Tehran, Jan 6, IRNA - Iran's legendary wrestler of the 50s and 60s, Gholam Reza Takhti passed away on January 7, 1968, but his fans still remember him as a hero who will continue to live in the hearts of his lovers. After the final, Atli posted an emotional message to lift the spirits of his countrymen in these testing times. TEHRAN, Iran (June 17) ---Iran finished the '16 Olympic Games with fivemedals (one gold, one silver and one bronze in freestyle and two bronze in Greco-Roman). No further details were provided. MORE: http. But they did not have any meetings with high-ranking foreign officials. [Turkmenistan] prefers Europe to come along with money and a long-term contract for 30 bcm. Arman AVAGYAN (ARM), 4-2, 86kg BRONZE - Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) df. The eight figures, including Pahlavi, said they were working on a charter for a transition to a new pluralistic system that would be followed by free elections. On February 28, the rial stood at 569,000 against the U.S. dollar, according to the foreign-exchange site Bonbast.com. Hundreds of schoolgirls have fallen sick and scores have been hospitalized in Irans holy city of Qom in recent months, with some parents and officials suspecting they were poisoned. Of the 250 students in our school, only 50 attended classes, a teacher in Qom, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution, told RFE/RLs Radio Farda last week. Thousands have been arrested in the clampdown, with the judiciary handing down harsh sentences -- including the death penalty -- to protesters. The Iranian wrestlers proved to be the toughest opponents. The focus will now shift to the continental championships with the first being the U23 European Championships beginning March 13. "I went out with a black tracksuit on purpose because our sadness has not passed and our hearts are still with them [earthquake victims]. Medal Name Sport Event Gold: Mohammad Nassiri: Kollin MOORE (USA) won the 92kg gold, second Ranking Series title in three weeks. Wednesday, June 16, 2021 - 14:22 Three Iranian contenders were looking for that97kg Olympic. But Russia does have leverage over Ashgabat, in that the last time it slashed gas imports from the country -- albeit during a nadir in global energy prices -- it caused Turkmenistan serious economic pain. Its a significant win for our program, Rich Bender, executive director of USA Wrestling, told The Iran Primer. A teacher from Qom - which is about 135 kilometers south of the capital Tehran -- told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that out of 250 students, only 50 attended classes. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2023 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan). But Alireza Dabir, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran . Iran men's freestyle team announced for Men's and Women's Freestyle World Cup in Coralville, Iowa, December 10-11 By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | Nov. 22, 2022, 12:53 p.m. (ET) The Canadian government has imposed sanctions on 12 senior officials from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) for "gross violations of human rights" in a deadly crackdown on protesters angered by the death of a young woman while in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly. The names and positions of diplomats were also not given. But after his hand was raised, Akmataliev did tone down and shook hands with his American opponent. My son recalled that for a moment there was the smell of rotten fish in the classroom, an unnamed woman whose son became sick was quoted as saying by the Tejarat News outlet. While he looked wanting last year, Atli's physical capacity and athleticism looked better than ever Sunday, enabling him to dominate his opponents. Alireza Dabir, formerly a U.S. Green Card holder, publicly expressed support for the Islamic republic's "Death to America" chant and said that he "didn't like" the United States. They had a difficult national trial at the Poland Opento determinethe spot. The Union Council of Iranian Students said that in a summons sent by Shiraz University to the students, "removing the hijab and not having proper student clothing" was mentioned as violations" and they were asked to contact the university authorities for mandatory consultation. In the gold medal bout, he faced a familiar foe in Andrii YATSENKO (UKR), a former two-time U17 world champion, and both put on a show. Thomas Gilman of the United States (left) competes against Reza Atrinagharchi of Iran at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021. 2022 International Freestyle Wrestling tournament Takhti Cup held in Iran. Ruseckas of S&P Global Commodity Insights told RFE/RL that his estimation of the projects chances of coming to fruition had gone from zero to a very low number, but not for the reasons mentioned by Kabulov. USA Wrestling, the governing body for freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States, has called on the Iranian federation to reconsider the decision and send those delegation members who have been approved to enter the country. Tehran has also become increasingly isolated economically and politically over its deadly crackdown on monthslong anti-regime protests at home and its alleged supply of combat drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. BRONZE - Austin DESANTO (USA) df. Demitras had it all figured out and did not let Shikhdzhamalov get near him for four minutes and 30 seconds, leading 3-0. Cuneyt BUDAK (TUR), via fall. Iran says the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog agency, Rafael Grossi, will visit Tehran "in the coming days" amid a dispute over uranium enrichment levels in the Islamic republic. At the World Cup itself, the American team fared rather poorly, coming in ninth out of 10 teams. The Iranian team, a long-time world wrestling power, will be visiting the US for the first time since the 2016 World Cup in Los Angeles. Iranian wrestlers, despite their status as beloved heroes at home, have also been victims of the Islamic Republic's oppression. Mohammadian grabbed the Tokyo ticket by defeating both of them and by winning gold in Poland. Security forces across the country have been trying to suppress months of anti-government protests triggered by the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly. He said the sentence includes a 10-year sentence for propaganda activities against the Islamic republic, five years for cooperation with hostile governments, two years for insulting the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei, and one year for gathering and conspiring against national security. Earlier this week, top Iranian Sunni cleric Molavi Abdulhamid, who is regarded as a spiritual leader for Irans Sunni Muslim population, said schoolgirls were being poisoned as "revenge" for the role young women have played in recent protests against the government. At least one death has been linked to the outbreak of illnesses, the CHRI said, but the girl's father refused to confirm there was a connection between her death and the alleged poisonings. BRONZE - Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) df. Members of Team Islamic Republic of Iran are seen during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the Beijing National Stadium on February 04, 2022. . By Iran's national currency, the rial, plummeted to new record lows on the country's unregulated market over the weekend, trading for 601,500 to the dollar, its lowest-ever rate. Authorities said they have not yet been able to determine the cause of the mysterious wave of sickness, despite conducting toxicology tests. Iranian officials have attempted to downplay or dismiss the price hikes. Labor law in Iran does not recognize the right of workers to form independent unions. Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) defeated Amirhossein KAVOUSI (IRI) in the 79kg final. The government also announced plans to combat rising commodity prices. I think for India and Pakistan, last year was a shock in terms of how expensive LNG spot prices became, he said. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said earlier this month that it was in discussions with Tehran after Bloomberg News reported that the watchdog's inspectors in Iran had found uranium enriched to 84 percent purity. The council also reported that similar action was taken at other universities in the country. Athletes from the two countries, which haven't had diplomatic relations for more than four decades, were supposed to square off in a wrestling match in Arlington, Texas, on February 12. Last week, angry parents protested outside the governors office and called for a transparent investigation. Wrestlers in Iran Practice Hands-On Diplomacy. This is especially the case as the Kremlin looks to forge new gas alliances after Europe made dramatic cuts in its imports of Russian gas amid the fallout of Moscows yearlong invasion of Ukraine. Sardar Pashaei, the Iranian-American former head coach of Iran's national Greco-Roman wrestling team, first identified the team members' links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC They were '14 world bronze medalistMohammad MOHAMMADIAN,three-time world medalist Alireza KARIMIand '21 Asian champion Ali SHABANI. They would have loved to have had TAPI in place when LNG prices started to skyrocket. More and more people are facing the same situation, the journalist said. 8:15 2022/11/19 Third place team of Iran FS league determined/ Ghasempour,Valiev and Jamalov won the bout The team Anboohsazan Hootan defeated Setaregan Sari, 7-3 toplace third in 2022 Iran Freestyle league. GOLD - Kollin MOORE (USA) df. And then there is the question of who is going to want to build and pay for pipelines to serve a market that will be net zero by 2050, he added. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan). In his first bout, he defeated world medalist Boris MAKOEV (SVK) and with wins over Islyambek ILYASSOV (KAZ) in the quarterfinal and Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO) in the semifinals, Mykhailov showed that he can handle tough bouts. In 2016, he was exiled to the southern port city of Bandar Abbas after serving four years of an eight-year prison sentence at Tehran's notorious Evin prison. The Central Bank of Iran on February 21 was given "full authority" to curb the rial's depreciation. Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ), 2-1 In 2022, the Iranian wrestling team withdrew from an exhibition match in Texas after six delegation membersincluding wrestling federation head Alireza Dabir, a former green-card holderwere denied visas. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov). She is in good health," Albares said. The meets will take place simultaneously, alternating . James Malcolm Green of Team USA and David Suynyuchkhanov of Azerbaijan walk after their match at the Freestyle World Cup in 74 kg at Imam . But one of Yazdani'stoughest rivals is not only inside of Iran -- but he'sinside of his town,Juybar! Speaking to Radio Farda, Hannah Neumann, a German lawmaker in the European Parliament, said "as long as there is so much infighting among Iranians that want to see the regime gone, it will not succeed.". In other gold medal bouts of the evening, Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) defeated Joseph MCKENNA (USA) to win the 65kg gold medal and continue his growth at 65kg in which he also won a U23 world title last year. The first incident is believed to have occurred in November, when 18 schoolgirls in Qom were taken to a hospital after complaining of symptoms that included nausea, headaches, coughing, breathing difficulties, heart palpitations, and numbness and pain in their hands or legs. The former European champion coming down to 57kg also means that he is slightly bigger for this weight. Iran'scoaching board decided to send two 74kg wrestlers to the Poland Open to determine their 74kg team member. Iakub SHIKHDZHAMALOV (ROU), center, alongwith the other medalists at 74kg. But the reports come after Dabir publicly expressed support for the Islamic republic's "Death to America" chant and said that he "didn't like" the United States. "In these days when we were in mourning and low morale as a country, I was fortunate to win a gold medal in an important tournament in Alexandria, Egypt," Akgul wrote. Exiled opposition figures recently met in Washington and pledged to establish a charter for a transition to a new, democratic system in Iran. The government has held several counter-rallies to try and quell the dissent but people continue to take to the streets across the country, as universities and schools have become leading venues for clashes between protesters and the authorities. The older brother is happy to see his younger brother beside him at theOlympic Games. Long-simmering tensions boiled over after the 22-year-old Amini died, with Iranians flooding streets across the country in protest. Sardar Pashaei, the Iranian-American. Zhumashbek Uulu had made the day significant for himself well before the final as he defeated U23 world champion Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) 10-0 in the bout. Atri earned the Olympic spot for Iran after he placed fifth at '19 World Championships in Nur-sultan. GOLD - Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) df. The Malay gas field in the eastern Chardjou district of Turkmenistan's Lebap Province. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan). U.S. wrestlers were the first American athletes to visit the Islamic Republic after the 1979 revolution, when they competed in the Takhti Cup in Tehran in February 1998. 92kg Pahlavi is scheduled to speak at the European Parliament on March 10 at the invitation of Charlie Weimers, a representative of Sweden in the European Parliament. def. Press TV condemned the propaganda and mudslinging as an extension of foreign media bias against Irans national soccer team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Pedram Azarnush was taking part in an anti-regime protest in southwestern Iran in September when he was shot dead. The executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on February 28 accused the government of "an act of terrorism" through its failure to take the wave of illnesses seriously for months, raising "serious questions regarding government complicity with groups that have the organizational capacity to carry out such major attacks.". Nicholas SURIANO (USA), 2-1 Protests over the economy preceded the anti-regime protests that erupted in September following the death of a young woman soon after she was arrested by Irans morality police for violating the countrys dress-code law. The gold medal bouts at 74kg and 92kg saw medical forfeits and saw Iakub SHIKHDZHAMALOV (ROU) and Kollin MOORE (USA) winning the gold respectively. Prior to his speech at the Oxford Union, Pahlavi met with British lawmakers along with Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Iran was overpowered by the US 6-4 and ranked second. Signatories to the letter, published on February 22, noted "such sentences have no result other than depriving Iranian society of committed thinkers who strive for freedom and justice, and only blocks the nonviolent development of the country." (file photo), Iranian activist Fatemeh Sepehri (file photo). Iranian Greco-Roman wrestling champion Mohammad Ali Geraei has praised Adolf Hitler as an inspirational leader. This was Kentchadze's second tournament at 79kg after the Zagreb Open in which he won the silver medal. Ali Feizasa. Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) defends a shot from Taras MARKOVYCH (UKR) in the 61kg final. What's Next: The finding is likely to increase tensions over Iran's sensitive nuclear activities, which the country has expanded in past months. But the one enticement that Russia has reportedly offered Turkmenistan -- exports to third countries via Iran and its existing gas infrastructure -- would not significantly change Ashgabats regional energy profile. Later, an Iranian wrestling official confided to her that he was pushing for the creation of the country's first women's wrestling team. Atli congratulated Yatsenko on a great final and as a sign of a good show of sportsmanship, the Turk raised his Ukrainian opponent's hand as if signifying support for Ukraine even as his country recovers from the devasting earthquakes which occurred three weeks ago. I went to buy a few things the other day. The following are images from the December 2022 matchup. The rial plummeted to a new record low of 501,300 against the U.S. dollar on February 20, according to Bonbast.com, which gathers live data from Iranian exchanges. Back on February 3, Iran denied travel visas for the US team for the Feb. 16-17 tournament, hosted in the Iranian city of Kermanshah. Mohammadreza Geraei earned the 67kg Olympicspot for Iran by winning gold amongst a couple of pastworld medalists, RYU Hansu (KOR) and Armen VARDANYAN(ARM). The other ten will experience their first Olympics in Tokyo. Iranian-Americans shouted chantsincluding Down with the Dictatoragainst the Iranian government. Iranian Wrestling Team. We're in Coralville Iowa for the World Cup. She then threw her headscarf on the stage and left. Police are arriving near the mats like it's a big deal. Gazprom chief Aleksei Millers February 15 visit to Ashgabat, where he met with both President Serdar Berdymukhammedov and Turkmenistans newly crowned Leader of the Nation, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, was his second in the last six months. E.U. (file photo). Earlier, Mojtaba Zolnour, a lawmaker from Qom, said the illnesses were abnormal and security officials were investigating. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan). Sepehri is one of 14 activists in Iran who have publicly called for Khamenei to step down. It also accused rioters-turned-fans and counter-revolution foreign-sponsored media of harassing the athletes during interviews and at their hotel. The Ukrainian head-pinched Valencia for two, regaining the outright 6-4 lead but Valencia once again came back to make it 6-6. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have found uranium particles enriched up to 83.7 percent in Iran's underground Fordow nuclear site, a confidential report seen by Western news agencies said. He also did not give any concrete details about how the diplomats had broken protocol. Then the school gave students face masks and told them to leave the classroom.. Politics and sports appear to have collided, squandering the chances for a rare opportunity of wrestling diplomacy between Iran and the United States. The upgrade in Alexandria saw him win 9-6 against Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) in the opening bout, 12-2 over Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) in the quarterfinals and beat Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) 10-5 in the semifinal. Many Iranians have accused the authorities of not doing enough to find the cause of the illnesses and prevent new cases. Khaled ELMOATAMADAWI (EGY), 10-0, Rue du Chteau 61804 Corsier-sur-Vevey Switzerland To subscribe, click here. Criticism of Khamenei, who has the last say on almost every decision in the Islamic republic, is considered a red line in Iran, and his critics often land in prison, where political prisoners are routinely held in solitary confinement and subjected to various forms of torture. The two wins marked a reversal of sports fortunes. Iran's Sazandegi daily was shut down on February 20 for reporting on the rising price of meat and running a front-page headline, "Meat Rebellion." But Turkmenistan has told Western diplomats that it is not interested in downsized alternatives to the pipeline that would carry considerably less gas but might be less costly and quicker to build, said Bohr. Afkari was charged with insulting the Supreme Leader, murdering a security officer and moharabeh, or enmity against God, a vague charge often levied against protesters and activists. But by accident or intention, this incident underscores the critical need for additional monitoring & transparency," she said on Twitter. Akmataliev, well recovered from the tough morning session, began the final against Chittum with an arm throw which was stopped by Chittum who only gave up a point step out. U.S. wrestlers have praised the warm welcome they have received in Iran,. The '19 Asian championdefeated youngster Rahman AMOUZAD KHALILIKhalili in the team trials and wasselected for Olympic Games. In the latest incident, two Iranian journalists reported on social media on February 28 that several schoolgirls in Tehran and in Pardis, just east of the Iranian capital, fell ill with the cause unknown. Many Iranians have accused politicians promoting anti-American positions of hypocrisy, particularly those seen as having ties to the United States. But it is unclear if the authorities have a viable strategy to boost the economy. Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi said on February 28 that. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan). U.S. wrestlers traveled to Iran for the Wrestling World Cup after a court dismissed Trump's ban and Tehran lifted a reciprocal ban. BRONZE - Rakhat KALZHAN (KAZ) df. The team Anboohsazan Hootan defeated Setaregan Sari, 7-3 toplace third in 2022 Iran Freestyle league. BRONZE - Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) df. Moore and Jackson looked in great touch on Sunday and deserved to be the finalists. He also scored a point via stepout. Iranian activist Fatemeh Sepehri, an outspoken critic of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison after calling on him to resign. The authorities have met the unrest with a harsh crackdown that rights groups say has killed more than 500 people, including 71 children. By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | Jan. 31, 2022, 1:19 p.m. (ET) . However, experts say such variance in the purity would appear suspicious to inspectors. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan). He ended the match with another single leg, claiming technical superiority. Tel. A form today is koshti pahlavani practiced in the zurkhaneh. Yasin REZAEI (IRI), 10-0 Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead. Russia has upped imports of natural gas from Turkmenistan from a low of zero in 2016 to around 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year in 2021, even if they are still a fraction of their peak of over 40 bcm in the mid-2000s, when Moscow used them to free up lucrative exports to Europe. The newspaper was accused of spreading rumors and reporting false information. Childrens rights activist Hedie Kimiaee said Iranian authorities have been trying to suppress information about the death of girl. Atri earned the Olympic spot for Iran after he placed fifth at '19 World Championships in Nur-sultan. Enter in, put them to sleep.. In typical Tevanyan style, he kept Mckenna at bay in the first period as both wrestlers began on a slow note. Ever since winning their first Olympic wrestling medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Iranian wrestlers have excelled at the Games, returning home with a total of 43 medals to date, more . Alinejad said she was disappointed that the German foreign minister refused to meet her. For decades, wrestling has been a highly competitive feature of the U.S.-Iran sports rivalry. Iranian champion wrestler Navid Afkari has been executed in Iran on Saturday, according to Iran's state-run news agency IRNA, despite a high-profile international campaign calling for the sentence . (file photo), A gas processing plant at the Galkynysh gas field in eastern Turkmenistan. In 2022, the U.S. team had little trouble in individual matches with wrestlers from Mongolia and Georgia in the first two rounds. Though it gives him the advantage of strength over his opponents, it also exposes the limitation of a wrestler when it comes to wrestling at the same pace for six minutes. Iran finished higher than the United States in the 2019 freestyle wrestling tournament, when the Iranians finished second and the Americans finished third. It was Emami who earned the Olympic spot for Iran at the Asian Qualifier, but he fell toKhadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) whileHosseinkhani succeeded to beat the Azeri,3-0, in their semifinal mee. During the Poland Open, Ghasemi was eliminated but Yousefi and Amin Mirazazadehadvanced to the final bout. She then threw her headscarf on the stage and left. Training for the Olympics during the pandemic has put athletes under even more pressure. A student who fell ill in early February told Shargh that she spent three days in a hospital. "After the enemy failed in its plans in the streetsit naturally heightened its pressure on the economy," government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi told journalists on February 28, adding that some people allegedly behind the fall of the national currency inside the country had been arrested. Baneira was released a day earlier and was on her way back to Spain, he said. A currency dealer poses for a photo with a U.S dollar bill and the amount being given when converting it into Iranian rials in an exchange shop in Tehran in December 2022. The Iran team will be led by 2016 Olympic champion and three-time World champion Hassan Yazdani Charati at 86 kg, on a powerful . Any involvement in the project on Moscows side would depend on the commercial approach, Kabulov said. Atri earned the Olympic spot for Iran after he placed fifth at '19 World Championships in Nur-sultan. Hopefully, these issues will soon be resolved, and our beloved people and Iranian society will reconcile, he said. GOLD - Iakub SHIKHDZHAMALOV (ROU) df.