Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to meet with senior Iranian officials.
She was welcomed by Iranian Foreign Ministry officials upon her arrival at Mehrabad Airport.
In her one-day stay in Tehran, she will hold talks with senior Iranian officials about the Vienna agreement and the fight against terrorism.
Mogherini is accompanied by her deputy Helga Schmid.
Khavidak Castle is one of Iran’s tourist attractions at the heart of desert. The ancient castle has been built with local raw materials based on traditional architectural methods.
In the past, villagers would take shelter in the castle, which dates back to the Sassanid era (224 AD to 651 AD), to protect themselves against attacks by bandits.
Images of the ancient castle released online by Shabestan News Agency:
The first Iranian-built manned spacecraft has been unveiled at the Museum of Science and Technology.
The space capsule was originally scheduled to place an individual in orbit at an altitude of 170 km by March 2016, but the project was put off for three years.
Prior to the manned mission, two dummies and a monkey will be launched into space as part of an experimental project.
The capsule is to take individuals to the International Space Station in the future. Some 150 Iranians have so far signed up as volunteer for the space mission.
Images of the space capsule posted online by Young Journalists Club:
Calls for more regional cooperation in the face of the threat posed by terrorism made in meetings between visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Iraqi officials and the expected arrival in Tehran of senior European diplomats dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Tuesday.
Ettela’at: “A mighty Iran serves as a guarantor of regional stability and security,” said President Rouhani.
He further said his administration favors moderation, equality, stability, security and peace.
Abrar: Turkish fighter jets have continued to pound PKK and IS targets [in Iraq and Syria].
Afkar: “Extremism and terrorism pose a threat to all,” Foreign Minister Zarif said.
Aftab-e Yazd: “Do not politicize the case involving imports of tainted blood from France,” the Iranian health minister said.
Hassan Hashemi was reacting to criticism [by some principlists and hardliners] of the upcoming Iran visit by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
Aftab-e Yazd: The president of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting [state broadcaster] has mounted an unprecedented attack on the executive branch.
Aftab-e Yazd: “My father got happy when he was not elected into the presiding board of the Assembly of Experts,” said Fatemeh Hashemi Rafsanjani, a daughter of the chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Rafsanjani.
In an exclusive interview with the daily, she said women should have their own ticket for upcoming parliamentary elections.
Arman-e Emrooz: The smiling female diplomat pursues diplomacy in Tehran.
Federica Mogherini’s visit will be the first by a P5+1 negotiator to Iran following the July 14 nuclear deal in Vienna.
Arman-e Emrooz: “Eight-hundred Iranian individuals and entities have been taken off the sanctions list,” Iranian nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi said.
Arman-e Emrooz: Prosecutors have said the officials who failed to fulfill their responsibility before and during last week’s deadly flooding in the north will be dealt with.
Emtiaz: The education minister has said all teachers who were arrested in a guild gathering have been freed.
Emtiaz: Iran has held talks with 30 European firms.
Etemad: A convoy of European officials in Tehran
The back-to-back arrival in Iran of European officials marks the beginning of a new era.
Iran: The nuclear deal [Iran has signed with P5+1] has raised hopes of settling regional conflicts.
The issue came up in meetings between Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif and senior diplomats from Persian Gulf countries.
Jomhouri Islami: “Iran always stands by the Iraqi people and government in the fight against terrorism,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after a meeting with senior Iraqi Shiite cleric Ayatollah Al-Sistani.
Jomhouri Islami: “Thirty-one development projects worth around $290 million will be implemented in Kurdistan,” the president said at the close of a visit to the western province.
Kaenat: “The enemies will never see Iran surrender, not even in their dreams,” said the chief of staff of the Supreme Leader.
Kayhan: The remains of 76 Iranian combatants who were martyred during the Iran-Iraq war have returned home.
Khorasan: EU foreign policy chief Mogherini arrives in Tehran today; French Foreign Minister Fabius is due in the capital tomorrow.
Resalat: “Twenty-two gangs of thieves and muggers have been busted,” said the head of the Tehran Criminal Investigation Department.
India’s Culture Week Festival opened on July 27 in Tehran’s Niavaran Palace with Indian Ambassador to Tehran DP Serio Stava and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia-Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour in attendance.
The event features Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music, handicrafts exhibitions, publications and photos, tourism booths, Indian clothes, henna painting, and Indian food and tea.
Images of the festival posted online by different websites:
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says after years of tough yet constructive negotiations, he is delighted to visit Tehran at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.
The following is the translation of a piece the French top diplomat published on July 28 in Iran, a Farsi-language newspaper officially representing the government of the Islamic Republic:
The French have always been fascinated by Iran, especially by its ancient culture and its role in the history of science and thought. Iranian students are amazing too. As the face of Iran they shine in French universities. The stage has now been set for an improvement in and upgrade of exchanges between the two countries.
The nuclear deal of July 14 was a pivot. For that pivot to work, each side has signed up commitments which should be implemented according to a timetable. Only in that case will the efforts made by all sides result in building trust.
The two countries’ industrialists have been working with each other for a long time. The French technology and products have a cachet. We know that they can meet the needs of Iranian consumers and entrepreneurs. There is a new prospect for the two countries, and we can make further progress in our economic cooperation.
So the stage is set for resumption and continuation of bilateral dialogue. France, which is a power that favors peace and stability, has always had relations based on respect with Iran, even in cases involving different approaches by the two countries.
With that in mind, I am traveling to Iran where I will build on such mentality to bring up all issues [at meetings] with Iranian officials. We will talk about peace and stability in the Middle East which is gripped by a lot of tension.
As an influential country, Iran can play a positive role in countering crises and tragedies. The deal we have struck entrusts Iran, as well as us, with certain responsibilities.
We want to strive toward a safer world and Iran should have its full share of this world. That is the message I’m taking to Tehran.
A senior Iranian car industry official says auto imports into the country have fallen nearly 70 percent during the first two months of the current Iranian calendar year (Starting on March 21).
Amir Hossein Ghanati, the head of Automobile Industry Department of the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Trade said according to the latest figures published by Iran’s Customs Administration, car imports into the country witnessed a 68% year-on-year decrease during the first two months of this year.
The plunge in car imports to Iran comes against the backdrop of Iranian officials’ plans to boost auto exports from the country.
The 2014 production statistics by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) show Iran’s auto production increased by 46.7 percent in the 12-month period.
The figures indicate the Iranian automakers produced 1,090,846 cars and commercial vehicles last year.
Earlier this month, the CEO of Iran Khodro Industrial Group (IKCO), Iran’s leading car manufacturer, said IKCO is in final talks with four major foreign companies to set up joint ventures.
Hashem Yekeh Zareh said IKCO has finalized a new contract with its French partner, Peugeot, which will be inked soon.
Under the new agreement, IKCO will have access to Peugeot’s export market via setting up a joint venture, said the Iranian official.
“Iran Khodro has resumed cooperation with Renault. Ties will also be expanded with Japanese auto maker Suzuki. Also talks with a German automaker have already reached a final stage,” said IKCO chairman.
Yekeh Zareh described Iran’s car market as “lucrative” for foreign companies. He predicted that more foreign automakers will request to enter Iranian market in coming months.
“Iran will have cooperation with companies which seek to set up joint ventures. We don’t want to simply produce cars… It is not in interest of our auto industry to manufacture cars under the license of French carmakers. We seek to develop production through partnership,” said IKCO managing director.
Iranian media have already speculated that the country’s auto industry could witness a major rise in production of cars in 2015.
According to a survey conducted by the Business Monitor International (BMI), the production of cars in Iran is expected to witness a 28% increase following the conclusion of nuclear talks between Tehran and P5+1.
BMI also predicted that Iran’s total auto output could rise to above 2 million cars within five years.
The car industry is considered Iran’s largest non-oil sector, accounting for nearly 10% of the oil-rich country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The Islamic Republic of Iran ranks 18th on the list of the world’s top auto manufacturers.
Iran Khodro and Saipa companies account for more than 90 percent of the total domestic production in Iran.
Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, in an interview with the BBC Monday denied allegations that he received bribes from the Saudis as he tried to elaborate on the sources he gets his information from.
In an analytical report on July 28, the website of Khorasan daily, assessed the conduct of the UN special rapporteur. The report featured a news story by Arabic-language news website http://www.alwaienews.com/ that claimed a leaked WikiLeaks cable suggests the UN rapporteur has received $1 million in bribes from the Saudi embassy in Kuwait to take a tougher line against the Islamic Republic.
Khorasan has rejected the sources and the way the UN rapporteur gathers information on Iran by saying, “There are many indications that Ahmad Shaheed is pushing the agenda of the anti-revolutionaries as part of a grand plan.”
The Khorasan report also included the reaction of the UN official to the allegation by Alwaie News and said,” Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, in an interview with the BBC Monday denied allegations that he received bribes from the Saudis as he tried to elaborate on the sources he gets his information from.”
It added “Without denying the report, WikiLeaks simply asked – on its Twitter account – the source that published the news to ‘show which cable this claim is based on’.”
[It should be noted that on Monday Iranfrontpage.com translated a report by the Young Journalists Club that suggested the UN rapporteur has received bribes from the Saudi embassy in Kuwait. Since Iranfrontpage seems to have been the first website to have released the English version of the controversial news story, WikiLeaks directed its Twitter demand at Iranfrontpage which in turn mentioned Alwaie News and the Young Journalists Club as the sources of its translated story].
Iran’s aviation officials say the country is technically prepared to launch direct flights to the United States, but an authorization to do so is still needed.
“Iran’s aviation fleet is equipped with long-range planes that can make direct flights to the US without having to stop and refuel anywhere,” said Mohammad Khodakarami, the caretaker head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization (CAO).
Khodakarami has been quoted as saying by the domestic media as saying that launching a direct flight to the US requires obtaining the necessary “diplomatic authorizations” from the related organizations.
“Once the authorizations to do so are issued, CAO will start following up the other aspects involved in this issue,” he said.
Iran’s Fars News Agency reported in September 2013 that President Hassan Rouhani has ordered to study the possibility of launching direct flights to the US.
Fars said the order had been issued after President Rouhani had met Iranian expatriates living in the US on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York.
Also, the former CAO head Alireza Jahangirian was quoted by the media as saying in August 2014 that several aviation majors including Boeing have voiced readiness to help launch direct flights between Iran and the US.
“Those companies have obtained an authorization from the US Treasury Department [for direct flights to Iran] and have started to talk to some Iranian airliners,” Jahangirian was quoted by Mehr News Agency.
“At present, both sides are taking care of the last stages of finalizing related deals for this,” he said.
The current sanctions prohibit Iranian airlines from flying to the US. However, the recent breakthrough in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries has already revived hopes in Tehran for the eventual removal of the sanctions.
Iran and the P5+1 – the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany – announced in Vienna on July 14 that they had agreed over certain restrictions on the Iranian nuclear energy program in return for the removal of economic sanctions against Iran.
“With regards to the issue of the removal of sanctions, several global plane makers from different countries have presented proposals for cooperation to Iran,” Khodakarami told reporters.
“Those proposals – that range from sales of planes to Iran to sales of airport facilities – have been submitted to the relevant institutions and are already under study,” he added.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said hundreds of Iranian individuals and institutions will soon be taken off the blacklist of the Society for the Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) after the nuclear agreement recently struck between Tehran and six world powers is put into effect.
“SWIFT is a cooperative organization in charge of securing the safety of global financial transactions and not a system of sanctions against Iran and its citizens; however, it has prevented some Iranian individuals and entities from receiving its services,” the official said.
He said the list includes Iranians who have been placed under sanctions by the UN Security Council, Europe, and the United States in past years due to Iran’s nuclear issue.
Araghchi said once the deal struck by Iran and the world powers in Vienna on July 14 comes into effect hundreds of Iranian citizens and entities will be struck off the Swift sanctions list in two phases.
“In the initial step, 800 Iranian institutions, organizations and individuals will be taken off the list on the day the agreement is put into practice,” he said.
According to Araghchi, the few names which remain on the list will be denied services until later stages.
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