Iran national football team returned home early Wednesday amid warm reception by the Iranian fans.

An estimated 5,000 fans showed up at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport to greet the team as they returned home from the 2018 World Cup.

Iran national football team failed to book a place in the 2018 World Cup Round of 16 but showed a brilliant performance in the completion.

Team Melli started the campaign with a 1-0 win over Morocco in St Petersburg.

Carlos Queiroz’s men lost to Spain 1-0 in Kazan despite an outstanding performance.

Team Melli drew 1-1 with Portugal in their last group match in Saransk and finished in third place in Group B with four points, one point behind Spain and Portugal.

The Iranian national football team, who arrived in Russia nine days before the start of the competition, returned home two days after being knocked out of the tournament.

MAXXI museum of Rome is holding a special program titled ‘Un altro cinema iraniano’ in which seven movies from three Iranian female directors are being screened.

Iranian female directors Narges Abyar, Rahkshan Bani Etemad and Ida Panahandeh have already travelled to Italy to take part in the event.

The three-day event kicked off on June 23 with the screening of Panahandeh’s ‘Narges’ and Abyar’s ‘Breath [Nafas].’

‘Under The skin of City’, ‘Track 143’ and ‘Israfil’ will be screened on Sunday and the event will end with displaying ‘The May Lady’ and ‘Tales’ on Monday. / Mehr news /

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei will lead the Eid-al-Fitr (the fast-breaking feast) prayers in Tehran, to be held at the Imam Khomeini Prayer Grounds on Friday, June 15.

Office of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei has communicated a statement announcing that Eid al-Fitr prayers will be held by leadership of Ayatollah Khamenei at 8 am in the morning in Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran.

The exact date of Eid-al-Fitr, the first day of Shawwal, is yet to be determined by groups responsible to monitor appearance of new moon’s crescent in different parts of the country as it depends on the lunar cycle but it is likely to be on Friday.

First day of Islamic month of Shawwal marks Eid al-Fitr, bringing fasting in holy month of Ramadan to an end. Several groups of experts on behalf of office of Ayatollah Khamenei go on final days of each month, especially month of Ramadan, to different regions in country to monitor if they can see new moon’s crescent which marks beginning of each lunar month in Islamic calendar. / Mehr news /

A total of 11.6 million tons of fruits were produced in Iran in the last fiscal year (March 2017-18) to register a 4.8% increase compared with the year before, a survey carried out by the Statistical Center of Iran showed Apples (2.4 million tons), grapes (1.75 million tons), oranges (1.2 million tons) and dates (1.76 million tons) accounted for 61% of all the fruits produced over the period, ILNA reported. / Financial tribune /

Nearly 200 Iranian antique items were safely delivered to Drents Museum in the Netherlands to be exhibited in the coming weeks.

‘Cradle of Civilization’ is the title given to this exhibition which will start on June 17 and continue to November 18 in Drents Museum, city of Assen.

Items were chosen form National Museum of Iran and range from old Paleolithic period to Safavid era.

This is based on Memorandum of Understanding inked between the National Museum of Iran and the Drents Museum on holding an exhibit of Iranian historic items in the Netherlands.

The official website of Drents Museum highlights that ‘Cradle of Civilization’ will take you on a journey through Iran’s cultural history spanning a staggeringly long period from 7000 BC until AD 1700. From the very beginning – the earliest development of agriculture and livestock farming – to the civilisation of the Elamites, the Persian Empire and the Islamic period. The Drents Museum will be presenting masterpieces from all those different periods from various findspots in Iran and on loan from the National Museum of Iran in Tehran. These treasures have long been hidden from the Western world. Many of them have never been exhibited in the Netherlands before, and have even never been on show outside Iran before. / Mehr news/

A seminar on “70 years of the Israeli occupation of Al Quds and Palestine: Obligation of Muslim Ummah” was held at the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) auditorium in the city on Friday.

Al-Quds Committee Bangladesh organised the seminar marking the International Al-Quds Day observed every year on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Workers’ Party MP Mustafa Lutfullah was present at the programme as the chief guest while Iranian Ambassador in Dhaka Dr Abbas Vaezi Dehnavi and Vice-Chancellor of Southeast University Prof Dr ANM Meshquat Uddin were special guests.

Editor of Ajker Bhola Principal Shawkat Hossain presented the keynote paper while editor of Mashik Madina and Hujjatul Islam Syed Aftab Hossain Nakavi spoke on the keynote speech at the programme chaired by President of Al-Quds Committee Bangladesh Dr Shah Kawther Mustafa Abululae.

Besides, a human chain was formed in front of the Jatiya Press Club before the seminar marking the day.

Carlos Queiroz has announced Iran’s 23-man World Cup squad as he looks to steer the Asian nation to the knockout stages for the first time in their history.

Ali Gholizadeh, who attended a training camp in Turkey, was left out of Team Melli.

Queiroz, who took charge in April 2011 but will stand down after the tournament, had already sprung a surprise by leaving experienced defenders Jalal Hosseini and Vouria Ghaffouri out of his preliminary squad.

Iran, making their fifth appearance in the World Cup finals, kick off their campaign against Morocco in St Petersburg on June 15.

Team Melli, meanwhile, face Spain in Kazan on 20 June before meeting Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in Saransk five days later.

Iran’s final 23-man World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Rashid Mazaheri (Zob Ahan), Amir Abedzadeh (Maritimo);

Defenders: Pejman Montazeri (Esteghlal), Seyed Majid Hosseini (Esteghlal), Roozbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Milad Mohammadi (Akhmat Grozny), Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh (Padideh),  Morteza Pouraliganji (Alsaad), Ramin Rezaeian (Ostende), Ehsan Hajsafi (Olympiacos);

Midfielders: Saeid Ezatolahi (Amkar Perm),  Masoud Shojaei (AEK Athens), Mahdi Torabi (Saipa), Omid Ebrahimi (Esteghlal), Vahid Amiri (Persepolis), Saman Ghoddos (Ostersunds), Ashkan Dejagah (Notthingham Forest);

Forwards: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ), Karim Ansarifard (Olympiacos), Mahdi Taremi (Al Gharafa), Sardar Azmoun (Rubin Kazan), Reza Ghoochannejhad (Heerenveen). / Tehran times /

Iran Air (HOMA) CEO Farzaneh Sharafbafi announced Tue. that Iran Air will receive 8 new ATR and 3 new Airbus passenger planes by the end of 2018.

“We expect to receive 8 new ATR 72-600 turboprops and 3 new Airbus passenger planes by the end of 2018,” said Iran Air (HOMA) CEO Farzaneh Sharafbafi on Tuesday.

The Iranian aviation figure made the remarks in Australian city of Sydney where the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is holding the 74th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit.

Her remarks came after questions posed about the fate of Iran’s purchased planes in the wake of the US unilateral pullout from the nuclear accord of July 14, 2015.

After US president Donald Trump announced on May 6 that US will leave the nuclear agreement dubbed the JCPOA, US Treasury reinstated sanctions against Iranian aviation companies like Iran Air, Mahan, and Meraj.

Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development for International Affairs Asghar Fakhriyeh Kashan had earlier told the media that the airplane manufacturers will deliver the purchased planes prior to reinstatement of US sanctions in August 2018. . / Mehr news /