New pics of recently opened Persian Gulf Complex in Shiraz

Recently constructed Persian Gulf tourism center and hotel complex in Shiraz, at night

Lighting detail for restaurants opened within the complex

Daytime frontage pic of the Persian Gulf Complex.

Below: Pics taken this week of interior construction of the amusement center/arcade being installed inside the complex.

Photos: Amin Aleshams at Shiraz1400.ir

Iran To Address Concerns Over Nuclear Program – FM

‘A Victory for People of Iran’ – Mashreq News

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has reiterated Iran's readiness to address Western concerns over Iran's nuclear program.

“We are ready to take measures to remove the nuclear concerns [over] our country via mutually agreed international means (between Iran and the West); however, the recognition of our [nuclear] rights by the opposite side will be paramount,” Salehi said. (IRNA/Press TV, 28 February)

Salehi made the remarks in a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Global Forum in Vienna on Wednesday.

Iran has hailed the new P5+1 offer presented during the talks in Almaty. The conservative Mashreq news called the offer “a victory for the people of Iran.” (mashreqnews, 28 February). Such declarations by conservative factions of the Islamic Republic are needed to pave the way for any future compromise with the West.

The P5+1 offer will reportedly call for the stoppage of the country’s 20-percent enrichment program. It allows Iran to keep limited amounts of its current inventory of 20-percent enriched fuel for use at Tehran’s research reactor. It does not require Iran to close Fordo underground enrichment facility, but allows it to enrich uranium at the facility at 3.5 percent purity only under the IAEA watch.

Meanwhile, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu urged Iran and the P5+1 to maintain their negotiations process, saying that the two sides made “tangible progress” in their latest round of talks in Almaty.

“We could say that this round of talks have brought about tangible progress on the negotiation over Iran's nuclear issue, which is beneficial to settling the dispute through dialogue,” said Ma, who heads the Chinese delegation in the talks between Iran and the P5+1.

Photo credit: Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (L) shakes hands with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the Fifth United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Global Forum in Vienna, 27 February 27 (Press TV)

Iran Estimates Oil Exports at 840,000 bpd

Iranian government today released the projection for the volume of oil export and revenues in the new Iranian calendar year 1392, beginning 20 March. Iran’s oil exports is estimated to be an average of 840,000 barrels a day, a drop of 1.8 million b/d in less than a year. Oil export’s annual revenues are predicted to be $31 billion, a drop of $20 billion over the same period this year and a drop of more than $60 billion compared to the revenues last year. (Tabnak, 28 February)

UPDATE: The estimates quoted by Tabnak and reported above were part of government’s budget proposal for the new Iranian calendar year of 1392 (starting 20 March) that was presented to Majlis on Wednesday and reported by the country’s official news agency.

Zardari in Tehran

Khamenei Tells Zardari IP Pipeline Must Advance 

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday urged the visiting President Asif Ali Zardari to press ahead with a much-delayed $7.5 billion Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project despite U.S. opposition, The News of Pakistan reported today.

“The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline is an important example of Tehran-Islamabad cooperation, and despite hostilities towards the expansion of ties we must overcome this opposition decisively,” Khamenei told Zardari. (The News, 27 February)

“Accessing safe energy source is the first priority for any country including Pakistan. In this region, the Islamic republic is the only nation that has safe energy resources and we are ready to provide Pakistan its energy needs,” Khamenei added.

Zardari also met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Photo credit: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (right) and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. Leadership House, Tehran. 27 February (The News)