NOURNEWS- The following headlines appeared in English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Monday, October 23, 2023.
IRAN DAILY:
-- PGPIC boosts forex revenue by 19%: CEO
The CEO of the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC) said that the firm generated $6.2 billion in foreign currency revenues in the year to June 21, 2023, registering a 19 percent growth.
Abdolali Ali-Askari also noted Sunday that during the period, the PGPIC’s consolidated retained earnings rose by 64%, while its production volume grew by 5%, according to SHANA.
Looking back at the company’s performance in the months that have passed since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (starting March 21), he highlighted the role that the PGPIC plays in Iran’s economy and expressed hope for a booming future.
“Since March 21, we boosted our production by nearly 1.2 million tons compared to the same period last year, showing a 9.5 percent growth,” he added.
Ali-Askari pointed out that 29 developmental projects worth $12.6 billion are being implemented by the company, adding that these projects are capable of producing 21 million tons of products.
The Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company was ranked the top company in the previous Iranian year in terms of sales, export revenues, and market value, and ranked second in terms of added value and profitability, he said.
Ali Askari also pointed out that in the ranking of the top 100 chemical distributors issued by the Independent Commodity Intelligence Services (ICIS) international research institute, the PGPIC jumped to 27th place.
-- Tehran to host six-nation meeting on Caucasus peace process
Foreign ministers from Iran, Turkey, Russia and Georgia will meet their counterparts from Azerbaijan and Armenia in Tehran today and discuss progress towards a peace agreement between the two South Caucasus neighbors, according to Iranian state media.
IRNA quoted the Iranian Foreign Ministry as saying the six countries wanted to talk about regional issues “without the interference of non-regional and Western countries”.
That was an implicit reference to the United States and the European Union, whose interference in a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan has annoyed regional states.
Russia’s Interfax news agency said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would travel to Tehran for the meeting.
“We confirm Lavrov’s planned talks in Tehran on Monday,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the TASS and RIA news agencies.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have fought two wars in the past three decades and have so far failed to reach a peace deal despite long-running efforts by neighbors.
-- Iran-China nine-month trade surpasses $10b
China’s Customs in its latest report said the trade exchanges between China and Iran in the first nine months of 2023 (January-September) surpassed $10 billion.
The value of the trade exchanges between Iran and China in the first nine months of the current year hit $10.79 billion, showing a 12 percent decline compared to last year’s corresponding period, the report said.
Iran and China had exchanged over $12.32 billion from January to September 2022, Tasnim news agency reported.
China’s exports of products to Iran in the first nine months of 2023 registered an eight percent growth compared to the same period last year, it added.
In this period, China imported $3.29 billion worth of products from Iran, recording a 12 percent decline compared to the same period last year.
China had imported over $5.37 billion worth of products from Iran between January and September 2022.
In this period, the balance of trade between Iran and China stood at $4.21 billion, in favor of China.
-- Harnessing data for informed decision-making
In today’s data-driven world, the science of statistics has emerged as a crucial tool for effective planning and decision-making in various fields. From businesses to governments, organizations are increasingly relying on statistical analysis to gain insights, optimize processes, and enhance outcomes. But what is the significance of statistics in planning, and how can harnessing data lead to informed decision-making?
At its core, statistics is the science of data collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization. It involves applying mathematical techniques and methods to quantify and understand complex phenomena. Planning, on the other hand, is the process of defining goals, objectives, and strategies to achieve desired outcomes. By employing statistical principles and tools, planners can make more informed decisions and develop effective strategies.
One important aspect of statistics is its ability to provide a comprehensive overview of the current situation. Planning demands a thorough understanding of the present scenario, including trends, patterns, and existing challenges. Statistical analysis enables planners to examine and interpret data from various sources to gain valuable insights. For example, in urban planning, statistics can help analyze population growth, traffic patterns, and housing demands, shaping decisions on infrastructure development and land use policies.
Moreover, effective planning requires accurate forecasting and predictive modeling. Statistics plays a pivotal role in these areas by identifying trends, patterns, and relationships within data. By analyzing historical and current data, statisticians can develop models that can predict future outcomes and support decision-making. For instance, in financial planning, statistical analysis of market trends, historical data, and risk assessment enables investors to make informed decisions on asset allocation, minimizing risks, and maximizing returns.
The science of statistics also enhances planning by providing objective measures of performance and evaluating the effectiveness of implemented strategies. By collecting relevant data and applying statistical methods, planners can assess the impact and success of various interventions. This feedback loop enables organizations to continuously improve their planning and decision-making processes. For example, a health care institution can track patient outcomes, infection rates, and treatment efficacy through statistical analysis to identify areas for improvement and optimize resource allocation.
Another area where statistics greatly contributes to planning is in risk assessment and mitigation. By analyzing historical data and trends, statisticians can identify potential risks and uncertainties. With this knowledge, planners can develop contingency plans, allocate resources strategically, and make informed decisions to minimize adverse outcomes. This is particularly important in fields such as project management, disaster planning, and environmental conservation.
In addition to mere data analysis, statistics also facilitates effective communication and visualization of complex information. Planning often involves presenting information to stakeholders, policymakers, or the public, and statistics can aid in making sense of vast amounts of data.
Charts, graphs, and other statistical visualizations help in presenting information in a clear and concise manner, making it easier for various stakeholders to understand and engage with the planning process.
Finally, statistics encourages evidence-based decision-making, reducing the reliance on intuition or personal biases. In a world where decisions often have profound consequences, using data-driven methodologies ensures objectivity and accuracy. The science of statistics helps planners make rational decisions supported by empirical evidence and minimizes the risk of making poor choices based on subjective opinions.
-- Iran loses one billion cubic meters of renewable water annually
Iran’s renewable water resources are decreasing by approximately one billion cubic meters due to climate change, announced the spokesperson of the country’s water industry.
“This pressing issue calls for the strict implementation of drought adaptation programs,” said Firouz Qasemzadeh, according to Tasnim News Agency.
The spokesperson gave the statistics during the 13 International Congress on Civil Engineering.
“Statistical studies indicate that climate change and global warming result in a decrese in renewable water sources across countries,” he said.
Qasemzadeh specifically noted Iran’s conditions, and called for actions to mitigate the consequences of climate change and combat excessive water consumption.
During his panel on climate change and the country’s water management and engineering strategies, Qasemzadeh referenced findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which suggest that each degree of global warming will lead to a minimum 20 percent reduction in access to renewable water sources for an additional seven percent of the global population.
He further emphasized that global warming will restrict access to water resources worldwide.
“Given that Iran experiences an average temperature increase of 0.5 degrees Celsius every decade, this temperature rise alone will result in a reduction of approximately one billion cubic meters of available water resources within the country,” he said.
Qasemzadeh warned that if this trend continues, coupled with the current consumption patterns in Iran, various sectors will face severe limitations.
“Failing to implement operational plans to adapt to the changing climate will only increase the pressures on water supply systems,” he said, adding, “Moreover, the continuous population growth, alongside infrastructure deterioration and insufficient investment for improvement, can further exacerbate water tensions.”
Conservation tactics
Renewable water resources refer to the naturally replenished water sources, such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater that can be sustainably used without depleting their overall availability. To take care of these resources, it is crucial to adopt various practices and strategies.
First off, we need to apply measures in terms of conservation and efficiency. It would be ideal to implement water conservation measures in households, industries, and agriculture to reduce wastage. This can include using water-efficient appliances, fixing leaks promptly, and adopting irrigation techniques that minimize water loss.
Then, watershed management comes into play. Protecting and managing the health of watersheds is vital. Watershed management involves preserving forests, wetlands, and other natural areas that help regulate water flow and maintain water quality. This can be achieved through land-use planning, reforestation efforts, and sustainable agricultural practices.
Another measure that could be taken is to harvest rainwater. We need to colle
ct and store rainwater for various purposes, such as irrigation. Rainwater harvesting systems can range from simple rain barrels to more complex systems that capture and store runoff from rooftops.
Then, we need groundwater management. With proper management of groundwater resources, as they often serve as a primary source of freshwater, we can mitigate the effects of climate change. This involves monitoring and regulating groundwater extraction to prevent over-pumping and depletion.
Other measures include pollution prevention and climate change adaptation. The latter is recognizing the impacts of climate change on water resources and develop strategies for adaptation. This may involve implementing water-efficient technologies, diversifying water sources, and enhancing storage and distribution infrastructure.
Taking care of renewable water resources in imperative for our country, and requires a collective effort from individuals, communities, governments, and industries. Through implementing these measures and adopting sustainable practices, we can ensure the long-term availability and quality of these essential resources.
-- Iran dispatches 4th humanitarian aid to quake-hit Afghanistan
In response to a series of devastating earthquakes in neighboring Afghanistan, Iran has sent its fourth consignment of humanitarian aid to the affected areas.
Hadi Ramezani, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society in Taybad, announced that a 40-ton shipment was dispatched from the Dowqarun border. The aid, which includes essential items such as food, blankets, and carpets, was collected by the residents of Taybad. It will be distributed among the Afghan people in the Zinda Jan district of Herat.
Ramezani further mentioned that Iran has already sent three previous consignments, totaling over 690 tons of donated goods, to assist those affected by the earthquakes.
KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL:
-- Thousands Rally in Malaysia to Support Palestine
Thousands of people rallied in the Malaysian capital Sunday to express solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza.
Protesters gathered in Kuala Lumpur’s Independence Square for the rally. Many protesters wore the keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf, and carried placards calling for peace in Palestine and an end to the United States’ support of the Israeli military.
-- Court Sentences Two Journalists Over Unrest
A court in the Iranian capital Tehran on Sunday issued sentences for two detained journalists, Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Muhammadi, after finding them guilty on three charges over last year’s unrest in the country.
Muhammadi was sentenced to six years in prison for collaborating with the U.S. administration. Hamedi received a seven-year imprisonment sentence for teaming up with the U.S. administration.
-- Iran Warns Warmongers of Inconceivable Consequences
Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian of Iran on Sunday warned the occupying regime of Israel and its mentor, the U.S., of the inconceivable consequences of the genocide of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
“The region is now a powder keg and any miscalculation, genocide and forced displacement of people in Gaza can have consequences for the region and warmongers alike,” Amir-Abdollahian said in a joint press conference with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor here.
Amir-Abdollahian touched on U.S. President Joe Biden’s hasty travel to Tel Aviv and his defense of a regime that is killing civilians and dropping bombs on hospitals and residential areas.
Washington is now involved in a “proxy war” on Gaza, the Iranian foreign minister said.
“I am warning the U.S. and the Zionist regime that there could be any possibility any moment if they do not immediately stop the crimes against humanity in Gaza.”
Amir-Abdollahian said warmongers will be the ones to suffer if things spiral out of control.
The occupying regime of Israel began the war on Gaza on October 7 following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood launched by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in response to the regime’s campaign of bloodshed and destruction against Palestinian people.
Amir-Abdollahian said Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi will travel to South Africa at the invitation of his counterpart. Documents of cooperation between Iran and South Africa will be signed during the visit.
“Iran and South Africa share views on regional and international issues,” the top Iranian diplomat said.
Pandor, for her part, said Palestine is the common ideal of Iran and South Africa. She urged all countries to act with more seriousness in dealing with the injustice toward the Palestinian people.
She said South Africa has always supported Palestine and believes no one should suffer injustice.
Pandor also said Iran and South Africa can improve cooperation in various fields, including energy, digital technology and science.
-- Report: Mutiny Brews in U.S. Gov’t Over Israel
President Joe Biden’s approach to the ongoing Israeli violence is fueling mounting tensions at the U.S. government agency most involved in foreign policy: the State Department.
Officials told HuffPost that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his most senior advisers are overlooking widespread internal frustration. Some department staff said they feel as if Blinken and his team are uninterested in their own experts’ advice as they focus on supporting Israel’s expanding operation in Gaza.
“There’s basically a mutiny brewing within State at all levels,” one State Department official said.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 operation, the Zionist regime has martyred close to 4,700 Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip and is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza that is expected to claim tens of thousands of additional lives.
Both Biden and Blinken have recently visited Occupied Palestine to reiterate support of the Zionist regime.
Two officials told HuffPost that diplomats are preparing what’s called a “dissent cable,” a document criticizing American policy that goes to the agency’s leaders through a protected internal channel.
Such cables are seen within the State Department as consequential statements of serious disagreement at key historical moments. The dissent channel was established amid deep internal conflict during the Vietnam War, and diplomats have since then used it to warn that the U.S. is making dangerous and self-defeating choices abroad.
The cable would come in the wake of Josh Paul, a veteran State Department official, announcing his resignation on Wednesday. After more than a decade of working on arms deals, he said, he could not morally support the U.S.’s moves to supply Israel’s war on Gaza.
“In the last 24 hours, I’ve been getting an immense amount of outreach from colleagues... with really encouraging words of support and a lot of people saying they feel the same way and it’s very difficult for them,” said Paul, whose departure was first reported by HuffPost.
Paul described that as surprising: “My expectation was that no one would want to touch me with a 10-foot barge pole... because of the sensitivity of anything to do with Israel.”
Biden and Blinken have publicly spoken of the occupying regime’s “right to defend itself”.
Multiple officials said they have heard colleagues talk about quitting.
Key decisions are made at the highest level by Biden, Blinken and a handful of others. But rank-and-file State Department officials are involved in an array of other important and controversial elements of the American response to the Israeli violence.
On Wednesday, the U.S. mission to the United Nations ― a State office ― vetoed a UN resolution backed by many countries that condemned all violence against civilians and endorsed humanitarian aid for Gaza.
Counterparts in Arab governments are telling State Department officials the U.S. is at risk of losing support in their region for a generation, a U.S. official told HuffPost.
It’s unclear whether Blinken — who returned to Washington on Wednesday after a five-day trip across the Middle East, during which he met with officials in seven countries — understands the crisis of morale in his department.
“There’s a sense within the workforce that the secretary doesn’t see it or doesn’t care,” a State Department official said, saying that the feeling extends to high-ranking figures at the agency. “And it’s almost certain he’s not aware of just how bad the workforce dynamics are. It’s really quite bad.”
The negativity is surfacing in a variety of ways. One official described peers as “depressed and angry about it all,” while another said some staff are experiencing “resignation.” That official recalled a colleague in tears during a meeting over their view “that U.S. policy statements emphasized support for Israel over the lives of Palestinians.”
Senior State Department officials have privately discouraged the agency from using three specific phrases in public statements, HuffPost revealed last week:
“de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm.”
In one office, a manager told their team that they know staff with extensive international experience are unhappy with Biden’s plan ― particularly the sense that the U.S. will do little to ensure Israeli restraint ― but they have little chance of changing it, an official present at the meeting said.
Multiple officials said they have heard colleagues talk about quitting as Paul did. One U.S. official described Paul’s decision as a shock and a major loss for the department.
The severity of the language in the dissent cable, and the number of State Department officials who sign it, will offer a picture of how alarmed staffers are at America’s response to the situation in Gaza and how broad the disagreement with Biden’s policy is ― and could determine whether it actually inspires a change in course.
Such cables often attract dozens or even hundreds of signatures, and the dissent channel is seen as a vital way to elevate opposing views without fear of retaliation because State’s policies bar retaliation against those who use it.
“I think it does make a difference to senior leadership,” Paul said.
But the process has been under threat this year, as House Republicans have pushed to access a dissent cable prepared amid Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The efforts to obtain the Afghanistan dissent cable by Congress do make it more difficult to talk about dissent cables in general, and do make some people think twice,” Paul said.
Global affairs professionals, particularly those with ties to the Muslim-majority world who worry about being targeted, have long been concerned about being seen as taking a stand on Israel-Palestine.
That anxiety has often affected policymaking, according to Sarah Harrison, a former Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security official now at the nonprofit Crisis Group.
“This is an environment that has been cultivated by Democratic and Republican administrations alike,” Harrison recently wrote on X. “If you work in the federal government and question anything Israel does you are sidelined and silenced.”
Staff across the Biden administration have told HuffPost they are experiencing a chilling effect at work. One person said there was “a culture of silence” around expressing their views on Israel-Palestine, and another said they felt “shame” at working within the U.S. government at this moment.
Some State Department staffers place particular blame for the bubbling discontent on Blinken’s deputy chief of staff for policy.
Tom Sullivan ― a powerful figure who is the brother of Biden’s top national security adviser, Jake Sullivan ― has “consistently overruled” the idea of greater outreach from the secretary to State Department personnel, one official said.
In high-level meetings, Tom Sullivan usually focuses on asking what Israel wants or highlighting its needs ― upsetting colleagues who feel the priority in crafting a plan for support should be on U.S. interests, a U.S. official told HuffPost.
Staffers do not feel comfortable challenging Sullivan because of his brother’s rank, the official continued.
-- Israel Threatens to Step Up Gaza Carnage
Israeli warplanes bombed neighborhoods across Gaza overnight and into Sunday, as well as two airports in Syria and a mosque in the occupied West Bank, as the 2-week-old war threatened to spiral into a broader conflict.
For days, the occupying regime of Israel has seemed to be on the verge of launching a ground invasion of Gaza as tanks and tens of thousands of troops have massed at the fence and Israeli leaders have spoken of an undefined next stage in its aggression.
The Zionist regime repeated its calls for people to leave northern Gaza, including by dropping leaflets from the air. It says an estimated 700,000 have already fled, but hundreds of thousands remain. That would raise the risk of mass civilian casualties in any ground invasion.
Israeli military officials brag that the next stage of the offensive will include unprecedented force there.
Hospitals packed with patients and displaced people are running low on medical supplies and fuel for generators, forcing doctors to perform surgeries with sewing needles, using vinegar as disinfectant, and without anesthesia.
The World Health Organization says at least 130 premature babies are at “grave risk” because of a shortage of generator fuel. It said seven hospitals in northern Gaza have been forced to shut down due to damage from strikes, lack of power and supplies, or Israeli evacuation orders.
Shortages in critical supplies, including ventilators, are forcing doctors to ration treatment, said Dr. Muhammad Qandeel, who works in Khan Younis’ Nasser Hospital. Dozens of patients continue to arrive and are treated in crowded, darkened corridors, as hospitals preserve electricity for intensive care units.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Qandeel told the AP. “Everyday, if we receive 10 severely injured patients we have to manage with maybe three or five ICU beds available.”
Palestinians sheltering in UN-run schools and tent camps are running low on food and drinking dirty water. A power blackout has crippled water and sanitation systems. OCHA said cases of chickenpox, scabies and diarrhea are on the rise because of the lack of clean water.
Heavy airstrikes were reported across Gaza, including in the southern part of the coastal strip. At the Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, south of the evacuation line, several bodies wrapped in white shrouds were lined up outside on the ground.
Khalil al-Degran, a hospital official, said more than 90 bodies had been brought in since early Sunday, as the sound of nearby bombing echoed behind him. He said 180 wounded people had arrived, mostly children, women and the elderly who had been displaced from other areas.
Israel’s military has claims it is striking Hamas members and installations. Palestinian resistance groups have fired over 7,000 rockets at Israel, according to the military, and Hamas says it targeted Tel Aviv early Sunday.
More than 1,400 Zionists have been killed in the war. At least 212 Zionists were captured and taken to Gaza. Two Americans were released on Friday in what Hamas said was a humanitarian gesture.
Gaza’s health ministry spokesperson said on Sunday that since October 7, Israeli strikes on Gaza had resulted in the martyrdom of 4,651 Palestinians, of which 40% were children.
More than 14,245 others have been wounded, 70% of them children and women, the ministry said.
The spokesperson, Ashraf Al-Qudra, said that Israel strikes had martyred 266 Palestinians over the past 24 hours, including 117 children.
Syrian state media meanwhile reported that Israeli airstrikes had targeted the international airports in the capital, Damascus, and the northern city of Aleppo. The strikes killed one person and damaged the runways, putting them out of service. media reported.
Israel has carried out several strikes in Syria, including on the airports, since the war began.
Israel also announced evacuation plans for another 14 communities near the Lebanon border. Kiryat Shmona’s 20,000 people were told to evacuate last week.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, 90 Palestinians have been martyred in clashes with Zionist troops, arrest raids and attacks by Jewish settlers since the Hamas operation, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Israeli forces have closed crossings into the territory and checkpoints between cities. The Zionist regime says it has arrested more than 700 Palestinians since Oct. 7.
Israeli forces martyred at least five people there early Sunday, according to the health ministry. Two were martyred in an airstrike on a mosque in the town of Jenin, which has seen heavy gunbattles over the past year.
-- Rockets Hit Iraqi Base Housing U.S. Troops in Iraq
At least two Katyusha rockets struck a military airbase housing U.S. military experts and agencies in Iraq’s western province of Anbar on Sunday, an Iraqi army source said.
The attacks occurred in the early morning when the rockets landed in the Ayn al-Asad Airbase near the town of al-Baghdadi, some 190 km northwest of the capital Baghdad, an officer from the Iraqi army told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of anti-terror fighters, claimed responsibility for attacks on the U.S. occupation bases.
In a statement released, the group claimed responsibility for a drone strike against the U.S.-run Ain al-Asad Airbase in the western Iraqi province of al-Anbar.
It said that Ababil-2T unmanned aerial vehicle had “directly hit its target” during the operation.
Later in the day, the resistance group announced that it had targeted the al-Harir Airbase housing the American troops with two drones.
The base is situated near Erbil International Airport in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.
The operations came after Iraqi resistance factions warned the United States against funding and supporting Zionist war crimes against the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Iraq’s Kata’ib Hezbollah threatened to target American bases in Iraq and the entire region if Washington intervenes in the ongoing Gaza war.
The occupying regime launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance group Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the occupying entity.
The Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 4,385 Palestinians, including 1,756 children, and injured 13,561 others in its relentless aerial assaults.
The occupying regime has also blocked water, food and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
TEHRAN TIMES:
-- 3+3 foreign ministers to meet in Tehran on Monday
The foreign ministers of the 3+3 format of countries will convene in Tehran on Monday to discuss the situation in the South Caucasus region following the Republic of Azerbaijan’s takeover of the Karabakh region. The 3+3 format is comprised of the three Caucasus countries – Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan- plus Iran, Turkey, and Russia. The Tehran meeting will be the second meeting of the format. The first meeting was held in Russia without the participation of Georgia. Iran’s state news agency IRNA said the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan will participate in the Monday meeting. The meeting will discuss the situation in the South Caucasus and efforts to boost regional cooperation in many areas. One of the most important goals of the formation of this regional group is to solve regional problems with the presence of regional countries and without the interference of extra-regional and Western countries, IRNA said, adding that one of the topics of Monday’s meeting will be the peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
-- Iranian Army chief: Zionist regime will fall at the hands of Palestinians
The Zionist regime will collapse and fall at the hands of the Palestinian fighters, the Iranian Army commander said on Sunday, pointing to the October 7 surprise Al-Aqsa Storm Operation that has put Israel in a state of confusion and insanity. Speaking at a ceremony at the Air Defense Academy, Abdolrahim Mousavi said, “The Israeli regime and its masters (allies) are trying to attribute the successful Storm Operation to Iran due to the slap they have received from Hamas.” Both Israeli and U.S. officials have acknowledged that there is not evidence to prove that Iran was aware of the attack by Hamas. “Of course, both the Zionists and their masters know that this issue has nothing to do with Iran,” the commander stated, adding that if Iran is going to take action against them, the dimensions of our battle with the Zionist regime will be at the level of one of our updated operations in the Sacred Defense,” the army chief pointed out, indirectly referring to Iran’s liberation operations against the invading Saddam Army in the 1980s. The major general called the Storm Operation “a great blow” to the Zionist regime “that is not digestible for them.” Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said the Zionist regime has suffered an “irreparable defeat” at the hands of Hamas.
-- Iran urges the world to designate Israel as terrorist entity
The Israeli assault on the beleaguered Gaza Strip has drawn criticism from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, urging the international community to label the occupying Tel Aviv regime as a “terrorist entity” and hold its leaders accountable for “war crimes” against the Palestinian people. “Following the catastrophic attacks on the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, mosques, schools and the Greek Orthodox church in Gaza, the Zionist regime has threatened to pound other hospitals in Gaza!” Nasser Kanaani wrote in a post on X on Saturday. “Such horrendous crimes mean that the Zionist regime has crossed the limits of insanity,” said Kanaani, adding that they amount to a morally shameful scandal for the governments that have long provided unconditional support to the Zionist regime while preaching to others about human rights.
-- Protests erupt against the war on Gaza
Dozens of people are believed to have been arrested following an intense day of pro-Palestine protests in New York on Saturday. Demonstrators, demanding an end to the deadly attacks by Israeli forces against civilians, took to the streets in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn, and as the protest continued into the night several people were arrested by the New York Police Department (NYPD), according to clips from the scene. In San Diego, pro-Palestinian supporters took to the streets of downtown to call for a cease-fire and for U.S. leaders to take action. “Free, free Palestine. Long live Palestine,” protestors chanted with posters and flags in hand. A pro-Palestinian rally was also organized in Melbourne, Australia. Several thousand people gathered in the capital Sarajevo waving Palestinian and Bosnian flags, demanding a halt to Israel’s bombardment in Gaza. “Genocide, genocide,” some chanted, while a large and prominent banner read “Yesterday Srebrenica, today Gaza,” referring to the 1995 massacre in the Bosnian town, Europe’s worst atrocity since World War Two in which Serb forces killed an estimated 8,000 Muslim men and boys.
-- Palestinian death toll exceeds 4,600 in Gaza– ministry
The number of Palestinian fatalities in the Gaza Strip since October 7 has risen to over 4,600, and another 14,200 have been wounded, the Health Ministry of the Gaza Strip said. “The total number of victims of the Israeli aggression since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza has increased to 4,651, including 1,873 children, 1,023 women, and 187 senior citizens, another 14,245 people have sustained various injuries,” according to a statement released on the ministry’s page on Facebook. Also, the number of dead in the West Bank has reached 90, and the number of injured 1,400. Since the beginning of the clashes, 1,405 Israelis have been killed and 5,132 injured. Israeli forces have killed 266 Palestinians mostly in the southern part of the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, a health ministry spokesman says. Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra said that 117 of the victims were children.
-- West angry with brilliant doing of Iranian veiled women
Iranian women while wearing hijab have many achievements in various economic, educational, sports and health fields, which are growing according to international standards. The achievements that the enemies of the Iranian people are trying to deny with anti-Iranian propaganda. The hijab (veil), the traditional head covering worn by Muslim women for modesty for centuries, has been a subject of controversy in recent times in Iran. In the 1920s, a few women started to appear unveiled
NOURNEWS