A ceremony to mark National Day of Heroic Culture and Zoorkhaneh Rituals was attended by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi on Saturday.
During the event held at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at University of Tehran, both officials were awarded the Heroes Jersey.
Images of the ceremony released online by Mehr News Agency:
US Republican senators have called on Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano to appear on Capitol Hill to offer explanations about an agreement his agency has inked with Iran.
News that the UN nuclear chief has expressed readiness to brief US lawmakers on the deal not long after Iran and P5+1 clinched an agreement has raised concerns among Iranian critics of the nuclear deal about the biased approach of the UN nuclear watchdog in dealing with Iran.
On August 2, Fars News Agency filed reports on the reaction of two Iranian MPs to Amano’s acceptance of the invitation. The following is the translation of an excerpt of the two reports:
Mohammad Hassan Asafari, a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said, “When we asked Ali Akbar Salehi, the director of the Atomic Energy Organization, whether such reports were true, he told us that there was no confidential agreement between Iran and the IAEA for Amano to report to US senators about. Apparently, that is not what has actually happened.”
The deputy denounced Amano as unreliable and said, “Unfortunately, the IAEA has turned P5+1 into P5+2 against Iran thanks to its [biased] behavior. If the agency really seeks to make international deals transparent, Amano’s appearance in the Islamic Consultative Assembly can serve the cause of transparency, too.”
He concluded, “Thanks to the leanings of the IAEA and its director general toward Western and Zionist intelligence services, the agency has proved that it cannot be a fair arbiter in the [implementation] of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”
Seyyed Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, another MP with a seat on parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said, “Ever since news about a confidential agreement between Iran and the IAEA was made public, US lawmakers have been seeking to learn about its content.”
He said that in Iran reports on the existence of a secret agreement were rejected by some and implicitly confirmed by others, adding, “US lawmakers were privy to the deal and summoned Amano to appear before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.”
Naghavi, who represents Qazvin in the chamber, said, “What is surprising is that Amano, who is the director general of an independent international agency, and not a US government secretary, is summoned to the US Senate and he accepts to show up.”
This whole incident shows there are special links between the IAEA and the US, the MP said, adding, “The invitation is designed to glean information about the confidential agreement. If other questions such as JCPOA and its text were to be discussed at the Senate hearing, his presence would have been unnecessary because all documents and explanations have been presented in their entirety and additional transparency is not needed.”
The photos an ordinary shepherd has posted online have earned him fame and a large number of followers on Instagram.
The unique pictures a young shepherd living in the north of Iran has posted on Instagram have several thousand followers. At a time when people use their cell phones to connect with others through social networking sites, get likes for what they post and see more followers visit their pages, a young shepherd takes photos from what is going on in his far-off village and shares them with fellow Instagram users.
Mehr News Agency on July 29 published a report on Mohammad Ghasem Torabi, a young farmer and shepherd in Bandar Gaz in Golestan Province. The man of our story is also known as Salar Poulad [his Instagram page is named after his two dead husky farm dogs Salar (Master in Persian), and Poulad (Steel in Persian)]. His simple narratives of the rustic life have turned out to be popular with city-dwellers. His followers outnumber the population of his home village by several times.
It all started when Mohammad’s brother bought him an Android smartphone and installed Instagram on it two years ago, telling him he could share the pictures he took of the farmland with people in other places. Mohammad did what his brother said and now his followers get online each day to see Mohammad’s new posts and take a breath of fresh rural air, albeit virtually.
Urban life
Mohammad says he sees nothing good in urban life, wondering why his fellow villagers prefer to leave the serene life of the village for a [hectic] city life. He says the young people in the village are active in the virtual world, praising Mohammad’s photographic skills. He is also good at writing, although he is not well-read. Any interest in a media position in the city instead of shepherdry in the village? He rejects it outright.
Getting along with fame
Mohammad was first introduced in overseas-based Farsi-speaking TV channels, with many foreign media magazines dedicating a report to this young man who now has around 33,000 followers. He has no greed for fame and fortune, which is why he does not accept to use his claim to fame to make money. Mohammad says he prefers to achieve what he achieves through hard work.
Tourism targets rural culture
Mohammad and his fellow villagers do not welcome change to their traditions and culture; that’s why they don’t sell land to the strangers. They frown upon the idea of tourists coming to visit their beautiful village, arguing tourists will bring cultural changes, but villagers don’t bear any cultural gap. Serenity is all a village is credited for.
Routine life and Instagram
Mohammad works from dawn to dusk doing the farm’s chores, among them milking the cows and attending to the plants in the garden. He says he spends at most half an hour on Instagram to post the pictures he’s taken during the day and read comments. He has no Internet access at home. His house sits between his brother’s and cousin’s which have wifi connection, so he gets online thanks to their Internet access.
Mohammad leads a simple life in his own world. Like other people, he has some problems at his work in the village, but still does not want to rush for the city. He says he will never want to out-migrate and promises to remain as rural as ever, and what he says is a gentleman’s agreement.
Iranian trains won’t leave for destinations across the border in Turkey as long as Turkish authorities do not provide official explanation about last week’s incidents and guarantee the security of Iranian trains, Managing Director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways Hassan Mousavinejad said Sunday.
The following is the translation of an excerpt of the report the Iranians Students’ News Agency filed on Mousavinejad’s comments on August 2:
In the first incident, an explosion hit a Turkish train carrying Iranian passengers and damaged the railroad and rendered it impassable, he said, adding: “Iran sent an empty train across the border to Turkey to evacuate the passengers. Although Turkish officials had verbally guaranteed the security of the second train, that one came under attack too.
“That means the security problems railroad travel is exposed to in Turkey are far from settled, thus the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways has decided to stop sending trains across the border unless it is assured there will be no security problems.”
He went on to say Turkish authorities have yet to issue an official report on these incidents.
No one has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks, but a Turkish news agency has reported that PKK has been behind the explosions.
The comments of parliament speakers past and present (Akbar Nategh Nouri and Ali Larijani) in support of the nuclear deal and about upcoming parliamentary elections dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Sunday.
Ettela’at: “The government is determined to continue to fight land-grab,” Director of the Environment Protection Organization Masoumeh Ebtekar said.
The environment chief made the comment as she attended a ceremony at Ettela’at offices to inaugurate a new lithography service.
Abrar: “The US Senate cannot be given the text of the deal Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog have signed,” Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Reza Najafi said.
Abrar: President Rouhani will make a live televised speech Sunday evening.
Abrar: Three Spanish ministers will soon pay a visit to Iran.
Abrar: Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has lent unflinching support to the nuclear deal Iran and P5+1 clinched in Vienna, Austria.
Abrar-e Eghtesadi: The problem of unemployment has worsened under a government that views joblessness as the biggest local problem the country is facing.
Aftab-e Yazd: Babak Zanjani [a young billionaire who stands accused of massive corruption when Ahmadinejad was in office] has said in a letter to MPs that he acted the way he did in line with orders, not on his own initiative.
Aftab-e Yazd: Are supporters of Ahmadinejad worried about new revelations by First Vice-President Eshagh Jahangiri?
The daily features an analysis on the preemptive complaint the previous government has filed [against the current government] to avoid accountability.
Arman-e Emrooz: There are speculations that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hassan Rouhani and Seyyed Hassan Khomeini will run for the Assembly of Experts on the same ticket.
Ebtekar: Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi have been awarded the Heroes Jersey.
Hemayat: “Up to 50 percent of all offenses committed in the country are drug-related,” said the deputy judiciary chief for prevention.
Hemayat: MPs have reacted to the most recent comments of the director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. “Don’t try to bypass the laws. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action should be voted on in parliament.”
Iran: The trial of Saeed Mortazavi [a former Tehran prosecutor] in connection with the death of Mohsen Rouholamini in detention at Kahrizak has come to an end.
Iran: The electoral advice of moderate principlists:
Former Parliament Speaker Akbar Nategh Nouri: The Guardian Council should act in a way that makes the participation of all factions in the upcoming elections possible.
Current Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani: The stage should be set for all political factions to be part of the electoral process.
Jomhouri Islami: Former Parliament Speaker Nategh Nouri has said that the Iranian nuclear negotiating team tactfully turned threats into opportunities.
Jomhouri Islami: The current parliament speaker has said that the nuclear deal should be looked at from a national angle and cherished as an achievement.
Kayhan: The US Senate has summoned the arbiter of the deal [a reference to the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency]; Baharestan [Iran’s parliament] is still in recess.
Qods: A petition signed by 40 MPs calling for the impeachment of the oil minister will be presented to the Presiding Board of parliament next week.
Resalat: “Failure to uphold the national glory would carry a heavy political price tag,” said Tehran MP Ahmad Tavakoli.
Shahrvand: “The establishment made the right choice in the nuclear case,” said the parliament speaker.
Sharq: The president has sent a message of congratulations to the Iranian team after it won the title in the World Archery Championships.
Taadol: Free trade zones are hosting a first wave of investors [following the July 14 deal between Iran and P5+1].
♦ “The government is determined to continue to fight land-grab,” Director of the Environment Protection Organization Masoumeh Ebtekar said.
The environment chief made the comment as she attended a ceremony at Ettela’at offices to inaugurate a new lithography service.
♦ “Market factors should determine the price of foreign currencies,” said the minister of economy and financial affairs.
Dr. Tayyebnia further said that government seeks to inject a sense of calm and stability into the forex market.
♦ Saudi Arabia has threatened to take over Kuwait militarily.
The new Saudi King has said that historically Kuwait has been part of the Saudi territory.
♦ The world has reacted sternly to the Israeli crime of burning a Palestinian toddler to death.
The Palestinian Authority president has threatened to take the case involving the burning alive of the Palestinian child to the International Criminal Court.
♦ “The Judiciary is looking into 15 million legal cases,” said the vice-president for legal affairs.
Elham Aminzadeh further said that interaction between the executive branch and the Supreme Audit Court should focus on prevention rather than catching offenders in the act.
♦ “I remain confident that this agreement [a reference to the Vienna accord] will go into effect, unless there are too many closed minds,” the US energy secretary said.
Earnest Moniz also said that the consequences of failure to implement the nuclear deal would be vast.
Judiciary, Welfare Org. to work together to reduce social harms
The Ukraine crisis and [Russia’s annexation of] Crimea plus the financial crisis in Greece and the economic burden this EU member has placed on the shoulders of Eurozone have all played a part in motivating European members of P5+1 to clinch an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program.
Europe also needs Iran’s cooperation to work out a resolution to the crisis in the Middle East. By and large, Europe’s shift [toward Iran] is a wise decision at a historic crossroads, and the obstacles the US neocons, Israel and Saudi Arabia throw in the way to reverse Europe’s new decision [shift toward Iran] will not work, according to a history researcher and expert in European affairs.
Khabaronline.ir on July 30 published an interview with Majid Tafreshi as to why the Europeans have turned to Iran immediately after the conclusion of the historic Iran nuclear deal. The following is the translation of part of the expert’s answers:
“What transpired in Ukraine and Crimea has made the European Union worried about its overdependence on Russia’s oil and gas. Iran can be a safe, strategic replacement or a parallel alternative to Russia in supplying household and industrial gas to Europe and in letting oil and gas pipelines through its territory.
“Of course, Iran is not seeking to take the place of Russia, nor does Europe want to totally remove Russia from its market; however, neither side doubt the growing strategic importance of Iran’s involvement in this regard.
“For Greece, interaction with non-eurozone countries, especially Iran, is one way to get out of the economic crisis. Greece – especially its current government – has taken no negative policy on and shown no negative feeling about Iran. Interaction with Iran can serve the interests of the two sides and can also help the two weather the economic crisis. Compared with other countries, Iran and Greece have more historical and civilizational common ground thanks to their long history”.
Tafreshi also takes a look at political and social crises in the Middle East – which seem likely to spill over into the European countries – as another factor that contributes to a change of heart in the West toward Iran and says, “Europe has truly come to the conclusion that it can do nothing serious on several fronts without Iran’s cooperation, whether it loves Iran or there is no love lost between them. The fight against regional and international terrorism; the war on cultivation and smuggling of narcotics to Europe; peace and détente in Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East; peace and stability in Central Asia; and efforts to secure, develop and transfer energy in the Persian Gulf are a few examples of the areas Europe can achieve nothing with Iran not cooperating”.
The Iranian researcher described the Vienna accord as an inevitable option for European countries and a wise shift in their Iran policies and says, “That’s why alarms have been sounded in European countries warning that if the US Congress throws a wrench into the works and tries to take Iran back to three years ago or even before that, the European Union will not follow in the footsteps of the American neocons this time around and will not – in this special case – support the wishes and demands of the US neocons at the expense of its own interests”.
As for Iran’s market, Tafreshi refers to research by foreign sources and says, “Reports produced by research centers in the West describe Iran as a 400-million-strong, not 80-million, market (taking into account Iran’s potential to turn into a regional economic hub in Central Asia, the Persian Gulf and other surrounding areas).
“In response to reservations about cooperation with Iran, which is grappling with serious economic and financial problems, some experts have said that although Iran is facing a liquidity crisis in the short term, it is one of the few countries in the world with almost no foreign debts despite its economic woes. This lends credibility to Iran to enter into partnership with the EU from a position of strength.
“Iran has the second-largest [proven] natural gas reserves in the world. Its gas reserves have mainly remained intact with enormous potential to be fulfilled. On the other hand, Iran has a stable security and political situation within and along its borders; it has a geopolitical and geostrategic position [in the region], so long-term interaction with Iran is a serious question for Europe which also seeks to import energy – either from Iran or from neighboring oil-rich countries – to the [green] continent”.
“In addition to undeniable economic and commercial aspects, the historic Vienna agreement has opened a new chapter on strategic, security and political fronts between Iran and the West. The United States and Europe together with China and Russia inked the agreement admitting that in spite of what has been done over the past three decades to isolate, undermine or bypass Iran, the geopolitical and geostrategic importance of Iran – a big, effective and safe country – in the region and all over the world cannot be denied. They have also acknowledged that efforts to settle many regional disputes will be a nonstarter without Iran’s participation and assistance.
This [Europe’s shift toward Iran] ran counter to efforts by Israel on the one hand and Saudi Arabia and its allies on the other, but the six world powers were reminded of the indisputable position of Iran through a slap across the face [they were given because of events over time] and the lesson they learned from their experiences”.
A park ranger in West Azerbaijan Province forgave an illegal fisherman who had attacked him after the latter agreed to meet his two conditions.
The following is the translation of an excerpt of a report Setareh Sobh published on July 29 about the incident:
Karim Khezri, the head of the Environment Department in Sardasht, a city in West Azerbaijan, said, “Azad Ghaderi, a park ranger, was attacked a few months ago by illegal fishermen who had been trying to catch fish in the Zab River in Mirabad Protected Area.
Fearing arrest and confiscation of their electricity generator after being caught in the act, the fishermen started pelting the ranger with rocks which caused Ghaderi to pick up severe injuries in his leg.”
Khezri added that after a complaint was filed, judicial investigation into the case revealed that the poacher was a repeat offender who had been caught twice already for breaking environmental rules.
After the legal proceedings, the court sentenced him to two years in jail and fined him over $600.
The environment chief went on to say, “After the offender showed remorse, the good-natured park ranger said that he was ready to forgive his attacker if he promised to give up illegal fishing forever and become an environmentalist. The convict was forgiven after he agreed to fulfill those two conditions.”
First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri in a telephone conversation with Armenian premier said that Iran is ready to expand its cooperation with Armenia in different fields.
According to a Presidential Office report, Eshagh Jahangiri in a telephone contact with Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan on Saturday discussed collaborations in energy, generation and transfer of electricity, goods and passenger transit.
Jahangiri also wished success and prosperity for the Armenian people and government.
He underlined the necessity for the expansion of ties between the two countries and added that by developing relations and expansion of cooperation an effective step will be taken in the direction of national interests for both countries.
Abrahamyan renewed his invitation to Jahangiri to visit Armenia and expressed pleasure for the removal of a number of obstacles blocking bilateral cooperation in the sector of energy and gas transfer, calling for upgrading cooperation.
The Armenian prime minister also wished success and honor for the Iranian government and nation and expressed his country’s readiness for trilateral cooperation between Iran, Armenia and Georgia in the field of transit.
Iranian compound men’s team defeated Canada to win gold medal in the Copenhagen 2015 World Archery Championships on Saturday.
Iran’s trio – Esmaeil Ebadi, Amir Kazempour and Majid Gheidi – won their first two matches against Venezuela and Colombia by one point, 228-227.
In the semis, the trio beat Italy by two, 226-224.
Drawn at 226, the final match went to a tiebreaker.
In the shoot-off, Canada started with a nine, then Esmaeil Ebadi had a 10 for Iran – and those first arrows set the tone, worldarchery.org reported.
While the Canadians would follow with 10-10, neither Amir Kazempour nor Majid Gheidi – Ebadi’s Iranian teammates – would miss the middle either.
Ebadi, Kazempour and Gheidi won the tiebreaker with a perfect 30 points, for just the second time in the match, to Canada’s 29 – and won Iran’s first ever world title.
The World Archery Championships 2015 was the biggest championship in history. More than 600 archers from 96 nations were competing for glory in Copenhagen.
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