The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Iran’s Khazar Exploration and Production Company (KEPCO) have signed a memorandum of understanding on joint exploration and production of oil in the Caspian Sea.
The document was signed during a visit to Iran by the delegation led by SOCAR first vice-president Khoshbakht Yusifzadeh at the invitation of KEPCO, according to a report carried by Azerbaijan Business Center (ABC.AZ).
Azerbaijan and Iran have had diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.
In April this year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev paid a visit to Tehran to consult with senior Iranian officials on bilateral and regional issues and the expansion of mutual relations.
High-ranking officials from the two countries signed three memoranda of understanding and a cooperation agreement during his visit to Iran at the time.
Trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $281.03 million in 2013, which is 6.13 percent higher than the year before.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) August 23, 2014 reported that on the first day of the Government Week Saturday President Hassan Rouhani paid a visit to the Mausoleum of Imam Khomeini to reaffirm allegiance to the ideals of the architect of the Islamic Republic. The following is an excerpt of the report the news agency filed on the speech the president made there:
President Hassan Rouhani reassured the public that the replacement of a single person [a reference to his minister of science, research and technology who was impeached and dismissed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly on August 20] won’t change the course of his government which he said the people have determined through their votes.
“Let me tell everyone that my government will respect the views of critics but won’t keep silent in the face of those who are bent on smearing the reputation of the executive branch and the establishment.” Rouhani at Imam Khomeini Mausoleum
He pledged his government would remain resolute in battling corruption on various fronts, including academic graft. “Let me tell everyone that my government will respect the views of critics but won’t keep silent in the face of those who are bent on smearing the reputation of the executive branch and the establishment.”
“God willing, by the end of the year [March 21, 2015] for the first time in two years Iran’s economy will post growth.” President Rouhani added
President Rouhani further said the first priority of his government is to lower inflation and help push the country’s economic growth into positive territory. “God willing, by the end of the year [March 21, 2015] for the first time in two years Iran’s economy will post growth.”
As for foreign policy, the president said that logic, the rights of the Iranians and international law will be at the center of the talks [with P5+1]. “We hope the success we secure in the negotiations will serve the interests of Iran and the entire region. To that end, we have tried our best and will continue to do our utmost.”
Mr. Rouhani went on to say that Imam Khomeini taught the nation a lesson in moderation. “The late Imam struck a balance between Republicanism and Islam. […] He was equally brave in opting for war and for peace.” […]
Many of the refugees have been seeking refuge in the country’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
Representatives from the country’s Islamic Supreme Council in Erbil paid a visit to a number of refugees in Kurdistan.
“Our religion urges us to open our Hosseinias, shrines and homes for the homeless regardless of their descent or belief. Our religion urges us to be humane,” said Karwan Fathi Maasoum, a representative, adding, “We are all partners in this country and in this crisis as well. We must stand united in the face of this disease called Takfiri plaguing our country.”
According to the report, many of the refugees leave their homes fearing sexual violence against women and children by the terrorists.
“I feared for my girls’ lives. We feared they would be abducted like the others. We left everything behind,” said a female refugee.
Iraq has been fighting ISIL Takfiri terrorists since they took control of Mosul on June 10. The takeover was followed by the fall of the city of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of the capital Baghdad. The control of Tikrit was later retaken by the Iraqi army.
The ISIL terrorists have been committing heinous crimes in the captured areas, including the mass execution of civilians and Iraqi security forces.
Soldiers of the Iraqi army have been engaged in heavy fighting with the militants on different fronts and have so far been able to push back militants in several areas.
The United States has also been carrying out air strike against the ISIL militants.
“After the end of cleaning and calibration pigging, 97 kilometers (Iran’s section) of the pipeline will become operational,” Alireza Gharibi, managing director of Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company, said on Friday.
He added that the 97-kilometer pipeline, 48 inches in diameter, will be linked to Iran’s gas trunklines (IGATs) to deliver natural gas from Iran to Iraq.
Last month, Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister for International Affairs and Trading Ali Majedi said Iran is expected to start pumping gas to Iraq early next Persian calendar year, which starts on March 21, 2015.
Iran has agreed to export 25 million cubic meters (mcm) a day of gas to Iraq, but the gas delivery will start at seven mcm per day.
The 270-kilometer pipeline stretches from the village of Charmaleh, located in Iran’s western province of Kermanshah, into the town of Naft Shahr on the border with Iraq.
The pipeline, which is estimated to earn Iran USD 3.7 billion a year in revenues, will be fed by the massive offshore South Pars gas field in southern Iran.
The South Pars gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf, is estimated to contain 14 trillion cubic meters of gas and 18 billion barrels of condensate.
An August 23, 2014 issue of Haft-e Sobh, a Farsi-language daily that among other things covers social and urban news, reported that a cache of artillery and mortar rounds dating back to World War II has been found in Tehran. The following is an excerpt of the report:
At 10:30 a.m. Thursday [August 21], a 110 [the police emergency number in Iran] dispatcher received a call from a construction worker that he and his colleague had stumbled upon a cache of old ammunition in a well at a construction site near the capital’s Fatemi Square and that his friend was still inside the well fearing any movement might result in an explosion. […]
Police and rescue workers rushed to the construction site […] and ordered the cul-de-sac in which the construction site was located to be evacuated. At 2 p.m. the operation to remove the rounds from a depth of 12 meters got underway. […] It ended at around 11:30 p.m. […]
Meanwhile [Tehran Police Chief] Brig. Gen. Hossein Sajedinia said the rounds are believed to date back to 1935 before the Second World War broke out. […]
Police double-checked the site on Friday and sealed it off. […]
On Saturday August 23, 2014, Haft-e Sobh, a Tehran-based daily that primarily focuses on social, cultural, urban and economic news reported that the so-called Ice Bucket Challenge, a phenomenon that helps spread awareness about ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement) has found its way into Iran. Here is an excerpt of the report by the newspaper:
A video by Ali Karimi [a very well-known Iranian soccer player who has just hung up his boots] has appeared on his Instagram page in which he dumps a bucket of ice water on his head and challenges Ali Daei [a fellow former soccer player], Reza Attaran [an actor], and Maziyar Fallahi [a musician and a close friend of his] to follow suit.
Of course, Karimi does not make any mention of the reason behind the stunt: promote awareness of ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and encourage donations to research. It is also unclear whether Karimi has simply opted to get the chill or has actually donated money to the research or not. […]
Iran Front Page (IFP) was officially launched at a gathering dubbed Iranian Media and the International Community in Tehran late Wednesday on August 20, 2014. Initially the content of iranfrontpage.com is in English, but the website will eventually translate select news stories, analyses and articles from the Iranian pressinto a few widely-spoken languages.
Mahmoud Askarieh, the founder and manager of Iran Front Page, organized the gathering which was held at the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia. At the start of the get-together at 7 p.m. refreshments were provided. The event ended at 11 p.m. after dinner was served at Rayzan Conference Hall of the center.
Dozens of veteran journalists and newspaper chiefs including Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Mahmoud Doaei, the manager of Ettela’at which is the country’s oldest daily, editors, reporters, writers and translators attended the event. Also present was Dr. Hossein Entezami, who represents the managing editors of the Iranian publications at the Press Supervisory Board. He has also served as deputy minister of culture and Islamic guidance for media affairs ever since President Hassan Rouhani took office in August 2013.
A number of retired diplomats, some of them school friends of the IFP manager, Dr. Mohammad Rajabi, the head of the Library of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Kazem Mousavi Bojnourdi, the founder and director of the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia, and some private firm managers and entrepreneurs were also on hand for the ceremony.
The official gathering which was hosted by Mohammad Reza Shahidifard, a noted Iranian TV presenter, got underway at 8:30 p.m. when the national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran was played. That was followed by recitation of Az-Zumar Surah of the holy Koran that among other things says: “Give good tidings to My creatures, those who hear the word and follow the best of it.”
Afterward, Mahmoud Askarieh welcomed the guests and delivered a speech which featured a brief history of his journalistic background. He explained the reasons why he organized the event.
He said the invitation letters he had sent to the guests were the first distinguishing feature of the gathering. “My dear guests were probably surprised when they set their eyes on the signature of a single journalist rather than the logos of several state institutions or private firms on the invitation card. I am surprised too that you accepted my invitation. I thank you for taking the risk to come here. I am sure some of those who were invited have not showed up because they were unable to make sure that such an event was being held.
“I humbly welcome all of you including the principlists, reformists and moderates. I would also like to welcome all my colleagues who accepted my invitation and thus helped this gathering become a reality.
“Let me also thank the representatives of foreign media who are here tonight. I hope from now on we will be able to have closer interaction with them in an atmosphere which is free of any concerns.”
Mahmoud Askarieh also thanked Dr. Entezami for being there after attending a mosque service for a relative of his who had passed away and for accepting to address the gathering as a member of the Media Supervisory Board.
“To organize this gathering, I demanded no financial assistance from the Press Department of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and received none. I do appreciate the presence of Mr. Entezami at this meeting though, and thank him for his moral support and for accepting to deliver a speech here,” the IFP manager said.
Dr. Entezami’s speech which focused on the role of media diplomacy in the world community drew the undivided attention of the audience. He described the launch of Iran Front Page as a creative necessity.
The next speaker was Sabah Zanganeh, who is widely known across the country as a moderate individual and a veteran player on cultural, media and diplomatic fronts. In his speech Mr. Zanganeh, who is now retired, focused on the correlation between culture and politics and called the theme of the gathering as important. He offered congratulations to Mr. Askarieh on the launch of IFP and said the absence of such a medium was greatly felt in the country.
Afterward, Dr. Mehdi Forghani a veteran journalist and prominent journalism professor at Tehran’s Allameh Tabatabai University, took the microphone and delivered a speech which among other things dealt with ethics in media. He said the launch of a magazine with a similar content in Farsi in the 1990s by Mr. Askarieh was a great move and praised the high levels of creativity and ambition associated with Iran Front Page.
Eventually the host once again called upon Mahmoud Askarieh to come onto the stage and officially launch Iran Front Page.
Mr. Askarieh briefly elaborated on what motivated him to launch the website and asked those in attendance to personally go to the news and analysis website in the days to come and see its content for themselves.
The IFP manager also asked participants to overlook the shortcomings that go with the territory, but called on them to let him know about serious faults and their critical comments.
A translated version of the speeches delivered by Dr. Entezami, Mr. Sabah Zanganeh, and Dr. Forghani will appear on iranfrontpage.com come Sunday through Tuesday (August 24 – 26).
Here is a collection of the photos taken at the event:
Bahman Soleimani said that Iran was the greatest home for natural gas reservoirs in the world. “Iran owns oil reserves for next 60 years and gas for 200 years,” he added.
“Iran has discovered new oil and gas reservoirs and 70 per cent of drilling have produced rich ores of oil and gas,” said he.
National Iranian Oil Company had announced last year that it had discovered 70 gas reserves and 178 oil reserves in the country.
176 oil reserves located in Zagros folds and Persian Gulf basin; the other 2 oil reserves are scattered in central Iran. 65 gas reserves are in Zagros and Persian Gulf basin, 2 in central Iran, and 3 more in Kopet Dag basin in northwest.
This video grab shows an ISIL agent preparing to behead American journalist James Foley.
“The video purporting to show the decapitation of James Foley is a classic example of neocon hate propaganda. It is the sort of ‘Two Minutes Hate’ event satirized in George Orwell’s book 1984,” Kevin Barrett wrote in a column for the Press TV website.
Two Minutes Hate is a daily period in which citizens are forced to watch a film depicting the so-called enemies and express their hatred for them.
Barrett said Foley’s beheading has been organized by Israel to defame Muslims, adding, “The Orwellian two minutes of hate propaganda treatment is reserved for Muslims… or people posing as Muslims.”
“The Zionist-dominated media does not saturate the mass mind with images of evil Israelis committing atrocities – even though Israel is the per capita atrocity capital of the world,” wrote the analyst.
Barrett also said the ISIL is a “false-flag” group that has been created to “conduct Zionist public relations stunts.”
He said the world Muslims are expected to promote the fact that the “bogus ISIL group” is “designed to wage fourth-generation warfare against Islam and Muslims.”
ISIL said 40-year-old Foley, who had gone missing in Syria in 2012, was decapitated in reprisal for ongoing US airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq.
The terrorist group posted a gruesome video on social media on Tuesday titled “A Message to America.”
The US military has attacked the ISIL militants inside Iraq after earlier this month US President Barack Obama authorized aerial attacks against ISIL targets in the Arab count
“We are seriously seeking to resolve the problems in these negotiations. We are determined to achieve results. There is a serious resolve on the part of Iran and we hope that the other party has the same will,” Rouhani said during a final presser at the end of his trip to the northwestern Ardebil province on Thursday.
The Iranian president also reiterated that a comprehensive agreement between Iran and the six world powers over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear energy program will be beneficial to the global economy.
“A final deal between Iran and the Group 5+1 will benefit Iran, the sextet and the global economy.”
The Islamic Republic and the sextet clinched a landmark interim deal in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 23, 2013. The agreement took effect on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20.
In July, the two sides agreed to extend their discussions until November 24 in an effort to achieve a permanent nuclear deal.
