Sky-watchers across Iran have feasted their eyes on an eclipse featuring the closest full moon of the year.
The following images of the lunar eclipse captured across the country have been released by the Islamic Republic News Agency:
President Rouhani to cut short his New York trip
Vice-President for Communications and Information Parviz Esmaili said on Monday that President Rouhani will leave New York sooner than scheduled later Monday to return home and attend a ceremony in Tehran to welcome home the bodies of the Iranian pilgrims who died in a deadly stampede in Mina last week.
He further said that the president who was originally expected to leave New York on Tuesday (September 29) has cancelled a number of his planned meetings at the United Nations to come back home for the final homecoming of the Iranian pilgrims killed in Saudi Arabia.
Esmaili said that the first convoy of bodies will arrive in Iran on Tuesday.
Muslim world, not Riyadh, should run Hajj: Iran’s Parliament
Iran’s lawmakers censured Saudi Arabia for failing to provide security for Hajj pilgrims and said management of Hajj pilgrimage should be transferred to the Muslim world, which can handle the religious rites “in the safest way”.
In a statement on Sunday, the Iranian MPs pointed to a recent crush in Mina, near Mecca, that led to the deaths of hundreds of Hajj pilgrims, including at least 155 Iranians, saying that the incident turned the Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim festival, into a mourning occasion for the Islamic community.
“Today a rightful demand has been raised among Muslims,” the lawmakers stated, adding that the Islamic world is wondering how long its holiest sites, which do not belong to a single country but to the entire Muslim world, should witness such tragic events due to the Saudi government’s poor management of the Hajj rituals.
“Undoubtedly, the high capacity of the Muslim world makes it capable of managing the global Hajj congregation in the safest way,” the Iranian MPs said.
They also called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Saudi Arabia to investigate the causes of the Mina tragedy.
So far, 155 Iranian pilgrims have been pronounced dead and more than a hundred others are confirmed to have been wounded in the tragic event.
The incident came nearly two weeks after 111 Hajj pilgrims were killed in another tragic incident in Mecca.
On September 11, a massive construction crane crashed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque in stormy weather, killing at least 107 people, including 11 Iranians, and injuring 201 others.
Iran can help facilitate Syria solution: France
French President Francois Hollande has said Iran can be a “facilitator” in a political solution to the ongoing crisis in Syria, a French diplomat says.
The diplomat whose name was not revealed said Hollande made the remarks during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in New York on Sunday.
“Iran is a player [in the region], but also a facilitator,” the unnamed French official said.
The official, however, added that Hollande said “the question of [Syrian President Bashar] Assad could not be offered as an answer.”
The two sides held talks on the sidelines of the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
On September 24, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tehran and the Assad government must be part of negotiations aimed at resolving the crisis in Syria.
“We have to speak with many actors; this includes Assad, but others as well. Not only with the United States of America, Russia, but with important regional partners, Iran, and Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia,” Merkel said.
[…]
[President Rouhani also held talks with Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall, Bolivian President Evo Morales, and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. In those meeting regional and international developments as well as bilateral ties came up for discussion.]
Syria’s Assad should remain in office: President Rouhani
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says there is widespread agreement among countries that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should remain in office.
Rouhani said in an interview with CNN on Sunday that “everyone has accepted” that President Assad must remain.
He added that the initial objective in Syria is to “drive out” the IS terrorists, which can only be done by strengthening the central government.
The president also said after levels of success are gained in defeating terrorists in Syria, “other plans must be put into action so as to hear the voices of the opposition as well.”
President Rouhani also stated that Iran was not engaged in talks with the US over the conflict in Syria. “Iran does not have any direct talks with the United States over Syria.”
US prisoner swap
Rouhani, who is currently in New York for the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, said Tehran will consider the release of three Americans held in Iran if the US frees Iranian prisoners.
“If the Americans take the appropriate steps and set them free, certainly the right environment will be open and the right circumstances will be created for us to do everything within our power and our purview to bring about the swiftest freedom for the Americans held in Iran as well,” said Rouhani.
Nuclear agreement opposition
Questioning the reliability of US Republican candidates who are currently attacking Iran’s recent nuclear agreement with P5+1, the Iranian president said some of them could not even find Iran on the map.
President Rouhani calls for enhanced Iran-Japan relations
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for the expansion of political, cultural, and scientific ties with Japan.
The president made the comments during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in New York on Sunday.
He said the nuclear agreement of July 14 is an opportunity for the expansion of relations between Tehran and Tokyo in various fields such as nuclear energy.
Referring to the spread of Takfiri militant groups in the Middle East, Rouhani stated that in order to eradicate terrorism, steps should be taken toward enhancing welfare and development in the region, so that the terrorists lose their foothold.
Rouhani, who is currently in New York for the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, hailed Japan as a strategic partner of the Islamic Republic.
Abe, for his part, stressed that Tokyo wishes for an active role in further developing Iran’s economy.
Japan is ready to have cooperation with Iran in the fields of science, culture, environment, medicine, nuclear safety and technology, Abe said, adding that Tokyo will support deals with Japan’s private sector and the implementation of commercial agreements with Iran.
The Japanese prime minster also offered his condolences on the death of Iranian pilgrims killed in the recent deadly incident that claimed the lives of hundreds of pilgrims during the Hajj rituals in Saudi Arabia.
Shamkhani: Saudi inefficiency bore tragic outcome for Islamic world
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said the inefficiency of the Saudi government cost the Islamic world dearly.
He said the Mina catastrophe was definitely due to the inefficiency of the Saudi government whose top priority was not the safety of the pilgrims.
He noted that the Saudi government is focusing on Yemen instead of efficient management of the Hajj ritual.
The official said that the Supreme National Security Council has been closely following the incident from the moment of its occurrence.
He regretted the fact that the Saudi government refused to collaborate with the Iranian medical teams.
Afkham: Anti-Iran human rights report lacks legal foundation
Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkhan said the recent report on adverse human rights situation in Iran lacks any legal grounds.
She made the comments in reaction to a report presented by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the 70th UN General Assembly meeting on human rights in Iran.
She said such reports have to be based on authentic and documented sources while the recent one is relying on sources which are biased.
She went on to elaborate that Iran had already provided comprehensive and convincing response to those who drafted the report and naturally expected them to compile a fair and balanced report.
Afkham said the final version of the report embarks on misinterpreting human rights situation in Iran, thus losing the chance to offer an impartial analysis.
She said the document fails to pay due attention to issues such as the destructive outcomes of unilateral and illegal sanctions on the human rights situation, Iran’s progressive moves in areas pertaining to women rights and fighting drugs trafficking.
She said this attitude makes the report an invalid document which could be not reliable.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson highlighted Iran’s sustainable cooperation with international bodies and said Tehran has regularly offered periodical reports to supervising committees monitoring human rights situation.
Windcatchers in central Iran
A windcatcher is a traditional Persian architectural structure to create natural ventilation and cool the air in buildings in desert areas.
Photos of windcatchers in the central city of Kashan posted online by Mehr News Agency:
A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on September 27
The comments President Rouhani made in a speech at the UN Sustainable Development Summit and his meetings in New York dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Sunday.
Ettela’at: “We aim to ease tensions and hostilities,” President Rouhani told a UN Sustainable Development Summit.
The president further signaled Iran’s readiness to “play its role in building a more sustainable world”.
Abrar: “American companies too can take advantage of the conditions created in the post-sanctions era,” said President Rouhani.
Abrar: The Saudi charge d’affaires has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a third time.
Abrar: Senior Iraqi Shiite cleric Ayatollah Al-Sistani has called for adoption of all necessary measures to prevent the repeat of what happened in Mina, Saudi Arabia.
Amin: Volkswagen and Mercedes are likely to produce cars in Tabriz, northwestern Iran.
Arman-e Emrooz: Architects of the deal in New York
Zarif: The top priority of the talks is the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Kerry: We need to secure peace.
Arman-e Emrooz: The minister of culture and Islamic guidance has denied that a group with links to foreigners has infiltrated Iranian media.
Bahar: Seyyed Hassan Khomeini [the grandson of the architect of the Islamic Republic] is preparing to run for the Assembly of Experts.
Ebtekar: Iranian women have made history by being crowned Asian futsal champions.
Ebtekar: Babak’s Treasure [a sarcastic reference to the wealth amassed by Babak Zanjani who stands accused of massive embezzlement] can be traced to Japan and Tajikistan.
The revelation comes ahead of the scheduled trial of the young billionaire.
Emtiaz: Muhammad directed by Majid Majidi is to represent Iran at the Oscars.
Etemad: Is Babak Zanjani on the list of the world’s top 20 rich individuals?
An MP has said that the money Zanjani [a young billionaire who stands accused of fraud and corruption] owns is €25 billion and not €2 billion as previously reported.
Hambastegi: The Iranian Foreign Ministry has rejected reports that 30 Iranian nationals have been arrested in Mina.
Hemayat: “The Iranian people are unhappy about US policies,” the president told a news conference.
Iran: Regional crises came up for discussion at a meeting between President Rouhani and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Javan: Islamic countries to hold a special meeting in New York to demand Hajj be administered by the world of Islam.
Jomhouri Islami: “To ensure sustainable development, terrorism should be uprooted,” President Rouhani told a UN Sustainable Development Summit.
Jomhouri Islami: Global protest against the incompetence of Al-Saud family is growing.
Kayhan: The Iranian government has overtaken the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action which has yet to be approved!
Mardomsalari: The Expediency Council has given the green-light to the formation of a special system to register the possessions of public officials.
Mardomsalari: “The Saudi government should do something about the mismanagement of Hajj,” said the Iranian foreign minister.
Resalat: “Problems between Iran and the US won’t be solved with a handshake,” said President Rouhani.
Resalat: The secretary of the Expediency Council has called for a fact-finding mission to investigate the deadly incident in Mina.
Sayeh: “President Obama and I sometimes exchange letters,” said President Rouhani.
Sayeh: MERS is likely to find its way into Iran from Saudi Arabia.
A special commission has been formed at the Health Ministry to prevent an outbreak of MERS.
Setareh Sobh: “We may talk with the US over issues other than the nuclear case,” said President Rouhani.
Shahrvand: Violence against nature and violence against humans are two big tragedies unfolding in West Asia, President Rouhani told a UN Summit on Sustainable Development.
Shahrvand: The head of the Red Crescent Society has expressed Iran’s readiness to treat Iranians and non-Iranians injured in the Mina incident.
Sharq: Those who claim a group with links to foreigners has infiltrated the Iranian media should present evidence, said the minister of culture and Islamic guidance.
