Middle East

Iran to End Voluntary Implementation of Additional Protocol Next Week: Spokesman

(Asian News Hub) – Iran will suspend the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as of February 21 if the JCPOA parties fail to honor commitments, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a press conference on Monday that the Iranian administration will be required to stop the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol on February 21 under a parliamentary bill.

The new plan has been stipulated by the Parliament’s “strategic action” for lifting the sanctions and safeguarding national interests, ratified after the failure of the JCPOA’s European parties to fulfill Tehran’s interests under the nuclear deal and the escalation of American sanctions and hostile measures.

Although Iran will remain a party to the NPT Safeguards Agreement, the Iranian government will be required to prevent foreign access and monitoring beyond the Additional Protocol, the Foreign Ministry spokesman explained, saying it would not mean an end to all monitoring activities.

He reiterated that all of Iran’s measures are reversible, provided that the JCPOA parties live up to their commitments.

In December, the Iranian Parliament ratified a bill requiring the government to halt voluntary implementation of the NPT if the European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal keep failing to honor their commitments.

In early January, Iran restarted the process of enriching uranium to 20 percent purity at the Fordow nuclear facility in accordance with the parliamentary law.

Tasnim

Middle East

Saudi Arabia starts recieving Umrah requests from Foriegners

(Asian News Hub) – Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday receiving Umrah requests from foreign performers from Aug. 9, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

For the concerns over COVID-19, only the vaccinated and the recovered will be provided with permissions, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced.

The Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat said the authorities determine the countries from which Umrah performers come, and their numbers on a periodic basis according to the classification of preventive measures.

He called upon the performers to adhere to organizational plans and health procedures set by the ministry.Saudi Arabia received on Nov. 1 foreign pilgrims under tight precautionary measures to perform Umrah for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic early last year.

Middle East

Iran’s President-elect Raisi vows to do his best to solve people’s living problems

(Asian News Hub) – Iran’s President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that the new government will make every effort to solve the country’s problems, particularly the living problems of the people.

He made the remarks speaking to reporters after a meeting with Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

Qalibaf went to congratulate Raisi on Saturday after preliminary results of the Friday election showed that Raisi was so far ahead of his rivals that left no doubt that he will be the next Iranian president after Hassan Rouhani leaves office in early August.

Raisi said that he will consult with the Iranian parliament speaker and other Members of Parliament, as well as all experts, to form a government which could maintain the trust of the people.

Raisi also told reporters after a meeting with President Rouhani that he will make use of the experiences of the incumbent government.

The president-elect expressed hope that his government will be able to carry out the heavy burden of the duty that the people placed on his shoulder.

IRNA

Middle East

Al-Hassan: The best young volunteer in the Middle East

(Asian News Hub) – Al-Hassan Al-Fakih, has done different types of volunteer work year after year. Actually, he has become the first person in the world to provide humanitarian aid to a thousand people through humanitarian initiatives and campaigns, community service initiatives, initiatives to prepare and qualify university students, educational initiatives in remote areas, and initiatives to reconstruct damaged houses.

Al-Hassan has around seven thousand hours of volunteer work under his belt, and his passion to help others led him to do amazing things! He started by launching the Yadan Biyad “Hand in Hand” initiative which aimed at reconstructing damaged houses in remote areas in Yemen and Jordan. This initiative helped reconstruct fifty houses, and also distributed two hundred school bags to two hundred less fortunate students aged between four and seven.

Al-Hassan, twenty-one years old, also established a youth foundation in 2019 which aimed at preparing university students for the labor market. The foundation actually held various workshops to train, empower, qualify, and prepare around 180 university students for life after graduation.

All that was not enough for Alhassan! Therefore, he established the Intilaqat Khair (Spread of Goodness) initiative in Yemen to support families affected by war in remote areas there. This initiative managed to hand out around three hundred food parcels to three hundred families in different governorates of Yemen, and it also helped twenty needy people there to find jobs!

Alhassan Al-Fakih is the first person in the Middle East to provide humanitarian aid to a thousand people through seven thousand hours of volunteer work!