iran news

Alsumaria news agency quoted the head of the Anbar provincial council as saying that the military operation began on Saturday to liberate Iraq’s central city of Hit.

According to Sabah Karhout, the security forces, backed by the tribal fighters, have made advances in the Kubaysah region, west of Hit.

The raid comes after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi pledged a forthcoming military operation to recapture the northe city of Mosul from the terrorist groups.

Abadi has vowed that the Iraqi flag will be soon hoisted in the city of Mosul, which has been seized by the Daesh (also known as ISIL) terrorist group since June 2014.

The Daesh militants made advances in much of northe and weste Iraq in summer 2014, after capturing swaths of northe Syria.

However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the popular forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for fight against the militants, have blunted the edge of the Daesh offensive.

The Kremlin’s decision to pull forces out of Syria encourages the Syria opposition to take part in the peace talks, Amin Hotait, a retired Lebanese army general and an expert in military and strategic affairs told Tasnim on Saturday.

Now the opposition can no more use the Russian aerial military operations in Syria as an excuse for elusive success in the peace talks aimed at ending the civil war in the Arab country, he added.

The former general said Russia’s main mission in Syria was to annihilate the main capabilities of the terrorist groups and strengthen the Syria Army in the battle against armed groups.

Back on March 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal of the “main part” of Russian forces in Syria, a move that reflected what he called the Kremlin’s achievement of nearly all its goals in the war-to country.

Russia had deployed about 50 fighter jets and attack helicopters to the Hmeymim air base near Latakia, starting in September 2015.

The pullout from the base coincides with the resumption of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva between the Syrian govement and representatives of the opposition.

Putin has expressed the hope that the pullout would help the Syria peace talks underway in Geneva.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with Takfiri terrorists, including the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group, currently controlling parts of it, mostly in the east.

The Syrian conflict has killed at least 260,000 people, according to the UN, and more than half of Syria’s pre-war population of 22.4 million has been inteally displaced or fled abroad.

One guard was lightly injured in the incident, which occurred near a disputed place of worship in central Hebron, and another border guard killed the assailant, police said in a statement.

According to police, the Palestinian approached a checkpoint close to the site known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque and to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, where he was asked for identification.

He then drew a knife and attacked one guard, before being chased and shot dead.

Palestinian officials named the youth as 18-year-old Abdallah Ajluni. Earlier police had given his age as 17.

Since October 1, a wave of violence has killed 198 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count.

Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank, has long been a source of tensions, with several hundred Israeli settlers living in the heart of the city under heavy military guard among around 200,000 Palestinians.

An AFP joualist said all entrances to the old city were shut down by Israeli soldiers following Saturday's attack.

Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest.

In an interview with Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm, Mohammad Mahmoudian said Iran is ready to share its experience in the nuclear technology with Egypt.

“Tehran is ready to help Egypt, and any Islamic country, in the peaceful nuclear technology, within the framework of the inteational regulations and treaties and the Inteational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),” the diplomat explained.

Back in November 2015, President Rouhani said signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a lasting nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, would open the door for Iran to enter the inteational nuclear market and use advanced centrifuge machines for enriching uranium.

The accord between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) took effect on January 16, terminating all nuclear-related sanctions on Iran.

Hundreds of people chanted "Dump Trump" and "Mr. Hate Out of Our State" as police in riot gear blocked the entrance to the Salt Lake City building, after protesters tried to rush the door and got into dozens of screaming matches with Trump supporters who didn't make into the venue.

Trump said he loves Mormons in his first public appearance of the campaign in Utah. He had critical words, though, for former presidential candidate and Utah resident Mitt Romney, who said he was supporting Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the state's upcoming caucuses.

Romney, who has made Utah his adopted home, said Friday that he plans to vote for Cruz in the state's Tuesday caucuses, AP reported.

The top Iranian diplomat, who arrived in Istanbul on Saturday moing, condemned the attack and offered condolences to the Turkish govement and nation on the bloody incident.

At least five people have been killed, and 36 others are reported wounded after the suicide bombing rocked Istiklal Caddesi, the main shopping street in central Istanbul.

Istiklal is a pedestrian street usually thronged with shoppers and strollers on the weekend.

The blast comes six days after a suicide car bombing in the capital Ankara which killed 35 people.

The attack was claimed by Kurdish rebels.

Turkey has also repeatedly been targeted by the Islamic State jihadist group in recent months.

The full text of his message reads:

I am delighted to offer best wishes for a happy Nowruz to all those celebrating around the world – and to the many others who can benefit from this rich cultural heritage.

Nowruz is an ancient tradition with mode relevance. Its spirit of friendship, solidarity and respect for the natural environment resonates powerfully with the values of the United Nations.

The hundreds of millions of people around the world who observe this holiday represent a vast range of human experience. Their traditions are richly diverse, producing a tapestry of cultural expressions and symbols.

The myriad Nowruz commemorations in our world share a common reverence for the renewal that comes with the Spring Equinox. All people may draw inspiration from this sense of fresh possibility.

Nowruz transcends national borders, religious divides and other differences to unite communities with bonds of goodwill.

Such common purpose can help humanity rise to this moment in history.

We are now in the first year of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, our vision for a life of dignity for all people. This is also the first year of the historic Paris Agreement on climate change, which possesses enormous potential to open a new future.

At the same time, conflict, discrimination and other violations of human rights continue to take an immense toll. We must respond with compassionate action that addresses immediate suffering while tackling root causes. With its focus on good relations, environmental stewardship and lasting peace, Nowruz is an occasion to strengthen our resolve to leave no one behind in our jouey to a better future.

Let us enable all people who celebrate Nowruz to celebrate with joy and meaning – and let us spread its essential message of hope and renewal around the world."

The word Nowruz literally means "new day" in the Persian language and the festivity marks the beginning of spring and the new Iranian year.

In 2010, the UN General Assembly established March 21 as the Inteational Day of Nowruz. This year, the Persian New Year falls on Sunday, March 20.

In 2009, Nowruz was officially added to UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Abbas Akhoundi opened the ferry terminal at a ceremony on Friday. With three lounges and a total of 660 seats, the terminal has been built on an area of 3,500 square meters.

Passengers can board ferries in the new terminal to travel to the islands of Hormuz and Qeshm, in the Persian Gulf.

It is expected that a daily number of 12,000 passengers would use the terminal in the ordinary days, but a large influx of travelers during the new Iranian year’s holidays will raise that number to 35,000.

Moreover, two brand-new cruise ferries, with 407 seats combined, joined the Hormozgan Province’s fleet of passenger ships.

Every year, a large number of Iranian vacationers travel to the southe islands during the new year’s holidays in March, which also marks Nowruz.

The Persian Gulf islands of Qeshm and Kish attract the highest number of holidaymakers.

In a move likely to inflame tensions between the judiciary and Brazil's leftist govement, Supreme Court justice Gilmar Mendes said Rousseff's decision to name Lula her chief of staff appeared designed to shelter him from prosecutors' charges of money laundering.

Lula's appointment on Wednesday, which sparked protests in several cities, means only the Supreme Court can investigate him, placing him beyond the reach of a crusading judge heading Brazil's biggest ever graft probe into corruption at state oil company Petrobras, Reuters reported.

"It would be plausible to conclude that the appointment and subsequent swearing-in could constitute fraud of the Constitution," Mendes said in his ruling. His decision to suspend Lula from ministerial office can be appealed before a plenary session of the court.

The opposition branded Rousseff's appointment of her charismatic political mentor as a desperate bid to shore up support in her Workers Party against impeachment proceedings, which picked up speed in Congress on Friday, as well as a means of protecting him from prosecutors.

The attack took place on Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian street usually thronged with shoppers and strollers on the weekend.

The police had sealed off part of the street, which adjoins Taksim Square in the European part of the city.

Several ambulances were at the scene, television images showed.

According to some reports, another attack hit the Nisantasi area of Istanbul some 15 minutes after the blast in Taksim, RT reported.

The blast in Istanbul comes six days after a suicide car bombing in the capital Ankara which killed 35 people.

The attack was claimed by Kurdish rebels.

Turkey has also repeatedly been targeted by the Islamic State jihadist group in recent months.

In the phone conversation, Amir Abdollahian underlined the need for increased attention to the dispatch of humanitarian aid to the entire Syria, and urged the acceleration of aid delivery to the two towns of Foua and Kefraya, which are still sieged by armed terrorists.

He further hailed as positive the efforts made by the UN envoy to help resolve the crisis politically, and highlighted the significance of focusing on Syrian-Syrian dialog.

Amir Abdollahian, however, criticized the presence of certain notorious figures linked with terrorist groups in the ongoing Geneva talks, stressing that the attendance of such figures is detrimental to the political talks.

De Mistura, for his part, appreciated Iran’s efforts in the fight against terrorism and its support for a political solution to the ongoing crisis, and noted that the Geneva negotiations are on a positive track.

“The talks, despite the existing challenges, will resume until next Tuesday,” he went on to say.

The UN envoy also briefed the Iranian diplomat on the latest developments in the talks, and underlined the importance of further efforts by the UN in sending humanitarian aid to the crisis-hit Syria.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with Takfiri terrorists from various groups, including the Daesh, currently controlling parts of it.

According to a report by Sputnik, Gallup’s latest poll, conducted for the first time since 1994, found that some 54 percent of US citizens say they are opposed to nuclear energy compared to 44 percent who support it.

The poll also found that US Republicans are more likely than Democrats and Independents to favor the use of nuclear energy. Fifty-three percent of Republicans say they are in favor of using nuclear energy, while only 34 percent of Democrats support its use.

The less favorable views on nuclear energy could be attributed to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the poll explained.

The survey also noted that lower gas prices over the past year could also be driving a higher opposition to nuclear energy as Americans are less worried about the US energy situation.

He will prepare the team for the World Olympic Qualification Touament in Japan.

Lozano was appointed as the Iranian coach in November 2015.

The Iranian team will start its training for the competition on March 25 under command of his countryman Juan Cicello in Tehran.

Lozano will join the team in early April.

Iran will take part in the World qualification touament which will be held in Japan from May 28 to June 5.

The Iranian team has a chance to advance to the Olympics as the the best Asian team.

According to a road map, Iran will be hosting an annual number of 20 million tourists in 2025, generating a $30 billion income, Soltanifar said in the southe port city of Bushehr on Thursday.

He noted that the country has the potential to satisfy the needs of all types of tourists, given its diverse climates, the huge number of historical sites, pilgrimage destinations, and great opportunities for health tourism.

According to Soltanifar, the costs of medical treatment in Iran are one fifth compared with those in the European countries.

The official had announced in an interview with Tasnim in January that Iran’s income from attracting tourists will amount to the oil incomes in 2025.

With a large number of attractive natural and historical sites, Iran is one of the most favorable destinations for tourists.

More foreign tourists are starting to arrive in Iran after a lasting nuclear deal between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) came into force and nuclear-related anti-Iran sanctions were terminated.

An Iranian human rights delegation attended the 31st regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Led by deputy head of the Iranian Judiciary’s Human Rights Council Kazem Gharibabadi, the delegation had a meeting with head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights office on the status of women.

During the meeting, the Iranian envoy briefed the UN official on the most significant measures Iran has taken to improve the situation of women after victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Gharibabadi pointed to Iran’s measures for the empowerment of women and improving their status in scientific, cultural, social, economic and political arenas while observing their human dignity.

Iranian women enjoy equal job opportunities compared with men, with many high-profile posts being assumed by female officials.

Earlier in February, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed a conference on the role of women in development, stressing the significant role that women play in the elections.

US crude (CLc1) was up 3 cents at $40.23 barrel at 0653 GMT, after rising to as much as $40.55 - higher than the previous peak of $40.36 reached on Thursday. The benchmark had surged 4.5 percent to close at $40.20 in the prior session.

Brent crude's front-month contract (LCOc1) was up 2 cents at $41.56 per barrel and earlier rose to $41.71, a new high for the year. It finished up $1.21 at $41.54 a barrel on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Oil prices have surged more than 50 percent from 12-year lows since the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) floated the idea of a production freeze, boosting Brent from about $27 and US crude from around $26.

US oil is heading for a fifth week of gains, while Brent is on course for a fourth weekly increase, the longest rising streak in about a year for both benchmarks.

OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC producers led by Russia will meet on April 17 in the Qatar capital Doha, aiming for the first global supply deal in 15 years.

During the visit, Zarif will hold separate meetings with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

According to a statement by the Turkish foreign ministry, Zarif will hold talks with Turkish officials on bilateral ties as well as the ongoing developments in the Middle East and the world.

Zarif’s trip will come a couple of weeks after Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu made a trip to Iran on March 4 to hold talks with the country’s senior officials on various issues.

During his visit to the Islamic Republic, he met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Zarif, and a number of other senior officials to discuss various issues, including the latest developments in the Middle East region.

Davutoglu’s trip to Iran was the first high-level state visit since President Erdogan traveled to the country in April 2015.

Meanwhile, President Rouhani is also scheduled to visit Ankara and hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Erdogan this spring, media reports said earlier this month.

“It has been decided that President Rouhani will visit Turkey in the middle of spring to meet with President Erdogan,” Sputnik quoted an unnamed Iranian source as saying on March 10.

Despite their differences, Turkey and Iran have largely maintained cordial diplomatic relations.

The Olympic gold medalist was defeated against his Japanese rival 7-4 in the competition got underway in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The Iranian 59kg Greco-Roman wrestler has still chance to ea berth in two upcoming events which will be held at Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) in April and Istanbul (Turkey) in May.

Omid Noroozi in 66kg, Komeil Ghasemi in 125kg and Bashir Babajanzadeh in 130kg will also represent Iran in the competition.

The touey will be contested over three days, March 18-20, with competition in two weight categories of each of the three Olympic Games disciplines on display each day.

The top two wrestlers in each weight category will win berths for their national Olympic committees for the wrestling competition in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, August 14-21.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the missile was likely a medium-range Rodong-missile. If confirmed, it would mark North Korea's first test of a medium range missile, capable of reaching Japan, since 2014.

The launch comes amid heightened tension on the Korean peninsula after the North rejected UN Security Council sanctions imposed earlier in the month in response to a nuclear test conducted in January and the United States issued fresh sanctions this week.

The missile was launched from north of the capital, Pyongyang, flying across the peninsula and into the sea off the east coast early Friday moing, the South's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

It appeared the North may have fired a second missile soon after from the same region, with a projectile disappearing from radar at an altitude of about 17 km, it added.

South Korea did not confirm the type of the missiles. But 800 km was likely beyond the range of most short-range missiles in the North's arsenal. The North's Rodong missile has an estimated maximum range of 1,300 km, according to the South's defense ministry.

A US official told Reuters in Washington that it appeared to be a medium-range missile fired from a road-mobile launcher.

The US State Department said in a statement it was closely monitoring the situation and urged North Korea to focus on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its inteational commitments and obligations.

Japan quickly condemned the launch, lodging a protest with North Korea through its embassy in Beijing, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament.

"Japan strongly demands North Korea to exercise self-restraint and will take all necessary measures, such as waing and surveillance activity, to be able to respond to any situations," Abe said.

Last week, the North fired two short-range missiles into the sea off its east coast and its leader Kim Jong Un ordered more nuclear weapons tests and missile tests to improve attack capability.

North Korea often fires missiles at periods of tension on the Korean peninsula or when it comes under pressure to curb its defiance and abandon its weapons programs.

New US sanctions on Pyongyang were issued on Wednesday aiming to expand its blockade by blacklisting individuals and entities that deal with the North's economy.

The North has also reacted angrily to annual joint military drills by US and South Korean troops that began on March 7, calling the exercises "nuclear war moves" and threatening to wipe out its enemies.

South Korean and the US officials began discussions this month on deploying the advanced anti-missile Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to the US military in the South, despite Chinese and Russian objection.

Japan has previously said it was considering THAAD to beef up its defenses.

North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in Jan. 6 and launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7 in defiance of existing UN Security Council resolutions.

On Wednesday, North Korea's Supreme Court sentenced a visiting American student to 15 years of hard labor for crimes against the state, a punishment Washington condemned as politically motivated.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Kelly Ayotte is a reflection of longstanding exasperation among Republican lawmakers who've complained that President Obama has failed to show proper reaction to Tehran’s missile tests, which they claim is against UN resolutions.

Ayotte and other Republicans said senior US military officials are in favor of tougher sanctions. Both Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Army Gen. Joseph Votel, Obama's choice to be the next US commander for the Middle East, have told the Senate Armed Services Committee in the last week that harder hitting sanctions are necessary.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) test-fired two ballistic missiles on March 9, and US officials said the launches were in defiance of the UN resolution, which calls on Tehran not to launch any ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon.

But Iran's UN Mission said in a statement that the country "has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and never will in the future." It said the missile tests "were part of ongoing efforts of its armed forces to strengthen its legitimate defense capabilities ... against security threats."

The US administration in January announced sanctions against Tehran for missile firings in late 2015, but Republicans called those measures tepid and weak, the Associated Press reported.

Ayotte's legislation is supported by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, which suggests the bill could be taken up quickly. Republicans remain frustrated after they were unable to scuttle the inteational accord to check Iran's nuclear program in exchange for economic sanctions relief.

The legislation requires new sanctions against persons who knowingly aid Iran's missile program and against entities controlled or owned in part by Iran's primary ballistic missile organizations.

The bill also would mandate a broad reach by requiring the president to issue sanctions on entire sectors of Iran's economy found to be directly or indirectly supporting Iran's missile program.

Republican senators Marco Rubio of Florida, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Mark Kirk of Illinois also are backing the bill.

Earlier this week, the US said the launches were provocative and destabilizing, and called for a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the issue.

However, the UNSC in a meeting on Iran’s missile tests agreed that the country’s recent launches are not in breach of UN resolutions.

Tehran maintains that its missile prowess is purely defensive. It has also rejects allegations that the projectiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

On Wednesday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said the country’s ballistic missile serves defensive and deterrent purposes, stressing that the Islamic Republic has never sought to launch aggression against any country.

“We have had no intention of invading any country, particularly our neighbors, with our missiles and we will not do so, and our arms are (designed) solely to defend our nation and country,” Rouhani said on the sidelines of a cabinet session.

The Iranian president further expressed satisfaction that US “hardliners and hawkish” officials, who unjustly took the Iranian missile test to the UN Security Council (UNSC), failed to achieve their objectives.