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IRAN FRONT PAGELatest News and Views From Iran, Middle East and the World

Iran News
Politics
Business
Society
- Education
- Environment
- Health
- Human Rights
- Incidents
- Lifestyle
- Sport
- Women
Culture
- Art
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- Cinema
- Cultural Heritage
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World
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Home Blog Page 4898

British MP acknowledges Iran’s key role in counter-terrorism

Emad Askarieh

December 6, 2014

A British lawmaker highlighted the “influential role” Iran plays in the Middle East region, particularly in the fight against the ISIL terrorist group.

Richard Ottaway, the chairman of Britain’s House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee underscored the significance of Iran’s position in the Middle East region, which he said has undergone delicate conditions.

He made the comments in a meeting with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Asian and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour on the sidelines of a conference on Afghanistan, held in London.

Ottaway also admitted that Iran plays an “influential role” in the battle against terrorist groups, ISIL in particular.

The Iranian diplomat, for his part, described extremism and violence of terrorist groups as the root causes of the ongoing problems in the region.

Rahimpour underlined that the Middle East’s predicaments have nothing to do with what certain Western countries allege could be disagreement between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

The ISIL terrorists made swift advances in much of northern and western Iraq over the summer, after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.

However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the popular forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for fight against the militants, have blunted the edge of the ISIL offensive.

They have been committing heinous crimes in the areas they have taken, including the mass execution of civilians as well as Iraqi army troops and officers.

Amid tensions in Iraq, Iran is known as the first country to help the Arab country and has always voiced support for Iraq’s solidarity and prosperity.

Tehran hosts exhibition of Brazilian photographer

IFP Editorial Staff

December 6, 2014

Honaronline.ir has posted a piece on its website on a Tehran exhibition featuring photos snapped by Brazilian photographer Ricardo Martinez. The following is a partial translation of the report which includes some answers that Martinez has offered in an interview with the website:

Ricardo Martinez, a young Brazilian photographer has put his photos on display in a Tehran exhibition entitled ‘My Brazil, My look’. Martinez is a nature photographer. To him, everything takes shape with nature in the background. He even portrays humans against a backdrop of nature.

“The exhibition covers some of my works that are the outcome of my 4-year endeavors in photography. The photos were previously depicted in the four books I have had published. For me it was a difficult task [to choose photos] because I have singled out every photo from my books,” said Martinez.

“I no longer confine myself to nature. After some years, I turn my camera in the direction which offers me a source of inspiration. Now, people are also the theme of my works. For instance, I paid a visit to the Grand Bazaar in Tehran today and took photos of people doing different daily routines. Thus, I can claim that my works are not devoid of a social perspective. However, I prefer the photos that depict people in the context of their surrounding environment,” he added.

“Like the Iranians, a majority of Brazilian people live in metropolitan cities and actually are not much familiar with nature and its beauty. One of my aims is to display the natural beauty of Brazil to its people,” he concluded.

Ricardo Martinez was born in 1979 in São Paulo [the largest city in Brazil]. He has been a photographer for over a decade and has so far had four books published.

Iranian programmers develop an app to help tune Iranian instruments

Emad Askarieh

December 4, 2014

Iranian programmers in the University of Isfahan have developed an application – Kook Yar – which allows cell phone users to tune six Iranian musical instruments.

On December 3 the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) quoted Pouya Ahmadvand, a member of the team which has designed the app, as saying that the application, which is a technological breakthrough for Iran, can replace Tuner, a foreign-made device Iranian music players used to employ to tune their instruments.

He said the Iranian musicians can have the application on their Android devices and tune their instruments whenever they are, adding that even the beginners can find this application handy.

Kook Yar can tune Tar, Setar, Santur, Kamancheh, Violin and Guitar.

Cotton picking season in Iran in photos

Emad Askarieh

December 4, 2014

When it comes to cotton, harvesting starts when the bolls open partially. In tropical regions, they are harvested in September and in temperate climate, the harvest season starts in October and is carried out into early January.
In Iran time is ripe now to pick cotton growing in the fields. Mehr News Agency on December 3 posted online a handful of pictures of harvesting cotton in Sharafuyeh in Larestan County, Fars Province. Take a look:

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Dec. 4

Emad Askarieh

December 4, 2014

The inauguration of a railway project that links Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in Central Asia via Iran to the Persian Gulf dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Thursday. President Rouhani’s comments at the inaugural that neighbors are Iran’s top foreign policy priority also drew front-page attention. And news about a terrorist explosion outside the residence of Iran’s ambassador in Sana’a, Yemen appeared on the front pages of the dailies too.

Abrar: The Islamic Consultative Assembly has required the Defense Ministry to move military facilities out of big city limits.

Afarinesh: Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham has dismissed rumors that Iran has struck a political deal with the West.

Aftab-e Yazd: “Formerly, some managers seemed less than determined to take on corruption,” said Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani.

Aftab-e Yazd: “Our hands are tied; we can’t release information on offenses. Laws that require officials not to release information on corruption cases until a final verdict has been handed down should be rescinded,” said Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi.

Arman-e Emrooz: A bomb has gone off outside the residence of Iran’s ambassador to Yemen. The Iranian diplomats and embassy personnel have escaped the blast unhurt.

Arman-e Emrooz: “If the US seeks to secure Israeli satisfaction in the [nuclear] talks, it won’t achieve any result,” said Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Asr-e Iranian: “No sanctions are lifted unless oil sanctions are lifted,” said Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh.

Asr-e Rasaneh: “Iran is the 19th largest economy in the world,” said the director of the State Tax Organization.

Asrar: Hossein Rezazadeh, a former world weightlifting champion, should quit his seat on Tehran City Council if he wants to contest the top post at the Weightlifting Federation.

Ebtekar: The British Embassy in Tehran will gradually resume its functions.

Eghtesad-e Pooya: “All Iranians are now under basic medical insurance coverage,” said the minister of cooperatives, labor and social welfare.

Etemad: The tax exemption of three major institutions has been rescinded.

Etemad: The opponents of [President Rouhani’s] government have launched a seemingly vain attempt to cancel the credentials of Ali Motahari [a Tehran MP who has broken ranks with fellow principlist deputies to side with the government on many issues].

Ettela’at: With the inauguration of Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railway, Central Asia has been linked to the Persian Gulf on tracks.

Haft-e Sobh: Five of the septuplets a young woman gave birth to in Mashhad earlier this week have died.

Hamshahri: The Norwegian ambassador to Tehran has said that her country will try to solve the problems Iranian students face in the Scandinavian country.

Hemayat: “The Iranian Judiciary won’t bow to Western media onslaughts,” vowed Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani.

Iran: Iran is to play host to 2015 Men’s Asian Volleyball Championships.

Javan: “Iran owes its security to its popular, revolutionary structure rather than nuclear talks,” said Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari.

Jomhouri Islami: “A new round of talks will be held with P5+1 by the end of the month [December 21],” said the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

Jomhouri Islami: Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani, a prominent source of emulation, has protested the Chinese government for its tough line in dealing with Muslims.

Kayhan: That the White House has said even if a comprehensive deal is struck, sanctions will remain in place amounts to admission that the nuclear case is a mere excuse [to pressure Iran].

Kayhan: The reasons behind a recent hike in bread prices will be examined at parliament’s Economic Committee.

Khorasan has described the launch of Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railway project as “Iran’s giant stride toward becoming a regional transit hub”.

Resalat: [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s cabinet collapsed.

Roozan: “Unfortunately parties have failed to act as well as they are expected to,” said Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Shahrvand: The Crisis Management Organization of the capital has denied reports on social networks that an earthquake warning has been issued in Tehran.

OIC ministers call for closer media cooperation

Emad Askarieh

December 4, 2014

Information and communication ministers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have called for closer media cooperation at the end of their conference in Iran’s capital, Tehran.

The 10th Session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers (ICIM) issued a final communiqué on Wednesday, emphasizing the need for closer media cooperation among OIC member states in an effort to show the true image of Islam.

The participants in the conference called for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, saying media in the OIC member states should cover Tel Aviv’s atrocities against the Palestinians and the regime’s attempts to Judaize the occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem).

They also stressed the significance of media convergence to help strengthen peace and tranquility in the Islamic world, saying media can play an important role in countering all forms of violence, extremism and racism.

The ministers also condemned the crimes perpetrated at the hands of the ISIL terrorists who are wreaking havoc on Iraq and Syria, expressing support for media activities to help stop the spread of hatred and discrimination against Muslims.

The 10th Session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers kicked off in Tehran on Monday.

Six thousand Americans seeking trip to Iran

Emad Askarieh

December 4, 2014

Six thousand Americans are waiting to visit Iran by nine Golden Eagle Danube Expresses in 2015.

The train has already entered Iran twice, but it would come to Iran nine other times. The Golden Eagle Company’s manager said that all tickets for Iran were sold out and 45 percent of the passengers are Americans.

The train would start 14-day visits from Budapest, Hungary, and then passes through Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey to arrive in Iran.

Then the passengers would visit Zanjan, Yazd, Shiraz, Tehran, Kerman and Mashhad cities in a week-long trip.

The train whose design is similar to those of the 1950s is equipped with bathrooms and warm water and is fueled with coal. It costs 9 to 15 thousand dollars to visit Iran by the train.

12,000foreign visitors have called for visiting Iran after the train’s first arrival in the country.

The train which includes 13 wagons is able to carry 102 people (65 passengers and 35 crew members).

Iran eager to broaden ties with neighbors

Emad Askarieh

December 4, 2014

President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic is keen to further expand relations with its neighbors, especially Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

“Expansion of ties with neighbors is a top priority of Iran’s foreign policy,” Rouhani said in a Wednesday meeting with his Kazakh and Turkmen counterparts, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, in the Turkmen city of Inche Boroun.

Referring to the recent inauguration of a railroad connecting Iran to the two Central Asian neighbors, Rouhani said the move would prepare the ground for the enhancement of trilateral and regional relations.

“We must make efforts [to forge] closer ties in order to establish stronger peace, stability and security in the region and set the stage for the promotion of trilateral relations,” Rouhani added.

The Iranian president also said the formation of a joint commission will step up economic cooperation among the three countries, adding that Iran’s private sector is ready to work with Turkmen and Kazakh companies.

Nazarbayev, for his part, said that the railroad aims to strengthen interactions among regional states.

The Turkmen president emphasized Iran’s significant role in the region and said trade with the Islamic Republic, which has a strong economy, could help the economic development in his country.

Berdimuhamedow also stressed that the railroad would pave the way for many achievements for the three neighboring states in economic and political areas.

The three presidents on Wednesday attended a ceremony to put the railroad into service in Inche Boroun on the Iran-Turkmenistan border.

The railway can connect great countries like Russia, China, Pakistan, Turkey and Iraq to the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. It is 920 kilometers in length and will shorten the distance between the Persian Gulf, Central Asia and Europe.

Iran summons Yemen chargé d’affaires over bomb attack

Emad Askarieh

December 4, 2014

Iran has summoned the Yemeni chargé d’affaires in Tehran after a car bomb attack targeted the residence of the Iranian ambassador to Sana’a.

The Wednesday blast, which took place in the diplomatic district of Hada in the Yemeni capital, left three people dead and several others wounded.

The attack also damaged the Iranian envoy’s residence, but no Iranian diplomat was hurt in the incident.

The Yemeni official was summoned to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey the Islamic Republic’s vehement protest to his government.

Tehran also laid emphasis on the need for the identification and punishment of the perpetrators and provision of relevant support for the protection of Iran’s diplomatic premises.

The Yemeni official voiced regret over the terrorist incident and said he would immediately communicate Tehran’s message to Sana’a.

Day of People with Disability in the eyes of people with no disability

Emad Askarieh

December 3, 2014

December 3 marks the International Day of People with Disability. Several Iranian newspapers on Wednesday ran news and special reports on the day. Mardomsalari dedicated four full pages to the physically challenged people and their problems. The following is the translation of a piece by Hamidreza Shokouhi, the editor of the Social Desk of the daily, which opened the paper’s coverage:

The way non-disabled people look at people with disability is not correct. That is what we have heard over and over, but nobody has ever tried or wanted to solve this attitude problem.

My view of the disabled people was not correct either. To be frank with you, I cannot remember how I looked at them. Perhaps I thought they were not capable enough, and deserved sympathy…

However my friendship with a physically-challenged person back in high-school years changed my mindset. We hit it off and our enduring friendship has already lasted 15 years.

He had a motor skills-related condition. He did not need a wheelchair to get from A to B, but he had problem walking. He was a poet too composing great sonnets; he loved Mowlana’s Mathnavi. Years came and went ….

Now he is married. He has secured a master’s degree in literature from a prestigious public university in Tehran and has released several books, not to mention the fact that he has failed to secure the go-ahead of officials to get some of his poems published!

He is a journalist going to great lengths to reflect in the media the problems people with disability are wrestling with. He has launched a special page for disabled people in several newspapers including Hamshahri, Etela’at and Mardomsalari.

He is actively involved in Baavar (Belief) Association which zeroes in on people with disability. His wife, Masoumeh Nouri, is an educated, capable woman and a journalist too.

He pens articles for Mardomsalari every now and down. We have kept in touch. His name is Seyyed Mohsen Hosseini and his pseudonym is Taha. He is among a handful of high-school friends I am still in touch with.

As far as the question of disabled people go, he is the one who changed my perception and opened the doors to a new world in which I developed new insight into society, an insight which the time I spent at a social sciences faculty failed to provide me with.

Through him I made friends with more people who had disabilities. Saeed Zarouri was one of them. Unlike Mohsen, who is crazy about poetry and books, Saeed is an adventurist. His friendship helped me get familiar with another angle of the life of people with disability, those who crave for adventurist activities such as diving, paragliding and many other activities I myself do not dare get involved in!

I really like to see all people develop a correct understanding of the life of people with disability, like what I did. The only thing I can do is to try my best to reflect their problems. To that end, I have dedicated the social supplement of Mardomsalari (December 3 issue) to those people to mark the occasion.

It is worth mentioning that almost all materials which appear in this supplement have been penned and compiled by disabled people; naturally they can write about themselves better than non-disabled people.

I have experienced how it feels to become one with people with disability. It was a pleasant experience awash with fresh feelings. I wish all of us could develop a correct understanding of how people with disability lead their lives. I wish nothing stood between us. It may seem hard, but by no means is it impossible.

I’d like to say, Happy International Day of People with Disability.

The same supplement also featured images of people with disability engaged in diving and paragliding as well as the comments of the head of parliament’s Caucus to Support People with Disability on what measures the chamber is taking to ease the problems these individuals are facing.