WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 Pages Price 50,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 42nd year No.13920 Saturday APRIL 17, 2021 Farvardin 28, 1400 Ramadan 4, 1442 E3 delegates Vladimir Alekno IMF revises estimates of Iranian universities meet with to arrive in Tehran Iran’s reserves following hosting students from Araghchi Page 2 on Sunday Page 3 CBI objection Page 4 133 countries Page 7 Iranian scientists produce 60% enriched uranium Iran can enrich uranium TEHRAN — In a tweet on Friday, Moham- the country will defy all conspiracies. mad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the par- President Hassan Rouhani told a liament, congratulated the Iranian nation cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the on enrichment of uranium to 60% purity. decision to enrich uranium to the level See page 3 At 00:40 midnight on Friday, the young of 60 percent is a response to sabotage Iranian scientists were able to enrich ura- at the Natanz nuclear facility. Rouhani to 60% and beyond nium to 60 percent purity with their beliefs called the sabotage attack “mischievous”. in God, the parliament speaker stated. Presidential chief of staff Mahmoud He congratulated the Iranian nation, Vaezi also said on Friday that producing describing the will of the Iranian nation uranium to purity of 60% is a response as “miraculous”. to Iran’s ill-wishers. The senior lawmaker pointed out that Continued on page 2 Major petchem catalyst production units launched in Iran TEHRAN - Iranian President Hassan of polypropylene and high-density pol- Rouhani on Thursday ordered the official yethylene (HDPE) catalysts, which have inauguration of two major petrochemical been implemented for the first time in the catalyst production projects worth about country with Iranian technical knowledge. $10 million in central Markazi Province All the equipment and machinery used via videoconference. in the mentioned catalyst production units As Shana reported, in a virtual cere- have been made inside the country by mony, Rouhani inaugurated the knowl- capable Iranian engineers and experts. edge-based projects for the production Continued on page 4 Iran finalizes deal for 60 million Iran flexes nuclear “Sputnik V” vaccines TEHRAN – Iran has finalized a deal with Jalali said that Iran will receive the muscles with Russia to purchase 60 million doses of vaccines through a period of seven months Sputnik V vaccine, Iranian Ambassador to (May 22-December 21), IRNA reported. Moscow Kazem Jalali said on Thursday. Referring to the current contract for enrichment leap Supported by Iran’s Ministry of Health, two million doses, Jalali stated that some the contract was signed between the Ira- five shipments, amounting to 520,000 nian Embassy in Moscow and the Russian doses of vaccine, have so far been sent to Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to buy 60 Iran, while the Russian side would deliver million doses of vaccine, which is enough the rest as soon as possible. File photo to vaccinate 30 million people. Continued on page 7 Natanz sabotage: Most popular festivals that reflect Iran’s Palestinians mark 73rd anniversary of Nakba A sign of Biden’s cultural spirit as sirens wail in Israel unwillingness to BY MOHAMMAD ARAGHI Outdoor’ signifying the tradition to spend the day Palestinians have staged rallies across the oc- destroyed villages and raise Palestinian flags TEHRAN - In order to promote the rich Irani- outdoors and marks the end of Noruz holidays in cupied territories to commemorate the 73rd on rooftops, terraces and balconies. revive the JCPOA an culture, we have explored the most popular Iran. One of the interesting facts regarding Noruz anniversary of the Nakba Day (the Day of Ca- They walked to the depopulated Arab village Iranian festive and commemorative events by is its concurrence with the Vernal Equinox which tastrophe), during which hundreds of thousands of al-Damun, located 11.5 kilometers from the BY SONJA VAN DEN ENDE going on a journey into the Iranian world of is the moment of the year when the sun positions of Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from city of Acre, raising Palestinian flags and giving he attack on Iran’s nuclear religious spirituality and cultural entertainment. itself exactly above the equator, making day and their homes by Zionist paramilitaries to make speeches. According to Press TV, similar rallies facility Natanz, coincidental- Over the past four decades, Iran has had a signifi- night of equal length. For the northern hemisphere, way for the creation of Israel. were also held in the former Arab villages of Umm ly, happened on the day that cant cultural influence in the region and specifically the the Vernal Equinox falls on March 20 or 21, which Palestinians, whose families were uprooted in az-Zinat, Saffuriya, al-Bassa, Lajjun and Malul. T Islamic World, with many of its traditional customs coincides with Farvardin 1 marking the beginning the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, on Thursday visited Palestinians inside Israel raised placards the U.S. secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Israel. Lloyd Austin, getting the attention of other nations, for example, of the Iranian New Year. several destroyed towns and villages that once bearing the slogan “Their independence day who was heavily involved in the Noruz, which was used on several occasions by world More than 13 countries and ethnicities around accommodated their ancestors, reiterating their is our Nakba day,” and performed several cul- Afghanistan and Iraq U.S. occupa- leaders to send political messages to Iranians. Of the the world celebrate Noruz each year and have right to return as they have done for decades. tural activities. tion (war), was the senior military many events and festivals which are held in Iran, the marked it as a public holiday, some of them in- Even though the Association for the Defense of Israel strikes Hamas targets in Gaza commander in charge of all U.S. most popular Iranian festivals that reflect the spirit clude Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan all the Rights of the Displaced (ADRID), the organizer The Israeli military struck targets in the Gaza and remaining coalition forces in of the Iranian cultural influence are presented in of which also share their official language with of the annual March of Return, had called upon Strip early Friday, hours after Palestinian re- Iraq, since 2010. Iraq was the scen- chronological order: Iran. Some eastern European countries and re- people to participate in online demonstrations and sistance fighters in the besieged coastal enclave ery of the assassination of General 1. Noruz: The Iranian New Year celebration is gions also celebrate Noruz, like Georgia, Kosovo, activities due to the coronavirus pandemic, many fired a rocket at southern Israel. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed called Noruz, which translates into ‘New Day’ and and Albania, as well as other regions such as Iraqi in-person demonstrations went ahead regardless. The military said in a statement that fighter at the airport in Baghdad on 3 Jan- it is usually held until the 13th of Farvardin. Farvar- Kurdistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The ADRID called on Palestinians inside jets and other aircraft hit a number of sites linked uary 2020. General Soleimani was din 13 is called ’13 Bedar’ which means ‘Thirteen Continued on page 8 Israel to display the name of their families’ to Hamas resistance movement. on a diplomatic mission and bru- tally killed by an U.S. drone. Behind the sabotage That is very easy to answer, you might Rouhani criticizes Europeans for misconception about Iran’s nuclear decision Indianapolis: At least think, of course, it was Israel, who is TEHRAN — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on with one move, Iran can increase its enrichment Europeans themselves. Opening a number of oil eight dead in shooting not hiding its hatred against the Islamic Thursday harshly criticized the European coun- from 60 percent to 90 percent, “but what you projects through a videoconference, Rouhani Republic of Iran and would do anything tries for their recent comments on Iran’s nuclear have in mind is that we pave the way for a bomb.” reiterated Iran’s long-held position, saying, “Any at FedEx site activities, saying Europeans have formulated a The president added, “Today we can do 90% day you return to your commitments, we will re- and everything to destroy Iran and is At least eight people were killed in a late-night shooting at a wrong perception about Iran’s nuclear activities. enrichment and we will do it if we want to, but our turn to our commitments and stop enriching 60% trying to do so for many years, to provoke FedEx facility in the U.S. city of Indianapolis by a gunman The Europeans have expressed concerns about nuclear activity is peaceful and we are not looking and return to 3.67% enrichment. Iran has shown war. But Israel is not the only country who is believed to have then killed himself, police said. Iran’s move to enrich uranium to 60 percent for a nuclear bomb. You have been looking for that it promises manfully, and you have shown that wants to destroy Iran, of course, the Multiple others were injured on Thursday night purity in response to an act of sabotage at the a nuclear bomb and every year, you build and that your promise is invalid. You do not want to U.S. wants the same, for other reasons when gunfire erupted at the facility near Indianapolis Natanz nuclear plant. store new bombs.” worry about Iran. Iran has moved bravely and than Israel. International Airport, police spokesperson Genae Cook Rouhani said that the Europeans have said that He said that this accusation is pointed at the morally and is committed to its commitments.” The U.S.