Tehran, July 17, The Iran Project � Bulgarian PM visit to Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attending Caspian Sea meeting and FM Zarif briefing MPs on JCPOA achievements dominated the country�s media outlets in the past week (July 11�July 17).

 

Politics

 

Undue US interventions in Mideast wrong: Iran president


Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the uncalled for�interventions of the United States and its allies in the internal affairs of Middle East countries are�a mistake.



Stuxnet, the CIA/Mossad �Worm of the Apocalypse� no longer threatens Iran


In the follow-up to the recently released documentary �Zero Days� by Alex Gribney on the Stuxnet worm, a �terrifying and groundbreaking virus jointly created by the US and Israel against Iranian nuclear technologies,� one Iranian expert on regional security reassured Sputnik that the virus no longer poses a threat to his home country.





Iranian gov�t spokesman condemns S. Arabia, France�s support for MKO


Iranian Government Spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht deplored Saudi Arabia and France for its support for the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCR) terrorist group.





Spokesman: Iran testing new centrifuges


Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi announced that the country�s experts are now testing newly-designed centrifuges.





Caspian Sea legal regime must guarantee littoral states� interests: Iran FM


Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Caspian Sea�s legal regime should guarantee that the interests of the littoral states are met in view of the�geopolitical�developments.



President Rouhani felicitates France Bastille Day


President Hassan Rouhani in a message on Thursday congratulated France�s Bastille Day to his French counterpart Fran�ois Hollande.





Leader reappoints three Guardian Council religious jurists


Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Friday reappointed three Guardian Council religious jurists.





Iran nuclear deal �lives up to expectations� � Kerry


The nuclear deal reached with Iran one year ago has lived up to its expectations, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on the agreement�s anniversary on Thursday.





White House says will veto Congress anti-Iranian measures


Reacting to the US Congress adoption of two anti-Iranian bills, the White House has announced it will veto any such measures if it finds them against the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.





Firms say Congress blocking Iran plans


In the wake of the recent anti-Iran bills adopted by the US Congress, global corporate leaders are already complaining that American lawmakers are undermining their plans to approach the vast Iranian market.



Iran�s Zarif: No place for coups in region


Following an attempted military coup in Turkey, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hailed the Turkish nation�s defense of democracy, saying the coups in the region are doomed to fail.







Economy







Manager: Siemens UK ready to cooperate with Iran


Head of UK and Northern Ireland Power & Gas and Power Generation Services at Siemens Carl Ennis underlined Iran�s potential economic capacities, and said his company is ready for cooperation with Iran in the scientific fields.





U.S. House passes Iran sanctions, financial services measures


The U.S. House of Representatives passed two pieces of legislation linked to the international nuclear agreement with Iran on Thursday, one year after the landmark pact was announced, defying President Barack Obama�s veto threat.



Iran reports huge rise in exports to US


The latest official figures show that there has been a whopping rise in Iran�s exports to the United States in the second quarter of 2016.



Iran petchem exports to Turkey halted


There has been a temporary hiatus in Iran�s petrochemical and polymer products exports to Turkey due to border closure between the two countries.Iran has temporarily stopped exports of petrochemical products to the neighboring country following the recent crisis in Turkey which led to closure of West Azerbaijan border terminals.





Iran introduces 12 sectors to investors


More positive signs on the prospects of Iran�s post-sanctions business environment are emerging as experts say the country has taken measures to encourage foreign investors to target 12 special sectors.


 

Society

 

UNESCO to vote on Lut Desert global inscription


UNESCO�s World Heritage Committee commenced its 40th session on Sunday in Istanbul, Turkey, to study proposals to inscribe 26 sites on the World Heritage List, with Iran�s Lut Desert widely expected to make it on the list.



Tehran, Seoul to boost co-op in nanotechnology


Iranian and South Korean officials inked Wednesday two agreements on cooperation in the area of nanotechnology.





Death of a humanist filmmaker: Kiarostami and the culture of peace


The death of renowned Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami has jolted the world of cinema mourning the loss of a genius who epitomized Albert Schweitzer�s philosophy of reverence for life. Although it is unclear if Kiarostami was familiar with the works of Schweitzer, nonetheless there is a great deal of natural affinity between them, worthy of reflection. It may be apt to say that what Schweitzer achieved in ethical philosophy has been mirrored by Kiarostami in the cinematic medium, which has been nowadays reduced to an �industry� rather than art under the spell of capitalism.



APFF film screened in US


A number of Iranian Muslims residing in the US have screened the second film of Ammar Popular Film Festival in California.





Tourism growth vital to boosting economy


Developing domestic tourism is essential to boosting the economy, and restoring historical structures is a big step in the right direction, according to a Majlis representative.


 

Regional Affairs

 

Saudi Arabia responsible for delay in Yemen talks: FM advisor


Foreign Minister Advisor Hossein Amir Abdollahian blamed Saudi Arabia for prolonging the ongoing Yemeni peace talks in Kuwait.





Kerry, Putin discuss coordinating efforts against Daesh, Nusra in Syria


US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discussed military and intelligence cooperation against Deash and al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front terrorist groups in Syria.



Attempted Turkey coup falters, government reasserts control


An attempted coup in Turkey was faltering on Saturday, hours after a faction�of the military used tanks and helicopters in an ill-fated attempt to end the rule of President�Recep Tayyip Erdogan and�Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.



Zarif talks with Turkish counterpart on phone


Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu talked Saturday over the phone reviewing the latest developments in that country.





1000s of Turks celebrate abortive coup plot in Istanbul


Thousands of Turks�have taken to the streets�of Istanbul to celebrate a failed military coup against the Ankara government that plunged the country into hours of violence and intrigue.