TEHRAN (Iran News)  President Masoud Pezeshkian has felicitated leaders and people of Islamic countries on the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan.

In a message on Sunday, Pezeshkian said he hoped this Ramadan would serve as a catalyst for strengthening ties among nations. “With the blessings of this month, we anticipate the expansion of cooperation among Islamic countries,” he stated.

He called Ramadan, which is distinguished by its immense virtues, a valuable opportunity to further reflect and contemplate on the creation of humanity and the universe as well as to fulfill God’s commands of generosity and kindness.

Additionally, the president highlighted the plight of the Palestinian and Lebanese people. “With the blessings of this month and through the collective efforts of the leaders of Islamic countries, we hope to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian nation and particularly the people of Gaza and Lebanon.”

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TEHRAN (Iran News)  Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi extended his congratulations on the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, expressing hope that the blessings of this month will pave the way for establishing Islamic unity and success for the Muslim world.

In his message to Muslim counterparts and members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Araqchi said that the holy month of Ramadan is an opportunity to refocus on moral values ​​within Muslim society, strengthen inner peace, and avoid misbehavior and evil.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) –In a vibrant display of tradition and community spirit, tens of thousands of Iranian residents flooded Tehran’s Grand Bazaar ahead of the new year and during the holy month of Ramadan.

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This year’s Eit al-Fitr was held worldwide with more support for Palestine and its freedom and this is an alarm for the Zionist regime which uses force to stop Palestinians.

A senior Iranian diplomat praised Palestinians for their significant presence at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound as they performed Eid al-Fitr prayers, stating that the holy fasting month of Ramadan breathes new life into the Palestinian struggle for freedom, and pushes it closer to final liberation from the Israeli occupation.

“Every year in the holy month of Ramadan, the cause for the liberation of Palestine gets a new life and the sacred city of al-Quds moves closer to freedom,” Spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Nasser Kanaani wrote in a post published on his Twitter page on Saturday.

He added, “Palestine, as always, shone brightly during this year’s Ramadan, both in the struggle for liberation and mass [Eid] prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.”

Kanaani wrote in a separate Twitter post that the state of affairs across the occupied Palestinian lands is now in greater disarray.

He said while extremist Jewish settlers are more desperate than ever before, Palestinians espouse stronger beliefs and are more determined about complete liberation of Palestine and destruction of “the cancerous tumor of Israel”.

On Friday, a total of 120,000 Palestinian worshipers performed the Eid al-Fitr prayers at the sacred al-Aqsa Mosque compound despite strict measures taken by Israel.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli forces assaulted Palestinian youths, beating them with sticks near the Lions’ Gate in occupied al-Quds, as they were on their way to perform the Eid prayers.

During the holy month of Ramadan, Israeli authorities imposed strict restrictions on the entry and exit of Palestinians to and from the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque. Amid heightened tensions with Palestinian worshipers, Israeli settlers also pressed ahead with their frequent incursions and provocative rituals at the holy site.

The Zionist regime in Ramadan resorted to any action and plot to undermine Palestinians’ struggle for freedom and liberation of their lands but their efforts were in vain because Muslims in the world and even other non-Muslim people held rallies during Quds Day in support of Palestine.

On Eid al-Fitr Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the focus of the Muslim world should be on strengthening Palestinian combatants at a time when Israel is fast approaching its end.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with the ambassadors of the Islamic countries in the capital Tehran on Saturday on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

“Today, we are witnessing the gradual decline of the usurping Zionist regime; its speed is even increasing day by day,” the Leader said. “The strategy of the Islamic world should be focused on strengthening the combatant elements inside Palestine.”

Pointing to the increasing waves of support for the Palestinian people around the world, the Leader said the participation of the Europeans in rallies to support the Palestinian people is “very important, that too in the countries that are dependent on the Zionists”.

“The more this resistance increases, the weaker the Zionist regime will be, the more apparent its atrocities will become. The truly miserable situation that the Zionist regime is facing today is the result of the Palestinian youth’s resistance.”

Elsewhere in his address to the meeting, the Leader said the entire factors during the holy fasting month of Ramadan help to bring the hearts of people closer to one another, either within a country or in the whole Islamic Ummah.

“The authorities of Islamic countries should use this opportunity to create unity and togetherness among the members of the Islamic Ummah. Today, our problem is division, even though the Qur’an forbids division,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted.

If the Islamic Ummah, which is close to two billion today and is spread in the most significant and sensitive geographical areas of the world, were united, the Islamic countries would achieve much more blessings, the Leader said.

Stressing that Palestine is not only an Islamic issue but also a human one, the Leader referred to the Quds Day rallies and marches in Muslim as well as non-Muslim countries, and said, “Anti-Zionist gatherings on the Quds Day in the US and European countries are the result of the increasing revelation of the crimes of the usurping Zionists.”

After the Founder of the Islamic Revolution the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Supreme Leader has been the only other leader and politician who has predicted the decline of Israel and liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestine and it seems many more politicians or analysts think so and they believe Israel will collapse and it is just a matter of time.

As the Supreme Leader has said, Muslims should unite against the Zionists in order to accelerate the Zionist regime’s collapse and Ramadan is a month when Muslims can get more united in defending Islam and Muslim states against the Zionists and the Quds Day is turning into a bullet in the heart of the killer regime of Israel.

So we Muslims see Ramadan as a month of preparation of soul and body for a better life and resistance against enemies and fighting them and therefore Ramadan is month of injection of hope for Muslims.

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Some 1,206 male and 10 female prisoners, who were convicts or financial crimes, have been released, he added, IRIB reported on Monday.

A total of 1.5 trillion rials (nearly $35 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) has been donated to pay the debt of the released prisoners, which has grown by 100 percent compared to the same period last year, he explained.

Isfahan province topped the list for the most contributions to release involuntary crime doers, following by two provinces of Kerman and Mazandaran, he said, adding, Isfahan, Gilan, and Tehran, released the highest number of prisoners amounting to 313.

With the support of philanthropists during the holy month of Ramadan, the number of involuntary crimes prisoners has decreased to 4,938, he concluded.

9,398 inmates freed nationwide

Iranian benefactors helped release a total of 9,398 inmates of unintentional crimes across the country over the past Iranian calendar year (March 2020-March 2021), according to the Blood Money Organization.

Freeing prisoners of involuntary crimes is done in three ways; the first way is granting prisoners leave and the second way is providing a number of them with loans to be paid inside the prison.

The third way of assistance is the release of unintentional convicts by paying their debt; last year, a total of 35 trillion rials (nearly $833 million) has been donated to pay the debt of the released prisoners.

Last year, Isfahan province topped the list for releasing the highest number of prisoners amounting to 677 involuntary crime doers, while Sistan-Baluchestan at the bottom of the list.

As an annual tradition, benefactors come together in a ceremony to raise funds for releasing prisoners of unintentional crimes during the holy month of Ramadan (which started on April 13 this year), through which, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has donated 5 billion rials (about $120,000).

Last year, heads of the three branches of the government and the private sector donated 6.5 billion rials (nearly $150,000) to release prisoners who had committed involuntary crimes.

President Hassan Rouhani, former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, and Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi made a total of 3.9 billion rials (around $92,000) in contributions to free prisoners of unintentional crimes.

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The campaign, called Iran-e Hamdel (literally meaning sympathetic Iran), was launched in order to support the needy and distribute warm meals, as well as Iftar packages during Ramadan.

During the third phase of the national campaign, 19 million warm meals and 4 million Iftar packages have been distributed among the needy in neighborhoods, mosques, and charities. Over 4,200 kitchens were operating to provide the meals.

Some 2.3 million food packages were also distributed in deprived and remote areas during the holy month.

The campaign was first launched in 2020 aiming to provide financial assistance to the needy affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has collected 1.5 trillion rials (nearly $35 million).

The second phase of the sympathetic Iran movement with the aim of cooking and distributing 27 million warm foods among the deprived started on Eid al-Ghadir Khumm (August 9, 2020) until the end of Safar (the second month of the lunar-based Islamic calendar).

Iranian benefactors, charity centers, and religious organizations take part in the campaign by cash and kind contributions.

In a televised speech on April 9, 2020, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the coronavirus outbreak is a test for all the world, both for governments and for nations. The Iranian Nation shone brightly in this test, and at the peak of this national pride are the health professionals.

Besides the health professionals, volunteers, university students, and Basij forces have entered the battlefield against the disease and their services are indescribable, the Leader’s Twitter account wrote.

People’s participation in the fight against coronavirus was truly amazing: 1) people feeding the needy; 2) turning houses into workshops to sew free masks; 3) disinfecting public areas; 4) talking to landlords and shop owners to exempt people from their rents.

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In a congratulatory message on Saturday, the senior Iranian general also pointed to the current conditions in the international community following the outbreak of the coronavirus, stressing the need to promote cordial cooperation among governments, nations, and military forces in the battle with the pandemic.

He also noted that the coronavirus outbreak has provided an ideal opportunity for Muslim countries to express the values and excellence of the Islamic culture and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and to show the world the fortitude and cooperation of Muslims in dealing with the disasters and tackling the problems in human communities.

Earlier this month, Major General Baqeri sent messages to his counterparts and the defense ministers of Iraq, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Syria, and Lebanon to offer help in handling the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Iranian Armed Forces are prepared to exchange the experiences that have been achieved and offer them to the officials of friendly and brotherly countries,” the general said in the message.

He also warned that a failure to cope with the virus in a correct and scientific manner could increase the spread of the disease and threaten the health of nations.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s successful performance in controlling the virus could provide solutions for other Islamic nations and friendly and neighboring states,” the top commander added.

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IRAN NNEWS ECONOMIC DESK

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani has said that the country will hold Eid al-Fitr and Quds Day events in compliance with protocols set to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.

Speaking on Saturday, Rouhani said that Eid al-Fitr prayers, which mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, will be held in religious centers across the country.

He added, however, that the prayers will only be held in local religious centers as opposed to major prayer grounds where worshippers usually convene in each city to mark the event.

Rouhani, who made the comments addressing the National Headquarters against the Coronavirus, said that Quds Day will also be commemorated in “white” regions where the coronavirus is not deemed a threat.

He added that Quds Day will take place without its usual annual rallies and will instead be held within the perimeters of Friday prayers, which coincide with Quds Day.

Rouhani exempted the capital Tehran from the measure, where the Quds Day event will be organized in the form of a car protest.

“It will be a symbolic measure using vehicles and it will be organized by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC),” he said.

Pro-Palestine activists in Iran and elsewhere are making plans to replace street rallies with online events to mark the International Quds Day.

As a legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, Quds Day has been designated on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan to mark worldwide Muslim solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

International Quds day has become a global movement against colonialism and arrogant powers and really an unjust global system.

The event was commemorated every year with major rallies across Iran and beyond.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani said that Iranians have to recognize that the country’s “difficult days” have yet to go by and that the country is still facing a “dangerous virus”.

He added that the country has to prepare itself for “a few months of life with the coronavirus”.

“However, our situation is better than before,” the president added.

“During this time, people and health workers have become much more adept,” in countering the coronavirus, he said.

“During the initial days of the outbreak, we didn’t know if our N95 masks were enough or whether we could make our own…we didn’t know if we had enough ventilators or if we could produce our own,” he said.

“Today, we have gone past that,” he added.

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