The Iranian newspapers and agencies issued in Persian language reported news about Javad Zarif’s changes in his advisory board. They also reported the removal of Amir Abdollahian from office, along with the Foreign Minister’s visit to both France and the Netherlands this week and Ukraine is seeking to boost trade and banking ties with Iran.
Prominent Editorials
“Causes of dust storms,” Editorial of “Iran Today Newspaper” brought up the climatic phenomenon affecting six Iranian provinces for several days. These Storms spread large quantities of dust over those territories and decreases visibility on roads. The Editorial reported that more than half of the country experienced dust clouds. Some of those storms come from outside Iran, but the satellite images and meteorologist reports showed that 65% of those storms are originated inside the Iranian territories. This critical phenomenon is caused by climate change due to desertification and deforestation. The editorial wonders how can the budget of the commission of land degradation and desertification, which is less than $ 10 million, face 70% of the country’s lands that is threatened by desertification. Those lands represent 100 million hectares in addition to the 32 million hectares of barren desert of Iran. The fires that flare up every year in the northern forests without any serious confrontation by the government have demolished more than 160 thousand hectares of forests over the past ten years. Moreover, over the past four years, the plains of Khuzestan and Orumiyeh have turned into desert. In less than seven years, the 13 thousand years old oak forests in the Zagros Mountainsides have been eliminated in an area of one million and 200 thousand hectares. The editorial says that Iran is facing a war with the phenomenon of desertification on its four sides and that sand is headed to coincide with the Iranian desert in the mid-side of the country. In addition to that, the government contributes to the severity of this phenomenon through negligence, and its random and unplanned activities.
“Axes Importation Phenomenon“. Resalat Newspaper reported in its editorial the phenomenon of axes importation from China. The Editorial wonders about the meaning of the resistant-economy slogan that Iran raised this year, meanwhile we import the simplest agricultural machinery, which is only a piece of iron fixed with a piece of wood. Did Iran fail to manufacture axes to import them from China for forty eight thousand dollars? In addition to sunglasses, tractors, and hundreds of other goods that Iran has had the ability to manufacture for years? The big amounts of revenues of importation made merchants trade with China and disrupt the Iranian economy. The Editorial presents a political issue to the case and says that the greedy modernist liberals in Tehran are the ones defending global trade freedom. Moreover, they claim that people have the right to get cheaper and higher quality goods, regardless of their origin. But they forget that the protective economic laws of local products appeared first in the capitalist countries, and after dominating the global economy, they aimed to prevent the developing countries from using those laws that have contributed to the development of their industries. It seems that Iran currently is confused about the economic pattern it has to choose. The political affiliation and group interests highly contribute to the Iranian economic policy-making.
“Government Compulsion to not intervene in the economy and the banking system”. Kyhan Sanaat Newspaper brought up today an editorial that contradicts with the editorial of Resalat Newspaper. Kyhan calls for no government intervention in the economy and in the determination of the bank interest rate. The editorial says that the bank interest rate must be determined according to market mechanism, and the demand and supply laws, because any binding price by the government won’t go well since the interest rate is a crucial sign in the economy indicators of any country. At the end of reformists government reign, the trend moved toward decreasing the interest rate on loans, bank facilities, and deposits in accordance to the market mechanism. Indeed, the interest rate was decreased to 12% only. However, during Ahmadinejad’s era, the interest rate climbed to the point that the Iranian central bank issued bonds at an interest rate of 23%. In fact, the market has no theoretical kindness and recorded the highest bank interest rate that the world has ever known during Ahmadinejad’s era. As long as the inflation rate dropped from 40% to about 10%, the interest rate also should be decreased to this level through market mechanism and freeing of interest rate, but not by government decisions that could lead to a dishonest expression about the reality of the Iranian market.
Prominent News
♦ Increase of Divorce Rates and Fleeing of Girls
Social affairs specialist, Kazim Ghagavand, warned of the increase of divorce cases and fleeing of girls in the future in light of the alarming increase rate recorded earlier. He called for actions necessary to prevent any social damage resulting from this catastrophe, saying “we are now facing difficult circumstances due to the lack of coordination between the concerned governmental departments, and we will certainly suffer the growth of these social problems.”
Source: Arman Newspaper.
♦ The Discovery of a Suicide Bombing in Tehran
The Secretary-General of the National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani reported last night the discovery of plans for terrorist attacks in Tehran. Those plans have been aborted by arresting the terrorists. Shamkhani added that this terrorist group had intended to launch bombing attacks in Tehran during the holy month of Ramadan. Shamkhani also said that the security and military personnel in Iran have the ability to detect any suspicious action immediately.
Source: Etemad Newspaper.
♦ Mohseni Azadeh Eh Comments About the file of the Attack on Saudi Embassy
The official spokesperson of Judiciary in an interview about the file of the attack on the Saudi Embassy responded by saying “we have heard from some officials saying they could end and contain this story, but some of them did not know that had they sent any reports about it, it would have been studied carefully by judiciary.»
Source: Abrar Newspaper.
♦ Three Thousand Plants Stopped Working during Ahmadinejad’s era
According to official statistics published by the Iranian Statistics Centre, the number of medium and large industrial workshops in Iran amounted to 17,603 factories in 2007. Due to the high amounts of oil revenues during that period, and the rapid decline of economic inflation, in addition to the governmental slogans of supporting the national production, it was expected to see an increase in the number of factories. The statistics showed the opposite, the number of medium and large-sized factories dropped in 2012 to 1,386 factories in a decline rate of 16%, in addition to 2,816 factories that stopped working during the years 2007 until 2012.
Source: Abrar Eghtesadi Newspaper.
♦ Ukraine is seeking to Boost Trade and Banking Ties with Iran
Deputy Minister of Industry, Minerals, and Trade, Wali Elah Afkhami said that trade exchange between Iran and Ukraine declined in the past few years. However, according to the agreement between the two countries, trade exchange and cooperation increased between Tehran and Kiev. Afkhami added that during his meeting with Brodeljak, the Ukrainian Ambassador in Tehran, he declared that Iran is ready to establish four committees of cooperation in trade, industry and minerals between the two countries. The Ukrainian Ambassador said that his country is seeking to strengthen ties with Iran and this can be maintained through the food industry.
Source: Abrar Eghtesadi Newspaper.
♦ Changes in the Iranian Foreign Ministry
Gaberi Ansari has replaced Abdullahian as an assistant of Arab and African Affairs office/ Bahram Ghasemi the new foreign ministry Spokesperson
Hussain Gaberi Ansari was appointed the Foreign Minister Assistant for Arab and African Affairs by a decree from the Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, while Bahram Ghasemi was appointed spokesperson and head of general diplomat and media center of the Foreign Ministry.
Before that, Ghasemi was Iran›s ambassador to Ireland, Italy and Spain; head of the second political department; head of the first political department of the Commonwealth Countries; director general of Western Europe department in the Iranian Foreign Ministry; and Ministry assistant for international researches affairs in the strategic research center.
Gaberi Ansari also assumed responsibility of Middle East and Arabian Gulf research management; adviser of Arab and African affairs assistant; director general of Middle East and North Africa affairs, Iran›s ambassador to Libya; as well as head and spokesperson of diplomatic and media center in the Foreign Ministry. Hussein Amir Abdollahian has been appointed adviser of the Foreign Affairs Minister.
Source: Tasnim Agency.
♦ Tehran Mayor: There is a Possibility of Repeating the Incident of Shahran in 400 Sites
Mayor of Tehran, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf explained, “If we want our city to enjoy safety and security conditions, a network of standard infrastructure or a common channel should be established in the city, which requires an integrated management. He added during his review of the municipality reaction to the incident of gas pipeline fire in Shahran that, had this incident occurred in a different time, it could have lead to a big disaster.
Ghalibaf stressed that Tehran currently has 400 similar points to those of Shahran, which might be exposed to similar incidents. Therefore, specific information must be obtained about the infrastructure, pointing out that safe cities in the world have large networks of infrastructure. He added, “If we want to study and discuss Tehran from this prospective, we must say that its infrastructure is not considered within the most favorable standards, actually, there is a great distance between Tehran’s infrastructure and the international standards”.
Source: Ettelaat Newspaper.
♦ Proujerdi was Appointed Head of the National Security Committee in the parliament
Members of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee were elected in the tenth parliament during the first session of this committee, which was held on the 19th of this month. Alaadeen Proujerdi, the representative of Proujerdi electoral district was elected head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee by fifteen votes, while Representative Mustafa Kwakibyan who nominated for the same office got eight votes.
Representative Kamal Dehghan and Hassan Pecky were also elected first and second deputies of head of the National Security Committee.
Source: IRNA.
♦ Parliament to Respond to the Latest Explosion of Shahran
Mohammad Javad Kolivand, Member of the councils and internal affairs committee in the parliament, referred to the latest explosion in Shahran, saying, «After the formation of its governing body, this committee will immediately send a group of representatives to investigate the incident.”
Kolivand added, «At the moment, I cannot explain the main reason of this incident. In such matters, a group of representatives should make an onsite detailed report.”
The gas explosion occurred at the intersection of Yakem Shahran and Kuhsar streets, north-west of Tehran, at four am last Friday. The gas pipe exploded, bringing about a ditch of about 100 meters length, and more than 50 meters width and depth. It also extended up to the metro station, and caused the burning out of two buildings in its vicinity.
Source: Jam-e Jam.
♦ Teacher and His Wife Killed in Iranshahr
Director of Education in Iranshahr, declared that a teacher and his wife were killed in Iranshahr’s Alwilaya Street through an attack of armed individuals.
According to a report of Jam-e Jam online, Abdul Ghafoor Hosseini said in an interview with Tasnim news agency, “Chehrdarzhi, the Iranshahri teacher was driving his own car through Alwilaya Street with his wife and young son.» He added, «According to eyewitnesses, two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire at the car, killing the teacher and his wife, meanwhile, their son came to no harm in this incident.»
Source: Jam-e Jam
