May 06, The Iran Project – Chairman of Iran's parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi visit to Syria; UK Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Alistair Burt trip to Iran; Judiciary shuts down telegram; Netanyahu accuses Iran of secret program to produce nuclear weapons; Iranian officials, world leaders react to Netanyahu's accusations; National Persian Gulf Day honored on Kish Island; 2018 Tehran Int’l Book Fair kicks off; Iranians marking the birth anniversary of the 12th Shia Imam; Iranian official Masoumeh Ebtekar travel to Indonesia to attend a high-level conference of Muslim Ulema and Scholars on Moderate Islam; Hossein Jaberi Ansari discusses Yemen crisis with European officials and Iran, Oman discuss military ties at joint commission meeting are among major headlines dominated the country’s media outlets in the past week (April 30–May 06).


 

 

Politics

Ayatollah Khamenei: US aware of consequences of military action against Iran


Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said the US government is aware of the crushing response it will have to face in case of taking military action against Iran, reiterating that the time of hit and run is over.



Saudi Arabia not capable of posing threat to Iran: Commander


A senior Iranian commander says Saudi Arabia is incapable of posing a threat to Iran as the Islamic Republic has the upper hand in different spheres.

Netanyahu accuses Iran of secret program to produce nuclear weapons


Israeli regime’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday revealed a cache of files he claims were obtained from Iran and prove Tehran ran a secret program to build nuclear weapons.

Zarif likens Netanyahu to ‘the boy who cried wolf’


Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is like the boy who cries wolf after he repeats old allegations concerning Iran’s nuclear activities.



Mogherini: Only IAEA in charge of monitoring Iran’s nuclear program


EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Monday that the Iran nuclear deal is based on concrete commitments, verification mechanisms and a very strict monitoring of facts, done by the IAEA.



Judiciary issues decree to shut down telegram


Tehran Public and Revolutionary Court in a decree on Monday declared that the activity of Telegram will be blocked in Iran since April 30.

Statement on Iran by the IAEA Spokesperson


In December 2015, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano presented the Final Assessment on past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programme to the IAEA Board of Governors.

Iran’s Velayati lauds Kurds for standing against US, Israeli meddling in Syria


Ali Akbar Velayati, an international adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, said the Kurdish people of Syria proved that they would never allow the US and Israel to gain a foothold in the war-hit country.

Iran to drop out of nuclear deal if US withdraws 


Senior Adviser to Iran’s Leader Ali Akbar Velayati, pointing to Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks regarding JCPOA, said Iran is committed to the historical deal without slightest violation, but if America retreat from it, Iran will not remain either.

EU: Political talks with Iran constructive


Following second round of talks with Iran on regional issues, European Union announced late Thursday that today’s political consultations with Iran focusing on political and humanitarian situation in Yemen were constructive.

IRGC flight guards commander: 15 plane hijacking attempts defused in 34 years


Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Flight Guards Corps (Air Marshals) Brigadier General Ali Nassiri announced that his forces have thwarted 15 hijacking attempts on Iranian planes in the past 34 years.

Iran official rules out possibility of US-Israel war against Tehran 


A senior Iranian official has strongly ruled out the possibility of a war against the Islamic Republic given enemies’ awareness of Iran’s “political strength and its military and security preparedness.”

Kerry quietly seeking to salvage Iran deal he helped craft 


John Kerry’s bid to save one of his most significant accomplishments as secretary of state took him to New York on a Sunday afternoon two weeks ago, where, more than a year after he left office, he engaged in some unusual shadow diplomacy with a top-ranking Iranian official.

Iran president says Telegram not blocked by his administration 


The Iranian president says it was not his administration that blocked the Telegram messaging service, nor is the ban approved by the government.

Iran, Oman discuss military ties at joint commission meeting 


Iran and Oman discussed ways to expand military-security relations for the next year during the two countries’ 14th joint commission meeting hosted on Sat. by General Staff of Iranian Armed Forces in Tehran.

Trump administration hired Israeli intel firm to discredit ex-officials Iran nuclear deal: Report 


Aides to US President Donald Trump have reportedly hired an Israeli private intelligence agency to devise a “dirty ops” campaign against key Obama administration officials who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal in a scheme to discredit the agreement.

 


Regional Affairs



President al-Assad: Escalating aggression on Syria will enhance Syrians’ resolve to eliminate terrorism 


President Bashar al-Assad received on Monday Chairman of Iranian Shura Council’s Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, and the accompanying delegation.

Senior Iranian MP slams Saudi overtures to Israel, deadly war on Yemen 


A senior Iranian lawmaker has criticized Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy agenda, which has seen the kingdom moving towards normalization of ties with the occupying Israeli regime and launching a bloody war against neighboring Yemen.

Iraq’s top Shia cleric warns against voting for ‘corrupt’ legislators 


Iraq’s prominent Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has urged eligible voters in the Arab country not to cast their ballots in favor of “corrupt” lawmakers during next week’s national elections.

Children in Gaza Strip main victims of Israeli violence: UNICEF 


The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says children in the besieged Gaza Strip are the main victims of Israeli atrocities in the Palestinian sliver, amid an escalation of violence perpetrated by the Tel Aviv regime against some 1.8 million inhabitants of the coastal enclave.

Lebanon goes to polls to elect new parliament in almost a decade 


Voting has begun in Lebanon’s first parliamentary election in nine years, with over 500 candidates vying for 128 seats.

 

Economy



Qeshm Air in talks with Boeing on 20 jets: CEO 


An Iranian airline says it is in negotiations with Boeing for the purchase of 20 passenger planes even as US President Donald Trump’s threats to kill a nuclear deal this month have put Iran’s aviation contracts in doubt.

Air France to scale down its Iran business 


Air France (AIRF.PA) is cutting its Joon subsidiary’s service between Paris and Tehran to the summer season only, blaming a poor economic performance over two years in operation.

Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan sign economic MoU 


A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on economic ties development was signed between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan region.

Crude nears $70 with traders on edge ahead of Iran deal decision 


Oil futures in New York zeroed in on $70 a barrel as traders brace for a re-imposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran.

GECF Sec. Gen discusses gas market with Iran Petroleum Minister 


Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Yury Sentyurin met with Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh in his Tehran officer on Saturday to discuss the latest gas market developments.

 


Society

Tehran café run by Down syndrome, autistic staff 


Iran’s capital opens the first café run only by people with Down syndrome and autism.

First Iranian women weightlifters make history in Uzbekistan 


The first team of female athletes in Iran’s weightlifting history has made their presence felt in Uzbekistan’s competitions.

Book on Persian Gulf to be translated into 50 languages 


The author of the pictorial book ‘Persian Gulf’ says his book will be translated into 50 languages and distributed to the national libraries of 90 states.

Iran outranks Israel in scientific output


Figures released by a prestigious scientific centre suggest that Iran’s rank in Asia has been improved to the sixth position in terms of scientific output over the past 20 years.

Iran calls for scientific collaboration to settle Caspian Sea environmental issues


Iranian Science Minister Mansour Gholami has called for greater cooperation among Caspian Sea states to tackle its environmental issues as they develop into existential threats to the numerous and diverse ecosystems of the sea.