Iranian Oil Production Soars to Pre-Sanctions Levels

No hajj until Saudi officials assisted the Tunisian energy min. Iran replaces Tehran Symphony 2412Saudis guarantee safety 3 9/11 terrorists, according to to negotiate oil, power Orchestra for closing concert of NATION of Iranians: MP INTERNATIONAL a rogue commissioner ECONOMY co-op in Tehran ART& CULTURE Shanghai festival WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y Assad will remain in power, Iranian commander says 2 12 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 38th year No.12551 Saturday MAY 14, 2016 Ordibehesht 25, 1395 Sha’aban 7, 1437 Top Hezbollah Iranian oil production soars commander Badreddine to pre-sanctions levels: IEA martyred in Iran’s crude production has returned to levels output to regain market share, according to the April, the highest since November 2011, and China was the biggest buyer of Iranian crude Syria last seen before sanctions were imposed over International Energy Agency. exports soared to 2 million barrels a day, just last month, taking more than 800,000 barrels a Resistance movement its nuclear program as the nation ramps up Output reached 3.56 million barrels a day in shy of the level before the trade restrictions. day, the IEA said. (Source: Bloomberg) probing nature of assassination Esteghlal Khuzestan crowned Iran Professional League champion By staff & agencies Hezbollah’s top commander Mustafa See page 1 1 Badreddine has been killed in an attack in Syria. Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement says it is investigating to find out whether a blast which claimed the life of a top military commander was caused by an airstrike, missile attack or artillery. In a statement, the resistance movement said Friday that initial information indicates Mustafa Badred- dine was killed in a big explosion at one of its bases near Damascus Air- port. Hezbollah is working to “define the nature of the explosion and its cause, and whether it was the result of an airstrike, or missile attack or artillery,” the statement said. Early reports had suggested that Badreddine was assassinated in an Is- raeli airstrike. A Hezbollah member of parliament also said Israel is behind the assassination, indicating that the Lebanese movement would respond “at the ap- propriate time.” 9 CHTHO asks Iranians U.S. and Saudi Arabia have largely lost trust in each other: scholar Intl. Green Film abroad to report Festival kicks off INTERVIEW tions than shifts in the country’s Looser ties with Saudi Arabia are smuggled artifacts BY Javad Heirannia foreign policy. Having said that, one of the effects of this gradual in Tehran the relationship between Saudi transformation of global politics. TOURISM TEHRAN — Iran’s TEHRAN — Head of the Iran Arabia and United States is by far In a summit between Pres- ARTTEHRAN — The desktourism chief Ma- center at London’s School of Ori- less solid than it used to be. There ident Obama and leaders of GCC desk5th International soud Soltanifar asked Iranians abroad ental and African Studies believes are many voices in Washington countries in Riyadh on April 21 Green Film Festival opened at Tehran’s to report smuggled artifacts and an- that the United States and Saudi DC and beyond who question the the sides agreed on common Felestin Cinema on Friday with partici- tiquities to Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Arabia largely “lost trust if each viability of the alliance given the patrol forces against Iran. How pants who are all concerned about the Tourism and Handicraft Organization other”. heavy-handed actions that Saudi do you see this? protection of the environment. (CHTHO). “Whilst there is no interest in Arabia pursues in Yemen and else- A: It is symbolic, more than The president of Green Me Global breaking the alliance quite yet, where. both sides have lost a significant anything else. But it is also in- Festival Nicolai Niemann from Germa- both sides have lost a significant Some argue that the stra- amount of trust in each other. All dicative of the failure to pursue ny, along with the head of Iran’s De- amount of trust in each other,” tegic importance of Saudi Ara- in all, as indicated in my previous a regional security architecture. partment of Environment, Masumeh Arshin Adib-Moghaddam tells the bia to the U.S. has diminished. interviews, the Persian Gulf and The level of distrust between Iran Ebtekar, and Cinema Organization of Tehran Times. Do you agree with such a view? the wider West Asian and North and Saudi Arabia in particular is Iran Director Hojjatollah Ayyubi at- Following is the text of the in- A: Whilst there is no interest African area has lost some of its unsustainable and feeds into the tended the opening ceremony, Persian terview: in breaking the alliance quite yet, strategic significance to the West. insecurity of all littoral states. It media reported on Friday. The White House had is only natural that the smaller The organizers of the festival hon- threatened to veto a bipartisan There are many voices in Washington sheikhdoms seek their security ored Iranian filmmaker Khosro Ma- bill to let families victimized by from outside actors. Don’t forget sumi, whose films mainly focus on the the 9/11 terrorist attacks sue DC and beyond who question the that the GCC was created during environment protection, at the open- Saudi Arabia. What was the rea- viability of the alliance given the the Iran-Iraq war. The GCC is an ing ceremony. U.S. returned a 2700-year-old Persian son behind such a threat? heavy-handed actions that Saudi Arabia institution born in response to The ceremony was followed by live griffin during President Hassan Rouhani’s A: Current events in the United regional crises. It is only natural performances by the popular Iranian visit to New York in October 2103 States are more about the elec- pursues in Yemen and elsewhere. that it evolves accordingly. pop band, Pallet, which played songs In an announcement, he asked Ira- on the environment in both Persian nians who live in different countries to and English. Niemann as well as the give information about stolen Iranian Friday the most visited day for Tehran flower and plant exhibition co-founder of the Fredd Festival of artifacts existed in other countries to Toulouse in France, Antonin Hadd- the organization via its website www. By Prvin Telli sued were to familiarize the citizens with ad, and New Guinean environmental ichto.ir. other countries’ flowers as well as promote activist Theresa Kamau-kas are the A collection of ancient Persian seals, TEHRAN — Among events held in Tehran, the domestic flower producers by introducing members of the festival jury, which which had been smuggled to the U.S. international flower and plant exhibition was their products. also includes Ahmad Zabeti Jahromi in 2002 have been returned to Iran re- the second most favored, standing after the On the sidelines of the exhibition, some and Alireza Shojanuri, both from Iran. cently. book fair. workshops were set up, each day, where A selection of 26 full-length docu- Last year, Italy returned to Iran The 14th international flower and plant adults and children were trained to grow and mentaries by filmmakers from around some 30 stolen artifacts that had been exhibition officially ended Friday which raise flowers and plants in small sized apart- the world will be competing in the fes- smuggled to the European country was the most visited day since its start ments; common in Iran’s overpopulated cap- tival this year. during the past 10 years. last Monday, drawing thousands of visitors ital. “Revolution” directed by Rob Stew- Iran’s ancient fossils, which had from across the capital to Goftegoo Park in The event, open to the public from 9:am to art from Canada, “10 Billion – What’s been sent to the U.S. some 40 years west Tehran. 9:pm every day, offered a perfect venue for on Your Plate?” by Valentin Thurn from ago for studies were returned home Organized by Tehran Park and Green visitors to watch and buy flowers, plants and Germany, “H2Omx” by José Cohen and after Tehran won a decades-long le- Space Organization, an affiliate of Teh- A crowd of visitors are seen together on Friday at gardening tools. Lorenzo Hagerman from Mexico, and ran Municipality, the event is held every gal dispute with Washington, were un- 14th flower and plant exhibition held in Goftegoo Sale and purchase had been scheduled “Jumbo Wild” by Nick Waggoner from veiled in the Iranian capital. year in the same place, aiming to cul- the U.S. are among the submissions. Park in west Tehran for Saturday and Sunday only but, due to Before that, in December 2014, tivate an echo-friendly culture among the large number of visitors, the exhibitors A section dedicated to short docu- a collection of over 300 artifacts of Tehraners and encourage them to keep ments. were allowed to start selling from Friday mentaries will also screen eleven films around 3000 years old which had been and grow green plants in their apart- Among other goals the exhibition pur- noon. including “Paper Box” by Zbigniew kept in Belgium for 50 years, was final- Czapla from Poland and “Food For ly returned to Iran following a verdict Thought, Food for Life” by Susan by the court of appeals in Belgium. Rockefeller from the U.S. And the last but not the least, LG to develop electric car for Iran Actors Reza Kianian and Fatemeh the U.S. returned a 2700-year-old Motamed-Arya are the ambassadors Persian griffin, a so-called mythical LG Group plans to work on an electric car spe- contract later.

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