Iran condemns Saudi airstrike on Yemen wedding

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October 10, 2015

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman slammed a Saudi-led aerial attack on a wedding ceremony in Yemen’s Dhamar province that killed dozens of civilianson Wednesday.

“The attacks by foreign military forces on Yemen’s residential areas and civilian targets have slaughtered thousands of the Muslim country’s defenseless people so far, and have had no results for the invading forces but destruction and killing of innocent Yemeni people,” Marzieh Afkham said on Thursday.

The spokeswoman also called on the United Nations and the influential countries in the Yemeni crisis to ramp up efforts for bringing an immediate end to the Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen.

She further stressed the necessity for plans and measures to protect the lives of Yemeni civilians, particularly women and children.

On Wednesday, Saudi warplanes targeted a wedding in the Yemeni town of Sanban in Dhamar province, 100km south of the capital Sana’a, killing at least 51 civilians.

The raid, which was the second airstrike on a wedding party in Yemen in just over a week, hit a house where dozens of people were celebrating on Wednesdayevening.

Al Masirah television said on Twitter that the wedding was hit by “aggression warplanes”.

Back in September, a Saudi-led coalition strike killed at least 131 civilians at a wedding near the Red Sea city of al-Mokha, which the UN said may have been the deadliest hit since March.

Yemen’s defenseless people have been under massive attacks by the coalition for months.

On March 26, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies began to launch deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to the fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

More than 4000 people, many of them children and women, have been killed in the aggression against the Arab country so far.

Israel only impediment to nuclear-free zone in Middle East: Iran UN envoy

By

Emad Askarieh

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October 10, 2015

The Israeli regime is the sole barrier to establishing a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East region, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Gholam Ali Khoshrou says.

Addressing a Friday meeting of the UN General Assembly’s disarmament committee, Khoshrou said Tel Aviv is “the only impediment… toward realizing a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East.”

“Israel continues to block all international and regional efforts to fulfill this goal,” he added.

During the Friday meeting, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Alon Roth-Snir reiterated the regime’s strong opposition to a nuclear agreement clinched between Iran and P5+1, saying it is “unlikely to stop Iran’s relentless pursuit of a nuclear weapons’ capability.”

Iran and five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia – plus Germany finalized the text of the agreement dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the Austrian capital Vienna on July 14.

Under JCPOA, limits will be put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all economic and financial bans against the Islamic Republic.

Israel has repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that the country’s civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.

Unlike Iran, Israel, which is widely believed to possess between 200 to 400 nuclear warheads, is a non-signatory to the NPT and continues to defy international calls to join the treaty.

Muddy artist points up water crisis in Iran

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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October 8, 2015

Masoud Nikdel, an Iranian artist who is involved in sculpture [and performance art], is concerned about water scarcity in Iran. His concern took him – caked in mud – to the capital’s Milad Tower where he sat down still on the ground for three hours. His symbolic warning was first heeded by social networking sites as images of the muddy man went viral.

Mehr News Agency on October 4 published a report on the man involved in protest art, his concerns about water crisis in Iran and the reactions his motionless performance drew on the Internet. The following is a brief translation of the report which also includes the artist’s remarks:

Masoud Nikdel has worked professionally on sculpture for 14 years, but his symbolic protest at water crisis was what introduced him and his art widely to the public. He set out from the easternmost part of the country – Khorasan – for the towering building of the capital to sit on its stairways for three hours.

Mud-coated, he sat there with his eyes closed and his chin resting on his palm. He kept silent for three hours and left reaction by the passers-by unheeded.

[…]

Nikdel is not a newcomer to art. Ten years into his professional work, he has held no exhibition, arguing that an artist should hold an expo only when s/he seeks to introduce a new style to the audience.

He has experienced working on stones for which he won a title in 2000. He has also created works of art on dried tree trunks helping them remain on the city streets. He insists that trees – even if when they are dried – should not be chopped or removed from the city space.

The artist’s own words

On his symbolic move in Milad Tower, Nikdel says, “The soil collected from a mountainous area of Lavasan was mixed with river water from the same area. I was blanketed with this mixture. I wanted to sit [on the stairways] of Milad Tower to go dry, but I could not stand it because of the cold breeze. I was supposed to perform [when the sun was still in the sky] but the actual performance ran from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

“I did not know how many hours I sat there because my eyes were closed. I even did not know when the night fell. Luckily, when I could no longer continue my performance, a little girl took my hand and lifted me up. The time I rose up, I got happy. After that performance, the muscles on the left side of my face were not functioning well due to chilblain.”

Nikdel says he will continue with this style. So we have to wait and see how he will take his audience by another surprise next time. He says, “Artists should not create a work and then say good-bye. They should keep working and reminding people. We should not force people to do something if we want to build a culture. Proper water consumption cannot become a culture by force.

“I will do other works on water and nature in general. I think such works will be very much effective. People will think about a work of art and will draw a conclusion.”

Japan, Germany seek long-term economic, industrial cooperation with Iran

By

Emad Askarieh

-

October 8, 2015

Trade delegations from Japan and Germany have recently visited Iran to weigh economic opportunities in Iran and the outlook of economic and industrial cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Tasnim News Agency on October 7 published a report on Iran’s economic and industrial cooperation with Japan and Germany and what these two foreign teams were looking for in Iran. The following is the translation of part of that report:

Japan and Iran

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JETRO, the Japan External Trade Organization, Hiroyuki Ishige has said that his agency is seeking to find Iranian partners to produce automobiles and car parts inside Iran.

The Japanese manager made the remark on the sidelines of a meeting with the head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce and added, “We are also seeking to enter partnership with Iran in other areas such as food industries and environmental issues. We have started to review such partnerships and we will take the necessary executive measures once the stage is set for such cooperation”.

He went on to say that as many as 30 big economic, industrial and production companies from Japan – among them oil, gas and petrochemistry companies as well as automotive manufacturers like Mitsubishi and Suzuki – are now in Iran.

These companies are trying to hold direct talks with the Iranian sides, boost bilateral trade ties and remove the problems standing in the way of developing relations between the two nations, he added.

The JETRO chief further said that red tape and failure to respect the intellectual property rights of companies are the hurdles to cooperation between the Japanese companies and Iran, and expressed hope that such hurdles will be removed soon.

He also welcomed cession of economic affairs to the private sector in Iran and said that the private sector accounts for up to 99 percent of companies involved in economic activities in Japan.

Iran and Germany

President of Lower-Saxony’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce Horst Schrage has said that Iranian automotive companies have expressed readiness to enter talks with Germany on renovation of the Iranian car industry and provision of car parts.

Schrage said on the sidelines of a meeting between a German delegation and the managing director of Iran’s Bank of Industry and Mine (BIM) that the German side is willing to open talks with Iran on different fronts, including agriculture, food industries, automotive industries and car parts.

[…]

He further said, “Trade with Iran is not the only objective of the German side; rather, we want to set the stage for long-term cooperation with Iran.”

“We are trying to make proper planning for long-term investment in Iran,” he added.

Iran’s first shoe museum opens in Tabriz

By

Emad Askarieh

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October 8, 2015

Iran’s first footwear museum opened in Tabriz, capital of East Azerbaijan Province, on October 6.

On the same day Fars News Agency filed a report on the country’s first shoe museum. What comes next is the translation of part of the report:

At the opening ceremony, the head of the Tourism Expansion Organization, an affiliate of Tabriz Municipality said, “Shoemaking has a long history in Tabriz which is globally famous for the quality of its leather shoes. Therefore, the first shoe museum has opened here to highlight the important role shoes play in the health of people.”

The official added, “Different cities and countries across the world – Toronto (Bata Shoe Museum), France (Musée International de la Chaussure de Romans), Vancouver (Museum of Anthropology) – have exclusive shoe museums. As a city with a long history in this industry, Tabriz did have the potential to have one such museum too.”

The official concluded, “The museum puts on display 200 valuable pairs of shoes from different historical eras and ethnic groups along with a pair similar to the world’s first leather shoes discovered in a village near Tabriz which was 5,500 years old.”

[…]

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on October 8

By

Emad Askarieh

-

October 8, 2015

Comments by the Supreme Leader that “talks with the US are not allowed” dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Thursday.

Ettela’at: “The Iranian nation will drive the enemy from the field with a vengeance,” said the Supreme Leader at a meeting with IRGC Navy commanders and staff.

Ayatollah Khamenei further said, “Talks with the US are forbidden; some are unwisely justifying negotiations with the Great Satan.”

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on October 8

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on October 8

Afarinesh: Kuwait has said that the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council stands ready to hold talks with Iran.

Afkar: “Iran held its ground well in the nuclear case,” said Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

Aftab-e Yazd: Zarif has been insulted once again.

“Everything I do costs me at home,” said Foreign Minister Zarif in an interview with The New Yorker.

Aftab-e Yazd: Targeting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action through obstructionism; a new ploy by the minority in parliament not to implement the Iran nuclear deal.

Aftab-e Yazd: Car production has been cut in half.

Aftab-e Yazd: “The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action should not generate enmity inside Iran,” said the chairman of the Assembly of Experts.

Meanwhile, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said that disputes over the wording of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action should be avoided.

Arman-e Emrooz: Now that [Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas] Akhundi survived the vote of no-confidence, let’s put [Oil Minister Bijan Namdar] Zanganeh in the crosshairs.

Forty Worriers [supporters of the former president] have signed a motion to impeach another minister.

Arman-e Emrooz: “No country has found the explanations offered by the Saudis convincing,” said Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s comments came as authorities said that 71 Iranian pilgrims are still unaccounted for and that there have been no figures on Iranian pilgrims that might have been arrested by Saudi authorities.

Asrar: “Some are using official tribunes only to promote vengefulness,” said Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Asrar: “The sit-in of seminary students [in protest at the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] is against the wish of the Leader,” said Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the chairman of the Assembly of Experts.

Ebtekar: “We will never launch the first strike,” the Leader said in a meeting with IRGC Navy commanders and staff.

Ebtekar: On whose shoulder will the white dove land? Angela Merkel? John Kerry? Mohammad Javad Zarif? Or Pope Francis?

Ebtekar: “Wrong signals in politics are catastrophic,” said President Rouhani.

Etemad: Ali Motahari has been summoned by a Shiraz court to appear in the hearing of his attackers.

A third session has been held in the trial of individuals who attacked the Tehran principlist MP in early 2015 in the southern city of Shiraz.

Etemad: “Government seeks to review the laws governing women’s affairs,” said vice-president for women and family affairs.

Hemayat: The attorney general has said that a special court is to be set up to gather complaints by the families of the victims of the Mina tragedy.

Iran: In protest at the invitation of Salman Rushdie, Iran has decided to boycott Frankfurt Book Fair.

Javan: “Holding talks with foreigners won’t settle the country’s economic woes,” said the commander of the Basij force [an affiliate of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps].

Jomhouri Islami: Following an escalation of Russian attacks, thousands of IS terrorists have fled to Turkey, Jordan and European countries.

Jomhouri Islami: Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani [a source of emulation] has said that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will go down in history and that people’s hopes should not be dashed.

Kaenat: The Oil Ministry has rejected rumors that it has struck a deal with BP.

Kaenat: Road accident fatalities have plunged seven percent.

Kayhan: “Talks with the US would amount to paving the way for infiltration,” said the Supreme Leader.

Resalat: “The country has been in the grips of stagnation for a long time,” said Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

Rooyesh Mellat: The chairman of the Expediency Council has said that the current rulers of Saudi Arabia are “inexperienced and selfish”.

Roozan: Political gamesmanship involving key ministers

The impeachment gambit has found its way to the Oil Ministry this time.

Saheb Ghalam: Pistachio exports have increased three-fold.

Sayeh: “Iran’s fight against IS is not theatrical,” said Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.

Setareh Sobh: The economy minister has asked Major General Hassan Firouzabadi [the chief of staff of the armed forces], Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati [the secretary of the Guardian Council], Ali Larijani [the parliament speaker], Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani [the Judiciary chief] and Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani [the chairman of the Expediency Council] to provide a list of the assets and debts of the institutions they are in charge of.

Setareh Sobh: “If they seek to have a dictatorship, I’ll take off my shirt and tell people on the street what they intend to do,” said the chairman of parliament’s JCPOA Review Committee.

Sharq: Mohammad Reza Aref has been named as chairman of the policymaking council of reformists.

Taadol: “Implementation of the nuclear deal is our first priority,” said Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

US reluctant to defeat Daesh due to its allies’ interests: Zarif

By

Emad Askarieh

-

October 8, 2015

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the US government is hesitating to defeat the Daesh [the Arabic acronym of IS] terrorist group because such a move may contradict the interests of its regional allies.

He made the comments in a meeting in New York organized by University of Denver’s International Studies Center prior to his departure for Tehran, after attending United National General Assembly session.

On the nuclear deal between Iran and P5+1, he said that the outcome of the agreement will be either a win-win or lose-lose situation rather than one side losing and the other winning.

“This is what is expected from other conflicts, from Syria to Iraq and Yemen,” he added, “It may seem speculation to some, but we managed to do it in the nuclear issue and made a success.”

Calling for a change in the manner of dealing with regional crises, Zarif said, “The assumption that there would be a single winner in dealing with region’s unrests has to be put aside. Some regional countries may have such an assumption, but it is a myopic belief that will end up with everyone’s failure.”

Warning that extremism in the Middle East will not be limited to the geographical borders of Syria or Iraq and that it is a common threat to the world, he said, “In countering extremism, violence, and terrorism, one has to take into account every aspect and to deal with the root causes.”

Referring to the support for Wahabbi extremists by some regional states, Zarif said, “As long as certain countries and sections of their population support any group out of the conception that it can weaken Iran, they will fail in seriously dealing with the threat.”

He said Iran is ready to cooperate with regional countries so long as they will become aware of the threats posed by Daesh.

Also referring to the fact that Daesh terrorists who commit crimes such as beheading their captives are speaking in fluent English and French, he said, “Most of the terrorists are young people who were brought up in western countries and later turned to terrorists.”

The Iranian top diplomat raised questions about the source of financial support for Daesh and asked, “Who is buying oil from this group or is providing financial funds and equipment to it?”

“When Iran was under sanctions and if it sold one barrel of oil beyond the limit set for it, it was considered a redline and all buyers and banks that provided transaction facilities were fined. Now, one can ask if such measures were applicable in the case of Iran, how come they cannot be employed to control the areas under Daesh control.”

On the crisis in Syria, Zarif called for a comprehensive solution so that political reform and an end of clashes can be achieved.

He cautioned that the fight against Daesh will not terminate in the near future and said a political process should start in line with efforts to end violence.

Last year, he added, when the US launched air raids on Syria without permission of the government and people of Syria, no one was surprised.

He said Russia’s intervention in Syria should not be an issue either, because it is one of UN Security Council members and is entitled to the same rights and responsibilities that the US enjoys.

“The only difference is that the Russians embarked on the attacks based on the request of the government of Syria,” he said.

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on October 8

By

Emad Askarieh

-

October 8, 2015

♦ “The Iranian nation will drive the enemy from the field with a vengeance,” said the Supreme Leader at a meeting with IRGC Navy commanders and staff.

Ayatollah Khamenei further said, “Talks with the US are forbidden; some are unwisely justifying negotiations with the Great Satan.”

♦ Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi [a source of emulation] has said that elegy services should not be dedicated to political and factional questions.

♦ The secretary general of the Lebanese Hezbollah has said that Saudi Arabia is to blame for the blood spilled in the region.

Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah further said that Riyadh is financing the wars raging in the region.

♦ Russian warships targeted IS terrorist positions in Syria from the Caspian Sea.

As Russian warplanes bombed terrorist positions in Hama and Idlib, the Syrian Army rained down surface-to-surface missiles on terrorists.

♦ The president has said that the traffic system of the country should be refined to befit the Iranian civilization.

♦ The biggest library in eastern Iran has been inaugurated in Yazd.

♦ “The existing rules are not sufficient to prevent violent crimes,” said the head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Iranian police.

Iran deputy FM urges UN to save Yemeni lives against Saudi aggression

By

Emad Askarieh

-

October 8, 2015

A senior Iranian diplomat has called on the UN to carry out its responsibility to safeguard the lives of Yemeni people, who have been under relentless Saudi aggression for almost seven months.

“Attacks on residential areas, schools, and hospitals are in flagrant violation of humanitarian laws and rules,” Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Wednesday.

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks at a meeting with a delegation from Yemen’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee in Tehran, and added that the UN must take the necessary steps to safeguard civilian lives, especially women and children.

“The crisis in Yemen does not have a military solution and the only solution goes through respecting the views and rights of all Yemeni sides by the country’s neighbors,” he added.

For his part, Nayef al-Qayes, the deputy head of the Yemeni committee that arrived in Tehran on Monday, said that all Yemeni parties are currently fighting for sovereignty and defending Yemen against meddling by foreign countries.

[…]

Talks with US banned because of disadvantages: Leader

By

Golrokh Askarieh

-

October 7, 2015

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says holding negotiations with the US is banned as it has countless disadvantages and no benefits.

The Leader made the remarks in a meeting with commanders and staff members of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)’s Navy as well as their families in Tehran on Wednesday.

“The problem currently facing the country is due to certain individuals who are quite thoughtless or quite credulous and don’t understand these realities,” said Ayatollah Khamenei in an apparent reference to those who favor talks with Washington.

Holding talks with Washington would be tantamount to “infiltration” and paving the way for imposing its will, the Leader noted.

Ayatollah Khamenei further said the enemies had planned to make the Persian Gulf region insecure for Iran, but the naval forces of the IRGC made the plot backfire and the waters “became insecure for the enemies themselves.”

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

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

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

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

Iran condemns Saudi airstrike on Yemen wedding

Israel only impediment to nuclear-free zone in Middle East: Iran UN envoy

Muddy artist points up water crisis in Iran

Japan, Germany seek long-term economic, industrial cooperation with Iran

Japan and Iran

Iran and Germany

Iran’s first shoe museum opens in Tabriz

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on October 8

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on October 8

US reluctant to defeat Daesh due to its allies’ interests: Zarif

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on October 8

Iran deputy FM urges UN to save Yemeni lives against Saudi aggression

Talks with US banned because of disadvantages: Leader

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