [under current circumstances]
3- We Set Fire on Smuggled Goods to Prevent It from Reaching Smugglers’ Hands Once Again
Jomhouri Eslami:
1- Rouhani: Government Pursuing Imam Khomeini’s Path
2- SNSC Secretary: Tehran-Moscow Cooperation Is Strategic and Includes Extensive Aspects
Kayhan:
1- Clerics and Friday Prayer Imams Criticize Holding Concerts in Holy City of Mashhad
2- German Gov’t Asks People to Reserve Water and Food after Increased Threats of Terrorist Attacks
3- Member of Iranian Negotiating Team Arrested for Espionage
Payam-e Zaman:
1- Zarif: US Cannot Impose Its Policies on Us
2- South Pars Gas Field’s Daily Output Increased to 140mcm
Resalat:
1- Ayatollah Jannati: If Parliament Had Oversight over Government, We Wouldn’t Have Astronomical Salaries
2- Endless Violence in US: US Police Killed 1,152 People Last Year, Reuters Says
Shargh:
1- First VP: $30m Was Lost in a Plane under Sanctions
2- We Don’t Tell People Many of the Problems So as Not to Upset Them: Jahangiri
Vatan-e Emrooz:
1- Zarif Should Read History: Historian on Reasons for JCPOA Backlash
2- Tehran Prosecutor-General: 220 Families of Mina Tragedy Victims File Lawsuit
The Iranian government will facilitate and guarantee investment by the private sector companies in Nicaragua and will support the implementation of agreements between the Iranian and Nicaraguan enterprises, Zarif said in Managua on Tuesday night.
He made the comments at a conference on the opportunities for Iran-Nicaragua economic cooperation, after paying a visit to the Central American nation’s parliament.
The conference was attended by a big delegation of Iranian business people and economic officials accompanying Zarif in a tour of Latin America, senior Nicaraguan officials and members of the Chamber of Commerce.
The top Iranian diplomat also noted that the gathering provided a good opportunity for the two countries to get acquainted with each other’s capabilities and carry out joint economic projects.
Elsewhere in the conference, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s son, Laureano Ortega, who holds the post of presidential adviser for foreign investment, said his country is open to the presence of Iranian companies.
He also noted that the services offered by the Iranian companies with expertise in construction, renewable energy industry and agriculture, fully match Nicaragua’s needs.
Zarif arrived in Nicaragua on Tuesday in the second leg of his six-nation tour of Latin America, after paying a visit to Cuba.
The top Iranian diplomat will visit Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, and Venezuela afterwards.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has announced that the tour of Latin America signifies Tehran’s plans to boost non-oil exports.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Qassemi denounced the Israeli attacks and said such moves indicate “the aggressive nature” of the occupying Israeli regime and Israelis desperation in the face of “the praiseworthy resistance of the Palestinian people”.
He further pointed to the 47th anniversary of an arson attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and called on the international community to stop Israel’s ceaseless desecration of the mosque and excavations around and under its compound as well as the regime’s policy of Judaization of al-Quds.
The Iranian spokesman also said certain governments’ move to normalize relations with the Zionist regime of Israel is tantamount to turning a blind eye to the regime’s heinous crimes against the Palestinian nation.
Israeli forces launched airstrikes and artillery fire on the Palestinian towns of Beit Hanun, Beit Lahia, and Jabalia, on Sunday just hours after several Palestinians were wounded in attacks in the northern Gaza Strip.
Several people were injured in the attacks which also damaged the Palestinian cities’ infrastructure.
Israel claimed the attacks were launched in response to a rocket fired from Gaza which fell in the city of Sderot.
In early July 2014, Tel Aviv waged a war on the Gaza Strip. The 50-day military aggression, which ended on August 26, killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians, including over 570 children. Over 11,100 others were also wounded in the war. Israel continues to carry out attacks on the Palestinian enclave from time to time.
The 25th Iran Handmade Carpet Exhibition opened on Monday, August 22, at Tehran’s Permanent International Fairgrounds.
Here are Mehr’s photos of the exhibition:
A poll by BBC Culture of 177 film critics from 36 countries aimed to find the best films of recent memory.
Iran is represented in the list by Farhadi’s ‘A Separation’ (2011) at No 9, and Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ (2010) and ‘Ten’ (2002) at numbers 46 and 98, respectively.
The resulting top 100 list has Mulholland Drive (2001) at No 1, followed by Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000); There Will Be Blood (2007); Spirited Away (2001); and Richard Linklater’s Boyhood (2014).
The most popular directors in the list, all with three films each, were Wes Anderson, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Christopher Nolan, Michael Haneke, Paul Thomas Anderson and Joel and Ethan Coen.
Matthew Anderson, the editor of BBC Culture, said greatest film polls often looked right back into the past.
“But we wanted to find out about the best films in recent memory. These are the films that most people feel strongly about.
“We hope that this list will spark discussion and debate, not just among critics and film aficionados, but among everyone who enjoys movies and has an opinion about what makes a good one.”
Each critic was allowed to submit 10 films which resulted in a total of 599, then sorted into the top 100.
The most popular year for films was 2012, with 10 films in the top 100 including The Act of Killing (14) and Holy Motors (16). Nine films from 2013 also featured, including 12 Years a Slave and Blue is the Warmest Colour, The Guardian reported.
There is no room for some of the most popular films of the last 16 years, no Harry Potters or Hobbits or Pirates of the Caribbean; but there is a place for the more obviously commercial movies such as George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) at 19, WALL-E at 29 and Ratatouille at joint 90.
BBC received responses from 177 – from every continent except Antarctica. Some are newspaper or magazine reviewers, others write primarily for websites; academics and cinema curators are well-represented too. For the purposes of this poll, BBC has decided that a list of the greatest films of the 21st Century should include the year 2000.
Here is the list:
According to a report by Fars, as translated by IFP, al-Sultan said that Iraqi authorities have to deal with countless problems after the liberation of Mosul.
Addressing the second international conference on Psychological and Media Operations to Counter ISIS, al-Sultan pointed to the children of Jihad al-Nikah, who have no identity, as one of the most important issues in Mosul.
“Hereby I ask the authorities in Iraq to help us with the problem,” he noted, as reported by Almada Press.
“Another issue is that Mosul’s children have fallen way behind their education because of the war and occupation caused by ISIS terrorists,” he emphasized.
Jihad al-Nikah is a controversial fatwa attributed to Wahhabi scholars, based on which women voluntarily offer themselves to terrorists for gratification of their carnal desires.
This term has become widespread since the inception of Syrian crisis and caused quite a scandal for the terrorists and their advocates.
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