Police Seize Largest-Ever Drug Cargo

Commander of the Border Guard Units General Hossein Zolfaqari announced on Saturday that an astonishing operation of his forces along the country’s eastern borders has led to the seizure of the largest drug cargo in decades.
Speaking to reporters, Zolfaqari said that the drug cargo discovered by police troops weighted 11,036kg, Fars News Agency reported.
He said the seizure included 10,693kg of opium and 343 kg of hashish.
Iran, located at the crossroad of international drug smuggling from Afghanistan to Europe, leads international efforts in fighting drug networks and narcotic traffickers.
Iranian police measures along the country’s eastern borders have forced drug-traffickers to resort to other routes, including the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf, to smuggle their drug cargos which originate in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
According to the UN reports, Iran ranks first in preventing entry of drugs and decreasing demand for narcotics.
Anti-drug squads of the Iranian Law Enforcement Force have intensified their countrywide campaign against drug-trafficking by staging long-term systematic operations since last two years.
The Islamic Republic has spent more than $700 million to seal its borders to prevent the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.
The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past 33 years.

US Subcritical Nuclear Test Criticized

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“I wonder why [US] President [Barack] Obama, who said he would seek a nuclear-free world, carried out the test,” said Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui.
Hirotami Yamada, secretary general of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council, said the experiment ‘is proof that the United States could use nuclear weapons anytime’.
Iran ‘as one of the victims of weapons of mass destruction (during the 1980-88 war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq), will pursue the Leader’s fatwa regarding the prohibition of production, storage or use of such weapons until it has been fully realized’, Mehmanparast added.
The spokesman was referring to a 2005 religious decree by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in which he declared the atomic bomb to be against the principles of Islam.
Washington and other western governments suspect that it is trying to develop a weapons capability under cover of its civil nuclear program.
Tehran insists the program is exclusively for power generation and medical purposes.

Aggressive Nature
Meanwhile, a member of Majlis said the recently conducted subcritical nuclear test once again laid bare Washington’s aggressive nature.
“Recent US nuclear test shows that American statesmen are still following their aggressive and domineering nature,” spokesman the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said.
The US move also showed that Washington is still making efforts to produce and proliferate nuclear weapons, he added.
The legislator emphasized that many defenseless people have lost their lives as a result of the use of US nuclear weapons during World War II and the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Hiroshima was devastated on August 6, 1945 when the US B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the city. An estimated 140,000 people died either instantly or gradually from radiation sickness and cancers. Three days later, the US dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing more than 70,000 people.
Naqavi Hosseini pointed out that Iran is among the victims of weapons of mass destruction. The US allegations about Tehran’s production of nuclear weapons are baseless, showing Washington’s illusion, he said.
According to UN figures, the US, which is the only country that has ever used atomic bombs against human beings, has conducted 1,032 nuclear tests since 1945.

Help Offer
Following Iran’s success in capturing a US spy drone flying over the Persian Gulf, Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tehran is ready to cooperate with regional states to counter pilotless aircraft which intrude into their airspace.
“We are ready to cooperate with all countries in the region on all issues which threaten regional security. We regard the solution of regional cooperation as the best way to resolve crises and establish stability and security in the region,” Mehmanparast told ISNA.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi announced on Tuesday that Iranian forces succeeded in capturing the US spy drone over the Persian Gulf which had intruded into the Iranian airspace.
Iran has released footage of the captured drone, which is a long-endurance aircraft manufactured by Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing.
Pentagon spokesman George Little has acknowledged that the captured unmanned aerial vehicle is a US-made ScanEagle.
Mehmanparast said Iran enjoys high defense capabilities that enable it to defend its borders. The intrusion of Iran’s airspace will be registered at international organizations and circles as a case of violation of international regulations and the countries’ territorial integrity.The spokesperson further stressed the importance of bolstering cooperation among countries in the region to ‘provide regional nations with the best situation of stability, security and development’.
“We should enhance our defense capabilities to prevent the occurrence of war, conflict and instability,” he added.
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Tuesday that Tehran would take legal action against the US in international courts for violating the Islamic Republic’s airspace.
Last year, the Iranian military also grounded a US RQ-170 spy drone while it was flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225 km) from the Afghan border.
Last month, Iran repelled a US drone that had entered the country’s airspace above the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic in the Persian Gulf.

No Negotiations On Iranian Islands

An Iranian lawmaker brushed off the UAE’s call for talks with the Islamic Republic about the Iranian islands of the Greater Tunb , the Lesser Tunb ,and Abu Mousa in the Persian Gulf, saying Iran does not negotiate on its sovereignty.
“Negotiating this issue is out of the question and Iran will not hold talks with the UAE about its (Iranian) territory,” member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Ebrahim Aqa-Mohammadi told ISNA on Saturday.
He added that the US and western countries use the UAE as a tool whenever they seek to exert pressure on Iran.
The legislator warned the UAE officials not to become a toy for the US and its western allies.
He underlined that Emirati officials’ claims would bear no fruit, saying that the three islands belong to Iran based on historical facts.
On November 29, Minister of State for the Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirate (UAE) Anwar Mohammed Gargash claimed that the three islands belonged to the UAE.
The United Arab Emirates has repeatedly laid baseless claims to the islands.
The islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Mousa have historically been part of Iran, proof of which can be found in and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. However, the United Arab Emirates has repeatedly laid claim to the islands.
The islands temporarily fell under British control in the 1800s but were returned to Iran on November 30, 1971 through a legal procedure that preceded the establishment of the UAE as an independent state.
Tensions between Iran and the UAE got heated last April following a visit by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Abu Mousa.
Abu Dhabi denounced Ahmadinejad’s visit as a ‘violation of UAE sovereignty’ and recalled its ambassador from Tehran in protest.
Tehran advised, at the time, caution and patience, with Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi insisting Iranian sovereignty over the islands was ‘not negotiable’.
The UAE Foreign Ministry responded by claiming that if left unresolved, the issue ‘could jeopardize international security and peace’.

Pakistan Keen on Expanding Media, Tourism Cooperation

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast and Pakistan’s press officials stressed further expansion of bilateral ties and cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad in media and tourism sectors.
Speaking in a meeting with press and media officials in Pakistan on Saturday, Mehmanparast highlighted cultural commonalities between Iran and Pakistan, and called for the development of mutual media cooperation between the two states to reflect the realities in the region, Fars News Agency reported.
He further urged the two countries’ travel agencies to boost their activities to facilitate reciprocal visits and interactions by Iranian and Pakistani nationals.
During the meeting, Head of Pakistan’s Geo TV Channel Shahrokh Hassan underlined the need for mutual media cooperation between the two neighboring countries, and stressed that regional media, and not the western and foreign agencies, should release news of developments in Islamic countries.
Also during the meeting, Pakistani War Daily’s Editor Nazir Baqari reiterated Iran’s remarkable cultural and media capabilities, and asked for the introduction of Iranian culture and civilization to the Pakistani nation as well as the further development of cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad in the spheres of media and press.
Late in June, Iranian and Pakistani officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on media cooperation.
Under the MoU, the two organizations will arrange short-term training courses to improve the professional skills of their staffers.
They will also exchange production teams with the aim of producing programs of cultural and historical backgrounds of the two countries.
The two organizations will broadcast programs from their radio channels on their national days.
The two sides will also take part in festivals, conferences and other radio forums in their countries besides cooperating in technical areas.

Navy’s 23rd Fleet in Sudan

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A pair of Iranian navy vessels, the supply ship Kharg and corvette Admiral Naqdi, spent about two days at Port Sudan in late October.
The 22nd Iranian naval fleet visited Port Sudan.
Iran’s Navy has been increasing its naval presence in international waters since last year.
In addition, in line with international efforts to combat piracy, the Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 to protect vessels involved in maritime trade, especially ships and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran.
The Islamic Republic has asserted that its overseas naval presence is meant to convey the message of peace and friendship to regional countries.

Iran to Boost Drone Capability

A senior aviation industry official praised the country’s capability in building highly-advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), saying Iran plans to boost the capabilities of its pilotless planes.
“As regards UAV capability, our country stands at international levels, but we still want to expand it,” Managing Director of the Iranian Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) Manouchehr Manteqi told reporters in Tehran on Saturday.
He added that Iranian drones will be displayed in the Sixth International Aviation Industry Exhibition due to be held in the Persian Gulf island of Kish on December 10-14, Fars News Agency reported.
“Given the confidentiality of the data pertaining to military drones, non-military commercial, logistic and reconnaissance drones will be showcased in this exhibition,” Manteqi said.
Iran has recently made giant advancements in aerospace industries, specially in designing and manufacturing drones.
In September, Iran announced that it has started using UAVs for its air defense units as part of its broader plans for strengthening the country’s air defense capability.
Speaking to reporters on the occasion of the National Day of Air Defense here in Tehran on September 3, Commander of Khatam-ul-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaeili said Iran has equipped its air defense units with Haazem drones.
The drone can be used as a target for air defense systems and also for reconnaissance missions.
Haazem can also be equipped with missiles and used for aerial bombardments as well.

Lebanese President Praises Iran’s Support For Palestine

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Last week, Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad of Palestine Ramadan Abdullah also hailed Iran’s role in the recent victory of the resistance in the Gaza Strip against the Israeli regime.
Palestinian and Lebanese fighters would not have achieved great victories against Israel if it had not been for the all-out support of the Iranian nation and government, Abdullah said.
Abdullah praised Iran’s role in Hamas’ victory against Israel and keeping up the morale of the Palestinian resistance fighters.
Nearly 170 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed and about 1,200 others were injured in the Israeli war on Gaza during the eight-day period of November 14-21.
In retaliation, the Palestinian resistance fighters incessantly fired rockets and missiles into Israeli cities, killing at least six Israelis.
Egypt announced on November 21 that the Israeli regime and the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, had reached a ceasefire agreement.
Gaza has been blockaded since 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.

Who Gains From Sanctioning Iran

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Iran’s major economical partners shifted and European companies replaced American companies.
A country which once provided a big market for Chevrolet, Buick, Chrysler … was now filled with Peugeot, Renault, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Toyota… The Americans felt they had made a big mistake and lost a major market so they started a new process of sanction in which others would also sanction Iran. Now European countries and companies are sanctioning Iran out of fear of being the targets of American penalties and not due to their belief in the effectiveness of these sanctions.
On the other hand, countries such as China, India, Russia, Turkey, South Korea, are benefiting from the situation and expanding their economical ties with Iran. Their leaders had the guts to say ‘no’ to American pressures. Even American companies contact their Iranian counterparts to be able to sell US merchandises to Iran through proxies in neighboring countries. Nowadays you can find all kinds of American and Canadian merchandises you want in Iran but European merchandises are becoming increasingly scarce. So I think you yourself can imagine who gains and who loses from sanctions against Iran.

Rebels Release Iranian Pilgrim

One of the 48 Iranian pilgrims who was kidnapped in the Syrian capital several months ago was released, in a breaking news on Saturday, the Arabic-language Al-Alam television reported.