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8 Pages Price 50,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 43rd year No.13983 Sunday JULY 4, 2021 Tir 13, 1400 Dhi Al Qada 23, 1442

Iran rejects involvement Jahanfekrian becomes first RAI takes new steps Leader praises book on in attacks on American female lifter to represent for domestic railway restoration of shrine of facilities in Iraq Page 3 at Olympics Page 3 signaling Page 4 Imam Reza (AS) Page 8

290 died in 1988; thousands are now dying due to sanctions TEHRAN — July 3 is a day of sorrow for the midst of his Fourth of July celebra- Iranians as the United States “accidentally” tion. The statement was read at the White Iran pulls the plug shot down a commercial Iran Air jet with House by Reagan’s spokesman, Marlin the flight number 655. Fitzwater. Numbers 655 and 290 remind the “I am saddened to report that it ap- Iranians of one of the worst crimes ever pears that in a proper defensive action by committed by the U.S. the U.S.S. Vincennes this morning in the Of course, this was not the first and it Persian Gulf, an Iranian airliner was shot wasn’t the last crime the United States com- down over the Strait of Hormuz. on IAEA cameras mitted against the Iranian people. They did This is a terrible human tragedy. Our not even bother to issue a formal apology. sympathy and condolences go out to the All Ronald Reagan did was to issue a passengers, crew and their families. statement to the Iranian government in Continued on page 2

Iran to return to oil market in shortest possible time post-sanctions: Zanganeh TEHRAN – Iranian Oil Minister Bijan sanctions are lifted, Iranian oil will return Namdar Zanganeh has said his country to the market as soon as possible; This is will return to the oil market in the shortest our official decision.” possible time after the removal of the U.S. “I announced Iran’s position in the sanctions on the country’s oil industry, meeting and emphasized that any decision ISNA reported. made in this meeting will not affect our Speaking to the press after attending plans. We will return to the market with at the 18th OPEC+ ministerial meeting which least an amount equal to the pre-sanctions was held online on Friday, Zanganeh said: level,” he added. “At this meeting, I announced that if the Continued on page 4

“Uncle Qassem” published in French TEHRAN – Iranian writer Moham- Alireza Sharifian is the translator of mad-Ali Jaberi’s book “Uncle Qassem”, the French version of the book, which which reflects Lieutenant-General Qas- was originally published by Ketabak in sem Soleimani’s regard for children, has Tehran with illustrations by Mikail Barati. been published in French. The book contains 20 stories, which “L’Oncle Qassem” has been published provide a truly deep insight into the char- See page 3 by El Faro, an international publishing acter of General Soleimani and enjoin house in Caracas, Venezuela that released children to think of the personality as a a Spanish translation “Mi tio Soleimani” role model. by Martha Golzar. Continued on page 8

Mark Bosnic reveals Visit Turkmen Sahra, the land of Record heatwave may have killed 500 people Iran deservedly music and horses in western Canada qualified for TEHRAN – Turkmen Sahra is a heaven to natural phenomena called Hezar Darreh, a Nearly 500 people may have been killed by re- Officials have cautioned it will probably take of traditional music and fantastic horses, mysterious stone cemetery, and unique horses. cord-breaking temperatures in Canada’s west- months to determine the exact cause of death World Cup which lies in the northeastern part of Iran. Turkmen Sahra can also take pride in the ernmost province, as officials warn the grim for hundreds of residents, but they say heat It offers breathtaking natural phenomena rich culture and traditional music of the Turk- toll from “heat dome” could rise again as more played a significant role in the surge in fatali- BY MASOUD HOSSEIN and a deep and eerie history that captivates men people. The sound of their special music deaths are reported. ties, especially among seniors in the province. ormer Australia custodian Mark any traveler. is complemented by the color and design of On Friday, British Columbia’s chief coroner “Many of the deaths experienced over the Bosnic says that Iran national Located in Golestan and North Khorasan the costumes of the locals, creating a magical said that 719 “sudden and unexpected deaths” past week were among older individuals liv- football team deserved to qualify provinces, Turkmen Sahra covers a large re- combination. had been reported over the past week – triple the ing alone in private residences with minimal F gion. A number of cities are located in the area, Gonbad-e Qabus number during a similar period in a typical year. ventilation,” Lapointe said in her statement. for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. On Nov. 29, 1997, the Iranian team including Gonbad-e Kavus, Bandar-e Turkmen, The one-millennium-old UNESCO-registered “We are releasing this information as it is be- According to Guardian in a region of the drew 2-2 with Socceroos at the Melbourne Kalaleh, and Aqqala. Gonbad-e Qabus is of high architectural impor- lieved likely the extreme weather BC has experi- country accustomed to mild summer temper- Cricket Ground in front of 128,000 spec- It is bordered on the west and the north tance as an exemplar and innovative design of enced in the past week is a significant contributing atures, communities were forced to scramble tators and booked a place at the World by the , as well as the Republic of the early-Islamic-era architecture. factor to the increased number of deaths,” the to find ways to help vulnerable residents stay Cup. Many Australians have not forgotten . On the east are Bojnord and Also called Gonbad-e Kavus, the brick tower chief coroner, Lisa Lapointe, said in a statement. safe amid blistering temperatures. the day and their coach Graham Arnold Dargaz, while on the south are hilly regions of is located in a city of the same name. The coroner’s office said it would typically But regional officials are facing growing had said he could not wait for a match Mount Alborz. The UNESCO comments that the tower expect close to 230 deaths in a similar period. questions over their response to the crisis. against Iran to erase that memory. The Due to its favorable geographical position, bears testimony to the cultural exchange be- The overall total will probably rise after more On Thursday, the head of the province’s emer- two teams must wait since they have not Turkmen Sahra boasts a variety of natural and tween Central Asian nomads and the ancient communities provide data, but Lapointe said the gency health service apologized after residents been drawn in a same group in the 2022 historical attractions. From the millennium-old civilization of Iran. province has seen a promising downward trend in were made to wait hours for ambulances during World Cup qualifications. tower of UNESCO-registered Gonbad-e Qabus Continued on page 6 recent days as the heat ebbs and shifts eastward. the worst of the heatwave. But, Bosnic says his team learned les- sons from defeats to pave the way for the next success. In an interview with Tehran Times, Kenya welcomes Iranian knowledge-based products Researcher predicts Bosnic talked about the 1997 matches as TEHRAN – The Iranian house of innovation and of Iranian knowledge-based companies, startups, including obtaining the required standards and U.S. will recognize Iran well as the 2022 qualifiers. technology has so far exported knowledge-based and creative industries. communicating with Kenyan business organizations Football can be very beautiful products worth $100,000 to Kenya, ISNA re- The centers are mainly formed with the in- such as chambers of commerce, trade unions, etc. as regional power and it can be very cruel as well. You ported on Saturday. vestment and support of the private sector to are among the actives done in the center. missed the 1998 FIFA World Cup Iran inaugurated a house of innovation and provide the necessary infrastructure for their In the short time since the center started BY ALI A. JENABZADEH after losing to Iran (3-3 on aggre- technology in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi in exports through the innovation houses. operation, 20 products and medical equipment TEHRAN – A senior research fellow at the Middle gate), while the ‘Socceroos Golden late-January, as the first center in Africa. Holding seminars, events and training courses, from four knowledge-based companies have been East Institute of the National University of Singapore Generation’ could have made a spark By supporting innovative ideas, holding tech- marketing and research, sending business delega- registered in the Kenyan Ministry of Health and says that Iran is going to be a regional power that is in the competition. What do you feel nological and innovative events, the centers will tions, and holding meetings between Iranian and brought revenue of $40,000. likely to be recognized by the U.S. about the match after 24 years? be a platform for the development and promotion Kenyan companies and financial and legal services Continued on page 7 “In any case, Iran seems to be fast attaining a Obviously, we were disappointed af- regional power status that is likely to be recognized ter we failed to qualify, however I believe by all other countries including the United States,” that sometimes there must be pain be- Asif Shuja tells the Tehran Times. fore success (like Australia did in 2005 “It is in the best interest of all if Iran is facilitated in qualifying). In terms of the two games to attain that deserved status without charting the regardless of the general play, Iran were Iranians nuclear course,” Shuja adds. better when it mattered and I have nev- Following is the text of the interview: er thought that they got the credit. They remember What is your prediction of the Vienna richly deserved. talks and how could it change the game in For sure, Peter Hore played a key 290 victims the Middle East? role as Iran’s 12th player after running There are two sticking points that are hold- onto the field and caused a lengthy ing the breakthrough in the Vienna talks: 1) stoppage early in the second half. Do of U.S. The guarantee that Iran receives the economic you think you could have defeated benefits promised by the JCPOA, which Aya- Iran if the incident didn’t happen? brutal attack tollah Khamenei has demanded in the form of No. It was an unfortunate interruption. “the verification of lifting of sanctions”; and However, it was the same for both sides. I do TEHRAN — During a memorial cere- 2) Another guarantee that the U.S. does not not think that the interruption was a factor. mony on Saturday, officials from Iran’s abruptly walk out of the deal again as it did

The draw for the next round of southern Hormozgan province and the during the presidency of Donald Trump. The World Cup qualifying was conducted families who lost their loved ones aboard removal of these sticking points is now contin- on July 1 and Australia learned their a passenger plane on July 3, 1988, tossed gent upon the will of the Biden administration. fate. Coach Graham Arnold had said flowers into the waters near the Strait of Since there are no signs of such willingness, he would wait for Iran. Australia Hormuz and Hengam Island. Chanting a breakthrough appears unlikely. The current and Iran are not in a same group. slogans such as “Down with the U.S.” situation may result in two scenarios. The more I think it could be great if Iran and Rahbar Emamdadi and “Down with Israel,” the participants likely scenario is that Iran will cross the nuclear Australia were drawn together in the final condemned the inhumane U.S. act in threshold before the Vienna breakthrough, and phase of qualifying. Mehr/ downing the Iranian passenger plane it becomes accepted as a regional power by all. Continued on page 3 with 290 on board. Continued on page 5