Blazes in Iran’s Petchem Plants Caused by Lack of Funding for HSE: Zanganeh

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August 2, 2016

“Regarding HSE issues, the Oil Ministry has done what it had to do,” Zanganeh said in an interview with the Tasnim News Agency.

“Not only during and after the incidents but also since the current administration took office (in 2013), some instructions (on HSE) have been sent to all production and process units of the country’s oil industry, including petrochemical units,” he noted.

He further emphasized that lack of funding for the HSE sector and the negligence of some private companies are behind the incidents, adding, nonetheless, that probes are still underway to determine the exact cause of each of the incidents.

The spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s Energy Commission had said earlier that Zanganeh will participate in a meeting of the commission to explain about the causes of the recent blazes.

On Friday, a storage tank in the Bistoon Petrochemical Complex in Iran’s western province of Kermanshah caught fire but the fire was extinguished on the same day and left no casualties.

Preliminary indications suggested that a fault in the electrical system may have caused the incident.

It came less than three weeks after the most serious incident in the history of Iran’s petrochemical industry, when an inferno broke out at Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Refinery Complex in Mahshahr and raged at a giant storage tank for more than two days.

First Series of Airbus Planes to Be Delivered to Iran by Autumn

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IFP Editorial Staff

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August 2, 2016

According to a report by ILNA, as translated by IFP, the purchase of passenger planes from the giant plane-makers Airbus and Boeing in an attempt to renovate the country’s aging fleet was a big achievement after the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, not only in the field of roads and urban development, but also at the national level.

Iran has embarked on direct negotiations with the American aerospace giant Boeing, which, if finalized, will become the biggest civil trade agreement between the two countries after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“In the direct negotiations with Airbus and Boeing, Iran’s stance has always been independence and authority,” Akhondi said.

“There is no reason for breaching the deal,” he noted, adding, “A major part of the technical issues have been dealt with and the first series of Airbus passenger planes will arrive in the country by the end of autumn.”

He further gave an assurance to the private sector that there will be no leaning towards any state-run entities and all the concessions will be made based on completely equal competitive conditions.

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on August 2

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IFP Editorial Staff

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August 2, 2016

All newspapers on Tuesday covered the remarks made by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in an address to a large group of people from different parts of Iran. In the address, the Leader referred to the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers (JCPOA), and complained that it has not had any influence on people’s lives after 6 months. Ayatollah Khamenei also criticized the US violation of its commitments, and reiterated the unreliability of Washington.

Another top story today is the live TV address President Hassan Rouhani is going to deliver tonight. In its Tuesday issue, Kayhan has listed a large number of questions and asked the President to answer them in his address. Most of them are focused on his promises about the outcomes of JCPOA as well as his vow to improve the country’s economic situation.

Newspapers also covered a recent order by President Rouhani to postpone the government’s nationwide employment test due to gender discriminations. Rouhani said that gender equality and fairness should be observed in all job vacancies, and women’s rights should be ensured. Among the Tuesday newspapers, Iran published an article in favour of the order, and Javan criticized it, saying that the move is just aimed at receiving women’s votes in next year’s presidential elections.

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

Abrar:

1- JCPOA Hasn’t Had Any Tangible Influence on People’s Lives: Leader

2- Being a Revolutionary Means Having a Free Nation with Freedom of Thought, Expression, and Criticism: Rouhani

3- 2 Iranians Who Had Joined ISIS Were Killed in Past Year’s Clashes: Army Ground Force Commander

4- Will General Soleimani Take Part in Operation to Liberate Mosul?

Aftab-e Yazd:

1- Leader: Negotiation with the US Is Not Allowed in Any Issue

2- Tehran-Riyadh Ties Not in Critical Conditions Yet: Analyst

3- Government’s Major Step towards Helping Women: Ultimatum to Women’s Department for Preparing Bill on Protecting Women against Violence

Asrar:

1- JCPOA Once Again Proved US Disloyalty: Leader

2- Great Pressure on Government to Filter Social Media: Rouhani

3- Belief in Social Justice Is Main Advantage of Reformists: Aref

4- Those of Criticize Government Haven’t Read Policies of Resistance Economy: First VP

5- If Reactionaries Had Remained Silent, Islamic Revolution Would Become a Model for Muslims: Rafsanjani

6- Some Use Lies and Accusations to Criticize Government: Senior Conservative Bahonar

Besharat-e Now:

1- President: Sanctions Didn’t Have Any Honour for Iranian People

2- Bahonar: Who Would Believe Ahmadinejad’s Trips Aren’t Part of His Campaign for Presidential Elections?

3- Wells to Swallow Persepolis: The Historical Site on Verge of Destruction

Etemad:

1- Fourth Year of Rouhani’s Presidential Term Begins [today is the anniversary of his inauguration]

2- An Exclusive Article by Members of Muscat Nuclear Talks on Logic and Hypertext of JCPOA

Ettela’at:

1- Relying on Domestic Capacities the Only Way to Solve People’s Problems: Leader

2- Brain Mapping Lab Opened in University of Tehran

3- The Right Policy Is to Think Wisely, Not to Shout Slogans: President

Haft-e Sobh:

1- Chess of Power in the Middle East

2- Munich Shooter Was from a Peaceful Neighbourhood in East of Tehran: Haft-e Sobh’s Efforts to Find Relatives of Sonboli

Hosban:

1- $2.8m Export of Knowledge-Based Products to 4 Countries

2- Iran’s Young Basketball Players Claim Asian Title

3- $2.3bn Credit to Be Allocated for Providing Villages with Natural Gas

Iran:

1- Sanctions Should Have Been Lifted All at Once, Not Gradually: Leader

2- Administrations in Khuzestan Province Are Half-Closed Due to Temperature of over 51 Degrees Celsius

3- Old Woman Waiting to Hear from His Martyred Son: Love Story of a Mother Who Waited for 32 Years with a Radio in Hand

4- Gender Discrimination, an Obstacle to Meritocracy [article about the recent move by President Rouhani to postpone the government’s employment test because of discriminations against women]

Jahan-e San’at:

1- Wasteful Construction of Dams and Extraction of Underground Waters No Longer Possible: Environment Dept. Chief

2- 4 Iranian TV Documentaries Inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register: Iran’s Cultural Documents in World Memory

Javan:

1- People’s Economic Problems Are My Constant and Deep Concern: Leader

2- If It Is Proved that the US Had a Role in Turkey Coup, It’d Be a Major Scandal for Washington: Ayatollah Khamenei

3- Senior Cleric: It’s Unlikely that We [Association of Combatant Clergies] Support Rouhani [in Next Year’s Presidential Votes]

4- Why the Experience of JCPOA Doesn’t Wake Them Up? [Editorial]

5- Postponing [Government] Employment Test in a Bid to Receive Women’s Votes [in Elections]

Jomhouri Eslami:

1- US Has a Role in All Problems in the Middle East: Leader

2- 300mcm Increase in Gas Output under Rouhani’s Gov’t: Oil Minister

3- It’s a Mistake to Attribute Violence to Islam: Pope

Kayhan:

1- Leader: After 6 Months, JCPOA Hasn’t Had Any Impact on People’s Lives

2- Recent Reciprocal Visits by Foreign Businesspeople Have Been Fruitless So Far: Leader

3- Ayatollah Khamenei: Authorities Should Set Fire on Smuggled Goods before Eyes of People

4- Mr President! Answer These Questions in Your TV Address Tonight

5- Iraqi Ambassador to Tehran: If It Wasn’t for Popular Mobilization Units, ISIS Would Have Taken the Wives and Girls of Those Who Criticize These Forces

Resalat:

1- Senior Cleric: What Happening in Middle East Is Consequences of Western Human Rights

2- CIA Chief’s Remarks Are Meddlesome; President Should Take Stance against Brennan

Shargh:

1- Europeans Queuing Up for Iran’s Oil Tenders: Oil Minister

2- 2 New Female Ambassadors to Be Appointed by Iran’s Foreign Ministry

3- JCPOA Did No Harm to Iran; We Benefited from It: Conservative Figure

Iranian Flag Raised in Rio’s Olympic Village

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IFP Media Wire

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August 2, 2016

Rio’s Olympic Village mayor officially greeted the Olympic participants.

Asghar Rahimi, Iran’s Olympic Team Chef de Mission, attended the ceremony.

Team Iran comprises 63 athletes representing 14 sports federations, including the Athletics, Archery, Boxing, Cycling, Fencing, Judo, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Weightlifting, and Wrestling federations.

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games will begin on August 5 and runs until August 21.

Iran’s Army Unveils Jamming Drone

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IFP Media Wire

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August 2, 2016

Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan attended an exhibition in Tehran on Monday morning, held to display the latest achievements of the force’s experts.

One of the items on display was a specific drone used in electronic warfare. The pilotless aircraft enjoys a jamming system that emits radio signals to paralyze the enemy’s communication systems.

A number of other aircraft were also unveiled in the event, including drones equipped with imaging and laser systems used for disrupting the activity of enemy drones.

Iran is now in possession of a broad range of UAVs which can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

In December 2014, Iran’s Army Ground Force for the first time utilized a type of suicide drone in a large-scale military exercise.

The Army Ground Force stages a range of different war games each year, including specialized exercises using drones.

Pourdastan had announced earlier that the army units have been equipped with a specific type of advanced suicide drone capable of destroying both air and ground targets.

IRGC Strongly Condemns Remarks against Iran’s Army

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IFP Editorial Staff

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August 1, 2016

Here is IFP’s translation of Iranian media reports about the issue:

Abbasi, who calls himself the ‘Kissinger of Islam’ and is known for his controversial speeches about various fields like Cinema, Economy, History and Politics, had delivered a speech back in 2009 in University of Tehran.

In a video clip recently published of his remarks in Iran, Abbasi, who is the head of the ‘Centre for Doctrinal Strategic Studies’, lashes out at the Iranian Army’s inaction, particularly the political and social issues.

The remarks were widely criticized by Iranian officials, especially those in the IRGC and the Army, which are the two units of Iranian Armed Forces.

Head of the IRGC’s Public Relations Department General Ramezan Sharif said on Sunday, July 31, that the IRGC never confirms such remarks, and any move that weakens the Islamic Republic’s institutions and structures is condemned.

He further hailed the coordination between the Army and the IRGC in spite of the differences in their missions, saying that such strategic cooperation has provided the country with sustainable and unique security in the crisis-hit Middle East.

“IRGC and Army are a single soul in two bodies. They are the single hand and the iron fist of the Iranian nation against the enemy’s front, and any effort to weaken and cause rift between the Iranian Armed Forces is doomed to failure,” he went on to say, as reported by ILNA.

Earlier, the Commander of Army Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan noted that Abbasi should apologize for his remarks.

He said the Army’s legal department has filed a lawsuit against Abbasi, and he should appear in the court soon.

Commander of the Army Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari also described Abbasi as a person who thinks he knows everything in every area including politics, society, economy, culture, philosophy, geopolitics, geo-strategy, geo-culture, and the like, while he is not an expert in such fields.

Abbasi later appeared in the military court and explained about his remarks.

After the court appearance, he sent a message on Monday, August 1, to Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi and apologized for his remarks. He at the same time noted that the move to release the video after six years was an effort by ‘liberals’ and ‘anti-Revolution’ media to deviate Iranian public opinion from such important issues as the astronomical salaries, widespread economic downturn, the US betrayal in the post-JCPOA era, a secret meeting [between President Hassan Rouhani and Israelis] in August 1986 in Paris, among other things.

Iran Self-Sufficient in Gas Industry: Minister

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IFP Media Wire

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August 1, 2016

In an address to a ceremony to mark the 50th Anniversary of Establishment of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), Nematzadeh said, “Thanks to the efforts made by the Ministry of Petroleum in different sectors like exploration, drilling, platform construction and the offshore and onshore pipeline laying, we have gained considerable success and we can even claim that we are competing with many other countries of the region in the areas.”

He shifted to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and said one of its outcomes had been the expansion of foreign investment in the country to the extent that in the first three months of this year [started on March 20], there were several cases of foreign investment in the industry.

Now, many of the country’s gas refineries have extreme potential and the peripheral services and equipment in majority of them are provided by Iranian companies, he went on to say, as reported by Shana and edited by IFP.

He said his ministry has good cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum and the NIGC and the cooperation and ties can expand even more.

38 per cent of the world’s gas is consumed by the industry sector, he noted, adding that the figure in Iran’s industry is 26 per cent.

“I believe such a God-given energy should be consumed more in the industry. Gas is a valuable blessing for people but we should be careful about its consumption because energy waste today is at a high level in Iran.”

CNG Supplies Earmarked for Chabahar Power Plant: NIGC

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IFP Media Wire

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August 1, 2016

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of NIGC, Araqi said plans are underway to supply CNG to the power plant.

According to a report by Shana, as translated by IFP, an Iranian private company has engaged in talks with NIGC for the export and storage of gas in storage facilities of Azerbaijan Republic, he noted.

“The talks are not between the governments of the two countries and Iran has engaged in cooperation with neighbouring countries in gas trade as one of its major strategies.”

He said the NIGC is now supplying gas to over 97% of the country’s urban population and 67% of the population in rural areas. Meanwhile it is feeding power plants with 90% of their fuel need through natural gas.

US Unreliability Proved by JCPOA Experience: Leader

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IFP Editorial Staff

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August 1, 2016

“Today, even the diplomats and individuals who were present in the [nuclear] negotiations reiterate the fact that the US breaks its promises, and while speaking softly and sweetly [to Iran], it is busy obstructing and damaging Iran’s economic relations with other countries,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader made the remarks in a meeting with thousands of Iranians from several provinces in the capital, Tehran, on Monday morning, as reported by the Leader’s website and translated by IFP.

“I have been reiterating the issue of US unreliability for years, but it was difficult for some to accept the reality,” the Leader went on to say.

“The cruel sanctions were supposed to be removed so that people’s lives are positively influenced. Has any tangible change been made in people’s lives?” Ayatollah Khamenei asked.

“If it was not for the US violation of its commitments, the government could do many things during these months, couldn’t it?” the Leader further noted.

The sanctions were initially supposed to be lifted all at once; however, the Leader said, there are now talks of their gradual removal.

Enumerating cases of the US breach of the deal, the Leader said the experience of JCPOA made it clear that negotiation with the US on other regional issues would be a “lethal poison”.

One cannot trust the US on any issue, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.

The Leader went on to say that negotiation with the US government would entail deviation from the road to progress, making successive concessions and bowing to the language of force and violation of commitments.

USA’s Suspicious Role in Turkey Coup Attempt

“There is intense speculation in Turkey’s recent events that the coup was carried out with Americans’ planning and assistance, and if confirmed, it will mark a big scandal for the US,” the Leader noted elsewhere in his remarks, as reported by Tasnim.

Washington’s hostile plots and interference are not confined to Iran, the Leader stressed, adding that the US is “opposed to Islam and Islamic tendencies and that is why they stage a coup in Turkey, in which there are Islamic tendencies.”

The coup was crushed in Turkey and the US became obnoxious in the eyes of the Turkish people, Ayatollah Khamenei added, noting that Americans are on the wane in other places like Iraq and Syrian, too.

Elsewhere in the address, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the US as the party that either creates or escalates conflicts in the region, stressing that regional countries are capable enough to deal with the region’s problems.

“We… remind the regional governments that the US is not trustworthy and considers the Arab governments as tools to preserve the Zionist regime (of Israel) and fulfil its arrogant policies,” the Leader underscored.

Saudi-Israeli Ties, Stab in Back of Islam

Ayatollah Khamenei further slammed the revelation of overt relations between the Saudi government and the Zionist regime as a stab in the back of the Islamic community, saying the US again has had a role in such a grave sin and betrayal.

Hard-Line Weekly Shut Down in Iran after Insulting Actors

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IFP Editorial Staff

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August 1, 2016

The 16th ‘Picture World’ Cinema and TV Ceremony was held at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on July 23, in the presence of a large number of cineastes, artists and cultural figures.

Organized by Ali Moallem, a film producer and the editor-in-chief of Picture World Magazine, as the first private cinematic celebration in the country, the annual event presented the best of Iran’s cinema and national TV during the past year with the Hafez Award.

Iranian artists, from the old ones to the young, appeared on the red carpet in beautiful and colourful clothes. Some of them were alone and some were accompanied by their spouses. It was a fashion show in Iranian style.

Some women wore heavy make-up and some of their clothes were more colourful than the ones regularly seen in the streets and ceremonies.

However, it was a ceremony for cinema, theatre, and TV stars, and the art community is always different wherever it is. This is why artists are always closely watched and their appearances are criticized.

Some media criticized the huge prices paid for such clothes, and argued that being a popular artist is in contradiction with wearing such glorious clothes. Some of them also talked about the violation of social norms and standards in the way some women had dressed up.

Yalasarat, which is the outlet of a group of most radical members of Iran’s Hezbollah, went beyond the usual criticisms and attacked the participants using words that were even protested by some conservative and religious figures.

The move was widely condemned by Iranian artists, particularly the syndicate, and everyone was waiting to see how the government would react.

Finally on August 1, the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance announced that Yalasarat’s licence is revoked and the weekly is shut down because of its repeated violations of the rules.

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