Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles From Underground for 1st Time
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards fired ballistic missiles from underground for the first time on Wednesday during the second day of military exercises near Gulf waters.
Head of the aerospace division of the Guards Amirali Hajizadeh said in a video posted online by Young Journalists Club, a news agency linked to Iran’s state TV, that this came as part of the annual military drill.
The video showed clouds of dust before the missiles streaked into the sky.
This came a day after the IRGC struck a mock-up of a US aircraft carrier with volleys of missiles near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for a fifth of world oil output.
This came a day after the IRGC struck a mock-up of a US aircraft carrier with volleys of missiles near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for a fifth of world oil output. The Guards hailed “the successful launch of ballistic missiles from the depths of the Earth in a completely camouflaged way” as an “important achievement that could pose serious challenges to enemy intelligence organizations,” AFP reported. They also said they released bombs from Sukhoi Su-22 fighter-bombers to target predetermined positions on Bani Farur Island in Iran’s territorial waters. “These launches were carried out without the platform and usual equipment,” Hajizadeh said on state television. “The buried missiles suddenly tear through the ground and hit their targets with precision,” he said, adding again that this happened “for the first time in the world”. The US military said the drill caused two bases with US troops in the region to go on heightened alert and said Tehran’s missile launches were irresponsible. According to Reuters, Tehran holds annual naval war games in phases in the strategic waterway, the conduit for some 30% .
Plans underway to prepare Iran football for World Cup qualifiers
The Iranian national football team are preparing for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and the plans are underway for the team to get ready at the proper time.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to consider fixture change.
Under the new guideline, Iran national team are scheduled to host Hong Kong on Oct. 8 in Tehran and meet Cambodia five days later in Phnom Penh.
Iran’s last two matches against Bahrain and Iraq will be on Nov. 12 and 17 in Tehran.
According to the announcement of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), the national team will hold two friendly matches in September against Syria and Uzbekistan, respectively.The match against Syria is scheduled for Sept.3 in Tehran. The Persians will also meet Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Sept.7.Based on some reports, if the match with Syria is not finalized, Palestine will replace them. The match against Syria (or Palestine) will be the first match of the Iranian national football team with Dragan Skocic at the helm as the new head coach of the team.Skocic has so far selected two assistants to help him in the national team, namely Anton Usnik from Slovenia and ex-Iran national player Vahid Hashemian.The Croatian Mladen Zganjer is working as the goalkeeping coach in the national team’s technical staff.Furthermore, Skocic is still waiting for the end of the Iran Professional League (IPL) season, since Persepolis coach Karim Bagheri is supposed to join the national team staff. IPL winners Persepolis have not yet agreed to let him leave. If not, another Iranian coach will be added to the national team staff.The eight group winners of the World Cup qualification’s group stage and four best runners-up will advance to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Finals and the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Iran’s Mullahs Clutching at Straws in Deal With China
In a new articlefor United Press International, former European lawmaker Struan Stevenson addresses the issue of the mullahs’ agreement with China – the agreement that the Iranian regime has entered in order to survive and save itself from absolute bankruptcy.
However, this agreement, even if it goes through its full process, cannot save this regime from drowning. Other points in this article relate to the crisis of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran and the criminal policy of the regime in this regard and the dire situation of the collapsing economy.
Fighting for survival, the theocratic dictatorship in Iran is now trying to negotiate a $400 billion bailout from China.
As the Iranian economy tumbles and the Rial, Iran’s currency, implodes, Mohammad JavadZarif, the regime’s hapless foreign minister, boasted to the parliament in Tehran this month that he was confident of the outcome of negotiations with Beijing.
The irony is surely lost on no-one when a fundamentalist Islamic regime begins negotiating a 25-year ‘strategic partnership’ with a communist state that has imprisoned over one million Uighur Muslims in ‘so-called’ re-education camps and even jailed some for growing beards!
Not since Hitler’s pact with Stalin in 1939 have two such diametrically opposed ideologies sought to work together. It is the clearest sign yet of the collapsing mullahs’ regime clutching at straws.
The autocratic Chinese government will be more than happy to hold its nose where a major business deal is at stake.
Their disapproval of radical Islam and Muslims in general will be temporarily put on ice as they arrange a quarter century’s worth of discounted oil and gas imports and lucrative engineering and telecommunication contracts.
As rapidly as Huawei is being dismantled and kicked out of America and Europe, it will be re-established in Iran.
In an open letter, more than 500 Iranian film directors, authors, and legal experts have expressed concern over restrictions on the Imam Ali Society and demanded the immediate release of its founder and director.
The Imam Ali’s Popular Students Relief Society, usually referred to as Imam Ali Society — was founded in 1999 as the first non-political student NGO at Tehran’s Sharif Industrial University. It now has an extensive network of thousands of volunteers, even in the remotest areas of Iran.
Referring to the Imam Ali Society as one of “the most successful non-governmental organizations in creating and using public participation to promote education, health, and reduce poverty and injustice in society,” the letter has urged the release of its founder and director.
Sharmin Maymandinejad was arrested on June 21, along with Morteza Kaymanesh, the Imam Ali Society’s public relations officer and Katayoun Afrazeh, the organization’s inspector. Ms. Afrazeh and Mr. Kaymanesh were released later on bail, while Mr. Maymandinejad is still behind bars.The signatories to the letter include celebrities such as award-winning film directors, Jafar Panahi, Oscar-winning Asghar Farhadi, maestro Kayvan Kalhor, movie superstar, Fatemeh Motamed Aria, and renowned lawyer, Abdol Fattah Soltani.A statement issued by the Imam Ali Jamiat has named the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ (IRGC) “Sarollah Camp” as the plaintiff in the case. The statement says that the charges against the organization’s director were “insulting” the Islamic Republic leader, the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and “acting against national security.”The celebrities’ letter underlines that, after years of efforts, the directors of the Imam Ali Society “have succeeded in supporting the economically vulnerable, by gaining public trust,” and that its charitable activities now extend to “more than 44 centers in twenty out of 31 provinces of the country.”The signatories to the letter have also warned that “the long-term arrest and imprisonment of the founder and director of the charity will cauconsiderble social damage.
Economic relations expansion discussed between Iran, Brazil
During a meeting between Iranian Ambassador to Brazil Hossein Gharibi and Governor of the Brazilian state of Paraná Ratinho Júnior, the two sides explored the ways for the expansion of economic ties, especially in the agricultural, petrochemical and technological fields.
During the meeting, Gharibi expressed Iran’s readiness for expansion and diversification of economic ties with Brazil, stressing the need for utilization of all capacities to compensate for the losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mehr news agency reported on Sunday.
The Brazilian official, for his part, referred to the heavy damages by the coronavirus on Brazil’s economy, noting that creating job opportunities is high on the country’s agenda, hence, cooperation with Iran could pave the way to some extent in this regard.
As reported, the members of Iran-Brazil Parliamentary Friendship were also present in the meeting.
In another meeting via webinar between Iranian Ambassador to Brazil Hossein Gharibi and Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply Tereza Cristina, on June 6, the two sides had explored the ways to expand cooperation in the fields of agriculture and livestock.During the webinar, Gharibi referred to the status of agricultural products in the trade relations between the two countries and underlined Iran’s interest in long-term economic relations through a comprehensive framework and sustainable and balanced cooperation, IRNA reported.Tereza Cristina, for her part, referred to Iran and Brazil as two friends with a long-standing background of cooperation.She also expressed readiness for having a trip toTehran in the post-coronavirus pandemic.Agricultural products account for the major part of the trade between Iran and Brazil. These products consist of corn, soy, press cake, meat, and sugar.Last year, the secretary of the Iran-Brazil Chamber of Commerce had said that the two countries were seeking to establish bartering systems in order to keep their trade afloat during the sanctions era.
Iran: Coronavirus Death Toll in 347 Exceeds 76,400
Despite spiraling Coronavirus death toll, Rouhani brazenly says, “Whatever the status, red, yellow or on alert, we have to do the ceremonies of the holy month of Moharam everywhere.
Iraj Harirchi, regime’s Deputy Health Minister: The situation in Mashhad has turned into critical from red, and in the past month the number of hospitalization has increased by 300%.
In Mazandaran alone, 1,921 patients are hospitalized in hospitals under the supervision of the Universities of Medical Sciences in Mazandaran and Babol. During the past 24 hours, 312 Coronavirus patients have been hospitalized in health centers under the control of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences.
The University of Medical Sciences in Arak: If the situation continues as is, we will need to setup field hospitals or set up beds in open air in the hospital’s yard.
Kashan’s Intensive Care Units are getting full. This is alarming for critically ill patients.
Qom’s University of Medical Sciences: The number of Coronavirus patients hospitalized has tripled since May 21.
The number of victims in Khorasan Razavi is 5,705, Isfahan 3,528, Mazandaran 3,440, Lorestan 2,995, Sistan and Baluchestan 2,395, Golestan 1,998, Kermanshah 1,890, North Khorasan 1,115, and Ardebil 810.
While the Coronavirus death toll is increasing tragically, and based on regime Health Ministry’s admission, over 80% of the country is red, or on alert, Rouhani brazenly said, “Whatever the status, red, yellow or on alert, we have to do the ceremonies of the holy month of Moharam everywhere.”
He shamelessly added, “There should not be a crowd… and you have to observe the health protocols.”
In Khorasan Razavi, Iraj Haririchi, the regime’s Deputy Health Minister, told Astan Razavi TV, yesterday, “The situation of Coronavirus spread in Mashhad has gone from red to critical.
Iranian Village Comes to Be Known as “Litter-Free Village” Nationwide
An Iranian village has come to be known as the “trash-free village” in the country as one may find no litter there.
Everywhere is clean here. There is no litter even within kilometres outside the village. Dustbins have remained empty for so long that villagers have collected them all.
Everywhere is clean here. There is no litter even within kilometres outside the village. Dustbins have remained empty for so long that villagers have collected them all. No trucks come in at night to collect garbage. Probably, it is a common scene for city-dwellers to see dustbins full of trash and streets scattered with litter every day despite efforts by relevant authorities to keep the city clean. Accordingly, it would be a bit far-fetched to imagine a litter-free village in the heart of one of deprived provinces.
Nevertheless, it is a reality that the litter-free Kohankahoor village exists in the central part of the town of Mehrestan in southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan. Locals have not been waiting for the rural municipality, state budget or other assistance to take out garbage and make their village clean; rather, they have rolled up their sleeves themselves and, as a result, their village has been introduced as the only litter-free village.
“Since long ago, residents of this village have been teaching their children not to throw litter on the ground, and this has been institutionalized among them,” says Mohammad Rafi Dehvari, the governor of Mehrestan town.
The governor says Kohankoor is the only litter-free village in the province and probably in the entire country.“So clean is the village that we can even claim whoever finds lier n this village, he or she will be awarded!” he adds.
Iran Calls For Expansion Of Economic Ties With Azerbaijan
Seyed Abbas Mousavi, former Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman and newly appointed Iran’s Ambassador to Baku, is convinced that strengthening economic relations between Tehran and Baku is of “high priority.”
“The neighboring states will have an important role to play in the future of Tehran’s political and diplomatic relations with other countries due to the cruel sanctions imposed against Iran,” Mousavi said in a meeting with Governor-General of Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province, Mohammad-Reza Pour-Mohammadi on July 24, according to a report by the state-owned news agency IRNA.
Referring to East Azerbaijan as a border province with the Republic of Azerbaijan, the ambassador said that the exchange of students and holding joint conferences with Azerbaijan can be effective in the expansion of bilateral relations.
Mousavi’s new position is challenging due to the fact that Azerbaijan and Armenia, both Iran’s neighbors, have been locked for decades in a conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region which is internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan. Tensions between the two South Caucasus countries mounted on July 12 after Armenia’s troops shelled at the border positions of the Azerbaijani army in the Tovuz region, in northwestern Azerbaijan.
During the clashes, Mousavi called for further self-restraint by both sides, and expressed Tehran’s readiness to mediate and reduce tensions between the two neighboring nations.
In a phone conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart on July 14, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif noted that Iran is always ready to support furthering the settlement of the conflict.”The protection of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan is a regional strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Zarif underlined, according to the official website of the Azerbaijani foreign ministry.The recent escalation of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan caused deaths on both sides. Azerbaijan has lost 12 servicemen and a civilian so far. Meanwhile, Armenian authorities confirmed four deaths, including one major and one captain throughout the armed clashes. However, social media users in Armenia claimed that the governmenteliberately hiding real numbers, which they believe is more than 30, of which seven are said to be officers.
Coronavirus: How Iran is battling a new wave of coronavirus
Iran has seen a rapid surge in the numbers of coronavirus cases since mid-May, with daily recorded deaths reaching new highs.
Iran started to relax its restrictions in mid-April after the number of infections declined, but some of these have now been re-imposed in the capital, Tehran. So what do we know about this new surge in Iran?
How fast are deaths rising in Iran? Iran’s daily reported death toll has been rising sharply in recent weeks. In mid-June, deaths went above 100 – for the first time in two months.
This figure has been going up, reaching 229 dead on 21 July. New reported infections averaged more than 3,000 a day in the first week of June – a 50% increase on the previous seven days.
This figure reached a high of 3,574 on 4 June, before dropping slightly. There have been more than 2,000 cases a day since then. The previous highest figure was 3,186 on 30 March – during the initial outbreak, when Iran became one of the worst affected countries outside China.
In April, Iran began to ease its restrictions as daily infections fell:
20 April: Shopping malls and bazaars reopened and travel resumed between different provinces
22 April: Public parks and recreation areas reopened
12 May: Government allowed all mosques to reopen
25 May: Major Shia religious shrines reopened
26 May: Restaurants, cafes, museums and historical sites reopened
City transport systems across Iran, as well as banks and offices, have been packed with people.
The epidemic was initially concentrated in Qom and the capital, Tehran. But now, a flare-up has been reported in the south-west, notably in Khuzestan province, an oil-rich region that borders Iraq.
Passenger: US Officials Lie about Fighter Jets’ Move against Iran’s Civil Airliner
A Lebanese female passenger of Mahan Airline’s Tehran-Beirut Thursday flight said American officials are lying about the route and distance of their fighter jets, and added that the two fighters had approached the civil plane in a provocative way.
Fatimah Hamdan of Tehran-Beirut flight No. 1152 described her witness account on the harassment of two US fighter jets against the passenger plane.
“We were in the Syrian space at 7:15 when suddenly a fighter jet approached us very much. Contrary to what they [Americans] claim that they were one kilometer away from the plane, their fight jets were in a short distance.
Before I could hold my camera to take photos, all of sudden, I heard a noise and our plane started reducing altitude in the sky, and unfortunately nobody had fastened the belt – as it was not the time for it – and everyone rose to the air,” Hamdan said to Sputnik News Agency.
The fighter jets wouldn’t leave us; they were flying over and under [our] plane. Then the first fighter left and the second one appeared and started maneuvering and flew for a while over our head. Then it left, she added.
Calling the American fighter jets’ move as provocative and unnatural, the Lebanese lady went on to say that all passengers were horrified as nobody expected such an event.
Fatimah Hamdan, then, continued that most of the passengers got injuries as a result of sudden rising from their seats and hitting the ceiling with their head or shoulder.
She noted that the two American fighter jets flew for 3-4 minutes around the passenger plane and the Iranian plane landed at Beirut airport eventually calmly.
Two US fighter jets approached a Mahan Air Tehran-Beirut flight over the Syrian sky in a highly risky move and the captain of the Iranian passenger plane was forced to make a sudden change of direction and altitude, causing several injuries.
