December 31, The Iran Project � President Hassan Rouhani visiting the family of Armenian martyrs on Christmas Eve; Iran Leader recieving officials in charge of Islamic publicity; Iraqi Minister of Youth and Sports Abdul-Hussein Abtaan trip to Iran and meeting with senior officials; The country commemorating 2009 massive pro-establishment rally�and�landing of two�ATR airplanes in Tehran's airport dominated the country�s media outlets in the past week (Dec 25�Dec 31).


 

Politics

Americans after looting Islamic countries: Larijani


Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani told his Pakistani counterpart Mian Raza Rabbani that Americans are hatching plots in the region and some gullible countries of the region fall in their trap.

Six-nation speakers� moot concludes in Pakistan, next meeting in Tehran


The six-nation Speakers Conference concluded in Islamabad with adoption of the declaration of partnership for regional peace, development and connectivity. It agreed to hold the next meeting in Tehran, Iran, next year.

Iran will never stop boosting defense power: Hatami


Iran�s Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami says the Islamic Republic will boost its military prowess with full strength and without any halt.

Qassem Soleimani, most powerful General in Mideast: French analyst


Didier Fran�ois, a senior French political analyst, has praised the key role played by Iran�s IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani in the Middle East developments in 2017.



Parl. passes bill on recognition of al-Quds as Palestine capital


Iranian lawmakers on Wed. voted with consensus in favor of a bill to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as the eternal capital of Palestine, following Trump�s decision to relocate US embassy there.

Trump will fail against Iran as did �smarter� Reagan � Ayatollah Khamenei


Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday U.S. President Donald Trump would fail in his hardened stance towards Iran, saying Tehran was stronger than during the time of the �more powerful and smarter� Ronald Reagan.

US building alliances to confront �the totality of Iranian threats�: Tillerson


US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the United States is building alliances with certain countries in the Middle East in order to confront a wide range of threats Iran is presenting.

Israel, US reach secret deal to tackle Iran: Report


Senior officials from the United States and Israel have secretly met in Washington to hammer out a deal on confronting Iran on several fronts, a new report says.

IAEA chief reaffirms Iran�s compliance with JCPOA


The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has once again confirmed that Iran is fulfilling its commitments under nuclear deal.

Iran commemorates 2009 massive pro-establishment rally


Iranians attended countrywide marches on Saturday in commemoration of a huge rally back in 2009 in which the nation reaffirmed allegiance to the Islamic Republic Establishment and ended months of turmoil, including sacrilegious riots, following that year�s presidential election.

Telegram blocks anti-Iran channel for promoting violence


The Telegram messaging app has closed an anti-Iran channel for encouraging people to violence after a top Iranian official�s request.

 


Economy



Eximbank of Russia to provide limitless finance for Iranian projects


Iran�s central bank announced on Tuesday that a finance agreement was signed between four Iranian banks and the Eximbank of Russia on Tuesday in Moscow.

Iran, India trade triples after nuclear deal: Indian envoy


The trade between Iran and India has tripled after the Iran signed the nuclear deal with the G5+1, said Indian ambassador to Iran.

Zarubezhneft submits study result on Iran oilfield to NISOC


Russia�s Zarubezhneft submitted the result of its studies on Iran�s Shadegan Oilfield to National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC).

7th, 8th ATRs purchased by Iran Air land in Tehran


Two ATR airplanes purchased by Iran Air from the world�s leading turboprop manufacturer�have just landed at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, bringing the number of ATR-72 delivered to Iran by the Franco-Italian company to 8.

Central Bank of Iran warns against investing in cryptocurrencies


The governor of the Central Bank of Iran has warned against investing in cryptocurrencies especially bitcoin which has seen a relentless rise in value in recent weeks.

 

Regional Affairs

Hezbollah, Hamas forming �joint body� against US policy shift on Quds


The Lebanese and Palestinian resistance movements, Hezbollah and Hamas, are setting up a joint body to stand up to US President Donald Trump�s contentious decision on Jerusalem al-Quds, an informed source says.

Israel to name train station after Trump over al-Quds move


The Israeli transport minister says he wants to build a train tunnel under Jerusalem al-Quds� Old City and name a station located next to the�Haram al-Sharif�after US President Donald Trump.

7,000 Palestinians face torture in Israeli prisons


There are currently 7,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 400 children, at risk of being tortured in Israeli detention centers, according to a senior Palestinian official.

US choppers evacuate Daesh commanders from Syria�s Dayr al-Zawr: Report


US helicopters have reportedly evacuated commanders of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group from Syria�s eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr to the neighboring province of Hasakah.

Putin tells Assad Russia will help defend Syrian sovereignty: Kremlin


Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in a new year�s greeting that Russia will continue supporting Syria�s efforts to defend its sovereignty, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

 



Society

Iranian sailor ranks 1st in world race Asian section


Iranian sailor Ahmad Ahmadi ranked first in the Asian Section of the 42nd Christmas Race Olympic and World Sailing Youth Classes held in Palamos, Spain.




Farhadi�s film among top 100 awaited films of 2018


Based on a list released by The Playlist, a film and TV news website, �Everybody Knows�, the new film by internationally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker, , is ranked 12th among the 100 most anticipated films in the coming year.

How Christmas is celebrated in Iran�


You will be surprised, or you won�t, depending on how much you know of Iran (and from reliable sources, too, which okay, it now does sound like a real challenge), but Christmas is celebrated in Iran.

Iranian police not to arrest people for not observing Islamic dress code�


The Tehran police chief says the so-called morality police will hold training classes for those who do not observe the Islamic dress code (hijab) instead of arresting them.

Iranian architect wins American architecture prize�


Arezoo Zaredar, a young Iranian architect, has managed to receive the American Architecture Prize (AAP) in the field of Architectural Design and Educational Buildings.