Monday, December 29, 2025
Home Blog Page 4891

Iran to resume petchem exports to Europe

Iran-petchem

Iran will soon resume exports of petrochemical products to Europe, which have been banned under the US-led sanctions in recent years.

Iran’s Jam Petrochemical Company announced Saturday that a consignment of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), measuring 2,000 tons with a total value of over $ 2 million, will be shipped to Belgium next week.

The company says the resumption of petrochemical exports to Europe coincides with the revival of a shipping route for similar exports to Turkey.

International clients – under a tight regime of US-led sanctions – were banned from buying petrochemicals from Iran over the past few years.

The ban was lifted last year following breakthroughs in nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers.

Iran has exported more than 7.8 million tons of petrochemicals worth more than USD 5.1 billion in the six months ending September 22.

Iran produced 40 million tons of petrochemicals in the last calendar year (ended March 20), with USD 9 billion worth of its products being exported.

The country, which is a major oil exporter, plans to increase its petrochemical exports to USD 12 billion this year.

Iran has significantly expanded the range and volume of its petrochemical production over the past few years.

Iranian engineers build electronic body parts

Iranian Researchers

Iranian researchers at Amir Kabir Poly Technique University jointly with Harvard scientists have built low-price, biodegradable and biocompatible electronic parts to be used inside human body.

These parts can be used in the production of implantable parts, smart dressings and even sensors used in the food industry.

Low flexibility of circuits and electronic parts as well as unwanted reactions inside the body are some of the limitations in this field.

The lead author of the study, Alireza Hassani Najafabadi, who has a Ph.D. from Amir Kabir Poly Technique University and serves as a Harvard University researcher said, “The project aims to make an appropriate bed for low-price electronic parts in a biocompatible and biodegradable form. The parts are compact and lightweight and can be easily used by patients.”

The electro method used in the study preserves elastic and biological properties of the parts and improves the health of the patients, lessens side effects and facilitates direct use of the parts in human body.

“The outcomes of the project can be used in the health industry, pharmacy, medical engineering, medicines and many other medicines.”

He also noted that the product can be mass produced soon.

The results of the study have been published in Advanced Materials Journal.

Iranian actress Merila Zarei wins award at the 2014 Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Merila Zarei-win-APSA

Iranian actress Merila Zarei has been honored at the 8th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) festival held in Australia.

Zarei won the APSA for Best Actress for her role in the acclaimed Iranian war drama ‘Track 143’ directed by female filmmaker Narges Abyar.

The movie premiered at Iran’s 2014 Fajr International Film Festival and garnered rave reviews from critics and audiences.

Track 143 is a screen adaptation of Abyar’s novel, The Third Eye, which tells the story of a woman during Iran’s sacred defense.

The film has been presented at a number of international festivals and has won several awards.

Iranian film ‘I’m Not Angry’ directed by Reza Dormishian was also awarded the APSA Academy NETPAC Development Prize.

Iranian cinematic productions were nominated for awards in five categories at this year’s APSA.

Melbourne’, directed by Nima Javidi, was nominated for the best screenplay award.

Rakhshan Bani-Etemad was also one of the nominees for the best director at this year’s festival for her celebrated drama ‘The Tales’.

Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi presided over the six-member jury panel of this year’s APSA.

He is a three-time APSA winner including Best Screenplay and the Jury Grand Prize for ‘About Elly’ in 2009, as well as Best Film for ‘A Separation’ in 2011.

Some 36 screen productions from 21 regional countries competed in this year’s festival.

The 2014 APSA was held in Brisbane’s historic City Hall on December 11.

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Dec. 14

Iranian Newspapers Headlines
Iranian Newspapers Headlines

The massive presence of Shiites from around the world in Iraq, with some estimates putting the crowd at 20 million, to keep alive the memory of the Prophet’s grandson and the uprising he led against the oppressors of the time dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Sunday.

Abrar: “In nuclear talks we act in keeping with the principles of the establishment and we won’t quit that path,” said President Hassan Rouhani.

 

Abrar newspaper 12 - 14(1)


Afarinesh: “Iranian pilgrims who have traveled to Iraq without passport should return home only through Chazabeh Border Crossing,” announced the Iranian Interior Ministry.

 

Afarinesh newspaper 12 - 14'


Afkar: “As much as 80 percent of next year’s development budget is unlikely to materialize,” predicted a member of parliament’s Development Committee.

 

Afkar newspaper 12 - 14


Aftab-e Yazd: “President Rouhani’s government is facing a mountain of problems. Just like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the previous government only sought to set new records,” said a minister who served in the Cabinet of President Ahmadinejad.

Aftab-e Yazd: For the first time a junior drug rehabilitation center is to be launched in Iran.

Aftab-e Yazd: “The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting [national broadcaster] would not allow me to talk about corruption on its talk shows,” said Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who previously served as inspector general.

 

Aftabe yazd newspaper 12 - 14


Arman-e Emrooz: As many as 100 officials who served under President Ahmadinejad will be summoned to court.

Arman-e Emrooz: “President Rouhani faces a crisis every four days. Mid-level managers of the government still act in line with the policies set by Ahmadinejad. Principlists have benefited the most from the moderation President Rouhani practices,” said Ahmad Khorram, a former minister of roads and transportation, in an exclusive interview with the daily.

 

Armane emruz newspaper 12 - 14


Asr-e Iranian: “Termination of all sanctions should be part of any comprehensive nuclear deal,” said Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

 

Asre iranian newspaper 12 - 14


Asrar: Iranian actress Merila Zarei has won the Best Actress Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) festival in Australia.

Asrar: “People should not be stripped of their legitimate freedoms under the pretext of religiosity,” said Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the architect of the Islamic Republic.

 

Asrar newspaper 12 - 14


Ebtekar: Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, President Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff, has eventually broken his silence. “I have quit politics once and for all.”

 

Ebtekar newspaper 12 - 14


Eghtesad-e Pooya: Saffron exports have registered a 36 percent hike.

Eghtesad-e Pooya: Under next year’s budget bill some $5 billion dollars will be injected to the banking system.

 

Eghtesade puya newspaper 12 - 14


Etemad: “As many as 100 people are suspects in a string of acid attacks in Isfahan earlier this year,” said the deputy interior minister for security and police affairs.

Etemad: The grandson of Imam Khomeini has warned of a propaganda blitz by a group of upstarts against revolutionary figures.

 

Etemad newspaper 12 - 14


Ettela’at: Some 2 million Iranian pilgrims took part in Arba’een [a Shiite religious observance that comes 40 days after Ashura, which marks the martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad] ceremonies in Iraq.

 

Ettelaat newspaper 12 - 14


Hambastegi: “Iranian pilgrims who are in Iraq have 10 days to return home,” said the Iranian deputy interior minister.

Hambastegi: “A cultural justice plan is to be implemented,” said Ali Jannati, the minister of culture and Islamic guidance.

 

Hambastegi newspaper 12 - 14


Hemayat: “A new round of nuclear talks between Iran and P5+1 will open in Geneva on Wednesday [December 17],” said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.

Hemayat: The presence of as many as 20 million Shiites in Karbala to take part in Arba’een ceremonies took IS terrorists and their masters off guard.

 

Hemayat newspaper 12 - 14


Iran: President Rouhani had a meeting with the families of Iranian combatants who made the ultimate sacrifice [during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s], before attending an Arba’een function.

 

Iran newspaper 12 - 14


Iran Daily: [Iran’s] First petrochem[ical] shipment for Belgium.

 

Iran daily newspaper 12 - 14'


Javan: With oil companies downsizing, Saudi Arabia’s [cheap] oil has taken a toll on stock exchanges around the world.

 

Javan newspaper 12 - 14'


Jomhouri Islami: The IS terrorists have executed 200 from among their own ranks [apparently for fleeing the theater following a Syrian army assault].

 

Jomhorie eslami newspaper 12 - 14'


Kaenat: The FBI has alleged that Iranian hackers are bent on mounting cyber-attacks against American businesses.

 

Kaenat newspaper 12 - 14


Kayhan: A special train service has been launched to take Iranian pilgrims who were in Iraq back to Tehran.

 

Kayhan newspaper 12 - 14


Khorasan: The freefall of the black gold continues. Crude prices fall below $60 a barrel.

 

Khorasan newspaper 12 - 14'


Payam-e Zaman: “[Iran’s Caspian island of] Ashuradeh won’t be handed over [to become a tourist center],” said Director of the Environment Protection Organization Masoumeh Ebtekar.

 

Payame zaman newspaper 12 - 14


Qods: A mourning function was held in Tehran with the Supreme Leader in attendance to mark Arba’een.

 

Ghods newspaper 12 - 14'


Roozan: Four Iranians have walked away with awards from the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) festival in Australia.

 

Ruzan newspaper 12 - 14


Sharq: “It may take two years to purge Iraq of IS terrorists,” said Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in an exclusive interview with the daily.

 

Shargh newspaper 12 - 14


SMT: The Iranian government spokesman has said 246 major projects will be inaugurated in March 2015.

SMT: Saipa [a giant Iranian carmaker] is to launch cooperation with German firms on production of environment-friendly automobiles.

 

Samt newspaper 12 - 14

 

Israel must pay Iran for pipeline project loss: Arbitration panel

Iran-Israel-pipline

A Swiss arbitration panel has ruled that Israel should pay Iran for the loss of its stake in the Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline.

The pipeline project was a joint venture by the former Iranian regime and Israel in 1968, but it crashed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran.

According to the panel’s preliminary ruling, Israel should pay Iran the value of a 50% stake in compensation for the loss.

The damages are estimated at between $50 million and $100 million, but the verdict is not still finalized.

The ruling was issued after some 20 years of legal battles but was made public on Wednesday after almost a year.

The process of arbitration dates backs to 1994 when the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) appointed an arbitrator according to the 1968 contractual agreement between the then NIOC and Israel.

The Swiss arbitrator in its ruling in mid-2013 made a decision in favor of Iran and asked Israel to pay up to $100 million in compensation for the loss of the Iranian stake.

The pipeline was designed to transport Iranian oil to Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat and ship it to terminals in the Mediterranean coastal city of Ashkelon, and from there to Europe.

On the eve of the 1979 revolution, the 242-kilometer pipeline contained about 800,000 tons of unrefined Iranian petroleum. That was reportedly worth $120 million at the time and about $400 million today.

Israel initially refused to take part in the proceedings and tried several times to stop them in European courts. A Swiss court turned down one of its petitions in 2012. Last year an appeal to the Swiss Federal Court was also rejected, and Israel was forced to pay $250,000 in court costs, The Associated Press reported.

Deviant and reactionary currents are too dangerous

Mohammad Khatami

Aftab-e Yazd, a reformist daily, on December 14 reported the remarks of former President Mohammad Khatami and the founder of BARAN [Foundation for Freedom, Growth and Development of Iran] on the need for the portrayal of a kind, constructive and pioneering face of the Islamic Republic. What appears below is a partial translation of what the reformist president had to say in a meeting with the family of martyr Mostafa Mousavizadeh:

Efforts should be made to show a neat, kind, constructive and pioneering face of the Islamic Republic to the whole world. This is what the late Imam Khomeini, martyrs and people have called for.

We are now at a critical juncture. There are groups in the region which commit unspeakable crimes in the name of Islam. They are perverse, devious and reactionary currents which walk down the path already taken by big powers.

Over-reactionary and suspicious currents have tightened the screws [on people in the region] and this is dangerous.

Iran’s revolution introduced an Islam which sought honor, glory, progress and welfare for people, one which tried to help serve justice. We need to respect such an Islamic mindset and its achievements.

Arba’een in the holy city of Karbala in photos

Karbala-Arbaeen

The Iraqi city of Karbala on December 13, which marked Arba’een, the 40th day after Ashura, the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, played host to the largest annual Shiite gathering. The following is a photo gallery of the religious ceremony that the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) posted on its website:

 

The uprising of Karbala won’t be forgotten; Islam is a religion of compassion

Mohammadi Golpaygani

The Chief of Staff of the Supreme Leader has said the fact that as many as 20 million people, 4.5 million of them from overseas, are in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala to take part in Arba’een ceremonies and honor the memory of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson shows that the Messenger of God and his infallible household have been very successful in capturing the hearts and minds of the faithful.

According to Tasnim News Agency Hojatoleslam Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani made the comment at a function at Shahcheragh Shrine in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz. The following is the translation of what else the leader’s chief of staff told the service Friday evening:

Many pilgrims have walked long distances on their way to the Iraqi holy cities. […] The uprising Imam Hussein launched in Karbala [centuries ago] won’t drift into oblivion. On the contrary, its glory and loftiness are bound to increase by the year.

[…]

Today IS terrorists and their American and Israeli masters pose the gravest threat to the Muslim faith. Islam is a religion of compassion and love, but the stooges of Global Arrogance, including IS and other Takfiri groups around the world, are portraying it as a violent religion.

[…]

Iran test-flies nine new drones during war games

Drones

Iranian military forces’ aerospace technicians flew nine new types of drones during Toward Beit ul-Muqaddas (occupied Jerusalem) War Games in Dashtestan desert of Bushehr province on Friday.

Basiji Pilot General Mohammad Ja’farabadi told IRNA on the sidelines of the war games that film-taking from the operation field of the war games, land control of the drones, and real-time dispatching of images to the control center were among drone capabilities tested on Friday.

“Among the nine drones flown on Friday there was a hexacopter capable of taking images and real-time transferring of them as well as an electronic glider with innovative capabilities.

[…]

UN must play real role in Syria crisis: Iran diplomat

Hossein-Amir-Abdollahian

A senior Iranian diplomat has stressed the importance of adopting a realistic approach to the developments in Syria, saying the United Nations should play a real role in settling the conflict in the war-torn country.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran wants to see the United Nations [playing its] real role between the sides for and against [the Syrian government],” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a meeting with Deputy UN Special Envoy to Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy in Tehran on Friday.

The Iranian diplomat hailed efforts made by UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura to settle the conflict in the country and expressed Iran’s willingness to help advance a UN proposal for the suspension of fighting in the northern city of Aleppo.

Amir-Abdollahian also slammed the United States and its regional allies for their attempts to train and arm the Takfiri groups operating against the Damascus government, saying such a move violates the UN plan to establish a ceasefire in Aleppo.

On October 30, the UN envoy proposed an action plan for areas where Syrian forces are fighting Takfiri terrorists, and said the proposal includes “freeze zones” in Syria to allow deliveries of humanitarian aid, starting with the country’s largest city, Aleppo.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on November 10, expressed his readiness to study the UN initiative, saying Aleppo, which has been divided into militant and government-held territories since July 2012, has been cited as a potential opening stage.

Ezzeldin Ramzy, for his part, called for Iran’s support for the UN-proposed plan in Aleppo and expressed hope that it would be implemented in the near future.

He said the proposal, should it succeed, could serve as a model for the implementation of similar plans in other parts of Syria.

The diplomat also pointed to a four-point plan devised by the Islamic Republic earlier this year to help settle the Syria crisis, calling for the implementation of the proposal’s first article, which calls for the establishment of a truce in Aleppo.

Iran’s proposed peace plan stresses a political resolution to the Syrian crisis, the territorial integrity and independence of the Arab country as well as its people’s right to self-determination.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fueled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of over 200,000 people, according to reports.