January 28, The Iran Project – Iran, Belarus business forum kicks off in Tehran; Army launches war game Southeast of Iran; 11th Int’l tourism exhibition in Tehran; Iran builds thermal imaging infrared cameras; Ayat. Khamenei sends message to university students in Europe and Iran’s Foreign Minister’s Special Assistant in Political Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari visits Syria, helding meetings with senior officials are among major headlines dominated the country’s media outlets in the past week (January 22–January 28).




Politics


Massive military drills kick off along Makran coast


Iran’s Army is holding large-scale joint military exercises codenamed ‘Muhammad Rasoulallah’ along the Makran coastal strip in the country’s southern and southeastern regions.

Iran moves to lessen revolutionary guard presence in economy


Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has instructed the Revolutionary Guard Corps to decrease its investment participation in the state economy, raising the possibility that some of the organization’s holdings may be privatized.

President: Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates will not last long


President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that the fluctuations in foreign exchange rates would not last long and the country faces no hard currency shortages.

Iranian Navy test-fires long-range Qadir cruise missile during drills


The Iranian naval forces for the first time tested the home-made long-range Qadir cruise missile during the wargames underway in the Sea of Oman on Tuesday .

Iran Sanchi’s black box opened 


The black box of the Iranian sunken oil tanker “Sanchi” has been opened in the presence of representatives from the involved countries on Wednesday, Iran consul general to Shanghai said.

Iran seizes bombs, explosives in Saudi terror plot


Iran has captured two large caches of explosives and powerful bombs that were supposed to be detonated in populated areas as part of two terrorist plots, one of them directly designed and led by Saudi Arabia.

Iran, Hong Kong, China, Panama agree to jointly probe tanker collision


The maritime authorities of China, Panama, Iran and Hong Kong on Thursday signed an agreement to jointly investigate the collision that led to explosion and sinking of Iranian oil carrier Sanchi.

Iran urges Europe to back JCPOA ‘practically’ 


A senior Iranian lawmaker has called on the European countries to ‘practically’ support implementation of the July 2015 nuclear deal.

Zarif slams Saudi ‘vision of light spin’, US ‘credit-grabbing’ for Daesh defeat


Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the US and Saudi Arabia cannot alter the facts on the ground about their sponsorship of Daesh and Iran’s role in defeating the Takfiri terrorist group.
Ayat. Khamenei sends message to university students in Europe
Ayatollah Khamenei issued a message to participants attending the 52nd conference of the Islamic Union Association for Iranian Students in Europe.


Iran’s advanced stealth fighter jet undergoing pre-flight tests: Ex-Minister


Former Iranian defense minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan announced that the state-of-the-art stealth fighter jet “Qaher (Conqueror)”, which has been designed and manufactured by domestic experts, is undergoing pre-flight tests and conducting fast taxi runs.

President al-Assad says Syria set on combating terrorism, aided by friends


President Bashar al-Assad affirmed that Syria is bent on pushing ahead with counter-terrorism aided by friendly countries, namely Iran and Russia that sets the stage for a peaceful solution.

16 Daesh terrorists arrested in Western Iran: IRGC commander

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said his forces have clashed with a terrorist cell affiliated to the Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) in western Iran, arresting 16 militants.

 


Economy

Iran, Belarus sign 8 MoUs


Iran and Belarus have signed eight memoranda of understanding expanding from medical cooperation to car manufacture during a joint economic commission on Tuesday in Tehran.




Iran’s foreign exchange, gold reserves more than US: CIA


A document released on the website of the US Central Intelligence Agency shows that the Islamic Republic outstrips the United States in terms of reserves of foreign exchange and gold.

ATR hopes US brinkmanship wont’ wreck Iran deal


Franco-Italian planemaker ATR says it hopes to weather the storm from a new deterioration in US relations with Iran, which could affect business with Tehran.

Iranian billionaire’s foreign-soil partners shun his debts repayment: Iran oil minister


Billionaire’s Babak Zanjani’s partners have contacted the Iranian Judiciary and said that they were game to pay his debts, but they have not made any payments yet, said the Iranian minister of petroleum on Saturday.

No compensation for Total if it fails to invest in Iran gas project: Min.


Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh says Iran will undergo no damages if the French energy major, Total, fails to invest 500 million dollars in a major gas project in Iran by mid-2019.

 

Regional Affairs



Trump urges Erdogan not to ‘risk conflict’ with US forces in Syria


US President Donald Trump has cautioned his Turkish counterpart to avoid any measures in Syria that “might risk conflict” between the two countries.

Israel real threat to Lebanon’s stability: Prime Minister Hariri


Prime Minister Saad Hariri calls Israel the greatest threat to Lebanon’s stability amid reports and speculations that the Tel Aviv regime could be planning a new war against the Arab country.

Peace proposal by US, Saudi Arabia ‘not even worth the ink’: Syria


The Syrian ambassador to the United Nations and head of the government delegation to intra-Syrian peace talks has strongly rejected a proposal offered by some countries, including the US and Saudi Arabia, for the resolution of the Syrian crisis, saying the so-called peace plan is “not even worth the ink.”

Taliban kill 20 with ambulance bomb in Afghan capital Kabul 


A suicide bombing has killed at least 20 people and injured 110 others in the centre of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, officials say.

US needs to withdraw from Syria’s Manbij region immediately, says Turkey


Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says US military forces need to immediately withdraw from Syria’s northern region of Manbij as Turkish troops are engaged in an operation in the Arab country’s Afrin region against militants from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

 








 Society

Iran President orders officials to tackle dust pollution in southwest


Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has ordered two top officials to immediately visit Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran to deal with the ongoing problem of dust pollution.

Iran to invest $150 m in fighting dust: Iranian MP


Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei agreed with the Iranian government’s suggestion to spend 150 million dollars for fighting particulate pollutants in Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran, said a parliamentarian from Khuzestan on Tuesday.

Tehran tourism expo buzzing with energy


The 11th Tehran International Tourism Exhibition opened on Tuesday at Tehran’s International Fairgrounds amid a great deal of activities.

Iran crowned at 2018 Takhti wrestling tournament


Iran’s Greco-Roman team finished first in the Takhti Greco-Roman Cup with 12 medals in Mahshahr, Khuzestan province, January 25-26.

Heavy snow in Tehran shuts schools, airports


Heavy snowfall in Iran’s capital has shut the two main airports of the city while the authorities have announced that all schools across Tehran will also be closed on Sunday.