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12 Pages Price 50,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 42nd year No.13695 Saturday JUNE 27, 2020 Tir 7, 1399 Dhi Al Qada 5, 1441

Envoy highlights Rostock Seawolves “Walnut Tree” exhibit to Today marks martyrdom U.S. failure in complete signing of observe anniversary of anniversary of Ayatollah Beheshti and 72 members of the Islamic Republic Party in 3 11 12 anti-Iran bid Yakhchali Sardasht chemical attack a terrorist bombing in 1981.

Tehran categorically rejects U.S. report on terrorism TEHRAN — Foreign Ministry spokesman regime is blatantly shifting the blame onto Energy projects worth Abbas Mousavi has said the United States, others, is utterly insincere, and has double as the world’s most infamous terrorist standards in the fight against terrorism.” regime, is in no position to judge other “The United States of America’s re- countries. gime, known as the biggest state sponsor In a statement on Thursday, Mousavi of terrorism and the main sponsor of the responded to the annual Country Reports aggressive and occupying Zionist regime, over $2b inaugurated on Terrorism released by the U.S., saying, is in no position to claim to be fighting See page 4 “The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically against terrorism and make judgments rejects and condemns the U.S.’s annual about this issue,” he stated, the Foreign Country Reports on Terrorism because that Ministry website reported. 3

Unlawful sanctions disrupt Iran’s anti-drug fight TEHRAN – Iran’s deputy foreign min- marking International Day against Drug ister has criticized the U.S. sanctions Trafficking and Abuse of Illicit Drugs. for hindering Iran’s effort and cooper- Iran, along with other members of the ation with other countries in the fight international community, is celebrating against drug trafficking, saying other the day, but has made significant strides countries will not be immune from the in the fight against drug addiction by in- consequences. curring numerous material and spiritual Mohsen Baharvand made the remarks costs and implementing various projects, as he addressed a conference in Tehran he highlighted. 9 COVID-19 inflicts $1.4 billion in losses on Iran’s hotels TEHRAN – The outbreak of the new pause on the travel industry to help curb coronavirus has inflicted a loss of 60,000 the disease],”Jamshid Hamzezadeh said. billion rials (about $1.4 billion at the offi- He made the remarks during an assem- cial dollar rate of 42,000 rials) on Iranian bly of Iranian hoteliers, which was held in hospitality industry during the past four the UNESCO-registered Sheikh Safi al-din months, the president of Iranian Hoteliers Khanegah and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil on Association said on Friday. Friday, describing the damage as “very severe”. “Hoteliers in different provinces of the “Although hotels and accommodation country have suffered 60,000 billion rials in centers have reopened, Coronavirus’s dam-

File photo damage over the past four months following age to this section of the tourism industry the outbreak of coronavirus [which put a is still going on.” 8 ARTICLE IAEA must obtain information through legal South Carolina statue set for removal, Farrokh Hesabi means: international law expert protesters topple two in Wisconsin Tehran Times journalist By M.A. Saki resolution explicitly only just reaffirmed Iran’s By staff & agencies bol of devotion and progress, according to the TEHRAN – An international law expert says obligations under Safeguards Agreement and Several more U.S. monuments have been torn Wisconsin Historical Society; the other fallen the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Additional Protocol. The main provision of the down following nationwide demonstrations statue was a likeness of Hans Christian Heg, a Football disciplinary must get information about member states’ nu- Resolutions is addressed in paragraph 4 under demanding an end to racial injustice. This Union Colonel. clear program through “legal means”. which it calls upon Iran to cooperate with the time, by city officials as well as at the hands And in Raleigh, North Carolina, crews dis- committee should “It is obvious that the information by the Agency. Such a clear wording is a non-obligatory of protesters. mantled a 75-foot pillar that used to hold two stand against IAEA should be obtained from legal means,” one of which does not contain any additional In Charleston, South Carolina, crews worked statues of soldiers before protesters toppled Abdollah Abedini tells the Tehran Times as the obligatory value other than expressly stipulated through the early hours of Wednesday to prepare them last Friday, according to local media. indiscipline IAEA Board of Governors adopted an anti-Iran in the Safeguards Agreement and Additional a statue of former U.S. Vice President John C. Monuments honoring certain historical resolution on June 19 under the allegations of Protocol of Iran. Calhoun for removal, Reuters reported. figures have been removed around the world t is the norm nowadays in the undeclared nuclear activities by Iran mostly 2: Is it possible that the Iran case be referred Calhoun, Vice President from 1825 to following the May 25 death of George Floyd Iranian football to see a player propagated by Benjamin Netanyahu, one of to the UN Security Council by the IAEA board 1832, was a known defender of slavery. Pro- while in police custody in Minneapolis, Min- or manager screaming exple- the fiercest opponents of the 2015 nuclear deal. despite opposition by Russia and China? In the testers had been demanding the statue be nesota, and the ensuing protests in support of I Following is the text of the interview: 35-member board, nine countries either opposed taken down. the Black Lives Matter movement. tives at an official’s face with no ac- tion taken against them. 1: Is the resolution adopted by the IAEA Board or abstained to vote. What does this indicate In Madison, Wisconsin, demonstrators U.S. House passes sweeping Iran Professional League (IPL) started of Governors on Friday obligatory? legally and politically? toppled two more statues - even though their police reform bill amid protests on Wednesday after 118 days. In a post- A: No. The resolution does not contain provi- A: Under Article 6 of the IAEA Statute, all ties to a controversial past wasn’t immedi- Responding to the anti-police protests that poned game in Ahwaz, Foolad Khuzestan sions upon which oblige Iran to comply with its Board of Governors decisions, except the amount ately evident. have swept the United States, the U.S. House defeated Esteghlal 2-1. pertained duties under Safeguards Agreement of the Agency’s budget, shall be made by a ma- One statue, entitled “Forward,” was placed of Representatives has passed ambitious and The match was the first to be played and Additional Protocol. In paragraph 2, the jority of those present and voting. 2 at the Wisconsin State Capitol in 1895 as a sym- far-reaching legislation on police reform. 10 in Iran since the coronavirus pandemic halted the season in March and took place behind closed doors. The game, however, was met with Trump’s talks offer with Venezuela and Iran doesn’t mean policy shift: Argentinian professor ‘Without govt. support controversy as three red cards for Es- By Hamid Bayati Maduro’s government to consider Iran as a supplies. The cargo ship, “Golsan”, reportedly private power plants at teghlal, including two for players and TEHRAN — The head of the International “trustful partner”. docked and unloaded at Venezuela’s northern one for the Blues’ head coach, Farhad Relations Area for the Observatory of Interna- Five Iranian oil tankers by the names of Pe- port of La Guayra on Wednesday night. risk of shutting down’ Majidi, led the Tehran-based team to tunia, Forest, Faxon, Clavel, and Fortune car- The Golsan’s journey signals a blossoming tional Trade at the National University of Lujan By Ebrahim Fallahi finish the game with two fewer players in Argentina believes that U.S. hostile policies ried fuel to Venezuela despite the United States’ relationship between the two nations in defi- and a bitter loss. toward Iran and Venezuela will continue despite sanctions. The last of them entered Venezuelan ance of stiff financial sanctions by the Trump TEHRAN – In recent years, due to the government Esteghlal midfielder Ali Karimi was Donald Trump’s willingness to talk with Tehran waters on June 1. administration both countries. funding constraints and financial pressures, Iranian shown a straight red card just before the and Caracas. The tankers carried 1,520,000 barrels of Professor Sterzer says it is in the interests private companies have taken on the mantle of devel- break for elbowing the Foolad player. In an interview with Tehran Times/Mehr gasoline and diesel fuel to Venezuela. of Venezuela and Iran to strengthen their co- oping the country’s power plants including both large- Farhad Majidi who was left unhappy on News Agency, Sebastián Sterzer says it is A sixth Iranian vessel also entered Venezue- operation as the two countries are under heavy scale thermal plants and small-scale renewable ones. the decision of the referee, Mehdi Seyed Ali, necessary that Venezuelan President Nicolas la’s waters, carrying a cargo of food and medical sanctions by the Trump administration. 7 According to the country’s Energy Ministry, cur- went onto the pitch and strongly protested rently over two third of Iran’s thermal power plants the decision and was shown a red card. are owned and operated by the private sector and Majidi looked overly frustrated at almost all of the country’s renewable power plants missing out on three valuable points in are operated by the mentioned sector. their fight to climb up the table. The mentioned companies, however, have been Esteghlal defender Aref Gholami also Air Force recently wrestling with serious problems since ac- was sent off in the 65th minute after re- cording to them the tariffs based on which the gov- ceiving his second yellow card. receives three ernment is purchasing their generated electricity Esteghlal lost their concentration to- does not event suffices the expenditures, let alone wards the end of the second half after the their dues to the National Development Fund (NDF) incidents and eventually suffered a defeat fighter jets or the Foreign Currency Reserve Fund which have to be paid in the form of foreign currencies. in a crucial away game. TEHRAN — Iran will not need permission by Therefore, many such power plants are at the risk Following the game, Esteghlal club, bullying countries such as the United States of shutting down amid the summer peak consumption in a statement, criticized the referee and to advance its defense capability, Defense period when the country is facing a skyrocketing con- threatened the league organization to Minister Amir Hatami said on Thursday as sumption pattern and blackouts are on the horizon. withdraw from the league. he participated in a ceremony delivering three Last week, the board members of Iranian Syndicate Respect for the match officials’ deci- domestically-manufactured fighter jets to the of Power Generating Companies gathered at the place sions is an issue that is emphasized in Air Force. of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines FIFA rules and must be followed by all “The foolish American authorities have for- and Agriculture (ICCIMA) to discuss the situation coaches and players. gotten that the Islamic Iran has been able to and voice their concerns to the representative body The integrity of the Laws, and the reach the peak of its deterrence power,” Hatami of the country’s private sector. referees who apply them, must always said, Mehr reported. In this regard, the Tehran Times had an interview be protected and respected. All those in “Definitely, we won’t be needing permission with ICCIMA Energy Committee Hamidreza Salehi authority, especially coaches and team from arrogant and bullying states such as Amer- captains, have a clear responsibility to to see how the government can support this sector

Ministry of Defence Ministry ica in order to advance our defense industry,” the game to respect the match officials and prevent the drastic consequences of power plants he added. 3 and their decisions. 11 going off. 4 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS JUNE 27, 2020

Political independence of IAEA must obtain information through countries not a ‘plaything’ for U.S. unilateralism: Vaezi legal means: international law expert POLITICAL TEHRAN — Presidential chief of staff deskMahmoud Vaezi has said that the countries’ ‘IAEA resolution on Iran is declaratory, non-obligatory’ political independence and sovereignty are not a play- 1 However, Russia and China’s neg- member States’ territories, it seems making thing for the United States’ ative votes, unlike their positive votes in a request to obtain information or visit the unilateralism. similar process as to Iran’s nuclear program relevant locations by the IAEA is not justified “The United States lets in 2006, is considerable; the resolution and legally and practically after concluding in itself to threaten Russia, the two supporting reports issued by the this way regarding Iran in 2015 that “[T]he China and other countries IAEA director-general in March and June Agency has found no credible indications of to approve anti-Iran reso- 2020 under the agenda of “Safeguards Agree- the diversion of nuclear material in connec- lution at the [UN] Security ment with the Islamic Republic of Iran” deal tion with the possible military dimensions Council. Countries’ political with the alleged problem that access was not to Iran’s nuclear programme.” independence and sovereign- granted by Iran. Thus one may argue that the Is demanding a country to accept or do ty and also percipience of the issue is capable of being referred to the UN something based on allegations or espionage international community are Security Council by the IAEA. Nevertheless, activities justified? not plaything for the United such a referral has a special, time-consuming A: The IAEA is authorized to receive from States’ unilateralism,” Vaezi process that needs to be taken gradually and various sources or to collect by own means tweeted on Thursday. after entering into necessary negotiations by the necessary information as to any nuclear Iran and the IAEA in order to find a solution activities that fall within its competence. It is to the raised questions. On the other hand, obvious the information should be obtained Everything must be done Russia and China’s negative votes may be from legal means. In any way, due to spe- repeated in the UN Security Council and cial competence of the IAEA with respect to make sure JCPOA is not impede adopting the potential decision to nuclear activities inspection in member destroyed: Guterres against Iran’s nuclear program. States, it seems that a kind of inspection, Is what adopted on Friday technically under the allegations that nuclear activities concludes that certain outstanding ques- the so-called “anywhere and anytime”, has By staff and agency a resolution or a statement? may have been carried out there. Allegations of tions have been resolved, raising them again been granted based on the Additional Pro- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that A: It is a widely established principle that nuclear activity in the claimed sites date back would have an adverse impact on the con- tocol to the IAEA. However, such a compe- everything must be done to make sure that the 2015 nuclear there is no importance attached to name to the pre-JCPOA era. Is it legally acceptable fidence-building relationship between the tence is far from unlimited and the IAEA deal, known as the JCPOA, is not destroyed. or title of the instruments and agreements to refer to something that have already been IAEA and a member state. Nevertheless, should provide the necessary justifications, “Well, our position in relation to the JCPOA has always been in international law. As a matter of law, resolved? For instance, the JCPOA resolved since the IAEA has a continuous mission to information and the determined time and the same. We consider the JCPOA was a very important step the content of and the scope of consent of issues surrounding the PMD? monitor the declared and undeclared nu- place that would be subjected to inspection. forward in relation to the questions of a nuclear proliferation, the parties concluding the instrument or A: As a matter of fact, when the IAEA clear-related material and activities in the For example, according to Article 9 of the and we still believe that everything must be done in order to make agreement are among crucial elements that Safeguards Agreement between Iran and the sure that the JCPOA is not destroyed,” the UN official website determine the obligatory or non-obligatory IAEA in 1974, “[T]he Agency shall secure the quoted him as saying during a press conference. of that instrument. As mentioned earlier, the “As a matter of fact, when the IAEA consent of the Government of Iran to the recent (IAEA) board of governors resolution concludes that certain outstanding designation of Agency inspectors to Iran” or is a decision adopted based on the IAEA questions has been resolved, raising them “ensure protection of industrial secrets or Statute and its content reveals the fact that any other confidential information coming it is a declaratory, non-obligatory decision. again would have an adverse impact on the to the inspectors’ knowledge”, or under Ar- The bone of contention that led to such a confidence-building relationship between ticle 3 (D) “the activities of the Agency shall situation is that the IAEA says Iran has refused be carried out with due observance of the to provide access to what it calls “old sites” the IAEA and a member State.” sovereign rights of States.” Iran says France is undermining NPT Ambassador Gharibabadi urges U.S., France to comply with disarmament treaties European External Action Service spokesman Peter Stano POLITICAL TEHRAN — Kazem Gharibabadi, On the issue of the process for the appointment of the has also said that European Union foreign policy chief Josep deskIran’s ambassador to the Vienna-based Executive Secretary of the Provisional Technical Secretariat Borrell will spare no efforts to preserve the JCPOA. International Atomic Energy Agency, has urged the United of the Preparatory Commission of the CTBTO, as mentioned States and France to comply with their commitments in in the informal consultation, you are willing to check with ‘Iran, Venezuela remain safeguarding the purposes and objectives of the disarmament the incumbent Executive Secretary Dr. Lassina Zerbo treaties, saying France is undermining the Non-Proliferation for his availability to run and consult with the States steadfast in countering Treaty (NPT). Signatories on a consensual arrangement in this regard. Gharibabadi made the remarks in a statement read My delegation is supportive of your idea and assures you unlawful U.S. sanctions’ before the 54th Session of the Preparatory Commission of its full cooperation with a view to reach a satisfactory (CTBTO) on Thursday. arrangement in this regard. POLITICAL TEHRAN — Foreign Ministry spokesman Following is an excerpt of the statement published by With regard to the election procedure adopted in 2012, desk Abbas Mousavi said on Thursday that Iran and website of Iran’s Permanent Mission to UN office in Vienna: we believe that still more consultations are needed on the Venezuela remain steadfast in countering unlawful sanctions of The Islamic Republic of Iran wishes to reiterate its possible amendment of some elements of the procedure. We the United States. long standing and principled position on the need for the are of the view that, to guarantee an all-inclusive and most “US desperate moves against Iranian individuals - like the total elimination of all nuclear weapons. In this regard, appropriate arrangement, the Preparatory Commission one announced by @SecPompeo, aka the #SecretaryofHate – we reaffirm our strong support for the objectives of the should avoid taking any hasty approach. just signal the miserable failure of the so-called “max pressure”. CTBT, the principal cause of which is to terminate the In this context, we would like to emphasize that the Despite US pressure, #Iran & #Venezuela remain steadfast in development and qualitative improvement of nuclear Vienna spirit and the principle of consensus should prevail countering unlawful American sanctions,” he tweeted. weapons and ending the development of advanced new and security. In this connection, my delegation expresses in this process. Furthermore, with a view to facilitating a His comments came as response to the U.S. action in sanc- types of nuclear weapons. Most regrettably, more than its deep concern on reports that senior officials of the consensus, informal “straw polls”, may be carried out as tioning five Iranian captains who delivered fuel to Venezuela. two decades after the Treaty’s adoption, achieving this United States have discussed the possibility of conducting many times as it deemed necessary during consultations Five Iranian oil tankers by the names of Petunia, Forest, Fax- objective has become ever more elusive. nuclear test explosions, which if carried out, would and before entering into “election stage”. It should also be on, Clavel, and Fortune carried fuel to Venezuela despite the Unfortunately the international community recently not only be considered as a vivid breach of the global notified that to ensure all-inclusiveness of the process, it United States’ sanctions. The last of them entered Venezuelan witnessed a destructive approach towards nuclear moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions, but also is advisable that none of the States Signatories should be waters on June 1. disarmament and non-proliferation Treaties by some of severely undermines the nuclear disarmament and non- excluded from the consultations or appointment process. The tankers carried 1,520,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel Nuclear States. In fact, modernization and testing nuclear proliferation regime, thereby the international peace and Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to stress fuel to Venezuela. There was also a team of Iranian engineers and weapons undermine the NPT as the cornerstone of the security. We further noted with grave concern that the U.S. that the exceptional nature of the current session of the specialists from the oil industry on board heading for the country. nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime as Senate panel approved $10 million budget to prepare for Commission, including the abbreviated agenda and virtual In a message on June 8, Leader of the Islamic Revolution well as threaten the international peace and security. such a nuclear test. My delegation calls upon the U.S. and format, must not set any precedent for the future work of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the crew of the Iranian tankers As the latest instance, launching a new generation of France to comply with their commitments in safeguarding the sessions, nor be considered as an amendment to the that shipped fuel to Venezuela, saying, “You did a great job. Your intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying the purposes and objectives of the disarmament Treaties. existing established rules, norms or practices of the CTBTO. move was jihadi. You brought glory to the country.” several nuclear warheads (M51) by a French submarine Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that Russia, on 12 June 2020 is incompatible with France’s international China, Iran, and Cuba are real friends of Venezuela as they pro- obligations. “In fact, modernization and testing nuclear weapons vide all-round help to Caracas. Unilateral and illegal withdrawal from many international undermine the NPT as the cornerstone of the nuclear “Humanitarian aid is coming from China, Russia, Iran, and agreements, including INF, OST, and the JCPOA has become disarmament and non-proliferation regime as well as Cuba. They are [Venezuela’s] true friends,” TASS quoted him as a policy practice for the United States that is contrary to saying in a speech broadcast by the state TV on June 7. multilateralism and undermines the international peace threaten the international peace and security.” Conn Hallinan, a columnist for Foreign Policy In Focus, has said that arrival of Iranian fuel tankers in Venezuelan waters was a crack in wall of the United States’ illegal sanctions against Caracas. ‘An international organization like IAEA must not rely on spying information’ This action is a step in reducing “pressure” on Venezuela, Hal- POLITICAL TEHRAN — Diako Hos- Iran and lead to increase in tension between passed a resolution on June 19 demanding by the agency based on fake evidence are linan said, adding the Venezuelan people were in dire need of fuel. deskseini, director of the World Iran and the agency and change the path of access to two old places it claimed nuclear against the agency’s charter. So, it does not This shipment brought revenue for Iran and from this point of Studies Program at the Presidential Centre Iran’s nuclear agreement.” work may have been done there. make any obligation for Iran to fulfil such view it was “a crack in wall of the United States’ illegal sanctions,” for Strategic Studies, has said that an interna- However director of the World Studies Behrooz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the requests.” he told IRNA in an interview published on June 1. tional organization such as the International Program at the Presidential Centre for Stra- Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Unreliable source and information must Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela Hojat Soltani has also said Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must not rely tegic Studies noted that the resolution is not has said that the IAEA must not give credit to not become a justification and legal basis to that the United States’ unilateral sanctions have lost their efficiency. on spying information. obligatory. unreliable information propagated through put pressure on other countries and level “The United States’ unilateral sanctions against Venezuela, Iran “Continuation of such matter will lead to “But it can lay the grounds for return to “spying activities”. accusations against them, he added. and a number of other countries have lost efficiency,” IRNA quoted unending spectrum of claims for inspection a situation before the signing of the JCPOA “The agency must not rely on or give cred- “Accepted obligations under the JCPOA him as saying in an interview with the Al-Alam news network. of Iran’s sites which is contrary to framework [the 2015 nuclear deal], from both aspect of it to the information that has been gained do not mean that any question of the agency He also said that arrival of Iranian oil tankers in the Venezuelan of the agency and the legal procedures,” Hos- ruining diplomatic achievements of the JCPOA through spying activities and unreliable must be answered, otherwise we would face waters was an “international victory”. seini told IRNA in an interview published and also return of the sanctions which were sources,” Kamalvandi said in an article many questions which are based on fake doc- Venezuela’s envoy to the UN Jorge Valero has said that Iran and on Thursday. removed or suspended under the nuclear published on June 20. uments,” the nuclear official noted. Venezuela will continue fighting U.S. President Donald Trump’s He also said, “New resolution of the Board deal,” he added. Kamalvandi wrote, “In fact, any request He also said the IAEA must respect the hostile policies. of Governors can start a new process against The 35-member IAEA board of governors for transparency or complementary access countries’ sovereignty. “The people of Iran and Venezuela are two brotherly nations and will continue their war against Trump’s hostile policies,” ISNA quoted him as saying on June 9 in an interview with Al Mayadeen TV channel. ‘Iran’s fuel delivery to Venezuela makes Trump surrender’ Saudi Arabia lost the war to Iran: ex-Yemeni minister In an article published by the Raialyoum newspaper on Tues- By staff and agency Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah groups who had toppled the government of have been killed as a result of fighting and day, it is said that fuel and food delivery to Venezuela by Iran has Former Yemeni Minister of Transportation Ali Khamenei, has said in an interview with President Mansour Hadi. the humanitarian crisis.” made Trump surrender. Saleh Algabwani said on Thursday that Saudi Aljazeera that Saudi Arabia should admit Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Tehran challenged Trump and his threats by this action, the Arabia has lost the war in Yemen to Iran and defeat in Yemen and adopt new policies. had vowed to restore the toppled president Commissioner for Human Rights has doc- newspaper said, according to ISNA. the United Arab Emirates (UAE). What is happening in Yemen is military in a matter of weeks. umented more than 20,000 civilians killed A sixth Iranian vessel entered Venezuela’s territorial waters, He tweeted, “When we evaluate the chaos for which Saudi Arabia is responsi- In a report on its website on March 24, and injured by the fighting since March 2015, carrying a cargo of food and medical supplies after the Islamic performance of the regional powers in the ble, the military advisor remarked, IRNA Amnesty International said, “Gross human the amnesty said. Republic supplied massive cargos of fuel to the Latin American Yemeni war, we find that the beneficiaries reported on Monday. rights violations, including what could amount A man-made humanitarian crisis has spi- nation, Press TV reported. are Iran and the UAE, however the loser is Saudi Arabia launched a military cam- to war crimes, are being committed through- raled with approximately 16 million people The cargo ship “Golsan” reportedly docked and unloaded at Saudi Arabia.” paign against Yemen in March 2015 with the out the country. By the end of 2019, it is waking up hungry every day, the amnesty Venezuela’s northern port of La Guayra on Wednesday night. Hossein Dehghan, a military advisor to aim of eliminating the Yemeni opposition estimated that over 233,000 Yemenis would regretted. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JUNE 27, 2020 IRAN IN FOCUS 3

Envoy highlights U.S. failure Bolton: JCPOA exit was my happiest moment in Trump admin

POLITICAL TEHRAN —Former U.S. National Security in anti-Iran bid desk Adviser John Bolton has said the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal “was my happiest moment, probably Takht-Ravanchi warns it would be ‘a very, very big mistake’ if Trump tries to reimpose UN sanctions of the whole time” in the Trump administration. “I probably should have left the administration then,” Bolton POLITICAL TEHRAN — Majid exports and missile technology to Iran told Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier in an interview deskTakht-Ravanchi, Iran’s will remain in force until 2023. on Tuesday. ambassador to the United Nations, in- “The E3 remain committed to ful- dicates that the U.S. has failed to garner ly implementing Resolution 2231 by support for its anti-Iran resolution at which the JCPOA has been endorsed the UN Security Council. in 2015. However, we believe that the “Yesterday, US briefed #UNSC on the planned lifting of the UN conventional extension of arms embargo on Iran and arms embargo established by Resolution called for Council›s unity,” Takht-Ra- 2231 next October would have major vanchi tweeted on Thursday. implications for regional security and He added, “@StateDept note on the stability. We recall that the EU embar- briefing mentioned NOTHING about goes on conventional arms exports and the reaction of UNSC members. Perhaps missile technology will remain in force reason was their UNANIMOUS call for until 2023,” said the statement published full implementation of #JCPOA & UN- by the UK Foreign Ministry website. SCR 2231.” On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Moham- It came a day after the U.S. briefed mad Javad Zarif ridiculed a claim by U.S. the UN Security Council on a resolution, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about which called for a 2015 arms embargo Iran’s plan to purchase fighter aircraft. He said U.S. President Donald Trump undercut his own hard- against Iran to be extended. “@SecPompeo is so desperate to line Iran policy, telling Baier, “We did put enormous pressure on The U.S. resolution claimed that lifting mislead the world that he claims come Iran but when it came down to it by near the end of my tenure, the arms embargo could have “major October, Iran will purchase fighter air- Trump’s still looking for that deal, wanted to meet with the Aya- implications” for security and stability craft,” Zarif tweeted on Tuesday. tollahs, wanted to meet with [Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah of the Middle East region, urging the He added, “And then send them off Ali] Khamenei, wanted to meet with the Iranian Foreign Minister UN body to “prohibit the supply, sale or to the limits of their ONE-WAY rang- [Mohamamd Javad Zarif].” transfer, direct or indirect ... of weapons es. Perhaps he could also say how they Bolton said Trump’s “mixed signals” made it “very, very diffi- and related materials” to Iran. would fly back to Iran having exhausted cult if not impossible to really affect the kind of change that was The United States has stepped up calls “If that (return of UN sanctions) happens, their fuel.” necessary in Tehran.” for the extension of a UN arms embargo Zarif attached a photo of an earlier Trump abandoned the nuclear deal in May 2018 and imposed on Iran since April. Iran will not be under constraint as to what tweet by Pompeo, which claimed that the harshest ever sanctions in history on Tehran. However, Trump Under the UN Security Council’s course of action it should take.” Europe and Asia could be in Iran’s cross- has been repeatedly calling for dialogue with Iran. 2231 resolution, which endorsed the hairs if it purchases new fighter aircraft. The U.S. president has announced that his administration 2015 nuclear deal, the arms embargo warned it would be “a very, very big mis- under constraint as to what course of “If the @UN Arms Embargo on Iran is putting “maximum pressure” against Iran to bring Tehran to on Iran expires in October. take” if the Trump administration then action it should take,” he told reporters expires in October, Iran will be able to the negotiating table to rewrite the JCPOA. The Trump administration has threat- tries to re-impose UN sanctions. on Thursday. “All options for Iran will buy new fighter aircraft like Russia’s SU- Trump ousted Bolton on September 10, 2019. ened that it may seek to trigger a snapback He said restoring UN sanctions will be open.” 30 and China’s J-10,” Pompeo wrote. Bolton was notoriously famous for his ultra-hawkish stance of all sanctions on Iran if its attempts to end the nuclear deal between Iran and France, Germany, and the Unit- “With these highly lethal aircraft, toward Iran. extend the arms embargo fail. major powers and release Tehran from ed Kingdom said in a joint statement Europe and Asia could be in Iran’s Takht-Ravanchi has also said that all its commitments. published on Friday that the European crosshairs. The U.S. will never let this the U.S. resolution will be defeated and “If that happens, Iran will not be Union’s embargoes on conventional arms happen,” he added. Explosion at gas-storage tank in Parchin had no casualties: Tehran categorically rejects U.S. report on terrorism Defense Ministry Iran cites economic and medical terrorism against Iranians as examples of U.S. terrorist measures POLITICAL TEHRAN — A massive explosion in a gas deskstorage tanker near the Parchin complex in 1 History of the past couple of decades clearly shows people of Iran as the latest example of the U.S. regime’s east of Tehran early on Friday had no casualties, the Defense that the United States of America, as acknowledged even by terrorist measures against independent nations in the world. Ministry reported. a number of American officials, has had a role in the creation In the Country Reports on Terrorism 2019, the U.S. Images showed an orange light went viral at around 00:30 of some terrorist groups or has supported those groups and Department of State has hailed the maximum pressure am local time on Friday (08:00 p.m. GMT on Thursday), Mehr their terrorist activities, Mousavi noted. campaign against Iran, saying the U.S. and its allies im- reported. “Trump has also admitted openly in his election campaign pose new sanctions on Iran for what it called Tehran’s Rumors were circulating that the blast had occurred in an that the previous U.S. administrations have created ISIS support for terrorism. ammunition depot but later it was rejected by the ministry. and other terrorist groups,” he said. “As part of the maximum pressure campaign against the Defense Ministry Public Relations Officer Davud Abdi said The spokesman further slammed the U.S. regime’s cow- Iranian regime – the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism that the blast took place at an industrial gas storage facility in ardly and terrorist move to assassinate Lt. General Qassem – the United States and our partners imposed new sanctions the public area of Parchin. Soleimani as a brazen example of the U.S. regime’s terrorist on Tehran and its proxies,” the report said. “Fortunately, the explosion did not cause any casualties,” crimes, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran, as the biggest It added, “In April, the United States designated Iran’s Abdi said, adding that the fire resulting from the blast was also victim of terrorist actions, which have been taken mainly Foreign Ministry says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including its controlled after prompt action by firefighters. with the U.S. government’s direct and indirect supports, U.S. as the world’s most Qods Force, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) – Abdi said details of the explosion would be duly announced and with more than 17,000 people martyred in this path, the first time such a designation has been applied to part of by relevant authorities. is always at the forefront of the fight against terrorism at infamous terrorist regime is another government. And throughout the year, a number Hamidreza Goudarzi, an official in charge of security and the global and regional levels.” in no position to judge other of countries in Western Europe and South America joined police affairs at the office of the Tehran provincial governor, has Mousavi finally denounced the U.S. regime’s unilateral countries. the United States in designating Iran-backed Hizballah as said police investigators have been sent to the site to study the sanctions, economic terrorism, and medical terrorism against a terrorist group in its entirety.” cause of the incident.

John Bolton can stomach Kim Jong Un’s North Korea, but not Iran Air Force receives three (Foreign Policy) — Former U.S. National Paul to get Zarif to visit the White House. tanyahu that the United States will support the United States has allowed it to enjoy a Security Advisor John Bolton’s revenge Pompeo assured Bolton that he would follow Israel if it chooses to start a war with Iran. position in the region that its own power fighter jets book hasn’t revealed much that is new. his lead in resigning if Trump met with Both Presidents George W. Bush and Oba- never could justify. But for that benefit to Iran not needing U.S. permission to It mostly adds details to already-known Zarif, though, publicly, Pompeo continues ma had pressed Israel not to take military be enduring, the United States must remain episodes of President Donald Trump’s mis- to insist that his goal is to get the Iranians action and only offered U.S. backing if the committed to keeping a large military pres- progress: defense chief management of world affairs. But there is to “come to the table.” Iranians initiated the fighting. It is then no ence in the region to check Riyadh’s rivals. one exception: the story of Bolton, Secretary Bolton appears to have had no qualms surprise that the Israeli prime minister has A U.S.-Iranian accommodation would not 1 Hatami said the delivery of the three Kowsar fighter jets to of State Mike Pompeo, and Israeli Prime about working with a foreign leader to under- hailed the former reality TV star as the “the only jeopardize Saudi Arabia’s beneficial the Army Air Force carried a message to the enemies, the U.S. in Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to mine the expressed desire of the U.S. president greatest friend that Israel has ever had in position, but it would also force Riyadh to particular, that the U.S. sanctions have worked to the contrary. sabotage Trump’s would-be diplomacy with he was supposedly serving. When Netanyahu the White House.” confront Tehran alone—something it lacks When Kowsar jets were delivered to Iran Air Force, an important Tehran. This episode reveals something tried to dissuade Trump from meeting with It is hard to imagine a bigger pushover in the military and political competence to do. message was carried across the world that all freedom-seeking crucial and until now not fully appreciated: Zarif, Trump’s son-in-law and advisor Jared the White House from Netanyahu’s standpoint. In that sense, Saudi Arabia’s anxiety about nations will be independent and self-sufficient if they resist, Netanyahu’s ferocious opposition to the Kushner blocked the Israeli prime minister’s Yet, he repeatedly worked with Bolton and losing U.S. backing is more understandable. General Hatami said. Iran nuclear deal had little to do with the attempts to reach Trump, as he believed it Pompeo to prevent even a single meeting Israel is a powerful nuclear-equipped nation Today, there are all technical capabilities available inside the deal itself and everything to do with the was inappropriate for a foreign leader to try to between Trump and the Iranians, fearing with one of the most sophisticated militaries country for the construction of the air force infrastructure, the very idea of the United States striking any dictate to the U.S. president whom he should that it would lead to an agreement between in the world. minister added. deal with Iran. The same is true for Saudi and shouldn’t speak to. Bolton had no such Tehran and Washington that would dial back For the United States—whether led by Arabia. Whomever occupies the White House trepidation and instead accused Kushner of their animosity. Trump or by his rival candidate Joe Bid- next year must address head-on the Israeli being a “Democrat.” Netanyahu’s calculation is not terribly en—this implies that any effort to square the prime minister and the Saudi crown prince’s But behind the banal palace intrigue that difficult to understand. Israel’s longest-serving circle of diplomatically resolving the dispute commitment to keeping the United States Bolton details lurks a geopolitical reality that prime minister and many within the Israe- with Iran while satisfying Saudi Arabia’s and bogged down in conflict with Iran. the United States must come to terms with. li security establishment have feared that Israel’s geostrategic needs simply may not Bolton boasts about his extensive coordi- The Netanyahu government and the Israeli U.S.-Iranian diplomacy ultimately would be possible. nation with Pompeo and Netanyahu to scuttle security apparatus—albeit not all parts of lead to an agreement that would reduce Bolton’s inside account has inadvertently mediation efforts by French President Em- it—were not opposed to former President U.S.-Iranian tensions without necessarily clarified that Washington must choose be- manuel Macron and to, at all costs, prevent a Barack Obama’s nuclear deal because of its decreasing the Israeli-Iranian animus pro- tween either satisfying its own interest in meeting between Trump and Iranian Foreign alleged flaws. They were then and now re- portionally. With Iran largely moving off of bringing U.S. troops home from the Middle Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the main opposed to any deal with Iran due to the United States’ radar, the U.S. government East and avoiding an unnecessary war with G-7 summit in Biarritz, France, in 2019. its geopolitical implications. would be freed to shift its focus and resources Iran or satisfying Netanyahu and the Saudi Desperate to block any opening between Bolton’s account indicates that there simply away from the Middle East, leaving Israel royal family’s interest in keeping the United the United States and Iran, Bolton instructed wasn’t anything the Obama administration “abandoned” to deal with Iran without the States trapped in a cycle of enmity with Iran his staff to prepare a flight for him to return could have done to placate Netanyahu and automatic backing of the United States. This that keeps the region’s balance in their favor. to Washington in protest. The idea of the the Saudi regime. It wasn’t that Obama was would reduce Israeli maneuverability in the The reality is that none of the United Americans and Iranians talking to each insufficiently sympathetic to Israeli and Saudi Middle East and affect the configuration of States’ core interests warrants a major U.S. In remarks earlier this year, Leader of the Islamic Revolution other so offended Bolton that he prepared security concerns or that his bad rapport with the regional balance of power in a way that military presence in the Middle East (West Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in order to prevent a war, Iran must a two-sentence letter of resignation if the Netanyahu and the Saudi royals fueled their negatively impacts Israeli interests. Asia), let alone U.S. military domination of increase its military power, noting that being militarily vulnera- meeting were to go ahead. He had no such misgivings about the nuclear talks. Supremely confident that he could bend the region. Retaining such a force structure ble would prompt the enemy to take action against the country. letter in hand before Trump’s summit with After all, in Trump, Netanyahu found a Washington’s will to his own, Netanyahu in order to sustain a partnership with Israel “In order to prevent war and in order to put an end to threats North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In fact, very different U.S. president. In Trump, he opted to prevent U.S.-Iranian diplomacy and and Saudi Arabia gets the very purpose of we must become powerful,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. Bolton himself participated in that meet- had a president willing to break with all his sabotage any potential negotiations—even alliances backward. However problematic The Leader went on to say, “We are not seeking to threaten ing and shook Kim’s hand—demonstrating predecessors in acquiescing to almost all key at the expense of damaging his relations or erroneous their approach may be, Israel any country or nation, rather we are after protecting the country’s that as hawkish as he is on North Korea, Israeli demands: moving the U.S. Embassy to with Obama or Israel’s relations with the and Saudi Arabia have defined their interests security and preventing threats.” he views Iran as a separate sort of pariah Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli control of the Democratic Party. vis-à-vis America and are pursuing them un- Ayatollah Khamenei also said reliance on domestic capacities altogether. He had already succeeded in Golan Heights, accepting Israeli annexation The calculation of the House of Saud was apologetically. The U.S. government should and turning threats into opportunities are the chief reasons for scuttling an effort by Republican Sen. Rand of Palestinian land, and even promising Ne- very similar. Saudi Arabia’s partnership with do the same. the successes of the Air Force. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY JUNE 27, 2020

Companies newly accepted Rouhani inaugurates energy to stock market to get special tax incentives ECONOMY TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolu- projects worth over $2b desktion Seyed Ali Khamenei has agreed with a plan for offering especial tax exemptions and incentives to the ECONOMY TEHRAN — President significant step in this year that is the year companies that are accepted to the stock market in the current deskHassan Rouhani inaugu- of “Surge in Production”. Iranian calendar year, IRNA reported. rated three energy projects worth $2.14 bil- In the past few years, Iranian think-tanks As reported, President Hassan Rouhani has urged the Economy lion in three provinces via video conference and energy experts have been repeatedly Ministry to take the necessary measures following the leader’s on Thursday, Shana reported. stating that the country should increase decision. Miandoab Petrochemical Plant, with its refining capacity in order to lessen the the annual production capacity of 140,000 economy’s reliance on crude sales. In this tons of heavy polyethylene, was one of the regard, one of the main strategies of the inaugurated projects. National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) This project, which was put into opera- in recent years has been focusing on the tion in the northwestern province of West country’s refineries. Azarbaijan, plays a significant role in mate- Goreh-Jusk oil pipeline to trans- rializing Iran’s second petrochemical leap. fer 1m barrels of oil for exports During the inauguration ceremony, of Goreh-Jusk oil pipeline project was the this project, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Nam- third project inaugurated on Thursday. dar Zanganeh said that Iran will achieve a The pipeline will transfer one million three-digit figure of petrochemical output barrels of heavy and light crude oils per for the first time in the current Iranian cal- day to Jask oil terminal in the southern endar year (ends on March 2021). Hormozgan Province to be exported. Although the Iranian stock market is a newly developed market The minister said that 17 projects are Addressing the inaugural ceremony of and people have only recently gotten acquainted with its activities, planned to come on stream in this year which the project, the oil minister said this project this market has been booming in recent years. Goreh-Jask oil pipeline for transferring 1m barrels of oil for exports to Jask oil terminal will boost petrochemical production capacity was one of the most strategic projects in the In the past Iranian year 1398, the performance of the Tehran in southern Hormozgan province of the country by 25 million tons. Rouhani administration. Stock Exchange (TSE), which is the main stock market of Iran, As the managing director of Iran’s Na- that the current Iranian calendar year is a Refinery in Shazand County of the central Zanganeh said a total of $300 million was unprecedented, as its main index, TEDPIX, which had closed tional Petrochemical Company (NPC) has golden year for the petrochemical industry. province of Markazi, which is one of the has so far been invested in the project while at 178,000 points at the end of the calendar year 1397, climbed recently stated, all the goals set, based on the Normal hexane production pro- country’s top refineries. another $800 million to $850 million is to 512,000 points at the end of last year. country’s Sixth Five-year National Devel- ject inaugurated in Imam Khomeini Iran’s annual need for the normal hexane needed for its full operation. The recent developments of this market have encouraged the opment Plan, for the petrochemical sector Refinery is 30,000 tons, and as the country’s pro- “We hope that exports from Jask will government to focus more on this sector as a potential source of will be realized by the end of the Iranian Rouhani also inaugurated a project for duction capacity of the product has reached begin as the government’s most strategic capital for offsetting oil revenue shortages. calendar year 1400 (March 20, 2022). the annual production of over 190,000 lit- 50,000 tons, the export of 20,000 tons of project by the end of this [calendar] year,” Many domestic companies have already offered their shares Behzad Mohammadi said in mid-June ers of normal hexane in Imam Khomeini normal hexane is now possible, which is a the minister noted. in the market, while much more are getting ready to join. TEDPIX gains 190,000 points in a week ‘Without govt. support private power plants at risk of shutting down’ 1 According to Salehi, the govern- work under the Oil Ministry, so we can only ECONOMY TEHRAN — TEDPIX, the main index of Tehran ment currently owes the power plant owners be hopeful that it will go through this time,” deskStock Exchange (TSE), has risen 190,000 points over 300 trillion rials (about $7.4 billion), Salehi said in this regard. during the past Iranian calendar week (ended on Friday), IRNA reported. and if the government pays those dues many The energy expert further mentioned the As reported, the index stood at 1.419 million points, showing a of the problems of the mentioned companies recent developments in the capital market 15-percent weekly increase. will be solved. and emphasized it as a great opportunity for TEDPIX has also climbed 28.77 percent in the past Iranian calendar “Considering the fact that the value of rial the energy sector to tap into, for managing month (April 21-June 20) from its preceding month. is getting lower compared to the U.S. dollar financial issues. The index gained 283,868 points to 1,270,627 during the past and euro, and since power plants sell their “Another measure that government can month. electricity in rials, they are gaining much take to support this sector is to back them As reported, the first market’s index rose 31.58 percent and the less than what they have to pay back to the in entering the capital market,” he stressed. second market’s index went up 24.46 percent on a monthly basis. NDF or Foreign Currency Reserve Fund,” According to the official, the Securities Although, the value of trades at the TSE, which is Iran’s major Salehi said. and Exchange Organization (SEO) requires stock exchange, fell 31 percent in the past month. Asked about the Oil Ministry’s recent those companies which are willing to en- Some 166.408 billion securities were traded through 22.416 proposal for paying contractors’ dues with ter the market to provide heavy guarantees million deals at this market, which shows a 22 percent drop in the oil, the expert said of course any payment and since most of the mentioned power number of securities and a 26 percent fall in the number of deals. would be a step forward from the current plant companies are not able to provide In a press conference on Monday, the head of Iran’s Securities situation, however, there must be a third such guarantees the government can step and Exchange Organization (SEO) announced that the amount party or a mediator who would be able to sell up and provide the SEO with the required of liquidity absorbed by Iran’s capital market has reached 500 this oil abroad and turn it to foreign currency guarantees so that the companies could of- trillion rials (about $12 billion) during the first quarter of the for the companies, otherwise it won’t be a fer their shares at the market and attract current Iranian calendar year (March 20-June 20). “great” solution. public investment. Hasan Qalibaf-Asl also said, “It is while the total amount of liquid- The idea for bartering oil for dues first ernment and expanded to other sectors like companies in return for the electricity that “There are many well-known energy com- ity entered into this market stood at 300 trillion rials (about $7.14 was introduced in summer 2019 when the electricity. they provided for the national network, or panies that are already active in the market billion) during the past year.” oil ministry proposed to pay the dues of oil In spring 2019, the government’s regula- for the services that the contractors provided and energy companies have proven that can companies that worked on oil and gas de- tory body prepared a draft based on which, for the Energy Ministry. earn the people’s trust and be trustworthy, velopment projects with oil. nearly 400 trillion rials (about $9.52 billion) “Unfortunately, the program has not even so the government needs to trust them as Number of real estate deals rises Then the idea was welcomed by the gov- worth of oil was going to be given to the private been implemented for the oil companies which well,” he added. 80% in Tehran in a month on year ECONOMY TEHRAN — The number of real estate deals $41b of annual non-oil exports atop Iran moving away from exporting raw deskin Tehran city has risen 80 percent during the past Iranian calendar month (May 21-June 20) compared to the agenda: industry min. minerals to create more added value same month in the past year, IRNA reported. ECONOMY TEHRAN – Iran’s ECONOMY TEHRAN – Deputy Although, 11,046 housing deals made in the past month indi- deskActing Industry, Min- deskIranian Industry, Mining cates one percent fall compared to its preceding month. ing, and Trade Minister Hossein Modares and Trade Minister Darious Esmaieli says Meanwhile, the average price of one square meter of house Khiabani said the ministry has it on the over 90 million tons of iron ore was produced in Tehran has risen 20 million rials (about $476) to 190 million agenda to export $41 billion worth of non-oil in the country during the previous Iranian rials (about $4,523) in the past month. commodities in the current Iranian calendar calendar year of which only seven percent The number of real estate deals in the country had fallen 70 year (March 2020-March 2021). was exported. percent in the last month of the past Iranian calendar year, Esfand According to the official, neighboring The reduction in the exports of iron ore (ended on March 19), which was the highest drop that this sector countries are the main target for the men- comes as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has experienced over the past three years, according to Hesam tioned exports, IRNA reported. Seyed Ali Khamenei urged the government to Oqbaei, the vice-chairman of Iranian Real Estate Agencies. Speaking on the sidelines of a visit to prevent the exports of raw minerals in order a production unit in Alborz Province, Kh- tain [the required foreign currency] from to be processed in the country for making ore exports all together in case of necessity. iabani said currently over 80 percent of other sources like exports of raw material.” products with more added value. He said the Industry Ministry even consid- the country’s borders with the neighbors Elsewhere in his remarks, Khiabani Following the leader’s remarks, the govern- ers the exports of steel ingots as raw material are open and operating and the trade is noted that the government has paved ment levied a 25-percent duty on the exports export and is planning to reduce the exports back to normal. the way for all productive units to export of raw minerals (especially iron ore) as from of such commodities as well. Referring to the negative impact of the their products so that they would be able September 23, 2019. “We are constantly targeted by sanctions, coronavirus outbreak on the country’s trade to supply their own machinery and raw According to Esmaieli, 10 years ago so we need to count on our own domestic in the first two months of the current Ira- materials. Iran exported more than 20 million tons market and focus on domestic production; nian calendar year (March 20-May 20) “We have special programs for supplying of unprocessed iron ore and the figure fell export should be the target for the end of the the official noted: “There was a deep gap raw materials, exporting and manufacturing to a maximum of six million tons last year. production chain, and that is the policy of between exports in the first two months of domestic products in the automotive, The deputy minister noted that exports of the Industry Ministry,” he stressed. of this year which was reduced in the third steel, food, home appliances and machinery the mentioned commodity have also fallen According to the Iranian Mines and Min- month, and we are compensating for the industries,” he said. to 500,000 tons in the first three months of ing Industries Development and Renovation backlog caused by the coronavirus.” Despite the restrictions and problems in the current Iranian calendar year (March Organization (IMIDRO), in its outlook plan “Last year, when house prices experienced a 100-percent growth, He further mentioned some of the is- the past few months, many of the country’s 20-June 20). for the Iranian calendar year 1404 (2025- rent prices rose by as much as 30 percent. Of course, this year sues that the country’s production sector is industrial sectors have witnessed a boost The official further stated that Industry 2026) the country has envisaged production we anticipate that rent growth will not reach inflation and will facing in the current year and said: “Due to in production, for example, in the auto- Ministry’s goal is to reduce the iron ore ex- of 55 million tons of steel per annum, and stay below the inflation rate,” according to Hesam Oqbaei, the currency constraints, factories are facing motive sector, production has grown by 27 ports to zero and in this regard the 25-percent to achieve this target the country requires deputy head of Tehran Real Estate Association. hardship for supplying their raw materials, percent and home appliances production duty was levied and the mining deputy of the to extract 160 million tons of iron ore con- The housing market is experiencing inflation and rise in prices, and the Industry Ministry is trying to ob- has seen a 50 to 150 percent rise, he said. ministry has been allowed to prevent iron centrates. both in terms of rentals and sales, but the rise in prices is not going to be like the last year’s sudden surge, he said on May 2. According to the official, 37 percent of the country’s urban population are tenants, who are from the low and middle classes of the society and their salary increase has been up to 22 percent, Iran’s trade borders with neighbors continue to open: IRICA so if the rent prices were supposed to grow along with the house ECONOMY TEHRAN – Iran’s bor- there are no problems with commercial nia border is also open for trade, adding: ed to Turkmenistan from Sarakhs border, prices people won’t be able to afford it. deskder crossing with its vessels; however, each of these countries “The border between Iran and Nakhchivan he added. Noting that the government planned to provide financial fa- neighbors are being opened one by one has imposed limitations for wooden ships is also active and the railway, road and sea He pointed out that the borders with cilities for the low-class tenants last year, Oqbaei said: “Now is as the corona-related restrictions ease and trade with these countries is taking borders with Azerbaijan are open as well.” Pakistan are completely active, saying Mir- the time to grant financial facilities, because the transfer season in the region, the spokesman of Islamic place under health protocols, the official He further referred to the country’s north- javah border is fully active during the week, has begun and it is time for the government’s last year’s proposal Republic of Iran Customs Administration explained. ern sea borders, including Astara, Anzali, and Sistan-Baluchestan Province’s border to become operational.” (IRICA) said. As for the borders with Iraq’s Kurdis- Hassan Roud, Noshahr, Amirabad and markets with the country are also active. Oqbaei underlined the lack of balance in supply and demand as According to Rouhollah Latifi, the coun- tan Region, the crossings are operational Fereydoun, and said: “Limited exchanges Referring to the Georgian border, he said: the main reason for the upward trend in housing prices and said try’s borders with Iraq including Mehran based on their normal routine, he added. are underway with Turkmenistan through “The Georgian border is currently closed.” since there are not enough bank facilities available to homebuyers, and Khoramshahr water crossings are open The Razi and Bazargan railway borders railway, but road crossings with the country “Russia has also imposed restrictions more people will stay as tenants and the demand for house rents and operating. are also active, and trade with Turkey is including Bajgiran, Lotf-Abad and Incheh on exports of goods such as wheat for all increases, so consequently rent prices will also rise in areas where For the southern water borders including underway through this way, Latifi said. Baroun are closed.” countries including Iran, until July 11th,” there is an imbalance between supply and demand. those with UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman, The official said that the Iran and Arme- Every day 30 wagons of goods are export- he added. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JUNE 27, 2020 ENERGY 5

Miandoab petchem plant Daily gas supply to using Iranian-made catalysts

TEHRAN (Shana) – Iran has just launched a major petrochem- ical plant which is fed by locally-developed catalysts: Miabdoab power plants up 5% Petrochemical Plant. Davood Reza Rabbani, the CEO of Bakhtar Holding Company, told a ceremony to launch Miandoab Petrochemical Plant on ENERGY TEHRAN — National network capacity. Thursday that all of the holding’s assets were spent on developing deskIranian Gas Company According to the official, all the fuel needs the petrochemical industry. (NIGC) is currently supplying 253 million of the power plants connected to the national He said Miandoab Petrochemical Plant was built by tapping cubic meters (mcm) of natural gas to the gas network are currently met unless they the company’s local resources. country’s power plants on a daily basis, five are going through minor repairs in their percent more than the average daily supply in gas sector. the previous Iranian calendar month (ended Currently, 85 power plants across the on June 20), the spokesman of the National country are using natural gas as fuel. Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said. Back in May, Jamshidi Dana announced “The figure stood at 240 mcm last month,” that the transmission capacity of the national Mohammad Asgari told IRNA on Thursday. gas network was raised to one billion cubic According to the official, gas supply to meters per day (bcm/d). power plants reaches its maximum level Noting that several projects were carried during the summer peak consumption out last calendar year (ended on March 19) to period. increase the country’s gas network capacity, As reported, currently all the country’s the official said: “Many of the mentioned gas and thermal power plants are connected projects have been implemented in the to the national gas network, however, in ninth national line, most of which will be the cold seasons, with the increase in gas operational this year.” consumption by the domestic sector, the The official had previously said that 61 According to him, currently, there are 8,000 people employed supply to the power plants will be reduced billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas was supplied in the companies governed by the holding, which will increase to and replaced with liquefied fuel. to the country’s power plants during the past 16,500 people by launching new projects. Referring to the daily consumption Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19). Miandoab Petrochemical Plant’s construction began in 2016 of 542 million cubic meters of gas in the Iran is currently producing over 810 with 140,000 tons of annual production capacity and came online country, Asgari noted that consumption mcm of natural gas daily which is mostly last week. by the households and the business sectors used inside the country for the domestic Bakhtar Holding Company accounts for 10% of the country’s has reached 162 million cubic meters due Iranian Gas Transmission Company (IGTC) power plants would need 310 mcm of gas sector and also as fuel for the power plants petrochemical export revenues which is expected to reach 15% to the arrival of the hot season. Mehdi Jamshidi Dana had said that during per day, a figure that could be easily met and a small portion is also exported to the next calendar year, Rabbani added. Earlier in May, Caretaker Manager of the peak consumption period in summer by the National Gas Company given its neighboring countries like Iraq. He further said that the plant would operate with locally-made catalysts for the first time in the country. Jask to become major oil export hub for Iran Renewable energy breaks UK TEHRAN (Shana) – Iranian President their oil in other ways in times of danger to record in first quarter of 2020 Hassan Rouhani underlined the strategic im- the strait.” portance of the Goreh-Jask crude oil pipeline, Rouhani said that the only country that Renewable energy made up almost half of Britain’s electricity saying: “Today is the day of trust for Iranian oil had remained without an alternative for its generation in the first three months of the year, with a surge customers and Jask will become an important oil exports was the Islamic Republic of Iran. in wind power helping to set a new record for clean energy, the hub for Iran’s oil exports.” He continued: “This project is the most Guardian reported. Making the remarks on Thursday, during important project not only in terms of econ- The government’s official data has revealed that renewable the ceremony of launching Miandoab Petro- omy but also in terms of national security, energy made up 47 percent of the UK’s electricity generation in chemical Plant, normal hexane production unit economy and energy. Our customers can rest the first three months of the year, smashing the previous quarterly of Shazand refinery in Arak and the official absolutely sure. The one who buys oil from record of 39 percent set last year. start of construction of Goreh-Jask crude oil us wants to ensure that they can buy oil in The government’s renewable energy data includes electricity pipeline to Makran oil export terminal, the any situation; today is the day of confidence from the UK’s windfarms, solar panels and hydro power plants as president said: “At the beginning of the 11th for our buyers.” well as bioenergy generated by burning wood chips instead of coal. administration, we were thinking about the Emphasizing that today is a very important The “substantial increase” in the UK’s total renewable energy Goreh-Jask Pipeline project, which is of great day in the history of our country’s energy his- output was chiefly driven by a growth in electricity generated by importance in terms of national security. I have tory, the president stated: “Today, the Islamic solar panels and windfarms which climbed by more than a third always been concerned that the administra- Republic of Iran is able to build a thousand over the last year, according to the government’s energy analysts. tion comes to an end without implementing kilometers of pipeline in this project from The report added that the startup of new windfarms combined this project.” Bushehr province and Goreh region to Hormuz- with the UK’s unusually wet and windy weather at the start of He noted that a pipeline factory for sour oil gan and Jask is a very important achievement, the year – particularly storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge – helped and gas was to be built by a foreign company which shows the capabilities of the Iranian to generate record wind power generation. in Iran at first, but the project was halted due that they cannot prevent the Iranian nation the problems and misfortunes that befell the nation, researchers and industrialists in the Offshore windfarms powered the largest increase in renewable to the sanctions in 2018. “When this project from moving in the direction of production country, are also opportunities in some are- oil and energy sector.” energy in the first quarter of the year, climbing by 53 percent was stopped, we doubted whether we could and technology.” as, prompting us to achieve and finalize such Iran petrochemical revenues to compared with the previous year, while onshore wind generation entrust domestic industries with the task. Rouhani said that to build the Goreh-Jask great projects with the help of our workers, hit $25b grew by a fifth. The president considered it very impor- pipeline, Iran will need 1,000 kilometers of technologists and researchers.” The Iranian President further underlined In total, wind power generated 30 percent of the UK’s electricity tant for Iranian companies to build the metal pipelines, which will be built by three Iranian Historic day of Iran’s energy sector the inauguration of 17 new petrochemical pro- in the first quarter, beating the previous record of 22.3 percent sheets needed for the project, saying, “Today, companies, adding: “Of these 1,000 kilometers, Explaining why the Goreh-Jask pipeline jects by the end of the current Iranian calendar set in the final months of 2019. all foreign companies that wanted to help us about half of it, or 404 kilometers, are prepared, is strategic, the president said: “Many coun- year in March 2021, saying once the projects Rebecca Williams, of Renewable UK, said the renewable energy in this regard and stopped their work, the manufactured and gradually delivered, and tries in the region have been able to find an become operational, Iran’s petrochemical ex- industry’s records were bound to be broken again in the years imposers of the sanctions, the Americans laying the pipes has begun.” alternative to exporting crude oil rather than port revenues would exceed 25 billion dollars ahead as the government worked on “a massive expansion of and the Zionists, are well aware of the fact He continued: “The sanctions, despite all the Strait of Hormuz, so that they can export from currently $12b. renewables as part of the UK’s green economic recovery”. Britain last week set a new coal-free record of more than two months for the first time since coal-fired power generation began during the Industrial Revolution, following a surge in renewable India pushes up cost of fuel Oil recovery may gather pace in H2, energy due to bright, breezy weather and low demand during the to boost revenues says OPEC chief Covid-19 lockdown. Williams said the government’s record quarterly data showed the clean energy transition “written very large indeed” because the records had been set at the coldest time of year “when we need it most”. The rise of renewable energy combined with a steady supply of nuclear power, which made up about 15 percent of the UK generation mix, drove fossil fuel power plants to a new record low in the first quarter. Gas-fired power plants made up less than a third of UK gen- eration in the first quarter compared with over 40 percent in the first months of 2019, and coal-fired power made up 3.8 percent of electricity generated in the UK. China Gas fuel sales growth slows as lockdown batters demand

Indian oil companies have raised fuel prices Economics in Singapore. Oil and gas markets recovery is likely to whether a V shape, W or inverted hockey China Gas Holdings Ltd , one of China’s largest independent piped for 19 consecutive days as Narendra Modi’s “Obviously the impact of the shutdown gather pace in the second half of the year as stick, is still uncertain. gas distributors, said on Friday gas sales in its latest financial year government struggles to boost coffers de- will cause tax revenues to plummet.” countries further ease lockdown restrictions “Nevertheless, I am hopeful by the rose just 2.9 percent, a sharp fall from the previous year as the pleted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Financial Customers at a petrol station in New and demand rises, said OPEC Secretary Gen- end of this year we will begin to see some coronavirus pandemic hit fuel demand. Times reported. Delhi on Thursday were frustrated by the eral Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, expressing further semblance of stability restored to Total gas sales were 25.4 billion cubic meters in the year ended After an almost 12-week price freeze rise in prices. cautious optimism that the worst is over. oil markets. Then we will be in a position March 31, equivalent to roughly 8 percent of China’s total gas imposed during the coronavirus lockdown, “It’s an unnecessary hike, the inter- According to Trade Arabia, the huge and to move into the next phase of sustaining demand, but the rate of growth collapsed from a 32 percent surge companies including Indian Oil Corpora- national crude price is so low, this is not unprecedented oil market imbalance that that stability. Hence the importance of the in the year earlier period, Reuters reported. tion have increased pump prices steadily. the way to balance the budget,” said RK faced the industry in April in the wake of two-year duration of the historic agreement “Adversely impacted by COVID-19, negative growth for energy On Thursday, diesel and petrol prices in Sinha, a motorcycle driver who works in Covid-19 pandemic required an unparalleled signed by the Opec Plus group of countries consumption kicked in for the first quarter of 2020 as energy New Delhi hit Rs79.92 and Rs80.02 a liter the aviation industry. “I think prices should response from producers, said Barkindo, and non-Opec producers.” demand derived from industrial, commercial and transportation ($1.05 and $1.06) respectively, prompting be reduced.” taking part in the online Adipec Energy Setting out the scale of the “unprece- sectors contracted noticeably,” the firm said its filing to the Hong the opposition Congress party to call for a Asia’s third-largest economy is on track Dialogues. dented demand destruction” suffered by oil Kong stock exchange. nationwide protest next week. to contract for the first time in more than Underlining the importance of the markets in April, Barkindo said oil demand The group, which earlier said total revenue rose by 0.3 percent The global oil price has risen recently but 40 years after reporting growth rates of two-year agreement, signed by Opec and had fallen by 20 to 24 million barrels a day, to HK$59.54 billion ($7.68 billion), noted gas sales to households the cost at the pump has been driven higher 6-7 percent before the virus struck. non-Opec oil producing countries in the from a high of 100 million barrels per day, had grown by a quarter and it had added 5.4 million new resi- by new taxes imposed by cash-strapped The IMF revised down its 2021 growth Declaration of Cooperation (DOC) on April as economic and societal lockdowns, in re- dential users last year, an increase of 6.3 percent. Gas sales to state and central governments. Taxes now outlook for India on Thursday, saying 12, and revalidated earlier this month on sponse to the Covid-19 coronavirus, ravaged industry rose 5.2 percent, while those to the commercial sector account for more than 50 percent of the the economy would contract 4.5 percent June 6, Barkindo said he was confident that the global economy. It led to the largest contracted 9 percent. final price Indian consumers are paying next year. The fund cited the disruption more stability would return to oil markets single supply adjustment in history with Sales to the fuel retail sector, including liquefied natural gas for fuel. caused by India’s long lockdown, which in the second half of the year, but more OPEC and non-Opec producers adjusting and compressed natural gas filling stations, fell 16 percent to 1 Modi’s government relies on petrol triggered an exodus of migrant workers work is required to draw down existing oil output, including from those outside of billion cubic meters, as transportation came to a near halt during and diesel taxes as an important source to their villages, as one of the reasons for oil inventories to help rebalance markets. the DOC, by almost 20 million barrels a day. coronavirus-related lockdowns. of income and has more than doubled rev- the contraction. “As we see countries begin to open up, Stressing the criticality to the global Sales of liquefied petroleum gas, used for cooking and as pet- enue from duties on fuel since coming into The surge in coronavirus infections we will see demand start to come back,” economy of restoring stability to oil mar- rochemical feedstock, dropped by an annual 4.2 percent to 3.83 power in 2014. is frustrating India’s efforts to restart its Barkindo said. “I remain optimistic but kets, Barkindo said he had seen projections million tons. “Any boost to revenue will be more than economy. The nation of 1.37bn people has cautious the worst is over and a recovery that forecast a contraction of nearly 20 per The company said it had completed construction of a gas welcome for the government. The revenue the fourth-highest number of coronavirus will be in full swing in the second half of this cent, or $1.5 trillion, in energy investments transmission pipeline network with a total length of 402,381 km. situation looks pretty bleak,” said Shilan cases in the world and on Thursday 16,922 year, with stocks beginning to be withdrawn. as a result of the volatility and uncertainty China Gas’ Hong Kong listed shares have fallen 6.8 percent so far Shah, senior India economist at Capital new cases were reported. However, what shape the recovery will take, around markets. this year, versus a 14 percent fall in the broader Heng Seng Index . 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tehrantimes79 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JUNE 27, 2020 ANALYSIS/INTERVIEW 7

Chokehold on Diplomat exposes Annexation is still inadmissible, even by Israel Israel’s special type of Apartheid By Daud Abdullah Israel’s project to annex 40 per cent of the occupied West Bank is hanging in the balance. Without the long-awaited By Jonathan Cook combination of traits: his intelligence green light from the Trump administration, it will remain and determination; a steely refusal to be stalled. After his abysmal mishandling of the coronavirus An Israeli diplomat filed a complaint last ground down by racism and discrimina- pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, recent polls show week with police after he was pulled to the tion; a pliable ethical code that condoned the president is consistently trailing behind his democratic ground in Jerusalem by four security guards, the oppression of fellow Palestinians; and rival, Joe Biden. A foreign policy fiasco in Palestine could who knelt on his neck for five minutes as blind deference to a Jewish state whose quickly end the incumbent’s dream of a second term in the he cried out: “I can’t breathe.” very definition excluded him. White House. This explains why he has been dragging his There are obvious echoes of the treat- Israel’s Foreign Ministry put him on a feet on the planned annexation. ment of George Floyd, an African-American fast track, soon sending him to San Fran- If events within the US have painted the image of a presi- killed by police in Minneapolis last month. cisco and London. There his job was to dent driven by dark forces of discrimination and inequality, His death triggered mass protests against fight the international campaign to boycott support for Israel’s annexation policy will certainly shed police brutality and reinvigorated the Black Israel, modeled on a similar one targeting more light on it. By endorsing Israel’s annexation plan Lives Matter movement. The incident in apartheid South Africa, citing his own story Trump has unwittingly called into question his slogans Jerusalem, by contrast, attracted only minor as proof that in Israel anyone can succeed. ‘America First’ and ‘Make America Great Again.’ attention – even in Israel. But in reality, Khaldi is an exception, How can a country become great when it cannot defend An assault by Israeli security officials on and one cynically exploited to disprove the its founding values in the face of unreasonable demands a diplomat sounds like an aberration – a rule. Maybe that point occurred to him as from a protectorate? peculiar case of mistaken identity – quite he was being choked inside Jerusalem’s The challenge which confronts Trump is not peculiar to unlike an established pattern of police vio- central bus station after he questioned a his administration; it is one that has troubled successive lence against poor black communities in the guard’s behavior. administrations since the late 19th century. They could U.S. But that impression would be wrong. After all, everyone in Israel understands not uphold the principle that prohibits the acquisition of The man attacked in Jerusalem was no that Palestinian citizens – even the odd territory by force. Even when they did, it was always applied ordinary Israeli diplomat. He was Bedouin, professor or legislator – are racially profiled partially and selectively. from Israel’s large Palestinian minority. and treated as an enemy. Stories of their One-fifth of the population, this minor- physical or verbal abuse are unremarkable. ity enjoys a very inferior form of Israeli Khaldi’s assault stands out only because citizenship. Palestinian children. The policy has been population. But in truth, the health sector he has proved himself such a compliant Ishmael Khaldi’s exceptional success in so successful that inter-marriage is all but is the one major sphere of life in Israel servant of a system designed to marginalize becoming a diplomat, as well as his all-too-fa- non-existent. In a rare survey, the Central where segregation is not the norm. The the community he belongs to. miliar experience as a Palestinian of abuse at Bureau of Statistics found 19 such marriages brightest Palestinian students gravitate This month, however, Israeli Prime Min- the hands of the security services, exemplify took place in 2011. towards medicine because at least there ister Benjamin Netanyahu himself chose the paradoxes of what amounts to Israel’s The economy is largely segregated too. the obstacles to success can be surmounted. to tear off the prettified, diplomatic mask hybrid version of apartheid. Most Palestinian citizens are barred from Compare that to higher education, represented by Khaldi. He appointed a new Khaldi and another 1.8 million Pal- Israel’s security industries and anything where Palestinian citizens fill much less ambassador to the UK. estinian citizens are descended from the related to the occupation. State utilities, than one percent of senior academic posts. Tzipi Hotovely, a Jewish supremacist and few Palestinians who survived a wave of from the ports to the water, telecoms and The first Muslim judge, Khaled Kaboub, was Islamophobe, supports Israel’s annexation expulsions in 1948 as a Jewish state was electricity industries, are largely free of appointed to the Supreme Court only two of the entire West Bank and the takeover of declared on the ruins of their homeland. Palestinian citizens. years ago – 70 years after Israel’s found- Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. She is part of Israel continues to view these Palestinians Job opportunities are concentrated ing. Gamal Hakroosh became Israel’s first a new wave of entirely undiplomatic envoys – its non-Jewish citizens – as a subversive instead in low-paying service industries Muslim deputy police commissioner as re- being sent to foreign capitals. element that needs to be controlled and and casual labor. Two-thirds of Palestinian cently as 2016; his role was restricted, of Hotovely cares much less about Israel’s subdued through measures reminiscent children in Israel live below the poverty line, course, to handling policing in Palestinian image than about making all the “Land of When 15 Latin American states adopted the principle in of the old South Africa. But at the same compared to one-fifth of Jewish children. communities. Israel”, including the occupied Palestinian April 1890 at the First International Conference of American time, Israel is desperate to portray itself This ugly face is carefully hidden from Khaldi, the diplomat assaulted in Jeru- territories, exclusively Jewish. States, the US voted against its resolution. Washington’s as a western-style democracy. outsiders. salem, fits this mold. Raised in the village Her appointment signals progress of a hegemonic ambitions in the region was arguably the reason So strangely, the Palestinian minority On the other side, Israel loudly cele- of Khawaled in the Galilee, his family was kind. Diplomats such as herself may finally for its decision. has found itself treated both as second-class brates the right of Palestinian citizens to denied water, electricity, and building per- help people abroad understand why Khal- Fast forward to 1938 and Germany’s annexation of citizens and as an unwilling shop-window vote – an easy concession given that Israel mits. His home was a tent, where he studied di, her obliging fellow diplomat, is being Austria followed by the invasions of 10 other European dummy on which Israel can hang its pre- engineered an overwhelming Jewish ma- by gaslight. Many tens of thousands of Pal- assaulted back home. countries. On this occasion, conquest and annexation be- tensions of fairness and equality. That has jority in 1948 by forcing most Palestinians estinian citizens live in similar conditions. Jonathan Cook won the Martha Gellhorn came so unacceptable that the US and Britain launched resulted in two contradictory faces. into exile. It trumpets exceptional “Arab Undoubtedly, the talented Khaldi over- Special Prize for Journalism. His books the Atlantic Charter. On one side, Israel segregates Jewish and success stories”, glossing over the deeper came many hurdles to win a coveted place at include “Israel and the Clash of Civilisa- It declared their “desire to see no territorial changes Palestinian citizens, confining the latter to truths they contain. university. He then served in the paramil- tions: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the that do not accord with the freely expressed wishes of the a handful of tightly ghettoized communities During the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel itary border police, notorious for abusing Middle East” and “Disappearing Palestine: peoples concerned” and that they “respect the right of all on a tiny fraction of the country’s territory. has been excitedly promoting the fact that Palestinians in the occupied territories. Israel’s Experiments in Human Despair”. peoples to choose the form of government under which To prevent mixing and miscegenation, it one-fifth of its doctors are Palestinian cit- He was marked out early on as a re- He contributed this article to The Palestine they will live; and they wish to see sovereign rights and strictly separates schools for Jewish and izens – matching their proportion of the liable advocate for Israel by an unusual Chronicle. self-government restored to those who have been forcibly deprived of them.” After the bloodletting of World War II, the principle of inadmissibility became a cornerstone of international law Israel’s checkpoints are places made for its colonial violence and relations. The UN, which to all intents and purposes is a victor’s club, affirmed in its charter that: By Ramona Wadi called upon the international community Palestinian civilians by Israeli soldiers at liveable is the ultimate aim of Israeli colo- All Members shall refrain in their international rela- to hold Israel accountable. However, the the checkpoints. Behind the fake security nialism, and the international community For Palestinians, Israel’s military check- tions from the threat or use of force against the territorial “dysfunctional international community,” narrative, however, is the link between colo- has ensured that Israel can use all of the integrity or political independence of any state, or in any points are made for its colonial violence and as Ashrawi aptly described it, will once again nialism and surveillance, a tactic of Israel’s normalised human rights violations at its perpetual dehumanisation of the occupied other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United abdicate its responsibilities. It has, after all, which has been employed, normalised and disposal. Creating a power imbalance in Nations. population. In the latest grotesque specta- justified the concept of killing Palestinians refined since 1948. terms of space and psychological manip- cle of extrajudicial killing, Ahmed Erekat, Israeli exception through the colonial narrative itself. Aside The international community will not ulation is the norm at Israeli checkpoints. Today, all these principles have been thrown out of the a 27 year old Palestinian man and nephew from rhetorical “regret”, Palestinians can question Israel’s use of checkpoints as it Each day is a replica of routine measures of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s window in the face of Israel’s threat to annex part of the expect nothing more. has normalised the colonial framework which focus on elimination, rather than fa- occupied West Bank. Secretary General Saeb Erekat, was killed Shifting attention towards the systematic necessary for the Zionist state’s survival. cilitating a semblance of normal living. For by Israeli soldiers after losing control of A full-page advert published in Israeli newspapers repression and violence by Israeli soldiers Furthermore, constructing the imagined Palestinians, there is no escaping the violent in April signed by 220 retired generals, admirals, and his vehicle close to a checkpoint at Abu at checkpoints is of paramount importance. democratic state that Israel claims to be threat posed by the checkpoints within a Dis. Erekat was on his way to pick up his leaders from Mossad, Shin Bet and the police has failed These sites — there are hundreds of them, severs the link which the international com- colonial framework. On the contrary, the thus far to deter Benyamin Netanyahu from pursing his sister as her wedding was taking place that both “fixed” and “temporary” — have been munity should be making between check- threat manifesting into action is probable, evening. Israel claims that his intention was annexation plan. normalised by the international communi- points and Israel’s colonial existence. While as has been witnessed; documented; and, on This month, 47 UN human rights experts called on the a car-ramming attack. ty as necessary for Israel’s “security” and human rights organisations such as B’Tselem other occasions, exposed in news headlines. Yet again, justice will probably be elusive international community to oppose the plan. They warned “self-defence”. Military checkpoints, however, have regularly insisted upon an analysis of Checkpoints enable colonial violence; Ahmed of the lessons of the past; criticism without consequences as Israel’s security narrative will determine are reminders that Israel has misappropri- checkpoints within the framework of human Erekat is sadly and simply the latest visible the outcome of any investigation if, indeed, can often have devastating consequences. Europe could ated Palestinian rights, notably freedom of rights violations, the international commu- victim of Israel’s fake security narrative. have spared itself the mass killings and wanton destruction one takes place. Israel does not question its movement, to maintain colonial control of nity has simply adopted the Israeli security Ramona Wadi is an independent re- extrajudicial killings policy, which provides the if it did not appease Germany’s annexation of Austria. the land and people, and are an integral narrative wholesale, turning Palestinians searcher, freelance journalist, book re- If Israel’s Western allies fail to prevent the impending backing for state, soldier and settler impunity part of Israel’s theft of Palestinian territory. into collateral damage without listening to viewer and blogger. Her writing covers when it comes to eliminating Palestinians. annexation in Palestine, the Middle East may itself witness Delays, inspections, random refusals of their stories and affirming their political a range of themes in relation to Palestine, a major catastrophe. Michael Lynk, the 7th UN Special PLO Executive Committee Member permits, detentions, verbal abuse and physical and human importance. Chile and Latin America. Her article ap- Hanan Ashrawi condemned the killing and Rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian Territo- harassment are all tactics employed against Making what remains of Palestine un- peared in MEMO. ries, could not have been any clearer when he cautioned that under no circumstances should an occupying power, Israel included, “acquire the right to conquer, annex or Trump’s talks offer with Venezuela and Iran doesn’t mean policy shift: Argentinian professor gain sovereign title over any part of the territory under its occupation.” 1 “I think during these hard times for both countries, starve him of revenue and force his resignation. This dreadful situation has reinforced the Palestinian there is a moment to strengthen their cooperation. Both After initially drawing huge crowds in anti-Maduro rallies, realisation that freedom will not be handed to them by the countries were being affected because of U.S. sanctions, so Guaido’s star has dimmed over the last year. In January he US and its Western allies. It has to be won. there is not enough space to find partners abroad.” even faced a challenge to his position as National Assembly Wherever they are currently domiciled, Palestinians must Under his “maximum pressure” policy, Trump has in- leader from an opposition legislator and former ally – an have observed with bewilderment last week’s visit by France’s troduced the harshest sanctions in history against Iran. It issue that has never been resolved. Emanuel Macron to London. He braved the coronavirus pan- has introduced at total ban on Iran’s oil exports. Professor Sterzer says except Iran and Venezuela the demic to commemorate the 80th anniversary of General Charles Sterzer says, “Considering how important is oil for both Trump administration is also dealing with other local and de Gaulle’s appeal to the French resistance to liberate their countries, taking into account what was happening in this international issues. land from the clutches of the occupying power. The German year with oil prices, there was a necessity for Nicolas Maduro’s “The U.S. is dealing with other issues, internally, like occupation was then in its second month. regime to consider Iran as a trustful partner.” the economy, Floyd’s issue, and health crisis because of the Did it ever cross Macron’s mind that the Palestinian He suggests it is necessary that trade ties between Iran Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from this, the U.S. is also busy people who have been subjected to the longest military and Venezuela to include other items including food and with China. In other words, too many open fronts to deal occupation in modern times also have a right to resist? Of medicine. with. However, it doesn’t mean both Venezuela and Iran course not. While some rights are inalienable to certain “The example with oil is also available for other items, are not more important. At least, for this moment, they are people, they can only be selectively and partially accorded especially food and pharmaceuticals,” the professor points out. authority has lost impetus. adopting a ‘wait-and-see’ approach.” to others. Despite U.S. hostile policies toward Venezuela, in an Guaido caused a stir 18 months ago declaring himself The Argentinian professor says he is quite sure that sanc- Even as the clock ticks down to the eleventh hour, interview with Axios published on Sunday, Trump said he acting president after the opposition-controlled parliament tions against Iran and Venezuela “will continue”. NATO, the UN and EU continue to dither about what to “would maybe think about” meeting Maduro. However he decreed Maduro a usurper over his 2018 re-election. The professor is also of the opinion that remarks by Trump do with Israel. They, like Netanyahu, are also awaiting changed tack in a tweet on Monday. The U.S. was one of the first of more than 50 countries to that he is ready to meet with the Venezuelan president “is the green light from Washington. Cynics in the Middle “My Admin has always stood on the side of FREEDOM recognize his claims and the Trump administration ramped just a political strategy”. East see things differently; they fear that the ditherers and LIBERTY and against the oppressive Maduro regime! I up sanctions on Maduro and his inner circle in an effort to “We could see the same with Kim Jong-un and North and bystanders are awaiting another round of mayhem would only meet with Maduro to discuss one thing: a peaceful Korea as well. The fact he was saying that, I mean, sharing so their industries and banks will profit from the sales of exit from power!” Trump wrote. “Honestly, I don’t expect his ‘goodwills’ to talk with his ‘enemies’, doesn’t mean that weapons and reconstruction of devastated countries. As Washington has been one of the chief allies to Venezuela’s any changes about Trump- there is a shift in his foreign policy” the professor points out. for the inevitable human suffering and deaths, they are opposition leader Juan Guaido but that support has waned He adds, “Honestly, I don’t expect any changes about mere collateral damage. as the National Assembly president’s challenge to Maduro’s Maduro relationships.” Trump-Maduro relationships.” Dr Daud Abdullah is MEMO Director. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 HERITAGE & TOURISM JUNE 27, 2020

The Bahamas to lift travel COVID-19 inflicts $1.4 billion restrictions for Iran

HERITAGE TEHRAN — The Bahamas is scheduled to lift desktravel restrictions from Iran and other previ- ously excluded countries such as China, the Republic of Korea, in losses on Iran’s hotels and some European states, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. 1 He said that the country’s tourism industry suffered some 100 percent losses from the pandemic over the last four months, adding “Part of this loss and damage must be compensated by the government.” He called on the government to show sympathy and provide support with the suffered investors in the tourism industry, especially the hoteliers’ community, add- ing that the private sector in the tourism industry should be able to provide services in the post-COVID-19 period. He had earlier asked the government to exempt the tourism industry from paying taxes, as hotels, travel agencies and accom- The lifting of the travel ban from these countries will take effect modation centers have lost revenues due on July 1, when The Bahamas reopens its borders to commercial to total shutdown amid the virus spread. air carriers, Eyewitness News reported. The rebound, according to experts, will In addition to health assessments and screening at the points of be much more noticeable once the Iranian entry, the government requires all individuals, with some excep- government agrees to grant proper bailouts tions, to have a negative COVID-19 PCR test from an accredited and economic relief packages to the belea- facility within 10 days of entry to gain entry into the country. guered travel industry being brought to a The test results and ‘Bahamas Health Visa’ must be presented virtual standstill. upon arrival, the report said. On one hand, the government has an- The Bahamas continues to enjoy a slowed rate of cases, having nounced it will bail out those which are only confirmed four new infections since late May. grappling with fiscal problems by offering loans with a 12-percent interest rate. On the other, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tens of historical areas, relics Tourism and Handicrafts has suggested a rescue package for tourism businesses. identified in western Iran “Such amount of bailouts will not com- A view of Tehran with Espinas Palace Hotel in the foreground TEHRAN – A total number of 65 centuries-old pensate for much of the losses as the virus HERITAGE April. petrol prices] in November, and the fatal bans days after President Hassan Rouhani deskareas and relics have been found during an pandemic has brought tourism to a standstill “Last [Iranian calendar] year was a Ukraine International Airlines plane crash unveiled a “Smart Social Distancing Initia- archeological season, which recently came to end in Sirvan plain, for two months,” Amir-Pouya Rafiei-Shad bumpy ride for Iran’s tourism as it suffered in January,” Rafiei-Shad explained. tive” as a new phase of measures to prevent western province of Ilam. who presides over Tehran province’s Tour from flooding in the spring, protests [over On April 20, Iran lifted intercity travel the virus spread. “65 historical and cultural items, dating back to a time from and Travel Agencies Association said in the prehistorical times to Islamic era, have been identified and documented during an archaeological survey carried out in the historical site of Sirvan,” CHTN quoted Iranian archaeologist Over 5.7m overnight stays recorded across Iran in month Shahla Ahmadi as saying on Wednesday. TOURISM TEHRAN – More than 5.7 million surveillance visits were made to tourist facilities including deskovernight stays, mainly by domestic accommodation centers, restaurants, catering business- travelers, were recorded across Iran during the month es, travel agencies, restaurants across 31 provinces of the of Khordad (May 21 –June 20), deputy tourism minister country, which shows the ministry’s simultaneous attention has announced. to travel and travel safety.” “A total of 5,703,679 people made overnight stays dur- Months ago, many countries, including the Islamic Re- ing the month of Khordad at authorized accommodation public, started imposing travel restrictions to help curb centers such as hotels, traditional lodging houses, eco- the spread of novel coronavirus, restricting air, road, and lodge units, pilgrim’s guest houses, apartment hotels, guest rail travel to a great extent. houses, and tourist centers,” ILNA quoted Vali Teymouri Some experts expect Iran to achieve a tourism boom as saying on Thursday. after coronavirus contained, believing its impact would The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Hand- be temporary and short-lived for a country that ranked icrafts in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health the third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019. The has announced new guidelines and instructions to ramp latest available data show eight million tourists visited the up the safety of travels across the coronavirus-hit country. days-off in Khordad, which made the Iranian month fit Islamic Republic during the first ten months of the past “The study was carried out in an area covering 412 square Elsewhere in his remarks, Teymouri referred to national for more travels, saying “During Khordad, over 11,000 Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019). kilometers to complete the archeological map of the country, which resulted in identifying and recording ancient artifacts and establishments, and relative knowledge of the periods of human Iranian expert uses nanotech to protect Facebook bans trade of Iranian antique settlement in the region.” The lion’s share of the newly identified objects dates from the exquisite works artifacts Sassanid era (224–651), she said. “Historical Tepes (hills), sites, ruined structures, cemeteries, caves, and rock shelters were amongst areas with cultural values that have been identified/ documented recently.” The historical site of Sirvan, which is estimated to date from the Sassanid era (224–651), was inscribed on the National Her- itage List in 2001. Iran under Sassanian rule (224-651 CE) witnessed tremendous achievements of Persian civilization. Experts say that during the Sassanid era the art and architecture of the nation experienced a general renaissance. In that era, crafts such as metalwork and gem-engraving grew highly sophisticated, as scholarship was encouraged by the state; many works from both the East and West were translated into Pahlavi, the official language of the Sassanians. Iran, one of the friendliest countries By Rita Alves TOURISM TEHRAN – Iranian to show these factors before the destruction TOURISM TEHRAN – Facebook ers were using the platform to identify and (Part: 4/4) deskmicrobiologist Leila of the manuscripts, the report added. deskhas banned the sale of sell illegally excavated antiquities mostly And let’s not forget the sand storm in Yazd, it was my second expe- Shokrzadeh has made a nanosensor which With this nanosensor, the presence of historical artifacts, including Iranian from the countries in West Asia. rience with a sand storm, the other one was in the desert in Jordan. can indicate the presence of fungi that these fungi and microorganisms can be carpets, on its platforms in an attempt “We’ve long had rules preventing the In Yazd, after we visited the Old City, we went to a traditional hotel cause erosion in buildings and storage identified before destruction and followed to prevent priceless items looted or stolen sale of stolen artifacts.” public policy to have some drinks and we went to the rooftop to see the views. tanks used to keep exquisite works, ISNA by preventive measures. from being sold online, IRNA reported manager at Facebook Greg Mandel said The sky started to get dark and we saw a brownish cloud com- reported. Thousands of exquisite artworks in- on Thursday. on Tuesday and added “To keep these ing from one side; it was quite fast and we started to feel dust in Although organizations and institutions cluding manuscripts of Quran and Persian Published photos of stolen historical artifacts and our users safe, we’ve been our face, so I put my camera away and after just few minutes, we in charge of preservation and restoration of poets’ major works, dating back to different artifacts on Facebook and Instagram were working to expand our rules, and starting had do go downstairs to the hotel courtyard which had the roof historical relics have taken steps to repair historical eras, are being kept in several one of the reasons which led to the decision, today, we now prohibit the exchange, sale covered with a thick plastic (at least it didn’t flew away). The sky the damage caused by fungal erosion, there Iranian museums as well as Iran National the report added. or purchase of all historical artifacts on turned completely brown and then a storm came and it started hasn’t been an effective and appropriate way Library and Archive (INLA). Several reports confirmed that the loot- Facebook and Instagram.” to pour down. The storm took some time to pass and afterwards the temperature went down and was much cooler. Historical Abyaneh village unaffected by fire incident HERITAGE TEHRAN – A fire that broke out across onwards, for instance, an ancient temple, the ruins of a deskgardens of Abyaneh village in the central fortress, a mosque with a unique altar from Seljuk period province of Isfahan on Wednesday has inflicted no damage (ca. 1040–1196) to name a few. to the historical texture of the village, CHTN reported. Its distinctive architectural facet, variety of deeply- Preliminary reports indicate that 15 hectares of gardens rooted-in-time rituals, apparel of inhabitants, and rows of of the historical village have been engulfed in flames, the earthen houses dotted on the slope contribute to its charm. director of the historical site Hossein Yazdanmehr said. The roofs of some houses serve as the courtyard for others Although the volume of fire was too high, it was con- higher up on the hill. tained and successfully extinguished by firefighters as well The residents are deeply committed to honoring their as volunteer forces that prevented the spread of fire to the traditions. Females wear traditional clothing, consisting of historical and valuable texture of the village, the official added. a scarf with floral motifs and pleated pants. A view of Yazd Dominated with reddish hues and lost in the labyrinth of Even today their costume, way of life, and their ancient Now that I am back from Iran, I can say that it is one of the heights, Abyaneh village is one of the oldest in Iran. It is an dialect are still practically unchanged so that there lie ample safest and friendly countries in the world, because I went there example of human adaptation to nature, wherein one can reasons for travelers even though the anthropologists to and I had the experience of travelling in the country. But, I find redraw the boundaries of time and feel a flavor of ancient hear for the village. it difficult to pass that to others, people are so wrong about Iran. Iranian culture and civilization. Aside from the village, which was inscribed on the National I remember a man that was asking us to tell our friends to come Nested at the foot of Mount Karkas, Abyaneh is at a Heritage List in 1975, 32 historical monuments inside the to Iran, “We are not bad people” – he said with tears coming to distance of about 80km to Kashan and 40km to Natanz feasts and ceremonies. village have been also registered on the list. his eyes. So, pay a visit to this beautiful and friendly country, you in Isfahan Province. It draws thousands of domestic and It is an open-air anthropology museum that showcases Iran also eyes a possible inscription of Abyaneh village won’t regret it. foreign tourists year-round, mainly when it hosts special architecture and traditions from the Sassanid era (224–651) on the UNESCO World Heritage List in the near future. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JUNE 27, 2020 SOCIETY 9

Unlawful sanctions disrupt Coronavirus: 110 Iranians return home from Tajikistan

SOCIETY TEHRAN — A flight taken to Tajikistan brought deskback 110 Iranians to the country amid the coro- Iran’s anti-drug fight navirus pandemic, IRIB news agency reported on Thursday. Following the coordination of the Iranian Embassy with Tajik 1 Over the past year, more than 950 government officials, the second group of Iranians who applied tons of narcotics were seized, a record in the to return to their country, have been brought back on Thursday history of drug detection, and the spending evening, Mohammad Taqi Saberi, Iranian ambassador to Ta- of several hundred million dollars in the jikistan said. two areas of supply and demand reduction Earlier, 137 Iranians also returned to Iran on May 12 with are among Iran’s measures to achieve a arrangements, he stated. world free of drugs, he explained. Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus and strict regulations He went on to say that drugs are not on the return of foreign nationals, many Iranians in Tajikistan, a problem that a country can solve on including tourists, students, and businessmen, have had difficulty its own. returning to the country. Iran emphasizes the pivotal role of The number of people diagnosed with coronavirus in Iran the United Nations Office on Drugs and reached 217,724 on Friday, of whom 10,239 have died and 177,852 Crime (UNODC) as an international au- recovered so far. Over the past 24 hours, 2,628 new cases of peo- thority in the fight against narcotics and ple having the virus have been identified, and 109 died, Health expresses its concern over any approach Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said. that contradicts the mission of this or- ganization or leads to Interference in its current mission, he highlighted. It is expected that in line with the princi- Dolphins learn foraging ple of shared responsibility, as well as joint cooperation, we will once again have the skills from peers technical and financial support of UNODC Dolphins can learn new skills from their fellow dolphins. That’s programs in both border management and the conclusion of a new study reported in the journal Current countermeasures, he noted. Biology on June 25. The findings are the first to show that dol- Iran’s anti-narcotics measures are not phins are not only capable of learning new ways to catch prey, merely restricted to its borders, they have but they are also motivated to learn from peers, not just from regional and international effects due to their mothers, the researchers say. its geographical location, he added. “Our study shows that the foraging behavior ‘shelling’ -- International diplomacy is based on where dolphins trap fish inside empty seashells -- spreads cooperation to resolve regional and global through social learning among close associates,” says Sonja problems, while the imposition of illegal with those who impose these illegal rules IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday. 21), 163 international traffickers were ar- Wild, who conducted this research for her doctorate at the sanctions and unilateral coercive meas- by putting pressure on the international According to UNODC’s 2020 report, Iran rested and 6 tons of drugs were seized, he University of Leeds. “This is surprising, as dolphins and other ures has prevented the implementation community. made considerable efforts in drug seizure, noted, adding, police detections of drugs toothed whales tend to follow a ‘do-as-mother-does’ strategy of international cooperation, especially Iran’s will to fight against narcotics as it confiscated 90 percent of opium, 26 have increased by 25 percent compared for learning foraging behavior.” in the fight against drugs, he lamented. trafficking focuses on the need to avoid percent of heroin, and 48 percent of mor- to the same period last year. Another aspect that makes the findings especially intriguing is Failure to provide the necessary equip- politicization and unilateralism and pay phine on the global scale, Fedulov said. The International Day Against Drug that shelling represents only the second reported case of tool use ment in the field of border management attention to international cooperation to Hossein Rahimi, a police chief, has Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, also known in dolphins. The dolphins of Shark Bay, Western Australia, are also and confiscation of drugs due to sanctions achieve the goals and to build a better to- said three gangs of international drug as ‘World Drug Day’, is celebrated annually known to use marine sponges as foraging tools to help them catch will disrupt the fight in a way that other morrow for all human beings, he concluded. trafficking have been recently disbanded on 26 June. The theme of World Drug Day prey, according to the researchers, according to Science Daily website. countries will suffer from the consequenc- Alexander Fedulov, United Nations in the capital city of Tehran, and 27 deal- 2020 is “Better Knowledge for Better Care.” Wild and her colleagues made the discovery during boat-based es, he stated, adding, the responsibility Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) ers were arrested, over 1 ton of narcotics The observance was instituted by surveys in Shark Bay between 2007 and 2018. In almost 5,300 en- for the consequences of this is disrupting representative to Iran, has praised Iran’s was discovered. General Assembly Resolution 42/112 of counters with dolphin groups over that time, they identified more the international fight against drugs lies efforts to fight against narcotics trafficking, Since the beginning of this year (March 7 December 1987. than 1,000 different Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). They also caught a select few in the act of shelling 42 times. “During shelling, dolphins chase their prey -- usually a fish Reviving Lake Urmia hosting large flocks of flamingos -- into empty shells of giant gastropods, insert their beak into the shell, bring it to the water surface and then shake it about around 20,000. to drain the water out of the shell, so that the fish falls into Shared between West Azarbaijan and East Azarbaijan their open mouth,” Wild explains. provinces in northwestern Iran, Lake Urmia was once the The researchers saw 19 different individual dolphins perform this largest salt-water lake in West Asia. shelling behavior. They note that there are surely more ‘shellers’ in However, decades of long-standing drought spell the population than they saw, since the whole event may only take a excessive dam construction, and elevated hot summer few seconds and could easily be missed. The question then was: how temperatures that speed up evaporation, as well as in- had this new way of foraging spread from one dolphin to the next? creased water demands in the agriculture sector, shrank To find out, the researchers used social network analysis, the lake drastically. taking into account the social network, genetic relationships, and In 1999 the volume of water which was at 30 billion environmental factors. Their analysis concluded that the shelling cubic meters drastically decreased to half a billion cubic behavior spreads socially primarily within -- rather than between meters in 2013. Moreover, the lake surface area of 5,000 -- generations, providing the first evidence that dolphins are square kilometers in 1997 shrunk to one-tenth of that to also capable of learning from their peers, not just their mothers. 500 square kilometers in 2013. “The fact that shelling is socially transmitted among associ- With the complete implementation of two water transfer ates, rather than between mother and offspring, highlights the projects, Lake Urmia will be completely restored by the similarities between cetaceans [the group including dolphins, Iranian calendar year 1406 (March 2027-March 2028), whales, and porpoises] and great apes in the way cultural be- Issa Kalantari, Department of Environment (DOE) chief haviors are passed on,” says Michael Krützen, University of two weeks earlier announced. Zurich, who initiated the study. Farhad Sarkhosh, head of the Lake Urmia Restoration Program’s office in West Azarbaijan province said that the lake’s level has reached 1,271.87 meters, which is 37 WORDS IN THE NEWS centimeters higher than the last year’s level. The lake’s water volume was estimated at more than Bird flu 4.620 billion cubic meters, which indicates an increase of 1.010 billion cubic meters compared to the last year (January 26, 2004) and 1.7 meters since 2014. The World Health Organisation has said it’s taking the rapid spread ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — Large flocks of flamingos The above normal levels of rain came to help conser- bathed in the water to take advantage of the therapeutic of a deadly new strain of bird flu, H5N1, very seriously. It has warned deskare returning to Lake Urmia as the lake vation measures to preserve the Lake Urmia, however, properties of the lake. there’s definitely potential for a serious human outbreak. This follows is being revived after years of dryness, ISNA reported it still needs 9.5 billion cubic meters of water to reach its These days, life has returned to Lake Urmia. The lake confirmed outbreaks in Thailand, South Korea, Cambodia, Japan on Thursday. ecological level of 1274.10. now has so much water that tourists can swim in its shiny and Vietnam. This report from Jill McGivering: Accordingly, flamingos have migrated to their former The lake was home to many migratory and indigenous water and birds and aquatic species such as flamingos The list of countries known to have the relatively new and deadly habitat, Lake Urmia, for food. The number of them animals including flamingos, pelicans, egrets, and ducks, and Artemia have returned to it, but it still has a long way strain of bird flu is rapidly growing. The focus now is on Indonesia on the shores of the lake has been announced to be and attracted hundreds of tourists every year who had to completely survive. where tests will soon confirm whether or not the bird flu which killed several million chickens there is the often fatal H5N1, already confirmed in 5 other countries in the region. Reports of an outbreak in Laos are also being investigated. ENGLISH IN USE A spokesman for the World Health Organisation told the BBC it was clearly spreading, causing serious concern. As new information was emerging, it was becoming clear, he said, LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION the strain had been around in the region much longer than first thought. That multiplied the risk of human infections, he added, and of the virus mutating, perhaps by attaching SDSs mitigation plan to take effect itself to human flu, and becoming far more deadly. So far seven people have died, six of them in Vietnam, after being طرح مهار گرد و غبارهای سیستان از اول سال next year infected with the strain. But so far there’s no evidence of direct human to آینده اجرایی می شود Sand and dust storm (SDS) mitigation plan will be implemented human transmission. Were that to happen, the death rate .amongst people could multiply dramatically رئیــس ســازمان حفاظــت محیــط زیســت گفــت: طــرح مهــار گــرد و غبارهــای منطقــه in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan as of the This new strain first appeared in Hong Kong in 1997. Scientists سیســتان و بلوچســتان از ابتــدای ســال آینــده اجرایــی مــی شــود. next Iranian calendar year (beginning March 21), Department of Environment (DOE) chief has announced. then went on to create a prototype vaccine but that’s now become redundant because the virus has since mutated. Between عیســی کالنتــری روز ســه شــنبه در گفــت و گــو بــا خبرنــگار ایرنــا اظهــار داشــت: بــرای and 20 million chickens across the region have died or been 10 مبــارزه بــا گــرد و غبــار ایــن منطقــه رئیــس جمهــوری تقاضــای 150 میلیــون دالر A total fund of $150 million from the National Development Fund has been proposed to counter dust storms in Sistan-Baluchestan .killed in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus اعتبــار از صنــدوق توســعه ملــی کــرده اســت. province, IRNA quoted Issa Kalantari as saying on Tuesday. Words .deadly strain: a variety of the disease that may be fatal, i.e وی بیــان کــرد: توفــان هــا و گــرد و غبــار مســاله جــدی در منطقــه سیســتان اســت و Referring to the SDSs hitting southeastern part of the country cause death مــردم ســالها بــا ایــن مشــکل مواجــه و از آن رنــج مــی برنــد و رئیــس جمهــوری بــه causing the residents severe health problems, he noted that the president is pursuing the issue and as long as the fund is an outbreak: a sudden occurrence of something, usually unpleasant investigated: looked into, examined شــدت پیگیــر حــل ایــن مســاله هســتند. طــرح مهــار گــرد و غبارهــای منطقــه سیســتان spreading: beginning to affect wider areas بــه محــض تاییــد منابــع مــورد نیــاز اجرایــی مــی شــود. .provided the plan will go into effect multiplied the risk: considerably increased the possibility mutating/mutated: if an organism mutates, it changes its PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM original genetic make-up and develops new characteristics; for example, if a virus mutates, it may no longer respond to drugs or vaccines in the same way as before “-bound” Hammer away Bring someone to heel transmission: here - passing of the virus, infecting Meaning: a word ending shows that something is Meaning: to keep saying something because you Explanation: if you force someone to behave in a a prototype vaccine: the first version of the vaccine; a vaccine restricted by or confined to want people to understand or accept it disciplined manner, you bring them to heel is a substance which is given to people to prevent them getting For example: Deskbound executives can’t grasp For example: I keep hammering away at this point For example: The boy had always behaved badly, the disease production problems. because it’s important. but the new headmaster managed to bring him to heel. redundant: here – ineffective and therefore not usable (Source: BBC) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 INTERNATIONAL JUNE 27, 2020

U.S. State Dep. Iraqi forces raid Kata’ib Hezbollah counterterrorism report ‘disappointing’: Pakistan base in Baghdad Pakistan’s government says it is “disappointed” by a U.S. State Department report on the country’s counterterrorism track record, with a foreign ministry statement declaring the report U.S. suspected of role after headquarters of Kata’ib Hezbollah raided “self-contradictory and selective”. Earlier this week, the State Department issued its annual By staff & agencies Daesh terrorists ever since the Takfiri group country reports on terrorism for 2019, singling Pakistan out for The headquarters of an anti-terror group launched an offensive in the country, over- particular criticism. within the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), running vast swathes in lightning attacks. “We are disappointed with the U.S. State Department’s Annual better known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, have come In November 2016, the Iraqi parliament Country Report on Terrorism for 2019, which is self-contradic- under attack in Baghdad, raising suspicions voted to integrate the PMU, which was formed tory and selective in its characterization of Pakistan’s efforts about the U.S. role in Iraq. shortly after the emergence of Daesh in Iraq for countering terrorism and terrorist financing,” the Pakistani More than a dozen members of Ka- in 2014, into the military. foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday. ta’ib Hezbollah were reportedly detained The popular group, however, is a thorn in The United States has long accused Pakistan of tacitly sup- during the raid in southern Baghdad in the side of the United States which is widely porting the Afghan Taliban and its allies, including the Haqqani the early hours of Friday. Initial reports believed to be managing an array of militant Network (HQN) armed group, in their fight against U.S.-led NATO said several commanders of the anti-U.S. groups, including Daesh, to advance its Is- forces in neighboring Afghanistan. group, which is integrated into Iraq’s security rael-centric agenda in the region. The two countries have also worked together against other forces, were among those arrested. In 2009, the U.S. State Department armed groups, including al-Qaeda, in the region, in a relationship Their fate remains unclear, with some blacklisted Kata’ib Hezbollah and imposed that has been marked by continued engagement despite sustained unnamed officials saying they are in the sanctions on the group which has been the mistrust, al Jazeera reported. custody of Iraqi security services. Other frequent target of American airstrikes in Iraq. Matters reached a low point in January 2018, when U.S. Presi- informed sources said some the detainees according to Press TV, Iraqi lawmak- dent Donald Trump cut more than $1.1bn in security assistance to had been released. ers unanimously approved a bill on Jan- Pakistan, accusing the country of supporting the Afghan Taliban. An Iraqi official initially told Reuters news uary 5, demanding the withdrawal of all Pakistan has consistently denied the allegations, although in 2016 agency that at least three of the group’s de- foreign troops following the U.S. assas- the then Pakistani foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz had admitted tained commanders had been transferred sination of Lieutenant General Qassem that the government did have limited influence over the group. over to the U.S. military. Soleimani, the commander of the Quds PMU commanders. precision strikes against Hashd al-Sha’abi Elements of the Afghan Taliban’s leadership have been based out A number of local media outlets also re- Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards “The withdrawal of U.S. forces from a positions and intends to assassinate com- of a town outside the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta for years. ported that American forces were involved Corps, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhan- number of military bases does not come manders associated with them.” In May 2016, then Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in the raid. dis, the deputy head of Iraq’s PMU, and in line with the parliamentary resolution On March 27, the New York Times news- was killed in a U.S. drone attack in Pakistan while en route to Quetta. One tweet by an PMU member claimed their companions. calling on the government to push out paper reported that the Pentagon had ordered The U.S. State Department report this week repeated those that Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had Later on January 9, former Iraqi prime foreign troops from the country. It is a secret directive, which called on U.S. mil- concerns. apologized to the anti-terror group’s head minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, called on the rather part of redeployment plans for itary commanders to prepare a campaign “Pakistan continued to serve as a safe haven for certain re- Hadi al-Ameri over the incident. United States to dispatch a delegation to American forces inside Iraq,” Karim against Kata’ib Hezbollah, which is part of gionally focused terrorist groups,” it said. “It allowed groups The Arabic-language al-Sumaria Baghdad tasked with formulating a mech- al-Muhammadawi told Arabic-language Hashd al-Sha’abi. targeting Afghanistan, including the Afghan Taliban and affiliated television network, citing an unnamed anism for the move. al-Masalah news agency in an exclusive But the United States’ top commander in HQN, as well as groups targeting India, including LeT [Lashkar security source, reported on Friday that The 78-year-old politician said Iraq interview at the time. Iraq had warned that such a campaign could e-Taiba] and its affiliated front organisations, and JeM [Jaish all 13 PMU members who had been de- rejected any violation of its sovereignty, He added, “The real intention behind be bloody and counterproductive. e-Muhammad], to operate from its territory.” tained are now free. particularly the U.S. military’s violation Back on April 6, a member of the Iraqi the redeployment of U.S. soldiers in Iraq Lieutenant General Robert P. White of Iraqi airspace in the assassination parliament’s security and defense committee remains unknown. But it is assumed to wrote in a blunt memo that a new military airstrike. warned against the ulterior motives behind be related to the deployment of the forces campaign would also require that thousands The U.S. has refused to withdraw its troops, Haniyeh seeks Muslim the redeployment of U.S. troops to various to fortified bases, especially after the in- more American troops be sent to Iraq. with President Donald Trump balking at the military sites across the Arab country, saying stallation of Patriot missile systems there. Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters have played a idea with the threat to seize Iraq’s oil money unison in face of Israel’s Washington was drawing up plans to target The U.S. is purportedly seeking to launch major role in the liberation of areas held by held in bank accounts in the United States. annexation plan

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Palestin- ian resistance movement Hamas, has called on political leaders Pentagon chief seeks to reassure NATO over U.S. troop plans in the Arab and Muslim world to join hands in defense of the U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper sought Friday to making clear that the US commitment to European security to Poland. Palestinian cause, and devise mechanisms to stop Israel’s plan reassure allies at NATO that Washington will consult remains strong,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg Germany wasn’t notified of the move, which came after to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank. them on any future troop movements, after President said in a joint video statement before holding talks with Trump branded its NATO ally “delinquent” for failing “We believe in the role and historical responsibility of political Donald Trump surprised partners at the military alliance Esper. Both men arrived at their lecterns wearing face masks. to pay enough for its own defense, by not meeting a goal parties and organizations across the Arab and Muslim world for by announcing the withdrawal of thousands of personnel Media are not generally permitted to enter NATO head- set in 2014 for members to halt budget cuts and move Palestine and its just cause, protection of Palestinian lands as well from Germany. quarters because of virus-related restrictions. toward spending at least 2% of gross national product as support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian nation,” At a time when videoconferencing has become the norm Last week, Trump said that he is ordering a major re- on defense by 2024. Haniyeh wrote in a letter addressed to more than 120 heads of due to the coronavirus, Esper paid a short in-person visit to duction in troop strength in Germany, from around 34,500 Esper reaffirmed that message, saying that “I continue political parties and bodies in the Arab and Muslim countries. NATO headquarters in Brussels, a week after several allied personnel down to 25,000. Members of his own party have to urge all of our allies to meet their target goal of 2% of He called for urgent action to confront the Tel Aviv regime’s defense ministers expressed concern about the unpredict- criticized the move as a gift to Russia and a threat to US GDP. We’ve moved a good distance here in the last few years “criminal and racist” decision to expropriate swathes of Pales- ability of US troop plans in Europe and amid a draw down national security. Germany is a hub for US operations in but there’s much, much more we need to do to ensure our tinian land in the West Bank, Jerusalem al-Quds and the Jordan in Afghanistan, AP reported. the Middle East and Africa. collective security.” Valley, Press TV reported. “I welcome that the US is consulting with allies, while Trump said this week that the troops could be moved Secretary of State Mike Pompeo again took aim at Germany. Haniyeh demanded the safeguarding of the Islamic and Chris- tian sanctities, and the adoption of measures against Judaization of Jerusalem al-Quds and the partition of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. South Carolina statue set for removal, protesters topple two in Wisconsin 1 The legislation seeks to ban neck “Police shoot, arrest and imprison more floor for debate. holds of the kind that killed George Floyd people in our country than in similar advanced Speaking at the White House on Wednes- Israeli PM announces and would lift legal obstacles that shield police nations. It’s the exception when an officer day, Trump said Democrats “want to weaken from lawsuits. It would authorize $2.5bn for who broke the law when committing a fatal our police”. partnership with UAE ‘to independent investigations of police abuse shooting is convicted of a crime. It’s not the “They want to take away a lot of the and open avenues for replacing some police norm,” McGovern said. strength from our police and from law en- fight coronavirus’ in communities with social workers. The legislation passed roughly along party forcement generally, and we can’t live with Broadly backed by U.S. civil rights groups, lines in a vote of the full House on Thursday it. We can’t live with it,” Trump said at a Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel and the United Arab Emirates the Democrat-drafted House bill attempts night, but what happens next is unclear. The news conference. (UAE) are set to publicly announce cooperation over what he to put into law the demands of protesters House bill will stall unless Democrats and it would “fail to bring law enforcement and The National Association of Police Or- described as the fight against the novel coronavirus, amid at- who have rallied across the U.S. for police Republicans in the U.S. Congress, who are the communities they serve closer together”. ganizations, a coalition of police unions and tempts by a number of Arab countries to normalize diplomatic reforms. It is opposed by police unions and far apart on key issues in the bill, can find a According to al Jazeera, the Senate on associations with 240,000 members nation- relations with the Tel Aviv regime. President Donald Trump. way to work together. Wednesday failed to muster enough votes wide, said in a letter to House legislators that Speaking at an air force graduation ceremony on Thursday, “In America today, a Black American is The White House warned on Wednesday to take up a Republican-backed policing bill opening the door to potential lawsuits would Netanyahu said the impending measure stemmed from “pro- three times more likely to be killed by police that President Trump would veto the measure. that would authorize nearly $7bn in new have a “chilling effect” on police. longed and intense contacts.” compared to a white person,” said Repre- In a policy statement, the Office of Man- grants for police. Civil rights groups came And, chokeholds “are a vital tool to have “This collaboration will be in the areas of research and de- sentative Jim McGovern, a leading House agement and Budget called the Democratic out strongly against the measure and Dem- when use of deadly force is justified”, the velopment and technology, in areas that will improve health Democrat. bill “over-broad” and “excessive” and said ocrats refused to let it come to the Senate police letter said. security throughout the region,” he said. Channel 12 news reported that Mossad chief Yossi Cohen had helped broker the new agreement. U.S. watchdog: Afghanistan gov’t weakened ahead of Taliban talks A watchdog in the United States has warned that “systemic” bargaining position during future peace negotiations”. the coronavirus pandemic, al Jazeera reported. Resistance News corruption within the Afghan government is weakening its “It is the most insidious threat the Afghan government Afghanistan has reported more than 30,000 cases, bargaining position in upcoming peace negotiations with faces because it saps the support of citizens who are trying including 675 deaths, but testing is severely limited, Hamas: Armed resistance at the Taliban, even as the armed group said it was ready and to go about their daily work, feed their families, and live free and experts say the number of infections is likely had compiled its agenda for the long-awaited talks. of fear and intimidation,” Sopko told a monitoring group much higher. the forefront of options to John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghani- known as Integrity Watch Afghanistan. The protesters said the government has already wasted face annexation stan Reconstruction, said the Taliban and other fighters Meanwhile, about 50 civil society activists in Kabul rallied billions of international money. Najibullah Azad, who led a underscored the government’s corruption, using it to on Thursday against corruption, urging the International group of lawyers, doctors and economists in the protest, said INTERNATIONAL TEHRAN — Head of Hamas’s foreign relations “undermine public support for the government, garner Monetary Fund to rescind a $220m loan given last month government corruption is devouring international money deskoffice Mousa Abu Marzouk has affirmed that recruits to their cause and weaken the government’s to the Afghan government to help mitigate the impact of and that he feared the IMF’s $220m would disappear. the armed resistance is at the forefront of options to confront and thwart the Israeli annexation plans. “The Israeli annexation plans are a new crime and persistence Inside the America in stealing the Palestinian land resources,” Abu Marzouk said in press remarks to assabeel.net, stressing that Hamas “will work TEHRAN— All across America, people Trump tweeted a warning that a ten and eight of those owned slaves during their (or even organization) is seen in a large on frustrating them with all available tools and means.” of conscience are trying to tear down stat- year prison sentence awaited persons terms as president. Only presidents John portion of post Viet Nam war protests? “The Palestinian state that we want and the Palestinian people ues that memorialize and honor a hateful guilty of the “disgraceful vandalism”on Adams and John Quincy Adams did not Like the detractors of Colin Kaepernick, want — and such endeavor is backed by our Arab and Islamic history of oppression. Most notably in the “magnificent statue”, referring to the own enslaved people. This makes it some- who intentionally misrepresent his pro- nations and the world’s free people — is a country from the river the news is the attempt to bring down 2003 Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act. what difficult to honor any early president test message, the persons who want their to the sea, so the future of the Palestinian state lies in its complete the statue of Confederate War hero and Arizona Republican Senator Tom Cotton without also honoring slavery, it seems. memorials protected while continuing to liberation,” the Hamas official said. former president General Andrew Jackson, chimed in to urge the President to even And considering how the 13th amendment allow Black Lives to be endangered throw He underscored that the Palestinian people have options at the popular, located in Lafayette Square, directly in deploy federal troops to protect the statue has been turned into the perfect clause up a false agenda of caring about veterans diplomatic and legal levels, including the armed resistance, to respond front of the White House. That particular and “stop the mob”. to create the For Profit Prison Industrial in order to keep society polarized. They to such Israeli step and force it to backtrack on its new acts of theft. statue is 168 years old, but the current It is not surprising that persons who System, it is obvious that slavery is still believe that by sending the message that In a similar context, al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of resident of the White House has also hung have risen to power on the backs of the being practiced by legislators today. If the all the protestors care about is tearing Hamas, had described the Israeli decision to annex the Jordan two portraits of Andrew Jackson as well labors of others would consider a statue intention behind protecting these memorial down white society, instead of acknowl- Valley and parts of the West Bank as “a declaration of war against as placing a miniature of that same stat- to the institutions of slavery and genocide statues is an issue of honoring and protect- edging that policies in place hurt the im- the Palestinian people.” ue in the Oval Office. Donald Trump, it a fitting marker glorifying our nation’s ing our veterans, why do they hide behind a poverished of all colors. Nonetheless that In a video message, Abu Obeida, spokesman for al-Qassam Bri- seems, is a big fan of former U.S. Presi- history—-like all the other land owning red-herring pretense when there’s so much understanding has already been reached gades, vowed that the armed wing of Hamas would remain a “loyal dent Andrew Jackson and is seeking the gentry, Jackson’s wealth was due to the neglect and so little concern for those who by many in American society and we can guard defending the Palestinian people, their lands and holy sites.” maximum penalty against persons who efforts of his slaves. And he is not the only have “served their country”? Why do they see it by the numbers of White, Latino, “We will make the enemy bite its fingers in regret for such intend to harm or destroy these so-called slave-holding president. Twelve of the ear- pretend to not notice the dissatisfaction Asian and Indigenous participants in the criminal decision,” he said. “historical monuments”. liest presidents owned enslaved persons that is demonstrated by vet participation recent uprisings. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JUNE 27, 2020 SPORTS 11

Iran’s ‘Greatest’ Hassan Yazdani Foolad defeat nine-man Esteghlal: IPL

seeks wrestling immortality SPORTS TEHRAN — Foolad football team defeated With an Olympic gold medal, two world deskEsteghlal 2-1 in Iran Professional League (IPL) titles, and over 500k Instagram followers, on Wednesday. Hasan Yazdani is an Iranian hero. But can The match was the first to be played in Iran since the coro- he gain redemption over the one man he navirus pandemic halted the season in March and took place is yet to beat? behind closed doors. Freestyle wrestling is Iran’s national sport, Rouzbeh Cheshmi gave the visiting team a lead just 12 min- so when Hassan Yazdani pinned down the utes into the match in Ahvaz’s Foolad Arena but Foolad Malian 74kg gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics, defender Moussa Coulibaly levelled the score with a header in he became an instant national hero. the 27th minute. He moved up to 86kg, which better suit- Esteghlal midfielder Ali Karimi was shown a straight red card ed his growing frame, taking out the world just before the break for elbowing the Foolad player. championships gold medal at his new weight Esteghlal defender Aref Gholami was sent off in the 65th division in 2017 and 2019. minute after receiving his second yellow card. Yazdani became known as The Greatest With 10 minutes remaining, Mojtaba Najarian scored the and Fearless back home, while his Instagram winner for the hosts. account swelled to over 500K followers. Quite Foolad are fifth with 36 points, one place behind Esteghlal simply, he could walk the streets of Iran on goal difference. like he was The King… which is incidentally Persepolis lead the table with 47 points. another one of his nicknames there. “The truth is that I hope I am worthy of these nicknames,” he told Tehran Times. “Each one is valuable for me and so I hope Allahyar Sayyadmanesh to I can live up to the nicknames and the ex- leave Fenerbahçe pectations of my great fans. I always want to keep their hope, so I accept them all and just hope that I am worthy.” PLDC — Iranian winger Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, who joined Unconventional style Fenerbahçe with great hopes at the beginning of the season, will Growing up in wrestling-obsessed Iran, leave the Turkish football team. it wasn’t long before Yazdani found his way He has not had much of a chance this season in the Super League to the mat. and will part company with Fenerbahçe, haberturk reported. “I started wrestling at 12. In our country, Iran’s Esteghlal agreed on an $850,000 fee with Fenerbahçe wrestling, especially in my town, is a popu- for the transfer of Sayyadmanesh in May 2019. He signed a five- lar sport,” said the Jouybar-born grappler. seamless transition to the bigger 86kg weight wrestling nickname of Magic Man. Given that Yazdani has already secured year contract with the Turkish club. “We also have popular traditional wrestling category, he was instead brought back to But a serious knee injury prevented Taylor his place at the Games, and Cox’ decision He was loaned to TFF 1. League club Istanbulspor on 2 Sep- and as a child, I used to go watch. I became earth with a literal thud. from defending his title at Nur-Sultan in to move up a weight category at the USA tember 2019 on a season-long loan. interested early in life and eventually par- At the 2017 Wrestling World Cup on home 2019, which was almost inevitably reclaimed trials (making Taylor’s route to Olympic Fenerbahçe defender Murat Saglam will also leave the team ticipated and stayed with it.” turf in Iran, he came up against the USA’s by Yazdani. qualification a touch less competitive), the at the end of the season, the site reported. He quickly became renowned in his town David Taylor, and a new rivalry was born. The Greatest V Magic Man stars seem to be aligning for a third clash. for his unconventional style. While most After taking an early lead, Yazdani suc- Despite the pair’s intense previous bouts, ”My plan is to compete at the wrestlers in his category are short and stocky cumbed to Taylor’s superior hand fighting the foundation of their rivalry is respect. 2024 Olympics if my body allows it.” in stature, the reigning 86kg world champion ability and leg attacks, which prevented the That was evident in a tweet in 2019, where Despite having already amassed an Karim Ansarifard linked cut a more lanky physique. Olympic champion of six months from per- Taylor wished Yazdani a speedy recovery Olympic title, three world championship with Persepolis: report This extra limb length allowed him to forming his trademark counters. after the Iranian suffered a serious knee medals, an Asian Games gold medal, and execute more double-leg takedowns, whereby With Yazdani a year more experienced injury of his own during training. three Wrestling World Cups, Yazdani is his opponent is put down on the mat. at his new weight, the stage set for a grand “I always think about respecting all my still only 25. Iran international forward Karim Ansarifard has reportedly been Winning Olympic gold re-match at the 2017 world championships. opponents and I always wish them the best Regardless of what happens at the To- linked with a move to Persepolis. Yazdani’s natural gifts and strength of However, Taylor failed to win his place on in health and personal success. No matter if kyo Olympic Games in 2021, he has already character were on full display in the Rio 2016 the USA team after losing to J’den Cox at they are my direct opponent or not, I wish outlined his plan to keep wrestling until the final, where he came back from a daunting the notoriously competitive USA wrestling they are in a great situation so we can put Paris 2024 Olympics. 6-0 deficit to defeat Russia’s much-fancied trials. Yazdani went on to become world on a great show for fans.” “I hope I can achieve the best medals Aniuar Gedue. champion, but wrestling fans still yearned “It’s been about two months since my during my wrestling career for as long as my “I was thinking positive and I was think- for a direct bout between the duo. surgery. I am back training hard, but not like body allows me,” he said. “Ideally, I want to ing of winning, not even one percent of They got their wish in the qualification the competition training. Right now, during have the most medals, both Olympic medals, the time on the mat did I think of losing,” round of the 2018 world championships in the pause, I am working on bodybuilding, and world medals. My plan is to compete he revealed. “My mind was clear, I wasn’t Budapest. After getting the better of Taylor weights, and slowly training. Overall, my at the 2024 Olympics if my body allows it.” concerned about injuries. I had my coaches in the opening exchanges, Yazdani surren- knee is good and not bothering me.” If Yazdani was able to keep competing and God by my side, which helped me to dered a 6-2 lead to Taylor, who eventually With an extra year to recover from his until the next Olympics, perhaps a new nick- stay focused and earn the win.” progressed with an powerful 11-6 victory, injury before Tokyo 2020, a third match-up name is in order for Iran’s favorite wrestler: Rivalry with USA’s David Taylor and became 2018 world champion. Such between the pair at an Olympics is a truly The Timeless. While Yazdani would have hoped for a comebacks have earned Taylor his own mouth-watering prospect. (Source: Olympic Channel)

The 30-year-old will leave Qatari club Al-Sailiya at the end of the season. Football disciplinary committee should stand against indiscipline Ansarifard was a member of Persepolis football team in 2012- 13 before joining Tractor. the media in the following days. The lack of decisive disciplinary action in recent years 1 But in recent years in Iranian football, objections He has also played in Spanish football team Osasuna and Some managers even start their mind games in the against such behaviors has led to an increase of on-field against refereeing decisions have increased dramatically. Panionios and Olympiacos of Greece. press before a ball has been kicked. It conveniently deflects objections in every Iranian football season. It seems that Players, coaching staff and even the managers of the According to Al Kass, Ansarifard is on the verge of returning attention from their own shortcomings or acceptance the Disciplinary Committee of the Iranian Football Fed- team argue with the match officials in an unpleasant way to Persepolis. of losses. eration should take serious measures in this regard. during the match and even continue to criticize them in (Source: Al Kass)

Rostock Seawolves complete signing of Arsalan Kazemi advances to FIBA Davarzani attends FIVB Yakhchali Dunk of the Decade final Finance Commission

Volleyball.ir — Mohammadreza Davarzani, head of Islamic Republic of Iran Volleyball Federation (IRIVF), attended the FIVB Finance Commission via videoconference on Thursday. The financial report 2019 was approved by the members in the session. The members also discussed about the FIVB digital strategy, with this being a priority for 2020-2022. Davarzani, Habu A. Gumel from Nigeria, Kuwait’s Essa Hamzah Al Failakawi, Bouchra Hajij from Morocco, Mexican Alberto Arreola Sanchez, Louis Timba from Cameroon, Turkey’s Özkan Mutlugil, Brazilian Marco Tullio Texeira and Achilleas Mavro- matis from Greece participated in the online videoconference.

Esteghlal forward Motahari SPORTS TEHRAN — German “In addition, he always works hard and SPORTS TEHRAN — Iranian of the period between 2010 and 2020, sidelined for a month deskbasketball club Rostock puts the team’s success above all else. We deskbasketball player Ar- the voting includes a total of 32 entries Seawolves announced the signing of Iranian are very happy that we were able to bring a salan Kazemi booked a place at the FIBA’s from a wide range of global and con- guard Behnam Yakhchali. player of this quality to Rostock,” he added. Dunk of the Decade final. tinental competitions, with all FIBA Tasnim — Esteghlal striker Arsalan Motahari has been sidelined Yakhchali spent last year with Nan- The 24-year-old basketballer has also He defeated his Brazilian rival Rafael regions represented. for a month due to the hamstring injury. jing Monkeys in the Chinese Basketball played for Iranian teams Shahrdari Gorgan, Mineiro after earning 55 percent of votes. The bracket will culminate with the In the match against Foolad on Thursday, Motahari was sub- Association. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 Petrochimi and Jahesh. Kazemi will meet Carlos Morais from Final, which is set to conclude at 11:59 stituted in the 70th minute after suffering a hamstring injury. rebounds and 3.2 assists over 11 games. Yakhchali has been also a member Angola in the final match. PM GMT on Sunday, June 28. He will be sidelined for the next 3-4 weeks. “From my point of view, Behnam is the of Iranian international program for FIBA has launched an interactive Dunk Fans participating in the voting will His absence would be a significant blow since Esteghlal is best guard in Asia and has great interna- some years. Yakhchali has regularly of the Decade bracket, asking fans to help have a chance to win an official FIBA going to book a place in next year’s AFC Champions League. tional experience. He is also a complete played for Iranian senior team since in selecting the best slam dunk from its ball, with the winner of the contest to Esteghlal players Morteza Tabrizi and Reza Azari have already player who has no real weaknesses in his 2012 and previously for U19 National national team competitions. be announced following the conclusion missed the rest of the season due to torn ACL. game,” Rostock coach Dirk Bauermann said. Team back in 2013. Featuring the most memorable dunks of the bracket. Danaeifard’s goal nominated for Asia’s Greatest FIFA World Cup goal Persepolis GM Rasoul-Panah tests positive for COVID-19 Iraj Danaeifard’s goal against Scotland in the 1978 FIFA to the Netherlands in their opening match, a moment of World Cup has been nominated as Asia’s Greatest FIFA Iraj Danaeifard inspiration gave Iran their first ever FIFA World Cup goal. World Cup point in Cordoba. IRNA — General Manager of Persepolis football club Mehdi They are the goals that made entire nations roar. Appearing on the left flank, Danaeifard tricked his way Rasoul Panah has tested positive for the coronavirus. Every four years, the FIFA World Cup makes football past a defender, then slipped the ball under goalkeeper The members of Persepolis football club were tested for the centerpiece of the world and ignites the hopes of Alan Rough from an acute angle, becoming the first man coronavirus and Rasoul Panah was diagnosed with COVID-19. millions of fans. from his country to find the back of the net on the world’s Persepolis doctor Alireza Haghighat has confirmed Rasoul This June and July, the-AFC.com celebrates Asia’s con- biggest stage. Panah’s coronavirus case. tribution to the greatest show on earth by reliving 20 of the The fans can vote for their five favorite FIFA World Cup The death toll from COVID-19 in Iran reached close continent’s best FIFA World Cup goals. goals. Poll ends at 11:00 (UTC +8) on July 3. to 10,000, while more than 172,000 positive cases have Appearing in the Finals for the first time, and having lost (Source: the-afc) recovered from the disease. Prayer Times Noon:13:07 Evening: 20:45 Dawn: 4:04 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 5:51 (tomorrow) JUNE 27, 2020 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 “Walnut Tree” exhibit to observe Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051430 anniversary of Sardasht chemical attack Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 ARTTEHRAN — An Webmaster: [email protected] deskexhibition of the stills Printed at: Jame Jam Bartar Borna - 44197737 of the acclaimed Iranian drama “Walnut Tree” will open at the Zemestan Gallery Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimes79 of the Iranian Artists Forum on Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of the tragedy No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran of Iraq’s chemical attack on the Iranian town P.o. Box: 14155-4843 of Sardasht in 1987. Zip Code: 1599814713 The stills have been taken by Majid Talebi on the set as the movie was being directed by Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian last year. “Walnut Tree” was made based on the true story of the profound tragedy of Iraq’s chemical attack on the Iranian town of Sardasht in 1987. It tells the story of Qader Mulanpur, a man who was away when his family was affected by the chemical attack in a GUIDE TO village near Sardasht. His effort to save SPIRITUAL AWAKENING his pregnant wife and their three children are in vain and they die one by one from the fatal wounds sustained as a result of He who remembers the length of the journey, prepares the chemical attack. himself for it. On June 28, 1987, Iraq bombarded the Iranian town of Sardasht and the surrounding Imam Ali (AS) region with chemical weapons, killing over 1000 and injuring over 8000 civilians, many of whom were permanently disabled. WHAT’S IN ART GALLERIES Members of the film’s crew are scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the A poster of the 38th Fajr Film Festival for director Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian’s drama “Walnut Tree”. Painting exhibition, which will run until July 13. Paintings by Marjan Mohammadi The star of the Oscar-winning movie “A how to recall the tragedy because recalling is his role in the film during the 38th edition of a bit the dark aspects of the catastrophe,” and Salumeh Darabian are Separation”, Payman Maadi, who portrays the duty of those who were not at the place, the Fajr Film Festival in Tehran in February. he added. on display in an exhibition at Qader Mulanpur in the film, has commented those who have not seen and even those who “After seeing these photos, hope that we “Walnut Tree” also won Mahdavian the Chahardah Gallery. about the photo exhibition. have not heard about it,” said Maadi who close our eyes for moments, stop hearing and Crystal Simorgh for best director at the Fajr The exhibit named “The Silence “Recording these moments inspires us won the Crystal Simorgh for best actor for keep silent, let the imagination clear up for festival. of Anxiety” runs until July 3 at the gallery located at 14 Khark St. off Enqelab Ave. Poet Alireza Raheb dies from James Cain’s “Mildred Pierce” An exhibition of paintings by coronavirus published in Persian Elina Zavvar is currently underway at Farmanfarma Gallery. The exhibit named “Sympathy Is All We Need” will run until July 16 at the gallery located at 2nd Araabi St., North Kheradmand St. off Karim Khan Ave.

Atbin Gallery is playing host to an exhibition of paintings by Babak Yaquti. The exhibit named “Mangaavam” will continue until July 7 at the gallery that can be found at 42 Khakzad Alley, Vali-e Asr Ave. near the Parkway Intersection.

Paintings by Naghmeh Nabaei are on display in an exhibition at Saye Gallery. The exhibit entitled “Slowness of the Third Decade” will run until Iranian songwriter Alireza Raheb in an undated photo. Cover of the Persian version of James M. Cain’s “Mildred Pierce”. July 8 at the gallery located at No. CULTURE TEHRAN — Iranian youths in the poetry and literature fields. CULTURE TEHRAN — A Persian But Mildred also had two weaknesses: a 21, 13th Alley, Sanai St. off Karim desk desk Khan Ave. writer Alireza Raheb, “His love and support for the young translation of American yen for shiftless men, and an unreasoning Paintings by Mahya Giv are the poet of the acclaimed collection poets and songwriters had drawn the author James M. Cain’s book “Mildred devotion to a monstrous daughter. currently on view in an exhibition “Part-Time Love”, passed away from attention of many youths to his literary Pierce”, who is the author of the bestseller Although Cain himself vehemently at Aran Gallery. COVID-19 at Tehran’s Atieh Hospital association, having established a new and “The Postman Always Rings Twice”, has opposed labeling, he is usually associated The exhibition will run until July 17 on Thursday. He was 53. modern style in the contemporary poetry been published by Minoo Publications with the hard-boiled school of American at the gallery that can be found at 5 “Raheb posted on his Instagram page and songwriting of the country,” he added. in Tehran. crime fiction and is seen as one of the Lolagar St., Neauphle-le-Chateau St. on Wednesday saying that his COVID19 Raheb was born in Tehran. He was a The book has been translated into creators of the “roman noir”. test has been positive and that he has been graduate of law from the University of Persian by Marjan Bakhtminoo. He was born into an Irish Catholic A group of painters, including battling with the virus for about two weeks Tabriz. He began composing poetry in the In “Mildred Pierce”, noir master Cain family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son Sadeq Adham, Reza Bangiz, and he has to go to the Atieh Hospital 1980s, and due to his having lived 10 years creates a novel of acute social observation of a prominent educator and an opera Yazdan Saadi, Jalal Shabahang and as he is having problems breathing and in the city of Tabriz in East Azarbaijan and devastating emotional violence, with singer. He inherited his love for music Manuchehr Niazi, is showcasing needs further treatment,” poet Shahab Province, he had a good command of a heroine whose ambitions and sufferings from his mother, but his high hopes of their works in an exhibition at Darabian has said. the Azari language. are never less than recognizable,” writes starting a career as a singer himself were Shamideh Gallery. Raheb trained many students in While he was in Tabriz, he had the Amazon on its website. thwarted when she told him that his voice The exhibit titled “Summer Color” poetry and songwriting out of the opportunity to meet several literati such as Mildred Pierce had gorgeous legs, a was not good enough. will run until July 17 at No. 8, talented youth in the country through Abdollah Vaez and Manuchehr Mortazavi. way with a skillet, and a bone-deep core After graduating from Washington College 1st Dead End off Sanjabi St. near the establishment of the Vandad Literary “Part-Time Love” and “Two Cups of of toughness. She used those attributes where his father, James W. Cain served as Madar Square. Association, Darabian said. Chehel-Giah Distillate” are among the to survive a divorce and poverty and to president, in 1910, he began working as a Multimedia He added that he supported many poetry books published by Raheb. claw her way out of the lower middle class. journalist for The Baltimore Sun. Paintings, photos, and sculptures by Amir Rahsaz, Dana Nehdaran, Maryam Qanbari, Roksana Fazeli, Maryam DEFC holds virtual meetings with international festivals’ reps Rahimi, Hamid Ajami and dozens of other artists are currently on display in ARTTEHRAN — Managers of Iran’s about Cinema Verite, Iran’s major international festival desk an exhibition at Shirin Gallery. Documentary and Experimental Film for documentary cinema, which can be found at the Doc The exhibit entitled will run until Center (DEFC) have held several virtual meetings with Corner of the market. July 7 at the gallery located at No. representatives of several international film festivals during Paris-based Memento Films International offered Iranian 5, 13th St., Karim Khan Ave. the Cannes Film Market (Marché du Film) organized online director Asghar Farhadi’s new film “A Hero” at the Cannes this year from June 22 to 26 due to the pandemic. Film Market this year. Negar Gallery is hosting an The meetings were held with representatives from 14 festivals, Memento Films commenced the worldwide sales of the exhibition of artworks in various including the Sundance Film Festival, the International Film film, which is in the Persian language, during the European media by Qader Mansuri, Ali Rahim, Festival Rotterdam, International Film Festival Mannheim Film Market in Berlin in February. Ehsan Ziai, Marjan Aqamiri and Heidelberg, the El Gouna Film Festival of Egypt and the Montreal Farhadi who is scheduled to shoot the film on location several other artists. International Animation Film Festival. in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz in July has not given The exhibition named “Phoenix” The international department of the DEFC has uploaded a any details about the film’s plot as yet. will run until July 7 at the gallery number of the center’s latest productions in Cinando, a premier In addition, Iranian director Kaveh Sajjadi Hosseini’s located at 154 near Iranshahr St., online network for film professionals, while it has also submitted new film “Headless” was offered at the market by the Karim Khan Blvd. copies of its latest productions to film distributors, organizers Borderless Art Institute. of the world festivals, producers and documentarians. Elham Korda and Mehdi Kushki are the main actors in Sculpture All the information and details about the productions are A logo for Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Film the film co-written by Payam Larian, Sadeq Khoshhal and Morteza Basravi is displaying also available on Cinando in addition to a series of information Center. Kaveh Sajjadi Hosseini. his latest sculpture in an exhibition Iranshahr Gallery. The exhibit named “Inside, Outside and Back Inside” will run until July Folios of rare Quran manuscripts on view at Niavaran complex 13 at the gallery located at 1/69 ARTTEHRAN — Folios of 40 rare Quran of Quranic calligraphy in addition to the other related arts Sepand St., Azodi St. off Karim desk Khan Blvd. manuscripts are on display in an exhibition of illumination and bookbinding. Tehran’s CAMA – Contemporary at the Niavaran Cultural Historical Complex in Tehran. Located in the vicinity of Bagh-e Melli, the Malek Museum and Modern Art Gallery is playing The exhibition has been organized by the Malek National is affiliated with the Astan-e Qods Razavi Museum and host to an exhibition of sculptures Library and Museum, one of Iran’s major centers for rare Library in Mashhad. by Aref Rudbari. Persian and Arabic manuscripts, to commemorate birthdays Hossein Aqa Malek (1873-1973) was the owner of the The exhibition named “Gomesh” of Imam Reza (AS) and his sister Hazrat Masumeh (SA). Malek National Museum. The museum was once Malek’s will run until July 7 at the gallery The folios, which are preserved at the Malek museum, private mansion. He handed it over to the government to located at No. 44, 10th Golestan, all feature Fatehah, the opening sura (chapter) of the convert it into a museum. Copy of a rare Quranic manuscript on view at the Mal- Pasdaran St. Holy Quran. The show will be running until July 2 at the complex ek National Library and Museum in Tehran. (IQNA/ The exhibit entitled “Forty Mirrors” presents the evolution located in the Niavaran neighborhood. Hassan Aqamohammadi).