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

Iran News
Politics
Business
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- Education
- Environment
- Health
- Human Rights
- Incidents
- Lifestyle
- Sport
- Women
Culture
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Home Blog Page 4911

Iran: UN special rapporteur not reflecting realities

Emad Askarieh

March 14, 2015

Iran has blasted the United Nations special rapporteur on Iran, saying that his report is not presenting realities.

“His remarks and parts of the report have been presented unilaterally without considering the realities. It also does not follow rules of the UN Human Rights Council,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham.

She also said Iran is skeptical about the ‘unfair and subjective’ performance of the UN special rapporteur, citing his failure to follow international rules and regulations.

She further noted, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is fully aware of its national and international obligations on human rights, and has made good and expansive cooperation with international bodies working in this field.”

Afkham continued that Iran has improved the rights of citizens, minorities and woman, and would keep on its efforts.

Iran, Italy sign cooperation MoU

March 14, 2015

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati and Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism Dario Franceschini inked a memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation between the two countries for three years.

Jannti, who is in Rome at the head of a delegation, met with his Italian counterpart at the country’s Culture Ministry.

Referring to high capacities of Iran and Italy in cultural and artistic fields, Jannati said that the MoU includes cooperation in the fields of translation and publication of books into Persian as well as Italian, screening films and holding music concerts in both countries, organizing music concerts in Tehran and Rome and cooperation in the field of archeological excavations.

Franceschini, for his part, expressed pleasure over signing the MoU, saying inking the deal will help promote cultural cooperation between the two great civilizations.

Underlining good quality of ties between Iran and Italy, he said that the deal also encompasses exchanges between the museums.

He also hailed joint request from the international community to adopt further initiatives to counter destruction of cultural heritage by terrorists.

Iran backs Yemen in fighting terrorism, improving economy: Diplomat

Emad Askarieh

March 14, 2015

An Iranian diplomat has said the Islamic Republic will support Yemen in its fight against terrorism and in effort to improve its flagging economy.

“We will stand by the Yemeni people in the battle against terrorism and help [the realization of] economic prosperity across Yemen,” Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Friday.

He added that a Yemeni economic delegation held “important” talks with representatives of Iran’s economic and private sectors during a visit to Tehran earlier in March.

The official noted that Iran would help Yemen develop its infrastructure while Tehran and Sana’a would also strengthen cooperation in different trade and economic fields.

“Tehran respects Yemen’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity and underscores the continuation of national broad-based negotiations and the fight against terrorism in the country,” the diplomat said.

Amir-Abdollahian emphasized that foreign interfering powers and terrorists have no position in the future of Yemen.

International organizations based in the Middle East region and the international community are expected to make serious efforts to improve security and welfare for the Yemenis, he said.

The official noted that Tehran stresses the importance of improving regional cooperation while consulting with regional countries about developments in Yemen and ways to help the country are atop of Iran’s agenda.

Iran has repeatedly warned against attempts to sow discord in Yemen, saying that Tehran will support unity and solidarity in the Arab country.

Leader: Senators’ letter shows collapse of political ethics

Emad Askarieh

March 12, 2015

Islamic Revolution leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei told members of the Assembly of Experts on Thursday that the team the president has chosen for the nuclear talks comprises trustworthy, conscientious people who are trying to serve the interests of the country.

The leader then said, “I am still worried since the other party [to the talks] is into deceptive ploys, treachery and backstabbing”.

Ayatollah Khamenei also said the letter by the US Senators [to Iranian officials] is a sign of the collapse of political ethics in the US system, adding governments honor their commitments in line with international rules and countries do not violate their commitments after a change of government.

Iranian women as old as millennia-old history

IFP Editorial Staff

March 12, 2015

“In the future the world has to live with the equality of men and women’s rights, irrespective of their ethnicity, nationality and gender. In its march toward perfection, the world has to treat both men and women as equals. This seems to be a sign of hope for humans who seek to make spiritual progress. The man, who has missed his missing half over the course of history, now needs that half as he walks down the path of perfection. This way he can reveal and restore the integrity of his values.”

Sharq daily on March 8 [marking the International Women’s Day] published an opinion piece on Iranian women by Mrs. Iran Darroudi, a contemporary Iranian artist whose works consist of surreal paintings with Iranian-themed imagery and strong lighting.What you read above are a few lines of her book, The Distance between Two Points. The following is a partial translation of the piece:

Primary tribes in Iran used to respect women as powerful and highly esteemed individuals so much so that women were admired as worship-worthy creatures. Back then the deities were all feminine, chief among them: Mitra, the goddess of Sun which was also the embodiment of light on planet earth; and Anahita, the best ancient goddess and the symbol of giving life. The literal meaning of Anahita is pure and immaculate. That’s why up until the latter-day centuries, women had been revered as valuable creatures in the culture and creed of our land.

Ancient Iranians believed in mother goddess and this helped elevate women to the level of divinity. They would argue that like a creator women have the power to give life to the creatures they give birth to. They are also capable of terminating the lives of those creatures by withdrawing their support, they said.

In the distant past, Iranians celebrated the fifth of Esfand, Sepandarmaz – which falls on 29^th of Bahman in the current Iranian calendar – as women’s day. Sepandarmaz is the goddess of earth, and in mythological beliefs earth was feminine.

Earth – which is the place where plants, humans and animals grow – acts like the mother of existence which, in its expanse, paves the way for the emergence of creatures. That is one reason why the day of Sepandarmaz had been designated as women’s day, an occasion which was also marked as the day of love and a day in which women were the absolute rulers.

[…]

I wish Iranian women had learned more about the history of our ancestors and about the fact that our ancestors, living several thousand years ago, had named a day after women. […]

I still believe that Iranian women – if they learn about what has happened to them over centuries – will at one point in history return to their glorious past, and alongside men they will contribute to efforts to build a developed Iran in the capacity of mothers, holding different social positions.

Here are some sentences from my book, The Distance between Two Points: In today’s male-dominated world where women account for more than half of the population on earth, men have domination over women and trample upon their social and even human rights under different pretexts.

[…]

We should not forget that God has said in the holy Koran that He will not forgive two groups of people: those who do injustice and those who are denied justice and live with injustice.

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on March 12

Emad Askarieh

March 12, 2015

President Rouhani’s trip to Turkmenistan where the two countries inked 17 cooperation deals made headlines in most Iranian dailies on Thursday. The final statement of a 17th meeting of the Assembly of Experts thanking the Iranian nuclear negotiation team for their endeavors on the diplomatic front dominated the Iranian newspapers too. Also in the news was the operation by the Iraqi army, backed by Iran’s IRGC, to recapture Tikrit from the ISIL terrorists.

Abrar: “Those who have outfitsof politics on cannot engage in media activities,” said the deputy culture minister for press affairs.

Afarinesh: “Iran has asked all parties involved in the Yemini conflict to participate in the [crisis] talks,” said Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani in Qatar.

Afkar: Parts of Iraq have been purged [of ISIL terrorists] with the help of the commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.

IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari made the remark in a session of the Assembly of Experts.

Arman-e Emrooz: In a final statement, members of the Assembly of Experts have thanked the Iranian team in the nuclear talks [with P5+1].

Asrar: “Some are going to extremes”.

Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi made the remark, adding that certain people wrongly claim that the government has done nothing [for the public].

Ebtekar: “Iran is pursuing the slogan of moderation, peace and friendship,” said President Rouhani.

Ettela’at: Tikrit has been taken back from ISIL.

Ettela’at: Iran’s top MP has said that certain countries are seeking to create divisions in the region.

Farhikhtegan: Supporters of [President] Obama have started to take measures; one-hundred thousand signatures against 47 signatures [a reference to 47 US Republican Senators who sent a letter to Iranian officials saying that any nuclear deal with Iran would last as long as Obama is in office]

[The Logan Act says that a US citizen who communicates with a foreign government to influence the government’s actions could be jailed and face a fine.]

Hemayat: “Efforts to [wrongly] announce that a defendant has been exonerated run counter to the law and can be prosecuted,” Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani said.

Iran: The French government spokesman has said that a [final] nuclear decision will be made within 7 to 10 days.

Iran Daily: Iraqi forces take part of northern Tikrit

Jomhouri Islami: Iran and Turkmenistan have signed 17 cooperation agreements with the presidents of the two countries in attendance.

Jomhouri Islami: The governor of Fars Province has been summoned to Tehran in connection with a recent attack on Tehran MP Ali Motahari in the provincial capital Shiraz.

The ministers of intelligence and interior have said that those who attacked the parliament deputy in the southern city should be seriously dealt with.

Jomhouri Islami: “Hardliners are committing crimes in Muslim nations in the name of Islamic State,” said Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Kayhan: “The current interest rates will lead to the collapse of the economy,” said the Ministry of Economy and Financial Affairs.

Kayhan: Members of the Assembly of Experts have stressed in their final statement that sedition [a reference to post-election unrest in 2009 and those candidates who questioned the election results] should be a red line for the country’s officials.

Kayhan International: IRGC Chief: US role reduced to a player

Mardomsalari: The Iraqi foreign minister has said that a nuclear deal between Iran and the United Sates will serve Iraqi interests too.

Rah-e Mardom: “We hope land gabbers will be dealt with seriously,” said the head of the Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization.

Resalat: “ISIL cannot resist [the Iraqi army’s operation to defeat the terrorist group] anywhere in the country,” said the IRGC commander.

Rooyesh-e Mellat has quoted Al-Manar [a Lebanese satellite television station] as reporting that a plot to target the Iranian embassy in Lebanon has been foiled.

Sharq: “An Oman-Iran-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan corridor will be activated,” said President Rouhani.

Sobh-e Eghtesad: The Oil Ministry is determined to raise its refining capacity to more than 3 million barrels a day.

Tehran Times: Republicans admit that Iran letter was a dumb idea.

Iran stopped ISIL invasion spread: Larijani

Emad Askarieh

March 12, 2015

Iran’s parliament speaker says the country’s assisting Iraq to fight ISIL prevented the terrorist group from invading other countries in the region.

If Iran had not helped Iraq, ISIL would have invaded countries in the region too, Ali Larijani said at a press conference held at the end of his visit to Qatar on Wednesday.

“Iran stood in the face of ISIL to help Iraq and also the (other) countries of the region, although the main responsibility rested on the shoulders of the people of the country,” he said.

ISIL currently controls parts of Iraq and Syria. It started its campaign of terror in Iraq in early June 2014. The heavily-armed militants took control of Mosul before sweeping through parts of the country’s Sunni Arab heartland.

Iran has repeatedly stressed that it will not interfere militarily in Iraq and Syria, but that it will continue to provide support for both countries against ISIL in the form of defense consultation and humanitarian aid.

Iraq’s President Fuad Masum and First Vice President Nouri al-Maliki have acknowledged Tehran’s assistance in the anti-terror campaign.

Iran-Qatar ties

The visit saw the senior Iranian official meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, and Chairman of the Qatari Consultative Assembly Mohammed bin Mubarak al-Khulaifi.

Meeting with the Qatari foreign minister, Larijani said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran treats the Qatari emir’s observations regarding the regional issues as positive and is after the expansion of cooperation based on mutual respect.”

“The establishment of security and development in the Middle East region would materialize through the assistance of all the regional countries,” the Iranian official added.

The Qatari official said what the two countries shared was more than what they differed on and that they had to take steps towards the development of bilateral relations based on common ground.

Nuclear talks

Larijani said Iran’s nuclear talks with P5+1 — Britain, France, China, the United States and Russia plus Germany — have featured progress.

However, he said, “We had to prioritize an intellectual perspective of the talks over a business-minded one.”

Iran and P5+1 are seeking to seal a comprehensive nuclear deal by July 1. The two sides have already missed two self-imposed deadlines for inking a final agreement since they signed an interim one in the Swiss city of Geneva in November 2013.

Iran respects Iraq’s sovereign territory

Emad Askarieh

March 12, 2015

Iran’s presidential advisor on ethnic and religious minorities’ affairs, Ali Younesi, has said that Tehran respects the independence and sovereignty of its neighbors, including Iraq.

Younesi made the remark in reaction to comments by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry that had expressed surprise at what he had earlier said.

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry has condemned comments by Younesi saying that Iraq, which is a sovereign state administered by Iraqis, has positive relations with its neighbors including Iran, but does not allow any countries to interfere in its internal affairs.

In response Ali Younesi said in an exclusive interview with AL-ALAM that never does Iran want to damage the sovereignty and independence of its neighbors, especially Iraq, and it does not seek to interfere in their internal affairs.

Recalling his comments on Iran’s cultural similarities with Iraq, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan, Younesi said that we can stop expansionist plans of extra-regional countries thanks to unity among regional countries.

Younesi said what I said meant that cultural, economic and political cooperation between countries in the region (which in the past composed the Persian Empire) could take the place of the ancient empires.

If the evil-doers do not stop what they are doing [right now], ISIL can spread to the whole region, the presidential advisor further said.

He then pointed to the military cooperation between Iran and Iraq and said that today Iraqis themselves have engaged in [military] operations and are fighting with ISIL terrorists, adding Iran helps Iraqis if they ask for consultation and weapons.

He then criticized the all-talks-no-action policy of certain states and said that the Western countries just resort to propaganda and do nothing in practice.

Iran urges activation of North-South Transport Corridor

Emad Askarieh

March 12, 2015

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for the further enhancement of trade exchanges along a transportation corridor which connects Oman, Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Rouhani on Wednesday said more efforts are needed for the major transportation line, known as the North-South Transport Corridor, to be activated as it can serve the business and economic interests of the countries in the region.

“The two countries (of Iran and Turkmenistan) are determined to activate the North-South Corridor, which goes through Oman, Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, in order to meet the interests of the all countries in the region,” Rouhani said in a press conference with his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, in Ashgabat.

Rouhani added that Iran and Turkmenistan have agreed to expand their trade volume from the current $3.7 billion to $60 billion in the next 10 years, adding that the two sides have also decided to increase the volume of their trade via railway and road by three and two folds, respectively, in the same period.

Rouhani also stated that Iran is ready to help Turkmenistan’s industrial enterprises by providing technical assistance and basic materials.

He touched upon the potential for the cooperation of the two countries in the Caspian Sea, saying that Tehran is ready to engage in a joint operation with Ashgabat on marine-related activities including the activation of seaports and shipping lines.

“Iran and Turkmenistan view the Caspian Sea as the sea of peace, friendship and brotherhood,” Rouhani said.

In a meeting with Berdimuhamedow earlier in the day, Iranian President said Iran and Turkmenistan should tap into their potential to improve their bilateral relations.

Leader’s letter marks new chapter in spread of Islamic Revolution

Emad Askarieh

March 11, 2015

A recent letter by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to the Western youth marked a new chapter in the spread of the Islamic Revolution in the world, said the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

“The export of the Islamic Revolution has entered a new stage today,” Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said in a Wednesday address to Iran’s Assembly of Experts, referring to the Supreme Leader’s letter to the youth in Europe and America as one of its signs.

On January 21, Ayatollah Khamenei wrote a letter asking the European and North American youths not to judge Islam based on the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.

In his letter, the Supreme Leader urged Western youths to try to gain direct and firsthand knowledge of the religion in reaction to the flood of prejudgments and disinformation campaigns.

The commander also highlighted the Islamic Revolution’s regional clout, saying, “the Lebanese Hezbollah and its resistance against… the Zionist regime’s army is a miracle worked by the Islamic Revolution and (an indication of) the Islamic establishment’s powerful influence… in the region.”

Major General Jafari further stressed Iran’s effective advisory role in Iraq and Syria, saying that the IRGC commanders’ advisory assistance helped Iraq cleanse some of its regions of the ISIL terrorists.

“Today, not only Palestine and Lebanon, but also the people of Iraq and Syria acknowledge the Islamic Revolution’s influential role,” the commander added.

The ISIL militants made advances in northern and western Iraq last summer after capturing 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.

Iran has repeatedly stressed that it will not interfere militarily in Iraq and Syria, but the Islamic Republic continues to provide support to both countries against ISIL in the form of defense consultancy and humanitarian aid.