Articles by "Iran"
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Hello Jammu News at 11:50:00 PM 0


Tehran, Mar 21 :  Iran said Saturday that 123 more people had died from coronavirus, raising the official death toll to 1,556 in the Islamic republic, one of the world's worst affected countries.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 966 more cases had been confirmed over the past 24 hours and 20,610 people were now known to have been infected in Iran.

A total of 7,635 people have recovered from the disease, he told a televised news conference.

The Islamic republic is among the three countries hardest hit by the virus with an official death toll behind only Italy and China.

The authorities have asked people to avoid all travel during the Persian New Year holidays, which usually sees almost all citizens take to the roads.

But the pleas have been ignored by many.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent, around three million people have left the 13 most virus-affected provinces by road since March 17.

Jahanpour said there was "a minority who did not follow the guidelines", warning that provinces popular with tourists would not welcome visitors for the Nowruz holiday.

Some provinces have ordered hotels and other accommodation to close.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani pledged Friday that the country would triumph over the virus.
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Hello Jammu News at 8:30:00 PM 0


Tehran, Jan 25 :  Iran condemned Saturday what it called the "illegal and inhuman" treatment of its nationals by US border security officers, after reports a student was deported despite having a valid visa.

"Such absolutely discriminatory measures that only happen over people's race, nationality or religion are against international human rights laws and principles," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.

"These individuals were questioned by America's border security over their political views and beliefs, and their social media accounts were forcefully entered," he said in a statement.

US media reported on Monday that an Iranian student headed to a Boston university had his visa cancelled at the airport and was deported by immigration officials.

Tensions have soared between Tehran and Washington since a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 3.

Iran retaliated five days later by launching a wave of missiles at US troops stationed in Iraq.

Tehran was still on high alert hours later when its air defences mistakenly shot down a Ukraine International Airlines passenger jet, killing all 176 people on board.

"These actions against Iranians are in line with the American regime's hostile and hateful policy against Iran... now manifested in harassing Iranians at America's borders," Mousavi said.

The spokesman warned the United States could face action "through human rights bodies", without elaborating.
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Hello Jammu News at 9:07:00 PM 0
Iran backtracks on plan to send flight recorders to Ukraine


Tehran, Jan 19 :  The Iranian official leading the investigation into the Ukrainian jetliner that was accidentally shot down by the Revolutionary Guard appeared to backtrack Sunday on plans to send the flight recorders abroad for analysis, a day after saying they would be sent to Kyiv.

Hassan Rezaeifar was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency as saying the flight recorders from the Ukrainian Boeing are in Iranian hands and we have no plans to send them out.

He said Iran is working to recover the data and cabin recordings, and that it may send the flight recorders commonly known as black boxes to Ukraine or France.

But as of yet, we have made no decision. The same official was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Saturday as saying the recorders would be sent to Ukraine, where French, American and Canadian experts would help analyze them.

Iranian officials previously said the black boxes were damaged but are usable.

It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting accounts. Iran may be hesitant to turn over the recorders for fear that more details from the crash including the harrowing 20 seconds between when the first and second surface-to-air missiles hit the plane will come to light.

The Guard's air defenses shot the plane down shortly after it took off from Tehran on Jan. 8, killing all 176 people on board.

Hours earlier, the Guard had launched ballistic missiles at U.S. troops in Iraq in response to the U.S. airstrike that killed Iran's top general in Baghdad. Officials say lower-level officers mistook the plane for a U.S. cruise missile.

Iranian officials initially said the crash was caused by a technical problem and invited countries that lost citizens to help investigate. Three days later, Iran admitted responsibility after Western leaders said there was strong evidence the plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile.

The victims included 57 Canadian citizens as well as 11 Ukrainians, 17 people from Sweden, four Afghans and four British citizens. Most of those killed were Iranians.

The other five nations have demanded Iran accept full responsibility and pay compensation to the victims' families.

The plane was a Boeing 737-800 that was designed and built in the U.S. The plane's engine was designed by CFM International, a joint company between French group Safran and U.S. group GE Aviation. Investigators from both countries have been invited to take part in the probe.
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Hello Jammu News at 10:53:00 PM 0


Hong Kong, Jun 24  :   Oil prices extended gains Monday as rising US-Iran tensions fuelled supply concerns, while Asian equity traders moved cautiously ahead of a crunch meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping this week.

Both main crude contracts are up almost 10 per cent since Tehran last week shot down a US "spy drone" for breaching its airspace, ratcheting up fears of a conflict between the old foes.

At the weekend Trump said he would impose fresh sanctions on Iran, following bans of countries buying its oil, while US media reports said Washington secretly launched cyber-attacks against missile control systems and a spy network.

Both sides say they want to avoid war, but tensions have spiralled as a series of incidents, including the drone downing and recent attacks on tankers, raised fears of an unintended slide towards conflict.

The US president said he was ready to reach out to Iran if it renounced nuclear weapons, adding that if leaders did so "I'm going to be their best friend". 

But Iran continues to insist its atomic programme is for civilian purposes.

Brent rose 0.3 per cent Monday and WTI was 0.5 per cent higher.

"The geopolitical escalation in the Middle East is unquestionably a bullish short-term signal for oil markets, as even the thought of 20 per cent of the world oil supply being affected is enough to trigger significant tremors," said Stephen Innes, managing partner at Vanguard Markets.

"And these tremors are noticeably moving up the Richter scale." 

The stand-off, coupled with a weak dollar as the Federal Reserve flags an interest rate cut, has helped push gold prices to six-year highs above USD 1,400 as dealers look for a safe haven to park their cash.

Still, share markets remain buoyant on hopes Trump and Xi can break an impasse in their trade war when they meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka this week.

Global equities have been rallying since Trump hailed positive telephone talks last week and said the two would have a face-to-face in Japan, fuelling hopes of a possible end to their long-running tariffs battle.

In morning trade Hong Kong was up 0.4 per cent, while Shanghai added 0.2 per cent and Tokyo went into the break 0.1 per cent higher.

Seoul, Wellington and Manila added 0.2 per cent each, though Sydney, Singapore, Taipei and Jakarta were in the red.

The dollar continues to face pressure from bets the Fed will lower borrowing costs as soon as July as it looks to head off the effects of the trade spat and as the US economy shows signs of softening.

The greenback slipped against its major peers and most high-yielding units, with the Australian dollar and South Korean won 0.4 per cent higher.

The Turkish lira jumped 0.8 per cent after the opposition candidate in Istanbul's controversial mayoral election re-run again beat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party.

Bitcoin continued to rise, breaking the USD 11,000 mark briefly for the first time since March last year, as the cryptocurrency sector gets a huge boost from Facebook's unveiling of its own unit.

The tech titan said it will launch Libra next year, with the backing by a basket of real-world currencies and a consortium of companies including Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Uber.

"Libra will now have to deal with a ton of regulatory scrutiny, but that won't matter in the bigger picture for crypto traders of other coins," said OANDA senior market analyst Edward Moya.

"Bitcoin volatility is likely to persist, with USD 12,000 and USD 15,000 as the next two critical resistance levels." 

Bitcoin has risen about 20 per cent this month alone but is still well off the record levels near USD 20,000 seen at the end of 2017.                                         [Agencies]
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Hello Jammu News at 12:55:00 PM 0

New York, Sep 27: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held talks with her Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif and discussed bilateral issues, including the US' sanctions against the major crude exporter which are set to be implemented in November.

During the meeting held on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly session on Wednesday the two sides also discussed the status of Iran nuclear deal with the European Union.

"On the issue of sanctions, India remains engaged with all stakeholders who are part of the process and Iran is one of them. So, it was natural that the issue of sanctions did come up during the meeting, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters here Wednesday.

The two sides shared each others' position about where they stand at this point of time, he said.

"There are developments taking place in different corners of the world," Kumar said, adding that Zarif shared part of the discussion Iran is having with the European Union on the nuclear deal.

We heard them out, we also explained our position. It is important to understand that as far as the sanctions on Iran go, we are also engaged with other stakeholders and countries for example the US as well, Kumar added.

He referred to recently concluded 2+2 dialogue between India and the US during which Washington was sensitised about New Delhi's concerns and expectations.

We felt that there was this understating from the US side on our position, Kumar said, adding that India is working to ensure its energy and national security.

In May, President Donald Trump announced that the US was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal signed by the Obama administration in 2015, under which Tehran had agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow international inspectors in return for lifting of crippling economic sanctions.

The US has told India and other countries to cut oil imports from Iran to "zero" by November 4 or face sanctions.

Kumar said before the sanctions come into effect, India has been talking to several partners and countries on the issue.

"We are engaged with all countries in this regard. We hope that our positions, sensitivities, concerns, which we have explained to the US, must have been taken into account by them. It's not only a question of purchasing oil from Iran but it is also a question of relationship, he said.

Kumar described the talks with Iran as a "good meeting", saying the two countries share strong civilization bonds and go back a long way.

Iran is India's third-largest oil supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Iran supplied 18.4 million tonnes of crude oil between April 2017 and January 2018 (first 10 months of fiscal 2017-18). (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 1:15:00 PM 0

Washington, Jul 27: The Trump administration is working with its allies and partners to force Iran to change its behaviour and stop its actions, the White House has said, days after President Donald Trump warned Tehran that it will face dire consequences for threatening America.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley's remarks came amidst an unconfirmed report in an Australian media outlet saying the US was preparing to launch a strike on Iran.

"I can't confirm that report. I'd refer you to DOD (department of defense) on that matter. What I can tell you is the President has been very clear about where he stands on Iran," Gidley told reporters abroad Air Force One yesterday.

Trump warned Hassan Rouhani on Monday that Tehran risked "consequences the likes of which few throughout history have suffered before" if he threatened the US again, hours after the Iranian President cautioned that America's hostile threats may trigger "the mother of all wars."

Rouhani had also warned Trump to stop "playing with the lion's tail" and threatening Iran, "or else you will regret it".

Trump in May pulled the US out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement struck by the Obama administration by calling it the "the worst" deal ever negotiated.

"Their actions - their destabilisation of the region, their desire and efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon - it's one of the reasons that he called the Iran deal the worst deal he'd ever seen, the worst deal in history, and why he got out of it," Gidley said.

"We know that the Iran deal did not prevent a pathway to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon; it actually paved it. But we're working with our partners and allies to try and get Iran to change its behaviour and stop its action across the region. And we're working with Israel to do the same thing," he said in response to a question.

Trump has alleged that the nuclear deal did not restrict Iran's "destabilising activities" in the region enough, and could not detect or prevent any breaking of its terms.

The agreement forced Iran to curtail its uranium enrichment capacity to prevent it developing nuclear weapons, and imposed stringent verification processes, in exchange for relief on crippling sanctions.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful, and its compliance with the deal has been verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has said Iran is honouring its commitments.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said he wanted to try to stop countries importing Iranian oil by November as part of stepping up pressure on Tehran.

The US Treasury has said there will be wind-down periods of 90 and 180 days before sanctions are implemented.

The first deadline, on August 6, will affect the purchase of US dollars, trade in gold and certain other metals, as well as aviation and the car industry.

The next, on November 4, will target Iran's financial and oil institutions.

Iran is one of the world's largest oil producers, with exports worth billions of dollars each year. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 2:34:00 PM 0
Washington, Jun 27 : The US has told all countries, including India and China, to stop their oil imports from Iran by November 4 or face sanctions for carrying out any transaction with Tehran as there would be "zero" waivers to any country.

Iran is India's third-largest oil supplier behind Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It supplied 18.4 million tonnes of crude oil during April 2017 and January 2018 (first 10 months of 2017-18 fiscal).

President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal in May to pursue a maximum pressure campaign against Tehran's atomic programme. At the time, his administration gave foreign companies either 90 or 180 days to wind down their business with Iranian counterparts, depending on the type of commercial activity.

"On China and India, yes, certainly," a state department official told reporters when asked if the US has told all countries, including India and China, to stop all their imports of Iranian oil by November 4.

The US official said Indian and Chinese companies would be subject to the same sanctions as those in other countries.

Given the huge energy needs, India and China are major importers of Iranian oil.

"Their (India and China) companies will be subject to the same sanctions that everybody else's are if they engage in those sectors of the economy that are sanctionable, where there were sanctions imposed prior to 2015. And yes, we will certainly be requesting that their oil imports go to zero, the state department official said on condition of anonymity.

Responding to questions, the official said these countries should start reducing the import of oil from Iran now and bring it to zero by November 4.

The official said this is part of the Trump administration's effort to isolate streams of Iranian funding and are looking to highlight the totality of Iran's malign behaviour across the region.

"We remain engaged with the EU-3 throughout this process, and we are going to continue to branch out in new countries and reach new partners as the weeks go forward," the official said.

The EU three refers France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Iran's oil import could emerge as a major topic of discussion between India and the US during the first 2+2 dialogue next week. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would be in the US next week for talks with their American counterparts Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis.

The State Department asserted that there would be no waivers under the new sanctions regime.

"I would be hesitant to say 'zero waivers ever'. I think the predisposition would be, 'No, we're not granting waivers'," the official said.

Noting that America's allies are aware of its concern, the official claimed these countries want to work with the US.

"I don't want to get into the substance of each discussion I've had, but, for a vast majority of countries, they are willing to adhere and support our approach to this because they also view it as a threat. And it's gotten worse since 2015, not better, on their regional activity side, the official said.

In a recent report, the bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) said as international sanctions on Iran increased in 2010-2013, India sought to preserve its longstanding ties with Iran while cooperating with the sanctions regime.

In 2010, the Reserve Bank of India ceased using a Tehran-based regional body, the Asian Clearing Union, to handle transactions with Iran. In January 2012, Iran agreed to accept India's local currency, the rupee, to settle nearly half of its sales to India.

"During 2011-2015, India reduced its purchases of Iranian oil - at some cost to its own development - in order to receive from the US administration exemptions from sanctions. India has increased oil purchases from Iran to nearly pre-2012 levels after sanctions were lifted, and in May 2016 India agreed to transfer to Iran about USD 6.5 billion that it owed for Iranian oil shipments but which was held up for payment due to sanctions," the report said.

"India's position has generally been that it will only enforce sanctions authorised by UN Security Council resolutions, rendering it likely that India will resist US efforts to compel it to comply with reimposed US sanctions such as those that mandate cuts in oil purchases from Iran," said the CRS report.   PTI

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Hello Jammu News at 5:52:00 PM 0

Tehran, May 15: Iranian households use cooking oil. Lots of it, as of 2004, a government survey found that more than 12 per cent of calories consumed were from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, the main source of trans fats.
Trans fats included more than a third of the fatty acids in those oils, or nearly 5 per cent of daily calorie consumption—double the trans fat intake in the United States of America in 2007, according to a study published that year in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a WHO report on Tuesday said.
“Most of the food consumed in the Middle East/North Africa region is high in fat, trans fat and total saturated fat,” says Dr. Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh, regional nutrition adviser for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. “Food produced in our region is different from what is produced in Europe and North America. It has higher trans fat and uses palm oil.”
Over the past few decades, Iran has seen a steady increase in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related risk factors. In 2010, Iran had the second-highest rate of CVD death and was third in trans fat intake out of 20 Middle Eastern and North African countries.
As cooking oil is used in such large quantities in Iran, it was among the first foods targeted for trans fat reduction. Between 2006 and 2013, trans fats were reduced in Iran from nearly 20 per cent in most edible oils and fats, to under 2 per cent.
According to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Iran, fractionation of vegetable oil—a technology that does not change the chemical nature of the fatty acids through controlled separation of oil and fat fractions—has been a common practice in Iran to replace partial hydrogenation.
As in other countries, the changes were phased in and required government agencies, civil society and industry to work together. The health and agriculture ministries, Iran Food and Drug Administration (FDA), oil manufacturers, nongovernmental organisations and oil importers all collaborated to reduce trans fats.
In 2005, the National Standards Organisation of Iran, the government arbiter, mandated a 10 per cent cap on trans fats in corn oil, palm oil, frying oil and mixed liquid oils—a reduction from the previous 20per cent. Government organisations were mandated to use oils with less than 10 per cent trans fat content.
The trans fat standards were reduced to less than 5 per cent in fats and oils in 2011, and to less than 2 per cent in 2013, with a 2016 compliance deadline. The ultimate goal is to limit trans fats to less than 1 per cent by 2019. According to the Iranian FDA, that target had already been reached by 2018.
Iran’s FDA Post Marketing Surveillance results showed that average trans fat of almost all of frying and liquid oils was below 1 per cent and within the acceptable limit, according a report on Iran’s efforts by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute (NNFTRI).
While these measures reduced trans fat in cooking oil, regulations have not fully addressed trans fat in bakery products. The trans fat limit for margarine and shortening used in bakery products is 5 per cent, rather than 2 per cent. 
While there is still work to do to reduce trans fat in the food supply in Iran, the achievements so far have been impressive, particularly considering Iran had the highest recorded intake of trans fat in the world. 
“Iran has achieved a relatively safe position with trans fat levels in edible oils by regulating trans fats, using appropriate alternatives and by collaborating with food industries,” said Dr Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh. “As a pioneer in the region, Iran is now aiming to comply with WHO’s goal of to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 25% by 2025. We need to reach 0 trans fat to achieve this goal.” UNI


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