Iran, Norway urge expansion of ties

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

TEHRAN, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Norway called for expansion of their relations in diverse areas, semi-official Fars news agency reported Tuesday.

The issue was raised in a meeting between Head of Iran-Norway Parliamentary Friendship Group Vahid Ahmadi and Norwegian Ambassador to Iran Jens-Petter Kjemprud in Tehran on Tuesday.

"Iran and Norway enjoy abundant potentials and capabilities to increase the level of their cooperation and expand their bilateral friendly ties, which can be used for improvement of the level of the friendly interactions between the two countries," Ahmadi was quoted as saying.

Kjemprud, for his part, underlined that Norway attaches importance to the development of ties with Iran, saying that " Norway seeks to promote the level of its friendly relations with Iran in different arenas, specially parliamentary ties and scientific and academic cooperation."

In January, Kjemprud also said that his country was ready to boost cooperation with Iran in the energy sector.

The calls for improving relations between two states come after the relations between Norway and Iran turned for the worse in 2010, with each country expelling diplomats following Norway granted asylum to an Iranian consul in Oslo

Iran plans to stage cyber drills

Source : Xinhua

TEHRAN, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Head of Iran's Passive Defense Organization Gholam-Reza Jalali said Saturday that Iran plans to stage cyber exercises in the near future, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"The cyber maneuvers bylaw has been prepared and will be circulated among the relevant organizations" in a bid to enhance cyber capabilities and prevent cyber attacks, Jalali said without further elaboration.

Jalali made the remarks ahead of Iran's Passive Defense Week in October.

He said his organization also plans to set regulations for the country's vital infrastructures so that they could achieve complete safety in the cyber field.

"Vital infrastructures fall within the first layer of the information technology and if they stop functioning, it will cause danger at national security level," he added.

Over the past few years, Iran has been the target of numerous cyber attacks aimed at disrupting its nuclear and energy systems. Iran accuses the United States and Israel of being behind these attacks

Iran to stage major air defense exercise

Source : Mehr News Agency

TEHRAN, July. 5 (MNA) – The commander of the Khatam-ol-Anbiya Air Defense Base announced on Wednesday that Iran would stage a major air defense exercise, entitled the Defenders of the Sky of Velayat 5, in the second half of the current Iranian calendar year, which started on March 21.

Brigadier General Farzad Esmaeili also said that domestically manufactured Hazem radar- evading UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) would be used in the war games.

Iran, Russia may hold joint naval drill

Source : MehrNews.com

TEHRAN, July. 2 (MNA) – The commander of the Iranian Navy says Iran and Russia may hold a joint naval exercise in the Caspian Sea.

“The commander of the Russian fleet has talked about a joint naval drill. The exercise may be held after the Islamic Republic makes a decision (in this regard) and after arrangements are made,” Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said in a news conference in Tehran on Monday in reference to news reports saying that Iran and Russia had planned to stage joint naval maneuvers.

Deputy Commander of Russia’s Caspian Flotilla Nikolai Yakubovsky said on Friday that the two countries were examining a plan to hold a joint naval exercise in the Caspian Sea in the second half of the current year, according to RIA Novosti.

Commenting on the recent dispatch of an Iranian fleet of warships to Russia, Sayyari said that the mission was an example of naval relations between Tehran and Moscow, adding that the two countries would cooperate to counter possible threats to the security of the Caspian Sea.

An Iranian fleet of warships, comprised of two missile-launching vessels, docked at the Russian port city of Astrakhan on Friday for a four-day stay.

The deputy commander of the Iranian Navy said on June 25 that one of the purposes of the mission was to cement relations between Iran and Russia, adding, “Given that the Caspian Sea is known as a sea of peace and tranquility, conveying the message of peace and friendship to countries bordering this sea, particularly the country of Russia, and displaying the naval might of the Navy and increasing the knowledge and experience of its young members are other purposes of the dispatch of the fleet of warships to Russia.”

“During the stay of the fleet of warships of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Navy in Astrakhan, Russia, besides visits to military and port centers, meetings will be held with a number of officials and senior military commanders,” he said.

A detachment of ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet on the way from Vladivostok to the Mediterranean Sea entered the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on an unofficial visit on April 20.

The detachment consisted of The Admiral Panteleyev major anti-submarine ship, The Admiral Nevelskoy and The Peresvet large landing ships, The Foty Krylov ocean-going rescue ship, and The Pechenga sea tanker.