Mediaboss Marketing

ANI | Updated: May 08, 2023 04:38 IST

Tehran [Iran], May 8 (ANI/WAM): The UAE-Iran Business Council held its inaugural meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran on the sidelines of the Iran Expo, which runs from 7th to 10th May.The UAE side was chaired by Abdullah Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry and President of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Iranian side was chaired by Dr Mahdi Safari, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy, with the participation of a number of senior businesspeople from both sides.In opening the meeting, Al Mazrouei commended efforts by the organising committees of both sides in establishing and activating the Council, which will greatly contribute to strengthening cooperation between both countries' business sectors.He said that the establishment of the UAE-Iran Business Council comes at a time when bilateral relations are witnessing economic growth and provides notable opportunities for the private and public sectors in both countries to enhance flourishing trade, investment and economic ties.He added, "The UAE is confident that the Business Council will serve as a vital platform to further enhance partnerships between the UAE and Iran's business sectors."

Al Mazrouei also stressed that the launch of the UAE-Iran Business Council "embodies the joint keenness of both sides to enhance and elevate economic and trade cooperation between the two countries to new horizons while widening engagement for the Emirati and Iranian business communities."He explained that UAE-Iran economic relations have experienced significant development and continued growth in various fields, pointing out that economic cooperation in these sectors has contributed to increasing joint trade and investment exchange.For his part, Dr Safari expressed his appreciation for the attendance of the UAE side and coordination in holding the Council's inaugural meeting in Tehran, which represents an additional step towards bolstering economic relations between the two countries. He also stressed that the meeting contributes to fostering an environment for consultation, discussion, and the exchange of views on issues that serve the two countries' business communities.The UAE economic delegation, which includes representatives of various entities, held a series of meetings with officials from diverse Iranian economic institutions and sectors.The UAE-Iran Business Council was established in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture in 2014.It aims to explore avenues for mutually beneficial economic opportunities between the two sides in a range of fields, including food, health, and tourism. The Council also serves as a platform for senior business leaders in both the UAE and Iran to facilitate exchange and business partnerships. (ANI/WAM)

Follow this link:
UAE-Iran Business Council holds inaugural meeting in Tehran - ANI News

JEDDAH: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi reaffirmed that Iran and Saudi Arabia are two great nations. The restoration of ties between the two countries would change the equations and bring order to the region, he said during an interview with the official Syrian News Agency (SANA) on the occasion of his landmark visit to Syria.

While hailing the normalization of bilateral ties between the two countries, the Iranian president asserted: We reject and do neither accept that Saudi Arabia is considered as our enemy, nor that we will ever be hostile to the Kingdom.

Raisi said during his interview that Iran was playing a mediating role in Russian-facilitated talks aimed to normalize ties between Syria and Turkiye. He emphasized that Iran plays an important role in the region and the world. We are ready to play such a role to bring closer the views between these two Muslim countries, and solve their internal problems through dialogue and negotiations between them.

We touched on this topics during the Astana meeting as well as during the meetings of foreign ministers, he added. Raisi concluded his two-day official visit to Damascus on Friday. During the first visit by an Iranian president to Syria since 2010, Raisi held wide ranging talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al Assad. Raisi described the visit as a turning point in bilateral relations.

It is noteworthy that the Arab League foreign ministers are holding an emergency meeting in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the conflict in Sudan and Syrias readmission to the bloc, after it was suspended in 2011.

View post:
Saudi Arabia, Iran are two great nations: Raisi - The News International

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Irans Parliament voted Sunday to fire the countrys industries minister over alleged mismanagement amid widespread dissatisfaction with the government.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said 162 of 272 lawmakers present voted in favor of dismissing Reza Fatemi Amin. The chamber has 290 seats. Fatemi Amin survived a previous impeachment in 2022.

The decision came following discussion among lawmakers and government officials who questioned the minister.

Irans President Ebrahim Raisi defended Fatemi Amin saying all the fields related to the ministers portfolio showed growth. He urged lawmakers to reinstate the minister.

The point is that stability in the ministry is important, he said.

Opponents said the minister failed to manage his field of activities in industry, mines and trade citing skyrocketing prices of products.

The impeachment marks the sixth change in Raisis Cabinet in the less than two years since he came to power.

In March, Raisi replaced the minister of agriculture and the head of planning and budget. Raisi dismissed the education minister after a delay in payments to teachers in April. In December, Raisi replaced the minister of roads after he became terminally ill. Last year, Raisi replaced the labor minister after protests by workers and retirees over payments.

Iran is still reeling after months of protests and a violent security force crackdown following the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the countrys morality police.

The countrys economic conditions, including high inflation, have contributed to widespread anger at the government. Retirees, workers and teachers have held scattered protests and strikes in recent months.

Reports on social media say authorities have detained leaders of teachers unions and other labor leaders who have long protested over payments of their wages.

Irans currency the rial is at a low of 545,000 to the dollar as the effects of sanctions following the breakdown of Irans 2015 nuclear deal with world powers shake the economy. The rial was trading at 32,000 to the dollar when the country signed the nuclear accord. The agreement lifted international sanctions in return for strict limits on, and surveillance of, its nuclear activities.

Read more from the original source:
Iran's Parliament sacks minister over alleged mismanagement - The Associated Press

Although Irans Industry Minister Reza Fatemi-Amin was impeached by parliament on Sunday, few believe that it can be a remedy for Irans ailing economy.

Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi told Rouydad24 news website: "Every one of Raisi's ministers we have dismissed has been replaced by someone even weaker." He predicted that someone several times lower in rank than Fatemi-Amin will become the next minister of industry.

Jahanabadi reiterated that it is highly unlikely the next minister would be more experienced, having better plans or being more capable than his predecessor in any other way. He also argued that Fatemi-Amin was a victim of the government's unclear policies.

Without naming Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who usually makes all key decisions without being accountable for them, Jahanabadi charged that those policies are often made by those whose positions are beyond the government's control.

Industry Minister Reza Fatemi-Amin defending himself at the parliament on April 30, 2023

He said: "A thousand presidents like Raisi and a thousand ministers such as Fatemi-Amin will become the victim of those policies as long as the country's strategic policies are not determined."

Jahanabadi said even more pessimistically that a new minister will take office, change all of the ministry's deputies and major managers and before he can control the affairs of the ministry, he will have to be impeached for similar reasons.

Lawmaker for Tabriz, Ahmad Alirezabeigi who had initially charged the former minister with giving 75 SUVs to parliamentarians to avert a previous impeachment motion, said after Fatemi-Amin's dismissal that he has given 147 cars to the lawmakers. Alirezabeigi told Didban Iran website that he has presented evidence supporting his claim to the Public Prosecutor's Office.

He said a document signed by the executive deputy to the speaker of the parliament indicates that he had designated at least 57 lawmakers to receive the cars at a discounted price several times lower than market value. He said the profit for the lawmakers was huge due to the vast difference between the price set by the importing company and the sale price in the market.

Ironically, although Fatemi Amin has been impeached and replaced from his post partly because of the deal about the cars, none of those who have received the cars have been reportedly questioned, indicted or even publicly named.

Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

On Saturday, one day before the impeachment, Alirezabeigi said in a statement published on former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Telegram channel that he had been summoned for questioning by both the Prosecutor's Office and the Board Supervising Lawmakers' Behavior. The channel presented long lists of the lawmakers who had received the car but blackened their names to avoid prosecution for possible libel.

In the meantime, while the controversy over impeachment continues, former government spokesman Ali Rabiei noted in a commentary in Etemad Online website that the campaign against financial corruption should be accompanied by structural reforms before being turned into security and judiciary projects.

Rabiei accused Iranian governments of failing to carry social projects forward. Interestingly, Rabiei himself has been a member of the government in most of the 43 years the Islamic Republic has been in power.

Continue reading here:
Few Believe Impeachment Of Iranian Minister Will Improve Economy -

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced legislation Monday to give permanent authorization to the president to implement sanctions on Iran, The Hill reported.

Irans sanctions Act (ISA) of 1996 has a sunset clause ending in 2026 and needs to be renewed by Congress, but the new legislation if approved would make the Act open ended until Iran is deemed to have changed its behavior.

The Solidifying Iran Sanction Act is sponsored by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and co-sponsored by 24 lawmakers in the House and Senate, including Reps. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) and Michelle Steel (R-Calif.)

The Iran Sanctions Act is one of the most important tools in US law to compel Iran to abandon its dangerous and destabilizing behavior, McCaul said in a statement.

This bill takes the long overdue step of striking the arbitrary sunset from the law, so that sanctions will only be lifted if Iran stops its threatening behavior. Iran cant run out the clock on US law, he added.

Steel said Iran has made clear it has no interest in participating in the international community or working towards peace.

The rogue state continues to make threats against democracy and actively sponsors terrorism around the world, the lawmaker said in a statement. Through this bipartisan, bicameral legislation, we can prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons and further jeopardizing global peace.

Although the Biden Administration decided to hold nuclear talks with Tehran that could have left to the lifting of the most important sanctions, the diplomatic effort reached a dead end last September. In the meantime, Iran has been supplying weapons to Russia that are used against Ukraine.

Read more:
US Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Permanently Authorize Sanctions On Iran -