in derby on Friday but there is a a is there but Friday on derby Tehran in velopments. are not familiar with the latest VAR de outside thecountrysincethey playing AFC Champions League. in title ever first their won have would stadiums, ’s in mented football. technology has never been used in Iran the but season coming the in VAR use Heydar Baharvand had said they would prevent more controversies in the league. must implement VAR as soon as possible to Round of 16. The Iran’s League Organization of four teams also booked their place in the out teams Iranian three league, Champion AFC 2021 the In years. three in twice final years. Persepolis have advanced to the ACL because of not being VAR in the stadium. by the Disciplinary Committee. And it’s all match decisive the of ahead punished be possibility that some players of the team will federa football the for priority highest social media. on viral gone have videos controversial were involved in a tunnel bust up and the Sepahan and Persepolis. result of the match between title favorites awarded two penalties after VAR review. were san HyundaiaftertheKoreanteam League final match, Persepolis lost to Ul the football. In the 2020 AFC Champions infrastructural problems and it could harm able to use this system due to financial and not yet been equipped with VAR. best decision since the Iranian stadiums have two times in the match but failed to make the totherefereeingdecisions. due sional Leaguewasthrownintoturmoil Sepahan and Persepolis in Iran Profes- F for Iran football VAR; highest priority their stadiums. leagues hadalreadystartedusingitin tion because almost all the professional ain n te onr’ football for that.pays theprice country’s the and tation implemen- video (VAR) referee assistant for year a over for promise AP impervious tomachination Iranian teams have developed in the recent Persepolis will have to meet Esteghlal decisions changedthe The refereeing problems face players Iranian The imple already been had VAR the If The football federation has not yet been least at spot the show to had Heydari Bijan Sunday night, a football match between president acting FFIRI year, Last VAR implementation should be the be should implementation VAR players match, the the of end the At RI) has failed to fulfill its fulfill to failed has RI) (FFI- Iran of Republic lamic Is the of Federation ootball BY MASOUDHOSSEIN Velayati foreign policypriority: Backing is top Iran-Iraqrelations Page 2 WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM - - - - - The beneficiaries of U.S.’s presence in , and friendship,humandignityinsocietyaswell the culture of volunteerism, attention to peace with a volunteer structure in order to promote and ruralareas. urban in situations critical and normal in services of volunteer members to the needy es” acrossthecountryonMondaytoexpand hous “crescent 5,400 inaugurated (IRCS) TEHRAN – The Iranian Red Crescent Society ISNA/Peyman Yzdani The Red Crescent Society houses are centers prepared forrestoration UNESCO-registered -eQabus perts has commenced a detailed examination detailed a has commenced perts have been taken.” examination of the bricks and their arrangement, one-by-one as such steps technological some building, historical this of restoration the for Nourtaqani, announced on Sunday. director of the World Heritage site, Abdolmajid the tower,” the of restoration comprehensive have also determined a proper approach for a of the monument has been completed, and we lamic-era architecture. exemplar and innovative design of the early-Is an as importance architectural high of is tower nium-old tower. a prerequisitefortherestorationofmillen of the UNESCO-registered Gonbad-e Qabus as 8 Pages hit the nation with another tragedy once again Located in Iran’s Golestan province, the brick TEHRAN – A team of cultural heritage ex “So far, to prepare a comprehensive plan comprehensive a prepare to far, “So tothemoment,“Up adocumentationplan Price50,000Rials IRCS inaugurates 5,400‘crescent houses’ nationwide Federation: Avarsaji International Kabaddi Iran deservestolead 1.00EURO 4.00AED - - - - lief organizations, having the largest number largest the having organizations, lief the most effective and credible international re Karim Hemmati. Vice-President Is’haq Jahangiri, First by inaugurated were centers the rials), (about $31 million at the official rate of 42,000 of peaceandcrisis. as strengthening the spirit of advocacy in times 43rdyear The Iranian Red Crescent Society is one of one is Society Crescent Red Iranian The rials trillion 1.3 of budget a with Launched anal erir hs er” Abdolmajid Nourtaqani said. year,” this earlier rainfalls [heavy] by intensified been has issue the more thousandyears,thoughfor nomenon conditions. climatic their to due provinces, northern in especially country, the across buildings brick issue,tower isnotanew andwitnessedinall Qabus the on plants growing Nourtaqani, to surface.According the on growing weeds from monument. measures to preserve and restore this historical valuable took experts of groups professional several which in (1931), 1310 year calandar] [Iranian the in place took monument the on reporters that the first serious restoration work “The tower has also been facing such phe Paying a visit to the tower, the official told For years the World Heritage has suffered No.13940 Page 3

Tuesday Continued onpage6

and

MAY

IRCS Head 11, 2021 11, exceed $190m saffron exports Iran’s annual - -

of young volunteers, providing medical care in and medicalequipment. volunteers, as well as the production of medicine rehabilitation, educating the public, youth, and disasters, health,treatment,relief inand and manitarian organization in the fields of rescue products, medicalandreliefequipment. several countries, and producing pharmaceutical Ordibehesht21,1400 See page3 See Established in 1922, IRCS operates as a hu atAl-AqsaMosque Hundreds injuredasIsraeliforcesattack well as the Jarrah neighborhood have wit mascus) Gate in al-Quds’ as al-Quds that has reverberated across the region. weeks of violence against Palestinians in Jerusalem flee the crackdown. The attack is an escalation of forces outsidetheLions’Gateastheyattemptedto wounded Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli who in turned responded by throwing objects at them. grenades and tear gas at the Palestinian protesters, statement tojournalists. ized,” the clashes” and about 50 of them were hospital worshippers, woundinghundreds. bullets, tear gas, and sound bombs at Palestinian pound on Monday morning, firing rubber-coated Israeli forcesstormedtheAl-AqsaMosquecom his death. COVID 19 vaccination five days before grandfather received his first dose of a on hisInstagram andadded thathis announced Kheradmand Ali grandchild Sunday due to some heart problems, his Monday. He was 99. failure at Tehran’s Resalat Hospital on and virtuoso, died of heart Abodolvahab Shahidi, who was also an TEHRAN – Iranian singer and composer Shahidi dies Abdolvahab The al-Aqsa and Bab al-Amoud (Da- There arehundredsofpeopleinjuredfrom Based on some media reports, media some on Based Israeli soldiers in riot gear fired rubber bullets, stun He was admitted to the hospital on hospital the to admitted was He I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

the Palestinian Red Crescent said in a brief

vocalist Iranian for the attack. militant group was responsible e-Barchi in western Kabul. the Shia majority neighborhood of Dasht- scored fears about the nation’s future. class, in a gruesome attack that under more, many of them teenage girls leaving scores wounded and people 80 least at in Afghanistan’s capital on Saturday killed Powerful at 99 one ofthecountry’soptionsadayaftertop International AtomicEnergyAgencyis Iran’sextending cooperationdealwiththe Iranian ForeignMinistry,announcedthat Vienna talks moving in the right direction. of thetemporarydealwoulddependon expire in few weeks, saying the extension to is that watchdog nuclear UN the ditional readinesstoextendadealwith TEHRAN – Iran on Monday voiced con needs to be verified,” Hemmati said in said Hemmati banks, verified,” be to needs correspondent foreign major and them between transfer money any central bank, Iranian banks, SWIFT, and Iran in order for the nuclear talks to proceed. country’s banking system is a priority for conclusive lifting of sanctions against the ti saidonSaturdaythatguaranteedand Hemma Abdolnaser (CBI) Iran of Bank Central the of Governor The – TEHRAN Afghan President Ghani said the The blast occurred in front of a school in Page 4 Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the “The removal of sanctions against the Lifting banking sanctions amust for nuclear negotiations tosucceed:CBI

Ramadan Continued onpage 8

explosions outside a high school Continued onpage7

Extending dealwith IAEA 28, 1442

possible, Iransays possible, a number of number a - - - - not itsreligion. aggression, and occupation its of because enemy while manyMuslimnationsconsiderIsraelasan anti-Semitism, as conflict Palestinian-Israeli the right andwrong. of guidance and the standard to distinguish between revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs adan in ? explicit in this regard,” Zoibi argues. clear and our enemy,andthetextofQuran is is rights stolen of restoration the obstructed and displacement or prevented the return of refugees, ple out of their land, and everyone who helped the belief, and everyone who drove an oppressed peo we liberate our occupied land and restore our rights.” continue to fight it with all forms of resistance until Tripoli in the north of emphasizes, “We will Sheikh Mohammad -Zo’bi tells the Tehran Times. because of its occupation, aggression and criminality,” around the world, not because of its Judaism, but Ummah and the enemy of all the justice seekers all the Palestinian land and not just because of Judaism. the enemyofIslamicnationsduetoitsoccupation TEHRAN – A Lebanese Islamic preacher says is Islamic preacher Judaism: Lebanese against occupationnot Islamic Ummahis What is theimportance andplaceofRam “Everyone who fought people for the sake of their portray to effort no spare lobbies Israeli Some Preacher of al-Kholafa el-Rashedoun mosque in “The Zionist regimeistheenemyofIslamic is the month in which the was Following is the text of the interview: - violence in the occupied territories. anti-Palestinian slogans, is expected to spur further ofextremistIsraelisettlerschanting thousands and later illegally annexed by the Israeli regime. day al-Quds was occupied in 1967 to mark what the regime calls – the Israel issettoholdanincendiarymarchonMonday stormed al-Aqsa Mosque, Press TV reported. forces Israeli Friday when on sustained injuries Palestinians 200 Another protesters. attacked woundedadayearlierwhenIsraelipolice were Crescent reported. Red Palestinian the evening, Sunday on Quds strations across the occupied East Jerusalem al- paramedic, wereinjuredduringpeacefuldemon nessed a spike in Israeli atrocities in recent weeks. - - published published role in regional developments Book onGen.Soleimani’s h mrh wih sal big together brings usually which march, The The latest raids against Palestinians come as Outside the Old City, at least 90 Palestinians At least 17 people, including one Palestinian one including people, 17 least At BY MOHAMMAD MAZHARI BY MOHAMMAD responsibility for the blast. to talk to reporters. authorized not was he because nymity official who spoke on condition of ano security Afghan former a said Taliban, calized university students and disgruntled for the attack. ic State terrorist group) was responsible in casetheWestfailedtoliftsanctions. the IAEA strictly restrictcooperationwith law obligating the Iranian government to implementation ofaparliamentarynuclear monitoring activities in Iran ahead of the which allowedthelattertocontinueits IAEA the and Iran between deal ruary thedeal. to extend Iranian negotiatorsignaledareadiness hopeful about the trend of negotiations.” am ways;personally,I own our in cation Hemmati said: “We will make the verifi verified, be will deal the of practicality of sanctions will be real and practical. negotiations to make sure that the lifting central bank are directly involved in the an interview with Bloomberg. Some experts believe ISIL/ (Islam The Taliban, however, did not claim ISIS continuestorecruitamongradi Hemmati noted that officials from the Khatibzadeh was referring to a Feb a to referring was Khatibzadeh se aot h wy n hc the which in way the about Asked

Page 8 Continued onpage5 Continued onpage5 Continued onpage4 Continued onpage3 ------I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS MAY 11, 2021

Leader to address students Backing Palestine is top foreign on May 11

POLITICAL TEHRAN — University students will deskhave a virtual meeting with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Sayyed Ali Khamenei on May 11. policy priority: Velayati POLITICAL TEHRAN — Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior Israel forces over the past couple of days. deskadvisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Qaddumi then condemned the Zionist regime for its said on Sunday that the issue of Palestine continues to be plans to Judaize Jerusalem al-Quds and other Palestinian one of the Islamic Republic’s top foreign policy priorities. territories. Iran will continue to support Palestinians both in words The representative in Iran said, “Israel has crossed and deeds, noted Velayati, who was foreign minister from all red lines by desecrating al-Aqsa mosque and killing Pal- 1981-1997. estinian worshippers. Ali Akbar Velayati made the remarks during a Sunday. Qaddumi then called for ’ decisive stance against “The issue of Palestine is still one of the [most] important the Zionist regime’s aggression against Palestinians across and prioritized issues for the foreign policy of the Islamic the occupied territories. Republic of Iran,” Velayati told a webinar held by the World Since the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Assembly of Islamic Awakening to mark the International the Israeli forces and illegal settlers have been roaming the Quds Day. city, chanting anti-Palestinian slogans and trying to prevent The veteran politician said Iran shares the same trench Palestinians from gathering and performing their religious Since the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, the meet- with its “Palestinian brethren,” not only in political and duties. Early in the month, the Israeli regime also shut down ings between the Leader and the people have become limited, diplomatic arenas, but also in the actual field of action and Bab al-Amoud ( Gate) of the al-Quds’ Old City, and are held virtually. [anti-Israel] resistance, Velayati said, according to Press TV. further enraging Palestinians. Emphasis on the capacity of the youth is one of the most “Iran will stand with the Palestinian nation and resist- The provocations took a still dangerous turn after the important discourses that will be discussed by the Leader of ance group until liberation of the [Jerusalem] al-Quds from Bahrain also signed the accord with Israel, followed by forces attacked Palestinian homes in East al-Quds’ Sheikh the Islamic Revolution. occupation,” the Leader’s advisor remarked. and Sudan. Jarrah neighborhood. Velayati noted that “today, and pursuant to the efforts The deals sparked outrage across Muslim countries. The aggressors were trying to prompt the Palestinians made by Palestinian resistance groups against the Zionist In defiance of global criticism, Trump also relocated the to abandon their residences there. The regime had earlier Iran summons Iraqi ambassador regime and due to security strategies used in the ‘field’ of U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds in Decem- issued them warnings that they had to evacuate their homes. struggle against this regime by the resistance front, the sur- ber 2017, calling the holy occupied city Israel’s “capital.” Secretary General of the International Conference in Sup- over Karbala incident vival of this usurping regime is faced with serious challenges Emboldened by Trumps’ support, Israel intensified its acts port of the Palestinian Intifada Hossein Amir-Abdollahian from within.” of aggression against the Palestinians during the hawkish on Saturday deplored violent Israeli assault on Palestinian POLITICAL TEHRAN — Following attacks on the Iranian president’s time in office, pressing ahead with its much-crit- desk He noted that the defeats suffered by the Zionist regime worshipers in the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old Consulate in Karbala on Sunday, the Iranian in its wars against Lebanon and the as well as icized policies, including construction of new settler units City of Jerusalem al-Quds, saying the and Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned the Iraqi its failure in clearly prove a prediction by the Leader on occupied Palestinian land. international bodies must put an immediate end to crimes ambassador to Tehran to remind that it is necessary that rele- of the Islamic Revolution that “the Zionist regime will not Another participant in Sunday webinar was Nasser Abu of the “terrorist and fake” Tel Aviv regime. vant Iraqi departments maintain security for Iran’s diplomatic see the next 25 years.” , who represents the Palestinian Islamic Move- He called on the Islamic parliaments, especially the in- buildings in accordance with the 1961 Vienna Convention. “The official announcement of normalizing relations by ment in Iran. ter-Islamic and Asian parliaments, to pay special attention Following the rioters’ attack on Iran’s Consulate Gener- some Arab countries with the apartheid Zionist regime based Addressing the audience, Abu Sharif described normal- to the issue of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque. al in Karbala, an official at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign on [former U.S. President ’s so-called] deal ization of ties with Israel by some Arab regimes as the most News sources reported on Friday night that the Zionist’s Affairs in a meeting with the Iraqi ambassador condemned of the century was an act of treason to which, according to dangerous issue for Muslims at the present juncture. regime’s forces attacked Palestinian worshipers at Al-Aqsa the action and called for security measures to protect the major polls, is opposed by the biggest part of the Arab and Shams al-Din Muhammad Sharaf al-Din, the Great Mosque by closing the doors of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and diplomatic facilities of the Islamic Republic under the 1961 Islamic public opinion,” Velayati stated. of , was another participant in the webinar. attacked Palestinian worshipers. Vienna Convention for Diplomatic Relations. He added that normalization of ties with Israel is “like Sharaf al-Din noted that the cause of Palestine belongs According to the report, more than 200 Palestinians were For his part, the Iraqi ambassador stated that the Iraqi fire under the ashes” and will in medium and long terms will to all Muslims, while slamming certain Arab regimes for injured in the attack by the Zionist regime’s forces inside government, as the host government, is committed to ensuring face widespread opposition by people in those countries. normalizing ties with the Zionist regime. the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. the security and safety of the places of diplomatic centers. “At no juncture of human history, we have witnessed The Great Mufti of Yemen also reiterated Yemeni people’s In a report on Saturday, May 8, more than 205 Palestinians On May 9, few demonstrators gathered in front of the such a prolonged, savage and violent process of occupation support for the Palestinian cause despite the all-out war were wounded during a night of intense clashes at the sacred Iranian consulate in Karbala, torching the perimeter wall, as carried out by the Zionist criminals,” the former foreign and blockade launched against the country by the Saudi-led site, a serious escalation in a weeks-long rise in violence. a fence, and trailers. minister pointed out. coalition since March 2015. Tensions in Jerusalem al-Quds have soared recently, However, Velayati praised the struggle and steadfastness The deputy head of the Islamic Jihad movement, Mo- with Palestinians complaining of oppressive restrictions Presidential hopefuls will start by the resistance Palestinian groups against the Israeli occu- hammed Al Hindi, also addressed the webinar, saying that during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. An upcoming pation, predicting these struggles will finally bear fruit and all Arab nations will finally revolt against those Arab rulers Israeli court ruling on whether authorities can evict dozens registration on Tuesday “we will witness the liberation of the occupied territories that have normalized relations with the Zionists. of Palestinians – and give their homes to Jewish settlers – in not-so-far future.” He added that Israel is not a country, but it consists of has further inflamed the situation. POLITICAL TEHRAN— Registration of candidates for In a speech to mark the International Quds Day on Friday, some criminal gangs that govern the occupied territories Rupert Colville, the spokesperson for the UN high com- deskthe presidential election will begin on May Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Palestine. missioner for human rights, demanded on Friday that Israel 11, starting from Tuesday morning. said the Israeli regime’s serious endeavor to normalize ties Elsewhere in the webinar, Khaled al- Qaddumi, the rep- halt actions that “leads to a risk of forcible transfer”, which Registration is done only in the Ministry of Interior. with a few Arab countries, with the assistance of the U.S., resentative of the Palestine Islamic Resistance Movement, he said, “may amount to war crimes”. Candidates have until May 15 to register for the election. is another sign of the decline of the regime. Hamas, made statements on the subject of the gathering. The formation of Israel was a settler-colonial conspiracy Registration time will be from 8 am to 6 pm. “Since the first day, the Zionists turned the usurped Pal- Qaddumi noted that Hamas leader, , has project- the biggest of its kind in history that was founded Council will review the qualifications of the estine into a terrorist base. Israel is not a country, rather it lauded the Iranian government and nation for supporting by the hegemonic global ruling system solely to serve their candidates from May 16 to May 20. is a terrorist camp against the Palestinian nation and other the cause of Palestine. interest. The Guardian Council will hear complaints from disqualified Muslim nations,” the Leader said. Qaddumi slammed the Zionist regime for seeking to evict The reality is that the Zionists were hunters for sources candidates from May 20 to May 25. In September 2020, the was the Palestinian families from their ancestral homes in Jerusalem of power in the world that could actualize their vision of a The list of approved candidates will be announced on May 26. first country to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel al-Quds, including Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of the city, Jewish homeland, and wherever the imperialists place the The presidential elections will be held on June 18. as part of an agreement brokered by former Donald Trump. which has led to violent clashes between Palestinians and Zionists, they will follow, says political analyst Batoul Sbeity. Those involved in assassination of Gen. Soleimani must be held accountable POLITICAL TEHRAN — In his weekly press briefing on of Iran, and Iran follows developments in Afghanistan carefully and this trip will take place when the travel conditions are provided. was invited to travel to Syria, and he accepted the invitation.” deskMonday, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry and in detail. ‘Iran welcomes all initiatives to solve the Yemen issue’ Khatibzadeh also commented on reports that some media of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the recent attack on the The spokesman added, “We did our best to facilitate inter-Afghan In response to questions about developments in Yemen, outlets about stopping a ship carrying weapons in the Arabian Iranian consulate in the central Iraqi city of Karbala, saying that dialogue. We tried to provide genuine inter-Afghan dialogue.” the spokesman said, “We welcome any initiative to resolve the Sea and that the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet had claimed that the the Iraqi government must protect Iranian diplomatic centers The diplomat said that Iran still believes that the only way to Yemeni issue.” ship belonged to Iran by saying, “It is clear that Iran has only a according to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. a prosperous and stable Afghanistan is an inclusive government Referring to the deplorable situation of the Yemeni people and diplomatic presence in Yemen, and these reports are not con- “Unfortunately, last night some people attacked the Iranian with the will of the Afghan people. the siege of the Yemeni people, he said that none of the Islamic firmed at all.” consulate in Karbala. From the very beginning, the Iranian Con- “We do not think that any regional or trans-regional actor countries should be satisfied with the current situation in Yemen. ‘G7 statement disturbs Vienna negotiations’ sulate General in Karbala and the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad has the right to decide for the political future of the proud people “If returns from its wrong path as soon as pos- When asked about the recent G7 statement, Khatibzadeh contacted the relevant authorities in the area, and the security of Afghanistan. This has always been our position and we have sible and ends the suffering of the Yemeni people, it will benefit responded, “I saw this statement. It is really unfortunate that forces dealt with these unknown individuals who had attempted always stood by the people and government of Afghanistan to both the Yemeni people and the region.” while the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly stated that the to attack,” Saeed Khatibzadeh said. facilitate these talks,” he said. In response to the report published by the Anadolu News production, stockpiling and use of any weapons of mass destruc- Khatibzadeh stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran con- He expressed concerns over the reports about Afghanistan Agency, Khatibzadeh stated that he refuses to comment on anon- tion, including nuclear weapons, is absolutely ‘haraam’ (sinful demns the attack on its diplomatic facilities, and “under the that the ministry has recently received, labeling them as “not ymous media reports and emphasized that Iran’s presence in and forbidden), such statements are published.” 1961 Convention we expect the Iraqi government to fulfill its good reports.” Yemen is merely a diplomatic to “alleviate the suffering of the The spokesman noted following the constructive atmosphere responsibilities to protect Iran’s diplomatic buildings.” Khatibzadeh stated, “Iran’s special envoy is in constant contact Yemeni people.” that has been created in the Vienna nuclear deal talks, such The spokesman said on Sunday night the Iranian Foreign with the authorities of Afghanistan and other countries and we “We have repeatedly emphasized that the solution to the statements do not help at all and negate the existing atmos- Ministry submitted a note of protest to the Iraqi embassy in Iran. hope to prevent another crisis in Afghanistan with the help of Yemeni crisis is a political and diplomatic solution and there is phere in Vienna. “We will continue our follow-up in this regard, and as I said, Afghan groups.” no military solution, and in this regard, we have presented our “The Group of Seven and the leaders of these countries have we expect the Iraqi government to fulfill its duties in this regard ‘Iran-Saudi dialogue have been both regional and four-point plan and we emphasize the political and diplomatic forgotten that the party that withdrew from the nuclear deal and very carefully,” the diplomat remarked. bilateral’ solution to the Yemeni issue,” he highlighted. tried to invalidate United Nations Security Council resolution and ‘Those involved in the assassination of Gen. Soleimani In response to a question about Iran-Saudi dialogue, the ‘Iran stands in solidarity with Palestine’ punish everyone for adhering to this resolution” was their “today are criminally and legally responsible’ spokesman replied by saying that the talks between Tehran and About the Sheikh Jarrah tragedy, the spokesman expressed and yesterday’s partner,” that is the , he remarked. In response to a question regarding the report published by Riyadh have been about “both bilateral and regional issues.” his solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine. He said that the G7 countries are partnered with the United Yahoo News about the assassination of General Soleimani and “We have always welcomed such talks at any level and in any “The Islamic world must respond unanimously to the crimes States in U.S. economic terrorism against the Iranian nation in the alleged involvement of some regional intelligence services in form, and this is not a new policy,” Khatibzadeh underlined. of the Zionists. The United Nations, along with other interna- the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. the assassination, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said the legal In response to a question whether a change in the Saudi position tional organizations, has a firm responsibility to address these “The United States brazenly exerted “maximum pressure” on procedure of the assassination of General Soleimani is followed is clear, he said in international relations one makes assessment abuses,” he noted. the Iranian nation. This is definitely a good reminder for them, by the judiciary internationally, as well as during bilateral legal based on the other side’s conducts rather than reading intentions. He added that Iran is closely following the events in the oc- and I think their memory is not so weak,” Khatibzadeh reminded and political talks with the Iraqi government. Khatibzadeh said that certainly, de-escalation of relations cupied territories. the leaders of the G7 countries. “Many of the reports (including the report published Sun- between the two great Islamic countries in the Persian Gulf region ‘Asadi detention was illegal from the beginning’ He stated that the U.S. economic sanctions and terrorism are day) are not hidden from us, and verifications about them have is in the interest of both nations and the region. In response to a question about Assadollah Asadi, an Iranian still in place, and the European countries have not yet fulfilled either been done or are being done by the relevant authorities,” “As a responsible country, we think that we should always diplomat detained in Belgium, Khatibzadeh said, “His detention any of their obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Khatibzadeh remarked. welcome clearing up ambiguities and issues between the two was illegal from the beginning and a violation of the 1961 Vienna Action (JCPOA) to lift sanctions and let Iran to benefit from the He continued by saying that Iran’s position is the same as it countries,” the spokesman emphasized. Convention on diplomatic immunities.” JCPOA dividends. has been announced before. The diplomat said that Iran hopes that by changing the cur- He highlighted that the whole judicial process lacks the nec- “On other issues raised in the statement, the Islamic Republic “All those who directly and indirectly participated in this cow- rent atmosphere, all sides involved can reach a meaningful un- essary legitimacy. of Iran is not in compromise with any country regarding its own ardly assassination have criminal and judicial responsibilities, derstanding for bilateral relations and regional developments. “We said from the beginning that we consider it against in- national security. The missiles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the relevant authorities are in charge of their cases and they He stressed that Iran will use all its capacities in this regard. ternational law, and it is a very dangerous innovation that these and the Iranian defense program are part of the Iranian defense will be dealt with in their own way,” the spokesman highlighted. He continued, “We must see the results of the talks and make countries have made,” he expressed. system, and there is really no violation of Resolution 2231 by the ‘Iran is worried by developments in Afghanistan’ decisions and judgments based on the results of the dialogue. The diplomat added that Iran thinks the court ruling has no Iranian missile program. Resolution 2231 is quite clear, and Iran’s When asked about recent developments in Afghanistan, the Now it is too early to comment on the results and issues related legitimacy and will not be recognized. actions in this area are fully consistent with it,” he emphasized. spokesman replied by saying that the events in Afghanistan have to these talks.” “We hold all the countries involved accountable and we believe He added that the worst behavior is an instrumental and po- upset and worried Iran. ‘Iran-UAE ties were never severed’ that Mr. Asadi should benefit from his diplomatic rights as soon litical use of a great moral concept such as human rights, “which “We care about Afghanistan,” he stressed. On reports by certain Arab media outlets on Foreign Minister as possible,” the spokesman noted. unfortunately European countries and the United States are mas- Khatibzadeh added, “While offering our condolences to the Mohammad Javad Zarif’s planned visit to the UAE, the spokesman He explained that as the judicial process lack legitimacy, Mr. ters at abusing it for their own short-sighted political ambitions.” families of the victims of this brutal attack, we express our con- replied by saying that Iran-UAE never cut ties. Asadi and his lawyer have no objection to this ruling. “What is happening today in Yemen, and Afghanistan, dolences to the people and the government of Afghanistan and “We had diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, He underlined, “We believe that the Belgian government knows and in African countries, and in many other countries, is the think that it is time to use the capacities of brotherhood against and these relations have never been severed. The Emirates is one the position of Iran, which has been conveyed in a transparent result of the fabricated human rights of these countries, which extremist ideologies and Takfiri groups all in one piece and act of our main trading partners in the region. Over the past year, manner. exported bombs, missiles and weapons to these countries, and united.” conversations have naturally taken place at various levels, both ‘Zarif accepts invitation to Syria’ today falsely claim human rights,” he noted. He stressed that the national security of Afghanistan is very in person and online,” he remarked. Responding to a question on the recent Iran-Syria consultations, He invited the United States and the European countries to closely related to the national security of the Islamic Republic He added that Zarif’s visit to the UAE has been on the agenda the spokesman said, “In this telephone conversation, Mr. Zarif honestly reconsider their positions and behavior. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y MAY 11, 2021 IRAN IN FOCUS 3 SPORTS Iran-Iraq relations Iran deserves to lead International Kabaddi Federation: Avarsaji

SPORTSTEHRAN – President of Iran Kabaddi Fed- impervious to machination deskeration Abbas Avarsaji says that the country has the potential to lead kabaddi in the Asia or the world. POLITICAL TEHRAN – A mysteri- that how far some regional local parties The president of the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) deskous set of events is un- would go to defame Iran and mobilize Janardan Singh Gehlot died in late April and the seat has been folding in Iraq that resulted in a state of public opinion against it even though it left vacant since then. anxiety in the Iran-Iraq relations, prompt- had played no role in the assassination. ing pundits to ponder whether there were These parties are now seeking to exploit plans to undermine relations between the the plight of another Iraqi activist who in- two countries. curred severe injuries during an assassina- First of all, there was a lengthy report tion attempt in Diwaniya. Ahmed Hassan, by Yahoo News claiming to disclose new an Iraqi journalist, was in intensive care details about the U.S. assassination of top after being shot in the head early Monday. Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Citing No one claimed responsibility. interviews with 15 current and former U.S. Iran and Iraq enjoy deep, historic rela- officials, the turgid report took a deep dive tions that despite highs and lows continue into U.S. preparations to assassinate the to be mutually beneficial to both sides. Iranian general. However, it failed to provide And this has angered some local and re- previously unknown jaw-dropping details gional parties who wish to fish in Iraq’s about the assassination except for a bunch troubled waters. These parties now seek of claims of Kurdish involvement in the to exploit the fraught situation in Iraq strike. These claims were quickly rejected to drive a wedge between Iran and Iraq Averseji, who is among one of the seven IKF vice-presidents, by Kurdish authorities in Iraq. by accusing some Iraqi groups of being has shown interest in leading the international federation. The Counter Terrorism Group (CTG), Iranian surrogates. With the general Ira- “First of all, I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to a counter-terrorism unit affiliated with qi parliamentary election a few months the family of kabaddi due to demise of Mr. Gehlot. He helped the the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) away, the political tussle between Iraqi sport attracts interest from the people around the world. Now, that was accused in the report of playing groups is expected to intensify given the the federation needs to continue the way has started and I think a key role in facilitating the strike against the assassination. influence in his country. strong desire among some regional states Iran has the potential to lead the sport in Asia or in the world,” General Soleimani, has denied any involve- Reza al-Ghurabi, an Iraqi expert on While the Iraqi government was still to exacerbate polarization in Iraq. Avarsaji told Tehran Times. ment in the assassination. “We deny any Iran, said on Twitter that the Yahoo News investigating the assassination, The Arab The Arab Weekly claimed that “the up- “Kabaddi has been played for hundreds of years in Iran. Iranian involvement or awareness of our forces in report fostered suspicion among Iranian Weekly, a publication close to the United coming battle for the protest movement teams have shown how strong they are. In the 2018 Asian Games, such act,” reads a statement from the CTG media outlets against Iraqi Kurdistan and Arab Emirates, pointed the finger at Iran. [in Iraq] is likely to be with the Shia parties men’s and women’s team won the title. It shows that we can lead sent to Rudaw English. “General Qassem deflected attention away from elements Citing an activist close to al-Wazni, the that are exclusively loyal to Iran.” the sport and the other members of the kabaddi federation have Soleimani was a close friend of the late who facilitated the assassination. publication said, “They are Iranian militias. This portrayal of certain Iraqi political shown their satisfaction with us. Mam Jalal [Talabani], and counter-ter- In the midst of the controversy over the They assassinated Ihab and they will kill us groups as pro-Iran factions may reflect a “Mr. Gehlot was heading the Asian and world federation at rorism units once fought on the frontlines report, a prominent Iraqi protest leader all. They threaten us and the government desire by the United Arab Emirates and the same time but I believe that the Asia and world federations against terrorism where Qassem Soleimani in the holy city Karbala was shot dead in is silent.” other regional states to defame these groups must be headed separately,” he added. was also fighting.” the latest of assassinations targeting ac- This incitement of hate against Iran has ahead of the next Iraqi election. “We want to get Kabaddi into the Olympics because the sport has Iran has stopped short of directly pointing tivists who played a key role in organizing provoked a mob of protesters setting fire to Regardless of the motivations behind grown around the world over the past years. Iran’s Sports Ministry the finger at the CTG but said anyone linked anti-government protests. the Iranian consulate in Karbala. Iran sent the recent assassination, Iran has made and National Olympic Committee have supported us to have a seat to the assassination of General Soleimani The protest leader, Ihab al-Wazni, was a letter of protest to the Iraqi embassy in it clear that it highly values its relations in Asia or in the world. Iran deserves to lead the Asian or world must be held accountable. murdered in broad daylight outside his Tehran and summoned the Iraqi ambas- with Iraq and will never let certain hands federation given its current position,” Avarsaji went on to say. Pundits believe that the report may have home. As usual, some Iraqi and regional sador. Iran also called on Iraq to provide undercut these relations. That’s why Iran been intended to undermine Iran’s relations parties sought to blame his murder on Iran protection for its diplomatic missions in refused to escalate diplomatic tensions after with the Iraqi Kurdish region and deflect while portraying al-Wazni as an anti-cor- accordance with international law. its consulate was set alight and dealt with Sepahan and Persepolis attention away from those really behind ruption activist who had opposed Iran’s The assassination of al-Wazni indicated the issue calmly. share spoils, Esteghlal lose to Zob Ahan Extending deal with IAEA possible, Iran says SPORTSTEHRAN – Sepahan and Persepolis football deskteam shared the spoils in Matchweek 22 of it and return to its obligations under Resolution 2231 1 The deal was reached during a two-day visit by Iran Professional League (IPL) Sunday night, while Esteghlal and the JCPOA,” the spokesman stated. IAEA Director-General Mariano Grossi to Iran. During suffered a home loss against Zob Ahan. He added, “It is not a difficult decision for Washington the visit, Grossi met with Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the In ’s Naghsh-e Jahan Stadium, IPL leaders Sepahan if it can agree to abide by international law and its own Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), and Iranian drew 1-1 with Persepolis. Isa Alekasir was on target for the visiting signature. We look forward to the day when Washington Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. team and with three minutes left, sepahan forward Mohammad makes that decision. The return of the United States to the The AEOI issued a joint statement outlining the content Mohebbi leveled the scoreboard with a deflected shot. JCPOA is entirely up to the United States itself. It will be of the understanding moments after Grossi concluded In Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, struggling team Zob Ahan defeated one hundred percent based on the will and action of the his visit to Iran. Esteghlal 2-0 thanks to goals from Vahid Mohammadzadeh and United States. We will wait to see this action and verify it.” “The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Milad Jahani in each half. Khatibzadeh also answered questions on Araghchi’s com- International Atomic Energy Agency recalled and reaf- Tractor were also held to a 1-1 draw by Tractor in Tehran. ments that the U.S. has agreed to lift a large portion of sanctions. firmed the spirit of cooperation and enhanced mutual Mehdi Tikdari was on target for Tractor in the 10th minute and “The talks in Vienna have entered the phase of drafting trust that led to the Joint Statement in Tehran on 26 August Mohammad Darwishi equalized the match in the 55th minute. texts in the field of sanctions lifting and nuclear measures. 2020, and the importance of continuing that cooperation Sepahan remain top of the table with 45 points. Persepolis Besides, a third working group whose work is being pur- and trust,” the statement said. “The AEOI informed the are second with 42 points and a game in hand. sued more calmly is working. It is wrestling with different IAEA that in order to comply with the act passed by the Esteghlal stayed third with 34 points and two games in hand. Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran called ‘Stra- of May 30 regarding the agreement between Iran and details, and these fluidities and details do not allow us tegic Action to Cease Actions and Protect the interest the IAEA is definitive.” to make public announcements, because the talks are of Iranian Nation’ Iran will stop the implementation of The spokesman said Iran is not in a hurry to reach going on and reach a different conclusion every day,” Ansarifard helps AEK win Athens the voluntary measures as envisaged in the JCPOA, as a conclusion in the Vienna talks but at the same time it Khatibzadeh stated. of 23 February 2021.” seeks to prevent them from becoming draining. He also said that as part of its commitments, the derby and last ticket to Europe The statement added, “In view of the above and in order “We do not want any date to prevent Tehran’s exec- United States has accepted much of what it ought to do. for the Agency to continue its verification and monitoring utive instructions from being strictly implemented for Khatibzadeh said there are also some sanctions that the SPORTSTEHRAN — AEK has sealed Greece’s final ticket activities, the AEOI and the IAEA agreed: 1. That Iran the negotiating team,” he pointed out. “In this interview, U.S. is not willing to lift, but Iran has made it clear that deskto next season’s European competitions with continues to implement fully and without limitation its Dr. Araghchi pointed to only one of the choices for the these sanctions were imposed to destroy the JCPOA and a 1-0 win in the Athens derby against Panathinaikos on Sunday. Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA date of May 21. If the talks are on the right track, with prevent Iran from reaping benefits from the JCPOA and A solitary goal by AEK captain Petros Mantalos, assisted by as before. 2. To a temporary bilateral technical under- the coordination of both parties and Tehran’s approval, thus must be removed. Karim Ansarifard, early in the second half gave the Yellows a standing, compatible with the Law, whereby the IAEA will this date can be extended.” “It is no secret that we have serious differences in precious win at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium. continue with its necessary verification and monitoring Khatibzadeh said the decision regarding the extension this area. We are in talks with the Joint Commission of Panathinaikos had the chance to equalize in injury time, but activities for up to 3 months (as per technical annex). of the February deal will not be made by the Iranian JCPOA and Tehran is examining this issue. Reports are Federico Macheda hit the upright from the penalty spot. 3. To keep the technical understanding under regular negotiating team. Instead, it will be made in Tehran. reviewed in Tehran, and the positions are notified to the review to ensure it continues to achieve its purposes.” “The policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the negotiating team every day, and they follow up,” he noted. On Sunday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed technical talks in Vienna is quite clear, the negotiating There are disagreements between the U.S. and Iran over Iran to send 16 archers to Abbas Araghchi, who is leading Iran’s negotiating team team acts within the framework of the high policies of the which sanctions should be removed. The U.S. wants to keep World Cup Stage 2 in Vienna, said the deal may be extended. establishment and the executive instructions of Tehran, some sanctions in place to use them as leverage to expand and sends reports to the relevant authorities on a daily He told Japanese broadcaster NHK that Iran hopes talks beyond the JCPOA, something that Iran has vehemently SPORTSTEHRAN – Iran will send 16 archers to basis,” he continued. enough progress will be made so that there will be no rejected. The sanctions have been put into three baskets deskthe 2021 Archery World Cup Stage 2 in The spokesman also reacted to comments by American need for an extension. But he said that if needed, Iran — green, yellow, and red, depending on how clearly they Lausanne, Switzerland. officials that they would lift only JCPOA-related sanctions. will consider an extension at a proper time. are inconsistent with the deal. Green will be lifted; yellow The competition is scheduled to be held from May 17 to 23. “Tehran made its decision in 2014 and still abides by Khatibzadeh elaborated on Araghchi’s comments, must be negotiated; and red will stay, according to The New The Iranian archers will participate at compound and recurve the same decision to this day. Regarding the new round underlining that what Araghchi said was that the par- York Times. The current disagreements revolve around events in the Stage 2. of technical talks, Tehran has again made it clear that liamentary nuclear law was binding and it will expire the yellow category, which apparently includes sanctions Milad Vaziri, Sadegh Ashrafi, Amin Pirali, Reza Shabani, Zahra if all sanctions are lifted and Iran’s interest in lifting on May 30. imposed under terrorism authorities. Nemati, Shiva Shoja Mehr, Sogand Rahmani, Mahta Abdollahi the sanctions is verified, Iran will certainly fulfill all its The nuclear law stipulates that the Iranian government Khatibzadeh said Iran will not accept talks beyond will represent Iran in the recurve. obligations under the JCPOA,” Khatibzadeh said, not- should take certain nuclear measures such as raising the the JCPOA. Mohammadsaleh Palizban, Ahmad Akbari, Hesamoddin ing that the U.S. has not yet made such a decision and level of uranium enrichment to 20% and suspending the “What should be suspended or removed is listed in Kowsar, Armin Pakzad, Vida Halimian, Raheleh Farsi, Arezou it still looks forward to continuing the ominous legacy voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol if the JCPOA. We are not negotiating again for a new text Taherian and Gisa Baybordi will take part in the compound. the Western parties failed to honor their obligations un- the Trump administration. in the JCPOA. We do not accept JCPOA Plus or JCPOA der the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally called the Joint “This is a decision that Washington has not made Minus. What was written and negotiated in the JCPOA is Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran’s deal with and still has its heart set on the poisonous legacy of the the same path that we followed decisively in the Vienna Eight boxers to represent the IAEA came a few days before the law came into force. previous U.S. administration and the Trump adminis- talks, and it is natural that all our differences are about Speaking at his Monday press conference, Khatibzadeh tration. The Biden government must decide whether it the implementation of U.S. actions in the effective lifting Iran at Asian Boxing C’ships said, “What Dr. Araghchi said in the interview with NHK still wants to have its heart set on the failed legacy of of all sanctions, not the lifting of sanctions on paper,” SPORTSTEHRAN – Eight Iranian boxers will par- is that the law of the parliament is binding and the date ‘maximum pressure’, or it wants to distance itself from he asserted. deskticipate at the 2021 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships. The competition will be held in Dubai, the UAE from May German FM calls for full restoration of JCPOA 21 to 31. The Iranian boxers ranked 16th in the medal table of the Bangkok POLITICAL TEHRAN – German talks in a constructive atmosphere,” Maas round of talks over how to revive the nuclear 2019 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships with one bronze. deskForeign Minister Heiko said on the margins of a meeting with his deal, officially known as the Joint Compre- Their goal in the upcoming Dubai 2021 edition is to reach Mass has called for full restoration of the counterparts in Brussels, hensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). better performance and prove their developments. 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying time is of according to Reuters. Iran has said the Vienna talks are moving Squad: the essence in the current nuclear nego- “However, time is running out. We aim in the right direction and negotiators have 52kg: Omid Ahmadi Safa tiations on the deal. for the full restoration of the Iran nuclear begun drafting texts for agreement on the 60kg: Danial Shahbakhsh The top German diplomat described the deal as this is the only way to guarantee that JCPOA. 64kg: Ashkan Rezaei Vienna nuclear talks as “tough and labori- Iran will not be able to come into possession “The talks in Vienna have entered the 69kg: Moslem Maghsoodi ous” but said they are being pursued in a of nuclear weapons,” he added. phase of drafting texts in the field of sanc- 75kg: Shahin Mousavi constructive atmosphere Diplomats from Iran and the P4+1 group tions lifting and nuclear measures,” Saeed 81kg: Meysam Gheshlaghi “The negotiations are tough and labori- of countries as well as the United States are Khatibzadeh, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign 91kg: Ehsan Roozbahani ous but all participants are conducting the in the Austrian capital of Vienna for a fourth Ministry, said on Monday. +91kg: Porya Amiri I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY MAY 11, 2021

TEDPIX gains 5,600 points Lifting banking on Monday ECONOMY TEHRAN —TEDPIX, the main index of Teh- sanctions a must for deskran Stock Exchange (TSE), rose 5,682 points to 1.157 million on Monday. nuclear negotiations to succeed: CBI 1 Iran and the remaining parties tions have even prevented the country from to the 2015 nuclear deal held another importing non-sanctioned goods like food meeting on Friday to discuss the latest and medicines and effectively handle the developments concerning the nuclear deal. coronavirus outbreak. Washington has also During the meeting, participants agreed stood in the way of Iran’s $5 billion loan to expedite talks and start working on a application to the International Monetary draft text of the final agreement to revive Fund. As reported, over 9.27 billion securities worth more than 45 the nuclear deal. The Friday meeting has marked the start Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s deputy foreign to start expert and technical consultations trillion rials (about $1.07 billion) were traded at the TSE, Iran’s Iran’s banking system has for decades of the fourth round of nuclear talks, which minister who leads the Iranian delegation and work on the draft texts immediately.” major stock exchange, on Monday. been largely isolated from global finance is taking place in the Austrian capital of at the Vienna talks, issued a brief statement The statement added, “All parties re- The first market’s index gained 5,444 points, and the second because of the U.S. sanctions. Vienna within the framework of the JCPOA shortly after the JCPOA Joint Commission affirmed their seriousness to achieve the market’s index rose 7,058 points. The Islamic Republic says U.S. sanc- Joint Commission. saying that during the meeting “it was decided result in the shortest possible time.” Iranian markets on hold as politics overshadow trades Iran’s annual saffron exports exceed $190m ECONOMY TEHRAN – Iranian markets including forex deskand stock markets are currently in a limbo ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iranian saffron farmers Hong Kong, , UAE, China, and Afghanistan desk situation as traders are waiting on the results of two major po- exported 324.589 tons of products were also the country’s top saffron importers in the litical events namely the presidential election and the nuclear worth over $190 million to 60 foreign destinations mentioned eight months. deal negotiations to clear the atmosphere, Economist and Market during the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on Based on a multilateral memorandum of under- Analyst Jamal Razaqi said. March 20), the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of standing (MOU) signed between Iran’s Planning and Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced. Budget Organization (PBO) and three of the country’s According to Ruhollah Latifi, over 78 percent of banks in early October 2020, 10 trillion rials (about the mentioned exports in terms of value were made $238.09 million) was allocated for supporting the to five major customers of the Iranian saffron, IRNA saffron industry. reported. The MOU was signed by PBO’s Deputy Head Ha- Hong Kong with 74,578 kilograms (kg) worth mid Pour-Mohammadi and the managing directors $46.626 million of imports, the United Arab Emirates of Agriculture Bank, Mellat Bank, and Export Devel- with 59,791 kg valued at $33.942 million, Spain with opment Bank of Iran. 49,025 kg worth $26.44 million, China with 40,139 Speaking in the signing ceremony, Pour-Mohammadi kg and a value of $22.504 million, and Afghanistan noted that the mentioned funding would be provided with 33,781 kg and a value of $19.168 million were to saffron producers and processors in the form of Iran’s top saffron buyers in the mentioned period. bank facilities to support the production of saffron According to Latifi, the mentioned five countries foreign destinations. and the packing and processing of this product which According to Razaqi, who is the chairman of Chamber accounted for 79 percent of the Islamic republic’s The country exported 192 tons of saffron worth has been impacted by the outbreak of coronavirus. of Commerce, traders have been cautious over the past few weeks total saffron exports in terms of weight. $117.5 million to foreign destinations during the first According to the official, the interest rate of the and at the moment signals from Vienna are the only factor that is Iran is one of the world’s top saffron producers eight months of the previous Iranian calendar year mentioned facilities would be 18 percent, of which controlling the trend of the trades. and over 90 percent of its production is exported to (March 20-November 20, 2020). PBO has agreed to pay three percent. The value of the national currency rial grew in comparison to the U.S. dollar over the past week with each dollar falling to 210,000 rials. “The positive news from Vienna and optimism about the lifting of sanctions and the release of the central bank’s foreign currency resources have been among the reasons for the fall in dollar exchange 45 idle industrial units to be revived in Kordestan by next March rates,” Razaqi said. ECONOMY TEHRAN — The man- jobs for over 12,000 persons. He also mentioned an 85-percent rise According to the expert, the stock market is also following other deskaging director of Indus- As announced by Deputy Industry, in the allocation of land for establishing physical markets and major traders are monitoring political events trial Parks Company of Iran’s western Mining, and Trade Minister Mehdi Sad- industrial units across the country and in order to make decisions so the trend of the trades in this market Kordetsan province said that 45 idle eqi Niaraki, 1,500 idle industrial units noted that over 4,500 hectares of land is still downward. industrial units are planned to be re- have been revived in the country during were handed over to applicants in the “The decrease in the dollar exchange rates in bank exchange turned to the production cycle by the the past year. previous calendar year. offices also indicates the market’s desire to continue its downward end of the current Iranian calendar year According to Niaraki, over 6,500 new According to the official, there are trend, but due to the ambiguity in the political and economic envi- (March 20, 2022). industrial units were also established over 46,000 small and medium-sized ronment and the uncertainty of the outcome of the negotiations and Saying that 29 percent of the units across the country during the mentioned industrial units in Iran’s industrial parks the upcoming presidential election at the moment only short-term in the industrial parks of Kordestan are year which created jobs for over 121,000 and zones, of them about 9,200 units traders are active in the market.” inactive, Ahmad Khosravi said that last people. are inactive. year 47 stagnant units were revived in Touching upon the Industry Ministry’s Iran’s industrial parks play a signifi- the province. plans for the realization of the motto cant role in making the country independ- Cellphone prices fall 10-15% Facilities have also been allocated of the current year which is named the country’s industrial and mining units.” ent through boosting production, which by Iran Small Industries and Industrial year of “Production: support and the Niaraki pointed to a 40-percent in- is a major strategy of Iran to combat the in Iranian market Parks Organization (ISIPO) to finance the elimination of obstacles” by the Leader crease in the issuance of establishment U.S. sanctions. licenses for industrial units in the pre- ECONOMY TEHRAN — The price of some cellphone mod- needy units, which this year can lead to of the Islamic Revolution, the official In fact, strengthening domestic pro- vious year, saying: “The number of es- deskels has dropped 10-15 percent in Iran in recent solving the financial problems of many said: “In the year that has been dedicated duction to achieve self-reliance is the tablishment licenses increased to more days following the drop in U.S. dollar exchange rates, an official production units located in the industrial to the production sector by the Leader most important program that Iran is than 36,000 last year, which shows that with the Iranian Association of Cellphone, Tablet, and Accessories parks, the official further announced. of the revolution, the orientation of all following up in its industry sector in people are encouraged to invest in the Importers announced on Monday. There are 805 units in the industrial government organizations and executive a bid to nullify the effects of the U.S. productive sectors.” According to Reza Ghorbani, the closure of the markets due to the parks of Kordestan province, creating bodies should be towards supporting the sanctions on its economy. coronavirus pandemic over the past two weeks, the decline in U.S. dollar exchange rates, and the clearance of new cellphone cargoes from customs have been the main reasons for the price declines. “The cellphone market is now saturated because the sales have fallen, but imports and supply have risen,” Ghorbani said. Annual export, re-export from Anzali free zone surpasses $188m ECONOMY TEHRAN — The managing director activities, they could not impede the development of deskof Anzali Free Zone Organization put Iranian free zones; in fact, the development of these the value of export and re-export from this zone at zones has been even accelerated. $188.7 million in the past Iranian calendar year (ended Many strides made for increasing activities in the on March 20). free zones have played a significant part in boosting Ali Osat Akbari said products worth $168.9 million the country’s non-oil exports and brought prosperity were re-exported from the zone in the previous year, and in the other economic sectors. named chemical products, wood, industrial machinery, Three days ago, Secretary of Iranian Free Zones High and agricultural products as the main re-exported goods. Council Hamidreza Mo’meni announced the approval The official also announced that commodities valued for the establishment of 13 new special economic zones at $209 million were produced in the zone and exported and seven free trade zones across the country. to the internal markets in the past year, and said this According to Mo’meni, the decision was made during shows the serious determination of the producers of a meeting with the members of the Expediency Council Anzali Free Zone to provide basic goods and essential on Wednesday. needs of domestic consumer markets in the conditions “After discussion on all proposed areas and based on Back in April, the Iranian Association of Cellphones, Tablet, of sanctions in the country. the experiences of the existing zones, the establishment and Accessories Importers announced that mobile phone trad- He further put the worth of products produced inside of seven free zones and 13 special economic zones was ers imported 15.8 million smartphones into the country over the the zone and exported since the start of current year The first two free trade zones of Iran were established approved,” the official said. previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20). at $19.8 million, and said that cellulose and chemical in the south of the country. The first one was Kish Free The mentioned free zones will be established in Based on the data released by the mentioned association, some products, as well as industrial equipment were the major Trade Zone established in 1368 on in the Kordestan, Ilam, Sistan-Baluchestan, Bushehr, Ker- 2.5 million regular mobile phones were also imported into the exported items. Persian Gulf and the second one was Qeshm Free Trade manshah, Ardebil, and Golestan, while the special zones country over the last year. Located in Gilan Province, north of Iran, Anzali Zone established the year after on in the are going to be based in Fars, , Zanjan, Lorestan, Back in January, the spokesman of the said association had Free Trade-Industrial Zone is the sole free zone in the . West Azarbaijan, and etc. announced that the price of cellphones had dropped 12-20 percent southern part of the Caspian Sea with an area of 9,400 Some five other free trade zones have been also es- The official also announced on Sunday that 94 de- in domestic markets. hectares and 40 kilometers shoreline. tablished in the country since then, including Chabahar velopment projects worth 60 trillion rials (about $1.42 Iran’s imports of mobile phones registered a 27 percent growth in It is one of the country’s seven free trade-industrial in southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Arvand billion) are going to be put into operation in Iran’s free the first nine months of the previous Iranian calendar year (March zones. in southwestern , Anzali in north- trade and special economic zones on Thursday. 20-December 20, 2020) as compared to the preceding year’s cor- Located on the North-South International Corridor, ern Gilan Province, Aras in East-Azarbaijan Province, According to Mo’meni, as the fourth series of inaugu- responding period. having a special position in connection with the Caspian and Maku in West-Azarbaijan Province, both in the rations in the country’s free trade and special economic Some 8,617,438 cellphones worth over $1.34 billion were littoral states, proximity to the ports of Astrakhan and northwest of the country. zones, the mentioned projects are going to be inaugurated imported into the country in the mentioned period, placing the Lagan in Russia, Aktau in Kazakhstan, and in Considering the important role that the free zones by President Hassan Rouhani in an online ceremony. commodity at second among the top imported items, according , access through convenient routes to the play in promoting the country’s export and employment, Covering a variety of fields including tourism, oil and to the Spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Ad- consumer markets of CIS countries, and proximity to Iran is seriously pursuing the development of its exist- gas, industry, production, renewable energies, and power ministration (IRICA) Ruhollah Latifi. Rasht International Airport are some advantages of ing zones and the establishment of new zones as well. plants, fisheries, and agriculture, the mentioned projects The official noted that 6,779,012 mobile phones were cleared Anzali Free Zone. More development measures in this field have been will be put into operation in Qeshm, Chabahar, Aras, from the country’s customs during the Iranian calendar year 1398’s The establishment of free trade zones in Iran dates taking since the U.S. re-imposition of sanctions on the Arvand, Salafchegan, and Payam zones, the official said. same nine months. back to the Iranian calendar year 1368 (March 1989- Iranian economy in November 2018, as Iran is reducing The official noted that in the previous three rounds of “The value of the imported products in the said nine months March 1990) following the fall in the country’s oil income its dependence on the oil income while elevating its inaugurations in the country’s free and special economic also increased by 65 percent compared to the previous year”, in the preceding year which prompted the government domestic production and non-oil exports. zones, 163 projects with a total investment of 340 trillion Latifi said. to promote non-oil exports. Although the sanctions have disrupted Iran’s economic rials (about $8.095 billion) have been inaugurated. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y MAY 11, 2021 ANALYSIS/INTERVIEW 5

Islamic Ummah is against occupation Protests held across UK in not Judaism: Lebanese Islamic preacher solidarity with Al-Aqsa Demonstrations were held across the UK on Sunday in sol- 1 So whoever is present this month let trolled the city of and its Ka’ba, im- idarity with Palestinian worshippers who were attacked by them fast. But whoever is ill or on a journey, posed a siege with a starvation campaign Israeli soldiers inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque. then let them fast an equal number of days against the Messenger of God (peace be Organized by the Palestinian Forum in Britain and other after Ramadan. seeks ease for you, not upon him and his family). groups, people gathered outside Downing Street in London hardship, so that you may complete the pre- Bani Hashem, one of Quraysh’s clan, and the city center of Manchester to express their outrage scribed period and proclaim the greatness to which the Islamic Prophet Muhammad toward the violence committed against Palestinians in Je- of Allah for guiding you, and perhaps you belonged were banished to an area called rusalem. Anadolu reported. will be grateful (Al-Baqarah- Verse: 185). Shib Abi Talib in order to be surrounded “We stand here today knowing full well that the occupi- This blessed verse defines the impor- and succumb at the end, but the Muslim ers are transgressing against the rights of the Palestinians. tance and status of Ramadan. The month believers fasted and endured hunger and What is happening in Palestine today, what is happening in of Ramadan is originally a month like all did not kneel before Quraysh. Jerusalem today, is the continuation of illegal occupation. other months, linked to the regular orbit of Today, America and its Arab Allies with It is the continuation of the illegal theft of land that began the moon around the earth, but it acquired the Zionist regime are trying to make the in 1948,” the organizers of the march read out a statement. this high status from the Holy Qur’an. resistance in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, “We stand here together in solidarity with our brothers Ramadan is the month of celebrating Yemen, and the Islamic Republic of Iran and sisters in Palestine who are facing a grave injustice at the the Quran, the month of correcting the kneel and succumb to their demand through hands of their occupiers. They are defenseless in the face of relationship with the Quran, not as a hymn the blockade and starvation. bullets, tear gas and grenades yet they hold onto their faith book or recitation in shape resembling a But the forces of the resistance axis, and conviction that they are fighting against tyranny and priestly liturgy, but rather as a book of who are fasting truly, never kneel in front injustice and standing up for their people and others across guidance to humanity. of falsehood. Their fasting has given them the world,” they added. This is what Khomeini and Imam true piety, faith, will and determination The protesters called on the government to take action Khamenei succeeded to embody in framing to resist arrogance and occupation until against the Israeli government and to condemn the violence a humane Quranic discourse, confronting the region is liberated from oppression against the innocent and defenseless worshippers which in- global arrogance as an approach that distorts and aggression. cluded women and children. the human reality, and at the same time, With patience and determination, they The government was also called upon to impose an arms it advocates oppressed people regardless “Some Israeli lobbies spare no effort to are close to victory. embargo on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to prevent further of their religion, attitude and perceptions. portray the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as What is the truth about the disa- casualties against Palestinians civilians. The guidance of the Qur’an is not guid- greement between the Islamic world “Aqsa! Aqsa! Don’t you cry! We will never let you die!” the ance based on stirring up emotions and anti-Semitism, while many Muslim nations and the Zionist regime? protesters chanted outside the prime minister’s residence, public preaching; rather, it is based on consider Israel as an enemy because of its Islam has not defined the relationship waving Palestinian flags and holding placards. People turned evidence from God and enhances distinc- occupation and aggression.” between people based on faith and belief, out in thousands and while observing social distancing rules tion (between wrong and right). Therefore, but it talks about justice versus injustice, and wearing masks they portrayed an image of Palestinian emphasis must be placed on the month of before you that you may become righteous” apart and divide it over sectarian concepts, and therefore the Islamic Ummah does not unity and solidarity. the Qur’an (Ramadan) on Quranic facts (Al-Baqarah- verse: 183). in fact, opposes the Quranic piety, which oppose anyone on the basis of his religion. and divine evidence. Piety in the Quranic concept is not, as is the goal of fasting. So, we do not have a problem with the We should not allow axis of arrogance some fancy it, a form of worship or morals. How do you see the implications of Jews, or with the Christians, or with the to make the peoples of our region live a Rather, piety is a resistance, revolutionary, Quds Day (the last Friday of Ramadan) Buddhists, or with any sect or religion. Fire erupts at ’s largest bleak vision, in which no distinction is cultural project. Among the forms of piety as a political symbol in the Muslim Almighty God says in the Quran, “Allah oil field made between the enemy and a friend. in the Noble Qur’an are: world? does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of your religion and do The correct reading of the Qur’an and - Resistance to aggression, occupation The Messenger of God (peace be upon A fire erupted Monday at Kuwait’s largest oil field, injuring not expel you from your homes - from being the true connection with the Qur’an gives and colonization: Almighty God says, him and his family) said: “Whoever estab- two workers, the country’s state-run news agency reported. righteous toward them and acting justly the human being and the Ummah a vision “The sacred month is for (aggression lishes a good in Islam, he will be The injured workers were in stable condition and receiving toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who to and immunity against the colonial ex- committed to) the sacred month, and entitled to a reward (thawab) for it, and treatment at a nearby hospital, according to the state-run act justly.” (Al-Mumtahanah – Verse: 8) ploitation practiced by the United States for (all) violations is legal retribution. the rewards achieved by someone who KUNA news agency, citing Qusai al-Amer, the Kuwait Oil Our problem is with the aggressor who today. So whoever has assaulted you, then as- works after.” Company spokesman. expels a people from their land, regardless America seeks through monarchies and sault him in the same way that he has The initiative of International Quds Day According to AP, the blaze at the Great Burgan Field in of the religion of the aggressor, even if he regimes subjugated to it and through their assaulted you. And fear Allah and know is a great achievement indicating that Imam the southeastern desert of Kuwait, which produces over 1.6 is a Muslim. media and their religious and cultural plat- that Allah is with those who fear Him Khomeini was always thinking about how million barrels of oil a day, did not impact production, the Therefore, we see that the Jewish groups forms to promote normalization of ties with (Al-Baqarah- verse: 194). to support humanitarian causes, at the top report said. Burgan is among the world’s largest producing who do not recognize the Zionist regime the Zionist enemy in order to desecrate the He also adds in Quran, “Fight against of them is Palestine and Jerusalem. fields, ranked second only to Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar Field. and are hostile to , support the Ummah’s sanctities and rights, the disbelievers collectively as they fight We can almost say Imam Khomeini Kuwait, a nation home to 4.1 million people that’s slightly legitimate rights of the Palestinian people; American colonialism also seeks to con- against you collectively. And know that spared no effort to support the Quds cause. smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, has the world’s they are allies with the resistance axis. They vert these countries’ enmity to the Islamic Allah is with the righteous who fear Him) This International Quds Day, with all its sixth-largest known oil reserves. Most of the country’s pro- are our friends and partners in the face of Republic of Iran, denying all the sacrifices (At-tawbah- verse: 36). sublime symbolic contents, has a great, duction comes from a single field, Burgan. Iran has made for the cause of Palestine If the function of fasting is to achieve practical and effective role in keeping the the Israeli occupation. and all just causes in the region. piety, and if one of the most important Quds cause alive in the conscience of the In the meantime, we see that the Mus- U.S. goal is to put pressure on the Islamic manifestations of Quranic piety is to re- Ummah and all justice seekers, and at the lims who normalized their ties with the Republic of Iran to change its pro-Palestine spond to aggression and fight the tyrants, same time, it questions the world conscience Zionist enemy or promote reconciliation South’s Moon hopes to position and to push Iranians towards be- how can some Muslims fast and pray while and their slogans about justice and freedom with the occupiers, cannot be trusted as trayal and normalization of ties with Israel. they are plotting against the resistance and permanently. long as they participate in plotting against restart N. Korean diplomacy Rather, the U.S. is ready to give Iran full the countries support the Palestine cause? This mobilization that we witness an- the Palestinian cause and contribute to concessions at the expense of its Arab client - Refusal to submit to the oppressors; nually in expressing solidarity with this preventing the return of the Palestinians with Biden states, under the condition that Tehran not sacred day is the main goal of fasting as to their homes. God says, “The wrongdoers are allies of South Korea’s leader said Monday he’ll use his upcoming to oppose the American hegemony and its well as its effective impact on our lives “Allah only forbids you from those who one another; but Allah is the protector of summit with President Joe Biden to push to restart diploma- proxy (Israel) over the region. during the year. fight you because of religion and expel you the righteous.” (Al-Jathiah – verse: 19) . cy with , saying that Biden favors a diplomatic, Despite the failure of the United States Here we should ask what the link be- from your homes and aid in your expulsion Nobody can be pious if he is pleased or phased approach to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis. to buy or influence Iran’s position and its tween fasting and resistance to arrogance - [forbids] that you make allies of them. And endorses injustice or arrogance in real life. The White House recently said officials completed a review regional role, and although the future be- is? What makes a person or an Ummah whoever makes allies of them, then it is those Almighty God says in Quran, “O Prophet, of North Korea policy and suggested the Biden administra- longs to the , some Arab subject to falsehood is the fear of hunger. who are the wrongdoers.” (Al-Mumtahan- fear Allah and do not obey the disbelievers tion would seek a middle ground between Donald Trump’s regimes that lack the Qur’anic vision of Starvation or the threat of starvation is ah – Verse: 9) and the hypocrites. Indeed, Allah is ever “grand bargain” and Barack Obama’s “strategic patience” Ramadan still live in the illusion of Israe- one of the most important tools of the axis Everyone who fought people for the sake knowing and Wise.” (Al-Ahzab- verse: 1) approaches as a way to curb the North’s nuclear ambitions. li hegemony and the American security of aggression. Therefore, when a Muslim of their belief, and everyone who drove an He is neither a faster nor pious who According to AP, in a nationally televised news conference, umbrella. is hungry during his fasting and sees his oppressed people out of their land, and obeys global atheism or Arab hypocrisy. President Moon Jae-in said he welcomes the direction of the The example of those who take allies children hungry, he has been trained to everyone who helped in the displacement - Belief in the unity of the Ummah, Biden administration’s North Korea policy, which he said other than Allah is like that of the spider endure hunger. Arrogant powers can no or prevented the return of refugees, and as Almighty God says, “The believers are was finalized after consultations with South Korea. Moon who takes [i.e., constructs] a home. And longer control him through starvation. obstructed the restoration of stolen rights brothers, so make settlement between your said Biden’s North Korea policy aims to achieve “the Korean indeed, the weakest of homes is the home We should read the to is our enemy, and the text of the Quran is brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive Peninsula’s complete denuclearization through diplomacy of the spider, if they only knew (Al-Anka- know how Quraysh, as a mercantile Arab clear and explicit in this regard. mercy.” (Al-Hujurat – verse: 10) with a flexible, gradual and practical approach.” but – Verse: 14). tribe that historically inhabited and con- Therefore, the Zionist regime is the ene- So anyone who works to tear the Ummah The Biden administration hasn’t disclosed details of its What is the logic behind fasting in my of the Islamic Ummah and the enemy of North Korea policy review. But administration officials have Islam and the Abrahamic religions? all the justice seekers all around the world, “Our problem is with the aggressor who signaled they are trying to set the stage for incremental progress, The philosophy of fasting in Islam and in not because of Judaism, but because of its in which denuclearization steps by the North would be met the other religions that preceded it is based expels a people from their land, regardless occupation, aggression and criminality, and with corresponding actions, including sanctions relief, rather on achieving piety, as God says in the Quran: we will continue to fight it with all forms of the religion of the aggressor, even if he is than a Trump-style push for an immediate, comprehensive “O you who have believed, decreed upon resistance until we liberate our occupied deal through a leader-to-leader summit. you is fasting as it was decreed upon those a Muslim.” land and restore our rights. Moon said when he meets Biden for their first summit talks in Washington on May 21, he’ll try to bolster the bilateral military alliance, boost policy coordination on North Korea and find ways to resume stalled talks between Washington The beneficiaries of U.S.’s presence in Afghanistan, hit the nation with another tragedy once again and Pyongyang and between Seoul and Pyongyang. Moon, whose single five-year term is to end next May, 1 According to Military Times, ISIS has also resumed Nangarhar and Kunar provinces. The retreating militants attack on the U.S. being imminently plotted from Afghan- said he’ll focus on establishing lasting peace on the Korean a campaign of targeted killings of minority Shia Muslims, left behind mined roads and fields. istan. But it is an error to assume that no pressing terrorist Peninsula during his final year in office. many of them ethnic Hazaras, as well as women’s rights Khan, the tribal leader, fled his village of Pananzai with challenge exists for Afghanistan’s extended neighborhood activists and media workers. They claimed attacks last year his six brothers and their families at the height of the battles in South Asia, Central Asia and Eurasia. Having failed to on two educational facilities, including Kabul University against ISIS. They’re not rushing home, even though the build a viable state and a durable peace in Afghanistan, the Resistance News that killed more than 50 students. family of 63 people is crammed into nine small rooms in U.S. is packing up and leaving while the threat of regional Washington blamed ISIS for a brutal assault last year on Nangarhar’s provincial capital of Jalalabad. terror remains lethal. Hamas: Israel will pay dearly a maternity hospital in a largely Hazara neighborhood of “We are afraid they will return,” Khan, a father of 12, according to Livemint, besides Al-Qaeda and ISIS, which Kabul. Infants and pregnant women were killed. said of ISIS fighters. are salivating at the prospect of capitalizing on vast ungov- for its attack on Aqsa There are concerns that in the potential chaos, ISIS “will be Terrorist resurgence erned spaces in Afghanistan likely to expand after the U.S. able to find additional space to operate in Afghanistan,” said CIA director William Burns last month acknowledged withdrawal, there are also region-focused extremist networks INTERNATIONAL TEHRAN— The Hamas Movement has Seth Jones, senior vice-president at the Center for Strategic that there is a “significant risk” that the withdrawal of U.S. such as the Pakistani Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mu- deskstrongly denounced the brutal Israeli attack and International Studies in Washington. and coalition forces from Afghanistan could allow Al-Qaeda hammad, as well as the Central Asian outfits Islamic Move- on the Aqsa Mosque and Palestinian worshipers on Monday Some note that it took more than three years to dislodge and ISIS to rebuild, but stressed that these groups currently ment of Uzbekistan and Hizb ut-Tahrir, which have strong morning, describing its aggression as a “religious war” and and degrade ISIS fighters, many of them ethnic Pashtuns from do not have the capacity to attack the U.S. homeland. ground presence and links to terrorist and criminal groups “a reflection of Israel’s barbarism and Nazism.” ’s tribal regions and Afghans from the northeastern There does seem little likelihood of another 9/11-style terror across the Afghan-Pakistan border. In press remarks, Hamas spokesman Mohamed Hamadah stressed that the Israeli occupation state would pay dearly for its aggression against the Aqsa Mosque and Palestinian worshipers. Yemeni forces launch missile attack on Saudi mercenaries in Ma’rib Hamadah urged the Palestinians from Jerusalem and the other occupied territories to preserve in confronting Israeli Yemeni army forces and allied fighters that the missile struck with precision a cy, and mobilized its doctors and medical left nearly 5,000 others injured since last police forces and defending the Aqsa Mosque against any from Popular Committees have launched gathering of Saudi-led military forces staff amid the high number of casualties. January,” Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen tel- attempt to desecrate it by Jewish settlers. a missile strike against Saudi-sponsored on Monday as they were gearing up for This comes as the head of the office of evision quoted Abdullah al-Alimi as saying. He also paid tribute to the Palestinians from Jerusalem, militants in Yemen’s strategic central prov- deployment to battle fronts. former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Man- Alimi asserted that Hadi loyalists have the West Bank and the 1948 occupied lands for their strong ince of Ma’rib, killing and wounding dozens The sources added that a number of sur Hadi said on Friday the Saudi-backed agreed to the opening of Sana’a airport, resistance of the Israeli aggression against the Aqsa Mosque. of them in the process. senior Saudi-led mercenaries were killed figure is ready for direct negotiations with further alleging that the former Yemeni Tensions are simmering in Jerusalem al-Quds. Hundreds Yemeni military sources, speaking on or wounded as a result. Ansarullah officials over situation in Ma’rib. administration was not represented dur- of Palestinian have been wounded in the latest bout of violence condition of anonymity, told -lan- They noted that the main hospital in “Clashes in Mar’ib have claimed the lives ing the recent negotiations in the Omani as Israeli security forces opened fire in a fresh assault on guage al-Khabar al-Yemeni news website Ma’rib city has declared a state of emergen- of some 240 members of our forces, and capital city of Muscat. worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 HERITAGE & TOURISM MAY 11, 2021

UNESCO-registered Gonbad-e Archaeologists excavate Qabus prepared for restoration

1 Visible from great distances in the surrounding low- lands near the ancient Ziyarid capital, Jorjan, the 53-meter high of Ardebil Gonbad-e Qabus dominates the town laid out around its base in the early 20th century. HERITAGE TEHRAN — A team of archaeolo- social, cultural, political, and religious roles. Peo- deskgists and cultural heritage experts ple watching and even mingling with them in the has conducted a minor excavation at the Seljuk-era is one of the best ways to take the pulse of (1037–1194) bazaar of Ardebil, which is situated in the country. Bazaars have traditionally been major northwest Iran. economic and social centers in any Iranian city. “The excavation is now being carried out at the Most mazes and passages offer certain commodities vaulted passage of Zanjirlu to determine the antiquity such as carpets, metalwork, toys, clothing, jewelry, and condition of the basements and foundation of and kitchen appliances, traditional spices, herbal this part of the historic bazaar,” Ardebil’s tourism remedies, and natural perfumes. One can also bump chief Mohammadreza Shayeqi said on Monday. into colorful grocery stores, bookbinders, blacksmiths, Upon completion of the archaeological project, tinsmiths, coppersmiths, tobacconists, tailors, flag the bazaar is scheduled to undergo a full restoration, sellers, broadcloth sellers, carpenters, shoemakers, the official added. and knife-makers. The historical bazaar of Ardebil was once an im- Several divided carpet sections across the bazaar portant trade center during the Safavid era (1501- enable visitors to watch or buy hand-woven Persian The tower’s hollow cylindrical shaft of unglazed fired brick tapers 1736). At that time, Ardebil had a special prestige carpets and rugs with different knot densities and up from an intricate geometric plan in the form of a ten-pointed and enjoyed a remarkable political, social, and other features. From another point of view, bazaars star to a conical roof. Two encircling inscriptions commem- cultural status. are also synonyms of foods, with their unmissable orate Qabus Ibn Voshmgir, Ziyarid ruler and literati as its founder Inscribed on the National Heritage list in 1985, colorful stalls of vegetables, herbs, and spices. Yet, in 1006 CE. the bazaar was extensively restored during Qajar-era most of these ingredients might be mysterious to Narratives say the tower has influenced various subsequent (1789–1925). a foreign eye. designers of tomb towers and other cylindrical commemorative In the Iranian culture, bazaars have been tradi- Sprawling on a high, windswept plateau, whose dition. The province is very cold in winter and mild structures both in the region and beyond. The structure capped by tional public spaces in the Iranian cities with great altitude averages 3,000 meters above sea level, Ar- in summer, attracting thousands every year. The an eye-catching conical roof boasts intricate geometric principles contributions to commercial activities in urban life debil is well-known for having lush natural beauties, capital city of is usually recorded as one of and patterns which embellish parts of its load-bearing brickwork. meanwhile their extended activates can be traced to hospitable people, and its silk and carpet trade tra- the coldest cities in the country in winter. July 1 is considered a significant cultural event for Iranians to hold the anniversary of Gonbad-e Qabus UNESCO registration, and the annual celebration is organized by Gonbad Kavus municipality. According to the UN cultural body says, the monument bears testimony to the cultural exchange between Central Asian nomads Boundary walls of iconic Iranian restored and the ancient civilization of Iran. HERITAGE TEHRAN – The were fully restored after almost five months halls lead onto wide corridors that run deskboundary walls of Yengi- of work in 2020, enjoying financial support behind the aforementioned chambers. Coins of Parthian, Abbasid, Imam caravanserai, one of Iran’s iconic from the United Nations Educational, Sci- Caravanserai is a compound word com- roadside of the 17th century, have entific, and Cultural Organization. bining “caravan” with “Sara”. The first stand and Safavid eras restored in been fully restored. The building takes the form of a square for a group of travelers and Sara means the “This phase of the renovation of the with a central courtyard. At the center of the building. They often had massive portals Zanjan museum Yengi-Imam caravanserai was carried out courtyard is a square platform accessed via supported by elevated load-bearing walls. in the shortest possible time to prevent a short flight of stairs. Four (porti- Guest rooms were constructed around the HERITAGE TEHRAN – A total of 25 coins, which date unauthorized entry to the monument or coes) open onto the courtyard at the center courtyard and stables behind them with desk from the Parthian, Abbasid, and Safavid eras, even a potential act of vandalization,” a of its four sides. doors in the corners of the yard. have recently been restored in a museum laboratory in Zanjan. local tourism official announced on Sunday. The corners of the courtyard are angled, Iran’s earliest were built “The restoration work conducted on these coins included Located in Alborz province, the car- and passageways lead off of these corners during the Achaemenid era (c. 550 -330 chemical mechanical surface cleaning and stabilization,” a local avanserai showcases an exemplar form onto octagonal domed halls. Between the BC). For many travelers to Iran, staying in tourism official announced on Sunday. of Persian architecture, which emerged iwans and the corner passages are three or even visiting a centuries-old caravanserai According to Encyclopedia Iranica, coins and coinage, stan- across the Silk Roads. Experts say that travelers coming from the most diverse shallow alcoves opening onto three small can be a wide experience as they have an dardized units of metal used as a medium of exchange, were first the caravanserai offers a unique venue for cultures. chambers (making for a total of six on each opportunity to feel the past, a time travel introduced into Persia by the Achaemenid Darius I (521-486 BC). exchanging goods and traditions among All four of the historic structure side of the courtyard). The octagonal domed back into a forgotten age.

Vast tourism complex under construction near Tehran TOURISM TEHRAN – A vast tourism complex ed by a miasma of air pollution. This is the nation’s deskis being constructed in Pakdasht, near dynamic beating heart and the place to get a handle the Iranian capital, Pakdasht’s tourism chief has said. on modern Iran and what its future will likely be. The project is expected to create 330 job oppor- The metropolis has many to offer its visitors in- tunities directly, Asadollah Tajik added. cluding , Grand Bazaar, Treasury of Before modern times the Persian economy consisted of a The complex, which covers an area of 3,200 square National Jewels, , Glass & conglomeration of regional economies, each with a mint and a meters, includes a traditional restaurant, traditional Ceramic Museum, Masoudieh Palace, Sarkis Cathe- currency system geared to local commerce, rather than an inte- bathhouse, flower market, conference halls, museums, dral, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Carpet grated national economy. For this reason, it is more sensible to and accommodation units, the official explained. Museum of Iran, to name a few. study changes in the output (weight, fineness) of a single mint The project is scheduled to be completed within The first time Tehran is mentioned in historical over time, rather than trying to arrive at an estimation of a non- the next five years, he said. accounts is in an 11th-century chronicle in which it existent national norm. He also noted that establishing such complexes is described as a small village north of Ray. It be- could boost tourism in the region. came the capital city of the in the Hugging the lower slopes of the magnificent, snow- 11th century but later declined with factional strife Travel destinations: Kolah- capped Alborz Mountains, Tehran is much more than File photo depicts construction workers at a building site between different neighborhoods and the Mongol Farangi Mansion a chaotic jumble of concrete and crazy traffic blanket- in Tehran. invasion of 1220.

TOURISM Kolah-Farangi Mansion is one of the most gor- deskgeous tourist attractions in Rasht. The structure is located on the southern side of Mohtasham Garden (also known Historical watermill starts rotating once again as the City Park). The history of Mohtasham Garden dates back to the Qajar era TOURISM TEHRAN – An un- debris removal took some three years to Iran’s top tourist destinations for good (1789–1925), particularly to the time when Nasser al-din Shah Qajar deskderground watermill, be completed, the official said. reasons. ruled Iran. Akbar khan Biglarbegi, who was one of the rulers of Gilan, which is located in the village of Tiran, Watermills were typically constructed Isfahan is filled with architectural won- started the construction of this garden and when he passed away, his Isfahan province, has been fully restored by the then design requirements for in- ders such as unmatched Islamic buildings, daughter inherited it. She married her cousin, Sadegh Khan Mohtasham to be a new destination for sightseers and stance they featured -shaped roofs bazaars, museums, , and al-Molk, and therefore, the garden was called Mohtasham Garden. history buffs. with high-enough vestibules to allow cam- tree-lined boulevards. It’s a city for walk- A unique feature of this building is that it looks like a three-story Dating back to the late Qajar era, the els or other livestock to move back and ing, getting lost in its mazing bazaars, building from the outside but it has four stories. There are two rooms watermill is situated near the seasonal forth with ease to convey grains or flour. dozing in beautiful gardens, and meeting on both the first and the second floor. river of Morghab that is one of the con- Soaked in a rich history, Isfahan was people. It has long been nicknamed as stituent elements of the historical core once a crossroads of international trade Nesf-e-Jahan which is translated into “half of Tiran, a local official said on Saturday. and diplomacy in Iran during the 16th of the world”, suggesting that seeing it The restoration project that included and 17th centuries, and now it is one of is equivalent to seeing half of the world.

Arts of ancient Iran: Axe inscribed with the name of King Untash-Napirisha TOURISM TEHRAN – The pictured Iranian next to it dedicated to Kiririsha, as well as one to deskhatchet inscribed with the name . Later, he changed his mind and turned of Untash-Napirisha is dedicated to the goddesses the latter into a large ziggurat dominating this site Ishnikarab and Kiririsha. where the country’s guardian deities - Napirisha, The object was found in Tchoga Zanbil, in the the god of the upper regions, and Inshushinak, the On the upper floor, there is a large octagonal room that has windows temple of Ishnikarab near the great ziggurat con- god of the Susian plain - were worshipped. Kiririsha on every side. During different seasons of the year, these windows secrated by the king to Inshushinak and Napirisha. was the “Great Goddess,” the “Great Wife,” and the provided lightning and good ventilation. This building was used as It is currently kept at the Louvre museum in Paris. “Mother of Gods.” She was also the “Protector of the summer residence for the rulers of Rasht, and then in the reign of This type of weapon, with the axe blade emerging Kings.” Reza Shah Pahlavi, it was changed to the City Park and was opened from the mouth of an animal - usually a lion - is in The weapon belongs to a tradition introduced in for public use. Nowadays it is being used as the center of preservation keeping with the tradition in the early 2nd millennium the late 3rd millennium BC: namely, votive axes with and instruction of the local arts of Gilan province. BC. An electrum figurine of a wild boar decorates blades emerging from the mouth of a wild animal, The construction materials of Kolah-Farangi Mansion are brick the side of the hatchet. decorated with an animal on the collar. A reclining and wood, and its roof is made of clay. All around the building on Famous for his victorious campaigns against boar - an image commonly found in the region - is the first floor is a porch and on the second floor is a wooden balcony. Babylon, King Untash-Napirisha dedicated many here featured on the heel of the blade, which appears The delicate decorations of the mansion such as wooden lion weapons in stone and precious metals to Elamite to be “spewed forth” from the mouth of a lion. Oth- heads, carved columns, and beautiful balcony railings have made divinities, the principal ones being Inshushinak, er weapons such as daggers and swords have been this structure an attractive and unique monument. Napirisha, and Kiririsha, according to the Louvre’s found in graves in Lurestan. These arms were often Sophisticated Rasht, capital of Gilan province, has long been a Department of Near Eastern Antiquities. sovereign’s name on this object in Elamite was an inscribed with the name of a monarch, as is the case weekend escape for residents of Tehran who are looking to sample Ishnikarab is associated with these three divinities. assertion of the linguistic identity of the kingdom, in the Foroughi Collection. Often made of precious the famous local cuisine and hoping for some pluvial action – it’s the Although the feminine character of Ishnikarab has which formed one of its underlying foundations. These metals, these were not made for battle, but were in- largest, and wettest town in the northern region. Gilan is divided into a been questioned, she would appear to have been the offerings suggest the warrior nature of Kiririsha. signia of dignity presented to high-ranking officials. coastal plain including the large delta of Sefid Rud and adjacent parts wife of Inshushinak. King Untash-Napirisha founded a new religious UNESCO says that Tchogha Zanbil is the largest of the Alborz mountain range. In making his gift, the king placed himself under capital, Al-Untash Napirisha (present-day Tchoga ziggurat outside of Mesopotamia and the best pre- Bounded by the Caspian Sea and the Republic of Azerbaijan on the protection of the two goddesses, Ishnikarab and Zanbil), on the road linking the two principal centers served of this type of stepped pyramidal monument. the north, Gilan, in the far past, was within the sphere of influence of Kiririsha. At the time, the unification of the upper of the kingdom, Anshan and . In the middle of Tchogha Zanbil was excavated in six seasons between the successive Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid empires and lower regions was uncertain, and the unity of this “holy city” was a small temple dedicated to the 1951 and 1961 by Roman Ghirshman, a Russian-born that ruled Iran until the 7th century CE. the Elamite empire fragile. The inscription of the goddess Ishnikarab. Untash-Napirisha built a temple French archeologist who specialized in ancient Iran. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y MAY 11, 2021 SOCIETY 7

Some $766m proposed to IRCS inaugurates 5,400 ‘crescent houses’ nationwide

1 In 2005, the IRCS received the Henry Davison Award drought management projects for outstanding humanitarian services, and the IRCS initiative of volunteers was selected as the best project (out of 50 projects ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN – A total of 3.2 Watershed management is a solution from 45 national societies), by the General Assembly of the In- desktrillion rials (nearly $766 to strengthen the ecosystem in the face of ternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) subsequent droughts by penetrating rainfall has been proposed for drought management into the ground. projects with the priority given to the imme- Wet spell or still short of rain? diate supply of fresh water in urban areas Rainfall extremes over the past three years across the country. slowly questioned the conception that Iran is Due to the significant decrease in precip- experiencing a long-term drought and some itation in the current water year (September of the experts announced that a wet spell will 23, 2020) compared to the same period embrace the country. previous years, a proposal to provide credit So, some experts claimed that Iran has to compensate for the drought damage and entered a period of a wet spell after experi- water shortage management throughout encing dry spells over the past few decades, the country was sent to the Planning and some others highly rejected the claim implying Budget Organization, Esmail Najjar, the that the country faced a lack of rain by 50mm head of the Crisis Management Organiza- over the past 5 decades. World Red Cross Day tion, said on Monday. Climate disruption or global climate dis- May 8th marks the birthday anniversary of Henry Dunant who The proposal to allocate 3.2 trillion ri- ruption, is the new term scientists are using was at the origin of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent als (nearly $766 million) has been made, to explain the extreme fluctuations that can Movement. Each year, members of the International Movement which after approval will be spent to provide and will occur to our weather systems as organize various events on this occasion to commemorate the water supply to drought-ridden cities, as anthropogenic-caused carbon dioxide and unique and vital role that this Movement plays to help affected well as improving water quality, he stated, other greenhouse gases increase in our atmos- people all across the world. IRNA reported. the data released by the Ministry of Energy. country received normal rainfall last year. phere, the oceans get warmer, and weather The International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Rainfall drops by 54% Over the past water year (September Given that Iran is an arid and semi-arid events go wild. is a worldwide humanitarian network with today 11.6 million Precipitation in Iran amounted to 127.8 2019-September 2020), the country received region, the rainfall rate is low, in other words, The report regrets that climate disruption volunteers and more than 450,000 staff members. This global millimeters from the beginning of the current 279.3 mm of rainfall. the fluctuations of rainfall vary significantly will be continuing as climate change is on the network paves the ground for the activities of the Movement in water year (September 22, 2020) until April Earlier in April, Abolghasem Hossein- from year to year, he added. rise and it calls on taking proper and effective more than 190 countries in the world. 24, which demonstrates a 54 percent decline pour, director of flood control at Forests, Over the last two years, Iran was doused measures to alleviate the adverse effects of The Movement is composed of three main pillars, namely the compared to the same period last [Iranian Rangelands, and Watershed Management with rain which was unprecedented during climate change on the country. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Interna- calendar] year. Organization said that Iran will probably the past 50 years, but last year, unfortu- In fact, experiencing two or three consec- tional Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), In comparison with the long-term average experience drought over the current [Irani- nately, the country faced drought, which utive years of rainy days cannot ensure that and around 190 Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies. (52 years), rainfall dropped by 41 percent an calendar] year (began on March 21), as shows a 40 percent decrease in rainfall, drought no longer hits the country, but then over the aforementioned period, according to only four provinces out of 31 provinces of the he explained. it may enter a multi-year drought. Humans already have the Iran to likely receive 10m doses of COVID-19 vaccine by early June tools to combat climate SOCIETY TEHRAN – Iran will receive about on March 29. change but we lack leadership desk10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine Meanwhile, a vaccine developed by the Razi Vaccine by early June if the supply process goes on according to and Serum Research Institute (Razi Cov Pars) is expected When it comes to the political will and leadership needed to drive schedule, Sadeq Tabrizi, a health ministry official, said to become the second Iranian-made vaccine to be ad- the world towards a sustainable future, I’m a pessimist. Time on Monday. ministered among the population in early August; which and time again, I’ve heard rhetoric from politicians focusing on A new shipment of the vaccine including 1.5 million started the clinical trial on February 27. short-term goals at the expense of planning for the future. In doses will arrive in Iran on Thursday, he announced. Iran has also successfully completed the first phase of 2021, the mainstream media promote responsible journalism By mid-June, the domestically produced vaccine will the human trial for Fakhra vaccine, the third domesti- and take a hard line with climate deniers. Many journalists hold be provided to the Ministry of Health, and the Iran-Cuba cally developed COVID-19 vaccine, named after nuclear governments to account over climate change goals. However, vaccine and the COVIRAN Barekat vaccine will also be scientist (he was assassinated in hard scientific data is often still manipulated and cherrypicked approved and start mass production. November 2020 near Tehran), that was unveiled and by politicians. I’ve spoken to many and liken the experience to “It is predicted that by the end of June, we will have started the clinical trial on March 16. walking through treacle. at least two domestically produced Iranian vaccines, and “Osvid-19”, the fourth domestic vaccine produced Does their bland decision-making have to do with the struc- after that, in addition to the foreign vaccine, which will by Osvah Pharmaceutical Company is also under- ture of democracy itself, with its short electoral terms and lack of not be in large numbers, we will speed up vaccination going human trials, which will also be available in incentives for incumbent politicians to make hard and binding by the homegrown ones,” he explained. candidates, several foreign vaccines have already been early September. decisions for the decades ahead? So far, about 3.2 million doses of vaccines have been imported and others are expected soon. New cases and mortalities As I look around and see New Zealand’s highways, jammed with imported, including Sputnik V from Russia, COVAX- Iran is currently producing vaccines jointly with three In a press briefing on Monday, Health Ministry’s huge diesel trucks and ever-increasing numbers of petrol-powered IN from , AstraZeneca from South Korea, and a countries of Cuba, Russia, and Australia, which may also spokesperson, Sima-Sadat Lari, confirmed 18,408 new SUVs and cars, I feel dread. It doesn’t have to be this way. What Chinese vaccine. be released by September. cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number is it about living on a finite planet that humans either don’t or According to the Ministry of Health, some 1,378,744 Domestic vaccines of infections to 2,673,219. She added that 2,127,192 pa- won’t understand, after all the studies and warnings show that people have received the first dose of vaccine and 276,667 COVIRAN BAREKAT, the first coronavirus vaccine tients have so far recovered, but 5,533 remain in critical continuing in this way leads to the inevitable collapse of the people have received the second dose. The total number of made by Iranian researchers, started the third phase of conditions of the disease. planet’s ecosystems? injected vaccines in the country reached 1,655,411 doses. the human trial in early May by being administrated to During the past 24 hours, 351 patients have lost their When you look at the true cost of the damage to the atmosphere, Mass vaccination against COVID-19 started on Ira- 20,000 people. lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 75,261, politicians’ claims that action on carbon reduction is too expensive nian citizens with the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine Developed by researchers at the Headquarters for Ex- she added. become bizarre. When we burn fossil fuels, we’ve never factored on February 9. ecuting the Order of the Imam, the vaccine was unveiled So far, 17,206,735 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have in the ultimate cost of the damage to the atmosphere caused by While Iran continues efforts to mass-produce local on December 29, 2020, and started to be mass-produced been performed in the country. excess CO2. In many countries, if you pollute a waterway, you have to clean it up or pay a substantial fee for the damage – that cost has to be factored in to the cost of running your business. In the case of emitting CO2 into the atmosphere, you can do that Smuggled goods worth $70m confiscated for little or no upfront and immediate cost. Are we offended by people polluting waterways because it is literally in your face SOCIETY TEHRAN – Some 2.9 and Sale of State-owned Properties of country, according to the Headquarters for desktrillion rials (nearly $70 Iran, and the smugglers were arrested Combating the Smuggling of Commodities whereas CO2 is a transparent gas? million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) and handed over to the judicial author- and Foreign Exchange. For most of the last few decades I have been disappointed with worth of smuggled goods have been seized ities, he explained. According to some reports, over ten the lack of action on carbon emissions reductions by politicians. across the country. President Hassan Rouhani has urged a million liters of gasoline are smuggled But on the other hand, I’m very optimistic when it comes to the The first phase of a nationwide plan systematic fight against smuggling “from out of Iran on a daily basis, adding up to extraordinary ingenuity of human beings. We already have the to intensify the fight against smuggling the start to the endpoint”, citing the fight as 3.65 billion liters every year. Other reports tools to combat climate change. The last two decades have seen goods was implemented across the country a key factor in improving Iran’s economy put the number higher. On December massive advances in renewable energy electricity generation to last week, Mohammad Reza Moghimi, the in July 2019. 19, 2018, a government spokesman said the point where these sources are now cheaper than equivalent police chief, said on Monday. Rouhani said while Iran is under every day 11.5 million liters of gasoline coal-burning power plants, even before the cost of damage to Under the plan, police detectives iden- sanctions, extra care should be given to are smuggled out of Iran. Ali Adyani, the atmosphere is taken into account. The International Ener- tified the location of the depot through stopping the smuggling of “hard-won” a member of the Iranian Parliament’s gy Agency (IEA) reported that, in 2019, almost 30% of OECD round-the-clock efforts and specialized currency. Energy Committee has quoted various same as the country’s annual develop- electricity was met by renewable sources including hydro, solar, actions, he explained. Every year, $20-25 billion are smug- sources as putting the figure at 10, 15, ment budget. wind, biomass and geothermal. He went on to say that essential goods gled in and out of the country, which, if and even 20 million liters a day. In addition to gasoline smuggling, other worth 2.9 trillion rials (nearly $70 million) stopped, will create hundreds of thousands Mohammad Hassan Nejad, another fuels such as kerosene and diesel are also have been discovered and 1,152 criminals of jobs, Hassan Norouzi, a member of the member of the committee, says the smug- smuggled; not in lesser quantities. LET’S LEARN PERSIAN and 690 vehicles were arrested during the Parliament, said. gled fuel amounts to 22 million liters per In June 2020, the first phase of the implementation of the plan. In the Iranian calendar year 1396 (March day. With a 50 cent per liter profit, the national anti-smuggling plan has been (Part 180) (Source: saadifoundation.ir) The discovered goods were handed 2017-March 2018), $12 billion was smug- total daily income adds up to 400 trillion implemented with the priority of customs, over to the Organization for Collection gled into Iran and $900 million out of the rials annually or $3.3 billion, nearly the tobacco, and transit goods nationwide.

ENGLISH IN USE LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION Educational projects worth $330m افتتاح ۱۴۰۰ میلیارد تومان پروژه آموزشی to be inaugurated رئیــس ســازمان نوســازی، توســعه و تجهیــز مــدارس کشــور گفــت ۱۰۱۵ پروژه A total of 1,015 educational projects worth 14 trillion rials (nearly آموزشــی بــا اعتبــاری بــه میــزان۱۴۰۰ میلیــارد تومــان در سراســر کشــور بــه million) will be inaugurated across the country, Mehrollah $330 بهرهبــرداری می رســد. ,Rakhshanimehr, director of the organization for renovation development, and equipment of schools, has announced. بــه گــزارش ایســنا، مهراله رخشــانی مهــر افــزود ایــن پــروژه هــا طــی 10 روز آینــده و The projects will be inaugurated by the next 10 days, on the occasion بــه مناســبت چهلویکمیــن ســالگرد پیــروزی انقــاب اســامی افتتــاح خواهند شــد. of the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, he stated, ISNA بــه گفتــه او، ایــن پــروژه هــا شــامل ۴۱۶۸ کلس درس، ۱۱ اســتخر، و reported on Sunday. ۳۲ ســالن ورزشــی هســتند. ,According to Rakhshanimehr, the projects include 4,168 classrooms رخشــانی مهــر ادامــه داد تاکنــون در ســال ۹۸ حــدود ۱۴ هــزار کلس .swimming pools, and 32 gyms 11 درس افتتــاح شــده اســت در حالیکــه در ســال ۹۷ حــدود ۱۰ هــزار About 14,000 classrooms have been built so far this year (started کلس افتتــاح شــده بــود. .March 21, 2019), compared with some 10,000 last year, he concluded Prayer Times Noon:13:01 Evening: 20:19 Dawn: 4:25 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 6:02 (tomorrow) MAY 11, 2021 ART&CULTURE I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y www.tehrantimes.com Managing Director: Mohammad Shojaeian Editor-in-Chief: Ali A.Jenabzadeh Book on Gen. Soleimani’s role in Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051430 regional developments published Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 CULTURE TEHRAN – A book General Soleimani has been the subject Printed at: Jame Jam Bartar Borna - 44197737 deskrecently published by of numerous books published following an Iranian center for strategic studies the martyrdom of the chief of IRGC Quds gives an analytical insight into the key Force in a U.S. in Baghdad on Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimes79 role Lieutenant-General Qassem Soleimani January 3, 2020. played in regional developments in West Mohsen Saleh, a Lebanese associate No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran Asia during the 2000s and 2010s. professor of modern and contemporary P.o. Box: 14155-4843 “In Line with Qasim” released by the Arab history, has authored “Vanquisher Zip Code: 1599814713 Sazane Nur Institute for Strategic of America” on the commander. Studies was introduced during a meeting The book has been published by Tamkin in Tehran on Sunday. Publications in Beirut to commemorate the Author Sadollah Zarei attending the commander’s first martyrdom anniversary. meeting held at IRNA office pointed to Saleh, a former head of the Department of the assassination of General Soleimani by History and Civilization at the International the U.S. government, and said, “Israel and Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), the U.S. supposed that they could inflict is currently the general manager of serious damage on the resistance front by Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and the assassination.” Consultations in Beirut. GUIDE TO “However, the U.S. could not achieve In addition “Sincerity-Centered SPIRITUAL AWAKENING any of its goals; remained in Leadership: The Essence of the School Lebanon; Syria managed to alleviate its of Shahid Soleimani” was released by the 13. He who is deserted by friends and relatives will often economic crisis; Iraq was able to tackle its Raahdan Publishing House in Tehran in find help and sympathy from strangers. problems. Therefore, Martyr Soleimani is February. Cover of the book “In Line with Qasim” by Sadollah Zarei. Imam Ali (AS) still alive and his influence still continues Written by Seyyed Mohammad in the region,” he added. regional military organizations were in Zarei also announced Andisheh Moqimi, a management professor at the He went on to say, “General Soleimani contact with him, sending him numerous Sazane Nur Institute for Strategic University of Tehran, the book gives a was recognized as the firm basis of security military reports as he made responses to Studies’ plan to translate the book into scientific analysis of General Soleimani’s in West Asia as many international and the reports and they regarded his replies.” Arabic and English. leadership qualities. Brooklyn Film Festival to screen “The Tank” from Iran Turkish translation of “Inquests about Palestine” ready to be published ARTTEHRAN – Iranian short “The Tank” deskwill have its U.S. premiere during the 24th He made the remarks during a webinar organized Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, Brooklyn Film Festival, which will take place from June 4 to 13. by the Iranian Culture Center in to discuss about Palestine. Starring Nader Fallah, the narrative has been directed by translations and publications on the issue of Palestine The writer delves into recent developments and the Mojtaba Purabdollah. last Friday. Islamic awakening in West Asia in the final chapter. The film is about, Abolfazl a 10-year-old boy who lives in Bandidarya said, “I have translated more than 300 Another speaker at the webinar was Aydin Altai, a an apartment upon the roof of which is a tank of water that books from Persian into Turkish,” citing “Inquests Turkish writer and researcher, who commented on the supplies the water of the building. He along with his friends about Palestine” as his most recent translation work. issue of Palestinian book publications and distribution, go on the roof to swim in the tank as a hobby. One day Abolfazl Kurosh Moqtaderi, the Iranian cultural attaché stating that he has carefully studied the views of Imam closes the lid of the tank while Mohammad is in it. in , also attending the webinar, stressed the Khomeini. Screenwriter and filmmaker Bruno Derlin and filmmaker importance of the Palestinian issue. He said, “Resistance is the central core of Imam Rick Gomez are the jury members of the short narrative film “Quds is the first of Muslims that has been Khomeini’s discourse.” competition. occupied by Zionists since 1948,” he said in the webinar, “The necessity of identifying the enemy caused him The organizer of the festival is the Brooklyn Film Society, Author Zahra Mostafavi attends a meeting the publisher which was held to commemorate International Quds to name the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan which is a non-profit organization missioned to provide a organized in Tehran on September 20, 2018 to introduce Day. as International Quds Day,” Altai added. public forum in Brooklyn in order to advance public interest her book “Inquests about Palestine”. Referring to publications on the Palestinian issue, The Turkish author and researcher further in films and the independent production of films. Moqtaderi added: “Several books on this issue have emphasized the importance of compiling and translating Themed “The Clearing”, the 2021 edition of the festival CULTURE TEHRAN – Esmaeil Bandidarya so far been translated from various languages into valuable works about Palestine in order to convey the will include both virtual and in-person components. deskhas recently completed translating Turkish”. realities to the audience. The festival will premiere 140 films that will actually be Iranian writer Zahra Mostafavi’s book “Inquests about The book consists of several articles and research The original book “Inquests about Palestine” was viewable online and a shorter lineup that New Yorkers can Palestine” into Turkish and it is ready to be published works on the issue of occupied Palestine. One of the first published by First Qibla Publications as its first catch in-person at Windmill Studios in Greenpoint. in the near future. main chapters of the book discusses the viewpoints of Persian edition in 2013.

Nezami’s Leili and Majnun, Iran, Finland working on co-production heroism of sentiment Par 2 “Layers of Lies” As well as being engagingly written, the poem also has a strong moral undertone, depicting the way mundane and ARTTEHRAN – Iran and Sinisalo. of films Iranian filmmakers have made desk earthly love are transfigured into a sublime spiritual force. and Finland are Earlier in 2018, the Cinema along with foreign partners. Nezami operates at the boundary of the profane and collaborating in an action movie entitled Organization of Iran (COI), where the “Beyond the Clouds” is Majidi’s first mystic, although he leans more towards mystical concepts. “Layers of Lies”. major policies for Iranian cinema are India-set movie whose story is set in One important aspect of love the poet shows is that a pure Ramin Sohrab is the director of the made, announced its plan to extend the Mumbai’s impoverished underclass. project, which has been written by Sohrab, country’s overseas collaboration on film He made the movie in 2017 in mystical and God-centered love creates havoc when focused “Layers of Lies” by Ramin Sohrab. on an object in a human society and in an earthly setting. Amir-Hossein Makui, Joe Leone and Sami production. collaboration with the Indian companies, Through the character of Majnun as an ideal lover who Laulajainen. Over the past few years, a number Zee Studios and Namah Pictures. As the first co-production between becomes entirely absorbed by love, Nezami skillfully shows In “Layers of Lies”, an ex-fireman of Iranian cineastes have begun joint “Yeva”, a co-production between Iran and America, “1st Born” lays out how the lover’s situation and condition correspond to those returns to his home country Iran after productions with several overseas Iran’s Farabi Cinema Foundation and its comic plot on the difficult relations of an ascetic; indeed, asceticism is given as an alternative. a decade-long absence, only to have his companies after they acknowledged the the National Cinema Center of , between Iran and the U.S. When Majnun’s character is viewed as an ascetic, he observes old enemy resurface and steal away what need for collaboration in the international was shot in Armenia. The story of the comedy is also entirely the basic principles of abstinence such as celibacy, mortification, he treasures most - and now he’ll stop at arena. The film, which was Armenia’s set in the U.S. with an all-American cast. silence, seclusion, sleep deprivation and avoidance of food. nothing to exact revenge. “Beyond the Clouds” by Majid Majidi, submission to the 90th Academy Awards Iran also pursues film projects with In pictorial presentations, Majnun is depicted as an The crew is taking final scenes of the “Yeva” by Anahid Abad and “1st Born” in the best foreign-language film category, companies in Serbia, China, Malaysia, emaciated ascetic. Nezami shows that the experiences of a movie starring Sonja Farling, Antti Reini by Ali Atshani are the latest examples narrates a melodrama set in the country. Japan and several other countries. lover and of an ascetic are similar, except that an ascetic acts intentionally whereas a lover is afflicted by the force of love. In the prologue and epilogue, Nezami imparts pieces of advice to the reader about various themes including life’s transience, George Eliot’s “The Mill on the Floss” published in Persian death, humility, etc. The popularity of the theme following Nezami’s Leili and CULTURE TEHRAN – English writer George Eliot’s and moving. desk Majnun. Poetic citations ascribed to Majnun, and anecdotes 1860 novel “The Mill on the Floss” has The story was adapted as a film, “The Mill on the Floss”, about his love occur in Persian and Arabic texts before the recently been published in Persian in Tehran. in 1937, and as a BBC series in 1978 starring Christopher appearance of Nezami’s romance. But Nezami’s Leili and Neyestan is the publisher of the book translated by Blake, Pippa Guard, Judy Cornwell, Ray Smith and Anton Majnun changed the image of Majnun decisively from the Lida Tarzi. Lesser. twelfth century onwards. Brought up at Dorlcote Mill, Maggie Tulliver worships Mary Ann Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, Despite its simple structure and plot, the romance is among her brother Tom and is desperate to win the approval was also a translator and one of the leading writers of the the most imitated works in Persian, and in other languages of her parents, but her passionate, wayward nature and Victorian era. under Persian cultural and literary influence, such as Pashto, her fierce intelligence bring her into constant conflict She was born in 1819 at a farmstead in Nuneaton, Urdu, Kurdish, and the Turkic languages. with her family. Warwickshire, England, where her father was estate Nezami’s Leili and Majnun has been translated into many As she reaches adulthood, the clash between manager. Mary Ann, the youngest child and a favorite of languages. The English reception of this story in the eighteenth their expectations and her desires is painfully her father’s, received a good education for a young woman century was indirect, usually based on translations of an played out as she finds herself torn between her of her day. Influenced by a favorite governess, she became imitation of Nezami’s romance. relationships with three very different men: her a religious evangelical as an adolescent. Sir William Jones (1746-94) introduced Nezami to the proud and stubborn brother, a close friend who Her first published work was a religious poem. Through English world in several of his publications. He did not translate is also the son of her family’s worst enemy, and a a family friend, she was exposed to Charles Hennell’s “An any of Nezami’s romances, but did publish a Persian edition charismatic but dangerous suitor. Inquiry into the Origins of Christianity”. of Hatefi’s Leili and Majnun in 1788. With its poignant portrayal of sibling relationships, Her 1872 work “Middlemarch” has been described by This version of the romance became a source of inspiration “The Mill on the Floss” is considered George Eliot’s most Front cover of the Persian translation of George Eliot’s Martin Amis and Julian Barnes as the greatest novel in for Isaac D’Israeli (1766-1848), who made an adaptation in autobiographical novel; it is also one of her most powerful novel “The Mill on the Floss”. the English language. English. D’Israeli’s work was later put into the opera Kais, or Love in the Deserts: An Opera in Four Acts by William Reeve, which was performed in London at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. Iranian vocalist Abdolvahab Shahidi dies at 99 Louis Aragon (1897-1982), one of the leading representatives of the Surrealist movement, bemoaned his love for his beloved 1 Born in Meimeh, a small town near many top musicians. and virtuoso Hassan Nahid. in Le Fou d’Elsa (1963). the central Iranian city of Isfahan, he began In his collections, Shahidi worked with In his brief speech at the ceremony, Aragon’s version was based on Jami’s Leili and Majnun, learning songs and playing the oud and santur great composers and performers of his time Shajarian said, “I always hid myself behind again an imitation of Nezami’s version. The first translation from maestro Esmaeil Mehrtash. such as Jalil Shahnaz, Faramarz Paivar, Ali- this great man and I always learned from of the romance was an abridged verse rendition by James His love of playing oud led him to Asghar Bahari, , Rahmatollah him how artistic behavior must be.” Atkinson published in 1836; this has been reprinted several compose the albums “The Mystery of Oud” Badiei, Hassan Nahis and Mohammad Nahid briefly expressed his respect for times (1894, 1915). and “Farewell My Oud”. Esmaeili. Shahidi and said that he has seen nothing In recent decades, several translations, adaptations and He recorded ten albums, the last of which The Persian literary monthly Bokhara but kindness from Shahidi. performances of this romance have appeared in English, of was “I Can’t Live My Life in Solitude without in collaboration with Iran’s House of Music “Shahidi is the image of a musician I always which those by Rudolf Gelpke (originally in German) and You” in 2014. honored Shahidi in May 2015 for his lifetime wanted to be: a high-minded man without Colin Turner should be mentioned. With over 230 performances, Shahidi was achievements during a ceremony, which greed. He gave me this hope that one can (Source: Encyclopedia Iranica ) Iranian vocalist Abdolvahab Shahidi in the most prolific singer in Golha, a professional was attended by numerous top musicians, possess pure art, be a generous and kind Concluded an undated photo. music program of Tehran Radio that had including vocalist Mohammadreza Shajarian person and do worthy artwork,” he added.