Page 7 - IRANRptJun19

in his Tehran apartment.
Najafi, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, served seven months i n all as mayor. He became caught up in a public spat with conservative clerics who accused him of promoting "immoral culture" following a dance performance by 10-year-old girls at a city theatre. Following the disagreement, Najafi handed in his resignation. However, the official reason given for his departure was that he was suffering from cancer.
RFE/RL reported on May 28 that website Ensaf News wrote that Ostad called its newsroom on May 27 and was due to visit its offices for a formal interview on May 28. Ensaf added that Ostad later postponed the interview, citing an upcoming trip.
Following Najafi’s resignation, the city made Samiollah Hosseini Makarem acting mayor. However, in later voting, he lost out to Mohammad Ali Afshani by 19 votes to 22.
2.4 Iran ‘to pledge no passport stamping for foreign business travellers fearing US entry ban’
Foreign business people who visit Iran can likely say goodbye to their chances of entering the US. It’s quite a deterrent to those pondering some time in the Islamic Republic. But the Iranians, it seems, are looking to do away with this problem by pledging to such potential visitors that they will not have their passport stamped on entry and exit.
The move has been relayed by an official privy to visa changes on the way, Otagh Iran Online reported on May 28.
Visa-on-arrival tourists were given the option to not have their passports stamped in a change brought in last year.
The latest alteration to immigration control was described by Mohammad Javad Qanbari, an official with the Iran International Exhibitions Company, who reportedly spoke on the sidelines of a construction exhibition held in Tehran this week.
It is not clear whether the move will include business people from non-visa-on-arrival countries. Nor has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the change as yet.
Iran began to relax its visa issuance for visitors in 2016 after the nuclear deal, which the US the following year unilaterally walked out of, took effect. Visas-on-arrival were made available to nationals of 42 countries. Shortly after, the country started an e-visa pilot under which people fill in their details before arrival in Iran and pay in cash for an e-visa at the border entry point .
Iran previously waived visa requirements for citizens of seven countries—namely Azerbaijan, Syria, Turkey, Georgia, Bolivia, Egypt and Lebanon—and has said it intends to ease visa restrictions for citizens of another 28 countries by the end of the 2019/2020 Persian year, which falls next March.
7 IRAN Country Report June 2019 www.intellinews.com