NOURNEWS- The following headlines appeared in English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Saturday, October 7, 2023.
IRAN DAILY:
-- Iran mulling over restoring tourism ties with Egypt
Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Ezzatollah Zarghami said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has started mulling over the restoration of tourism ties with Egypt, adding that the ministry is waiting for the diplomatic decision that would be taken by the Foreign Ministry.
In an interview with IRNA on Friday, Zarghami said that Iranian travel enthusiasts and those involved in tourism have for months been discussing the possibility of traveling to Egypt in the near future.
“Our private sector has even commenced its negotiations with its Egyptian counterparts,” he pointed out.
Zarghami maintained that the ministry has been in contact with a representative of the Iranian Air Travel and Tourism Offices, some of whom have traveled to Egypt to lay the groundwork.
“Expanding tourism ties with Egypt is a useful way to enhance ties between the two nations,” said Zarghami.
He said that expanding tourism relations with foreign countries and facilitating travel to Iran is the priority of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and added that his ministry has provided the government with a visa waiver plan with 68 countries.
Visa-free travels of the first group of Russians to Iran began recently, he said, expressing hope that by facilitating travel to Iran, tourists from other countries will soon follow suit.
“The first successful instance of implementing such a plan was achieved last year for Iraqi tourists, who can now easily drive to Iran through border crossings,” the minister highlighted.
Referring to the recent ceremony held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to celebrate World Tourism Day, Zarghami said that his deputy Maryam Jalali attended the ceremony and proposed the formation of a working group to cancel visas between the two nations.
Zarghami noted that in his message to his Saudi counterpart Sultan al-Musallam — which was conveyed by Jalali — the high official of the Saudi Ministry was invited to visit Iran, and it was decided to make the necessary planning and coordination.
-- 15 GW power shortage addressed
The incumbent Iranian government has solved the 15,000-megawatt (MW) power shortage it was facing when it took office more than two years ago, according to the head of Iran’s Plan and Budget Organization.
Davoud Manzoor said Friday that the country and especially its households have not witnessed a widespread power outage during the summer of this year, thanks to the efforts made by the government and the Ministry of Energy, Quds Online reported. He made the remarks on the sidelines of inaugurating a 16,000 MW power plant in Siminshahr in Iran’s northeastern province of Golestan.
Manzoor added that the government plans to supply the power needs of its farming and industry sectors by attracting investments from the private sector so that it would no longer be forced to cut the power to those sectors.
“Iran has the capacity to generate 91,000 MW of electricity,” he said, adding that it is among the top countries of the world when it comes to transmitting and distributing electricity.
The official noted that further investment from the private sector would reduce losses during power transmission and distribution, which is why the government plans to buy the products of the private sector, thereby hopefully creating motivation for investing in the power sector.
-- Ganjzadeh claims karate gold; Iranian women grab kabaddi bronze
The penultimate day of the 19th Asian Games saw Iranian karateka Sajjad Ganjzadeh win a ninth gold for the country in Hangzhou, China. Meanwhile, the Iranian women’s quest for a second successive kabaddi gold in the Games came to an end in the semifinals as they settled for a joint bronze alongside Nepal after a 35-24 defeat against the Chinese Taipei. Iran’s men’s team, however, remains on course to win back-to-back golds of the event, thanks to a last-four 47-24 victory over the Chinese Taipei, and will take on India in today’s showdown.
Karate kudos
Tokyo Olympic champion Ganjzadeh came out on top against opponents from Laos, Pakistan, and Thailand for a place in the men’s kumite +84kg final against Kyrgyzstan’s Adilet Shadykanov, who claimed a shock semifinal win against reigning world champion Tareg Ali Hamedi of Saudi Arabia.
A nail-biting showpiece saw Ganjzadeh come out victorious with a 4-2 scoreline to capture a second gold in a row at the Asian Games – a massive improvement for the Iranian on July’s Asian Championships, where he took the bronze.
In the women’s draw, Atousa Golshadnejad was unlucky to finish her campaign empty-handed after a 1-0 loss to Kazakhstan’s Assel Kanay in the third-place bout of the -61kg class.
Rahman outclassed
Nicknamed ‘Ruthless Rahman’, Amouzad – a world champion last year and a two-time Asian gold medalist – stepped onto the mat on Friday on the back of below-par run in September’s World Championships in Belgrade, where he only managed to secure a berth for next year’s Paris Olympics by finishing fifth in the 65kg weight class.
The young Iranian beat wrestlers from Uzbekistan, Japan, and the host country and then showed no mercy against five-time world and Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia in the semifinals, easing past the high-profile Indian by a 8-1 triumph.
However, Amouzad was a shadow of himself in the gold-medal contest against Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur-Ochir – whom the Iranian beat for the Asian gold in April – and was stunned inside 15 seconds after the break to suffer a 11-1 technical fall defeat.
Ebrahim Khari also endured a disappointing run in the 57kg class, concluded by a last-eight setback against Indian Aman Sehrawat.
-- Raisi: Terrorists supporters responsible for Syria’s deadly attack
Iran says foreign supporters of the terrorists in Syria, including the occupiers of the Arab country, are responsible for a terrorist attack in Syria which claimed the lives of scores of people.
In one of the bloodiest single attacks on the Syrian Army since the start of the foreign-backed war in the country in 2011, nearly 90 people, including women and children, were killed after explosive-laden drones targeted a graduation ceremony in the western city of Homs.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a message to his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad said the continuation of terrorist attacks in Syria in recent months is rooted at the logistic, security and intelligence support of terrorists, with the aim of hindering efforts to establish stability and security in the country.
Giving a breathing space to the Daesh terrorist group, in which they will be able to survive and continue their terrorist attacks in Syria, is aligned with and complementary to the Israeli regime’s aggressions against Syria’s national sovereignty, Raisi said.
The Iranian president added that Thursday’s criminal act showed that the opponents of security, stability and development in the region continue their terrorist and brutal approach in the
country.
Several other Iranian officials also sent condolence messages to their Syrian counterparts.
Syria began burying its dead on Friday, when state media said that 89 had died, including 31 women and five children, with 277 others wounded. The government has declared three days of mourning starting Friday, with flags flying at half-mast.
No group has claimed responsibility for the assault, but the Syrian Army has accused “armed terrorist organizations” of the attack with “explosive-laden drones”, vowing to “respond with full force”.
Homs Province was a key opposition stronghold in the early days of Syria’s conflict. The government regained control over the province in 2018.
Swathes of Idlib Province and areas bordering the provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia are controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch.
-- Putin voices Russia’s will to boost Iran ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin lauded relations with Iran as “very good,” voicing Moscow’s determination to further develop ties with Tehran.
“We have very good relations with Iran. And we will enhance them in every possible way... That is why we do our utmost in order to develop relations with Iran, and will keep this up in the future,” TASS news agency quoted Putin as saying.
Putin made the comment on Wednesday night in the resort city of Sochi while addressing winners and finalists of a competition to choose the best teacher in Russia.
Pointing to the establishment of educational institutions in Iran, as part of a broader goal to forge closer ties, Putin added that Moscow should “see interest” from countries “in order to establish educational institutions
there.”
“However, the idea is a good one, since it implies soft power in the kindest and best sense of this word, the promotion of our culture and our education systems. We will mull this over as well,” the president emphasized.
Iran and Russia, as two close and strategic allies, have over the past years deepened their relations in various fields, including military and defense, despite being under heavy Western sanctions.
Heading a high-ranking military delegation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to Tehran last month upon an official invitation by Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri.
In a meeting with the Russian defense chief on September 20, Baqeri said Tehran and Moscow are working to draw up a long-term military cooperation agreement in the near future as the world moves towards an increasingly multipolar order.
The top Iranian general stressed the need for enhancement of ties between the two countries.
Shoigu’s visit came a month after a visit to Moscow by a delegation, led by Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari, the commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Force.
-- Tehran, Riyadh calls for expediting cooperation in various fields
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart have underlined the need to accelerate the development of bilateral cooperation in various fields, including economy and tourism.
During a telephone conversation on Thursday night, Amir-Abdollahian and Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud exchanged viewpoints on multiple areas of common interest, highlighting that relations between the two countries are improving in all areas, Press TV reported. They emphasized the need to speed up joint cooperation in various fields, including economy, commerce, investment and tourism.
Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart also noted the significance of bilateral cultural and sports cooperation in order to improve the atmosphere of friendship between the two nations.
The two foreign ministers agreed to advise their respective sports institutions to resolve the dispute over the recent cancellation of the AFC Champions League 2023/24 Group C match between Saudi professional football club Al Ittihad and Iran’s Sepahan through mutual respect, dialogue, and understanding. They underscored the importance of continued football matches between the two countries in order to strengthen all-out cooperation. Slated to be held on Monday in Isfahan’s Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium, the match was called off after the Saudi squad refused to take the field over unspecified reasons. The team left Iran hours later.
KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL:
-- Corporate Argentina Against Dollarization of Economy
Corporate Argentina is strongly against full dollarization of the economy, one of the key proposals of presidential election frontrunner Javier Milei, according to 125 business people Reuters spoke to. At a major corporate summit in the seaside city of Mar del Plata, Reuters asked business executives from a wide array of sectors whether they wanted the government to stick with the peso, change to a dual peso-dollar system or make a total switch to the dollar. Only two people backed full dollarization.
-- Belarus, Iran Discuss Cooperation in BRICS, SCO
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri and Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik have discussed their mutual support within international organizations, including BRICS and the SCO.
They “exchanged views on urgent issues on the regional and international agenda. They paid special attention to cooperation and mutual support within the framework of international organizations, including the SCO and BRICS,” the Belarusian foreign ministry said Thursday.
-- Biden Emulates Trump in Expanding Mexico Border Wall
The Biden administration on Thursday said it would expand former President Donald Trump’s wall on the Mexican border and begin deporting thousands of Venezuelans.
The moves are an about-face by the White House, which is under political pressure to stem the flow of people. Criticism is intensifying among Republicans as well as Democratic leaders in New York, Chicago and elsewhere who say the influx is overwhelming their ability to house and feed the migrants.
During his campaign for president, Biden denounced efforts to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying it was “not a serious policy solution.” But on Thursday the administration said it was waiving more than 20 federal laws and regulations to allow for the construction of physical barriers along a portion of the border in South Texas, near McAllen.
In announcing that the U.S. government would begin deporting Venezuelans who enter the United States unlawfully, the Biden administration was reversing a policy of not sending migrants back to the troubled South American country, where years of political unrest and economic turmoil have driven millions of people to flee.
On a day when three of Biden’s cabinet officials were in Mexico to meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the news about the border wall and deportations underlined the challenges Biden and his administration were wrestling with, as a deeply divided Congress leaves in place an outdated, dysfunctional immigration system.
Biden still finds himself helping to build a border wall that was one of the signature objectives of his predecessor, even as he maintains that such barriers are ineffective in curbing unlawful entry from Mexico.
Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said the Biden administration move showed “I was right when I built 560 miles... of brand new, beautiful border wall.”
“Will Joe Biden apologize to me and America for taking so long to get moving, and allowing our country to be flooded with 15 million illegal immigrants, from places unknown,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Biden had vowed during his presidential campaign he would “never build ‘another foot of wall’ along the southern border.”
“Now, Biden is fast-tracking the construction of approximately 20 miles of new wall,” Blackburn said. “Joe finally realized walls work.”
The U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley, where the new stretch of the wall is to be built, had encountered more than 245,000 migrants who had entered the country between ports of entry, or unlawfully, in the 2023 fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the notice said.
It added that construction would be built with funds appropriated by Congress in 2019 for wall construction in the Rio Grande Valley. That appropriation followed a disaster declaration by the Trump administration amid soaring numbers of border crossers.
Biden said on Thursday that he had no choice but to use the money for the wall.
“The money was appropriated for the border wall. I tried to get them to reappropriate, to redirect that money. They didn’t. They wouldn’t,” he told reporters, apparently referring to Congress.
Asked whether he thought the border wall was effective, he replied, “no.”
In January 2021, on Mr. Biden’s first day in office, the administration revoked the disaster declaration and halted construction. In a proclamation, he said that, “Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution.”
At a news conference Thursday morning, the president of Mexico, López Obrador, said that resumption of wall construction was “contrary” to what President Biden had been arguing.
“I understand there are strong pressures from political groups from the extreme right in the United States,” he said, “especially those who want to take advantage of the migratory phenomenon, the consumption of drugs, for electoral purposes.”
-- Syria’s Enemies Strike to Reverse Return to Normal
Family members of some of the victims of a deadly drone attack on a crowded military graduation ceremony that killed scores gathered outside a military hospital in the central city of Homs on Friday to collect the bodies of their loved ones, who died in one of Syria’s deadliest single attacks in years.
Thursday’s strike on the Homs Military Academy killed 89 people, including 31 women and five children, and wounded as many as 277, according to the health ministry. The death toll could rise as some of the wounded are in critical condition. Syria announced a three-day state of mourning starting Friday.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack as Syria endures its 13th year of conflict that has killed half a million people. In the aftermath, Syrian government forces intensified their shelling and airstrikes on terrorist-held regions.
Around noon on Friday, the Syrian military fired machine guns toward another drone that flew over Homs, two pro-government media outlets, Al-Watan and Sham FM, reported. It was not immediately clear if the drone was shot down.
The city of Homs is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of terrorist-held areas, indicating that terrorists might have acquired weaponized long-range drones.
Syria’s military said in a statement Thursday that drones laden with explosives targeted the ceremony packed with young officers and their families as it was wrapping up. Without naming any particular group, the military said terrorists “backed by known international forces” are behind the attack and said “it will respond with full force and decisiveness to these terrorist organizations, wherever they exist.”
In Homs, hundreds of people, many of them dressed in black and weeping, gathered outside the Abdul-Qader Shaqfa Military Hospital where the bodies of 30 victims in coffins draped with Syrian flags were put in ambulances to be taken to their hometowns for burial.
Legislator Bassam Muhammad said targeting a place where civilians are present “is a terrorist criminal act,” and that the attackers intended to inflict large numbers of casualties.
Syrian Defense Minister Gen. Ali Abbas was present Friday outside the hospital, where he comforted the families of victims.
“We will go after them and after those who support them,” Abbas said of the terrorists. “We will avenge the blood of martyrs and clean Syria’s soil from terrorists and criminals.”
Syria’s northwest enclave is under the control of Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group and Turkish-backed militants. The country’s northeast is under control of U.S.-backed Kurdish militants.
The city of Homs is deep in government-held territory, far from front lines where government
forces and terrorists routinely skirmish.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said foreign backers of terrorist groups, including the occupiers, are responsible for the “criminal” drone attack.
“Undoubtedly, the responsibility for this tragic incident lies with the foreign supporters of terrorist groups, including the occupiers of the Syrian lands, who prevent… the effective fight against terrorism,” Raisi said.
“Responsible international bodies, especially the United Nations Security Council, are expected to fulfill their responsibilities in this regard,” he added.
The Iranian president said, “This criminal move showed that those who oppose security, stability and development in the region still continue with their terrorist and brutal approach.”
He said the continuation of terrorist attacks in Syria in recent months is the outcome of “intelligence, security and logistical support” for terrorists with the aim of preventing the establishment of stability and full security in the Arab country.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Muhammad Bagheri condemned the attack in a letter to Syria’s Defense Minister Abbas and the Chief of the General Staff of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces Abdul Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim.
He also expressed the readiness of Iran’s armed forces to deepen cooperation with Damascus in the fight against terrorism.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian denounced the attack in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad on Thursday.
The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned the terrorist attack, expressing its opposition “to all forms of violence and terrorism that aim at destabilizing the security and stability” of the country.
Egypt also decried the attack, calling on the international community to intensify its efforts to uproot terrorism and drain all sources of terrorism funding.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said the “heinous crime” confirms “the nature of the battle that has been ongoing for more than a decade” in Syria against foreign-backed terrorist groups.
The movement noted that the attack took place as life has almost returned to normal in Syria, reaffirming its support for Damascus in its anti-terrorism fight.
The Palestinian resistance movement, Islamic Jihad, stressed that Syria will remain steadfast and will manage to thwart plots aimed at undermining its unity.
Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement said the U.S. and Israel are behind all “malicious plots” against Syria because of its stances, including its support for the resistance axis and the Palestinian cause and its opposition to normalization with Israel.
Russia, Belarus, and Venezuela have also condemned the attack and have expressed their sympathy to the bereaved families.
-- Growing Number of Americans Oppose Aiding Ukraine
A new poll by Reuters shows only 41% believe Washington should continue to send arms to Kiev. The White House is pushing Congress to pass a $24 billion aid package for Ukraine. However, the assistance package is being held up as the House seeks a new speaker, causing some in Kiev to panic.
The two-day Reuters/Ipsos poll found 41% of Americans support sending more arms to Ukraine, while 35% opposed further military assistance. When the same survey was conducted in May, 46% of Americans backed sending arms, while 29% were opposed.
A recent Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll found the country is divided on whether aid to Ukraine has been worth it. 53% responded the billions sent to Ukraine was “worth the cost,” and 45% say it has not been worth the cost. The same survey found 63% of Americans favor sending more weapons to Kiev, although Republican support slipped to 50%.
In August, CNN asked Americans if they approved of sending more aid to Ukraine. A majority of people who responded, 55%, and 71% of Republicans said they did not want Congress to pass another assistance package.
The debate over the budget and the House seeking a new Speaker has delayed a vote on President Joe Biden’s proposed $24 billion assistance package for Ukraine. That aid includes $17 billion in weapons.
A group of Republican legislators have pledged to vote against any bills that include more aid to Ukraine. The struggle to pass the assistance has caused anxiety in the White House and Kiev. A member of the Ukrainian Parliament said, “We are freaking out. For us it is a disaster.”
Biden also expressed concern while noting the vast majority of Congress support passing the $24 billion package. “It does worry me,” he said. “But I know there are a majority of members of the House and Senate, in both parties, who have said that they support funding Ukraine.”
The EU’s top diplomat on Thursday said the European bloc could not provide Ukraine with enough support without the U.S. amid uncertainty about when Congress might authorize the next tranche of spending on the proxy war.
“Europe cannot fill the gap of the U.S.,” Josep Borrell said after arriving in Spain for a gathering of European leaders, according to POLITICO.
The EU is close to approving a new economic aid package for Ukraine worth 50 billion euros that would cover 2024-2027, although Hungary could further delay the package. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the massive aid package should be approved within the next few months but said U.S. support still remains crucial.
Von der Leyen also said she was “confident” that the U.S. would continue supporting Ukraine but acknowledged she wasn’t sure when new spending would be authorized.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. has another tranche of economic aid worth over $1 billion to fund the Ukrainian government through the month of October. If a new aid package isn’t authorized by Congress in the next month, the funds will dry up.
The Pentagon has said it still has $5.4 billion in funds to send weapons to Ukraine but has warned it’s running out of money to replace weapons sent to Ukraine. Because of the uncertainty, the Pentagon has said it’s restricted the flow of some arms to the U.S.’s own forces.
The majority of Congress still supports the proxy war, but it’s not clear when they will pass a new Ukraine aid bill after the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as House speaker.
-- Putin: Imposing Rules on Other Countries Should Be Forbidden
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that imposing rules on any other country should be prohibited and no one has the right to rule the world for others.
Addressing the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Putin stressed the necessity to build an open, interconnected and diversified world where imposing rules on other countries should be prohibited.
“It should be forbidden to impose on any country or people how they should live, how they should feel. Only true cultural and civilization diversity will ensure the well-being of people and the balance of interests,” he said, adding that no one has the right to rule the world for others.
“No one will decide for everyone, and not everyone will decide on everything, but those who are directly affected by a particular problem will agree on what to do and how to do it,” Putin said.
The Russian president also stressed that a lasting global peace will not be established until all countries’ opinion is respected and all feel safe.
On Russia’s defense policy, Putin said that Russia will soon begin mass production of the Sarmat strategic missile system, and the last successful test of the Burevestnik, a global-range nuclear-powered cruise missile, has been conducted.
He noted that there is no need to change the nuclear weapons-related part of the national nuclear doctrine since “no lucid person would ever consider using nuclear weapons against Russia.”
Russia indicated on Friday that it was moving swiftly towards revoking its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) after President Vladimir Putin held out the possibility of resuming nuclear testing.
Putin said Russia’s nuclear doctrine - which sets out the conditions under which he would press the nuclear button - did not need updating but that he was not yet ready to say whether or not Moscow needed to resume nuclear tests.
The Kremlin chief said that Russia could look at revoking ratification of the CTBT as the United States had signed but not ratified it.
Russia’s top lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, then said the State Duma lower house of parliament would swiftly consider if there was a need to revoke Russia’s ratification of the treaty.
The comments by Putin and Volodin suggest that Russia is seriously considering revoking ratification of the treaty, which bans nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the point would be to achieve a “common denominator” between Russia and the United States. “This does not constitute a statement of intention to conduct nuclear tests,” he told reporters.
However, Putin had signalled that possibility in his comments on Thursday. “As a rule, experts say, with a new weapon - you need to make sure that the special warhead will work without failures,” Putin said.
TEHRAN TIMES:
-- Yemen’s humanitarian situation is at the forefront of the political file and negotiations
The head of the negotiating delegation in the Sanaa government, Muhammad Abdel Salam, has repeatedly confirmed that the difficult humanitarian situation in Yemen is at the forefront of the political file in the ongoing negotiations. “The extensive visits between Sanaa and Muscat reflect our seriousness in reaching concrete steps, and the issue goes back to the extent of the other party’s seriousness,” Salam said. He stressed, “The humanitarian situation has come to the forefront of the political and negotiating file.”
-- Armita, the new project of Iran’s enemies for sedition
A 16-year-old girl losing consciousness inside a metro cabin on Sunday while on her way to school has turned into a new tool for anti-Iran campaigners and Western politicians seeking to spark a furor inside Iran, a year after riots occurred inside the country following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. CCTV footage released by the official IRNA news agency shows the student named Armita Geravand being pulled out of the train by her female accompaniers a few seconds after entering it. Apart from Armita’s friends and a female adult, who was later revealed to have been a nurse, surrounding her nonresponsive body on the ground, other passengers can be seen rushing towards the cabin in a hurry to reach their destination. After innumerable failures at trying to make Iran insecure in the past year, foreign media outlets sponsored by Israel, the U.S., and other Western states are in full swing to make the most of what an unexpected incident can bring for them. Once again, anti-Iran campaigners and Western politicians seem to have found a common ground. The mission is to spark the riots they failed to revive this September. The means don’t matter; similar to “the lie of Nayireh” any lie and deceit can be used to reach the end. It doesn’t matter that evidence shows otherwise, an innocent teenager needs to be transformed into a victim so that the West’s political goals can be fulfilled. According to Western propaganda, Armita was “beaten to death” just like Mahsa. No amount of sustainable evidence, eyewitness accounts and security footage seems to be able to prove the proponents of the Western narrative wrong. More blood should be spilled and more lives should be wrecked in order to ensure Western interests.
-- Iran FM invited to Saudi Arabia to watch football match
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian held a phone conversation on Thursday night with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in which he received an invitation from the top Saudi diplomat to attend a football match in Saudi Arabia. In the conversation, the two ministers discussed some issues of interest to the two countries in various fields of bilateral relations, according to the Iranian foreign ministry. The foreign ministers of the two countries emphasized the need to speed up joint cooperation in various fields, including economic, commercial, investment and tourism cooperation. Referring to the recent important meeting of the Iranian foreign ministry with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, Amir Abdollahian and bin Farhan agreed that the necessary steps should be taken in this direction in accordance with the proper process of political relations between the two countries. Also, considering the importance of the role of cultural and sports cooperation in strengthening the atmosphere of friendship between the two nations, the two ministers consulted on strengthening this part of bilateral cooperation and agreed to advise the sports institutions of the two countries to resolve the recent problem that arose during the club competitions of the two countries through mutual respect, dialogue and understanding.
-- Visiting Iranian Parliament speaker discusses ties in UAE
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf left Iran for a two-day trip to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. The official suggested that Iran and the UAE can turn into a global economic hub during a meeting with the Arab country’s president. “Thanks to the geographical location of the two countries, Iran and the United Arab Emirates can become a global economic center, this opportunity can be ensured by our bilateral relations and membership in the BRICS group of emerging economies,” Ghalibaf told Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan He also declared that his trip is telling of the Islamic Republic’s seriousness towards the expansion of bilateral ties with the UAE. “We intend to take a strong step forward for the future in all areas, and expand the countries’ economies in all aspects. There exists innumerable great opportunities in this regard”. Ghalibaf also met with his UAE counterpart on Friday. He thanked the country for its hospitality towards Iran’s parliamentary delegation and expressed hope that the trip can help strengthen ties between the two nations. “I hope that this trip, which aims to promote the trend of political and economic interactions and elevate the level of parliamentary relations between the two countries, can be a turning point for achieving various goals,” He stressed.
NOURNEWS