Tehran, IRNA – The following headlines appeared in English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Wednesday, August 16, 2023:

** IRAN DAILY

-- Iran starts gas production from South Pars Phase 11

Iran says it has begun gas production in Phase 11 of the giant South Pars Gas Field in the Persian Gulf. Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister Mohsen Khojastehmehr said on Tuesday that the gas extracted in the gas field is now being transferred to an onshore refinery through a pipeline.
Khojastehmehr added that the Phase 11 of the South Pars Gas Field will be inaugurated during a ceremony and in the presence of President Ebrahim Raeisi, Oil Minister Javad Owji, and other high-ranking officials in the near future.

-- ‘The Museum of Unconditional Surrender’ published in Iran

A Persian translation of the renowned Yugoslavian writer Dubravka Ugresic’s ‘The Museum of Unconditional Surrender’ recently appeared in Iranian bookstores.
Nashrenow Publications released the Persian translation of the book by Azar Aalipour.

-- PBO: Iran oil revenues up 42% since spring

The head of Iran’s Plan and Budget Organization (PBO) said on Tuesday that the country’s oil revenues have increased 42 percent since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21).
Speaking in Parliament, Davoud Manzour added, “As stipulated in the budget law, more than 1.4 million barrels of oil and gas condensates are exported per day”.

** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL

-- Traditional Musician Muhammad Esmaili Passes Away

Iran’s traditional musician Muhammad Esmaili passed away after a long illness. Born in 1934 in Tehran, Esmaili was one of the most well-known tombak players in the country. Encouraged by his uncles Morteza and Mustafa Gorginzadeh who were trumpet and clarinet players, he went to the National High School of Music in 1951 where he began learning how to play tombak from Hussein Tehrani.

-- Hafez Awards Receives Hundreds of Submissions

As many as 400 films have registered for the 22nd edition of Iran’s Hafez Awards, iFilm reports.
With the deadline for registration of short films in the television cinema event “World of Image” coming to an end, the number of applicants for participation in this event has been announced.
The films produced between 2020 and 2023 can register for the Hafez Awards.

-- President Raisi: U.S., Europeans Orchestrated Iran Riots

President Ebrahim Raisi has censured the United States and some European countries for orchestrating the riots that broke out across the country last year. Raisi made the remarks in a meeting with members of a committee set up to investigate various aspects of 2022 riots.
“The United States and some European countries, along with adversaries, wronged the Iranian nation and targeted security, calm, businesses and minds of our dear people by orchestrating the riots. However, our people foiled their plot through steadfastness,” the president said.

** TEHRAN TIMES

-- Natural gas storage capacity to rise to 100mcm by March 2027

The capacity of natural gas storage in Iran will rise to 100 million cubic meters (mcm) by the Iranian calendar year 1406 (March 2027), the managing director of Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company (IGEDC) announced.

Referring to the advancement of natural gas storage projects and paying special attention to this issue in the current government, Reza Noshadi said: “In the last two years, we have been able to address the issue of gas storage, which had been forgotten for years, at the level of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), and the Oil Ministry, because this action is one of the tools for managing gas consumption during peak consumption in the country.”

-- Iranians win two golds at 2023 UWW U20 Worlds

 Iranian freestyle wrestlers Mohammadreza Shakeri and Abolfazl Babaloo won two gold medals at the U20 World Championships on Tuesday. Shakeri claimed a gold in the final bout of 65kg after defeating Jesse Mendez from the U.S. 5-2. He had already improved on his ninth-place finish from last year by reaching the final.

Babaloo also won a gold in the 97kg, overcoming Ivan Prymachenko from Ukraine 5-0 in the final.

-- Hamedan ready to host intl. children’s theater festival

Hamedan is prepared to host the 28th edition of Iran’s International Theater Festival for Children and Young Adults, an official with the provincial government has announced. 

Despite the recent news claiming that Hamedan is incapable of hosting the children's theater festival due to a failure to adhere to standard protocols, the truth is that the city is fully prepared and equipped to successfully host the prestigious event, Mehdi Akhavan said on Tuesday. 

The culture ministry has the important responsibility of organizing various cultural and artistic events, such as theater festivals, he added.

6125**9417