Taq-e Bostan which means “arch of the garden” is a site with a series of large rock reliefs dating back to the Sassanid era (226-650 AD).
The site, which is located 5 km from the city center of Kermanshah in western Iran, is a major tourist attraction.
The following are images of Taq-e Bostan released by different news agencies:
The IS terrorist grouping has released images of a stately palace it says belongs to the mother of the Qatari emir in the Syrian city of Palmyra.
IS militants, who have recently seized the historical city, say the grand palace was built a few years ago when there were very close relations between the Syrian government and former Qatari emir.
The mother of the Qatari emir is said to have several prime properties around the world, including in London.
The following images of the palace now in terrorist hands have been released by Fararu.ir:
Speaking to a large gathering of people in Bojnurd, the president referred to the economic pressure of sanctions on common people, adding that those who believe sanctions are unimportant are not aware of the people’s pocketbook issues.
Those who are against negotiations are those ill-wishers who imported goods from abroad ten times as expensive as the normal price, the President added.
He said that his government is committed to developing the country and removing the sanctions and it will stand up against those who have a vested interest in foreign embargos.
The government has the support of the Supreme Leader and nation and will use all its capacities to convince the UN to remove Iran’s sanctions, Rouhani underlined.
President Rouhani and some members of his cabinet including the interior minister arrived in Bojnurd, capital of northeastern province of North Khorasan, Sunday.
During his one-day stay in the northeastern city, President Rouhani is to hold public meetings, confer with officials, and meet provincial officials as well as the elites of the province.
The chairman of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee says the chamber is preparing a motion to authorize the country to resume enrichment if the other side fails to stick to the terms of the agreement.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi made the remark on a TV talk show on Saturday and added that Iran is seeking to have its rights to research and development recognized [by the international community]. The following is the translation of excerpts from his remarks on the TV program as reported by Tasnim News Agency:
As the Supreme Leader has said the country’s scientific march should not be stopped or slowed down. We want them [the other side] to recognize Iran’s right to R&D. When they seek to impose restrictions and we insist on our rights, they put up resistance and this slows the pace of the talks.
That the Americans insist on inspecting Iran’s military sites has multiple reasons: US acquisitiveness, pressures by the Zionist regime and Saudi Arabia, and the US willingness to unravel the secrets of Iran’s breakthroughs despite the hardships Iranian scientists have experienced. A high wall of distrust stands between Iran and the Americans, and the talks are lingering due to the obstacles standing in the way.
Parliament and nuclear talks
Parliament is a member of the Supreme National Security Council and can legally supervise the talks and the progress of nuclear issues. Following each round of talks, Mr. Araghchi is invited to parliament to brief the MPs on the talks. […]
When the talks began in earnest and the parties involved showed determination to move toward an agreement, the Zionist lobby stepped in and Saudi pressure came into play to prevent the talks from producing results. The fever of nuclear talks has gripped the US Congress because of such pressures. A letter by 48 US congressmen to Iranian officials on the nuclear issue was part of efforts to derail the talks.
[…]
Removal of sanctions
Iran seeks to have all sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council and the US Congress and administration lifted all at once. Iran has laid down more requirements than any other country to ban nuclear weapons. If sanctions are not removed, Iran will put aside the restrictions it has accepted and will continue its program like in the past.
The US is insisting on suspending – not lifting – sanctions because the former is reversible, but the latter needs the approval of the Security Council. […]
The Americans claim that they will lift the sanctions, but it takes time. We contend that it takes time for Iran to limit its enrichment process. The two sides do not trust each other. We shouldn’t implement all restrictions, while they simply talk about the phased removal of sanctions. […]
Final nuclear deal
The Lausanne agreement set the framework, but it is not legally binding. Iranian negotiators are expected to exercise vigilance when drafting the provisions of the final nuclear deal which will be legally binding.
[…]
Iran has always been cynical about the Americans. We expect the nuclear team to take into account the details of the provisions of the final deal so that the other side cannot back out. The Iranian team should convince them to remove the sanctions in keeping with what Iran has agreed to honor. […]
Efficacy of sanctions
It is unrealistic if we say sanctions have caused no problems. They have affected Iran’s economy one way or another, although the country has not faced serious problems in recent years. The establishment intelligently managed the sanctions. Thanks to sanctions, Iran creatively met its domestic demands. Sanctions have had some upsides, causing Iran to make progress.
Economic problems
Sanctions are to blame for 20 percent of the problems the country is grappling with. The remaining 80 percent has domestic reasons which can be solved through a resistance-based economy. […] Tying the country’s problems to sanctions is not a proper thing to do.
Additional Protocol
It is the responsibility of the Islamic Consultative Assembly to ratify the Additional Protocol. Temporary implementation of the protocol also needs parliament’s approval. […] Parliament does not allow inspection of sensitive military sites. It is the art of statesmanship of the Iranian team to convince the other side that they cannot inspect Iran’s military facilities. […]
A while ago, Rambod Javan, the host of Khandevaneh, a TV comedy show which encourages the audience at home and in studio to laugh, designated Saturdays as laughter day.
That designation prompted Tehran’s Subway Company to follow the lead of the TV program and make commuters laugh.
The following images released by mashreghnews show what is being done to make people laugh underground:
President Hassan Rouhani’s comments covering a wide range of issues at a news conference marking the 2-year anniversary of his electoral victory dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Sunday. The victory of the Iranian national volleyball team over Russia in the FIVB World League was on the front pages of several dailies.
Abrar: “Global powers have no doubts that the doors of Natanz and Fordo [nuclear facilities] will remain open,” President Rouhani told a news conference.
Afarinesh: “The new election law will bring about positive results for the country,” said Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Afarinesh: “We have to clench our fists for the enemy, not for the negotiating team,” said Intelligence Minister Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi.
Aftab-e Yazd: Iran’s national volleyball team has finally shattered the invincibility of Russia on a historic day.
Iran defeated Russia 3-1 in the FIVB World League on Saturday. The two teams are to line up against each other again later on Sunday.
Aftab-e Yazd: Alcohol consumption among students is not alarming.
Aftab-e Yazd: “We have a difficult year ahead, because oil revenues have dropped,” said President Rouhani.
Arman-e Emrooz: “The Supreme National Security Council has not banned the broadcast and/or publication of the images of anyone,” said President Rouhani in a press conference.
The president also said: “Keeping injustice under wraps is improper. Calling off concerts amounts to trampling on public rights. Introducing a single price for gasoline was meant to prevent corruption. I am not worried; rather, I am always hopeful. There are some who don’t want the talks to produce results. We are trying to honor our promises.”
Asrar: The total assets of Iranian expatriates are estimated to be around $2 trillion.
Etemad: The organs of an Iranian engineer [killed by thieves in a hit and run in Calgary] have been donated to six Canadian nationals.
Ettela’at: Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi has urged the police to politely deal with members of the public.
He further said, “Under the circumstances, we should not do things that might create division in our ranks”.
Ettela’at: “Nuclear talks should not be used as leverage in political rivalries,” warned the interior minister.
Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli further said that in the absence of security, economy and investment would be non-starters.
Hamshahri: “As many as 200,000 families in Tehran do not have enough to eat,” said Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Hemayat: “Some power-thirsty individuals seek to undermine the Guardian Council,” said secretary of the council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati.
Hemayat: A ban has been slapped on the use of smartphones by some officials [with access to sensitive information].
Kaenat: The police chief has said that under the law women are not allowed to enter sporting arenas.
Kayhan: “I check out the prices of [consumer goods] twice a week; fluctuations are not remarkable!” said President Rouhani in a press conference.
Rooyesh-e Mellat: Iran has lodged an official protest about the cyber security of the venues of nuclear talks [in Switzerland and Austria].
Great blocking and excellent serves lead Iran’s volleyball team to a historic victory against Russia in the FIVB World League.
Iran beat Olympic champion Russia 3-1 (20-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-23) in Kazan on Saturday, increasing its tally of points to four in the fifth week of the major games as a struggling Russian side failed to deny the Iranians their first ever victory against the European giants.
Iran’s Mojtaba Mirzajanpour and Milad Ebadipour were most outstanding against the world’s No. 2, making few errors and gaining 14 point apiece. The most prolific player at the end of the day, however, was Russia’s Maxim Mikhaylov who collected 17 points with his great serves and blockings.
The Iranian team showed great character to come from behind and won three sets in a row after the Russians took the first set with relative ease.
The most difficult of the trio was the fourth set where the Iranians ran up an 8-2 lead. The Russians fought back to within a point, but the towering Iranian men held on to win the set 25-23 and the match 3-1.
Iran had earned only one point from its four previous matches against the United States and Poland, losing 12 sets and winning only four. Iran and Russia are to face off again on Sunday in the same venue in the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan Republic.
An already dominant force in Asian volleyball, Iran has become a new powerhouse at the global level, with the FIVB ranking Iran 10th in the latest world standings in September 2014.
Iranian researchers at a science center in Isfahan Province, central Iran, have designed a headband which helps people who have lost their power of speech and motion to communicate with others through computer and typing.
Samaneh Behtash, the lead author of the study, said that the system processes electronic signals of the eye. When the individual is in front of the keyboard and wears the headband, the system starts processing electronic signals of the eye.
As the individual looks at the intended letter, the eye’s signals are processed and changed to computer commands. Then the intended letters and words are typed.
According to the researcher, the device does not need cable connections and can start typing wireless.
The signals received by the headband are sent to the computer via Bluetooth and the computer starts typing after processing the received signals.
“Certainly, Iran will not allow its secrets to be obtained by others under the pretext of implementing the (Additional) Protocol or any other treaty,” President Rouhani said at a press conference in Tehran.
He said that foreigners will be denied access not only to Iran’s military secrets but also to secret information in other technological fields.
What matters to Iran, the president added, is that the implementation of the Additional Protocol would prove the baselessness of allegations that Iran might be after making a nuclear weapon.
Since Iran signed the NPT’s Safeguards Agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has always confirmed that there has been no diversion in Iran’s nuclear energy program towards non-peaceful purposes, he underscored.
The president made it clear that the Additional Protocol is not an exclusive treaty on Iran, but that 124 other countries across the globe are implementing it.
“Anything implemented in those 124 countries will be carried out in Iran as well,” he stated, noting that such international commitments are always reciprocal.
“The (Additional) Protocol does not include anything dubbed inspection,” President Rouhani further stressed, referring to speculations about inspections of Iran’s military sites under the protocol.
President Rouhani touched on the nuclear talks between Iran and P5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) with the aim of striking a final agreement and said the parties are discussing the time it will take the two sides to implement all commitments after a possible deal takes effect, adding that it will take a few months.
“When we reach an agreement, at any time and on any day, there will be an interval until the implementation of the deal (begins), which will be a few months and is among the issues being discussed.”
Iran and the P5+1 have held several rounds of talks in recent months to hammer out a lasting accord that would end a decade-long impasse over Tehran’s civilian nuclear program.
On April 2, Iran and the sextet reached a framework nuclear agreement in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for a final deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), until the end of June.
Sinjari, made the remarks at a meeting with visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Expatriates Affairs Hassan Ghashghavi.
The Iraqi Kurdistan regional administration official said that solving issues with Baghdad is a top priority of Erbil.
During the meeting, the Iranian deputy foreign minister said that Iran’s policy is aimed at helping national solidarity among all Iraqi people.
Referring to Iran’s close ties with Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Ghashghavi said that Iran supports unity and solidarity among all Iraqi people and regards the IS terrorist grouping as a threat to the entire region.
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