Iran building new missile-launching warships

Source : http://old.mehrnews.com

TEHRAN, Jun. 30 (MNA) – Iran is building new domestically designed missile-launching warships, the deputy commander of the Iranian Navy announced on Saturday.

“New missile-launching vessels and warships, including warships of the Peykan class, are being manufactured,” Rear Admiral Abbas Zamini said.

In addition, the Navy official said that new domestically manufactured destroyers were also being manufactured by experts at the Marine Industries Organization of the Iranian Defense Ministry.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zamini said that the Navy planned to retrofit its old warships and destroyers with advanced equipment and systems.

Iran’s latest destroyer, the Jamaran 2, was launched in the Caspian Sea on March 17.

The Jamaran 2, which is a destroyer of the Moj class, is able to carry helicopters and is equipped with advanced radar systems, electronic warfare systems, artillery and anti-aircraft guns, torpedoes, and surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles.

Iran’s first domestically manufactured destroyer, the Jamaran, was launched in February 2010.

The Sahand destroyer was also launched in September 2012.

The Navy has also announced that it plans to build seven destroyers of the Sina class, which are capable of firing missiles.

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Rouhani: Iran to establish foreign policy based on moderation and respect

Source : Trend.Az

Iranian president-elect Hassan Rohani says he will establish foreign policy based on moderation and respect toward the world.

In a televised speech broadcasted live on the IRINN Network Rohani said that the enemy wanted to show a false picture of Iran, but we should thwart its plot through collaboration and confidence building with other nations.

Iran can play a decisive role in this historic era. Iran is the greatest power in the region and should play its role with moderation. The country has gained successes and failures in the past. We should analyze them and build the future.

Rohani won 50.7 percent of the vote to secure an outright victory. In the Iranian system, if no presidential candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the two top candidates must face off in a run-off election.

Nearly 50.5 million Iranians, including more than 1.6 million first-time voters, were eligible to participate in the presidential election. The Interior Ministry put the voter turnout at 72.7 percent.

Rohani currently represents the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in the Supreme National Security Council and is also a member of the Expediency Council and the Assembly of Experts. He is also the director of the Expediency Council's Center for Strategic Research.

Iran sends naval fleet to Russia

Source : islamicinvitationturkey.com

A deputy commander of the Iranian Navy says Iran has dispatched a naval fleet to the Russian port city of Astrakhan in a move to consolidate friendly relations between Tehran and Moscow.

Rear Admiral Siavash Jarreh on Wednesday said “Two missile-launching warships, which were manufactured by the Iranian young specialists and joined the naval forces in 2003 and 2006, have been dispatched for the first time to Russia’s Astrakhan Port in the form of a naval group.” The Iranian commander added the measure is aimed at consolidating the amicable ties between Iran and Russia and conveying Tehran’s message of peace and friendship to the Caspian Sea littoral states,. Jarreh pointed out during the Iranian naval fleet’s stay at Astrakhan Port, the Iranian naval officers will visit some military and port facilities in Russia and hold meetings with a number of high-ranking Russian commanders and officials. On April 21, a group of Russian Navy warships docked at the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas after a long journey from the Pacific Ocean. In recent years, Iran’s Navy has been increasing its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.

Iran to Set Fire to over 1 Ton of Illicit Drugs in Southern Province

Source : islamicinvitationturkey.com

Over 1 ton of illicit drugs will be set on fire in Iran’s Southern Bushehr province to mark the international day of drug campaign on June 26, a provincial police commander announced on Tuesday. “Concurrent with the UN International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26, one ton of narcotics, including hashish, crystal, etc., will be set on fire in Bushehr coast,” Commander of Bushehr’s Law Enforcement Forces General Heydar Abbaszadeh told FNA.

He noted that Bushehr’s law enforcement police managed to seize more than 1 ton of narcotics from 70 drug gangs during last Iranian year (ended March 20)

Iran is slated to commemorate the UN International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26.

More than 100 tons of narcotics will be burnt in Tehran province and 16 other provinces on the occasion of the UN International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (June 26).

Eastern Iran borders Afghanistan, which is the world’s number one opium and drug producer. Iran’s geographical position has made the country a favorite transit corridor for drug traffickers who intend to smuggle their cargoes from Afghanistan to drug dealers in Europe.

Iran spends billions of dollars and has lost thousands of its police troops in the war against traffickers. Owing to its rigid efforts, Iran makes 81 percent of the world’s total opium seizures and has turned into the leading country in drug campaign.

Sistan and Balouchestan province, where Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan come together, has porous borders, where bandits and drug traffickers operate despite frequent entanglements and intense efforts of the Iranian law enforcement police.

More than 3,720 Iranian security personnel have been killed fighting drug smugglers since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran has recently established a central database and strengthened police-judiciary cooperation in a new effort to combat organized crime.

Every year, Iran burns more than 60 tons of seized narcotics as a symbol of its determination to fight drugs.

Iran urges end to arming Syria militants

Souece : MehrNews.com

TEHRAN, Jun. 24 (MNA) – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir- Abdollahian has called for an end to the “dangerous” arming of “irresponsible groups” in Syria.

In a meeting with members of the follow-up committee on Syrian national dialogue in Tehran on Sunday, Amir-Abdollahian urged the countries which arm “irresponsible groups” and encourage them to carry out terrorist acts to stop their actions and instead contribute to Syria’s reconstruction.

During their talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Saturday, top diplomats from Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States agreed to provide militants in Syria with arms.

The top officials agreed to "provide urgently all the necessary materiel and equipment to the opposition on the ground, each country in its own way, in order to enable them to counter brutal attacks by the regime and its allies and protect the Syrian people."

Amir-Abdollahian expressed hope that representatives of the Syrian people and opposition would attend the comprehensive national dialogue which the committee plans to hold in the near future.

“Iran has always supported and will support a political solution, national dialogue, and an end to violence in Syria as well as non-interference in [the internal affairs of] this country,” the Iranian official stated.

The committee on Syrian national dialogue is comprised of representatives of the opposition, members of the People's Assembly and independent figures.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011 and many people, including large numbers of government forces, have been killed in the violence.

Reports show the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and that very large numbers of the militants are foreign nationals.

On Friday, the militants announced that they had received new weapons that could lead to "changes" in the war against the Syrian government.

Iran launches space survey and monitoring base

Source : Trend.Az

Iran inaugurated its first space survey and monitoring base with the goal of boosting security of Iranian space systems and surveying satellites which are passing over Iran, IRNA reported.

The base was launched officially in a ceremony which was attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The base will help manage the traffic of satellites and share spatial information with other countries, said Iran Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi on the inauguration ceremony.

Iran will launch its own communications satellite into space in 5 years, head of country's Space Agency, Hamid Fazeli said, IRIB News reported.

Iran plans to use its own satellite to translate local channels, as formerly it was doing so through other broadcasting satellites, as Eutelsat SA and Intelsat SA.

Eutelsat SA and Intelsat SA stopped the broadcast of several Iranian satellite channels last year, citing pressure by the European Union.

Hamid Fazeli said that Iran plans to send "IranSat" into space via three stages. First one of which would be sending "IranSat 1" into space in two years, then "IranSat 2" will be sent in 1,5 years after that.

Fazeli noted that satellite's manufacturing and design cost $70 million, launching of the satellites - $30 million, plus additional $40 million for transferring function blocks.

Iran launched its first satellite, called the Omid (Hope), in February 2009. The Rasad (Observation) satellite was also sent into orbit in June 2011.

In February, 2012, Iran successfully put its third domestically manufactured satellite, named the Navid (Promise), into orbit. On February 8, 2012, Iran received the first image sent by the Navid satellite.

As part of its space program, Iran also plans to launch the Fajr (Dawn) satellite in the near future.

The Fajr, which is a reconnaissance satellite powered by solar energy, will be Iran's first new-generation satellite to be sent into space.

Iran Dismantles Terrorist Cell Plotting to Sabotage Upcoming Election

Source : Fars News Agency

Election TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian intelligence ministry announced that it has disbanded a terrorist cell tasked with conducting sabotage activities concurrent with June 14 presidential election in Iran.

In a statement released on Sunday, the intelligence ministry said it has managed to identify and arrest all members of the terrorist cell after finding traces and gathering accurate information about the cell's activities and mission.

The statement further mentioned that the head of the terrorist cell had been recruited by the spy agency of an Arab country and later contacted the Israeli spy agency Mossad after travelling to Israel.

After receiving the needed intelligence and military trainings in Israel, the head of the terrorist cell has received a list of actions from Mossad officers to conduct espionage and terrorist activities in Iran, the statement said.

It further said that the prime suspect had later formed a 12-member team to conduct sabotage and terrorist activities in Iran, specially during the upcoming election day on June 14.

Last week, an Iranian security official said that the country's security forces have arrested several terrorists led by Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCRI) who planned to sabotage the election in Iran.

"Following the identification of active members of several groups linked to the MKO grouplet, several simultaneous sting operations were conducted in Tehran and several other cities and serious blows were dealt to those groups," the security official said on the condition of anonymity.

Despite using alias names and titles, most of the identified groups had a history of association with the MKO grouplet and many of the arrestees had been previously jailed for similar activities, press tv reported.

Two of the arrestees had recently entered Iran to instruct their agents inside the country on how to spark turmoil during the election, the source reiterated.

Candidates officially started election campaigning this morning after the official announcement of the eligible candidates. Campaigning will continue up to June 13, that is 24 hours before the start of the election.

Iranian voters will go to over 66,000 polling stations inside and outside the country on June 14 to elect their next president.