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Terrorists waging war against humanity: Rouhani

Rouhani-Abrahamyan
Rouhani-Abrahamyan

“Terrorists are fighting against civilizations and humanity; and murdering either Christians or Muslims makes no difference for them,” Rouhani said at a Monday meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan in Tehran.

“Iran and Armenia along with other regional countries should join hands to fight against terrorism, because security can be established in the region under the aegis of cooperation,” he added.

The remarks come as ISIL terrorists have been wreaking havoc in the Middle East in recent months.

The ISIL terrorists, initially trained and sponsored by some regional and extra-regional countries to destabilize the Syrian government, control large parts of Syria’s northern territory. ISIL sent its militants into Iraq in June, quickly seizing a vast expanse of land straddling the border between the two countries.

The ISIL terrorists have threatened all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and Izadi Kurds, in Iraq and Syria. They have been committing heinous crimes in the areas they have taken, including the mass execution of civilians as well as Iraqi and Syrian army troops and officers.

Rouhani warned that the ramifications of terrorism in one country can spill over into other states and noted, “The Islamic Republic of Iran supports political and peaceful solutions within the framework of international laws for resolving the regional issues.”

The Iranian president also underlined the need to use all the existing potentials to expand Iran-Armenia relations and praised the two countries’ cooperation on different international issues and Yerevan’s positive stance toward Tehran.

Abrahamyan, for his part, praised the historic Tehran-Yerevan relations and expressed Armenia’s preparedness to cooperate with Iran in different political and economic arenas.

 

 

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Oct. 20

Iranian Newspapers Headlines
Iranian Newspapers Headlines

A ceremony to celebrate the National Exports Day in Iran, attended by the first vice-president, and comments by senior nuclear negotiator Seyyed Abbas Araghchi that the parties involved in the talks are determined to finalize a deal by November 24 made headlines in several newspapers on Monday. The stellar performance of Iranian athletes and the colorful medals they pulled off on day one of the 2014 Asian Para Gamesin Incheon, South Korea were also in the news.

Abrar:“Commander of Iran’s Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has arrived in China.”

Abrar: “The heart-wrenching scar of acid on the face of Nesf-e Jahan (Half of the World),” wrote the daily in reference to recent acid attacks in the historical city of Isfahan.

Abrar: Iran’s parliament has adopted a bill which says the responsibility to take practical measures to promote virtue and prevent vice only lies with the Government.

Abrar: “My trip to Iran aims to unite regional and global efforts to take on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),” said Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

 

Abrar newspaper 10 - 20


Afarinesh: “A mass grave containing the bodies of Iranian pilgrims has been discovered in southern Baghdad.” The Iranian nationals who were in Iraq to visit holy sites were killed by ISIL militants.

Afarinesh: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that those who support Kobani are by no means different from Kurdistan’s People Party (PKK) militants.

 

Afarinesh newspaper 10 - 20


Afkar: “Turkey should not meddle in the internal affairs of other countries,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior foreign policy adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

 

Afkar newspaper 10 - 20


Aftab-e Yazd: “Economists have objected to a request by Iran’s Principlist MPs to [authorize the government] to pry into people’s bank accounts.

Aftab-e Yazd: “Neda is after bolstering the Reformist movement,” said Saeed Nour-Mohammadi, a member of the Executive Committee of soon-to-be-launched Nedaye Iranian (Call of the Iranians) Party, which is led by Sadegh Kharrazi, a former Iranian ambassador to France.

Aftab-e Yazd: “We’ve provided people with correct stats,”the daily quoted First Vice-President Eshagh Jahangiri as saying in defense of the statistics the eleventh government releases periodically on the performance of different organizations and agencies.

 

Aftab newspaper 10 - 20


Arman-e Emrooz: “The defense lawyer of Mehdi Hashemi, the son of the chairman of the Expediency Council, has lodged a complaint against some MPs,” reported the daily. According to the lawyer, a number of Iranian deputies have written an open letter asking for an open trial of his client, but he cited distortion of his remarks in the letter as the reason behind his complaint.

Arman-e Emrooz: “Tailwind blows in the sail of nuclear talks,” is the daily’s pick on its front page, reporting that the three-way meeting between Iran’s Mohammad-Javad Zarif, EU’s Catherine Ashton and US Secretary of State John Kerry will be held sooner than agreed on.

Arman-e Emrooz: “Everlasting historic letters,” is the banner headline of the daily, explaining that Ali Motahari, a Tehran MP, and Sadegh Zibakalam, a university professor, are top on the list of those who show reaction in their letters to what plays out in Iranian society.

Arman-e Emrooz: The Communications Regulations Commission has said the companies that seek to launch Internet TV should be based in Iran and secure permissions from the ministries of Communications and Information Technology, Culture and Islamic Guidance as well as IRIB before starting their online broadcast.

 

Arman newspaper 10 - 20


Asia: “Jan Eliasson, the deputy UN secretary general, is due in Tehran in late October.”

 

Asia newspaper 10 - 20


Asr-e Iranian: “The world’s top publishers will take part in Tehran International Book Fair in 2015”.

 

Asre iranian newspaper 10 - 20

 


Asrar: “The Cabinet gives top priority to efforts to support the vulnerable classes of society,” said President Hassan Rouhani.

 

Asrar newspaper 10 - 20


Ebtekar: “In quest of a successor to Ezatollah Zarghami,” writes the daily on its front page about speculations on who will succeed the incumbent president of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Iran’s national broadcaster.

Ebtekar: “Nuclear talks will not be extended,” said Iranian nuclear negotiator Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.

Ebtekar: “A first session of the Supreme Welfare and Social Security Council is held in eight years.”

Ebtekar: “The average worker’s wage for the next Iranian calendar year (starting March 2015) will increase in keeping with the hike in inflation,” said the minister of labor and social affairs.

 

Ebtekar newspaper 10 - 20


Eghtesad-e Pooya: President Rouhani has said the government would tap into the Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund to carry out more development plans in the country.

 

Eghtesade puya newspaper 10 - 20


Emtiaz: “Iran and Armenia hold talks to develop their oil cooperation.”

Emtiaz: “Breast Cancer is on the rise in Iran.”

 

Emtiaz newspaper 10 - 20


Etemad: The Reformist Consultative Council has decided to launch electoral committees [15 months ahead of parliamentary elections] to be headed by the ministers who served in former President Mohammad Khatami’s Cabinet.

Etemad: “A recent series of acid attacks [on women in Isfahan] have met with public resentment in society.”

 

Etemad newspaper 10 - 20


Ettela’at: “An expert meeting between Iran and P5+1 will be held in Vienna on October 22,” said Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.

Ettela’at: “Iranian athletes shine on day one of the 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon, bagging five gold, eleven silver and three bronze medals.”

Ettela’at: “Iran’s health minister warns of the side effects of unauthorized pesticides used in the agriculture sector.”

Ettela’at: “The interest rate for bank deposits and loans will decrease,” said Iran’s first vice-president.

Ettela’at: “Saudi Arabia forms an army in Syria to fight President Assad.”

 

Ettelaat newspaper 10 - 20


Hamshahri: “The sixth seasonal Flowers and Plants Exhibition opens in the capital on Monday October 20.”

 

Hamshahri newspaper 10 - 20


Hemayat: “A lack of efficient human resources is to blame for the problems the Judiciary is grappling with,” said Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani.

 

Hemayat newspaper 10 - 20


Iran: “Iran’s capital has set a new record in terms of having healthy air,” said the daily, explaining that the number of days Tehran residents have breathed clean and healthy air in an almost seven-month period this year (March to October 2014) stands at 132 days.

 

Iran newspaper 10 - 20


Iran News: Tehran is to host an international conference on ‘A World Free of Violence and Extremism’, reports the English-language daily.

 

Iran news newspaper 10 - 20


Javan picked “The state lobby for familiar private hands,” as its banner headline to quote Ahmad Tavakkoli, a Tehran MP, as saying that Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh has a seat on the board of directors of 20 petrochemical companies.

 

Javan newspaper 10 - 20


Jomhouri Islami: “All parties to the nuclear talks are determined to arrive at a final deal ahead of the target date [November 24],” said Iran’s nuclear negotiator Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.

 

Jomhurie eslami newspaper 10 - 20


Kaenat:“The biggest cyber prostitution ring in Iran has been busted.”

 

Kaeenat newspaper 10 - 20


Kar va Kargar: “Support for Lebanon’s army and resistance [groups] is on Iran’s agenda,” said Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

 

Karo kargar newspaper 10 - 20


Payam-e Zaman: “Iran has posted a 20 percent surge in goods exports in the March-September period this year,” reported the daily, citing officials speaking at a ceremony to mark Iran’s National Exports Day.

 

Pyame zaman newspaper 10 - 20


Rah-e Mardom reported that Parliament has asked the Judiciary to identify the perpetrator(s) of a recent spate of acid attacks [on women].”

 

Rahe mardom newspaper 10 - 20


Sharq: “Al-Baghdadi is an apostate,” said Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a reference to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the so-called “Islamic State”.

Sharq:“The bill to support those who engage in promotion of virtue runs counter to the provisions of the Constitution,” the interior minister said in a letter to the parliament speaker.

 

Shargh newspaper 10 - 20


Tafahom: The deputy head of the Environment Caucus in Iran’s parliament has welcomed a motion on imposing a seven-year ban on hunting in the country.

 

Tafahom newspaper 10 - 20


Tehran Times: “Iran will continue to support Syrian, Iraqi, and Lebanese nations: Rouhani.”

 

Tehran times newspaper 10 - 20

 

A sentence that should not be carried out

Nimr Al-Nimr

The death sentence a Saudi court has issued for Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a top Shiite cleric, has provoked a huge public uproar in the Muslim world. It has also drawn a backlash from outstanding Shiite clerics and sources of emulation, who have, with one voice, denounced the sentence, warning of the consequences of such an inhumane decision.

The outburst of anger and condemnation also swept across Iran, especially at Qom Seminary School where different statements were put out to question the wisdom of the Saudi court ruling.

The death sentence and the reactions it has triggered off were extensively covered by media outlets in Iran and across the world. The following is part of what Fars News Agency reported on October 17, three days after the court ruling:

 

Ayatollah Jafar SobhaniAyatollah Jafar Sobhani said in a statement that Sheikh al-Nimr did nothing wrong, adding he has always spoken up for the trampled rights of Shiites and called on the ruling government to disapprove of and reject discrimination.

He further said that the decision to execute Ayatollah al-Nimr would not put an end to protests raging in the country, adding that the blood of the Shiite cleric would give birth to would-be protesters who would firmly shake the foundations of the Saudi monarchy.

 

Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Alavi Gorgani
Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Alavi Gorgani

Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Alavi Gorgani said in a message that although Shiites proudly welcome martyrdom in their fight against injustice and oppression, it is regrettable to see that the Saudi [Royal] Family resorts to merciless acts instead of treating its citizens justly.

These acts will only undermine the Saudi position in the region and among its own people, he said, adding that such verdicts will do nothing to soothe the protests of the Saudi people, stressed the ayatollah.

 

Ayatollah Hossein Nuri-Hamadani
Ayatollah Hossein Nuri-Hamadani

In a separate message, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nuri-Hamadani said that such harsh measures would hurt the feelings of Shiites all over the world, underscoring that the Saudi officials should respond to public demands.

The ayatollah also urged human rights organizations not to keep silent over the heavy-handed sentence and help people reclaim their lost rights, saying that the clerical body would not tolerate the death penalty which was handed down to the Saudi cleric.

 

Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirzai
Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirzai

Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirzai, for his part, condemned the death sentence as unjust and said that Saudi Shiites are under intense pressure and are denied freedom to practice their own faith.

He said that Riyadh would pay a heavy price for its decision regarding the prominent Shiite cleric, warning that it would arouse the resentment of all Shiites and freedom-seeking Sunnis against the kingdom.

The grand ayatollah then took a swipe at double-standards practiced by the US and those who hide behind human rights, and disputed the silence of the US Congress in reaction to the breach of Shiite rights in Saudi Arabia.

He said this proves their talks about democracy and human rights are sheer lies, underlining this decision would come with unanticipated consequences for Saudi Arabia.

 

Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani
Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani

Also, Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani said in a meeting with Mohammad Nahavandian, President Rouhani’s chief of staff, that the Foreign Ministry should take immediate measures and let the officials in Riyadh know that Muslims deeply regret the ruling by the Saudi court against Ayatollah al-Nimr.

A statement released by the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom read in part that the news of Sheikh al-Nimr death sentence has enraged Muslims all over the world, saying that the ruling tends to counter the Islamic Awakening at a time when key regional developments have tipped the balance in favor of the world of Islam.

Victories by Muslims in Yemen, failure by the US and its allies in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, and the imminent downfall of Takfiri groups such as ISIL militants have caused Washington to pile more pressure on Riyadh unaware of the fact that the Shiites in the world will stand up to colonial powers and their regional lackeys, the statement said, calling for the release of al-Nimr.

 

Ayatollah Seyyed Hashem Hosseini Bushehri
Ayatollah Seyyed Hashem Hosseini Bushehri

In his Friday prayer sermons in Qom, Ayatollah Seyyed Hashem Hosseini Bushehri urged international circles and human rights advocates to get a first-hand account of what’s going on in Saudi Arabia, saying the verdict meted out by the Saudi court fully contradicts human rights, the rights of minorities and the political freedom of people.

 

 

Ayatollah Abbas Kaabi
Ayatollah Abbas Kaabi

Ayatollah Abbas Kaabi said that the death sentence which has drawn condemnation from the world’s freedom seekers showed how the US-style Islam is different from the true Islam.

The ayatollah further said that if the Saudi government overturns the ruling and releases the cleric, it would bring stability for the Al-Saud Family and the entire region. If so, he pointed out, it will help open dialog and deescalate the situation.

In support of the Saudi cleric and in condemnation of the controversial verdict, the Basij Student Organization organized a rally on Sunday October 19.

Iran Arrests Police Killers

Iran Arrests Police Killers
Iran Arrests Police Killers

Commander of the Law Enforcement Police in the Southeastern city of Saravan GeneralMohsen Davoudi announced on Sunday that his forces have arrested the terrorists who had killed two police officers in the same region two years ago.

“The police forces, with their round-the-clock efforts and people’s cooperation, succeeded in identifying and capturing two outlaws who had martyred two police officers of Saravan’s 111 commando units in 2012,” Davoudi said.

“The suspects were hiding in one of the villages of Khash region, but they were arrested and handed over to the judiciary officials” as a result of the efforts of popular forces and police crime detection units,” he added.

Davoudi explained that two years ago as the culprits were seeking to smuggle 120kg of illicit drugs to Iran, they killed the two policemen and fled the scene when they came across the police units in the region.

In a relevant development earlier this month, Iranian security forces in the Southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan identified and arrested several suspects in relation to the killing of four police officers in Saravan, the provincial police chief said.

Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi said that three of the officers were killed when they, along with other patrol police forces, came under attack by armed bandits while on a mission in the city of Saravan.

Following the incident, he added, the police immediately blocked routes used by terrorists, which led to a shootout between the gunmen and police forces at a checkpoint.

According to the police chief, a number of perpetrators were identified and arrested in a surprise attack on the gunmen, which prompted them to fire rockets, in retaliation, at a police station in Saravan. Another police officer was killed in the incident, he added.

The police would use everything in their power to seriously confront thugs and armed bandits in the province, he warned.

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

Iran Renews Support for Political Solution to Syrian Crisis

Zarif-Staffan de Mistura
Zarif-Staffan de Mistura

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a meeting with United Nations Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Sunday stressed that Tehran still believes that the Syrian crisis can be soothed only through a political solution.

“The international and regional players should do their utmost efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis on the basis of the existing realities in Syria,” Zarif said during the meeting in Tehran today.

At the meeting, Zarif and Mistura reviewed the latest regional developments, particularly the Syrian crisis.

The two sides also reiterated the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) Takfiri terrorists to the entire region.

Zarif wished success for Mistura during his tenure as UN envoy on Syria.

Mistura arrived in Tehran on Sunday morning to confer with senior Iranian officials on ways to settle Syria’s over-three-year-long crisis.

Mistura, who was appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as the new UN envoy for Syria in mid-June to replace Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Iran to expand consultation with Tehran officials who on many occasions have stressed peaceful settlement of crisis in Syria.

On Friday, Mistura in a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Mohammad Fathali praised Tehran’s constructive role in resolving the Syrian crisis.

Iran’s Judiciary vows to arrest, punish acid attackers

Mohseni Ejei
Mohseni Ejei

Iran’s Judiciary Spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei vowed that the criminals who have staged the recent acid attacks on a number of women in the central city of Isfahan will soon be given a harsh punishment.

“The acid attacks in Isfahan last week were unpleasant, criminal acts. The case involving these attacks should be pursued by relevant officials and serious measures should be taken to identify and prosecute the perpetrators,” Ejei told reporters in his weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday.

He underlined that the suspects, if convicted, should be handed harsh sentences as a message to other potential criminals.

The judiciary spokesman rejected media reports that the women were attacked for “not respecting hijab (Islamic code of dressing)”.

A string of acid attacks against at least four women in Isfahan last week prompted public outcry. Under the Iranian law, if convicted, the suspect could face the death penalty.

The state news agency reported on Sunday that Iranian authorities have arrested four people suspected of throwing acid on women.

Iran Tar virtuoso Keyvan Saket to perform in Canada

Keyvan Saket-Canada
Keyvan Saket-Canada

Prominent Iranian Tar virtuoso Keyvan Saket is slated to hold traditional music concerts in Canada.

Saket will present his music program along with Iranian music players living in Canada.

Composer, music researcher,Tar and Setar maestro, Keyvan Saket has held numerous national and international concerts.

Saket received several invitations from Hong Kong, the United States and Australia to present his music programs in these countries.

Saket and his ensemble held music tour in Australian different cities several months ago that gained large acclaim.

He has also worked with many great figures of Iranian music such as Hamid Motebassem and the late Parviz Meshkatian.

Born in 1960 in Mashhad, Saket’s musical experience began during his elementary school years while performing with the music workshop on national Iranian television.

He studied the works of classical and contemporary Iranian musicians. He brought innovations in blending traditional Iranian music and Western classical music.

These innovative works include pieces such as Mozart’s colorful Symphony No. 40 and Brahms’ Hungarian Rhapsodies.

Saket’s concert in Canada is scheduled to be held on December 1, 2014.

Propagation of extremist Shiism is backed by the US: Leader’s Advisor

Hojatoleslam Ali Saeedi

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on October 16 filed a report on the comments of the Supreme Leader’s Representative at the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Hojatoleslam Ali Saeedi about extremism and the role of the US in promoting extremists. What appears below is a partial translation of the report:

Speaking at a meeting with preachers of the Endowment and Charitable Affairs Organization in Qom, Ali Saeedi highlighted that propagation of extremist Shiism is backed by the US, and added that in provoking Shiite extremists, the US seeks to pit them against non-Shiite Muslims and instigate them.

He described the promotion of violent mourning as another plot by the enemies and added, “Today some youth, who go to congregation halls to commemorate the martyrdom [of Imam Hossein, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad], might want to mourn in special [and improper] ways; we should reason with them to prevent made-up elegies from emerging.”

“One of the things that the Supreme Leader has underscored is the ‘Jihadi Management’ and we should inject innovation and creativity into the things that we do; today our society should march toward Jihadi Management,” he said.

Describing special attention to culture in the face of a full-scale cultural invasion by enemies to occupy the public mind as a necessity, he stated, “The minds of people should be brimful of religious teachings so that there will be no room for enemy propaganda.”

He went on to say, “We should pay attention to the strategic depth of the Islamic Republic of Iran and identify threats to the revolution and a revolutionary movement sweeping the world. As of 2005, Americans followed a clash of civilizations and sought to confront the world of Islam. After 2005, it was replaced with the conflict among Islamic sects.”

“America has pitted all Islamic sects against each other and waged war among civilizations; some countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey are fanning the flame of the conflict in the region on behalf of the US,” he stated.

Saeedi denounced Wahhabism, a secular version of Islam promoted by Turkey and extremist Shiism as the kinds of Islam which are backed by America and said, “There is no need for our Shiite Muslims to convert to Wahhabism. The propaganda broadcast by satellite TV which could be monitored even in Qom Province prompted some to blaspheme other religions. Fortunately, such channels no longer exist in our country. Nonetheless, they still carry on their plots in neighboring countries.”

The Leader’s representative at IRGC further said, “Our strategic depth lies in Iraq, Syria, Bahrain and Latin America. We have to maintain this strategic depth; on no account should we lose that depth which might undermine Iran’s security.”

[…]

Find out what happened to Serena, Press TV director calls on Turkey

Emadi-Serena-Shim
Emadi-Serena-Shim

Press TV news director Hamid Reza Emadi says the “suspicious death,” of the news channel’s correspondent in Turkey is a tragedy for “anyone who wants to get the truth.”

Emadi made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Sunday following Serena Shim’s death across the border from Syria’s Kurdish city of Kobani, where the ISIL terrorists and Kurdish fighters are engaged in heavy battles.

“Serena told the stories,” Emadi said, referring to Turkey’s role in the crisis, including “how Ankara collaborated with those terrorists,” and “blocked Kurdish fighters from entering Kobani” to help tackle the ISIL.

On Friday, Shim, an American citizen of Lebanese origin, told Press TV that the Turkish intelligence agency had accused her of spying probably due to some of the stories she had covered about Turkey’s stance on the ISIL terrorists in Kobani and its surroundings, adding that she feared being arrested.

Emadi called the “car accident” version of Shim’s death an “infantile argument” by Turkey. “We are not going to buy that,” he noted.

“We believe that the Turkish government has to be held accountable before the international community. It has to find out exactly what happened.”

The news media director went on to say that Shim was an American national who died “under very suspicious circumstances” inside Turkey. “We are waiting to see whether the US government is reacting or asking Ankara for clarification.”

Shim will not return to her children in Lebanon just because she “criticized a certain country that is creating chaos in the region by supporting terrorists both inside Syria and Iraq,” Emadi said.

He further noted that “Press TV has every right to pursue the matter legally.”

In 2012, Press TV lost another correspondent, Maya Nasser, who was shot in the neck and the chest by a foreign-backed sniper in the Syrian capital Damascus.

Emadi slammed the “so-called” human rights organizations for refusing to condemn killing of journalists like Nasser. “Just because they reported the truth. They didn’t report what the US media wants them to report.”

Shim, a mother of two, covered reports for Press TV in Lebanon, Iraq, and Ukraine.

She was on a mission on the Turkish side of the border across the strategic town to cover the ongoing war there.

Her car collided with a heavy vehicle upon return from a report scene in Suruç, a rural district of Şanlıurfa Province of Turkey.

The identity and the whereabouts of the truck driver remain unknown.

Shim said she was among the few journalists who had obtained stories about Takfiri militants’ infiltration into Syria through the Turkish border, adding she had gained access to images showing militants crossing the border in trucks belonging to the World Food Organization and other NGOs.

Emadi decried news blackout on Press TV correspondents’ death “by those who control mass media” saying, “That’s how they’re sending a signal to independent journalists like Serena Shim.”

United front needed for anti-terror fight: Rouhani

Iran-Lebanon-Rouhani
Iran-Lebanon-Rouhani

“Terrorist groups must be driven out of the region and their criminal acts must be stopped and it is therefore necessary for all regional countries to unite,” Rouhani said in a meeting with Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel in Tehran on Sunday.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports regional nations including the Syrian, Lebanese and Iraqi people and other nations that are in the war against terrorism and will continue its support,” the president added.

He commended the resistance of the Lebanese nation against the Israeli regime’s atrocities despite Tel Aviv’s state-of-the-art arms and expressed hope that unity in the country would deter Israel from launching another attack on Lebanon.

Tel Aviv conducted wars on Lebanon in 2000 and 2006. On both occasions, however, Hezbollah fighters defeated the Israeli forces and Tel Aviv was compelled to withdraw its troops without having achieved any of its objectives.

Rouhani further said certain regional and Western countries committed a “very big mistake” by supporting armed terrorist groups, adding, “They must know that a terrorist group can never be used as a tool for gaining more influence in the region.”

The Lebanese defense minister, for his part, said in addition to the Israeli regime, terrorist and Takfiri groups are other enemies of the regional countries.

Moqbel added that all the Lebanese parties are determined to help the army fight terrorist groups.