Mohsen Sharifian echoes Iranians’ message of peace, friendship in Hiroshima

TEHRAN – Mohsen Sharifian, the musician and researcher of regional Iranian music, echoed the message of peace and friendship of Iranians with a musical performance in Hiroshima, coinciding with the anniversary of the atomic bombing.

Sharifian, who has carried out numerous international activities in recent years in promoting the music of southern Iran, traveled to Japan for the third consecutive time on the anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. Through his musical performance at Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park — and beside the only building that survived the atomic bombing — he sought to carry the message of peace and friendship from the people of Iran to the world, Mehr reported.

In addition, Sharifian, along with Sadegh Hosseinpour, a percussion player, performed in a joint session with a group of Japanese artists in Tokyo — performances in which Iranian and Japanese music stood side by side, with the southern Iranian bagpipe (ney-anban), one of the most distinctive instruments of southern Iranian music, sounding alongside the koto, shamisen, and other instruments of the Japanese artists.

“Story of a Shepherd,” composed by TSUMUZI, the Japanese composer and musician, in the form of a duet between the ney-anban and the violin — bringing together two distinct musical traditions in a shared performance — was among the pieces performed in this special program.

In another segment of the program, Sharifian also performed one of the well-known melodies of Japanese music with the ney-anban. In this context, “Haru yo, Koi” (Come, Spring), a work by Yumi Matsutoya, the famous Japanese singer and composer, was the piece rendered this time through the sound of the Iranian bagpipe.

Sharifian described his performance of this Japanese melody with the ney-anban as an experience that transcended a mere musical performance, speaking of the tranquility, order, and beauty of the land of Japan — an experience in which a Japanese melody was re-interpreted through the sound of a signature instrument from southern Iran.

Regarding this performance, Sharifian stated: “My presence in Hiroshima, coinciding with the anniversary of one of the most tragic events in contemporary history, has in a way deepened the meaning of these performances; because in this program, music was used not as a tool to recall war, but as a language for expressing peace, friendship, and the coexistence of nations.”

According to him, these joint performances can be regarded as an example of cultural dialogue between Iran and Japan through music — a dialogue in which differences in language, instruments, and musical traditions not only do not create an obstacle, but instead become a platform for mutual understanding and connection between the two cultures.

Another noteworthy point is that the ney-anban, an instrument deeply rooted in the musical culture of southern Iran and one of the symbols of Bushehr and Persian Gulf coastal music, transcended its geographical boundaries in these performances, taking its place alongside Japanese instruments and the violin to narrate melodies from two lands on a single stage.

Tags

• Mohsen Sharifian
• Peace Memorial Park
• neyanban 

Iranian Red Crescent Society offers health services in Ghana

TEHRAN - A one-day medical camp has been organized by the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s health center in Ghana aimed to provide free medical services to flood victims and the needy, benefiting 547 individuals.

The initiative was taken following floods in the city of Accra and a request from the Ministry of the Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development, IRNA quoted Hamidreza Dehqan, an IRCS official, as saying on Tuesday.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society’s health center was deployed to provide free medical care to those seeking assistance and individuals in need, Dehqan added.

He noted that 547 people benefited from health services during the one-day medical mission. The services provided included general practitioner consultations, medication distribution, pharmacy services, mobile laboratory testing, and counseling on midwifery and hygiene.

The humanitarian activities of the IRCS are not confined by geographical boundaries, Dehqan said, adding: "The presence of the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s health centers in various countries exemplifies the organization's humanitarian approach to addressing the needs of local communities—an approach that prioritizes human dignity, assistance to the needy, and the alleviation of human suffering."

In such programs, providing free medical services to those in need exemplifies altruism and humanitarian responsibility, demonstrating that serving humanity—transcending geographical boundaries—is one of the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s most vital missions, Dehqan stressed.

Referring to the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, he noted that humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality constitute seven fundamental principles; the implementation of health programs in underdeveloped areas represents the practical manifestation of these principles in the field of service.

He emphasized that a key approach of the Iranian Red Crescent Society in its overseas operations is to simultaneously focus on treatment, prevention, and the promotion of community health.

“In this context, organizing health camps—alongside the ongoing activities of Red Crescent health centers—facilitates access to medical and counseling services for vulnerable groups.”

Pointing to the operations of the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s health center in Ghana, Dehqan stated that the continued presence of IRCS health centers in African nations is part of the Society’s humanitarian mission on the international stage, a presence founded on serving humanity and helping to improve the health of local communities.

IRCS is a key humanitarian actor

In November 2025, Hossam Elsharkawi, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), highlighted the role of the IRCS as one of the region’s and the world’s key humanitarian actors.

Lauding the IRCS efforts, Elsharkawi congratulated Pirhossein Kolivand’s re-election as the head of the IRCS, saying that the IRCS makes highly effective decisions at international levels, IRNA reported.

The official made the remarks in an online meeting with Kolivand. During the meeting, the two officials discussed ways to foster collaborative efforts, develop rescue systems to enhance the country’s preparedness and response capabilities, and conduct international meetings and conferences in Iran.

The IRCS proposed hosting an international Islamic youth conference and the conference of leaders of national societies from Islamic countries.

The two sides also emphasized the need to implement the previously signed memoranda of understanding between the two organizations to lay the ground for promoting educational, operational, and logistic collaborations.

The IRCS also suggested introducing an expert to follow up on managerial and technical cooperation with the Regional Office for MENA.

Tags

• Iran
• Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS)
• Ghana

BRICS must move from dialogue to practical action: CBI governor

TEHRAN- The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) on the first day of the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in India, while thanking the host country's government and central bank for hosting the summit, emphasized the need to strengthen practical cooperation among BRICS members in monetary and financial areas.

According to IRNA from the Central Bank, Abdolnasser Hemmati in his speech at the opening session, stating that closer cooperation among BRICS member countries can play an important role in strengthening stability, trust, and sustainable development, asserted: BRICS will have the greatest impact when it can translate policy dialogues into practical initiatives and executive mechanisms.

Referring to the difficult and complex regional and international conditions as well as the military aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran, he noted: Economic and financial stability is unattainable without peace, respect for international law, and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter.

The Central Bank Governor also, referring to Iran's continued active participation within the BRICS framework, said: The Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran has had an active and responsible presence in BRICS specialized working groups since the beginning of its membership and has participated in areas such as cross-border payments, use of national currencies, financial technologies, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and sustainable financing.

Hemmati further emphasized support for initiatives that can reduce transaction costs and risks, facilitate the use of national currencies, and bring payment infrastructure among member countries closer together.

He considered the New Development Bank of BRICS as one of the group's most important institutional achievements and said: The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to expand its interactions with this institution and pursue the path of membership in it with the cooperation and support of respected members.

The Central Bank Governor concluded by stating: BRICS can play a more effective role in shaping a more inclusive, balanced, and resilient international financial architecture.

Hemmati's emphasis on need to create an independent BRICS financial corridor

The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, on the second day of BRICS financial meetings in India, emphasized the need to create a dedicated BRICS financial corridor and connect the national payment networks of member countries.

According to IRNA from the Central Bank, Abdolnasser Hemmati stated in this meeting: The development of BRICS financial cooperation must go beyond general dialogues and lead to the creation of operational, secure, and sustainable infrastructure for cross-border payments and settlements.

He said: Connecting payment networks and expanding the use of national currencies, while reducing dependence on financial routes outside BRICS, helps increase speed, reduce costs, and enhance the security of member trade transactions.

The Central Bank Governor added: Iran has already begun examining the technical, legal, and operational dimensions of connecting BRICS members' payment systems and is ready to cooperate in formulating an operational roadmap for this plan.

Hemmati also considered pursuing Iran's membership in the New Development Bank of BRICS as a foundation for expanding development project financing, investment cooperation, and strengthening economic ties among members.

The first meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors under India's rotating presidency for 2026 was held on August 12 and 13, 2026, in Jaipur, India.

Earlier, at the first meeting of this group with the presence of economy and finance ministers and central bank governors of member countries, Mehdi Heydari, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance of Iran, emphasized the need to strengthen economic and financial resilience of BRICS members against global economic challenges.

Supporting the four axes of "resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability," he called for the development of practical financing mechanisms, including local currency financing, currency risk hedging instruments, and attracting private capital.

Iran's representative also emphasized the responsible use of artificial intelligence and modern technologies to increase productivity and inclusive growth, and supported the continuation of the BRICS Growth and Development Working Group's activities in future presidency periods.

CBI governor meets president of New Development Bank of BRICS

The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran met and held talks with the President of the New Development Bank of BRICS (NDB).

According to IRNA from the Central Bank, Dilma Rousseff, in her meeting with Abdolnasser Hemmati, assessed the Islamic Republic of Iran's presence in the New Development Bank as important and emphasized Iran's role and capacities in developing regional and international cooperation.

The two sides in this dialogue emphasized the need to continue expert consultations for Iran's membership in the NDB and to benefit from the facilities of this bank.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, who has traveled to India to participate in the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting hosted by India, while thanking the Indian government and central bank for hosting the summit, emphasized the need to strengthen practical cooperation among BRICS members in monetary and financial areas.

BRICS is a group of major emerging economies that has expanded beyond its original five members—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Indonesia. India holds the 2026 presidency, hosting the upcoming summit under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability".

The bloc focuses on deepening financial cooperation to reduce reliance on Western-dominated systems. A key priority is developing independent payment mechanisms, including connecting national fast payment systems and exploring interoperability between central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), to lower cross-border transaction costs and promote trade in local currencies. The New Development Bank (NDB), established by BRICS, plays a central role in financing infrastructure and sustainable development projects across member countries, with Iran currently finalizing its accession to the bank.

While strengthening economic ties among the Global South, BRICS is not pursuing a common currency at this time. Instead, members are focusing on practical mechanisms for financial integration that can gradually build resilience against external pressures and create a more balanced international financial architecture.

Tags

• BRICS
• CBI Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati
• India

Ministries join hands to rebuild war-damaged healthcare infrastructure

TEHRAN - A cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening health diplomacy and rebuilding healthcare infrastructure damaged during the US-Israeli imposed war was signed on Tuesday by the ministries of health and foreign affairs.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi inked the agreement at the health ministry’s headquarters, ISNA reported.

The agreement seeks to leverage the capacities of diplomacy and the health sector to support the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure and strengthen domestic and international partnerships.

Under the agreement, the reconstruction of Andimeshk Hospital in southwestern Khuzestan province, one of the healthcare facilities damaged during the conflict, will be the first joint project undertaken by the two ministries.

The initiative also highlights the important role of Iranians living abroad and of international campaigns in supporting the reconstruction of healthcare infrastructure.

As per the agreement, the participation of Iranians abroad and public fundraising efforts, alongside the capabilities of the diplomatic apparatus and the country’s healthcare system, could help expand cooperation and accelerate the reconstruction of damaged healthcare infrastructure.

On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Araqchi highlighted the role of health diplomacy in securing medicines and medical equipment during the recent war, saying all Iranian diplomatic missions abroad have been tasked with supporting the country’s healthcare system, IRNA reported.

Health diplomacy includes technology transfer, medicine and medical equipment procurement, and other forms of international cooperation, he said, adding that securing and transferring essential medical supplies into Iran during wartime was among the foreign ministry’s most difficult tasks.

“In this line, Iranian missions abroad worked closely with the health ministry.”

Araqchi also highlighted financial assistance from Iranian expatriates, saying millions of dollars in donations were collected during and after the war. He said donations also came from Muslims, Shia communities, and supporters of the Islamic Revolution.

He noted that 25 ambulances arrived from one neighboring country alone, while other donated supplies were transferred to Iran.

The foreign ministry subsequently sought to channel the donations into specific reconstruction projects, Araqchi said, adding that Iranian expatriates had nearly covered the estimated cost of rebuilding a hospital in the city of Ahvaz, southwestern Khuzestan province.

He added that foreign ministry employees had also contributed part of their salaries to the reconstruction of a hospital in Andimeshk, Khuzestan province.

Data compiled from the World Health Organization, the Iranian Red Crescent Society, and national health agencies reveal a targeted erosion of medical neutrality. A total of 292 medical and relief centres, including hospitals, pharmacies, and primary health clinics, have been damaged or destroyed from March 27 to April 27.

This destruction has forced 13 hospitals completely out of service, while another seven have been fully evacuated under duress because of proximity to danger zones.

The emergency response capacity has been further crippled by the destruction of 48 ambulances and rescue vehicles, as well as an emergency medical helicopter.

The assault on health care is not merely incidental but systemic. Under the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter, medical personnel and facilities must be protected at all times unless used for military purposes. Yet, verified reports indicate US–Israeli attacks on health facilities and the killing of at least eight health-care workers, doctors, nurses, and emergency first responders in Iran.

Tags

• Iran
• healthcare infrastructure
• US-Israeli imposed war

ECI to host international conference on media literacy in Tehran

TEHRAN- The ECO Cultural Institute (ECI), in cooperation with Türkiye’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), is scheduled to host an international conference on media literacy in Tehran on August 18.

The conference will bring together diplomats, cultural figures, media professionals and experts to exchange views on the evolving role of media literacy and its contribution to international cooperation.

Feyza Gizligider, head of the Strategy Development Department at RTÜK and an expert in media literacy in Türkiye, will attend the event as part of a delegation from the Turkish regulatory body.

The gathering is expected to provide a platform for exchanging views on contemporary challenges and developments in media literacy, as well as its growing importance in an increasingly interconnected media environment.

Participants will also discuss the role of media literacy in promoting informed and responsible engagement with media, strengthening professional exchanges, and fostering dialogue and cooperation across borders.

The conference is part of the ECI’s efforts to expand cultural and professional exchanges among institutions and specialists from the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) region and partner countries.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the ECO Cultural Institute in Tehran’s Aqdasieh district.

Tags

• ECO Cultural Institute
• media literacy
• Türkiye’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK)

A food truck, a failed war, and the humiliation of a superpower

 By Syeda Farheen Naqi Mossavi 

TEHRAN - Never has a president subjected the United States to such global humiliation. It is a bitter pill to swallow for a nation accustomed to projecting strength, but the facts on the ground paint a picture of a strategic disaster of historic proportions.

The trouble began on February 28. President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered a joint attack on Iran, banking on a swift and triumphant campaign. Instead, the world witnessed the exact opposite: a war against a resilient adversary that managed to exhaust several stockpiles of American weapons in just 40 days of combat. The lack of long-term planning was evident from day one.

Days ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran carried out more than 2,000 attacks using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and high-precision aerial drones against targets in the Persian Gulf.  These strikes managed to severely damage at least 20 American military installations spread across eight countries in the region, causing damages of at least $13 billion. Military bases became uninhabitable in the face of the Iranian onslaught.

While a truce was eventually negotiated, Iran never accepted the terms for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and this situation persists to this day. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaee addressed the matter with striking historical perspective, noting that the strait had remained open from the time of Prophet Adam's creation until February 28, 2026. He emphasized that despite enduring 47 years of what he termed "dishonorable and unjust" Western sanctions, and despite Iran's solemn responsibility for safeguarding maritime traffic through a waterway that carries a significant portion of the world's energy supplies, no harm had ever come to vessels transiting the strait under Iranian watch. Baqaee further reminded observers that the current disruption was precipitated by the military aggression of the United States and the Israeli regime, a campaign that remains ongoing. When pressed about allegations that Iran had imposed conditions for reopening the strait, he offered a pointed retort, suggesting such inquiries should be directed to Washington itself.

The economic impact has been staggering. The cost of the war, including aerial operations, ammunition, damage to bases, and aircraft losses, has already exceeded $120 billion. If we add the material damages and economic losses of the Persian Gulf countries, the total figure reaches an astronomical $300 billion, not counting other global losses.

It was a war where all allies refused to get involved, an isolation felt even by countries that typically show automatic alignment. This is a defeat that Trump cannot change, no matter how many times he repeats the word "victory" on his social network.

The embarrassment did not stop there. It has now come to light that Trump carried out a top-secret plane-swapping operation, using a catering truck as a disguise due to a credible threat of an attack from Iran. The highly unusual maneuver took place in Ankara, Turkey, right after the NATO summit. The president boarded Air Force One in front of the cameras, only to leave it in secret via a catering truck and board another aircraft. The details of the farce, which were revealed by the American press and confirmed by Trump himself, underscore the precarious situation. Imagine the president of the United States hiding in a little food truck to escape a threat. What a situation these people have gotten themselves into.

Iran understands its geographic advantages. The U.S. and Israel may possess air superiority, but that superiority must be spread out over an area roughly three times the size of Ukraine. They are simply overwhelmed by the number of potential targets and the long air-leg logistics. U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf states are easy targets for Iranian air forces because of their proximity and the flat landscape. It is impossible to accumulate hardware and manpower there without becoming vulnerable to massive Iranian missile and drone strikes.

Iran is also aware of its current strategic advantages and so wants to exercise them to their full capacity. This knowledge forces Tehran to treat the situation as existential. The current imperative is that even if Iran were weakened by air strikes, it could still rely on its economically active borderlands in the east and north, as well as on pragmatic relations with Muslim countries. The lessons of this conflict will be studied for generations, a testament to the limits of military might when confronted by a determined and capable nation.

The real lesson of this war is not that American military power has diminished, but that force has inherent limits when strategy, geographic realities, and political objectives fall out of alignment.  Though Washington still possesses the world's most lethal arsenal, the Iranian front has reaffirmed a crucial geopolitical principle: heavy firepower does not guarantee decisive victory, nor does it confer immunity from strategic blunders.

The enduring symbol of this confrontation may not be a missile, a stealth aircraft, or a warship, but a modest logistics vehicle seen carrying the U.S. president away from the runway. For a nation that  has spent decades cultivating an aura of invincibility, this imagery carries a great message. It is a stark illustration that even a superpower, in a war it expected to win swiftly, can find itself confronting the bitter reality that the battlefield does not always bend to imperial ambition.

Washington may call it victory, Tehran may call it resistance, but history will judge on a different scale: which side entered the war believing it would write the final chapter, and which side stood firm until the war refused to end on its terms. History will remember Iran as the unyielding rock that did not bow before so-called Zionist-American power.

The slogan "Make America Great Again" has in this context emerged as a painful question not a restoration of power, but a narrative of strategic humiliation. It has exposed the consequences of a foreign policy built on blind alignment with Zionist interests, which has entangled America in predicaments that erode its global prestige and lay its vulnerabilities bare on the world stage. The truth is that national stability depends not on the ability to start a war, but on the wisdom to avoid becoming trapped in one and America is now deeply entangled. If it can exit this war with dignity, perhaps some shred of its honor in the world may yet survive.

Tags

• Donald Trump
• Turkey
• NATO summit
• food trucks
• catering
• switch
• plane
• board

Mulla Sadra house in Qom to become hub for astronomy and philosophy tourism

TEHRAN – Local officials plan to turn the historic house of philosopher Mulla Sadra in Kahak, Qom province, into a hub for astronomy and philosophy tourism, under a cooperation agreement aimed at promoting the city’s cultural attractions and strengthening its tourism economy.

Behnam Ahmadi-Farsani, director general of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Qom province, announced the plan on Wednesday, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding among the provincial department, Kahak governorate and Kahak municipality.

The agreement is intended to promote Mulla Sadra house and develop the value chain of religious, literary and philosophical tourism in the city, according to the provincial cultural heritage department, Miras Aria reported.

Under the agreement, the historic house and its associated structures will be used more extensively for astronomy-related tourism and cultural and artistic events.

Ahmadi-Farsani said astronomy-related equipment has been installed at the centuries-old house and that the property will be made available to a knowledge-based company as a venue for astronomy and philosophy tourism events.

The official added that the initiative would also seek to connect tourism, handicrafts and cultural events. Plans include establishing a handicrafts bazaar at the historic house and organizing philosophical tourism events focusing on Mulla Sadra and his intellectual legacy.

The events will be incorporated into Qom province’s tourism calendar, which has been approved by the provincial department’s technical council, he said.

“The aim is to introduce the capacities of Kahak to pilgrims and tourism enthusiasts,” Ahmadi-Farsani said, adding that the province hoped to better promote Kahak’s cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts potential.

Located in Kahak, about 30 kilometers from Qom, the provincial capital, the house is associated with Sadr al-Din Muhammad Shirazi, better known as Mulla Sadra, who lived in Kahak during a period of withdrawal from public life. Sources describing the monument identify it as a Safavid-era building constructed from adobe, mud mortar and timber. Its plan follows a cross-shaped layout, with a central domed space and surrounding rooms.

The house is an Iranian national heritage property registered under No. 1821. Its architecture includes a domed roof and simple plasterwork, while historical descriptions of the building note the use of raw mud brick, clay mortar and wooden structural elements.

The proposed tourism program would add a contemporary cultural and educational function to the historic property while retaining its role as a monument associated with one of Iran’s most influential philosophers.

Mulla Sadra was born in Shiraz around 1571–1572 and died in Basra around 1635–1640, although scholarly sources differ on the exact year of his death. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy gives his dates as approximately 1571–1636 and describes him as one of the most significant Islamic philosophers after Avicenna.

He developed al-hikmah al-muta‘aliyah, commonly translated as the “Transcendent Theosophy” or “Transcendent Wisdom,” a philosophical approach that brought together elements of Islamic philosophy, theology and mysticism. His work drew on earlier traditions including Avicennian philosophy, Illuminationism and Islamic mystical thought.

Tags

• Mulla Ṣadra
• Qom
• Kahak
• Iran
• Islamic philosophy
• philosophy