March 12, The Iran Project ��Iranian officials planting tree to mark the National Arbour Day and Week of Natural Resources, First train crossing Azerbaijan�Iran border bridge, Defense Minister Hossein�Dehghan unveiling Saba-248 indigenous helicopter,�Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visit to Qatar and meeting with senior officials, successfully testing Hormuz-2 ballistic missile, Iran�s 2nd new Airbus jetliner land in Tehran and Iran unveiling highly-advanced Karrar Tank dominated the country�s media outlets in the past week (Mar 6�Mar 12).





Politics

Zarif says had no contact with Tillerson


According to Supreme Leader and government�s measure, Iran was in a situation that could easily ramp its nuclear program back up but its preference was continuation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iranian foreign minister Mohammad JavadZarif said during his interview with ISNA.




Iran keeps ban on US visitors in response to Trump order


Iran said Tuesday it would continue its retaliatory measure of barring US visitors in response to President Donald Trump�s updated travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries.




IRGC staff forbidden to interfere in election: Commander


Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari made it clear that the IRGC personnel are not allowed to get involved in political activities for the upcoming presidential election.




Iran�s Zarif holds talks with Qatari emir on bilateral ties, Mideast issues


Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has met and held talks with the Qatari emir on bilateral relations as well as regional developments.




Air defense system superior to S-300 made in Iran: Commander


Iran�s Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi highlighted the country�s self-sufficiency in producing military hardware, saying that the Islamic Republic has manufactured a missile defense system better than the Russian-made S-300.




Iran successfully test-fires Hormuz-2 ballistic missile


A top Iranian commander�says the Islamic Republic has successfully test-fired Hormuz-2�ballistic missile.




Hajj official: Mina tragedy main topic of current talks with Saudi Arabia


Senior Hajj official on Friday said talks with Saudi officials have not been finalized yet and the two sides are still discussing some remaining issues mostly the iisue of Iranian martyrs in Mina stampede tragedy in 2015.




Israel has killed nuclear scientists all over Middle East: Iran


Iran�s envoy to the United Nations� atomic agency says the Israeli regime has hired�hit men to assassinate nuclear scientists all over the Middle East, and yet, continues to receive nuclear cooperation from certain countries.




FM: US forced to start N. negotiations due to massive turnout of Iranians in Election


Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined that continued massive public support for the ruling system forced the US to sit to the negotiating table with Tehran as Washington realized the ineffectiveness of the sanctions.




Iran: Putin unlikely to fully trust Trump


Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ebrahim Rahimpour underlined that Russian President Vladimir Putin will never find complete trust in his US counterpart Donald Trump.





Economy




China�s ZTE will pay record $900M in fines for selling phones to Iran


Chinese telecom giant ZTE agreed Tuesday to plead guilty to violating U.S. laws that restrict business with Iran, and will pay the largest criminal fine ever in an export case � nearly $900 million.




Iran to receive first giant ship from South Korea next year: Official


The managing director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) announced that according to a deal to buy 10 giant ships from South Korea, the delivery of the first ship will take place in March 2018.




Leader: Economy of Resistance sole solution to country�s problems


Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that Economy of Resistance is only solution for the country�s problems and it must be implemented.




Bank Sepah int�l branch in London resumes activity in post-JCPOA


Bank Sepah international London-based branch alongside the other European branches have started to render banking services in the international scene, especially to the Iranian companies and projects after the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).




Iran receives first purchased Airbus A330


The first long-range wide-body Airbus A330 from a series of aircraft that Iran has purchased from the French aerospace giant in a bid to renovate its aging fleet landed in Tehran on Saturday.





Regional Affairs




Claims of Iran arms in Yemen �completely baseless�


In a meeting with a Swiss foreign ministry official in Tehran, Iranian Parliament�s General Director for International Affairs�categorically rejected claims that Tehran ships�arms�to Yemen.




Putin urges Netanyahu to focus on modern world affairs when judging Iran


Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop adopting hostile policies against Iran based on a legend in �the fifth century B.C.,� instead of focusing on the realities on the ground.




Security Council wants Iran-Russia-Turkey talks on Syria to continue


The United Nations Security Council says intra-Syrian negotiations organized by Iran, Russia, and Turkey in the Kazakh capital city of Astana set the stage for stalled UN-brokered peace talks to resume in the Swiss city of Geneva.




Damascus didn�t consent to US military presence in Manbij � Bashar Assad


Syrian President Bashar Assad does not consider presence of the US military in Syria as helpful in fight against terrorism.




A number of civilians killed, injured in terrorist attack in Damascus


Two explosive devices on Saturday went off in Bab Mousalla area in Damascus, a source at Damascus Police Command told SANA.The source added that a number of civilians were killed and others were injured in the terrorist attack which took place near Bab al-Saghir cemetery located between Bab al-Jabiah and Bab Mousalla area.





Society




Iranian calligrapher receives French Legion of Honour


Gholam-Hossein Amirkhani, the Iranian calligrapher who has been working in this field for around 60 years, received the Legion of Honour, the famous French medallion which is given to international artists.�Your name is linked to the Iran Calligraphers Association, the largest Iranian society of art and culture,� Fran�ois S�n�maud, the ambassador of France to Iran, told Amirkhani while awarding him the Legion of Honour during a ceremony in France�s Embassy in Iran.





Medieval residential catacombs unearthed by archaeologists in Iran


Archaeologists in central Iran have discovered underground living quarters carved into a mountain. It looks like the construction dates back to the Middle Ages.




Russian scholar astonished by Ayatollah Khamenei�s consideration for literature


Anna Berzina, a Russian professor who has received her doctorate in Persian language in Iran, talked about the memories of her first encounter with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, expressing surprise at the Leader�s mastery of literature and poetry.




UN tourism Boss blasts Trump�s travel ban, praises Iran


The head of a United Nations agency that promotes tourism has joined a chorus of criticism directed at President Trump�s travel executive order, calling it an �ill-conceived� action that will lead not to enhanced security but increased tension.




Tehran to host Louvre exhibits


The National Museum of Iran will feature a temporary exhibition of a series of collections from France�s Louvre Museum in the next Iranian year (starting March 21).