This Week in Iran's Eminently Interesting Provinces

This week in Iran, police in Yazd foil a hostage-taking plot by the Taliban, nomadic tribes begin their annual southward migration, Bushehr’s power plant prepares for take over by Iranian contractors, the ‘purest’ town in Iran is named, and an 18-year-old is hanged in a Mazandaran square.

Ilam Host to “Purest” Town in Iran

Vechkab Judaki, a small town in Ilam Province, is reportedly the ‘purest’ town in Iran. According to Mehr News, there are no cigarette smokers and no known tobacco in the area, and the divorce rate of local residents is exactly zero. There are no disputes between residents, while physical and psychological problems are nearly non-existent. The town's mayor claims that no young resident is unemployed, and the local culture encourages work from the age of 16, so much so that local youth spend their days off voluntarily doing a variety of work to fill their time. "Every family includes individuals who have completed higher education, and the town has produced prominent lawyers, judges, school administrators for some of the country's best universities, and heads of institutes and departments in national government,” the mayor said. Masoud Eskandari, a member of the local religious council claims that the positive behavior seen among residents, particularly the youth, springs solely from the town's culture and no one is pressured to avoid things like smoking or divorce. About 150 families live in the area.

Yazd Police Arrest Three Afghan Taliban

According to the chief of police in Saduq, a city in Yazd Province, three Taliban members in the county have been arrested and detained. Police officials claim they had intelligence that led to the foiling of a plot by the three to kidnap a foreign national in the area. The detained members reportedly received training in Afghanistan and fought against NATO forces.

Khuzestan Prepares For Annual Migration of Nomads

Khuzestan's chief director of nomadic affairs announced the province's readiness to host 140,000 nomads in their annual southern migration to the area. Director Ali Rahm Karimi spoke of outreach and cooperation with nomadic tribes to ensure their safe and smooth arrival to the province, including distribution of equipment and mobile water installments. Existing trails have also been repaired ahead of the mass southward migration that begins during September every year. Khuzestan is one of several southern provinces that host nomads every year. This particular migration mostly consists of Lur, Bahmaei, and Bakhtiari tribes.

Transfer of Bushehr Power Plant to Iranian Contractors Underway

Bushehr's nuclear power plant is undergoing a 14-day testing period after which Russia will transfer all responsibilities to Iranian contractors. During this phase, reactors should be operating at no less than 90% of their capacity, generating no less than 900 megawatts of power. The transfer is officially set to take place on September 24th if all testing proves successful. A small number of Russian technicians will continue work at the facility after Iranian contractors assume responsibility.

Public Execution of 18-Year-Old in Mazandaran

Hassan Eshghi, prosecutor-general of Qaem Shahr's public and revolutionary courts, confirmed news of the execution by public hanging of an 18-year-old charged with rape on Saturday. The court reportedly issued a verdict for execution by public hanging in less than three months as recorded video evidence from the incident made a swift decision easy. Iran’s Chief Justice, Sadeq Larijani, ratified the ruling, and the execution took place in the city’s Velayat Square. Javan, a newspaper close to the Revolutionary Guards, identified the individual executed Saturday as 18-year-old Erfan Gholinejad. The newspaper also reported the "presence of Revolutionary Guard commanders along with the county's law enforcement, prosecutor-general, and chief justice at the execution ceremony."

Kermanshah Plans ‘Free Trade Zone’ in Border Area

The governor of Kermanshah has announced plans to transform the province's border region of Ghasr-e Shirin into a free trade zone. According to ISNA, Governor Hojjatollah Demiad said the region possesses unique attributes in tourism and agriculture, in addition to a strong business, commercial, and service sector capacity. Private investors have been given one month to declare their intentions for presence in the proposed "special economic area." The governor announced that all work in the area’s northern district will soon be up for auction to private sector bidders and other governmental bodies in the province have also been instructed to eliminate, to the extent possible, government work in favor of privatization.