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

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Home Blog Page 4717

WTO accession, the first thing after JCPOA

October 17, 2015

The head of the Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) says that the first thing Iran should do after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). If not, he stresses, Iran will face multiple trade challenges down the line.

Valiollah Afkhamirad made the comment in a press conference which focused on Iran’s National Exports Day (October 21) and further said that his agency is pursuing efforts to review the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). He expressed hope the country can build on the support of the Foreign Ministry and other related bodies to change its observer status at WTO to an official member of the world body.

SMT, an Iranian daily, on October 14 published a report on what Iran’s trade chief said in the news conference about measures his organization has taken to streamline trade in the country, especially during the first half of the Iranian year (March 21- September 22). The following is the translation of part of that report:

Afkhamirad said that Iran is the world’s only big economy which is not a WTO member, adding that WTO membership carries much weight and that a special department – the Office for WTO Entry – has been set up at the TPO. He also said that worthwhile measures have been taken so far to clear the way for Iran to get accession to the WTO.

A rise in technical engineering services

The TPO director, who is also a deputy minister of industries, mines and trade, said as far as technical engineering services are concerned Iran had good conditions in the first half of the year, adding that statistics show a 40-plus percent increase in the deals registered for such services in the five months to August 23.

Petrochemical products are the staple of Iran’s exports, he said, adding that other products such as iron and steel, minerals and chemical fertilizers, pistachios, and cement are among the country’s top ten export items.

The TPO chief went on to say that different trade and economic teams [from other countries] have come in recent days to Iran – either as part of official or unofficial delegations – to talk business with Iranian tradesmen and industrialists. He added that these teams are reviewing and evaluating investment and partnership opportunities and are seeking to establish cooperation with Iran once the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is finalized and the unjust sanctions against the country are lifted.

The deputy industry minister also said that during the past six months the Austrian delegation was the biggest team which visited Iran, adding that the Austrian president was accompanied by 250 economic players during his Tehran trip. He said that Iran also hosted small teams of four to five businesspeople.

In the March-September period last year, Iran sent five teams (comprising 90 people) to five countries and hosted six delegations from as many countries (88 people in total), he said.

In the same period this year, the country sent five teams (98 people) to four countries and welcomed 29 delegations from 14 countries (540 people), he added.

Afkhamirad said that more than 1,400 people have traveled to Iran as representatives of large Asian and European companies. In the latest such visit, representatives of 30 big Japanese companies came along with the country’s foreign minister to Tehran and met with officials with Iran’s ministry of industries, mines and trade and discussed [bilateral] cooperation in the post-sanctions era.

Iran’s businesspeople are not in good economic conditions because sanctions have yet to be terminated, he said, adding that banking sanctions which are the most painful embargoes are still in place.

“To add insult to injury, I should say production costs have gone up in the country and the cost of goods sold (COGS) Iranian businessmen should pay for sending their products to target export markets is higher than what their counterparts pay in other countries,” the TPO chief said.

He then said that despite these challenges, the wheels of industrial units in the country are still turning, and expressed hope that the conditions in the country will improve by the day.

[…]

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Oct. 17

Golrokh Askarieh

October 17, 2015

The comments of Ayatollah Rafsanjani on a wide range of issues, including the upcoming elections, and the imminent implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal Iran and P5+1 struck in July, dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Saturday.

Ettela’at: The walls of sanctions will come tumbling down tomorrow.

The European Union and the US president are set to announce the termination of decade-long sanctions against Iran.

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on October 17

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Oct. 17

Abrar: The director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will become operational on Monday.

Abrar: The German foreign minister attends a meeting in the University of Tehran this week.

Afarinesh: Iran’s largest oil terminal is ready for the post-sanctions flurry of activity.

Aftab-e Yazd: After part of the engine of a passenger aircraft en route from Tehran to Bandar Abbas came off in mid-air, a pilot has warned the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development that it will be responsible for the likely crash of old aircraft.

Aftab-e Yazd: The interior minister has said that settling the nuclear case was a decision the entire establishment made.

Arman-e Emrooz: Iran and China have signed a military MOU that covers cooperation in areas such as defense, intelligence and the fight against terrorism.

Asr-e Rasaneh: Iran and Russia are likely to sign a grand oil deal.

Asr-e Rasaneh: The vice-president has called for conclusion of a preferential tariffs deal between Iran and Armenia.

Asrar: A person likely to have been behind last year’s acid attacks in Isfahan has been arrested.

Ebtekar: “The Iranian nuclear negotiating team went through a lot over the past two years,” said Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Ebtekar: Reformists and moderates will release a single ticket in the upcoming elections, said Rasoul Montajabnia, a reformist leader.

Etemad: The deputy foreign minister has said that nine Iranian teachers who had been taken to custody [for working in al-Ain with a Dubai work permit] have been freed.

Etemad: Jannati’s concerns; Hashemi’s recommendations

Ayatollah Jannati: The US seeks to send its infiltrators to the Islamic Consultative Assembly.

Ayatollah Hashemi: Holding the elections the way people want is a manifestation of respect for the rights of the public.

Hambastegi: Fighting terrorism is a priority for Iran and Lebanon, a top Iranian MP said after meeting with the Lebanese foreign minister.

Hemayat: The Iranian attorney general has sent a second letter to Saudi prosecutors to follow up on the investigation into the deadly stampede in Mina, near Mecca.

Hemayat: Mohammad Javad Larijani has warned officials that the US eyes extortion in the wake of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Iran: The message my Iran visit sends is one of seriousness [on the part of the world] to terminate sanctions, the German foreign minister said in an exclusive interview with the daily before leaving for Tehran.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier further said Foreign Minister Zarif and the negotiating team he led stood their ground to represent Iran’s interests.

Javan: A black day for IS and the Saudis

Ramadi and Baiji are all but liberated as the Iraqi forces prepare to take back Mosul.

Jomhouri Islami: “Discord and tension, especially in the run-up to the election, are like a deadly poison for society,” said Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Jomhouri Islami: Tehran hosts the preliminary meeting of the Munich Security Conference with 60 diplomats in attendance.

Kayhan: Thirty-six Iranian pilgrims are still unaccounted for in Saudi Arabia.

Payam-e Zaman: France is the most important partner of Iran in the pharmaceutical industry.

Saheb Ghalam: “We have to consider the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action a done deal,” said the secretary of the Guardian Council.

Saheb Ghalam: The Russian energy minister is to visit Iran.

Sharq: The beginning of the end of sanctions

There is one step left to close the chapter on a 12-year case.

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on October 17

Golrokh Askarieh

October 17, 2015

♦ The walls of sanctions will come tumbling down tomorrow.

The European Union and the US president are set to announce the termination of decade-long sanctions against Iran.

♦ People in Jordan and Palestine have held massive anti-Zionist rallies.

♦ “Elections should turn into a maneuver to demonstrate Iran’s power in the region,” said the interior minister.

In another development, the head of the Electoral Commission said that the software to be used in electronic voting in nine provinces should secure the approval of the Guardian Council.

♦ Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has told the Iraqi forces that victory is imminent.

In another development, Iraqi forces wrested control of 90 percent of Baiji and Ramadi from IS terrorists.

♦ A Yemeni missile strike against Saudi Arabia left 66 Saudi-led coalition officers and two generals dead.

♦ “Protecting the environment and introducing a green economy are among the priorities of the 11^th government,” said the director of the Environment Protection Organization.

♦ A man as generous as rain

Ata Ahmadi is a real gentleman who turned the house he owned into a school and rented an apartment to live in.

Iranian teachers detained in UAE released

Emad Askarieh

October 17, 2015

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has released nine Iranian teachers who were detained following allegations about the invalidity of their work permits, said an Iranian deputy foreign minister.

Hassan Ghashghavi said the nine teachers detained in the UAE were released Friday night on the back of efforts by Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the Islamic Republic’s ambassador to the UAE.

At the time of their arrest, the teachers were working in al-Ain.

Emirati officials claimed that the teachers did not have a work permit for employment in al-Ain. They claimed the permit was for employment in Dubai.

On October 11, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the United Arab Emirates’ charge d’affaires in Tehran over the detention of the Iranian teachers.

The charge d’affaires, called upon in the absence of the UAE ambassador to Iran, was asked to swiftly secure the release of the group of Iran’s Ministry of Education teachers, who were detained despite their years of lawful service in an Iranian school there.

Iran condemns terrorist bombing in Nigeria

Emad Askarieh

October 17, 2015

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham has strongly condemned the Thursday’s terrorist bombing at a mosque in northeastern Nigeria which resulted in the deaths of dozens of worshippers and injury of dozens more.

“The massacre of innocent women and men is an inhumane unjustifiable act,” Afkham said late Friday.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman expressed sympathy with families of the victims, the Nigerian government and nation, and underlined the need for an all-out fight against terrorism and extremism in different parts of the world.

At least 42 people lost their lives when two bombs ripped through the mosque in Nigeria’s restive northeastern state of Borno.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, Nigerian officials usually blame such assaults on Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists.

Boko Haram terrorists have recently pledged allegiance to the Takfiri Daesh militant group, which is primarily operating in Syria and Iraq.

Iran probes jumbo jet engine break-off

Emad Askarieh

October 17, 2015

Iranian experts are investigating to find out why a section of a Boeing 747’s engine broke off during flight on Thursday.

The mid-air horror ended after the aircraft with 426 passengers and crew on board safely landed at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport.

A committee has been formed to examine the cause of the incident which happened during the jumbo jet’s flight from Tehran to Bandar Abbas.

“The committee will carefully examine the cause of the technical failure,” head of the engineering and safety office of the Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) Mohammad Shahbazi said.

“Prior to departure, all necessary checks had been conducted on the plane but during the flight, engine number 3 of the plane developed technical malfunction and a piece of the engine came off,” he said.

“Thanks to the pilot’s prudence, the plane fortunately returned to Mehrabad Airport with no injuries to passengers,” Shahbazi said.

The passengers were flown to Bandar Abbas on two back-up flights, he added.

Deputy head of Mahan Air Faramarz Sarvi said the aircraft was among the private airline’s modern airliners in service since about 1990.

An Iran-140 with 48 people on board crashed near Mehrabad Airport in August 2014, killing at least 39 people.

Iranian airlines have been plagued by a series of crashes because of Western sanctions which block the country from buying parts and renovating its ageing fleet.

The July conclusion of nuclear talks and an imminent lifting of the sanctions has raised hopes of a buying spree by Iranian airlines.

Boeing has said it was seeing a good opportunity for business in Iran, citing its “long history” in the country.

Iranian officials have said the country would need between 400-500 new aircraft worth at least $20 billion to renovate its aging fleet and that initial negotiations have begun with the likes of Boeing and Airbus.

Iran missile tests no violation of JCPOA: Top diplomat

Emad Askarieh

October 17, 2015

A senior Iranian diplomat says the Islamic Republic’s missile tests are not a breach of the recent nuclear agreement struck between Tehran and six world powers.

Tehran’s “missile tests are by no means a violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday.

His remarks came after Iran successfully test-fired a new precision-guided long-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile, dubbed Emad, on October 11.

“None of Iran’s missiles, including ballistic ones, have been designed to carry a nuclear warhead, and thus their production and test are not contrary to [UN Security Council] Resolution 2231,” Araghchi stressed.

Araghchi also noted that Tehran will continue taking necessary measures to reinforce defensive capabilities to safeguard its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and to counter any act of aggression and terrorist threats.

He made the remarks a few hours after US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power claimed that Iran’s recent ballistic missile test was “a clear violation” of UN sanctions, and that Washington will seek action from the Security Council.

Iran has repeatedly said its missiles would never carry a nuclear warhead as it has no plans to produce atomic weapons.

Tehran has also announced that under the fatwa (decree) issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, its long-established policy is to oppose the acquisition, production, stockpiling, and use of nuclear weapons.

Tabriz, best Iranian city to live in

Emad Askarieh

October 15, 2015

For a third consecutive year, the northwestern city of Tabriz has been introduced as the best Iranian city to live in.

According to studies by the United Nations about different cities across the world published in an online magazine, Tabriz is the most beautiful and developed Iranian city followed by Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, Qom and Orumiyeh.

Fars News Agency filed a report on October 12 on the designation of Tabriz as the best Iranian city. The translation of part of the report is as follows:

Among other things, the number of modern and beautiful buildings, developed airlines, attractive pristine nature, delicious food, beautiful mosques and historical sites contributed to Tabriz’s securing the title.

It came after the World Health Organization named Tabriz as the healthiest and most hygienic city in Iran two years ago.

Tabriz has also been identified as an Iranian city at the forefront of private investment and the most successful in fulfilling the provisions of Article 44 of the Constitution [which deals with privatization of state companies].

The provincial capital of East Azerbaijan was also named as the World’s Carpet Capital in 2015 by UNESCO and the World Crafts Council. Only 11 cities have been designated as a World Crafts City. As the representative of Muslim cities on that list Tabriz is in the lead.

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on October 15

Emad Askarieh

October 15, 2015

♦ “The intelligent, committed and talented youth are the biggest asset of the country,” said the Supreme Leader at a meeting with a host of students and scientific talents of the country.

Ayatollah Khamenei further said the stage should be set for youth employment and for the youth to feel useful in the country.

♦ The number of days the capital had clean air increased in the first half of the year.

♦ Countries on the Persian Gulf are to buy Iron Dome from Israel.

♦ In a televised live interview [Tuesday night] President Rouhani said the country will have much better conditions next year.

He further said measures to cut inflation and secure economic growth are an integral part of the policies of his government.

♦ “Approval of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action marks the beginning of comprehensive efforts to develop the country,” Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said.

The top MP further said that measures to promote production should be given priority.

♦ The Guardian Council has approved the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

A spokesman for the council said a majority of the councilors did not find any constitutional or Sharia-related problems with the Government’s Reciprocal and Proportional Action Bill on the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

♦ IS has declared war on Russia.

The terrorist group confirmed its number two man has been killed in airstrikes by American drones.

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Oct. 15

Emad Askarieh

October 15, 2015

The comments by the Supreme Leader at a meeting with a host of students and scientific talents from across the country and the approval by the Guardian Council of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Thursday.

Ettela’at: “The intelligent, committed and talented youth are the biggest asset of the country,” said the Supreme Leader at a meeting with a host of students and scientific talents of the country.

Ayatollah Khamenei further said the stage should be set for youth employment and for the youth to feel useful in the country.

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on October 15

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Oct. 15

Abrar: Parliament has voted for a bill that sets conditions for legislative votes to be held in two rounds.

Abrar: Foreign Minister Zarif has said that cutting ties with Iran won’t serve the interests of the Saudis.

Abrar: Munich Security Conference will be held in Tehran.

Aftab-e Yazd: Did Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, throw his weight behind the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to win popularity? The daily answers the question in a report.

Meanwhile, Kamaleddin Pirmoazen, an MP, said opponents of the speaker could only gather nine signatures against him.

Arman-e Emrooz: Becoming an MP has been made easier.

Candidates need to secure 20 percent of the votes instead of the previous 25 percent to find their way to the Islamic Consultative Assembly in the first round of legislative elections.

Asr-e Eghtesad: The country’s petrochemical capacity will have increased by 10 million tons by March 2017.

Ebtekar: Zarif has urged “the Arab brethren” to come to agreement.

Eghtesad-e Pooya: “Knowledge-based companies are the pillars of resistance-based economy,” said the Supreme Leader.

Etemad: The Supreme Leader has said that he is not satisfied with the trend in the growth of the resistance-based economy.

Etemad: Time to implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

With the approval of the legislative act by the Guardian Council, implementation of the deal between Iran and P5+1 will begin in three days.

Hemayat: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the kingpin of the IS terrorist grouping, has been reportedly taken to Turkey to receive treatment.

Iran: Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has unveiled fresh aspects of the oil derrick [embezzlement] case.

Jahan-e Sanat: The Stock Exchange trusted in Rouhani, and its three-month recession came to an end.

Jahan-e Sanat: The EU foreign policy chief has underlined regional contribution, including a key role for Iran and Russia, to efforts to settle the Syrian crisis.

Javan: The Public Relations Department of the Supreme Leader’s Office has said [reports] that officials with the office have had an independent role in the review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action are not true.

Javan: Images of the missile town of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps nestled 500 meters underground in mountains have been released.

The commander of the Aerospace Division of the force has said in case the enemies make a mistake, our missiles will roar from deep underground.

Kayhan: There was nothing going on behind the scenes, those who claimed otherwise should answer.

Claims that officials with the office have played an independent role in the review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action are wrong, the Supreme Leader’s Office has said in a statement.

Mardomsalari: The vice president for women and family affairs has said that the percentage of women’s share of parliamentary seats, which currently stands at three percent, does not befit the establishment [and should increase].