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Talks to reach a deal the only way ahead for Americans: Iranian official

By
Emad Askarieh
-
Mohsen Rezai

In dealing with Iran, there are no options for the Americans but hold talks and reach an agreement, Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei told a TV talk show on Saturday, citing American inability to mount a military attack on Iran or turn up the sanctions heat.

Rezaei, a onetime commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, likened the Americans in the home stretch of the talks to a weightlifter who’s unable to bear the weight and said, “With that in mind, an extension of the talks would be normal and indicative of a lack of genuine authority in the US negotiating team.”

The following is the translation of an excerpt of Rezaei’s comments as reported by entekhab.ir on July 12:

The Americans have shifted the focus from nuclear issue to the question of missiles. They argue that Iran should not possess missiles with a range of more than 300 km. This is meant to prevent Iran from defending itself if the Zionist regime decided to attack Iran one day.

In other words, the Americans harbor ill intentions against Iran; they seek to impose a war on Iran in the future. To that end, they are trying to deny us the means to fight back.

American efforts to divert the talks from what was originally designed to be covered have put the negotiating process in danger. The important thing at this juncture is Obama’s managerial skill. This case seems to be too difficult for Obama to handle.

[…]

After the sedition of 2009 [the riots two presidential candidates sparked by disputing the results of the presidential elections] the Americans wrongfully thought that Iran was weakened and that time was right for imposition of additional sanctions. Later when the Iranians put up stiff resistance, they learned about their mistakes.

Although President Obama tried to lift the very sanctions he had signed into law, thanks to local and Zionist pressures he was unable to remain on top of the situation. The same inability forced John Kerry to cop out on an agreement the two sides had struck.

What is going on in Vienna today is a war over wording and texts. The US president should not display any more weakness. He should make a decision.

The Iranian nuclear negotiating team led by Foreign Minister Zarif is diplomatically skilled and has been able to stand up for our stance and national interests. The diplomats who preceded Mr. Zarif had a difficult task on their hands too.

Members of the team know that they have to fight to have the red lines set by the Supreme Leader respected. They should ramp up their endeavors, because they have the backing of an entire nation.

Any deal with P5+1 comes in two stages. One is agreed to at the venue of the talks and the other is what is approved of in Tehran and Washington. Once what is written at the talks secures the final go-ahead in Tehran and Washington and Iran and P5+1 simultaneously implement its provisions and sanctions are lifted in a reasonable period of time, can one say that a final deal has been clinched.

Americans should embrace the smile Messrs. Rouhani and Zarif are wearing today. These same individuals smiled 13 years ago, but the US failed to seize the opportunity. As a result, Iran assembled 20,000 centrifuges and enriched uranium to 20 percent levels.

Monetary and financial sanctions should be lifted as soon as possible. Iran is quite serious in supervising the implementation of a possible deal.

[…]

As for the so-called possible military dimensions, many outstanding issues have been resolved. On the diplomatic front, things are nearing completion. China, Russia and Germany are praising Iran’s cooperation and doubting the stance of the Americans who have pushed themselves into a corner in the talks.

Iran will not allow access by inspectors to its military sites; that is what every country does; Iran too will play by the book.

Everyone should support the negotiating team; actually that is what is happening. The Supreme Leader helped rally the nation behind the negotiators.

The Iranian negotiators should keep insisting on our national interests, and the Americans should know that they cannot take any military action against Iran and imposition of more sanctions won’t work.

By raising the question of missiles in the talks, the Americans committed a strategic blunder. Instead of winning over the Iranian people, they revived 70-year-old memories the Iranians have in mind of the US.

Historical Fort of Babak in Northwestern Iran

By
Fatemeh Askarieh
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Historical Fort of Babak in Northwestern Iran

Babak Fort, or Babak Castle, is a large historical citadel perched on top of a mountain in Arasbaran forests in northwestern Iran. It is believed to have been a stronghold of Babak Khorramdin, the leader of the Khurramites in Azerbaijan who fought Arabs.

The castle is one of the greatest examples of Iranian architecture. The fort built during the Sassanid dynasty is 2,300-2,700 m. above sea level. The main gate is the only way to access the fort which is impenetrable from the surrounding mountains.

Photos of the fort posted online by hamshahrionline.ir:

Not at negotiating table, but still at work (PHOTOS)

By
Fatemeh Askarieh
-
Iranian nuclear team00

The Iranian nuclear team has been in Vienna for several days busy
negotiating with P5+1 to hammer out a final deal which could end a
decades-long dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program.

The Iranian team is working round the clock in the Austrian capital to
defend the country’s nuclear rights. Clocks are ticking and the talks
are reportedly in their home stretch. Reporters and photojournalists
went to the hotel the Iranian negotiators have hunkered down to see
firsthand how seriously they are working against time for a much
hoped-for result.

The following are the pictures Fararu.com has released of the Iranian
negotiating team away from the negotiating table in their hotel but
working overtime to get the job done:

 

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

By
Golrokh Askarieh
-
Iranian Newspapers Headlines
Iranian Newspapers Headlines

The comments of the Supreme Leader at a meeting with university students and continued nuclear talks between Iran and P5+1 dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Sunday.

 

Ettela’at: “Artists and cultured people need to promote morality in society,” President Rouhani said at a meeting with artists and cultural figures.

He further said that his administration has skillfully interacted with the world for 22 months.

“In case nuclear talks fail to produce a breakthrough, the way we have interacted with six world powers would prove to the world that the Iranians are open to reason,” the president said.

 Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on July 12

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

 

 

Aftab-e Yazd: “In case allegations [of fraud] against Hamid Baghaei, [a vice-president for executive affairs under Ahmadinejad] are substantiated, Ahmadinejad must be tried too,” said Nader Ghazipour, an MP representing Orumiyeh in parliament.

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

 

 

Arman-e Emrooz: “Women account for one third of all individuals who sleep rough on the streets,” said Shahindokht Molaverdi, vice-president for women and family affairs.

Arman-e Emrooz: Major terrorist attack averted.

The commander of the Border Guard Unit of the Iranian law enforcement force has said that terrorists were bent on planting bombs in three southern towns and cities.

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

 

 

Asrar: Boeing and Airbus are involved in rivalry over Iran’s $20 billion market.

Asrar: Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has described the Iranian negotiators as warriors on the diplomatic front.

Asrar: Mohammad Reza Bahonar, a principlist MP, has said that Iran seeks to reach understanding with the rest of the world.

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

 

 

Ebtekar: “Talks have produced results,” said the secretary of the Expediency Council.

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

 

 

Emtiaz: Up to 1,500 ambulances are on the verge of being declared worn-out.

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

 

 

Etemad: The interior minister has said that profiteers, and not Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, have imported luxury cars.

Etemad: The case involving the missing Iranian oil derrick has been referred to parliament.

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

 

 

Ghanoon: Police commanders [past and present] are likely to be summoned to court in Saeed Mortazavi’s case if Ruholamini [the father of a young man who died in Kahrizak] files a new complaint.

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

 

 

Jamejam: “The fight against arrogant powers [a reference to the US and its Western allies] is endless,” said the Supreme Leader at a meeting with university students.

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

 

 

Payam-e Zaman: Iran is on course to becoming the world’s first producer of natural gas in five years.

Payam-e Zaman: “All world powers favor a deal with Iran,” said Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei.

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on July 12

 

 

Highlights of Ettela’at newspaper on July 12

By
Golrokh Askarieh
-
Ettelaat-July12

♦ “Artists and cultured people need to promote morality in society,” President Rouhani said at a meeting with artists and cultural figures.

He further said that his administration has skillfully interacted with the world for 22 months.

“In case nuclear talks fail to produce a breakthrough, the way we have interacted with six world powers would prove to the world that the Iranians are open to reason,” the president said.

♦ The Supreme Leader has met with hundreds of university students.

♦ Individuals suffering from special diseases will be provided with smart cards in September.

The managing director of the Social Security Organization has also said that sportsmen and sportswomen will be offered Social Security coverage.

♦ The leader of the IS terrorist grouping in the Afghanistan and Pakistan region has been killed.

Hafiz Saeed died in a US drone strike on the Afghan province of Nangarhar.

♦ President Putin has called for immediate, full termination of Iran sanctions.

He said that sanctions should be eliminated from international relations, because they are disrupting global trade.

♦ Saudi Arabia has once again violated the cease-fire in Yemen.

A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition has said that the cease-fire does not serve the interests of the Yemeni people!

♦ A terrorist gang has been busted in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

A commander of the Iranian border guards has said that three terrorists were killed in clashes with his men.

Three others were arrested and later admitted that they sought to set off bombs in Zahedan, Kerman and Bam, the commander further said.

♦ Some 4,000 hectares of Tehran orchards has been destroyed in the past decade.

♦ The commander of IRGC’s Quds Force has written a letter of appreciation to Ahmad Yousefzadeh, the author of Those 23 People.

In the book, Yousefzadeh has depicted the gallantry in captivity of 23 comrades of Major General Ghasem Soleimani.

♦ Iran’s foreign debts stand at $5.2 b

Rouhani insists on Iran’s national interests in nuclear talks

By
Golrokh Askarieh
-
rouhani8

President Hassan Rouhani says the nuclear talks with P5+1 prove Iran favors reasoning and interaction regardless of the outcome of the negotiations.

“In the foreign policy,…we have acted so skillfully that if the negotiations failed, the world would accept that Iran has been in favor of reason and dialog, has never left the negotiating table, and has given response to ambiguities in the best way,” Rouhani said on Saturday.

If Iran succeeds, the world should know that the Iranian nation can settle its problems through logic, he added.

The president expressed hope that the Iranian negotiating team would safeguard national interests and demands.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China, and Germany have been holding intense talks over the past 15 straight days in Vienna to iron out the remaining differences and nail down a landmark historical deal on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Zarif-Kerry meeting

As a new deadline for a deal is looming on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry held another round of sensitive talks late Saturday.

The top Iranian and US diplomats met on Saturday morning which was followed by another meeting in the presence of the European Union foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini.

After a 90-minute meeting with his Iranian counterpart, the US secretary of state said in his Twitter account that there are still “difficult issues” to be resolved.

India to finance Iran rail tracks exports

By
Golrokh Askarieh
-
india

Officials in Tehran announced on Saturday that India will finance exporting about 150,000 tons of standard rail tracks to Iran.

Saeed Mohammadzadeh, the deputy director for technical and infrastructure affairs of Iran Railways (IRIR), told the local media that India has created a special mechanism to support exports of rail tracks to Iran through the “full finance” scheme.

Mohammadzadeh added that Iran will not pay anything for the imports of the tracks.

Last year, India signed a contract worth $233 million with Iran for exports of rail tracks by companies including Steel Authority of India (SAIL).

Based on the original contract, the Indian companies would provide Iran with enough standard rail tracks to set up a network project spanning over 15,000 kilometers.

It is still not clear if the finance mechanism that Mohammadzadeh has mentioned involves the deal with the SAIL-led group.

Officials in Tehran have already emphasized that Iran wants to spend up to $8 billion over the next six years to revamp and expand its railway network.

They have also emphasized that the country will need about 3 million tons of steel rails to connect all major cities, industrial centers and also ports for faster evacuation of goods.

Analysts are already speculating that the Indian government may reimburse steel exports to Iran through Iran’s assets that have been frozen in New Delhi banks as the result of the US-led sanctions against the country.

Indian media had previously reported that Indian exporters are banking on the United Commercial Bank or the UCO Bank to settle rupee payments with Iran.

Reports last April said UCO Bank began handling payments for India-Iran trade in 2012, under which domestic oil refiners buy oil from Iran but make payments into an ‘Iran Account’ with UCO’s Mumbai branch. When Iranians import goods from India, the bank pays the Indian exporters out of this account.

Leader says US ‘absolute embodiment’ of arrogance

By
Golrokh Askarieh
-
leader4

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the United States is ‘absolute embodiment’ of arrogance.

Ayatollah Khamenei called on the Iranian nation to be prepared to continue the struggle against arrogant powers.

“The campaign against arrogance is one of the principles of the [1979 Islamic] Revolution,” the Leader said, adding that the Holy Qur’an mandates the drive against arrogance.

There is no respite from the campaign against arrogance, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed in response to a question by one of the students about the status of the campaign against arrogance after the conclusion of the nuclear talks with P5+1.

The Leader made the remarks during a meeting with a group of university students in Tehran on Saturday.

“We have also told the negotiating officials that you are authorized to only negotiate over the nuclear issue; although the American side sometimes raises regional issues such as Syria and Yemen, our officials say we do not negotiate over these issues,” the Leader stated.

The Leader emphasized that Iran’s refusal to accept an arrogant system is “the main reason” behind world bullying powers’ hostility toward the Iranian nation.

Ayatollah Khamenei added that based on Quranic principles, the campaign against arrogance will never stop.

Iran’s influence angering Riyadh

Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed to Iran’s “astonishing and spiritual presence and influence” in the region which have incurred the wrath of Saudi aggressors.

The Leader said Saudi Arabia and its allies have been pounding Yemen and brutally killing the innocent and oppressed Yemeni people over the past 100 days.

“Despite claims, the influence of Islamic Iran in the region is a God-given gift,” he stated.

The Leader added that the US and the reactionary states of the region admit to Iran’s regional influence in their covert talks, but they can do nothing about it.

Ayatollah Khamenei strongly criticized the West for its silence toward Saudi Arabia’s unrelenting war on Yemen.

The Leader said the United Nations Security Council has issued “one of the most disgraceful resolutions” on Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen, in which it condemned those who are under the bombardment and not those who are dropping bombs.

On April 14, the 15-member council passed a resolution targeting the Houthi Ansarullah movement in Yemen.

The council’s sanctions include arms embargo, asset freezes, and travel ban against Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the movement, Yemen’s former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and his son, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The resolution, drawn up by Jordan and Arab states of the Persian Gulf, was adopted with 14 positive votes while Russia abstained.

Saudi Arabia started military aggression against Yemen on March 26 in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and to restore power to the country’s fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

Over 3,000 people, including 1,500 civilians, have been killed over the past three months in Yemen, according to the UN.

Iran names 2016 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award nominees

By
Golrokh Askarieh
-
Astrid-Lindgren-Memorial-Award

Iran has nominated a prominent writer and a veteran illustrator for the 2016 edition of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

The Children’s Book Council of Iran has shortlisted author and scriptwriter Houshang Moradi-Kermani and acclaimed artist Pejman Rahimizadeh for the prestigious award.

Moradi-Kermani was nominated for the same award in 2007 and 2008. He was also a finalist for the 2014 international Hans Christian Andersen Award, known as the Nobel Prize for children’s literature.

The 71-year-old writer also won the 1992 Hans Christian Andersen Honorary Certificate of Honor and the University of San Francisco’s 2000 Book of the Year award.

Moradi-Kermani is known for his masterful presentation of social issues, and many of his books have been translated into 20 languages and published in several countries around the world.

Pejman Rahimizadeh is also one of the most successful figures of book illustration in Iran, and has illustrated over 65 books for children and young adults.

He is known for using Iranian motifs, innovative techniques and solid designs.

Rahimizadeh has won numerous national and international awards, including the honorary diploma of the Asian Illustrators’ Competition in Japan and the appreciation award of the second biennial of Posters for the Islamic World.

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is an annual children’s literature award, established in 2002 in honor of Swedish children’s books writer Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren, the world’s 25th most translated author whose works have sold over 140 million copies worldwide.

The prize is granted to writers, illustrators, narrators and/or promoters of reading whose works reflect the spirit of Astrid Lindgren. The award is funded solely by central government funds and is administered by the Swedish Arts Council.

Iran busts terrorist group at eastern border

By
Golrokh Askarieh
-
139304161537101093156604

Iranian border police on Saturday smashed a team of terrorists that intended to cross the border in the eastern part of the country, killing some of the intruders and arresting some others, a top commander said.

Speaking to reporters in the southeastern city of Zahedan, Commander of Iran’s Border Police Brigadier General Ghasem Rezaei said the clash took place in the wee hours of Saturday.

On Friday evening, the police forces were deployed to the border area of Mirjaveh, in the province of Sistan and Baluchestan, following reports that a group of terrorists had planned to enter the country.

During an exchange of fire, which began at 1 a.m. local time and continued for two hours, a number of the terrorists were killed and three were arrested, one of whom has been injured, Rezaei noted.

One of the Iranian border police forces was also martyred in the operation, he added.

According to the commander, weapons and ammunition, including three rifles and 140 detonators, have been seized from the terrorists.

The arrested criminals confessed they had planned to carry out terrorist attacks in the Iranian cities of Zahedan, Kerman and Bam, he pointed out.

In a similar operation back in April, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Force disbanded a terrorist cell affiliated with foreign espionage services in the same province.

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