*** IRAN DAILY
–Iran marks second martyrdom anniversary of Ukrainian plane crash
The second martyrdom anniversary of the victims of a Ukrainian passenger plane crash near the Iranian capital was commemorated at a ceremony in Tehran’s Behesht Zahra cemetery on Friday.
The ceremony was attended by Iranian Vice President and President of the Martyr Foundation and Veterans Affairs Amir-Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi.
— Iran’s nine-month pistachio exports top $738m
Total pistachio shipments from Iran in the March 21-December 21, 2021 period amounted to nearly $738.5 million in value terms, down by 19% against the similar period of 2020, said Rouhollah Latifi, the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).
Latifi said, however, that pistachio remained a major export commodity for Iran and a main item on the country’s list of agri-food exports over the nine months to late December 21 as shipments reached 70 destinations around the world.
— Ravansar to become center of Hawraman’s archeological research
The city of Ravansar, in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah, has become the research center for the Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat, which has been registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Announcing the above, head of Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat site, Pouya Talebnia, added that although the geographical features of the region indicate its harsh biological conditions, archaeological studies carried out in the area have shown that human groups were settled there for a long time.
*** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
–Gen. Qa’ani: All Americans Will Be Expelled
The commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says terrorist U.S. forces in Iraq will have to leave the Arab country with more humiliation than what they faced in Afghanistan.
“By the grace of God, all Americans will be expelled … from this region,” Brigadier General Esmail Qa’ani said in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad on Thursday.
“A notable number of Americans has been forced out of this region and this will continue. As for Iraq, they must leave Iraq; otherwise, the resistance front inside Iraq will make the Americans miserable and they will have to leave Iraq under more humiliating conditions than they experienced in Afghanistan.”
— Ministry Issues Statement on Ukraine Plane Tragedy
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Friday extended condolences to the families of the victims of the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed near Tehran in January 2020.
The Kiev-bound UIA Boeing 737 crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people on board, mostly Iranian and Canadian citizens. Iran said the plane was hit by an anti-aircraft missile due to human error.
According to the ministry’s statement, the Islamic Republic of Iran has conducted criminal and judicial proceedings in line with specific legal concepts, such as the principle of territorial jurisdiction, the site where the incident had happened and the accused people’s nationality, as well as applicable laws and regulations.
— India’s Jaipur Honors Iranian Films
Films by two Iranian directors have been awarded at the 14th Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF) in India.
The feature ‘Dandelion Season’ by Iranian filmmaker Maryam Pirband won the Yellow Rose Award for Upcoming Flm with World Premiere at the 2022 edition of JIFF.
Meanwhile, a Special Jury Mention Award went to the short film ‘Tide’ by Pedram Mehrkhah.
The Jaipur International Film Festival is “the world’s biggest competitive film festival and the best-reviewed festival in the world,” according to the event’s website.
*** TEHRAN TIMES
— Persepolis, Esteghlal, Gol Gohar ineligible to participate at 2022 ACL
Three Iranian football clubs Persepolis, Esteghlal and Gol Gohar are not eligible to participate at the AFC Champions League 2022.
The clubs are not allowed to take part in this edition after failed to satisfy all of the mandatory criteria.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s independent Entry Control Body (ECB) has decided to withdraw the license of Persepolis, Esteghlal and Gol Gohar (all clubs from Iran) to participate in the AFC Champions League 2022 pursuant to Articles 14.4 and 14.5 of the AFC Club Licensing Regulations (read together with Article 4.1.4 of the Procedural Rules Governing the AFC Entry Control Body)., Asian Football Confederation wrote in its statement.
— Domestic producers able to meet 95% of oil industry’s technological needs
Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji has said domestic producers are currently supplying over 70 percent of the oil industry’s needed equipment, adding that this figure can increase to 95 percent, Shana reported.
Speaking in a meeting with the representatives of the country’s oil and gas equipment manufacturers, Oji said: “Currently, a major part of the equipment and parts needed by all sectors (upstream and downstream) are supplied by domestic manufacturers.”
— 10 incredible fortresses everyone should visit while in Iran
A bridge between eastern and western parts of the world, Iran is home to countless ancient fortresses which draw the attention of thousands of sightseers and researchers each year. Visitors may conjure up scenes of the past when soldiers and their commanders benefited from those fortified structures in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest.
Forts and fortresses were normally constructed in every corner of the vast country along significant routes predominantly on heights overlooking steep slopes or cliffs.