40 Iraqis per Day Killed in Past 6 Months

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July 10, 2016

According to a report by IRNA, as translated by IFP, the death toll in Iraq stood at 1,407 in January and 1,261 in May.

The ISIS terrorist group has killed 201 Iraqi civilians just in its occupied areas. Bombings in different parts of the country have taken the highest toll, i.e. 91%, and 63 Iraqis were killed in action in the war front.

67% of the slain Iraqis aged from 16 to 47, 22% between 40 and 70, and regrettably enough, 11% were under 16 years old. 78% of the dead Iraqis were men and 22% women.

United Nations Spokesperson announced earlier that the death toll from terrorist attacks and gruesome violence in Iraq has hit 662 in June and over 1,457 have sustained injuries.

ISIS Takfiri [extremist] terrorists seized parts of the north and northwest of Iraq in 2014 to carry out the most heinous terrorist crimes against civilians and military.

Lebanon Must Pursue Fate of Missing Iran Diplomats: Families

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IFP Media Wire

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July 10, 2016

Motevaselian Family-Lebanon Parliament speaker

In a Saturday meeting with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, a delegation of the families said the Arab state has the responsibility to follow up on the case as the 1982 abductions took place on Lebanese soil, the Daily Star reported.

The families of the missing diplomats were accompanied by Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fathali during the meeting that was held on the 34th anniversary of the kidnappings.

On July 4, 1982, the year Israel invaded Lebanon, Ahmad Motevasselian, Seyyed Mohsen Mousavi, Taqi Rastegar Moqaddam and Kazem Akhavan were kidnapped by a group of Israel-backed gunmen at an inspection post in northern Lebanon.

Iran says the diplomats were abducted by Phalange militiamen and handed over to Israel, but Tel Aviv says they were killed shortly after their abduction by the militant group.

During the talks, Maryam Mojtahed Zadeh, Mousavi’s wife, thanked Berri for his tireless efforts to help shed light on the fate of the missing Iranians and said “I say once again that the abduction operation took place on Lebanese soil and in front of the eyes of the embassy agency in Lebanon.”

“This situation holds the brotherly [Lebanese] government… responsible to follow up on this case more now than in the past in a serious manner so that we could reach the desired result,” she added.

She highlighted friendly and cordial relations between Iranian and Lebanese nations, saying the four missing diplomats chose to stay in Lebanon back then despite the Israeli war.

“Because of the Israeli invasion, many foreign diplomats left Lebanon during that time, but because of the emotional and friendly relations linking Iran with Lebanon, these Iranian diplomats stayed on Lebanese soil… This proves that the Islamic Republic of Iran stands by its brothers and friends for good times and bad times alike,” she added.

Elsewhere in the meeting, the Iranian ambassador said that the liberation of abducted diplomats is a national demand, calling for closer Iran-Lebanon cooperation in pursuing the case.

On July 3, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it has evidence indicating the four diplomats are “still alive and imprisoned in Israel.”

It also called on the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other human rights bodies to fulfill their duties and put pressure on Israel to release the four.

Tehran had previously called on the UN to establish a fact-finding committee to pursue the fate of the abducted diplomats.

Disabled Athlete Pays Tribute to Defenders of Holy Shrine

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 9, 2016

Disabled Athlete Pays Tribute to Defenders of Holy Shrine

According to a report By Mehr, as translated by IFP, a 29-year-old disabled gymnast, Behnam Roustaei, climbed up a bridge in Tehran to perform one of the most difficult gymnastics flips for the love of defenders of the Holy Shrine.

He is a young disabled man who walks with the aid of sticks, but you will not believe your eyes if you see his acrobatic moves. He was born and raised in Malayer, Hamadan Province, and always had a passion for tumbling and gymnastics.

“I had a penchant for gymnastics since I was a kid. I went through a lot of practices to learn how to perform gymnastics flips. Then, I strived to be a coach, however it was a long shot. I became an assistant coach in 2006 and managed to obtain my coaching license in 2010,” Behnam said.

“I personally revere the defenders of the Holy Shrine, but since I am not physically able to help them, I thought I would better show my affinity by performing the human flag move,” he added.

Behnam had set a record of this move a few years ago. However, he says he was not able to set it on the Guinness due to anti-Iran sanctions.

Human flag is an insanely hard gymnastics flip where the athlete holds a horizontal side plank position while only holding on to a vertical post or object.

“I performed the move to send a message to defenders of the Holy Shrine, saying that although we can’t fight abreast against the Takfiris, but we won’t let a day pass without thinking about you,” Behnam noted.

He was wearing a T-shirt with a poem printed on his shirtfront, which is construed as, “You despicable Takfiris [extremists], I’m from Iran! How dare you threaten me with severed heads?”

What Blair’s Wrong Decision Did to Iraq

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 9, 2016

Sir John Chilcot, chair of an inquiry in Britain into the circumstances surrounding the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, announced in his report published on Wednesday, July 6, that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did not pose an urgent threat to British interests, that the United Kingdom and United States had undermined the authority of the United Nations Security Council, that the process of identifying the legal basis was “far from satisfactory”, and that a war in 2003 was unnecessary.

With his voice breaking at an emotional news conference that lasted almost two hours, Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed his “sorrow, regret and apology” for the “failures” over Iraq, and took full responsibility for the decision, but insisted he stood by his actions – and would make the same decision again.

“A decision had to be taken and it was for me to take as prime minister. I took it, I accept full responsibility for it, I stand by it,” he said, his voice close to breaking, as reported by Telegraph.

“I only ask with humility that the British people accept that I took this decision because I believed that it was the right thing to do based on the information that I had and the threat I perceived and that my duty as prime minister at that moment in time was to do what I thought was right.”

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Families of some of the military personnel killed in Iraq branded the former prime minister a “terrorist”, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Sir John’s long-awaited report made clear that Parliament was misled and the invasion was “an act of military aggression based on a false pretext”.

The pictures published by Entekhab news website shows what Blair and his decision did to the Iraqi nation and territory.

French Fishery Companies in Iran for Investment: Envoy

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IFP Media Wire

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July 9, 2016

Speaking at a meeting in Iran’s Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, the ambassador expressed the hope that their visit to Iran would enhance bilateral trade on the basis of agreements already signed between Tehran and Paris.

Highlighting France’s considerable expertise in the fishery industry, Sénémaud said France in ranked fourth in the European Union in terms of fishing, noting that the turnover of fishery industry trades in his country reached €1 billion in 2014.

The envoy also noted that 93,000 people are linked, directly or indirectly, with the Fishery industry in France.

Back in January, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani paid a historic visit to Paris, when the two countries drew a roadmap for mutual cooperation.

Top officials from the two sides also signed a series of trade deals worth billions of dollars during the visit.

Iran and France had also signed six agreements in May 2015 to promote cooperation in diverse agricultural fields, such as horticulture, fisheries, animal husbandry, plant protection, exports of organic products from Iran to Europe, and imports of genetically improved seedlings of grapes, apples and pears.

Use of Fake UK-Made Bomb Detector Leads to Deadly Explosions in Iraq

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 9, 2016

Here is IFP’s translation of a report by Al-Alam News Network on a fraudster who sold a bomb detector called ADE-651 to different countries including Iraq, which led to countless deaths and injuries.

Before the heinous explosions in Baghdad, Iraq’s security forces used to apply the toy bomb detectors on the passing vehicles and people in their checkpoints, hoping that they are equipped with a foolproof bomb detector.

James McCormick is the fraud who made a fortune by selling his fake device to many countries including Iraq. The bogus gadget includes a small piece of plastic and a swinging antenna. Iraqis thought that it can detect the passing explosives within 1km.

BBC released a report in 2013 and said James McCormick had been detained and jailed for 10 years over the fabrication of ADE-651 devices, which were actually modelled on a novelty golf ball finder.

Despite McCormick’s arrest, Iraqi security officials continued using ADE-651 under the pretext that they had no choice.

Iraqi hackers, in a bid to vent their anger, launched an attack on the website of Iraq’s Minister of Interior and uploaded the picture of a baby covered in blood along with another picture of the so-called bomb detector that had ISIS on it.

Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi Prime Minister, strictly prohibited the use of this device and pledged to equip the country’s checkpoints with alternative real bomb detectors.

Coincidence of Ban and Merkel’s Anti-Iran Remarks Heralds New Plot: Salehi

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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July 9, 2016

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi

“I feel they are preparing the grounds to hatch a new plot against us and we should be on the alert,” Salehi told the state-run TV on Saturday, July 9, commenting on the recent remarks made by the UN chief and German Chancellor.

He described the coincidence of such remarks as a clue that a conspiracy was incipient against Iran.

“I would not go further afield on the issue, since it is political issue; however, their prevarication should provide caveats for us to remain alert to their subterfuges,” he went on to say, as reported by Mehr.

Referring to certain media reports that Iran continues to seek illicit nuclear and missile technology, he said, “While we have foreseen a purchase channel in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA or the nuclear deal], there logically remains no need for the AEOI to buy a machine indirectly from the black market, which is more costly and is prone to the risk of contamination.”

“We can buy the required equipment from its main origin, declare it to the purchase channel and they will then pave the way for us to buy the necessary equipment at a lower price, more rapidly and with higher quality and more trust,” Salehi added, Fars reported.

Merkel said in the Bundestag on Thursday, July 7, that Iran “continued unabated to develop its rocket program in conflict with the relevant provisions of the UN Security Council.”

Merkel claimed that NATO’s anti-missile system targets Iran’s rocket program and was “developed purely for defence.”

Also on Friday, Ban Ki-moon called on Iran to stop conducting ballistic missile launches, saying they are not consistent with the spirit of last summer’s nuclear deal with world powers.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Salehi also referred to the US failure to live up to their promises, and stressed that it causes a great damage to their reputation and interests.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran enjoys different capabilities; however, if any side violates the JCPOA, it will jeopardize the interests of all parties to the deal; we hope that they [west and the US] would behave rationally enough to avoid any violation of JCPOA, since Iran will not be an initiator of any attempt to undermine JCPOA provisions,” he emphasized, advising the US to remain committed to the nuclear deal.

“Healthy implementation of JCPOA will bring positive outcomes to Iran, the region, and the international community; I could envisage that they ultimately will not countenance violation and undermining of the deal, since it would clearly see their interests at stake,” he was quoted by IRIB as saying.

“The first ever damage will be wrought upon the US reputation, an achievement carved for them with such a huge investment worldwide,” he added, as reported by Mehr.

ISIS on Alert in Mosul for Possible Attack by Iraqi Forces

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 9, 2016

According to a report by Alsumaria News, as covered by ISNA, a source in Mosul revealed details about ISIS putting its militants on alert. Here is IFP’s translation.

A source from inside the city of Mosul, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that ISIS has put its members on full alert.

“It came after a group of unknown individuals, spontaneously, hoisted Iraq’s flag in a market named Ba’ab al-Toub which is located in downtown Mosul.”

The manoeuvre was unprecedented in the past two years of occupation, the source said, adding, “ISIS immediately removed the flags and arrested a few vendors over the incident. No one knows where they took the detainees.”

A few days ago, a video footage was released on social media showing solidarity of Mosul residents with the victims of Karrada blasts.

ISIS had claimed responsibility for detonating explosives in Baghdad’s Shiite neighbourhood of Karrada, which killed hundreds of innocent people.

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on July 9

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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July 9, 2016

Newspapers on Saturday covered the remarks by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in two separate speeches. The Leader addressed a large group of Iranian people in Eid al-Fitr prayers on Wednesday, and also met Iranian officials and people as well as ambassadors of Islamic countries after the prayers. In his first speech, the Leader underlined the need for confronting the issue of huge salaries and prosecution of those who received such illegitimate payments, and in the second speech, Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted the issue of Palestine.

The death of acclaimed filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami and the possible medical errors that might have caused his death was also covered by newspapers, which were closed for three days on Eid al-Fitr holidays.

The US Congress’ ban on sale of planes to Iran and President Barack Obama’s vow to veto the plan was also a top story today. The reactions in Iran were also covered.

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

Abrar:

1- Iran’s Missile Tests Are Not Consistent with Spirit of JCPOA: UN’s Ban

2- Iran Is Trying to Achieve Sensitive Nuclear Equipment: German Intelligence Office

3- Trump Won’t Tear Apart Nuclear Deal with Iran: Advisor

Abrar-e Eqtesadi:

1- The Netherlands Becomes Iran’s Oil Customer

2- US Imports from Iran Amounts to $27m

3- Iran and Indonesia to Sign Oil MoU

4- Iran Reaches Power Plant Agreements with Spain and Germany

Aftab-e Yazd:

1- Astronomical Salaries Not Limited to Government: First VP

2- Fire in Iran’s Petchem Heart: Rumours of Sabotage Dismissed

3- Delay in Flight of New Boeing Planes to Iran

4- Reactions to Corruption: From Ahmadinejad’s Threats to Rouhani’s Apology

Arman-e Emrooz:

1- A Report on Visits of Imam Khomeini’s Grandson to Pakistan and Sri Lanka: Seyyed Hassan’s Opinion about Ties with US

2- Last Red Carpet for Kiarostami: Body of Globally-Acclaimed Filmmaker Arrives in Tehran

3- Obama Vows to Veto US Congress’ Ban on Boeing Deal with Iran

Ebtekar:

1- Passengers of Traffic Jam: 3-Day Holidays Bring Horrible Traffic to Iranian Roads

2- West Dominated by Women’s Power: A Woman to Become Next British PM

3- Our View of Americans Depends on Their Behaviour: Imam Khomeini’s Grandson

Etemad:

1- Everyone, without Any Exceptions! Etemad’s Report on Letters by President Rouhani and First VP Jahangiri on Unconventional Salaries

2- How Did You Spend Your Holidays? In Traffic Jam!

3- Battle with Fire Mountain: Iran’s Biggest Wildfire in Recent Years

Ettela’at:

1- Global Hegemony Wants to Open Up Space for Zionist Regime [Israel] by Fanning Flames of War in Middle East: Leader

2- Imam Khomeini’s Grandson Regrets Decrease of Attention to Issue of Zionist Regime in Muslim World

3- $10bn Increase in Iran’s Non-Oil Exports Expected for This Year: First VP

Haft-e Sobh:

1- 3 Days of Fire and Accident: Wildfire in Mahshahr Petchem Complex, Rumours of Bombing in Chitgar [park in Tehran], Death of 6 American Officers in Texas, Deadly Bombings in Baghdad and Samarra

2- World’s Biggest Marketing Company in Iran

3- Deal with Boeing Pending Obama’s Decision: Republicans Ban Plane Deal with Iran

4- Iran’s Health Minister Urges Investigations into Possible Medical Error on Kiarostami’s Case

Iran:

1- First VP Briefs President on Measures of “Special Committee” against Unconventional Salaries

2- Strange Case of Traffic Jam in Roads Connecting Tehran to Northern Iran: 2.8m Trips in 2 Days Caused Troubles for Tourists

3- Tony Blair’s Late Confession: I Take Full Responsibility for Iraq War

4- $500m of Industrial Investment Registered after JCPOA: Minister

5- Iranian and World Cinema in Grief of Kiarostami

Jame Jam:

1- Leader Underlines Need for Returning People’s Properties [the astronomical salaries paid to certain executives] to National Treasury: People’s Trust in the Establishment Would Decrease If the Issue Isn’t Pursued Enough

2- Iranians Throw Away $8bn of Food Each Year

Javan:

1- Palestine Is Muslim World’s Main Issue: Leader

2- Iran’s Foreign Ministry Admits USA’s Insufficient Efforts for JCPOA Implementation

3- Poet of Iranian Cinema Experiences Taste of Death

4- US Police’s Clash with Black People in Dallas

Jomhouri Eslami:

1- Leader Calls for Punishment of Those Who Broke the Law [on huge salary payments]

2- Issue of Unconventional Salaries Is a National One and Shouldn’t Be Used for [Partisan] Political Fights

3- Necessity for Formation of United Front against Takfiri [extremist] Terrorists [Editorial]

Kayhan:

1- Those Who Received Astronomical Salaries Don’t Deserve to Serve as Officials: Leader

2- Al Saud Asks for Ansarullah’s Help to Get Out of Yemen’s Deadlock

3- Lack of Enough Monitoring Was Main Reason behind Illegitimate Salaries: Experts

Khorasan:

1- Dismissal of Executives Will Continue: Government

2- We Had a Role in Creation of ISIS: Blair

3- ISIS Fails to Destroy Shrine of Shiite Imam’s Son in Iraq

Resalat:

1- US Main Source of War and Terrorism in Middle East: Leader

2- Illegitimate Salaries Result of Aristocracy: Ayatollah Khamenei

3- USA’s New Violation of JCPOA Commitments in First Anniversary of Nuclear Deal

4- Rangers Permitted to Use Gun to Defend Themselves: Ebtekar

Shahrvand:

1- Secret behind Death of Renowned Iranian Director: Did Medical Error Kill Kiarostami?

2- Civil War in the US: Snipers Kill 5 Police Officers after 2 Black Americans Were Killed by the Police

3- Iran Has Not Meddled in Issue of Bahrain and Won’t Do So: Leader

Shargh:

1- Enemies Trying to Abuse Issue of [huge] Salaries as Leverage to Attack the Establishment: Leader

2- Issue of Medical Errors after Kiarostami’s Death: Wall of Mistrust Grows Up between Doctors and Patients

3- Change of 3 Senior Military Commanders

Sobh-e Now:

1- Fire of Mismanagement in Bandar Mahshahr

2- Defending National Interests in North of Indian Ocean: Major General Bagheri

3- Homeland Can’t Be Ignored: Kiarostami in Unpublished Interview

Vatan-e Emrooz:

1- UN’s Ban, the Globally Disgraced Official, Talks against Iran’s Missiles

2- Armed Protests of the Black in Texas: Dallas Becomes the US Capital of Fear

3- Triple Blasts in Saudi Arabia: Will Hajj Become Unsafe?

Rouhani Thanks Crew Involved in Containing Petrochemical Complex Fire

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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July 9, 2016

Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh delivered President Rouhani’s deep gratitude to commanders of fire department operations, oil companies, and courageous and selfless fire-fighters involved in containing the fire that broke out on Wednesday and continued to burn for three days at Bou Ali Sina, a large petrochemical complex in Bandar Imam Khomeini, south-west of the country.

Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh is seen at Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Complex in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan on July 8, 2016. ©SHANA

In separate letters, Zanganeh also delivered President Rouhani’s message of appreciation for the constructive role of the governor of Khuzestan, the crisis staff, and other organizations in the province such as the Municipality, the Red Crescent Society, and Ports and Maritime Organization that made tremendous efforts in containing the fire, Mehr reported.

The inferno went out in the wee hours of Saturday, after 57 hours of constant fire-fighting efforts failed to extinguish the huge blaze at a main tank filled with combustible fluid, Naphta. The incident caused no fatalities.

After several rounds of futile attempt to put out the fire at the blazing tank, officials decided to discharge its content and let the remaining material burn itself out, Tasnim reported.

Zanganeh arrived at the site of the incident on Thursday night to assess the situation in person. He returned to Tehran this morning after the fire was successfully extinguished. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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“The plant will start over regular activities within the next few weeks,” Zanganeh announced on Saturday morning, adding, “However, returning to normal conditions for paraxylene tower will require a longer period of time.”

Zanganeh has already ruled out the possibility of any acts of sabotage or arson attack, saying the fire was a result of a technical failure.

“Some individuals have said that the incident was the result of sabotage. Certainly, this is not true. It has had technical reasons,” Zanganeh was quoted as saying by Shana.

In case of any negligence, it will be announced after thorough investigations, he stressed.

“Unfortunately, some neighbouring countries are happy with the incident, and this is so regrettable that a Muslim country becomes happy to see its Muslim brothers suffering accidents,” he noted, as reported by Entekhab.

IRAN FRONT PAGELatest News and Views From Iran, Middle East and the World

IRAN FRONT PAGELatest News and Views From Iran, Middle East and the World

IRAN FRONT PAGELatest News and Views From Iran, Middle East and the World

IRAN FRONT PAGELatest News and Views From Iran, Middle East and the World

40 Iraqis per Day Killed in Past 6 Months

Lebanon Must Pursue Fate of Missing Iran Diplomats: Families

Disabled Athlete Pays Tribute to Defenders of Holy Shrine

What Blair’s Wrong Decision Did to Iraq

French Fishery Companies in Iran for Investment: Envoy

Use of Fake UK-Made Bomb Detector Leads to Deadly Explosions in Iraq

Coincidence of Ban and Merkel’s Anti-Iran Remarks Heralds New Plot: Salehi

ISIS on Alert in Mosul for Possible Attack by Iraqi Forces

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on July 9

Rouhani Thanks Crew Involved in Containing Petrochemical Complex Fire

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