Environmental guards could rescue and treat a goshawk which was wounded in Shahroud region, Semnan Province.
Goshawk is a medium-large bird of prey which inhabits the temperate parts of the northern hemisphere.
The following are the photos Mehr News Agency released online on January 29 of the rescue operation:
A visit by the Supreme Leader to the mausoleum of the late Imam Khomeini to pay respects to the architect of the Islamic Republic as the 36th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution nears appeared on the front pages of all newspapers on Thursday. Also on the cover of dailies was the retaliatory attack of Hezbollah on an Israeli military convoy.
Abrar: In a letter to the parliament speaker, four MPs have called for the list of deputies who have received financial aid from Mohammad Reza Rahimi [a convicted deputy of the former president] to be made public.
Abrar: “Government should be required to hand over development projects to the private sector,” said Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.
Abrar-e Eghtesadi: “Oil accounts for some 90 percent of the country’s GDP,” said the minister of industries, mines and trade.
Abrar-e Eghtesadi: Following a 50 percent rise in imports of consumer goods, a motion to question Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh [the minister of industries, mines and trade] will be debated on parliament floor.
Afkar: The new Saudi King has made his first official comment on Iran. “Iran should not develop nuclear weapons.”
Afkar: Lebanon’s Hezbollah has retaliated against the Israeli attack.
Aftab-e Yazd: Gholamali Khoshroo, an ally of [former President Mohammad] Khatami has been named Iran’s new ambassador to the United Nations.
Aftab-e Yazd: The grandson of Imam Khomeini has urged President Rouhani – when he visited the mausoleum of the late Imam – to stick to his “prudence and bravery”.
Arman-e Emrooz: A member of the committee looking into the corruption case involving billionaire Babak Zanjani has said four ministers have been questioned in connection with the case.
Eghtesad-e Pooya: “The Chinese supply one-fourth of Iran’s needs,” reported the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran.
Emtiaz: Some 50 percent of those who develop cancer in Iran die of the disease.
Etemad: “The crime Mohammad Reza Rahimi has been convicted of dates back to the time he was first vice-president,” said the spokesman of the judiciary. [His comment seems to be in response to former President Ahmadinejad’s statement that Rahimi’s corruption case has nothing to do with his presidency.
Ettela’at: The president has urged the public to turn out in force for festivities to mark the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Hemayat: Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani paid respects to the founding father of the Islamic Republic by visiting his mausoleum, south of Tehran. “Imam established a link between politics and religiosity.”
Jamejam: An Iranian referee will officiate the final of the AFC Asian Cup in Australia.
Jomhouri Islami: “Gaps in nuclear talks have somewhat narrowed,” said the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.
Jomhouri Islami: Talks between Iran and deputy foreign ministers of E3 [Germany, France and Britain] will open in Istanbul, Turkey later on Thursday.
Kayhan: “Police prevent some 5 million liters of fuel from being smuggled out of the country on a daily basis,” said Police Chief Brigadier General Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam.
Khorasan: “Mohammad Reza Rahimi seeks to depict his conviction in a corruption case as being politically motivated,” said the judiciary spokesman.
Mardomsalari: “Reports that a senior official at the Presidential Office holds dual citizenship are untrue,” said the government spokesman.
Qods: “The West should know that Iran’s patience is not infinite,” said the Iranian foreign minister.
Sayeh: “Up to four million educated Iranian men and women are single,” said the National Organization for Civil Registration.
Representatives from Iran and three big European Union countries involved in negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program are set to hold a fresh round of nuclear talks.
The Islamic Republic and the EU three — France, Germany and the United Kingdom — will start the one-day talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul later on Thursday.
The Iranian negotiating team, led by Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araghchi, is due in Istanbul on Thursday.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe and Americas’ Affairs Majid Takht-e-Ravanchi, who is also an Iranian nuclear negotiator, arrived in Istanbul earlier in the day.
Helga Schmid, the deputy of EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, will also participate in the talks.
Iran and P5+1 – the US, France, Britain, China, Russia and Germany – are in talks to secure a final comprehensive deal over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear work.
On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran and P5+1 are close to reaching a final deal over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, adding that details are now being worked out in the talks.
“We are done with the generalities and have begun [discussing] details. Iran’s [uranium] enrichment program and the continuation of the nuclear program have been approved,” Zarif said on Tuesday.
Since an interim deal was agreed in Geneva in November 2013, the negotiating sides have missed two self-imposed deadlines to ink a final agreement.
Iran and the six powers now seek to reach a high-level political agreement by March 1 and to confirm the full technical details of the accord by July 1.
Senior Iranian official Ali Akbar Velayati has held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a special envoy for Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani.
Velayati, an advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, gave Rouhani’s message to the Russian president in Moscow on Wednesday, IRNA reported.
The two sides agreed on efforts for the promotion of Iran’s status at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), according to the Iranian embassy in the Russian capital.
The meeting, which lasted more than an hour, also focused on bilateral political and economic ties as well as Tehran’s nuclear talks with the Sextet of world powers.
Iran, which received observer status at the SCO in 2005, eyes the body’s upcoming meeting in the Republic of Bashkortostan next summer, where new membership will be discussed.
Iran-SCO ties have been on the rise since President Rouhani’s first international trip to the 2013 SCO summit in Kyrgyz capital Bishkek and a 2014 one in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
Iran’s 2008 application for full membership has so far been blocked due to sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.
Tehran, however, argues that the program is totally peaceful and is currently engaged in negotiations with P5+1 (China, Russia, France, Britain, and the US – plus Germany) in an effort to reach a high-level political agreement by March 1 and to confirm the full technical details of the accord by July 1.
According to the Iranian embassy, Velayati also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday paid tribute to the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, a few days before the beginning of Ten-Day Dawn ceremonies, marking the victory of 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Iranian nation toppled the US-backed Pahlavi regime 36 years ago, on February 11, 1979, ending 2,500 years of monarchic rule in the country. The Revolution, led by the late Imam Khomeini, established a new political system based on Islamic values and democracy.
Every year Iranians mark anniversary of their Islamic Revolution from February 1 to 11, known as the Ten-Day Dawn ceremonies. February 1, 1979 was the date when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile in Paris to Tehran. On February 11 each year, Iranian people pour into the streets in their millions to commemorate the great victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Ayatollah Khamenei also paid homage to Iranian martyrs laid to rest in Behesht-e Zahra Cemetry in southern Tehran including martyrs of June 28th, 1981 bombing at the headquarters of the Iran Islamic Republic Party in Tehran, while the members in a meeting.
Seventy-two officials of the Islamic Republic were killed, including Chief Justice Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti – who was the speaker of the parliament – four cabinet ministers, 27 members of Parliament and several other government officials.
Later in the day, President Rouhani paid a similar visit to the mausoleum of the late Imam to renew allegiance to the ideals of the founding father of the Islamic Republic.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday complained about unfair criticism by radicals of nuclear negotiators, saying that taking a walk with US officials during nuclear talks is nothing new.
In an exclusive interview with IRNA, the top diplomat said by calling for confrontation with the West, the radicals have embarrassed the negotiators.
How do you expect the negotiators to proceed with brainstorming negotiations when they are subject to unfair and illogical criticism?
“I respect the right of everyone to be critical, but I would like to mention two points. First, critics should make sure that their criticism is not detrimental to the national interests; they should keep in mind that the negotiating team are representing the Islamic Republic of Iran and believe in safeguarding national interests. They do not seek to cross the red lines. Second, the negotiators have been put through a difficult period by illogical and unfair criticism,’ Zarif said.
He recalled the remarks of the Supreme Leader who said the negotiators have withstood the enemies to defend our national interests just like an army division.
Zarif urged radical members of parliament to put national interests ahead of partisan interests and focus on fair criticism rather than finding fault with negotiators.
Yiannis Chryssomallis, known as Yanni, is a Greek pianist, keyboardist and composer. On January 27 Sharq daily published an interview with the well-known composer in which he said, “I sincerely hope I have a chance to visit Iran.” What comes next is a partial translation of the Q and A:
To many Iranians, your name is synonymous with your concert at the Acropolis in Greece where you took the stage as Shahrdad Rouhani [a world-renowned Iranian musician] conducted. What was your cooperation with him like?
To me, Shahrdad is a noble and remarkable artist I have had the privilege to work with. I have always appreciated working with him at the Acropolis concert in 1993. Shahrdad was a distinguished member of the team and played an important role in rendering the concert spectacularly successful.
By and large, how much do you know about Iran, its history, artists and musicians?
The Iranian culture and history was part of my school curriculum in Greece. I have never been to Iran, but I hope I can visit the country soon. One of my greatest wishes is travelling and learning more about cultures and nations.
What are your thoughts about the people who listen to your music, especially those in the Eastern countries?
I am honored that people listen to my music. That my music is said to have had an impact on lives of people is a source of honor. In fact, any time there is a mention of people living in the East, I feel there is a close relationship between me and them, particularly those of the Middle East and Iran.
Aside from cooperation with Shahrdad Rouhani, have you ever considered working with other Iranian musicians?
My main cooperation has been with Shahrdad Rouhani. We had close cooperation at the Acropolis concert and since then we have maintained our contact. I am willing to acquire similar experience with other Iranian musicians.
Over the past few years, we have kept hearing that you are going to hold a concert in Iran. Why have they been called off?
I love to stage a concert in Iran and get first-hand knowledge about its culture and people. There have been reports about an imminent concert in Iran over the past few years, yet none has ever materialized.
Will you have a concert in Iran in the near future?
I sincerely hope that I get a chance to visit Iran and hold a concert there. The fulfillment of this objective requires planning, and mutual cooperation from different groups. I really hope I will have a concert in Iran at the proper time under good conditions.
[…]
You have a lot of fans in Iran. What do you want to tell them?
Iranians understand me and there is a good emotional bond between us. I have a lot of fans in Iran whom I have met during my tours around the world. I appreciate their support and emotions and hope that the day will come when I can have a concert in Iran and meet them in person.
An Iranian deputy foreign minister says Zionist regime’s officials will suffer the consequences of Tel Aviv’s recent airstrike that killed six Hezbollah members and an Iranian commander in Syria’s Golan Height.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, said on Tuesday that following the attack, the Islamic Republic sent a message to the United States “through diplomatic channels,” warning that the Israeli regime should suffer the consequences of its fatal aerial assault against the Hezbollah convoy on the Syrian soil.
“In this message, we declared to the Americans that Israel has crossed Iran’s red lines by taking this action,” said the senior Iranian diplomat.
On January 17, an Israeli military helicopter fired two missiles into Amal Farms in the strategic southwestern Syrian city of Quneitra, close to the line separating the Syrian part of the Golan Heights from the Israeli-occupied sector.
Six Hezbollah members as well as Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, an Iranian commander, lost their lives in the Israeli assault.
Israel later claimed that it was unaware of the presence of an Iranian commander in the area where the attack happened.
Iranian officials, however, have rejected the claim, describing it as a routine tactic used by Israelis to hide their evil intentions.
Earlier on Tuesday, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, called Israel’s claims as mere “lies,” saying that such statements reveal the Tel Aviv regime’s fear of Iran’s retaliation.
The January 17 attack in Quneitra has sparked fears within Israel of Hezbollah’s possible retaliation.
Israeli media have reported over the past days that the regime is closely monitoring the movements close to the Lebanese border and in the occupied Golan Heights.
An Iranian parliamentary ad hoc committee reviewing the country’s national budget bill has cut the share of state-run rainy day kitty from oil revenues to 20 percent from 26 percent as oil prices keep falling.
“The share of National Development Fund of Iran (NDFI) from oil [revenues] has been reduced to 20 percent,” Mohammad Mehdi Mofateh, spokesman for the parliament (Majlis) Ad Hoc Budget Review Committee, said on Tuesday.
He said that a 20 percent share from Iran’s natural gas exports will also be funneled into the fund as of February.
The Iranian parliament is currently reviewing a budget bill President Hassan Rouhani has submitted for Iran’s next fiscal year which starts on March 21.
Rouhani has sought to reduce the share of petrodollars in Iran’s budget by a third as the country has seen its oil revenues fall by 30 percent in recent months. Iran’s national budget has traditionally been drawn up based on revenues from oil which Iran holds in large quantity.
Mofateh said the budget for next fiscal year is based on $72 oil and that the lawmakers would not modify the figure.
Oil prices have plunged nearly 60 percent since June last year over increased supplies by certain countries such as Saudi Arabia and lackluster global economic growth.
OPEC, which pumps out about 40 percent of the world’s oil, has so far refrained from cutting its production to balance the market mainly due to opposition from Saudi Arabia. Iran is a leading producer of the 12-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
The parliament has already allowed the government to increase its revenues from income tax in the next Iranian calendar year by 22 percent and up its earnings from miscellaneous income tax by almost 40 percent.
Deputy Chairman of Italy’s Red Cross in charge of humanitarian affairs said on Tuesday that the school for volunteer nurses has been launched in Iran.
During her stay in Iran, she is to visit the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran to study the grounds for expansion of mutual cooperation.
The visit will help both sides to learn about the capabilities of each other of rendering humanitarian aid to affected people in due time, she said.
Head of Italy’s Red Cross Francesco Rocha who is visiting Iran for a second time described the aim of his visit as expansion of mutual cooperation with the Red Crescent Society.
She said they had already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with former head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society to broaden scope of cooperation between the two organizations.
The MoU also called for running the school for volunteer nurses, she pointed out.
It is expected that the two sides’ invaluable experience in dealing with natural disasters such as earthquake will be useful in rescue operations, she said.
The nurses undergoing training at the school will be able to take part in rescue operations and rapid deployment in the disaster-hit areas as well as wars and military conflicts, she said.
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