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West Has Already Launched Iran’s Landline, But Doesn’t Pick Up the Phone!

July 2, 2016

Here’s IFP’s translation of Tasnim’s interview with Mohammad Reza Modoudi, the Deputy Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization:

“One of the most important impacts of JCPOA was that foreigners came to Iran in spite of years of anti-Iran accusations, and this proved false all the propaganda spread by Western media,” Modoudi noted.

“The reciprocal visits of trade delegations indicated that Iran is a capable country interested in peace and interaction. They found out that all anti-Iran charges were false. This is a great achievement of the Iranian nation and Establishment.”

However, he added, Westerns have yet to fully implement their obligations, and foreign banks are still cautious in their ties with Iran in spite of alleged positive signals [sent by the West] for cooperation with Iran.

“The reason for foreign banks’ caution is the fines they have paid in recent years for their ties with Iran,” he went on to say.

Modoudi provided an example and said, “Westerners have launched Iran’s landline phone, but they do not answer our calls.”

“In fact, we cannot say the landline is not established yet; we have managed to make our contacts, but they are not responding to our calls. It seems that time would solve such problems, and I am optimistic about it.”

Since the implementation of the nuclear deal, contracts have been signed with other countries in the form of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), and they are now mulling over Iran’s market and capability to make their decision, he added.

Copper Industry Has Flourished after JCPOA

Modoudi noted that the nuclear deal has been directly effective in copper industry, and boosted the export of Iran’s copper.

“Copper exports have soared, insofar as there was a 1,336% increase in Iran’s copper exports within the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year,” he said.

“We have also witnessed a 104% increase in export of steel products, which shows more than two-fold increase compared with the previous year,” he noted, adding that the export of other metals has also increased after the JCPOA implementation.

However, Modoudi noted, Iran needs more efficiency and more competitive products in industrial goods and private sector productions, because the country’s end-user price is high for a powerful presence in international markets.

What Saudi Arabia Did to Yemeni Lions

IFP Editorial Staff

July 2, 2016

Covered in scratches and nothing but skin and bone, a once noble lion is trapped and lonely in the middle of a warzone.

Stuck behind bars, the lion at Ta’iz Zoo in war-torn Yemen roars pathetically from inside his cage, according to media reports covered by Al Alam News Network.

But in the middle of air raids and tank shells, one man and a small group of volunteers cross the front line every day to go and care for the animals of the zoo.

Bassam Al-Hakimi, 25, once owned an internet café that has been destroyed. He was an industrial engineering student before the conflict.

But now he is helping Chantal Jonkergouw and Victoria Johner y Cruz from the SOS Zoo and Bear Rescue Group – bringing funds from donors around the world to try to prevent the zoo’s 266 animals from starving to death.

Before donations started being raised, 12 lions and six leopards had already died of starvation.

Since February they have raised nearly $70,000 (£50,000) and Bassam, who works at Tamdeen Youth Foundation in Yemen, incredibly crosses the front line every day to help the animals.

“The zoo is about five kilometres (three miles) from the front line. About two months ago, the Saudi Air Force bombed a tank belonging to Houthi forces stationed near the zoo causing an explosion and flying debris which damaged the snake cage,” he said.

“A lot of my friends have been killed in the war. In the zoo there is no danger, but we have to cross the front line and are right in the middle of the two fighting forces. A friend of mine was killed walking next to me.”

Saudi Arabia and its allies launched military attacks on Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to bring its ally, the former Yemeni President Mansour Hadi, back to power.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the aggression since then.