Coronavirus pandemic has forced some smaller size mourning gatherings, used to be held in the past in the roofed places to commemorate the martyrdom of the third Imam of Shiites, Imam Hussein (A), in the first decade of month of Muharram, to be held in a bigger size and in the 20,000-man gathering, and it definitely compensated the shortages resulted by Coronavirus management protocols adopted for holding the Imam Hussein (A)’s mourning ceremonies.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

In the narratives have been mentioned that is a passion embedded in the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (A) so that it never dies away. This year some people with secular intentions were seeking to restrict mourning ceremonies and gatherings for commemoration of Imam Hussein (A)’s martyrdom anniversary but they got disappointed by seeing such huge mourning gatherings and one can consider this disappointment of the opposition current regarding honoring Imam Hussein (A)’s martyrdom as some part of the passion lying in his martyrdom.

Since Karbala event and Asura to date, 1362 years have passed and during these years light and passion of martyrdom of Imam Hussein (A) has been glittering in the history. According to the historical calculation and according to the late DR. Ahmad Birshak’s calculation in the “Iranian Chronology”, Karbala event has happened on the 21^st of month of Mehr 21 of Solar Hijri calendar year 59.

It is crystal clear for the experts that solar hijri year is not like lunar year that its days change because the Earth’s position regarding to the Sun is fixed and one can mention the prayer times of Karbala and convert them into the solar year all narratives and opinions of historians on this event with their exact hours and minutes.

In every second, minute and hour of Ashura event, some incidents have happened that several analytical, glorifying and honoring books can be written and compiled on them. The Supreme Leader considers Imam Hussein (A)’s action an exceptional one. In his remarks some 19 years ago on the Imam Hussein (A)’s move, the Leader said, “We do not understand what patience is. Patience finds it meaning in its own place. Many people from elites, dignities, wise men, compassionates and half-compassionates approached Imam Hussein (A), and told him what he was doing was a mere mistake and useless and his action would harm him and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s Household and belittle the believers. Since the moment Imam Hussein (A) decided to set out his journey from Mecca to Kufa, people found out that these hurdles and immoralities against Imam had begun till Ashura. To be patient regarding these eventsand misbehaviors is very difficult. That time, I in my remarks pointed to this issue and told that the late Imam Khomeini (R) was patient and his patience was of Imam Hussein (A)’s type.”

Likening Imam Hussein (A)’s patience to Imam Khomeini’s in creating the Ashura culture and school in 1979, in other words, approximately 1300 years after Ashura Movement and School, is actually explanation, teaching and materialization of concepts of the school, as Imam Hussein (A) wished, which has helped the Islamic Republic to survive safely from all enmities from the East to the West through bloods and martyrdoms in the past 42 years.

Martyr Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani is the product of the very school and trained by such an academy. Through the history many currents had decided to turn Karbala and Ashura event into a just historical memory but history shows that they have failed and it is because of the literature of the uprising that innocence and innocence-orientation is the major base in all dimensions of it.

So this school is not a memory because memory loses its significance through the history and upheavals but not only have Muharram, Karbala and Ashura not ebbed but also they have survived and continued.

This is the very school that gives life and turns the ground for haplessness and incapability into a sustainable resistance against hegemony and it is going to materialize the ground for its continuation and deployment of making the world “Husseini” and to establish the universal government of his brave child Hazrat Mahdi (A) with the name of Hussein (A).

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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According To Iran News, In a Monday telephone conversation, Iranian FM Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba conferred on the Ukrainian passenger flight 752, that was mistakenly downed near the Iranian capital some months ago, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

The two sides also exchanged views on mutual cooperation.

The Tehran-Kyiv flight was unintentionally shot down by an Iranian air defense unit shortly after taking off from Tehran on January 8, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board.

The Iranian operator was reported to have mistaken the Boeing jetliner for a cruise missile.

The incident came as Iranian air defenses were at the highest level of alert following the country’s missile attacks against US bases in Iraq, which came in retaliation for Washington’s assassination of senior Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani.

As reported, the black box of the plane has sustained considerable damage.

Iran and Ukraine have been cooperating to decide about the time and place of having the flight recorders of the downed Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 decrypted.

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According To Iran News, Iranian Parliament Speaker’s Special Aide for International Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani was an outstanding diplomat and a great politician besides being a general.

“Given the circumstances, he used diplomatic approaches to carry out his mission and he followed the rules of negotiation,” Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Sunday.

He said Martyr Soleimani was truly a general of peace and security.

“He understood theories and ways of negotiation very well and believed in diplomacy as a tool and path towards reaching his goal,” he added.

In an apparent act of state terrorism, the US administration ordered the assassination of Quds Force commander General Soleimani on Jan. 3. Iran retaliated by carrying out airstrikes on two US military based in Iraq.

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IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK

Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance said that in the first 9 months of this current Iranian year (will end on March 20, 2020), the amount of foreign investment increased by 32 percent compared to the same period last year.

Enemies are standing up and using all their might to confront Iran, but Iran has been able to counter these threats by using its capabilities and capacities, said Farhad Dejpasand at the Melli Bank’s third “Melli Show” on Wednesday evening.

Enemies have been trying to change the Iranian political system in three months after the start of the sanctions, but today, about a year and three months after that, the enemies have failed to achieve their goals, he said.

Dejpasand noted that people in the funeral of Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani, while well supporting the system, showed their loyalty to the martyr, and he enemies realized that the Islamic Republic’s system was consolidated in Iran and the region.

He added, “This year, 10 months into the year, despite all the restrictions, sanctions and disruptions that have been made to prevent Iran’s foreign trade and exports, the volume of foreign trade is similar to last year and its slight change has been due to changes in the value of some exported products.”

He also pointed to the opportunities and capabilities of the country in different fields, adding that Iran enjoys having vast markets in neighboring countries which can help the country during the sanctions era.

Dejpasand admitted that the productivity rate in the country is lower than 50 percent while the figure should be at least 75 percent.

The official also noted that the country’s non-oil exports during the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2019-January 20, 2020) have experienced a 20-percent rise in terms of weight.

The value of the country’s foreign trade hasn’t changed in the mentioned period compared to the figure for last year’s nine-months, according to Dejpasand.

He further mentioned the significant role of banks in the expansion of the country’s economy, saying that by diversifying banking services, revenue can be increased by 30 to 50 percent, while using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in banks can increase revenues by 17 percent and reduce costs by 25 percent.

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According To Iran News, Yemen Ambassador to Tehran Ibrahim Mohammad Mohammad al-Deilami paid a visit to the family of the assassinated IRGC Commander Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Tehran to offer condolences and blessings.

Al-Daylami conveyed to the family of the Martyr Soleimani the deepest condolences and sympathy from Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, leader of the Yemeni revolution movement Ansar Allah and Chairman of the Supreme Political Council Mahdi Al-Mashat, Almasirah reported.

He told the family of the Martyr Soleimani that his martyrdom has been a great loss to the Islamic nation, and the Yemeni people expressed their grief in the large marches that took place in the capital, Sanaa, and a number of Yemeni cities.

The Ambassador Al-Daylami also explained to the family of the Martyr Soleimani that a large number of Yemeni people announced their adherence to battle against the Zionist-American projects.

Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, on January 8, named the US’ assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis as a true sample of aggression.

“The US is not rightful to do any military operation in Iraq,” he underlined.

“US’ presence in the region will improve conspiracies, stabilize colonization and suppresses regional nations,” he added.

Al-Houthi lauded Iran’s missile strikes against US airbases in Iraq as wise.

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According To Iran News, In a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Iranian Minister of Defense Brigadier General Amir Hatami said that Iran is ready to give harsh response to any of the enemies’ adventurous measures.

Referring to the assassination of IRGC Quds Force Commander Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani by the US terrorist forces in Baghdad, he said “once more, the Americans showed their terrorist face to the world.”

“Soleimani’s martyrdom will not put an end to resistance but is a revival for the Resistance Axis,” he added.

He called for all the regional countries and independent ones in the world to condemn the US’ assassination of the Iranian General.

Calling for regional stability, the Turkish minister Hulusi Akar, for his part, noted that no one will take advantage of tensions in the region.

He also called for the continuation of Iran-Turkey cooperation on mutual and regional issues.

In his earlier remarks on Thursday, Hatami referred to the role of Iran’s missile power in response to the US heinous act in the assassination of IRGC Quds Force Commander Gen. Soleimani, reiterating that “the United States gave in to Iran’s high missile capability and potential.”

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According To Iran News, Hundreds of Syrian people gathered in the main square of Homs city to commemorate martyred Iranian commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani and condemn his assassination by the US.

The Syrians gathered in the New Hour Square of Homs city to denounce a US drone strike near the Baghdad International Airport that led to the martyrdom of General Soleimani, deputy commander of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis and a number of other resistance fighters.

The New Hour Square in the city of Homs was one of the main battlegrounds against Takfiri terrorists where General Soleimani and his forces helped Syrian army liberate it from terrorist’s control, years ago.

People also gathered in the main square of Aleppo on Tuesday in commemoration of the Iranian General.

General Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and a number of their entourage were killed in the strike by American drones near Baghdad International Airport in the early hours of Friday.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday targeted two US airbases in Iraq, including the US airbase of Ain al-Assad in Anbar province in western Iraq in retaliation to the US assassination of the top Iranian anti-terror commander.

A US base in Iraq’s northern region of Erbil was also among the targets.

Following the attack, the IRGC warned Washington against any more provocation.

The attacks were later confirmed by the US officials.

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According To Iran News, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the US government’s major role in increased tensions in the Middle East and said American troops will have no place in the future of the region.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Wednesday, Zarif deplored the US moves against regional nations, including the assassination of Iran’s Lt. General Qassem Soleimani and a number of Iraqi popular forces, and said, “The US has marked its end in the region.”

“Given this extent of public hatred against America in the region, the US is spending its last days in the region, and they certainly have no future in the region,” he said.

This is the real result of the pure blood of Martyr Soleimani who will cut off the US’ hands from this region, the top diplomat went on to say.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif expressed his congratulations to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) for its retaliatory attacks against the American forces in Iraq.

In the early hours of Wednesday, the IRGC targeted two US airbases in Iraq, including the US airbase of Ain al-Assad, in retaliation for the US assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander, General Soleimani.

An informed source at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said the IRGC’s missile attack on US airbase of Ain al-Assad has killed at least 80 American forces.

“At least 104 targets from the positions of the Americans and their allies in the region have been identified, and if the Americans make any mistake again, those positions will be targeted,” the source warned.

The source also said that a number of American drones and helicopters and a large amount of military equipment were seriously damaged in the IRGC missile attack.

Fifteen missiles rained down on Ain al-Assad airbase, none of which were intercepted by the US army’s radar system, the source stated, adding that the accuracy and destructive power of the missiles have been so high that a number of the missiles annihilated several sensitive targets simultaneously each.

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According To Iran News, A political analyst and former US government adviser underlined the major role of Iran’s Martyr Qassem Soleimani in the collapse of the Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group and said the top commander was working against Washington’s plans and objectives.

“By fighting against Daesh, Soleimani and al-Muhandis were working against US plans and objectives,” Paul Larudee from San Francisco said in an interview with Tasnim, referring to Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi.

Larudee is an Iranian-born American political activist and human rights volunteer, who works with the International Solidarity Movement. He is a former contracted US government adviser to Saudi Arabia and a founder of the Free Gaza and Free Palestine Movements.

Following is the full text of the interview:

Tasnim: The White House and the Pentagon claimed responsibility for the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, saying the attack was carried out at the direction of US President Donald Trump. As you know, the revered commander was an international figure representing the Axis of Resistance. Given the latest regional developments, how do you interpret the assassination?

Larudee: Iran recently had joint military exercises with Russia and China. This is very worrisome to the US and its allies, especially Saudi Arabia and Israel, which are also worried about Iranian influence in Iraq and Syria, and its alliance with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The US is obviously a bigger threat to Iran than Iran is to the US, but the US requires subjugation from all nations. It therefore wishes to teach a lesson to any nation that chooses to follow an independent course. Any attempt by Iran to defend itself by forming cooperative agreements with other nations is therefore viewed as a danger to US interests.  This is at least part of the reason that the US chose to escalate its violence against Iran by means of this assassination.

Tasnim: According to many military experts, General Soleimani had a major role in fighting terrorist groups, particularly Daesh (ISIS or ISIL), in Iraq and Syria. How do you think about the top generals’ success in combating US-backed terrorism and its effect on his assassination?

Larudee: The US chose to assassinate General Soleimani while he was in Iraq and in the company of the Iraqi PMU leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was also assassinated. Both were engaged in fighting Daesh. It is widely known that the US uses Daesh and al-Qaeda fighters as mercenary troops to weaken or destroy nations that resist US imperialist ambitions. It destroyed and is destroying Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, and it is pursuing similar aims in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Iran is next on its list, and Iran is an obstacle to the US objective of destroying these nations and weakening Russia and China at the same time. By fighting against Daesh, Soleimani and al-Muhandis were working against US plans and objectives.

Tasnim: In a statement on Friday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei warned that harsh revenge awaits the criminals behind the martyrdom of General Soleimani. Many believe that if Iran does not take revenge, it will lead to more attacks from the US. In your opinion, how severe would Tehran respond to the “terrorist act” by Washington and how can the response create deterrence against the US and its future moves in the region?

Larudee: It is possible that nothing can prevent war with the US, if the US is determined to create such a war. But war is not popular in the US. Elements of American society are ready to resist such destructive policies, and they are natural allies of countries like Iran that want only to peacefully pursue their own interests without becoming a puppet of larger powers. Iran’s cultivation of mutual interest with Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and especially the larger powers of Russia and China can be very important to Iran’s preservation. It is appropriate and expected for Iran to inflict proportionate pain upon the US for the assassination of General Soleimani, but also to confer with countries like Russia and China about the type of response. The attacks by Israel upon Lebanon and Syria should be studied, as well as the responses by Hezbollah and the Syrian military forces. Russia’s response to the shooting down of its aircraft in Syria can also be instructive. Ultimately, concessions by the US might be more useful to Iran than revenge, but in the absence of good will, proportionate acts of deterrence are a reasonable response.

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

According To Iran News, Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis chanting “Death to America” have joined the funeral procession for Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi anti-terror forces chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad.

The U.S. assassination of the two commanders at Baghdad airport in the early hours of Friday has triggered a wave of rage among Iranians and Iraqis, and forged an unprecedented unity with vociferous calls for revenge.

Both Soleimani and Muhandis were popular figureheads in helping squelch an ominous rise of Daesh which once came as close as 30 km to Baghdad, while the U.S. withdrew troops from Iraq and looked on.

Images of the Iranian commander tagging along with Iraqi fighters at frontlines as the ferocious battle against Daesh terrorists went on are endearingly etched in the minds of many Iraqis.

Their massive turnout in Saturday’s funeral is both a testimony to Soleimani’s popularity among many Iraqis and a message to the U.S. which made its stay in the Arab country more unwelcome with the extrajudicial killing, observers say.

On Saturday, Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi joined Muhandis associate Hadi al-Ameri, senior cleric Ammar al-Hakim and other important figures in a large crowd accompanying the coffins.

Ameri, who has been named as the successor to Muhandis, and many other Iraqi leaders have called on all factions in Iraq to unite and expel foreign troops.

“We call on all national forces to unify their stance in order to expel foreign troops whose presence has become pointless in Iraq,” Ameri told national television on Friday.

The cortege set off around Kadhimiya, a pilgrimage district of Baghdad, before heading to the Green Zone government and diplomatic district where a state funeral was to be held attended by top dignitaries.

The convoy snaked its way through a sea of black-clad mourners, some of whom carried portraits of Iran’s Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The bodies of the Iranians were to be flown on Saturday evening to Iran, which has declared three days of mourning for Gen. Soleimani. His funeral is to be held on Tuesday in his hometown of Kerman in central Iran. His funeral possession will be held in Tehran on Monday.

Meanwhile Afghanistan’s second vice president has hailed Soleimani as a “prominent figure” in the battle against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, saying his assassination has complicated the situation in the region.

Muhammad Sarwar Danish made the remarks in Kabul on Saturday. The official also expressed hope that the latest developments would have no negative effects on Afghanistan’s peace process, demanding all sides to exercise restraint in a bid to maintain calm in the region.

On Friday, the Afghan government voiced worries about an escalation of violence in the region.

“We call on the Islamic Republic of Iran, our big neighbor, with whom we have extensive common language, religious, historic and cultural [values], and we call on the U.S., who is Afghanistan’s strategic and fundamental partner, to prevent conflict escalations, and we hope that both sides solve their differences through negotiations,” read an Afghan presidential statement.

Separately, Afghanistan’s chief executive of the National Unity Government lamented the U.S. assassination of Soleimani.

“We express our condolence about this occurrence to Sardar Soleimani’s family, the government and people of Iran,” Abdullah Abdullah wrote on his Facebook page.

Abdullah also said, “As a victim of terrorism and violence, Afghanistan calls for de-escalation of regional and international relations and hopes the latest incidents won’t negatively affect the situation and cooperation of our friends and allies in Afghanistan.”

Also on Friday, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai condemned the U.S. strike and extended his condolences to the Iranian government and people, describing Soleimani as a “dignified man who sought peace and stability in Afghanistan.”

Karzai stressed in a statement that the targeted attack violated international laws and risked regional peace and stability.

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