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Sunday|October 8, 2023 | Mehr 16, 1402|

Rabi’ Al awwal 22, 1445

General Soleimani
the most suitableinternational peace
symbol: Iran FM
TEHRAN - Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran’s
Foreign Minister, has shown reaction after
the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave theNobel Peace Prize to an Iranian woman who
has been convicted of multiple instances oflaw-breaking and plot against the ruling establishment.
“The most deserving symbol of international peace was the self-sacrificing general,
who fought terrorism and the most violent
criminals for two decades, and guaranteed
the region and the world’s security,” the top
diplomat wrote in a message on X on Friday.
He was alluding to Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top anti-terror commander.
General Soleimani spearheaded the Islamic Republic’s military advice to Iraq and Syria
for several years, beginning in 2014, while
the Arab countries grappled with an unrelenting terror campaign unleashed by theTakfiri Daesh group. Page 2

ReportAl-Aqsa Storm: Palestinian
Resistance Humiliates Israel

Behind the scenes ofclear hostilities to
Quran
By Alireza Akbari

Page 5

In a complex and surprising operation, Hamas killed
more than a hundred Zionists and captured dozens
Hezbollah says
the operation
is a "decisive
response to
Israel's continued
occupation anda message tothose seeking
normalization with
Israel".

“For the first time,
the resistancemovement
decided to reactagainst theoccupiers andthe military,”a professor at
Qatar University
says.
“Today, the wrath of our nation and righteous fighters is boiling over.
This is your day to make the enemy understand that its time hascome to an end,” Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif stated.

Iran-Azerbaijan Joint
Economic Committee
chairmen hold talks in Baku
TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Transportand Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash
and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republicof Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev held talks
as the chairmen of the Iran-Azerbaijan Joint
Economic Committee in Baku on Friday to
discuss bilateral ties and issues of mutualinterest.
During the meeting, the two sides
negotiated over promoting cooperation,
border facilities, joint rail and road projects,
and the International North-South Transport
Corridor (INSTC) as part of developing mutual
relations, the portal of the Iranian Transport
Ministry reported.
The sides also discussed the details ofan agreement to build a railroad passing
through Iran that will link Azerbaijan with
Nakhchivan. Page 4

TEHRAN- Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Khamenei said on October 3 that
insults to the Quran cannot weaken it, yet
the doers ruin themselves instead. He also
called the Quran a book of wisdom, knowledge, and awakening which would only act asa threat to corrupt powers.
“Today, the hostility toward Islam isclearer than ever. There was hostility in thepast, [but] today it is clear. An ignorant example of this hostility, which is seen today,
is the desecration of the Holy Quran. You
see a foolish, ignorant person doing this in
public with the support of a government.
What this shows is that the problem is notjust what we are seeing in the open. It is
not just about insulting the Holy Quran.
They think they can weaken the Quran withthese kinds of acts. They are mistaken.
They are ruining themselves,” said Ayatollah Khamenei on Tuesday.
Insulting the Quran under the guise of
freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is literally a hot topic in
the world; some countries, under the guiseof freedom of speech, allow insults to Islamic
sanctities, ignoring the most basic morals.
Sweden and some other countries, under the pretext of freedom of speech, havepermitted the preparators to insult Islam’ssacred book, which has hurt the feelings ofMuslims.
Their actions are absolutely disgusting;they desecrate the Quran and insult Islamic
sanctities. Page 3

Freestylers win threegolds at Hangzhou
TEHRAN – Younes Emami, Hassan Yazdani andAmirhossein Zare claimed three gold medals in
the 2022 Asian Games on Saturday.
Emami defeated Japan’s Kirin Kinoshita 9-0
in the final bout of the men’s 74kg. He had
defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Orozbek Toktomambetov
7-2, China’s Feng Lu 10-2 and Tajikistan’s
Magomet Evloev 9-3 on his way to the final.
Yazdani defeated his Indian rival Deepak
Punia 10-0 in the men’s 86Kg final bout. He
had defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Mukhammad
Abdullaev 10-0, Dovletmyrat Orazgylyjov
of Turkmenistan 10-0 and Mongolia’s
Byambasürengiin Bat-Erdene 10-0 in his
previous matches.
And Zare beat Mongolia’s Lkhagvagerel
Munkhtur 7-0 in the men’s 125Kg final bout.
He had defeated Pakistan’s Zaman Anwar 100, China’s Buheeerdun 10-0 and Kazakhstan’s
Yusup Batirmurzaev 11-0 on his way to the final
match.

Children’s film festival
kicks off in Isfahan
TEHRAN –The 35th edition of theInternational Film Festival for Children andYouth opened in the central Iranian city ofIsfahan on Friday evening.
The ceremony was attended by Iranian
Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance
Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili, the Governor ofIsfahan Seyyed Reza Mousavi, the Mayor ofIsfahan Ali Qassemzadeh, and the secretaryof the festival Majid Zeinolabedin as well as alarge number of children and youth.
“The festival offers a unique platform
for Iranian children to unite and collectively
aspire towards achieving great heights,” theminister said during the opening ceremony.
The education and development of the
new generation of artists must include afundamental incorporation of culture and art intheir learning journey, he added. Page 8

General Soleimani the most suitableinternational peace symbol: Iran FM

POLITICS2OCTOBER 8, 2023
S t r a i g h t

T r u t h

TEHRAN TIMESTEHRAN PAPERS
A gaffe that revealed a disgrace
In the following column, we take a look at some important
contents and views in the yesterday’s Iranian newspapers.
Kayhan analyzed this year’s Nobel Peace Prizewinner and wrote: After declaring Narges Mohammadi as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, we
saw congratulatory messages pour in from several Western politicians who seek to plague Iranwith different seditions. The messages came fromthe Israeli intelligence minister, officials in the U.S.,
figures like Macron as well as dignitaries in NATO.
But some Iranians who consider themselves to be
sympathetic towards the people of Iran and claim
to be after constructive reforms have also congratulated Mohammadi on the highly politicized prize.
What seems to be interesting however is how someforeign media tried to declare the news. Some outlets were so unfamiliar with Mohammadi that they
mistakenly posted the pictures of an Iranian actressthat shares the same name and introduced her as
the winner of this year’s Nobel peace prize. This goesto show that the 2023 Nobel peace prize was given
to Mohammadi in order to help the riots of last year
stay in the news. It can be seen as a complete political step taken to harm the Islamic Republic. Thisshould encourage some people living inside Iran tothink whether they would like to continue agreeing
with the policies of Western states and Israel.
Iran: The alleged threat of the Zionists
In a note, the Iran newspaper discussed theimportance of paying attention to the interfering factors in the Iranian-Saudi relationship. It
wrote: Tel Aviv, which for years considered Iranan existential threat and Saudi Arabia a potential partner, has been seeking to form official
ties with Riyadh under the pretext of combatting
Iran. The restoration of ties between Iran andSaudi Arabia which are two of the region’s biggest rivals came as a complete shock to Israeli
politicians. Therefore Western-Zionist parties
that had been waiting for a normalization ofties between Saudi Arabia and Israel and were
expecting Iran to become isolated found themselves facing a new approach by the Kingdom
which has now decided to open its arms to Iranand defy all predictions. The reconciliation deal
between the two countries was also a big disappointment to Netanyahu who thought he would
be able to normalize ties with Bin Salman in thenear future. The diplomatic achievements of Iranhave forced Israelis to scrap their old vicious
plans and come up with new ones. The regime
has been trying to highlight unusual events relating to Iran and Saudi Arabia in order to prevent a full thaw from taking effect. For instance,
Israeli-controlled media focused a great deal ona soccer match between Iran and Saudi Arabia
that was canceled last week. All Israeli predictions have proven to be incorrect and now theregime is left with no real and concrete plans.

Siasat-e-Rooz: Iran’s consultations to resolve the Caucasus crisis
In a commentary, Siasat-e-Rooz explained thestrategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding
the Caucasus crisis and quoted Kamal Kharazi, thehead of the Strategic Council of Foreign Relations, assaying: Now that the Karabakh issue has been resolved, there is no more justification for requesting
another corridor. Of course, countries can provide
their communication routes to their neighbors in theform of transit cooperation, and such cooperation
between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia isalso defensible, but it is not necessary to establish
such communication through threat and occupation. Since the Islamic Republic of Iran is aware of
the importance of connecting Nakhchivan to theterritory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, it is even trying to provide such a connection from the territoryof Iran to the Republic of Azerbaijan, and therefore
it is working with Azerbaijan to build a 55-kilometerroad and railway from the village of Agband in the
Zangilan area in the south of Azerbaijan and near theborder of Iran and Armenia, up to the city of Urdobadin Nakhchivan. Iran and Azerbaijan have reached anagreement that is being followed up. Since the Islamic Republic of Iran wants to establish peace andcalm in the Caucasus region, it has been demandingthat a meeting be held between the countries in theregion and it especially has a great emphasis on the
3+3 format. This would help resolve disputes in the
Caucasus region and create sustainable peace.
Shargh: The new statement of the European troika
In an article, Shargh discussed the new statement of the European troika and said: Josep
Borrell, the head of the European Union’s foreign
policy, declared in a statement that the European
troika has no plans to cancel the sanctions against
Iran, which were supposed to expire on October 18.
Borrell has received a letter from the Secretary ofForeign Affairs of three countries, England, Franceand Germany, in which they informed him about
the implementation of Iran’s obligations under the
JCPOA. This European official, without referringto the Western side’s disloyalties, repeated someprojections and said that the foreign ministries of
the three countries emphasize that Iran has notadhered to its obligations under the JCPOA since2019 and they believe that this issue has not been
resolved through the JCPOA dispute resolution
mechanism. “After many consultations, I realizedthat this issue remained unresolved due to differences of opinion,” he said. At the same time,
the participants emphasized their determination
to find a diplomatic solution within the JCPOA
framework. Borrell also said that he remains fullycommitted to continuing all possible efforts in resuming the full implementation of the JCPOA.

Giving Noble Prize to a lawbreaker is‘politically motivated’, Iran says
TEHRAN- Iran has denounced the 2023 Nobel
Peace Prize being given to an Iranian woman who
has been found guilty of repeatedly breaking laws
as a “spiteful and politically motivated” action.

human rights and freedom for all.”Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said in a statement on Friday
that the political action taken by the Nobel Committee was consistent with “interventionist andanti-Iran policies of some European countries.”

In 2016, a court of appeals in Iran upheld Mohammadi’s 16-year sentence for conspiring to act
against national security, spreading false information against the government, and founding andleading an unlawful association.

The decision of the committee, he continued,
was another link in the chain of the West’s pressure
against Iran and would only serve to strengthen
the Iranian people’s resolve to follow an independent course of action.

She was freed in 2020 but returned to jail in
2021 on charges that she had disseminated false
information about the Islamic establishment.

The awarding of the prize to Mohammadi, according to Kanaani, was a “disappointing deviationfrom its initial objectives.”
Additionally, he attacked the Nobel Committee
for making “incorrect and false claims” about what
happened in Iran, which revealed “some European
governments’ approach to fabricate informationand produce confusing and deviant narratives
about internal developments in Iran.”Narges Mohammadi, 51, received the 2023
Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in Oslo in a political gesture. The Norwegian Nobel Committee
said that she has been battling “against the
oppression of women” in Iran and to “promote

Mohammadi has spent a large portion of heradult life in and out of jail, and she is now incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin prison.

According to Kanaani, as one of the founding
members of the United Nations, Iran has always
prioritized the objective of fulfilling peace at regional and global levels and has always worked
to foster the culture of peace.
However, he noted, Iran never wants peace
and its realization to be abused.
He emphasized Iran’s goal of establishing global
peace and justice via efficient and friendly international cooperation and peaceful cohabitation.
The spokesman asked the committee to avoid
assisting in the implementation of some Western nations’ false policies and instead give theNobel Peace Prize to persons or organizations
that “sincerely seek to promote the culture ofpeace and justice in the world.”

From page 1 The advice was vitalin the 2017 victory over Daesh, which
put a stop to the group’s plans to
wreak havoc over the whole region
and well beyond. But in early 2020, adrone attack by the U.S. assassinated the general in close proximity to
Baghdad International Airport.
Tens of millions of people from
Iran and Iraq attended his burial inrecord numbers, and Amir Abdollahian said that this, together withthe outpouring of sympathy fromaround the world after his martyrdom, “amounted to the mostsplendid and lasting peace prize inhistory.”
Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian
woman, was given the 2023 Nobel
Peace Prize earlier on Friday by the
Norwegian committee.
Mohammadi has spent a large
portion of her adult life in and out of
jail, and she is now incarcerated in
Tehran’s Evin prison.
Mohammadi was given a 16-year
term in 2016 by an Iranian court ofappeals after being found guilty of“We are victorious together.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s top humanrights official maintained that theaward had nothing to do with sustaining and developing global peaceand creating a spirit of brotherhood
among nations.
“This political reward has rather turned into a means of financial
support for the illegal activities ofsome of its winners,” said Kazem
Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s HighCouncil for Human Rights.
conspiring to act against the country’s security, spreading false information about it, and founding andleading an unlawful group.

and freedom for all.”

She was freed in 2020 but returned to jail in 2021 after being
accused of disseminating misinformation about Iran’s Islamic establishment.

Entitlement of the prize to Mohammadi was well received by thecultish Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), which is responsible
for killing around 12,000 Iraniancivilians and officials in violent attacks since the 1979 victory of Iran’s
Islamic Revolution.

But according to the Norwegiancommittee, she had been battling“against the oppression of women”
in Iran and “promote human rights

In a Persian-language post on
X, Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila
Gamliel said he was “pleased” withher receiving the honor and added,

He said those who were truly
deserving a peace award were the
Iranian nation, the victims of theWest’s unilateral sanctions, and thevictims of the 1980–88 war waged
by the former Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein against the Islamic Republicwith the support of the West.
Therefore, Mohammadi, whom
Gharibabadi referred to as “a criminal and a lawbreaker,” and whose
acceptance of the award has been
warmly applauded by the MKO andthe head of Israeli intelligence, did
not deserve a peace prize.

General says Iran ready to tackle terrorism with more vigor
The Iranian general made the remarks as hesent messages on Friday to Syrian General Abdul Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim, the chief of generalstaff of the Syrian Army, and Minister of Defense
Ali Mahmoud Abbas.

TEHRAN - Major General Mohammad Baqeri,
the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, hasstated that Iran is prepared to wage a more forceful war against terrorism and its causes.

The terrorist act exposed the wicked, criminal,
and anti-human essence of Takfiri terrorists, aswell as the scandal of their supporters, the top
general remarked.

General Baqeri’s statements came after adrone strike on Thursday on a military academy
graduation ceremony in central Homs Province
killed at least 89 troops and civilians and wounded 277 others.

The instrumental and political use of terroristgroups will not be able to weaken the will of nations, instead, it will make them more determined
to continue resisting until the elimination of terrorists and the failure of their supporters, thegeneral pointed out.

He called the attack a “great crime”, sympathized with the families of the victims, and prayed
for a speedy recovery of the injured.

He added that the governments that support
these terrorists must be held accountable for“this great crime”.

Iran and BRICS in imagination of Western-minded!
those party to the SCO and BRICS.

By Abdol Rahim Ansari
TEHRAN-On September 25, the Middle East
Institute (MEI) published an article titled, “Will
BRICS membership recast Iran’s foreign policy?”,evaluating Iran’s membership in BRICS from thepoint of view of Mahmood Sariolghalam.
Mahmood Sariolghalam, a professor and oneof the advisers of the former president of Iran,
Hassan Rouhani, is known as an extreme Western-minded analyst in Iran.
However, the best way to cool down after a tiring day is to read the articles written by Westernized thinkers against their homeland’s interestsand in support of the U.S. and Europe.
These followers, with superficial arguments,
want to make the West a hero at any cost andweaken the challenges that the West faces.
Whether such an approach has benefits for themor is only related to their mental dependence is
not the subject of this article’s main point, but it isfunny that they have become more Catholic than
the Pope. That is, Westerners themselves sometimes admit their failures, but their followers
narrate the facts in a different way. Meanwhile,
Iranian Western-minded analysts are in the forefront and despite being in the minority, by using
the freedom of speech in the Islamic Republic of
Iran, voice their beliefs.
Sariolghalam believes that Iran’s membershipin BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) cannot tackle Iran’s economic woes
because the secondary sanctions of the UnitedStates place enormous limitations on Iran’s economic interactions coupled with Iran’s refusal tosign the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). So,
Iran’s international financial transactions do not
and cannot operate according to global procedures and standards.
The author points to Iran’s “economic malaise,and economic mismanagement”. This is whilesince Ebrahim Raisi took office as president, Iran
has managed to grow economically, achieve great
economic revenues, and export more oils throughclose cooperation with many countries including

Referring to Iran’s policies, the author says
“Iran has declared that its political identity is contrary to that of the Western world. Its leadershiphas articulated an interest in maintaining commercial and technological relations with Westerncountries, but when it comes to politics and culture, all decisions and operations are molded by
local tradition and mired in inertia.”“Fear of overwhelming American and European
soft power by the top echelons of such states isthus an essential factor in their decision to differentiate between commercial and non-commercial
relations with Western countries. Consequently,
to ensure a tighter grip on domestic control in
China, Russia, and Iran, keeping the United States
at bay is a priority for regime security,” the author
wrote as the reasons for Iran, China, and Russia’s
gathering together.
What has brought these three countries closer
is more of the concern about the U.S. and security
considerations rather than the connections thatare related to their identity, according to the author.
To address the analysis on the MEI website, it
can be said that nearly all countries have put trade
and technology cooperation on their agenda like
Iran and its Eastern allies, but in the case of culture and politics, it is the traditional structure ofeach country that adjusts relations with othersin line with independence, security, and historical
identity.
It is quite natural for great and civilized nations
to resist the destructive cultural and politicalinfluences of the United States; no wise leader
would allow the identity, independence and security of his country to fall under the conspiraciesof the West, even if the westernized thinkers burnwith anger!
Referring to the heterogeneity among the
BRICS member countries, the author said that due
to the lack of internal harmony among the BRICS
members, Iran probably belongs to the camp thatis afraid of the United States! He says “BRICS, like

Iranians celebrate Al-Aqsa
Flood Operation
TEHRAN- Following a retaliatory and surprising operation by
Hamas against the Israeli invaders early on Saturday, the Iranianpeople celebrated the occasion
and shared their pride toward thePalestinian fighters.
Different cities in Iran, including

Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad,
and Zanjan, witnessed the joy ofpeople late on Saturday.
The festivities started at 7 p.m.
during which people chanted “Deathto the U.S.” and “Labbaik Palestine.”
Iranian people also waved the flagsof Palestine.

the SCO, seems to be more of a reflection of a political temperament than a structure for building
consensus and collective action. Both organizations are fundamentally shaped by Chinese andRussian political motives to project power outsideof America’s global reach, however ceremonial
and ineffectual that may be. Neither organization
enjoys internal harmony and commonality of purpose among its members.”
Insisting on the political nature of BRICS,
stressing the heterogeneity and the fractions on
the BRICS alliances, ignoring the growing economic and security interactions within the group,
along with closing eyes on the de-dollarization
and reduction of the global dominance of theUnited States are the outcomes of the mind of an
extremely Western-minded thinker!
Even India, enjoying close relations with theUnited States, has recently conducted its exchanges with the United Arab Emirates, whichis also a traditional ally of the United States,with local currencies without the involvement of
the dollar; interestingly, India is one of the main
members of BRICS and the UAE has recently been
invited to the group.
The United States, Europe, and the West in general will have no choice but to accept the reality ofthe multipolar world with the influence of important alliances such as SCO and BRICS. Undoubtedly,
the imagination of the author cannot save American unilateralism. In this regard, emerging powers like Iran, China, and Russia will definitely playa key role in accelerating the emergence of multipolarism and American decline.

Behind the scenes of clear
hostilities to Quran
Frome Page 1
Indeed, whensecular legislators allow insults
to take place, who will hold theperpetrators accountable?

Quran in the West, its causes, and therole of the Zionist regime in mandatingsuch insults toward Islamic sanctities,
Jafar Ghanadbashi, an expert onWest Asian issues, in an interview
with the International Quran News
Agency on July 30 said that there aremany causes for burning the Quran,
but based on detailed analyses, theZionist regime is behind the scenes.

In the meeting with Serbian
Parliament Speaker Vladimir Orlichon July 25, Iranian Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir Abdollahian said thatthe insult to the Quran in Sweden and
Denmark hurts the feelings of two
billion Muslims in the world.
Later in the meeting, to top Iranian
diplomat condemned the insult to theholy books and expressed hope thatthe insults to the Islamic sanctities
would be stopped.
On January 21, Saturday, a numberof extremist groups desecrated the
Quran in front of the Turkish embassyin Stockholm, where, in an anti-Islamicact, the spokesperson of the Swedish
police said that they had allowed
the leader of the far-right Danish
extremist party to burn the Quran.

wrong and they will end up hurtingthemselves.”
He also called the Quran a book of
wisdom, knowledge, and awakening
which would only act as a threat tocorrupt powers.

The reckless action brought a
sharp reaction from the Turkish
government, summoning the Swedish
ambassador in Ankara to the Foreign
Ministry.

The Quran is considered a threat tocorrupt powers because it condemns
oppression and blames the oppressed
for accepting oppression. It also
awakens the people. Those who are
hostile to the Quran, are against theawakening of individuals, they areagainst encountering oppression.

Later in Denmark, Rasmus Paludan,a far-right Danish-Swedish politician
burned the Quran in Denmark near
the Turkish embassy. In response tothis action, Türkiye summoned theDanish ambassador and protested
against such provocative actions andhateful crimes.

The teachings of the Quran threaten
the American world order since theoppressed are blamed for accepting
the oppression. The American worldorder, ignoring the rights of others,
just seeks benefit for itself, and will
not tolerate the awakening of othernations.

Quran is a threat to corrupt
powersRegardingthewidespread
corruption within the Zionist regime,on May 8, 2005, Eliezer Goldberg, aretired Israeli judge and a civil servant,
who had previously served on theSupreme Court of Israel as the State
Comptroller said: “Governmental
corruption is the greatest threat

Speaking on the occasion of thebirth anniversary of Islam’s Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH), the Leader of
the Islamic Revolution, addressed
the issue, saying, “They think they
can weaken the Quran, but they are

Israel faces today.”Goldberg said that during his
term as State Comptroller, he
had repeatedly encountered theundesirable phenomena, but his
warnings had not caused them to be
uprooted. He was mainly referring tobreaches of moral integrity.
He added that examples of thispublic dishonesty could also be found,including political appointments,
favoritism in tenders, the employmentof relatives, and various forms ofcronyism.
On 19 February 2023, the Institutefor National Security Studies (INSS)
stated that only 32 percent of the
public believed that the Zionist regime
could cope with corruption.
Corruption among the political andmilitary leaders of the Zionist regime
started from the very beginning of
the occupation of Palestine and theestablishment of the fake Zionist
regime. And corruption among thesenior levels of the Zionist authorities
is getting more and more widespread.
Why are Zionists behind theinsults to the Quran?
On the repetition of burning the

Ghanadbashi said the Zionists havesought to desecrate the Quran for
two reasons: the first reason is verses
in the Quran that refer to Zionists’negative attributes and actions
throughout history, which reveals
their true nature, and the second
reason is the inspiring role of theverses in Quran that have motivatedthe Lebanese and the Palestinians toresist and counter the tyranny of theoccupying regime.
In this regard, Zionists tried toremove such verses from the Quranand publish a distorted Quran.
He added that the Zionist regime
has concluded that the strength of
the Palestinians and Lebanese is notfrom the teachings of communism,liberalism and Arab nationalism,
but the source of inspiration for thePalestinian and Lebanese groups’
resistance is the Quran.
Elsewhere, the expert noted that
Zionists are currently more worried
about the Quran. Therefore, by
desecrating and insulting it, he noted,
the Zionists tend to weaken the unity
between Shiites and Sunnis.
Motivating to fight oppression andoccupation, expanding the spirit ofself-sacrifice and martyrdom, theQuran is considered a great obstacle
toward the survival of the Israeli
regime.

IRGC chief: Those responsible for the Syrian military college
attack will pay heavy price
TEHRAN – In a message to Syria’s defense
ministry and its army, the chief commanderof the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
condemned the Thursday terrorist attack on amilitary college in the central province of Homs.
Major General Hussein Salami offered his
condolences over the attack and declared those
responsible for the heinous crimes will pay aheavy price. “The perpetrators will have to facea strong response from the faithful warriors
and fighters of the Islamic resistance,” he said.

The top commander also stressed that theinternational community expects internationalorganizations, especially the United Nations
Security Council, to fulfill their responsibility
and deal with the foreign forces occupying
the Syrian soil. He said the occupiers are doing
everything to disrupt peace and security in the
war-torn Arab country.
The Thursday attack which happened during
a graduation ceremony resulted in the deathof at least 100 people and injury of hundredsof others. It was one of the bloodiest attacks
carried out against the Syrian army over the
past 12 years of conflict. The assault wasalso unprecedented in its use of weapons as
it involved an explosive-laden drone which
the Syrian government says was operated byterrorist groups funded by foreign states.
In response to the attack, Syrian authorities
have launched heavy airstrikes on multiple
positions of Tahrir al-Sham terrorists locatedin the province of Hama.

EU committed to reviving Iran nuclear deal: Borrell
TEHRAN - Josep Borrell, The High
Representative of the European
Union for Foreign Affairs andSecurity Policy, has said that the
EU is committed to working toward
fully implementing the 2015 Irannuclear deal.

continue all possible efforts
towards the resumption of thefull implementation of the JCPOA,
a matter that was also discussed
in the consultations,” the top EU
diplomat said in the statement.

Borrell said in a statement that hediscussed the full implementation of
the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officiallyknown as the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action (JCPOA), with theEuropean signatories to the dealFrance, Germany and the United
Kingdom – collectively called the E3.

He also said, “On 14 September,I received a letter from the Foreign
Ministers of France, Germany andthe United Kingdom informing
me about an issue concerning
the implementation of Iran’scommitments under the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA).”“I remain fully committed to

According to Borrell, the E3

foreign ministers accused Iran of
not complying with the terms of the
JCPOA.
He added, “The Foreign Ministers
stated that Iran has been in
non-compliance since 2019 andconsidered that this has not been
resolved through the JCPOA’s
Dispute Resolution Mechanism(DRM). They expressed theirintention not to take the steps
regarding the lifting of further
sanctions on JCPOA Transition Day
on 18 October 2023.”
The European accusation comesat a time when Iran reduced its

commitments under the JCPOA only
after the E3 failed to honor their
JCPOA obligations following the U.S.
withdrawal from the nuclear deal in
May 2018.
Borrell stated, “Subsequently, as
Coordinator, I consulted all JCPOA
participants on the way ahead.
Following these consultations, I notethat as of today, the issue remains
unresolved given the diverging
views expressed. At the sametime, participants reiterated theirdetermination to find a diplomatic
solution in the framework of the
JCPOA.”

Iran backs large-scale Palestinian operation against Israel
TEHRAN - A top military adviser to the
Leader of the Islamic Revolution has voiced
Iran’s support for the Hamas resistance group’s
military operation inside the occupied territories.
Speaking at the 6th International Conferenceof Solidarity with Palestinian Youth, Major
General Yahya Rahim Safavi hailed the operation
as “glorious”.
“We declare our support for this operation
and we are confident that the Resistance
Front also supports this move,” Rahim Safavi
said, adding that Iran will stand alongside thePalestinian resistance “until the liberation ofPalestine and al-Quds”.
Safavi also condemned the international
community for its silence towards Israeli
atrocities, explaining that such inaction has
allowed Israel to carry out an organized massacreof Palestinian children.
“The latest statistics show that so far 37

Palestinian children have been slaughtered byIsraeli soldiers. 2023 is said to be the bloodiest
year for Palestinian children in the past year.
These children have been martyred by directbullets from Zionists, and on the other hand,a large number of Palestinian children andyouth have been imprisoned and sentenced toheavy punishments”.
Hamas began the biggest Palestinian
operation against Israel on Saturday morning.
The surprise offensive began with the firing ofa barrage of rockets which have reportedly hit
positions in Tel Aviv, Sde Boker, Arad, Dimona,
and al-Quds. According to Hamas’ armed wing
more than 7000 rockets were fired from thebesieged Gaza Strip on Saturday.
Several Palestinian fighters have also managed
to infiltrate the occupied territories. Hamas’s alQassam Brigades has announced capturing a
number of Israeli soldiers and weaponry after its
fighters entered occupied Palestine by land, sea

and air using paragliders.
“This storm which started from Gaza will
spread to the West Bank and outside thecountry and all the places where our people
and nation are present,” Hamas Politburo
Chief Ismail Haniyeh said, adding that thelatest Palestinian operation has happened in
response to Israel’s desecration of the Al-Aqsa
mosque.
The Islamic Jihad resistance movement alsoannounced on Saturday that it has joined theoperation and called on Palestinians everywhereto also join the fight against the regime.
Israeli medics have so far reported the death of
22 people and injury of almost 600 others.
Israel’s prime minister reacted to the attacks bysaying Israel is “at war”. He has also responded byordering the bombardment of several locations in
Gaza City. At least one Palestinian was reported
killed in the first wave of Israeli air attacks

IRAN IN FOCUS
OCTOBER 8, 2023
S t r a i g h t

T r u t h

TEHRAN TIMES

Chess team finish
top at Hangzhou
TEHRAN – Iran’s men’s chess team claimed agold medal in the 2022 Asian Games on Saturday.
Team Melli consisting of Parham Maghsoudloo,
Bardia Daneshvar, Mohammadamin Tabatabaei,
Amirreza Pouraghabala and Pooya Idani beatSouth Korea in the ninth round to secure a gold
medal at the 2022 Asian Games underway inHangzhou, China on Saturday.
Iran continued to lead the standings with
14 match points (two MPs for a win and 1 for adraw) with India close on their heels with 13 MPs.
The bronze medal went to Uzbekistan.
It was Iran’s 13th gold medal in the Games.
Iran’s men’s volleyball national team, wushu
athletes Afshin Salimi and Yousf Sabri, Sadegh
Azarang in Kurash, discus thrower Hossein
Rasouli, climber Reza Alipour, wrestlers
Mohammadhadi Saravi, Amin Mirzazadeh,
Younes Emami, Hassan Yazdani and Amirhossein
Zare as well as Karate athlete Sajad Ganjzadeh
had already won 12 gold medals.

Iran’s men’skabaddi win silver
TEHRAN – Iran’s men’s kabaddi team claimed
a silver medal after losing to India 33-29 in
the final match of the 2022 Asian Games in acontroversial match on Saturday.
With one minute remaining, Pawan Sehrawat
from the Indian team was forced to go in for ado-or-die raid. During his raid, Pawan went outof bounds without making contact with any
Iranian defenders.
In response, Amirhossein Bastami and threeother Iranian defenders rushed towards Pawan
in an attempt to push him out.
This led to a moment of confusion, as it was
unclear whether Pawan had been successfully
tackled or not. Initially, Iran was awarded a point
for their efforts to stop Pawan.
However, the Indian contingent, including
players and officials, began arguing with the oncourt umpire and the TV officials.
After further review and perhaps anotherreferral, the officials decided to award threepoints to India. It’s mentioned that the numberof points could vary depending on the number ofplayers who went out with Pawan. This decision
led to protests from the Iranian team.
According to the old rule, India would get
four (or possibly five) points, while the new rulewould give one point to each team because oneof the Iranian defenders (Bastami) went out of
the line (self-out).

Iran water polo
come fourth

3

Iran defeat Maldivesin 2024 AFC Futsal
qualifiers
TEHRAN - Iran began their bid for a recordextending 13th AFC Futsal Asian Cup title withan 18-2 win over the Maldives in Group C of the2024 Qualifiers on Saturday.
Iran, who were denied the 2022 title byJapan, were in their element against theMaldives at the Bishkek Arena with Saeid
Ahmad Abbasi leading their charge with six
goals - in the sixth, 23rd, 27th, 33rd and 35th(2) minutes, the-afc.com reported.
Captain Hossein Tayebi Bidgoli was also infine form, netting in the 14th, 21st, 23rd and39th minutes while Amirhossein Davoudi(5th, 15th) and Behroz Azimihematabadi(28th, 30th) scored two each.
Iran’s other goals were contributed by
Salah Aghapour (2nd), Mahdi Karimi (12th)
andMohammadhosseini
Derakhshani(27th) with Saamin Mohamed Naseer of theMaldives scoring an own goal in the 30th
minute in the emphatic win.
Maldives, who scored through Ali Haafiz(18th) and Ali Shiyah (32nd), will look tobounce back against Lebanon on Monday
and Iran face Kyrgyzstan.

Davoudi snatches
silverin weightlifting
TEHRAN – Ali Davoudi of Iran won a silver
medal in weightlifting in the 2022 Asian Games.
He finished in second place with 192-234426 in the men’s +109kg.
Bahrain’s Gor Minasyan claimed the gold
medal with 212-245-457and bronze medal
went to Uzbekistan’s Rustam Djangabaev with
190-233-423.
With more than 12,000 competitors from 45
nations and territories, the Asian Games has
more participants than the Olympics.
Iran has sent 289 male and female athletes to
the Games in 34 sports events.

Iran lose to Brazil
in Volleyball 2024
Olympic Qualifiers
TEHRAN – Iran lost to Brazil 3-0 (25-19, 2520, 25-23) in Volleyball 2024 Olympic Qualifiers
on Saturday.
Darlan Ferreira Souza led the Brazilian teamwith 12 points and Iran’s Saber Kazemi and Mobin
Nasri each scored eight points.
Team Melli will meet Cuba on Monday.

TEHRAN – Iran’s men’s water polo team lost to
Kazakhstan 10-9 in the 2022 Asian Games thirdplaced match on Saturday.

Iran had lost to Germany 3-1, Ukraine 3-0,
Czech Republic 3-1, Italy 3-0 and defeated
Qatar 3-1.

Team Melli had defeated South Korea 15-4 andThailand 26-7 and were defeated against China
15-7 in Group A. Iran advanced to the semifinal,
beating Singapore 13-6 but lost to Japan 18-11 in
the semifinal.

The 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Olympic
Qualification Tournaments, alternatively the2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup (for the
tournament held in Japan) and also known as FIVBRoad to Paris Volleyball Qualifier, are the threevolleyball tournaments to be contested by 24 men’snational teams of the Fédération Internationale deVolleyball (FIVB), where the top teams will earn aplace in the 2024 Summer Olympics.

With more than 12,000 competitors from 45
nations and territories, the Asian Games has
more participants than the Olympics.
Iran has sent 289 male and female athletes to
the Games in 34 sports events.

Goleij wins silver inwrestling
TEHRAN – Iranian wrestler Mojtaba Goleij
won a silver medal in the 2022 Asian Games on
Saturday.

Esteghlal move tosecond place: PGPLTEHRAN – Esteghlal football team edged
past Mes 1-0 in the 2023/24 Iran’s Persian
Gulf Pro League (PGPL) Matchweek 5.

Goleij lost to Bahrain’s Akhmed Magomedov
6-0 in the final bout of the men’s freestyle 97Kg

Meysam Teymouri scored an own goal in the
52nd minute in Rafsanjan’s Shohadaye Sanat
Stadium.

He defeated Uzbekistan’s Magomed Ibragimov
13-7 and also emerged victorious over Mongolia’s
Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 4-2 and Alisher Yergali of
Kazakhstan 3-1 to book a place in the final.

Tractor lead the table with 12 points out ofsix matches.

Malavan will host Nassaji on Sunday, while
Persepolis meet Gol Gohar in Tehran.

ECONOMY4OCTOBER 8, 2023
S t r a i g h t

T r u t h

TEHRAN TIMES

Luxembourg releases $1.7b of
Iran’s assets
TEHRAN- Luxembourg released $1.7bof Iran’s frozen assets following a rulingissued by the European country’s Supreme
Court, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI)
reported on Saturday.
As reported, with the legal actions andfollow-ups of the CBI, at the current stage,
the legal obstacles to access 1.7 billion
dollars assets of this bank in Luxembourg
have been removed and this fund is now
available to the Central Bank of Iran.

Commodities worth over $2.8b exported
from Khuzestan province in H1
TEHRAN- Non-oil commodities worth$2.885 billion were exported from
Khuzestan province, in the southwest of
Iran, during the first half of the current
Iranian calendar year (March 21-September22), an official with the customs departmentof the province announced.
Behrouz Qareh-Beygi put the weight ofexported commodities at 10.561 million
tons, and said the six-month export
indicates a 20-percent fall in terms ofvalue, and a 35-percent growth in terms ofweight, year on year.
He named petrochemicals, agricultural
products, steel, construction materials,
mechanicalandelectronic
devices,aquaculture and food as the main exported
items and United Arab Emirates, Iraq,
China, Southeast Asia, Turkey, Russia,
Afghanistan and Pakistan as the major
export destinations.
Qareh-Beygi also announced that 6.737
million tons of non-oil goods valued at$4.172 billion were imported to the province
in the first half of the present year.
As previously announced by the official,
non-oil commodities worth $6.584 billion
were exported from Khuzestan province
during the past Iranian calendar year 1401
(ended on March 20).
Qareh-Beygi put the weight of exported
commodities at 17.55 million tons, with aseven-percent growth year on year.
He named petrochemicals, agricultural
products, steel, construction materials,
mechanical and electronic devices, foodand fishery as the main exported items,
and the United Arab Emirates, Iraq,
China, Southeast Asia, Turkey, Russia,
Afghanistan, and Pakistan as the major
export destinations.
The official further announced that 18.021
million tons of non-oil goods worth $10.677
billion were imported to the province in theprevious year, with a 12-percent drop in
weight, while a five-percent rise in value,as compared to the preceding year.
As announced by the head of the Islamic
Republic of Iran Customs Administration(IRICA), Iran exported 67.7 million tons of
non-oil commodities worth $24.144 billion
in the first six months of the current Iraniancalendar year.

Iran-Azerbaijan Joint Economic
Committee chairmen hold talks in Baku
From page 1 As reported, thetwo sides signed a letter of intent
for the construction of a bridgeon the Aras River as the first stepfor constructing the mentioned
railroad.

North-South Transport Corridor
and the further expansion of its
transmission capacity.
Based on the data releasedby the Islamic Republic of Iran
Customs Administration (IRICA),
the value of trade between Iran andAzerbaijan increased by 13 percent
in the past Iranian calendar year
1401 (ended on March 20).

Based on the signed document,
the Azeri side will fund the project for
constructing a bridge for the railway
line which will be built parallel toAghband, which is a bridge for thepassage of cars on the river.
Speaking at the meeting,Bazrpash said: “A generalagreement was made in Astara anda memorandum of understanding
was prepared. If the Azerbaijani
side is ready, we can sign thememorandum in the next twodays and get one step closer toconcluding a contract.”“If the memorandum of
understanding is signed, thedesigning of the railway sector canstart parallel to the road design,”
the Iranian minister said.
The facilities will aim toincrease freight transit throughthe countries and ease access to
Nakhchivan.
Construction of the bridge
is part of the memorandum of
understanding
betweenthegovernments of Azerbaijan and

Iran-Azerbaijan trade was $688
million in 14001, and $608 million
in 1400.

Iran’s Transport Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash (L) and First Deputy Prime
Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev shake hand after signing a coop document in Baku on Friday.
Iran on the creation of new links
between the East Zangezur
economic region of Azerbaijan andNakhchivan through Iran.

the other topics that were raised inthis meeting.

The Azerbaijani deputy prime
minister said the work is planned
to be completed within a year.

The Iranian Transport Minister
also met with Azerbaijan’s
President Ilham Aliyev during
his visit to Baku, in which Aliyev
considered the friendship andcooperation of the two countries as
an important factor for the entire
region and emphasized on thedevelopment of the International

Solving the banking problemsof Iranian businessmen, issuing
on-arrival visas with the aim ofincreasing passenger commute,and finalizing the preferential
trade agreement were also among

Tehran-Baku ties significant
for region

Mohammad Rezvanifar said that theexport of non-oil commodities in H1
increased by 29 percent in terms of weight.
The official put the country’s value of sixmonth non-oil trade at $54.6 billion.
He said the value of the Islamic Republic’s
non-oil trade in the first half of the current
Iranian year increased by 4.84 percent
compared to the same period last year.
In terms of weight, the country’s foreign
trade reached 82.3 million tons which was
23.78 percent more than the figure for theprevious year’s first half.
As the IRICA head announced, 17.6 million
tons of goods valued at $30.443 billion
were imported into the country in the said
period, indicating an 11.62-percent rise interms of value, and a 6.89 percent increasein terms of weight, year on year.
The average value of each ton of exported
goods in the first six months of the current
year was $356 and the average value ofeach ton of imported goods was $1,729.
Iran’s top export destination during thisperiod was China with $6.9 billion worth ofimports from the Islamic Republic, followedby Iraq with $4.5 billion, the United ArabEmirates (UAE) with over $3.0 billion,
Turkey with $2.4 billion, and India with $1.1
billion.
Liquefied natural gas, liquid propane, andliquid butane were the top exported itemsin the said six months.
Meanwhile, the country’s top five sourcesof imports in the first half of the current
year were the UAE with $9.0 billion, China
with $8.8 billion, Turkey with $3.3 billion,
Germany with $1.1 billion, and India with
$987 million worth of imports.

“Growth in the Islamic Republic of Iranis forecast to maintain a moderate paceat 4.1 percent in 2023, slightly higher from
3.8 percent in 2022,” the latest issue of theWorld Bank MENA Economic Update (MEU)
published on October 5 said.
Based on the mentioned report, the growthof the economies in MENA is expected to fall
sharply this year. The region’s gross domestic
product (GDP) is forecast to plummet to 1.9
percent in 2023 from six percent in 2022,
due to oil production cuts amidst subdued oil

prices, tight global financial conditions, andhigh inflation.
Titled “Balancing Act: Jobs and Wagesin the Middle East and North Africa When
Crises Hit,” the report says that the decline
in growth in MENA this year is expected tobe more pronounced in the oil-exporting
countries of the Persian Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC).
Real GDP growth in these countries isforecast at 1.0 percent in 2023, down from
7.3 percent in 2022 as a result of lower
oil production and reduced oil prices. In
developing oil-exporting countries, growthis forecast to decline from 4.3 percent in
2022 to 2.4 percent in 2023.
Among the oil-importing countries in
MENA, the tightening of global financial

TEHRAN - The Islamic Republicof Iran and Burkina Faso havesignedeight
memorandumsof understanding (MOUs) for
cooperation in various fields
including energy, town planning,higher education, and construction,
IRNA reported.
The MOUs were signed during thetwo countries’ first joint economic
committee meeting which was heldin Ouagadougou on Friday.
Work and social support, technicaland vocational training, employment
and entrepreneurship development,
pharmaceuticals, energy and mining,
environment and natural resources,

as well as science, research, andtechnology were also among theareas covered in the MOUs.
The first meeting of the IranBurkina Faso Joint Economic
Committee was attended by an
Iranian delegation headed by Iranian
Minister of Labor and Social Welfare
Solat Mortazavi.
Speaking at the event, Mortazavi
expressed hope that the signed
documents would lead to an increasein the level of economic exchange
between the two countries.
The official noted that thetwo sides plan to expand theircooperation in other areas as well.
During a meeting between Mehdi
Zeyghami, the head of Iran’s Trade
Promotion Organization (TPO), andIssa Boro, the secretary general of
the foreign ministry of Burkina Faso,
in Tehran in late June, the Iranian side
his country is willing to expand tradeties with Burkina Faso and export
technical engineering services to thecountry.
In this meeting, the two sides
emphasized the expansion ofcommercial relations in parallelwith political ties and discussed
the business plans that are to bepresented in the upcoming Joint

and the management of reservoirs of theoperating dams, the power plants have had
the maximum production capacity for thesummer peak period.

TEHRAN- TEDPIX, the main index of Tehran
Stock Exchange (TSE), dropped 16,861 points
to 2,052,887 on Saturday (the first day of
Iranian calendar week).

According to the latest data provided
by the Energy Ministry, currently, 55hydroelectric power plants with a total
capacity of 12,169 megawatts (MW) are
operating across the country.

Ehsan Asgari, a stock market analyst, said
that the government’s measures for reducing
the risks of trade in the capital market canhelp improve the market’s trend in the longterm.
“Now, in the stock market, we are witnessing
a reduction in the risks threatening stock

He pointed to the timely action of
the government and the Securities andExchange Organization (SEO) in amending
the market’s laws and regulations andsaid: “[considering these actions] the stock
market can provide shareholders withhigher returns than other markets.”
The expert further pointed to some of theeffective factors in reducing the volatility inthe stock market and noted: “In the past few
days, the prices of commodities in the global
markets did not have a significant downward
trend, and the currency market is also stable,
and due to such conditions, export-oriented
companies in the stock market have notbeen exposed to a high risk, which has been
influential in changing the market trend.”

Economic Committee meeting of thetwo countries.
According to Zeyghami, theexpansion of business relations is notpossible without the businessmen of
the two countries getting to knoweach other, and it is necessary to
hold conferences on the business
opportunities of Burkina Faso and
Iran for the businessmen of the twocountries to get familiar with the twocountries’ markets.
Boro had earlier announced that
the West African country is going toopen an embassy in Tehran.

Hydropower output up over 80% in 6 months on year

Corn, smartphones, soybeans, sunflower
seed oil, and rice were the top imported
items in the period under review.

market transactions, which can have an
impact on the improvement of market trend,”
Asgari told IRNA two weeks ago.

conditions and high inflation continue toconstrain economic activity. Growth there is
projected at 3.6 percent in 2023, down from
4.9 percent in 2022. These results signal theend of the “tale of two MENAs” from 2022,
in which the region’s oil exporters weregrowing much faster than the oil importers.

Iran, Burkina Faso sign 8 cooperation MOUs

TEDPIX drops 16,800 points on Saturday

TSE is one of the four Iranian stock
exchanges, and the most important one. The
other three ones are Iran Mercantile Exchange(IME), Iran Energy Exchange (IRENEX), andIran’s over-the-counter (OTC) market, known
as Iran Fara Bourse (IFB).

Milling
machines,car
gearboxes, gas generators forthe simultaneous production ofelectricity and heat, lathes, airgenerating units, presses for the
production of chipboards, bending
machines (presses), pipes, carengine control units, and setsof generators with compression
piston engines were Iran’s major
imported products from its
neighbor in the past year.

Iranian economy to grow 2 times that of MENA in 2023: WB
TEHRAN - In its latest economic report on
the Middle East [West Asia] and North Africa(MENA), the World Bank has predicted a 4.1
percent growth for Iran’s economy this year,
which is more than twice the average of West
Asia and North Africa region.

Izadi noted that the overhaul operations
for the country’s hydropower plants havecurrently started to make them ready for the
next peak consumption period.

As reported, over 7.867 billion securities
worth 58.228 trillion rials (about $119 million)
were traded at the TSE.

Components
andparts,
tubes,
aluminum,packagedbutter, potatoes, heaters, nonelectric appliances, non-powder
polyethylene compound, special
polyethylene compound wire andcable cover, polyethylene film
grade with specific weight, andiron and steel ingots were Iran’s
main exported items to Azerbaijan.

TEHRAN - The electricity output of
Iran’s hydroelectric power plants reached4,750 gigawatt hours (GWh) in the first six
months of the current Iranian calendar year
(March 21-September 22), 80 percent morethan the figure for last year’s same period,
IRNA reported.
According to Vahid Izadi, the deputy
head of Iran Water and Power Resources
Development Company (IWPCO), by carryingout timely maintenance of power plant units

The mentioned power plants every year
generate 27,696 GWh of electricity on
average.
Based on the provided data, 16 of thementioned 55 power plants are located in
the Caspian Sea basin, while 25 are locatedadjacent to the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea,
one is near Urmia Lake, and finally, 13 arelocated in central Iran.
Currently, 17 new hydroelectric power
plants with a total capacity of 3,517 MW are
also being constructed across the country,
according to the Energy Ministry.
Iran’s current power generation capacity
stands at about 90 GW of which the shareof hydroelectric power stands at nearly 16
percent.
Most of Iran’s power generation capacity issupplied by thermal power plants. Currently,
combined cycle power plants account forthe biggest share of the country’s total
power generation capacity followed by gas
power plants.
Increasing the country’s power generation
capacity and preventing blackouts during
peak consumption periods have beenamong the Iranian Energy Ministry’s toppriorities since the current government
administration took office in 2021.

Exemplary exporters to be honored in National Export’s Day
TEHRAN – Iran’s exemplary
exporters are going to be honored
at the 27th National Export’s Day
ceremony which is due to be heldon October 21 by Trade Promotion
Organization (TPO), an official withthe organization said.
According to Mohammad-Sadegh
Ghanadzadeh, the process ofregistration and evaluation of the top
exporters has started a few months

ago, and one part of this evaluation
includes self-declaration and anotherpart includes the statistics regarding
the companies’ export performance,
the TPO portal reported.

The ceremony is going to beattended by President Ebrahim Raisi,
along with other senior officials
including Industry, Mining and Trade
Minister Abbas Ali-Abadi, and the
TPO head.

Al-Aqsa storm: Palestinian
resistance humiliates Israel

INTERNATIONALOCTOBER 8, 2023
S t r a i g h t

TEHRAN TIMESAt least 100 Israelis are killed
By Ali Karbalaei

and all the places where our people
and nation are present.”

TEHRAN - After a week that
saw thousands of Israeli settlers
desecrating the al-Aqsa Mosquein occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem)
despite warnings and the rising Israeli
aggression in the occupied West
Bank, the Palestinian resistance inthe besieged Gaza Strip has launched“OPERATION AL-AQSA STORM”.

Haniyehcalled the operation
historic and epic, saying the main
reason for its start was the “criminal
aggression of the Zionists in the alAqsa Mosque, which had reached its
peak in recent days”.
The highest-ranking Hamas militarycommander Mohammad Deif, who has
survived multiple Israeli assassination
attempts and announced the start of
the retaliatory operation, said, “This is
the day of the greatest battle to end
the last occupation on earth.”  

The operation, which began on
Saturday morning, took Israel bysurprise on multiple fronts. The
operation is unprecedented in the past
50 years.
It was the biggest attack on theZionist regime in 50 years. It is
haunting the invaders of the 1973 Yom
Kippur War. It came 50 years and a
day after forces from Egypt and Syria
caught Israel off-guard.
Battles were still taking place in 22
locations, according to Israelis.
The armed wing of Hamas said
more than 5,000 rockets had been
fired from the besieged Gaza into theoccupied territories within a space of
20 minutes.

What is certain isthat Operation
al-Aqsa Storm is agame changer.
Israel’s N12 News reported that atleast 100 Israelis were killed. Israel’s
ambulance service added that the toll
was expected to rise.
A senior Hamas leader has said thatthe group had captured enough Israeli
soldiers during the unprecedented
attack to make Israeli authorities free
all Palestinian prisoners.

For many Palestinian residents
in Gaza, it was also a chance forthem to step into the land of their
grandparents.
Other footage circulating on social
media appears to show clashes inthe streets of Israeli settlements aswell as gunmen in jeeps roaming thecountryside.
Hamas media displayed videos ofbodies of Israeli soldiers brought into
Gaza by its forces, and Palestinian
resistance fighters touring an Israeli
town in jeeps.
At least one video going viral onsocial media shows the body of an
Israeli on the back of a captured Israeli
jeep that had been driven back into the
Gaza Strip.
The al-Qassam Brigades announced
control of the Kibbutz settlement andthe Kerem Shalom military site east of
Rafah.
Other footage shows Palestinians
in control of Israeli military vehicles
and Israeli tanks on fire near the
separation fence. A Palestinian man
can be seen taking a selfie in front of aburning Israeli military vehicle.
Footage of Israeli firefighters
extinguishing a fire after a rocket

dream. I still can’t believe it”.
It’s not only a significant move for
the Palestinian resistance but also
reflects the messages of resistanceleaders who said that they would takethe war to the occupied territories,
which many analysts in the region
laughed off, implying that this was
impossible.
Red alert warning sirens wereactivated in Tel Aviv, Sde Boker,
Arad, and Dimona in the south, as
explosions were heard by residents.
In occupied al-Quds, rocket sirens
sounded followed by the sound of
explosions.
“We decided to put an end to all
the crimes of the occupation. Theirtime for rampaging without being
held accountable is over,” Hamas
said. “We announce Operation alAqsa Storm and we fired, in thefirst strike of 20 minutes, morethan 5,000 rockets.”

Haniyeh called
the operation
historic and epic
The Gaza-based Palestinian
Islamic Jihad said its fighters havejoined the operation as Hamas
called on Palestinians everywhereto fight. It also called on resistancegroups in Lebanon to join the fightagainst Israel.
“We are part of this battle, ourfighters are side-by-side with theirbrothers in the Qassam Brigades until
victory is achieved,” Palestinian Islamic
Jihad’s armed wing spokesman Abu
Hamza said in a post on social media.

The head of a regional Israeli council
northeast of the Gaza Strip has been
killed in a firefight, according to thecouncil. “The president of the regional
council, Ofir Liebstein, was killedduring an exchange of fire with [theresistance],” the Israeli Shaar Negev
settlement council said in a statement.

He said Palestinian resistanceforces struck numerous Israeli
targets, including airports and militaryfacilities.
“Today, the wrath of our nation
and righteous fighters is boiling over.
This is your day to make the enemy
understand that its time has come toan end,” the top commander stated.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Hamas
spokesperson Khaled Qadomi said
that the group’s military operation
is in response to all the atrocities
the Palestinians have faced overthe decades on top of them thedesecration of Israelis at the al-Aqsa
Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site.

Asked whether Hamas had taken
Israeli soldiers and settlers hostage,
Qadomi replied, “They are not
hostages. They are prisoners of war.”
He highlighted that the Israeli
settlers are also occupiers, andaccording to international law, they
are invaders.
“So the situation today is a war
against invaders,” he said.
Israel says it is at “war” and has
begun bombing the Gaza Strip, with
reports emerging of a large number

For many
Palestinian
residents in Gaza,
it was a chance forthem to step into
the land of their
grandparents.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN has
said that fighters, who infiltrated froma number of different points, “killed
DOZENS of Israelis”.

What is certain is that the events

According to Reuters, Israel’s police
chief said there were “21 active scenes”
in southern occupied territories,
indicating the extent of the surprise
operation.
Israeli Minister of War Yoav Gallant
said, “troops are fighting against theenemy at every location”.
A video going viral on social media
shows a section of the separation
fence, dividing the Gaza Strip fromthe occupied Palestinian territories,
wide open from what appears to be an
explosive device.
Footageshows
Palestinian
resistance fighters on jeeps leaving
the Gaza Strip and heading into
occupied Palestinian territory for the
first time in modern history amid
chants of support and celebration by
local residents.

By Alireza Akbari
TEHRAN- Following the Israeli settlers’desecration of the al-Aqsa Mosque and continued
violence against Palestinians, Hamas launched aretaliatory and surprise operation against invaderson Saturday morning.
It was the biggest attack, codenamed Al-Aqsa
Storm Operation, on the Zionist regime in 50 years.
The attack is haunting the invaders of the 1973
Yom Kippur War. It came 50 years and a day after
forces from Egypt and Syria caught Israel off-guard.
European diplomats, turning a blind eye to theZionists’ crimes, have condemned the operation
The attack was condemned by some European
countries, including Belgium, France, Germany,
Greece, Italy, and Poland.
Meanwhile, some countries invited both sides toshow restraint.
Qatar’s foreign ministry issued a statementsaying that Israel alone was responsible for theongoing escalation of violence with the Palestinian
people.

It called on both sides to exercise utmost restraint
and calls on the international community to prevent
Israel from using these events as an excuse tolaunch a disproportionate war against Palestinian
civilians in Gaza.
“It goes without saying that we always call for
restraint,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister
Mikhail Bogdanov.
The Saudi Arabian ministry called for an“immediate cessation of violence” between Israel
and the Palestinians, the state news agency
reported.

The Israeli military has confirmed
it is engaged in clashes withthe resistance in several Israeli
settlements and military bases nearGaza, with prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu vowing to retaliate.
The Israeli army has not gained
control of any of the locations Hamas
fighters infiltrated in southernoccupied Palestinian territories,
according to Israeli media.
The Haaretz newspaper reported
that settlers are still in shelters, andthere are no Israeli security forces ormedical staff on site.
Palestinians in Gaza expressed
disbelief at the infiltration. One Gaza
shopkeeper told Reuters “It is like a

Hezbollah also said the operation
was a “decisive response to Israel’s
continued occupation and a message
to those seeking normalization with
Israel”.
Hamas politburo chief Ismail
Haniyeh has warned that “this storm
which started from Gaza will spread tothe West Bank and outside the country

that unfolded on Saturday are a gamechanger.
Mahjoob Zweiri, a professor at Qatar
University, says events of the last few
hours (on Saturday) have been “gamechanging for the politics of the region”.
“For the first time, the resistancemovement decided to react against
the occupiers and the military … I
think the Israeli side is facing a real
challenge in tackling its image now.
Also the narrative created by Hamas
with regional and international players
is interesting,” he said.

Deif also called on his brothers in Islamic
resistance movements in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, andYemen to contribute to the resistance in Palestine.
The commander added that it was time for aunited Arab resistance, inviting everyone to mobilize
to pursue the Palestinian cause.
“The time has come for the terminationof occupation, and we ask the Islamic andArab nations to move towards the borders ofPalestine,” he said.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry called for exercisingmaximum restraint and avoiding exposing civilians
to further danger.
The adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution,
Yahya Rahim Safavi, declared Iran’s support for the
Al-Aqsa Storm Operation.
“We will stay with the Palestinian fighters until
the liberation of Palestine and Quds,” said Rahim
Safavi, the former IRGC chief.

Seyyed Ammar
al-Hakim,
the Leaderof the National Wisdom Movement of Iraq,
emphasized the right to defend oneself, the land andthe sanctities.
He called the operation a “natural response to theZionist soldiers.”
Elsewhere, he said that the patience of thebesieged dear Palestinians is over and they areoutraged.
Al-Hakim stressed that it is the duty of theinternational community to put an end to theoppressive policies of the Zionist regime against thePalestinians.

Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri told Al
Jazeera that the group was holding a large numberof Israeli captives, including senior officials. He said
Hamas had enough captives to make Israel free all
Palestinians in its jails.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah has said it
is following the situation in Gaza
closely and is “in direct contact withthe leadership of the Palestinian
resistance”.

“We have already warned the enemy before. The
occupation committed hundreds of massacres
against civilians.” He added hundreds were martyred
or wounded this year “due to the crimes of theoccupation.”“We call for restraint from all parties,” said Turkish
President Tayyip Erdogan.

The Lebanese Hezbollah issued a statementsaying it was closely following the situation in Gaza
and was in “direct contact with the leadership of thePalestinian resistance”.

In the settlement of Sderot, Israeli
troops were engaged in clashes withthe resistance fighters. In all the wars
that proceeded this one, the fighting
has never gone beyond the besieged
Gaza Strip.

“We’ve decided to say enough is enough,” Deifsaid as he urged all Palestinians to confront Israel.
“This is the day of the greatest battle to end the lastoccupation on Earth,” he said in an audio message.

From now on, security cooperation between thePalestinian Authority and the Zionist enemy will
come to an end, he warned, adding that today, thePalestinian nation pursues the path of uprising,resistance, and return once again.

Critics have previously accused
Israel of using these war crime tactics
to pressure the resistance to halt fire.

hit a parking lot in the settlement of
Ashkelon is among various similar
videos that have been broadcast.

for a humanitarian prisoner swap, and it keeps oncommitting atrocities in the West Bank on a daily
basis, the commander stated.

“We announce the start of Operation Al-Aqsa
Storm, and we announce that the first strike, whichtargeted enemy positions, airports, and military
fortifications, exceeded 5,000 missiles and shells,”
he continued.

of dead and wounded Palestinians at
a Gaza hospital.
History has proven that thesebombing raids by the regime mostly kill
women and children on a very large scale.

5World reacts to Al-Aqsa Storm Operation“We want the international
community to stop atrocities in Gaza,
against Palestinian people, our holysites like Al-Aqsa. All these things are
the reason behind starting this battle,”
he said.

As rocket barrages hit Israeli
settlements and other sensitivesites, units of Hamas’ armed wing,
the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades,
infiltrated into Israeli settlements andmilitary bases.

What Israel doesn’t know is how
many Palestinian resistance fighters
had infiltrated from Gaza into thesettlements.

T r u t hPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that
the Palestinian people have the right to defend
themselves against the “terror of settlers andoccupation troops”, the official news agency WAFA
quoted him as saying.
The chief of Hamas’s Izz al-Din al-Qassam
Brigades (IQB) Mohammed Deif said that the rocket
fire marked the start of “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm”,
and called on Palestinians everywhere to fight the
Israeli occupation.
Deif called the operation a “response” to thedesecration of al-Aqsa Mosque.
“Women at Al-Aqsa Mosque were attacked andthe sanctity of the Islamic site was violated despite
the fact that we had previously warned the Zionists,”
Deif added.
The Israeli enemy did not accept our suggestion

The Iraqi Al-Hashd ash-Shabi issued a statement
fully supporting the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation andsaid the achievements of the Palestinian resistance
are result of the pure blood of the martyrs, especially
General Qassem Soleimani.
Hadi Al-Amiri, secretary general of the Badr
Organization, called on the Islamic nations tofulfill their moral responsibility in supporting thePalestinians in all fields.
He added that they follow the news of Al-Aqsa
Storm operation with great pride.
He voiced the complete readiness of thePalestinian nation to assert their rights.
The Iraqi Al-Hashd ash-Shabi announced in astatement that the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation isa crushing reaction and a call of opposition to all
the attacks of the Zionist invaders on the Al-Aqsa
Mosque and the residents of Al-Quds.
The Iraqi Al-Hashd ash-Shabi in its statement
emphasized its full support for the Palestinianfighters and asked the nations and freedomseekers to help the Palestinians in their just cause
and to defend their lands and sanctities.
“What was achieved today is the fruit of a longwork and a holy path, which was justified by the pure
blood of the martyrs, especially Qassem Soleimani
and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and other martyrs.”

Qalishuyan, a UNESCO-designatedancient ritual, observed in central Iran

TOURISM6

OCTOBER 8, 2023
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TEHRAN—On Friday, hundreds ofthe locals performed one of their religious routines; Qalishuyan.

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Iran considers renewing tourism ties
with Egypt after four-decade rift

The annual ritual, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity, has long been
observed in Mashhad-e Ardehal.

Expanding tourism ties with Egypt is a
useful way to strengthen bonds between
the two nations, Zarghami said in an interview with IRNA on Friday.
A study on the restoration of tourism ties
with Egypt has begun, he said, adding thatthe outcomes await the diplomatic decision of the foreign ministry.
Zarghami said expanding tourism relations with foreign countries and facilitating
travel to Iran is a priority for his ministry,

which has suggested a visa waiver plan with68 countries to the government.
Recently, the first group of Russian
travelers visited Iran under a [bination] visa-free agreement and paved the way forthe rest, he added.
Referring to a recent ceremony held in
Riyadh to celebrate World Tourism Day,
Zarghami said that his deputy Maryam Jalali
Dehkordi attended the event and proposed
the formation of a working group to abolishvisa requirements between the two nations.
Earlier this year, Cairo and Tehran held several rounds of talks in Baghdad to discuss
normalizing relations, which soured following Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Glimpses of World Heritage sites
Timgad, located to the north of the massifof the Aurès in a mountainous site of great
beauty, 480 km south-east of Algiers and
110 km to the south of Constantine, is a consummate example of a Roman military colony created ex nihilo.

Buildings, constructed entirely of stone,
were frequently restored during thecourse of the Empire: the Trajan Arch inthe middle of the 2nd century, the Easterngate in 146, and the Western gate underMarcus-Aurelius.

According to UNESCO, the Colonia Marciana Traiana Thamugadi was founded in 100
CE by Trajan, probably as an encampment
for the 3rd Augustan Legion which, thereafter, was quartered at Lambaesis.

The streets were paved with large rectangular limestone slabs and, as attested by
the 14 baths which still may be seen today,
particular attention was paid to the disposition of public conveniences. The houses,of varying sizes, dazzle by their sumptuous
mosaics, which were intended to offset theabsence of precious marbles.

Its plan, laid out with great precision, illustrates Roman urban planning at its
height. By the middle of the 2nd century, therapid growth of the city had ruptured thenarrow confines of its original foundation.
Timgad spread beyond the perimeters of
its ramparts and several major public buildings are built in the new quarters: Capitolium, temples, markets and baths. Most ofthese buildings date from the Severan period when the city enjoyed its Golden Age, also
attested by immense private residences.
A strong and prosperous colony, Timgad
must have served as a compelling image ofthe grandeur of Rome on Numidian soil.

During the Christian period, Timgad wasa renowned bishopric. After the Vandal invasion of 430, Timgad was destroyed at theend of the 5th century by montagnards of
the Aurès.
The Byzantine Reconquest revived some
activities in the city, defended by a fortressbuilt to the south, in 539, reusing blocks removed from Roman monuments. The Arabinvasion brought about the final ruin of Thamugadi which ceased to be inhabited after
the 8th century.

South Africa keen on post-pandemic
tourism revival
South Africa’s tourism sector has madesubstantive recovery and the number of international tourist arrivals is now 19 percent
less than 2019 figures, said a South African
government official.

including visa processing and the beefing
up of security to ensure tourists are safe
when they visit. Mahlalela said South Africa expects more tourists during the festive
season.

Fish Mahlalela, deputy minister of South
Africa’s Department of Tourism, said thecountry received 4.8 million international
tourists in the first seven months this year,
a 70.6 percent increase when compared tothe same period last year.

Glenton de Kock, CEO of the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry,
said South Africa has made recovery, which
the association welcomes. He said China is a
“great tourism source market” for South Africa that has potential to grow in the coming
months, contributing to economic recovery,
job creation and poverty alleviation.

“These significant numbers paint a vibrant picture of South Africa’s continued allure, an epitome of the global trend steering
toward a post-pandemic recovery in travel,”
he said. “It is clear that our nation remains adestination of choice, captivating the heartsof many with its rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife.
We are encouraged by these figures, they
have surpassed our expectations.”
Figures released by Statistics South Africa
last week showed that income from tourist accommodation recorded a 29.1 percent
year-on-year increase in July. Mahlalela said
South Africa is still pursuing its target of
having 21 million visitors by 2030.
“We must flip the script and drive a clear,well-illuminated united path to our destination marketing,” he said.
South Africa is in the process of removing some barriers that may hinder travel,“We expect more Chinese visitors after
travel restrictions have been relaxed. Chinese tourists travel in big numbers and thatis our huge source market,” he said.
Zimbabwe, South Africa’s neighbor, hasalso recorded some growth in tourist arrivals, income and investments. Between January and June, the country saw a 62 percent
increase in international tourist arrivals,
from 366,062 last year to 591,524 this year.
Keitumetse Setlang, executive manager
of marketing at Botswana Tourism Organization, told China Daily that Botswana’s
tourism has recovered to 80 percent of
pre-pandemic levels. She said the organization is working with the Chinese embassy inGaborone and some tour agencies in China
to bring more tourists to Botswana.
(Source: China Daily)

Apart from cultural sites such asa domed bazaar, where travelers
can find loads of Kashani traditions
and souvenirs, they may escape thecity for the UNESCO-registered Fin
Garden, which is believed to be theepitome of Eden.

Qalishuyan, which is a longstanding tradition in the central Iranian
town and surrounding villages, is asymbol of devotion and faith to the
local communities.
The ritual starts in the morningwhen people come to gather at amausoleum to sprinkle rosewater
on a special carpet. Having completed the wrapping rituals, they
deliver it to the people of Fin outside, who rinse a carpet in runningwater and sprinkle rosewater drops
with neatly cut and beautifully decorated wooden sticks.

THERAN - Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ezzatollah
Zarghami has said that the Islamic Republic is considering restoring tourism ties
with Egypt.

destinations of Isfahan, Shiraz, andYazd. Moreover, the ancient town
is a gateway to many sights, stories, and surrounding attractive
villages to discover. Amongst thehighlights are the lavishly decorated houses of Brujerdi, Tabatabai,
Ameri, and Abbasi.

Passed down from generation to
generation, Qalishuyan is practiced
to honor the memory of Soltan Ali,a holy figure among the people ofKashan, Fin, and some other cities
and villages nearby.
According to legend, the deadbody of Soltan Ali was found andcarried in a carpet to a stream,
where it was washed and buried by
the people of Fin and Khaveh. The
venue is the mausoleum of Soltan
Ali, where a carpet is washed in theholy stream by a huge gathering.
The carpet is then returned tothe mausoleum. People of Kashan
contribute a prayer carpet, andsome others celebrate their ritualthe following Friday. These communities maintain oral transmission of the procedures but also
recreate the tradition by adding
new and festive elements.
An alluring destination, Kashanboasts a bunch of architecturalwonders, an atmospheric covered
bazaar, boutique hotels, and a UNESCO-registered garden.
Many travelers opt to bypass thedelightful oasis city that is sprawled
on the edge of the Dasht-e Kavir on
their journeys between Tehran andIsfahan provinces.

In addition, the ritual draws many
visitors from across the country. In
fact, religious tourism, which marks
one of the oldest forms of traveling,is exclusively or strongly motivatedby the rich culture of the nation.
Rich in spiritual tourism, Iranis home to hundreds of shrines,
imamzadehs (tombs of descendants of one of the Twelve Imams-- the spiritual and political successors to the Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) that sprinkles the Iranianlandscape), mausoleums, churches,and even fire temples amongst other religious destinations which are
dedicated to different faiths.
Gateway to many sights
Kashan is situated on a routethat connects Tehran to the giant

Kashan is highly famed for rosewater distillation ceremonies,
which draw visitors from all overthe country. Many believe traditionally distilled rosewater is ofhigher quality than that producedin factories, probably due to shortertime intervals between the harvestand distillation practices. Golab orrosewater is a fragrant distillate ofMohammadi roses, which is used indishes to flavor them or consumed
as a religious perfume as well.
In addition, Kashan embracessome archaeological gems. Most
importantly, the Tepe Sialk yieldedinteresting pottery pieces, metal
tools, and domestic implements
made from stone, clay, and bonethat date from as early as the 4th
millennium BC.

Archaeological dig uncovers ruins of Sassanid temple innorthern Iranian village
TEHRAN—A team of archaeologists in northern Iran has unearthed parts of a previously
discovered fire temple, estimated to date fromthe Sassanid era (224 CE–651).

mounted by a domed roof), the temple measures about 300 square meters and is madeof stones, bricks (and a traditional mortar),
the archaeologist added.

Located in Arfa Deh, a mountainous village in
Savadkuh county of Mazandaran province, thefire temple is believed to be abandoned in theearly Islamic era “because there is no sign ofdeliberate destruction in this structure and thefire pit [of the temple] is found intact”, archaeologist Abdolreza Mohajerinejad said on Friday.

He said the ruined temple is located somefive kilometers away from the cave of Sepahbod-Khorshid, which reportedly served as thelatest Persian stronghold against the Arabconquerors in the region.

“The fire pit, which bears plaster decorations, was discovered in the center of thisbuilding, which points to the religious usageof the building.”
According to the architectural evidence, thisfire temple was used until the 3rd century AH
and several sections were added to it in several
phases, Mohajerinejad said.
Having the famed structure of Chahar-Taq(which is an ancient square-shaped room sur-

Initial traces of the temple were exposedsome two years ago during the first archaeological season conducted on the Sassanid site,
the report said.
Fire temple (locally known as Atashkadeh(“house of fire”) is a Zoroastrian term for aconsecrated building in which there is an ever-burning sacred fire.
After the Arab conquest of Persia, the majority of Persian fire temples were all either
demolished (the ruins, if any remained, having
since generally disappeared) or replaced bymosques, some of which incorporated and effectively swallowed the older buildings.
The Sassanid era (224–651) is of very highimportance in the history of Iran. Under Sassanids, Persian architecture and arts experienced a general renaissance. Crafts such as
metalwork and gem engraving grew highlysophisticated, yet scholarship was encouragedby the state. In that era, works from both theEast and West were translated into Pahlavi, thelanguage of the Sassanians.

Kordestan starts new campaign for medical tourism“We consider this sector as healthdiplomacy, which is a suitable
platform to develop the country’s
international interactions, ” said
Mohammad-Hossein
Niknam,who presides over the ministry’s
department for international cooperation.

medical tourists in the years to come.
Credible surgeons and physicians,
cutting-edge medical technologies,
high-tech medicine and diverse specializations, super affordable procedures, and finally its hospitable people, are considered Iran’s trump card
when it comes to medical tourism.

The event will be held in close collaboration with the private sector in
Sanandaj from October 27 to 29, theofficial said.

Experts say Iran’s medical tourism
is a win-win opportunity both for thecountry and foreign patients, as they
are offered affordable yet quality
treatment services and the country
gains considerable foreign currency.

The number of medical tourists
visiting Iran is around one million
people per annum, an official with
the Health Ministry said in August.

The ancient country is known in theworld as an affordable destination for
health tourism, and the government ismaking a great effort to attract moreIn the global scene, medical tourism is booming worldwide, as about
20 to 24 million people are traveling for medical treatments annually. Factors such as increased careneeds over longer lifespans, rising
healthcare costs, and constantpressures on some insurance industries are reasons behind why some
opt to travel abroad.

TEHRAN—Iran’s Kordestan islaunching a new tourism campaign
aimed at attracting international
patients primarily from neighboring countries.
As part of the drive, it is getting
prepared to host a vast exhibition in which more than 120 stalls
would highlight the western province’s achievements and capacities
for the budding sector.
This exhibition seeks to spotlightthe capacities of health tourism inIran, especially in Kordestan province,on the one hand, and announce newopportunities for investment on theother hand, ISNA quoted a local official as saying on Saturday.

700-year-old coin depicting Jesus and medieval king discovered in Bulgaria
Archaeologists in Bulgaria have discovered a
700-year-old silver coin depicting Jesus on one
side and a Serbian king on the other in the southeastern village of Rusokastro.
One side of the so-called “silver penny” depicts
Stefan Uroš II Milutin, a king of Serbia who greatly
expanded his kingdom, alongside St. Stephen, theBurgas Museum, whose archaeologists are excavating the site, said in a statement translated
from Bulgarian. The depiction of Jesus seated isshown on the other side of the coin. St. Stephen,
who lived in the first century and was killed for his
beliefs, was named a deacon by the 12 apostles.
This is the first time this type of coin has beenfound in Rusokastro, which was a town with afortress at the time the coin was minted. The
discovery shows that the coin had a larger circulation than previously realized archaeologists
said in the statement.
Stefan Uroš II Milutin (reign 1282 to 1321)
vastly expanded the Serbian kingdom into

southeastern Europe, the statement said. He
was married as many as five times, and one of
his wives was a Bulgarian princess. Milutin, also
known as Holy King Milutin, was later canonized
as a saint, and today his relics are kept in St.
Nedelya Church in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia.
Parts of the coin’s design are copied from coinsthat were minted in Venice. “As for the Christ, thiscoin is a direct copy of the seated Christ on Venetian coins,” Julian Baker, an assistant keeperof medieval and modern coins at the Ashmolean
Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford, England who is not involved in the excavations, told
Live Science in an email. Coins from Venice had areputation as one of the most stable currencies in
the Middle Ages for the consistency of their silver
weight, the statement said.
Venetian coins started showing a seated Jesus
during the late 12th century and copied a similar
image that was used in coins minted in the Byzantine Empire, Baker said. He added that “the seatedChrist became a very prominent iconographicaldevice from the 9th/10th” centuries and it is “nogreat surprise” that it is shown on coins.
This particular coin, with Jesus on one sideand Stefan Uroš II Milutin on the other, is not unusual, Baker said. “This is quite a common coinproduced by the medieval Serbian kingdom in aperiod in which they were able to mint coinage inlarge quantities thanks to the [silver] mines which[were] on its territory,” Baker said. “Such coins arevery commonly found in the southern Balkans,
mostly in the western half” in countries such as
Serbia and Greece, Baker said. “A find from eastern
Bulgaria is a bit less usual but is still completely
understandable.”Jesus was often shown on medieval coins and,at times, some scholars have interpreted the seathe sits on as being a throne.
Excavations at the site and analysis of the artifacts are ongoing.
(Source: Live Science)Lots of attention to ruraldevelopmentof the problems of villages, there
has been a plan through which 500
markets for rural products in hightraffic and tourist routes will beconsidered.

BY Maryam Tavassoli
TEHRAN- Villagers and nomads
play a vital role in the political, economic, and social developments ofIran. So, October 7 was declared in2013 as the National Day of Village
and Nomads.

The plan will eliminate middlemen and deliver products withhigher quality and more reasonable
prices to consumers.

Despite their low population, they
have a great contribution to all-out
national development.
Although oil, industry, and service sectors hold a significant shareof the national economy, the ruraland nomadic economy is considered an inexhaustible source for thenation, compared to exhaustible
natural resources.
Living far from pollution and current problems of cities and being
less dependent on oil resources,
they play a critical role in sustainable development.
Villagers and nomads take thelead in providing food, food security,and healthy food production.
They have a major role in the
tourism and handicraft industry
and they are sources of many cultures and traditions in the country
playing an important role in ensuring the country’s security, especiallyin borders and remote areas.
Some 25 percent of the country’s
population lives in villages, producing around 70 percent of food forthe domestic market.
Currently, more than 90 percent
of agricultural and food products
are produced in villages. Some 25
percent of the country’s meat products and 35 percent of handicrafts,
as well as a major part of organic
dairy products, including vegetable

SOCIETYOCTOBER 8, 2023
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7

WFP releases August report on IranAlso, there are 11,000 villages that have mines; out of 6,000
closed mines, 500 mines have been
restored so far and 3,000 more rural units are expected to be restoredwith the help of the government.
oil, milk, curd, and other materials,
are produced by nomads.

cities that used to be villages andnow have grown into cities.

In fact, the economy of the rural
areas is not limited to agriculture;
it includes various industries suchas handicrafts, creative industries,
clothing, processing industries,
food, medicinal plants, carpentry,
furniture, tourism, ecotourism,
fisheries, carpets and rugs, anddried fruits.

The other issue is the people’s
livelihood. In fact, the inflation ratein the villages is higher than in thecities. Transportation is anotherproblem.

Products of villagers and nomads
are being presented in an exhibition
named “Rusta Abad” (Developed
Village), ISNA reported.
Major problems
Amir-Hossein Madani, the vicepresident for rural development,
referred to education as one of themain reasons for migration fromvillages to cities.
In most villages, children haveto go to the city to study in highschools.
Urban development is the second reason. Villages with more than
3,000 households will be known as

Today nomads are facing difficult
conditions due to drought and lackof sufficient water, pasture, andfodder for their livestock as one of
the three main pillars of their lives.
Measures taken
During the past two years, about
800 trillion rials (some $160 million) have been invested in rural development, leading to the creationof around 670,000 jobs in villages
and nomadic areas.
Some 30,000 construction projects have been implemented inrural areas within the last 2 years,
which played an important role inpersuading people to stay in theirvillages by increasing their incomes.
To find suitable product markets
and cut out the middlemen, as one

So far, 6,000 aqueducts havebeen studied to be restored andprovide water. We have started watershed management in 30 parts ofthe country with the help of volunteers, covering an area of one million hectares.
From the calendar year 1395
(March 2016-March 2017) to theyear 1400 (March 2021-March
2022), some 450,000 people did
return to the villages. In otherwords, they returned from the city
to the village, and it has continued
over the past two years since theadministration took office.
Also, almost 900 bankrupt production units have been restored,
and 5,700 economic units havebeen revived.
Various organizations including
the National Development Fund,the Ima Khomeini Relief Committee, the Headquarters for Executing
the Order of Imam, and the Housing
Foundation have all provided loans
with low rates to support villagers
and nomads.

Iran to attend WHO regional committee meeting
TEHRAN – A delegation led by Health Minister
Bahram Einollahi is going to participate in the70th session of the World Health Organization’s
Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The event is planned to take place in Cairo,
Egypt, from October 9 to 12, with the theme of‘United for a healthier future’.
The minister is scheduled to deliver a speech
on regional health issues as well as achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the fieldof health despite sanctions.
On Tuesday, an election will be held for the position of director of the Eastern Mediterranean
Region of the World Health Organization. Ali Akbari-Sari from Iran is among the nominees.
Also on Wednesday, the Kuwait government
award for the control of cancer, cardiovasculardiseases, and diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean region will be presented to Afshin Ostovar,
the head of the Endocrinology and Metabolism
Research Institute of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Iran enhances regional health security
On May 12, Syed Jaffar Hussain, the World
Health Organization Representative and Head ofMission in Iran, appreciated Iran for its efforts toenhance health security in the region.
The WHO representative also thanked Iran forholding the 26th G5 High-Level Experts Meetingon Health Cooperation and the 1st Healthcare
Leadership and Governance Training Program,
IRNA reported.
G5 countries (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan,plus the World Health Organization) took part in
the meetings from May 6 to 10 with the themeof “Joint Work for Solving Joint Health Problems.”
Addressing the opening ceremony, Health
Minister Bahram Einollahi referred to the unityand cooperation of the countries in the fields ofhealth, treatment, and medical education as ahistorical necessity.
Achieving, maintaining, and promoting healthis never possible in a regional way and does not
happen in an isolated region, but requires thecooperation of countries, especially neighboring
countries, he stressed.
“To develop health in the countries of thegroup of five, we must look at health collectively
and think about creating and promoting health inall countries.
The health sector of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan is tied to each other. Today, with the relations and cooperation that exist

in different sectors between the countries andneighbors, a disease is capable of penetrating all
countries.”“Therefore, our unity and cooperation is a historical necessity so that the health indicators in
the region can be improved and brought to theideal point,” the minister reiterated.
He went on to say that conditions should be
provided so that professors, students, and scientists can easily communicate with each otherand travel to each other’s countries without hindrance and hold joint scientific conferences.
“Many incidents have happened in the region,such as this year’s huge earthquake in Turkey andlast year’s flood in Pakistan, which unfortunately
left many damages and deaths. These bitter incidents show the need for joint cooperation to help
each other.”Of this 28% were women, 29% were men, 21%
were girls, and 22% were boys. Refugees are assisted with a staple food basket which includes
fortified wheat flour (9 kg per person per month)and vegetable oil (900 ml per person per month).
In addition to this in-kind food assistance, WFP
provides cash assistance to 7,733 Afghan andIraqi refugee households each month.
In August, households headed by refugee men
received Iranian Rials (IRR) 2 million (US$ 5.3, according to the UN Operational Rate) per person.
Households headed by refugee women received a slightly higher monthly cash allocation,amounting to IRR 2.5 million (US$ 6.7) per person
due to limited access to working opportunities,
leading to higher food insecurity.
To maintain beneficiaries’ purchasing power
amid deteriorating economic conditions, sinceJune, WFP increased its cash assistance to vulnerable refugee women and men facing serious
risks over their food security and well-being.
The school feeding and cash incentive distribution is suspended for July, August, and September due to summer school break.
According to recommendations from the February 2022 WFP and UNHCR Joint Assessment
Mission, refugees with disabilities were granted‫ میلیاردی برای توسعه‬۱۷ ‫تصویب اعتبار‬‫دوچرخه‌سواری همگانی در پایتخت‬‫ توسعه شهری و امور شورای‬،‫سکینه اشرفی معاون برنامه‌ریزی‬‫ میلیارد ریال اعتبار برای‬۱۷۰ ‫شهردار تهران از تصویب حدود‬.‫توسعه دوچرخه‌سواری همگانی در پایتخت خبر داد‬‫ یکی از موضوعاتی که در بودجه سنواتی سال‬:‫وی اظهار کرد‬‫ موضوع توسعه حمل و‬،‫آینده شهرداری تهران به آن توجه شده‬.‫نقل عمومی غیرموتوری از جمله دوچرخه‌سواری همگانی است‬‫ در برنامه‬:‫به گزارش روز یکشنبه برگزاری ایسنا وی ادامه داد‬‫ موضوع توجه به دوچرخه‌سواری به‬، ‫سوم توسعه شهر تهران‬‫عنوان یک حمل و نقل پاک برای کاهش ترافیک و آلودگی هوا‬.‫مورد توجه و تاکید قرار گرفته است‬by WFP a monthly cash top-up of IRR 1 million(US$ 2.7) in addition to their regular entitlement.
WFP implemented a pilot initiative in two settlements, Shahid Naseri of Markazi and Mohajerin of Semnan provinces, providing refugees withdisabilities a monthly cash top-up of IRR 1 million(US$ 2.6) on top of their regular entitlement. In
August, the program successfully reached 92
beneficiaries out of the planned 100.
Meanwhile, according to WFP’s 2022 reporton Iran based on Interim Country Strategic Plan
(2018-2023), Iran was one of the most affected
countries by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the pandemic gradually abated and restrictions were lifted by mid-2022, the country
continued to struggle with its severe negativesocio-economic impacts, the report said.
In mid-2022, the Government decided to cut
subsidies from staple food items. As a result, theprices of meat and poultry, dairy products andcooking oil increased fourfold overnight.
Inflation and increased prices of basic foodcommodities combined with local currency devaluation and reduced job opportunities due toa stagnating economy have significantly reduced
the purchasing power of vulnerable groups including refugees.
Against this backdrop and despite the tightening of trade restrictions and external barriers,WFP Iran succeeded in meeting its plan of supporting over 32,000 refugees living inside 20
settlements with unconditional food assistancethrough a combination of locally procured inkind food and cash-based transfers.

Over 300,000 illegal Afghan migrants
deported
Afghanistan has the potential to create additional population movements; internally displacing families and potentially driving themto neighboring countries to seek refuge.

“Iran has achieved many successes in the fieldof knowledge-based companies and is able toprovide 99 percent of its pharmaceutical needs
and 40 percent of its advanced medical equipment needs.”

LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION

A total budget of 170 billion rials (around $4 million) has
been allocated to promote bike lanes across the capital cityof Tehran, encouraging the residents to ride bicycles, Sakineh
Ashrafi, deputy mayor of Tehran for planning, urban development and council affairs has said.
One of the main issues taken into consideration through the next
year’s budget bill, was development of non-motorized transportation, which focuses on active transportation and human poweredtransportation including walking and bicycling, she explained.
According to Tehran third development plan, biking as agreen transport has been taken into consideration in order tomitigate traffic congestion and air pollution, she further noted, ISNA reported on Sunday.

In August, WFP food assistance reached
32,684 beneficiaries, which includes Afghan andIraqi refugees.

Health is the common link of the countries of
the region and it can cause the unity and development of the cooperation of the G5 countries
and also a prelude to the development of thehealth economy, he added.

ENGLISH IN USE$4m budget allocated to promote
non-motorized transport

TEHRAN - The World Food Program (WFP) has
released a report, expounding on activities in
Iran over the month of August.

TEHRAN – Some 328,000 illegal Afghan
migrants who had illegally entered Iranduring the first half of the Iranian calendar
year (starting on March 21), were sent backthrough the borders of the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, IRNA reported.
The commander of Khorasan Razavi province’s border police, Majid Shoja, said that
488,000 Afghans have officially and legallyentered the country within the same period.
On August 1, more than 7,500 illegal Afghan migrants were deported to their homecountry.
In line with the policy to deal with illegal migration, the border police identified 7,563 undocumented Afghan nationals and sent themback to their country via the Dogharon borderin Khorasan Razavi province,” Shoja added.
“Foreign nationals should enter the country
through legal and official gateways, otherwise they will be dealt with decisively.”
Official statistics say around five million
Afghan nationals live in Iran, about one million of them live in Khorasan Razavi province,
mostly in the capital city of Mashhad.
For over four decades, Iran has been hosting
one of the largest and most protracted refugee situations in the world and has provided
asylum to refugees, mostly from Afghanistan.
The recent fast-paced turn of events in

Iran is home to over 800,000 registeredrefugees and some 2.6 million undocumented Afghans. Today, more than 500,000
Afghan children- including undocumented
Afghans and those who have newly arrived
in Iran are benefitting from Iran’s inclusive
education policies, one of the most progressive in the world.
Despite the sanctions and economic pressures, Iran continues its comprehensive policyof providing services to refugees, and this isappreciable, UNHCR’s Officer in Charge, Inna
Gladkova, said in November 2022.
The best solution and the most stable support system for refugees is that have accessto schools and education just like Iranian nationals, she stated, IRNA reported.
Iran has taken effective and continuous
measures to include all refugees, and the UNHCR also declares its readiness to fulfill its
obligations, she noted.
In May, Robin Nandy, the representative of
the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
in Iran, said the country’s comprehensive program for the protection of refugee children is
encouraging.
Making investments in programs and services to better care for and support children
affected by migration and asylum will reduce
costs in the future, he added.
Emphasizing the important role ofnon-governmental organizations in supporting refugee and immigrant children andteenagers, Nandy expressed hope that holding educational workshops will lead to thepromotion of children’s rights and justice forchildren.

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OCTOBER 8, 2023
GUIDE TO SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

I appreciate an old man’s cautious opinion more than the valor of ayoung man.
Imam Ali (AS)

Prayer Times Noon:11:52

Evening: 17:57

Dawn: 4:42 (tomorrow)

Sunrise: 6:05 (tomorrow)

Paintings of 10-year-old autistic savant on
display at Niavaran Palace Museum
TEHRAN-The fourth solo exhibition of theyoung autistic savant Rastin Molaeizadeh titled“Regulus” is underway at Niavaran Palace
Museum in Tehran.

in the space shuttles and this was the beginningof his endless passion for space technology.
Scientific documentaries about astronautics andthe launch process were among his favorite fixed
programs, and many books with related images
were provided to him.

In the previous edition of thefestival, which was held in 2021, theacclaimed Iranian drama “Yadoo”
was picked as best film.
The film follows a teenage boy

The Croatian sci-fi “My Grandpa
Is an Alien” co-directed by Marina
Andree Skop and Drazen Zarkovic
won the special award of the jury ofchildren. Skop and Zarkovic also won
the Golden Butterfly for best artistic
achievement.
The special jury award was given
to “Lucia” by Spanish director Juan
Pato.

The award for best photography
director was also given to Morteza
Najafi for his collaboration in thefilm.

The best music award went to
the Indian drama “Sumi” directed byAmol Vasant Gole. Rohan Rohan has
collaborated as a composer on this film.

Iranian drama “Sea Boys”, written
and directed by Afshin Hashemi
and Hossein Qasemi-Jami, won theaward for best screenplay.

“The Silence of the River” by
Peruvian director Francesca Canepa
was named best short.

“Sea Boys” also was selected best
film in the national competition.

“My Grandmother Matilde” by
Mexican director Miguel Anaya Borja
was picked as best animation.

At the opening ceremony, Iranian poet Mostafa
Mohadesi-Khorasani recited some ghazals byHafez and talked about the place of Persian
language in the cultural convergence of the
Persian and Tajik people.
It is the first time that an independent sectionfor Hafez has been considered in the museums of
Persian speaking countries.
Tajik, also called Tajiki Persian or Tajiki, isthe variety of Persian spoken in Tajikistan andUzbekistan by Tajiks. It is closely related toneighboring Dari of Afghanistan with which
it forms a continuum of mutually intelligible
varieties of the Persian language.
Hafez works are regarded by many Iranians as
one of the highest pinnacles of Persian literature.
Hafez primarily wrote in the literary genre of
lyric poetry or ghazals, that is the ideal style forexpressing the ecstasy of divine inspiration in the
mystical form of love poems.
Themes of his ghazals include the beloved, faithand exposing hypocrisy. Adaptations, imitations
and translations of his poems exist in all major
languages.
The launch of the Hafez section at the museum
happened on the final day of the 11th Dushanbe
International Book Exhibition “Kitobi Dushanbe2023” (The Book of Dushanbe), which was held in
the Tajikistan capital city, From October 3 to 5.

Iran Book and Literature House represented
Iran’s publishing industry at the fair, presenting
over 800 titles on various subjects of classic andcontemporary literature including poetry andnovels, and titles related to the holy Prophet ofIslam (PBUH).
The international book exhibition presented
books of 50 publications from Tajikistan and eight
other countries.

Calligraphy sculpture by
Iranian artist at Dubai
Calligraphy Biennale
Since June, he has held three solo exhibitions

At the age of seven, he learned school lessons
at home, and with indescribable enthusiasm, hestarted robotics and astronomy courses in a wellequipped research center in Mashhad, along withthe language class.
in Mashhad. His ongoing exhibit will run until
October 15 at Niavaran Museum Palace located at
Shahid Bahonar (Niavaran) Square.

TEHRAN – The first autumn concert of Iran’s
National Orchestra, titled “Paiizan”, will be held at
Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on Thursday.
Under the baton of Homayoun Rahimian, theNational Orchestra will perform a repertoire of
popular pieces by famous Iranian composers,
including Javad Marufi, Hossein Dehlavi, andRouhollah Khaleqi during the concert, ILNA
reported on Saturday.

TEHRAN-An artwork by sculptor, calligrapher
Amirshahrokh Faryoosefi has been selected for the
first Dubai Calligraphy Biennale, which was launched
October 1.

Entitled, “You Are the Life and the World,”
Faryoosefi’s work is presented by Negar Art Gallery
at the event, ILNA reported.
An iron round sculpture, the calligraphy sculpture
elegantly captures the essence of Rumi’s poem,
symbolizing the profound connection between thesoul and the world. It merges intricate calligraphy
with a captivating black-and-white color palette,creating a visually striking composition.
Faryoosefi, 67, is a member of the Society of IranianCalligraphists
and the Persian
Miniature Society.
He has held over 10
exhibitions in Iran. His
works have also been
showcased at morethan 10 international
exhibits in Tunisia, Kuwait,
Turkey, Russia, Belarus, India,
Romania, Slovakia, South Africa,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the U.A.E.
The first Dubai Calligraphy Biennale is running indifferent locations across the city until the end of
October.

Works of more than 200
local
and
internationalcalligraphers and artists areon show through city-wide
exhibitions in art galleries,
public spaces and libraries.
The event features 19
exhibitions across Dubai,with a range of artists
from various disciplines,
languages and mediums.
One of the aims of thebiennial is to shed light on
the cultural and historicalsignificance of calligraphy along withits diversity and relevance as an evolving
art form and a rich source of inspiration for all
creatives.
Photo: “You Are the Life and the World” byAmirshahrokh Faryoosefi

Iranian short films to compete at Chicago children’s filmfest
TEHRAN –Two Iranian short films
will go on screen at the 40th editionof the Chicago International Children’s
Film Festival (CICFF).

Ali Abedin will accompany the orchestra as the
santur soloist.
Iran’s National Orchestra was founded in 1998
under the conduction of the renowned Iraniancomposer Farhad Fakhreddini.

The orchestra had been formed by Persian
traditional instruments, strings and woodwind
instruments. During its history, the orchestra
focused on Persian composers’ compositions
including pieces by renowned figures such as
Fakhreddini, Ali Tajvidi, and Hossein Alizadeh
among others.

The 35th International Film
Festival for Children and Youth will
run until October 12.

Produced by Mohammadreza
Mesbah, the film brought Mehdi
Jafari the Golden Butterfly for best
director. Jafari also won the award of
the International Centre of Film forChildren and Young People – CIFEJ.

Yasin Habibpur was selected as
best actor for his role in the film.

Apart from design, Rastin had a great interestin making launchers and used Lego, cardboard,cans and any tool to create a 3D model.

Tehran’s Vahdat Hall to host Iran’s National
Orchestra

Maestro Fakhreddini attracted a huge numberof musicians, including legendary vocalist
Mohammadreza Shajarian, to collaborate with theorchestra.

The inclusion of 835 children
and youth jurors is a testament
to Isfahan’s children’s fervor andeagerness for the festival, as wellas the widespread support from thecommunity.

The Hafez section in the museum generally
includes manuscripts related to Hafez and copies
of Hafez’s divan, a collection of his surviving
ghazals, IRNA reported on Friday.

Rastin’s works are a bold depiction of theauthority of conquering space and the history of
the journey to the galaxy.

When he was six years old, he became interested

He emphasized that cinema has
the power to serve as a sharedlanguage between diverse nations
and cultures and that the dynamic
contributions of Iran’s younger
generation will be integral to theindustry’s ongoing advancement.

After a meticulous selection
process, a grand total of 68 films
qualified for the final phase of thecompetition.

named Yadoo living with his family
and people under siege in thesouthwestern Iranian city of Abadan
in the early days of the 1980-1988
Iran-Iraq war. The family is finallyforced to migrate.

National Museum of Tajikistan opens Hafez section

Regulus, also called Alpha Leonis, is thebrightest star in the zodiacal constellation Leo andone of the brightest in the entire sky. It is 77 lightyears from Earth.

At the age of four, he started painting on thewalls of the house and the next step was painting
on all the ceramic surfaces of the house. After six
months he began painting on paper.

The ministry is keen on partneringwith the Farabi Foundation to
implement cinema into the school
curriculum and this would involvearrangingdedicatedsessions
for film and cinema lessons, heexplained.

applied for the festival in the four
competitive categories and national
and international sections in thefield of short and feature films.

TEHRAN-Concurrent with the State Language
Day in Tajikistan, October 5, the National Museumof Tajikistan in Dushanbe opened a new section
dedicated to the works of the famous Persian poet
Hafez.

Autistic savants are people who suffer from adevelopmental disability yet demonstrate somecognitive ability, exceeding what most people
can do. These abilities may involve, art, music,
arithmetic, spatial skills, or calendar abilities.

Since he was three, Rastin showed interest in
the geometric relationship of objects and achieved
creative arrangement with every geometric shape.

Frome Page 1
The educationand development of the newgeneration of artists must include
a fundamental incorporation ofculture and art in their learningjourney, he added.

For his part, Zeinolabedin said
that this year, more than 550 films

Held on the occasion of the World Space Week,
October 4 to 10, and the national children’s week,
October 8 to 14, the exhibit includes 16 paintingsby the 10-year-old artist, showing the process oflaunching spaceships and details of the launchers,
CHTN reported.

Born in Tehran, Rastin was very playful but
had speech delays and oral–motor problems as achild. At the age of two years and eight months,
he was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental
Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS),
which refers to a group of disorders characterized
by impairment in the development of social
interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication,
imaginative activity and a limited number ofinterests and activities that tend to be repetitive.
So, his therapies started immediately.

Children’s film festival kicks off
in Isfahan

In its last performance, the National Orchestraof Iran, conducted by Rahimian, paid tribute toArbaeen with “Farewell” concert at Tehran’s
Vahdat Hall on August 30 and 31, marking the 40th
day after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of
Imam Hussein (AS).
Conducted by Rahimian, the concert was
accompanied by prominent Iranian vocalist
Hesameddin Seraj.

“I’m a Man” by Amin Ali Shahsavariand “Hooves Beat” co-directed by Fargol
Masrurirad and Seyyed Hossein Zeitunnejad
willgo on screen atthefestival, which willrun
from November 3 to 19.
“I’m a Man” follows the story of
Hossein, a boy living with Dunn’s
Syndrome, who faces the challenges of
economic hardship in his family while
also grappling with his father’s illness.
“Hooves Beat” tells the story of Tino,
who lives in a border town in Kordestanwith his parents and his beloved horse.

When the horse gets into danger, Tino
has to make a life-altering decision.
The Chicago International Children’s
Film Festival (CICFF) is an annual eventthat showcases films from all over
the world aimed at a young audience.
Starting in 1983, CICFF is the largest
event of its kind in North America.
The festival selects films for several
age groups ranging from toddlers toteenagers.
The festival offers an exciting
range of events, including workshops,
discussions with filmmakers, andspecial presentations, which enhance
the festival’s relevance and experience.
The festival’s primary aim is toallow children to discover the world,
its people, and its cultures throughcinema. It provides a platform foryoung filmmakers to showcase theirtalent while offering an opportunity
to meet and engage with industry
professionals.
The CICFF has earned an excellent
reputation for showcasing the very
best in children’s cinema, and it attracts
a diverse audience from different
parts of the world each year. The
festival demonstrates the importanceof experiencing life through the lens ofa camera, securing its place as a vital
resource for children’s education andentertainment.

A scene from “Hooves Beat” codirected by Fargol Masrurirad andSeyyed Hossein Zeitunnejad