September 4, The Iran Project – Iran marking anniversary of 1981 bombing at then-prime minister’s office, country deploying S-300 air defense missile system around an underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordow, Iranians holding 1st American Human Rights Art Festival, Environment Minister of France Segolene Royal trip to Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei touring an exhibition of the achievements of Iran’s defense industries and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attending funeral ceremony of Uzbekistan’s late President Islam Karimov dominated the country’s media outlets in the past week (Aug 29 - Sep 04).





Politics

 

Iran releases footage of its S-300 missile defense system


Iran has for the first time released footage of transporting and deployment of the Russian S-300 missile defense system.



Iran marks anniversary of 1981 bombing at then-prime minister’s office


The Islamic Republic of Iran is marking the anniversary of the assassination of former President Mohammad Ali Rajaei and then-Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar, who lost their lives in a bombing in the capital, Tehran, 35 years ago.



Salehi: Iran to attend, monitor outcome of upcoming IAEA general conference


Head of Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday that Iran will attend and monitor outcome of the upcoming IAEA annual conference in the wake of implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.





Iran, Afghanistan ‘on same boat’


Iran’s Zarif, while pointing to widespread scourge of terrorism and extremism, said development, stability and security issues are positively correlated between Iran and Afghanistan.





Boosting defensive, offensive might, Iran’s inalienable right: Leader


Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined the need for strengthening the country’s military power, describing it as natural and an “inalienable right”.





Reuter’s Exclusive: U.S., others agreed ‘secret’ exemptions for Iran after nuclear deal – report


The United States and its negotiating partners agreed “in secret” to allow Iran to evade some restrictions in last year’s landmark nuclear agreement in order to meet the deadline for it to start getting relief from economic sanctions, according to a report reviewed by Reuters.





Spy planes dare not enter Iran airspace: Commander


No spy aircraft dare enter the Iranian airspace as the country’s Air Defense Force constantly monitors the skies nationwide, particularly over southern waters, a senior commander says.



Iran’s FM attends Uzbek president’s funeral


Zarif had left Tehran for Uzbekistan’s Samarkand on Saturday morning.



Families of victims of Mina tragedy take complaints with Leader


Families of victims of Mina tragedy took their complaints with the Supreme Leader against Saudi government seeking compensation for their loved ones.










Economy







Turkish gold trader seeks U.S. judge’s recusal in Iran sanctions case


A Turkish gold trader accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran on Tuesday asked a federal judge to recuse himself, citing remarks he made about a series of earlier Turkish prosecutions targeting him and others.



British Airways to resume direct flights to Iran


British Airways will resume direct flights from London to Tehran later, after suspending them four years ago.





Iran says no to GMO: Parliament Committee on Agriculture banned import, production and consumption of GM crops


Abbas Papizadeh, member of Iranian Parliament Committee on Agriculture, in an interview with Tasnim News talked about a clause in government’s Sixth Development Plan on commercializing GM crops and stated: “GM crops are a risk for people’s health and we had a long discussion about whether we must allow production of these crops or not while we were studying Sixth Development Plan in Agriculture Committee.”



Intelligence minister stresses Iran’s high investment security rate


Iranian Intelligence Minister Seyed Mahmoud Alavi underlined that Iran is among the most secure countries for investment.





India, Iran shipping lines reviving joint venture


India’s largest carrier says it plans to revive a four-decade-old joint venture with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL).


 

 

Society

 

French minister visits Iran’s Lake Urmia


French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy Ségolène Royal, as part of her 3-day visit to Iran, had an aerial visit of Iran’s largest saltwater lake, Lake Urmia, which has lost 90% of its surface water in the past two decades as a result of climate changes, among other reasons.




Chilean filmmaker honored in Tehran 


A special ceremony was held in the Iranian capital city of Tehran to honor renowned Chilean film director and screenwriter, Miguel Ernesto Littin Cucumides.






Iran thrashes Qatar 2-0 in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier


Iran’s national football team, also known as Team Melli, has achieved a surprise victory over Qatar in its opening match at the third round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament.



Puppet theater festival brings color to Tehran


Tehran was host to a week-long International Puppet Theater Festival late August, where colorful puppets of all sizes and kinds brought happy smiles to the faces of children and adults alike.  





Iranian women v-ballers beat North Korea 3-1


Iran’s women’s volleyball squad has beat North Korea’s team in the first day of the Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship.


 

Regional Affairs

 

Made in America: State Dept. offers $3Mln for Daesh leader trained in US


The US State Department has offered a $3 million reward for any information leading to the arrest of Gulmurod Khalimov, a former Tajik police commander who is currently one of the main leaders of the Daesh terrorist group.




UN report on use of chemical arms in Syria erraneous: Ja’afari


Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations has dismissed as flawed the findings of a UN-mandated investigation blaming Syrian forces for the use of chemical weapons, saying the report is based on “false testimonies.”



Amnesty urges Bahrain to stop repression of opponents


Amnesty International has called on the Bahraini regime to suspend its heavy-handed crackdown on peaceful critics and opposition figures as Manama keeps up its policy of repression.



Uzbekistan’s president dead: News agency


Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov has died almost one week after he suffered a brain stroke, Reuters news agency says citing three diplomatic sources.



Iraqi cleric calls for two-day strike against corruption


Prominent Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has called upon Iraqi people to stage a two-day walkout along with a hunger strike in protest at what he calls Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s failure to properly fight against corruption and misappropriation of public funds.