Short news summary for Thursday, September 8, 2018. Read the most important news from Iran and the world on the eighth day of September 97 here moment by moment.
Latest news
The latest news
The oldest news
22:31 8.6.1397 Sanctions against Iran have led to a decrease in global oil reserves. Reuters reports that excess oil reserves in the Mediterranean, Western Europe, and Africa are rapidly decreasing due to consumer fears of Iran's sanctions and efforts to buy more. The report states that millions of barrels of unsold oil that had been stored in Western Europe and Africa over the past two months have been quickly sold. U.S. oil sanctions against the Islamic Republic will be implemented on November 4, and it is expected that by then Iran's oil production and exports will decrease by 1 million barrels per day, but estimates suggest this reduction will occur next month, even two months before the sanctions are imposed.
22:04 8.6.1397 Gérard Depardieu accused of sexual assault. A young actress has accused the famous French actor Gérard Depardieu of sexual assault. The 22-year-old actress, who is also a comedian and dancer, claimed in a police interview that she was assaulted by the famous actor at his home in Paris on August 7 and 13. Gérard Depardieu has denied the accusation. He is one of the most recognized actors in France and the world, having won multiple global awards, with one of his most memorable roles being Christopher Columbus in Ridley Scott's "1492: Conquest of Paradise."
16:49 8.6.1397 The International Atomic Energy Agency: Iran remains committed to the terms of the JCPOA. The IAEA reiterated on Thursday that the Islamic Republic has so far adhered to the terms of the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA. According to Reuters, the IAEA in its latest report on the status of the JCPOA emphasized that it has had access to all sites and locations in Iran that required inspection and confirmed that Iran continues to comply with the JCPOA. This comes as the future of the agreement has become uncertain following the official withdrawal of the United States from the deal and the gradual return of unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Reuters states that while the agency noted its access to "all sites," it once again urged Iran to "actively and promptly cooperate in providing access." News agencies that have the text of the agency's latest report say this is a point that the agency emphasized in its previous report: stressing the importance of providing access to sites. The agency's latest report was published a day after the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic stated that if the JCPOA does not serve Iran's national interests, "we will discard it." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasized on Wednesday, September 7, that any negotiations with the Americans are out of the question, noting that communication with Europe "is not an issue," but the government of Hassan Rouhani should not have hope in Europeans regarding the JCPOA and the economy.
16:26 8.6.1397 UN warns against any military attack in Idlib province. The United Nations on Thursday urged Iran, Russia, and Turkey to prevent any fighting and military attack in Idlib province in Syria. The UN warned that a military attack in this province would currently affect millions of civilians and could lead to a chemical attack. Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, told reporters that many foreign forces are currently gathered in this province, "including ten thousand terrorists." On Wednesday, the United States, France, and Britain warned the Syrian government that if it uses chemical weapons in its attacks to control Idlib, they will respond.
16:14 8.6.1397 MP calls for the shutdown of the Gotvand Dam. The representative of Dezful in the Iranian Parliament on Thursday called on the government to completely shut down the Gotvand Dam. This MP believes that this is the only way to prevent damage from this dam. This is not the first time an official has pointed out the problems this dam has created for the environment and the Karun River's water. Recently, the head of the Environmental Protection Organization referred to engineering mistakes in the construction of the Gotvand Dam as the cause of water salinity in Khuzestan province. Abbas Papi-Zadeh, the representative of Dezful, also pointed out that "the output of Gotvand has significantly increased, and several million tons of salt have entered the Karun from the Gotvand Dam, salting agricultural lands and wetlands in Khuzestan." He continued, "The government should not be stingy and say that since a dam has been built, it must continue to produce salt; despite the costs incurred, it should have the courage to not allow this dam to remain operational." The company "Sepasad," affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, built the dam, and the consulting engineering company "Mahab Quds" was involved in the Gotvand Dam's engineering. Part of the shares of Mahab Quds also belongs to the Astan Quds Razavi.
13:47 8.6.1397 Discovery of a shipment of antiquities in Khuzestan. The official news agency IRNA reported on Thursday the "discovery" of a smuggled shipment containing "81 types of antiquities" in Khuzestan province. According to IRNA, this collection of ancient artifacts includes 81 types of antiquities such as historical coins, spears, mirrors, candlesticks, bracelets, gold and silver rings, glass perfume bottles, daggers, maces, and military equipment. The items in this shipment have been identified as belonging to the Sassanid, Elamite, Islamic, Achaemenid, first millennium BC, and Qajar periods. IRNA reports that several individuals have been arrested in connection with this case.
11:58 8.6.1397 MP calls for "official sources" report on "sexual services" in Mashhad. ILNA reported on Thursday that a member of Parliament called for a report from "official sources" regarding the "provision of sexual services" to pilgrims in the city of Mashhad. Alireza Salimi noted that his information on this matter is based on "hearsay" and stated, "As soon as possible, official sources such as the Ministry of Interior, the governorate, and the district should provide a report to the public on this matter." This comes as Iran's Ministry of Interior denied reports last Tuesday about a group of Iraqi pilgrims traveling to Mashhad and Khuzestan for the purpose of receiving sexual services and "exploiting Iranian women" and called for "decisive judicial action" against those spreading these reports. Mr. Salimi further stated without elaboration, "However, the exaggeration of this issue seems to be done for a specific purpose." In this context, Jawad Karimi Qodosi, a representative from Mashhad and a member of the National Security Commission of Parliament, also described these reports as "false" and attributed them to "media outlets supported by enemy intelligence services."
10:52 8.6.1397 The Nobel Academy does not intend to revoke the peace prize from Aung San Suu Kyi. Following the release of a recent UN report regarding the possibility of "genocide" in Myanmar, the Nobel Academy in Norway announced on Wednesday that it does not intend to revoke the Nobel Peace Prize from Aung San Suu Kyi. Ms. Suu Kyi, who currently leads Myanmar, won the Nobel Peace Prize for her human rights activities in the 1990s. However, since last year, when the Rohingya people were forced to flee the country under pressure from the military, she has remained largely silent, which has led to criticism. In response to these criticisms and calls for the prize to be revoked from Ms. Suu Kyi, the director of the Nobel Institute in Oslo stated that the issue of revoking the prize is not on the table. He said, "The rules of the Nobel Peace Prize do not provide for such a thing."
10:24 8.6.1397 The head of the Venice Film Festival jury's solution for the gender disparity among filmmakers. Continuing the debate over the lack of female filmmakers at the Venice Film Festival, which began on Wednesday, the head of the jury for this year's festival suggested that the organizers strive to achieve an equal number of male and female filmmakers by 2020. This is the second year that the Venice Festival has invited only one female filmmaker to the competition: this year, Jennifer Kent, creator of "The Babadook," is participating with her film "The Nightingale." This has sparked protests from a group of feminists, which in turn received a negative response from Alberto Barbera, the festival director, a response that fueled further protests. Mr. Barbera stated that he is unwilling to overlook the artistic and cinematic merits of works simply to invite a filmmaker because she is a woman. On Wednesday night, Guillermo del Toro, the renowned American director and head of this year's jury, commented that reforms in this area are necessary and that it would be better for the ratio of male to female presence to reach fifty-fifty by 2020.
10:26 8.6.1397 The director of the Thamen al-Hojjaj Institute sentenced to 15 years in prison. The official news agency IRNA reported the 15-year prison sentence for the CEO of the Thamen al-Hojjaj Institute. The news states: "Abulfazl Mirali, the CEO of this institute, has been sentenced to 15 years of punitive imprisonment, taking into account previous time served." The main defendant in this case has been in prison on a bail of 4 trillion tomans and the second and third defendants have been released on bail. The financial value of this case is estimated at 12 trillion tomans and has 360 plaintiffs.