WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 Pages Price 40,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13619 Tuesday MARCH 3, 2020 Esfand 13, 1398 Rajab 8, 1441 After 19 years of Home to home program Paralympic lost a true Iran’s Art Bureau humiliation in Afghanistan, to be launched to combat gentle giant: Andrew launches intl. cartoon U.S. surrenders 2 COVID-19 9 Parsons 11 contest on coronavirus 12 Guardian reporter speaks out on Neda Agha- See page 10 Soltan, Khashoggi, Iran International EXCLUSIVE REPORT because I was naive to believe the Western Iraqi PM-designate narrative about her death.” By Mohammad Homaeefar “The Western intelligence’s interest TEHRAN — Guardian journalist Saeed in my work started very early on, not far Kamali Dehghan has opened up about an from the time I made what I now call the HBO documentary film he co-produced wrong documentary on Neda,” Kamali about Neda Agha-Soltan, an Iranian wom- Dehghan told the Tehran Times. “I was an who was shot dead in Tehran on June sent to Iran as a journalist to naively hu- 20, 2009 during the post-election unrest, manize their narrative but I didn’t know Allawi steps saying, “I regret making that documentary what their narrative was.” 3 Mining projects worth over $1.2b down ready to come on stream: IMIDRO TEHRAN— Several projects worth more which nearly $1.2 are mining and mining than $1.2 billion are ready to be inaugu- industry projects, according to Khodadad rated in Iran’s mining sector across the Gharibpour. country, IRNA reported, quoting the head The official underlined some of the in- of Iranian Mines and Mining Industries dustry ministry’s plans for developing the Development and Renovation Organization country’s mining sector in the current Iranian (IMIDRO) as saying. calendar year (ends on March 19), including Currently, over $3.5 billion worth of the increase of exploration operations up to projects are ready to go operational or are 650,000 square kilometers and the plans for nearly completed in various sectors, of reviving the country’s small mines. 4 Russia seeks to ‘create conditions so that nobody wants to fight us’: Putin Vladimir Putin has confided that U.S. sian president said in a new episode of President Donald Trump privately news agency TASS’s ‘20 Questions to lamented the “insane” U.S. military Vladimir Putin’ series. But being the budget. He also says Russia protects world’s largest military spender doesn’t itself by making the costs of attacking really make Donald Trump particularly the country too high for anyone to con- happy, Putin said. template. “Donald told me that they have adopted File photo “The U.S. has outstripped us” in terms an insane [military] budget for the next of annual defense expenditure, the Rus- year, $738 billion.” 10 ARTICLE Iran will defeat COVID-19, we believe: Chinese envoy Is it safe to travel Maryam Qarehgozlou TEHRAN — Chinese Ambassador in Iran, Chang A delegation of Chinese medical experts ar- to Iran as a solo Head of the Tehran Times Hua, has said he believes that Iran would over- rived in Tehran on Saturday with a cargo of aid female traveler? Social Desk come the crisis of coronavirus outbreak. to help combat the novel coronavirus, known “We believe that by sending humanitarian as COVID-19. By Anna Karsten aid, Iran will overcome the crisis,” he said in “Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said Before I started reading more into Iran, all I Public attempt a meeting with Mahmoud Reza Peyravi, secre- that the first Chinese shipments has arrived in heard about this country were stories about tary general of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Iran and more aid would be sent. Be strong Iran,” its politics. In the media, Iran seemed like a to control fake IRNA reported. the envoy tweeted on Friday. place where no one would ever want to visit. news about the The envoy praised Iran’s Red Crescent Society Some 5,000 coronavirus test kits, and 250,000 Can you imagine solo female travel in Iran? as the first organization affiliated with the Red face masks have also been sent last week. After my trip to Iran, I can tell you now coronavirus Cross and the Red Crescent societies which sent Iran has so far sent three million face masks to that Iran has the most hospitable people humanitarian shipments of aid to the Chinese China and has expressed readiness for providing and great architecture. Traveling to Iran people. more medical aid to China. ne of the constituent elements of a as a solo female traveler has been safe, modern state is sovereignty, means rewarding and fun. exercising the will and desire of Iran is safe, accessible and totally easy otherO element, which is state sovereignty. Pakistan warns U.S. of ‘spoilers’ on U.S.-Taliban deal in Afghanistan to navigate as a solo female traveler. Sure, In the age of the information society and you might experience some inconveniences, The political players in Afghanistan should set The U.S.-Taliban agreement said talks be- “We cannot be in denial about this. There cyberspace, governments are also trying to but for every annoying man you get 3 nice aside their “personal interests” in moving the tween the Afghan government and the Taliban were spoilers, there are spoilers,” said Qureshi exercise sovereignty over their people and ones, just like anywhere else. Iran is a country’s peace process forward, Pakistan’s must begin by March 10. without elaborating on the nature of the al- territory. Therefore, the principle of state destination you must see for yourself to foreign minister has said, before warning The agreement signed on Saturday in the leged “spoilers”. sovereignty over the information society and see what I mean. the United States of “spoilers” that could derail Qatari capital, Doha, creates a framework for “In Afghanistan and outside. So you will cyberspace originates from the logic of nation While organized tours are still domi- a landmark agreement signed a day earlier to the US and NATO to withdraw all foreign troops all have to keep a close eye on those spoilers.” state formation, which all states with different nating Iran’s tourism, it’s not uncommon bring peace to the country. from Afghanistan over 14 months, pending Pakistan has facilitated the direct talks be- ideologies and methods of governance are to find another person traveling solo. Speaking to the press in the Pakistani capital, the meeting of certain criteria. tween the United States and Afghan Taliban trying to apply. Information technology has Backpackers and hostels can be found Islamabad, on Sunday, a day after attending One of those conditions - the release of since they began in 2018, after long having declined the sovereignty of nation states by anywhere on a tourist route from Tehran the signing ceremony of an agreement that is more than 5,000 Afghan Taliban prisoners been accused by the US and the Afghan gov- strengthening centrifugal forces, increasing the to Shiraz and Yazd. aimed at ending the US’s 18-year war in neigh- in government custody - has already created ernment of providing safe havens to leaders number of actors in various fields, diversifying Plus, if you can’t find a hostel, a cheap boring Afghanistan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi a potential obstacle to peace, with Afghan of the Afghan Taliban. national interests, reducing communication guesthouse is also an option. No matter said it was important for intra-Afghan talks President Ashraf Ghani ruling out the move. Pakistan denies the charge, although mem- costs and networking. which way you travel in Iran, you can al- to begin swiftly. bers of the Taliban have sought shelter on its Therefore, all nation states around the ’Keep a close eye’ ways find an affordable place to stay for “People want peace. Now it is time to see territory. world are faced with the challenges arising Qureshi said he told U.S. Secretary of State less than $30 a night for a double room. what the [Afghan] leadership does,” he said. In 2016, the US killed the then-leader of the from the erosion of political sovereignty Mike Pompeo, who was also present at the Iran in Western media “Do they priorities Afghanistan’s interests, Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, in over territorial boundaries in the governing signing of the agreement in Doha, that the U.S Traveling to Iran or anywhere in the or do they give their own personal benefits a drone strike in the southwestern Pakistani arena. However, the extent of this challenge must be wary of “spoilers” who could derail Middle East independently, especially as more importance? This is a very big decision.” province of Balochistan. varies depending on the structure of the the process. 10 a woman, isn’t perceived well these days. nation state and its cultural, historical, Some time ago an article about a woman and political factors. cycling through the Middle East alone went One of these challenges is the issue of viral. People were wondering whether it’s safe fake news that has long existed in human for a woman to cycle alone across the Mid- history, but in the age of the information dle East? The comments weren’t pleasant: society, given the particular features of ‘It’s foolish and she was very lucky not cyberspace, such as the relative anonymity to get herself raped or killed or both. I hope of disseminators and the high speed of this article won’t encourage other solo circulation due to networking, has in- female travelers to visit these countries creased its quantity and quality.