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Iran views China as strategic partner: FM Zarif

By
Golrokh Askarieh
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Zarif

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a meeting Tuesday with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang praised as “strategic” ties between the two influential Asian countries.

“Iran has always regarded China as a strategic partner, and bilateral relations will undoubtedly improve following the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” Zarif said.

He said Beijing has played a positive role in the nuclear negotiations between Iran and P5+1.

The Chinese premier, for his part, said the Vienna nuclear agreement would help resolve ongoing problems in the Middle East and across the world.

He further expressed hope that all sides involved in the nuclear negotiations would respect their commitments under JCPOA.

As regards bilateral ties between Tehran and Beijing, Keqiang said the two sides can bolster their relations in various fields after the implementation of the nuclear deal.

[…]

French Group to Open 2 Hotels in Iran

By
Golrokh Askarieh
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139406240957491126085604

The world’s sixth largest hotel group is set to open two hotels in Tehran following the July 14 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, a report said.

French group AccorHotels will open an Ibis hotel and a Novotel branch near Tehran’s international airport, AFP reported on Tuesday.

The four-star hotels will be launched on October 15 with a total of nearly 500 rooms and will be equipped with meeting rooms, conference spaces and spas, fitness suites and swimming pools for both international and Iranian business travelers.

According to the report, AccorHotels’ chief executive Sebastien Bazin and representatives of Iranian company Aria Ziggurat, which owns the buildings, were to sign the contracts on September 15.

“There is an enormous potential for development of our brands in this country of nearly 80 million inhabitants whose economy is growing fast,” Bazin said in a statement.

[…]

Iran censures ICRC over ‘insufficient’ aid for Yemen

By
Emad Askarieh
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Amir Abdullahian-ICRC

In a Tuesday meeting with Robert Mardini, the head of the ICRC operations for Near and Middle East, Amir-Abdollahian said the body is obligated to send humanitarian aid to regional countries which are affected by crises.

“Miscalculation and actions by certain countries in contravention of human principles and international regulations have regrettably exacerbated the humanitarian situation in the crisis-hit countries,” the senior Iranian diplomat said.

He added that innocent civilians are the first to fall victim to such moves, which have even affected the activities of international humanitarian relief organizations.

Amir-Abdollahian called for effective measures by the international community to immediately and regularly dispatch relief aid to the Yemeni people and prevent a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the war-stricken country.

Mardini, for his part, said Yemen is facing deplorable humanitarian situation and added that the ICRC is committed to sending relief aid to Yemeni civilians despite insecurity in the impoverished country.

The ICRC official added that a safe and effective dispatch of aid to Yemen is difficult given the ongoing war and the difficulty of convincing armed groups to allow distribution.

Mardini praised Iran’s humanitarian aid to Yemen, Iraq and Syria, saying the ICRC would try to distribute Iran’s relief aid to the Yemeni people despite all problems.

Saudi Arabia launched its military aggression against Yemen on March 26 – without a UN mandate – in a bid to undermine the revolutionary Ansarullah movement and restore power to Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

Nearly 4,500 people have been killed in the Yemeni conflict, the World Health Organization said on August 11. Local Yemeni sources, however, say the fatality figure is much higher.

French group to open two hotels in Iran

By
Emad Askarieh
-
Hotels

The hotel contracts will be signed on Tuesday by AccorHotels’ chief executive Sebastien Bazin with representatives of Iranian company Aria Ziggurat, which owns the buildings, AFP reported.

The four-star hotels are scheduled to open for business on October 15, with a total of nearly 500 rooms.

Aimed at both international and Iranian business travelers, they will be equipped with meeting rooms, conference spaces and spas, fitness suites and swimming pools.

“There is an enormous potential for development of our brands in this country of nearly 80 million inhabitants whose economy is growing fast,” Bazin said in a statement.

AccorHotels is the world’s sixth-largest hotel group.

Christophe Landais, chief operating officer of AccorHotels Middle East, said in July that the group was involved in talks with Iranian officials regarding management agreements for the two hotels.

“We expect the recent agreements to potentially open up tremendous opportunities and rapid growth for the hospitality and tourism industry in Iran”, said Landais.

Rotana hotels group, based in Abu Dhabi, has also confirmed that it is opening four hotels in Iran – two in Mashhad and two in Tehran – all of which will open by 2018.  

Rouhani attends gathering of Revolution Guards commanders (PHOTOS)

By
Emad Askarieh
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Rouhani-IRGC-17

President Hassan Rouhani attended a gathering of senior officials and commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tehran on Tuesday.

The following images of the president’s presence in the gathering have been released by Tasnim News Agency:

President: No world power can decide for Iran

By
Emad Askarieh
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Rouhani-IRGC

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani praised the country’s independence after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, saying that today, no world power can decide for the Islamic Republic in the international arena anymore.

Speaking in a gathering of commanders and officials of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Tehran on Tuesday, President Rouhani emphasized that before the Islamic revolution, global superpowers would interfere in Iran’s internal affairs and decide for the country.

That era is gone, he said, adding, “Today, there is no power or superpower that can decide for the establishment anymore… nor would we allow them to do so.”

Rouhani described Western sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic as “cruel”.

Pointing to the successful conclusion of nuclear talks with world powers, which will result in the termination of the anti-Iran sanctions, he said the Iranian nation managed to put an end to the embargos thanks to the guidelines of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the bravery of the country’s armed forces.

Iran and P5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on July 14 reached a nuclear agreement that would terminate all sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear energy program once it takes effect.

 

IRGC has taken up permanent position in rugged heights: Commander

By
Emad Askarieh
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General Mohammad Pakpour

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour has said his forces have fully cleansed the country’s western and northwestern border areas of terrorist groups.

“The country’s entire northwestern and western regions, where the IRGC Ground Forces are in charge (of providing security), have been cleansed of terrorists and our fighters are constantly present in those high zones,” Brigadier General Pakpour said on Monday.

He said the IRGC servicemen have in recent years gained control over the strategic mountainous areas that lacked any military base because of their rugged terrain and used to be a hotbed of terrorist activities.

The commander also noted that the IRGC’s presence in those regions has strongly undermined terrorist groups’ morale.

Since the outbreak of an armed rebellion in Iraq staged by the ISIL terrorist group, Iranian military officials have time and again underlined the high level of security along Iran’s western border areas, neighboring Iraq.

A teacher’s foray into an apiary

By
Emad Askarieh
-
apiary

Soraya Parsafar is a 43-year-old teacher who has embarked on a beekeeping career with no prior experience in this line of work and succeeded in producing 300 kg of honey on her own in five months.

Fars News Agency has published a report on the success of this Iranian woman who hails from a village in the northern province of Gilan. The following is the translation of part of the report:

Parsafar decided to keep bees and produce honey after her father passed away. She got about $2,600 in loans, bought 15 beehives and put them in a land behind her village house.

Having had no experience in beekeeping, she sought expert advice and was successful in producing a considerable amount of honey in less than five months.

She said, “I was always afraid of approaching bees. At first, I was worried about being stung by them, but after a while I learned more about bees and now I approach them without wearing protective gear.”

Parsafar put her success down to her tireless efforts and said, “Some nights, I spend hours with my bees and look at the way they produce honey with awe.”

Parsafar has now opened a store where she sells the honey her bees produce in her backyard.

Settlement of Parchin question can be a milestone in Iran-IAEA ties

By
Emad Askarieh
-
Hossein Beheshti Pour

Ever since Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) signed a roadmap agreement for the clarification of past [and present] outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program, many have tried to fathom out the content of this agreement.

Western media too have not stopped crafting newsworthy headlines. Reuters released a report a few days ago saying “United Nations inspectors will be present with Iranian technicians as they take samples from a key military site [Parchin]” [Reuters, September 11].

The news release was timed to coincide with a trip by IAEA inspectors to Tehran, but Deputy Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Asghar Zare’an has said that the inspectors’ Tehran visit is part of normal interactions between Iran and the agency.

Etemaad daily on September 14 published an interview with Hassan Beheshtipour, an expert in international affairs, on the news items Western media have released on Parchin and what should be done in that regard. The following is the translation of the interview:

Q: What should Iran do specifically to close Parchin’s case forever?

A: Parchin is a military, and non-nuclear, center to begin with. If it were a nuclear site, the UN nuclear agency would inspect it under the Safeguards rules. The fact is that Parchin is not a military center, so what has been envisioned in the Safeguards agreement is not applicable to Parchin.

This site was on everybody’s lips when attempts were launched in the 2000s to create a crisis out of Iran’s nuclear case. The site was inspected twice in 2005 and the IAEA announced that it had found nothing suspicious in it.

Notwithstanding, in recent years the agency has built on the intelligence it has been given to claim that the intelligence it has about Parchin should be reviewed. Iran has rejected the intelligence as fabricated. What is the solution? The agency should do environmental sampling in the area by collecting water, soil or plant samples. Radioactive isotopes stay in the environment for years and tests will show if nuclear activities have been done in the area or not.

Iran has a concern. Thanks to the record of IAEA inspectors in other countries, Iran is concerned that they may get access to confidential information which may prove problematic [down the line]. Parchin is a military center where conventional military work is being done. That said, the two sides [Iran and the agency] are likely to have struck a happy medium to solve the question(s) surrounding Parchin.

Q: What kind of approach, for instance?

A: Sampling can be done by Iranian technicians and the IAEA can be assured that sampling is done for the Parchin case.

Q: Was it what Iran agreed to in its roadmap agreement with the IAEA?

A: I have no knowledge of the mechanism the roadmap agreement has offered to settle the Parchin case. The roadmap is a secret agreement between Iran and the UN nuclear agency. Its confidentiality does not mean it is a strange agreement. Iran has insisted on the confidentiality of the agreement because IAEA rules and regulations call for executive arrangements between countries and the agency to remain confidential. That is particularly true about this [roadmap] agreement which is very significant at this historic juncture.

Now we need to wait and see if the agency will pass this test with flying colors or it will flunk it. [The disclosure of the countries’ intelligence has drawn negative reactions.] Even the Russians have voiced their protest at and concern about the disclosure of state intelligence.

Q: A while ago, the Associated Press reported that environmental sampling will be done by the Iranian technicians in the absence of UN inspectors. Is it possible to do so without the IAEA inspectors present?

[In a departure from the usual procedure, Iran will be allowed to use its own “experts and equipment” to provide international inspectors with environmental samples from the military base and suspected nuclear site Parchin, the Associated Press (AP) reported on August 19, citing a classified draft of a side agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that its reporters had seen.]

A: What matters for the IAEA is proper sampling where the agency wants it to be done. There are multiple ways to do so. Let me elaborate a bit on the AP report here. The report came out when the US Congress was reviewing the Iran nuclear deal.

There were also reports saying that [IAEA Director General Yukiya] Amano was present in the congressional debate. The AP report was released at that time simply to create a politically charged atmosphere that favored hardliners. Unfortunately, certain media outlets in Iran got caught in this trap [set by Western media] and magnified the news item.

Q: Can the report Reuters released on the inspection of Parchin be a measure by the IAEA to calm down the Republicans [on Capitol Hill]?

A: Reuters is a British news agency whose background spans more than one hundred years. Its main concern, or focus for that matter, is not the United States or the Republican and Democrats. It releases authentic and unauthentic news items in a way that true and fabricated news cannot be easily told apart.

This news agency has repeatedly resorted to powerful rhetoric on Iran’s nuclear case to influence the public opinion. We cannot make straightforward comments on this [Reuters] report [on Parchin inspection], but we need to be vigilant in the face of the game media circles are playing.

Q: Do you think the agency can do this to calm the Republicans down?

A: The UN nuclear agency is not concerned about the Republicans and the domestic issues of countries. The agency has to undertake its responsibility within the framework of its own principles and regulations. What Iran and the IAEA have signed is confidential.

The agency will not resort to such measures because it does not want to put its credibility at stake. I want to recall the remarks of Josh Earnest, the White House Press Secretary. When asked about Iran-IAEA confidential agreement, he said he knows nothing about that.

Q: How can the settlement or closure of the Parchin case contribute to the final resolution of past issues? 

A: It will have a great effect. I should remind you that all outstanding issues from the past nuclear activities are not about Parchin. However, Parchin is an important matter because it is a military site with no declared nuclear activities.

I think if Iran and the agency can properly cooperate and the roadmap agreement the two sides inked for the speedy settlement of the past issues can proceed smoothly, this can be a turning point in their relations and a good model for bilateral cooperation. It can also be effective for the broad, comprehensive reports the agency will release on Iran’s nuclear activities in the future.

Q: IAEA inspectors are expected in Tehran on Tuesday. Is this trip in line with efforts to resolve the outstanding issues of Iran’s nuclear activities? Or is it done to pave the way for implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)?

A: I don’t know anything about it, but I guess the trip aims to deal with the questions related to the roadmap agreement, especially because Yukiya] Amano has found ambiguities – in the seasonal meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors – about Iran’s answers to the agency’s questions on the outstanding issues.

Iran to host trade teams from 10 EU states

By
Emad Askarieh
-
EU flags

Masoud Khansari, the president of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, has told the media that a surprise influx of trade delegations has created a challenge for the Chamber as well as the government of President Hassan Rouhani in terms of planning.

Khansari added that eight major European trade delegations have so far visited Iran in light of the Iran nuclear breakthrough which was achieved in mid-July.

He expressed delight over this and said President Rouhani’s team deserve praise for brining Iran out of what he described as “relative [trade] isolation”.

Khansari said the enthusiasm by the Europeans to visit Iran to look for post-sanctions business opportunities has already made the Tehran Chamber of Commerce to move to identify potential local private-sector partners.

The French media said on September 10 that a major trade delegation will arrive in Tehran later this month to study investment potentials in Iran.

The initiative will be led by France’s main business lobby group, the Medef.

The delegation that it plans to send to Tehran will comprise about 130 firms, including top companies such as Total and Peugeot, reports said.

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