Iran’s World Heritage sites to host music concerts 

TEHRAN – The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts plans to organize music concerts at the country’s UNESCO World Heritage sites as well as museums, CHTN reported on Tuesday. 

Online meeting held on home-based handicraft, kilim workshops

TEHRAN – The Carpet Museum of Iran hosted on Tuesday an online meeting on weaving kilim and running small handicrafts businesses, CHTN reported. 

Syrian FM calls fuel delivery to Venezuela a great step

TEHRAN – Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Tuesday that Iran’s action in sending fuel to Venezuela was a very “great step”.

New items added to intangible cultural heritage list

TEHRAN – Eleven new items from the southern Fars province have been registered on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list, CHTN reported on Tuesday.

Annual handicraft exports fetch Khuzestan over $5 million 

TEHRAN – Handicrafts exports from the southwestern province of Khuzestan reached $5.1 million during the previous Iranian calendar year 1398 (ended March 19), provincial tourism chief has said.

Tabas Geopark moves closer to possible UNESCO registration

TEHRAN – An extensive dossier, which is an essential prerequisite for possible UNESCO inscription of a site, has almost been completed for the gigantic Tabas Geopark, which is situated in east-central Iran.

Archaeological survey yields 145 relics in southeastern Iran

TEHRAN – A total of 145 ancient and prehistorical relics have so far been identified during an archaeological survey being conducted in the central core of the Qalehganj county, southeastern Kerman province.

Economy is parliament’s priority, Ghalibaf says

TEHRAN - Majlis Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday that solving economic problems and reforming budget structure are parliament’s priorities.

Iran will not forget China’s stance on IAEA resolution: diplomat

TEHRAN – Tehran’s Ambassador to China, Mohammad Keshavarzzadeh, has said that Iran will not forget China’s stance on a resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors.

Iran not to send pilgrims to Hajj

TEHRAN - Representative of the Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs and the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization issued a joint statement on Tuesday announcing Iran will not send pilgrims to Hajj in the current year.

Iran-China 25-year comprehensive plan for co-op proves failure of efforts to isolate Iran: government

TEHRAN - Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Tuesday that Iran and China have drafted a 25-year plan for economic cooperation which proves failure of the plots to isolate the Islamic Republic.

By Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR representative to Iran

World Refugee Day: time for rally around Iran on humanitarian purposes

As I read the new Global Trends report issued last week from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, I cannot help but feel worried. 1 in 97 people worldwide has been forced to flee their homes. This represents 79.5 million people forcibly displaced in and out of their countries at the end of 2019 – an unprecedented number.

‘No people will accept oppression forever’

Certainly anti-racisms protests are driven by “sense of quest for truth”, justice campaigner says of Ayatollah Khamenei’s 2015 letter

TEHRAN – Phil Wilayto, editor of The Virginia Defender, tells the Tehran Times that as Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had said more than five years ago the anti-racism and anti-justice protests gripping the U.S. are driven by a “sense of quest for truth” by the youth.

Death of Iran’s fugitive judge is violence-related: report

TEHRAN – The Bucharest prosecutor's office released a report on Tuesday according to which the fugitive Iranian judge Gholamreza Mansouri has died from violence and also in haste.

Iran ‘has earned plaudits’ to ease COVID-19 impact on tourism, UNWTO says

TEHRAN – The United Nations World Tourism Organization has praised efforts made by Iran's tourism ministry to manage the travel industry during the coronavirus pandemic.

Composer Loris Tjeknavorian creates “memorable” piece in home quarantine 

TEHRAN – Loris Tjeknavorian, the 82-year-old Iranian composer, has said that he has created one of the most memorable pieces of his life during the home quarantine.

“Gando” director to make series on Hazrat Masumeh (SA) 

TEHRAN – Javad Afshar, the director of the controversial series “Gando”, has announced his plan to make a series on the life story of Hazrat Masumeh (SA), sister of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Shia Imam.

Photographer Omid Heidarifar’s work on faith wins award at HIPA competition

TEHRAN – Iranian photographer Omid Heidarifar has won the People’s Choice Award at the HIPA Instagram Photo Contest.

Tehran Intl. Short Film Festival receives about 5000 submissions

TEHRAN – The 37th edition of the Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF) has received 4986 submissions from different countries, the organizers have announced.

Iranian masters comment on Turkey's efforts for registration of calligraphy on UNESCO list 

TEHRAN – Iranian masters of calligraphy believe that Turkey has made great efforts in applying to register calligraphy on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, while Iran has been negligent.

Nuha al-Radi’s “Baghdad Diaries” published in Persian 

TEHRAN – A Persian translation of “Baghdad Diaries: A Woman’s Chronicle of War and Exile” by Iraqi postwar and contemporary artist Nuha al-Radi (1941 – 2004) has been published by Cheshmeh Publications in Tehran.

Deputy Culture Minister for Press Affairs Mohammad Khodadi meets Afghan counterpart in Tehran

TEHRAN -- Deputy Culture Minister for Press Affairs Mohammad Khodadi met with Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Mohammad Rasoul Bawari in his office in Tehran to discuss expansion of cultural relations, the office announced on Tuesday.

Cooperating with Trump ‘unconstructive’, Iran tells Australia

TEHRAN — Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a senior foreign policy advisor to the Iranian Parliament speaker, has said Australia’s cooperation with U.S. President Donald Trump’s “illogical policies” will not be conducive to regional security. 

Some $280m spent annually on rare diseases treatment

TEHRAN – The Iranian government spends a total of 12 trillion rials (nearly $280 million at an official rate of 42,000 rials) to provide medical treatment and pharmaceutical services to the patients suffering from rare diseases, Mehdi Shadnoush, head of the Health Ministry's center for transplantation and disease management, has announced.

Tehran, Kabul determined to prevent fatal incidents

Iran, Afghanistan agree to strengthen regional co-op, border security

TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Afghan caretaker Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar issued a joint statement late on Monday agreeing to expand regional cooperation and ensure border security among other issues between the two countries.

‘School-building ambassadors’ coming to aid education system

TEHRAN – In line with the document of the fundamental transformation of education, people who have a popular reputation are being invited as ambassadors to attract public participation for school construction, director of the organization for renovation, development, and equipment of schools has said.

Russia rebukes Europe for escalating tensions against Iran

TEHRAN — Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has rebuked the UK, France, and Germany for introducing an anti-Iran resolution, saying such measures are rooted in “destructive” measures adopted by the United States against the Iran nuclear deal.

IRGC says ready to help Judiciary in corruption fight

TEHRAN — Chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has voiced his forces’ readiness to help the Judiciary in ensuring security, fighting corruption, and punishing criminals.

Social indicators for girls improving: vice president

TEHRAN – Statistics show that the situation of girls in the Iranian society is improving in different areas, including health and education, said Masoumeh Ebtekar, the vice president for women’s and family affairs.