Iran is planning to launch its heaviest ever satellite into low Earth orbit in late December, as part of efforts to expand the country’s operational space missions.

Local media reports published on Monday said the Iranian-made Paya satellite, also known as Tolou 3, will be launched from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome on December 28.

According to the reports, the launch will mark Iran’s first operational use of a mini-satellite weighing about 150 kilograms, a class of spacecraft that would allow the country to expand the scope of its space missions.

They said the Paya satellite is designed to provide imaging with a resolution of about 10-20 meters per pixel and can be used for natural resource management, environmental monitoring, agriculture, and data-driven scientific and practical applications.

The head of the aerospace division of Iran Electronics Industries, a subsidiary of the Iranian Defense Ministry that designed and manufactured the satellite, told state television that the successful launch of the Paya mission could mark a turning point in Iran’s space activities.

Moharram Ghiasvand said the satellite will transmit images in far greater volumes, with a data-downlink rate up to ten times higher than that of Iran’s previous satellites.

Ghiasvand added that the satellite is equipped with two imaging sensors capable of capturing black-and-white and color images. He said its spatial resolution is five meters, which can be enhanced to three meters using artificial intelligence algorithms, marking the first time Iran could achieve sub-five-meter resolution in low Earth orbit.

Reports also said the planned launch from Vostochny in late December will include two other Iranian satellites placed into low Earth orbit.

These include Zafar-2, which is intended for Earth-observation missions, and Kowsar 1.5, which will be used primarily for agriculture monitoring and related applications.

Press TV

TEHRAN – Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei, spokesperson for the headquarters for commemorating the sixth anniversary of the martyrdom of General Haj Qassem Soleimani outlined the anniversary programs at a press conference on Saturday at the Art Bureau in Tehran.

Describing General Soleimani, he said: “The world took pride in him. During his lifetime, he served the people with tireless effort.”

“He had a deep love for the people. He did not belong to borders. He believed in humanity, and for this reason, his efforts found meaning beyond borders,” Kadkhodaei added.

“Martyr Soleimani was devoted to Islam, and above all, he cared for humanity, beyond borders and colors. The soldier of Iran was a true defender of peace: a peace from which everyone benefits, a lasting and global peace in which the rights of all are secured,” he noted.

“The massive public presence each year after the martyrdom of our hero is clear testimony to people’s loyalty to the path and method of Haj Qassem Soleimani and a true witness to the people’s love for him across the world. Each year, people gather out of love for him, keep his memory alive, and are not afraid of the enemies’ threats,” the spokesperson underlined.

“He was regarded as a superior military strategist even by his enemies. Over the years, the people have been at the forefront of commemorating Martyr Haj Qassem Soleimani. Across Iran and even in various countries, people have spontaneously and lovingly participated in ceremonies honoring this dear martyr,” he stated.

Kadkhodaei announced that the sixth anniversary ceremony will be held on January 1 and various artistic and cultural programs have been scheduled on the occasion across the country, including a symphony orchestra performance on December 30 at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.

On December 29, a ceremony honoring martyred diplomats will be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the presence of foreign diplomats.
The closing ceremony of the International Cartoon and Poster Contest “Terror Online” will also take place in January, and the winning works will be displayed for three weeks at the Art Bureau.

Kadkhodaei also announced a gathering of bazaar merchants in Tehran and said multiple ceremonies will be held in Kerman Province, the hometown of General Soleimani. He honored the memory of all martyrs who were killed in terrorist attacks during the commemoration ceremony two years ago in Kerman, noting that a ceremony will be held on January 6 at the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Kerman.

Tree-planting campaigns and blood donation drives are among this year’s commemorative activities as well.

Kadkhodaei said the assassination case will be pursued through an academic conference on December 30 at the University of Tehran.

Ceremonies at Baghdad Airport in Iraq, events in Palestine, a conference titled “Reading Soleimani” in Russia, and a major gathering in Yemen honoring Martyr Soleimani and Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis have also been planned. Similar programs will be held in Lebanon, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.

He added that a ceremony will also be held in Lebanon and noted significant progress in producing cinematic and documentary works, including the documentary *The 63-Year-Old Soldier*, to be screened on January 6.

Regarding the assassination case of General Soleimani, Kadkhodaei said Iran’s position remains unchanged: all perpetrators, planners, and executors must be punished. He added that legal proceedings have resulted in verdicts domestically and are being pursued internationally.

He said a feature-length film portraying Soleimani’s life will be released soon, alongside seven documentaries. More cinematic and TV works, including animations regarding Haj Qassem, are also in various stages of production.

The spokesperson emphasized that the commemorations are primarily people-driven, with the headquarters serving a coordinating role.

“The path of Haj Qassem continues, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will never abandon the defense of the oppressed worldwide,” Kadkhodaei concluded.

Qasem Soleimani (1957 –2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until his assassination by the United States in 2020, he was the commander of the Quds Force, an IRGC division primarily responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations.

He was described as “the single most powerful operative in West Asia” and a “genius of asymmetric warfare”.

Soleimani was assassinated by a targeted drone strike on January 3, 2020, in Baghdad, Iraq, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi paramilitary leader and former chief of staff of the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Tehran Times

United World Wrestling (UWW) has named Iranian Greco-Roman wrestler Gholamreza Farrokhi, who won the gold medal at the 2025 World Wrestling Championships, as the Breakout Star of the Year for his outstanding display of grappling skills.

Farrokhi claimed the world title at the 82-kilogram weight category of the prestigious tournament in Zagreb, Croatia, on September 19 after he prevailed over his Georgian opponent Gela Bolkvadze with a decisive 4-0 score in the final round.

On his way to the title contest, he defeated Li Qingzhe of China 9-0 in Round 32, and then bested Erik Szilvássy of Hungary 8-0 in Round 16.

He then overcame Ramon Betschart, a representative from Switzerland, 9-0 in quarterfinals, and Croatian rival Karlo Kodrić 7-1 to secure a berth in the final.

The 2025 World Wrestling Championships took place in the Croatian capital of Zagreb from September 13 to 21.

Two months later, Farrokhi took a gold medal at the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG).

In the final bout of the men’s Greco-Roman 87-kilogram class on November 18, he defeated Islam Yevloyev of Kazakhstan 6-0.

The 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, known as Riyadh 2025, were an intercontinental multi-sport event organized by the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA), held from November 7 to 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Press TV

A first batch of Iranian-made electric buses has entered service in the Iranian capital, Tehran, as part of efforts to modernize the city’s public transport fleet and reduce pollution caused by traditional diesel-powered buses.

Tehran Deputy Mayor Mohsen Hormozi attended a ceremony on Tuesday to unveil five new electric buses manufactured by Iranian companies for use in the city’s public transport system.

Hormozi said the five buses will operate on a 4.5-kilometer, relatively flat route in central Tehran as part of a pilot program designed to test their performance under real-world operating conditions.

“It took a considerable amount of time to complete the technical tests on these buses, as they are the first of their kind produced domestically and needed to reach full operational stability,” he said.

The official added that up to 25 more domestically produced electric buses will be delivered to the Tehran municipality by the end of the current Iranian calendar year in late March, followed by another 25 by late May. He said that the number of home-made electric buses in Tehran’s fleet is expected to reach 100 by the summer of next year.

A joint product of Iranian companies Oghab Afshan and MAPNA, the buses are supplied by a newly established company called SHETAB and are marketed under the Zima brand. They will join a fleet of 390 electric buses that have already been imported from China and are currently serving inner-city passengers in Tehran.

Reports say that around 110 additional Chinese-made electric buses are expected to join Tehran’s transport fleet soon after completing customs clearance at ports in southern Iran.

The introduction of electric buses is part of a broader program in Tehran and other major Iranian cities aimed at upgrading public transport systems and reducing emissions from conventional vehicles.

According to recent data from Iran’s Environment Protection Organization, motor vehicles account for up to 80% of air pollution in Tehran, a city that experiences particularly high pollution levels during the early and mid-autumn months.

Press TV

Hadi Borhani, an Iranian professor of Palestinian Studies at the University of Tehran, has won recognition at the fifth edition of the prestigious international “Mahathir Mohammed Award.”

Borhani secured third place in the “Mahathir Mohammed Award for Intellectual Creativity,” a cultural and scientific event held this year under the theme “Palestine: A Pillar of Civilization Renaissance.”

The award is one of the annual events organized by Malaysia’s International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization, which seeks to promote scientific research and ideas on critical issues while honoring contributors to Islamic and global thought and civilization.

Each year, the award is presented to researchers and intellectuals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge and thought. It is chaired by Mahathir Mohammed, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, and named in recognition of his pivotal role in building a modern Malaysia.

In his paper, Islamic World: After and Under Zionism, Borhani examines the historical trajectory of the Muslim world, highlighting its periods of flourishing civilization and the impact of Zionism on its contemporary challenges.

Roulami Abdelhamid from Algeria and Egyptian professor Salah Abdul Raouf won first and second place, respectively.

Borhani explained that his research focuses on a major historical transformation in which the Muslim world has shifted from an era of civilizational prosperity to a present state marked largely by crisis and instability.

He noted that the first part of his study demonstrates how the ideological foundations of Zionism are inherently anti-Islamic and rooted in a zero-sum worldview, one that regards monopolizing Palestine and weakening the unity and civilizational strength of the Muslim world as prerequisites for the survival of Israel’s colonial project.

The second part of his research offers a practical analysis of Israel’s strategies, identifying five key areas: direct military aggression and occupation, enforced military and nuclear superiority, the internal destabilization of Muslim societies and states, discursive campaigns to distort the image of the Muslim world, and reliance on Western powers as instruments of pressure against Muslim countries.

Borhani concluded that any progress in the unity or strength of the Muslim world is perceived as an unacceptable loss for the Zionist project.

He emphasized that the Muslim world now stands at a decisive historical juncture, profoundly impacted by the expansion of Zionism and its regional repercussions.

He warned that neglecting the nature of this confrontation risks consolidating Zionist dominance and perpetuating the current state of civilizational crisis in the Muslim world.