Iran: Send your greetings to Nasrallah

Tehran plans 'festival' to send messages to Hizbullah leader, marking Islamic holiday

Reuters | Published: 11.05.06, 17:23

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) organization reported that Iran is planning a "Greetings to Nasrallah" festival, to be held in Tehran early in December.

"November 21st is the deadline for sending the works to the festival secretariat," Reza Rasouli, the festival secretary said, in a second news conference on the festival,' IRIB said.

The festival will be attended by "ambassadors from Islamic countries," and held "early in December on the birth anniversary of Imam al-Reza," the eighth Imam in Shia Islam, IRIB added.

'We can enter 1400 kilometres within enemy lines'

Meanwhile, the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) reported that Iran's military has launched the "land phase of the Great Prophet manoeuvre."

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps' land forces commander, Brigadier General Mohammadreza Zahedi, told ISNA: "The message of this exercise for the enemy is that we are completely ready to defend our country, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we display this readiness so that no one could have ill intentions against us."

"Our military power has increased a lot so that it is entirely incomparable to the imposed war time, and I declare that Iran's land forces have the ability to enter 1400 km within enemy lines from where they have begun the exercise," he added.

Following US naval manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf, Iran recently replaced its US-trained air force commander.

"Based on the recommendation of Islamic Republic of Iran Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi, and taking into account your valuable experience, I hereby appoint you as the new commander of the Islamic Republic Air Force," Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameni told the new commander, Brigadier General Ahmad Miqani. No reasons for the change were given.

On the nuclear diplomatic front, Iran on Saturday called on France and Germany to "join the league of countries independent of US pressures" in order to "take the nuclear issue into a more logical ground."