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16 Pages Price 20,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13336 Sunday FEBRUARY 24, 2019 Esfand 5, 1397 Jumada Al thani 18, 1440 Iran well able to block IAEA reaffirms Iran eye FIFA Beach Metal engraving of Quran oil sales but hopes it Iran’s compliance to Soccer World Cup verses sells for over $1.8 won’t come to that 2 nuclear deal 2 berth: Octavio 15 million at Tehran auction 16 Private sector should contribute to oil fields development Technology can weather TEHRAN — Director of National Ira- sector in which mines are being developed nian Oil Company (NIOC)’s Discovery by the private sector, NIOC should also Department said the private sector should award oilfield development projects to See page 2 be able to contribute to developing the capable private companies. country’s oil fields, IRNA reported on “Iran has huge resources of shale oil, sanctions pressure Saturday. shale gas and gas hydrates which have Speaking in the 3rd Iran International not yet been developed; exploration and Exploration and Production Congress and development of these resources should Exhibition (Iran E&P 2019) in Tehran, be awarded to the private sector.” the Saleh Hendi noted that like the mining official said. 4

Admiral: Iran to hold naval drills with regional states TEHRAN — Chief of the Iranian Navy He also said that the Iranian navy will Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi has said unveil a new generation of hovercrafts that Iran plans to hold joint naval drills with next year, noting that the hovercrafts friendly regional countries in the future. are being produced completely by Ira- “We will hold a naval drill with friendly nian experts. countries in the region, especially with the Elsewhere, he predicted that the Indian Ocean Rim Association member presence of hegemonic powers in the states,” he told the Mehr news agency region will come to an end cut in the in an interview published on Saturday. near future.

Kushner is behind sending sensitive U.S. nuclear tech to Saudi: Askari By Javad Heirannia now I think that MBS has followed up on TEHRAN – Professor Hossein Askari, this with Jared Kushner.” an expert on Saudi Arabia who also teach- “ So today, I believe the main advocate es international business at the George for this are Kushner, U.S. nuclear pow- Washington University, believes that er plant builders, such as Westinghouse the origin of the initiative of the sending and General Electric, and possibly Don- sensitive U.S. nuclear technology “was ald Trump’s sons,” Hossein Askari, who General Flynn, the disgraced first National served as special advisor to Saudi finance president.ir Security Advisor to Donald Trump. But minister, tells the Tehran Times. 7

REPORT ‘Transferring nuclear tech to Saudi is most destabilizing development’ ARTICLE Ramin Hossein Abadian What can be the consequences of such an A: At a minimum, such an act will embolden Syed Zafar Mehdi Mehr News Agency EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW act for the region? the Takfiri groups to accelerate their terrorist Journalist journalist By Payman Yazdani A: As the recently-released report of the activities in the region and beyond. They may from New Delhi TEHRAN — Touching upon Trump’s attempt U.S. House of Representative’s Committee reason that since their chief sponsor is on its to transfer sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi on Oversight and Reform indicated, selling way to becoming a nuclear power with added Assad, Putin’s Arabia, Prof. Entessar says this is the most dest- and transferring sensitive nuclear technology muscle, it is safer for them to put their criminal Pakistan a pawn abilizing and dangerous development that will to Saudi Arabia could allow that country to acts in overdrive. green light for embolden Takfiri extremists. produce nuclear weapons and thus contribute The U.S. is committed to Israeli regime’s in Saudi’s sinister The U.S. President Donald Trump is rushing to to a potential nuclear arms race in an already security. Can such a move create possible threats battle of transfer sensitive nuclear power technology to Saudi unstable region. Transferring sensitive nu- to the security of Tel Aviv despite current coop- game Arabia, according to a new congressional report. clear technology to the al-Saud regime will eration between Riyadh and Tel Aviv? ll eyes are on Idlib and the terrorist hen Pakistan premier Imran Khan To shed more light on the consequences of such be the most destabilizing and dangerous de- A: One of the pillars of Israeli foreign pol- group’s fate there. Media are re- took oath of office in August last act, we reached out to Nader Entessar, professor velopment in the long and cozy relationship icy in the region is preventing the emergence porting on massive preparations year, there was a lot of specu- A emeritus of political science from university of between Washington and Riyadh. of another nuclear-capable state in the region. W by the and its dispatch to the lation about his government’s foreign South Alabama. In other words, Israel’s regional foreign policy northern fronts of the country. As the Saudi Kingdom is the main sponsor policy, especially relations with Tehran Following is the full text of our interview emphasizes that country’s nuclear monopoly and More equipment has been sent to Idlib of Takfiri extremism all around the world, what and Riyadh. with him: supremacy. suburbs, and troops under the command can be consequences of such act globally? 7 His victory speech, in which he firmly of the famous general, Suheil al-Hassan, declared his commitment to strengthen ties are based in the outskirts. The equipment with allies in the Middle East, mentioning includes tanks and other weapons, as the Saudi Arabia and Iran in the same breath, Syrian army prepares to recapture Idlib. Analysis of MBS trip to three Asian countries was seen as an indication of Islamabad’s Many Syrian force have been stationed at By Saied Sobhani this trip seems to have been just to hang around. Two possible scenarios of MBS’s balancing act between the two regional Jourin base in the northwest of the coun- TEHRAN — Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mo- Second, the Pakistani media reported Riyadh trip to Asian counties: heavyweights. tryside beyond and in al-Ahmar hammed Bin Salman’s Asian tour happens while has paid for the trip expenses in full, from MBS First, since Mohammad bin Salman couldn’t More importantly, it appeared a wel- in Jab al-Ahmar village in Latakia and still the murder of Jamal Khashoggi is a cloud personal stuff to 3,500 doves bought at local face the West after ordering the killing of come shift from his predecessor Nawaz surrounds. hanging over him. market flown when the Saudi Crown Prince khashoggi, concluded by the CIA, he decided Sharif’s overt and barefaced proximity General Suheil al-Hassan is ’s The trips, each with its own goals and mes- steps out of his plan and is welcomed in the to go eastward to avert attention from the issue. towards Riyadh. most notorious commander who is said sages, were accompanied by specific incidents Asian countries. He was sending a message to the U.S. that he The overwhelming influence of military to be undefeated in war. He has achieved such as explosions that incurred which delayed Third, the cancellation of MBS trip to Malaysia is willing to have nuclear cooperation with leadership in Pakistan, especially in foreign significant success in battles against armed bin Salman’s trip to other countries on the and Indonesia without a particular reason shows China, and Pakistan and invest in the East, policy matters, is an undeniable fact. Many terrorist groups in Syria. Known as the schedule. no specific objective behind the trip. should Washington go easy on him. MBS also observers believe Sharif’s eventful political Tiger, he successfully used psychological Here are some points regarding Two pivotal points about Saudi sought to improve Saudi Arabia’s image after career was cut short by the military, and warfare techniques using large speakers MBS Asian tour: Crown Prince trip to Pakistan are: the rise of Qataris. Khan was brought in as his replacement. that spread frightening messages. First, MBS’s Asian tour being delayed by a - Pakistan’s nuclear program and Saudis’ Second, the U.S. has orchestrated a move While some astute political pundits The terrorist groups that day is a rare diplomatic incident and displays nuclear ambition in which MBS on behalf of the U.S. and in line were of the opinion that Khan, a cricket- are in Idlib disarranged travel schedule, while trips of such - Terrorist groups, who the army provides with the support of terrorism makes attempts to er-turned-politician, too would have lim- There are various terrorist groups in nature are packed with back to back programs that political coverage for get to compete in elections turn Iran-Pakistan relations sour and negatively ited say in foreign policy matters, it was Idlib, the most important of which is the leaves no room for errors. Thus, the objective of to silence the opposition voices influence Tehran-Delhi oil interaction. 6 widely believed that relations between Iran Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly called and Pakistan would improve under him. Jabhat al-Nusra. In particular, since July When the new government in Islam- 2017, the group has had the most influ- abad rebuffed the United States saying ence in Idlib. it reserves the right to ‘pursue legitimate Smaller groups are Jaysh al-Badia and economic and commercial interests’ with Jaysh al-Malahim fighting in the south Iran in the wake of re-imposition of eco- of Idlib. On January 11, 2018, Jaysh ‘23 Individuals’ nomic sanctions on Tehran by the Trump al-Malahim issued a statement saying it administration, it was significant on many was fighting in southern Idlib alongside tops at Qoqnus counts. Jaysh al-Badiya. The statement was a clear indication The Turkistan Islamic Party, which has Screen Awards that the Imran Khan government would close ties to al-Qaeda found in Xinjiang not buckle under the U.S. pressure and Province, western China, is considered TEHRAN — “23 Individuals” by Mehdi would chart its own independent foreign broadly as a terrorist group but is present Jafari, an epic movie about 23 young Ira- policy. That was something his predecessor in Syria. The group has media tools such nian volunteers who were captives during had failed to do. as the Telegram, which publishes their the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, was crowned Khan even said that his government statements and activities. best film at the 8th edition of the Qoqnus would revive the ambitious Iran-Pakistan In July 2017, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham de- Screen Awards on Friday. pipeline project that was put on the back- feated its only serious rival, Ahrar al-Sh- Organized by the Art Bureau of the Islamic burner by the previous government under

am, for factional dominance in Syria’s Behnam Tofighi Ideology Dissemination Organization, the the pressure of Riyadh and Washington. insurgent-held northwest, centered on Qoqnus Screen Awards honors revolutionary All these developments seemed encourag- Idlib province. films and cineastes. ing and suggested that the new government Other groups include other movements Despite their standard procedure for in Islamabad, which came to power on the such as Nour Al-Din Al-Zinki , Jaysh Al-Ah- honoring cineastes in various categories, plank of ‘Naya Pakistan’ (New Pakistan), rar, Faylaq al-Sham, Jaish al-Ezzah, (a the organizers decided to present only four would chart an independent course, without Tehran Times/ Tehran Times/ flagged faction), and awards this year. 16 succumbing to the influence of Western and some smaller groups in Idlib. 7 Arab powers. 6