Despite sanctions Iran is experiencing better conditions than wartime years

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March 4, 2015

Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani told a National Conference on Sustainable and Balanced Regional Development – attended by provincial governors and senior state managers – Tuesday that Iran can overcome the existing problems and make more progress even under the burden of sanctions.

The following is a partial translation of his remarks as reported by Mehr News Agency on March 3 with “Construction is possible even under sanctions” as its headline:

After the war, Iran experienced long hours of power outages on a daily basis. Industries would operate on a rotating basis. The country’s budget deficit stood at 51 percent in 1988. Iran’s foreign exchange reserves fund held a little more than $1 billion. The country had to make $12 billion in debt payments for the basic items it had purchased years before. Refineries were sitting idle. The oil industry was in ruins and Iran was hit by sanctions.

Sanctions then were not as tough as today. Since the revolution, Iran has always been under sanctions. It’s true that sanctions bite, but despite that the government can push ahead with its reconstruction drive.

The Iranian nation was united when the post-war Government of Construction was in office, although partial disagreements existed. Unfortunately, the post-war esprit de corps has been recently dealt a blow and in the most important foreign mission of the government which is led by a team backed by the Supreme Leader, the Worriers [supporters of Ahmadinejad] are joining Netanyahu in causing disruption.

Obama is under threat by Netanyahu, and here the Worries are threatening to reveal [what they tout are] secrets. They say whatever they want on parliament floor and some believe these lies. The Worriers are supported by certain forces which are originally in charge of protecting the establishment.

This is not what we faced in the post-war era. There was criticism back then, but not obstructionist measures. Today we are under international pressures, and state managers have a difficult responsibility to handle the affairs.

To make sustainable and balanced development a reality, you [governors general] need to build on people’s capacity and identify the provinces’ potential and resources in order to help the country grow. You can even tap into what is at your disposal in less-developed areas.

Governors-general should be given more powers to be able to make use of resources in their provinces. People are entitled to sustainable development and there should be no gap between the lifestyles of people from different strata.

To tackle water shortages in the country, we should opt for hothouse agriculture, which earns the country more revenues, consumes less water and creates more jobs.

Governors-general should identify experimental scientific plans in the country, implement and commercialize them, something which could produce more money and jobs in the country.

Governors-general should have interaction with each other and help boost development, and this results in a society in which people do not feel discriminated against.

The establishment has to remove the administrative problems, among them the red tape and corruption. Guidelines on Article 44 of the Constitution were part of a policy the Supreme Leader had ordered to be implemented – because a state-owned economy would weaken the country and make government still bigger – expecting it to result in an economic revolution, but it did not come true.

The Justice Shares was the first bomb which went off and blocked the way of privatization, with its supporters saying the private sector should dedicate part of its shares to Justice Shares. But the fact is that the private sector should be free [and be allowed to act freely].

The Supreme Leader supports Article 44. State organizations should help it become a reality. To that end, we have to remove the obstacles standing in the way. Thanks to people’s strong will and close cooperation, the existing problems can become a thing of the past, and sustainable and balanced regional development can come true.

London should take essential stride to broaden cooperation with Tehran: Boroujerdi

By

Emad Askarieh

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March 4, 2015

Chairman of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Tuesday that London should take concrete steps to promote cooperation with Tehran.

Boroujerdi made the remarks in a meeting with Director of Middle East at British Foreign Office Edward Oakden.

Referring to the performance of the British government about Iran in the past, he said London should spare no efforts to clear the negative image about the British government in the mind of Iranian people.

The current stands adopted by London and the economic sanctions orchestrated by the British government over the Iranian nuclear program do not help create a new chapter in relations, he said.

He expressed hope that London would take new strides in order to broaden scope of cooperation between the two countries.

The West has adopted double-standard policy in dealing with global issues as democracy, free elections and the fight against terrorism, he said.

Their negligence of the demand of public opinion in Bahrain and conduct of free election based on international norms and their inattention to the fight against terrorism will leave negative impacts on security and tranquility of the region and the world, Boroujerdi said.

Terrorism posed a potential threat to the security and development of all nations and adopting wrong policies will lead to the escalation of terrorism in the region, he said.

On Syrian developments, he said that refusal to take heed of the Syrian national sovereignty along with support for terrorist groups has created an unbearable situation in Syria which hurts humanity.

Edward Oakden, for his part, called for bolstering mutual relations as well as for a new chapter in Tehran-London ties.

“We are willing to open a new chapter on expansion of mutual relations,” he said.

He expressed hope that nuclear talks between Iran and P5+1 would bear fruit, saying that London will do its best to meet mutual interests.

He further added that London is quite serious in the fight against the IS terrorist group.

Old locks have literally seen better days in Iran (Photos)

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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March 4, 2015

Iranians were among the world’s top lock makers in the past, producing locks in the form of animals to fill the void created by the absence of sculpture in the country.

Since half a century ago, the lock making craft has been overpowered by the emergence of industrial padlocks.

What comes below is a collection of photos the Islamic Republic News Agency released on March 2 of old locks produced in Kerman, southeastern Iran:

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A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on March 4

By

Emad Askarieh

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March 4, 2015

Reaction to the deceptive remarks of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the US Congress where he warned American officials of what he claimed to be a bad deal with Iran dominated the front pages of most Iranian newspapers on Wednesday. Day two of the talks between Iranian and US delegations was also in the headlines. And, reformist-leaning newspapers quoted Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani as criticizing the hardliners at home for their opposition to anything President Rouhani’s administration does.

Abrar: Terrorist defense lines have been shattered in Tikrit, Iraq.

Afkar: Reports that a senior Oil Ministry official has fled to Canada have been denied.

Aftab-e Yazd: Iran’s share of the Turkish market is less than five percent.

Arman-e Emrooz: Different comments by the spokesman of the Guardian Council

It is possible for candidates who have been qualified before to be disqualified [in upcoming elections].

Arman-e Emrooz: “As for the saddening incident of Kahrizak, we have nothing to say but apologize,” said the police chief.

Asr-e Rasaneh: “Iran’s daily oil production capacity stands at four million barrels,” said the managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company.

Ebtekar: “The first round of secret talks between Iran and the US took place when Salehi was in office [at the helm of the Foreign Ministry],” said Hamid Reza Asefi, [a former FM spokesman].

Emtiaz: The attorney general has said that an investigation is underway into a $2.2 billion loan.

Emtiaz: The amount of fines poachers will have to pay has increased.

Etemad: Parliament has required the government to cut the cash subsidies of 5.5 million high-income individuals.

The government also has to register any new recipient of subsidies in cash.

Etemad: Efforts are underway to untie the technical knots of [nuclear] talks.

Iran and the US explore ways of pushing the talks forward.

Ettela’at: The US has stopped intelligence cooperation with Israel over Iran’s nuclear program.

Ettela’at: Plans have been made public to stop particulates affecting people’s lives and health across the country.

Hemayat: A famous US analyst has said that Iran owes its achievements to “the Genius of its Supreme Leader”.

Iran: Women have a three percent share of parliament seats.

Jomhouri Islami: After a second day of talks between Iranian and US delegates, hopes of clinching a nuclear deal have increased.

Jomhouri Islami: Netanyahu has expressed frustration with Iran’s regional and global authority.

Kaenat: Parliament has wrapped up its review of the budget bill which has now been sent to the Guardian Council for final approval.

Kaenat: World petrochemical giants are poised to work in Iran.

Kar va Kargar: “Judicial officials have no right to override the permissions issued for music concerts,” said the minister of culture and Islamic guidance.

Kayhan: The nonsense of a speech Netanyahu delivered [in the US Congress] cost those who were overexcited [about the Geneva deal] a lot.

Khorasan: Winners of the 28^th Kharazmi International Festival have been named.

Mardomsalari: “Worriers [Ahmadinejad supporters] have joined the Netanyahu chorus,” said the chairman of the Expediency Council.

Sharq: A committee has been formed to cross out the rich from the list of individuals eligible for cash subsidies.

Sobh-e Eghtesad: “Sanctions offered an opportunity to rebuild the country,” said the first vice-president.

Kharazmi International Award announces winners

By

Emad Askarieh

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March 4, 2015

Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi and Prof. Fu-Tong Liu from Taiwan were among winners of a 28th edition of Kharazmi International Award named on March 3.

During the closing ceremony of the Kharazmi International Award which took place on Tuesday, the jury selected seven accomplished foreign researchers as winners of the prestigious award. The winners were awarded by President Hassan Rouhani.

Prof. Fu-Tong Liu for his research on the role of galectins in health and disease; Prof. Claudio Hetz from Chile for targeting protein homeostasis to treat neurodegenerative diseases; and Prof. Andreas Manz from Switzerland for lab on a chip technology for use in analytical chemistry and applied biosciences were the foreign winners.

In the national section, the winners included Dr. Homayoun Kanouni for his studies on cold tolerance on chickpea and nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi for his endeavors to launch a nuclear plant to produce radiopharmaceuticals.

In 1987, the leading Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST) decided to launch an award to acknowledge the outstanding achievements in the field of science and technology.

IROST proposed the creation of the Kharazmi International Award in memory of Abu Jafar Mohammad Ibn Mousa Kharazmi, the great Iranian Mathematician and Astronomer (770-840 C.E).

During a fifth edition of the festival a foreign section was also launched.

Afkham slams Netanyahu anti-Iran speech at US Congress

By

Emad Askarieh

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March 4, 2015

Spokeswoman of the Foreign Ministry Marziyeh Afkham made the remarks while commenting on the anti-Iran address of Benjamin Netanyahu to the US lawmakers which was made coincidentally with the ongoing nuclear talks between officials of Iran and the Gtoup 5+1 in Switzerland.

It was a completely “deceitful show and a part of electoral campaign made by radicals in Tel Aviv,” Afkham said.

She added that Netanyahu’s speech has “indicated his weakness and extreme isolation of the radical groups even among their supporters.

“This is also an effort to impose their radical and irrational agenda on international policy.”

“There is no doubt that the world public opinion gives no value or status to a child-killer regime,” Afkham stressed.

She said ‘constant lying of Netanyahu about goals and purposes of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program is very much boring and not new.’

The policy of Iranophobia has faced serious problems following the continuation of the nuclear talks and due to Iran’s firm intention to resolve the fabricated nuclear crisis. It also led the creators of those crises and propaganda to resort to desperate efforts.

In his address to the US Congress today, the Zionist leader warned them of what he claimed to be making a bad deal with Iran.

However, the White House described his controversial statements as unhelpful.

Shortly after the Israeli prime minister ranted against the ongoing Iran nuclear talks, President Barack Obama told reports that Netanyahu ‘did not offer any viable alternative.”

The US President said there was ‘nothing new’ in Netanyahu’s speech.

Netanyahu trying to have disruptive effect on nuclear talks: Zarif

By

Emad Askarieh

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March 3, 2015

Iran’s foreign minister says the Israeli prime minister is trying to have a disruptive effect on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear negotiations with world powers.

“He’s trying to,” Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday, asked by the CNN if Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to have such effect on the talks.

“But I don’t think trying to create tension and conflict helps anybody,” the Iranian top diplomat noted.

Also on Tuesday, Netanyahu addressed the US Congress, calling on the United States not to negotiate “a very bad deal” with Iran over its nuclear energy program. He said, “We’ve been told for over a year that no deal is better than a bad deal. Well this is a bad deal, a very bad deal. We’re better off without it.”

Iran and P5+1 – Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany – are negotiating to narrow their differences over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program ahead of a July 1 deadline.

Netanyahu said that it is not true that “the only alternative to this deal is war.”

“The alternative to this deal is a much better deal. A better deal that doesn’t leave Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure and such a short breakout point,” he added.

He said that the ongoing nuclear negotiations would provide Iran “with a short breakout time for a bomb.”

“According to the deal not a single nuclear facility would be demolished,” he said.

“So this deal won’t change Iran for the better, it will only change the Middle East for the worst,” he noted.

US President Barack Obama said there was “nothing new” in the speech.

He told reporters that Netanyahu “did not offer any viable alternative.”

Speaking to reporters in the Swiss city of Geneva on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini warned against “spreading fears” about a final nuclear deal that is being negotiated by representatives from Iran and the six states.

“Spreading fears is not helpful at this stage,” Mogherini told reporters, adding, “We are getting closer” to a comprehensive accord aimed at ending the longstanding dispute on Tehran’s nuclear dossier.

Reflecting on the talks, Zarif also said “we’re starting to move forward, but it’s a lot of work.”

Spreading fears on Iran nuclear deal unhelpful: EU

By

Emad Askarieh

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March 3, 2015

The European Union says “spreading fears” about an emerging deal between Tehran and P5+1 on Iran’s nuclear program is unhelpful.

Speaking to reporters in the Swiss city of Geneva, on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, warned against “spreading fears” about a final nuclear deal that is being negotiated by representatives from Iran and the six states.

“Spreading fears is not helpful at this stage,” Mogherini told reporters, adding, “We are getting closer” to a comprehensive accord aimed at ending the longstanding dispute on Tehran’s nuclear dossier.

Her remarks came just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly attacked the emerging Iran deal, began his speech at US Congress.

The senior EU diplomat further said Tehran and its negotiating partners have taken “significant steps in the last weeks, with a lot of political will that I see on many sides.”

“(In) the talks of this last round, including the one of today, (there) were encouraging signs,” Mogherini said, adding, “I would like to make an appeal, a plea to all public actors to facilitate rather than put in danger diplomatic efforts that have been extremely difficult.”

Mogherini also stated that she had held a phone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tehran’s nuclear issue and was set to discuss the matter with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif later on Tuesday.

The EU foreign policy chief made the comments as officials from Iran and the United States are holding a second day of discussions in their latest round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear program in the Swiss city of Montreux.

Zarif and Kerry, who are heading the Iranian and American delegations, sat down for more than two hours of nuclear discussions on Monday.

The new round of talks in Montreux comes as representatives from Iran and the United States held three rounds of intense negotiations in the Swiss city of Geneva on February 22-23 to bridge their differences ahead of the July 1 deadline for Iran and P5+1 to reach a comprehensive nuclear deal.

The two sides have missed two deadlines since an interim deal was signed in November 2013.

Irked by the interim accord between Tehran and P5+1, Israeli authorities have been lobbying over the past year to hinder a permanent accord on Tehran’s nuclear case.

In his latest attempt to sabotage a lasting nuclear agreement, the Israeli premier told US congressmen on Tuesday that a future accord would benefit the Islamic Republic, accusing Washington of negotiating a “bad deal” with Iran.

Netanyahu claimed that the nuclear agreement would provide Iran “with a short breakout time for a bomb,” adding, “According to the deal not a single [facility] would be demolished… because Iran’s [facilities] would be left largely intact.”

Financial losses claim; forgotten but not gone

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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March 3, 2015

Iran’s nuclear team has been involved in marathon talks with P5+1 for over one and a half years. Prior to this, the eighth, ninth and tenth governments held similar inconclusive negotiations. Despite the flexibility shown by the Iranian side, the West has refrained from accepting a deal and remaining committed to its obligations.

Resalat daily on March 1 dedicated its editorial to Iran’s right to compensation for the losses it has sustained over the years because of the unjust sanctions of the West. The following is a partial translation of the editorial by Mohammad Kazem Anbarlouei:

[…]

For more than a decade, the Western side has acted like an “interrogator”, treating Iran like a “defendant”. It has made allegations which have been repeatedly rebutted, with the International Atomic Energy Agency confirming their groundlessness in its [periodic] reports.

To act in good faith, Iran has met their illegal demands which go beyond the provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and the IAEA has verified Iran’s measures.

In return, nothing has happened. The Western side has neither dropped its unsubstantiated claims, nor has it offered apologies for the invalidity of its previous allegations.

For more than a decade wicked measures by the US and certain Western governments have inflicted billions of dollars in losses on the [Islamic] establishment. They have caused Iran to pay hefty prices for its nuclear program. They have sabotaged our nuclear program by selling us contaminated parts. That is not all; they have even assassinated five Iranian nuclear scientists in a despicable way.

What is absent in nuclear talks between Iran and P5+1 is the question of Iran’s financial losses claim; the losses they have imposed on Iran which have taken a toll on our public funds.

[…]

Iran should lodge serious financial and calculational claims against the Western side and ask for compensation for numerous losses, among them:

Compensation for the cost Iran has paid to master peaceful nuclear technology

Compensation for those who lost their lives to the sanctions imposed on radiopharmaceuticals

Compensation for the assassination of nuclear scientists for whose training Iran had invested millions of dollars

Compensation for the staggering costs of redesigning the nuclear facility in Arak

Compensation for Iran’s frozen assets in the European and US banks

Compensation for [the West’s] procrastination tactics and foot-dragging in the talks

The Iranian nuclear team does not include a negotiator who can present these loss claims. So a representative from the Supreme Audit Court and one from the Economy Ministry’s treasury office should pursue the demands of the Iranian nation in the talks.

In the early years after the Islamic Revolution, a few Americans were targeted and killed by a Lebanese resistance movement in the Arab country. Their families took the case to the court, asking for compensation. They lodged a complaint against the Iranian government, arguing that Tehran had lent [financial] support to the resistance group in Lebanon. They called on the US administration to give them compensation from Iran’s assets frozen in the US and Europe!

The Iranian negotiating team provides an answer to any false, baseless claim the US makes, but it has yet to put on the table the [legitimate] demand of the Iranian nation for compensation for the losses Iran has sustained as a result of unjust sanctions.

The American and French sides have put forward the most outrageous demands and claims in nuclear talks; that is one reason why the talks are held behind closed doors. If they are made public, Iranians from all walks of life would pour onto the streets [in protest] and would no longer tolerate the presence of their representatives in the talks – in which the other party makes audacious claims – even for a few minutes.

[…]

In the recent history of the Iranian nation over the past century, the name of a clergyman has never appeared in a deal with a colonial power. The Iranian nation has stood up to bullying of any sort over the past 36 years and pursued its own agenda.

The nation who stands up today should reclaim its rights from the bullying powers. Any deal in March should recognize Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology in line with the NPT.

Compensation should be paid to the Iranian nation, and unjust sanctions should be lifted once and for all, without technical and legal bargaining. If all this happens, Iranians can turn yet another golden page in the history of their resistance.

Borzoo, a 3rd Persian leopard fitted with GPS tracking neckband

By

Emad Askarieh

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March 3, 2015

The website of Iran Environment and Wildlife reported on February 24 that a third Persian leopard has been captured alive in Tandooreh National Park and fitted with a GPS tracking neckband.

At stages one and two of the project, which is the doctoral thesis of Mohammad Sadegh Farhadinia, Borna, and Bardiya [two male Persian leopards] were equipped with similar neckbands.

A third stage of the project saw researchers set traps in late January to capture more leopards alive. One day after the traps were laid, a third leopard was caught. In order to carry out some tests and examination, the feline was given a dose of aesthetic through a blowpipe.

The subsequent examination of the big cat showed that he was about 11 years old and weighed 57 kg, which is not much for an adult Persian leopard.

Dr. Iman Memarian, a veterinarian who conducted the medical examination, said, “Although some of his teeth were decayed, he still has enough healthy teeth to hunt. To ease the tracking of this old and experienced leopard, we named him Borzoo.”

A few days after Borzoo was released into the wild, a picture of him was captured by a camera installed in the park. The following is a photo gallery posted by www.iew.ir of the operation during which Borzoo was equipped with the tracking neckband: