Iranian Greco-Roman wrestlers claimed three medals on Tuesday in the Asian Wrestling Championships underway in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Naser Ghasem Alizadeh won a gold medal in the 87kg after defeating Jalgasbay Berdimuratov from Uzbekistan 3-1.

Iman Mohammadi also won a bronze medal in the 63kg after withdrawal of Syrian wrestler Ahmad Al Nakdali.

In the 77kg weight class, Aref Habibollahi seized a bronze medal after Kim Hyeonwoo from South Korea pulled out of the third-place match.

The 2022 Asian Wrestling Championships are the 35th edition of Asian Wrestling Championships of combined events, and take place from April 19 to 24 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. /T.T/

The deputy commander of the Iranian Army said that Iran is in a very good position in the field of using drones, adding that the Army has made good achievements in the field of MAVs and electronic warfare.

As the National Army Day approaches on April 18, Deputy Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Force Brigadier General Amir Nozar Nemati sat down for an interview with Mehr correspondent during which he explained the Iranian Army Ground Force’s achievements in different fields.

“We must have an updated organization. For that reason, in recent years, we have developed rapid reaction units, offensive mobility units, mechanized offensive units and all the equipment needed in the field of ground warfare. Fortunately, we have achieved all of these inside the country, and this is a great success,” General Nemati said.

“Today, the Army is equipped with a very strong electronic warfare and UAVs suitable for different missions,” he added.

“We study different types of warfare waged by the enemies,” the army deputy commander said, adding, “We have achieved a lot in the field of combating MAVs (Micro Air Vehicle).

“In recent wars, we have witnessed that drones play special roles, and it is natural that we should advance in both the offensive and the defensive areas. Fortunately, we are in a very good position in the field of using drones.”

The army ground forces have very advanced and good achievements in the electronic warfare field, the general also said, dividing the electronic warfare into two fields of offensive and defensive.

“The offensive field actually disrupts the equipment, communication systems, and anything that uses an electronic chip, and we must defend ourselves in this area and have the appropriate equipment, including alert, surveillance, etc.”

“As regards the defensive field we must disrupt enemy equipment,” he said underscoring that “In the field of electronic warfare, both in the field of offense and defense, we have adequate equipment that is stationed at the borders and where it is needed, and they perform their mission well.”

General Nemati went on to say that on the occasion of the National Army Day on April 18, new military achievements will be unveiled.

He also said that in the airborne field, the Army Ground Forces has achieved helicopters that can operate at night.

The commander said that the range of helicopters has been increased and they have been equipped with pin-pointing missiles. “We have also planned to build a homegrown national helicopter, which will be unveiled at due time.”

“There are no specific threats that can threaten our Establishment (Islamic Republic),” Nemati said.

As regards the tanks, he said that the tanks are overhauled and upgraded.

The army deputy commander said that there is good control and surveillance at the borders through the good cooperation among different armed forces, stressing that there are no threats at the borders at all. /MNA/

Head of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) said that Iran’s export of non-oil products to South Africa in previous Iranian calendar year in 1400 (from March 21, 2021 to March 20, 2022) registered a dramatic 500% hike.

Alireza Peyman-Pak made the remarks on Monday and emphasized that country’s exports to South Africa in previous year showed a considerable growth as compared to the last year’s corresponding period.

He put the value of Iran’s export of products to South Africa last year at $48 billion while the country imported $53 billion worth of products from South Africa.

Accordingly, Iran’s trade with foreign countries exceeded $100 billion in this period, Peyman-Pak added.

Turning to the country’s foreign trade growth last year, the TPOI chief added that the country registered considerable growth in the field of export of petrochemicals, food products, etc.

He then referred to Iran’s export of products to neighboring states last year and stressed that Iran’s export of products to Sultanate of Oman, Turkey and Indonesia recorded a 65, 140 and 70 percent hike respectively in the past year.

Iran’s exports to Ghana increased in this period in a way that Iran’s export of products to South Africa registered a 500 percent growth last year, he noted. /MNA/

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) is welcoming International Quds Day by screening films on Palestine.

Seven movies will be shown on the Namayesh Network, an IRIB channel for screening films, in a weeklong program starting from April 23.

The beginning film is “Nagi El-Ali” by Egyptian filmmaker Atef El-Tayeb about Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali who was assassinated in London in 1987.

He was noted for his political criticism of the Arab regimes and Israel in his works.

Iranian director Habib Kavosh’s 1990 drama “Hidden Fire” has also been chosen to be screened on Sunday night.

Jacob, a Lebanese Jew, is shot dead at a private gathering along with a number of his companions by a group of people dressed as Palestinian combatants. Palestinian combatants learned that the terrorist attack has designed to incite public opinion against them. Therefore they begin to uncover the truth about the Israeli operation.

Another film in the program is “The Buried Secret” by Iranian director Ali Ghaffari.

The film is about Amer Kalakish, also known as Abu Zeinab, a resistance fighter who died during an operation against an Israeli convoy in 1985. His operation killed 12 troopers in the Israeli occupation forces and wounded 14 others.

Iranian director Jamal Shurjeh’s “33 Days”, a film on the Israeli 33-Day War of 2006 against Lebanon, will also be screened.

Iranian director Parviz Sheikhtadi’s 2009 anti-Zionist drama, “Saturday’s Hunter” is a highlight of the program.

The film is about a boy and his grandfather, who execute Arab civilians in order to steal their land.

The program also features Iranian director Seifollah Dad’s 1995 drama, “The Survivor”.

The film is based on Palestinian author Ghassan Kanafani’s novel “Returning to Haifa”. It tells the story of a Palestinian couple who goes back to Haifa after the 1967 war to look for their baby, whom they were forced to leave behind in the war of 1948.

The program will end with a screening of “Philadelphia” on April 29, which is International Quds Day.

Directed by Esmaeil Rahimzadeh, the film is about a group tasked to supply food and medicine to the Gaza Strip in connection with their human rights activities. /T.T/

Spokesman for the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said that country’s foreign trade hit 41,522,000 tons, valued at $29.549 billion, in the last three months of previous year in 1400.

Seyyed Rouhollah Latifi stated that Iran’s foreign trade registered a 14 and 37 percent growth in terms of weight and value respectively as compared to the same period of last year in 1399 (ended March 20, 2021).

Of a total of 164 million tons of non-oil products, valued at $101.6 billion, 41,522,000 tons of which were valued at $29.549 billion, related to the fourth three months of the previous year, showing a 14 and 37 percent hike in terms of weight and value respectively as compared to the last year’s corresponding period.

Islamic Republic of Iran exported 30,442,000 tons of non-oil goods, valued at $13.478 billion, from Jan. 22 to March 20, 2022, recording a 10 and 39 percent growth in terms of weight and value respectively, he added.

Iran’s export of products from Jan. 22 to March 20, 2022, registered a five percent decline and one percent growth in terms of weight and value respectively as compared to the third three months of the previous year (from Sept. 22 to Dec. 21, 2021), Latifi mentioned.

Elsewhere in his remarks, IRICA spokesman pointed to the products imported into the country from Jan. 22 to March 20, 2022, and stated that 11,080,000 tons of non-oil products, valued at $16.71 billion were cleared and discharged from customs offices of the country, showing a 29 and 35 percent growth in terms of weight and value respectively as compared to the same period of last year.

More than $122.775 million worth of products were exported from the country last year, showing a 9 and 40 percent growth in terms of weight and value respectively as compared to the same period of last, Latifi added./ MNA/

During the holy month of Ramadan, the central province of Qom is hosting a series of astronomy tours, the provincial tourism chief has said.

A variety of astronomy workshops are being held for various age groups during these tours, CHTN quoted Alireza Arjmandi as saying on Sunday.

Observing the moon and stars as well as holding astronomy training courses at the holy shrine of Hazrat-e Masumeh (SA) are among the program highlights of the tours, the official added.

The desert of Qom offers good opportunities for observing the night sky and developing astronomical tourism, he mentioned.

Astronomical tourism represents a less-studied segment of sustainable tourism, where a dark night sky is an underlying resource, and this branch of tourism could lead to sustainable development in rural areas.

Illuminated only by the stars and having a clear sky, Iranian deserts are dream places for astronomy enthusiasts and sky lovers to experience dark night observatories.

The country is home to wide deserts in its central lands including UNESCO-tagged Lut Dessert as well as several historical caravanserais hosting astronomical tourists from ancient eras to the present.

Astronomy has a long and rich history among Iranians. Stars have fascinated humans for ages, while some have worshiped them Iranians have studied them and there are world-renowned Iranian scientists in this field such as Nasir ad-Din Tusi, who was the founder of Maragheh observatory, an astronomical observatory established in 1259, with a library, which is said at one time to have held over 400,000 volumes of literature related to astronomy and astrology.

Some countries in the world have used their regional potential to develop the tourism industry in this particular field and have been able to introduce themselves as an attractive destination for astronomy tours.

For several years, Chile has been able to become a leader in astronomical tourism by focusing on this type of tourism. Countries such as Canada, Sweden, Russia, India, and China have also been successful in this industry, and many tourists from all over the world travel to these countries every year. T.T/