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2015, year of economic boom for Iran: IMF

By
Emad Askarieh
-
Iran-Economy

The International Monetary Fund has predicted a prosperous economic year for Iran in 2015.

In its latest report, the organization has outlined the prospects of the Iranian economy in 2015, predicting seven improving infrastructure indicators for the country.

The IMF projected a 2.2% real GDP growth for the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2015.

The figure shows a drop from 2.3% that was predicted in its earlier report in April.

The Iranian economy which experienced growth in 2014 after two years of recession is now to have a better year ahead.

Iran’s Gross National Growth is predicted to increase by $53 billion in 2015 compared with the last year. Based on consumer price index in the previous year, the GNP rate which stood at 402 billion dollars in 2014 will rise to 417 billion dollars this year.

Iran’s real GDP growth picked up in 2014 with 1.5% growth and is expected to grow 2.2% in 2015, after two years of negative economic growth, the IMF said.

In the report, the IMF has also published its downward revisions for the World’s economic growth.

Iran to celebrate “nuclear victory” soon

By
Emad Askarieh
-
Salehi

Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi says that talks with P5+1 will conclude in Tehran’s favor in the near future.

Salehi made the remarks during a speech before Friday prayer sermons at Rudbar-e Qasran District in Tehran’s Fasham region.

“Rest assured that the nuclear issue will resolve in favor of Iran and we will celebrate Tehran’s victory in the near future,” the AEOI chief told worshippers.

Salehi maintained that Iran had shown great resistance and patience in the face of 35 years of pressure, restrictions and sanctions imposed by imperialist powers, and would soon achieve its desired results, Mehr news agency reported.

Failing to reach an agreement by Nov. 24, 2014, Iran and the P5+1 – Russia, China, Britain, the US, France plus Germany – decided to extend their discussions for seven more months. They also agreed that the interim deal they signed in the Swiss city of Geneva last November remain in place during the remainder of the negotiations until July 1, 2015.

At the end of the first round of talks after the seven-month extension on Dec. 15, Iran’s Deputy FM and senior negotiator Seyyed Abbas Araghchi expressed satisfaction with the positive atmosphere during the talks in Geneva.

According to Iran’s FM spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham, the next round of nuclear talks will be held on January 15 at deputy foreign ministerial level in Geneva. There is no plan for other talks ahead of that date, she has clarified.

Sunni Basiji, Shia teacher killed in Iran terror attack

By
Emad Askarieh
-
Iran-Systanjpg

The terror attack happened in the city of Sarbaz Thursday night, said Sistan and Baluchestan Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi.

“Last night, two masked motorcyclists carried out a terrorist attack in the city of Sarbaz, killing two people,” the police commander said on Friday.

He said that the first victim was a Sunni Basiji who was killed on his way back home from shopping, adding that the second attack occurred when terrorists opened fire on a Shia teacher some 200 meters from the site of the first attack.

The gunmen fled the scene following the terror incident.

Rahimi said that police, forces from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as well as the Intelligence Ministry are working to identify the perpetrators of the crime.

Sistan and Baluchestan Province has been the scene of a number of terrorist attacks in recent years.

In late November 2014, three Iranian security forces were shot dead by unknown gunmen in the province.

Three Iranian police officers were also killed in early October last year when they came under attack at nighttime by armed bandits while on a mission in the provincial city of Saravan.

Another police officer was killed after an explosives-laden car taken to the police station by terrorists went off hours after the first incident.

Expert calls Obama’s Iran remarks realistic

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Barak Obama
Barak Obama

The comments President Obama made in an interview with NPR in late December continue to draw reaction from the Iranian media, including principlist dailies such as Resalat.

In the interview President Barack Obama said that Iran could become a very successful regional power after a long-term nuclear deal. He also said, “The strategic importance of Tehran is different from what we face with Cuba.”

On December 31, Aftab-e Yazd, a reformist  daily, published the comments of Mehdi Motaharnia, a university professor and international affairs expert, in an interview with Fararu news website. In the interview Motaharnia said President Obama’s comments show he is a realistic, pragmatic, and visionary leader. The following is the translation of Motaharnia’s remarks:

 

Mehdi MotahariniaThose comments are realistic because they show President Obama has accepted the fact that Iran has become an influential power in the region and on the international stage. Such acceptance is a realistic step forward when it comes to optimal decision-making.

I believe that the United States is redefining its strategic partnerships in the world with an eye to the Eastern Hemisphere which includes countries such as Japan, South Korea and Australia as well as the Persian Gulf region.

In the 21st century, the geographical position of Iran makes it a very important country for the future of the world order. That is why Obama has a special interest in Iran and his comments are indicative of such interest.

President Obama’s comments were pragmatic too. He is trying to base his roadmap to political interaction with Iran on realism, rather than on ambitious policies.

The US president was quite right in saying that Iran is fundamentally different from Cuba. Iran is a big country in one of the 19 geostrategic regions of the world. That means his comments were pragmatic.

His remarks also suggest that his people at the State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon who analyze Iran along with his national security team are far better in their analysis than those who worked for previous US presidents.

[Six] years ago after he was elected president, I said Obama was a dangerous opportunity. Today that statement has indeed materialized. He is using pragmatic approaches to act like a visionary leader as far as Iran is concerned. A visionary leader seeks to paint a pleasant picture of the future as part of an ideal outlook.

In this interview [with NPR] Obama looks through the eyes of a visionary at the future of ties between Iran and the United States. In addition to being realistic and pragmatic, he tries to have in mind a pleasant picture of the future of Iran-US ties. In other words, his comments were realistic, pragmatic and visionary at the same time.

President Obama has seen the paradoxes in question and is trying to manage them in a way that serves American interests, rather than Israeli interests.

The world of politics is full of paradoxes today and top politicians are those who pinpoint those paradoxes and manage them in the best way possible. President Obama has seen the paradoxes in question and is trying to manage them in a way that serves American interests, rather than Israeli interests. The US well knows that Israel can no longer survive as a militaristic regime.

Israel is no longer a vital partner of the United States. Geographically, Israel is as important to the US as other regions. That the security of Israel is talked about more is because the [partnership] transition period is being managed.

In the 21st century, the importance of Israel to the West is not the same as it used to be in the 20th century. It should brace for another tsunami in the region. The US knows that the new heartland, that is to say Iran and the wider Persian Gulf, holds the key to regional stability. Stability in this part of the world can lead to stability in the Mideast which could in turn replicate itself on the international stage.

To be good humans, we need to render grudges a thing of the past

By
Emad Askarieh
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ketabkhaneh-Seyed Hassan Khomeini

“Let’s make big efforts and start goodness from the inside. The first step on the path to goodness is to let go of grudges, because grudges, lies and slanders are part of what happens in our society.”

This is part of the remarks made by the grandson of the late founder of the Islamic Republic in a weekly session on Mawlana’s Masnavi at the National Library of Iran where he also congratulated the Christians on the birth of Jesus (PBUH).

A society which is not prepared for the reappearance [of the savior], will gain nothing if thousands of Imam Mahdi-like saviors come to their help.

The following is the partial translation of what else a January 3 edition of Ettela’at newspaper quoted Seyyed Hassan Khomeini as telling the gathering to mark the start of Imam Mahdi’s leadership:

One of the big dreams of Muslims, Shiites included, is the reappearance of the Savior. Throughout history people have set their sights on human well-being, waiting for the emergence of a savior. However, one key question arises here: why doesn’t the savior reappear? The clear answer can be found in Mawlana’s words.

A society will reach perfection after the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (PBUH) only if it has strived for perfection and elevation beforehand;

A society which is not prepared for the reappearance [of the savior], will gain nothing if thousands of Imam Mahdi-like saviors come to their help […].

A society will reach perfection after the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (PBUH) only if it has strived for perfection and elevation beforehand; otherwise the imam will be like a scholar who finds no room among the ignorant or he will be hurt by the ignorant.

So we can draw a lesson from Mawlana’s words that if we are waiting [for Imam’s second coming], we should work on ourselves. That applies to every single individual in society.

[…]

Those who tie their goodness to the coming of another person are looking for excuses, because goodness should come out from inside of a society and its members.

The goodness of a society is nothing beyond the goodness of people living in that society. Those who tie their goodness to the coming of another person are looking for excuses, because goodness should come out from inside of a society and its members.

[…]

To become good humans, we should first trample upon our inner self. A society and individuals that are awaiting [the second coming of Imam] should take a step forward. To rise up and take a step for the sake of God, one does not need to take any lesson. It needs perseverance and endeavors.

If we open our hearts, God Almighty will definitely help us. In so doing, we can wait for the arrival of the Savior and the creation of a Utopia. If not, the twelfth imam will be left alone in society.

Ninety thousand tons of ore extracted from Khomein Gold Mine

By
Emad Askarieh
-
ore
ore

On December 30, Mehr News Agency quoted the head of the Department of Industry, Mines and Trade in Khomein as saying that between March 21 and December 21, 2014, some 90,000 tons of ore was extracted from Khomein Gold Mine. The following is a partial translation of what Mohsen Basardeh had to say to the agency:

The experimental stage of processing and extracting gold from ore through heap leaching – a method which extracts precious metals, copper, uranium, and other compounds from ore via a series of chemical reactions that absorb specific minerals and then re-separates them after their division from other earth materials – has been successful. As of late January the extraction of gold will get underway on an industrial scale.

Over the last year, 170,000 tons of ore has been extracted from Khomein Gold Mine. In light of the fact that the mine is an invaluable reserve, adoption of an industrial method to process gold will turn Khomein – a city in Markazi Province – into a hub for production of precious metals.

The license for the exploitation of the mine was issued three years ago and its exploitation got officially underway with about $1.6 million in investment two years ago.

Khomein Gold Mine holds 1.5 million tons in reserves with a purity grade of 36.03 gram per ton which is a high grade compared to those of other gold mines in the world.

The monthly extraction capacity of the mine is projected to stand at 180,000 tons of minerals.

[…]

So far, exploration licenses for gold and copper have been issued for ten regions in Markazi Province, of which two in Delijan, and one in Zarandieh, in the vicinity of Saveh have produced good results.

[…]

Iran rejects AP report of nuclear deal with P5+1

By
Emad Askarieh
-
Marziyeh-Afkham
Marziyeh-Afkham

“No agreement has been reached yet on any of the issues [being discussed] during nuclear talks” between the Islamic Republic and six world powers, said Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Marzieh Afkham, on Saturday.

The reaction came after The Associated Press quoted two unnamed diplomats as claiming that “negotiators at the December round of nuclear talks drew up for the first time a catalog outlining areas of potential accord and differing approaches to remaining disputes.”

The diplomats added that “both sides in the talks are still arguing about how much of an enriched uranium stockpile to leave Iran.”

Afkham, however, said that such “politically-motivated” speculations by certain foreign media outlets are aimed at “harming the atmosphere of the talks and complicating any settlement of the [nuclear] issue.”

The next round of nuclear talks between Tehran and P5+1 will be held at the deputy level on Monday.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — Russia, China, France, Britain and the United States — plus Germany wrapped up talks on Iran’s nuclear energy program in the Swiss city of Geneva on Wednesday.

The three-day discussions were organized three weeks after Tehran and the six countries failed to reach a final agreement by a November 24 deadline.

Despite making progress, Iran and the six countries failed to clinch a final nuclear deal during their previous talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

However, Tehran and P5+1 agreed to extend their discussions for seven more months until July 1, 2015. They also agreed that the interim deal they had signed in Geneva last November should remain in place during the negotiations.

Is it going to be love at first sight, endangered species-style?

By
Emad Askarieh
-
Delbar-Kooshki-Cheetah
Delbar-Kooshki-Cheetah

Now that they are engaged, they are no longer kept in solitary confinement. Rather, they can enjoy togetherness, plan their future and decide, for instance, where they are willing to spend their honeymoon and how they would like their future married life to be like. If they decided to brush aside the family planning motto of “Fewer children, better life”, Delbar and Kooshki, two Asiatic cheetah cubs, would cheer up environmentalists and wildlife lovers. What comes below is a partial translation of a short report monthly magazine Sarzamin-e Man [My Land] carried in late December:

“The encounter was short and passed off without any incident,” said Houman Jokar, the manager of Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah.

He went on to say that after considerable discussion, Delbar, a 3-year-old female cub and Kooshki, a seven-year-old male, which are the only Asiatic cheetahs in captivity in the world were finally transferred to Tehran to be looked after in a research site established to study the behavior and reproduction patterns of Asiatic cheetahs. The research center is not aimed at reproducing cheetahs in captivity, though.

Kooshki, which was rescued from poachers in 2007, was taken care in Mian Dasht Wildlife Sanctuary in North Khorasan Province. In 2011 when Delbar showed up [actually she was found by an Afghan shepherd in Khar Turan National Park in Semnan Province], the two cheetahs were handed over to the Environment Protection Organization.

Many wondered why the Environment Protection Organization did not seek to reproduce cheetahs in captivity and later release them into the wild to give the frail, endangered population of 50 to 70 Asiatic cheetahs a shot in the arm.

Although Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah is not responsible for the management of the Tehran research center, experts working on the conservation project have explicitly stated that cheetahs are sensitive species and shots at their reproduction in captivity usually fail.

Besides, reproduction in captivity which is meant to save wild animals like cheetahs from extinction has proven futile. Iranian wildlife experts as well as other conservationists across the world believe that provision of safe natural habitats for Asiatic cheetahs is the key to their survival.

However, the two cheetahs were transferred to Tehran to be studied in the research center.

In response to a question as to why the studies in question were not carried out either in Mian Dasht Wildlife Sanctuary or Khar Turan National Park ,which are the natural habitats of the animal, the Environment Protection Organization pointed a finger of blame at the lack of equipment and absence of enough veterinarians and specialists and said it’s costly to get equipment transferred from Tehran to such places.

[…]

Contrary to expectation, the first brief encounter between Kooshki and Delbar from behind bars in December did not produce any negative reaction by either big cat.

However, it remains to be seen whether the results of the research by the site and future visits between the couple could have a positive impact on endangered cheetahs.

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Jan. 3

By
Emad Askarieh
-
Iranian Newspapers Headlines
Iranian Newspapers Headlines

Several reformist dailies on Saturday led on the critical comments of the chairman of the Expediency Council aimed at the national broadcaster for airing programs that promote division. The appeal by the first vice-president for the punishment of those who are to blame for the depletion of the foreign exchange reserve funds along with the demolition of the illegally-built top floor of a famous mall in the capital dominated the front pages of other newspapers.

 

Abrar: A senior IS terror leader has been killed in Fallujah, Iraq.

 

Abrar newspaper 1- 3

Afarinesh: One of the individuals involved in a deadly armed robbery in central Iran has been arrested. [Two others have been killed in shootouts with the police.]

Afarinesh: “Several foreign ministers have answered the nuclear-centered letter the Iranian top diplomat sent to his counterparts around the world in December,” an informed source said.

 

Afarinesh newspaper 1- 3

Afkar: Unemployment increased [to more than 10 percent] in the fall.

Afkar: “Those who have failed to save oil revenues should be held to account,” said the first vice-president.

 

Afkar newspaper 1- 3

Aftab-e Yazd: President Rouhani paid a visit to elderly Christians at a nursing home on the first day of 2015.

 

Aftabe yazd newspaper 1- 3

Arman-e Emrooz: “[The deadly armed robbery in] Golpayegan had nothing to do with IS terrorists,” said the deputy commander of the Law Enforcement Force.

 

Armane emruz newspaper 1- 3

Asrar: After nine years in the job, Mehdi Chamran has been replaced by Gholamreza Basiripour as chairman of the Supreme Council of the Provinces.

Asrar: “Principlists do not favor the formation of a House of Parties,” said Hassan Ghafourifard, a university professor and a former MP.

 

Asrar newspaper 1- 3

Ebtekar: Ayatollah Hashemi has directed unprecedented criticism at IRIB (national broadcaster). “Signs of division are being aired.”

 

Ebtekar newspaper 1- 3

Emtiaz: Tehran municipality enforced the law and removed the illegally-built top floor of a mall in downtown Tehran.

 

Emtiaz newspaper 1- 3

Ettela’at: “We should not allow foreign boots to make decisions for the world of Islam,” said President Rouhani at the inaugural of a Koranic event bringing together Muslim students.

 

Ettelaat newspaper 1- 3

Hambastegi: “Our revolution has never resorted to violence,” said Mohammad Reza Aref, a former vice-president under Mohammad Khatami.

Hambastegi: “Any coalition of principlists which is not centered on the clergy would be half-cocked,” said Mohammad Nabi Habibi, the secretary general of the Islamic Coalition Party.

 

Hambastegi newspaper 1- 3

Hemayat: Unemployment is back in double digits following claims that the country is out of recession.

Hemayat: “Seditionists have designs on parliament and the Assembly of Experts in the upcoming elections,” said Tehran Friday prayer leader Kazem Sedighi.

 

Hemayat newspaper 1- 3

Jahan-e Eghtesad: “Let’s be realistic. We have nothing to boast about when it comes to our share of exports in global transactions,” said the head of the Chamber of Commerce.

 

Jahane eghtesad newspaper 1- 3

Javan: A suspect arrested in connection with a deadly armed robbery in central Iran has confessed to 10 counts of murder and 19 cases of armed robbery.

 

Javan newspaper 1- 3

Jomhouri Islami: Five European countries are in talks with Iran to forge cooperation with the National Iranian Gas Company.

 

Jomhorie eslami newspaper 1- 3

Kaenat: The director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has said victory in nuclear talks will be celebrated shortly.

 

Kaaenat newspaper 1- 3

Kar va Kargar: “Respect for the elderly knows no religious or geographical bounds,” President Rouhani said on a visit to the Saint Mary Nursing Home.

 

Karo kargar newspaper 1- 3

Khorasan: Government has withdrawn $1.5 billion from national reserves after the go-ahead of the Supreme Leader to develop agriculture in Khuzestan province.

Khorasan: In a terrorist attack in Sistan and Baluchestan province a Sunni Basij volunteer and a Shiite teacher were martyred.

 

Khorasan newspaper 1- 3

Mardomsalari: “If someone leaves the circle of our friends, they are not necessarily an enemy,” said Ali Younesi, an advisor to President Rouhani for ethnic and religious minority affairs.

 

Mardom salari newspaper1- 3

 

 

Mardom-e Emrooz: “The stage is not set for Ayatollah Rafsanjani to visit Saudi Arabia,” said Ali Younesi, an advisor to President Rouhani.

 

Mardome emruz newspaper 1- 3

Vatan-e Emrooz: The US still insists on not granting a visa to the diplomat Iran has named as ambassador to the UN.

 

Vatane emruz newspaper 1- 3

 

Zoya Pirzad receives France’s Chevalier of Legion of Honor

By
Emad Askarieh
-
Zoya Pirzad

After Hossein Alizadeh, a leading classical composer and musician, turned down the prestigious Chevalier of Legion of Honor award in late 2014, many thought the French government would slow down if not stop awarding distinguished figures in Iranian society. But the trend of presenting awards to Iranian artists and scholars carries on. What comes next is a partial translation of a report Sharq daily ran on December 30 on the latest Iranian to win the award:

Zoya Pirzad, an Iranian author who is known for her novels “Things We Left Unsaid” and “We Will Get Used to It” which have been reprinted several times already, has received France’s Chevalier of Legion of Honor.

“The Acrid Taste of Persimmon”, “One Day till Easter” and “Like Every Evening” are among Pirzad’s novels which have been bundled together under the title of “Three Books”.

The Iranian novelist has also translated “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll and a collection of haikus.

Her books are among Persian literary works which have been rendered into different languages, including French.

Over the past years a number of Iranian figures including Mahmoud Hessaby [an eminent scientist, researcher and professor], Abbas Kiarostami [a film director and screenwriter], Pari Saberi [a drama and theater director], Jalal Sattari [an Iranologist, mythologist and writer], Mohammad Ali Sepanlou [a poet and literary critic], Leila Hatami [an actress], Asghar Farhadi [a film director and screenwriter], Shahram Nazeri [a vocalist and composer] and Reza Seyyed Hosseini [a writer and translator] have been awarded the French prize.

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian [an internationally-acclaimed vocalist known as Iran’s greatest living master of traditional Persian music], Dariush Mehrjui [a film director and screenwriter], Kambiz Derambakhsh [a cartoonist and graphic designer] and Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, [a veteran writer] have been the recipients of the award over the last few months.

Also, Lili Golestan, a translator and artist, has been honored with France’s high cultural distinction dubbed the Order of Academic Palms.

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