A horse-racing venue in Gonbad-e Kavus, in the northeastern province of Golestan, hosted a second week of the country’s horse-racing championships on April 10.
The following is a photo gallery that the Islamic Republic News Agency posted online:
Iran defeats Belarus, Turkey in Freestyle World Cup
Iran defeated Belarus and Turkey in Pool A of the 2015 Freestyle Wrestling World Cup on early Sunday.
In the competition got underway in Los Angeles, the Iranian team beat Belarus 8-0 in its opening match and then defeated Turkey 7-1.
Iran will face powerhouse Azerbaijan early Monday.
Elsewhere, host USA beat Cuba and Russia in Pool B.
Winners of each pool will meet in the final.
IRAN 8, BELARUS 0
57 kg – Hassan Rahimi (Iran) dec. Ulandzislau Andreyeu (Belarus), 5-2
61 kg – Behnam Ehsanpoor (Iran) dec. Dzianis Maksimau (Belarus), 7-0
65 kg – Seyyed Ahmad Mohammadi Pahnehkalaei (Iran) won by tech. fall over Azamat Nurykau (Belarus), 11-0
70 kg – Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) won by tech. fall over Zhan Safyan (Belarus), 12-1
74 kg – Morteza Rezaei Ghaleh (Iran) dec. Ali Shabanau (Belarus), 4-4
86 kg – Alireza Karimimachiani (Iran) dec. Amarhajy Mahamedau (Belarus), 7-4
97 kg – Reza Yazdani (Iran) won by tech. fall over Ivan Yankouski (Belarus), 10-0
125 kg – Parviz Hadibasmanj (Iran) dec. Aleksei Shemarov (Belarus), 6-0
IRAN 7, TURKEY 1
57 kg – Sezar Akgul (Turkey) dec. Younes Sarmastidizaji (Iran), 13-10
61 kg – Behnam Ehsanpoor (Iran) dec. Munir Recep Aktas (Turkey), 5-0
65 kg – Masmoud Esmailpour (Iran) won by tech. fall over Sefa Aksoy (Turkey), 10-0
70 kg – Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) won by forfeit
74 kg – Peyman Yarahmadi (Iran) won by forfeit
86 kg – Meisam Mostafajoukar (Iran) over Serdar Boke (Turkey) TF 10-0
97 kg – Mohammad Hossien Mohammadian (Iran) dec. Ibrahim Bolukbasi (Turkey), 4-4
125 kg – Komeil Ghasemi (Iran) over Tanju Gemici (Turkey), 1:08
A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on April 12
A rally outside the Saudi diplomatic mission in Tehran in protest at sexual harassment by Saudi police of two Iranian teenagers dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers. Comments by Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani about Yemen were also on the covers of the dailies.
Arman-e Emrooz: “They let out shouts of protest because they can no longer line their pockets.”
Akbar Torkan, an adviser to President Rouhani said, as he took a swipe at those who reap financial benefits from continued sanctions.
Arman-e Emrooz: “Expect a major shift in the makeup of the 10th parliament.”
Saeed Hajarian, a reformist strategist, said in an exclusive interview with the daily.
Asrar: The first vice-president has said that any price hike without coordination with the government in advance is illegal.
Asrar: “Police seized more than 490 tons of illicit drugs in the 12 months to March 21, 2015.”
Brigadier General Ali Moayedi, who leads the anti-drugs division of the Law Enforcement Force, made the announcement at a news conference.
Asrar: “Pakistan has turned into a nest of terrorists,” said the spokesman of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.
Ebtekar: General Ghasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, has urged a filmmaker who wants to direct a biopic on him to scrap his plans.
In a letter, the top general has said that he does not deserve to be at the center of The General.
Emtiaz: Flights taking Iranian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage have been called off.
Saudi Arabia has stopped issuing visas to Iranian pilgrims.
Emtiaz: In Iran, the duration of maternity leave has increased to nine months.
Etemad: Portugal’s Carlos Queiroz is likely to remain at the helm of Iran’s national football team.
Ettela’at: The environment chief has called for formation of a chain to protect the green ecosystem.
Kar va Kargar: “Aggressors will be bogged down in Yemen,” said the chairman of the Expediency Council.
Mardomsalari: “We can’t pin much hope on Canada to extradite [Mahmoud Reza] Khavari.”
Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi said of the former managing director of Bank Melli, who is wanted by Iranian officials for massive fraud and corruption.
Nasl-e Farda: A matchmaking website will be launched on April 21.
Resalat: “Construction of the capital’s Grand Prayer Ground will be complete by yearend [March 2016],” said Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Roozan: Ayatollah Rafsanjani has urged the Saudi wise men to prevent green politicians from fanning the flames of tension.
Shahrvand: Iranians in Tehran protested Saudi indecency in Jeddah
President Rouhani orders report on Saudi sex abuse
In a letter to Iranian Culture Minister Ali Jannati, the Iranian president ordered the country’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization to prepare the report so that a “decision” is made regarding the matter, IRNA reported on Saturday.
“The Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry, continue to follow up the matter and ensure the punishment of the culprits and provision of the [Iranian] pilgrims’ security,” Rouhani wrote.
Saudi officers sexually harassed two Iranian teenage boys at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah two weeks ago, prompting Tehran to submit a note of complaint to the Saudi government, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Marzieh Afkham.
She said on Wednesday that the Foreign Ministry has also summoned the Saudi chargé d’affaires to ask Riyadh to expedite the measures taken in the process of punishing the accused.
On Saturday, a group of Iranians gathered in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran in protest over the indecency, chanting anti-Saudi slogans and calling for closure of the embassy as well as cancellation of Umrah hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Sanction relief ambiguities must go: IRGC
The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says ambiguities regarding the removal of sanctions from the Islamic Republic should be resolved.
Commenting on a recent understanding between Tehran and P5+1, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said, “Some solutions have been found and it seems the Islamic Republic’s principles and red lines, as far as technical issues go, have been accepted by the other side,” Fars News Agency reported on Saturday.
“However, there are still ambiguities regarding the manner of sanctions removal, which should be clarified,” he said, adding, it “could lead to disagreement too”.
After eight days of marathon talks in Lausanne, Iran and P5+1 – Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany – issued a joint statement on April 2 on their mutual understanding over Tehran’s nuclear program.
According to the joint statement, none of Iran’s nuclear facilities will be stopped, shut down or suspended and Iran’s nuclear activities in all its nuclear facilities, including Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan, and Arak will continue. All sanctions by the UN Security Council, the US and the European Union against Iran will also be lifted.
Iran and the six countries are now expected to start work to draw up a final comprehensive deal over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program by the end of the self-designated June 30 deadline.
On Tuesday, Jafari praised the Iranian negotiating team’s diplomatic efforts to defend Iran’s right to pursue a peaceful nuclear program in the talks with P5+1 in Switzerland.
He said Iran’s nuclear delegation had admirably defended the nation’s peaceful nuclear rights, adding that the Iranian people and the IRGC appreciated the country’s nuclear negotiators for making sincere political efforts while insisting on the Islamic Republic’s red lines.
Iran’s redlines in the talks with the world powers include the recognition of Iran’s right to possess a full nuclear enrichment cycle as well as research and development in this field besides the lifting of all nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran, Jafari added.
“Should the negotiating team move within the determined frameworks and the principles of the establishment up until the end, whatever outcome is resulted from negotiations is victory for the revolutionary nation of Iran,” the Iranian general said during his Saturday remarks.
Larijani cautions against hasty decisions on nuclear dispute
Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said on Saturday that there is no doubt that in nuclear issue all should avoid making hasty decisions.
Iranian people are to safeguard significant achievements in nuclear issues, he said.
In a meeting with female representatives of the chamber on the auspicious birthday of Fatemeh Zahra (AS), the beloved daughter of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), he said that nuclear issue has been a challenge in the past 10 years requiring resistance, wisdom and far-sightedness.
Recent remarks made by the Supreme Leader on nuclear issue are of prime importance, advising that all should avoid making hasty decision, he said.
“I would like to advise those who are concerned about the future of the country to exercise vigilance and avoid creating circumstances which may be exploited,” he said.
Referring to the designation of the current Iranian year as year of ‘Harmony and National Solidarity”, he said complicated circumstances at international level indicate the sensitivity and complexity of the nuclear issue.
Meanwhile, he expressed concern about deterioration of humanitarian situation in Yemen and said that the superpowers do not let the Yemeni people to achieve their democratic aspirations and decide their own fate, Larijani said.
On the Middle East, he said that the current situation in the Middle East is very sensitive as terrorists have infuriated the people in the region and have created a very tough situation for Muslim nations and instead of the fight against terrorists, they are now fighting Muslims, weakening the power of Muslims in the region.
The aggression of Saudi Arabia on Yemen will weaken the Islamic Ummah, he said.
Referring to current developments in Iraq, Syria and Libya, he appreciated the decision made by Pakistani government refusing to cooperate with the Saudi government to invade Yemen as such war will be very detrimental to all Islamic states, he said.
Rafsanjani says Yemen to be quagmire of aggressors
Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Saturday that Yemen will turn into a quagmire for the aggressors.
Rafsanjani told the first session of the Expediency Council in New Year that Yemen crisis and Saudi aggression on Yemen and provoking religious discord between the Shia and Sunni Muslims is very dangerous and is a prelude to further war and bloodshed in the region.
He voiced serious concern about the enemies’ efforts to stir Shiaphobia in the region, especially in Yemen, and said the deterioration of the humanitarian situation and completely wrong analyses about the country are in line with the goals of the enemies of Islam because Yemen problems are deep rooted and have long historical record.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani said that Saudi aggression on Yemen through assistance of several Arab countries is a grave and strategic mistake.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani said that hard work, resistance, perseverance of the people form the population and beliefs of Yemen who defend their country’s territorial integrity, beliefs, religious and national dignity and are willing to stand united and integrated.
“Unfortunately, the inexperienced Saudi officials have made grave mistakes in calculation and political and military analysis of the Yemeni situation, entering into a devastating war without study and without taking into consideration the adverse consequences of igniting flames of war in the region by forming a fragile and faulty coalition. So, the wise men in the countries are expected to stop war and aggression on Yemen as soon as possible, preventing continued inferno of the inexperienced individuals.”
Referring to the strategic importance of Bab-el-Mandeb, the Red Sea and Aden Gulf for peace and calm in the region, Ayatollah Rafsanjani urged the United Nations, the neutral countries and the wise men in the region to step in and extinguish flames of war in Yemen and the strategic regions through political means and negotiations.
He emphasized that Iran will in turn be ready to extend any kind of cooperation to the global and regional associations and end conflict in Yemen and the entire region.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani strongly condemned the tragic event in the case of two young Iranian individuals in Jeddah and said that marks a big fiasco for the Saudi system and the country’s security establishment.
Also referring to the nuclear talks in Lausanne and the joint statement issued by Iran and P5+1, Ayatollah Rafsanjani cited remarks of the Supreme Leader about the framework agreement.
“We hope the negotiating team, which has successfully left the outlines behind, will regulate and compile the details through all-out study and vigilance, thus honoring dignity and due nuclear rights of the Islamic system and people.”
[…]
How Iran and the US came to the negotiating table over time
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, who once served as foreign minister in the Ahmadinejad administration, has disclosed untold stories about how the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States started to meet face-to-face.
Aftab-e Yazd daily on April 11 published an interview with Ali Akbar Salehi on his role as foreign minister in the previous government and what came before Tehran and Washington decided to sit down across a table from each other to have direct talks.
The following is a partial translation of the former top diplomat’s side of the story:
[…]
“It was before the reelection of Mr. Obama that I took over as foreign minister. We came to the conclusion that talks with the group [P5+1] would lead nowhere because they were not ready to have interaction and cooperation with Iran despite the efforts the [Iranian] negotiating team had been putting in.
“It was too tough to simultaneously hold talks with six countries. More importantly, those countries involved in the talks did not have equal position [in negotiations]; in other words, the United States held more sway than other countries over the talking point.
“In the capacity of foreign minister, I went to meet with the Supreme Leader, asking him if we can test another alternative [direct talks with Washington]. Back then, the Americans had let Iran in on their request through Oman. Due to the big influence the US wielded in the talks, I asked the Leader to let us try the second option.
“Given the US record, the Leader said that the US would recant on its promises. I asked him to let us enter talks [with the US] to exhaust all options. If the talks produced no result, I said, everybody would realize that it was the other party which dug in its heels.
“The Leader showed magnanimity and agreed to the option of holding talks, with some strings attached. After the Leader’s confirmation, it was necessary to do some preparations in the government, and it was where some problems popped up.
“This is the very point which reveals the difference between the tenth and eleventh governments. Thanks to the Supreme Leader’s endorsement, we were supposed to take care of the process in the shortest time possible. At that time, the conditions were perfect. We could have gone ahead [with the talks] if today’s harmony and unanimity had existed then, but unfortunately we faced lack of coordination.”
Salehi declined to go into detail and said, “The job was proceeding slowly. The Americans insisted that the talks be held before the US election. Although we were in unofficial, written contact with them through Oman, the face time came too late. Finally we held the first session in which the then Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. [Ali Asghar] Khaji led the Iranian team – including several foreign ministry directors – at the talks, and the parties to the talks reached preliminary agreements on certain principles.
“The second session, however, was postponed due to the very lack of coordination. The pace was slow despite our painstaking efforts and finally the second session was held. The proper documentation is available. Correspondence for and bad-tempered reactions to the ongoing process are all documented and history will pass judgment on them.
“The second session resulted in a letter by the Omani sultan to Mr. Ahmadinejad [the then Iranian president], saying that representatives of Iran and the United States had come to him, with the Americans admitting that they recognized Iran’s enrichment [right].
“This marked the first step taken in the talks [between Iran and the US]. Then the framework was set on how to continue the negotiations. A third session was being planned [for the two sides] with Iran’s presidential elections looming.
“I want to say that the talks have taken so much time because a great deal of energy and time has been spent for each round.”
[…]
Environmentalists clean up nature in northern Iran
A group of environmentalists in Gorgan, Golestan Province, got together on April 10 to remove rubbish from a forested hill.
The snapshots the Islamic Republic News Agency placed online reflect their efforts to purge the environment of waste:
World largest framed carpet unveiled
At a ceremony in Tehran on April 9, the world’s largest framed carpet was unveiled.
The machine-woven carpet features “I love Muhammad” in 40 languages along with the names of the Prophet’s Household.
What appears next is a number of snapshots that Mehr News Agency released online of the ceremony:
