Iran’s biology team won three golds and one silver at the 36th International Biology Olympiad in the Philippines, cementing its place among the world’s top teams.

Siavash Pezeshkpour, Aliakbar Nourollahi, and Ali Soleimanzadeh claimed the gold medals, while Radin Bayani secured a silver, marking a strong performance by the Iranian delegation.

Iranian Biology Olympiad (IrBO) is an annual multistage competition for Iranian high school students of the age of 17-18 in the field of biology.

MNA

The head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) confirmed the reception of the initial telemetry signals from the newly launched Nahid-2 satellite.

The head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA), Hossein Salariyeh, has confirmed the reception of the initial telemetry signals from the newly launched Nahid-2 satellite, saying the signals indicate that the satellite is currently intact and operating as expected within its designated orbit.

Speaking to Press TV on Sunday, two days after the satellite’s launch from Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space launch facility in eastern Russia, Salariyeh said the current objective is to methodically test each subsystem to ensure it is functioning properly.

He further noted that this satellite serves as a telecommunications satellite, utilizing Ku-band communications, widely used for establishing broadband communications worldwide.

The ISA chief also stated that the agency has conducted thorough testing and evaluation of this satellite.

“Being the first Iranian satellite in orbit, our primary focus is on assessing the design and construction of its subsystems and equipment. As per our standard procedure, the initial step involves achieving orbital stabilization and controlling the satellite’s status-related components,” he said.

Salariyeh further emphasized that the successful deployment of Nahid-2 represents a major advancement in the country’s space capabilities, pointing out that the construction of the next-generation Nahid-3 satellite is already in progress.

Iran’s domestically built Nahid-2 satellite was successfully launched into a 500 km orbit on Friday, July 25, aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket.

Designed to deliver a wide array of communications and research capabilities, Nahid-2 will support secure data transmission, onboard storage, and direct connectivity between satellite systems and mission control.

Observers have billed it as a leap forward in Iran’s space-based communications infrastructure.

In a first for the Islamic Republic’s satellite fleet, Nahid-2 will also serve as a testbed for chemical and hot gas propulsion systems, technologies used for attitude control, or the precise management of a satellite’s orientation in orbit.

Adding to its suite of innovations, the satellite will conduct GPS-free radio positioning using Two-Line Element (TLE) data, a standardized orbital format that allows for autonomous location tracking in space.

MNA/

Spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi says that the Iranian missiles passed through the world’s most advanced defense systems during the 12-day Israeli-imposed war.

In a ceremony in Qom, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi stated that despite the loss of key commanders on the first night of the war, Iran’s Aerospace Force bypassed Western missile defense systems and struck deep inside occupied territories.

“Despite the martyrdom of the first layer of command on the first night of the operation, the Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps succeeded in passing through the world’s most advanced defense systems with the wisdom of the Leader and rapid reconstruction,” he said.

He added that hundreds of fighter jets, advanced radars, and air defense systems made by the United States, Germany, Britain, and France were deployed along the 1,200-kilometer route to the occupied territories to counter Iranian missile and drone attacks. However, Iranian missiles bypassed these defense systems and hit targets from the north to the south of the occupied territories.

According to Shekarchi, the Zionist regime, with the full support of the United States and the use of advanced Western weapons, including Germany, England, and France, intended to target Iran’s infrastructure within a week by assassinating senior military commanders and paving the way for the fragmentation of the country.

“On the seventh day of the battle, the Zionist regime, under pressure from field defeats, called on the United States to enter the war directly, but despite using all its military capabilities, it failed to achieve its goals,” he underlined, adding that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, this battle ended with the victory of the Resistance front and the complete retreat of the enemy. On the ninth day of the war, the Zionist regime was practically unable to continue the war and, despite the entry of all its military and intelligence capabilities into the field, it was unable to withstand the crushing responses of the Iranian forces.

“Enemy defense systems were unable to intercept advanced Iranian missiles, and this changed the military balance in Iran’s favor,” he highlighted.

He stressed that the Israeli military, which had never been forced to take shelter in the past 70 years, fled to shelters in this war, and the occupied territories from north to south came under heavy fire from Iran.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Shekarchi noted that media affiliated with the global arrogance are trying to censor the realities on the ground.

While the Zionist regime waged a war of aggression against Iran on June 13 and struck Iran’s military, nuclear, and residential areas for 12 days, the US stepped in and conducted military attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran’s Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan on June 22.

The Iranian military forces conducted powerful counterattacks immediately after the aggression. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force carried out 22 waves of retaliatory missile strikes against the Zionist regime as part of Operation True Promise III, which inflicted heavy losses on cities across the occupied territories.

Also, in response to the US attacks, Iranian armed forces launched a wave of missiles at al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military base in West Asia.

A ceasefire that came into force on June 24 has brought the fighting to a halt.

MNA/

AEOI Spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi says that Iran’s nuclear program is deeply rooted and will flourish again despite military attacks by Israel and the United States.

Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, stressed that the country’s nuclear industry has strong foundations and cannot be harmed by military strikes or pressure.

Referring to the 12-day Israeli-imposed war and the recent joint Israeli-American attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Kamalvandi underlined, “The nuclear industry in our country is deeply rooted. And something that is rooted cannot be damaged by attacks or pressure—it will once again blossom.”

Tehran and Washington were engaged in negotiations led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump’s foreign envoy Steve Witkoff and had conducted five rounds of indirect talks mediated by Oman when Israel launched a series of unprovoked aggressions, which upended the process.

While the Zionist regime waged a war of aggression against Iran on June 13 and struck Iran’s military, nuclear, and residential areas for 12 days, the US stepped in and conducted military attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran’s Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan on June 22.

The Iranian military forces conducted powerful counterattacks immediately after the aggression. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force carried out 22 waves of retaliatory missile strikes against the Zionist regime as part of Operation True Promise III, which inflicted heavy losses on cities across the occupied territories.

Also, in response to the US attacks, Iranian armed forces launched a wave of missiles at al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military base in West Asia.

A ceasefire that came into force on June 24 has brought the fighting to a halt.

MNA/

The closing ceremony of the 22nd Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival took place on July 20, and the documentary “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” about life in Gaza during the ongoing Israeli military actions won an award.

Competing in the Regional Panorama Competition section, where Iranian director Amir Naderi was the president of the jury, “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” directed by Sepideh Farsi won the Golden Apricot, ISNA reported.

The 112-minute France/Palestine film is the filmmaker’s response to the ongoing massacre of Palestinians. Farsi thinks that a miracle happened when she met Fatima Hassouna. She became her eyes in Gaza, where she resisted while documenting the war, and Farsi became a link between her and the world, from her “Gaza prison,” as she named it.

They maintained this line of life for almost a year. The bits of sound and pixels that they exchanged became the film. The killing of Fatima on April 16, due to an Israeli raid on her house, changes its meaning forever.

In the opening ceremony of the festival, on July 13, Naderi had been presented with Parajanov’s Thaler Award, one of Golden Apricot’s highest honors, for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema

Parajanov’s Thaler is named after the artist Sergei Parajanov. In 1976, when Parajanov, Soviet film director and screenwriter, was imprisoned, he carved figures with his fingernails on the aluminum lids of milk bottles and called them “Thalers”.

Today they are in Yerevan, in the museum of S. Parajanov. The award is a silver replica of one of these unique coins, and it is presented annually at the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival.

A pioneer of post-revolutionary Iranian cinema, Naderi, 78, is a leading figure of the so-called “Second Wave” alongside Abbas Kiarostami and Majid Majidi.

As a filmmaker, he drew inspiration from Henri Cartier-Bresson’s urban experience and photography of everyday life, as well as the aesthetics of Italian neorealist cinema — including location shooting, use of non-professional actors, freer narrative structures, and a focus on the hardships of the poor and working class.

Naderi gave fundamental impetus to the birth of Iranian cinema during the 1970s and 80s, with several masterpieces destined to leave their mark on the history of cinema.

Born in the southern city of Abadan, Naderi made his directorial debut with “Goodbye Friend” in 1971 and soon became one of the best-known figures in the film industry.

He entered the international spotlight with “Tangsir” (1974). “The Runner” (1985) and “Water, Wind, Soil” (1989) both won the Golden Montgolfiere at the Three Continents Festival in Nantes. “The Runner” is considered by many critics to be one of the most influential films of the past quarter century.

The prominent director moved to the U.S. in the mid-80s and made “Sound Barrier,” which won the Roberto Rossellini Critics’ Prize at the Rome Film Festival in 2005, and “Vegas: Based on a True Story,” which premiered in competition at Venice in 2008.

He was named a Rockefeller Film and Video Fellow in 1997 and has served as an instructor at Columbia University, the University of Las Vegas, and New York’s School of Visual Arts. His US films have premiered at the Film Society of Lincoln Center/ MoMA’s New Directors/New Films series, the Venice, Cannes, Tribeca, and Sundance FF.

His Japan-set “The Cut,” a homage to yakuza (crime syndicates) movies, opened the Venice Horizons section in 2011. Naderi was also in Venice in 2014 with “Mise En Scene: A Conversation with Arthur Penn,” in the classics section. /T.T/

Iran grabbed two gold medals, three silver medals, and a bronze medal at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO 2025), held from July 10-20 in Australia.

Hosted by the Australian Maths Trust, the event attracted more than 600 high school students from 112 countries.

The competition represents the culmination of many years of mathematical endeavour and hundreds of attempts at solving problems.

Bardia Khosh-Eqbal and Mehdi Aqajanloo grabbed gold medals, Mohammad-Reza Attaranzadeh, Mohammad-Sajad Memari, and Amir-Hossein Zarei secured silver medals, while Parsa Tajallaei won a bronze.

The IMO is the largest and most prestigious of all the international Olympiads, having grown from seven countries to over a hundred each year. IMO brings the brightest young minds from around the world and represents the culmination of many years of mathematical endeavour and hundreds of attempts at solving problems. Australia has participated since 1981 and has hosted only once before (Canberra, 1988).

The team had ranked second in the 3rd International Mathematics Summer Camp (IMSC) held in Beijing, China, from June 20 to July 12, 2025.

Bardia Khosh-Eqbal grabbed a gold medal, Mehdi Aqajanloo, Parsa Tajallaei, Mohammad-Reza Attaranzadeh, and Mohammad-Sajad Memari won silver medals, and Amir-Hossein Zarei won a bronze medal, IRIB reported.

It was a three-week training program designed to strengthen students’ problem-solving skills in elementary mathematical fields, including algebra, geometry, number theory, combinatorics, and to enrich their analytic thinking, fostering a passion for math.

IMSC 2025 brought together over 300 people, including students and lecturers, from 32 countries such as Belarus, Belgium, Cameroon, Germany, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, the United States, Romania, Poland, and Uzbekistan.

The 65th IMO was held from July 11 to 22, 2024, in Bath, United Kingdom. Some 108 countries and 609 students competed. The Iranian team scored 137 points, earning 19th place.

T.T/

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stressed the need for a fundamental review of the country’s physical and multi-layered protection of national data in cyberspace, calling it a critical priority in digital governance.

Speaking at a meeting of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace on Tuesday, Pezeshkian underlined the council’s vital role in enhancing service quality and addressing pressing security concerns, particularly under what he called the current sensitive conditions.

According to Press TV, he said a comprehensive evaluation is needed to determine the extent to which outlined goals in the cyberspace sector have been achieved and to identify and resolve obstacles to their implementation.

The president also emphasized the importance of addressing existing gaps and strengthening the resilience of national infrastructure.

During the session, the National Cyberspace Center’s security division presented a detailed report on recent cyber threats and the country’s success in repelling them.

Pezeshkian instructed the council’s secretariat to continuously update protocols and re-engineer cyber defense processes.

Iran has been the target of numerous cyberattacks by the United States and Israel, particularly during the latter’s 12-day war of aggression against Iran last month.

On June 13, Israel launched an unprovoked war against Iran, assassinating many high-ranking military commanders, nuclear scientists, and ordinary civilians.

More than a week later, the United States also entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

At the beginning of the war, the Israeli regime launched multiple coordinated cyberattacks targeting Iran’s banking network and state television.

In response, the Iranian Armed Forces targeted strategic sites across the occupied territories, including the regime’s cyber capital, Beer al-Sabe, considered to be the stronghold of the Israeli regime’s cyber industry and a central hub in its global cyber warfare apparatus.

According to Israeli media reports, a missile fired by Iran successfully evaded the regime’s multi-layered air defense systems. Despite initial detection, the missile intercept systems failed to neutralize the projectile.

On June 24, Iran ultimately succeeded in halting the war through its retaliatory operations against the Israeli regime.

MNA

According to the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, Zahra Behrouz-Azar, women comprise 56 percent of academic communities in the country, holding over 60 percent of the staff working with schools, and 63 percent of university students.

One of the main objectives of the current administration is to benefit from both men’s and women’s capacities to ensure the country’s progress, IRNA quoted Behrouz-Azar as saying.

For the first time in the current administration, over 15 women have been elected to work in women-related sectors, four women hold top managerial positions in the cabinet, and for the first time, after 46 years, a woman has been elected as the government spokesperson, the official noted.

Women’s economic empowerment is also one of the key priorities of the current administration. Currently, over 70 percent of home businesses are owned by women, and the administration is supporting them with loans.

Incorporating more women in economic diplomacy and international affairs, highlighted in the seventh national development plan (2023-2027), is among other priorities of the administration.

According to Behrouz-Azar, Iranian women account for more than 24 percent of inventions in the country, compared to the global average of 17 percent.

“Presently, around 12 percent of entrepreneurship and start-ups are founded by women. We hope that women’s presence in entrepreneurship reaches 30 percent by the end of the current administration,” she noted.

Administration fulfills ‘women in management’ promise

The appointment of 70 women in management positions proves the current administration has fulfilled its promise to appoint women in managerial positions.

“I believe that women’s involvement in top management and decision-making positions is their right and a key to the development of the country.

My goal is to increase the share of women in managerial positions in the country based on meritocracy and justice.

I recognize the right of women’s political participation, and I will promote the status of women’s affairs in the administration,” President Masoud Pezeshkian had said during election campaigns.

The fact that 70 women were chosen for management positions, many of them were assigned for the first time, indicates that the current administration seeks to create opportunities for women to play their roles in managerial positions, ISNA reported.

Transport and urban development minister, Farzaneh Sadeq, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, Department of Environment head, Shina Ansari, and vice president for women and family affairs, Zahra Behrouz-Azar, are the four women in the cabinet.

First vice president Mohammad-Reza Aref has stressed that “no discrimination between men and women is acceptable in the governance system, and we must witness the promotion of women’s position in the decision-making system.”

In this regard, the appointment of women was not limited to the cabinet, and Kowsar Yousefi became the head of the supervisory board of the Central Bank, and Zohreh Alipour was appointed as the head of Iran Privatization Organization.

Although no woman was elected as the governor general, Sudabeh Zarghamnejad, Samira Hassani, Esmat Mohammad-doost, Batul Moallem, Jamileh Qaei-Pasha, and Shadi Fazli were elected as the governors of Dehgolan, Rudbar, Khomam, Sarvestan, northern Savadkoh, and Kuhpayeh, respectively.

The number of high-ranking women has risen noticeably compared to the past, and it is said to keep increasing in the future.

T.T /