Latest news with #Salehi
Memri
04-08-2025
- Business
- Memri
Iranian Economist Ahmad Salehi: We Should Consider Changing the Constitution So We Can Give Russia and China Land and Naval Bases on Our Soil; China Helps Iran with Missile Technology and Fuel
Iranian economist Ahmad Salehi said in an August 2, 2025 episode of Khate Energy on YouTube that Iran should consider allowing countries like Russia and China to establish military bases in Iran. He said that China did not intervene directly in the June 2025 Iran-Israel war because Iran had told them it was independent and that its constitution does not permit foreign bases on Iranian soil. However, he noted that there were signs of Chinese involvement in supplying missile fuel and technology. Salehi suggested that granting two 'powerful countries' like Russia and China two land bases and two naval bases would enhance Iran's sense of security.
Techday NZ
01-07-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Exclusive: Qualys' Sam Salehi explains why ANZ firms are turning to risk platforms
Cybersecurity is changing fast - and Australian and New Zealand businesses are struggling to keep up. According to Sam Salehi, Managing Director of Qualys for Australia and New Zealand, the region is facing a combination of a skills crisis, evolving threat landscape and rising customer expectations. Salehi has led the ANZ arm of the cybersecurity company for just over a year. His number one focus is supporting customers while growing his team and expanding services through partners. "In the next 12 months, we will continue to develop our managed risk operation centre (mROC) services in partnership with MSSPs," he said. "I'll also focus on hiring more people and expanding the team in the ANZ region." However, talent is hard to come by. "My take on it is cybersecurity moves really fast," he said. "We haven't paid enough attention to educating the younger generation to enter this field. Also, many people are coming from other industries, which means it takes longer to upskill." He referenced a global estimate predicting over three million cybersecurity jobs will be vacant in 2025. While that figure is staggering, Salehi said it highlights the importance of building an ecosystem of partners and investing in automation. That thinking has led Qualys to embrace a "channel-first" strategy in ANZ. "My team is around seven people, so shifting to channel-first helps us expand market reach and accelerate growth," he said. "We now have more than 80 active partners in this region." The company also created a new role - channel account manager - to support those partners and ensure they're equipped to help customers. It's part of a wider effort to raise awareness of what Qualys actually offers. "Though we are a household brand when it comes to vulnerability management, we do 20 different things that people don't know about," Salehi said. "That really shocked me." He added that many customers still assume Qualys is only a VMDR vendor. "When I tell them we play in API security, AI, patching - they're surprised," he said. "Some of them ask, 'Since when are you doing this?' And I say, 'It's been five years.'" Salehi believes part of the issue lies in how the company traditionally went to market, and hopes the channel-first model will broaden its reach and change perceptions. That ties into another growing trend he sees: platformisation. "Companies are now looking for best of platforms, not best of breed," he said. "Instead of having ten vendors, they want to narrow it down to three and get better outcomes." Cloud security and remediation are also top requests from customers, alongside automation tools that help lean teams do more with less. To support that, Qualys recently launched TruRisk Eliminate - a platform offering patching, mitigation and isolation from a single console. It's aimed at overwhelmed security teams who need more efficient ways to reduce exposure. "There are ready-made playbooks so your team doesn't have to spend hours researching how to fix something," Salehi explained. "The isolation feature is also granular - you can lock a server to run just a few specific applications." Another recent addition is Policy Audit, an enhancement to the company's existing compliance tools. "This drastically cuts manual audit preparation time," he said. "It helps organisations stay audit-ready, especially with increasing regulations like the SOCI Act and mandatory data breach notifications." Qualys has also leaned into education and community building. Over the past year, Salehi and his team delivered 20 risk quantification workshops across ANZ, led by US-based expert Richard Seiersen. "When you give back to your community and enhance knowledge around a critical topic like risk management, it builds trust," he said. The workshops were free and well attended, each drawing 8 to 12 senior stakeholders from across industries. Salehi described Seiersen as "a celebrity in cybersecurity risk". "People want help communicating cyber risk in a business context," he said. "That's still missing in the market." Salehi says one of the most impactful developments for Qualys in this space is the company's Enterprise TruRisk Platform, which underpins its Risk Operations Centre (mROC) offering. It unifies cybersecurity, operational and financial risk insights into a single pane of glass. "It enables business context," he said. "Not all vulnerabilities matter equally - it depends on their impact. This helps customers focus on what matters first." That solution is also available via a managed version (mROC), delivered in partnership with MSSPs. "These partners become strategic advisors to customers," he said. "They help with risk advisory, onboarding, integration and continuous monitoring." "Reflecting on the past 13 months, Salehi said his focus was on bringing everyone together - being a small team, fostering a culture of support and collaboration was key". "It took time to bring everyone together and build a culture of support," he said. "We're a small team, and some functions like HR and legal are offshore, so collaboration is key." Despite being part of a publicly listed company, Salehi said Qualys has a family-like culture. Much of that comes from CEO Sumedh Thakar, who's been with the business for over two decades. "He's so approachable and empowering," he said. "It inspired me to lead the same way in ANZ." For Salehi, customer relationships remain a top priority. "I've had over 100 customer meetings this year," he said. "It's not about selling a product, it's about understanding the person in front of you."
Straits Times
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Iran arrests dissident rapper formerly on death row, his supporters say
Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi has criticised both Israel's attacks on Iran and Iran's failure to protect citizens in the face of Israel's bombardment, which began on June 13. PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/TOOMAJOFFICIAL Iran arrests dissident rapper formerly on death row, his supporters say PARIS - Iranian authorities have arrested Toomaj Salehi, a prominent rapper who is sharply critical of the Islamic republic's leadership, the artist's supporters said on his social media accounts on June 29. The reported arrest of Salehi, who is known to fans as Toomaj and had previously been sentenced to death in the wake of nationwide protests, comes amid the nearly week-old war triggered by Israeli attacks on Iran and as rights groups have warned of a crackdown on dissent by Tehran. Salehi, 34, has bitterly criticised Israel's strikes on his country as well as the failure of Iranian authorities to protect citizens in the face of the bombardment which began on June 13. According to a statement published by supporters of Salehi on his official Instagram and X accounts, he had been arrested in the Gulf island of Kish, on Iran's southern coast. 'We have no information about the detaining agency, his place of detention, or his health. The government is directly responsible for anything that happens to his health and life,' it said. 'Toomaj must be released immediately.' Rights groups have sounded the alarm on a crackdown in Iran against the background of the Israeli attacks which analysts believe could be aimed at ousting the country's clerical leadership. Amnesty International said on June 18 that 'Iranian authorities have responded to Israel's latest military attacks by imposing internet restrictions, arresting journalists and dissidents within the country.' Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said on June 19 that at least 223 people have been arrested nationwide on charges related to collaboration with Israel. The group said its tally is based on official media reports, but the real figures are likely higher. Internet monitor Netblocks said that Iran was under its most severe 'blackout incident' since a 2019 wave of protests. Salehi was previously arrested in October 2022 after publicly backing demonstrations that erupted a month earlier, triggered by the death in custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. He was initially sentenced to death in a verdict that caused international uproar but it was later reduced to prison time and he was released in December 2024. Activists have accused Iran of torturing him during his 2022 arrest, after state media published a video purporting to show the rapper blindfolded, with bruising on his face, apologising for his support of the protests. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Muscat Daily
14-06-2025
- Business
- Muscat Daily
Madayn attracts RO164mn in food sector investments
Muscat – Total investment in the food sector within Oman's industrial cities under the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) has now exceeded RO164mn, marking a major milestone in supporting national food security and economic diversification. Madayn currently hosts 98 food industry projects across its various industrial cities, occupying over 1.5mn square metres and providing employment for more than 3,600 workers. This achievement reflects Madayn's ongoing efforts, in cooperation with relevant bodies – chiefly the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources – to enhance local and foreign investment opportunities and attract high-quality projects that align with the sultanate's food security goals under Oman Vision 2040. In a press statement, Khalid al Salehi, Director General of Marketing and Commercial Affairs at Madayn, said that 13 new food industry projects had been successfully localised during 2025, attracting investments exceeding RO14mn. These projects will cover more than 224,000 square metres and involve activities such as the production of vegetable oils, flour, tuna, bottled water, food packaging, and logistics services. Salehi added that further efforts are under way to localise additional projects in this sector throughout 2025, with several contracts currently under review. As part of its strategic focus on the food industry, Madayn continues to allocate dedicated plots within its industrial cities. Moreover, agricultural zones have been designated in Madayn's new industrial cities in Al Mudhaibi, Thumrait, and Al Suwaiq to support integrated agri-industrial development. Among Madayn's key initiatives to support the sector is the Madayn Agriculture project, launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources. The initiative aims to establish greenhouses in selected industrial cities to promote local food production, foster entrepreneurship, enhance food security, and improve the trade balance by boosting exports and reducing imports. In a step towards international collaboration, Madayn has also signed a memorandum of understanding with a South Korean company to develop a specialised food industry project in the Sultanate. The project will focus on establishing smart farms for cultivating Korean fruits, alongside launching a café centred around produce from the farms. Salehi emphasised that Madayn has recently intensified its promotional efforts to attract investment in the food sector, both domestically and internationally, through targeted marketing campaigns and participation in specialised exhibitions. The food industries sector is considered one of the key pillars of Oman's industrial base. It plays a vital role in the national food security system, complements other production chains, and is crucial for achieving economic diversification in line with Oman Vision 2040.
Memri
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Former Iranian Nuclear Chief Ali-Akbar Salehi on Iran's Growing Domestic Nuclear Capabilities: Iran Now Produces IR-9 Centrifuges, Expanding Nuclear Facilities Nationwide; Needs 100 Tons of Uranium fo
In a June 4, 2025 interview on IRINN TV (Iran), former Iranian nuclear chief Ali-Akbar Salehi discussed the progress of Iran's nuclear program amid ongoing challenges with international cooperation. He said that while China initially helped Iran begin uranium mining, around 30 years ago Iran also launched a project with China at the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF), but the Chinese abandoned it halfway through. According to Salehi, the chairman of the China Atomic Energy Authority claimed that the United States pressured China to exit Iran's nuclear program after the JCPOA was signed, but Iran ultimately completed the project on its own. Salehi went on to describe Iran's turbulent nuclear cooperation with Russia, noting that Russia is currently building two new power plants in Bushehr. He explained that while Iran uses imported fuel for foreign-made reactors, it still requires domestically manufactured fuel - which in turn requires 100 tons of natural uranium - for its domestically built reactors. Emphasizing Iran's growing domestic capabilities, Salehi stated that the country is now producing its own centrifuges and has reached the IR-9 model, which is 50 times more powerful than the IR-1. He also discussed ongoing plans to expand nuclear facilities across the country.
