NOURNEWS- The following headlines appeared in English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Saturday, December 9, 2023.
IRAN DAILY:
- President inaugurates highway, hospital in Alborz Province
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated a highway and a 260-bed hospital along with some other projects during his visit to Alborz Province on Friday.
During his visit, Raisi, who was accompanied by some of his cabinet members and their deputies, was welcomed by the province’s people and officials and inaugurated several major projects.
- Iran ready to complete construction of Tehran-Damascus railway: Roads minister
Iran’s minister of roads and urban development said his ministry is ready to complete the construction operation of the Tehran-Damascus railway.
Mehrdad Bazrpash, who is also the chairman of the Iran-Syria Joint Economic Cooperation Commission, expressed his satisfaction with the pace of implementation of agreements previously inked between Tehran and Damascus.
He made the remarks in a meeting with Syria’s economy and foreign trade minister.
- Iran, Oman mull trade in local currencies
The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran and Oman’s Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Development emphasized the importance of strengthening monetary ties between the countries by using their national currencies in commercial transactions rather than the US dollar.
CBI Chief Mohammad Reza Farzin highlighted the historical context of economic ties between the two countries, stating, “We welcome any measure that leads to the expansion of monetary and banking cooperation between Iran and Oman.
- Syrian PM in Tehran to boost cooperation
Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous began his three-day official visit to Tehran to discuss ways to promote economic cooperation with Iran.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, Arnous arrived in the Iranian capital on Friday evening, receiving a warm welcome from Iranian Minister of Justice Amin Hossein Rahimi.
The visits takes place at the invitation of Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, who will officially welcome the Syrian official today, IRNA reported.
Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, said Arnous plans to take part in the 15th meeting of the High Committee of Iran-Syria Economic Cooperation. He would also hold talks with President Ebrahim Raisi, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadian.
In line with the implementation of agreements inked during President Raisi’s visit to Damascus in May and the topics agreed upon, the Iranian and Syrian authorities would sign documents for the enhancement of relations of cooperation, Jamshidi said.
On May 3, Raisi and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad signed an agreement on “long-term strategic comprehensive cooperation” between the two countries.
- Yemen, a new front against Israel
Following Israel’s brutal onslaught on the Gaza Strip and the killing of thousands of Palestinians in response to Hamas’s October 7 attack, anti-Israel sentiment has once again bubbled up in the Middle East region.
By launching strikes on Israel’s positions and targeting its assets, resistance groups, which represent a large part of people in the region, are reminding Israel that they still consider it an occupying regime, and that they will not be silent over its atrocities in the region.
Crimes committed by Israel and its main ally, the United States, throughout the decades have forced the resistance movements to gradually strengthen their military powers.
Now, the time has come to flex their muscles and show the Israeli regime that they will not forsake the Palestinians, and will not let Israel do whatever it wants.
Resistance groups are now active in many regional countries including Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Yemen, which has now become one of the main fronts in the region of resistance against Israel and the US.
Like other Middle Eastern countries, Yemen has also become furious at the new Israeli atrocities in the Palestinian territories, which has claimed the lives of more than 17,000 Palestinians just in two months.
Years of fighting against military aggression by Saudi Arabia have turned the resistance movement in Yemen into a powerful military force in the region.
Along with its brave fighters, the Yemeni Army is now in possession of ballistic missiles and long range combat drones, which are capable of hitting Israel.
From the early days of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Ansarullah group, which overthrew the government and gained control of the country in 2014, following the Arab Spring uprisings in the region, has time and again warned the Israeli regime over its crimes in the Palestinian territories.
Attacks on Israel
Yahya Saree, military spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, announced on October 31 that the movement launched a “large number” of rockets, ballistic missiles and drones towards Israel.
More strikes would follow “until the Israeli aggression stops,” he said.
By sending missile and drone strikes against Israel, Yemen’s Army aims to send a message of support for Palestinians and a signal to Israel that it can now reach it, and that they will not hesitate to use this capability in the future.
Some Yemeni missiles have the capability of reaching Israel despite a long distance between Yemen and the Palestinian territories.
Israel has forced to deploy its “Arrow” defense system which is designed to take out ballistic missiles outside of the Earth’s atmosphere.
It has also deployed missile boats that could also indicate that Israel may be concerned about the possibility of attacks from Yemen on Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea.
Extra cost for Israe
Confronting the resistance groups’ attacks has inflicted extra cost on Israel’s regime which is heavily reliable on military assistance from the United States.
On November 19, Yemen’s Armed Forces seized an Israeli ship named the “Galaxy Leader” and detained dozens of its crew members in the Red Sea following warnings by the Ansarullah movement that the force will target any Israeli ship crossing the country’s territorial waters.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni Armed Forces took responsibility for attacking two ships in the Red Sea on December 3, saying the country was blocking Israeli ships from passing through the Red Sea until Israel halted its military operations in Gaza.
The US Central Command claimed that American forces shot down ballistic missiles and drones used by the Yemenis in the attack.
The US, which is concerned about the spill-over of the conflict in Gaza, has sent two aircraft carriers and supporting ships to the region to support the Israeli regime.
Yemen is effectively setting their sights on one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, where goods and oil are transported in large quantities.
By focusing on Bab al-Mandeb – and launching earlier attacks in the Red Sea and southern Israel – the resistance movement in Yemen appears to be trying to impose hefty financial costs on Israel, in addition to undermining its security if it chooses to prolong the war.
The Palestinian cause is important to Yemen, the full entry of which in the conflict could be concerning for Israel, as it is already engaged in border fighting with the Hezbollah resistance group in southern Lebanon, which has already entered the war.
In addition to the attacks by Hezbollah and Yemenis, other resistance groups have carried out dozens of attacks against US military forces spread throughout the Middle East in recent weeks.
If the conflict escalates into a regional war, the Ansarullah movement, which is part of the “axis of resistance,” will most likely keep launching more missiles and drones at Israel.
KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL:
- G7 Claims Against Iran ‘Bitter Historical Joke’
Iran has condemned “baseless” claims against it in a statement of G7 leaders after their virtual meeting, saying some members of the group are the main cause of instability and insecurity in the region and the world.
The Wednesday statement of the G7 members, comprising Japan, the U.S., Britain, Germany, France, Italy and the EU, called on Iran “to refrain from providing support for Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other non-state actors” and “never develop a nuclear weapon”.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Thursday strongly condemned the claims which he said resembled “a bitter historical joke”, as he reiterated the country’s position regarding nuclear weapons.
“As it has been announced many times, nuclear weapons have no place in the defense doctrine of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
- Iran-Made Cancer Drug Unveiled
The new indigenous anti-cancer drug, named Cyclophosphamide, has been unveiled at Alborz Science and Technology Park in Alborz province, west of Tehran in a ceremony attended by Vice-President for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy Rouhollah Dehghani Firouzabadi.
Speaking at the event on Friday, Dehghani Firouzabadi said that the unveiled anti-cancer drug is one of the homemade drugs that play a pivotal role in treating various kinds of cancers in the country and is produced under sanctions.
Head of Alborz Science and Technology Park Mehdi Abbasi said that the Cyclophosphamide injection vial is most commonly used in the treatment of patients with blood, ovarian, breast, and eyes cancer.
- Official: Exports of Iranian Agricultural Products Exceed $3.6bn
Iran has exported more than $3.6 billion in agricultural and food products during the first eight months of the current Iranian year, an official said.
Iran has exported more than 5.1 million tons of agricultural, fishery, and livestock products from March 21 to November 21, the value of which has surpassed $3,671 million, an official at the Central Organization for Rural Cooperatives of Iran said.
According to Rouhollah Latifi, the export of Iran’s agricultural products shows an 11 and a 24 percent hike in weight and value, respectively, compared to the last year’s corresponding period.
- Iranian FM: Zionist Regime Worse Than Daesh
Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said Friday Israel’s genocide, use of banned weapons and continuation of the blockade on the Gaza Strip are proof the regime outdoes the Daesh terrorist group. “Genocide and infanticide, the use of prohibited weapons, preventing the delivery of water, food and medicine to Gaza, and brutality towards the captives and innocent citizens show the apartheid and occupying Israeli regime is way ahead of Daesh in committing a variety of crimes,” he wrote on his X account.
TEHRAN TIMES:
- Iranian movies line up for Ahmedabad film festival
Fifteen Iranian films are competing in different sections of Ahmedabad International Children Film Festival (AICFF), which is currently underway in the Indian city. “Life & Life” directed by Ali Qavitan, “Balit” by Morteza Rahimi, “For the Sake of Ava” by Mohsen Seraji and “In the Arms of a Tree” by Babak Khajehpasha are on screen at the main section of the festival.
“Life & Life” follows a teacher who is concerned about the students who have not attended online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. She decides to visit them. She buckles her four-year-old daughter into the car and takes off for the students’ houses. Her goal for this trip is to look in on the students, but she has another purpose. She tells her daughter about her own life, and the girl begins to understand the world as she meets other people.
- Tehran, Muscat call for using national currencies in mutual trade
Iran and Oman have signed two memorandums of understanding (MOU) to boost bilateral cooperation and emphasize the importance of using their national currencies in mutual trade instead of the dollar. The mentioned MOUs were signed during the two countries’ 20th Joint Economic Committee meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Fars News Agency reported.
One of the MOUs was signed by Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade Abbas Aliabadi, and Oman’s Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion Qais Mohammed Al Yousef on supporting joint investment by the two sides.
- Iran secures 5th place worldwide for UNESCO-listed intangible treasures
Iran ranks 5th in the world for the number of intangible cultural heritage registered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the tourism minister has said.
“6th of Azar (Dec. 6), is an unforgettable day for Iran's Intangible Cultural Heritage, when three cultural elements were inscribed [together with some other neighboring countries] on the UNESCO list during the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,” Ezzatollah Zarghami said on Thursday.
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