of Afghanistan’s most touristic places. one is region The cultures. Indian and Chinese Persian, Turkic, Greek, from influences contains archeology its and years andmanysimilaritiesindialects sisters apart Afghanistan: two Iran’s memoriesin the attractions of Bamyan. sanid era (224-651 CE) were also among Persian temples datingbacktotheSas the Taliban, byanumber of destroyed was which valley, Bamyan the in cliff a Gautama Buddhacarved into thesideof two 6th-century monumental statues of of Buddhism during the Kushan Empire. considered oneoftheimportantcenters Iran duringtheAchaemenidperiodandwas of Herat in their youth. Tahmasp toAbbasI, servedasgovernors Safavid rulers,from future of a number est of Iranian cities”. In the 16th century, a’zam-i bilad-iIran, meaning“thegreat and inSafavidtexts, Heratisknownas Persian kingAbbaswasborninHerat, during the Safavid era (1501-1736). The menid Empire (ca. 550-330 BC). was knownasHaraivaduringtheAchae der, was the capital of the Persian Empire. situated just80milesfromtheIranianbor sites preserved in Afghanistan. a listofPersianhistoricalmonumentsand attractions, wecanexplore these placesand and Balkh with their neighbors one day. under theblueskyofHerat, Kandahar,Kabul, ancient Iran. leftinAfghanistanbelongingto been historical placesandmonumentshave once,empire whichmeansthatalotof now,tobeoneunited separate theyused strong cultural ties. and history, IranandAfghanistanshare F war that is getting fiercer every day. ina for manyyearsandengulfed ful countrythathasbeenunrested beauti a sights, colorful its viewing AP BY SAMANEH ABOUTALEBI BY SAMANEH Along with theBuddhasofBamiyan,Along It wasaplacewhereEastmetWest, the mainstatesof Bamyan wasoneof Dating backtoancienttimes, thecity Herat, city, third-largest Afghanistan’s In theabsenceofapossibilityvisiting There ishopeamongIraniansthatwalk With rootsdatingbackthousandsof Bamyan Herat becameaprovincialcapital Herat Even thoughthesetwocountriesare of visiting Afghanistan and of visiting ing Iranians, have dreamed or includ- years, manypeople the region peace efforts in Oman: Iran supports Continued onpage6 Afghan peace talks Page 2 WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM - - - - - Iran facilitates bekistan 2022 Qualifiers group stage on Friday. with Tehran Times. Committee, Mirshad Majedi, said in an interview team bythenextweek, FFIRI’sHeadofYouth new head coach of Iran’s national U23 football lamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) will introduce the TEHRAN -TheFootballFederationoftheIs ISNA/ Hemmat Khahi The IranianteamhavebeendrawninGroupB Iran learned their AFC U23 Asian Cup Uz Cup Asian U23 AFC their learned Iran boost tradeties Iran, Omandetermined to Haitham binTariq AlSaidexpressedhiscountry’s Oman of Sultan November, last in Muscat to commonalities. asmanyreligiousandcultural relations aswell an oldhistoryofgoodpoliticalandeconomic priority inthisdue, asthetwoneighborsenjoy is onethattheIslamicRepublichasattached ernment is now pursuing. is oneofthemajorplansthatIraniangov specially increasingnon-oilexportstothem, and Saudi Arabia. Kuwait, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Armenia,Bahrain, usa Oa, zrajn Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Oman, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq, (UAE), countries, namelytheUnitedArabEmirates fifteen with borders shares Iran TEHRAN- In ameetingwithIran’snewambassador Oman countries, mentioned the Among neighbors,these Expansion oftradewith 8 Pages BY FARROKH HESABI HESABI BY FARROKH BY MAHNAZ ABDI BY MAHNAZ Price50,000Rials FFIRI to introduce U23 football coach by next week FFIRI to by next week introduce coach U23football joins Boavista Beiranvand officially Iran goalkeeper 1.00EURO - 4.00AED - of the U23 national team by the next week. The The week. next the by team national U23 the of staff coaching the introduce and appoint should the rivals awaiting us in the qualifiers, the FFIRI end to a 44-year Olympic qualification drought. AFC U23 Championship and failed to bring an Estili asheadcoach, wereknockedoutofthe2020 Hamid Iran,with 2020,where January since coach along with Tajikistan (hosts), Nepal, and Lebanon. “Now that the draw is held and we have learned “Now thatthedrawisheldandwehavelearned Yet, the Iranian U23 team are without a head cut its trade relations with Iran, but also they are also they Iran,but with relations trade its cut Iran, the government of Oman not only did not the severanceofsomecountries’relationswith has saidthatwiththebeginningofsanctionsand head of Iran-Oman Joint Chamber of Commerce, between Iran and Oman, Mohsen Zarrabi, the prepared forthedevelopmentoftraderelations Iran and Oman. for theexpansionoftraderelationsbetween two countries, thegroundiscompletelyprepared the Islamic Republic. solved topromoteandstrengthenrelationswith determination to enhance relations with Iran. tional relations and with a win-win approach. Islamic Republicintheframeworkofinterna trying toincreaseeconomicrelationswiththe Page 3 Emphasizing thatthebasicinfrastructureis As stated several times by the officials of the The Sultan of Oman said his country is re 43rdyear No.13989

Continued onpage4 Sunday

JULY 11, 2021 11, market: expert to bring growth to stock Stability in forex market - - qualify from each group. But weshouldnotforgetthatonlyoneteamwill people have said that the group is so easy for Iran. some held, was draw the “After qualifiers: the lieves thatit’snotgoingtobeeasyforIranin Majedi said. tournament,” the for preparation in waste to time competitions will be held in October, so we have no See page3 See The head of FFIRI’s Youth Committee be Committee Youth FFIRI’s of head The

Tir20,1400 groups to‘leaveusalone’afternewwaveofattacks U.S. StateDept.official urgesIraqi resistance the oil-rich country. as anexcusetoextenditsmilitarypresencein has used the fight against the terror led militaryintervention, buttheUnitedStates facilitated by the chaos resulting from the U.S.- in Assistant SecretaryofStateJoey Hoodsaid this commonenemy, whichisISIS,” Acting we’ll leavethemalone, sothatwecanfight manding, thattheyjustleave usaloneand de we’re them, asking we’re but (Daesh), States istryingtodoinIraqfightingISIS completely disagreewithwhattheUnited Arab country. against Americanbasesandforcesinthe leave usalone”following “justwith Iraqigroupsto pleaded resistance A seniorUSStateDepartmentofficialhas architecture, IRIB reported. sciences,art,and environment,medical engineering, agriculture,veterinary and groups ofhumanities, basicsciences, Mirzakhani. Iranianlate mathematician,Maryam social sections, commemorating the women who are active in scientific and kicked off earlier in June. Science,which and Women of Festival received anawardbythefourthNational TEHRAN – Twenty-five female scientists festival honors

an interview with Al Arabiya. The “I understandthatsomeofthesemilitias Interested Interested women participated in 6 honor exemplary to aims event The I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y Mirzakhani

25 women emergence ofDaeshinIraq scientists Maryam

Dhi AlQada to the efforts of Iranian border guards. Iran’s borderswithAfghanistanthanks zadeh saidthereisnoinsecurityalong Republic ofIranaresecureandpeaceful, border guards,thebordersofIslamic the Afghan government along the border. and development of vaccine technologies. Pasteur InstituteofIranisontheresearch Finlay Vaccine Institute of Cuba and the global pandemic. a COVID-19 vaccine to fight against the has ledtoastrategicrelationshipdevelop between Iran and Cuba in biotechnology cooperation of history long The – TEHRAN Nations specialrapporteuronthe Lynk,UnitedGeneva, Michaelthe in Council Rights Human UN the has long deemed illegal. demand accountabilityforapracticeit urging theinternational communityto settlements to be classified as war crimes, A topUNrightsexperthascalledforIsraeli going clashesbetweentheTalibanand Iran-Afghanistanthe borderamidon fered assurancesaboutthesecurityof spokesman SaeedKhatibzadehhasof Ministry - Iran’sForeign TEHRAN Tehran-Havana strategic cooperation on Tehran-Havana strategic cooperationon “Thanks to the efforts of our zealous In onSaturday,Khatib astatement Both institutionsagreedtotransfer The recentcollaborationbetweenthe his Presenting No insecurity alongIran’sborderwith Page 4 Continued onpage 7 Continued onpage3

coronavirus vaccineproduction Israeli settlements amount to Israeli settlements amount to 30, 1442

a surgeinattacks Afghanistan, Tehransays ‘war crime’:UNexpert

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in 2014was - - TEHRAN –ThepublicisunhappywiththePales of the Palestinian Authority in the incident? rights activist, Nizar Banat? What is the role death” of the Palestinian political and human it,” notes Abou-Izzah. Abbas canceled elections, butPresidentMahmoud blocs wereformedtoparticipate in thePalestinian to be made through the elections, so more than 35 he cancelled the planned election. president, hasalsokilledanyhopeforreformas Authority. forces undertheleadershipofPalestinian ty thekillingofactivistNizarBanatbysecuri after lawyer, who was jailed by Israel, explains. or itscoordinationwiththeIsraelioccupation,” the people, Palestinian whether initsdealingswiththe in Ramallah, especiallywithregardtosecurityissues, expressed theirrejectionofthepracticesAuthority associations, gatheringsandpopularmovementshave Tehran Times. Palestinian Authority,” SalehAbou-Izzahtellsthe public oftheneedtochangebehavior a Palestinian lawyer says. tinian Authority’ssecuritycoordinationwithIsrael, with Israel:lawyer security coordination Palestinian Authority’s People angrywith

Could you update us about the “unnatural People expressedtheirresentmentinthestreets “There isrealawarenessamongthePalestinian Following isthetextofinterview: “The Palestinianpeoplehadhoped forreforms Mahmoud Abbas, thePalestinianAuthority “Palestinians throughtheirparties, institutions,

better knownbytheirArabicnameHashdal- better in Iraq.” facilities and personnel U.S. against attacks (UAV) vehicle aerial unmanned in engaged allegedlybeingusedbygroups“thatare were the “precisionstrikes”becausepositions ordered had Biden Joe President that time the border with Syria. groups alongthecountry’s common targets belongingtoIraqiresistance had conductedairstrikesagainstthree “serve no one’s interest.” resistance groups, andsaidtherecurringattacks the with war” “open an in engaged directly not both Daesh and the occupation forces. Sha’abi, have been leading a double fight against to - - - center stage fertility should take COVID-19 impact on Pentagon PressSecretaryJohnKirbysaidat Late lastmonth, thePentagonsaidit was States United the that claimed Hood Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), spokesman said. bers enteredintotheIraniansoil,” the ritory, anumberofAfghanstaffmem customs facilitiesinsidetheAfghanter ed atIslam-QalaandAbuNasrFarahi recent developments along the borders. crossings withAfghanistanfollowingthe the situationofIran’s bordersandborder zadeh saidinresponsetoaquestionabout Afghanistan,”Khatib with try’s borders and thereisnoinsecurityalongourcoun- Biglari, head of the Pasteur Institute, said. Alireza effective, percent 92 is vaccine the that found was it Cubans, 44,000 trial on24,000 Iranianvolunteersand trial in the country. 02, in Iran, followingaphaseIIIclinical fortheproductionofSoberana technology the UN expert said. doamounttoawarcrime,”settlements implantation”. absolute prohibitionagainstsettler a “violationofthements constitute settle the said territories, estinian rights situationintheoccupiedPal BY ALI A.JENABZADEH “Considering the clashes that erupt Through thethirdphaseofclinical “In myreport, IconcludethattheIsraeli 92% effectiveness Continued onpage3 Continued onpage5 Continued onpage7 Continued onpage5 Page 7

------I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 2 POLITICS JULY 11, 2021

Croatian president congratulates President-elect Raisi Israel’s new approach: From

POLITICAL TEHRAN — According to the embassy of the deskIslamic Republic of Iran in Zagreb, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has sent a congratulatory message to the President-elect Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi on behalf of himself, sabotage to soft war the people and the government of Croatia. POLITICAL TEHRAN — If anyone During the Vienna talks, the U.S. de- deskwants to exemplify fail- manded that Iran “destroy” the advanced ure, he can look at 15 years of Benjamin centrifuges it had installed at the Fordow Netanyahu’s failure against Iran. and Natanz facilities one year after the Nevertheless, the United States now has U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. new cronies in Tel Aviv, Naftali Bennett The centrifuges, known as IR9, are 50 and Yair Lapid. times more powerful at producing urani- During the Netanyahu administra- um than the ones covered by the JCPOA, tion, Israel committed some sabotage according to Reuters. acts against Iran: from cyber-attacks to Iran flatly rejected the U.S. demand assassination of Iranian scientists and acad- just as Washington is refusing to lift all He also expressed hope that relations between the two coun- emicians. Israel launched assassinations in the sanctions imposed, re-imposed, or tries would be strengthened during Raisi’s presidency. 2010. In 2 years, Mossad assassinated four relabeled by the Trump administration The Croatian president also wished success to the people and Iranian scientists - Masoud Alimohammadi, against Iran. government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Majid Shahriari, Darioush Rezaeinejad Iran has time and again shown that just and Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan. Another like a phoenix, it rises from the flames. scientist, Fereydoon Abbasi, survived Israel assassinated scientists, committed Serbian ambassador says ties assassination attempt. acts of sabotage to slow down the develop- In November 2020, Israel assassinat- ment process in Iran. It is needless to say with Iran are in best state ed Mossad’s long-time target, Mohsen that all their plans went horribly wrong. POLITICAL TEHRAN – Belgrade’s Ambassador to Teh- Fakhrizadeh, whom Netanyahu personally The Bennett-Lapid administration asked the IAEA and its allies to “remember are seemingly trying a new approach on deskran, Dragan Todorovic, on Saturday called missile program. The interviewer, journalist Ilan Dayan, relationship between Iran and Serbia “at its best state in history”. that name” in 2018. the Islamic Republic: Launching a “soft Israel, under Netanyahu, carried out In 2014, the IRGC downed an Israeli also appeared to provide a comprehen- war” on Iran. Since their takeover, Israeli In a meeting with the governor of Qazvin province, Todor- drone near the Natanz nuclear enrichment sive explanation of how Israel sneaked ovic said that Serbia is willing to strengthen its ties with Iran, several attempts of sabotage, particularly agents, and mainstream media that have at the Natanz nuclear site. plant. the bombs into the Natanz nuclear site’s close ties with the Tel Aviv regime, have IRNA reported. On April 10, 2021 Iran began injecting underground passageways, which Cohen He said the two countries have always enjoyed good ties. In June 2010 Stuxnet, an advanced tried to spread fake news about Iran. From computer worm was discovered. It was uranium hexaflouride gas into advanced did not contest. rumors of sabotage at railway station to The ambassador further said Serbia doesn’t restrict its ties IR-6 and IR- 5 centrifuges at Natanz, but When asked about sabotage in the Na- with Iran to the capital Tehran, adding his country is trying to believed that it had been developed joint- creating a havoc from a simple sound bomb. ly by the U.S. and Israel to attack Iran’s an act of sabotage occurred in the electricity tanz facility, the interviewer asked Cohen Iranian people, whose morale is at an establish tourism, cultural, scientific and economic ties with all distribution network the next day. In re- where he’d take them if they could go there, cities in Iran, including Qazvin. nuclear facilities. Other computer viruses all-time high, are well-aware that these and malware, including Duqu and Flame, sponse to the sabotage, Iran quickly replaced and he said, “to the cellar,” where “the outlets cannot stop the train of progress. Iran, especially Qazvin Province, has a high capacity in tourism damaged centrifuges with more advanced centrifuges used to spin.” industry and Serbia can have good cooperation in this area with were reportedly related to Stuxnet. They clearly showed this in the ballot boxes In addition, adversaries regularly sold ones and began enriching uranium up to “It doesn’t look like it used to look,” at the June 18 presidential elections. A Iran, the diplomat added. 63% within days from the sabotage act. he added. In cultural arena, the ambassador said, there are many com- faulty equipment to undermine Iran’s nu- turnout that contrary to their illusions, clear program. In his statements to Israel’s Channel Cohen’s interview came amid U.S. dis- surprised Western media and left them monalities between Iran and Serbia and over 130 volumes of Farsi 12 investigative program “Uvda” aired on ruption in the Vienna talks as Biden’s ad- books have been translated into Serbian language and many Tasnim news agency published a report in shock and awe. on January 2021, quoting Ronen Bergman’s June 11, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen ministration is insisting on keeping Iran’s Israel’s tactics have grown more so- Serbians are familiar with famous Persian poets. did not outright claim responsibility for the nuclear science at its bare minimum, since He also said efforts are underway between the two counties book, Rise and Kill First, saying that Meir phisticated, but, so has Iran’s defensive Dagan ordered Mossad to assassinate Gen- strikes, but his specificity was the closest they consider Iran’s nuclear science as a capabilities. to produce a joint film. confirmation yet of Israeli involvement. gamechanger. Serbia is an Eastern European country with a population of eral Tehrani Moqaddam on his last day as Iranian media have progressed sig- about 7.5 million people. It borders with Bulgaria, Hungary, Mossad chief. Israel conducted an explosion nificantly over the past few years. Israel Croatia, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. at an Islamic Revolution Guard Corps base Israel, under Netanyahu, carried out several must know that it cannot create confusion in November 2011. The blast martyred 17 attempts of sabotage, particularly at the among Iranian media, since they are all IRGC personnel, including General Hassan united to reveal the enemy’s plans and Oman: Iran supports peace Tehrani Moqaddam, a key figure in Iran’s Natanz nuclear site. expose them. efforts in the region

POLITICAL TEHRAN — In an interview with Asharq deskAl-Awsat newspaper published on Saturday, Iran and Russia move to fill diplomatic vacuum in Afghanistan: Guardian Omani foreign minister Badr al-Busaidi has said that Iran is an advocate of peace and stability in the region. POLITICAL Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Russia have will not allow Afghanistan’s northern borders to be used tra-Afghan negotiations was the “best solution”. Iran desk Al-Busaidi also said that Oman supports peace initiatives, moved to fill the military and diplo- as a base for attacks on the former Soviet republics. has not attended the stalled Doha negotiations for over but has not pushed for regional talks with Tehran. matic vacuum opening up in Afghanistan as a result of In a move designed in part to please the U.S. but also to two years. “We believe that Iran’s role is to support the peace and efforts the departure of U.S. forces and military advances by advance Ankara’s self-interest, Turkey has conditionally Saeed Laylaz, a prominent economist and adviser to to maintain stability as we want,” Oman’s foreign minister said. the Taliban, The Guardian said in a report on Friday. offered Turkish troops for a NATO-overseen project to previous governments, said, “The Taliban could not have In response to a question about a change in Iran’s behavior In Tehran the Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, protect Kabul international airport. President Recep survived so long without genuine political support and with the change of the U.S government, he said, “All behaviors met Taliban negotiators to discuss their intentions to- Tayyip Erdogan has offered to provide Turkish troops they might now serve Iran’s regional diplomatic interests. can change and this political will is now growing in the direction wards the country, and secured a joint statement saying in a possible unlikely alliance with Hungary. The Taliban are no longer the Taliban of the past, they of regional security and stability.” the Taliban do not support attacks on civilians, schools, The Taliban delegation who visited Iran on Tuesday have also realized that we must interact with the world, The chief diplomat stated that Oman is not directing any mosques and hospitals and want a negotiated settlement and Wednesday at Tehran’s invitation, alongside three we must cooperate with the countries of the region.” efforts in this regard to shape regional talks with Tehran. on Afghanistan’s future. other Afghan delegations, were told by Zarif that they The director general of the west Asia office at Iran’s He added, “Any regional dialogue must be between the coun- The Taliban side was led by Abbas Stanekzai, a senior may have to take tough decisions. Courage in peace was Foreign Ministry, Rasoul Mousavi, also sounded sym- tries of the region themselves.” negotiator and head of the group’s political bureau in more important than courage in war, he said, arguing pathetic if more reserved. “The Taliban are from the Oman supports dialogue and encourages all to take steps in Qatar, while the Afghan government side was led by the that courage lay in sacrificing maximalist demands and Afghan people,” Mousavi said. “They are not separated line with the common interest of regional countries. former vice-president Yunus Qanooni. listening to the other side. from Afghanistan’s traditional society, and they have Three other Afghan delegations were in Tehran at Zarif also said a continuation of conflicts between the always been part of it. Moreover, they have military the same time. government and the Taliban would have “unfavorable” power. The U.S. has lost the war and can no longer carry Senior U.S. lawmakers plans Russia has also sought assurances that the Taliban consequences for Afghanistan, and a return to the in- out a military operation against the Taliban.” to address MKO meeting

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers will address an online gath- ering of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MKO), a terrorist organization Jaishankar-Raisi meet in Tehran that has carried out numerous attacks against Iranian civilians and government officials since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Iran-India bonhomie to bloom once sanction lifted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from By Ayanangsha Maitra Iran the gateway to Central Asia. Once this year. California, and Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat Chabahar turns a reality, a smooth passage Whereas Iran imports cereals, tea leafs who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, are among Soon after the news of Iranian Judiciary will be built and India’s trade with Eurasia and coffee, chemicals as well as spices those that organizers say will address the three-day event. head Ebrahim Raisi’s landslide victory can be expected to cross the $170 billion in big consignments from India, India’s They will be joined by Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New reached New Delhi, India’s Prime Minister mark. Of course, Iran will win a fortune. import dependency on Iran rests on crude Jersey and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, as well as Republican Narendra Modi promptly shot a tweet to India has already completed the initial oil, petrochemicals and fertilizers. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas. congratulate the president-elect. phase of Chabahar Port and immediate India, world’s most pluralistic secular The summit, being organized by major Iranian exile organiza- India was not just among the first states next ambition is to establish a railway democracy has been the habitat of mil- tions in the U.S. and Europe, touted itself as “the largest-ever online to convey the warm greetings to Raisi but connectivity between the southeastern lions of Shia Muslims. They are spread international event dedicated to liberating Iran.” Organizers said it was first to send her envoy-in-chief to peninsular cities with Zahedan. This con- across the states right from Kashmir in they hoped the annual event will help incite uprisings against the meet and greet President-elect Raisi. Dur- nectivity link is destined to widen the path the north to down south Hyderabad or government in the Islamic Republic. ing a transit halt in Tehran, on his way to of Iran’s prosperity as well. The emergence Tamil Nadu. Iran and India set up the “Iranian society is a powder keg on the verge of explosion,” Mar- Moscow, India’s External Affairs Minister of a pent lateral strategic alliance consisting Indo-Iran Joint Commission in 1983. An yam Rajavi, leader of the MKO terrorist cult and president of its S Jaishankar called on Raisi on July 7 to of mighty Russia, fast-marching China, MOU called Tehran Declaration 2001 was umbrella National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told The hand over a unique and unprecedented ambitious Turkey, India’s neighbor Paki- inked by the duo on the Afghan affairs. Washington Times. “More ferocious and extensive uprisings are hand-written congratulatory greeting stan, and sanction-torn Iran will dismay When Iran sells oil at dirt cheap prices, waiting to erupt at a moment’s notice.” from Prime Minister Modi. chine-related concerns in mind, India India. Politically, economically and after India witnesses petrol prices reaching all- The planned summit comes as the administration of U.S. President Iran’s value and diplomatic acceptance preferred Iran to import oil over others. all, strategically. time highest, irking the bulky middle-class Joe Biden is working to potentially rejoin a landmark 2015 nuclear in India’s foreign policy is reflected through The demand of oil is rising in the third Apart from the biggest market and civil- citizens in the country. The bilateral trade deal with Iran that his predecessor, Donald Trump, abandoned several acts of top Indian supremos, their largest oil consumer of the world India ian concerns, a slew of grounds are there is unusually low, which can easily cross three years ago in defiance of international criticism. frequent sojourns to Iran and high-level every year. India fulfills 80 percent of her in front of Tehran to warm up bilateral the $10 billion mark once the preferential The congressional roster addressing the online MKO event in- close doors on the sidelines of multilat- requirements through imports from Saudi relations with the South Asian legend. trade agreement comes into effect. dicates the political headwinds the Biden administration faces on eral rounds. Within the last one and half Arabia, Iraq and Iran. Till three years India and Iran both have mutual clubs In the post-COVID century, Iran and Capitol Hill in diplomacy with Iran. years, Jaishankar visited Iran thrice. Last back, Iran was the third largest supplier like Indian Ocean Rim Association and India should come into normal terms to The MKO had been designated as a terrorist organization by the year in September 2020, Jaishankar and of crude oil to India. But when the Trump Indian Ocean Naval Symposium through fulfill their respective domestic needs and United States for 15 years before it was delisted in 2012, following Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh administration began raising eyebrows over which they can mitigate maritime secu- fostering economies via trade. India’s envoy an intense lobbying campaign by pressure groups in Washington both travelled to Tehran within a week. sanction causes, New Delhi temporarily rity related challenges, boost up the blue at the UN has clarified India’s stance to and Iranian exiles. Foreign Minister Jaishankar’s last scaled back importing crude oils from economy and maritime connectivity. support the effective implementation of Ever since, the cult, responsible for the death of more than 12,000 hurried visit to Tehran coincided with Iran temporarily from May 2019. It all Iran is well-aware of India’s impor- the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Iranians, has been heavily propagandized as an “Iranian opposition the high-level talks of Afghan delegations started when the U.S. under the Trump tance and India relies on Iran. The civi- and Resolution 2231. The ongoing Vienna group” by the West. in the capital of Persian Gulf nation. In administration jettisoned the nuclear deal lization-link is survived, despite differ- nuclear deal talks started in April 2021 The European Union (EU) also removed the MKO from its list an official communique, Iran said, Jais- with Iran in 2018. ences in the styles and functions of these is the ray of hope mending ties between of terrorist organizations in 2009, seven years after blacklisting hankar thanked Iran for its efforts for Needless to say that 123 Civil Nuclear two ambitious republics. Not sure, how two opponents: Washington and Tehran. the outfit. bringing the Afghan government and the deal brought New Delhi and Washington many Persian words are adopted in Indian Washington’s full return to the JCPOA and MKO throws lavish conferences every year in the French capi- Taliban closer. With the Indian prime closer than ever. An arrogant Trump’s tongues or how many Bollywood movies Iran’s compliance with the terms of the tal, with senior American, Western, and Saudi Arabian officials in minister quick congratulatory message presidency didn’t affect India’s bonhomie have entertained the Iranian society. agreement will not just be a sigh of relief attendance as guests of honor. and Jaishankar’s trip, India has clearly with the U.S. On the other hand, India’s At the very initial phase of the COV- for India but an avenue for Indo-Iranian Past attendees include former US national security advisor John expressed her zest and zeal to work closely adoration for Israel is rising and rising ID pandemic, President Hassan Rouhani bilateral bonhomie and trade as well. Bolton, Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former Canadian with Raisi, who will replace President under Modi. Moreover, Iranian leadership sought help from the Indian prime minis- Ayanangsha Maitra is a Indian free- prime minister Stephen Harper, and former Saudi Arabian spy Rouhani on August 5. admonished India’s decision of emascu- ter. Iran reciprocated the help by sending lance journalist, PhD researcher and chief Prince Turki al-Faisal. Bearing easy transport, free insurance, lating the special right of Kashmir. oxygen concentrators and other medical associated to Centre for Governance (Source: Press TV) easier payment methods and refinery ma- However, India has a high hope to make aid, when the catastrophe hit India earlier Studies, Bangladesh. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JULY 11, 2021 IRAN IN FOCUS 3 SPORTS Iran facilitates Afghan peace talks FFIRI to introduce U23 POLITICAL TEHRAN – With the to put an end to hostilities. football coach by next week deskTaliban taking over Af- To this end, Iran hosted a meeting be- ghan cities and districts one after another, tween a Taliban delegation and a group of 1 Moreover, Tajikistan, the host country of Group B, a number of Afghanistan’s neighbors, in- figures who support the republican sys- have done great jobs on the academic levels during the past cluding Iran, moved to hedge their bets and tem on Wednesday and Thursday. Iranian years, and now they have a competitive team. They had a establish contacts with both warring sides Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, great U16 national team in recent years, and the same players in the war-torn country. who led the talks, urged both sides to show now play for their U23. We need careful planning to fully This pragmatic policy was necessitated courage in making peace. prepare our team. by the fact that the U.S. left Afghanistan “Courage in peace is more important “If we qualify, then the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup will be held without taking care about what might take than courage in war, because peace needs in Uzbekistan between 1–19 June 2022. After that, we have the place once its troops are moved out of the sacrifice and forgiveness, needs ignoring Olympic qualifiers in 2023. So, we now need to build a team country. After two decades of heavy military one’s maximal demands, and paying atten- including the players that can help the team in 2023 as well. We presence in Afghanistan, the U.S. clumsily tion to the other side’s demands, especially will decide about this issue in a meeting with experts and the left the country even though its intelligence in these talks where there is no other side, managers of the football federation,” Majedi added. community presciently predicted that Af- and both sides are brothers seeking peace While avoiding to name Iran’s U23 coaching candidates, ghanistan is susceptible to falling in the and calm for the Afghan nation,” Zarif Majedi said: “Our priority in choosing a head coach is his ex- hands of the Taliban in few months after told the Afghan participants. perience and his track record with the teams he has managed the withdrawal of foreign troops. The Iranian foreign minister added, “What throughout his career.” The U.S. policy toward Afghanistan was I ask you is that use this opportunity and best indicated by its unusual withdrawal end the war in Afghanistan as soon as pos- from the Bagram base, the sprawling military sible, and provide the Afghan people with Iran goalkeeper Beiranvand facility housing foreign troops over the past the chance to develop.” officially joins Boavista two decades. The U.S. had a whole host of Afghan soldiers are deeply critical of how Farahi border crossings along Iran-Afghani- He also voiced Iran’s readiness to facilitate military equipment and troops stationed peace talks. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is the U.S. left Bagram. “In one night, they lost stan borders, a move that led to Afghan staff SPORTSTEHRAN – Iran international goalkeeper Al- there for years and almost all U.S. presidents all the goodwill of 20 years by leaving the fleeing to Iran, whose authorities confirmed always ready to facilitate your talks in any deskireza Beiranvand officially joined Portuguese since the invasion of Afghanistan had paid way they did, in the night, without telling the that Afghan staff entered Iranian territories way you prefer,” he pointed out. football club Boavista on Saturday. a visit to this base. Afghan soldiers who were outside patrolling due to clashes between the Taliban and the The recent talks were the second time Iran The 28-year-old player has joined Boavista on loan from Bel- Last week on Friday, the U.S. announced the area,” said Afghan soldier Naematullah, Afghan government. officially host a delegation from the Taliban, gian team Antwerp. that it vacated its largest airfield of Bagram in who asked that only his one name be used. “Considering the clashes that erupted at a group with which Iran has avoided talking Beiranvand represented Iran at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Afghanistan. Afghan officials have lamented This irresponsible act of the U.S. left the the Islam-Qala and Abu Nasr Farahi cus- given its track record of bad relations with Last season, he played 12 games for Antwerp but failed to the way the U.S. left. They said that the U.S. Afghan government’s forces scrambling to toms facilities inside the Afghan territory, Iran when it was in power. The history of meet the club’s expectations. left Bagram Airfield after nearly 20 years protect the airbase against the Taliban, whose a number of Afghan staff members entered Iran-Taliban relations carries a lot of an- Beiranvand was a member of Naft Tehran from 2011 to 2016 by shutting off the electricity and slipping forces reportedly mounted an attack on Ba- into the Iranian soil,” Iranian Foreign Min- tagonistic baggage, most notably due to the in his homeland and joined Iranian giants Persepolis in 2016. away in the night without notifying the gram hours after it was evacuated. istry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in group’s anti-Shia leanings and its killing of He has made 44 games for Iran national football team. base’s new Afghan commander, according The way Bagram was evacuated also sent a statement. He pointed out that Iran will Iranian diplomats in Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998, Boavista Futebol Clube, commonly known as Boavista are a to press reports. a message that the U.S. no longer cares about take the necessary measures according to the which brought Iran and the Taliban-led Af- Portuguese sports club from the city of Porto. “We [heard] some rumor that the Amer- what might happen to its allies in Kabul, who rules and regulations and based on its border ghanistan close to an all-out war. icans had left Bagram … and finally by 7:00 found themselves on the defensive against the agreements with Afghanistan and within the But now the Taliban is part of the reality in the morning, we understood that it was Taliban. As expected, the Taliban intensified framework of good neighborliness principle. on the ground and Iran has said that the Iran know rivals confirmed that they had already left Bagram,” its attacks on a number of cities and border Iranian media outlets quoted sources in group cannot be ignored, though it should General Mir Asadullah Kohistani, Bagram’s crossings. They conquered many cities and at the military as saying that Iran is preparing not be seen as the whole reality either. Ac- at Continental Futsal new commander, told The Associated Press. least three border crossings with Tajikistan a flight to Kabul at the request of the Afghan cording to this assessment, Iran has done “They (Americans) are completely out and Iran, pushing hundreds of Afghan troops government to return the staff and troops. everything in its power to bring peace to its Championship now and everything is under our control, war-torn neighbor and it has the support of to seek refuge in neighboring countries. Facing turmoil in neighboring Afghan- SPORTSTEHRAN – Iran discovered their fate including watchtowers, air traffic and the Pakistan in this regard. Now, it’s up to the Over the past few days, videos circulated istan, Iran tried to broker peace by get- deskat the Continental Futsal Championship hospital,” a senior Afghan government official Afghan people and leaders to decide which on social media that showed Taliban militants ting the warring sides of Afghanistan to Thailand 2021. told the Reuters news agency. path they want to tread. taking over the Islam Qala and Abu Nasr sit together at the table and discuss ways The Persians have been drawn in Group B along with Lithu- ania, Tajikistan and Egypt. Group A consists of Thailand, Uzbekistan, Kosovo and Mo- Iran envoy meets Iraqi, Lebanese, UN delegations in Astana zambique. The eight-nation tournament will be held in Bangkok, Thai- POLITICAL TEHRAN – A senior Iranian diplomat foreign minister, elaborated on the issue of the return of land from July 25 to 30. deskleading the Iranian delegation at the Astana internally displaced persons to their homes and stressed the Iran will participate in the competition as part of prepara- Syrian talks has met with delegations from Iraq, Lebanon, need to confront any separatist and terrorist moves in Syria. tion for the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup, which will be held in and the United Nations. In earlier remarks to the Russian news agency RIA No- Lithuania from Sept. 12 to Oct. 3. On the second day of the 16th round of Astana talks in vosti, the diplomat said the main decision to resolve the Iran are in Group F along with Argentina, the U.S. and Serbia. Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, the delegation of the Islamic Republic Syrian issue must be made by the government and people of Iran, headed by Ali Asghar Khaji, held meetings with the of the country. He made the remarks at the end of the talks Lebanese and Iraqi delegations, the United Nations High in Nur-Sultan, the new name for Astana. Alamian brothers to compete Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the representative Khaji pointed out that during the tripartite meeting on of International Committee of the Red Cross, the Iranian the final statement of the committee, Iran’s views were unan- at 2021 World Table Tennis Foreign Ministry said in a statement. imous with other members, including Turkey and Russia. C’ships in U.S. In these meetings, the delegation of the Islamic Republic The Iranian diplomat said that everyone should remem- of Iran discussed the latest situation in Syria, including the The delegations of Turkey, Russia, the United Nations ber that the participants are not “making a decision” on the SPORTSTEHRAN – Noshad and Nima Alamian will country’s elections, Syrian refugees and the situation of ref- and the Red Cross also presented proposals on the progress Syrian issue, but putting forward their own opinions to help deskparticipate at the 2021 World Table Tennis ugees in the country, as well as sanctions and other issues. of the process and their latest performance reports. the Syrian government and people make the final decision. Championships which will be held in Houston, the U.S. from The meeting of the working group on the exchange of At the end of the bilateral and multilateral talks, the final The situation in Syria, the activities of the Syrian Con- Nov. 23 to 29. prisoners, missing persons and detainees was also held with meeting of the Astana process was held and the participants stitutional Committee in Geneva, international assistance, The Championships will take place in the American city the participation of the guarantor states within the frame- agreed on and approved the communique of the summit. the exchange of prisoners, the release of hostages and other with robust protocols enforced to create a safe environment work of the Astana process. In this meeting, Mir-Massoud Speaking to different news agencies, including Russia’s measures were on the agenda of the talks in Kazakhstan. to ensure that the event can be held in the United States Hosseinian, Director General of the Middle East and North Tass news agency, and Russian and Syrian journalists, Khaji At the end of the talks, Iran, Russia, and Turkey announced for the first time ever. Africa of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed talked about the recent successful presidential election in in a joint statement that they will continue to cooperate The Iranian duo will take part in the men’s doubles division. the views of Iran in this regard and emphasized ethical-hu- Syria and stressed the people’s right to sovereignty. until Daesh and other terrorist organizations are completely A total of 400 players are expected to participate at the com- man principles and called for speeding up these efforts. In the press conference, Khaji, the senior adviser to Iran’s eliminated in Syria. petition. No insecurity along Iran’s border with Afghanistan, Tehran says Tractor to meet Al Nassr in Qatar in 2021 ACL Round of 16 1 “The Islamic Republic of Iran will senting the Taliban group and prominent by neighboring Pakistan, which also shares take the necessary measures according to figures supporting the Republic system in some of Iran’s concerns about Afghanistan. SPORTSTEHRAN – Iran’s Tractor football team will the rules and regulations and based on its Afghanistan wrapped up in Tehran with a Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson deskplay Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia in Qatar in Round border agreements with Afghanistan and speech by Iranian Foreign Minister Mo- Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said, “We welcome of 16 of the 2021 AFC Champions League. within the framework of good neighborli- hammad Javad Zarif and a six-article Iran’s engagement with Afghan parties The match was originally scheduled to be held at the Mrsool ness principle,” he added. communique. so that a political solution can be reached Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sept. 14 but the Asian Football The Taliban has attacked the Afghan In his speech at the final meeting of the through dialogue.” Confederation (AFC) has announced that the match should be government’s positions along the Iran-Af- first round of intra-Afghan talks in Tehran, In response to media questions about played in a neutral venue. ghanistan borders, taking control of at least which was held at the Foreign Ministry’s the visit of Taliban and Afghan government According to the media reports, Al Nassr have chosen Qatar two border crossings. The group’s advances Institute for Political and International Stud- delegations to Tehran, he said, “Pakistan as the third country for the match. pushed some Afghan government forces ies (IPIS), Foreign Minister Zarif thanked considers Tehran’s role in the Afghan peace Esteghlal will have to announce a neutral country for the match to flee to Iran. both delegations for giving priority to the process important.” against Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in the same round. The Afghan government has called on peace, convenience and welfare of the Af- According to Chaudhri, Iran, like Paki- Iran to make arrangements for the return ghan people in their talks, according to a stan, is Afghanistan’s neighbor and hosts of its border troops to Kabul, and by ac- statement issued by the Iranian Foreign millions of Afghan refugees. Weightlifter Jahanfekrian cepting this request, Iran is preparing a Ministry. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokes- direct flight to Kabul to return the troops, “Courage in peace is more important person expressed hope that the Afghan par- not to compete at Olympics than courage in war, because peace needs ties would seize this opportunity to reach a about the situation in Afghanistan and its according to Nour News. SPORTSTEHRAN – Iranian woman weightlifter Parisa sacrifice and forgiveness, needs ignoring collective, comprehensive political solution. involvement in a longstanding war.” Citing a source in the Iranian armed deskJahanfekrian will not participate at the 2020 one’s maximal demands, and paying atten- Last week, Iranian President-elect Aya- He described the political solution as forces, the news website said that the Af- Olympic Games. tion to the other side’s demands, especially tollah Ebrahim Raisi and Pakistani Prime the best solution to Afghanistan but said ghan government has asked Tehran for After withdrawal of Iuniarra Sipaia from Samoa, Jahanfekrian in these talks where there is no other side, Minister Imran Khan spoke by phone dis- it is difficult to achieve this solution in the help in returning its border guards, who replaced her to take part in the Games. and both sides are brothers seeking peace cussing the recent developments in neigh- current situation. took refuge in Iran on Thursday following But the medical council of Iran’s Sports Medicine Fed- and calm for the Afghan nation,” Zarif said. boring Afghanistan. Ayatollah Raisi also expressed concern a Taliban attack on the Islam Qala border eration announced that Jahanfekrian cannot participate The Iranian foreign minister said a nation During the phone conversation, which over the situation in Afghanistan and said, crossing. at the 2020 Olympic Games since she will not be ready for that has been in pain and suffering for forty came at the initiative of the Pakistani prime “Afghanistan’s security is important to us “Kabul officials have called on Iran to the competition. years has every right to be opposed to war. minister, Imran Khan voiced concern over and this security must be established by make arrangements for the return of the The 87kg weightlifter has recently undergone a hand surgery. troops to Kabul, and Iran is preparing “What I ask you is that use this oppor- the conflict in Afghanistan. Afghans.” a direct flight to Kabul to repatriate the tunity and end the war in Afghanistan as “In the regional context, the PM ex- Afghanistan has become an issue of troops, given its humanitarian approach,” soon as possible, and provide the Afghan pressed concern at the worsening securi- concern for both Tehran and Islamabad Alireza Faghani to officiate in the source said. people with the chance to develop,” he added. ty situation in Afghanistan, & cautioned as the conflict there worsened in the wake The Islamic Republic of Iran, mean- “The Islamic Republic of Iran is always that the latest developments could lead to of foreign troops’ withdrawal. In recent Iran league while, hosted a meeting of delegations ready to facilitate your talks in any way you serious repercussions for both Pakistan weeks, Iran has intensified its diplomatic from the parties involved in Afghanistan prefer,” Zarif noted. & Iran, resulting in an influx of refugees efforts to de-escalate tensions in the war- SPORTSTEHRAN – International referee Alireza on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss Before the Iranian foreign minister’s towards the bordering areas of the two torn Afghanistan. To this end, a number deskFaghani will travel to Iran to officiate at the issues between them, which ended with speech at the conclusion of talks, Yunus Qa- countries. Prime Minister Imran Khan of Iranian diplomats traveled to Pakistan Iran Professional League (IPL). a joint statement. nuni as the representative of the delegation strongly underscored the imperative of a and Afghanistan. The 43-year-old referee, who migrated to Australia for family Tehran, with the support of the legiti- of those supporting the Republic system negotiated political solution to the conflict In late June, the Iranian foreign minis- reasons in 2019, has shown his readiness to officiate in IPL in mate government of Afghanistan, has al- and Abbas Stanikzai as the representative in Afghanistan. Both sides emphasized the ter’s special envoy for Afghanistan traveled the final weeks of the competition. ways called for the warring parties to avoid of the Taliban delegation expressed their need to continue facilitating an Afghan-led to Kabul and left the Afghan capital for Persepolis, Sepahan and Esteghlal are favorites to win the unrest and war, and has done its utmost views about the Tehran summit. and Afghan-owned inclusive political set- Islamabad for talks with Pakistani officials IPL title and it’s while the football stadiums in Iran have not to resolve the country’s problems through In their comments, the two representa- tlement,” according to a statement put out on the latest security developments in Af- equipped with VAR system so far. political dialogue between Afghan groups. tives supported the other side’s round-up by the premier office. ghanistan and then returned to Kabul again Faghani can ease pressure on the Iranian referees. The first round of intra-Afghan talks of the peace talks. Imran Khan also was quoted by Ira- to resume his meetings with the country’s He is also a nominee to officiate a match between Esteghlal among the heads of delegations repre- Iranian diplomatic efforts were welcomed nian media as saying, “we are concerned political and defense officials. and Persepolis in Hazfi Cup, scheduled for July 15. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY JULY 11, 2021

Stability in forex market Cabinet approves new directives to bring growth to stock market: expert for managing electricity outages ECONOMY TEHRAN – Iranian stock market is expected to desk follow an upward trend as the country’s foreign ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iran’s First cut off the electricity of the high-consuming currency exchange market has become more stabilized over the deskVice President Es’haq Ja- subscribers in order to balance the supply and past few months, according to stock market analyst Azim Sabet. hangiri on Saturday announced the cabinet’s demand of electricity in the country (until the “As one of the important factors in the market, [foreign] ex- new resolution for organizing systematic end of the summer peak consumption period). change rates have reached a stage of stability; therefore, one power outages for the household and com- Over the past decade, constant temper- can expect a reasonable upward trend in the market,” Sabet told mercial units and to prevent blackouts in ature rising and the significant decrease of IRNA on Saturday. the country, IRNA reported. rainfalls across Iran have put the country in He pointed to the effective measures taken for improving the As reported, in a meeting on July 7, the cab- a hard situation regarding electricity supply current trend of stock exchange transactions and added: “One of inet made some decisions based on the Energy during peak consumption periods. the significant issues regarding the stock market’s current trading Ministry proposals for reducing the duration of This year, however, new deteriorating environment is the management of fluctuations in the market.” systematic power outages in urban areas and factors like severe drought and the decline The expert stressed that people should not expect the stock for managing the country’s current electricity in the country’s water resources as well as a market to always follow an upward trend, saying: “Sometimes situation, the result of which was announced new wave of illegal cryptocurrency mining companies report on their performance and activities in a certain in the form of the mentioned resolution. across the country have also worsened the period of time and shareholders must use that information to Accordingly, all government organiza- situation. make decisions based on the value of the companies.” tions, banks, and other public institutions Iranians are currently left in the dark for Exchange transactions can take a reasonable course if the will be closed on Thursdays in Tehran and several hours each day based on a pre-planned macroeconomics of the country is managed and no sudden changes throughout the country until the end of the departments across the country and also by off the subscribers’ electricity immediately. outage program implemented by the Energy are made, he said. Iranian calendar month of Mordad (August large-scale subscribers. A working group comprised of the ministries Ministry. Unprecedented fluctuations in the Iranian stock market over 22) in accordance with Article (87) of the Civil Furthermore, in order to reduce the country’s of Energy, Industry, Mining and Trade, Finance, Iran’s Power Generation, Distribution, and the past few months have led shareholders, experts, and scholars Service Management Law. electricity consumption by 4,000 megawatts, and Economic Affairs will also be formed to Transmission Company (known as Tavanir) to call for the government to increase its support for the market. Also, to maintain the stability of the country’s all industries are obliged to reduce their con- allocate incentives such as tax deferral, and has previously announced that the company is Following the supportive measures taken by the government, electricity network, the instructions provid- sumption by at least 10 percent by overhauling long-term tax installments to units complying implementing over 40 different programs for the market has been gradually getting back on track and experts ed by the National Dispatching Center (Iran their equipment or closing for summer vacations with this resolution. managing the situation and to prevent blackouts believe that the market is regaining people’s trust. Electricity Network Management Company) within two weeks. In case of non-compliance, The cabinet has also allowed the Energy in the country, however, so far these programs Market Expert Reza Alavi believes that the inflow of liquidity should be followed by all power distribution the electricity companies are allowed to cut Ministry to prioritize, limit, or, if necessary, do not seem to be working as expected. into the market and the increase in the value of transactions indicate that people are once again trusting the capital market. “At present, other markets such as gold, foreign currency, and cars are not attractive enough for investors, and the stock market is still a good place for people’s investments,” Alavi told IRIB. Iran, Oman determined to boost trade ties “After the election debates, people have come to the con- 1 “This approach of Oman was maintained even during between the two sides to $5 billion. the increase of their trade ties, and in the meantime, we are clusion that the stock market is one of the priorities of the new the outbreak of the coronavirus, and we saw an increase in the Iran has currently an increasing trend in re-exporting its interested in developing joint cooperation, resolving problems government, and for this reason, they have re-trusted this market, shipping lines of this country to Iran in the first month of the goods from Oman. In fact, Oman is the only Arab country in and optimizing the existing conditions in maritime transport and as a result, the inflow of new capital into the market has current [Iranian calendar] year (March 21-April 21) and the the Persian Gulf that accepts Iranian companies through which and port operations of the two countries’ ports.” increased,” he said. following months”, he stated. Iran can reach the markets of other countries. Ahmed Al-Abri, the CEO of Oman’s MARAFI Port Opera- He further mentioned the rise in the global oil prices and the Oman not only did not close its borders during the pan- In a recent meeting with the governor-general of Iran’s tions & Management Company, said, “Continuation of these stability of the foreign currency exchange market as factors that demic, when most countries closed their borders to Iranian southern Hormozgan province, Omani ambassador to Tehran meetings and joint cooperation, while resolving the executive resulted in the stability of the stock market. goods, but also increased shipping lines to Iran, Zarrabi further Ibrahim bin Ahmad Al-Moeini has stressed that his country problems between the ports of Iran and Oman, can increase emphasized. welcomes the promotion of trade relations with Iran and there the amount of trade between the two countries by creating According to the official, currently, port relations between will be a good cooperation from the Omani side in this due. more coordination.” Quarterly exports via the two countries are relatively good and Iranian ships are “We try to have good and close relations between the busi- In January 2020, Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) moving between the ports of Iran and Oman. nessmen and traders of the two countries and to ensure the held the first meeting of its Commodity-Country Desk on trade Sistan-Baluchestan’s border He also mentioned Oman as a base for re-exporting Irani- interests of both parties”, the envoy emphasized, adding, “We with Oman presided by Farzad Piltan, the director-general of markets up 241% an goods noting that the sultanate has free trade agreement are also ready to cooperate with Iranian investors to be present TPO’s Office of Arabian and African Countries. with 16 Arab-African countries, the United States, Singapore and active in Oman.” Despite the U.S. re-imposition of sanctions against Iran, ECONOMY TEHRAN —Exports through the border mar- and four European countries, and noted that Iran should take Meanwhile in an online meeting between Iranian and Omani Oman is getting closer to the Islamic Republic both politically deskkets of Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan advantage of this golden opportunity. ports and maritime officials on Friday, the two sides emphasized and economically. There is also the same approach adopted by province rose 241 percent in terms of weight in the first quarter Agricultural products, construction materials, building the necessity of boosting port and maritime cooperation in a Iran, as Iranian companies now prefer to conduct trade with of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-June 21), as com- stones, minerals, metals, bitumen, and cement are the major bid to promote bilateral trade ties. Oman rather than the United Arab Emirates, given that the pared to the same period of time in the past year, a provincial products Iran exports to Oman. During the meeting, Khosro Saraei, the director-general UAE is highly complying with the sanctions. official announced. Given the favorable conditions for increasing the diversity of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO)’s Depart- Iran is somehow replacing some of its previous strategic of Iranian exports and the existing infrastructure for re-export ment of Transit, Logistics, and Agreements, said, “The good trade partners such as UAE with Oman, considering the Sul- in Oman, there is a capacity to increase the value of trade relations between the two countries should be reflected in tanate as an economic-trade hub. South Korea, U.S. hold talks over releasing Iran’s frozen assets ECONOMY TEHRAN – Senior econ- in resolving the issue. to Iran Ryu Jeong-Hyun to discuss the issue to Iranian media, the South Korean diplomat deskomy officials from South Some seven billion dollars of Iranian oil rev- and the two sides announced they have reached proposed to provide Iran with ambulances and Korea and the United States have held talks enues have been frozen in two South Korean a deal on how to release the assets blocked in coronavirus test kits using Iran’s assets. But Iran to discuss cooperation in various areas including banks since September 2019, when Washington’s South Korean banks. rejected the offer, saying that it wants to use releasing Iran’s frozen oil money in Korean banks. sanctions waiver for South Korea’s imports of Following the meeting, Iran’s state news the money to purchase foods and medicines. South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam- Iranian oil expired. agency IRNA reported that at the meeting, the Iran also said that the Korean proposal did not ki and the U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen The two sides now appear to be moving necessary agreements regarding the transfer of include the release of all Iran’s frozen assets. held a meeting in Venice, Italy, on Friday on toward a solution for the thorny issue after a assets to the intended destinations were made With the negotiations still going on, Tehran the sidelines of the G-20 Summit to discuss the few rounds of failed negotiations in January, and the South Korean side was informed of the and Seoul seem to be in the final stage of resolv- mentioned issue, according to the South Korean in which both countries proposed a number decisions of the CBI regarding the volume of ing the assets issue given South Korea’s close Mobin Ali-Mir, the director of the province’s border markets, Economy and Finance Ministry. of solutions none of which broke the deadlock transferred assets and the destination banks. contacts with the Biden administration, which said if the border markets’ restrictive laws are removed, meat, rice As reported, South Korea has proposed to over the issue. During a visit to Iran in January, South Ko- has promised to rekindle diplomacy with Iran and other necessary items, even cars, can be imported through use a Swiss channel for transferring Iranian Earlier in February, Abdolnasser Hemmati, rea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun by reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formal- the foreign currency earned by the exporters who export com- money to be used for purchasing basic goods and the former governor of Central Bank of Iran met with Iran’s former central banker to discuss ly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of modities via the border markets of the province. medicine and the U.S. has agreed to cooperate (CBI), met with the South Korean Ambassador how to release the Iranian assets. According Action (JCPOA). Back in March, Iran and Pakistan held an online meeting to discuss issues related to developing border trade and reached an agreement to establish the two countries’ first joint border market. “A virtual meeting was held to discuss a memorandum of un- Tehran, Bishkek discuss ways of boosting bilateral trade derstanding (MOU) on the establishment of joint border markets ECONOMY TEHRAN – Head of Iran Chamber of held between the businessmen of the two countries in areas between Iran and Pakistan, and agreements were reached in this desk regard,” IRNA quoted Reza Seyed Aqazadeh, an official with Commerce, Industries, Mines and Ag- where there is a capacity for cooperation.” Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), as saying at the time. riculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafeie met with the He noted that holding such monthly meetings will have According to the official, following the preparation of the President of the Kyrgyz Union of Industrialists and Entre- positive effects on strengthening the level of relations be- draft for the mentioned MOU in December 2020, additional preneurs Danil Ibraev in Tehran on Saturday to discuss ways tween the two countries. In this regard, the two sides agreed negotiations were made for finalizing the memorandum in the of expanding trade ties between the two countries. to hold the first meeting next month. online meeting which was held at the level of deputy ministers. As reported by the ICCIMA portal, in this meeting Ibraev Further in the meeting, Shafeie underlined Kyrgyzstan’s Referring to the 950-kilometer border between Iran and Pa- offered some suggestions for increasing the level of trade trade, production and regional capacities, and praised the kistan, as well as the two countries’ interest in developing trade, between the two countries which were welcomed by the country’s strong laws for supporting the private sector, foreign Seyed Aqazadeh noted: “Border markets have so far been created Iranian side. investment and move towards a free economy. unilaterally by Iran or Pakistan, and a joint market will be estab- Holding monthly specialized meetings to determine po- According to Shafeie, a significant number of Iranian lished between the two countries for the first time.” tential areas for mutual cooperation between the two coun- businessmen have invested in the free zones of Kyrgyzstan The development of the joint border markets is expected to tries and using Bandar Abbas-Sarakhs railway for transiting and are demanding the facilitation of joint cooperation be- improve the business activities of border residents, he added. goods from India, China and the Persian Gulf nations to ICCIMA Head Gholam-Hossein Shafeie (R) and the President tween the countries. “Based on the agreements reached, the two sides have appointed Kyrgyzstan and vice versa, were among these suggestions. of the Kyrgyz Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs The official noted that the two countries can have good technical teams to determine the location and size of the joint In the meantime, the officials also proposed to define an Danil Ibraev meet in Tehran on Saturday. cooperation in various fields including agriculture, tourism markets and to prepare a list of the items that would be traded integrated mechanism for boosting trade between the two and energy. in the markets,” the official explained. countries and agreed to pursue the issue. integrated mechanism for trade between the two countries, He further invited the head of Kyrgyzstan Chamber of He stated that joint markets will be set up in Kuhak and Pishin Referring to the importance of developing a clear and Ibraev suggested: “Online specialized meetings should be Commerce to visit Iran in the near future. (Saravan) in the near future, and specified: “Pakistan has pro- posed six points on the border to create joint markets, and the Iranian side is interested in setting up joint markets as much as possible in place of existing approved markets.” TEDPIX loses 11,300 points on Saturday Currently, border markets of Saravan-Jaleq, Saravan-Kuhak, ECONOMY TEHRAN — TEDPIX, the Barekat Pharmaceutical Group were the most the traders and people active in this market,” more easily and in shorter times. Sarbaz-Pishin and Chabahar-Rimdan in Sistan-Baluchestan prov- deskmain index of Tehran Stock widely followed indices. the official said. SEO had launched another single-window ince are active on the border with Pakistan, and the Mirjaveh Exchange (TSE), fell 11,308 points to 1.27 million Iran’s Securities and Exchange Organization Dehnavi noted that launching these single system, on June 30 2020 to accelerate the pro- market has been merged with Mirjaveh customs, according to on Saturday, which is the first day of Iranian (SEO) has launched three single window systems window systems would accelerate and facilitate cess of private companies’ acceptance to the Seyed Aqazadeh. calendar week. for facilitating the processes and procedures re- many affairs and hopefully services would be stock market. As announced by the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran As reported, over 5.87 billion securities worth lated to the stock market activities. provided more quickly and easily to the clients Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Customs Administration (IRICA), the value of Iran’s non-oil 43.985 trillion rials (about $1.047 billion) were The unveiling ceremony of the mentioned and companies. Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA), Iranian As- exports reached $10.7 billion in the first three months of the traded at the TSE on Saturday. systems, held on Tuesday, was attended by Fi- Through the mentioned systems, the SEO, in sociation of Internal Audits (IAIA), Tehran Stock current Iranian calendar year, up 69 percent compared to the The first market’s index fell 8,104 points, and nance and Economic Affairs Minister Farhad collaboration with the Real Estate Registration Exchange (TSE), and Iran’s over-the-counter last year’s same period. the second market’s index dropped 23,433 points. Dejpasand and the SEO Head Mohammad-Ali Organization of Iran, the Iranian National Tax (OTC) market, known as Iran Fara Bourse (IFB), According to Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi, Iran exported 30 million TEDPIX rose 43,000 points in the past Iranian Dehqan Dehnavi. Administration (INTA), official newspapers, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) tons of non-oil commodities in the mentioned three months, calendar week. According to Dehnavi, these systems are going and the Iran Post, will provide all the neces- on June 30, 2020, for launching the mentioned registering a 38-percent rise compared to the figure for the last The index closed at 1.282 million points on to offer various services to the companies and sary services in the shortest possible time, he single-window system. year’s Q1. Wednesday (the last working day of the week). people active in the market. explained. The mentioned system was aimed at creat- Iran’s top five non-oil export destinations during this period During the past week, the indices of Civil “Companies or financial institutions had to According to the official, the single window ing a single portal for evaluating, assessing and were China with $3.1 billion worth of exports, Iraq with $2.3 Servants Pension Fund (CSPF), Social Securi- go through many processes which took a long services will be accessible at the SEO’s new build- monitoring the financial and technical situation billion, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with over $1.3 billion, ty Investment Company, Isfahan Oil Refining time for their activities in the stock market; this ing, and by launching these windows, services of private sector companies for approving their Turkey with $595 million, and Afghanistan with $570 million. Company, Mobarakeh Steel Company, and issue was considered as one of the concerns of that need frequent commute will be provided entrance into the capital market. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JULY 11, 2021 ANALYSIS/INTERVIEW 5 People angry with Palestinian Authority’s Taliban claims to control most security coordination with Israel: lawyer of Afghanistan after rapid gains The Taliban said it has seized control of 85 percent of territory in 1 There are two main narratives at the danger of the media in undermining Afghanistan, a declaration government officials dismissed as part that circulate among the Palestinian people: its narrative, so it arrested thousands of of a propaganda campaign. The first is that what happened with martyr Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank But local Afghan officials said Taliban fighters, emboldened by Nizar Banat is an intentional assassination and the occupied interior. Israel is fighting NATO’s withdrawal, captured an important district in Herat province, by the Palestinian security services, and this the people and their media as well. home to tens of thousands of minority Shia Hazaras. narrative is adopted by most of the Palestinian Is there a glimmer of hope to change Torghundi, a northern town on the border with Turkmenistan, was people, including the Palestinian parties, the situation in the occupied regions? also captured by the Taliban overnight, Afghan and Taliban officials said. political activists, and the martyr’s family. Is there a popular movement or an The recent rapid gains come as foreign forces – including the As for the narrative of the Palestinian increase in public awareness of the United States – withdraw after nearly 20 years of fighting. Authority and the Fatah movement, the reality of Israeli occupation? Afghanistan’s interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said efforts activist died during his arrest by security There is real awareness among the were under way to dislodge the Taliban from their newly acquired forces in the occupied West Bank city of Palestinian public of the need to change positions. Hebron. He was subjected to physical vio- the behavior of the Palestinian Authority. The Afghan government has repeatedly dismissed the Taliban’s lence and beating. Palestinian through their parties, institu- gains as having little strategic value, but the seizure of multiple bor- Despite the fundamental difference be- tions, associations, gatherings and popular der crossings along with mineral-rich areas will likely fill the armed tween the two narratives, it remains a crime movements have expressed their rejection of group’s coffers with new sources of revenue. that shook the Palestinian people and the the practices of the Authority in Ramallah, With the Taliban having routed much of northern Afghanistan in political parties that viewed the matter as especially with regard to security issues, recent weeks, the government holds little more than a constellation of a threat to the lives of activists, lawyers, whether in its dealings with the Palestinian provincial capitals that must largely be reinforced and resupplied by air. journalists and opponents in general. people, or its coordination with the Israeli Prison break How do you read the events that occupiers. Taliban fighters also attacked a prison on the edge of southern followed the killing of Nizar Banat, The Palestinian people had hoped for Kandahar city, the capital of their former bastion of Kandahar prov- especially the suppression of popular reforms to be made through the elections, so ince, on Friday. protests in many Palestinian cities and This has angered the Palestinian public, The people also reject the behavior of more than 35 blocs were formed to participate “The Taliban … tried to get to the prison there. Fighting continues the attack on journalists who tried to and the people consider it a double insult security authority, such as its detention of in the Palestinian elections, but President and we have deployed reinforcements including special forces to clear cover the events by beating, breaking to all Palestinians, both through the crime journalists, lawyers and political activists. Mahmoud Abbas canceled it. the area,” said Kandahar police spokesman Jamal Naser Barekza. and confiscating their equipment? of killing Nizar and the crime of attacking What the Palestinian Authority is doing is Political activities are still going on, and Hundreds of Afghan security personnel and refugees continued to There is no doubt that the security services those who supported Nizar in the streets. immoral and against the national interests of they will continue without stop because there flee across the border into neighboring Iran and Tajikistan, causing of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah were How do the Palestinians view the Palestine. It affects the Palestinian people’s is a popular consensus for change. concern in Russia and nearby nations that the Taliban could infiltrate not satisfied with this extent of crime (assas- policies and performance of the Au- identity, history and resistance. But this change will not happen soon for Central Asia. sinating Nizar Banat). They even resorted to thority that rules in their name but What are the repercussions of the more than one reason. and one of the most Three visiting Taliban officials sought to address those concerns suppressing the peaceful demonstrators who is in coordination with their enemy recent Israeli aggression on Gaza? And important of these reasons is the people’s during a visit to Moscow on Friday. took to the streets in solidarity with Nizar in matters of security and military? how did it lay bare Israel’s approach fear of any civil war or great strife which and his cause, demanding the Authority The Palestinian people are dissatisfied toward the press and freedom of ex- may end in bleeding, and distract the world’s to hold the killers and perpetrators of the with the performance of the Palestinian Au- pression? attention from the occupation. Israeli settlements amount crime accountable. thority in Ramallah, especially its security Israel has practiced and still is continuing On the other hand, just as popular move- to ‘war crime’: UN expert This is another crime in addition to the performance. The people reject security oppression against the Palestinians in all fields, ments have a pivotal role in the political murder of Nizar Banat. The authority ig- coordination that besieges the legitimate before and after the recent battle in Gaza. scene, there is a role entrusted to the parties 1 He said the settlements violate an absolute ban on an nores popular demands for investigation, Palestinian resistance. This coordination This regime has never stopped its crimes to boost solidarity among all Palestinian occupying power transferring part of its civilian population into accountability, and refuses to dismiss some leads to the occupiers’ pursuit of Palestinian against the Palestinian people at any mo- sides to make changes that help the people, occupied territory, thereby meeting the definition of a war crime under officials in the security services. activists. ment. But after the last war, Israel looked their rights and resistance. the Rome Statute founding the International Criminal Court (ICC). “I submit to you that this finding compels the international community … to make it clear to Israel that its illegal occupation, and its defiance of international law and international opinion, can and will no longer be cost-free,” Lynk told the Geneva rights forum. Israeli settlers: The face of U.S. imperialism in West Asia Responding to Lynk’s report, former member of the Palestinian By Haythem Guesmi The best place to look to understand the obvious paral- Liberation Organization executive committee Hanan Ashrawi posted lels between the goals and methods of Israeli settlers and on Twitter: “Calling things by their name!” “Death to Arabs!” “May your village burn!” “A second Nakba U.S. white supremacists is perhaps the life and politics of is coming!” Naftali Bennett, Israel’s new prime minister. These were the slogans young Israeli settlers chanted Born to American parents who emigrated from San France to withdraw over 2,000 as they marched through occupied East Jerusalem’s old Francisco after the 1967 Six-Day War, Bennett was once troops from Africa city on June 15. the head of the settlers’ Yesha Council, whose objective The Zionist nationalist march, celebrating the anni- is “to safeguard Israel’s strategic expanses – between the French President Emmanuel Macron says his country will withdraw versary of Israel’s 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem, had Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea”. He built his more than 2,000 troops from West Africa’s Sahel region in the eerie similarities not only with last century’s Nazi rallies in political career as the protégé of Benjamin Netanyahu and coming months. Europe, but also with the more recent examples of racial boasted of being even more right wing than the warmonger During the past years, the former colonial power has maintained hatred we have seen on the other side of the Atlantic, in former prime minister. military intervention in the volatile area under the pretext of fighting the United States. To this day, he is a staunch supporter of the one-state terrorism, but has failed in its purported mission. For example, watching last month’s so-called “March of solution and the annexation of the West Bank by Israel. “I’ve ywhere, Jewish activist April Rosenblum argued that “the After talks in a virtual summit with the leaders of five West the flags” in Jerusalem, it was difficult not to be reminded of killed lots of Arabs in my life,” he once declared, “and there’s point of anti-Jewish oppression is to keep a Jewish face in African nations at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris on Fri- the 2017 white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virgin- no problem with that.” Like the white supremacists in the front, so that Jews, instead of ruling classes, become the day, Macron said France will pull out over 2,000 troops from its ia, where American white nationalists carrying tiki torches U.S., Bennett is adamant that the Indigenous inhabitants target for peoples’ rage.” Barkhane force in Africa’s Sahel region by early next year and chanted slogans like “You will not replace us” and “The South of the lands his people are trying to claim for themselves She explained how for centuries the ruling classes used instead pivot its military presence to specialized regional forces. will rise again”. Perhaps the only difference between these are somewhat sub-human, and he is willing to imprison, Jews for “middlemen” jobs “that put them in direct con- The French Barkhane force, operating in Mali, Chad, Niger, two public declarations of racial hatred and the genocidal abuse, and even kill them to achieve his goals. His story is tact with the exploited, disgruntled peasantry, shielding Burkina Faso and Mauritania, currently has 5,000 troops in the intention was the fact that, unlike their American counter- an ethno-nationalist one penned in Palestinian blood and themselves from the backlash for their unjust policies”. region. parts, the Israeli racists faced no backlash or punishment. stolen soil. And today, the U.S. imperialists and Zionists are using Macron said France would focus over the next six months on Indeed, as genocidal slogans filled the streets of occupied Israeli settlers, from Naftali Bennett to Yaalov Faauci, Jews as a buffer, a middle agent, to shield themselves from dismantling the Barkhane operation, closing bases in Sahel’s north Jerusalem, the Israeli police refrained from making any are undoubtedly genuine embodiments of violent ethno-na- any backlash against their imperial and ethno-nationalist and reorganizing troops in the south of the region. attempts to control the settlers, but arrested 17 Palestinians tionalism and the U.S. brand of white supremacy in Israel. ambitions in West Asia. “France will first move its troops further south and then later protesting against this blatant provocation for “disturbing But they are also much more than that. Indeed, for centuries, ruling classes in Europe and beyond start reducing their presence to around half the current level of the peace”. Today, Israeli settlers are the “Jewish face” of U.S. im- allowed anti-semitism to rage and Jews to be scapegoat- some 5,100 soldiers,” he said. The similarities between white supremacists in the U.S. perialism in the MENA region. ed for their oppressive actions and policies. Today, they and Zionist settlers in Israel are not coincidental. The con- The ‘Jewish face’ of U.S. imperialism are doing the very same thing by politically and culturally nection between the two groups goes much deeper than a Palestinian-American intellectual and literary critic Ed- pushing the idea that the violent settler colonialism of Resistance News shared disdain for “the other”. In fact, the Israeli settlers ward Said famously talked about the connection between Israel represents all Jews and that anti-Zionism is in fact epitomize the ideals and policies of U.S. imperialism in the imperialism and Zionism. anti-semitism. Israeli forces injure over 400 MENA region. “There is an unmistakable coincidence between the expe- The U.S. anti-BDS laws, which continue to be effective The faces of American white supremacy in Israel riences of Arab Palestinians at the hands of Zionism and the under the Biden government, have driven much of the Palestinians in Nablus “Jacob, you know that this is not your home,” she told experiences of those black, yellow, and brown people who political and institutional decisions in the Western world him in English. were described as inferior and subhuman by nineteenth-cen- against any criticism of anti-Zionism. Israeli forces have injured 411 Palestinians during clashes with an- The settler replied in a thick U.S. accent: “Yes, but if I tury imperialists,” he wrote in his 1979 essay, Zionism from Also, mainstream media in the West is routinely pushing ti-settlement protesters in the town of Beita and the nearby village go, you don’t go back, so what’s the problem? Why are you the Standpoint of its Victims. “It is important to remember anti-Semitic narratives alongside arguments in support of of Qusra in the occupied West Bank province of Nablus. yelling at me?” that in joining the general Western enthusiasm for overseas Israel and its violent settler colonialism. They are repeatedly According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, 23 Palestini- Jacob, who gained worldwide infamy after a video of the territorial acquisition, Zionism never spoke of itself unam- equating the Israeli state to Jews at large, once again laying ans were shot with live ammunition fired by Israeli forces during above interaction went viral, was later revealed to be Yaakov biguously as a Jewish liberation movement, but rather as the ground for Jews to be scapegoated for the genocidal clashes on Sobeih Mountain in the town of Beita, and Qusra, south Fauci – a Trump supporter from New York who is affiliated a Jewish movement for colonial settlement in the Orient.” excesses and misdeeds of violent imperial powers – this of Nablus, on Friday. with the U.S.-based settler organization Nahalat Shimon. For Said, it was clear that the same policies of ghettoized time the U.S. and its Zionist allies. The injured also included 70 Palestinians who were hit by rubber No one, of course, was surprised to find out that the new segregation and pogroms perpetuated against Indigenous In sum, despite its self-declared commitment to pro- bullets and 260 others who suffered breathing difficulties due to in- poster boy of violent settler colonialism in Palestine is an peoples and cultures and on which the very ideas of U.S. tecting Jews in Israel, what the U.S. is trying to protect haling tear gas fired by the Israeli troops during the clashes. Israeli American with apparent ties to white supremacist nationalism and imperialism were built are integral to how in Israel is its own imperial interests and ambitions. And Over the past two months, Beita has seen intensified clashes be- politics in the U.S. Zionists have imagined and executed the dispossession and Israeli settlers, the carbon-copies of America’s own home- tween Israeli forces and Palestinians protesting against a settlement Israeli American settlers have long been leading the annihilation of Palestinians. grown white supremacists, are acting as the foot soldiers outpost that has been recently established on the mountain by settlers efforts to dispossess Palestinians of their homes and land Today, in light of the global dominance of the U.S., there of the empire. under the protection of Israeli forces. with the support of the Israeli Supreme Court and the is little doubt that Zionism, and thus Israel’s settler coloni- Today, as the racist violence of Israeli settlers continues To the east of Nablus, Israeli forces attacked a weekly anti-settlement Israeli government. alism, is an extension of American imperialism. to rage, it is time to acknowledge and disempower the protest in the village of Beit Dajan on Friday, using live ammunition And the arguments settlers use to justify their violence And not only Palestinians but also Jews across the globe, zealous efforts by U.S. imperialists and Zionists to put a and sound bombs against the demonstrators. – that they are the rightful owners of the land, that they are are its victims. “Jewish face” to their pogroms and genocidal oppression Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians, including children, suffered culturally superior to the Indigenous population, that they Jews as ‘middle agents’ of American imperial and dispossession of Palestinians – for the sake of Jews breathing difficulties due to inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli troops at are only “defending” themselves – are almost identical to oppression and Palestinians alike. a weekly anti-settlement rally that was held in the West Bank village those that are being used by white supremacists in the U.S. In her popular 2007 pamphlet, The Past Didn’t Go An- (Source: Alzaeera) of Kafr Qaddum. Also on Friday, Israeli forces attacked a protest condemning Israel’s settlement expansion policy and Israeli settlers’ repeated attacks on the Palestinians and their properties in Masafer Yatta, south of the Over 1,250 Irish artists pledge to boycott Israel in protest at mistreatment of Palestinians West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron). The protesters urged the international community and human Hundreds of Irish artists, including ac- passed the 1,250 signatory mark. It commits signatories to refrain from Irish and world music band Kila, said: “It rights organizations to shoulder their responsibility and protect the tors, novelists, playwrights, poets, de- The IPSC said the boycott of Israel also performing in Israel. The campaign was worked in South Africa.” Palestinians from the persistent Israeli attacks. signers, composers, architects, painters, means that the cultural workers would launched by the Ireland-Palestine Soli- The BDS movement was initiated in Israeli forces also attacked Palestinians who gathered in al-Ras sculptors, filmmakers and others, have not accept any funding from institutions darity Campaign (IPSC) in August 2010. 2005 by over 170 Palestinian organizations area, west of the West Bank city of Salfit, to perform Friday prayers. expressed solid support for the interna- linked to the Tel Aviv regime. Irish singer and songwriter Damien that were pushing for “various forms of Al-Ras area is threatened with seizure by Israel for the construction tional anti-Israel movement of Boycott, The pledge signed by the artists stated Dempsey hoped the boycott would encour- boycott against Israel until it meets its of a settlement outpost. Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), and that the boycott would continue, “until age young people in Israel who disagreed obligations under international law.” More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built announced that they intend not to per- such time as Israel complies with inter- with the regime to “speak out”. Thousands of volunteers worldwide since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jeru- form or exhibit in the Israeli-occupied national law and universal principles of Musician Donal Lunny said he was have since then joined the BDS movement, salem al-Quds. Palestinian territories. human rights”. taking part to “express solidarity with which calls for people and groups across All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law as they The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Cam- The Irish artists’ pledge was initiated by the Palestinian people”. the world to cut economic, cultural and are built on occupied land. The United Nations Security Council has paign (IPSC) announced that its “Irish renowned composer, and IPSC co-founder, When asked about the boycott’s chances academic ties to Tel Aviv, to help promote condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories Artists’ Pledge to Boycott Israel” has just Raymond Deane. for success, Eoin Dillon, a performer with the Palestinian cause. in several resolutions. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 HERITAGE & TOURISM JULY 11, 2021

Yazd to boost astronomical Iran’s memories in tourism

TOURISM TEHRAN – The astronomical tourism is deskplanned to be developed in the city of Bahabad, the central province of Yazd, a local tourism official has announced. Afghanistan: two sisters apart The tourism infrastructure of the region will be improved in the near future, Alireza Kazemi said on Saturday. 1 the most monumental and important In addition to its location as one of the darkest observation Aq Koprok Archaeological components. spots in West Asia, Bahabad has many natural tourist areas, low Sites Even though the palace has been de- light pollution, and little dust in the air, which makes it a great Aq Koprok is a collection of four archae- stroyed, looted, rebuilt, and restored a few place for stargazing, the official added. ological sites in Afghanistan dating back to times, there are still murals and paintings By arranging astronomical tours, the region could attract as- the prehistoric period, which spans from inside that attract visitors. tronomical groups and night sky enthusiasts, thereby boosting Paleolithic time to the Sassanid period. Persian elite’ mausoleums and tourism, he noted. Ghazni tombs Astronomical tourism represents a less-studied segment of Located in southeastern Afghanistan, Afghanistan is the final resting place sustainable tourism, where a dark night sky is an underlying Ghazni, historically known as Ghaznin or of many Iranian poets, scientists, artists, resource, and this branch of tourism could lead to sustainable Ghazna, was conquered by the Achaemenid and kings. development in rural areas. king Cyrus II and incorporated into the The mausoleum of Mahmud of Ghazni, Modern life, never-sleeping cities, air pollution, and industrial Persian Empire in the 6th century BC. who was the first independent ruler of dust have ruined the human experience of starry velvet nights The city was the capital of Ghaznavids, a Ghaznavids (999-1030) is six kilometers our ancestors used to praise. In modern cities, the chance to see Persian Muslim dynasty from 977 to 1163. from the city of Ghazni. a sky full of stars is rare, but there are some places in the world, In the first decades of the 11th century, Hakim Abul-Majd Sanai Ghaznavi, which are still safe from human reach. Ghazni was the most important center more commonly known as Sanai, was a Illuminated only by the stars and having a clear sky, Iranian of Persian literature. Persian poet from Ghazni who lived his deserts are dream places for astronomy enthusiasts and sky lovers For centuries, travelers and archeolo- life in the Ghaznavid Empire at the time to experience dark night observatories. gists have been drawn to beautiful places of its golden age, in medieval Khorasan, The country is also home to several historical caravanserais like the Ghazni Citadel, the Ghazni Mina- which is now located in Afghanistan. He hosting astronomical tourists from ancient eras to the present, rets, and the Palace of Sultan Masoud III, was buried in Ghazni. which are restored and facilitated to receive guests. all built during the time of Iranian rulers. Taq Bost Iranian poet and theologian Naser The structure is a large brick arch that Khosrow Qubadiani (1004-c.1072/77), is cut with bricks on both sides and is who is known for Safar-nameh (“Book of about 25 meters. The monument was built the area of the troops. Helmand approximately eight kilometers Travel”), a diary describing his seven-year during Ghaznavid-era and was restored Located on the banks of the Helmand north of the Citadel of Bust where the journey is buried on a hill in Badakhshan. over time. River, one of the palaces known as South- riverbank forms a natural corner so that The tomb of Khwaja Abdullah Ansari The arch was the entrance gate to the ern Castle has remained a little intact. two facades of the palace afford river- (1006–1088), a devout Sufi, known as “The historic city of Bost or Lashkar Gah, which Based on both textual sources and front views. Pious One” during his lifetime, is in Herat. was the winter capital at the time. finds made during excavations at the site, The plan is roughly rectangular and The mausoleum of Persian scholar, Lashkari Bazaar scholars attribute the palace to Ghaznavid is aligned nearly perfectly with the car- polymath, and historian, Abu Rayhan Near the city of Lashkargah, there king Mahmud I and date it to the early dinal directions. Its main axis runs from al-Biruni, who became the most origi- are the remains of some places known years of his reign (r. 998-1030). south to north. It was constructed largely nal polymath the Islamic world had ever as Lashkari Bazaar or Al-Asqar, meaning The palace is situated at a point on the of mud-brick, with baked brick used for known, is located in the city of Ghazni.

Astronomy has a long and rich history among Iranians. Stars have fascinated humans for ages, while some have worshiped them Iranians have studied them and there are world-renowned Jameh Mosque of Ardestan gains former glory Iranian scientists in this field such as Nasir ad-Din Tusi, who was HERITAGE TEHRAN – Parts of the Jameh Mosque its original foundation could date to the 10th-11th/4th- the founder of Maragheh observatory, an astronomical obser- deskof Ardestan, which is named after an 5th c. AH or earlier. vatory established in 1259, with a library, which is said at one ancient oasis town of the same name in central Iran, The mosque stands on a site once occupied by a Sa- time to have held over 400,000 volumes of literature related to underwent some rehabilitation works, Ardestan’s tour- sanian structure, as evidenced by remains discovered astronomy and astrology. ism chief has said. in archaeological excavations. The early mosque was Some countries in the world have used their regional potentials The project involved repairing one of the five entrance likely a hypostyle type, having a central courtyard sur- to develop the tourism industry in this particular field and have gates to the mosque, which was damaged by termites, rounded by arcades. been able to introduce themselves as an attractive destination Mehdi Mashhadi announced on Saturday. Remains of some of these arcades in the current mosque for astronomy tours. Experienced restorers and cultural heritage experts show that they were covered with barrel vaults. As it For several years, Chile has been able to become a leader in carried out the project, which lasted one month, the stands today, the mosque occupies an irregular space astronomical tourism by focusing on this type of tourism. Coun- official added. centered on a rectangular courtyard with four iwans, tries such as Canada, Sweden, Russia, India, and China have also The Jameh Mosque of Ardestan is of high historical incorporating pieces of the earlier hypostyle structure. been successful in this industry, and many tourists from all over importance as it incorporates successive architectural The iwans on the southwest (qibla) and northeast the world travel to these countries every year. styles of the Sassanids, Buyids, Seljuks, and Safavids. sides of the courtyard are larger, rising to a greater With its winding lanes, a forest of badgirs (wind catchers), The Congregational Mosque of Ardestan is an early height and being wider as well. Behind the southwest mud-brick houses, atmospheric alleyways, and centuries of his- Islamic building with many accretions over its long his- iwan is a square chamber surmounted by a dome rest- tory, Yazd is a delightful place to stay, referring to as a ‘don’t tory of use. However, a majority of what visitors to the ing on an octagonal transition zone formed by eight evolved over centuries and went through a major reno- miss’ destination by almost all travel associates in the region. mosque see dates from the Seljuk era (ca. 1040–1196). engaged arches. vation during the Seljuk period. Currently, the mosque The oasis city is wedged between the northern Dasht-e Kavir and Located in Isfahan province, the two-story hypostyle Between the iwans are vaulted bays of irregular size has several entrances. the southern Dasht-e Lut on a flat plain ringed by mountains. mosque has a four-portico (iwan) courtyard surrounded and shape on two stories. Behind the vaulted bays in The interior of the dome chamber and iwan are exten- Yazd Jameh Mosque, Dowlatabad Garden, the Yazd Atash by encircling arcades. The place of worship is part of the southern quadrant of the mosque, a long corridor sively covered in plaster. The dome and zone of transi- Behram, also known as Atashkadeh-e Yazd, Towers of Silence, larger premises that also include other mudbrick struc- leads from two entrances onto the vaulted bays on the tion are articulated with simulated brickwork; the iwan and adjacent desert landscape are among its tourist sites. tures such as a cistern, a caravanserai, a marketplace, southeastern side of the courtyard. vault is uniquely faced with a complex stucco design of a bathhouse, and a madrasa. The exterior of the mosque is quite irregular while interlacing arabesques. The mihrab exemplifies skilled According to ARCHNET, the earliest dated inscrip- the facades of the courtyard are harmonious, with the stucco carving and may represent Mongol restoration. Cultural elements in Qazvin tion on the building is from the 12th/6th c. AH, but iwans aligned and roughly the same size, not unlike the The mosque was inscribed on the national heritage added to national heritage list evidence of an earlier mosque remains, suggesting that situation in the Great Mosque of Isfahan, which also list in 1931.

HERITAGE TEHRAN – A total of eight new cultural ele- deskments, which are practiced in the northwestern province of Qazvin, have been inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list. Ancient bridge in Lorestan restored, strengthened The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts HERITAGE TEHRAN – A restoration original condition as possible using the hill, on top of which the famed Falak-ol-Aflak on Saturday announced the inscriptions in an official document it deskproject has been recently same materials similar to those used in its Castle is nested. submitted to the governor-general of the province, CHTN reported. completed on the historical Kashkan Bridge, construction, he explained. Lorestan, which is a region of raw beauty, The talent of making doimaj, the skill of making Aloulak dolls which suffered damage from heavy flooding Kashkan Bridge is 300 meters long, and was inhabited by Iranian Indo-European and the skill of making Arsuleh Ash were among the items added in 2019. it originally had 11 columns and 12 arches, peoples, including the Medes, c. 1000 BC. to the prestigious list. The Sassanid-era (224 CE to 651) mon- some parts of which are ruined or wiped away. Cimmerians and Scythians intermittently Qazvin was once the capital of the mighty Persian Empire, ument is located in the western province Its height varies between 10 to 26 meters. ruled the region from about 700 to 625 BC. under Safavids, from 1548 to 98. It is a major tourist destination of Lorestan. Inscribed on the National Heritage List, The Luristan Bronzes noted for their eclectic with a wonderfully restored caravanserai-turned-arts precinct, The project intended to strengthen and the bridge is one of the most spectacular array of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Irani- some quirky museums, and a handful of decent eating options. repair the foundation and the pillars of the attractions of the ancient region. an artistic motifs, date from this turbulent For most travelers, Qazvin is also primarily the staging point for bridge, CHTN quoted the provincial tourism Days of devastating flooding and heavy period. Lorestan was incorporated into the excursions to the famous Castles of the Assassins and trekking chief as saying on Saturday. dollar) was allocated to the project, Amin rain in March 2019 inflicted damage to tens growing Achaemenid Empire in about 540 in the sensational Alamut Valley. A budget of three billion rials ($71,400 at Qasemi added. of cultural heritage sites in Lorestan. For BC and successively was part of the Seleucid, the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per The bridge was restored as close to its instance, it washed away parts of a historic Parthian, and Sasanid dynasties.

“Ab Pashoonak” or Splashing Water: The ceremony of the beginning of summer Ancient Iranian people celebrated the beginning of every so happy that they thanked God and splashed water season in groups, including summer. In that period, an to each other. indicator of the beginning of summer and the summer Another hypothesis says that one of the Iranian kings revolution was the solar structures (solar calendars), returned home happily after his victory in the battle such as Chahar Taqi. and it was the first day of the summer. He reached the The sun can be seen from a special angel between the qanat of Zolf Abad (located in Markazi Province) where columns of these structures during sunrise when the he imagined a beautiful woman who splashed some new cycle of four-season began. There is an example of water. The king was delighted and he splashed water these Chahar Taqi in Niasar. According to the gahambars on the faces of his companions. calendar (meaning “proper season” and it is the oldest There are other forgotten ceremonies at the beginning known calendar in Iran which divided a year into four of the summer; in the sixth day of Tir (the fourth month seasons and four semi seasons), the beginning of the of solar calendar and the first month of the summer), summer was the commencement of the New Year too there was a ceremony that Ab? Ray??n Al-B?r?n? also and it has remained in the Tabari calendar. spoke of it, and it was called “Ceremony of Lotus” At the beginning of summer, the sun rises from its which was related to the flourishing of lotus at the Also known as the castle of the Assassins, the 12th-century highest position on the northeast horizon and falls to beginning of the summer, or “Eid Mah (the ceremony Alamut castle is nestled on top of a peak. It was once a shelter for its highest place on the northwest horizon. In that era, of the moon)”. the followers of Hasan-e Sabbah (1070–1124) who was a spiritual people had a particular attachment to cosmic phenomena The people from Savadkooh and some other leader of an Islamic sect. In the early 1930s, British-Italian ex- and interfered them with their daily lives, rituals, and many participate in this ceremony by splashing water mountainous regions in Tabarestan and Mazandaran plorer and travel writer Freya Stark described her exploration of beliefs and many rituals and celebrations were held to the others. celebrated it by making fires on the mountains. The the place in her book “The Valleys of the Assassins”. at this time. There are a lot of hypotheses and theories for this ritual of “Goje Aroos (bride tomato)” or “Gol Arros Qazvin is also home to one of the biggest roofed caravanserais Although the memory of many ceremonies is weak celebration. For example, it is said that there was one (bride flower)” was held in some parts of Khorasan of the country, Sa’d-al Saltaneh caravanserai. Dating back to the today, the beginning of summer is celebrated as “Ab time which there was no rain in Iran for seven years and the west of Afganistan. During this ceremony, they Qajar era, it’s a place for discovering tens of Hojreh or shops, Pashoonak” or Splashing Water in Arak, Farahan, Mahallat and Firooz, the sun of Yazdgerd the Iranian king, was celebrate the beginning of the summer by giving the cafes, yards, and a stunning mosque. It’s a place for visitors who and many other cities in the center of Iran. It is called worried about starvation or death. However, no one fruits, flour, and rock candy to the newlywed brides. want to experience the culture, culinary, and hospitality of Iran. Avval Toestooni (the beginning of the summer) and died of hunger and after the first raining, people were (Source: Visit Iran) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JULY 11, 2021 SOCIETY 7 COVID-19 UPDATES Tehran-Havana strategic cooperation The statistics are related to 24 hours started 2:00 p.m. July 9 on coronavirus vaccine production New cases 11,664 1 An emergency permit for the Irani- While Iran continues efforts to mass-pro- New deaths 151 an-Cuban vaccine (called Pastu Covac in Iran) duce local candidates, several foreign vaccines was issued on June 29, IRINN reported on have already been imported and others are Total cases 3,355,786 Saturday. expected soon. The vaccine is also 100 percent effective To date, the first Iranian-made vaccine in preventing severe forms of disease and has received an emergency use license, called Total deaths 85,694 mortality. COVIRAN BAREKAT, which is being injected Pastu Covac is a conjugate vaccine with to people across the country and can provide New hospitalized patients 1,418 two injectable doses. It consists of the re- probably between 30 and 50 million doses, ceptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 by the end of September. spike protein conjugated chemically to teta- Christoph Hamelmann, the former repre- Patients in critical condition 3,602 nus toxoid. This is the first vaccine to have a sentative of the World Health Organization booster dose, and it is a great help to evaluate in Iran, said in March that Iran has one of Total recovered patients 3,010,090 the results of human trials. the most successful platforms in the world Vaccine production achievements for COVID-19 vaccine production. Diagnostic tests conducted 24,437,503 Iran is also producing vaccines jointly “Considering the production line of the with three countries of Cuba, Russia, and Pasteur vaccine, Iran is very advanced and Australia, which may also be released by successful in developing a vaccine while Doses of vaccine injected 6,726,801 September. being able to help other countries, I am sure Mass vaccination against COVID-19 started that Iran’s vaccine production platform on Iranian citizens with the Russian-made is one of the most successful ones in the Sputnik V vaccine on February 9. region,” he said. Iranian artists weave exquisite rug specially for Maryam Mirzakhani festival honors 25 women scientists Tokyo Olympics 1 In this edition of the festival, 416 women compet- the award of social activists, three people will be granted gold medals. ed in various scientific fields, 25 of whom were among the award of scientific excellence and two others are the She obtained her BSc in mathematics from Sharif SOCIETY TEHRAN – For the first time, an elegant and the winners that were announced on the closing date winners of the UNESCO award. University of Technology, Tehran, in 1999. Mirzakhani deskluxury carpet has been produced by Iranian (July 10). Mirzakhani won a gold medal in the Hong Kong Inter- then moved to the U.S. and finished a Ph.D. from Harvard artists aiming to showcase the history of the Olympics at the Some 13 people are selected as scientists who will re- national Mathematical Olympiad, in 1994, to be the first University in 2004. 2020 Tokyo games. ceive Maryam Mirzakhani national award, two women female Iranian student to have snatched a gold medal. In 2017, Mirzakhani, the winner of the Fields Medal, are worthy of appreciation in the scientific section, one In the 1995 Toronto International Mathematical Ol- also known as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, succumbed will be granted the Parvaneh Farzaneh Award, four won ympiad, she became the first Iranian student to win two to breast cancer at 40. COVID-19 impact on fertility should take center stage in the early 1990s to 72.6 years in 2019. which in all other countries led to economic prosperity so that In addition, the world is seeing high levels of urbaniza- Iran must seize the opportunity now before its working-age tion and accelerating migration. 2007 was the first year in population starts to shrink and get older in the 2050s. which more people lived in urban areas than in rural areas, Highest fertility decline in human history and by 2050 about 66 percent of the world population will According to the data released by the National Organ- be living in cities. ization for Civil Registration, the number of births reg- These megatrends have far-reaching implications. They istered during the [Iranian calendar] year 1390 (March affect economic development, employment, income dis- 2011-March 2012) was equal to 1,382,118, which increased to Some 250 colors have been used in weaving the carpet, measur- tribution, poverty, and social protections. They also affect 1,528,053 births in the [Iranian calendar] year 1395 (March ing 230cm by 170cm in dimensions, IRNA reported on Saturday. efforts to ensure universal access to health care, education, 2016-March 2017). It is somehow a kind of encyclopedia for the games, as pictures housing, sanitation, water, food, and energy. To more sus- However, the number of births in the whole country of renowned figures such as the founder of the modern Olym- tainably address the needs of individuals, policymakers faced a downtrend over the past three years, as registered pic Games, Pierre de Coubertin; the Japanese emperor Meiji; must understand how many people are living on the planet, births decreased to 1,196,135 over the [Iranian calendar] year the Iranian legendary wrestler, Gholamreza Takhti; and the where they are, how old they are, and how many people 1398 (March 2019- March 2020); a difference of roughly American former swimmer and the most successful Olympian, will come after them. over 120,000 to 16,000 per year. Michael Phelps; are seen on the rug. By Faranak Bakhtiari Zero population growth in 20 years Nicholas Eberstadt, the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Eight masters of carpet weaving have endeavored round the Iran, which is now called “middle-aged” with about 70 Economy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) wrote clock over the course of six months to complete the artwork. TEHRAN – In this second year of COVID-19, many coun- percent of the active population, is sounding the alarm in an article in July 2020 that the fertility rate in Iran has Flags of participating countries have also been woven in the tries are expressing growing concern over changing fertility about the declining trend of population growth and the dropped by 70 percent over the past 30 years, which has form of scales on two koi fish, which are symbols of love and friend- rates, in addition to losing hundreds of people daily due to upward trend of aging. been the highest decline in human history. ship in Japan. Persian carpets are sought after internationally the virus infection. So that, this World Population Day will In 1977, the country’s population grew by 3.4 percent Melinda Gates, an American philanthropist and co-found- for their delicate designs and high quality. Official figures show focus on the impact of the pandemic on fertility. annually, however, suddenly, it dropped to about 1.6 percent er of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, also wrote on handmade carpets have a significant share in Iran’s non-oil exports. The pandemic has compromised health care systems in 2006, and a decade later, the population growth rate her Twitter account that “The fastest decrease in the rate For millennia, Iran’s eminent carpets, which are adored for particularly in the area of reproductive health. stood at 1.24, showing a considerable decline. of childbearing per woman in the history of the world has their intricate designs, lavish colors, and matchless craftsman- UNFPA advises against reactionary policy responses, However, some experts claimed that the rate has declined happened in Iran!” ship, have been produced by hand along the nomad trail across which can be extremely harmful if they violate rights, health, to 0.6 percent in 2020. Seyed Hamed Barakati, deputy health minister for family the foothills and high plains of the ancient land. and choices. The agency emphasizes that women must be Generally, three factors of birth, mortality, and immi- and school population, said in May that Iran’s population Weavers, almost all of them women, spend several months empowered educationally, economically, and politically to gration are effective in population growth. growth rate has decreased to less than one percent for the in front of a loom, stringing and knotting thousands of threads. exercise choice over their bodies and fertility. In 1977, the average number of children per woman was first time over the past four decades. Some practice established patterns, some make their own. World Population Day is observed on July 11 each year. 7, which reached 1.8 children in 2006, and finally, in 2016, At the beginning of the Islamic Revolution (in 1979), the It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world the ratio was estimated at 1.24. country’s population grew by 2.5 percent annually, however, population to grow to 1 billion – then in just another 200 It is estimated that population growth will reach zero in suddenly, population growth reached about 1.5 percent in years or so, it grew sevenfold. In 2011, the global population 2040 and then becomes negative, so the biggest concern is the 1980s, he highlighted. Climate characteristic of Iran reached the 7 billion mark, and today, it stands at about 7.7 that Iran’s population will age in the coming years, fertility How to reverse the trend? billion, and it’s expected to grow to around 8.5 billion in will decline, and the population of youth will decrease. Although, several plan and programs on population growth (Part 3) 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.9 billion in 2100. The causes of declining fertility as increasing literacy, and family support have been proposed in the country to Clashes in atmospheric pressure over smaller areas result in This dramatic growth has been driven largely by in- education, and urbanization, she said that “whenever de- solve the downward trend of fertility, not an effective result another very characteristic feature of Persian weather: the “dust creasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age velopment indicators increase in each country, the fertility have yet achieved. devils” that occur daily all over the plateau during the summer and has been accompanied by major changes in fertility rate decreases and in Iran the fertility rate has decreased.” Recently, the Majlis (Iranian Parliament) approved on months. They are formed wherever there are slight differences rates, increasing urbanization, and accelerating migra- Demographic window of opportunity March 16 to implement a population growth and family in the heating of the earth’s surface, for example, when there is tion. These trends will have far-reaching implications In demography, the population under the age of 15 is called support plan for 7 years to change the declining trend of extreme localized heating of exposed rock. for generations to come. “young”. In 1977, 46 percent of the people were young, while childbearing. These dust devils, frequently only a few meters in diameter, The recent past has seen enormous changes in fertility now 23 percent of the population are below 15 years of age. However, it would be a good plan if it is strictly enforced suck sand and dust up into wind spouts, sometimes several hun- rates and life expectancy. In the early 1970s, women had In 2006, the elderly constituted 3 percent of the popu- and well implemented. If it is not implemented well or dred meters high, and usually blow themselves out after traveling on average 4.5 children each; by 2015, total fertility for the lation, which now increased to 8-9 percent. At that time, only some clauses are implemented, the plan will not very short distances. world had fallen to below 2.5 children per woman. Mean- the population was very young and now is middle-aged. seem to be successful, according to Shahla Kazemipour, Temperature and precipitation. Persia’s situation on the while, average global lifespans have risen, from 64.6 years Iran has achieved a demographic window of opportunity a demographer. boundary between the “subtropical Saharan-Ara¬bian portion of the desert belt controlled by the trade winds” of the eastern hemisphere, on one hand, and the “Turkestan-Central Asian portion, which belongs to the temperate zone” (Bobek, 1952, p. ENGLISH IN USE 65), on the other, is extremely significant. As already suggested, both the climate and the topography of the LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION country contrib¬ute to distinct regional differences. Harry Bobek (1952, p. 65) has remarked correctly that, if it were not for the Zagros and Alborz, which disrupt the general system of wind circulation and force humid air masses to give up their moisture in precipitation, the two zones mentioned would be “desert spaces flowing into each اجــرای طــرح تعطیلــی دو هفته ای سراســری Iran gets ready for two-week other without boundaries,” and neither the Caspian Sea nor the Persian Gulf would be sufficient to water the wasteland. An attempt to plot the average temperatures for the entire country بــرای مقابلــه بــا کرونــا هفتــه آینده coronavirus closure reveals a general increase from north-west to southeast reflecting both the respective geo¬graphical positions and the elevations of ســتاد ملــی مقابلــه بــا کرونــا در ایــران طرحــی را اجــرا خواهــد کــرد The National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control will implement a plan, according to which all occupations, except for emergency the different regions. Whereas most of Azerbaijan is characterized by average annual temperatures of about 10° C, the average annual کــه بــر مبنــای آن بیــش از ۱۰۰ شــهر از جملــه تهــران بــا وضعیــت .temperature on the Persian plateau is between 15 and 20° C هشــدار بــاالی کرونــا بــه مــدت دو هفتــه تعطیــل خواهنــد بــود. services and basic food suppliers, will be closed for two weeks in more than 100 cities in an attempt to curb the coronavirus. The entire Persian Gulf coast area, on the other hand, regis- ters an annual average of more than 25° C; the highest annual بــه گــزارش ایســنا، علیرضــا رییســی ســخنگوی ســتاد ملــی مقابلــه بــا Alireza Reisi, a spokesman for the Headquarters, said that “the :aver¬age, about 30° C, occurs in southeastern Persia (sta¬tion کرونــا گفــت: ایــن طــرح از اول آذرمــاه آغــاز مــی شــود. plan will go into effect on November 21.” Iranshahr). In many respects average monthly temperatures and the annual extremes are much more significant than annual ایــن طــرح شــهرها را بــه ســه ســطح هشــدار تقســیم بنــدی مــی کنــد کــه The plan divides cities into three levels of alert, according to averages, especially in deter¬mining land use. The climate on the plateau is charac¬terized by hot summers بــر اســاس آن، اگــر شــهری در وضعیــت ســطح هشــدار بــاال قــرار گیــرد which, if a city is in a state of high alert, all other occupations will and extremely cold winters, with resulting broad ranges between the annual maxi¬mum and minimum temperatures, 20° C or بــه جــز مشــاغل خیلــی ضــروری کــه مربــوط بــه تهیــه مایحتــاج ضــروری be closed, except for the most essential jobs, which are related more at many upland stations (e.g., Tabriz, -1.7° C in January, C in July). Indeed, the annual temperature range can be as °25.4 مــردم، امنیــت و ســامت مــی شــوند، بقیــه مشــاغل همــه تعطیــل هســتند. .to the provision of basic necessities, security, and health much as 50-60° C, with winter lows of -25° C or less and summer ایــرج حریرچــی معــاون وزیــر بهداشــت از پیــش بینیهــا در دو Deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi has predicted that the highs of more than 40° C, often lasting as long as a day or even a week in certain enclosed stream basins in the mountainous برابرشــدن مــرگ ناشــی از کرونــا در دو هفتــه آینــده خبــر داد. .COVID-19 death toll would double in the next two weeks border areas of the north and west. (Source: Encyclopaedia Iranica) Prayer Times Noon:13:10 Evening: 20:14 Dawn: 4:43 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 5:57 (tomorrow) JULY 11, 2021 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 Prophet Muhammad (S) subject of Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Ruholamin’s latest painting “Jabal an-Nur” Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051430 Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 ARTTEHRAN – Hassan in an exhibition for two weeks. Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 deskRuholamin, the Iranian Among the works is “The Conqueror Printed at: Jame Jam Bartar Borna - 44197737 painter who is most famous for illustrating of Khaybar”, which depicts Imam Ali (AS) stories from the history of Islam, put his removing the door of the enemy’s fort in the spotlight on the Prophet Muhammad (S) in Battle of Khaybar, which was fought in the Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimes79 his latest artwork “Jabal an-Nur”. year 628 between Muslims and the Jews The painting depicts the Prophet of Islam living in the oasis of Khaybar, located 150 No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran (S) climbing the rocks toward the cave of kilometers from Medina in the northwestern P.o. Box: 14155-4843 Hira, where he received his first revelation, part of the Arabian Peninsula in modern-day Zip Code: 1599814713 which consisted of the first five ayats of Surah Saudi Arabia. Al-Alaq from the angel Gabriel. “My Friend”, which shows Prophet On pilgrimage to the Kaaba, Muslims Abraham (AS) when God took him as a friend, usually visit the site located near Mecca in saving him from the fire of the idolaters, is Saudi Arabia. another painting by the artist whose works The acrylic painting was done on a 100 X usually call to mind the ambiance of the 150-centimeter canvas on July 6 and 7 during Renaissance paintings. the World Congress of Arts for Muhammad “Seal of the Prophets” referring to Prophet (S), the Prophet of Mercy at Nasirolmolk Muhammad (S) in another artwork of his Mosque, a historical site in the southern collection. GUIDE TO Iranian city of Shiraz. “King of Kindness” is a highlight of his SPIRITUAL AWAKENING The Center for Artistic Creations of paintings unveiled on the 19th of Ramadan Professors in Shiraz organizes the congress This combination photo shows artist Hassan Ruholamin drawing “Jabal an- in 2020, which marks the anniversary of the Recommended prayers cannot attain the pleasures of in collaboration with several Islamic centers. Nur” about the Prophet Muhammad (S) at Nasirolmolk Mosque in Shiraz on night in 661 CE upon which Imam Ali (AS) was Allah for you when obligatory prayers are left unattended. The deadline for applications was July July 7, 2021 and the painting after completion. stabbed in the head with a poisoned sword. Imam Ali (AS) 9. Top works in painting, calligraphy, The painting depicts Imam Ali (AS) in an calligraphic painting, poster design, “Cave of Hira” about Prophet Muhammad Organization. He also received a nomination alley in Kufa, Iraq at night, carrying a bag of typography, digital art, short film, music (S) in 2018. for the title in 2018. food for the poor. The painting refers to a video, play, and short story and poetry will He was selected as the Islamic Revolution The Khial Gallery of the Saba Art and story about the Imam who disguised himself be honored on October 24. Artist of the Year 2020 by the Art Bureau Cultural Institute in Tehran showcased a as a stranger to help the poor by distributing Iranian pre-Islamic elements Ruholamin, 36, unveiled his painting of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination collection of his paintings in October 2020 food for them at night. in Islamic art

Part 1 Numerous Iranian pre-Islamic elements have contributed “Sfumato” wins award at Archaeology significantly to the formation and development of Islamic art, and they can be easily recognized in various contexts, Channel film festival from town-planning to architecture, from the continuity of techniques of both manufacture and decoration to iconography In the process of documenting these challenges, the film and solidarity of two peoples who strive to improve their and some of its symbols. explores Iranian culture, the role of children in the Iranian lives by removing divergent ideologies. Among the latter, one may mention the Sassanid crowns family dynamic, and the role of females in Iranian society. “Sarevo” also received an honorable mention for music. illustrated in the mosaic of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem It shows how one family is breaking free of those traditional Directed by Mohammad Abdollahi, “Dehsalm” won an (dated 691), or the interesting image on the reverse of an Arab- constraints by encouraging their daughter in her effort to honorable mention for cinematography. Sassanid dirham of 694-99, preserved in four examples and obtain a license and drive a motorcycle. Located in southeastern Iran, Dehsalm is the village showing a lance within an arch. “Sfumato” also won honorable mentions for inspiration closest to the Lut Desert, about 80 kilometers southwest “Sfumato” by Iranian director Amir-Ali Mirderikvand. The lance “was one of the formal symbols of the Prophetic and music. of Nehbandan City. It is one of the hottest places in the and caliphal power”, and when placed within an arch, it also ARTTEHRAN – “Sfumato” by Iranian director Several other Iranian films were also awarded honorable world, yet it is lush with natural beauty, such as the palm represented an axis mundi connecting the earth to the sky, in deskAmir-Ali Mirderikvand has won the award mentions in various categories of the festival, which ended trees from which the people gather and eat dates. the sense of the vault of heaven. for Best Public Education Value at the Archaeology Channel on June 27. The history, culture, and customs of Dehsalm are recounted The most striking example of such town-planning is the International Film Festival in Eugene, Oregon. “Sarevo” directed Mohammad Abdollahi received the by the oldest person in the village, 100-year-old Gholam Marvi, round city of Baghdad, the Abbasid capital founded by caliph This docudrama is about a modern rural family in Iran honorable mention in the Best Narration category. who touches on important subjects, such as wedding rituals, Abu Jafar al-Mansur in 762. with two teenage children. Their daughter and older child, The documentary is about Saeid and Abdollah, two rural commerce and the aqueducts that are part of the village. This circular plan, originally derived most probably from the Fatemeh, helps them a lot in their daily lives, but repeatedly faces Iranian teenagers who have decided to revive a camel farm in a “Riddle of the Bones: Gender Revolution” by German structure of Assyrian military camps (circular or oval enclosures), difficulties and obstacles, mostly resulting from the confining remote region near the border between Iran and Afghanistan. directors Birgit Tanner and Carsten Gutschmidt was was a characteristic feature of major Parthian and Sassanid towns. gender roles that are placed on daughters in their society. The purpose of this documentary is to show the efforts named best film. Baghdad is particularly similar to the Sassanid circular cities of Ardashir I, especially Ardashir Corra, later known as Firuzabad, which according to Ebn al-Faqih was built on the model of Darabjerd. There is evidence in the Islamic architecture of some planimetric Fresco festival to screen movies by Iranian filmmakers solutions and building techniques suggesting that they were derived from pre-Islamic Iranian precedents. ARTTEHRAN – Iranian short tracks back to the first position. A victim for the reassessment of spiritual and desk The plan of the Sassanid chahar taq has met with considerable movies “Take a Nap”, “The of war, the boy sits silently and motionless cultural heritage, for cultural dialogue success in Iranian religious architecture. According to some Land of Ants” and “The Kids” will be screened in a wheelchair. with people of other countries and for scholars, the mosque (of uncertain date) in the village of Yazd-e at the Fresco International Film Festival, “The Land of Ants” tells the story of self-knowledge and raising the national Khast, on the border between Fars and Isfahan, was established which will take place in the Armenian capital people living hopefully with the mines left consciousness in this context, the on a chahar taq. of Yerevan from August 20 to 29. from the war, however, they are involved organizers have said. The Masjed-e Digaran in Khazara, near Bukhara, had a Directed by Mina Qaseminia, the animated unintentionally in an accident. Isa Babai is The festival also places special similar plan, surrounded by a corridor (on the Islamic chahar movie “Take a Nap” is about a boy under the the director of the movie. importance on the employment of special taq functioning as emamzadeh). tree blinking while looking upward. “The Kids” directed by Amir Daryani is social groups and especially individuals Two buildings in Damghan share similar significant features, The camera traces the boy’s sight. A baby about Sina and Mobina, a brother and sister, with limited abilities. namely a Sassanid building at Tepe Hessar and the Tarikkhaneh, bird falls down from a tree and hits the who appear in a family court to separate due Due to the cooperation with institutions a mosque dating from the 8th century. ground. The camera passes by the grass to a hostile environment in their domestic specializing in the field of individuals with The vestibule of the Sassanid building (divided into three and shows a playing field, in which some life. This is the first time a brother and sister disabilities, not only do such persons aisles) shows two arcades resting on massive round piers and boys are playing football. The last shoot decide to break up legally. participate in all aspects of the festival, but also concludes with a ball that morphs into a The Fresco festival is an annual are actively involved in all the organizational side walls supporting three parallel tunnel-vaults opening into A poster for “The Land of Ants” by Isa Babai. the courtyard, a layout also used in the Tarikkhaneh. bomb and then an explosion. The camera event, which is a great opportunity activities of the Fresco festival. Both in the Sassanid building and in the Tarikkhaneh, the round piers, constructed of baked bricks, are set vertically and horizontally in alternate courses, without foundations; moreover, their diameters are nearly the same. “Botox” to compete in Burgas International The later Friday Mosque (Masjed-e jame) of Nain (dating from ca. 960), while possessing narrower round pillars, is entirely Film Festival covered with stucco decoration like the Sassanid building at Tepe Hessar (for other Iranian mosques deriving from Sassanid “Botox”, a co-production between Iran and Canada directed to the public, and participants and guests are welcome architectural prototypes). by Kaveh Mazaheri, will be screened in the official section to attend a large variety of exciting events, including Lionel Bier was skeptical of the supposed influence of of the festival. art exhibitions, master classes, presentations, as Sassanid palace architecture on early Islamic architecture. The movie tells the story of sisters Akram and Azar. Both well as various meetings with directors, actors and Making reference to Gertrude Bell, who in Bier’s words, in lie about their brother’s disappearance, telling everyone producers. her survey of the Sassanid palaces “was sometimes obliged to he fled to Germany. Day after day, the lie becomes bigger Colombia-Mexico co-production “The Night of the make analogies with the better-preserved palace at Ukhaidir in and more unmanageable, leading everyone to a dark and Beast” directed by Mauricio Leiva-Cock and “Pebbles” by Iraq to fill in the missing parts,” Bier sarcastically states: “Put mysterious destiny. P.S. Vinothraj from India are also on the official lineup. less delicately, it seems to me a fine example of how Sassanid “Botox” has been screened at numerous international Serbian director Ivan Ikic’s drama “Oasis” and “The architecture can be influenced by early Islam”. film festivals. Girl and the Spider” by Ramon Zürcher and Silvan Although the ayvan and the domed chamber are certainly It was named the best feature at the 38th Torino Film Zürcher from Germany will also be screened in the the most important elements of Sassanid architecture surviving Festival in 2020. Co-written by Mazaheri and Sepinud official competition. Susan Parvar acts in a scene from “Botox” directed by in the Islamic context, Bier hesitates to acknowledge a precise Najian, it also won the award for best screenplay at the “All-In” by Volkan Uce from Belgium and “Mighty Kaveh Mazaheri. correspondence between the continuity of the Sassanid court Italian festival. Flash” by Ainhoa Rodríguez from Spain are other movies ceremonial which survived into the Islamic period, and the ARTTEHRAN – The acclaimed drama “Botox” The first-film director award went to Mazaheri “Botox” competing in the festival. continuity of form and function of the architectural background, deskwill be competing in the 6th edition of the at the 38th Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran A jury composed of directors Kamen Kalev and Deben which is not clearly recognizable either in the sources or from Burgas International Film Festival. in June. Van Dam, cinematographer Kaloyan Bozhilov, actress the archeological evidence. The festival will take place in Burgas, a city on Bulgaria’s The Burgas festival is one of the most important Martina Apostolova and sound designer Atanas Tcholakov Concerning the Umayyad throne complex at Moshatta Black Sea coast, from July 16 to 23. Bulgarian film festivals. All events are free and open will judge the films. (dated to 743-44), now a ruined structure in Jordan, Bier states, “neither the triconch nor the pillared hall is known in Sassanid palace architecture ..., the Sassanid audience was connected primarily, if not exclusively, with the ayvan hall, “The Girl Who Smiled Beads” comes to Iranian bookstores with or without a domed chamber in back.” CULTURE TEHRAN – Tadaei It was 1994, and in 100 days more than no English, and had barely gone to school. With regard to the affinity between the pillared hall/ deskpublishing house in 800,000 people would be murdered in Many people wanted to help. A family in ayvan with a square domed chamber at Tepe Hessar near Tehran has released a Persian translation Rwanda and millions more displaced. the North Shore suburbs invited Clemantine Damghan and the Emarat-e Khosrow in Qasr-e Shirin (dated of “The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story Clemantine and her fifteen-year-old to live with them as their daughter. Others 590-628), Bier says, “the Imarat-i Khusraw is a fantasy based of War and What Comes After” written by sister, Claire, ran and spent the next six saw her only as broken. They thought she partly on Damghan itself, the arrangement at Damghan Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil. years wandering through seven African needed, and wanted, to be saved. must remain an anomaly.” The book originally published by countries searching for safety, hiding under Meanwhile, Claire, who had for so long However, the same complex is in the dar ul-emara in Kufa, Doubleday Canada in 2018 has been translated beds, foraging for food, surviving and fleeing protected and provided for Clemantine, found in Iraq, and, as regards the three-aisled hall, Masudi, in the 10th into Persian by Mehdi Gazor. refugee camps, finding unexpected kindness, herself on a very different path, cleaning hotel century, makes reference to the prototype of Hira. The book is a riveting story of dislocation, witnessing unimaginable cruelty. They did rooms to support her three children. The last section of Bier’s study, however, is focused on the most survival and the power of the imagination not know whether their parents were alive. Raw, urgent, yet disarmingly beautiful, probable methods of transmission of elements from Sassanid to save us. At age twelve, Clemantine, along with “The Girl Who Smiled Beads” captures the to Islamic architecture. Clemantine was six years old when her Claire, was granted asylum in the United true costs and aftershocks of war: what is The Sassanid four axial ayvans fronting a domed room can be mother and father began to speak in whispers, States, a chance to build a new life. forever lost, what can be repaired, the fragility found in Abbasid palaces of the 8th and 9th centuries. when neighbors began to disappear, and Chicago was disorienting, filled with neon and importance of memory, the faith that Front cover of the Persian translation of Source: Encyclopedia Iranica when she heard the loud, ugly sounds her lights, antiseptic smells, endless concrete. one can learn, again, to love oneself, even “The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of To be continued brother said were “thunder”. Clemantine spoke five languages but almost with deep scars. War and What Comes After”.