WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 Pages Price 50,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 42nd year No.13846 Tuesday DECEMBER 29, 2020 Dey 9, 1399 Jumada Al Awwal 14, 1442 Tehran says won’t let Gen. Iranian Match National Document Children’s Shahnameh Soleimani’s assassins go Commissioner Shahriari on Rare Diseases illustration contest unpunished Page 2 invited to Tokyo Page 3 approved Page 7 announces winners Page 8 Nasrallah: Israel, Saudi culprit in U.S. assassination of Soleimani, Muhandis Homegrown COVID-19 vaccine TEHRAN – Secretary-General of the Leb- were culprits in this crime as well, even if anese Hezbollah Resistance Movement their role was just to provoke Washington Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah suggests that to commit it,” Nasrallah said. the U.S. assassinated Iran’s top general He made the remarks in an exclusive Qassem Soleimani and deputy command- interview with al-Mayadeen television to be mass-produced in 40 days er of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units network on Sunday night. During the (PMU), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, at the interview, the Hezbollah leader reflect- See page 7 request of the Israeli and Saudi regimes. ed on major regional and international “The criminal assassination of General developments as well as domestic issues Soleimani was not only an American crime, of Lebanon. but I believe that Israel and Saudi Arabia Continued on page 2 ICCIMA to hold online meeting for exploring trade opportunities with Oman TEHRAN – Iran Chamber of Commerce, Opportunities, challenges, and obsta- Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCI- cles related to the economic cooperation MA) plans to hold an online meeting on between the private sectors of the two January 11, 2021 to explore opportunities countries will be reviewed by the ICCIMA and capacities of trade with Oman, ICCIMA deputy for international affairs and the portal announced. chairman of the Iran-Oman Joint Chamber The meeting will be attended by the in this meeting and a report on the latest head of the Iran-Oman Joint Chamber developments in the region, bilateral co- of Commerce, representatives of provin- operation, and future prospects will also cial chambers of commerce, and heads of be presented. relevant committees and organizations. Continued on page 4 Game showing Gen. Soleimani in battle for breaking ISIS siege of Amerli produced TEHRAN – A computer game depicting announced in a press release on Monday. the commanding leadership of Iran’s “Concurrent with the martyrdom Quds Force chief, Qassem Soleimani, in anniversary of Hajji Qassem Soleimani, the battle for breaking the 89-day siege of we will announce the release of ‘Gener- the northern Iraqi town of Amerli by the al in the Shadows’, which is an amazing ISIS terrorists has been produced in Iran. first-person action game showing the “General in the Shadows” produced at events that occurred during the siege of the Islamic Revolution Center for Digital Amerli, and finally Hajji Qassem Soleimani Products and Publications – MATNA will be and his heliborne troops step in to break File photo unveiled during a special ceremony in the near the siege,” he said. future, MATNA director Mehdi Jafari Jozani Continued on page 8 Iran football I congratulate improvement of Iranian women: U.S. embassy attack false-flag strike by Washington: league’s chaotic Rita Subowo Iraq Kata’ib Hezbollah fixture bothers BY MASOUD HOSSEIN with the five AVC Presidents and also worked Iraq’s anti-terror group, Kata’ib Hezbollah, has Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, and TEHRAN – President of Asian Volleyball Confedera- with three FIVB Presidents until now. It is a called the last week’s rocket attack against the Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of the teams tion (AVC) Rita Subowo is happy with improvement greatest honor for me to be elected as AVC Pres- U.S. embassy in Baghdad a false-flag strike and PMU, in a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad airport of Iranian women’s volleyball team and predicts ident by 65 AVC affiliated federations and my a plot hatched by Washington. on January 3. BY FARROKH HESABI that the Team could be among the top teams of greatest challenge to lead volleyball in Asia to Muhammad Mohi, the spokesman for Kata’ib After the terrorist act, the Iraqi parliament ust after eight weeks from be- the world like the Iranian men’s volleyball team. compete with the other four continents. As my Hezbollah, which is part of the country’s Popular voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution ginning of 2020/21 Iran Pro- Subowo made history in late October after she long experience as FIVB and AVC Vice Pres- Mobilization Units (PMU), made the comments calling for the expulsion of U.S. forces from Jfessional League (IPL), there was elected as the first-ever woman to lead AVC. idents as well as IOC Member, I will try my in an interview with the Al Jazeera news broad- the Arab country. have been many controversies over A key figure in the Olympic Movement in utmost effort together with all the members of caster, saying Washington is the “sole beneficiary” Anti-American sentiments have run even the schedule of the matches. Asia and an Honorary Life Vice-President of the AVC Board of Administration to develop and of the so-called attack as it “wants to increase higher in the past few days as Iraqis are outraged The new fixture list announced by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the Indonesian promote volleyball in Asia. pressure on Iraqi resistance groups.” by the U.S. president’s decision to pardon four the Iran Football League Organization lady praised the Iranian girls pursuing the sport Women’s volleyball in Asia has progressed On December 20, a series of Katyusha rockets war criminals. The Blackwater contractors had is controversial. It has raised many com- in an exclusive interview with Tehran Times. over the past years and some teams such as landed near the U.S. embassy complex, which is been jailed for killing of unarmed Iraqi civilians plaints, especially after some clubs argue You are the first woman in history to Thailand and South Korea have joined China inside Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone. in Baghdad in 2007. that the schedule is in favor of just one lead the AVC. It shows that the continent’s and Japan. Do you have any plan to support The attack caused minor damage to buildings The U.S. embassy has been targeted several team, namely Persepolis. associations have bestowed upon you. I the teams to strengthen more? there. times this year amid heightened anti-Amer- Bijan Zolfagharnasab, the Iranian football think it will be a challenging job for you Women volleyball in Asia is now one of the Mohi said the pressure by the U.S. comes as ican sentiments in Iraq in the aftermath of expert, believes that the Football Federa- since volleyball has been always headed most popular sports and are among the top Iraqis are preparing to commemorate the first the assassinations of General Soleimani and tion of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) by men in Asia. teams of the world. anniversary of the Trump-authorized assas- al-Muhandis. and the Football League Organization are I have worked with AVC more than 30 years Continued on page 3 sination of Iran’s top anti-terror commander Continued on page 5 to blame for the current situation. “The FFIRI have to be more careful about the league matches schedule. In all the football leagues in the world, a fixture The Importance of International Law – the JCPOA must be upheld American expert list is announced at the beginning of the BY PROFESSOR KHAWAR QURESHI QC in Iran’s interest, but also of the international as 1995 under the Clinton Administration, the says interest groups season. After that, all the teams recognize It often said that International Law is predom- community as a whole to ensure that International UN’s nuclear-related sanctions against Iran were their opponents from the first week of the inantly a tool for some States to pursue their Law is observed – whatever the provocation or first imposed in 2006 by UN Security Council to further stir up league to the end”, the retired Iranian own aims and justify their actions against oth- behaviour of other States. Resolution 1737. The EU strengthened its own football player and manager said. ers. However, whilst International Law and its BACKGROUND sanctions program concerning Iran in 2012 and Moscow-Washington “I’m not talking about the best leagues institutions are far from perfect, they provide 1. In recent years, Iran has been the subject afterwards. animosity in the world or the top European leagues. the only viable means through which States can of sanctions (sometimes known as restrictive 2.The overall effect of the collective sanctions It’s something normal even in the weakest interact with each other on a basis of mutual measures) imposed by each of the USA, the EU regime has caused massive economic damage to BY YASSER NAZIFI GILAVAN European leagues where their football level respect and co-operation. and the UN concerning Iran’s nuclear-related Iran, greatly restricting the country’s potential Noting that there are political lobbies in Wash- is lower than us. Everyone knew the calendar In this article, an overview is provided of the activities. Whilst the USA’s nuclear-related for growth and development. ington who benefit from epitomizing Russia as an of the league, and it is published in newspa- context for the JCPOA 2015, and why it is not just sanctions against Iran were imposed as early Continued on page 2 imminent threat to the U.S, an American analyst pers and other media.