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Home Blog Page 4718

School year officially starts for Afghan students in Iran (PHOTOS)

Fatemeh Askarieh

September 30, 2015

Following a decree by the Supreme Leader that no Afghan child, including those who are undocumented, should be denied education in Iran, the bell marking the official reopening of school for Afghan students was sounded on Tuesday.

Director of the Environment Protection Organization Masoumeh Ebtekar and the Afghan ambassador to Iran were on hand for the school reopening ceremony which was held in a facility in Tehran.

The following images of the ceremony have been released online by the Iranian Students’ News Agency:

Iran protests Saudi mismanagement to transfer Mina victims’ bodies

Golrokh Askarieh

September 30, 2015

Iran Summons Swiss Envoy over US Accusations — Iran foreign ministry

The Foreign Ministry summoned Saudi Arabia’s charge d’affaires in Tehran on Wednesday to protest at Riyadh’s mismanagement of the transfer of the Mina victims’ bodies.

The ministry summoned the Saudi official to express strong objection to Riyadh’s indifference to identification of missing pilgrims and sending the bodies of the victims to their countries.

Director General of the Consular Affairs Department at the Foreign Ministry Ali Chegini recalled the legal responsibilities of Saudi Arabia and held Riyadh accountable for the deadly crush in Mina.

Chegini said that Saudi Arabia needs to take steps toward locating the missing people and treating the injured pilgrims.

He also called for Saudi authorities’ apology to the Iranian nation.

The Iranian official also warned about any delay in transferring the bodies of Iranian pilgrims.

None of Iranian families have agreed that the bodies of their loved ones be buried on Saudi soil and they have all called for the transfer of the bodies to Iran in a respectful way.

The Saudi official said that he would inform his country’s officials of Iran’s objection.

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on September 30

Golrokh Askarieh

September 30, 2015

The “controversial”, “historic” encounter between US President Barack Obama and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the fallout of the Mina tragedy dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Wednesday.

Ettela’at: “The present good international atmosphere should be seized to develop the country,” President Rouhani said upon return home from New York, where he attended a UN General Assembly session.

The president also said Saudi Arabia should honor its international obligations toward foreign nationals.

Everyone knows that regional security and stability would be a nonstarter in the absence of Iran or without Iran’s cooperation, the president added.

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on September 30

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on September 30

Abrar: The spokesman of parliament’s JCPOA Review Committee has said that the report of the committee on the Iran nuclear deal will be finalized on Sunday.

Abrar: A source close to the Iranian delegation that visited the UN has said that Zarif and Obama have exchanged brief pleasantries and shaken hands.

Afarinesh: “We have not been successful enough in locating the overseas assets of Babak Zanjani [a young billionaire who is expected to go on trial shortly for corruption],” said the justice minister.

Afkar: Obama shook hands with Zarif to improve ties between the US and Iran.

Afkar: Monetary compensations won’t make up for the Mina tragedy, said President Rouhani.

Arman-e Emrooz: A chance encounter that was historical

Foreign Minister Zarif and President Obama shook hands at the UN.

Arman-e Emrooz: The government spokesman has said that Iran will file a complaint against Saudi Arabia over the Mina tragedy.

“The Saudi foreign minister is hiding from Foreign Minister Zarif,” said Mohammad Bagher Nobakht.

Asr-e Rasaneh: Wintertime shutdown of petrochemical complexes has been ruled out.

Bahar: An honorable encounter

The Iranian foreign minister returned President Obama’s greetings.

Ebtekar: Obama and Zarif have shaken hands

Ebtekar takes a look at the controversy the handshake has stirred.

Eghtesad-e Pooya: India pays out $700 million in its oil debts to Iran.

Emtiaz: The deputy energy minister has said that Iran is likely to import water from Tajikistan.

Etemad: A handshake in 60 seconds

Foreign Minister has bumped into President Obama while leaving the UN General Assembly.

Ghanoon: A controversial handshake

Zarif and Obama have exchanged pleasantries in a UN corridor.

Hemayat: Political activists have described the handshake between Zarif and Obama as running counter to principles of wisdom, glory and expedience.

Iran: The secretary of the Supreme National Security Council has predicted that the Islamic Consultative Assembly will allow the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to go ahead.

Jamejam: Dethronement of the Saudi king is in progress

Divisions among Saudi princes have come to surface following the Mina tragedy.

Javan: The “inappropriate measure” was repeated in New York.

The Foreign Ministry has described the encounter between Obama and Zarif as “pure happenstance”.

Jomhouri Islami: The Qatari Emir has proposed to host a meeting between Iran and Arab countries on the Persian Gulf.

Kar va Kargar: A spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has said that the number of Iranian pilgrims killed in Mina is more than 400.

Kayhan: Advance information about a chance encounter! [The daily has criticized the reformist dailies for their prediction of an encounter between Iranian and US presidents in New York to suggest that the brief encounter before Zarif and Obama was not all that unexpected.]

Khorasan: Censoring an admission

The Saudi government has removed from its website a news story by its own Health Ministry suggesting that 4,173 were killed in the Mina crush.

Mardomsalari: The White House has confirmed the encounter between President Obama and Foreign Minister Zarif.

Resalat: “After IS, Saudi Arabia deals the worst blows to Islam,” said the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Roozan: The chance diplomacy on the sidelines of a major conference

Saheb Ghalam: The Sixth Development Plan envisions $15 billion in foreign investment in the mining sector.

Setareh Sobh: The reactions a handshake between Obama and Zarif have drawn

The daily has an analytical report on the issue.

Shahrvand: The health minister has said that the Iranian medical team has saved the lives of more than 500 Iranian pilgrims [in Saudi Arabia].

Sharq: Zarif shook President Obama’s hand.

The first encounter between an Iranian minister and a US president since the revolution

Vatan Emrooz: A chance mistake

The passive diplomacy of Zarif over Mina has been coupled with his handshake with Obama!

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on September 30

Golrokh Askarieh

September 30, 2015

♦ “The present good international atmosphere should be seized to develop the country,” President Rouhani said upon return home from New York, where he attended a UN General Assembly session.

The president also said Saudi Arabia should honor its international obligations toward foreign nationals.

Everyone knows that regional security and stability would be a nonstarter in the absence of Iran or without Iran’s cooperation, the president added.

♦ Health Minister [Hassan Hashemi] has paid bedside visits in Mecca to those injured in the Hajj tragedy.

♦ Introduction of the Social Emergency Service has seen social harms decline by 30 percent.

The director of the Welfare Organization has said that the bill on the Rights of the Disabled has been approved by the Cabinet and sent to parliament for a final go-ahead.

♦ The UN envoy in Iran has praised Iran’s achievement as far as the Millennium Development Goals are concerned.

UN Resident Coordinator in Iran Gary Lewis further said that the comments of President Rouhani at the UN Sustainable Development Summit were based on wisdom and farsightedness.

♦ EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has said that [P5+1] is awaiting the decision of the Iranian parliament before implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

She further said on the same day the deal secures the blessing of the Iranian parliament, a joint commission to oversee and implement the deal will be launched.

♦ The minister of science has said that benefactors across the nation are building educational facilities on expanses of land totaling 2 million square meters in area.

♦ “The stupid behavior of Saudi officials gave a criminal tinge to the Mecca tragedy,” said the Iranian intelligence minister.

He further said the world of Islam won’t forgive the behavior of the Saudi officials.

♦ “The Sacred Defense should not be monopolized by one single group,” said Brigadier General Kargar, who leads the Foundation for the Preservation and Promotion of the Sacred Defense Values.

Illogical preconditions prolong Syrian crisis: Zarif

Golrokh Askarieh

September 30, 2015

Illogical preconditions to end the Syrian crisis will prolong it, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a meeting with his Croatian counterpart Vensa Pusic Tuesday.

Zarif elaborated on Iran’s political solution to the Syrian crisis and said an end to the conflict, securing a fair solution and sustainable peace in Syria can be gained by the formation of an inclusive transitional government. He added that illogical preconditions which will prolong the crisis should be avoided.

At the meeting held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Pusic welcomed the nuclear deal that was clinched between Iran and P5+1.

As for the flow of Syrian refugees and its impact on the European countries including Croatia, she said the crisis can influence the seriousness of the European states for the settlement of Syrian crisis through political and peaceful means.

Both sides supported expansion of bilateral ties in economic, cultural, tourism, medical, and transport fields and stressed mutual support in international forums.

They also welcomed an exchange of diplomatic and trade delegations.

Abduction of Iran’s ex-envoy during stampede possible: Spokesman

Golrokh Askarieh

September 30, 2015

Culture Ministry Spokesman Hossein Noushabadi became one of the first Iranian officials to directly speak of the possible abduction of Iran’s former ambassador to Beirut Ghazanfar Roknabadi during the Mina crush on Thursday, saying if he is still alive, he has surely been abducted.

“That the Saudis deny the presence of Mr. Roknabadi (in their country) shows that they are lying; they certainly know the whereabouts of important figures like Roknabadi and other friends who had participated in the Hajj ceremony and are informed of their fate, but they don’t want to speak about the realities,” Noushabadi said on Tuesday.

He said that Roknabadi and other senior Iranian officials who went missing after the Mina stampede have not been among the injured or dead pilgrims and added, “It seems that a plot had been hatched and I imagine that the Saudi security forces have kidnapped them and this is a serious possibility.”

Roknabadi’s case has come under spotlight both in Iranian and Saudi media in the past few days.

Roknabadi, one of Iran’s outstanding diplomats, served as the country’s ambassador to Lebanon for several years.

Certain Arab media claimed that Roknabadi had traveled to Saudi Arabia through illegal channels.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham Monday strongly rejected the Arab media reports and said that Roknabadi traveled to the country on his regular passport with a Hajj visa.

[…]

Iran, Slovenia stress expansion of bilateral ties

Golrokh Askarieh

September 30, 2015

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Slovenian counterpart Karl Viktor Erjavec agreed on expansion of bilateral relations at a meeting Tuesday in New York.

The two top diplomats stressed closer cooperation through exchanges of diplomatic, parliamentary and trade delegations.

At the meeting held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Zarif welcomed Erjavec’s statement on reopening the Slovenian embassy and the establishment of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce in Tehran.

The Slovenian foreign minister expressed condolences to his Iranian counterpart over the deaths of thousands of Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia including Iran’s former ambassador to Ljubljana.

An Iran visit by the Slovenian president was also discussed at the meeting.

Official: Saudi officials had better change their Iran approach

Golrokh Askarieh

September 30, 2015

The secretary of the Expediency Council has said that Saudi officials are expected to change their behavior toward Iran and not to try to create rifts in the region.

Mohsen Rezaei made the comment on the sidelines of a gathering of the veterans of Jihad on Tuesday and added that former Iraqi dictator Saddam resorted to divisive measures in the region during the eight years of Iraq’s war against Iran and experienced the result [of his decision]. The following is the translation of what else the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) quoted Rezaei as saying on September 29:

Saudi behavior

The Saudi authorities have been plagued by misunderstandings about Iran. Their behavior over this past year shows that the Saudis are seeking to limit Iran’s [regional] power.

The Saudi police’s treatment of Iranian pilgrims in the past shows that the Saudis are trying to dent Iran’s clout. We advise them to drop this approach and not to try to create divisions in the region. Saddam once did it during the eight-year imposed war [and got harmed by its result]. It is not sensible to engage in such disputes again. The Saudis should correct their behavior and change course.

Mina Tragedy

Whether the painful tragedy in Mina unfolded because of bad intentions cannot be confirmed, but post-incident treatment by the Saudis of the bodies of Iranian pilgrims points to a deliberate act. The exact cause of the incident is still unclear, but mismanagement of the Saudi officials is very much in evidence.

Saudi Arabia blame game tarnishes own image: Iran

Golrokh Askarieh

September 30, 2015

Iran has warned that the blame game Saudi Arabia is playing over the deadly Mina stampede is tarnishing its own image.

“[The Saudi] obstinacy, [playing a] blame game and shirking its heavy responsibility over the deaths of several thousand pilgrims of the House of God will further tarnish Saudi Arabia’s image in the world,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said Tuesday.

She added that poor management and lack of foresight on the part of Saudi officials caused the deadly incident in Mina.

The fatal crush in the Saudi town of Mina occurred on September 24 after two large crowds of pilgrims, who were on their way to participate in the symbolic stoning of Satan, a Hajj ritual, collided.

Saudi Arabia has so far confirmed the deaths of nearly 770 pilgrims in the incident.

[…]

Afkham urged Riyadh to apologize to Muslim countries for its failure in managing the Hajj pilgrimage ritual.

She dismissed as “unconstructive” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir’s televised allegations that Iran is exploiting the Mina tragedy for political gains.

Afkham further rejected al Jubeir’s “unhelpful and irrelevant” allegations that Iran has been fueling tensions in Syria and Yemen.

“The continuation of the policy of armed intervention in Syria and Yemen and the [systematic] destruction of the infrastructure in Arab and Muslim countries have spread extremism and instability across the region,” Afkham said.

In an interview with Al Arabiya, the Saudi foreign minister alleged that Iran supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by sending militants to the Arab country. Al-Jubeir also accused Iran of providing Yemen’s Ansarullah Houthi fighters with “weapons, advisors and experts.”

Brushing aside the claims, Afkham said that Saudi Arabia has turned into the “main source of expansion of extremism and belligerency” by pursuing warmongering policies.

She also slammed the Saudi regime for the recent killing of over a hundred Yemeni civilians at a wedding party.

The United Nations on Tuesday confirmed that at least 135 civilians, including many women and children, were killed in a Saudi airstrike on a wedding in Yemen.

“This may be the single deadliest incident since the start of the conflict,” UN Human Rights Agency Spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters.

[…]

Deadly stampede at Hajj pilgrimage suspicious: Leader aide

Golrokh Askarieh

September 30, 2015

A senior Iranian official has said the recent deadly crush in Mina during the Hajj pilgrimage rituals is “suspicious.”

“This incident and its circumstances are suspicious because some of our senior officials have been killed or gone missing in this incident,” Ali Akbar Velayati, a top advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said on Tuesday.

He added that the Saudi government is dodging its responsibility in dealing with the consequences of this incident.

When asked if the disappearance of some Iranian diplomats in the stampede could be part of a plot, Velayati said, “Cooperation between the Saudi regime and the Zionist regime [of Israel] in different arenas is not something that could be covered up.”

He added that Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad Ameen Madani should call on Muslim states to investigate the catastrophic Mina incident and work out strategies to guarantee the safety of pilgrims during the Hajj rituals.

“If Saudi Arabia is unable to fulfill its duties with regard to protecting the Hajj pilgrims, Muslim countries should move to carry out their duties in this regard,” Velayati said.

[…]

President Rouhani back home

President Rouhani said Tuesday that the “inefficiency and lack of foresight” of the Saudi government caused the deaths of the pilgrims, including Iranians, in Mina.

“Saudi Arabia should fulfill its legal and international duties toward foreign nationals and Hajj pilgrims. Moreover, the dimensions and circumstances of the Mina incident must be clarified,” he said.

He also criticized some Saudi media for broadcasting animations of the deadly stampede, calling their move an “insult” to Muslim nations.

He emphasized that the Iranian government would carry out its legal responsibilities to stand up for the rights of Iranian pilgrims.

Rouhani, who was in New York to address the 70^th annual session of the UN General Assembly, said he cut short his trip and cancelled his scheduled meetings to be able to attend the funeral ceremony for the dead Iranian pilgrims.

Iran FM’s message to Lebanese counterpart

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia should prepare the ground for running the Hajj ceremony in collaboration with other Muslim countries.

In a message to Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, Zarif expressed hope that Saudi officials in charge of Hajj administration would consult with Muslim nations and benefit from their recommendations in order to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.

He added that the Mina stampede was the second incident during the Hajj pilgrimage rituals this year that endangered the safety of pilgrims.

[…]