In an article printed in Saturday issue of the Persian daily ‘Iran’, Amir Abdollahian noted that the African continent in general and South Africa in particular have had abundant attractions for the emerging economies. Therefore, he added, in the past decade markets of those countries have become an arena for intensive rivalry of foreign countries.
He stressed that in recent years the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken great strides for the strengthening of the private sector and the emphatic instructions of the Supreme Leader for the implementation of Article 44 of the Constitution and the ‘resistance economy’ require preparation for development of Iran’s presence in international markets.
Pointing to the forthcoming visit of South African President Jacob Zuma to Tehran, he said ground is now prepared for the expansion of bilateral cooperation in the private and public sectors. He announced that simultaneously with the visit of President Zuma to Tehran the grand bilateral trade assembly will be held.
Amir Abdollahian further remarked that in the past decade bilateral relations between Iran and South Africa have surpassed oil so that activities of the two big telecommunication companies of MTN and Sasol are considered successful examples of mutual cooperation and joint ventures which can be generalized in other areas.
He said prior to the imposition of unjust sanctions against Iran economic and trade ties between the two countries enjoyed a specific status on the basis of which Iran was among the 10 major trade partners of South Africa and supplied 25% of the crude oil requirements of the refineries in that country.
But, he stressed, with the escalation of the sanctions against Iran since summer of 2012 refining companies of that country stopped purchasing oil from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Elsewhere in his article, Amir Abdollahian referred to the role South Africa plays in developing peace and stability in the African continent and Iran’s role in pursuing to strengthen peace, stability and sustainable security in the region and the world.
He noted that the two countries’ approach to important international issues such as terrorism, support for Palestinian people and opposition to foreign interference in other countries, including Syria, are close to each other.
He said similarities of geographical locations, capabilities and capacities between Iran and South Africa have provided for the mutual access of the two countries to regional markets in the Middle East, Central Asia and South Africa.
Referring to bilateral relations between Iran and South Africa Amir Abdollahian said with the victory of the people, removal of the apartheid regime and election of Nelson Mandela diplomatic relations between the two countries resumed in 1994.
Bright prospect for Iran-South Africa cooperation
“Norfolk” different from its script: director
“Norfolk” starring Denis Menochet and Barry Keoghan is a haunting thriller about a reclusive father and son whose close relationship is threatened when the father’s violent past catches up with them.
In a recent email interview with the Tehran Times, Radich talked about his father-son drama. The following is the full text of the interview:
Q: What was it that enticed you into making the movie considering the fact that the idea behind it came from two photographs, one of which depicts you as a ten-year-old boy and the other a World War II soldier.
A: Often ideas for stories are kick-started by an image. Many years ago I came across a photograph of a soldier from World War II.
I would stare at his face but be unable to figure out his expression. One moment he seemed heroic, the next shell-shocked. His gaze could be both alert and vacant.
I liked that idea of people and scenarios being read in two completely opposite directions. And then I remembered visiting Norfolk when I was ten years old; how mysterious it seemed to me.
It felt like I was the first person to ever walk these lands and travel down those rivers.
These two images became the two main characters in the film – the father and son.
Q: What was the toughest part about making “Norfolk” and what was the most rewarding?
A: Without question, the toughest part is realizing that the tiny budget you have cannot make the film that you’ve written.
I am incredibly proud of the script but when I glance back at it I am reminded of all the wonderful scenes and characters that we had to let go of. That is tough.
I always knew the budget, I thought I wrote the script knowing the budget, but I was naive in regards to the costs of shooting on the water and how many days we would actually get to shoot the film.
Always the greatest pleasure is being on set with the actors. Your words on paper come to life before your very eyes. This is very exciting.
Q: How did the project change from your original idea to the final production?
A: As mentioned previously, the film is considerably different from the script. I wrote a script that was seventy pages long but the scene count was astronomical.
We had only twenty-two days to shoot something like six or seven or eight scenes per day. Something had to give.
Q: How did your film find its way to the official section of the 34th Fajr International Film Festival?
A: I believe our international sales agent sold the film to Iran at the European Film Market and, as a consequence, it was selected for Fajr.
Q: What clear message do you expect the audiences receive after watching your film?
A: That simply communicating with one another is the key to understanding one another. Keeping thoughts and emotions locked inside leads to colossal misunderstandings. This might seem like an obvious point to make but somehow it’s forgotten the world over.
Q: With all of your knowledge and experience, what is the one lesson you would share with the novice filmmakers?
A: If you can’t please your soul then you can’t please yourself… Stay true to who you are. Do not mimic other filmmakers. Do not bend to fashion. This way your work will be unique. That is something special.
Grand Ayatollahs Strongly Support Nuclear Deal
Grand Ayatollah Hossein Vahid Khorasani said the efforts made by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif should truly be appreciated.
He underlined the significance of “talking to the world in a proper way”, and stressed that it is a religious order emphasized by Islam.
Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani also pointed to the JCPOA, and urged the government to do what is in the interest of Muslims.
“At the same time, we should have interaction and connection with the world,” he added.
Grand Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili asked the health minister to urge President Rouhani not to get disappointed by the troubles made for JCPOA implementation and seriously pursue the resolution of people’s problems.
Meanwhile, Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi expressed surprise that even though Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has agreed about the JCPOA, some people, claiming to be his followers, consider the deal a treason, and are opposed to it.
“Some are really unfair towards the JCPOA. The fact is that it is now done, and we should not forget that the other side is a sly one, and gives concessions little by little. It does not want us to have power in the region, and thus do not tolerate Iran’s presence as a strong country,” he added.
Qazizadeh Hashemi, for his part, told the Qom-based Grand Ayatollahs that the JCPOA is a good opportunity to settle the country’s problems. “We should tap into the chance,” he noted.
Iran and Canada to Cooperate on Oil Industry Equipment Construction
On this cooperation with other companies, Amirabbas Hosseini , Technology and International Relations Deputy from the Research Institute of the Petroleum Industry, told IRNA that Iran and Canada will cooperate in constructing equipment for oil industry surface facilities and desalination installations.
In addition to Canada, negotiations have been conducted with some European and Asian countries to exploit new technologies in the oil and petroleum reservoir industries, and the contracts will be signed soon.
The Director of Research and Technology at the Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC) said that the Canadian company had previously started cooperation with Iran, and that the project of investigating the economic justification and the feasibility study of the Binaloud oil field development was assigned to this company.
Iran Signs Deal to Export Heavy Water to US
Araqchi, who is in Vienna to attend talks with the EU on formula for the third Iran-G5+1 joint commission meeting, said the Iranian delegation had signed the deal with a US company on Friday.
Iran had been negotiating a commercial contract for three months, and finally the Iranian delegation signed a deal to sell as much as 32 tons of Iran’s excess heavy water supplies to a US company, he explained.
Araqchi added that some other countries have voiced interest in buying heavy water from Iran.
Iran is currently negotiating with some other parties for the export of heavy water, the deputy foreign minister noted.
Exporting heavy water supplies to the US is a major step for Iran, one which is expected to take the country toward the commercialization of its nuclear energy program.
A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on Apr. 23
The majority of newspapers today covered the remarks made on Wednesday by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, against Saudi Arabia and the United States.
They also covered President Hassan Rouhani’s comments on a recent plan by the Iranian police to utilize 7,000 plainclothes police and auxiliaries for “moral security”.
Foreign policy was another prominent topic, with headlines about Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s meeting with his US counterpart John Kerry in New York, as well as on another meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna on the implementation of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers (JCPOA).
There were also numerous articles on a recent US court ruling to seize Iran’s assets and the reactions by the Iranian foreign ministry, as well as lots of commentary on US President Barack Obama’s state visit to Saudi Arabia, where he urged Arab monarchies to avoid conflict with Iran.
Abrar:
1-Iran, Syria and Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Israeli PM’s Agenda for Moscow Visit
2-Iran and Russia to Expand Bilateral Economic Ties: Parliament Speaker
3-House Speaker Ryan Urges Obama to Prevent Iran’s Access to US Dollar
Abrar-e Eqtesadi:
1-Iranian Businessmen in Russia, Britons in Iran: Positive Financial Talks with Britain
2-Iran Not Willing to Join US Monetary System: FM Zarif
3-European Insurance Companies Show Resistance in Cooperation with Iran
4-Iran and Denmark to Start Power Cooperation
5-Iran Ready to Export Petrochemical Products to Egypt
Afkar:
1-US Court Ruling Is Appropriation of Iran’s Property: Spokesman
2-Seven Killed in an Explosion in Baghdad’s Imam Ali Mosque
3-US to Purchase Iran’s Heavy Water: Wall Street Journal Reports
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- Iran’s President: We Have No Right to Interfere in People’s Lives
2-Conflict with Iran Not in Anyone’s Interest: Obama in Riyadh
3-Ayatollah Khamenei: Lebanon’s Hezbollah Shining Like the Sun
Asrar:
1-Senior Cleric Makarem Shirazi Raps Unfair Treatment of JCPOA
2-5,000 Terrorists Arrive in Syria through Turkey
Donyaye Eqtesad:
1- Saudi King Salman Refuses to Welcome US President: Obama Easing Tensions with Middle East Arabs?
2- JCPOA Implementation Pursued by Iranian Diplomats in Vienna and New York
Emtiaz:
1-Five Million Iranian People Diagnosed with Diabetes: Health Minister
2-Strokes and Heart Attacks Account for 50% of Deaths in Iran: Minister
Ettela’at:
1-Leader: Hegemonic Powers Failed to Prevent Iran’s Regional Power
2- Inflation Rate Stands at 10.8% in Farvardin (Mar. 20-Apr. 19)
3-Top Iranian Clerics Praise Rouhani’s Administration on Healthcare and Foreign Policy
4-Seizure of Iran’s Assets against Int’l Laws and Even US Legal System: CBI
5-Progress Made in JCPOA Implementation Talks: Kerry and Zarif after Meeting in New York
6-Saudi Arabia Needs to Learn to Co-Exist with Iran: Obama
Etemad:
1-Iranian Businessman Jazayeri to Sue US Administration over Iran Sanctions
2-Asghar Farhadi: I Enjoy Making Films, Not Being a Filmmaker
Hamshahri:
1-6 Months to 3 Years of Prison for Those Who Destroy Gardens in Iran
2-Links Revealed between Al Saud Royal Family and 9/11 Attacks
Iran:
1- Zarif Urges US to Remove Obstacles to Iran’s Financial Ties with Europe
2-Int’l Fajr Film Festival Kicks Off in Tehran: Iranian “Simorghs” Flown in Global Festival
Javan:
1-A Hollow and Corrupt Gov’t’s Anti-Hezbollah Statements Do Not Matter: Leader
2-Saudi King Salman Waiting for Post-Obama Era
3-Why Foreigners Do Not Pay Enough Attention to Iran’s Private Sector
Jomhouri Eslami:
1-Iran’s Grand Ayatollahs Strongly Support JCPOA
2- 95% of Int’l Shipping Lines Back to Normal Ties with Iran
3-Candidates Start Campaigns for Parliamentary Election Run-Off
4- FM Zarif: US Has to Return Iran’s Assets
Kayhan:
1- Ayatollah Khamenei Harshly Rejects US Threats against Iran
2-Latest Outcome of JCPOA: US Seizes $2bn Iranian Assets
3- What US Expects of JCPOA Is to Force Iran’s Capitulation
4- Fourfold Increase of Iran’s Imports from US under Rouhani’s Administration
Khorasan:
1-US against Iran: From $2bn Court Ruling to Riyadh Statement
2-Iran Arrests Man Who Brutally Tortured Wife and Daughters for 22 Days
3- Asghar Farhadi’s “Salesman” to Represent Iran in Cannes Film Festival
Nasl-e Farda:
1-Return of Ahmadinejad: Analysis of Ex-President’s Reappearance in Iran’s Politics
2-Iranian People Consume 5% of World’s Tea
3-Subsidy Reform to Create 300,000 Job Opportunities in Iran
4- Why Iran-EU Interactions Matter in Post-JCPOA Era
Quds:
1- Washington’s Clear Message to Tehran in Post-JCPOA Era: US Congress and Gov’t Plot to Loot Iran’s Assets Once Again
2- Ghani-Abdullah Coalition Coming to an End: Afghan Gov’t Faced with Challenges of Legitimacy and Taliban
Resalat:
1-Divine Vengeance Awaiting Al Saud Regime: Senior Iranian Cleric
2- Saudi Arabia’s Preconditions for This Year’s Hajj Not Acceptable: Iranian MP
3-Threats Have Become More Serious after JCPOA: IRGC Commander
Roozan:
1-US Supreme Court Ruling Unrelated to JCPOA: Iran’s Central Bank
2-Good Old Days with Washington Over: Saudi Prince
Sharq:
1-Only Legislation Can Limit People’s Freedom: Iran’s President Emphasizes Rule of Law
2-Reformism and Moderation: Two Strategies, One Goal (Editorial)
Isfahan Flower Garden
Flower Garden of Isfahan offers a beautiful collection of Iran’s floral diversity.
Kerry: No objection in the way of foreign banks engaging with Iranian banks
Discussing the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Kerry emphasized on the fact that U.S. has lifted nuclear-related sanctions, as U.S. committed to do, and there are now opportunities for foreign banks to do business with Iran.
Referring to the existence of confusion among some foreign banks, he said that we try to clarify that as much as we can.
He added that among the nuclear-related sanctions that were lifted were those that prevented Iran from engaging with non-U.S. banks, including getting access to Iran’s restricted funds that were previously held overseas.
On the reason for which the State and the Treasury Departments have been actively engaged with partner governments and the private sector in order to clarify those sanctions that have been lifted, Kerry said that, ‘We understand that banks and businesses have complicated business decisions to make, and they have to make them.
He noted that, ‘We recognize it is going to take some time for companies to feel confident in reengaging with Iran, and in all fairness, that is due to concerns other than sanctions.’
‘I want to make clear the United States is committed to doing our part as we believe it is in our interest to ensure that the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement that we reached, that it is in fact working for all participants’, Secretary Kerry said.
Iran’s Zarif signs Paris Agreement on climate change
French President Francois Hollande was the first leader who signed the deal on Friday. According to UN, a record 175 countries, including the world’s top producers of greenhouse gases China and the United States, inked the accord, raising hopes of restraining global warming.
The ceremony, held on the 46th Earth Day, was the largest ever single-day signing of an international accord. The agreement, reached in Paris in December 2015, can now require countries to fulfill the promises they made to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
“Most countries, though not all, need to take the signed document and go back home and go to ratification procedures that in most countries requires parliamentary discussion and decision,” UN climate chief Christiana Figueres said. (Watch her TED talk to understand how the Paris agreement will slow the climate change.)
Many countries still need a parliamentary vote to officially ratify the accord. China and the US, which together account for 38 percent of global emissions, pledged to formally adopt the deal by the end of the year.
The deal will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries that together produce 55 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases formally approve it.
According to the World Resource Institute, the signatories at the UN ceremony together account for 93 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The Paris deal, agreed by 195 countries plus the European Union, sets the objective of curbing global warming to “well below” two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, by moving to clean energy.
The first quarter of the current year broke temperature records, and the last year was the hottest year since record-keeping began in the 19th century.
The UN’s former climate agreement, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, came into force in 2005. It dictated cuts in greenhouse gas emissions only for developed countries, unlike the Paris Agreement that involves both developed and developing countries, and allows all states to set national targets.
Good News Awaiting Iran’s Foreign Trade within Two Months
The trade and commercial attachés of all countries are regarded as their foreign trade watchdogs. They are tasked with monitoring the target markets and facilitating the trade affairs of the country’s businesspeople.
The Iranian administration, particularly the country’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), consider these attachés one of the most important components of its foreign trade.
Six-Fold Rise in Number of Iran’s Commercial Attachés under Incumbent Administration
Deputy Head of TPO Mohammad Reza Modoudi believes that the improved position of Iran’s foreign trade watchdogs is a great achievement for the TPO under President Hassan Rouhani’s administration.
“Without any rise in the limited budget set before, 21 trade attachés are currently monitoring the target markets beyond the [Iranian] borders,” he noted, according to a report by the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).
“This is while the number of our trade attachés was not any greater than five before the incumbent administration,” Modoudi added.
Admitting that the number of Iranian trade and commercial attachés was planned to be increased to 30 by the end of last Iranian calendar year (mid-March 2016), he vowed that four new attachés will be appointed in the near future.
20 B2B Websites Expected to Be Launched in Two Months
ISNA also had an interview with Mina Mehrnoush, the deputy head of TPO for promotion of exports. Her remarks revealed that the upcoming two months will be full of good news for the country’s foreign trade, as twenty B2B ecommerce sites are slated to be launched to ease foreign trade and exports in less than a couple of months.
“These sites will be developed to help the communications between the two countries in trade. They serve as electronic attachés, in a way that companies in each country can do their business by uploading their information and using the data uploaded by the other party,” she said.
“The system will be launched within a couple of months when the development is finished,” Mehrnoush went on to say.
She also noted that the target markets, the neighbouring countries, and a number of European states will be the target audiences of B2B websites.
