WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 Pages Price 50,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 43rd year No.13942 Saturday MAY 15, 2021 Ordibehesht 25, 1400 Shawwal 3, 1442 IRGC destroys Alekno invites NPC’s plan for Friday mosque of terrorist group 17 players to Iran diversifying petchem Damghan undergoes Page 2 for 2021 VNL Page 3 products underway Page 4 restoration Page 6 Rouhani calls on Muslim countries to defend Palestine TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has urged Muslim countries to support the Palestinian people in the face of Israeli aggression. In a phone conversation with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Thursday, the Iranian president under- lined the need for unity and cooperation See page 3 among Islamic countries in defending the Palestinian people. Continued on page 3 Development projects worth $1.47b inaugurated in free trade, special economic zones TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday inaugurated numerous projects valued at 62 trillion rials (about $1.47 bil- lion) in the free trade and special economic zones of five different provinces across the country in an online event. Put into operation following the series of inaugurations started in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20), the said projects were based in the free trade and special economic zones of East Azarbaijan, Khuzestan, Alborz, Hormozgan, and Sis- tan-Baluchestan provinces. Continued on page 4 “That Day” chronicles Gen. Soleimani’s meeting with “The 23” crew Photo Illustration by Bahman Vakhshour TEHRAN – The Owj Arts and Media Organization has recently produced a documentary named “That Day” that gives images of Lieutenant-General Qa- ssem Soleimani’s meeting with the crew Tehran Times/ Tehran Times/ of the 2018 war drama “The 23”. Continued on page 8 The way the UN Britain’s historic responsibility in the ethnic Hamas fires missiles at Israeli air base, two Iron is structured it cleansing of Palestine Dome stations, chemical factory cannot be a force BY BATOUL SBEITY and increase its colonial control, it needed to The Palestinian Islamic Resistance movement ing in the city of Ashkelon, with no immediate Imperialist and Zionist aspirations meet create a military base that serves as an extension Hamas says it has targeted the Israeli regime’s report of casualties, Al Jarmaq news reported. for defending By 1913, the British Empire was the largest to of its foreign policy in the strategic location of Iron Dome stations and an Israeli air base which Rocket sirens were heard in Ashdod, Sderot have ever existed, covering 25% of the world’s the Middle East (West Asia). is used by Israeli warplanes to bombard civilian and the Sha’ar Hanegev region after a night of Palestine: American land surface, including India, Yemen, Egypt, The Suez Canal, entering the Red Sea that targets in the besieged Gaza Strip. intense fighting. Sudan and most of the South and East African is located between Egypt and Palestine, was “We fired a volley of Sejjil missiles at the Hamas said it has launched at least 250 analyst continent. a critical location the British wanted control Hatzerim air base from which the occupation rockets into Israeli-occupied territories in The Zionist movement emerged during the over. Exports from across the globe would pass warplanes flew to bomb civilians in Gaza,” the the last few hours in response to the Israeli BY AMIR MOHAMMAD ESMAEILI beginning of the 19th century and espoused the through this canal, and many nations would Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military regime’s relentless aerial bombardment of yles Hoenig, an Ameri- formation of a nation-state for the Jewish com- fight for control and access to this region, in- wing, said in a statement on Thursday night, Gaza that has so far killed at least 119 Pales- can political analyst, be- munity. The Zionists were hunters for sources cluding Britain. according to Palestinian media. tinians, including 31 children and 19 women, M lieves that the situation of power in the world that could actualize their The nature of the strategic location, the history The group said it also attacked a chemical and injured 800 others. in Palestine is “desperate”, as vision of a Jewish homeland, and wherever the of the land, and the planting of a foreign entity factory in Nahal Oz kibbutz in the Negev desert On Thursday evening, Hamas said it targeted the U.S. is using its veto power imperialists place the Zionists, they will follow. at the heart of the much sought-after Arabian with Shihab suicide drones. two of Israel’s so-called Iron Dome stations, in the UN to prevent any kind of If we look back to the founding protocol of lands that could secure the Empire’s expan- The announcement followed an earlier state- located east of Khan Yunis and eastern Gaza, resolution in favor of the Pales- the Zionists, there was a discussion over the sionist agenda, made the land of Palestine an ment by Hamas that it had launched a number of with a number of rocket-propelled grenades. tinian people. creation of this Jewish homeland in British East ideal location for Britain to set up its military “suicide drones” carrying explosive payloads into Hebrew media reported later that the Iron “The way the UN is structured, it cannot Africa, as suggested by the founding father of base in the Middle East (West Asia). southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Domes’ batteries were hit by several rocket-pro- be a force for defending Palestine. With Zionism, Theodore Herzl, in 1903. The Balfour Declaration military claimed downing two such drones. pelled grenades, Roya News reported. the U.S. having such enormous veto pow- Britain recognized that in order to sustain Continued on page 5 A rocket from Gaza early on Friday hit a build- Continued on page 5 er, even resolutions calling for an end to hostilities are not permitted. With Trump in office, even with the U.S.’s veto power, many of the other major powers might have 1,401 birth certificates issued for children of Iranian mothers, foreign fathers Turkish rulers have had less reluctant to step in, but with Biden, TEHRAN – Birth certificates have so far been The first group obtained their Iranian nation- before the age of 18. These children, after reaching no way out but to turn it’s back to ‘normal’ with Palestine being issued to 1,401 children born to Iranian mothers ality and Iranian identity booklet (shenasnameh) the age of 18, can apply for Iranian citizenship if the ultimate loser,” tells Myles Hoenig, and foreign fathers, Seifollah Aboutorabi, the in November 2020. not requested by the mother, then will be granted towards Asia: Turkish who was a 2016 Green Party candidate National Organization for Civil Registration According to official figures, 28,000 children Iranian citizenship in case of no security problem. who sought election to the U.S. House to spokesman, said on Thursday. below the age of 18 years have filed applications The United Nations High Commissioner for attorney represent the 7th Congressional District Under a new nationality law, which was to receive birth certificates and a nationality. Refugees also has welcomed the law as a step of Maryland. amended in 2019, nearly 75,000 children at risk According the law, children of Iranian women toward reducing statelessness around the world. BY MOHAMMAD ALI SAKI The text of the interview is as follows: of becoming statelessness are eligible for Iranian and non-Iranian men who were born before or after UNICEF also welcomed the implementation TEHRAN - A Turkish lawyer calls for forming a How do you characterize the cur- citizenship which allows children under 18 years the law can be Iranian citizens in case the Iranian of the Iranian nationality law. regional bloc to confront the United States, claiming rent situation in Palestine? to apply for identity documents. mother requested if they have no security problem Continued on page 7 “it is not impossible to expect a normalization of The situation in Palestine is desperate Turkish-American relations.” but no less than any other time of such “It is necessary not only for Turkey but also for all troubles. A difference now is that there the powers in the region, to understand and analyze is much stronger support for Palestine, this situation, and act as a unified bloc against the especially in the U.S. for those who don’t United States in the regional crises,” Onur Sinan rely on mainstream media, and also es- Guzaltan tells the Tehran Times. pecially among American Jews (not the Many political observers expect Turkey-U.S. re- AIPAC crowd, though). Even though lations to deteriorate under the Biden presidency social media has been strong for quite a and Ankara is approaching Russia and China more few years, there seem to be more outlets than in the past. that are available to show the live-action, “The politic, security, and economic needs of on-the-ground atrocities being committed Turkey force Ankara to deepen ties with its neighbors by Israel. in West Asia, particularly with Russia and Iran,” Also, some leading institutions are Eid al-Fitr Sinan notes. showing a desire to be less obsequious Despite the power shift in the White House, it to the diktats of Israel. The Guardian of seems that the efforts to restore the relations between England recently published its shame prayers in the United States and Turkey will remain fruitless. over its support and facilitation of the The efforts to restore the relations with the Unit- Balfour Declaration.