The 7th Navay-e Rahmat(Mercy) Daf festival held in Sanandaj. 324 music section from 25 provinces registered in this festival. The participants performed within 3 days.
About Daf
Daf is one of the most ancient frame drums in Asia and North Africa. As a Persian instrument, in 20th century, it is considered as a Sufi instrument to be played in Khanghah-s for Zikr music but now this percussion instrument has recently become very popular and it has been integrated into Persian art music successfully.
About Sajajdaj
Sanandaj, city, capital of Kordestan province, northwestern Iran. It is located at an elevation of 4,990 feet (1,521 metres) at the foot of Mount Abidar. The city was called Sisar, meaning “30 heads,” in the itineraries of Ibn Khuradādhbih and Qudāmeh. The population is mostly Kurdish.
The city was once home to a small Armenian minority that has since largely moved out of the area. During the Iran-Iraq War the city was attacked by Iraqi planes and saw disturbances by Kurds. Industries produce carpets, processed hides and skins, milled rice, and sugar.
Woodworking, cotton weaving, and the making of metalware and cutlery constitute the handicrafts. Roads link Sanandaj with Marīvān, Saqqez, Bāneh, and Bījār. The city has a fortress built during ʿAbbāsid rule (750–1258 ce). Pop. (2006) 316,862.
Farhad Daneshvar: President Hassan Rouhani in an addressing to the parliament on August 20, said that drawing $100 billion in foreign investment to develop Iran’s oil industry is among the oil minister’s main tasks in his second term.
“There is bad news and good news,” believes Chris Cook, a strategic market consultant, who also formerly headed the International Petroleum Exchange.
“The bad news is that the Trump administration is intent on making Iranian access to dollars — whether dollar payments or dollar investment via equity funding or debt financing — to all intents and purposes impossible, notwithstanding anything in the JCPOA,” Cook said responding to Trend query regarding the Islamic Republic’s capability to draw foreign investment to renew the country’s oil and gas industry.
“The good news is that it is completely possible for trillions of dollars worth of investment to be made in Iran and in neighboring countries without using dollars at all. This is because accounting/pricing — or keeping score — of transactions in dollars is very different from using the dollar clearing system to repay dollar debts or repatriate dollar profits on investment,” he added.
Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has in recent years been engaged in updating the long-standing ‘Energy Diplomacy’, developed during the former president Mohammad Khatami’s administration, Cook reminded, adding that this ‘smart energy policy’ instrument consisted of energy swaps, such as the Caspian oil swap (flows of Caspian crude oil into northern Iran, exchanged for flows of crude oil delivered out of the Persian Gulf).
“In addition to reactivation of these and similar swaps, perhaps the most remarkable — and most important — ‘Energy Diplomacy’ was the recently contracted South Pars 11 investment by Total, through which 20 years’ investment of technology, skills and experience will be swapped for a flow of condensate. The outcome is firstly a ‘smart swap’ of intellectual value for the value of carbon fuels, and secondly, through the participation of Chinese investors the deal provides 20 years’ security of condensate demand for Iran and 20 years’ security of condensate supply for China,” Cook suggested.
“The point is that such smart swaps will — within a suitable networked market platform or ‘energy clearing union’ — enable many hundred billion dollars worth of intellectual and other resources required by Iran to be swapped for many hundred billion dollars worth of carbon fuels supplied by Iran.
“Since such swaps do not take place on the oil market platform dominated by the US, they do not require settlement in dollars through the US dollar clearing system from which Iran is effectively excluded.”
The celebration of feast of Blessing of Grapes and Assumption of Mary was held on in Saint Sarkis Cathedral in Tehran.
The construction of St. Sarkis Church in Tehran began from 1964 and was complete by 1970. The church was built by Sarkisian brothers in memory of their parents.
At beginning the Tehran prelacy was located at conjunction of St. Mother Mary Church in central Tehran. In the early 1960s it was decided to change the site of the prelacy offices into new location. So therefore the bishop and committee members of the time requested to an Armenian benefactor Markar Sarkissian to help them in this cause. So the committee bought the land located at end of Villa Street (now called Nejatollahi Street). In 2006 Mr. Hrair Hagopian renovated the baptism pool and the church in memory of his beloved wife Vartoohi Davidian.
Armenians in Iran
Armenians can be found in almost every major city of Iran, engaged in a variety of professions and occupations, as university professors, physicians, high-school teachers, businessmen, engineers, skilled workers, truck drivers, artists, technicians, artisans, professional athletes, etc. Their traditional centers of Azerbaijan and Isfahan (since the 11th/17th century) have been overshadowed in recent years by the tremendous growth of the Armenian population in Tehran, where more than 66 percent of the entire community (estimated at 270,000 in 1977, see Nyrop, Iran, p. 152) resided in 1345 Š./1966 (Firoozi, The Population of Iran, p. 346). Three prelates with jurisdiction over the three district areas of Azerbaijan, Isfahan (including southern Iran and India), and
Tehran (including Qazvīn, Rašt, Mašhad, Bandar-e Anzalī, Hamadān, Arāk, and Kermānšāh) head the community. They are subject to the catholicos of Cilicia in Lebanon who nominates three candidates for each prelate post out of which one candidate is elected by the assembly of local representatives; then the elected prelate is officially appointed as such by the catholicos (Rāʾīn, Īrānīān-e Armanī, pp. 61-62). The Iranian community traditionally acknowledged the jurisdiction of the catholicos of Echmiadzin (Vałaršapat, the ancient capital of Armenia, now in Soviet Armenia) until the 1950s, when for political reasons he was replaced by the catholicos of Lebanon. This led to a split in the Armenian community, since a large number continued to follow the catholicos of Echmiadzin, who refused to relinquish the jurisdictional claim of his church over the entire Iranian community (Nyrop, Iran, p. 135).
Horse jumping competition on the occasion of International Quds Day was held on Friday in Hamedan.
Hamadan is one of the western and mountainous cities of Iran, which is located in Hamedan province and along Elburz Mountains and is 360 kilometers away from southwest of Tehran. It is one of the historical-cultural and touristic cities of Iran that was built in Medes period at eight century B.C. Medes named this city Hegamataneh, and Hamadan is the new name (face) for Hegmataneh. It is also considered as the history and civilization capital of Iran.
Hamadan has a cold climate. The dialect of the Hamadanian people is Farsi with Hamadani accent.
Some of the most famous and greatest poets, writers, and scientists of the Hamadan province are Baba Tahir Hamadani, Eynolghazat Hamadani, Seyyed Jamal ol Din Asadabadi, Mirzadeh Eshghi, Mostafa Rahmandoost, and Ayatollah Mohammad Mofatteh.
Historical Monuments
Tomb of Avicenna (Bu Ali Sina), famous Iranian scientist and medic
Tomb of Baba Tahir
Avicenna’s Mausoleum
Alavian Dome
Tomb of Esther and Mordechai
Sacrifice Tower
Ancient Hegmataneh Hill
Ganjnameh Inscriptions
Stone Lion Sculpture
The Ancient Bazaar of Hamadan
The Grand Mosque of Hamadan
Mosque of the Prophet
Presbyterian Church
Raphael Church
Imam Khomeini Square
Dokhtar Castle (Ghez Ghale)
Mosala Hill
Khidr Tomb
Tomb of Aref Qazvini
Qalamdani Serra
Tourist Centers
Ganjnameh telecabin in Hamadan.
The follwoing are among the natural and tourist spots of Hamadan: Ganjnameh telecabin, Abbasabad hill, Ganjnameh waterfall, Tarrik Darreh ski resort, Mosafa gardens in Mount Alvand domain specially Abbasabad and Heydareh and Emamzadeh Kooh valleys, Ekbatan dam, People’s park, Eram’s garden and amusement park.
Religious Monuments and Locations
Emamzadeh Abdollah, Emamzadeh Yahya, Emamzadeh Hossein, Emamzadeh Ismail (Mountain Shrine), Emamzadeh Hadi ibn Ali, Emamzadeh Ahl ibn Ali, ancient tomb of Emamzadeh Azhar, ancient tomb of Emamzadeh Hood.
Pottery and ceramics, leather and leather products, carpets, Rugs and Jajims, Angosht Pich, spicy garlic, Sap milk, Maviz, grape sap, shortbread, yellow halwa, walnuts, pistachio shells jam, Dartol, Baslogh, Sheermal, mixture potion, rose jam, sweetbreads, and Kak.
Handcrafts
Handcrafts are rich with leather crafts, carpet weaving, and rug weaving. The role of Lalejin is of special importance as the major source of pottery and ceramics in Iran. Other active handcrafts in Hamadan include:
Wood carving
Wood inlaying
Coppersmithing and etching on copper
Jewelry, silver filigree, goldbeating, and silver beating and enamelling
An oil official said once production volume at South Azadegan reaches 160 thousand barrels per day (bpd), West Karun joint fields will bring a revenue of 2.5 million dollars.
Majid Najarian, deputy project director for development of South Azadegan oilfield, said 565 million dollars were invested over three years to increase output of North Azadegan to 35 thousand barrels per day while, for the South Azadegan case, crude production soared to 40 thousand bpd in less than five months and by spending one fifth of the designated budget.
Azadegan oil field in south west of Iran is located about 80 Km. west of Ahwaz and straddles the Iran-Iraq border.
Over the past months, about 19 new wells have been drilled in the joint field, said the official, nearly a quarter of the yielded oil is directed to the northern cluster while the remaining thirty thousand barrels are transferred to refineries through a 32-inche pipeline.
Najarian said all measures, including pipeline installation, well drilling and establishment of wellhead equipment, are successfully accomplished adding “presently, a three-hour shut down of the factory is required its new control program to come on stream.”
He emphasized that output of South Azadegan will climb to 160 thousand barrels by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (began March 21) asserting “a total of 12 more wells are scheduled to be drilled in the coming two or three months in a bid to lift production level by 25 thousand barrels.”
“Also in the southern part of the field, 13 wells will come on stream yielding 28 thousand barrels per day,” he continued.
The official said a skid mount project will also add 50 thousand barrels to South Azadegan’s daily crude production.
Winners of the 35th Fajr International Film Festival (FIff) were announced, with ‘The Home’ from Iran snatching Golden Simorgh for Best Film in the main competition section.
The festival’s awards ceremony took place late Thursday at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.
According to fajriff.com, Iran’s Culture Minister Reza Salehi-Amiri, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Director of Iranian Cinema Organization Mohammad-Mehdi Heidarian, plus a large number of A-list Iranian and foreign film directors, producers, critics, journalists, academics, and stars attended the ceremony.
Addressing the participants, the secretary of the festival, Reza Mirkarimi said, “I would like to extend my gratitude to all those who worked round the clock to help me make this up-and-coming event possible. We are now more than ever determined to turn FIff into an annual event for those vying for global peace, justice and dignity both in their films and in their workings.”
Hosted by prominent actor Ashkan Khatibi, the ceremony was broadcast live in both English and Persian.
Full list of winners follows
International Competition (Cinema of Salvation)
Golden Simorgh for Best Film: ‘The Home’ by Asghar Yousefinejad, Iran
Silver Simorgh for Best Director: ‘Ivan D. Gaona, Guilty Men’, Colombia
Silver Simorgh for Best Actress: ‘Margita Gosheva, Glory’, Bulgaria
Silver Simorgh for Best Actor: ‘Stefan Denolyubov, Glory’, Bulgaria
Silver Simorgh for Best Script: ‘The Home’, Asghar Yousefinejad, Iran
Silver Simorgh for Special Jury Prize — Art Direction and Cinematography: Zhu Jinjing (Cinematography), ‘Wang Tou (Art Director), ‘Mr. No Problem’, (China, France)
Silver Simorgh for Best Short Film: ‘Online Shopping’ by Qasideh Golmakani, Iran
Members of the panel of jury in this section were: Florian Gallenberger (Germany), Jessica Woodworth (USA), Lech Majewski (Poland), Mieko Harada (Japan), Uberto Pasolini (Italy), Fatemah Motamed-Aria (Iran), and Rasoul Sadrameli (Iran).
Muhammad al-Ameen Award
‘Babaei’, Mozaffar Hosseinkhani Hezaveh, Iran
Asian Film Awards
Best Asian Film: ‘Returnee’ by Sabit Kurmanbekov, Kazakhstan
Best Asian Director: Shahrbanoo Sadat, ‘Wolf and Sheep’, Afghanistan/Denmark/France/Sweden
Best Asian Short Film: ‘Not Yet’ by Arian Vazirdaftari, Iran
Members of the panel of jury in this section were: Hamida Omarova (Azerbaijan), Omirbaev Darezhan Karazhanovich (Kazakhstan), Zeki Demirkubuz (Turkey), Nejib Ayed (Tunisia), and Kamal Tabrizi (Iran).
Interfaith Award
‘Knife in the Clear Water’ by Wang Xuebo, China
Jury members are Michał Legan (Poland), Katia Malatesta (Italy) and Hojatollah Ayoubi (Iran).
NETPAC Prize
‘The Home’ by Asghar Yousefinejad, Iran
The members of the jury in this section were: Anne Demy-Geroe (Australia), Rolando B. Tolentino (Philipines) and Houshang Golmakani (Iran).
Presided over by Reza Mirkarimi, the 35th edition of FIff took place from April 21 to 28 in Tehran.
The first debate among the six candidates of the 12th Iranian presidential election has been aired live on state television.
The candidates outlined their plans for the post. They were given an equal time to garner as many votes as possible in order to win the ticket to the office.
The live broadcast, which lasted for three hours, aimed to reduce the candidates’ campaign spending and pave the way for eligible voters to make their choice based on the sharp-cut and unambiguous plans represented during the program.
The six candidates running for the presidential election are Seyed Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim, Seyed Mostafa Hashemi-Taba, Es’haq Jahangiri, Hassan Rouhani, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi.
Iranians will go to the polls on May 19 to elect the country’s next president.
Upon entering the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in the capital, Tehran, Rouhani was asked if he was ready, to which he responded, “We’re probably all ready that we have come [here].”
Meanwhile, Mehr news agency reported that the debate had been put off half an hour to 16:30 local time (1200 GMT) upon the request of Rouhani’s camp.
Morteza Heidari, the renowned Iranian television news host and presenter who moderated the debate, also said he was prepared for the task and everything had been rehearsed
There will be three live televised debates in total. Today’s debate focused on social issues while the next two will revolve around economic and political matters.
The candidates have drawn lots to determine their seating arrangement for the debate. Every effort seems to have been made not to leave any room for accusations of partiality.
According to schedule, Fars News Agency reports, the candidates can hold a meeting of 15 minutes with the aides and advisors after 90 minutes of debate.
The debate began with Heidari outlining its format and regulations and how the time would be broken up between the candidates.
Settlement on outskirts of cities
Aqa-Mirsalim was the first candidate to answer the first question about settlements on the outskirts and peripheries of cities. This too was determined through a draw. Aqa-Mirsalim expressed his serious concern about lack of management of natural resources. He said correct water management would be the first step to reduce immigration from rural areas to cities. He added that lack of attention to proper spatial planning was the main reason behind immigration.
The other five candidates then took two-minute turns to make their own remarks on the issue and challenge Aqa-Mirsalim. Hashemi-Taba said Iran is plagued with severe environmental crisis. The third hopeful, incumbent Rouhani, said that immigration to big cities is a major problem not only in Iran but in most countries. He added that unemployment and low income are major reasons behind immigration to big cities. Qalibaf, for his part, said social and economic imbalance is a major reason behind immigration. Jahangiri said attention to immigrants to big cities must be the first priority in tackling their problems. Raeisi said the first priority is to have correct figures on immigration to big cities. While Qalibaf put the number of outskirts dwellers at 11 million, Raeisi said the figure belongs to four years ago and currently stands at around 16 million.
Aqa-Mirsalim then retook to the podium and said immigration should be curbed before it gives rise to social crises and added that 350,000 illegal wells have wasted the country’s water resources and caused immigration. The candidate said social facilities must be distributed evenly in cities and villages and expressed regret that some 10.2 million Iranians are totally illiterate. He noted that suitable housing must be provided in small towns and villages to prevent immigration.
Social justice
Raeisi was next up on the podium. He responded to a query on social justice and how to establish and promote it in Iran. In the four minutes allocated to him, Raeisi said the GINI Index, a measurement of the income distribution of a country’s residents, shows class divide has increased in Iran, adding that tripling subsidies handed out to lower classes would be a good way to narrow the social gaps. He noted that tax evasion must be prevented to promote social justice.
Rouhani stressed the importance of striking a balance between eastern and western parts of the country. Qalibaf said promoting social justice would be difficult as long as urban crises are not resolved. Jahangiri said social justice is not limited to economic issues but also includes education, political and judicial matters.
Raeisi one again took to the podium to give his responses and explanations about questions raised by the other hopefuls. He said joblessness and shutdown of production units are major problems facing the country’s economy. He added that the next administration must make plans to narrow social gaps in a bid to promote justice.
Housing
Hashemi-Taba was the third candidate who took to the podium to responsd to a debate question about his plans to solve the country’s housing problem. He said bank loans and mass construction would be good ways to tackle the housing problem, adding that job creation would help resolve this issue.
Jahangiri said unoccupied housing units are the main obstacle to solving the housing problem and added that increasing bank loans and establishing housing investment funds would be good solutions to this issue.
Hashemi-Taba then retook to the podium and used his five-minute time to answer the raised questions.
Youth marriage
Rouhani was the next hopeful taking to the podium to respond to a debate question about his plans to encourage the youth marriage. He said unemployment was the main problem facing the promotion of youth marriage and added that boosting hope and avoiding unnecessary limitations in the society are key to solve problems. He said hope for future has increased in the Iranian society and employment has improved. Hope for future and employment are the best ways to promote youth marriage in Iran, Rouhani added.
Raeisi said banking facilities, housing and employment are the main necessities to promote marriage among young Iranians. The other candidates also offered their viewpoints with Qalibaf challenging Rouhani on an alleged pledge that Rouhani had made during the previous presidential campaign to create four million jobs. Rouhani denied ever making that promise.
Rouhani then said oil revenues and taxation are major sources of the administration’s income and noted that his administration has reduced dependence on oil revenues to below 30 percent.
Cutting down on red tape
Jahangiri was the fifth presidential candidate to use his four-minute time to outline his plans on reducing bureaucracy in executive bodies. He said the current administration has managed to change the security-based approach to social issues and added that most of the Iranian people are not satisfied with municipalities and banks. The current first vice president said the establishment of an e-government was the major step to reduce bureaucracy.
Raeisi said an electronic government would increase transparency and facilitate the administrative processes. Rouhani said some media outlets undermine the social capital in the country. In this segment, Qalibaf questioned the reason behind Jahangiri’s candidacy, implying that Jahangiri has only registered to support Rouhani.
Jahangiri said forceful measures would fail to solve social problems and added that he took part in the presidential election as a representative of the Reformist camp. The current first vice president emphasized that the 11th administration has managed to increase petrochemical production by nine million tonnes.
Environmental challenges
Qalibaf was the last hopeful taking to the podium to answer a question about his plans to tackle the environmental challenges if elected president. He said the dust storm problem is currently plaguing 20 Iranian provinces and added that inappropriate measures taken inside the country has led to this crisis.
Jahangiri said the current administration has succeeded in taking essential measures to solve the environmental problems. He added that 70 percent of the dust storm problem stems from reasons beyond Iran’s borders.
Qalibaf defended the performance of Tehran Municipality in the environment-protection sector, saying it has used garbage to generate power and produce compost. The mayor of Tehran added that over 20,000 hectares have been planted with trees around the capital.
With all the six candidates having taken to the podium, the moderator announced the end of the first section of the debate and called a break before the beginning of the second round.
Round 2
In the second section, each candidate was given two minutes to answer a question raised by the moderator. Draws determined the candidate and the question that he answers.
Rouhani explained his plans to promote employment for women, saying his administration has managed to create 700,000 jobs for women. He added that women account for over 50 percent of university students in Iran.
As per the draw, Aqa-Mirsalim next responded to a question about his plans to solve the heavy traffic problem in big cities and said giving priority to public transport would be the best solution to the issue.
Jahangiri was asked about his plans to boost the social status of the elites. He highlighted the fact that Iranian elites have greatly increased the country’s scientific ranking in the world.
Raeisi responded to a question about his plans to promote the culture of sportsmanship and said winning medals in sports is very important for the country.
Qalibaf and Hashemi-Taba also in turn provided answered to the questions posed to them. In this section Qalibaf displayed a screenshot of the Iranian president’s website which he claimed confirms his remarks about Rouhani’s pledge during the previous campaign to create four million jobs.
The next and final section of the debate involved each candidate providing their concluding remarks. This section involved a verbal back and forth between Qalibaf and Rouhani over some of the claims against the latter by the former throughout the debate.
Full English Video of Iran 2017 presidential candidates hold first live debate on social affairs
The largest bazaar in the Middle East. The world’s largest covered market. A UNESCO World Heritage site. That’s the Tabriz bazaar.
Iranian carpets are renowned for their quality and style around the world. They truly are works of art, and also of great labor, many of them taking years at the hands of the nimble and skilled.
Tabriz is home to one of the most beautiful and most popular kind of carpets in the world with an inclusive variety, giving it the title of “World Carpet City”.
Sebastiaan Straten, Organizer of First Tehran International Persian Run also dubbed TehRUN, expressed hope that the event would cross bridges and break barriers between nations.
The 1st Tehran International Marathon convened in the Iranian capital on Friday 7th of April 2017 with participation of over 350 runners from more than 42 countries. TehRUN 2017 aimed at building bridges and breaking barriers.
The full marathon started at Azadi (Freedom) Stadium, and passed by the iconic Azadi Tower, a prominent structure during rallies in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Other landmarks along the route included Ferdowsi Square, built in honour of the famous Persian poet, and the Tehran City Theatre along Valiasr Street, one of the longest avenues in the Middle East.
Organizer of the sportive event Sebastiaan Straten issued a press release on Friday the full text of which follows:
Two years ago, I came up with the idea of organizing a marathon in Iran. Mostly because of my experience with street running in Amsterdam and Athens. Running creates a positive energy. It inspires and unites people. The interaction between runners and supporters along the road is unique. So why would this not be possible in Iran…
At the First International Iran Marathon near Persepolis on April 9th 2016, the people of Marvdasht displayed their hospitality towards 150 runners from 30 different countries. They proved that running goes beyond borders. It can cross bridges and break barriers between nations.
After this first successful edition of ‘I run Iran’ an even more challenging idea came up. Why not organize a second one in Tehran? The idea of the First Tehran International Persian Run also dubbed TehRUN was born. And what would be nicer than to have runners rounding the Azadi monument, proud symbol of 2500 years of Persian culture and history. Supported by thousands of Tehrani along the way. Inspiring street running to a young and dynamic population. A start needs a finish. Also, when the road is unclear and full of obstacles. Organizing a marathon in Iran has proven to be a tedious task. Convincing local authorities, getting permits and local support, promoting the event, runners’ registration, international payment limitations, travel assistance, street traffic control, securing the streets, etc. Constrained by a very limited budget, no financial sponsoring, a small taskforce and a challenging political climate.
I run Iran would not be possible without the support of the Iranian Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Tehran Mayor Office, the Amateur Athletic Federation of Iran (IRIAAF), Maral tours, Cultural Heritage and Tourism organization and many others.
Today, 7th of April 2017 at 7 AM (Tehran Local Time) the most international Iran sport event in many years will start. With hundreds of runners from over 42 different countries. Despite all shortcomings of this first TehRUN I hope we can make steps towards a brighter future.
From Start to Finish!
Sebastiaan Straten
Iranian athlete Moradi crowned in Tehran International Persian Run 2017
Iranian long distance runner Mohammad Jafar Moradi has made use of his athletic skills and steely determination to overcome opponents in the first edition of Tehran International “Persian Run” 2017, and claimed the title at the end of the sporting event.
On Friday, 26-year-old Moradi participated in the full marathon road running competition, and ran an official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26.219 miles) from Azadi Sport Complex in western Tehran, along Karaj Special Road, past Azadi and Enghelab squares and backward.
He sprinted across the finish line to be awarded $3,000.
Moradi was followed by his compatriot Mohammad Faraji, who pocketed pocketed $2,500.
Ehsan Zainivand, also an Iranian participant, was the third finisher and earned $2,000.
Vahid Afrasi, Ahmad Mansouri and Ali Rahmati Monfared were given $1,500, $1,000 and $500 respectively.
Ali Akbar Barzi, the title winner of the half marathon event, got $1,500, while Saber Charkhi received $1,000 as the vice champion of the 21.0975-kilometer-long (13.1094-mile-long) contest. Hassan Shirghavi collected $500 as the third person on podium.
The champion of the 10K run, Hassan Kayhani, was awarded the $1,000 cash prize. The runner-up, Morteza Biranvand, was paid $700, while the third-finisher, Rahim Dibaei, earned $500.
In the women’s 10K run, where participants ran over a distance of ten kilometers (6.2 miles), Parisa Arab finished in first place and got $1,000.
A French contestant and Zahra Raeisi from Iran pocketed $700 and $500 as the second and third finishers.
Iran was crowned AFC Beach Soccer Championship Malaysia 2017 champion on Saturday after beating the UAE 7-2 in Kuala Terengganu.
#AFCBeachSoccer2017
M23 United Arab Emirates vs Islamic Republic of Iran – News Report
The UAE’s Haitham Mohamed opened the match with an impressive effort which Iran goalkeeper Peyman Hosseini saved well, but it was to be Iran which would draw first blood, Moslem Mesigar tapping home from close range to hand his side an early lead, the-afc.com reported.
Clearly, boosted by its goal, Iran immediately doubled its advantage through Hosseini’s impressive strike, before Iran skipper Mohammad Ahmadzadeh fired a volley, just inches wide.
With the UAE failing to make an impression, Iran struck again as Mohammad-Ali Mokhtari’s penalty rounded off a fine first period for the Iranians.
Kamal Ali then went close with a volley as the Emiratis tried to rally. However, worse was to come for them as Mesigar’s cool header found the net with keeper Humaid Jamal rooted to the spot.
It was to be Jamal who eventually dragged the UAE back into the game with an impressive finish four minutes from time, a brief glimmer of hope that shone even brighter when Haitham Mohamed scored following neat approach play.
It was, however, not to be for the UAE, as an accurate Ali Nazem free-kick, followed by Amir Akbari’s volley and a Mokhtari penalty sealed a win – and the title – for the Iranians.
President praise
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa congratulated Iran on capturing the Asian title.
In the earlier third and fourth place match, Japan edged out Lebanon 6-3 to secure its spot, alongside Iran and the UAE, as Asia’s three representatives at the upcoming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2017, which will be played in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, from April 27 to May 7, 2017.
Shaikh Salman said, “I would like to congratulate Islamic Republic Iran who were a formidable force from start to finish. UAE should also be praised for their brilliant efforts in a captivating final.
“Along with Japan, Asia has three teams of outstanding quality and I am confident that they will do the continent proud in the Bahamas.”
The AFC President also paid tribute to Terengganu, Malaysia and the Local Organizing Committee for hosting a memorable tournament. “On behalf of the Asian football family, I must convey my appreciation to the Terengganu State Sports Council and the Terengganu State Government for their warm hospitality and displaying excellence in organizing a truly exceptional competition.
“This is the first time the tournament was hosted in Southeast Asia and it once again represents the AFC’s Vision and Mission to better engage with passionate football fans across the continent.”
The newly-crowned champion of Asia has been drawn to face Italy, Mexico and Nigeria in Group B at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2017. Meanwhile, runner-up the UAE is in Group C, where it will compete against Panama, Paraguay and Portugal. Third-placed Japan will feature in Group D comprising Brazil, Poland and Tahiti at the Bahamas Beach Stadium in Nassau.
Iran will open Asia’s campaign in the Bahamas against Mexico on April 27, 3.30 p.m. (local time). Japan and the UAE will begin their conquests the following day on April 28 against Poland and Paraguay at 3.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. (local time) respectively.
Physical fitness, Iran’s trump card
Following the final showdown, Iran head coach Mohammad Hossein Mirshamsi praised the performance of his players, saying, “We were ready for this game and we knew that the UAE were tired as it was a tough semifinal game against Lebanon for them.
“I think today’s game was easy for us. The most important advantage that we had over the UAE today was physical fitness. We were thankful for that.
“Looking back, I think our most difficult match in this competition was our encounter against Japan in the semifinals, but we analyzed the UAE’s games and I believe we were ahead of them in terms of tactics and technique.”
Mirshami believed Asia is now well placed to challenge for honors come April’s global extravaganza in the Bahamas.
“It is good that Iran, the UAE and Japan are all representing Asia [at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup],” he said.
“I believe we now have a strong Asian presence at the World Cup.”