‘Expatriate Iranian tradesmen signify Iran’s economic development’
TehranTimes– Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has stated that economic dynamism created by Iranian entrepreneurs living abroad is a sign of the country’s economic development.
Mottaki made the remarks in an address to the 13th meeting of the Iran-Oman Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation in Muscat on Monday.
He called on Iranian expatriates living in Oman to play a more active role in facilitating economic transaction between the two countries.
Iran is an important link for the transit of various commodities between Central Asia and Oman, Mottaki said.
Omani Commerce and Industry Minister Maqbool bin Ali Sultan also gave a speech at the meeting in which he described the two countries’ economic relations as “positive” and predicted that there would be quantitative and qualitative growth in the level of ties in 2010, Press TV reported.
Sultan hailed the two countries’ regional cooperation in various areas, such as the oil sector, power plants, transportation, and the transit of goods
Iran files 5 espionage cases, Tehran prosecutor
ILNA: Tehran prosecutor announced formation of 5 spy cases accused of selling information to foreigners.
Abbas Jaffari Doulatabadi referred to enemy’s effort to enter executive organizations.
he siad officials should be cautious beacuse Americans Recently implemented vast efforts on this issue.
Doulatabadi said 5 espionage cases will be submitted to judiciary soon.
He noted one of the suspects used to work in aerospace organization and gathered information for intelligent services.
One worked on Tehran civil problems and next suspects met and gave information to enemy intelligent services on business issues.
Tehran prosecutor stressed enemies not only works on military and aerospace areas but they seeks information on other issues so the Iranian officials should be cautious on their duties.
Nuri al-Maliki to visit Tehran
IRNA– Following news about upcoming official visit of Iraqi prime minister to Damascus, there has been news about his trip to Tehran.
Sources close to the Iraqi prime minister said on Tuesday that al-Maliki will also travel to Tehran after his visit to Syria.
According to the sources, who talked on the condition of anonymity, al-Maliki will also pay a visit to Amman, capital of Jordan, and possibly to Turkey.
Although the aims of the visits have not been officially announced, it has been heard that the Iraqi prime minister will discuss general issues of the region as well as political situation, process of establishment of government in Iraq and the latest success in this concern with senior officials of the Iraq neighboring countries.
This is the Iraqi prime minister’s first visit to neighboring countries since last March parliamentary election, in which coalition of Iraqi Shia achieved most of votes and upon the ballots, Nuri al-Maliki is a candidate to form the new government of Iraq.
12 reportedly killed in explosion at Iran base
LATimes- Iranian officials say the explosion was an accident caused by a fire at a Revolutionary Guard training base outside the town of Khorramabad that reached a weapons storage facility.
An explosion at a munitions depot at a Revolutionary Guard base in southwestern Iran on Tuesday killed at least 12 people, an Iranian news report said.
The news website mashreghnews.ir, which is close to the Iranian government, reported that at least 20 people were injured in the explosion.
The report cited no sources, and Iranian officials did not disclose the ranks of those killed or the exact casualty figures, which they said would be released Wednesday.
Iranian officials told official and semiofficial news organizations that the explosion was an accident caused by a fire at the Imam Ali training base outside the town of Khorramabad that reached a weapons storage facility.
The explosion comes after an attack on a military parade last month in the northwestern Kurdish city of Mahabad that left 12 people dead and an attack on police several days ago in another mostly Kurdish town that killed five people.
Iran’s ethnic Kurds, who account for about 10% of the nation’s population and are concentrated in its western provinces, have longstanding grievances against Iran’s central government that have frequently resulted in violence or waves of guerrilla warfare in recent decades.
Ahmadinejad boosts Hezbollah with Lebanon visit
Washington post-- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has begun his first state visit to Lebanon, giving a strong show of support to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah and stirring up the country’s tumultous political divides.
Thousands of Lebanese - mostly Hezbollah backers - are lining the main highway into the capital from Beirut’s airport, where Ahmadinejad arrived Wednesday. Loudspeakers blasted songs as women sold Hezbollah flags and balloons to onlookers.
Iran is the most powerful ally of Hezbollah, which holds widespread support among Lebanon’s Shiites and boasts the country’s strongest military force. But Ahmadinejad’s visit has sparked concern among Western-backed factions locked in a political struggle with Hezbollah over the direction of the country.
Ahmadinejad heads to Lebanon
ISNA-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left for Lebanon on Wednesday morning for a two-day visit.
He is to be accompanied by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi, Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, Deputy Culture Minister Javad Shamaqdari, Head of Martyr Foundation Masoud Zaribafan, Vice President for Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Mohammad Reza Mir-Tajeddini and Chairman of the City Council of Tehran Mehdi Chamran.
Ahmadinejad is to meet with some high-ranking Lebanese authorities and pay a visit to southern Lebanon.
Ahmadinejad is officially invited by Lebanese counterpart Michel Sleiman.
His trip has provoked different reactions by media and regional media have dealt with the importance of the visit and its effect on the region and Lebanon.
Some regional media have said that Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah is likely to accompany Ahmadinejad during his tour in southern Lebanon.