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Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa

Felex ShareSenior Reporter The outstanding political relations between Zimbabwe and Iran should lay the foundation for strong trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, the Iranian envoy has said.Speaking after meeting Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa at his Munhumutapa offices yesterday, Iranian ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Ahmad Erfanian said trade volumes between the two countries should be increased.

We spoke about the excellent relations between Zimbabwe and Iran, he said. As you may be aware, the relations between the two countries date back to before the time Zimbabwe got independence.

During the last three decades of cooperation, four Iranian Presidents have visited Zimbabwe and President Mugabe has also visited Iran four times.

The two countries have managed to overcome the trade sanctions imposed on them by Western countries, he said.

Said Mr Erfanian: We have excellent political relations and I think its a good foundation for strengthening our bilateral, trade and economic relations.

We emphasised on the different fields of cooperation like science and technology, education, mining and agriculture. We believe that we can do a lot during my stay here and with the help of the Government of Zimbabwe, we can do a lot, especially in trade and economy.

Mr Erfanian said significant progress had been made in tobacco trade.

I can tell you that a contract was signed between an Iranian tobacco company and a Zimbabwean tobacco company for about $4,2 million, he said. We bought tobacco from Zimbabwe and the second contract was signed between the two companies recently. I hope we will be able to sign more contracts in this field.

Mr Erfanian went on: Concerning tractors, Iran is one of the countries that manufactures tractors. I spoke with one of the companies and if the Zimbabwean company is ready, there are a lot of tractors in Iran.

Zimbabwe intends to assemble tractors with the assistance of Iran.

In the field of education, Mr Erfanian said Iran had granted Zimbabwe students a number of scholarships to study various disciplines in Tehran.

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Acting President Mnangagwa meets Iran envoy - The Herald

People inspect a hospital, damaged following an air strike a rebel-controlled town in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on May 1, 2017.

Russia is seeking to convince the U.S. to accept an Iranian role in a plan for foreign troops to police safe zones in Syria as a step toward ending the six-year war.

The U.S. and Iran must show compromise and flexibility in helping to secure the so-called de-escalation zones proposed by Russia to shore up a Syrian cease-fire, President Vladimir Putins Middle East envoy, Mikhail Bogdanov, told reporters in Sochi on Thursday. Russia is trying to mediate between the U.S. and Iran, though its under no illusions about the difficulties, he said.

Does anyone think Iran is going to leave this region and Syria, as if you could wave a magic wand and Iran would disappear? Bogdanov said. Thats not going to happen.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday that he hoped the U.S. would make an active contribution to securing the safe zones. Lavrov suggested the U.S. may initiate the process in southern Syria near the borders with Israel and Jordan. Russia, Turkey and Iran signed a memorandum on creating four zones at talks involving the Syrian government and opposition groups in Kazakhstans capital, Astana, last week.

Russia believes the U.S. should help to enforce the cease-fire in Syria, though it would have to gain approval from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to deploy any troops to safe zones, Bogdanov said. Trumps pragmatic approach as a businessman who loves practical results is encouraging Russia to hope that life eventually puts everything in its place to help end the conflict, he said.

While the U.S. recognizes the parts played by Russia and Turkey in the Astana peace process, it regards Iran as having an unconstructive role in the region that it cant praise under any circumstances, Bogdanov said. A compromise that enables U.S. and Iranian forces to help control separate safe zones in Syria requires additional political and diplomatic efforts and Russia will continue to work, he said.

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Assad managed to turn the tide of war in his favor after Russia started an air campaign in September 2015, while Iran is an uncompromising supporter of the Syrian leader. Continued fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels backed by the U.S. and its allies including Turkey and Saudi Arabia stand in the way of a political settlement. The conflict has killed an estimated 400,000 people and sent millions more fleeing.

Putin said after talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi last week that hed secured Trumps backing for the plan to establish safe zones. Russia has long urged the U.S. to join forces with it in Syria. But Trumps campaign pledge to cooperate with Putin on defeating Islamic State has run into resistance from Republicans and Democrats who are pushing for a harder line toward Moscow over its meddling in the U.S. election, support for Assad and interference in Ukraine.

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Russia Seeks Accord With U.S. on Iran Role in Syria Safe Zones - Bloomberg

New York Times

Iran Leader Vows 'Slap in the Face' for Election Disruptions New York Times Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, arriving at a graduation ceremony for Revolutionary Guards cadets in Tehran on Wednesday. At the ceremony, he warned that anyone wanting to take any measure against the country's security in the election ... and more »

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Iran Leader Vows 'Slap in the Face' for Election Disruptions - New York Times

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- - A dog seriously injured in Iran is getting a second chance at life in San Diego.

Negar Mirgoli, co-founder of PAWS4Thoughts Animal Rescue, says she rescued a dog named Silver when she was visiting family in Iran.

Mirgoli says someone killed Silver's mom and the rest of her puppies, but somehow Silver survived. The dog is now paralyzed.

"She was left for dead," Mirgoli said. "She didn't have a chance, really, staying back in Iran there wasn't really a chance for her."

Mirgoli brought the 18-month-old Israeli herding dog back to San Diego.

"She literally landed a week ago Wednesday," Mirgoli said. "At LAX the elevator door opens, they push the kennel out, and I'm like 'Ok, I have five bags and a dog. What am I going to do?'"

Babs and Derek Fry offered to foster Silver until she finds her forever home.

"This all happened to her when she was eight weeks old," Babs said. "You know, I get choked up because everything for this dog is new. She has never been outside, she has never been on a car ride, she has never played with a toy."

"Well she just has a heart of gold," Derek said. "She's just a very, very sweet soul."

Despite everything she's been through, Silver continues to heal and learn to love. She was fitted with a wheelchair and is learning to walk using it.

Mirgoli says it's her goal to go back and get more dogs out of Iran.

"The rescuers in Iran, I've been sending them videos and they're over the moon," she said. "The fact that they're like 'this dog made it out.'"

You can donate to help Silver's medical bills here: https://www.gofundme.com/savingoursilver

You can also follow her progress here: https://www.facebook.com/SilversJourney/

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Woman rescues dog from Iran - 10News

Iran tested Sunday a high-tech torpedo based on a Russian model considered the fastest in the world near the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. officials.

The Iranian projectile, called "Hoot," is reportedly based off the Soviet-era RussianVA-111 Shkval, which is capable of traveling atmore than 200 miles per hour or four timesthat of a conventional torpedo, according toThe National Interest. Iran's variant was first seen in a low-quality test video in 2006 and was seen again during a military exhibition held by the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in 2015. Like the Soviet weapon its based off of, the Hoot was said to achieve these breakthrough speeds using a technique known as supercaptivation that vaporizes the water around the torpedo, according to security analysis group IHS Jane 360.

Related:Iran's military fires new cruise missiles amid Gulf tensions with the U.S.

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The test, which has not been confirmed by Tehran, appeared to be designed to evaluate the projectile's speed as it was not aimed at a target barge, according to U.S, officials cited by ABC News. The missile, which has a range of about 6 miles, requires an advanced guidance system and was capable of traveling more than 250 miles per hour,

Iranian political and military leaders have publicly committed to expanding and modernizing the nation's military prowess in the face of threats by the U.S. and Western-backed Gulf Arab states. Majority-Shiite Muslim Iran and majority-Sunni Muslim Arabian Peninsula states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar back opposing factions in civil wars in Syria and Yemen and accuse one another of destabilizing the region. These political rivalries have manifested themselves in the nearby waters of the Strait of Hormuz, Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf, where local and international forces have carried out military drills and U.S. and Iranian ships have routinely engaged in tense encounters with one another.

Sunday's test was not restricted by the 2015multilateral nuclear treaty signed by the U.S. and Iran nor the U.N. resolutions that discouraged Iran from ballistic missile testing, but couldantagonize the administration of President Donald Trump, who was opposed to the nuclear deal signed by his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, and has vowed to take a hardline stance against Tehran. A review ordered by the White House found last month that Iran was in compliance with the terms of the nuclear treaty, which required Iran to severely limit its nuclear energy program, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson still called the deal a failure and unable to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Iran has denied it was pursuing nuclear weapons and has maintained that its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes. In response to Tillerson's remarks, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javid Zarif criticized the "worn-out U.S. accusations" against Iran and urged the U.S. to comply with its end of the deal, for which the U.S. pledged to relieve decades of sanctions against Tehran.

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Iran's Military Fires Advanced Torpedo Based on Russia's Fastest in the World - Newsweek