WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 16 Pages Price 40,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13569 Wednesday JANUARY 1, 2020 Dey 11, 1398 Jumada Al Awwal 5, 1441 Germany has turned Rouhani inaugurates Kolakovic optimistic blind eye to U.S. illegal metro line worth $238m about securing spot interferences 3 in north-central Iran 4 at Olympics 15 See page 13 Iran’s 9-month trade balance positive TEHRAN – Iran’s non-oil trade with while the imports stood at $31.8 billion,” other countries registered a $100-million IRNA quoted Hamid Zadboum as saying Den of positive balance in the first nine months of on Tuesday. the current Iranian calendar year (March Mentioning the great potentials of the 21 – December 21), according to the head country’s neighbors for increasing exports, of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization Zadboum said: “According to TPO studies, (TPO). Iran’s 15 neighboring countries imported “In the first nine months of the current about $1.16 trillion of non-oil commodities espionage, year, our exports reached $31.9 billion in 2018.” 4 Zarif says Iran, China interested in terror expanding strategic ties TEHRAN — Foreign Minister Mohammad unilateral sanctions on Iran and urged Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that Iran and the international community to counter China have developed ties to strategic level unilateralism and support multilateralism. which shows the two countries are interest- For his part, Wang said Iran and China ed in expanding relations and interaction. should continue talks and consultations. During a meeting with Chinese Foreign During a press conference on Tuesday, sieged Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, Zarif said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng that China plays a very important role in Shuang said, “Wang noted that important international developments, especially changes are brewing surrounding the Ira- issues related to Iran. nian nuclear issue and the JCPOA is facing He condemned the United States’ severe challenges. 2 National unity newspaper comes into bookstores over 100 years after its publication TEHRAN — Copies of Ettehad News- titled “Ettehad Newspaper” (“Unity News- paper, a leading paper that sought na- paper”), publisher the National Library tional unity in the early years after and Archives of Iran (NLAI) announced the Constitutional Revolution (1905 on Tuesday. to 1911), have been published in a book The editions were published over a century after the publication between May 12, 1914 and May 4, of its first edition. 1915. Sheikh Musa Dastjerdi was the Eighty-two copies of the newspaper, license holder and manager of the which was published in two editions every newspaper. The license of the paper week, along with three special editions of was transferred to Seyyed Moham- the paper have been published in the book mad Yusefzadeh. 16 EDITORIAL Cuban envoy raps U.S. sanctions, urges continued resistance REPORT Mohammad Ghaderi TEHRAN (Tasnim) — Cuba’s ambassador to and we are opposing the abuse of politics and that the relations between Iran and Cuba would Faranak Bakhtiari Tehran Times editor-in-chief Tehran condemned the U.S. sanctions against unilateralism.” reach the highest level, and we would achieve Tehran Times journalist @ghaderi62 independent nations, including Iran, calling for Bandrich Vega also noted that a series of such perfect relations in spite of the distance efforts to maintain the anti-U.S. resistance. problems have obstructed the efforts to en- and the sanctions,” he added. In an interview with Tasnim in Tehran, Alexis hance the trade, economic and business coop- On the Trump administration’s decision The secret of U.S. Bandrich Vega expounded on his country’s policies eration between Tehran and Havana, saying, to roll back the Obama administration’s deal WHO keeps silent to counter the US, and highlighted the common “The economic war that the United States has with Cuba or the move to scrap the Joint Com- attacks on PMU values of the revolutions in Cuba and Iran. waged and has entangled all countries has also prehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Bandrich on U.S. sanctions Asked about the common revolutionary affected Cuba.” Vega said all American administrations pursue positions in al-Qa’im sentiments in Iran and Cuba and both nations’ According to the ambassador, Cuba’s main the same path, which is using every method affecting Iranian refusal to give in to the Western imperialism, the trade partners are Russia, Venezuela, China and to reach their goal. n an unprecedented move, which in- ambassador said, “The political relations between Vietnam, and they are working with Havana on “When Trump took power, his main purpose MPS patients dicates the beginning of direct conflict the two governments and nations are good, and the basis of a mid- and long-term plan. was to intensify the economic and trade sanctions between U.S.-Israeli coalition and the I we have a lot in common. Both countries are He also highlighted Cuba’s efforts to settle (on Cuba) and to mount violence against the he World Health Organization (WHO) axis of resistance, the U.S. attacked the working against imperialism. We have common its debts as soon as possible, maintain its unity country… This (US) administration is by no means has kept silent on supplying medicine bases related to Iraq’s Kata’ib Hezbollah, stances in various areas, from human rights to in all conditions, and find new solutions in a trustworthy, because lies and irresponsibility are Tneeded for Mucopolysaccharidosis near the al-Qa’im border crossing. The the United Nations (issues). constantly changing world. among its mechanisms, and in general, I can say (MPS) patients in Iran because of the move by the Americans reveals the U.S. “We have issued many statements against “One of the revolutionary tips that (late Cuban they (Americans) are not reliable.” sanctions imposed by the United States. desire to occupy Iraq and meet the interests the United States’ unilateral sanctions… In the leader) Fidel (Castro) taught us was that we should Cuba does not insist on negotiations with MPS are a group of metabolic disorders of the Zionist regime. areas that the Western countries are conducting think positively despite all problems, and we the US, but it is always ready for dialogue, the caused by the absence or malfunctioning considering the sensitive circumstances a propaganda campaign against us, we tried to should struggle and hope to overcome all prob- ambassador added, stressing that Havana has a of lysosomal enzymes needed to break in Iraq and increased concern by the Zionist down molecules called glycosaminogly- counteract them and observe multilateralism, lems. I also hold such a hope and positive attitude series of preconditions for talks. 11 regime over boosting the missile power cans (GAGs). of the axis of resistance, the Americans Individuals with MPS either do not targeted the bases that they knew were of produce enough of one of the eleven great importance for the axis of resistance. ‘U.S. attack on PMU aggression against sovereign Iraq’ enzymes required to break down these The beginning of a harsh re- TEHRAN (MNA) — Hailing PMU and behind the U.S. illegal act against an inde- Being questioned about the reasons sugar chains into simpler molecules, or sponse to U.S. aggressors other resistance groups’ role in challenging pendent country, the issue was discussed behind the U.S. attack on PMU, he re- they produce enzymes that do not work The U.S. intervention was directly aimed the U.S. policy in Iraq and Syria, American with American analyst and columnist Ste- iterated, “The U.S. is waging forever re- properly. at fulfilling the Israeli plans, as it could carry analyst and columnist Stephen Lendman phen Lendman. gional wars, inventing pretexts to keep Over time, these GAGs collect in the out the attacks elsewhere in Iraq. Choosing says U.S. attack on PMU is aggression against Commenting on the role of Iraq’s Popu- waging them.” cells, blood and connective tissues. The al-Qa’im as the target indicates that the raids sovereign Iraq. lar Mobilization Units (PMU) in foiling the Touching upon the illegitimacy of the result is permanent, progressive cellular were far beyond a reaction to the attacks U.S. forces launched deadly airstrikes U.S. plots for the country and the region, U.S. attack on a sovereign country, he damage which affects appearance, physical on the K1 base in Kirkuk, suggesting that against Kata’ib Hezbollah bases, which is Lendman said, “The PMUs and other resist- added, “I’m sure they’ll be more incidents abilities, organ and system functioning, the strategic phase of confrontation of the part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units ance groups in Iraq, Syria and throughout like Sunday’s. They’re aggression against and, in most cases, mental development. two sides has begun. (PMU), on Sunday night, claiming that the the region are important to challenge the sovereign Iraq and Syria, and of course, On November 17, Iran’s Health Min- Although, the Israelis were deeply attacks have been in response to alleged hostile U.S. presence in the region where U.S. proxy war on Iran goes on by incidents ister Saeed Namaki in separate letters pleased by the attacks, the U.S. Arab allies, attacks targeting U.S. and coalition forces. they’ll never be peace as long as Pentagon like days of riots, violence, vandalism, and to UN Secretary-General António Gu- with the exception of the Khalifa family To know more about the real reasons forces remain.” chaos last month.” terres, United Nations Children’s Fund that strongly backed the move, remained (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta silent in the face of extreme backlash by H.