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FOOD + WINE

Coral Sisk

March 22, 2021 - 9:29

Spring solstice has just arrived, which corresponds with Persian New Year, celebrated by more than ten countries from the -stans (Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, etc.) to Albania and by several ethnic groups not just in Iran by Iranians. Italy is home to several international communities, including a modest Iranian population of over 12,000, according to the countrys office for statistics, ISTAT. While commanding a relatively small population, Iranians are extremely active and well integrated into Italian society as artists, engineers, medical professionals, students and entrepreneurs.

Florence has long been home to a high concentration of Iranians (nearly 700 registered in Florence and just over a thousand in Tuscany), although Rome and Milan has the largest in terms of numbers. The impact of Florences Iranian community is further evidenced by Middle East Now, an annual film festival and tribute to Middle Eastern culture and awareness of the various issues the region faces as a whole. Mark your diaries: this years Middle East Now is scheduled to return to Cinema La Compagnia September 28 through October 3.

For many (especially me), the gateway to exploring curiosity for a new culture is through its food. Lets dust off this last trying year and dive into this new century with renewed life!

If youre looking to stock up on Persian ingredients and try your hand at some dishes (kuku sabzi is the easiest place to start for Persian food beginners), head to Advie off piazza Beccaria. They stock a dizzying array of imported dried spices, including essentials like dried limes for beloved classics like ghormeh sabzi (stew of kidney beans, lamb shank, dried lime and fresh herbs); luscious dates, which are dessert on their own, from Bam, a region hard hit by a devastating earthquake in 2003; Persian tea, hookah tools; and other staples like Iranian pistachios, rose water and pomegranate molasses.

Via Fra Giovanni Angelico 53B, Florence / FB: @AdvieSpezieAlimentari / IG: @advie.fga

Opened in 2017, Ristorante Tehran is a soulful Persian food oasis independently run by Amir Aliyari and Panteha Novirioffer a varied menu of Persian food classics from succulent marinated kebabs (the pomegranate molasses and walnut marinated chicken or sirloin torsh kebab is sublime), stews like ghormeh sabzi, dizi mutton chickpea spiced abgoosht, saffron rice specialties such as tachin with barberries and chicken, almost like a cake and also common during the New Year period. Even in these color-coded times, Ristorante Tehran is open for delivery/takeaway. When they can re-open, this is a goosebump-inducing spot to dine in and feel as if youre in a sincere eatery in Tehran, decked out in traditional ceramics, dim lighting and vintage photography of Iranian landscapes and city scenes. Make sure to partake in all the bells and whistles from the doogh yogurt drink aperitivo and finishing with Persian tea and honey-drenched sweets.

Via dei Cerchi, 25/R, Florence / http://www.ristorantepersianotehran.it / FB: @RistorantePersianoTEHRAN / IG: @ristorantetehran

Surely anyone who has been in Florence more than five minutes has passed by this hideaway wedged between Migone and Robiglio a stones throw from the Duomo on via dei Tosinghi. Historically the block served as a makeshift bunker for well-to-do aristocrats when protecting artistic treasures or themselves from invaders. Today La Congrega serves fine Persian dishes alongside traditional Tuscan fare by Iranian-Italian couple Mahyar Sanago Moghadam and Stefania Giani. The Persian offerings are few but concise, from an antipasto spread, including smoked eggplant dips, grilled meats, saffron rice and minced meat marinated kebabs. Currently available for take-out/delivery and an upscale choice for when dining-in returns.

Via dei Tosinghi, 3/4R, Florence /la-congrega.thefork.rest/en_GB / FB: @LaCongregaFirenze / IG: @lacongregafirenze

Persian Food Experience is an earnest venture organized by Cristina Bianciardi, a Sienese who spent a year living in Iran, falling in love with the culture (and an Iranian from the verdant northern province of Gilan, near the Caspian Sea) before teaching herself Iranian cuisine. Defining herself as an aspiring chef in Persian cuisine, she shares her journey through an Eat With dining experience in her home in non-pandemic times and has currently pivoted to weekly deliveries in Florence. Cristina thoughtfully designs weekly menus (starters, mains and dessert) according to season and has a limited number of meals, so book quickly by the Tuesday cut-off for Friday night deliveries.

FB: @persianfoodexperience / IG: @persian_foodexperience

While not a food-related shop, Shiraz Ceramiche dEpoca in Florences via Verdi sells stunning ceramics imported from Iran, which support the countrys craftspeople dedicated to traditional ceramic artistry. This shop is exceptional for artisan quality home dcor, kitchen tiles and dining wares with the utmost dedication to this ancient style of Persian handicrafts. Named Shiraz since this city of Iran is famous for these cheerful, deep blue-shaded floral tile terracotta art and handmade ornamental works of art.

Via Verdi 17R, Florence / shiraz-ceramichedepoca.business.site / FB: @shirazceramichedepoca / IG: @shirazceramichedepoca

Trento-based project Shirin Persia deserves a mention, even if its not in Tuscany. The inspiring start-up specializes in direct farmer fair-trade sourced saffron sold online throughout Italy and is recognized by Slow Food Italia. Powered by former mechanical engineer Ala Azakdia from Tehran, Shirin sells not only saffron, but also saffron accessories such as scarfs tinted from the petals and saffron-scented colomba: just in time for Italian Easter! Ala also partners with a local brewery to make saffron-infused craft beer from American hops, which Cristina Bianciardi (see above) sources for her food delivery and experiences. The beers pair delightfully with all the flavorful Persian herb-rich fare.

http://www.shirinpersia.com / IG: shirinpersia.it

Persian New Year follows the foundations of the Jalali calendar, which is considered the most accurate in the world as its calculated down to the minute. This year is particularly important as it marks the change from 1399 to 1400 (at 10:37am CET to be precise in 2021), meaning a new century. Persians know how to celebrate: they take 13 days to kick off!

The eve is marked by assembling a haftsin, a sort of altar of seven symbolic items, which all start with s in Farsi (such as garlic seer, herb sprouts sabzi, apple sib, sumac, etc.) to bring prosperity, health and luck. The ritual is to gather at your haftsin the exact time of the New Year turn, which could be the last day of winter or the first day of spring depending on the year.

Haftsin ph. @curiousappetite

The first day of the New Year commences with a lingering lunch of fish (mahi) with preparation styles that vary according to the region (fried, herb, nut and molasses, stuffed, baked, etc.) and herbed rice and herbed frittata kuku sabzi as herbs signify new beginnings.

Throughout the 13 days, eyd didani visits to family homes are conducted where traditional Persian cookies and teas are consumed while chatting and sharing wishes for a prosperous new year and eidi new bills (you have to get from the bank!) are given by the elders to the younger members. On one New Years in the states, my family circulated $2 bills as they are rare and I never spent them, always holding on to them for luck. The New Year festivities end on the thirteenth day with a picnic, similar to the Pasquetta, or Easter Monday in Italy. If you live near a body of water, you picnic there and throw your sabzi (specifically, the herbs that have been at your haftsin for 13 days) into the river as a sign of purging and readiness for a clean slate. The last day of festivities of Nowruz 1400 is April 3, 2021.

Coral Sisk is an Iranian-Italian America-born food writer and sommelier from Seattle, WA. Coral normally leads culinary wine tours around Italy, but her pandemic pivot involves gourmet gift boxes and virtual classes from Florence.

Read the rest here:
Celebrating spring with Iranian food in Florence and Tuscany - The Florentine

Tehran, March 15 : Iran will appoint a special rapporteur pertaining to the impact of western sanctions on the Iranian people, a senior official said

We have decided to appoint a special rapporteur to assess the impact of unjust sanctions imposed by the US and Europe on the Iranian nation, Ali Baqeri Kani, the head of the Iranian Judiciarys High Council for Human Rights, was quoted as saying on Sunday by Xinhua news agency.

The results of rapporteurs work will be submitted to judicial and human rights authorities at international, regional and national levels, said Baqeri Kani.

The rapporteur will also take steps to form a global front against violation of human rights of independent nations as a result of unjust sanctions by the US and other western countries, he said.

Iran will support the victims of such unjust sanctions in various regional and human rights forums, the top official added.

Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from IANS service.

See more here:
Iran to appoint special rapporteur on sanctions - The Siasat Daily

Any new agreement between world powers and Iran must stop Tehran from developing all the components of a nuclear bomb and address new information uncovered since the original Iran deal of 2015, former acting national security adviser Jacob Nagel, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said in this weeks Jerusalem Post Zoom cast.

Rather than returning to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the Biden administration aims to do, Nagel said, there should be a very good agreement.

What is a very good agreement?... Everyone in the P5+1 the world powers party to the JCPOA says they dont want Iran to be nuclear, so we have to cut off [Irans] race to the bomb, Nagel said.

Nagel explained that the components of a nuclear weapon are its fissile materials, weapons system and means of delivery.

The old agreement didnt address delivery means at all.... There is nothing there about the weapons systems [Israel] pushed one [wimpy] page that [the US] never used. About the fissile systems, they gave [Iran] the de facto legitimacy for more than 5,000 centrifuges and to continue their research and development it was more than the Iranians dreamed of, Nagel said.

A new agreement must address all of those issues, he added.

Some say, no, its [information] from before 2003, forget about it, Nagel said, but the archive shows [Iran] didnt desert the idea to have a nuclear weapon. Its written in their handwriting that they want to design and test five warheads, each one 10 kilotons. Thats five Hiroshimas.

Iran still has all of the knowledge contained in those archives, and now theyre producing uranium metal, which has no civilian use, Nagel explained.

The former acting national security adviser warned against confidence-building measures such as those the Obama administration used in 2015 relaxing sanctions in exchange for Iran taking steps toward an agreement.

Its as if I found a burglar in my home with all my property and I tell him, you know what, leave half of it behind and I will let you go. No! First of all, give back all you took. Less for less, or intermediate agreements are very bad, Nagel said.

He also strongly opposed the US returning to the 2015 agreement as is which would include lifting sanctions and holding follow-up talks to make it stricter.

The biggest mistake would be [for the US] to go to the original agreement, because thats what they have, and then go to the Iranians to [negotiate] the next step, Nagel said. No way. After they go back to the old agreement, there is no incentive for the Iranians to go back to the table.

If that happens, there wont be any new agreement until 2030, when this agreement expires, and Iran... will have all the means to build a bomb.

More:
Ex-Netanyahu adviser: We have to stop Irans race to the bomb - The Jerusalem Post

Exercises include shooting at sea and air targets and liberating hijacked ships, as well as search-and-rescue and anti-piracy operations.

Tehran, Iran Iranian forces have concluded a two-day naval exercise with Russia in the northern part of the Indian Ocean.

Forces and vessels from the navy divisions of both the Iranian army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) participated in the drill, which kicked off on Tuesday, alongside several vessels from the Russian navy.

Admiral Gholamreza Tahani, spokesman for the drill, said the exercise his country was conducting with Russia was flexibly designed to allow several other countries to join it at any time, adding that the Indian navy had requested to join.

Hossein Khanzadi, commander of the Iranian navy, had said the Chinese navy would participate in the drill over an area of 17,000 square kilometres (6,500 square miles).

Iran, Russia and China held similar exercises in 2019.

But on Thursday, an Indian news website, timesnownews.com, carried a statement by the Indian navy denying New Delhis participation in the naval exercise.

Participation of China also could not be confirmed, and Tahani, spokesman, did not mention Beijing and New Delhi as the exercise concluded on Wednesday.

Tahani said the all-Iranian frigate Jamaran, unveiled in 2010, led the exercise while Iranian and Russian navy helicopters provided air monitoring and support.

The exercises will include shooting at sea and air targets and liberating hijacked ships, as well as search-and-rescue and anti-piracy operations. Iran says it hopes to exchange information and technical and tactical experience while becoming better-equipped to fight sea theft and terrorism.

Irans army and the IRGC have conducted several drills in the past two months in a show of force amid tensions with the United States.

These exercises saw a variety of locally manufactured long-range missiles, drones, tanks, warships, submarines and helicopters tested on land, sea and air targets.

View post:
Iran, Russia conduct joint naval drill in Indian Ocean | Military News | Al Jazeera

Biden is scheduled to address world leaders Friday at a virtual session of the Munich Security Conference, remarks sure to be watched carefully by Iran as well as other countries trying to divine his intentions for the nuclear deal.

The State Department said Thursday that the United States would accept an expected European Union invitation to attend a gathering of parties to the original deal, including Iran, the timing of which was not immediately clear.

In a briefing with reporters, a senior State Department official called the prospect of meeting the Iranians face-to-face a step more than a breakthrough.

Overall, developments so far suggest that a full restoration of the original deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), may be a far messier, longer-lasting set of negotiations than what many observers had expected if it happens at all.

There is a window of opportunity that simply will not last, warned Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association. The slow pace of deliberations on the part of the United States will jeopardize Bidens stated goal, which is to restore the agreement and to build on the JCPOA.

But there are a lot of different views within the administration, one of the people familiar with the discussions said, adding, I think theres an instinct to return to the deal, but thats not a preordained outcome.

I dont get the sense they have a timeline, like they dont have dates and times for reentering the deal, a Capitol Hill Democratic aide added.

One internal administration debate about the next steps has largely boiled down to this: Whether to aim for a return to the original nuclear deal first or seek a broader deal from the start. A broader deal could possibly include non-nuclear aspects, such as limits on Irans ballistic missile program, and have provisions that last longer than the original deal or are permanent.

Either way, one option on the table is to have some sort of interim agreement that can build confidence on both sides.

The interim agreement would not necessarily look like the original deal, people familiar with the discussions said. It could involve giving Iran some limited sanctions relief such as allowing oil sales in exchange for Tehran halting some of the moves it has made since President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement, such as enriching uranium to 20 percent purity.

One senior Biden administration official, however, insisted that the debate has passed. The agreed-upon goal remains to return to the original nuclear deal if Iran complies with it, the official said. But exactly what steps must be taken to achieve that goal and at what pace are still a matter of debate and discussion, the official said.

The people familiar with the discussions did not know or declined to say who among Biden aides was arguing for which tactics. Some stressed that the administration, not even a month old, is still filling key positions at the State Department, White House and beyond that are relevant to the Iran discussion.

Three of the people, however, noted that Brett McGurk, a senior Middle East official on the National Security Council staff, is among the more hawkish voices on Iran and that national security adviser Jake Sullivan at times takes a harder line than many of his colleagues.

Both of these senior national security officials may be more inclined to aim for a bigger deal immediately, rather than trying to resurrect the 2015 version, people familiar with the discussions said. That being said, Sullivan recently declared that containing Irans nuclear program is a critical early priority of the administration, signaling an eagerness to resolve the standoff.

Rob Malley, Bidens special envoy for the Iran talks, is known to be more of an advocate for a return to the original nuclear deal. Others likely to be on his side include Jeff Prescott, a top official in the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The people familiar with the discussions said they werent entirely certain where Secretary of State Antony Blinken stands.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council did not offer comment. A spokesperson for the State Department also did not immediately offer comment.

Washington politics, too, are a factor, some analysts say.

Sen. Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is one of several Democrats who joined Republicans in opposing the original deal during the Obama years. (Menendez also opposed Trumps decision to walk away from the deal without what the New Jersey senator considered a decent back up plan to constrain Iran.)

Menendez has pushed Biden to take a tough stance and said the president should not give Iran significant sanctions relief before it returns to the negotiating table.

Because Menendez plays a key role in Senate confirmation hearings for Biden nominees, theres extra sensitivity about angering him when it comes to Iran, two of the people familiar with the Biden teams discussions said.

The 2015 JCPOA lifted an array of U.S. and international economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for severe restrictions on the Islamist-led countrys nuclear program.

The deal was an international one: the United States, China, Russia, Germany, France, Britain and Iran were partners in the negotiation. The United Nations and the European Union also played key roles.

Struck during the presidency of Barack Obama, its supporters hailed it for dramatically curtailing Irans nuclear program, but its opponents cast it as too weak and too generous in terms of the sanctions relief it offered Iran in return.

After railing against the agreement for years, Trump formally pulled out in May 2018. The former president argued that the agreement was too narrow because it dealt only with Irans nuclear program and not other malign actions by Tehran, which has been a U.S. adversary for four decades.Trump also said he did not like the fact that some of the deals provisions would expire.

In the months and years after pulling the U.S. from the JCPOA, Trump not only reimposed the nuclear-related sanctions that had been lifted under the 2015 deal, but also added on new ones targeting an array of Iranian entities.

The beefed-up sanctions regime will complicate any return to the deal, especially given that many of the sanctions would penalize institutions from other countries including U.S. allies in Europe that want to do business in Iran.

Iran has technically remained a party to the agreement, which is still functional to a limited degree. But since the U.S. walked away from it, Tehran has taken several steps that have put it out of compliance and closer to building a bomb. The moves, analysts say, have been part of a campaign aimed at pushing America back to the negotiating table while also pressuring European leaders to find ways to ease the substantial economic pain the sanctions are causing Iran.

Recently, Iran has warned that starting next week it will take steps to scale back the enhanced access it gives to international inspectors who monitor its nuclear program under whats commonly called the additional protocol. However, Iran will continue to allow inspectors to access its facilities under its basic agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

In a joint statement released Thursday, Blinken and his counterparts from France, Germany and Britain, called on Iran not to proceed with its clampdown on inspections. The three urged Iran to consider the consequences of such grave action, particularly at this time of renewed diplomatic opportunity.

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Many Biden aides are hesitant to appear as if they are capitulating to Iranian pressure by making deal-related moves to coincide with next weeks deadline on the additional protocol, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The joint statement also stated that Secretary Blinken reiterated that, as President Biden has said, if Iran comes back into strict compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, the United States will do the same and is prepared to engage in discussions with Iran toward that end.

The expected European Union invitation for the United States to rejoin the original participants in the deal will likely lead to the first discussions at least in a publicly acknowledged way between the Biden administration and Iran. Analysts anticipate that the gathering will take place in March at what was already a tentatively planned meeting of the joint commission that oversees the nuclear deals implementation.

Separately, the Biden administration on Thursday told the U.N. Security Council that it was rescinding a Trump administration claim last year that all U.N. sanctions had been reimposed on Iran, according to a Reuters report. Trump aides made that assertion by insisting the U.S. could still trigger a snap back of the sanctions despite having left the nuclear deal, a claim rejected by most members of the Security Council.

The rescinding of the Trump claim may appease Iran to some extent. But broadly speaking, people familiar with the Biden administrations discussions said it has done little at least publicly to give Tehran hope that a resumption of the deal, and an end to sanctions, is likely anytime soon.

Even the U.S. rhetoric so far, from various podiums and Biden himself, has emphasized that Iran is out of compliance with the agreement, rather than acknowledging that the United States first initiated the breach of terms.

Malley has spent his short time so far as envoy reaching out to the other parties to the 2015 agreement, including Russia and China, but not to Iran itself, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Malley also has been in touch with representatives of Israel as well as Arab countries, people familiar with the discussions said. The Israelis and some key Arab partners of the United States opposed the 2015 agreement and have asked Washington to consult with them or even give them a seat at the table on future negotiations with Iran.

Some advocates of a speedy return to the 2015 agreement argue that time is of the essence, in part because Iranian presidential elections are set for June. The Iranian politicians likely to triumph are those who are even more anti-American than the ones who negotiated the deal.

Still, those who argue against any quick U.S. return to the deal point out that no matter who wins the Iranian election, the economic pain the country is suffering from sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic will force a return to the negotiating table.

Iran is in desperate financial and political straits right now, said Gabriel Noronha, a former State Department official. We have no reason to relent on the pressure, especially to get back to a deal which is already well on the way to expiring.

Here is the original post:
Biden aides debate how, or if, to save original Iran deal - POLITICO