A top-ranking Slovakian commerce delegation will visit Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA) on March 07.
Headed by Deputy Prime Minister for Investment of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini, the delegation of the central European country is slated to make a visit to TCCIMA on March 07.
The session will be also attended by Iran’s Minister of Economy Ali Tayebnia.
It is worth noting that representatives of 35 private sectors of Slovakia will accompany the trade delegation to Tehran in order to meet and talks with Iran’s economic activists.
The Slovak economy is a developed, high-income economy, with the GDP per capita equaling 76% of the average of the European Union in 2014. Slovakia successfully transformed from a centrally planned economy to a market-driven economy.
Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in private hands, and foreign investment has risen.
PMO head said the volume activities in Shahid Rajaee Port Complex has increased by 35 per cent in the past 11 months.
Mohammad Saeidnejad, Managing Director of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), said implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) paved the path for purchasing required port equipment as reasonable prices and new items will arrive in the country in four months’ time.
He deemed expansion of oil terminals as a major priority for PMO asserting “financial resources have been supplied to the project while contractors will be chosen by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (to end March 21).”
“Over the past 35 months, volume of overall activities conducted at Shahid Rajaee Port has risen by 35 per cent,” he emphasized.
In the meantime, the growth figure stood at 34% for lauding and unloading, 51% for exports, 80% for transshipment as well as 35% for container operations.
At another part of his speech, Saeidnejad evaluated expansion of the country’s port network and strengthening of small ports as key strategies pursued by Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO).
“On the basis of latest technical studies, Iran enjoyed a total of 5,795 kilometers of coastlines including mainland, islands and navigable river coasts,” highlighted the official calling for more serious attention to the role played by PMO.
Deputy roads minister went on to underscore that Iran was placed among 20 top countries as regards shipping capacity index with an overall capacity of 15 million displacements.
Mohammad Saeidnejad also referred to significance of confronting sea pollutions saying “vessels for collecting marine pollution have been purchased though their delivery is still pending after years.”
Distance of Shahid Rajaee Port to Tehran is 1501 Km, 30 Km to the Hormozgan Province capital and 40 Km to the nearest airport. The connection of this port to Tehran and other parts of the country is possible via roads and railways.
Situated in Bandar Abbas, Shahid Rajaee Port connects to more than 80 ports worldwide and the highest rate of cargo transit through the country and towards the Central Asia passes through this port.
Iranian film ‘The Salesman’ on Sunday won the Oscar for best foreign language film, but director Asghar Farhadi skipped the Hollywood gala to protest a travel ban by US President Donald Trump.
Farhadi initially said he would head to Hollywood for Oscars night, where his film — the story of two actors whose relationship turns sour during a performance of Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ — earned a statuette.
However, after citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries were briefly denied entry last month to the United States, he decided there were too many ‘ifs and buts’ about whether he would be allowed to enter the country.
Instead, thousands of people watched ‘The Salesman’ for free in London’s Trafalgar Square.
In a statement read out at the Oscars ceremony on Farhadi’s behalf by Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-American astronaut, Farhadi said the empathy filmmakers can foster is needed today more than ever. Ansari was joined onstage by another accomplished Iranian-American, Firouz Naderi, a former NASA director.
“I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight,” Farhadi’s statement read. “My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US.
“Dividing the world into the ‘us’ and ‘our enemies’ categories creates fear.”
At the age of just 44, Farhadi has established himself as Iran’s most acclaimed director, touching people around the globe with stories that resonate beyond borders.
This was his second film to win an Oscar in the foreign language film category, following the 2012 victory for ‘A Separation’ — a stark, powerful family drama about Iran’s fractured social classes, which also picked up a Golden Globe.
Coming at another dark time in relations between the United States and Iran, when international sanctions were at their peak, Farhadi’s 2012 speech was lauded back home for putting Iranian art, culture and history above politics.
But this time, politics trumped art.
Best Foreign Language Film The Salesman Asghar Farhadi (Iran) is accepted by a designated woman reading Farhadi’s statement. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Farhadi’s lead actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, also boycotted the event, calling Trump’s visa ban ‘racist’.
The measure has been put on ice by the US federal courts, and Trump’s White House is devising a new order.
Born in 1972 near the ancient city of Isfahan, Farhadi was swiftly drawn towards the arts, becoming interested in writing, drama and cinema while still at school.
He later took courses at the Iranian Young Cinema Society and graduated with a master’s degree in film direction from Tehran University in 1998.
‘The Salesman’ also found success at last year’s Cannes film festival, with Farhadi winning best screenplay and his star Shahab Hosseini named best actor.
It was his second official festival selection after his French-language film ‘The Past’ in 2013, which won the ecumenical jury prize.
89th Academy Awards – Oscars Backstage – Hollywood, California, U.S. – 26/02/17 – Anousheh Ansari and Firouz Naderi pose with the Oscar they accepted on behalf of Asghar Farhadi, who won the Best Foreign Language Film for “The Salesman”. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson – RTS10HRL
The structure of Farhadi’s scripts “is always complex but fluid”, cinema writer Beatrice de Mondenard said at the time.
“He seeks to show the difficulties inherent in relationships between people, the choices faced by everyone, choices which make us question our values and our convictions.”
Farhadi’s ‘About Elly’, which tells of a woman who vanishes on a beach getaway with friends, scooped the Silver Bear award for best director at the 2009 Berlin film festival.
Other films include ‘Dancing In The Dust’, ‘Fireworks Wednesday’ and ‘Beautiful City’.
Late Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami was also honored at the 89th Academy Awards.
The Academy awards ceremony named Kiarostami in a video that honored the world artists who passed away in 2016.
Kiarostami was also an accomplished photographer and painter. His last film was ‘Like Someone in Love’ (2012) — a romantic drama set in Japan — was nominated for a Palme d’Or at Cannes.
Congratulations
Iranians cheered the choice of one of their own for the best foreign film Oscar, lauding director Farhadi’s boycott of the Hollywood ceremony for his film as an act of defiance against the Trump administration.
The six nominated directors in the foreign language category had put out a joint statement ahead of the award decrying what they called the climate of ‘fanaticism’ in the United States and dedicating the award to the promotion of ‘unity and understanding’ regardless of who won.
Film critic Esmaeil Mihandoost, who wrote a book about Farhadi, told AP that thanks to the boycott, the film director has now “more influence on public opinion than a politician”.
“It created an exceptional opportunity for criticism” of Trump’s policy,” he added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he saw the prize as taking a stance against Trump’s executive order. “Proud of Cast and Crew of ‘The Salesman’ for Oscar and stance against #MuslimBan. Iranians have represented culture and civilization for millennia,” he tweeted in English.
Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri praised Farhadi both for the award and for boycotting the ceremony, calling it a ‘priceless action’.
Farhadi had organized a free screening of ‘The Salesman’ in London’s Trafalgar Square on Sunday.
89th Academy Awards – Oscars Backstage – Hollywood, California, U.S. – 26/02/17 – Anousheh Ansari and Firouz Naderi pose with the Oscar they accepted on behalf of Asghar Farhadi, who won the Best Foreign Language Film for “The Salesman”. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson – RTS10HRP
Meanwhile, Iran’s Culture Minister Abbas Salehi-Amiri congratulated Iranian filmmaker for winning the Oscar and commended his stance against the racist policy of Trump administration against refugees.
“In today’s chaotic, insecure and dark world, it is altruism, pacifism and a shining light which bring freedom-seeking people together, and you [Asghar Farhadi] were successful in using the expressive language of the arts to convey the peaceful message of Iran and the Iranians beyond geographical borders,” he said in his message to Farhadi for winning his second Oscar.
“Your symbolic absence at the Academy Awards as a protest against the shortsighted and racist policies of America’s novice politicians against refugees brought together many with a good conscience together and removed the mask from the false faces of those so-called defenders of human rights, at the same time as it displayed to the world the true, culture-loving image of the Iranians,” he added.
He underlined, “As of today, the world acknowledges that the ‘Iranophobia’ project was nothing but a deceit, and you managed to tie the Iranian outlook of contemporary ills of humanity with the shared outlook of the whole world.
“Your message today was the message of sympathy, empathy and solidarity.”
He concluded, “No doubt, Iranian cinema with its major share in promoting and fostering culture and national security, can make great use of such opportunities to introduce the Iranian arts on an international level.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the crowds: “President Trump cannot silence me. We stand in solidarity with Asghar Farhadi, one of the world’s greatest directors.”
2017 Academy Award winners
The coming-of-age drama ‘Moonlight’ won the best picture at the 89th annual Academy Awards Sunday night in a chaotic ending.
The film won after ‘La La Land’ was mistakenly announced as the best picture winner.
Presenter Warren Beatty said he paused so long before the name was read because the envelope read Emma Stone, ‘La La Land’. Actress Faye Dunaway read the name ‘La La Land’ after chiding Beatty for taking so long to read the winner.
The film tells the story of a boy’s journey to adulthood through his rough upbringing in Miami. The film stars Naomi Harris as the boy’s drug-addicted mother, and Mahershala Ali as a drug dealer-turned mentor for the boy.
The winners are as follows:
Best Picture: ‘Moonlight’
Actor: Casey Affleck, ‘Manchester by the Sea’
Actress: Emma Stone, ‘La La Land’
Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, ‘Moonlight’
Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, ‘Fences’
Directing: Damien Chazelle, ‘La La Land’
Foreign Language Film: ‘The Salesman’, Iran
Adapted Screenplay: ‘Moonlight’, screenplay by Barry Jenkins, story by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, ‘Manchester by the Sea’
Production Design: ‘La La Land’, Production Design: David Wasco; Set Decoration: Sandy Reynolds Wasco
Cinematography: Linus Sandgren, ‘La La Land’
Sound Mixing: ‘Hacksaw Ridge’, Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace
Sound Editing: ‘Arrival’, Sylvain Bellemare
Original Score: ‘La La Land’, Justin Hurwitz
Original Song: ‘City of Stars’ from ‘La La Land’, music by Justin Hurwitz, lyric by Ben Pasek and Justin Paul
Costume Design: Colleen Atwood, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’
Documentary (short subject): ‘The White Helmets’, Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara
Documentary Feature: ‘O.J.: Made in America’, Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow
Film Editing: ‘Hacksaw Ridge’, John Gilbert
Makeup and Hairstyling: ‘Suicide Squad’, Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson
Animated Feature Film: ‘Zootopia’, Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer
Animated Short Film: ‘Piper’, Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer
Live Action Short Film: ‘Sing’, Kristof Deak and Anna Udvardy
Visual Effects: ‘The Jungle Book’, Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon
A railroad linking the northern Iranian city of Astara to Azerbaijan Republic’s Astara will be operational in coming months, announced Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi.
The incumbent Iranian administration has sought to facilitate the activities of merchants from the two countries, Vaezi told the Iran-Azerbaijan Business Forum in the northwestern Iranian city of Orumieh on Thursday evening, reported Tasnim News Agency.
He noted that once the train service becomes operational in the early months of the Iranian year which starts on March 21, the two sides will witness greater use of rail transport system to boost bilateral trade.
The railroad, he pointed out, will not only have a positive impact on Tehran-Baku relations but also on ties among Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
At a meeting in Baku in July 2016, officials from Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan exchanged views on the cost of building the crucial rail link to connect Iran’s northern city of Rasht with Azerbaijan’s Astara.
The three sides also studied the possibility of Russia financing the project.
The budget for completion of Rasht-Astara railroad project is estimated at $1.1 billion, a part of which will be supplied from the $500-million loan from Azerbaijani banks.
The project is part of the North-South Corridor.
The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a multipurpose route permitting the transit of goods between Iran, Russia, Europe, India and Central Asia via shipping lines, railroad and land routes.
Men’s and Women’s roll ball teams of Iran turned victorious in their opening encounters at the 4th Roll Ball World Cup underway in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is hosting the fourth edition of Roll Ball World Cup with the participation of 40 teams. The mega event is being held at the newly constructed Sheikh Russell Roller Skating Complex in Dhaka from February 17 to 23 with 40 and 27 men’s and women’s team’s respectively.
In the men’s event, 16 teams from Asia, 11 from Africa, eight from Europe, three from South America and one from Oceania will take part splitting into eight groups. Women’s segment will also have eight groups.
Iranian male roll ball skaters, who hold a world vice-champion title, took a firm step in their opening match by thrashing Egyptian rivals 11-0.
Also, female representatives of Iran took a 17-0 lead in the first half of a match against Tanzania. The East African team, while accepting the defeat, refused to continue the showdown in order to prevent injuries to players.
Iran’s women outfit are scheduled to take up Pakistani rivals at 03:00 p.m. Bangladesh local time and, in case of victory, will secure a place in the second round of the sportive event.
IOTC managing director said storage duration in Iranian crude oil terminals has climbed to 15 days.
Managing Director of Iran Oil Terminals Company (IOTC) Seyed Pirouz Mousavi said oil can now be stored for as long as 15 days without the need for exports.
“Iran’s oil storage capacity has currently reached global standards with implementation of 10 million barrels of new capacity in Bahregan district as a backup for Kharg Oil Terminal,” he added.
The official highlighted that operation of new tanks not only has boosted storage duration to 15 days but also increased crude storage capacity of the country’s terminals by about 35 per cent.
“The rise in crude storage capacity, in addition to strengthening Iran’s bargaining power for commerce and sales of oil, will elevate the quality of export products.”
He recalled that construction and implementation of new storage tanks will lower risks of production cuts and transfer of oil to Kharg Terminal, as the country’s largest crude terminal.
Mousavi further deemed increased oil exports throughput as yet another advantage of the new oil storage project adding “upon operation, the possibility will be provided for regular and overhaul of crude oil storage tanks at Kharg Terminal.”
Implementation of new tanks for storing 10 million barrels of Iranian crude earlier this month, the country’s overall capacity rose to 38 million barrels. The project also comprises design, construction, installation and operation of eight one-million-barrel tanks, two 500-thousand-barrel tanks as well as four 250-thousand-barrels tanks for storing crude oil.
Iran’s oil terminals remain as the last link in the chain of oil and gas production and presently over 90 per cent of the country’s crude oil is being deployed to global markets through Kharg Terminal.
Following exports of the first naphtha cargo to the United Arab Emirates by OPEC Affairs Department of the Ministry of Petroleum, a second package, with a volume of 280 thousand barrels, has been deployed to Japan.
The second shipped cargo is expected to reach destination in coming days.
Setareh Khalij Fars Refinery, as the first condensate-based refinery, enjoys a capacity of 360 thousand barrels per day and comprises distillation units, liquefied gas refining, catalytic converter, naphtha refining, isomerization, refined kerosene and gas oil.
Situated in vicinity of Bandar Abbas refinery, the complex is in final stages of construction and aims to produce gasoline, diesel, LPG and jet fuel.
The required feed for Setareh Khalij Fars Refinery will be supplied through a 485-km pipeline derived refineries of South Pars gas field.
Upon completion, the project will increase the country’s gasoline and gas oil output capacity by 36 and 14 million liters respectively.
Also, Setareh Khalij project is expected to yield four million liters of LPG, three million liters of jet fuel as well as 130 tons of sulfur per day. The refinery enjoys about 11 million barrels of capacity for storing petroleum products.
Iran has zipped past the likes of Venezuela and Nigeria to become India’s third largest oil supplier as easing western sanctions enabled Indian companies to increase purchases from that country.
Saudi Arabia and Iraq continue to be ahead of Iran, which was sixth biggest supplier of crude oil to India in 2015-16, PTI reported on Wednesday.
It has overtaken Venezuela, Nigeria and UAE to become India’s third largest supplier in April-December period of 2016-17.
Iran sold 19.8 million tons of crude oil to India in the nine-month period, officials said. This behind Saudi Arabia’s 30.3 million tons and 29.1 million tons sourced from Iraq.
In full 2015-16 fiscal, Iran had supplied 12.7 million tons of crude oil to India. That year Saudi Arabia had sold 40.4 million tons of oil to India with Iraq chipping in 26.8 million tons. Venezuela supplied 23.6 million tons, Nigeria 23.4 million tons and the UAE 15.7 million tons.
Iran was India’s second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11 but western sanctions over its nuclear program relegated it to the 7th spot in subsequent years.
In 2013-14 and 2014-15, India bought 11 million tons and 10.95 million tons respectively from Iran, officials said.
Easing of western sanctions a year ago has led to Indian refiners raising their purchase from Iran.
During April-December 2016-17, Venezuela supplied 17.5 million tons of oil, the UAE 13 million tons and Nigeria 12.8 million tons.
Kuwait, which was third largest supplier in 2013-14 has steadily slipped, supplying just 7.6 million tons in first nine months of 2016-17 fiscal.
Iran in 2008-09 sold 21.81 million tons oil to India, which came down marginally to 21.19 million tons in the following year. It fell to 18.49 million tons in 2010-11 and to 17.44 million tons in 2011-12.
After the imposed sanctions, India brought down the purchases to 13.14 million tons in 2012-13 and had limited them in the years thereafter.
Officials said India imported 161.7 million tons of crude oil in the April-December period this fiscal, 64.2 percent of which came from the Middle-East region.
India spent $50.62 billion on crude oil imports during the nine months.
January 2017 imports up
Meanwhile, shipping data showed on Wednesday that India’s Iran oil imports rose marginally in January compared to the previous month.
In January, Iranian oil imports more than trebled compared with the same month last year, rising to 554,600 barrels per day (bpd), according to ship tracking data and a report compiled by Thomson Reuters Oil Research and Forecasts.
Indian refiners including Reliance Industries Ltd, operator of the world’s biggest refinery complex at Jamnagar, that had stopped imports from Iran during the sanctions period, have also returned as buyers of Iranian oil.
During January India’s oil imports from Brazil surged to its highest level since April 2015, while imports from Venezuela plunged, almost matching the supplies received in August 2016.
Nigerian oil supplies, hit by militant attack on the African nation’s major Trans Forcados Pipeline, to India fell by 54 percent last month from a year ago.
That forced key Indian clients of Nigeria, mostly state-run companies, to turn to Angola. Imports from Angola rose nearly 70 percent.
The first round of Women’s World Chess Championship kicked off with the attendance of 63 world top players including three Iranian ones on Saturday in Tehran.
Some 27 athletes from Europe, 12 from Asia, 8 from US, 3 from Africa together with some medal winners of the previous edition of the event have participated in the Women’s World Chess Championship.
The final match of the event is scheduled to be held on March 4 in Tehran Milad Tower.
FIDE president: Iran motherland of chess
President of the Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) or the World Chess Federation Kirsan Ilyumzhinov described Iran as the motherland of chess which deserved to be chosen as the host of the World Women Championship.
FIDE elected Iran as the host to the World Women Championship which is to inaugurate in the Iranian capital later on Thursday.
FIDE acted independently in granting hosting to the countries and it picked up Iran to play the host to the World Women Championship, Ilyumzhinov told reporters in a press conference.
He added that the federation has selected Iran to play host to the event on the basis of certain criteria including its support for sports and the youth and the active role played by Iran’s Chess Federation to promote chess among young generation.
Iran’s Chess Federation has so far organized over 100 contests in the country.
Appreciating Iranians for their hospitability, he said that FIDE will help Iran to organize the competitions in the best manner.
After Iran was selected as the host to the World Women Championship, some protested to the selection but FIDE is independent in choosing the host.
