Qajar-era cisterns in Qazvin undergo restoration

TEHRAN- Three Qajar-era (1794–1925) cisterns in the northwestern province of Qazvin have undergone some rehabilitation works, CHTN reported.

Home of late Iranian conjoined twin sisters to be turned into traditional residence

TEHRAN- The home of late Iranian conjoined twin sisters Laleh and Ladan Bijani in the city of Malard, Tehran province, will be repurposed into a traditional residence.  

Museums lose 90% of revenues in wake of coronavirus outbreak 

TEHRAN- Iranian museums have lost 90 percent of their revenues due to the consecutive closures caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, Mohammadreza Kargar, the tourism ministry’s director of museums and historical properties, has said. 

Demarcation projects begin on 21 historical sites in northwest Iran

TEHRAN- A total of 21 historical sites across the northwestern West Azarbaijan province are being demarcated by teams of archaeologists and cultural heritage experts, a provincial tourism chief has said.

Iran bans trawling in Persian Gulf

TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) has banned any trawling in the Persian Gulf, ISNA quoted Ahmad Reza Lahijanzadeh, deputy chief of the DOE for the marine environment, as saying on Monday.

Vegetable caviar: Quinoa new guest of Iranian cuisine

TEHRAN – For the past couple of years, Iranian farmers in different provinces have been cultivating Quinoa, a healthy plant that is one of the oldest foods in the world, dating back to 5,000 years ago.

COVID-19 increases PM concentration in Tehran by 20%: study

TEHRAN – The results of a study by Iranian researchers shows that the concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5) as the most important pollutant in Tehran air during the coronavirus outbreak has increased by about 20 percent compared to the same period last year.

Taiwanese festival picks Bahman Kiarostami’s “Exodus”

TEHRAN – Iranian filmmaker Bahman Kiarostami’s documentary “Exodus” will go on screen in the Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival, Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC) announced on Monday. 

Six docs shortlisted for Hafez Awards 

TEHRAN – Six documentaries are competing in the 20th edition of the Hafez Awards as the organizers announced the nominees for this category on Monday.

Historical Museum of Belarus ready to expand ties with Iran: envoy 

TEHRAN – Iran’s cultural attaché in Belarus Abolqasem Mokhtarian has said that the National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus is willing to expand cultural relations with Iran.

Imran Khan: Mediation between Iran, Saudi Arabia going slowly

TEHRAN — Pakistan’s U.S.-requested mediation efforts between Saudi Arabia and Iran have been making slow progress, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday.

Atomic opportunities given to Iran by NPT are absolutely legitimate: Russia

TEHRAN - Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to the Vienna-based international organizations, has said that atomic opportunities given to Iran by the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) are absolutely legitimate.

Kashan named capital of Nahj-ul-Balaghah of Imam Ali (AS)

TEHRAN – The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has selected the central Iranian city of Kashan, famous for its rosewater and historical monuments, as the capital of the Nahj-ul-Balaghah of Imam Ali (AS).

Polish embassy expresses sympathy over filmmaker Sinai’s death

TEHRAN – The Embassy of Poland in Tehran has expressed sympathy over the death of the celebrated Iranian filmmaker Khosro Sinai who died from COVID-19 on Saturday. 

Pakistani publisher acquires rights to “Kiss the Lovely Face of God”

TEHRAN – A Pakistani publisher has acquired the rights to the Urdu translation of the bestselling Persian novel “Kiss the Lovely Face of God”.

Georgian scholar Murman Tavdishvili novelizes life story of Persian poet Ferdowsi  

TEHRAN – Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization announced on Monday that Georgian scholar Murman Tavdishvili has authored the life story of Ferdowsi, the composer of the Persian epic masterpiece Shahnameh.

Ayatollah Jannati slams Riyadh for atrocities in Yemen

TEHRAN — Chief of the Guardian Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati has condemned Saudi Arabia for its crimes in Yemen.

Iran sanctions former aide to John Bolton under anti-terror law

TEHRAN — The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that it has imposed sanctions on an aide to John Bolton, the former U.S. national security adviser, under the Islamic Republic’s anti-terrorism law.

Army, IRGC united like a fist against enemies, says admiral

TEHRAN — The Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) are united like a “fist” against the enemies of the country, Deputy Chief of the Iranian Army for Coordination Affairs Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Monday.

Golestan hosting online marriage festival of Iranian tribes

TEHRAN – The second national marriage festival of Iranian tribes opened online in northern Golestan province on Monday.

Academic co-op key element of Iran-China strategic partnership

TEHRAN – The most important element of the science and technology section of the Tehran-Beijing 25-year strategic partnership is the enhanced academic cooperation between universities of the two countries, deputy science minister Hossein Salar Amoli has said.

U.S. plagued by injustice, gross human rights violations: Iran’s Judiciary chief

TEHRAN — Iranian Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi has said the United States is plagued by domestic injustice and gross human rights violations.

Austrian envoy calls U.S. sanctions on Iran ‘unfair’

TEHRAN — Austrian Ambassador to Tehran Stefan Scholz has termed U.S. sanctions on Iran as “unfair”, saying 250 Austrian firms are ready to establish economic relations with Iran.

Iran, Azerbaijan discuss broadening ties

TEHRAN - In phone talks on Monday, Iran's presidential chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi and Azeri Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev called for closer economic and trade cooperation as the COVID-19 outbreak has caused hurdles.

No effective action taken within INSTEX: expert

TEHRAN – Reza Mirtaher, an expert on international affairs, has said that no effective action has been taken within the framework of INSTEX (the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges).

By Salman Parviz

Beijing's strategic 25-year partnership with Tehran

Implication on Chabahar port

Beijing is in the final stages of approving the 25-year $400 billion economic and security deal with Tehran dubbed Sino-Iranian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The media reports that the agreement incorporates massive Chinese investment in Iran's infrastructure envisions closer defense and intelligence sharing and guaranteed Iranian oil for China.

Solar energy, an advantage for Iran

With more than 300 sunny days throughout the year, Iran has an advantage for benefitting from solar energy.

Iran, UAE agree to continue dialogue on ‘theme of hope’: Zarif

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday that Iran and the United Arab Emirates agreed to “continue dialogue on theme of hope”.

Special Ambassador and Advisor to the United Nations:

Harassing Iranian plane proves U.S. doesn't intend to respect intl. covenants

TEHRAN - Referring to harassment of Iranian plane over Syria's sky by American fighters, the Lebanese lawyer Haitham Abu Said says this move carries a message to the international community that the U.S. is going not to respect international covenants.