اخبار ایران به زبان انگلیسی ( Iran News )

[Persia1]

India’s exports to Iran rise over 12 times

India’s exports to Iran rise over 12 times

After the ‘rupee payment mechanism’ for trading with Iran kicked in last year, India’s exports to the Persian Gulf country rose steeply, as Iran needs to buy goods from India to make use of the rupees that it gets for its oil exports.
According to UCO Bank, which handles trade with Iran, India’s exports to Iran currently stand at about $500 million. This is compared with $40 million a year back – a sharp rise of over 12 times.

Interestingly, most of these exports are food items. UCO Bank has so far processed 3,112 letters of credit (LCs), involving goods worth Rs 17,463 crore, of which 960 LCs worth Rs 12,191 crore, or 70 percent, were for food and agricultural products. And the commodity that witnessed the most dramatic rise in exports was basmati rice. While India exported Rs 2,034 crore worth of the aromatic rice in 2010-11, the figure jumped to Rs 6,166 crore in the first six months of the current year.

Now, the U.S. government has eased restrictions on India (as well as China and South Korea) for buying more oil from Iran. Also, though not formally agreed upon, Iran wants India to pay 55 percent of its oil dues in euros. Therefore, experts see Iran accumulating more rupees and the only way it can use the money is by buying goods and services from India.

Against this backdrop, India has begun encouraging domestic companies to bid for projects in Iran, such as for laying roads, building railway lines or factories. Last week, the Commerce Ministry met officials of public sector companies, notably BHEL, SAIL and IRCON, in this regard.

Such ‘project exports’ are typically high-value in nature and take time to secure. However, the Government ushered in another measure a few months back which could help boost exports in quick time — a manufacturer can import raw materials and export to Iran with only 15 percent value-addition; other conditions, such as the goods should leave an Indian port and should reach an Iranian port, remain unchanged.

However, export under this ‘value addition’ facility is yet to happen. T.S. Mallikarjuna, Deputy General Manager with UCO Bank, in-charge of trade with Iran in the bank, presumes that exporters may not be aware of this facility.

UCO Bank has been holding meetings with exporters — one was held in Chennai on December 21 — to sensitize them about the opportunities that Iran now offers.

At the Chennai meeting, the officials said the bank had tie-ups with six Iranian banks for processing payments and would soon enter into pacts with four more.

This would make it easier and cheaper for Iranian importers to buy goods from India, said Arun Kaul, Chairman and Managing Director of UCO Bank.

The public sector bank last year accepted the responsibility of handling payments in India-Iran trade. Under the arrangement, oil refiners, such as IOC and BPCL, buy oil from Iran but make payments into an Iran account with UCO Bank’s Mumbai branch. When Iranians buy goods from India, UCO Bank pays the Indian exporters out of the ‘Iran account’.

This arrangement sidesteps the U.S.-sponsored sanctions against Iran, which seek to deny Iran access to U.S. dollars or Euros, with which it could possibly buy material and equipment for making nuclear weapons.

The sanctions have come in handy for India. Since the middle of last year, India has imported crude oil worth $8 billion from Iran without the outgo of a single dollar — a big relief at a time when the rupee was plummeting against the U.S. currency.

(Source: thehindu.co.in)


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[Persia1]

Iran should enrich to 60% to fuel ships if nuclear talks fail, MPs propose

Iran should enrich to 60% to fuel ships if nuclear talks fail, MPs propose

A group of Iranian MPs has prepared a draft bill that would oblige the government to enrich uranium up to a purity of 60 percent if negotiations with the major powers over Tehran’s nuclear program fail, a report says.
According to the Fars News Agency, around 100 MPs signed the draft bill and presented it to the Majlis Presiding Board on Wednesday. However, MP Hossein Farhangi told the IRNA news agency that the Majlis Presiding Board has not received such a draft.

After intensive talks in Geneva, the foreign ministers of Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) struck an interim deal on November 24, based on which Iran agreed not to expand its nuclear program and to suspend its 20 percent uranium enrichment in return for a limited easing of the sanctions imposed on the country.

According to the agreement, over the course of six months, Iran and the six countries of the 5+1 group will draw up a comprehensive nuclear deal which will lead to a lifting of the sanctions on Iran and Iran will provide the world verifiable guarantees that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

MP Mehdi Moussavinejad, a senior member of the Iranian parliament’s Energy Committee, said earlier that Iran would increase its uranium enrichment to 60 percent if the West violates the terms of the interim deal.

“Given the method that the other negotiating side -- the U.S. in particular -- has adopted during the nuclear negotiations, the legislators are working on a bill that will require the government to increase the level of uranium [enrichment] to over 60 percent,” Moussavinejad told IRNA.

Moussavinejad said that the level of enrichment is needed “to supply fuel for our ships.”

The draft bill was crafted after a group of U.S. senators prepared a new bill that includes “prospective sanctions” that expand economic and financial restrictions on Iran’s energy and banking sectors.

MP Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, the spokesman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told IRNA on Wednesday that the draft bill obliging the government to enrich uranium to a purity of 60 percent to fuel submarines and ships was crafted in order to give the Iranian nuclear negotiating team the upper hand.

“The plan of obliging the government to 60 percent enrichment is being drawn up to support the government and the negotiating team,” Naqavi Hosseini said.

If the U.S. Congress has prepared plans to put more “pressure on us, our Majlis should also do that,” he added.


tehrantimes.com

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[Persia1]

Iran, major powers to resume nuclear talks Monday

Iran, major powers to resume nuclear talks Monday

TEHRAN – Iran and world powers will resume technical talks in Geneva on Monday on how to implement an interim nuclear deal, according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) clinched a landmark deal in Geneva on November 24 according to which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program for six months in exchange for modest sanctions relief.

The Geneva agreement is designed to provide time to negotiate a comprehensive deal to help resolve Iran’s nuclear issue.

Iran and the six major powers had suspended their expert-level talks on implementing the deal until after Christmas.

Experts from the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany and Iran met in Geneva from December 19 to 22 to settle the practical details of the accord.

They need to decide when the November 24 deal goes into effect, meaning when Iran has to fulfill its obligations and Western governments ease some economic sanctions in return.

The Geneva round of technical talks was the second time nuclear experts and sanctions specialists from the seven countries and the European Union had met to figure out how the nuclear deal will be implemented.

Earlier this month, a round of technical talks in Vienna was suspended after the United States blacklisted 19 Iranian companies and people, and some Iranian officials said this decision violated the spirit of the November 24 nuclear agreement.





tehrantimes.com
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[Persia1]

Iran building new generation of centrifuges: Salehi

Iran building new generation of centrifuges: Salehi

TEHRAN – Iran is building a new generation of centrifuges for uranium enrichment, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran director announced in Isfahan on Thursday.
“The new generation of centrifuges is being built. But all tests should be carried on it before mass production,” Ali Akbar Salehi said, without elaborating.

Salehi also said that Iran has a total of 19,000 centrifuges. He did not say how many were operational.

Under an interim nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers in Geneva last month, Iran promised not to bring new centrifuges into operation for six months. But the deal does not stop it from developing centrifuges.

Iran announced in August that more than 10,000 centrifuges were operating, and 7,000 were ready to start operation.


tehrantimes.com

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[Persia1]

Dubai and Iran gain as trade revives

Dubai and Iran gain as trade revives

Trade in foodstuffs between Dubai and Iran is picking up, spurred by a more stable exchange rate and hopes for an Iranian re-engagement in the global economy.
The gradual recovery in the flow of some goods across the Strait of Hormuz reflects a more buoyant Iranian economy, led by a stronger currency and gains in the stock market, which has surged nearly 90 percent since June.

There had been a 30 percent jump in foodstuffs trade between Dubai and Iran since Hassan Rouhani’s victory in the presidential election in June, said Ali Sowdagar, the marketing representative at Iran Insurance, a Dubai-based insurer of export credit with Iran.

Fruit, vegetables and nuts were among the goods re-exported through Dubai from countries including Egypt and Pakistan, he said.

“It’s improving and there’s some kind of stability in the currency market so business people are trading more,” he said.

“They still have problems with banking restrictions but people like that they can sell and order knowing that the currency will be more stable.”

Dubai’s position as a trading gateway for shipments into Iran has eroded as global sanctions against Tehran have tightened in recent years. Trade between Dubai and Iran sunk by nearly a third last year to Dh25 billion, down from Dh36bn the year before, according to Dubai Customs data. Data for this year has not been released.

But the election of the reform-minded Mr Rouhani in June has ignited hopes of a reversal in fortune for Iran and, in turn, its links with Dubai. The Iranian rial has appreciated 16.7 percent to 29,700 rials against the U.S. dollar in the unofficial market since then.

The rise has been further fuelled by an interim deal signed last month with world powers.

“I feel eventually a permanent deal will be signed and after that the sanctions would be removed,” said Hossein Haghighi, a consultant in Dubai and executive vice president of the Iran Business Council in Dubai. “The government has shown it is committed towards the stability of the currency and market prices.”

The rial’s rally is giving traders and export insurers more confidence about the ability of Iranian buyers to pay for goods they order using credit. Tightening global sanctions meant the rial had been shedding value up until June, leaving Iranian buyers unable to pay for goods they ordered, sometimes up to six months before, on credit.

“There’s been an increase in interest for food related commodities trade [with Iran],” said Owais Diyan, the head of operations at the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit, which has a representative office in Dubai.

Foodstuffs are among items exempt from sanctions, but many insurers have been reluctant to extend credit for such goods, imposing a blanket ban on involvement in any trade with Iran

“We have seen the Lloyd’s insurance market show significant interest since the announcement that sanctions will be lifted and they are well poised to take more trade,” said a person familiar with the trade insurance market, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I’m assuming this trend will grow, especially in essential foodstuffs, and Dubai could be a likely beneficiary.”
The Tehran Stock Exchange benchmark index has risen 88 percent since Mr Rouhani’s election.

The Institute of International Finance last week estimated that a comprehensive nuclear accord could lead to 3.7 percent GDP growth in the financial year 2014-2015 and 4.2 percent in 2015-2016. No agreement would lead to a contraction in the economy in those years, it forecast.

(Source: thenational.ae)
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[Persia1]

Iran’s non-oil trade tops $62.5b in 9 months

Iran’s non-oil trade tops $62.5b in 9 months

TEHRAN - Iran conducted $62.507 billion in trade of non-oil goods with other countries during the first nine months of the current calendar year which began on March 21, according to the latest report released by Iran’s Customs Administration.
The country exported $29.241 billion worth of non-oil goods (including gas condensates) and imported $33.266 billion of non-oil goods during the 9-month period.

Exports and imports fell by 7.7 percent and 16.9 percent respectively compared to the same period in the previous year.

Iron ore concentrate, urea, and Methanol were the main goods exported, and rice, soy meal, and wheat were the main items imported.

China, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates were the three top importers of Iranian goods during the period, while the United Arab Emirates, China, and India were the leading exporters of goods to Iran.

Previously, the Iranian Customs Administration reported that Iran’s trade balance with 96 countries was positive in the first eight months of 2013.

The country traded [non-oil] goods with 182 countries in the 8-month period.

Iran had the highest positive trade balance with Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Egypt, and Azerbaijan, according to the report.

In July 2012, former Iranian Economy Minister Shamseddin Hosseini said Iran conducted economic transactions with 150 countries in the previous Iranian calendar year (March 2011-March 2012). And about 80 countries transited their products through Iran, he added.

Iran continues trading with the world at a brisk pace, even though certain countries are currently trying to create obstacles in order to hinder the country’s economic progress, the finance minister said.

Iran exported around $43.7 billion worth of non-oil goods in the previous Iranian calendar year and imported about $61.8 billion worth of non-oil goods to hit the unprecedented mark of $105 billion in annual trade.


tehrantimes.com
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[Persia1]

Iran, major powers have different interpretations of Geneva deal: Araqchi

Iran, major powers have different interpretations of Geneva deal: Araqchi

TEHRAN – A top Iranian nuclear negotiator said on Sunday that Iran and world powers have different interpretations of an interim deal on the country’s nuclear program reached in Geneva last month.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also said that Iran and the six major powers will hold a new round of technical talks in Geneva on Monday on how to implement the nuclear accord.

Commenting on a draft bill prepared by a group of Iranian MPs that would oblige the government to enrich uranium up to a purity of 60 percent if negotiations with the major powers over Tehran’s nuclear program fail, Araqchi said that the administration is legally bound to implement the bills passed by the Majlis.

“If the Majlis makes a decision that the Geneva deal should not be implemented through adopting this bill, we will abide by it,” he said.

In addition, he warned that the adoption of a new sanctions bill against Iran by the U.S. Congress would scuttle the Geneva agreement.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Araqchi said that if no problem occurs, the implementation of the Geneva deal will begin in late January.

Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) clinched a landmark deal in Geneva on November 24 according to which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program for six months in exchange for modest sanctions relief.

The Geneva agreement is designed to provide time to negotiate a comprehensive deal to help resolve Iran’s nuclear issue.

Iran and the six major powers had suspended their expert-level talks on implementing the deal until after Christmas.

Experts from the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany and Iran met in Geneva from December 19 to 22 to settle the practical details of the accord.

They need to decide when the November 24 deal goes into effect, meaning when Iran has to fulfill its obligations and Western governments ease some economic sanctions in return.

The Geneva round of technical talks was the second time nuclear experts and sanctions specialists from the seven countries and the European Union had met to figure out how the nuclear deal will be implemented.

Earlier this month, a round of technical talks in Vienna was suspended after the United States blacklisted 19 Iranian companies and people, and some Iranian officials said this decision violated the spirit of the November 24 nuclear agreement.


tehrantimes.com

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[Persia1]

Iran has not brought new centrifuges into operation: Salehi

Iran has not brought new centrifuges into operation: Salehi

TEHRAN – Iran has installed a number of new centrifuges for enriching uranium but has not brought them into operation because of the Geneva nuclear deal, Iran’s nuclear chief said on Saturday.
“We have installed 1000 new-generation centrifuge machines (IR-2m) but have not injected uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas into them given the nuclear negotiations and the Geneva deal,” Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director Ali Akbar Salehi said in a televised interview, referring to an interim nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers in Geneva in November.

The deal, which has not come into effect yet, calls for Tehran to limit its nuclear program in return for a limited easing of sanctions against the country.

“Under the Geneva agreement, we are supposed to not install any new centrifuges over a period of six months,” Salehi added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the former foreign minister stated that the Arak heavy water reactor – which was a sticking point in the negotiations - is 85 percent complete.

“Some of the main equipment of the reactor will not be installed during the six-month-period that has been stated in the Geneva deal.”

According to the agreement, which is going to be implemented over the course of six months, Iran will not make any further advances of its activities at the Arak reactor.

Salehi also stated that Iran is in talks with Russia to build four new nuclear plants.

Russia built Iran’s first nuclear reactor in the southern city of Bushehr.


tehrantimes.com

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[Persia1]

Iran to supply 1,000MW to Pakistan

Iran to supply 1,000MW to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (The Express Tribune ) — Pakistan and Iran are set to sign an initial deal for the supply of 1,000 megawatts of electricity to overcome the crippling energy crisis in Pakistan.
Sources told The Express Tribune that the Ministry of Water and Power was calling for the vetting of a draft of memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be signed with Iran for electricity import.

“Pakistan will be paying 8-11 cents per unit of electricity under the formula agreed with Iran,” a source said.

Under the project, Iran will build a powerhouse in its Zahedan province bordering Pakistan to generate electricity for export. Iran has also expressed its willingness to provide a loan of $800-$900 million for the project.

A 700-kilometer transmission line of 500 kilovolts will also be laid from the Pakistan-Iran border to Quetta.


During the previous government, Iran had also expressed interest in setting up a 200MW power plant in Balochistan. Tehran was also keen on installing smaller plants of 25MW each on the ground as well as on barges to help Pakistan overcome the power crisis.

But all the plans stalled due to the sanctions imposed by the West. Iran had offered to export 10,000MW of electricity during the tenure of the previous government.

According to energy experts, the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project has been facing problems due to sanctions imposed by the United States on Tehran.

“So, it may also be difficult for both countries to press on with the 1,000MW power import project unless U.S. sanctions are lifted,” an expert said, adding Pakistan was already facing problems in clearing dues for 74MW being imported for Gwadar.

“The main issue hampering the implementation of the projects is the delay in clearance of Iran dues,” he said, adding other countries like Turkmenistan and Turkey were also facing payment issues with Iran in gas trade.

Iran owed Turkmenistan $1 billion in December 2012 for gas import and due to difficulties in transfer of funds. On the other side, during the same month, Turkey offered barter trade and payment in gold to Iran for the import of natural gas due to hurdles to cash payments.

Experts said Pakistan would also experience payment transfer issues in gas import through the Iran-Pakistan pipeline and in power import project.

At present, Iran is exporting 74MW of electricity per day to the border areas of Balochistan as well as Gwadar, but Pakistan has not been able to carry out banking transactions with Tehran since June 2011 after the US and European Union intensified sanctions.

Iran has been exporting electricity through a 132-kilovolt transmission line. In 2006, Pakistan was importing 39MW, which was later increased to 74MW.

Earlier, the Iranian firm exporting electricity to Pakistan had threatened to cut supplies because of delay in settling the dues.


tehrantimes.com

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[Persia1]

Iran’s inflation rate hits 35.5%, down 0.4% in month

Iran’s inflation rate hits 35.5%, down 0.4% in month

TEHRAN - The Statistical Center of Iran has announced that the inflation rate for the 12-month period ended the ninth Iranian calendar month of Azar (endd on December 21) hit 35.5 percent, a 0.4 percent fall compared to the previous month.
Meanwhile, the point-to-point inflation rate hit 28.8 percent.

In November, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his government plans to decrease the inflation rate to below 25 percent by the end of the next Iranian calendar year 1393 (March 20, 2015).

The inflation rate is projected to be 35 percent at the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2014).

“First, the administration plans to curb the inflation rate and reform the banking system, and then change the method of (cash) subsidy payments,” he added.

Rouhani said his administration inherited an economy with a 5.8 percent contraction rate and an inflation rate of over 40 percent, according to the Central Bank of Iran.

In October, Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Ali Tayyebnia said the government plans to reduce the inflation rate by 6 to 7 percent by the end of the current calendar year (March 20, 2014).

Through curbing the runaway liquidity growth in the country, hopefully the inflation rate can be decreased, he added.





tehrantimes.com
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[Persia1]

Dubai ruler calls for lifting of Iran sanctions

Dubai ruler calls for lifting of Iran sanctions

TEHRAN – The ruler of Dubai, a Persian Gulf trade and investment hub with strong links to Iran, said in remarks broadcast on Monday that the international community should ease sanctions on the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported.
Under a deal struck in November, Iran is expected to curb its nuclear activity in exchange for a limited easing of sanctions. The pact will come into force January 20, Iran and world powers agreed on Sunday.

Asked whether he thought it was time to lift the sanctions, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, told British broadcaster the BBC, "I think so and give Iran a space... Iran is our neighbor and we don't want any problem, he said, adding that "everybody will benefit".

Despite a decade of sanctions, Iran has managed to get most of the commodities and goods it needs via Dubai's flourishing re-export market.

The vast majority of trade between Iran and its Persian Gulf Arab neighbors is routed through Dubai, home to tens of thousands of ethnic Iranians and one of seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates.

Iran says its atomic energy program is aimed purely at electricity generation and other civilian purposes.

"I think they're telling the truth when they say just for civilian power," Sheikh Mohammed said in the interview.

Shortly after the November 24 deal, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went to the UAE to try and improve relations with the U.S. ally.

Across the Persian Gulf from Iran, the UAE stands to benefit directly from any easing of sanctions under the nuclear deal that have dampened regional trade.

Zarif met Sheikh Mohammed during his December visit and the UAE was the first Persian Gulf Arab state to cautiously welcome November's nuclear deal. The UAE foreign minister flew to Iran days later, calling for a partnership with the Islamic Republic.

The six Sunni Muslim-ruled members of the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) have welcomed Iran's "new direction" under President Hassan Rouhani and said Tehran should do more to promote stability in the region.


http://tehrantimes.com

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[Persia1]

Iran will propose a cut in OPEC quotas if prices fall sharply: minister

Iran will propose a cut in OPEC quotas if prices fall sharply: minister

TEHRAN – Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has said that the country will propose a cut in OPEC quotas if the market prices fall sharply.
“However, I do not forecast any considerable change in oil prices in the current year,” IRNA quoted Zanganeh as saying on Monday.

As a founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Iran will propose solutions to prevent from any further drop in the prices, he said.

Brent crude edged lower toward $107 a barrel on Monday after six nations struck a fresh six-month deal with Iran over its nuclear program and U.S. President Barack Obama urged Congress not to impose additional sanctions on the country, Reuters reported.

Obama's comments act in favor of Iran and contribute to more downside in oil markets given the potential inflow of Iranian barrels to oil markets.

On January 6, Zanganeh said the return of Iran to oil markets will not lead to a decrease in prices.

He supported OPEC’s policy for stabilizing its ceiling output at 30 million barrels per day.

“We believe it is our right to try to increase our exports,” Zanganeh said. “I hope that all OPEC countries show wisdom, and when member countries, after limitation, return to the market, they understand that they should open the doors.”

On January 10, Zanganeh said Iran earned $34 billion through exporting crude oil and gas condensates in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 21.
In December 2013, Zanganeh said Iran could boost production to 4 million barrels a day next year if sanctions are lifted. The nation is currently exporting about 1.2 million barrels a day and has earmarked 1.5 million barrels of daily sales in its budget, which includes 300,000 barrels of condensates.

The Iranian minister has invited French Total, Royal Dutch Shell, Norwegian Statoil, Italian Eni, and British Petroleum as well as U.S. Exxon and Conoco companies to develop oil projects in Iran.

Iran has urged other OPEC members to make room for its eventual return to oil markets after it reached an interim deal with world powers over its nuclear program in November.

The International Energy Agency has said global oil demand will be higher than expected next year and that could push up oil prices amid persistent production disruptions.

tehrantimes.com

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[Persia1]

Iran cancels $900m loan to Pakistan for power project

Iran cancels $900m loan to Pakistan for power project

TEHRAN – Iran will not provide a previously agreed $900 million loan to Pakistan to jointly build a power plant to export 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Pakistan, the Mehr News Agency reported on Monday.

Hamid Chitchian said building the power plant is not on the ministry’s agenda. The Pakistani side has not been committed to some of its obligations, he added.

Earlier, the Iranian firm exporting electricity to Pakistan had threatened to cut supplies because of delay in settling the dues.

During the incumbency of former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran had also expressed interest in setting up a 200MW power plant in Balochistan. Tehran was also keen on installing smaller plants of 25MW each on the ground as well as on barges to help Pakistan overcome the power crisis.

But all the plans stalled due to the sanctions imposed by the West. Iran had offered to export 1,000MW of electricity during the tenure of the previous government.

At present, Iran is exporting 74MW of electricity per day to the border areas of Balochistan as well as Gwadar, but Pakistan has not been able to carry out banking transactions with Tehran since June 2011 after the U.S. and European Union intensified sanctions.

Sources told The Express Tribune that Pakistan’s Ministry of Water and Power was calling for the vetting of a draft of memorandum of understanding (MOU) to be signed with Iran for electricity import.

“Pakistan will be paying 8-11 cents per unit of electricity under the formula agreed with Iran,” a source said.

Under the project, Iran will build a powerhouse in its Zahedan province bordering Pakistan to generate electricity for export. Iran has also expressed its willingness to provide a loan of $800-$900 million for the project.


tehrantimes.com

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[Persia1]

Iran spending $12 billion in drug fight annually: police official

Iran spending $12 billion in drug fight annually: police official

TEHRAN - The deputy police chief announced on Wednesday that a study shows that Iran spends about 12 billion dollars annually in the campaign against drug trafficking, IRNA reported.

“According to a research conducted Iran spends 12 billion dollars in a year in the fight against drug trafficking,” Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Radan said in Bandar Abbas, a Persian Gulf coastal city.

tehrantimes.com




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[Persia1]

World Bank forecasts 1% GDP growth for Iran in 2014

World Bank forecasts 1% GDP growth for Iran in 2014

TEHRAN – Iran’s gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 1 percent in 2014, according to the World Bank’s newly-released Global Economic Prospects.
The report has predicted 1.8 percent and 2 percent GDP growth for Iran in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Iran’s GDP growth was -1.3 percent in 2013, the report said.

In September 2013, the Central Bank of Iran announced that the national economy contracted by 5.4 percent in the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, 2013.

Iranian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Ali Tayyebnia has said that low economic growth rate is currently the main challenge in the national economy.

The ministry will focus on improving the living standards through curbing inflation and flourishing businesses, he stated.

The World Bank report further said the global economy is at a "turning point". It forecasts stronger growth for 2014.

The bank said global GDP will grow by 3.2% this year, up from 2.4% in 2013, with much of the pick-up coming from developed economies.

Developing nations will grow by 5.3% this year, up from 4.8% in 2013.

Looking at regional trends, the bank said growth will be flat in East Asia and the Pacific, modest in Latin America and the Caribbean and held back in the Middle East and North Africa.


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[samira20*]

[FONT=&quot]Iran suspends 20% enrichment, starts oxidization[/FONT]​

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Iran has suspended 20 percent uranium enrichment as part of a deal struck between Tehran and six major world powers in the Swiss city of Geneva last November.

Iran has suspended enrichment of uranium to the 20-percent purity level at Natanz and Fordow nuclear sites in the presence of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors and removed connections between cascades of centrifuges used to produce 20 percent enriched uranium, said Director General for Safeguards Affairs at the (AEOI) Mohammad Amiri.
"From now on, the centrifuges which were used for producing 20 percent enriched uranium will be used for enriching uranium to the five-percent [purity level]," the top Iranian nuclear official pointed out.
Iran also started the process to dilute and oxidize its 196-kg stockpile of 20-percent-enriched uranium, he added.
He said half of the stockpile will be oxidized over a period of six months at 15 kg a month.
The remaining half of the 20-percent-enriched uranium stockpile will be diluted within three months at “one cylinder per three weeks,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the IAEA has confirmed that Iran has halted enrichment of 20 percent enriched uranium under the Geneva agreement.
A report by the IAEA confirms that Iran stopped 20 percent uranium enrichment by cutting the link feeding cascades enriching uranium at Nantaz and Fordow nuclear facilities.
The IAEA also says Iran has given assurances it will not enrich uranium at other locations during the six-month period.
On January 12, Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - Russia, China, France, Britain, and the US - plus Germany finalized an agreement on ways to implement as of January 20 the interim nuclear deal that the two sides struck in Geneva on November 24, 2013.
The accord is aimed at setting the stage for the full resolution of the decade-old standoff over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
MP/NN/HRB

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]pressTv.ir​

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[Persia1]

Iran nuclear deal comes into force

Iran nuclear deal comes into force

TEHRAN – The implementation of the six-month interim deal between Iran and world powers over Tehran’s nuclear program, which envisages easing of some international sanctions against the country, started on Monday.
A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency report said Iran had begun diluting its stockpile of uranium enriched to the fissile concentration of 20 percent, paving the way for the easing of some Western sanctions against Tehran, Reuters reported.

Iran was also continuing to convert some of this reserve into oxide for producing reactor fuel, the IAEA said.

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (IAEA) Director Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday that Iran has “voluntarily suspended” 20 percent uranium enrichment, adding that the country’s overall nuclear structure will remain intact.

“The sanctions iceberg against Iran is melting, and it is our greatest achievement,” Salehi said, referring to the fact that Iran will be able to retrieve $4.2 billion in oil revenues frozen overseas and resume trade in petrochemicals, gold, and other precious metals under the deal.

The IAEA will play a pivotal role in overseeing the implementation of the interim agreement.

It now has one to two teams of two inspectors each on the ground in Iran virtually every day of the year to check there is no diversion of nuclear materials, but one diplomat familiar with the matter said that presence would roughly be doubled.

The overall number of IAEA staff dealing with the Iran file - including analysts and logistical support at its Vienna headquarters - would also increase significantly as a result of the accord between Iran and the powers struck in November.

The diplomat made clear that the first day’s implementation of the deal had run smoothly with good cooperation.

The IAEA report to member states said, “The agency confirms that, as of 20 January 2014, Iran ... has ceased enriching uranium above 5 percent U-235 at the two cascades at the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) and four cascades at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP) previously used for this purpose.”

It was referring to the Islamic Republic’s two enrichment plants, at Natanz and Fordow. Cascades are interlinked networks of centrifuge machines that refine uranium. Iranian state television earlier said Iran had halted 20 percent enrichment at Natanz and that inspectors were heading to Fordow.

Iran has been enriching uranium to 20 percent concentration of the fissile U-235 isotope since early 2010.

The IAEA report also listed other measures Iran had agreed with the six world powers - the United States, France, Britain, Germany, China, and Russia.

Those included an undertaking that Iran would not build any more enrichment sites during this time under the deal, which is meant to buy time for negotiations on a final settlement of Tehran’s decade-old nuclear stand-off with the powers.

Iran denies Western allegations that it has been seeking to develop the capability to develop nuclear weapons, saying it wants only to generate electricity from enrichment.

The IAEA report also said Iran was, as of January 20, not “conducting any further advances” to its activities at the Arak heavy water research reactor.

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman also said that, under the deal, the IAEA is scheduled to report on the Arak reactor every month instead of every three months.

In a January 18 letter to the Vienna-based IAEA, Iran had enclosed information on centrifuge assembly workshops, storage facilities, and centrifuge rotor production workshops, the report added.

“The Agency and Iran have also agreed on arrangements for increased access by agency inspectors to the nuclear facilities at Natanz and Fordow, including in relation to weekends and holidays in Iran,” the IAEA said.


tehrantimes.com

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[s_talone]

European businesses rush to Iran as sanctions eased




European business executives and investors are initiating preliminary arrangements to resume commercial ties with Tehran shortly after the Geneva nuclear agreement went into effect.

Many European countries, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, are planning to enhance their economic relations with Iran, a business powerhouse in the Middle East region, as sanctions imposed against Tehran are partially suspended, the Associated Press reported.

"Optimism is predominating that there has finally been something of a relaxation in political relations and therefore in business possibilities," said the head of trade relations at the Association of German Chambers of Commerce Volker Treier.

​

The association invited the representatives of German private sectors to hold a meeting over doing business in Iran and the interested representatives “filled the room very quickly,” Treier added.
The Dutch ambassador to Iran Jos Douma held a similar meeting last week in the Netherlands to discuss the terms of cooperation between Tehran and the Dutch companies which are eager to return to the Iranian market.
Paris is also sending the executive representatives of around 100 French firms to Tehran for "exploratory" negotiations with Iranian officials in a bid to tap into the potential for mutual economic cooperation between the two sides.
On January 20, Iran and the six powers started the implementation of the historic nuclear deal which the two sides struck in the Swiss city of Geneva on November 24, 2013.
Under the Geneva nuclear deal, Iran as a confidence-building measure agreed to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities and the ***tet undertook to provide Iran with some sanctions relief and release more than USD four billion of Tehran’s frozen assets.
.presstv




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[s_talone]

Over 70 Italian firms seek presence in Iran market

Over 70 Italian companies are planning to enter the Iranian market and a similar process has begun in other European countries, an Iranian official says.


During a Wednesday ceremony in the central city of Isfahan, Trade Promotion Organization of Iran's Director General for European and American Trade Abdolhamid Asadian noted that since Iran and the six world powers resumed their nuclear talks, there has been a more positive attitude towards Iran in the international community.

He added that representatives of dozens of European companies have been travelling to Iran as part of the recent positive trend.

On Wednesday, Iran and six major world powers wrapped up the first round of their expert-level talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Iran’s seven-member team of experts was led by Hamid Ba’eedinejad, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s director general for political affairs.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US - plus Germany held two days of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear energy program in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 15-16. The two sides agreed to have expert-level talks before meeting again in the Swiss city on November 7-8.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and European Union using the claim as an excuse to impose illegal sanctions against Tehran.

Iran has categorically rejected the allegation, stressing that as a committed member of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

presstv
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[Persia1]

Iran, Middle East’s biggest crude steel producer in 2013: WSA

Iran, Middle East’s biggest crude steel producer in 2013: WSA

TEHRAN – Iran was the biggest producer of crude steel in the Middle East in 2013, according to the World Steel Association’s latest press release.
Iran produced 15.4 million tons of crude steel in 2013, a 6.6 percent rise compared to 2012.

The country’s crude steel output stood at 1.35 million tons in December 2013, up 13.6 percent compared to December 2012, IRNA reported.

World crude steel production in 2013 amounted to 1.607 billion tons, an increase of 3.5 percent compared to 2012.

China, Japan, and the U.S. were the three biggest crude steel producers in 2013, with 779 million tons, 110 million tons, and 87 million tons of output, respectively.

Iran’s crude steel production reached 14.89 million tons in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20.

Iran plans to increase its annual steel output to 55 million tons by the end of the Fifth Five-Year Development Plan (2015).

On January 5, Iranian deputy industry minister Mohammad-Jafar Sarqini said Iran has liberalized exports of steel products until the end of spring in a bid to give an incentive to domestic producers.

Sarqini told IRNA that exports of steel products and ingots will be unlimitedly free till the end of Khordad month (June 21).


http://tehrantimes.com

​

 

[Persia1]

Iran, Turkey enjoy their best relations in history: Leader

Iran, Turkey enjoy their best relations in history: Leader

TEHRAN – Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Iran and Turkey currently enjoy a “brotherly” and “friendly” relationship which is outstanding in the history of their relations over the past centuries.
The Leader made the remarks during a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tehran.

Erdogan arrived in Tehran on Tuesday night for a two-day visit and held talks with senior Iranian officials on bilateral ties, trade relations, and a number of other regional issues.

“Given the enormous potentials of the two sides, there is a favorable ground to expand and deepen the ties,” the Leader added.

He also underscored that Tehran and Ankara should effectively utilize the existing opportunities to boost the mutual relationship.

Erdogan, for his part, conveyed the warm greetings of Turkish President Abdullah Gul and said his meetings with Iranian officials were “very useful.”

“We consider Iran our second home,” he said.

The Turkish prime minister also said that he hopes that the relations between the two neighbors will improve consistently in order to “be turned into a model for the region and the world.”

During Erdogan’s stay, Iran and Turkey signed a number of agreements, including a preferential trade agreement, which can dramatically increase the trade ties between the two countries.

Also, the Turkish prime minister held a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the same day and discussed bilateral and regional issues.





tehrantimes.com
​

 

[Persia1]

Iran, Iraq plan to join forces to become world's new oil superpower

Iran, Iraq plan to join forces to become world's new oil superpower

Iraq is poised to triple its crude oil output from three million barrels per day to nine million by 2020.

And Iraqi ministers are helping their Iranian counterparts to attract investment in oil ahead of the possible lifting of international sanctions imposed on the country.
Hussain al-Shahristani, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy in Iraq, told a conference in London: "We feel the world needs to be assured of fuel for economic growth.

"Iran has been in touch with us. They want to share our contracts model and experience."

The ambitious plan could see Iraq clash with Saudi Arabia - which pumps 9.8m barrels per day and uses its influence in OPEC to keep oil prices above $100 a barrel.

And if Iraq and Iran decide to sell more crude on the open market rather than stick to OPEC’s quotas, the price of oil could plummet - potentially leading to lower petrol prices.

The combined oil reserves of Iraq and Iran are greater than that of Saudi Arabia - the world’s second largest producer of crude after Russia.

Oil companies are understood to be lining up to win Iranian oil deals if sanctions imposed by the U.S. and EU are eased.

Experts warn that, if the plan is to be successful, both Iran and Iraq would need massive investment in pipelines and ports to export its crude oil.

(Source: mirror.co.uk)
​

 

[Persia1]

Tehran, Ankara ink preferential trade agreement

Tehran, Ankara ink preferential trade agreement

TEHRAN – Iran and Turkey signed a preferential trade agreement in Tehran on Wednesday, which could pave the way for a hike in the bilateral trade.
Iranian First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the signing ceremony.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, Erdogan said the goal is to boost trade between Iran and Turkey to $30 billion by 2015, stressing that the both sides have the political determination to reach that objective.

Erdogan arrived in Tehran late Tuesday on an official visit to hold talks with senior Iranian authorities on Tehran-Ankara ties, trade relations, and regional issues.

The Turkish minister further explained that Turkey’s industry is booming at a brisk pace, and emphasized his country’s growing need for Iran’s energy resources.

In December 2013, Turkish ambassador to Tehran said Iran and Turkey have set a long-term target of $100 billion for annual trade transactions.

The target was made during the latest visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Tehran in November 2013 to participate in the 21st Meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization, said Umit Yardim.

During his visit, Davutoglu held meetings with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other senior officials, in which they outlined an expansive vision for Iran-Turkey trade ties, Yardim said.

The Iran-Turkey trade declined to $16 billion in 2013 from $22 billion in 2012.

The two countries have always stressed that their short-term annual trade target should be about $30-35 billion, the Turkish ambassador said.

He added that if the two countries set up a regional center of power together, they can further accelerate development. "They have the necessary components including large population, favorable geographical location, stable governments and generative cultures to achieve this purpose."

In November 2013, Turkish foreign minister said in Tehran that his country could become an energy corridor for its eastern oil- and gas-rich neighbor of Iran.

"Turkey's annual energy demand stands at 60 billion dollars. Turkey is a corridor country, Iran is a producer country. If we tap both potentials, Turkey could become the corridor of Iran as an energy provider," Davutoglu was quoted as saying.





tehrantimes.com
​

 

[samira20*]

'Iran Majlis delegation officially invited to visit UK'

The British parliament has officially invited a delegation from Iran’s Majlis to visit the UK, says the head of the Iran-Britain Parliamentary Friendship Group. “Considering the positive stance of the British parliamentary delegation during their [recent] visit to Iran and their stances after their return [to their country], we have verbally agreed on the British MPs’ invitation,” said Abbas Ali Mansouri Arani. The UK parliament’s invitation letter is due to be discussed at a Majlis committee charged with approving foreign trips, he added. If the invitation receives final approval from Majlis, an Iranian parliamentary team will visit the UK next summer, said Arani who also sits on the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the legislature. Earlier in January, a four-member delegation from UK parliament headed by Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw paid a three-day official visit to Tehran. The visit came at the invitation of the Iran-Britain Parliamentary Friendship Group. The UK parliamentary team held several meetings with Iranian administration officials as well as the families of Iranian nuclear scientists assassinated by foreign-backed terrorists. The Islamic Republic of Iran and Britain agreed earlier in October to appoint non-resident chargés d’affaires as a first step toward reopening their respective embassies, which were unilaterally closed by the UK in late 2011.

 

[Sima]

سفر جناب آقای دکتر روحانی به نیویورک جهت شرکت در شصت و هشتمین نشست مجمع عمومی سازمان ملل در کانون توجه اکثر دولتمردان، رسانه ها و مردم جهان قرار داشت. سخنرانی اوباما و مهمتر از آن تماس تلفنی دو رئیس جمهور در آخرین دقایق حضور رئیس جمهور کشورمان در نیویورک، دلالت بر تأثیر مثبت دیپلماسی کشورمان در این برهه حساس دارد.


برخی از فرازهای این سخنرانی به صورت فارسی و ترجمه انگلیسی در اینجا می آورم.۱)عبارات جالب با رنگ صورتی و واژه های نسبتاً جدید بارنگ آبی نمایش داده خواهد شد. ۲)متن و ترجمه خالی از اشکال نیست که تا حدامکان اصلاح شده است.

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---

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جهان ما جهانی پر از بیم و امید است: بیم جنگ و مناسبات خصومت‌آمیز منطقه‌ای و جهانی،بیم رویارویی مرگبارهویت‌های مذهبی، قومی و ملی، بیم نهادینه شدن خشونت و افراطی‌گری، بیم فقر و تبعیض خُرد کننده، بیم تباهی و نابودی منابع حیاتی، بیم بی‌توجهی به کرامت و حقوق انسان و بیم غفلت از اخلاق.


​

Our world today isreplete with fear and hope; fear of war and hostile regional and global relations;fear of deadly confrontation ofreligious, ethnic and national identities; fear of institutionalization of violence and extremism; fear of poverty and destructive discrimination; fear of decay and destruction of life-sustaining resources; fear of disregard for human dignity and rights; and fear of neglect of morality.
​

در برابر همه این بیم‌ها، امیدهای جدیدی نیز وجود دارد: امید اقبال مردم و نخبگان در سراسر جهان به "آری برای صلح و نه برای جنگ"، وامید به ترجیح گفت و گو بر ستیز،و اعتدال بر افراط.


​

Alongside these fears, however, there are new hopes; the hope of universal acceptance by the people and the elite all across the globe of “yes to peace and no to war”; and the hope of preference of dialogue over conflict, and moderation over extremism

.
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یک نمونه زنده،گزینش هوشیارانه امید و تدبیر، و اعتدال توسط مردم بزرگ ایران در انتخابات اخیر است؛که با تبلور مردم سالاری دینی و انتقال آرام قدرت اجرائی نشان دادکه ایران لنگرگاه ثبات در دریای ناآرامی های منطقه ای است.


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The recent elections in Iran represent a clear, living example ofthe wise choice of hope, rationality and moderation by the great people of Iran.The realization of democracy consistent with religion and the peaceful transfer of executive powermanifestedthat Iran isthe anchor of stability in an otherwise ocean of regional instabilities

.
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اعتقاد راسخ حکومت و مردم ما به صلح پایدار، ثبات، آرامش، حل مسالمت آمیز مناقشات و تکیه بر آراء عمومی به عنوان پشتوانه قدرت، مقبولیت و مشروعیت،نقشی والا در فراهم کردن چنین محیط امنی داشته است.



​

The firm belief of our people and government in enduring peace, stability, tranquility, peaceful resolution of disputes and reliance on the ballot box as the basis of power, public acceptance and legitimacy, has indeedplayed a key role in creating such a safe environment.

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دوران حساس انتقالی کنونی در روابط بین الملل مشحون از خطرات، و البته توأم با فرصت های کم نظیری است.هرگونه محاسبه نادرست از وضعیت خود و دیگران، آسیب های تاریخی را در بر دارد تا جایی که خطای یک بازیگر، اثرات منفی بر همگان خواهد داشت.

The current critical period of transition in international relations isreplete with dangers, albeit with unique opportunities.Any miscalculation of one’s position, and of course, of others, will bear historic damages; a mistake by one actor will have negative impact on all others.
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آسیب پذیری، پدیده ای جهانی و فراگیر شده است.


​

Vulnerability is now a global andindivisiblephenomenon.

​

در این گذر حساس در تاریخ مناسبات جهانی، عصر بازی های با حاصل جمع صفر پایان یافته است؛ولی هنوز معدودی از بازیگران روش ها و ابزارهای کهنه شده، و عمیقاً ناکارآمد را بکار می گیرند تا برتری و سلطه پیشین خود را حفظ کنند. نظامی گری و استفاده از ابزارهای نظامی و خشن برای انقیاد دیگران، نمونه ناکارآمدی از تداوم کنش های کهنه در شرایط نوین است.

At this sensitive juncture in the history global relations, the age of zero-sum games is over, even though a few actors stilltend to rely on archaic and deeply ineffective waysand means to preserve their old superiority and domination. Militarism and the recourse to violent and military means to subjugateothers are failed examples of the perpetuation of old ways in new circumstances
.
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اقدامات زورمدارانه اقتصادی و نظامی برای حفظ و تداوم سلطه و برتری گذشته، با مجموعه ای از قالب های مفهومی همراه شده که همگی ضد صلح، ضد امنیت،ضد کرامت انسانی و ضد آرمان های بشری می باشند.


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Coercive economic and military policiesand practices geared to the maintenance and preservation of old superiorities and dominations have been pursued in a conceptual mindset that negates peace, security,human dignity, and exalted human ideals.
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در چنین فضائی، خشونت های دولتی و غیردولتی، مذهبی و فرقه ای و حتی نژادی افزایش یافته وهیچ تضمینی وجود ندارد که دوران آرامش بین قدرت های بزرگ نیز در دام گفتمان ها، رفتارها و کردارهای خشن گرفتار نیاید.تاثیر فاجعه بار روایت های افراطی و خشن رانباید دست کم گرفت.



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In such an environment, governmental and non-governmental, religious, ethnic, and even racial violence has increased, andthere is no guarantee that the era of quiet among big powers will remain immune from such violent discourses, practices and actions.The catastrophic impact of violent and extremist narratives should not – in fact,must not – be underestimated
.
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گفتمان های تبلیغاتی و بی اساس دین ستیزانه، اسلام هراسانه، شیعه هراسانه و ایران هراسانه به واقع تهدیدی جدی علیه ثبات جهانی و امنیت انسانی است.


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Propagandistic and unfounded faithphobic, Islamo-phobic, Shia-phobic, and Iran-phobic discourses do indeed represent serious threats against world peace and human security.
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این گفتمان تبلیغاتی، با طرح و القای تهدیدات فرضی و خیالی شکل خطرناکی به خود گرفته است. یکی از این تهدیدات خیالی، خطر موهوم ایران است. به بهانه این تهدید موهوم، چه اقدامات ناهنجار و چه جنایت ها در سه دهه گذشته صورت نگرفته است؟



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This propagandistic discourse has assumed dangerous proportions through portrayal and inculcation of presumed imaginary threats. One such imaginary threat is the so-called “Iranian threat” -which has been employed as an excuse to justify a long catalogue of crimes and catastrophic practices over the past three decades
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تحریم های غیر عادلانه،به عنوان جلوه دیگری از خشونت،ذاتاً ضد صلح و ضد بشری هستند که برخلاف تبلیغات تحریم گران، دولت ها و نخبگان سیاسی را هدف قرار نمی دهند، بلکه بیش از همه، مردمان عادی را قربانی دعواهای سیاسی خود می کنند. میلیون ها عراقی را فراموش نکنیم که در اثر تحریم هائی که با زَروَرق های حقوقی در نهادهای بین المللی پیچیده شده بودند، آسیب دیدند؛ جان باختند؛و هنوز عده قابل توجهی از آنها در سرتاسر زندگی باید زجر بکشند.


این تحریم ها خشونت آمیزند. هوشمند و غیر هوشمند ویک جانبه و چند جانبه ندارند. این تحریم هاناقض حقوق مسلم بشری،از جمله حق صلح، حق توسعه، حق دسترسی به بهداشت، حق آموزش و فراتر از همه حق حیات می باشند.

نتیجه تحریم ها، علیرغم هرگونه لفاظی و بازی با واژه ها، همان آتش افروزی و جنگ طلبی و نابودی انسان هاست. این آتش فقط دامن قربانیان تحریم را نمی گیرد، بلکه به اقتصاد وزندگی مردمِ جوامع تحریم کننده نیز، لطمه وارد می کند.



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Unjust sanctions, asmanifestationof structural violence, areintrinsicallyinhumane and against peace. And contrary to the claims of those who pursue and impose them, it is not the states and the political elite that are targeted, but rather, it is the common people who are victimized by these sanctions. Let us not forget millions of Iraqis who,as a result of sanctions covered in international legal jargon, suffered and lost their lives, and many more who continue to suffer all through their lives.
These sanctions are violent, pure and simple; whether called smart or otherwise, unilateral or multilateral. These sanctionsviolateinalienable human rights,inter alia, the right to peace, fight to development, right to access to health and education, and above all, the right to life.
Sanctions, beyond any and all rhetoric, causebelligerence, warmongering and human suffering. It should be borne in mind, however, that the negative impact is not merely limited to the intended victims of sanctions; it also affects the economy and livelihood of other countries and societies, including the countries imposing sanctions.
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مردم ایران در انتخابات اخیر در حرکتی هوشمندانه به گفتمان امید و تدبیر و اعتدال رای دادند. ترکیب امید و تدبیر و اعتدال در سیاست خارجی به آن معناست که جمهوری اسلامی ایران به عنوان یک قدرت منطقه ای نسبت به امنیت منطقه و جهان، مسئولانه برخورد می کند و آمادگی همکاری چند جانبه و همه جانبه با سایر بازیگران مسئول در این عرصه ها را دارد.



ما از صلح مبتنی بر دموکراسی و صندوق رأی در همه جای جهان از جمله در سوریه و بحرین و دیگر کشورهای منطقه دفاع میکنیم و معتقدیم راههای خشونت آمیز برای بحرانهای جهانی وجود ندارد و تنها به کمک خرد انسانی و با تعامل و اعتدال میتوان بر واقعیتهای تلخ جامعه بشری غلبه کرد. لذا تضمین صلح و دموکراسی، و تأمین منافع مشروع همه کشورها در جهان، و از جمله در منطقه خاورمیانه، با نظامیگری محقق نمیشود.


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The Iranian people, in ajudiciously sober choicein the recent elections,voted for the discourse of hope, foresight and prudent moderation– both at home and abroad. In foreign policy, the combination of these elements means that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a regional power, will act responsibly with regard to regional and international security, and is willing and prepared to cooperate in these fields, bilaterally as well as multilaterally, with other responsible actors.

We defend peace based on democracy and the ballot box everywhere, including in Syria, Bahrain, and other countries in the region, and believe that there are no violent solutions to world crises. The bitter and ugly realities of the human society can only be overcome through recourse to and reliance on human wisdom, interaction and moderation. Securing peace and democracy and ensuring the legitimate rights of all countries in the world, including in the Middle East, cannot – and will not – be realized through militarism.​

ایران بدنبال راه حل مسایل و نه تولید مشکلات است. هیچ پرونده و موضوعی نیست که با امید و اعتدال، با احترام متقابل و با نفی خشونت و افراط قابل حل نباشد.



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Iran seeks to resolve problems, not to create them. There is no issue or dossier that cannot be resolved through reliance on hope and prudent moderation, mutual respect, and rejection of violence and extremism

.
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اجازه دهید به پرونده هسته ای ایران اشاره کنم. پذیرش حق طبیعی، قانونی و مسلم ایران، بفرموده رهبر فرزانه انقلاب اسلامی، ساده ترین راه حل این موضوع است .



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Iran’s nuclear dossier is a case in point. As clearly stated by the Leaderof the Islamic Revolution, acceptance of the inalienable right of Iran constitutes the best and the easiest way of resolving this issue
.
​

این یک شعار سیاسی نیست. بلکه بر اساس شناخت عمیق وضعیت فن آوری در ایران، شرایط بین المللی و پایان بازی ها با حاصل جمع صفر و ضرورت یافتن اهداف و منافع مشترک برای رسیدن به تفاهم و امنیت مشترک است. به عبارت دیگر، ایران و دیگر کنشگران باید دو هدف مشترک را به عنوان دو قسمت غیرقابل تفکیکِ راه حل سیاسی پرونده هسته ای ایران دنبال نمایند.
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This is notpolitical rhetoric. Rather, it is based on a profound recognition of the state of technology in Iran, global political environment, the end of the era of zero-sum games, and the imperative of seeking common objectives and interests towards reaching common understanding and shared security. Put otherwise, Iran and other actors should pursue two common objectives as two mutually inseparable parts of a political solution for the nuclear dossier of Iran

.
​

1- برنامه هسته ای ایران و همه کشورهای دیگر می باید تنها در جهت اهداف صلح آمیز باشد. من اینجا به صراحت اعلام می کنم که این هدف،صرف نظر از مواضع دیگر بازیگران، هدف جمهوری اسلامی ایران بوده و خواهد بود. سلاح هسته ای و کشتار جمعی هیچ جایگاهی در دکترین دفاعی ایران نداشته و با باورهای بنیادین مذهبی و اخلاقی ما در تعارض است.منافع ملی ما ایجاب می کند که هر گونه نگرانی منطقی پیرامون برنامه هسته ای ایران را مرتفع نماییم.


​

Iran’s nuclear program – and for that matter, that of all other countries – must pursue exclusively peaceful purposes. I declare here, openly and unambiguously, that, notwithstanding the positions of others, this has been, and will always be, the objective of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nuclear weapon and other weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran’s security and defense doctrine, and contradict our fundamental religious and ethical convictions.Our national interests make it imperative that we remove any and all reasonable concerns about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program

.
​

2- هدف دوم یعنی پذیرش اعمال حق غنی سازی و سایر حقوق هسته ای در خاک ایران تنها راه تامین هدف اول است. دانش هسته ای در ایران بومی شده و فن آوری هسته ای از جمله غنی سازی به مرحله تولید انبوه رسیده است.


​

The second objective, that is, acceptance of and respect for the implementation of the right to enrichment inside Iran and enjoyment of other related nuclear rights, provides the only path towards achieving the first objective. Nuclear knowledge in Iran has beendomesticatednow and the nuclear technology, inclusive of enrichment, has already reached industrial scale
.
​

لذا تصور اینکه با مانع شدن ازبرنامه هسته ای ایران از طریق اعمال فشارهای غیرقانونی می توان صلح آمیز بودن چنین برنامه ای را تضمین کرد موهوم و به غایت غیر واقع بینانه است.



​

It is, therefore,an illusion, and extremely unrealistic, to presume that the peaceful nature of the nuclear program of Iran could be ensured through impeding the program via illegitimate pressures


.
​

لذا جمهوری اسلامی ایران ضمن پافشاری بر اعمال حقوق خود و ضرورت احترام و همکاری بین المللی در اعمال این حقوق، آماده گفتگوهای بدون تأخیر برای اعتمادسازی متقابل ورفع دوسویه ابهامات از طریق شفافیت کامل می باشد.


​

In this context, the Islamic Republic of Iran, insisting on the implementation of its rights and the imperative of international respect and cooperation in this exercise, is prepared to engage immediately in time-bound and result-oriented talks to build mutual confidence andremoval of mutual uncertaintieswith full transparency


.
​

ایران به دنبال تعامل سازنده بر اساس احترام متقابل و منافع مشترک با دیگر کشورهاست و در این چارچوب در پی افزایش تنش با ایالات متحده آمریکا نیز نیست. من سخنان امروز پرزیدنت اوباما را با دقت دنبال کردم ؛ در صورت عزم سیاسی رهبران آمریکا و خودداری از دنبال کردن منافع گروه های فشار جنگ طلب، می توان به چارچوبی برای مدیریت اختلافات رسید. در این چارچوب موضع برابر، احترام متقابل و اصول مسلم شناخته شده بین المللی باید مبنا باشد؛ البته در این زمینه انتظار ما از واشنگتن شنیدن صدای واحد است.


​

Iran seeks constructive engagement with other countries based on mutual respect and common interest, and within the same framework does not seek to increase tensions with the United States. I listened carefully to the statement made by President Obama today at the General Assembly.Commensuratewiththe political will of the leadership in the United States and hoping that they will refrain from following the short-sighted interest of warmongering pressure groups, we can arrive at a framework to manage our differences. To this end, equality, mutual respect, and the recognized principles of international law should govern the interactions. Of course, we expect to hear a consistent voice from Washington


.
​

در این سالها، یک صدای مسلط پیاپی شنیده شده است که "گزینه جنگ روی میز است" ، اما امروز بگذارید در برابر این سخن ناکارآمد وغیرقانونی بگویم "صلح در دسترس است." پس به نام جمهوری اسلامی ایران در گام نخستپیشنهاد میکنم طرح "جهان علیه خشونت و افراطی‌گری" در دستور کار سازمان ملل متحد قرارگیرد و همه دولتها و سازمانهای بین‌المللی و نهاد مدنی تلاشهای جدیدی را برای سوق دادن جهان به این سو سامان دهند.



​

In recent years, a dominant voice has been repeatedly heard: “The military option is on the table.” Against the backdrop of this illegal and ineffective contention, let me say loud and clear that “peace is within reach.” So, in the name of the Islamic Republic of IranI propose, as a starting step, the consideration by the United Nations of the project: “the World Against Violence and Extremism.” (WAVE) Let us all join this “WAVE.” I invite all states, international organizations and civil institutions to undertake a new effort to guide the world in this direction



​

باید به جای گزینه ناکارآمد "ائتلاف برای جنگ" در مناطق مختلف جهان به "ائتلاف برای صلح پایدار" در سراسر جهان اندیشید.



​

. We should start thinking about “Coalition for Enduring Peace” all across the globe instead of the ineffective “Coalitions for War” in various parts of the world




​

امروز جمهوری اسلامی ایران شما و همه جامعة جهانی را به برداشتن گامی فراپیش میخواند؛ دعوتِ "جهان علیه خشونت و افراطیگری"؛ ما باید بپذیریم و بتوانیم در اینجا افقی را بگشاییم که درآن به جای جنگ، صلح،به جای خشونت، مدارا، به جای خونریزیف پیشرفت،به جای تبعیض، عدالت،به جای فقر، برخورداری و به جای استبداد، آزادی درسراسرجهان بهتردیده شود.به گفته فردوسی، شاعر بلند آوازه ایران؛

​

Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran invites you and the entire world community to take a step forward; an invitation to join the WAVE: World Against Violence and Extremism. We should accept and be able to open a new horizon in whichpeace will prevail over war, tolerance over violence, progress over bloodletting, justice over discrimination, prosperity over poverty, and freedom over despotism. As beautifully said by Ferdowsi, the renowned Iranian epic poet

:
​

بکوشید نیکی به کارآورید چو دیدید سرما، بهار آورید



​

“Be relentless in striving for the cause of Good
Bring the spring, you must, Banish the winter, you should
.”
​

علیرغم همه مشکلات، من عمیقاً به آینده امیدوارم. با همبستگی جهانی علیه خشونت و افراط، تردیدی ندارم که آینده روشن است. اعتدال، آینده جهان را درخشان خواهد کرد. امید من، علاوه بر تجارب شخصی و ملی، از این باور مشترک همه ادیان آسمانی نشأت می گیرد که جهان را سرانجامی نیکوست و روشن که :



​

Notwithstanding all difficulties and challenges, I am deeply optimistic about the future. I have no doubt that the future will be bright with the entire world solidly rejecting violence and extremism. Prudent moderation will ensure a bright future for the world. My hope, aside from personal and national experience, emanates from the belief shared by all divine religions that a good and bright future awaits the world. As stated in the Holy Qur’an

:
​

«و لقد کتبنا فی الزبور من بعد الذکر ان الارض یرثها عبادی الصالحون».



​

“And We proclaimed in the Psalms, after We had proclaimed in the Torah, that My virtuous servants will inherit the earth.)



​

*

 

[Sima]

پس از برگزاری انتخابات ریاست جمهوری در 24 خرداد و پیروزی آقای حسن روحانی در انتخابات، همگان در انتظار

شروع رسمی هفتمین رئیس جمهور و آغاز کار دولت یازدهم بودند که در روز 12 مرداد انتظارها به سر رسید و مراسم

تنفیذ برگزار شد و در روز 13 مرداد نیز مراسم تحلیف را در برابر نمایندگان مردم انجام داده و علیرغم داشتن فرصت دو

هفته ای، فهرست اعضای کابینه خود را همانجا به رئیس مجلس ارائه کردند تا عزم جدی خود را برای تحقق اهداف

دولت تدبیر و امید نشان دهند.

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei endorsed the presidential decree of Hassan Rouhani for a four-year term in office.
​

رهبر معظم انقلاب اسلامی آیت الله سیدعلی خامنه ای حکم ریاست جمهوری حسن روحانی را برای یک دوره چهارساله تنفیذ کردند.


​

The endorsement ceremony put an end to the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad.
​

مراسم تنفیذبه ریاست جمهوری محمود احمدی نژاد پایان داد.
​

The new president, 65, will have a daunting task to revive an economy hit by international sanctions against the country’s nuclear programme and restoring ties with the international community

.
​

رئیس جمهور جدید 65 ساله وظیفه سختی را برای احیای اقتصادی که از تحریمهای بین المللی آسیب دیده است و

احیای روابط با جامعه بین المللی برعهده
​

Mr Rohani will be sworn in by the parliament on Sunday and is expected to introducehis new cabinet on the same day.
​

آقای روحانی روز یکشنبه در پارلمان تحلیف خواهد شد و انتظار

می رود کابینه جدید خود را همان روز معرفی نماید.

​

نکته 1: اگرچه در اخباربرای واژه تحلیف یا همان ادای سوگند ریاست جمهوری، از واژه sworn in استفاده می شود، به

نظرم واژه مناسب تر oath of office است که به صورت take the oath of office به کار می رود:

Iran's new president Hassan Rohani has taken the oath of office before parliament
​

نکته 2: شاه بیت سخنرانی روحانی در مجلس و در جایی که بیش از 50 مقام عالی و ارشد خارجی حضور داشتند این

بود:"به صراحت میگویم اگر پاسخ مناسب می خواهید، نه با زبان تحریم که با زبان تکریم با ایران سخن بگویید."



​

 

[Persia1]

Iran takes emergency measures to tackle unprecedented snowfall

Iran takes emergency measures to tackle unprecedented snowfall

TEHRAN – Emergency measures have been taken to resolve the problems that thousands of people are experiencing in northern parts of Iran as a result of the heaviest snowstorm in five decades, which has buried some areas under two meters of snow.
Power supplies have been restored in 95 percent of the affected areas, Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said on Tuesday, adding that efforts are underway to deliver aid for the people affected by the white storm.

According to officials, heavy snow had left around 500,000 people without electricity and gas.

Troops with Iran’s armed forces joined the country’s Red Crescent Society and other rescue teams in Mazandaran and neighboring Gilan Province to help with emergency relief efforts.

On the orders of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, an emergency meeting was held at the Interior Ministry on Tuesday to discuss measures to supervise relief assistance to the provinces.

The meeting was attended by a number of ministers.



http://tehrantimes.com

​

 

[samira20*]

More Turkish businesses seek to invest in Iran: Official

An increasing number of Turkish businesses are exploring ways of investment in the Iranian market following the November 2013 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in the Swiss city of Geneva, a Turkish official says.

Bilgin Aygul, vice president of the Turkish-Iranian Business Council, commented on the new business opportunities in Iran following the Geneva agreement and said the countries which seize this opportunity first will take the lead in the Iranian market.
Tehran and the six world powers -- Russia, China, Britain, the United States, France and Germany – clinched the nuclear accord in Switzerland on November 24, 2013.
The Geneva deal, which took effect on January 20, is aimed at setting the stage for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old standoff with Tehran over its nuclear energy program.
Under the agreement, the ***tet agreed to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities during a six-month period.
Aygul also pointed to the recent visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Iran and described it as an “important step” in facilitating future investments by Turkish businesses in the Islamic Republic.
The Turkish premier traveled to Tehran on January 28 at the head of a high-ranking delegation to discuss major bilateral and regional issues with senior Iranian officials.
Erdogan met with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during his visit.
The Turkish prime minister was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz and Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci.

 

[s_talone]

International Gold, Jewelry exhibition held in Tehran

The sixth International Exhibition for Gold, Jewelry, Precious Stones, Clock and Watch has been held in the Iranian capital, Tehran, Press TV has reported.​

Over 130 Iranian companies and five foreign representatives presented their works at the exhibition that kicked off on February 13.
The international pavilions were representatives of the companies from the countries such as Turkey, Thailand and Switzerland.
Gold, silver and various kinds of gems and jewels in different karats were showcased at the exhibition held at Tehran's Permanent International Fairground.
While Iran’s 18 Karat gold is made up of around 75 percent gold and 25 percent of other metals, most European countries and the United States use 14 Karat Gold which is made up of 58.5 percent of gold and 41.5 percent of other metals.
The exhibition will seek to create competition in production and export of the precious metals, the executive director of the exhibit Masoud Attarian had earlier said.
“The exhibit aims to help the producers and exporters and service providers get acquainted with modern equipment and technologies of gold and jewelry and introduce Iranian products," he also stated.
The displaying program of Tehran’s International Gold, Jewelry Exhibition 2014 will continue until February 16.
​

Press TV.....

 

[Persia1]

Iran launches new wind farm

Iran launches new wind farm

TEHRAN - Iran has launched a new wind farm in Takestan, located in northwestern Qazvin Province, the Mehr News Agency announced on Saturday.
Two other wind farms will be established soon in Khorasan and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces, northeast and southeast of the country, respectively.

In October 2013, the managing director of Iran Power Generation Transmission and Distribution Management Company (TAVANIR) said that Iran will establish three new wind farms, each with a power generation capacity of 350 megawatts (MW).

Homayoun Haeri added that the company will ink deals in the near future with the private sector to design, establish, and operate the new wind farms.

Currently, the country’s total wind farm power generation capacity stands at 120MW, he said.

Iran has constructed power plants twice as many as the average number of power plants which have been constructed in the world during the past decade.

The country’s power generation capacity currently stands at 68.38 gigawatts (GW), he added.

Iran currently trades power with Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan (including Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq.

Iran seeks to become a major regional exporter of electricity and has attracted more than $1.1 billion in investments for the construction of three new power plants.



tehrantimes.com
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