The annual festivities started on Sunday morning, commemorating the moment the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, disembarked from an Air France jumbo jet to a massive welcome back home, ending his exile in Paris.

Forty-two years ago, millions of Iranians thronged Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport to catch a glimpse of the return from almost 15 years of exile of the iconoclast at whose impending arrival the British-installed and US-backed Shah had fled the country.

The celebrations culminate on February 10, marking the resounding triumph of the Islamic Revolution which freed Iran from domestic despotism and foreign hegemony.  The victory came under the astute leadership of Imam Khomeini who ended 2,500 years of monarchy in Iran.

On Saturday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei visited Imam Khomeini’s mausoleum in southern Tehran to pay homage to the founder of the Islamic Republic.

Ayatollah Khamenei visited the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, south of Tehran, to pay tribute to the late founder of the Islamic Republic on Sunday morning.

The Leader also paid tribute to Iranian martyrs laid to rest in a nearby cemetery, including the martyrs of the 1980-1988 Iraqi imposed war on Iran and a 1981 bombing in Tehran in which 72 officials were killed.

With the new anniversary, the Islamic Iran puts behind a tough year which was marked by the assassination of two icons – a military commander and a nuclear scientist – and the U.S. escalation of its maximum pressure on Tehran amid a pandemic with the ultimate goal of ousting the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile yesterday, President Rouhani, in an online ceremony on Sunday inaugurated above 10 major water and electricity projects worth 47.76 trillion rials (about $199mn) in the provinces of Kordestan and North Khorasan.

The projects included:

– The third steam unit of Shirvan combined cycle power plant in North Khorasan province using 14 trillion rials of funds for the economic development of the region, sustainable electricity supply, and increase in the capacity of the national electricity network;

– A small-scale power station, four power supply projects, and two power transmission lines in Kordestan using 6,760 billion rials to provide electricity for subscribers and improving their satisfaction;

– five water projects including Ramesht Dam, two water and wastewater treatment plants, and two irrigation and drainage networks in Kordestan.

The named projects have been inaugurated on the occasion of the beginning of the 10-Day Fajr celebrations that mark the 42nd anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and under the framework of the A-B-Iran program.

A-B-Iran program (the acronyms A and B stand for water and electricity in Persian) was initiated in the Iranian calendar year 1398, during which the energy minister made 31 trips to various provinces for inaugurating over 220 major projects with a total investment of 335.6 trillion rials (about $7.99 billion).

One of the ministry’s programs under the framework of the A-B-Iran is rewarding efficient electricity subscribers with a 100-percent discount on their bills.

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In a series of tweets published on the Twitter page of Ayatollah Khamenei on Wednesday, the Leader said the Persian Gulf belongs to the nations living there, and those are the ones responsible for ensuring its security.

“The Persian Gulf belongs to the nations living there. Its security is the duty of these nations, & Iran with its long coastlines has a key role in keeping the security of this region. By God’s grace, we will do our part. This is our historical, geographical & regional duty,” said one of the tweets, which were posted on the occasion of the National Persian Gulf Day.

The Leader also said that a “wise and rational collective policy” in favor of the people of the region cannot be achieved while foreign forces are present in the Persian Gulf, Press TV reported.

“The #PersianGulf region can be managed by a wise and rational collective policy that benefits all Persian Gulf countries. The factor that threatens such a proper, wise move is the presence of foreign forces in the region,” the Leader added.

“The #PersianGulf is our home & the place for the presence of the great #IranianNation. The shores of the Persian Gulf & much of the Gulf of Oman, belong to this nation, & it should be present there. It should demonstrate its power. We’re a powerful nation with a great history,” said another post in the Leader’s Twitter account.

Earlier in the day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also reminded the US to whom the waterway truly belongs.

“The Americans should know that this waterway is called ‘the Persian Gulf.’ It is not called ‘the New York Gulf’ or ‘the Washington Gulf,’” Rouhani told a cabinet session in Tehran.

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“The health care guidelines for preventing infection from this virus should be observed,” Ayatollah Khamenei, who was wearing gloves as he planted two saplings ahead of Iran’s Arbor Day, said on national television.

“These orders should not at all be violated as God has obliged us to take responsibility for our own health and for that of others; therefore, anything that contributes to the society’s health and helps prevent the spread of the disease is a virtue and, [on the contrary], whatever facilitates its spread is a sin.”

The Leader further assigned all state entities, his own office, as well as the Armed Forces with the task of fully cooperating with the Health Ministry, which is at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus.

Ayatollah Khamenei gave assurances that the disaster was only transient and not of monumental dimension and that it could be brought under control in due time.

“Of course, I don’t mean to underestimate the issue, but we should not also exaggerate it either. This issue will not last long and will pass, but the experience it brings as well as the efforts made by the people and institutions are like a collective exercise that could be used as an achievement,” he said.

The Leader once again thanked doctors, nurses and the country’s entire medical community for their invaluable endeavors, saying they are “engaged in a holy fight on the path of God.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also expressed his gratitude to the medics’ families who are exercising patience while their loved ones are making round-the-clock efforts to rein in the disease.

He lauded the Iranian officials’ “transparency” in disseminating information about the outbreak and said some other countries have tried to conceal their figures on the fatal disease.

“The coronavirus has affected many countries. Our officials have reported with sincerity and transparency since day one. However, some countries where the outbreak has been more serious have tried to hide it. Of course, we ask God to heal the sick in those countries too,” the Leader said.

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IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

Over the past century either during the era when the Dutch used to lead the West or during the era when great Russia was losing its power and Britain used to lead the supremacy of the West, or after the World War II when neocolonialism did not meet the demands and the U.S. was presented as the leader of the West to replace Britain, there has been no fragile climate for the West like what is today.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamanei during a massive Friday Prayers which was held in January addressing the world said, “These are American clowns.” He meant Europeans and this is a truth one can realizes it by watching Europeans’ behaviors. After the Supreme Leader used the word “clown” for Europe, some signs of dissatisfactions to Europe’s subservience to the U.S. have been seen.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass during the Munich Security Conference called on his country and all of Europe to take on a greater international security role in light of evolving relations with the United States. He called for the “construction of a European security and defense union as a strong, European pillar of NATO,” responding to an offer made earlier this week by French President Emmanuel Macron, he also said that Germany is prepared to discuss a European strategy related to France’s nuclear weapon arsenal.

Meanwhile on the sidelines of the conference, Mass in an interview with a radio station said, “The omnipresent American global policeman in conflict settlement had passed, and centers for decisions on several issues have also changed drastically and some of them like Syria and Afghanistan have shifted to Russia but decisions about the future of the Middle East are made in Astana or Sochi instead of in Geneva or New York.”

Earlier and in the opening session of the conference, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized the U.S. for neglecting its international duties and warned of an “increasingly destructive dynamic in world politics.” “Year by year, we are distancing ourselves from the goal of international cooperation to create a more peaceful world,” Steinmeier said.

And today and in the current modern civilization in the Middle East and even in Latin America, the gap between Europe and the U.S. is clearly seen and it is not concealable. This crack, during the past three years especially after President Donald Trump took office in the U.S., has widened and every now and then the disputes between Western officials in the secret meetings are dragged into the media and open sessions and they face disputes in the international conferences.

The number of disputed issues between Europe and the U.S. consists issues like future of the NATO, free trade and security treats of Russia and China. So the 56^th Munich Security Conference in Germany once again turned into a place for witnessing open conflicts between European and American countries.

Meanwhile addressing the Munich Conference, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg criticized Germany and France’s plans for establishing a European military formation (parallel to the NATO) and said it would weaken the trans-Atlantic bond. Earlier French President also said that NATIO was getting brain-dead.

This Macron’s remark received major reactions in the West and enraged the U.S. and NATO. Stolenberg addressing the conference said, “Any attempt to distance Europe from North America not only weakens the trans-Atlantic bond, but it also risks dividing Europe.”

NARO Secretary General’s remarks came after issues like Brexit and the U.S. unilateral policies especially after Trump took office were raised, especially in recent years that Germany and France have taken some steps for forming up a European army. And this means paving the ground for a decision to put an end to the survival of NATO in the West and world.

On the sidelines of the conference and in an interview with Deutsche Welle (DW), former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry criticized the U.S. President Trump for his inaction in addressing global issues.

Kerry also criticized the U.S. President, saying, “”Trump has been breaking apart NATO, pushing people away, insulting Angela Merkel, insulting leaders in Europe and praising people like Putin … that’s unacceptable.”

So one can definitely acknowledge that the crack in the Western bloc was clearly seen during Munich Security Conference and today the West is not integrated any longer.

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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