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

Iran News
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Business
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- Education
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- Human Rights
- Incidents
- Lifestyle
- Sport
- Women
Culture
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Home Blog Page 4957

Iran to deal with the country from which downed Israeli drone took off

Emad Askarieh

September 10, 2014

On Wednesday September 10, Afarinesh daily reported that the Islamic Consultative Assembly is to draft a bill that would punish the country that allowed an Israeli drone to take off on a foiled reconnaissance flight over Iran [August 23].

The vice-chairman of the chamber’s National Security and Foreign Relations Committee said that the committee might ask military commanders and other officials to appear before parliament to explain the incident.

“When enough information is collected about what has happened, we would debate the bill on parliament floor. If approved, the Islamic Consultative Assembly will pave the way for its implementation,” Mansour Haghighatpour, who represents the northwestern city of Ardebil in parliament said.

All we think about is winning

Emad Askarieh

September 10, 2014

Ahead of a clash between Iran and Australia in the FIVB World Championships later Wednesday, the Serbian head coach of the Iranian national volleyball team said his players have produced a stellar performance in the games in Poland so far and should do their best to advance from the second stage of the games.

Iran is now placed in the same group as Slobodan Kovac’s home country: Serbia. For the first time he seems to want to see his home country lose in an international event. In an interview with Khabaronline’s reporter Mehri Ranjbar, Kovac further said:

“All we think about at this stage of the games is winning over Australia. We need to perform well and emerge victorious.

“Some [coaches and players] are merely fixated on advancing. I believe that is not a good idea. You need to perform well and win.

“We are trying to perform well, score points and make Iranians happy. Iran has now become a well-respected squad on everyone’s lips. Everyone knows our players by name. It couldn’t have been better.”

Iran resolute on enhanced ties with Kazakhstan: Rouhani

Emad Askarieh

September 10, 2014

“The policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government is [based on] close interaction and relations with regional countries and particularly with neighboring states. Kazakhstan has a special position among them,” Rouhani said in a meeting with Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov in Astana on Tuesday.

He added that the annual value of exchanges between Tehran and Astana currently stands at one billion dollars which indicates that the two sides have so far failed to make proper use of bilateral capabilities to increase the figure.

He noted that the implementation of agreements signed between the two countries would lead to a great development in mutual ties and even in the region, saying Iran is determined to implement the deals.

On Tuesday, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his Iranian counterpart signed documents for cooperation in various fields.

“Undoubtedly, the expansion of cooperation in various sectors including transportation, the Caspian Sea, joint venture, industry and the environment is very important and I hope that joint cooperation will also be developed in the fields of culture, science and technology,” Rouhani said.

The Kazakh premier, for his part, said Astana is keen to increase trade exchanges with Iran, expressing hope that the Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railway would pave the way for achieving this goal.

Massimov also hoped that negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program would lead to positive outcomes and sanctions against Tehran would be lifted.

The Iranian president wrapped up his official two-day visit to Astana on Wednesday after he held talks with senior Kazakh officials on the first leg of his five-day tour of the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

President Rouhani traveled to Tajikistan for a three-day visit on Wednesday, to participate at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Iran, Russia sign MoUs to boost economic, trade ties

Emad Askarieh

September 10, 2014

The agreement was made during talks between Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Tuesday in Tehran.

The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding also aimed at developing their industrial, mining, trade, agricultural, tourism, border, technological and energy cooperation.

Iran’s International Petrochemical Company and Russian Gas Stroll also signed an MoU on the construction of the Hormuz chemical fertilizer plant in Iran.

The MoUs were signed on Tuesday at the end of the 11th round of Iran-Russia trade cooperation commission held in Tehran.

Zanganeh expressed hope that the value of trade ties between the two countries would increase more than tenfold within the next two years. Iran-Russia trade currently totals USD 5 billion a year.

Novak, for his part, said that sanctions against Iran and Russia have had the slightest effect on the relations between the two countries.

“Before the imposition of sanctions on Russia, Moscow imported certain commodities from the European Union but now [after the West bans] we can import them from Iran, which can increase trade transactions between the two countries,” he added.

The US and EU have imposed an array of embargoes on Russian individuals and businesses over the crisis in Ukraine. They accuse Moscow of supporting anti-Kiev protesters in eastern and southern Ukraine. Russia denies the allegation.

The US and its European allies have imposed sanctions against Iran over Tehran’s civilian nuclear activities.

Iran, Russia can boost trade exchanges tenfold

Emad Askarieh

September 10, 2014

The 11th round of Iran-Russia trade cooperation commission was held in Tehran on Tuesday in the presence of the Iranian oil minister and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak along with other members of the Iranian-Russian Joint Business Council (JBC).

“In 1392 (The last Iranian calendar year, which started on March 21, 2013 and ended on March 20, 2014), the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $1.5 billion, which has the capacity to be increased to more than 10 times through efforts” made so far, IRNA quoted Zangeneh as saying.

The three-hour long meeting, held in Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries Mines, and Agriculture, focused on the two countries’ technical and technological potentials.

The two sides stressed more comprehensive economic transactions between Tehran and Moscow.

“We can provide Russia with a wide range of commodities and services they may not have access to due to the illegal sanctions. We will sign a memorandum of understanding today with an eye to finalizing the bilateral trade deal,” the Iranian oil minister said.

Zanganeh also called Russia a “great market for Iranian companies.”

Novak, for his part, hailed greater ties with Tehran, saying, “This event is a milestone in Russian-Iranian commercial relations, which will facilitate trade between the two countries.”

The JBC’s Russian members also voiced hope that more ties with Iran could pave the way for neutralization of the US-imposed sanctions on Moscow.

“The latest sanctions imposed by the US and EU disrupted the process of fruit import to Russia from European countries like Poland, said Victor Melinkov, the JBC chairman, adding that the situation provides an opportunity for Russia to “compensate for this problem by importing fruits from Iran.”

Tensions between Russia and the West heightened after Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea joined the Russian Federation following a referendum in March.

The next round of the joint trade commission will be held in Moscow in 2015.

A look at Iranian newspaper headlines across the country on September 9

Emad Askarieh

September 9, 2014

Most Iranian newspapers on Tuesday led on the successful surgery Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei underwent in Tehran the day before. Images of senior state officials paying bedside visits to him were splashed across their front pages. Comments by Iran’s deputy foreign minister on nuclear talks also generated headlines. “We are having good interactions with the Americans at the negotiating table,” one headline read. Also drawing attention were the interior minister’s remarks that Iranian security forces are well aware of plots by IS to mount attacks on regional countries, including Iran, and that Tehran is ready to nip any such scheme in the bud. And finally, news about the meetings the visiting Danish foreign minister had in Tehran with some senior officials, including the chairman of the Expediency Council, was on the front pages of some dailies.

Ebtekar dedicated its front-page headline to the use of anti-Internet filtering software and said based on the stats released by the Center for Research at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, 69 percent of Iranian youth use software to bypass filtering.

Ebtekar: “A Tangled Knot in Kabul” is another headline the daily carries, implying that talks between Afghanistan’s rival presidential candidates still remain inconclusive.

Ebtekar: “A bizarre about-face by Ahmadinejad on the State Expediency Council” is the headline of a piece by the newspaper to shed light on a shift of stance by the former president toward the council. In light of the fact that the former president is likely to run for parliament, the daily argues, Ahmadinejad, who used to boycott the meetings of the council, attends them regularly to quell accusations that he is arrogant and does not pay attention to the viewpoints of others.

Ebtekar: “Bedside visit to the Supreme Leader by senior statesmen of the establishment” is the title of a story which covers the successful surgery the Leader underwent on September 8 and the satisfaction his medical team expressed with the operation.

Ettela’at quoted the deputy oil minster as saying that expansion of oil cooperation between Iran, China, and Russia is around the corner.

Tafahom ran a headline on President Hassan Rouhani’s 5-day tour of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, among other things, to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

Javan also highlights the figures released by the Center for Research and Strategic Studies and puts “Only 10 percent of the youth use the Internet for research” as its front-page headline.

Hemayat: Three Iranian volleyball players are on the list of the most valuable players of the 2014 FIVB Men’s World Championship.

Farhikhtegan: “Three requirements to fight terrorism” covers the meeting between Chairman of the Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and the Danish foreign minister during which Hashemi said honesty, bravery and elimination of double standards are central to efforts to the fight against terror.

Kar va Kargar reports that a first case of cholera has been spotted in the capital, Tehran.

Abrar Eghtesadi: “Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone sees a 47-percent rise in investment.”

Asrar quoted the Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili as saying that jets were scrambled as a NATO plane entered the country’s airspace after providing false information to Iranian aviation officials. The plane was escorted to an airport in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas.

Asrar: “The country is in a good condition as far as security is concerned,” said the Iranian Prosecutor General.

Another headline of Asrar read, “Likelihood of the death penalty for Mohamed Morsi [the ousted Egyptian president].”

Etemad: “To address the violation of the Islamic dress code, disciplinary measures should not be the first priority,” said Police ChiefBrigadier General Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam. His comments came after President Rouhani advised against the exertion of pressureto prevent such violations.

In another news piece, Etemad refers to a recent decision by the government to replace jail terms with community service.

Ta’adol: “A halt in the fall of stocks” is the headline of a story that says the weeklong freefall of the index of the Tehran Stock Exchange has stopped.

Jomhouri Islami quoted President Rouhani during a visit to Kazakhstan as saying, “The railway connecting Iran to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan will open by yearend [March 21, 2015].”

Shahrvand quoted the director of the Research Center for HIV as saying, “Transmission of HIV by sexual contact is on the rise.”

Quds quoted Economy Minister Ali Tayebnia as warning, “Tax evaders will be identified.”

Kaenat reports that 250,000 university seats will remain vacant. It came after the results of the nationwide university entrance exam were released.

Hadaf va Eghtesad filed the comments of the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Iran under the following headline: “The foreign currency market is now stable.”

Iran intercepts pro-Takfiris on way to join ISIL in Iraq

Emad Askarieh

September 9, 2014

Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli

Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli made the announcement on Monday, dismissing claims that the terrorist group is recruiting forces in Iran.

“Of course, there have been cases of Afghan and Pakistani nationals trying to cross the Islamic Republic of Iran’s territory [into Iraq],” he said, adding, “We have on several occasions prevented them from entering the country and crossing the borders of Iran, and we have made several arrests in that respect.”

He further stated that Iranian security forces deployed along the country’s western border are watching out for potential threats posed by terrorist groups.

Iranian officials have, on numerous occasions, expressed support for the restoration of stability and security to Iraq while denying sending military forces to the neighboring country. Tehran says Iraq is fully capable of countering ISIL and there is no need for foreign involvement.

[…]

Persian leopard with implanted gold crowns

Emad Askarieh

September 9, 2014

Persian leopards are the largest ones of their kind in the world. They have a big, muscular, and extremely flexible body and can be found in several habitats across Iran.

Rica, a male Persian leopard whose mother was killed by poachers in northern Iran when he was still a cub, was looked after by the rangers and then was first taken to Darabad Museum and later to Tehran Zoological Garden.

Rica went through a lot of pain because of worn lower fangs, tooth infection and abscess. The infection left a cavity in his lower jaw and caused him a lot of pain. Had it not been treated, it could have put his life in danger.

Unfortunately, in our country there is no veterinary dentist, that’s why wildlife expert Iman Memarian at Tehran Zoo tried to put together a team and use a dentist to treat Rica. He wanted to save the leopard in his care from the pain by any means possible.

Sizing up all factors at play to form a team, he asked Dr. Molazem and Dr. Omidvari, a dentist, and the School of Veterinary to help him with the exclusive treatment project.

At Tehran Zoo, Rica was given a general anesthetic by Dr. Memarian who then took the animal to hospital in his own car because there was no ambulance available. What made what he did dangerous was that the animal could come to on the way to hospital. You never know how an aggressive animal like a leopard would react in the enclosed space of a car and what danger it could pose to people. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why his consciousness level was closely monitored by Dr. Ghazalleh.

Eventually, they arrived at the hospital and the unprecedented operation began. Although it was his first experience with animals, Dr. Omidvari along with the medical team performed the multi-step surgery confidently. At the first stage they removed the infected tooth pulp and the nerve.

In the second stage of the procedure, the root canal was carried out. Gold crowns were later made to be put over the top of damaged fangs.

What was interesting was that when Rica came around, he wouldn’t let anyone touch him even from behind the fence – something that he used to do – fearing that zoo keepers might once again want to use a blowpipe [a weapon which is used by inserting projectile inside the pipe, and the force created by one’s breath is used to give the projectile momentum in order to give an animal anesthetic drugs.]

Naarengi [Tangerine], a magazine which is aimed at children and their parents and published by Valeh Education Institute, first reported this story.

Alireza Shahrdari-Panah, who filed this report for Naarengi, served as an assistant to Dr. Memarian all through the process.

Rouhani gives top priority to agriculture

Emad Askarieh

September 9, 2014

“Ideas and achievements of the elite should be used in agriculture, industry and mining, and people should reap the benefits,” President Hassan Rouhani said at a meeting with the elite in Khorasan Razavi (September 7).

Fortunately, over the last year the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad and the Center for Information and Public Relations have created a good atmosphere, bringing agricultural issues to the attention of the public, the government and parliament and prompting authorities to take the supply of food and improvement in agriculture more seriously.

During the past year, the first vice president has paid five visits to centers for agriculture research, a fact which underlines the importance the government attaches to the sector. Other vice presidents have also paid similar visits.

President Rouhani, who was born and bred in the countryside and is well aware of farming, usually turns to former Agriculture Minister Issa Kalantari for advice. He pays serious attention to ideas floated by Mahmoud Hojati, who was at the helm of the ministry for two terms.

The president’s recent remarks about agriculture indicate that he puts agriculture ahead of industry and mining, signaling that he lays considerable emphasis on the sector responsible for the production of 120 million tons of crops and food.

There is hope his approach will result in a solution to the problems the agriculture sector and farmers are grappling with.

A look at transit and customs problems in Afghanistan

Emad Askarieh

September 9, 2014

Iran Says Almost All Border Crossings Reopened by Neighbours — Afghanistan Transit

Afghanistan has been trying for a long time to become a member of Transports Internationaux Routiers (International Road Transports, or TIR). “Afghanistan applied for TIR membership in 1976, yet unfortunately, TIR turned down the application, citing civil war in the country. The country eventually managed to become a member of TIR in September 2013,” a report by the Public Relations Department of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce quoted Afghan Customs Agent Alireza Sadrikhah as saying.

Sadrikhah described Iran’s geographic position as important for Afghanistan’s international trade and said, “Iran’s access to high seas makes it the best route for trade exchanges in the region; it can also offer common benefits to all regional nations.”

“Studies suggest Iran’s transit route is the best to Central Asia, Afghanistan and northern Iraq,” said President of the board and CEO of Bar Baran International Shipping Agency and Forwarding Company Farid Saffarzadeh. He called for improvement in the TIR trend as far as transport between the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Iran is concerned.

He added, “In terms of transport, two criteria must be observed. First, transit services should be provided for shipping companies. Second, security is so important. Iran enjoys a better geopolitical position than Turkey and Pakistan, which have a longer transit path with more overheads. All in all, Iran seems to be the best option.”