Water recycling atop agenda of biotech development center

TEHRAN — Biotech development center (BioDC) at science and technology vice-presidency is seriously following up on developing techniques and technologies for recycling water, IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.

5 new freeways to be inaugurated by next March

TEHRAN- Iran’s Deputy Transport Minister Kheirollah Khademi announced that five new freeways will be inaugurated in the country by the end of current Iranian calendar year (March 19, 2020).

Iranian official: USS Lincoln in Arabian Sea

TEHRAN - An Iranian official has said that the USS Abraham Lincoln is stationed in the Arabian Sea and not moving towards the Persian Gulf. Earlier this week, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces in the region had been placed on “high alert,” but no evidence was presented to justify the elevated security posture.

Tehran, Damascus discuss expansion of economic ties

TEHRAN- Hassan Danaeifar, the advisor to Iran’s first vice president and also the chairman of the Iranian committee on development of economic relations with Syria and Iraq, and Atef Nadaf, the Syrian minister of interior trade and consumer protection, met in Damascus to explore the ways for expanding and strengthening economic ties between Iran and Syria.

Leader’s remarks clarified many things: ex-official

TEHRAN – A former presidential chief of staff says Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s recent declaration that there won’t be a war nor dialogue between Iran and the United States can clarify many things for a lot of people both inside and outside Iran.

By staff and agency

Iran says ‘fake intelligence’ is root cause of regional problems

Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, has said that “fake intelligence” is the root cause of problems in the Middle East region.

Leader names two new deputy commanders for IRGC

TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in separate decrees on Thursday, appointed two senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as the deputy chief and deputy coordinator of the Guards.

5-year plan launched to safeguard Zagros forests

TEHRAN — A 5-year conservation plan for Zagros forests has been designed and gone into effect this year (starting on March 21), an official with Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Organization (FRWO) has said.

Indian Shias donate $715,000 to Iran’s flood victims

TEHRAN — Shia Muslims in India have made contributions of 30 billion rials (nearly $715,000) to help victims of recent floods in Iran, Mehr news agency reported on Friday.

General warns of Iran’s crushing response to any threat

TEHRAN – Deputy Chief of the Iranian Army Ground Force has said Iran’s armed forces are fully prepared to give a crushing response to any threat and aggression.

By staff and agency

UN calls for restraint amid regional tension

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has called for “maximum restraint” from all parties amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. and in the Middle East region.

Iraqi cleric urges Sunni Muslims to defend Iran against U.S.

TEHRAN – Sheikh Abdul-Latif al-Hamim, head of the Sunni Endowment of Iraq, has issued a fatwa, calling on Sunni Muslims to defend the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of U.S. threats.

Younger generations must be trusted, cleric says

TEHRAN – Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard, the interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran, says the younger generations must be trusted in order to boost development and achieve a stronger economy.

Setareh Jahandideh

Will cotton waste stalks accelerate wound healing?

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) extracted from cotton might be proper sources for making dressing material that can speed up the wound healing process, a new study shows. 

Iran, first in Middle East to do stem cell transplant on HIV patient 

TEHRAN- Blood stem cell transplant was carried out for the first time in Iran and the Middle East for treating cancer on a patient infected by HIV virus, Young Journalists Club reported on Wednesday. 

By staff and agency

U.S. House speaker: Congress has not approved war against Iran

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that the Trump administration does not have congressional authorization to go to war against Iran.

‘Exporters re-inject 60% of their foreign currency earnings into economy’

TEHRAN- The governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) said so far the country’s exporters have re-injected 60 percent of their total exports revenues in the form of foreign currency into the country’s financial system, IRNA reported on Friday.

Too early to assess impact of U.S. Iran sanctions on market: Novak

TEHRAN - Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak Said the impact which the U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil industry will have on the global markets is still unclear, IRNA reported

S. Korea April oil imports from Iran rise 17% on year

TERHAN – South Korea’s April oil shipments from Iran increased 17 percent compared to the same period last year, Reuters reported citing the country’s customs data.

Iran delivers 130,000t of fuel oil to China

TEHRAN – A tanker carrying Iranian fuel oil unloaded the nearly 130,000-ton cargo into storage tanks near the Chinese city of Zhoushan, Reuters reported on Thursday citing ship tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon.

Persepolis will not sign new player: Ivankovic

TEHRAN – Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic says they will not sign new players in the summer transfer windows.

Official says Iran welcomes psychiatrists’ assistance in movie ratings

TEHRAN – Cinema Organization of Iran (COI) deputy director Ebrahim Darughezadeh said on Friday that his organization welcomes any assistance from the Iranian Psychiatric Association in rating movies.

Iran seeks to screen films from Varesh festival in ECO member states

TEHRAN – Iran is seeking to screen a selection of films acclaimed at the Varesh International Film Festival in all member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

“Varnish” to compete in Okno Filmfest in Russia

TEHRAN – Iranian short film “Varnish” directed by Mahnaz Ronaqi will be competing in the 27th Okno Filmfest – Window to Europe, which will be held in Vyborg from August 2 to 8, a public relations team announced on Thursday.

“Body of a Woman as a Battlefield” to go on stage at Tehran theater

TEHRAN – Iranian director Elham Yusefi plans to stage Romanian-French playwright and novelist Matei Visniec’s play “The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield in the Bosnian War” at Tehran’s Neauphle-le-Chateau Hall on May 29. 

What’s in Tehran art galleries

Fatemeh Afshari, Alireza Chamak, Saeid Mahmudi, Mina Darvish and five other artists are displaying their latest paintings, drawings and sets of installation in an exhibition at Negar Gallery. The exhibition titled “The Remainder of a Trace” will run until May 31 at the gallery located at 33 Delaram Alley, Roshanai St. in the Qeitarieh neighborhood.

Tractor Sazi part company with Georges Leekens: report

TEHRAN – Iranian football club Tractor Sazi have reportedly parted company with Belgian coach Georges Leekens.

By Hamid Bayati

Will the German government fall before 2021?

German coalition disagreement over defensive issues

The German Chancellor and the coalition government are not well placed in public polls. It seems hard to bear Merkel at the head of German political and administrative equations! On the other hand, the Social-Democratic Party has lost its popularity among German citizens. In such a situation, Germany continues its political life with a coalition and inefficient government. 

By Saeed Sobhani

Why is British prime minister worried?

Leading British Nationalists in Electoral Polls

Tehran- Britain's withdrawal from the EU has become a complex puzzle! It seems that in the European Parliamentary elections, this will have an important role to play in electoral campaigns in the UK. While the two traditional British parties claim that supporters of leaving Europe and other nationalists are no longer in London's political and executive equations, polls in Britain show another reality!

By Ramin Hossein Abadian

Yemen drone capabilities turn the tide in the war

TEHRAN - Yemeni sources reported of extensive military operations against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.