IRRAANN October 2020 Issue No.31 FFOOCCUUSS
A LOOK AT REAL IRAN IN MONTHLY NEWWS
Cultural Consulate of the Embassy of I.R. of Iran: 350 Cameron Street, Brooklyn, Pretoria, South Africa Email: [email protected] - Tel: 012 346 3180
CULTURAL CONSULATE OF THE EMBASSY OF I.R. IRAN – PRETORIA
Introduction:
Iran: A concise History “Certain regions of the world are distinguishable as being associated with a particular human culture pattern, which is at once distinctive in character and also sufficiently strong to have survived as a readily identifiable entity over many centuries… Of these regions, Iran is certainly one”. Cambridge History of Iran Known as Persia until 1935, Iran is a country with a history of over 10000 years and home to one of the oldest known civilizations. Persia, or Iran, as the country is more appropriately called, presents a lexicon of human history matched only by a handful of other countries in the world. The name Persia is derived from the Persis, a province in southern Iran from which a southern Iranian tribe, known as the “Persians” created a world empire in the sixth century B.C. The name Iran, pronounced “Eran”, however, comes from the term “Aryan” meaning “the land of nobles”, a name first used about the first millennium B.C. ‘Iran’ as a territory has multiple meanings. Broadly and devoid of any sort of political or territorial claims, one can see it as three regions. First, there is modern Iran, within its international borders. Then there is ‘Greater Iran or / ‘Iran exterior comprising the additional areas that once formed part of the Iranian world at various times in history. Lastly, there are the areas, sometimes very remote from the center, including parts of Europe and India that exhibit Iranian influence. In the seventh century A.D. the new faith, Islam, which was based on Monotheism, offered the Iranian population an excellent opportunity whence for several centuries Iranian arts and acumen crystallized and became paramount in the Islamic world. The following centuries witnessed the development of distinctive traditions in pottery and ceramics, tile work, stucco, brickwork, metalwork, glassware, carpets, textiles, jewelry, music and poetry. In antiquity, and again during the Islamic period, Iran’s position between the West and China helped to transform this land into “a crossroad of civilizations” and one of the great sources of art and thought. Iran’s originality is such that it continuously invented new forms while maintaining its distinct character, as its influence extended over immense regions.
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Contents Policy During the Sacred Defense, Iran single-handedly defeated the US, the USSR and the West ...... 5 Leader attends Arbaeen mourning ceremony ...... 6 Rouhani dismisses U.S. sanctions as internal ‘political propaganda’ ...... 7 Zarif holds ‘fruitful talks’ with Chinese counterpart ...... 9 News of Lana Marks assassination plot bizzarre: Pandor ...... 10 Iran rejects assassination plot claims ...... 11 Iran announces termination of UN arms embargo ...... 12 ELEVENTH ROSE GARDEN BOOK LAUNCH IN SOUTH AFRICA ...... 16 Resistance festival to review films on Commander Soleimani ...... 17 Book on resistance of women in Khorramshahr published in Lebanon ...... 19 Designs by Iranian architects win at WA Awards ...... 20 Doc depicts charisma of Imam Khomeini among Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein ..... 21 “This Side, Other Side” wins UNICEF Award at Bratislava animation biennial ...... 23 Iran’s tourism achieves growth despite sanctions: minister ...... 25 Armed forces support health sector in battling COVID-19 ...... 26 South Africa lifts visa for Iranian travelers ...... 28 Iran has good news about Covid-19 vaccine: minister ...... 31 Iranian biotechnology ranks 12th in world, first in West Asia ...... 32 Free influenza vaccines for 80,000 underprivileged people ...... 34 Iran beat Uzbekistan in friendly ...... 37 Iran chosen to host FIVB Boys’ U19 World C’ship ...... 39 Persepolis move up at Soccer Clubs Ranking ...... 40 Friendlies: Iran futsal team defeat Uzbekistan ...... 41 Steel exports exceed 2.3m tons in 6 months ...... 43 Coronavirus didn’t halt Iran’s oil production, not even one day: Zanganeh ...... 44 Some 70% of Iran’s non-oil exports destined for neighbors ...... 45 EGFI ranks 1st among region’s Islamic funds for 2nd time ...... 47
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PPoolicy
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During the Sacred Defense, Iran single- handedly defeated the US, the USSR and the West
Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the start of the Sacred Defense (Saddam's imposed war on Iran), the speech of Imam Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a video conference with the participants of a ceremony honoring the veterans of the Holy Defense, was broadcast live on national TV channels. In his speech, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution reiterated, “Despite the whole-hearted support that many countries in the world offered to the Ba’athist regime of Iraq, Iran was able to be victorious in the war.” In a videoconference held this Monday with the purpose of paying homage to the veterans of the Sacred Defense Era, coinciding with the anniversary of Saddam’s attack on Iran, His Eminence stated, “The US and other powers started a war with the purpose of overthrowing the Islamic Republic, but they were defeated. Iran’s victory in this war is as clear as the existence of the sun. The whole world did whatever it could, but they failed to achieve their goal in the end. Is there any victory better than this?” He went on to state that in the past one or two centuries Iran always suffered defeat in the wars that it was involved in and lost part of its territories. He said, “However, in the war that Saddam waged against Iran (1980-1988), he failed to separate even one inch of Iran’s land even though the US, the Soviet Union and NATO were supporting him.”
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Imam Khamenei stressed, “Since the beginning, our late Imam knew that the war between Iraq and Iran was not an ordinary war between two neighboring countries. He knew who the main enemy in the war was and realized that Saddam was a mere instrument. He always said that the US was worse than the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union worse than the US, and England worse than both of them. In other words, he had understood that these powers were the main elements working behind the scenes of the war.” The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasized that the Sacred Defense enriched Iran’s human resources and added, “Countless people who were involved in the Sacred Defense continued to render services in different areas of the country in those days, are continuing to do so at the present time, and will continue to do so in the future with God’s grace. Martyr Soleimani was one example. No one has yet understood the extent of his activities. Perhaps in the future, we will gradually come to know what he did.”
Leader attends Arbaeen mourning ceremony
TEHRAN — Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday attended the Arbaeen mourning ceremony, which arrives 40 days after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS).
According to Fars, this year, the Arbaeen ceremony was held without public participation in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The ceremony was broadcast live on national television and social media networks.
The martyrdom of Imam Hossein (AS) remains an inspirational example of sacrifice to Shia Muslims, who make up a majority of the Muslim population in Iran, Pakistan, Iraq and Bahrain.
Imam Hossein is the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad (S), who was martyred in the Battle of Karbala nearly 14 centuries ago.
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Rouhani dismisses U.S. sanctions as internal ‘political propaganda’ October 9, 2020
TEHRAN – In his first response to the new sanctions the U.S. imposed on Iran on Thursday, President Hassan Rouhani said these sanctions were imposed to serve political goals in the United States.
“The measures of the U.S. administration are taken within the purview of propaganda and political efforts which are meant to serve their internal goals,” the president was quoted by the presidential website as saying on Friday, adding that the Americans cannot break the resistance of the Iranian people through making troubles in the path of medicines and food supply.
Rouhani made the remarks in a conversation with Abdolnasser Hemmati, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran.
On Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department slapped new sanctions on Iran, targeting “eighteen major Iranian banks.”
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Under the new sanctions, “all property and interests in property of designated targets that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons,” according to a Treasury statement.U.S. Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin said the restrictions were meant to sever Iran’s ties with the global financial system.
“Today, U.S. Treasury took further action to isolate the Iranian economy from the global financial system as the regime uses the financial sector to advance its malign agenda,” tweeted Mnuchin.
Rouhani described these sanctions as “cruel, terrorist and inhumane,” saying the Americans cannot break the resistance of the Iranian people.
According to Rouhani, the new sanctions came in continuation of the U.S. “strategic mistake” in withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“The U.S. administration mistakenly believed that these sanctions will break the resistance of Iran and get us into trouble. But as time passed it became clear that this analysis was very far from reality and thus didn’t work,” he stated.
The president pointed out that the U.S. will face defeat every time they repeat their strategic mistakes.
Rouhani added, “All countries see that these U.S. measures are in full violation of the law and international regulations. These Washington measures are completely inhumane given the coronavirus circumstances. Human rights advocates in the world should condemn these measures.”
For his part, the CBI governor said the new U.S. sanctions didn’t affect the existing exemptions for medicines and basic goods.
“The banks that were designated under secondary sanctions are still using SWIFT and will continue financing the basic goods,” the CBI governor said.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the fresh U.S. sanctions are meant to cut off Iran’s remaining channels to pay for humanitarian goods.“Amid Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. regime wants to blow up our remaining channels to pay for food & medicine. Iranians WILL survive this latest of cruelties. But conspiring to starve a population is a crime against humanity. Culprits & enablers—who block our money—WILL face justice,” Zarif tweeted on Thursday. 8
Zarif holds ‘fruitful talks’ with Chinese counterpart October 11, 2020
TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday he held ‘fruitful talks’ with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
“Fruitful talks in beautiful Tengchong with my friend Wang Yi on Iran-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Tweeted Zarif on Saturday evening.
The foreign minister arrived in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan at the head of a high-ranking delegation on Friday.
Earlier on Thursday, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Saeed Khatibzadeh said Zarif’s two-day visit was “in line with close consultations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and China.”
Zarif also said that they “rejected U.S. unilateralism and U.S. attempts to create unipolar world,” adding that Iran and China “agreed on strengthening our ties including 25-year plan, regional cooperation, preserving JCPOA & vaccine collaboration.”
Zarif was referring to a 25-year strategic partnership plan between Iran and China that was approved by Iran in June but still awaits the Chinese approval.
Neither Iran nor China did formally give many details about the plan. However, some details of the 25-year partnership have been leaked to the press. According to the leaks, China will invest a whopping $400 billion in various Iranian sectors 9
including oil and gas. In exchange, Iran will ensure steady energy supplies to China for a period of 25 years at a discounted rate.
As Zarif left Iran for China, an assistant to him, said the foreign minister was going to discuss the partnership plan, expressing hope that the plan would play a major role in facilitating the trade between Tehran and Beijing.
“We hope that Mr. Zarif’s visit to China will be a major step toward institutionalizing the 25-year cooperation document between the two countries, which will be a good basis for boosting economic relations,” said the assistant, adding, “Concerning the 25-year cooperation plan between Iran and China, there have been continuous contacts between the experts of the two countries since last year.”
The assistant, Reza Zabib, also said Zarif will discuss the efforts to produce the Covid-19 vaccine.
News of Lana Marks assassination plot bizzarre: Pandor 17 September 2020, 7:13 PM| SABC | @SABCNews
Pandor says she was not given a heads up before the Politico story broke. International Relations Minister, Naledi Pandor , has described a US news story that Iran was plotting to assassinate Ambassador Lana Marks as very strange. She was speaking in an exclusive interview with the SABC News correspondent, Sherwin Bryce-Pease, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly’s High Level week, which begins on Monday next week in New York. Pandor says she was not given a heads up before the Politico story broke.
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“It is a matter of the protection services and that which is provided to our diplomats, we have assured them through the statement of State Security Minister, Ayanda Dlodlo, that South Africa believes diplomats in our country are safe and should there be a need for additional measures, these would be taken and obviously we will ask and Minister Dlodlo would seek more information from her colleagues in the Security sector in the United States,” she says.
“But it’s been a very strange public statement and of course our friends in Iran are as surprised as we were. I find it surprising, why would Iran being a very good friend of South Africa come and commit a horrendous act in a country which has been a good friend to Iran, and of such a nature? I can only describe it as bizarre and let me stop there.”
Iran rejects assassination plot claims
The Iranian embassy in South Africa has described allegations of an “against the US ambassador in South Africa, as baseless.
Professor Seyed Marandi, an International Relations Expert at the University of Tehran also weighs in on the story. Meanwhile, Iran has rejected as nonsensical allegations of an assassination plot against Marks.
International Relations Expert with the University of Tehran, Professor Seyed Marandi says: “In Tehran, everyone is making fun of the accusation. This woman is a handbag designer, she is by no means the equivalent of General Qasem Soleimani who defeated ISIS and Al-Qaeda. United States is constantly making ridiculous accusations against Iran. The only thing less for the United States to accuse Iran of is global warming.”
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Iran announces termination of UN arms embargo October 18, 2020
TEHRAN – In an official statement on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry announced the termination of a UN arms embargo on Iran in defiance of the United States’ failed efforts to extend the embargo.
“Today is a momentous day for the international community, which in defiance of the U.S. regime’s efforts, has protected UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” the Foreign Ministry stated.
“As of today [October 18, 2020], all restrictions on the transfer of arms, related activities and financial services to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and all prohibitions regarding the entry into or transit through territories of the United Nations Member States previously imposed on a number of Iranian citizens and military officials, are all automatically terminated,” the ministry added.
“As of today, all restrictions on the transfer of arms, related activities and
financial services to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and all
prohibitions regarding the entry into or transit through territories of the
United Nations Member States previously imposed on a number of Iranian
citizens and military officials, are all automatically terminated,” Iran’s
Foreign Ministry declared. It also emphasized that in one of the JCPOA’s
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innovations, the definitive and unconditional termination of arms restrictions and travel bans requires no new resolution, nor does it require any statement or any other measure by the Security Council. The JCPOA, endorsed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, was signed between Iran, the United States, Britain, Germany, France, the European Union, Russia, and China on July 14, 2018. However, U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the deal on May 8, 2018 in pursuit of what it called the “maximum pressure” policy against Iran.
The U.S. has made tremendous efforts, from submitting a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for the extension of the arms embargo to triggering a controversial mechanism within the JCPOA, to make sure that the UN Arms restrictions on Iran will not be lifted. But all U.S. efforts in this regard have faced firm opposition from the international community. All JCPOA parties along with thirteen of the 15-member UN Security Council have said the U.S. had no legal authority to extend the arms embargo on Iran.
According to the Foreign Ministry statement, from now on, the Islamic Republic of Iran may procure any necessary arms and equipment from any source without any legal restrictions and solely based on its defensive needs, and may also export defensive armaments based on its own policies
“At the same time, Iran’s defense doctrine is premised on strong reliance on its people and indigenous capabilities. Ever since the eight-year imposed war on Iran by Saddam Hussein’s regime—during which the Iranian people were victims of sophisticated and lethal weapons provided to Saddam by the West while Iran was deprived of procuring even the most basic defensive weaponry—the Islamic Republic of Iran has provided for its defensive needs through indigenous capacities and capabilities,” the statement read.
It also urged the United States to abandon its destructive approach toward Resolution 2231, return to full compliance with its commitments under the United Nations Charter, stop violating international law and ignoring international order, and cease further destabilization in West Asia.
“It is evident that any measure against the provisions of UNSC Resolution 2231— particularly paragraph 1 and its defined timetables—will amount to a material breach of the resolution and the purposes of the JCPOA. In that event, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to ta ke any necessary countermeasures to secure its national interests,” it added.
‘Momentous day for the international community’
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Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also called Iran’s normalization of defense cooperation with the world as a victory for multilateralism.
"Today's normalization of Iran’s defense cooperation with the world is a win for the cause of multilateralism and peace and security in our region," Zarif said on Twitter.
Calling this "a momentous day for the international community," Zarif said the world has defied "malign U.S. efforts" to protect the Security Council resolution and the nuclear deal.
Yet, Iran reiterated long-held principle that "unconventional arms, weapons of mass destruction…. have no place in Iran's defense doctrine."
Iran to have legitimate arms trade with other states: mission to UN
Iran’s mission to the United Nation also announced that Iran, as a responsible member of the international community, will have legitimate trade with other states including in arms trade as of Sunday.
“As a responsible member of the international community, the Islamic Republic of Iran engages in legitimate trade—in accordance with international law and on the basis of its national interests—with other countries, including in the realm of the arms trade,” the mission said in a Sunday statement.
The mission emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always maintained that all sanctions and restrictive measures introduced and applied against the people of Iran have been baseless, unjust and unlawful.
“During the last few months, the United States had attempted, in violation of resolution 2231, to impose a new arms embargo on Iran to no avail, as the Security Council has rejected illegal U.S. move,” the statement said, adding, “The U.S. unlawful attempt to reinstate terminated Security Council resolutions against Iran also failed when 13 members and three consecutive Presidents of the Council rejected the U.S.’s claim that it was eligible to invoke OP 11 of resolution 2231, and considered said claimed eligibility null and void.”
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AArrtt & CCuulltuurree
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ELEVENTH ROSE GARDEN BOOK LAUNCH IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Cultural Consulate of the Embassy of Iran in collaboration with the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the 40th anniversary of the Holy Defense hosted a virtual book launch of the THE ELEVENTH ROSE GARDEN in Pretoria. Participants included Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in South Africa His Excellency Mr. Agha Jafari, His Eminence Mr. Imanipour, Deputy President of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, the Cultural Counsellor of the Embassy of Iran Dr. Ahmad Ali Mohsenzadeh and the wife of martyr Ali Chitzazian, Ms. Zahra Panahi-Rava.
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Resistance festival to review films on Commander Soleimani October 11, 2020
TEHRAN – The 16th Resistance International Film Festival will review films on Commander Qassem Soleimani’s role in awakening people of the region and the world in a special section, the organizers announced on Sunday.
Interested filmmakers are asked to submit their films on the main characteristic of the martyr as the symbol of resistance, highlighting the bravery of the commander and the soldiers without borders as the main themes of the section named “Prominent Resistance Martyr Section”.
The oppression of the people in the region, their resistance, and the role of Soleimani in their awareness are also highlighted in the section, which is due to be held internationally.
The organizers have so far received over 700 submissions, including videos, short films, screenplays and mostly documentaries in this section.
The festival has been organized in two stages, the first of which took place during the Sacred Defense Week from September 21 to 28.
The second part of the festival will be held from November 21 to 27 to celebrate the anniversary of Basij Day, which falls on November 25.
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Following the assassination of Commander Soleimani during a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad on January 3, several other cultural events in Iran established awards in memory of the chief of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
First of them was the Fajr Film Festival, which announced it would honor films on resistance and jihad with an award named after Soleimani.
The award went to “Abadan 11, 60” directed by Mehrdad Khoshbakht about the people’s fight against Iraqi forces in the southwestern Iranian city of Abadan during the early months of the Iran-Iraq war.
In addition, the 17th edition of the Resistance Theater Festival has established an award named after Commander Qassem Soleimani to honor a play every year.
“Due to the importance of the resistance issue and the need to promote the teachings of the popular figure of Iran’s resistance culture and the leader of the resistance front, Lieutenant-General Qassem Soleimani, we plan to honor a top play with an award named after Hajj Qassem Soleimani this year for the first time,” the organizers have announced.
The award will be presented in the next editions of the festival to represent its organizers’ committed devotion to the divine commander.
The Association of the Revolution and Sacred Defense Theater organizes the festival every year in collaboration with several other institutions.
This year’s edition is scheduled to be held during November or December.
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Book on resistance of women in Khorramshahr published in Lebanon
TEHRAN – The Al-Maaref Islamic Cultural Association in Lebanon has recently released an Arabic translation of a book on the resistance of women in Khorramshahr during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
Entitled “Saji”, the book contains memories of Nasrin Baqerzadeh, the widow of Iranian martyr commander Bahman Baqeri, written by Behnaz Zarrabizadeh.
Somayyeh Yusef is the translator of the book into Arabic.
The southwestern Iranian city of Khorramshahr was captured by Iraqis on October 26, 1980 during the early months of the Iran-Iraq war and it was liberated on May 24, 1982.
The original version has been published by Sureh-Mehr, an affiliate publisher of the Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO), and was introduced during a ceremony by the IIDO director Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Qomi in July.
The widow narrates how they spent the very first days of the invasion, but later they were forced to leave the city with the family to Shiraz while the men stayed in Khorramshahr to defend the city.
The Lebanese association also released an Arabic translation of the book “In the Tumult of Silence”, on Iranian martyr Abbas Varamini, the commander of 27th Mohammad Rasulullah Division in Tehran.
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The book has been written by Javad Kalateh-Arabi.
The original book was published in Iran in winter 2018 and a few months later its second edition came out.
Varamini was an educated individual different from his companions. He was a coordinator in the process of capturing the American Embassy in Tehran.
After the formation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), there was a necessity to recruit experienced experts and forces, and Varamini entered the IRGC and later participated in several operations during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
He was martyred during an operation on the Panjvein frontline in November 1983.
The book contains four chapters named “Unforgettable District”, “Years of Tension”, “Towards the University of Frontline” and “In the Tumult of Silence”.
The book was selected for Arabic translation in a book fair held in Beirut last year.
Designs by Iranian architects win at WA Awards October 11, 2020
TEHRAN – Several Iranian architects and interior designers have been honored at the 35th edition of the WA Awards, which is organized by the World Architecture Community.
The awards are presented in the two categories of architecture and interior design.
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“Home”, a project by Mohammad-Hossein Mohammadpur Parchebafi won the honor in the student architecture projects.
The project based on the childlike imagination of home form is an attempt to provide shelters and temporary housing for vulnerable groups, especially children, during floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters.
Two designs by Iranian architects were also honored in the student interior design projects.
A design by Sajjad Navidi for the Shanbeh-Ghazan Metro Station in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz is one of the winners.
The station is located in the historic district of Shanbeh-Ghazan. Due to the historic site, the design of the station is of great importance.
Seyyed Mohammad-Hossein Rahmati’s design of the lobby of Tehrans’ Dafineh Museum, a showcase for coins and banknotes, was also honored.
The WA Awards highlights and recognizes remarkable projects that have the potential to inspire exciting questions about contemporary architectural discourse, the organizers have said.
Participants from around the globe, and in particular from regions less covered by general or specialized media, get a chance to share and promote their projects.
The designs are selected by the votes of honorary members and winners in earlier editions, and winners are picked through the ratings of the community members.
Doc depicts charisma of Imam Khomeini among Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein October 12, 2020
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TEHRAN – A documentary newly made at the Islamic Revolution Documentary House illustrates the charisma of Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, among Iraqi soldiers and officers during the 1980s when the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein launched a war against Iran.
The five-episode documentary entitled “Aboo Taaha” directed by Hassan Qahramani has been made over three years.
“This documentary studies the impacts of the Islamic Revolution and Imam Khomeini’s influence on the enemy’s frontline over the eight-year war,” Qahramani said in a press release on Monday.
“When Iraq entered the war with our country, there was a remarkable conflict between Iraqis and the Ba’ath Party so that many Iraqi people did not support the party and were opposed to the war against Iran and this was due to the affection they had for Imam Khomeini,” he added.
In his research for the documentary, Qahramani met Aboo Taaha, a commander of Iran’s psychological warfare against Iraq. He worked as an investigator in camps of Iraqi prisoners of war in Iran. He had talked to many of prisoners and knew them well.
As a result, Aboo Taaha joined Qahramani’s crew in their journey to Iraq to find the former Iraqi soldiers and officers for making the documentary.
They visited Abu Zulfiqar, a former Iraqi officer who surrendered an armored brigade to Iranian forces during the war.
“When we entered his home, we saw photos of the Leader of the revolution [Ayatollah Khamenei], Imam Khomeini and Imam Musa Sadr hung beside each other on the wall,” Qahramani said.
“He told us that his father had threatened to curse him out if he would fight against the soldiers of Imam Khomeini. He also noted that his father showed special respect for Imam Khomeini and Imam Musa al-Kadhim (AS). The most important part of his words were that many Iraqi people did not agree to follow Saddam in his fight against Iran, and that it was clear that Saddam could do nothing against Iran,” he added.
“Abu Taaha” is scheduled to be broadcast from the Mostanad Channel, IRIB’s network dedicated to screening documentary films.
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“This Side, Other Side” wins UNICEF Award at Bratislava animation biennial October 11, 2020
TEHRAN – Iranian director Lida Fazli’s movie “This Side, Other Side” has won the UNICEF Award at the 15th Biennial of Animation Bratislava, an international festival of animated films for children that took place in the Slovakian capital from October 5 to 9.
We are always so afraid of the other side, even though we are all the same. When a war rips their world apart, a little girl and little boy from two sides come together to heal it with their magical crayon. But we all know that’s just fantasy. Real wars are not so easy to stop; the damage is not so easy to fix.
The animated movie is a production from Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Film Center.
“Daughter” by Daria Kashcheeva from Czech received the Sv. Vojtech Award.
The Children’s Spectator Award went to “The Peculiar Crime of Oddball Mr. Jay” by Bruno Caetano from Portugal, and “The Kite” by Martin Smatana from Slovakia won the Viktor Kubal Award.
Iranian animators are frequent visitors to the Bratislava festival.
In 2018, “Icky” by Iranian director Parastu Kardgar won the UNICEF Award. The film uses original means to tackle the issue of difference and integration, and lifts up the unique nature of an individual, echoing UNICEF’s work ethos.
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SSoocciety
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Iran’s tourism achieves growth despite sanctions: minister October 6, 2020
TEHRAN – Iran’s tourism sector achieved a growth [of almost ten percent year on year] in the previous Iranian calendar year 1398 (March 2019-March 2020) despite the adverse effects of the U.S. sanctions, Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan said on Saturday.
“I am glad to inform you that the tourism sector of the country tried to minimize the effects of the sanctions. Despite the fact that we faced the coronavirus crisis in the last two months of the past year, [arrivals of] some 8,800,000 tourists were registered…,” he said in an interview with the Mehr news agency.
“Last year, in addition to the sanctions, many other events happened in the country, including floods at the beginning of the year, the martyrdom of Lt. Gen. Soleimani and the tragic accident of the Ukrainian plane, each of which could have dealt a fatal blow to the tourism industry. But fortunately, as statistics show, we had a growth in this sector last year despite all the events.”
Mounesan also attached great importance to the country’s initiative of diversifying tourism services, saying: “Therefore, tourism is one of the important economic sectors. One of the important things we did in this area was to diversify tourism services. Previously, most of our foreign tourists were interested in cultural and historical fields. Now, due to the efforts made, the health tourism, ecotourism, and nature tourism sectors have greatly improved. Recently, sectors such as agricultural tourism and mining tourism have been added to this area.”
In 2019, the tourism sector’s share of the country's GDP was $11.8 billion. Unfortunately, one of the things that have recently fluctuated the foreign
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exchange market is the loss of foreign tourists in the last nine months due to the coronavirus, Mounesan added.
"Therefore, the tourism sector has been able to play its role well due to the existing capacities in the country, including Iranian customs, climatic diversity, and precious cultural heritage," he said.
In August, the minister said 8.7 million foreign nationals visited the Islamic Republic during the past [Iranian] year, adding that Iran was ranked as the second fastest-growing country in tourism based on data compiled by the World Tourism Organization.
“On the onset of coronavirus, tourism faced a sharp decline in the world including our country. So that in the first three months of the current [Iranian] year the number of foreign tourists dropped to 74 --- it was reached almost zero,” he said.
According to official data announced by the tourism ministry, the number of international tourists visiting Iran surged 52.5 percent in the Iranian calendar year 1397 from a year earlier, and it fetched the country some $11.8 billion in tourism revenues.
Armed forces support health sector in battling COVID-19 October 9, 2020
TEHRAN – As the COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging the whole country, fifty-six hospitals belonging to the armed forces have been equipped to exclusively admit patients infected with the coronavirus.
Hassan Araqizadeh, the head of the healthcare department of the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces, told IRIB on Thursday that the department is ready to establish field hospitals at every place, even at border points.
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“Some 70 percent of the beds of the hospitals of the Armed Forces had been allocated to COVID-19 patients, but we are ready to boost the capacities,” he said.
Iran registered unprecedented 4,142 new cases of coronavirus over the past 24 hours.
During the past 24 hours, 210 patients have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 28,098, Health Ministry spokesperson Sima-Sadat Lari said on Friday, adding that the total number of infections rose to 492,378.
She added that 401,379 patients have so far recovered, but 4,392 remain in critical conditions of the disease.
Lari noted that so far 4,257,766 COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the country.
She said the high-risk “red” zones include provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, East Azarbaijan, South Khorasan, Semnan, Qazvin, Lorestan, Ardebil, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Gilan, Bushehr, Zanjan, Ilam, Khorasan Razavi, Mazandaran, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Alborz, West Azarbaijan, Markazi, Kerman, North Khorasan, Hamedan, and Yazd.
The provinces of Kordestan, Hormozgan, Fars, and Golestan are also on alert.
Face masks mandatory As of today, the use of face masks will be mandatory in Tehran province and the implementation of this law will be closely monitored. Accordingly, restrictions were imposed on educational classes, recreational places, sports halls, gardens, museums, and gatherings that increase the chain of transmission, as well as Friday prayers.
Medical terrorism Tehran has described the U.S. sanctions as “economic terrorism” and “medical terrorism” on various occasions, citing the high number of deaths as a direct result of the illegal sanctions.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has accused the United States of impeding Iran’s ability to fight the coronavirus outbreak, saying that U.S. sanctions have prevented the purchase of critical medical supplies.
“We need to jointly confront the destructive impact of unilateral coercive measures on efforts to combat the pandemic,” Zarif told the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on September 27.
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“They are nothing but economic and medical terrorism, and we must refuse to comply with these unlawful measures in our collective endeavor to tackle this common affliction of humanity,” he added.
South Africa lifts visa for Iranian travelers October 6, 2020
TEHRAN - South Africa’s government has announced that it waived visa requirement for passport holders from Iran and ten other countries.
In a bid to boost tourism to the country, South Africa’s home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi has announced visa-free travel for 11 countries. In a media briefing, the minister said the visa-free status of citizens of some countries and territories was temporarily suspended at the start of the lockdown period, Travel Daily Media announced on Tuesday.
“In line with the commitment of the government to take urgent steps to address the economic and tourism stagnation brought about by the outbreak of Covid-19, the visa-free status of citizens from a number of countries and territories has been reinstated,” Motsoaledi said.
The countries include South Korea, Spain, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, U.S., UK, France, Portugal, and Iran. However, the minister said that visa-free status does not alter the current Covid-19 regulations.
The minister also said he has instructed officials to communicate this decision to the aviation industry, embassies, and other stakeholders as a matter of urgency. “The port managers have been instructed to adhere to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocol and guidelines regulating the movement of essential goods under Covid-19 regulations. “The guidelines
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regulating truck drivers traveling across the border will continue to apply as has been the case for the past seven months,” he said.
The minister said that immigration officers will be required to assess the movement and place of origin of the traveler and not the country of origin of the airline concerned.
“Transit travelers through South Africa by air will be allowed to connect to their destinations, subject to them complying with applicable health protocols but need not produce the 72 hours negative certificate.”
Motsoaledi said that any person from a country listed as having a high Covid-19 infection and transmission rate, who wish to undertake business travel into South Africa, may, in writing, apply to the Department of Home Affairs and demonstrate reasons for their request to enter the country for business purposes during the period of the national state of disaster.
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Science & Tecchhnolooggy
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Iran has good news about Covid-19 vaccine: minister October 12, 2020
TEHRAN – The Iranian health minister announced on Sunday that he had “good news” about a Covid-19 vaccine being developed in the country.
Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on Sunday, Saeed Namaki said, “I have good news about the vaccine and I also told the director of international relations (at the ministry) to let the World Health Organization know how far we have gone in the phases of developing the vaccine”.
He added that the news of the breakthrough that Iran has made in making the vaccine will be announced to the world as a major national achievement, according to a Tasnim report.
The minister’s comments came as Iran is tackling with a new wave of Covid-19 cases that has led to another round of lockdowns in the capital Tehran. On Sunday the Health Ministry reported a record-high number of Covid-19 infections.
Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 251 people have lost their lives due to the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of fatalities to 28,544.
The spokeswoman also announced 3,822 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number to 500,075.
Also on Sunday, two high-ranking government officials, namely Ali Akbar Salehi and Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, tested positive for Covid-19.
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Iranian biotechnology ranks 12th in world, first in West Asia October 12, 2020
TEHRAN – Iran is ranked 12th in the world and first in West Asia in terms of biotechnology, as 9.5 percent of the income of knowledge-based companies and more than 60 percent of their exports are related to biotechnology.
Foreign exchange savings of $1 billion per year by producing 22 biopharmaceuticals, gaining the first rank in biotechnology products and vaccines in West Asia, and the presence among the top five biotechnology producers in Asia are among the country’s achievements, Mostafa Ghanei, secretary of the biotechnology development office of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, said on Monday.
“However, we are still far from achieving a targeted global market share of 23.25 billion dollars, and given the current needs of the country, we need to be more active and pursue this goal more seriously.”
So far, 27 biotechnology medicines, 12 vaccine projects, 90 pharmaceutical raw materials, and 55 projects in agriculture and food security have been implemented in order to gain a 3 percent market share and biotechnology assistance to the development of the economy, he explained.
Some 8 major companies are responsible for managing the country's 117 priority products in the fields of biopharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical raw materials, vaccines, probiotics, equipment, and chemical drugs, he emphasized.
“To take steps towards the knowledge-based economy, we directed the researches topics in this regard, in addition to the national division of labor, and identifying 41 key priority issues in the field of research, while supporting 48 gene banks,” he concluded.
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Pharmaceutical capabilities
Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz, head of the Food and Drug Administration, said in January that the Iranian pharmaceutical industry and scientists are capable of producing any kind of medicine over a two-year period.
Iran also produced drugs confirmed to be effective in the coronavirus treatment, including, Remdesivir, Tocilizumab.
Health Minister Saeed Namaki said that some 97 percent of the whole medicine consumed in the country is produced domestically and only 3 percent is imported.
Sourena Sattari Vice President for Science and Technology, also said that “Iran plays a leading role in the field of biotechnology in the region, with the production of 24 biotech medicine.
Ismail Ghaderifar, head of the center for strategic technologies development of the vice presidency of science and technology added that under sanctions in the most difficult conditions, Iran combatted the pandemic and knowledge-based companies could make the country independent. Moreover, they managed to produce pharmaceutical items required by the country's health system.
“Also, the production of medical equipment such as ventilators is one of the honors of knowledge-based companies, which is a vital and important item for ICU patients, which have even reached the export stage,” he said.
Electrospinning is another product made by knowledge-based companies, which can apply a nano-layer on the fibers. Europe which was the only producer of the product refused to transfer the production line to Iran due to sanctions, and the price of each production line was one million euros, he highlighted.
Mehdi Kashmiri, director for technology and planning at the science ministry, said in July that about 450 knowledge-based companies were active in the country for manufacturing protective equipment and treatment products to fight the coronavirus.
Production of more than one million face masks per day, production of more than 1.5 liters of disinfectants per day, diagnostic kits, non-contact thermometers, protective clothing, ventilator are among the produces manufactured by these companies, he added.
Iranian-made innovative products in the field of diagnosis, screening, and fighting coronavirus were also unveiled to combat the disease, namely, ozone generator, nanotechnology face shields, disinfection gate, and molecular COVID-19 diagnostic kits.
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Free influenza vaccines for 80,000 underprivileged people
TEHRAN – Influenza vaccines have been provided free of charge to some 80,000 people under the coverage of the Welfare Organization, the head of the Organization has announced.
The Ministry of Health is implementing a national plan aiming to provide two million doses of influenza vaccines for at-risk groups such as the elderly, transplant patients, cardiopulmonary patients, and pregnant women to reduce COVID-19 effects.
According to the national plan on influenza vaccination, the distribution of vaccine is the responsibility of the University of Medical Sciences in different provinces, Vahid Qobadi Dana stated.
Personnel and the elderly living in daycare centers as well as the physically disabled in the Welfare Organization are in priority, he highlighted.
He went on to note that up to 80,000 people who are in welfare organization’s care centers are eligible to receive free vaccines.
Following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the observance of health protocols such as social distancing, personal hygiene, disinfection of hands, and use of masks, the flu infection will be much lower than the previous years. Therefore, vaccination is not necessary for the whole population, Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz, head of the Food and Drug Administration, said.
In the press briefing on Sunday, Health Ministry spokesperson Sima-Sadat Lari confirmed 3,362 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of
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infections to 446,448. She added that 374,170 patients have so far recovered, but 4,059 still remain in critical conditions of the disease.
In the past 24 hours, 195 patients have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 25,589, she added.
Lari noted that so far 3,932,571 COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the country.
She said the high-risk “red” zones include provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, East Azarbaijan, South Khorasan, Semnan, Qazvin, Lorestan, Ardebil, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Gilan, Bushehr, Zanjan, Ilam, Khorasan Razavi, Mazandaran, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, Alborz, West Azarbaijan, Markazi, Kerman, North Khorasan, Hamedan, and Yazd.
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Persepolis beat Al Nassr for second time in a week October 9, 2020
TEHRAN - Persepolis defeated Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia for the second time in a week, this time in a legal case in the Asian Football Confederation.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Friday rejected the complaint filed by Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr Football Club after the semi-final match of the AFC Champions League.
Al Nassr, who lost to Persepolis in the 2020 AFC Champions League semi-final match on Saturday, claimed that the Iranian club had committed blatant violations of FIFA rules by using "several illegal players" in their squad during the AFC's Champions League (ACL) semi-final.
However, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee dismissed the protest lodged by Al Nassr, according to Article 59 of the AFC Champions League 2020 Competition Regulations.
What prompted Al Nassr to lodge a complaint with AFC over Persepolis’ players was the news and information published from inside Iran, especially in social media against Persepolis.
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This information, most of which were false and fake, was published in the social media in Iran and then sent to the Saudi club through comments on the Instagram page or twitter of Al Nassr club and the AFC’s.
Ultimately, Persepolis won the lodge because they had signed their players in legal time and before the club being banned from signing new players for the next transfer window because of failing to pay the salary of former coach Branko Ivankovic.
The al Nassr club had started their attempt to hit Persepolis before the game. The AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee decided last Saturday to ban Persepolis forward Issa Alekasir just hours before he was due to lead his club against Al Nassr in the semi-final ACL match. This decision was also provoked by the Saudi club.
The player was banned from taking part in any football-related activity for six months because of his slant-eyed gesture after scoring against Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in the ACL quarterfinals.
The Iranian giants were shocked by the decision since it seems to be a non-sport decision. However, they could beat the Saudi side Al Nassr in penalty shootouts.
They will face the East Asian champions in the final match on December 19.
Al Nassr failed, but delivering fake news from inside the country was very shameful and upsetting for Iranian football.
Iran beat Uzbekistan in friendly October 8, 2020
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TEHRAN – Iran national football team defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 in a friendly match on Thursday.
Sardar Azmoun gave the visiting team the lead in the 43rd minute at the Paxtakor Markaziy Stadion in Tashkent.
Five minutes into the second half, Mehdi Taremi was brought down in the Uzbekistan area and converted his penalty to give Iran a 2-0 lead.
Uzbekistan forward Eldor Shomurodov halved the deficit just two minutes later with a shot from outside the box.
It was Dragan Skocic’s first match in charge as Iran coach.
Iran will play Mali in Antalya, Turkey on Oct. 13.
Iran prepare for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where the ‘Persian leopards’ sit third in Group C behind Iraq and Bahrain.
The 2022 World Cup qualifiers scheduled this year were postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Iran chosen to host FIVB Boys’ U19 World C’ship October 13, 2020
TEHRAN - Following an open bidding process and the approval of the FIVB Board of Administration, the FIVB has confirmed the hosts for the next editions of the FIVB Volleyball Age Group World Championships.
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After careful evaluation of all the proposals received, the countries below were approved as hosts for the following World Championships:
• FIVB Volleyball Girls’ Under 18 World Championship – Mexico
• FIVB Volleyball Boys’ Under 19 World Championship – Iran
• FIVB Volleyball Women’s Under 20 World Championship – Netherlands and Belgium
• FIVB Volleyball Men’s Under 21 World Championship – Italy and Bulgaria.
“I am delighted to see such strong hosting nations committed to providing more opportunities for young athletes to participate in international competitions. Each of these events is an important step in the development of an athlete’s career. As they grow their competition experience, I have no doubt that, in the future, we will see many of them proudly representing their nation at some of the biggest volleyball competitions on the planet,” FIVB President Dr Ary S. Graça F° said.
Each event is hosted every two years and have played an important role in the journeys of many Olympic and World Champions, FIVB.org reported.
Persepolis move up at Soccer Clubs Ranking October 6, 2020
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TEHRAN – Iranian football club Persepolis have moved up 29 places at the Soccer Clubs Ranking.
The Reds are 94th in the world and fourth in Asia behind Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, Japanese team Kawasaki Frontal and Korean Jeonbuk.
On Saturday, the Iranian giants have qualified for the 2020 AFC Champions League final for the second time in three years.
Persepolis archrivals Esteghlal have moved nine places down to 220th in the ranking.
Sepahan of Iran have also climbed 151 places to 363rd in the ranking.
Bayern Munich lead the ranking, followed by Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
Friendlies: Iran futsal team defeat Uzbekistan October 9, 2020
TEHRAN – Iran national futsal team defeated Uzbekistan in two friendly matches.
In the first match held on Wednesday, Iran beat their hosts 2-1 and the Persians defeated Uzbekistan 3-2 once again on Friday.
Iran prepare for the 2020 AFC Futsal Championship.
Mohammad Nazemalsharia’s team have been drawn in Group D along with South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.
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Steel exports exceed 2.3m tons in 6 months October 11, 2020
TEHRAN- Iranian steel producers exported 2.358 million tons of steel ingots and products during the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-September 21), IRNA reported.
The country’s steel exports in the mentioned six months fell 33 percent compared to the previous year’s same period.
As reported, the fall in the exports of the mentioned commodities is mainly because of the decrease of the country’s foreign trade due to the outbreak of the coronavirus and also the increase in the demand for the said products inside the country.
Of the country’s total exports in H1, 19.5 percent was related to the sixth month of this year, which indicates the exports are following an upward trend.
Iran exported 1.786 million tons of steel during the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-August 21).
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The Iranian Steel industry has been constantly developing over the past years against all the pressures and obstacles created by the outside forces like the U.S. sanctions and the coronavirus outbreak that has severely affected the performance of the world’s top producers.
Production of crude steel in Iran increased 14.4 percent in July from the figure for the same month in the past year, while the average global production for this commodity has fallen 2.5 percent in the mentioned month, a report released by the World Steel Association (WSA) said.
Iran’s crude steel production had also increased by 30 percent in 2019 while the average global growth in this sector stood at 3.5 percent.
The country managed to produce 31.9 million tons of crude steel during 2019, while the figure was 24 million tons in 2018.
Iran’s steel production is expected to reach 30 million tons in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20, 2021), of which over 10 million tons will be exported.
Coronavirus didn’t halt Iran’s oil production, not even one day: Zanganeh October 13, 2020
TEHRAN – Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said on Tuesday that the outbreak of the coronavirus did not halt the country’s oil production for even one day, Shana reported.
Elaborating on the Oil Ministry’s measures for containing coronavirus pandemic, Zanganeh noted that since the very beginning of the outbreak the ministry made 44
serious efforts to prevent any stoppage in the oil production while protecting the workforce.
"The Oil Ministry was one of the first bodies to take the lead due to the sensitivity of activities and the impossibility of shutting down oil activities," he said.
“If oil and gas are not produced, electricity and water will not be produced,” Zanganeh stressed.
Zanganeh had previously announced that Oil Ministry’s measures were taken in four phases of prevention, readiness, confrontation, and returning to normal conditions.
Mentioning the drastic fall of the global oil prices and the U.S. sanctions along with the pandemic, Zanganeh noted that the oil industry is going through a hard time but people are shouldering the real burden.
Back in March, Zanganeh had said that the coronavirus outbreak did not halt oil production in the country.
Later that month, the minister and Head of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Masoud Karbasian had discussed necessary measures for containing the coronavirus in the Iranian oil industry’s operational areas.
In the meeting, the oil minister also discussed ways of preventing the spread of coronavirus in the oil, gas, refining, and petrochemical operational areas with his deputies and managers of operating companies via videoconference.
Some 70% of Iran’s non-oil exports destined for neighbors October 12, 2020
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TEHRAN- Iran’s 15 neighboring countries have been the destinations for 70 percent of Iranian non-oil exports during the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-September 21), the head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) announced on Monday.
Hamid Zadboum also said, “It is worth mentioning that the figure was 60 percent and 55 percent in the two previous years, respectively”.
According to the official, Iran is capable of doubling non-oil exports to its neighbors in two years.
In late May, Zadboum said that considering the future capacities, the TPO has planned increasing non-oil exports to the neighboring countries to about $100 billion in a two-year time span, in a way that Iran’s share of the regional markets will significantly go up.
He has previously said: “Pakistan and Turkey have the highest capacity to import Iranian goods, which is good news for Iranian businessmen and exporters.”
Pointing to the Persian Gulf states as good markets for some Iranian-made commodities, the official said that large markets such as Russia and China should also be considered by exporters.
Iran shares borders with fifteen countries, namely the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Oman, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia whose total value of annual imports exceed $1000 billion.
Increasing non-oil exports to the neighboring countries is one of the major plans that the Iranian government is pursuing in the current Iranian calendar year.
In early May, First Vice-President Es'haq Jahangiri called for developing non-oil exports as the only way for realizing the motto of the surge in production.
“The Foreign Affairs Ministry should provide the necessary bases for the development of [non-oil] exports by expanding and strengthening economic diplomacy,” he said in a meeting on reviewing ways of boosting economic relations with the neighboring countries and supporting non-oil exporters.
Emphasizing that 15 neighboring countries and countries such as China and India and Eurasian members should be targeted as the most important export destinations of the country, Jahangiri called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant agencies to strengthen economic diplomacy and focus on these export destination countries to provide the necessary infrastructure for the development of exports to these nations.
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EGFI ranks 1st among region’s Islamic funds for 2nd time October 6, 2020
TEHRAN - Export Guarantee Fund of Iran (EGFI) has been ranked first in terms of performance among the region’s Islamic funds for the second time, IRNA reported on Tuesday, quoting the EGFI head.
According to Afrouz Bahrami, the rate of EGFI’s services has grown significantly this year due to the development of activities and diversification of services in lines with the standards of developed countries.
The fund was ranked first among the countries of Aman Union due to a 200- percent growth in performance in 2019 and for the first time, the EGFI head was appointed as the chairwoman of the Aman Union, which is one of the world’s largest export credit insurance organizations, Bahrami said.
The EGFI successes have been achieved while strong competitors such as Turkey with a capital of $2 billion and Saudi Arabia with a capital of $4 billion are among Islamic countries, the official stressed.
Iran has exported over $10.87 billion of non-oil commodities during the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-August 21), of which about $1.3 billion were done through the Export Guarantee Fund and by its supports, according to Bahrami.
Affiliated to the Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Trade, the Export Guarantee Fund of Iran has been established in order to expand and promote exports, to protect exporters against non-commercial risks, which are normally not covered by the insurance companies, and to guarantee credits used for export of such goods and services.
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