WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 16 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 39th year No.13186 Saturday AUGUST 18, 2018 Mordad 26, 1397 Dhul Hijjah 6, 1439 Concerted effort Iran protests disrespect Iranian students win Iran down DPR Korea needed to reform for Islamic headscarves second prize at China in Asian Games banking system 2 at Tbilisi airport 2 spacecraft contest 10 15 EU’s imports from Iran boost 23% in H1 on year ECONOMY TEHRAN — Exports previous €9.9 billion in the first half of 2017. deskof Iranian goods to the Spain, France, Greece, and Italy were European Union countries hit €6.11 bil- among the top importers of Iranian goods, lion in the first half of 2018, increasing 23 the report added. percent in comparison with the same time It is while European exports to Iran “Master actor” in the preceding year, European Commis- decreased by seven percent into €4.57 sion press release database has reported. billion in the said time from its previous According to the report, Iran-EU trade €4.94 billion in the first half of 2017, Ger- witnessed an eight-percent rise and reached many, Spain, France, and Italy were the Ezzatollah €10.68 billion in the said time in 2018, from its four major European exporters to Iran. Tehrani citizens to enjoy riding IoT-based bikes TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — An Ira- connect and exchange data. Entezami desknian startup set out to Tehrani citizens can enjoy cycling provide a system based on Internet of in different parts of the city through Things (IoT) for its bike sharing service downloading the startup’s app on their in Tehran in coming months. smartphone. IoT is the network of physical de- The bikes were used for the first time vices, vehicles, home appliances, and by a group of Tehrani reporters, during dies at 94 other items embedded with electronics, a ceremony held by Tehran Municipality software, sensors, actuators, and con- for a short biking tour on Friday, ISNA nectivity which enables these things to reported. 10 Afghan president congratulates armed forces for Ghazni victory President Ashraf Ghani congratu- cials declared that they had regained lated Afghanistan’s armed forces in complete control of the city by killing Ghazni on Friday for their victory hundreds of Taliban fighters. over Taliban insurgents in the stra- Ghani met officials in Ghazni, a tegically important city after clashes central Afghanistan city on the main that killed at least 150 soldiers and highway linking the capital, Kabul, with See page 16 95 civilians. the south, to assess security, and also The Taliban’s five-day siege of Ghazni met families of the victims and prayed File photo eased on Wednesday after Afghan offi- for the deceased. 13 EDITORIAL Kabul school attack underscores Mohammad Ghaderi Tehran Times editor-in-chief threat to Afghanistan’s future @ghaderi62 By Syed Zafar Mehdi didn’t understand proxy wars. All TEHRAN — “How could they attack a they wanted was good education, to classroom,” a friend asked, noticeably achieve something in life, to come out Crisis in the angry and outraged. There are no easy of the grinding web of poverty, and to Republican Party answers to that. A human mind cannot do their country and parents proud. come to terms with the atrociousness of Now they have vanished into thin of U.S. such horrendous crimes against human- air. Their dreams have been buried ity. Barging inside a packed classroom with them. We are left behind to any Republicans in the United and blowing up young school children make sense of this madness. It has States are worried about the fail- is no chivalry. It is an act of cowardice brought back the harrowing memo- ure of this year’s congressional and spinelessness. The victims were ries of 2014 school attack by Tehreek M not carrying arms and they were not on Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Peshawar elections. Democrats will come to pow- er if Republicans can not maintain their the frontlines of war. They were inside city of Pakistan, which had claimed majority in the House of Representatives a classroom, preparing for university the lives of 149 people, including 132 and the Senate. Many analysts believe entrance examination. schoolchildren. And more recently, that the probable victory of Democrats in More than 50 young children, we saw 44 schoolchildren being killed this year’s congressional elections is an mostly girls, were killed in cold in Yemen in a Saudi airstrike. There is introduction to their victory in the 2020 blood when a suicide bomber at- a common thread that runs through presidential election. On the other hand, tacked Maw’ood Education Center all these attacks. The attackers are many Republicans believe that in the event in Shia-dominated neighborhood of driven by the same radical, extremist of a failure in the congressional elections, western Kabul on Wednesday. They ideology that is designed to breed there is no reason to continue their tacit were high-school students preparing hatred. support of Donald Trump. Still others for their Kankor examination. Most Moments after the ghastly Kabul believe that they should be loyal to the of them had come to Kabul from far- attack, social media was flooded with Trump until the presidential elections in flung areas and had rented rooms in posts describing gory details of the the year 2020. the congested Dasht e Barchi area. mayhem, and heart-wrenching pic- Senior Republican Party officials These young children were the tures from the scene. It was a mas- in the United States do not know assets of Afghanistan. They repre- sacre. Small disfigured bodies were what to do in the face of complex sented the future of their country. strewn all around the place, which circumstances! They had dreams and were chasing used to be a buzzing classroom, a Over the past months, there have those dreams against heavy odds. happy place. The survivors were been whispers in the U.S. political They didn’t harm anyone. They screaming, calling for help. 7 environments and the country’s me- dia regarding Republicans bypassing Trump. The rejection of some Republican prominent senators, including McCain, Turkish diplomat: It is ‘impossi- with Trump, as well as the opposition of some of the United States former pres- ble’ to stop buying oil from Iran idents, including George W. Bush, has POLITICS TEHRAN — Riza act in compliance with “unilateral” aggravated this trend. deskHakan Tekin, An- U.S. decisions on Iran. However, few thought that at the end kara’s ambassador to Tehran, has said Cavusoglu said on Thursday that of 2018, while only about two years has that it is “impossible” for Turkey to Turkey is determined to expand ties passed since the presence of Trump at the stop purchasing Iran’s oil. with Iran despite the U.S. threats White House, the confrontation between Turkey imports half of its needed to punish governments that violate the dissatisfied Republicans and the U.S. crude oil from Iran and “it is impos- economic sanctions against Tehran. President would become public. sible to meet the U.S. demand on “Time and again we have made it The fact is that Republicans in the Unit- stopping purchasing Iran’s oil,” ISNA clear that we will not implement U.S. ed States are now worried about the coun- quoted him as saying in an interview sanctions against Iran,” Press TV quoted try’s 2020 presidential elections. Surveys with Anadolu Agency. him as saying during a meeting with in this country have shown that Trump’s He noted that sanctions should Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s popularity has fallen by about 38%. Even “conform to international law” and be special envoy Mahmoud Vaezi in An- in some surveys, Trump’s popularity has “based on international consensus”. kara. Turkish Energy Minister Fatih dropped to 35% and below. U.S. President Donald Trump an- Donmez said on Wednesday that An- Although the president of the United nounced Washington’s exit from the kara will continue to buy gas from Iran. States claims that the polls are all fake, it nuclear deal on May 8 and ordered “We adopted the United Nations is obvious that the popularity of Trump restoration of sanctions against Iran. sanctions on Iran in the past. Even the with American citizens has fallen since the The first batch of sanctions was snapped European Union is extremely annoyed time of the presidential elections in 2016. back on August 6. The second batch, by today’s situation. We are conduct- Some Republican senators say they which will include banking and oil boy- ing legitimate trade here, which is of should not be more tolerant of the current cott, will be restored on November 4. great importance in terms of supply president of the United States. A few years Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut security,” he said. Iran is one of the ago a Republican senator made unprec- Cavusoglu issued a statement in June biggest suppliers of natural gas and edented sentences on this issue. 13 saying that Turkey does not have to oil to Turkey, according to Press TV. II NN TT EE RR NN AA TT II OO NN AA LL DD AA II LL YY 2 POLITICSPOLITICS AUGUSTAUGUST 18,18, 20182018 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS Rouhani Unity will vaccinate country condoles Italy on fatal bridge collapse against sanctions: senior MP POLITICS TEHRAN — A senior empathy among themselves and with people. POLITICS TEHRAN — President Hassan Rouhani deskmember of the Majlis says The senior lawmaker added, “When there deskon Thursday sent a letter to his Italian that while the country is under sanctions is no integrity, there would be complexes counterpart expressing his condolences over the collapse of and foreign pressure, internal unity is the in one’s mind.” a giant motorway bridge in Genoa, which led to the deaths most prominent remedy, believing that “Our integrity owes to togetherness, social and injuries of dozens of people.