Zarif: Iranians facing economic war and hate propaganda by U.S.

TEHRAN – In a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Wednesday, Mohammad Javad Zarif said the United States not only has started an “economic war” against Iran it has also launched a “daily hate propaganda” against the Islamic Republic.

Abe: Japan will use its “utmost effort” to reduce tension in Persian Gulf

TEHRAN – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who visited Tehran on Wednesday afternoon said he will use his country’s “utmost effort” to deescalate tension in the Persian Gulf and the wider Middle East region.

Abe’s high-profile visit to Tehran

TEHRAN – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tehran on Wednesday afternoon for talks with top Iranian leaders.  

Millennia-old plant fossils discovered in northwest Iran

TEHRAN – Millennia-old fossil remains of various plants have recently been discovered in Meshkin Shahr county, northwest Iran, CHTN reported on Wednesday.

Tourism contributes $11.8b to Iran’s GDP: Mounesan

TEHRAN – Iran’s earnings from tourism contributed $11.8b to its gross domestic product (GDP) in the past Iranian calendar year 1397 (ended March 20), Tourism Chief Ali-Asghar Mounesan said on Tuesday.

Araqchi: Security in Persian Gulf is an ‘integrated and indivisible concept’

TEHRAN – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi says security in the Persian Gulf is an “integrated and indivisible” concept.

Japan’s Abe arrives in Tehran

TEHRAN – Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo arrived in Tehran on Wednesday afternoon.

Subatan highlands, a heaven for hikers, nature lovers and off-road adventurers

TEHRAN – Subatan highlands, popularly known as a “heaven” in northwestern Iran, is also a heaven for trekking, hiking and adventurous backpacking trips. It’s also an amazing off-road destination.

Abe says Japan seeks to play a role for regional peace

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that he wants to have candid talks with the Iranian leadership to secure stability in the Middle East, in a high-stakes attempt to act as a mediator between Iran and the United States.

By Chris Cook

A Low Carbon Enlightenment

In the first of two articles on energy strategy (Tehran Times 10th June 2019) I observed how the US implemented a physical energy strategy of Energy Dominance in the 18 months to 1st January 2019. The strategic US aim is to control global oil and gas markets by exporting almost unlimited Molecules of US Freedom of shale oil and associated natural gas.

Iran frees Lebanese-American prisoner Nizar Zakka 

TEHRAN – A diplomat with the Lebanese embassy in Tehran has confirmed the release of Lebanese-American national Nizar Zakka from a prison in Iran and his extradition to Beirut.

Law on auditing officials’ assets goes into force: Judiciary

TEHRAN – The law on auditing the assets of the authorities of the Islamic Republic has been passed and gone into force, Judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaeili announced on Tuesday.

Non-accreditation of NYT ‘man in Tehran’ older than paper claims: source

TEHRAN – Tehran refused an accreditation to the New York Times’ Tehran bureau chief long before what the American paper claims, a source says.

Some 70,000 artisans, craftspeople live in Isfahan province

TEHRAN – Some 70,000 artisans and craftspeople have so far been identified across the central province of Isfahan. 

Basij thanks Ukrainian wrestler for T-shit display

TEHRAN – The head of the Basij Organization has thanked Ukrainian wrestler Elmar Nuraliyev for displaying his T-shirt with a picture of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Zarif praises Maas for his honesty

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister has lauded his German counterpart Heiko Maas for admitting that it is essential to make sure that Iran benefit from “economic dividends” of the nuclear deal, officially called the JCPOA. 

Empty threats show enemies’ weakness: general

TEHRAN – Chief of the Iranian Army’s ground forces says the empty threats uttered by enemies show their “weakness” and “inability”.

UN watchdog confirms Iran’s promised uranium enrichment hike

TEHRAN - Iran has followed through on a threat to accelerate its production of enriched uranium, the head of the UN's atomic watchdog has said, departing from his usual guarded language to say he was worried about increasing tension.

Shiraz European Film Week canceled

TEHRAN – The European Film Week, which opened on Saturday simultaneously in eight Iranian cities, was canceled in Shiraz, the Persian service of IRNA reported on Tuesday.

By Payman Yazdani

Abe not to be able to achieve any real breakthrough: Italian expert

TEHRAN - Dr. Pastori Gianluca says that Shinzo Abe will not be able to achieve any real breakthrough in tensions between Iran and the U.S.

By Hanif Ghaffari

Germany must respond to its approach

TEHRAN - A recent German Foreign Minister's recent visit to Iran can be analyzed from a variety of dimensions. Undoubtedly, Berlin as one of the three European countries signing the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran is accused of being passive to the United States and even accepting the unacceptable demands of the government of Donald Trump in Washington.

By Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi

Post-JCPOA talks and the Deal of Century: Two sides of the same coin

TEHRAN - One year ago, U.S. abandoned its nuclear deal with Iran and imposed a wide range of sanctions on Iran. Furthermore, over the last year, U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Economic War Room, created by Donald Trump’s administration, adopted a series of strategies to impede Iran from exporting oil and transferring foreign exchange to other countries. 

FAO warns of another desert locust breakout in Iran

TEHRAN — In mid-May, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned of another desert locust breakout in mid-June in Iran if the current situation is not controlled.

Construction workers come across prehistorical cultural evidence in western Iran

TEHRAN – Scraps of cultural evidence dating from 5th and 4th millennium BC have accidentally been discovered during a construction project in the western city of Azna, Lorestan province.

IKIA new terminal’s operational readiness tested

TEHRAN – On Saturday, Imam Khomeini Intl. Airport (IKIA) officially concluded Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) in its newly-constructed Salam Terminal ahead of its inauguration in the near future.

Handicrafts exports up 3%, hit $289 million

Tours to Iran’s world craft hubs in the pipeline

TEHRAN - Iran’s handicrafts exports reached $289 million in the past Iranian calendar year 1397 (ended March 20), showing three percent growth year on year, Pouya Mahmoudian, the deputy director of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, said on Monday, CHTN reported.

Iran to highlight tourist attractions at Erbil fair

TEHRAN – A number of Iranian travel-associated businesses and tour operators will promote travel destinations, medical tourism, Persian handicrafts and indigenous traditions at Erbil Expo 2019.

Germany helps support vulnerable Afghan and Iraqi refugees in Iran

The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has contributed €2 million (US$2.2 million) to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in support of 30,000 of the most vulnerable Afghan and Iraqi refugees, most of them women and girls living in settlements in the Islamic Republic of Iran.