May 7, The Iran Project – Syria’s Chief of the General Staff Ali Abdullah Ayyoub visit to Iran and meeting with senior officials, opening ceremony of The 30th Tehran International Book Fair, Iran’s Foreign Minister Zarif trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan, holding WWER Regulators’ Forum in Iran’s Isfahan, Zemestanyurt mine collapse in Golestan province and Iran 2017 presidential candidates holding 2nd live debate dominated the country’s media outlets in the past week (May 01–May 07).





Politics




Iran: US boastful remarks about N. deal unimportant


Iranian Vice-President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi stressed that Tehran does not value Washington’s verbal threats about withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, and only cares for actions.





Saudi Arabia ups Iran’s Hajj quota by 35%


Head of Iran Organization for Hajj and Pilgrimage Hamid Mohammadi said here on Monday that Saudi Arabia has increased by 35 percent the number of pilgrims Iran can send to Hajj this year.





Iran unveils minefield simulator


Iran’s defense minister on Tuesday unveiled a homegrown system that simulates conditions in a minefield, used for training demining teams.




Pakistan vows closer security coop. with Iran after Mirjaveh attack


In a meeting with Iran’s FM Zarif, Pakistani Interior Minister vowed to increase border security with Iran following the cross-border terrorist attack at Mirjaveh that killed 10 Iranian border guards.Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif landed in Islamabad on Wednesday to hold talks with Pakistani officials over last week’s cross-border terrorist attack on the frontier with Pakistan at Mirjaveh in Sistan-Baluchestan province during which 10 Iranian border guards were killed by Pakistani Jaish al-Adl militants.




Pak PM assures Iran full cooperation on recent border incident/any threat to Iran, equal to a threat to Pakistan


Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif expressing condolences on recent terrorist attack on border in which some Iranian border guards were martyred assured Iran that Pakistan will make all efforts to bring the culprits to justice.




Iran: Saudi rejection of Tehran ties show kingdom’s destructive policies


Iran says the Saudi deputy crown prince’s remarks against the Islamic Republic are proof that the kingdom follows “confrontational and destructive policies” in the region and towards Tehran.




Iran Leader offers condolences on deaths of miners


Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a message extended his condolences over the deaths of several ‘hardworking’ miners in a Wednesday explosion, and called for expedited efforts to rescue the trapped workers.




Iran presidential candidates begin second live face-off


The second live televised debate with the presence of the six candidates contesting the 12th Iranian presidential election has started.




Iran army criticises Rouhani’s missile comments


Iran’s armed forces warned President Hassan Rouhani against discussing the country’s defence programme after he criticised the anti-Israel slogans written on the side of ballistic missiles, local media reported on Saturday.




Iran raps US nuclear stance as provocative, warns about arms race


A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official has criticized the “provocative” nuclear stance adopted by the United States, saying the world is witnessing an arms race among nuclear powers.





Economy




India cuts oil import plans from Iran by a quarter over gas field row


India plans to order about a quarter less Iranian crude oil than it bought last year, people familiar with the matter said, as state refiners cut term purchase deals over a row between New Delhi and Tehran on development of a natural gas field.




Iran’s Airbus 330 makes maiden flight


One of the two Airbus 330 planes that Iran Air has recently received from the French airplane manufacturer made its first international flight on Wednesday.




Iran in talks with UK over jetliner export funding


Iran is in talks with Britain’s export credit agency to facilitate the financing of aircraft sales to state airline IranAir as part of its pact with world powers to lift sanctions over its nuclear program, a senior Iranian official said.




Bouygues deal to build Tehran airport terminal cancelled


May 5 A preliminary deal signed by Buyogues last year to build and run a new terminal at Tehran’s Khomeini airport has been cancelled, a spokesman for the French construction group said on Friday.




Qatar asks Iran to coordinate gas output in joint field


Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said Qatari officials have called for establishing a joint technical committee to coordinate the volume of gas output from the South Pars gas field located on the two countries’ common border.





Regional Affairs




Putin, Trump talk deescalating Korea tensions, diplomatic solution in Syria


Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have discussed deescalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula and promoting a diplomatic solution in Syria.






Relying on US won’t end war in region


Iran’s FM Zarif said when the US and Russia have been unable to end the war in region, it is clear that following either of these two powers cannot solve the region’s problems.




Russia, Turkey, Iran resume Syrian talks in Astana


Representatives of Russia, Iran and Turkey as guarantors of a nationwide ceasefire in Syria have resumed bilateral and trilateral talks in Astana on Thursday, according to TASS.




Iran, Russia, Turkey sign deal to set up safe zones in Syria


Turkey, Iran and Russia, the three countries behind peace efforts in Syria, have signed a memorandum on creating de-escalation zones in Syria.




Bahraini clerics demand mass rallies in support of Sheikh Qassim


Bahraini clerics have called on people from all walks of life to stage nationwide rallies on the eve of the trial of distinguished Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim, whom the ruling Al Khalifah dynasty has stripped of his citizenship and mulls his expulsion from the kingdom.





Society




Archery has a bright future in Iran: Zahra Nemati


Two-time Paralympic gold medalist, Zahra Nemati, says that para-archery has a bright future in Iran.





Sculpture symposium photo contest


A photo contest, parallel to the ongoing 8th Tehran International Sculpture Symposium, has been organized by the Tehran Beautification Organization (TBO).




Reports: At least 35 killed in Iran coal mine explosion


A coal mine explosion that struck northern Iran killed at least 35 people, semi-official news agencies reported Thursday, as rescuers worked a second day to reach those trapped inside after the blast.




International basketball celebrates vote to allow headgear


Even as basketball’s popularity soared around the world, not everyone believed they could get in the game.




Qeshm Island becomes UNESCO Global Geopark


Qeshm Island was granted designation of UNESCO Global Geopark at the 21st session of UNESCO Executive Board on May 05.