The 16th edition of Tehran International Mobarak Puppet Theatre Festival kicked off on Monday, August 22, in Tehran.
The festival, which will be open to visitors until August 28, features a total of 27 Iranian plays and eight foreign plays.
Here are photos selected by IFP from various Iranian media outlets:
Here is IFP’s translation of the message published on Tuesday, August 23, by the Leader’s official website:
To the athletic team returned from Olympics:
The champions who made the Iranian nation happy by winning medals; to the heroes who were deprived of their rights because of unfair judgments; to the athletes whose failures would not devalue their efforts; to the female athletes who displayed to the world the honourable covering of Iranian woman; to the brave lady who shined at the forefront of the Team Iran in her Islamic hijab; and to the coaches and veterans of Iranian sport teams;
I extend my welcome, and thank all of you.
We appreciate your value.
Seyyed Ali Khamenei
August 23, 2016
The senior Iranian official said Tuesday that close cooperation between Tehran and Moscow is not confined to countering terrorism but the “strategic cooperation” that meets their national interests covers a broad range of issues.
Highlighting Iran’s smart policies and political might in arranging for the capacities of one of the world’s strongest air forces to be used is Syria, Shamkhani said concerted action by Iran, Russia and Syria in the recent military operations against terrorist groups has stifled the “delay strategy” of the US that aimed to influence security developments in Syria.
Certain western and Arab countries who are under the delusion of having the power to change the regional equations were defeated by the Islamic Republic’s political, defensive and security initiative in the recent operation, he stated.
He also noted that the hue and cry in Western and Saudi media outlets about joint action by Iran, Russia and Syria was a psychological war aiming to whitewash the heavy defeats that their proxies have suffered in Syria’s Tadmur, Idlib, suburbs of Latakia and Reef Aleppo.
Shamkhani further made it clear that Iran will employ all of the “domestic and foreign capacities” to press ahead with the unshakable policy of deterring threats, particularly the threat of Takfiri terrorism.
His comments came after announcement of Russian warplanes’ use of an Iranian airbase for hitting targets in Syria caused a few raised eyebrows.
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.
Meanwhile, Russia’s aerial support for the Syrian forces since September 2015 has given fresh impetus to the fight against the foreign-backed terrorists.
Iran has also remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of militancy.
According to a report by Mizan, as translated by IFP, Salamat Azimi noted that there was a 19% decrease in the amount of opium cultivated in Afghanistan during 2015.
However, he added, the statistics are not satisfactory.
He highlighted people’s role in the eradication of illicit drugs, and urged all Afghan people to work in this field.
Nasir Ahmad Durrani, the Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, also noted that the burden of fight against illicit drugs cannot be put on the shoulders of only one ministry.
“To eradicate illicit drugs, all people and authorities should join hands.”
He pointed to the roles that the ministries of Education, Higher Education, Intelligence, and Culture can play in the campaign against narcotics by providing people with information about the harms of drugs.
Durrani referred to unemployment as the major cause of increase in drug addiction and opium cultivation, saying that the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development is trying to decrease the number of addicts by creating more jobs.
He also highlighted the roles of religious authorities and the Ministry of Agriculture in the fight against drugs, saying that the cultivation of wheat and saffron can replace that of opium.
“Cultivation and production of narcotics is against Islam and Afghanistan’s Constitution,” a deputy intelligence minister said, highlighting the need for serious fight against narcotics.
According to a report by ISNA, as translated by IFP, the ISIS commander Abu Wathba was in charge of recruiting children for the terrorist group.
When he was leaving a shop in Mosul’s city centre, he was targeted and shot dead by a number of unknown armed men, the Iraqi news website Al-Masalah quoted a local source in Nineveh province as saying.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, went on to say that many ISIS commanders are being shot by unknown gunmen these days, particularly after the arrival of army units in Nineveh province.
“The resistance of the Iranian and Cuban nations has left the hegemonic countries no other choice but compromise and renunciation of their hostile policies even in their words,” Zarif said in the opening ceremony of Iran-Cuba joint economic conference in Havana on Monday, as reported by Press TV.
He added that steadfastness of the Iranian and Cuban people is a “valuable asset” to improve cooperation between the two countries’ state and private sectors.
The top Iranian diplomat further emphasized that Tehran and Havana should make use of the appropriate opportunity created following the removal of sanctions against Iran to strengthen relations.
“Iran and Cuba enjoy broad interaction on political and international scenes and their cooperation must be improved in the economic sector,” Zarif said.
He noted that the high-ranking politico-economic delegation accompanying him in his six-nation tour of Latin America indicates that the “Islamic Republic attaches great importance to its deep and strong ties with Cuba and the Latin American countries.”
He said Tehran and Havana can boost cooperation, adding that this would be beneficial to Latin American countries.
US Policy of Sanctions against Iran, Cuba Fallen Flat: Zarif
In similar remarks made in a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez, Zarif noted Iran and Cuba have proven that the United States has failed to advance its agendas by exerting pressure on the two countries.
Zarif added that Iran and Cuba proved that they can overcome sanctions through resistance.
“The Iranian nation proved that sanctions imposed by big powers cannot distance it from its policies and viewpoints,” he said.
He added that Iran has always stood by the Cuban nation in countering sanctions and hailed Havana’s support for the Iranian people in the face of brutal US-led bans.
The top Iranian diplomat said Tehran and Havana can boost cooperation on the international scene, adding, “The two countries have always had common stances on confronting the use of economic force and pressure as well as meddling in the internal affairs of other countries.”
He expressed hope that Iran and Cuba, as two influential members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), would through their cooperation “succeed in further advancing the objectives” of the body.
Cuba Proud of Iran’s Successes: Rodriguez
The Cuban foreign minister, for his part, said his country takes pride in Iran’s achievements and successes and added that Havana is resolved to promote its relations with Tehran.
Rodriguez hailed the very good political ties between the two countries at bilateral and international levels.
He reaffirmed Cuba’s supportive stance on Iran’s right to use nuclear energy and said Havana would counter all types of cruel sanctions, particularly in the financial sector.
Iran’s FM Zarif Meets with Cuban President Castro
Zarif also met with Cuba’s President Raul Castro on Monday in the Cuban capital of Havana, where the top Iranian diplomat arrived on Sunday night at the head of a high-ranking politico-economic delegation.
The two statesmen discussed the development of bilateral ties, international and Middle East affairs, as well as the upcoming summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which is to be held in Venezuela later in the year.
Iran and Cuba have both been the target of various US sanctions over the past decades.
However, sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program were stipulated to be removed under last year’s agreement between Tehran and the Group 5+1, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which went into effect on January 16.
Meanwhile, despite a thaw in diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana, a 55-year embargo on Cuba still remains in place. The two countries became ideological foes soon after the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power and their ties remained hostile even after the end of the Cold War.
Zarif Pays Tribute to Cuba’s National Hero
Earlier on Monday, the Iranian foreign minister paid tribute to Jose Marti, Cuba’s national hero, and laid a wreath at his memorial monument.
Zarif and his entourage visited parts of the building.
Heading a 120-strong politico-economic delegation, Zarif arrived in the Cuban capital Sunday night as the first leg of his official Latin America tour, which will also take him to Nicaragua, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela.
Iran is in alliance with Russia in its campaign in Syria and in its battle against terrorism, Larijani said Tuesday.
Russian flights have not been halted, he added, stressing that neither Russia nor any other countries have a permanent military base in the Islamic Republic.
Russians’ flights from the base are a temporary issue and are only for refueling,Larijani went on to add, and noted that the decision did not need the parliament’s permission.
The comments by the Iranian parliament speaker came after the country’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan also said the Russian aircraft fly to the Iranian airbase to be either refueled or get reloaded, noting that they use the base for more effective operation against terrorist groups in Syria.
Dehqan further ruled out any plans for permitting Russian jets to use Iranian bases other than Nojeh at the moment, but said they can keep using the airbase as long as necessary.
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.
Meanwhile, Russia’s aerial support for the Syrian forces since September 2015 has given fresh impetus to the fight against the foreign-backed terrorists.
Iran has also remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of militancy.
“Interaction with Tehran on Syria has positive perspective,” Dzhagaryan said on Monday in an interview with Russia’s Interfax news agency.
He added that the two countries are determined to further strengthen their military cooperation and resolve the ongoing crisis in the Arab country.
Referring to Russia’s recent use of an airbase in western Iran for bombing Takfiri terrorists’ positions in Syria, he said, “All Russian military left Iran’s Hamedan airbase.”
The Russian Air Force may resume operation from the Iranian airbase when it is “expedient and by the decision of leaders” of the two countries, the Russian diplomat said, adding that Moscow sees no obstacle to using Iran’s military infrastructure in the future again.
Also on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said that Russian military jets’ use of the airbase has ended for the time being.
Qassemi noted that Tehran and Moscow had agreed to publicize such cooperation after the aerial operations.
He said Iran and Russia have developed strategic relations in certain areas, as in the fight against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group, but made it clear that Russians have not been stationed in Iran and do not have any base inside the country either.
Tehran will spare no effort to honor an agreement with Moscow on joint action against terrorism, the spokesman underlined, saying Russia has used the Iranian airspace with Tehran’s prior permission as part of counter-terrorism collaborations.
On Saturday, Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the Russian aircraft fly to the Iranian airbase to be either refueled or get reloaded, noting that they use the base for more effective operation against terrorist groups in Syria.
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.
Meanwhile, Russia’s aerial support for the Syrian forces since September 2015 has given fresh impetus to the fight against the foreign-backed terrorists.
Iran has also remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of militancy.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi said the criminal was recently apprehended by the police forces of Sistan and Baluchestan following massive and lengthy intelligence measures.
He said the drug lord is the biggest ever smuggler arrested in Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, adding that he has confessed to smuggling up to 800 tons of illicit drugs.
The commander went on to say that in the operation to nab the individual, about 300 other criminals involved in narcotics trafficking under his leadership were identified and arrested.
According to Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the drug trafficker collaborated with 14 international drug rings.
Iran, which has a 900-kilometer common border with Afghanistan, has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe.
Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past three decades.
The country has spent more than $700 million on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.
The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past 34 years.
According to a report by Mizan, as translated by IFP, the Municipality of Tehran has kicked off the plan and is providing free services for citizens of all 22 districts in the city.
Samaneh Zamani Garmsiri, the Director-General of Health at the Municipality, said that 4,000 doctors visit the patients for free on this special day.
The birthday anniversary of Avicenna, on August 22, is annually commemorated by Iranian physicians and scientific centres as National Doctors’ Day.
Avicenna, also known as Ibn Sina, was a Persian and Muslim physician, astronomer, alchemist, chemist, logician, mathematician, metaphysician, philosopher, physicist, poet, scientist, theologian, and statesman.
He was born around 980 AD in Afshana, near Bukhara which was then a part of Iran and is now in Uzbekistan, and died in 1037 AD in the Iranian city of Hamadan.
Avicenna is regarded as the father of the modern medicine for introducing systematic experimentation and quantification into the study of physiology and contributing to the discovery of contagious diseases.
He is also considered the father of the fundamental concept of momentum in physics.
He wrote some 450 books on a wide range of subjects, many of which concentrated on philosophy and medicine. His most famous works are the ‘Book of Healing’ and the ‘Canon of Medicine’, which used to be standard medical texts in many Islamic and European universities until the 18th century.
He wrote most of his works in Arabic, since it was the dominant language for centuries following the Arab invasion of Iran.
However, he also wrote a large manual on philosophical science entitled ‘Danesh-Nameh Alai’ and a small paper on the pulse in his native language, Persian.
Among Avicenna’s 16 medical works, eight are versified treatises on issues such as the 25 signs indicating the fatal termination of illnesses, hygienic precepts, proved remedies, anatomical memoranda etc.
Amongst his prose works, after the great Canon, the treatise on cardiac drugs, a large number of fine manuscripts which have remained unpublished, are kept at the British Museum.
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