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8 Pages Price 50,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 42nd year No.13930 Wednesday APRIL 28, 2021 Ordibehesht 8, 1400 Ramadan 15, 1442

Iran, P4+1 agree to Skocic critical of AFC’s Yemen’s army Poetry night replaces literati’s expedite the process to decision to choose continues advancing annual meeting with Leader restore JCPOA Page 2 Bahrain as hosts Page 3 toward Marib Page 5 over COVID-19 case rise Page 8

Zarif holds talks with Iraqi political, religious leaders Iran, Russia intensify TEHRAN – The Iranian foreign minis- tended the Iranian nation and govern- ter held extensive talks with almost all ment’s condolences to the Iraqi nation political and religious leaders in Iraq and government, especially the families during his two-day long visit to the Arab of the victims of the recent tragic inci- See page 3 country. dent at Ibn Khatib Hospital in Baghdad, Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in which resulted in the deaths and injuries consultations Baghdad on Monday on the second leg of dozens of Iraqi citizens. of his regional tour that began with a visit A massive explosion rocked Ibn al-Khat- to the tiny Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. ib hospital on Saturday after an oxygen Upon his arrival in Iraq, Zarif met with cylinder exploded in an intensive care his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein. At ward at the hospital. 27 Iranian universities among the beginning of the meeting, Zarif ex- Continued on page 3 Iranian automakers to produce world’s top for global impact 1.2m cars by Mar. 2022 TEHRAN – Iranian Industry, Mining, and country’s car output is planned to increase Trade Ministry’s programs for the current by over 21 percent in the current year. Iranian calendar year (March 2021-March As reported, the production of 2022) show that the manufacturing of 1.2 8,968 buses, minibuses and vans is million cars has been put on the agenda, also planned for the current year, which IRNA reported. would be an increase of 378 percent According to the Industry Ministry data, in this sector. Last year, domestic au- since Iranian automakers had produced tomakers managed to produce only 984,200 such vehicles in the previous 1,873 units of such vehicles. calendar year (ended on March 20), the Continued on page 4

TEHRAN – The 2021 Times High- areas: research, stewardship, outreach, er Education Impact Rankings has and teaching. listed 27 Iranian universities among The 2021 Impact Rankings is the third the 1,115 most effective institutions edition and the overall ranking includes worldwide. 1,115 universities from 94 countries. The Times Higher Education Impact Iran University of Medical Sciences Rankings are the only global performance is ranked among the top 50 universities, tables that assess universities against the with a ranking of 35, which is followed by

United Nations’ Sustainable Develop- Isfahan University of Medical Sciences ment Goals (SDGs). It uses calibrated and Ahvaz Jondishapur University of indicators to provide comprehensive and Medical Sciences. balanced comparison across four broad Continued on page 7 File photo

Iran-China China is on its way to surpassing the U.S. in Israel uses ‘apartheid’ to subjugate partnership to raise military power: Indian professor Palestinians: HRW Chabahar port’s BY MOHAMMAD MAZHARI previously forecast. Israel is committing “crimes against humanity peace, whether a one or two-state solution or a TEHRAN – A leading Indian academic says There is an ongoing discussion that China is of apartheid and persecution” against Pales- confederation, should in the meantime recognize global status that China is going to outcompete the U.S. in emerging as a new superpower, replacing the tinians and the international community must this reality for what it is and bring to bear the military power by capitalizing immensely on U.S. from the global power structure. reevaluate diplomatic relations with the state, sorts of human rights tools needed to end it.” BY EBRAHIM FALLAHI weapons technology. China emerging strongly from the growing a leading human rights group said in a report Israel dismissed the organization’s report, s Iran’s only oceanic port on “China’s major influence globally and in global economic crisis due to the Covid-19 on Tuesday. calling it “propaganda”. the Gulf of Oman, Chabahar Asia will remain primarily economic; howev- pandemic and Donald Trump’s ally-alien- The 213-page report from Human Rights “Human Rights Watch is known to have port holds a great signifi- er, though China is still behind, it is on its way ating policies within NATO for the last four Watch (HRW) details how Israel has sought a long-standing anti-Israel agenda, active- A to surpassing the U.S. in military power with years have pushed this narrative forward to maintain Jewish-Israeli hegemony over the ly seeking for years to promote boycotts cance for the country both politi- cally and economically. The coun- increased spending on weapons technology and considerably. Palestinian people from the Jordan River to the against Israel,” the foreign ministry said try has taken serious measures for developing several secretive weapons” Ashok While there is no doubt that China has Mediterranean Sea. in a statement. developing this port in order to im- Swain tells the Tehran Times. already become the global powerhouse eco- “While much of the world treats Israel’s “Their decision not to share this report for prove the country’s maritime trade. “The world is moving towards being bipolar nomically, some pundits have doubt that half-century occupation as a temporary situ- review or comment with any Israeli authority In this regard, the Islamic Republic again, but the two poles of this bipolar world Beijing can overtake Washington in terms ation that a decades-long ‘peace process’ will is clear indication that it is a propaganda pam- has been welcoming investors from all will be, to some extent, multipolar in character, of military power. soon cure, the oppression of Palestinians there phlet, which lacks all credibility.” over the world to take part in the devel- he adds. However, Swain believes that “China under has reached a threshold and a permanence that The HRW report follows a conclusion reached opment of this port and benefit from its The UK-based Centre for Economics and President Xi has prioritized enhancing its mili- meets the definitions of the crimes of apartheid by Israeli rights group B’Tselem, which published distinguished position as a trade hub in Business Research (CEBR) has said that China tary strength, and it will be foolish to downplay and persecution,” Kenneth Roth, executive di- a study last January that found Palestinians, the region. will overtake the U.S. to become the world’s China growing military power.” rector of HRW, said. divided into four tiers of inferior treatment, are The recent agreement between Iran largest economy by 2028, five years earlier than Continued on page 5 “Those who strive for Israeli-Palestinian denied the right to self-determination. and China has increased the chances of this giant economy participating in the development of this port and to further contribute to the improvement of its Zolfaqari Archaeological Museum undergoes restoration Netanyahu may ignite global status. TEHRAN – Zolfaqari Archaeological Museum, The project involves strengthening gable sheets, house the ancient mummies, along with more a fire in the region: This issue intrigued the Tehran Times to which is famed for showcasing some ancient salt repairing gable waterways, painting wooden doors than 2,000 registered items and relics. conduct an interview with Behrouz Aghaei, men and their belongings, has undergone some and windows, and replacing worn-out materials, The four salt men are the most unique items Iraqi analyst the director-general of Ports and Mari- rehabilitation works. Amir Arjmand said on Tuesday. of the museum, which are preserved in special time Department of Sistan-Baluchestan The Ruhr-Universität Bochum, and Zanjan’s The official also noted that the costs for this windows. BY MOHAMMAD SARRAF Province in southeastern Iran (where Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts round of the restoration project including the The Zolfaqariha Mansion was ceded to Zanjan TEHRAN – An Iraqi political commentator says Chabahar lies). What follows is the gist Department are taking part in the project, materials and equipment will be paid by the Municipality in the post-revolution era, but it was that the prime minister of the Israeli regime is in a of the interview with the official. which aims at strengthening the Qajar-era German university. later entrusted to Zanjan’s Cultural Heritage, fragile condition and therefore he may ignite a fire According to Aghaei, China’s contribu- (1789-1925) structure, the provincial tourism In 2006, the former historical mansion of Tourism and Handicrafts Department. in the region to save himself. tion to the development of Chabahar port chief has said. Zolfaqariha was converted into a museum to Continued on page 6 “He doesn’t seem happy about entering jail; would be a great opportunity for this port if he can’t get away through immunity as a prime to further establish itself as a trade hub minister, then there is a risk that he could ignite a in the region since China is currently one fire in the region to save himself,” Feras Ali tells of the world’s most advanced countries the Tehran Times. in terms of maritime and port industries. “As some of his predecessors, he is facing “Three of the world’s top shipping com- corruption charges. This combination is a dan- panies and operators are Chinese com- Second phase gerous combination for a person like Netanya- panies, for instance, COSCO is currently hu,” he adds. the world’s fourth-biggest shipping line of COVID-19 Israel is suffering a political crisis. Netanyahu is which is operating at 45 ports worldwide,” facing corruption charges and has failed to secure a Aghaei said. vaccination solid parliamentary majority to form a government. “China’s entrance into Chabahar port “Israel doesn’t have a functional government as could lead to significant growth in this the different blocs can’t have enough votes for a port because shipping lines and operators begins in Iran majority,” Ali notes. are key issues in port development,” he Political experts don’t rule out Netanyahu’s resort TEHRAN – The second phase of vac- explained. to war to distract his critics and opponents. cination against coronavirus began in “The activity of Chinese shipping lines Following is the text of the interview: Iran on Tuesday with vaccinating people in Chabahar port could increase the port’s How do you see Israel’s recent escalation above 80 years and those elderly with trade exchanges with the world to a very against Iran in terms of sabotage operations comorbidities. significant level.” and assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists? “The vaccination will pace up, be- According to the official, China is cur- It’s a desperate move to block Iran’s peaceful cause, in addition to domestic vaccines, rently having maritime trade exchanges nuclear advancement but it won’t succeed. The Ira- our orders will also be imported so that with over 162 countries worldwide and nians are known to be patient and can endure a lot the target groups will be vaccinated ac- the activity of Chinese renowned shipping without going astray from the goal. If these attacks

Masoud Mohaghegh cording to the national document pri- lines in Chabahar port would mean linking lead to something, then it’s only making Iran’s nuclear ority,” Health Minister Saeed Namaki of the port to more than 45 ports and over progress even faster as the Iranians will get more said, IRIB reported. 162 countries. ISNA/ determined to achieve their natural right. Continued on page 7 Continued on page 4 Continued on page 5 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS APRIL 28 2021

Iran, P4+1 agree to expedite Tehran says Iran and U.S. the process to restore JCPOA

POLITICAL TEHRAN — The new round of the JCPOA desk inspecting ways to swap prisoners Joint Commission meeting began on Tuesday and ended in a positive manner, with all sides agreeing to expedite the process of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. POLITICAL TEHRAN — In his weekly in the Chaldoran area. At the meeting, the negotiators decided to continue expert deskpress briefing on Tuesday, The spokesman noted, “The statements of group meetings in the two areas of lifting sanctions and the nu- government spokesman Ali Rabiei talked the dear Iranian coolies who were harassed clear measures required to be taken by Iran in an “intensive about the idea of prisoner exchange between were recorded at the border and the Foreign and rapid” way. Iran and the United States. Ministry in Tehran handed over its note to Rabiei emphasized that Iran wants the U.S. the Turkish ambassador on the same day.” to release the sanctioned Iranian prisoners He stressed that the Ministry of Foreign in the United States. Affairs and the Ministry of Interior have been He said the number of sanctioned Iranian following this issue closely from the first mo- prisoners who are being held unjustly in the ment of the incident and have had contacts U.S. is more than the American prisoners with Turkish government officials as well as in Iran. border officials. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is pursuing “Follow-ups at the embassy and consu- this (issue) with humane and moral consid- late level have been followed to this date,” erations that our judiciary emphasizes,” he Rabiei said. remarked. On April 15, several media outlets said ‘Incident at border with Turkey two Iranian citizens named Behnam Samadi must be clarified’ and Hassan Kachanlou were tortured and In response to a question about the re- abused by ten Turkish border guards at the cent incident for two Iranian citizens at the zero-point border. It was also decided to set up a third expert group called the Turkish border, the spokesman said that “Pursuing the rights of Iranian citizens “executive arrangements expert group” to discuss practical the incident is not good for the two sides’ on this issue in good faith and the Ministries its citizens,” he emphasized. has always been important to us, and we have arrangements needed to implement the process of lifting of diplomatic relations. of Interior and Foreign Affairs are constantly He added that right after the incident, been following this issue seriously since the sanctions and then the return of the United States to the Joint “The dimensions of this incident must be sending documents to their counterparts. Iran sent several notes of protest in vari- first moment we became aware of it,” Foreign Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). clarified. The investigation is still ongoing The Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly ous levels and a border meeting was held Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told Mikhail Ulyanov, head of the Russian delegate and Russia’s and our friends in Turkey are following up pursue this issue to protecting the rights of between the border forces of the two sides a weekly press briefing on Monday. ambassador to Vienna tweeted, “The discussions proved that participants are guided by the unity of purpose which is full restoration of the nuclear deal in its original form. It was decided to expedite the process.” The Iranian delegate did not stop its active diplomacy and Parliament Research Center stresses complete lifting of sanctions held two separate meetings before the Joint Commission meeting POLITICAL TEHRAN — The Iranian Parliament’s failing complete removal of all the sanctions that prevent Iran Iran and investing in the country, owing to their concerns on Tuesday. deskResearch Center issued a report on Monday from drawing the benefits, international companies would, about the likelihood that the sanction exemption periods First, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top negotiator, and his assessing the ongoing talks between the Islamic Republic this time around, end up treading even more cautiously, may not be extended beyond their 120- and 180-day-long team met with their Russian and Chinese counterparts, a meeting and the remaining members of the 2015 nuclear agreement, when it comes to engaging in transaction with the country. stretches or the U.S. may leave the JCPOA again.” described by the top Russian negotiator as “fruitful”. stresses the need for a complete removal of all sanctions “In practice, by partial removal of the sanctions in some “Therefore, all in all, accepting the U.S. proposals would ISNA reported that the three delegates called for the imme- against the country, an issue that is being addressed during sectors, including the petroleum sector, the likelihood may be limit Iran’s benefits from the JCPOA more than the previ- diate lifting of the U.S. sanctions as a necessary condition for negotiations concerning the agreement. created for Iran to return to the situation that existed before ous round,” the report said, and also warned that “as time Washington to return to the JCPOA. The center strongly rejecting any partial sanction removal. the U.S. departure, despite all the existing limitations. How- goes by, Iran may even have a harder time benefiting from Another meeting was held between the Iranian delegate and The report came one day before Iran and the P4+1 nations ever, Iran’s banking relations and commercial transactions the deal due to the likelihood that the U.S. may levy new the E3 (France, Germany and the United Kingdom). resume negotiations in Vienna for a possible revival of the would be subject to more limitations and restrictions this sanctions against the country under non-nuclear pretexts.” It is expected that the Joint Commission would reconvene nuclear agreement. time compared to the past,” the report noted. Accordingly, based on the Research center’s assessment, in the coming days. “What signifies for the Islamic Republic is that, in addition “This is because, on the one hand, continued enforce- all the sanctions, whether the ones that have targeted dif- to the legal procedure that is required for removal of all the ment of part of the sanctions and sustained categorization of ferent Iranian sectors or those targeting various Iranian sanctions and implementation of relevant changes in the more than 500 Iranian persons and institutions as Specially individuals have to be removed so the JCPOA and its benefits Red lines of Iran were instructions that concern the U.S. Treasury Department Designated Nationals (SDN) raises the risk of engagement can truly materialize for Iran. (including its Office of Foreign Assets Control and Office in commercial and banking transactions with Iran to even a The center comprises the scientific source of Majlis de- pointed out to the of Financial Institutions), the Islamic Republic should be higher degree than the time when the U.S. was in the JCPOA. cisions. negotiating team, says MP able to quantifiably and palpably draw the benefit that have This is because, foreign banks and financial institutions risk According to a legislation approved by the parliament, resulted from this agreement,” the report said, according incurring heavy penalties by the U.S. for potentially failing to any incumbent government has to report on the results of POLITICAL TEHRAN— In an interview with Fars News to Press TV. carry out the so-called due customer assessment processes negotiations and verification of any sanction relief process deskAgency published on Tuesday, Mojtaba The center recalled the precedent of the United States’ that are required by Washington,” the center specified. “On to Majlis. The legislative body will, in turn, take necessary Zolnour, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy departure from the nuclear deal officially known as the Joint the other, foreign companies and banks would be acting decisions about whether the country should accept the sit- Committee of the parliament, spoke about the Vienna ne- Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It underlined that more cautiously than before, when it comes to dealing with uation or not. gotiations and the committee’s recent meeting with Seyed Abbas Araghchi, head of the Iranian delegate. The meeting between Iran’s top negotiator, Aragh- Still no change in Raeisi’s position on presidential candidacy: Judiciary spokesman chi and the National Security POLITICAL TEHRAN – Judiciary the election. and clarify their policies about these issues.” and Foreign Policy Committee deskspokesman Gholam Hos- Raeisi and Ghalibaf ran for the presiden- He added probably one of the problems of the parliament was held sein Esmaeili said on Tuesday there has been tial post in the 2017 presidential election. by the presidential candidates in the past on Sunday. no change in Ebrahim Raeisi’s intention to However, Ghalibaf withdrew candidacy in and the current president was that they had Talking about the impor- run for president or not. favor of Raeisi in final days. no “clear stance” toward “major economic tant issues discussed in the “So far no new thing has happened,” Es- Tavangar said from 2018 and mid-2020 a issues.” previous meetings, the senior maeili told a press conference. young economic team were consulting with Even a restructure of budget planning MP said. “During the meet- on Sunday, 220 parliamentarians wrote Ghalibaf preparing a comprehensive economic went mostly unheeded despite an order by ing, Mr. Araghchi presented a letter to Raeisi, the Judiciary chief, calling plan that some of these policies are now being the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to do a report on the Vienna talks, on him to run for the presidential post. followed in the parliament. so, he remarked. the context of the agreements In the letter the MPs elaborated on the Since the parliament speaker does not Therefore, Tavangar said, anybody who and the existing disputes, and economic, political, social and cultural sit- intend to challenge Raeisi he plans to give claims he can run the country as president about 24 members of the com- uation of the country and the qualifications his plans and his team to “Mr. Raeisi so that should “clarify his position about budget defi- mittee and non-committee needed by the next president, asking him to we can witness good economic events in the cit, budget restructuring, foreign currency, discussed more seriously and the candidates members expressed their run for the presidential election. future government.” banking reforms, energy subsidy and other provide answers to economic experts. views and concerns within three hours.” Presidential and council elections will be Manouchehr Mottaki, the spokesman major economic issues.” “The new president should also think about Emphasizing that the red lines of the Islamic Republic held on June 18. for the principlists in for the presidential “MP warns about populist slogans new economic resources and management were reminded to the negotiating team, he said, “The Majlis ‘Ghalibaf does not intend to compete elections, have said that Raeisi is the prin- in presidential campaigns” of government expenditures.” (parliament) is concerned and will deal with the government with Raeisi in presidential election’ ciplists’ “first priority”. The MP also warned about deceiving The other issue is economic stability, in- wherever it is needed and will not hesitate to help when A member of the Parliament Infrastruc- Reportedly, some potential candidates the electorate through populist slogans cluding foreign exchange rate, so that entre- they need it.” ture Committee has said Parliament Speaker have also said they will withdraw the race if and promises that cannot be implemented preneurs can have a prediction about the Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also does not Raeisi enters the presidential race. by president. future, and people would not have concerns We will carefully examine the intend to compete with Raeisi in the pres- “Candidates should have economic “In a condition in which people are un- about fluctuations in the value of foreign idential polls. plans” der heavy inflation and deep recession it is currency. competence of presidential Talking to ISNA in interview published MP Tavangar, who is a member of the not far from mind that populist economic Tavangar also said in the current situation on Sunday, Mojtaba Tavangar said Ghalibaf high council for implementing Article 44, slogans” being cherished by the people, the in which “confidence” in current executive candidates, says Jannati has even announced that he will present his said presidential candidates “should have MP cautioned. officials “including the president” has been plan and introduce his economic team to economic plans” and also “have a stance to- He suggested that this time in the presi- greatly “eroded” a new person as president POLITICAL TEHRAN — Guardian Council Secretary Raeisi for reforming the economy if he wins ward the country’s major economic issues dential debates economic issues should be can surely prove effective. deskAyatollah Ahmad Jannati said on Monday that examination of presidential candidates to confirm their competence will take place with due care. Speaking at the extraordinary meeting of the council on Monday, Jannati said the examination procedure will be car- Rostam Qassemi announces presidential candidacy ried out in accordance to law. POLITICAL TEHRAN — Rostam Ghassemi, the oil of the Khatam-al Anbiya (Construction) Headquarters.” He pointed out that an ex- deskminister in the Ahmadinejad administra- He said he has a plan to overcome the “difficult living tremely important burden is on tion, issued a statement on Tuesday officially announcing conditions” but his major plan is to restructure state in- the shoulders of the Guardian his candidacy for the June 18 presidential election. stitutions. Council, which is examining the In part of his statement prior to his press conference, “We need to change the rail. I have drafted plans in many qualification of the candidates. Qassemi said, “We should turn secure economy to economic areas which are based on global experience.” “It is very important to check security.” “Lifting sanctions is first priority and making and qualify the candidates for Qassemi also said he will extend his hand to all Iranians them ineffective comes next” the elections, and God willing, whose “hearts beat for Iran” with “different political per- In his April 20 press conference, he also said lifting we will perform this task as suasions” to help make the country prosperous. sanctions is a “first priority” and making sanctions inef- carefully as possible, as in the On his possible government’s diplomacy, he also said, fective comes next. past, according to law,” he said. “We should change ‘begging diplomacy’ to the diplomacy Iran and the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal Noting the importance of of power.” – JCPOA – started talks in Vienna on April 9 to possibly the elections in the Islamic Re- If the talks in Vienna for a possible revival of the 2015 revitalize the agreement now that the Biden administration public, the top cleric said that nuclear deal – JCPOA - does not reach a result by June 18 it has expressed willingness to rejoin the multilateral pact. everyone should be sensitive to will feature high in the debates and presidential campaigns. He also insisted on the need to counter corruption and The next round of talks started on Tuesday. The delega- the elections that decide about Qassemi was the chief of the Khatam-al Anbiya Construc- creating a transparent atmosphere to develop the economy. tions returned to their capitals last week for consultations. the destiny of the nation and tion Headquarters before becoming oil minister. Last week Qassemi said if he fields candidacy, he will Though all sides have expressed optimism over the try to make them as glorious as possible. He said the United States “must return to the JCPOA not withdraw in favor any candidate. revitalization of the JCPOA there is no guarantee that the Pointing to the importance of the elections, he said, “As without any preconditions.” “I have not announced candidacy yet, but if I announce nuclear deal talks will bear fruit during the Rouhani ad- we get closer to the elections, the activities of various political He added, “If I am elected (president) I myself will take candidacy, I will not withdraw in favor of anybody,” Qassemi ministration, whose term ends in August. parties in the country to participate in this important arena the driver seat in the negotiations and negotiate with power.” told a press conference on April 20. “Now removing sanctions is the first priority and making increase, and thank God we are witnessing an increase in The former chief of the IRGC construction unit said He said he is fully aware of Iran’s situation and its ca- them ineffective is the next priority. If I want to negotiate, I these activities.” he has crafted two plans. He said one plan is to increase pacities. will strengthen the country’s economy,” Qassemi pointed out. The presidential and council elections will be held on June 18. the living standards of 50 million Iranians who have been The former IRGC official said he has a “plan and a record”. The former director of the IRGC construction unit added, According to Jamal Orf, the Deputy Interior Minister, more pushed to the poverty and the other is to restructure econ- “The sacred defense era is my record. After the war I “I see no ban on having relations with all countries in the than 50,000 people have registered for the council elections. omy and banking system. was active in reconstruction and I was one of the founders world except the Zionist regime.” I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y APRIL 28, 2021 IRAN IN FOCUS 3 SPORTS Iran, Russia intensify consultations Skocic critical of AFC’s decision to choose as nuclear talks kick off Bahrain as hosts SPORTSTEHRAN — Iran national football team head POLITICAL TEHRAN – The Rus- JCPOA restoration. But is there a real- deskcoach Dragan Skocic once again criticized the desksian Federation has istic alternative? No. Maximum pressure Asian Football Confederation (AFC) over choosing Bahrain as played a constructive role in the nuclear policy totally failed and just prompted centralized venue for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. negotiations leading to the signing of development of the Iranian nuclear pro- In mid-March, the AFC awarded Bahrain hosting rights the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. gram beyond 2015 parameters. This is a for Group C in Asian quali- Even after the U.S. unilaterally with- matter of fact. Does anybody want this fying after deciding to keep drew from the deal Russia continued to trend to continue?” the upcoming fixtures in one play that role. Highlighting the failure of the U.S. place due to the threat of the Russia is a signatory to the nuclear economic pressure has been a remarkable COVID-19 pandemic. deal, officially known as the Joint Com- position with which Russia put diplomatic Iran had been scheduled prehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) along pressure on Washington to encourage to play three of their last four with other remaining signatories such policy reconsideration on Iran. group fixtures at home, includ- as China, France, Germany, Iran and “Some people can’t draw lessons from ing their return match against the UK. The United States also was a the mistakes of the past. Do we need Bahrain and the Croat believes party to the deal but it withdrew from further evidence to recognize total fail- that Iran is being “deprived” of the JCPOA on May 8, 2018, imposing ure of maximum pressure policy? Did its right to host the matches. far-reaching sanctions on Iran. ‘Pompeo’s 12 points’ materialize? The Iran are third in their group Russia paved the way for Iran and the arguments of opponents of the JCPOA of five with six points, but have West to implement the nuclear deal. For can’t be taken seriously,” Ulyanov wrote a game in hand over their oppo- instance, it was Russia that facilitated on Twitter in mid-March. nents. Iraq are top on 11 points, the transfer of Iran’s enriched urani- Now that Iran and the P4+1 have re- with Bahrain second on nine um outside of the country. In December sumed nuclear talks, Russia also tries to after five matches. 2015, Iran announced that it success- in this sense… Iran is fulfilling all of its regional stability and the global nuclear positively influence the talks. Iran has “Choosing Bahrain as the centralized venue for the compe- fully transferred 11 tons of its enriched obligations… Russia is not a fire brigade. non-proliferation regime,” the Kremlin appreciated this role by intensifying tition in Group C is not fair but all the teams have no way but uranium to Russia, a move that helped We cannot rescue everything that does said in a statement after the call, which consultations with the Russians. On to face us and we will undoubtedly have a strong presence and Iran implement the JCPOA. not fully depend on us. We’ve played our was described by Mikhail Ulyanov, Tuesday, top Iranian nuclear negotiator surpass this situation. In the 2021 AFC Champions League, the Following Trump’s withdrawal, the part,” Putin said at the time. Russia’s permanent representative to Seyed Abbas Araghchi held a trilateral Iranian teams showed that how strong we are. I’m sure we will nuclear deal began teetering on the brink A year later, Putin appeared to be as- international organizations in Vienna, meeting with the Russian and Chinese qualify for the next stage and God will help us,” Skocic said. of total collapse as the United States suming a new role in preventing a total as “very encouraging.” envoys to the talks. The meeting was “I’m satisfied with the performance of the Iranian clubs in deprived Iran of the economic benefits collapse of the deal after he received In the meantime, Russian strongly held hours before another meeting of the the 2021 ACL. They showed their superiority and have earned promised in the nuclear deal. Russia, an “important message” from Iranian supported Iran during its showdown JCPOA Joint Commission, indicating the good results so far. I am sure Iran national team will also show as a responsible party to the JCPOA, President Hassan Rouhani on July 21. with the Trump administration over importance Iran attaches to consultations their dominance in the World Cup qualifiers,” he stated. unequivocally condemned the U.S. The message was delivered by Iranian the expiration of the UN arms embar- with the Russians and the Chinese. Skocic says that COVID-19 has disrupted his plan to pre- non-compliance with the JCPOA and, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad go against Tehran, which the previous Ulyanov, who represented Russia in pare the National Team but he is optimistic over the future at some point, it even sought to soothe Zarif. At the end of his visit, Zarif said U.S. administration worked its butt off the trilateral meeting, described it as of the team. tensions between Tehran and Washington in a tweet that he “delivered an important to extend but failed to do so. “very fruitful.” “To have all players in training camp at the same time is when the three European signatories message to President Putin,” and held Russia continued to defend the JCPOA “We compared notes and exchanged very difficult due to coronavirus pandemic. We failed to have to the JCPOA -France, Germany, and “extensive talks” with Russian Foreign after Joe Biden come into power. Russian views on the way ahead towards full res- all of them in the camp simultaneously since some of them the UK- were blandly issuing political Minister Sergei Lavrov on bilateral co- officials highlighted the failure of the so- toration of the nuclear deal. It was a very were in quarantine and some of them were injured. statements calling on the U.S. to stop operation as well as regional and global called “maximum pressure” campaign fruitful meeting,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “Against Uzbekistan and Bosnia we just had two days to efforts aimed at killing the nuclear deal. coordination. According to Zarif, Iran launched by the Trump administration On the other hand, Araghchi under- prepare our team. In the match against Syria, we injected The Russian efforts to save the JCPOA and Russia had “identical views” on the against Iran. lined the shared views of Iran, Russia fresh blood into the team. My expectations are very high but were done despite the fact that Russian nuclear deal. “Why do almost all countries sup- and China on the nuclear talks. I will not be deceived by the wins in the friendly matches,” President Vladimir Putin had famously Two days after Zarif’s visit, President port restoration of JCPOA? Because “The heads of delegations of the the Croat added. said on May 15, 2019, that he was no Putin and his American counterpart it is a key element of the internation- Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia and “I respect the fans and experts but as a coach you can’t longer willing to play the role of firefighter then-President Trump “thoroughly” al non-proliferation architecture. The China stressed the common ground of please everyone. I will not select the players just because they to extinguish the fire the Americans lit discussed several “issues of strategic deal, if restored, can provide credible the three delegations and the need for play in Esteghlal and Persepolis. We will monitor our players by withdrawing from the JCPOA. stability”, including Iran’s nuclear pro- assurances of peaceful character of the continued consultation and serious coor- in the friendlies and will choose the best. We are strong in the “We regret that the deal is falling gram, in a telephone call. “The situation Iranian nuclear program via intrusive dination between the three countries in attacking line but we need to be better in the other posts,” apart… After the signing of the agree- with the Iranian nuclear program was IAEA verification,” Ulyanov tweeted these negotiations,” the Iranian nuclear Skocic concluded. ment Iran was and still is the world’s touched on. Both sides emphasized the last week. negotiator said in a statement after the most verifiable and transparent country need for a collective effort to maintain He added, “Some people oppose trilateral meeting. 10 athletes to represent Iran at Karate 1-Premier Zarif holds talks with Iraqi political, religious leaders League Lisbon

1 Foreign Minister Zarif then welcomed Iraq’s the Arabic Project party Khamis al-Khanjar as well as SPORTSTEHRAN —A total of 10 karate practitioners regional role in strengthening regional relations and a host of Sunni representatives of the Iraqi Parliament deskleft Tehran early Tuesday to take part at the the cooperation of the countries of the region with each and other prominent Sunni figures. 2021 Karate 1-Premier League Lisbon. other, and expressed Iran’s support for Baghdad’s In the session, which was part of Zarif’s meetings Iran’s women’s team consists of Hamideh Abbasali, Taravat constructive role, according to a statement published with Iraqi political and religious figures, the top dip- Khaksar, Fatemeh Sadeghi, Sara Bahmanyar and Rozita Alipour. by the Iranian Foreign Ministry. lomat touched upon Tehran’s opposition to sectari- Zabihollah Poorshab, Amir Mehdizadeh, Bahman Asgari, Sajad The Iranian foreign minister further expressed con- anism as well as the necessity of unity in the Islamic Ganjzadeh and Amirreza Mirzaei will represent Iran’s men’s team. cern over the ISIS terrorist group’s recent activities community and among different groups, according The Karate 1-Premier League Lisbon will be held from April in Iraq, and said a serious fight against these efforts to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. 30 to May 2 at Altice Arena Sports Hall in Lisbon, Portugal. The requires that Iran and Iraq cooperate with each other Zarif also referred to the status of holy Quds in event is included in the Olympic qualification process and it is once again. Iran’s foreign policy, saying Tehran will continue to one of the last opportunities for Karate athletes to make it to the He also stressed the significance of pursuing the case stand by world Muslims of different faiths despite all Olympics by standings. of the assassination of Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, existing pressures. Some 740 karatekas from 87 countries have registered to Abu Mehdi Al-Muhandis and their comrades, and He added Iran’s behavior is defined based on part- participate in one of the most anticipated moments of the year. praised the Iraqi government’s efforts in this regard nership with its friends. as well as the country’s judicial cooperation during with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbusi He underscored the need for a logical and rational the Iranian Judiciary chief’s trip to Baghdad. as part of his meetings with senior Iraqi officials in relationship between Iraqi groups, saying Tehran re- Golmohammadi rues missed Emphasizing respect for the sovereignty and territo- Baghdad. During the meeting, Zarif highlighted Teh- spects the diversity of religious, ethnic and political rial integrity of Iraq, Foreign Minister Zarif reiterated ran’s emphasis on regional convergence, and welcomed groups in Iraq. chances against Al Wahda Tehran’s opposition to certain military actions in Iraq, Iraq’s constructive role in that regard. In addition to Khamis al-Khanjar, some other top SPORTSTEHRAN — Persepolis football team head including the ones against diplomatic missions, and members of the Arabic Project party were also present Zarif said the implementation of the Iraqi parlia- deskcoach Yahya Golmohammadi was left to rue announced the readiness of the Islamic Republic of at the meeting where they discussed, in detail, their ment’s legislation on the withdrawal of foreign troops his side’s missed chances but vowed Persepolis would bounce Iran to assist Iraq in preventing such actions. viewpoints about Iraqi issues. amounts to respect for Iraq’s sovereignty. back against Al Rayyan on Thursday. In turn, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein ex- The Iranian foreign minister also met with Iraqi “The Americans killed Hajj Qassem Soleimani and The Iranian team lost to Al Wahda of the UAE 1-0 in Group pressed satisfaction with the trend of Iran’s nuclear deal Shiite and political leaders including former prime Abu Mahdi (al-Muhandis) on the Iraqi soil,” said Zarif. E of the 2021 AFC Champions League on Monday. talks with the P4+1 group of countries and elaborated ministers. During the meeting, Zarif had a detailed Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif said the upcoming “We started badly in the first half compared to our opponents on Iraq’s regional policy of bringing the viewpoints exchange of views with these leaders and explained the elections in Iran and Iraq symbolize democracy in who started well,” said Golmohammadi. “Al Wahda were good of regional countries closer together. views of the Islamic Republic regarding various issues. both countries, and wished Iraq luck in holding a in closing down the spaces in the opening half.” The Iraqi foreign minister also stressed the need He underlined the importance for all Iraqi factions calm election. “I believe we improved in the second half and played a better to resolve certain trivial issues in the implementation to maintain unity in order to advance Iraq’s goals and The top Iraqi parliamentarian, in turn, highlighted game. The match was one sided but we did not convert the chances of the agreements and memoranda of understanding described Iraq’s position in the region as important. the Iraqi government and parliament’s role in help- we had and lost the three points. If we had taken our chances, between the two countries. Zarif further emphasized the view of the Islamic ing shape a tranquil atmosphere in the region, and we could have at least earned a draw. Following up the agreements reached during the Republic on supporting a united and powerful Iraq. expressed hope the ground will be prepared to boost “I would like to congratulate Al Wahda for their performance. Iranian president’s visit to Iraq, settlement of Iraq’s He also explained to the participants the latest devel- trade between Iran and Iraq. They were well organized and were defensively good. They were debts to Iran, transportation and railway issues, visa opments related to bilateral relations with Iraq and Also on Monday, Zarif attended an Iftar banquet strong in the first half but that intensity diminished in the second problems of Iranian businessmen, certain problems regional issues of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the hosted by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi half,” he added. hindering the activity of Iranian technical-engineering developments in the dialogue with the P4+1 countries. on Monday evening. “I’m not a firm believer in bad luck or hard luck, we just didn’t companies in Iraq, and financial issues were among The Iranian foreign minister described his Monday In this meeting, Foreign Minister Zarif praised have better concentration. Our only aim is to qualify top of the other issues discussed by the two ministers. talks in Iraq as excellent. the Iraqi prime minister’s special efforts to pursue group and we will beat Al Rayyan,” Golmohammadi stated. After meeting Hussein, Zarif met with Iraqi Pres- the existing cases in bilateral and regional relations “Excellent talks in #Iraq with President @Bar- ident Barham Salih and discussed issues of mutual related to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and elaborat- hamSalih, PM @MAKadhimi, Speaker Halbousi, interest, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. ed on the latest developments in Iran’s negotiations FM @Fuad_Hussein1 & senior Sunni & Shia lead- Foolad coach not happy with During his meeting with Salih, Zarif described Bagh- with the P4+1. ers. Emphasized that Iran’s priority is its neighbors. dad’s role in regional issues as effective and important. The chief Iranian diplomat appreciated Iraq’s support We welcome Iraq’s pivotal role in the region. More defeat against Al Sadd He also expounded on Tehran’s viewpoint on the for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the meetings in Baghdad & Erbil today,” he tweeted on necessity of the existence of a security system in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and Tuesday. SPORTSTEHRAN — Foolad coach Jesus Javier Noble region with the presence of all Persian Gulf countries a removal of the United States’ cruel and unilateral Zarif’s visit to Iraq came after several foreign news deskwas disappointed with the defeat against Al which has already been proposed by Iran within the sanctions on Iran. media outlets reported that Iraq has hosted a rare Sadd in Group D of the AFC Champions League on Monday. framework of the Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE). Zarif also referred to certain problems with the direct meeting between Iran and Saudi Arabia in early The loss ended Foolad’s chances of a first-place finish, but Zarif touched upon the Tehran-Baghdad agree- relations of Iranian companies and economic groups April. The chief Iranian diplomat thanked Iraq for Javier Nobl said the Iran side will push to finish second and ments in different fields, and highlighted the need working in the fields of commerce, transport, and tech- facilitating talks in the region but he stopped short hopefully advance. to make the necessary arrangements to implement nical-engineering services as well as financial issues, of confirming the April talks. “We thank the Iraqi “I want to congratulate Al Sadd for the win, and wish them those agreements without any bureaucratic barrier. and called for Iraq’s assistance in resolving them. government for its efforts to establish dialogue in the good luck in its final match,” said Noble. The Iraqi president, in turn, described mutual rela- The Iraqi prime minister, in turn, stressed that region, and we hope that these efforts will lead to “It made us work hard on the pitch from left to right. We had tions as important and expounded on his viewpoints Baghdad’s view of Iran does not just fall within the more dialogue and more serious understanding in some good chances in the first half, and in the second we hoped with regards to the immediate implementation of the framework of neighborliness, but Iran is a strategic the region,” Zarif pointed out. to open the scoring, but it had a nice goal. Right after Al Sadd agreements reached by both sides. partner of Iraq. Officially, Iran and Saudi Arabia were tight-lipped scored, we had a golden opportunity but couldn’t score,” the Among other topics discussed in the meeting were He pointed to Iran’s support for Iraq in the fight about the Baghdad talks, refusing to confirm the talks Spanish coach added. issues related to terrorism and extremism in the region, against ISIS, and said the history will never forget but they also refrained from repudiating them. Ac- “We have a young squad, and this is the result of their best financial issues, mutual cooperation at regional level the stance adopted by Iran. cording to the Western press reports, another round efforts. We have one match left and will try to win it. We have as well as cooperation with other countries. The Iranian foreign minister also met with Iraqi of talks between Tehran and Riyadh is expected to played all our matches with all we have, and we will keep giving In addition to Salih, the chief Iranian diplomat met Sunni leaders. He sat down with Secretary-General of take place in the coming weeks. our best, no doubt about that,” Javier Noble said. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY APRIL 28, 2021

Iranian automakers to produce Iran-China partnership to raise 1.2m cars by Mar. 2022

1 In the tire production sector, production of 330,000 tons of tires has been put on the agenda, to register a growth Chabahar port’s global status of 18.6 percent compared to the 278,200 tons produced in the previous year. Three major Iranian carmakers, namely Iran Khodro Com- 1 Aghaei further mentioned operator in this port and the country pany (IKCO), SAIPA Group, and Pars Khodro, manufactured China’s great development in terms does not have an exclusive right over 900,714 vehicles in the previous year, which was 4.3 percent of container ports, saying: “Six of the any part of this port,” he explained. more than the figure of its previous year, the data released by world’s top 10 container ports are in “We have always welcomed other Codal website showed. China which means about 60 percent countries to come and participate in the According to the data, during the past year, IKCO manufactured of the world’s container operations are development of this port beside India.” 480,338 vehicles, which was 21.9 percent more than the output taking place in this Asian country.” Not only China, but any other country in its preceding year, which was 393,812 vehicles. Research shows that the Chinese that is willing to invest in Chabahar ports are going to register the world’s is welcomed by Iran provided that the largest growth in terms of container economic independence of the port and trade by 2024, he said. the interests of the Islamic Republic are Asked about the possible impacts ensured, the official stressed. of the Chinese investment in the port “We have called Chabahar port the on the Islamic Republic’s current co- “Gate of Nations” and that is an indica- operation with India, the official said: tion of our view about this port’s future; “The first and most important issue that Chabahar is going to be one of the top the Ports and Maritime Organization trade hubs in the region, linking the (PMO) has taken into account when West Asian nations to CIS countries.” considering investment offers by foreign “Our priority is to cooperate with trade partners, is the port’s economic those countries which are able to be independence.” more beneficial for the country’s trade “India currently works with us as an and economy,” Aghaei emphasized.

SAIPA manufactured 317,321 vehicles, with a 12.6-percent fall from 363,379 vehicles manufactured in 1398. And Pars Khodro manufactured 103,055 vehicles in the past Iran, Ukraine to discuss agricultural co-op in online meeting next month year, showing a 2.8-percent drop from the output of its previous year, which was 106,072 vehicles. ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iran Chamber of Com- less than one billion dollars, to over $5 billion a year. desk Last year, former Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Reza merce, Industries, Mines, and Agri- In this regard, Hesamedin Hallaj, TCCIMA deputy Rahmani had called on the country’s major automakers to in- culture (ICCIMA), and Ukraine Chamber of Commerce head for international affairs, referred to the close re- crease production by 300,000, raising their total output to 1.2 and Industry (UCCI) are planning to hold an online B2B lations between Iran and Ukraine over the past decades million vehicles. meeting between the traders and businessmen of the and stressed the need for the development of economic Speaking in a meeting with the heads of the country’s two major two countries on May 24. relations between the two sides. carmakers, namely Iran Khodro (IKCO) and SAIPA, Rahmani As reported by the ICCIMA portal, the two sides are The official emphasized that the private sectors of noted that they need to carefully examine the causes of the current planned to discuss agricultural cooperation between the two countries can use each other’s shared capaci- turmoil in the country’s auto market and take serious steps to Iran and Ukraine during the online meeting. ties and experiences to improve the current business improve their sales process. In last November, Tehran Chamber of Commerce, relationships. Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA) had host- He mentioned the barter trade of minerals and mining ed a webinar with the representatives of the private products along with oil and gas products as well as the Value of IME’s monthly trade sector from Ukraine’s Kharkiv city in which the two trade of industrial equipment as great opportunities for sides expressed readiness for expanding trade through companies in the two countries to boost trade exchanges. up 54% year on year barter trade. He further underlined the potentials and capacities As reported by the TCCIMA portal, in the event which of Iranian and Ukrainian companies in the fields of ECONOMY TEHRAN — The value of commodities trad- was organized by the TCCIMA in collaboration with the aerospace, industrial automation, mining, agricultural desk speeches, businessmen, and representatives of compa- ed at Iran Mercantile Exchange (IME) rose 54 Kharkiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the machinery, as well as urban transportation, and invit- nies from the two countries talked about their business percent during the past Iranian calendar month (March 21-April two sides discussed the expansion of mutual economic ed the private sectors of the two sides to cooperate in activities and expressed readiness for joint cooperation. 20), compared to the same month in the past year. relations and mulled over ways of boosting the trade these areas. Some B2B talks were also held between the companies As reported by the IME’s Public Relations and International exchange between the two countries, which is currently After the officials of the two countries delivered their of the two sides. Affairs Department, 2.7 million tons of commodities worth $1.5 billion were traded at the exchange in the past month, showing also a 350-percent growth in terms of weight as compared to the same month of the previous year. On its metal and mineral trading floor, the exchange traded Annual steel exports fall 13% yr/yr within that month 1.421 million tons of commodities worth more ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iran’s construction sector, the exports of the also manufactured 14.588 million tons than $790 million. deskexport of steel during mentioned products did not increase due of steel products last year to register a Commodities purchased were 1.097 million tons of steel, 11,780 the previous Iranian calendar year 1399 to the coronavirus pandemic. three-percent rise year on year. tons of copper, 360 tons of molybdenum concentrate, 11,325 tons (ended on March 20) declined 13.1 percent Based on the Industry Ministry data, Iran is currently the tenth largest of aluminum, 400 tons of coke, 300,000 tons of iron ore, 200 tons compared to the figure for the preceding major Iranian steel producers managed steelmaker in the world and is estimated of cast iron and 100 tons of lead. year, data released by the Iranian Steel to produce over 22.54 million tons of to climb to seventh place by the Iranian Oil and petrochemical was the next trading floor on which the Producers Association (ISPA) showed. steel ingots in the previous calendar calendar year 1404 (March 2025). IME saw trades of more than 1.318 million tons of various types of Based on the mentioned data, the year, registering an eight percent rise The country produced 7.5 million tons commodities in both its domestic and export rings with a trading country exported nine million tons of year on year. of crude steel in Q1 2021, to maintain value of more than $700 million. steel in the previous year while the exports Mobarakeh Steel Company had the its place as the 10th biggest steel pro- On this floor the IME traded 354,567 tons of bitumen, 237,258 in the Iranian calendar year 1398 stood best performance with a production of ducer in the first three-month of 2021, tons of polymeric products, 124,668 tons of chemicals, 12,446 tons at 10.362 million tons, IRNA reported. As ISPA data indicated, the exports 9.8 million tons of the mentioned product Iranian Mines and Mining Industries of base oil and 460,100 tons of vacuum bottom. According to ISPA, over 2.839 million of steel products, intermediate steel while the highest production growth was Development and Renovation Organi- There were also 10,040 tons of sulfur, 310 tons of argon, 500 tons of steel products were also exported and sponge iron all declined last year, registered by Sirjan Steel World Company zation (IMIDRO) announced referring tons of insulation rolls and 111,200 tons of lube cut traded on the in the mentioned year, registering an and despite significant output growth with 141 percent growth. to the data released by the World Steel same floor. 18-percent decline year on year. and the demand decline in domestic The country’s major steel producers Association (WSA). Moreover, on its agricultural trading floor the IME saw trade of 2,500 kg of saffron. The last trading floor was the IME’s side market with 3,754 tons of commodities - not listed on the exchange’s main spot market - sold on it. Rouhani holds talks with private sector on economic issues ECONOMY TEHRAN – Iranian President Has- in Khorasan Razavi province during this water year have desksan Rouhani, on Monday, attended a decreased by 58 percent, for Fars province 50 percent, meeting with the representatives of the country’s pri- Kerman province 70 percent, Kermanshah 47 percent, vate sector at the place of Iran Chamber of Commerce, and Hormozgan 90 percent. Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) to discuss Even in Golestan province, rainfalls have decreased economic issues. by 42 percent and in Gilan and Mazandaran provinces As reported by the ICCIMA portal, the meeting was a 20 percent decrease in registered. attended by the ICCIMA Head Gholam-Hossein Shafeie “Based on forecasts, the crop year 1399-1400 can and a number of businessmen and entrepreneurs. be called the driest year in the last forty years,” the Speaking in the meeting, Shafeie underlined some official said. of the country’s major issues in the economic sectors “In such a situation, access to water supply will be including the country’s water shortage and drought as limited and economic sectors are facing serious prob- well as the issues related to the stock market. lems which will become even more difficult if it is not Mentioning the country’s water situation in the cur- up to April 21 has been only 113 mm, which is 43 per- managed.” The value of trades at Iran Mercantile Exchange in the previ- rent Iranian calendar year (started on March 20) the cent less than the average of 199 mm last year; On the The second issue that the ICCIMA head addressed ous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20) rose 108 percent official said: “The first important point is the situation other hand, no province has received more than average was the problems faced by the stock market, about which compared to the preceding year. of the country in terms of water shortage this year and rainfall so far.” Shafeie said: “What is important now is restoring the During the past year, about 3.5 quadrillion rials (about $83.5 the serious risks of its advancement; The amount of According to Shafeie, the rate of rainfall decline is government’s credibility and the people’s trust in the billion) worth of commodities were traded at the mentioned market. rainfall [since the beginning of the current water year] very high in many provinces. For example, the rainfalls stock market as a healthy institution.” As reported, over 33.39 million tons of goods valued at 3.12 quadrillion rials (about $74.43 billion) were traded at the exchange’s physical market, registering 27 percent and 127 percent of growth in terms of weight and value, respectively. In the mentioned year, several new records were achieved in TEDPIX jumps 15,600 points on Tuesday terms of the volume and value of transactions in the mentioned market’s various floors including the industrial, petroleum, and ECONOMY TEHRAN — After for the government to increase its support bubble created in the market and to prevent petrochemical floors. deskseveral days of decline, for the market, some shareholders want the further decline of the stock market index. The IME’s mineral and industrial trading floor witnessed the TEDPIX, the main index of Tehran Stock government to guarantee the return of their Two weeks ago, in the 216th meeting of trade of 13.738 million tons of commodities worth more than 1.66 Exchange (TSE), jumped 15,685 points to stocks, some believe providing infrastructure the Government Economic Coordination quadrillion rials (about $39.5 billion) in the said year. 1.202 million on Tuesday. is the best way to help this market. Headquarters, President Rouhani presented This floor was a platform to sell 12.437 million tons of steel, Over 6.034 billion securities worth Some, on the other hand, believe that the a report on the government’s supportive 207,205 tons of copper, 238,920 tons of aluminum, 13,795 tons of 43.746 trillion rials (about $1.04 billion) government should not interfere in the stock measures for the stock market, saying: “This zinc, 1,300 tons of cast iron, 515 tons of lead, and 675 kg of gold bars. were traded at the TSE on Tuesday. market, saying the government’s pre-ordered year, which has been named the year of On its oil and petrochemical trading floor, the IME traded more The first market’s index rose 13,771 and unrealistic pricing of some state-owned supporting production and eliminating ob- than 5.141 million tons of commodities worth over 833 trillion points, and the second market’s index shares is the main reason for the capital stacles, the government is trying to remove rials (over $19.8 billion), to register 11 percent and 96 percent of climbed 230,801 points. market’s current downward trend. obstacles to the growth of the capital market growth in terms of value and weight, respectively. TEDPIX had risen eight percent in the Now the question is how the government and will try to encourage people to enter Saffron and dates were the top traded commodities on the last week of the past Iranian calendar year can really support the stock market to help this market with the necessary training and stated. agricultural floor with 84 tons of saffron and 610 tons of dates (ended on March 20). it get back on its trail? arrangements.” “The demand side is now waiting for being sold on this floor. The index increased 101,000 points to So far, the government has repeated- The current trend of stock exchange trad- the internal and international political IME is one of the four major stock markets of Iran, the other 1.307 million in that week. ly stated that the activities carried out in ing will continue until relative stability is condition to become clear, and investors three markets are Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE), Iran’s over-the- Unprecedented fluctuations in the Iranian this market are not aimed at interfering in established in the market and the investors will invest in the stock market again as soon counter (OTC) market known also as Iran Fara Bourse (IFB), stock market over the past few months have stock exchange transactions or directing are expected to return to the market, the as the horizons are clear,” Amir-Aqaei told and Iran Energy Exchange (IRENEX). led shareholders, experts, and scholars to call the market, but are efforts for reducing the capital market expert Amirali Amir-Aqaei IRNA last week. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y APRIL 28, 2021 ANALYSIS/INTERVIEW 5

China is on its way to surpassing the U.S. Yemen’s army continues advancing toward Marib in military power: Indian professor Amid the continued advancement of the Yemeni army in the city of Mar’ib, the Saudi-led coalition has begun to build new military camps 1 world is moving towards being bipolar again, Following is the text of the interview: in Shabwah and Al-Wadeea’h areas to deploy more troops in the city. but the two poles of this bipolar world will How do you see the fate of confron- The latest measures by Saudi-led coalition comes after Yemeni be, to some extent, multipolar in character. tation between China and the U.S.? army backed by allied fighters from Popular Committees took control What will be the impact of the 25-year Do you think that China can surpass of strategic areas including al-Toomah al-Olia hill, over four kilo- partnership between Iran and China the U.S.? metres away from the western neighborhoods of the city of Marib. on bilateral ties and the region as well? China has recovered from the Covid-19 The Yemeni army has also intensified its retaliatory attacks The U.S. President Donald Trump’s pandemic-induced global economic crisis. against Saudi Arabia. decision in 2018 to withdraw from the There is no doubt that China has already Earlier, Yemeni troops launched an attack with a drone of Iran nuclear deal was extremely foolish become the global economic powerhouse, Qasif K-2 against King Khalid airbase in Asir in retaliation for morally, legally, strategically, and diplo- and it is expected to surpass the U.S. as the the ongoing Saudi war and siege, Press TV reported. matically. This prompted Iran to explore a world’s biggest economy by 2028 or even Yemenis say their army will continue its operations to liberate 25-year strategic pact with China, involving before. The former U.S. President Donald all the Yemeni lands, including the oil-rich province of Mar’ib both military and economic cooperation. Trump’s ally-alienating policies within NATO the last stronghold of Saudi Arabia in northern Yemen. between 2017 to 2020 have pushed China’s President Joe Biden had promised in his position upward firmly at the global power campaign as a candidate to return to the table. China is undoubtedly acquiring eco- Iran nuclear deal. However, after coming Saudi king invites Qatar’s nomic and military strength superior to the to power, he dithered, which led to Iran U.S. sooner than later. Still, there are some and China signing the 25-year partnership ruler to visit doubts over its internal political stability in agreement in the last week of March. This the long run and its ability to make alliances $400 billion pact is a significant agreement Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has invited Qatar’s Emir Sheikh with other regional powers in different parts for Iran and also China as well to get its Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to visit the kingdom, the emir’s of the world. Though China has been enjoy- foothold in West Asia/Middle East region. office has said, in the latest sign of improving relations between ing political stability for a long, the Chinese At the same time, there are signs of progress the neighbours and former rivals. people lack similar trust and confidence in “The 25-years strategic pact has made the of improved U.S.-Iran relations in the future Riyadh and allies broke off ties with Qatar in June 2017 over their political system as the Americans have in and the revival of the nuclear deal. It is claims it was too close to Iran and was stoking regional unrest, theirs. The lack of complete political legitimacy relationship between China and Iran more in Iran’s best interest to develop a strong allegations Qatar has always denied. might be a challenge for internal security. It long-term and strategic.” partnership with China and maintaining Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and might be a hindrance also in commanding the a good relationship with the U.S. Egypt cut diplomatic and trade ties and imposed a land, sea and respect of other countries in its competition China is estimated to have only 320 nuclear the U.S. has already realized it. The U.S. has Given that certain Asian countries, air blockade on the Gulf state. for getting the global superpower status. weapons, but is a big unknown and has never basically accepted that China has become a including Japan and South Korea, are But in January, the blockading countries agreed to re-establish Some experts say that Chinese influ- given any number of its warheads officially. bigger economic player and soon going to U.S. allies, do you predict any possi- ties with Qatar following a flurry of diplomatic activity by former ence in Asia and the world at large will Nuclear weapons are also part of its ongoing outcompete it militarily. The U.S. is only bility to form economic blocs in Asia US President Donald Trump’s administration. remain economic while others predict project to modernize its military to close the engaged now in pursuing a policy to contain to confront America’s presence? According to al Jazeera, the emir received a letter from King that China resorts to military tools to gap with the U.S. China already has a larger China using its better political and cultural The U.S. has long economic and military Salman “including an invitation to visit” Saudi Arabia, his office curb the United States. What is your navy than the U.S. China under President influences worldwide. One of the strategies in cooperation with Japan, South Korea, and said in a statement on Monday. It did not say if Sheikh Tamim comment? Xi has prioritized enhancing its military the post-Trump period has been to strength- Australia. Through Quad, the U.S. is trying to had accepted or when the visit would take place. China’s major influence globally and in strength, and it will be foolish to downplay en its old alliances across the Atlantic and include India into a similar type of alliance, Asia will remain primarily economic; how- China growing military power. create a new partnership in the Asia Pacific and speculations are there to make Quad ever, though China is still behind, it is on Why does the U.S. try to portray the region. China has developed some working Asia’s NATO. While the U.S. is building an Biden made 67 ‘false and its way to surpassing the U.S. in military world in a monopolar state supposing alliances with Russia and, at the same time, economic and military bloc in Asia, China has misleading claims’ in his first power with increased spending on weapons itself as the only legitimate leader of getting new allies from Asia to Europe and a robust economic partnership with several technology and developing several secretive the world? from Africa to Latin America. China is using ASEAN countries and Pakistan. Some other 100 days in office weapons. China is not bound by the Imme- The concept of a monopolar world has its enormous economic power and the Belt countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and diate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) disappeared for nearly a decade now, and and Road Initiative to build alliances. So, the Nepal are also increasingly coming within The fact-checkers at The Washington Post released their assess- between Moscow and Washington, and it China’s economic influence. The 25-years ment of President Biden’s “false and misleading claims” in his has already acquired the largest number of “The U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategic pact has made the relationship be- first 100 days in office. ballistic missiles. China is particularly the decision in 2018 to withdraw from the Iran tween China and Iran more long-term and “After four years of a presidency that swamped Americans with a world leader in medium-range missiles and strategic. So, China is already engaged in gusher of false and misleading claims, the Joe Biden era has offered has immense capability to strike with its nu- nuclear deal was extremely foolish morally, creating an economic bloc (if not military) a return to a more typical pattern when it comes to a commander in clear weapons anywhere it wants. Though legally, strategically, and diplomatically.” in Asia to counter the U.S. and its allies. chief and his relationship with the facts — one that features frequent spin and obfuscation or exaggeration, with the occasional canard. According to the report, Biden has made “67 false or misleading statements” in all the speeches, interviews, tweets, and public Netanyahu may ignite a fire in the region: Iraqi analyst statements he has made as president. That, however, pales in 1 And these escalations have, without a doubt, an of the resistance front. internal. Israel doesn’t have a functional government as the comparison to former President Trump, who, according to the American green light. The Israelis are too small when it How do you see the fate of normalization between different blocs can’t have enough votes for a majority. They Post, made 511 falsehoods in his first 100 days in office. comes to Iran to dare to take such a bold step without U.S. certain Arab countries and Israel? Do you predict a are probably facing their 5th elections since 2019. Besides The Post tallied four “Four Pinocchios” ratings from the president, backing. And as Ayatollah Khamenei said, a couple of years durable peace for West Asia while Israel continues that, as some of his predecessors, he is facing corruption three of them were false claims he repeated about Georgia’s election ago, the era of hit and run is long gone. The Israeli occupation its expansionist projects? charges. This combination is a dangerous combination reform bill. The other was an inaccurate knock at the Trump ad- leaders are living in a bubble, but they will be awakened The normalization is not going to give the region any for a person like Netanyahu. He doesn’t seem happy about ministration claiming that “federal government contracts awarded by the decisive and rightful Iranian response. The Irani- durable peace. The old peace treaty between the Israeli entering jail; if he can’t get away through immunity as a directly to foreign companies went up 30 percent,” which actually ans are the only country taking direct action against a U.S. occupation and the two Arab countries Egypt and Jordan is prime minister, then there is a risk that he could ignite a averaged between 8.4-11 percent under the previous president. military base since 1945, so if they dare to stand up to the good proof of this. Despite having a peace deal, the Israeli fire in the region to save himself. The claim deemed by the Post as perhaps the “strangest” of Bid- USA, then they will for sure be able to defend themselves occupation have furthered its plan of the annexation of What are the differences between Biden and en’s, which he made twice, was that he “traveled 17,000 miles” with against Israeli aggression. the West Bank. The U.S. legitimized their occupation of Trump when it comes to their plans for West Asia? Chinese President Xi Jinping when they were both vice presidents. Is Iran or Israel a real threat to West Asia? Which the Golan Heights and gave all of Jerusalem. Despite this, The only apparent difference is the method. The U.S. of them has waged wars on its neighbors? some regional countries normalized ties with them. Some always prefers Israel’s interests above all in the region. So, Iran has not initiated a war for about 2500 years. But of them got empty promises. I think these countries were it’s actually about how you do that. With Trump, you had Erdogan to Biden: U.S. the Israeli occupation is a regime surviving by warfare and forced to normalize their ties with Israel. Most of them had a gambler who didn’t care about what’s a political right; must look in mirror before was founded on genocide and warfare. Thus, it’s very clear already secret ties with Israel; they only made it official he said what he liked and did what he wanted openly. who the threat is in the region. Iran is one of the foremost now. Anyhow, this won’t change anything as these Arab Like when he honestly said that U.S. troops are in Syr- accusing Turks of genocide countries when it comes to the defeat of Daesh in the region states do not represent their nations who fully support ia for the purpose of Syrian oil. A Biden administration as Tehran sent its best advisors to the different frontlines in the Palestinian cause. would probably do the same in Syria as they are doing Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on US Presi- the war on terror. The great commander Soleimani spent Do you think that Netanyahu and his govern- by continuing the policy of Trump there. But they’re not dent Joe Biden to reverse a decision to name the 1915 massacre of more time on the frontlines against Daesh than in Iran in ment can maintain the position they had during honest about why, they are using pretty words like human Armenians by the former Ottoman Empire “genocide,” warning his last years. And besides, Israel continually violates re- the Trump administration? What are Netanyahu’s rights and democracy instead to fool people. As far as I that the declaration would harm bilateral ties. gional countries sovereignty. Israel is also responsible for main challenges domestically? see it, Biden could pose a bigger threat for naive people In a statement on April 24, Biden honored “all those Arme- the assassination of scientists and different commanders When it comes to Israel, there is no difference really he could easily fool. Let’s take a quick look at the Iran nians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago in the region in addition to its wars. Recently they’ve not between the Republicans or the Democrats. Both sides nuclear deal as an example. It was accepted and ratified today,” becoming the first U.S. president to formally refer to waged a regular war, but that’s not because of any human support Israel. The new administration has not shown by a U.S. administration whose VP was Biden. Yet U.S. the killings as “genocide.” rights accord or so. It’s more because the resistance front any interest in moving back U.S. embassy to Tel Aviv from never implemented the deal in full back then. And now “The U.S. president has made baseless, unjust and untrue re- has managed to build up a deterrence that the Israelis un- Jerusalem or take back the U.S. recognition of the Golan Biden is trying to delay U.S. implementation of the deal marks about the sad events that took place in our geography over derstand. The weakest point in the Israeli regime is, after all, Heights as Israeli land. Yet I agree there are small differ- with different excuses. While in reality, he could easily, a century ago,” Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting on Monday. domestic security. Their most advanced security machinery ences, just as there is a small difference between sugar-free with a presidential waiver, return the U.S. to the JCPOA “I hope the U.S. president will turn back from this wrong step has not been able to defend the settlements from the range coke and regular coke. Netanyahu’s problem is mainly by abandoning all the Trump era sanctions. as soon as possible,” he added. Erdogan stressed that the move would hinder ties, advising the United States to “look in the mirror.” The majority of the deaths occurred by diseases brought over OPCW ignores critics of its cover-up, imposes sanctions on Syria from Europe. War, slavery, and displacement also contributed to the decline of the populations of the indigenous community. By Robert Inlakesh conclusions. A leaked engineering assess- manner?” organization, Jaish al-Islam, to claim that ment, conducted by the OPCW, on the two It’s safe to say that there are large question such an attack occurred in Douma, espe- Erdogan said, “While all these truths are out there, you cannot The Organization for the Prohibition of gas cylinders found at the site of the alleged marks surrounding the OPCW’s findings, cially as they were losing the battle against pin the genocide accusation on the Turkish people.” Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has revoked Douma attack interestingly found that the but what of those “moderate rebels” in Syria government forces. In the case of the Syrian Syria’s privileges at the agency, accusing it evidence had been tampered with. claiming to have witnessed a massacre of government, there would be no reason to risk Resistance News of repeatedly using chemical weapons during The first head of the OPCW, Jose Bustani, Syrian civilians with chlorine gas? committing such an atrocious crime when the civil war, yet refuses to properly address has also applied pressure and challenged The allegations of a Douma chemical they were days away from complete victory, Sheikh Sabri: Israel uses an complaints of a cover-up by the organization the way the organization has handled the weapons attack came from within territory inviting Western airstrikes. This was sim- over their sole on-the-ground investigation reporting, along with experts in the field such held by a Saudi-backed extremist group, ple to see, with the most elementary-level ethnic cleansing policy in J’lem of any such attack. as Theodore Postol, an award-winning pro- Jaish al-Islam. The terrorist organization, understanding of the Syrian war, yet these On April 7, 2018, an alleged chemical fessor of Science, Technology and National described as “moderate rebels” by Western types of common-sense arguments weren’t INTERNATIONAL TEHRAN— Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the weapons attack was reported from inside Security Policy at MIT. media outlets, had a track record of placing even taken into consideration by the inter- deskHigher Islamic Council in Occupied Jerusalem, Douma, Syria, according to reports on the Recently, award-winning investigative jour- Syrian civilians — men women and children national community. has said that the Israeli occupation state uses “a scorched earth ground. Days later, the U.S., the UK, and nalist Aaron Mate addressed a United Nations — in cages outside of areas where militants Now, after ignoring all the credible and ethnic cleansing policy” against the Jerusalemites in the France bombarded Syria in “response,” with- Security Council panel, laying out a detailed were stationed in order to deter airstrikes critics, from journalists to EU lawmak- holy city through displacing them from their homes. out any clarification that any such attack analysis — which he says casts doubts over the from the Syrian government and its allies. The ers and whistleblowers to the ex-director Talking in particular about Israel’s new plan to evacuate Sheikh had taken place. OPCW’s current position — on whether there group also had been accused of starving and general of the OPCW itself, the organization Jarrah neighborhood in next May from its local residents, Sheikh The significance of the alleged Douma was a chlorine gas attack in Douma. When, at brutally executing Syrian civilians, on top of sees it fit to impose sanctions on Syria for Sabri affirmed that the Sheikh Jarrah residents would defend their attack was not only that it led to Western the end of the meeting, it came time for the shelling civilian neighborhoods under Syrian committing chemical attacks. Interesting- right to their homes through documents backing their position. airstrikes on Syria, but also that it was the first representatives from both the U.S. and UK government control and filming themselves ly enough, they note multiple attacks as “The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) and its courts have alleged chemical attack that the OPCW had to answer a direct question posed to them by opening fire upon civilian airliners. their justification and not just the Douma no right to evacuate the homes of Sheikh Jarrah,” he said. sent an on-the-ground team to investigate. Mate, they had already left the meeting. At the time of the reported chlorine gas attack, and when pushed on it, the director “The occupation does not follow fair laws, and it avoids delving Despite the OPCW now concluding that An EU lawmaker, Mick Wallace, was also attack, it was clear that the Syrian government general pointed to human rights reports into the issue of the land ownership because the settlers are unable to there was a chemical attack that took place, attacked as having repeated “fake news” when and their allies were on the verge of taking to support his argument. prove their ownership of the area,” the Jerusalemite official added. the leaked ‘original report’ put together on the he questioned the OPCW Director-Gener- the rest of “rebel” -held Eastern Ghouta. The It is clear that the OPCW has taken a se- He accused the IOA of manipulating its laws to lay its hands incident reveals that the studies conducted al Fernando Arias and said the following: claims of a chemical weapons attack directly rious blow to its credibility and has decided over large areas of Jerusalem in order to completely Judaize it had found no evidence of a chemical attack “Why will you not heed calls from renowned caused Western airstrikes, as happened just to back Western imperialism over the truth, and change its demographic reality. using chlorine gas. international figures... to meet with all the a year prior when a supposed chemical weap- a shameful decision that serves as part of the He appealed to the international community and its human Two whistleblowers also spoke out from investigators?” He went on to state, “This ons attack also occurred in an area known justifications provided for the West applying rights institutions to necessarily intervene to stop Israel from inside the OPCW, creating greater doubt about problem is not going away. Are you going as Khan Sheikhoun. its murderous sanctions on Syria. evacuating Sheikh Jarrah of its residents and put an end to its the credibility of the OPCW’s publicly stated to investigate all aspects in a transparent There was clearly a motive for the extremist (Source: Press TV) ethnic cleansing policy in Jerusalem. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 HERITAGE & TOURISM APRIL 28, 2021

Iranian handicrafts: Zolfaqari Archaeological Zanjan filigree

HERITAGE TEHRAN — Filigree is one the most deskimportant applied arts of Iran’s Zanjan Museum undergoes restoration province. It is a kind of metalwork, and researchers have traced it back to 550 to 330 BC. 1 Nestled in central Zanjan, the years ago), the Sasanian Empire’s height. historical house belonged to Zolfaqar Khan The second “Saltman” was carbon-dated Asaad al-Dowleh, the son of Hassan Qoli Khan. to 1554 BP, which placed him in the same He was one of the wealthiest personalities era as the first “saltman,” the Sasanian era. in the city in the Qajar era and the Zolfaqari The third, fourth, and fifth “saltmen” were household was one of the most well-known also carbon dated. The third body was dated families in the city. and placed in 2337 BP, the fourth body in The house consisted of the interior and 2301 BP, and the fifth mummy was dated exterior sections and a garden but was later to 2286 BP, placing them all in the Achae- divided into two sections by Zolfaqari Street. menid period. The garden was turned into a park, and only The individual “saltmen” has a few secrets the central part of the exterior section has of their own, for instance, the first “saltman” remained. that was discovered had the blood type B+, The remained structure is a two-story and 3D imaging of his skull revealed frac- building, with halls, bedrooms, and living tures around his eye and other damage that rooms being influenced by Iranian and Eu- occurred before death by a hard blow to the ropean styles of architecture. head. His clothing (the impressive leather In 1993, miners in the Douzlakh Salt Mine, boot) and his gold earring show a person of some rank; the reason for his presence in The tools used in filigree making are very similar to near Hamzehli and Chehrabad villages in the mine remains a mystery. those of goldsmithing. The first step of filigree making is Zanjan Province, accidentally came across Saltman No. 5 had tapeworm eggs from to pass stocks of silver, gold, or copper through a rolling a mummified head, dated to 300 CE. The the Taenia sp. genus in his system. These were machine to turn them into thin threads with a thickness head was very well preserved, to the extent identified during the study of his remains. of about one or two millimeters. that his pierced ear was still holding the gold artifacts made of wood, metal tools, clothing, The first mummy dubbed the “saltman,” The find indicates the consumption of raw or Then two to three threads are woven together to create earring. The hair, beard, and mustaches were and pottery. is on display in the National Museum of Iran undercooked meat, and this is the first case of chains or passed through a roll that gives them grind edges. reddish, and his impressive leather boot still In 2005, a systematic excavation began, in Tehran. He still looks very impressive. this parasite in ancient Iran and the earliest The mold of the desired shape is then made by putting thick contained parts of his leg and foot, according three more mummies were excavated, and This particular “saltman” was originally evidence of ancient intestinal parasites in the strips of metal around a cast iron or iron base. Then the iron to the Ancient History Encyclopedia. a sixth remained in situ due to lack of funds dated based on the archaeological materi- area. The best preserved and probably the base is heated and a layer of wax is applied to it. The wax However, in 2004, the miners discovered for its storage. The context of the remains al found with him. Later, the mummy was most harrowing of the bodies is “saltman” is used to hold the small pieces of thin threads together. yet another “saltman,” which was followed suggested that a collapse in the mine had carbon dated, which placed him in 500 CE No. 4. A sixteen-year-old miner, caught in Now the mold will be put on the iron base, and the by further excavation unearthing remains of caused the death of the miners in question. (1750 BP, that is, “before present” or 1750 the moment of death, crushed by a cave-in. small pieces of threads are laid according to a beautiful a human body along with a large number of design. Finally, the iron base is heated once more so that the wax melts away. The work is detached from the base. A mixture of borax and silver powder is then poured, and they are heated until the mixture melts and attaches the Weaving kilims revived in southwestern Iranian village silver pieces. The silver grows matted and loses its shine during this process. Therefore, it will be washed with acetic HERITAGE TEHRAN – Once fallen into oblivion, palm groves make it an attractive destination for world desk acid and polished later. the art of weaving kilims has been revived travelers. Many filigree artifacts have been discovered in Susa, in the ancient village of Gankhak-e Sheykhi in Bushehr The historical and architectural monuments of Bushehr Dura-Europos, Hamedan and Jeyhoun treasures which province, southwestern Iran. include Islamic buildings like mosques and praying centers, prove that this craft was practiced from ancient times. Until two years ago, there were fewer than 10 weavers mansions, old towers, castles, as well as gardens. Very few historic records exist about the filigree of Zanjan, active in this field in the village, but now weaving kilims With 14 entries, Iran ranks first globally for the number however, explorers who have visited there have mentioned is being practiced by over 60 female crafters, the deputy of cities and villages registered by the World Crafts Council, beautiful filigree handicrafts and jewels. provincial tourism chief has said. as China with seven entries, Chile with four, and India with Based on these records, the 16th century is the first The choice of colors and patterns using in the kilims three ones come next. recorded history for filigree. Today most filigree products weaving in this village is minimal and they are not woven In January 2020, the cities of Shiraz, Malayer, and Zan- are of sliver, which is obtained by melting silver objects that based on a premade pattern, which makes them unique jan and the village of Qassemabad were designated by the are old and obsolete. Some other components that are used and a good choice for modern decorations, IRNA quoted WCC- Asia Pacific Region, putting Iran’s number of world include natural wax, aqua regia, alum, and sulfuric acid. Leila Rahimi as saying on Monday. crafts cities and villages from ten to 14. Today gold filigree is practiced to create jewelry such However, organizing training courses is also very important Shiraz was named a “world city of [diverse] handicrafts”. as earrings, rings, etc., and silver filigree to create dishes. and needs to be taken into account, the official explained. Malayer was made a global hub for woodcarving and carved- The most common motifs that are used in Zanjan filigree Reviving this field could contribute to the empowerment wood furniture. Zanjan gained the title of a “world city of officially through customs, and about $250 million was are paisley, hedera, and blossoms. of the female villagers since weaving kilim has been mostly filigree”. And Qassemabad village, which is nationally known earned via suitcase trade (allowed for customs-free and their main profession and a source of income for them for for its traditional costumes, was also promoted to a world tax-free transfer) through various provinces, according to years, she added. hub of handicrafts. Chador Shab, a kind of homemade out- data provided by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism Restoration begins on With over 6,000 years of history and significant monu- er-garment for women, was, however, the main subject for and Handicrafts. ments from the Elamite, Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassa- the WCC assessment for the village. Ceramics, pottery vessels, handwoven cloths as well as UNESCO-tagged nid eras, Bushehr Province is one of Iran’s most important Iran exported $523 million worth of handicrafts during personal ornamentations with precious and semi-precious historical centers. the calendar year 1398 (ended March 19, 2020). Of the fig- gemstones are traditionally exported to Iraq, Afghanistan, Soltaniyeh Dome Besides its cultural heritage, beautiful beaches and lush ure, some $273 million worth of handicrafts were exported Germany, the U.S., the UK, and other countries. HERITAGE TEHRAN — Three restoration workshops deskhave been set up at the UNESCO-tagged Soltaniyeh Dome in northwestern Zanjan province, the provincial tourism chief has said. Roofing covers to protect ‘city of the mouthless’ The workshops in the historical site were temporarily HERITAGE TEHRAN – A series of The site embraces an Iron-Age fortress, couple of years. Some of the objects bear closed from mid-autumn to late winter due to the city’s deskcustom-made roofing cov- three prehistorical temples, and tens of stones depictions of human beings in archery, cavalry harsh weather conditions, during which the restorers ers have been constructed over Shahr-e Yeri, on which bizarre-shaped mouthless faces in rhythmic and magical themes. There are prepared and crafted their needed materials inside the a unique archaeological site in northwest have been carved. also petroglyphs depicting mountain goats, temporary units in the site, CHTN quoted Amir Arjmand Iran, which is sometimes referred to as the During its heyday bodies of the dead were boat anchors, shooting and scenes of war, as saying on Tuesday. “city of the mouthless”. buried with special ceremonies and rituals and scenes of deer hunting in individual and Other than restoring and repairing tiles, stones, bricks, The installation of shielding structures is in compliance with religious beliefs… how- collective forms. plaster works, and other decorations of the dome, skilled part of an extensive project aimed to protect ever, the majority of the tombs were found Rock arts can be seen around mountainous restorers and experts are providing training to interested the 400-hectare archaeological site against empty of skeletons due to illegal excavations, regions across Iran where roaming life and people in these workshops, the official added. harsh natural conditions, IRNA reported. according to the Circle of Ancient Iranian livestock farming are prevalent typically. The Although the dome’s restoration work is still ongoing Shahr-e Yeri is one of the earliest set- Studies. rock-carved figures of animals and associated in the workshops after several years, there is still no clear tlements in the country, which is situated More than 10,000 ancient petroglyphs tools are regarded as good clues to help shed date for its completion since the quality of the work is near Pirazman village of Meshkin Shahr chaeological site was inscribed on the list and rock-carved arts have been discovered light on daily life in the distant past, though important, he explained. in northwestern Ardebil province. The ar- of national heritage sites in 1931. in and near Meshkin Shahr over the past some figures might be symbolic.

West Asia’s longest glass suspension bridge being built in Kordestan TOURISM TEHRAN – West Asia’s longest glass However, inaugurated in 2015, and with 345 meters desksuspension bridge with a length of 450 long, 3 meters wide, and 80 meters high, the Meshgin- meters is being constructed in the village of Negel, shahr suspension bridge is said to be the largest of its western province of Kordestan, the provincial tourism kind in West Asia. chief has said. Last Year Ardebil’s tourism officials announced that The suspension bridge is a part of a bigger tour- the world’s longest suspension bridge with a length of ist complex including a zip line, eagle zip line, bungee 500 meters is being constructed in the province and is jumping, and rafting, which is unique in the country, expected to come on stream in June 2021. Yaqub Guylian announced on Tuesday. The name Kordestan refers to the region’s principal The complex also includes a restaurant, pergola, inhabitants. After the Turkish invasion of Iran in the amusement park, and eight accommodation units, the 11th century CE (Seljuq period), the name Kurdistan The 14th-century Gonbad-e (“The Dome of”) Soltaniyeh is official added. was applied to the region comprising the northwestern highly recognized as an architectural masterpiece particularly A budget of 500 billion rials (about $12 million at the Zagros Mountains. It was during the reign of Abbas I due to its innovative double-shelled dome and elaborate official exchange rate of 42,000 rials) has been allocated the Great of Iran’s Safavid dynasty (1501–1736) that interior decoration. The very imposing dome stands about to the project, which aims at attracting more domestic the Kurds rose to prominence, having been enlisted 50 meters tall from its base. Covered with turquoise-blue and foreign tourists to the region, he explained. which is the first of its kind in the world, was inaugurated by Abbas I to help stem the attacks of the marauding faience tiles, the stunning structure dominates the skyline A suspension bridge made of curved sheets of glass, in Ardebil province, northwest Iran in January 2020. Uzbeks from the east in the early 17th century. of Soltaniyeh, an ancient city in Zanjan province, north- western Iran. Meaning “Town of the Sultans”, Soltaniyeh was briefly the capital of Persia’s Ilkhanid dynasty (a branch of the Mongol dynasty) during the 14th century. A peek into Pan Bafi of Alamut The monument is, in fact, the mausoleum of Oljaitu, also HERITAGE TEHRAN – Pan Bafi, often used in the clothing and clothes design vertically or “Istadeh”, or laid on the ground Another trait of these crafts is the traditional known as Muhammad Khodabandeh, who was the eighth deskwhich falls under the industry for decorating the collars, edges of or “Khabideh”. The stretching of the wraps dyeing of the yarns. Natural materials such Ilkhanid dynasty ruler from 1304 to 1316. category of traditional textiles, is a promi- skirts or sleeves, belts, shoelaces, ties, baby is done according to the predesigned pat- as mulberry leaves (for golden pigments), According to UNESCO, the mausoleum’s interior nent handicraft being practiced in Alamut swaddling clothes, and other accessories. terns. Some of them are “Chashm e Khorus” onion skin (orange), walnut skin (brown), decoration is so outstanding that scholars like A.U. Pope in Qazvin province. And if it is made from thick yarns, the or the eyes of the rooster, “Hasht Chapar”, and “Nirask” (a kind of wild barberry) are have described the building as “anticipating the Taj Mahal”. Also called Navar Bafi or Kart Bafi, it is Pan Bafi can be used to set up tents or tie “Bist o Noh Chapar”, “Modakhel”, “Nimeh used to dye the yarns. The UN cultural body has it that the Mausoleum of Oljaytu the art of weaving a kind of narrow strip with the muzzles of horses or camels, too. The Modakhel” and “Pichak”. AFM/ is an essential link and key monument in the development a width of one to two centimeters. basic materials of Pan Bafi are natural and, The patterns and designs of Pan Bafi are of Islamic architecture in central and western Asia. The According to Visit Iran, these handicrafts, occasionally, synthetic yarns. But they are most commonly created from the memory of fairly large dome is the earliest extant example of its type which are mostly woven by Alamut women, usually woven from a kind of silk yarn called their weavers. The most unique trait of Alamut in the country and became an important reference for the are quite durable and tight and can be used “Kaj” yarn. strips is their fineness, high quality, special later development of the Islamic dome. for more than one purpose. But they are In Pan Bafi, the wraps are stretched either technique, magnificent skills, and strength. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y APRIL 28, 2021 SOCIETY 7

Persian ground jay: Climate crisis ‘moving Earth’s axis’, study finds

Some things in life feel permanent, like the Earth’s axis. The invisible skewer our planet revolves around sticks out of the Iran’s desert treasure middle of the Arctic at the top, and the middle of the Antarctic at By Faranak Bakhtiari crown and also opens its tail, and attracts the bottom - doesn’t it? attention till the danger goes away. No. The locations of the North and South Poles aren’t static, TEHRAN – Iran is one of the world’s rich- Where can Persian ground jay be and due to the climate crisis, they are moving around more than est in biodiversity, despite the diverse fauna found? ever, scientists have said. and flora of the country, there are only two This Persian species lives in desert and This can have small impacts on how long our days and nights endemic species, one of which is the beautiful semi-desert areas, mostly on the Iranian pla- are, though the fluctuations are so small the changes are im- and rare Persian ground jay. teau, though its range spreads southeastward perceptible. Persian ground jay, the only endemic bird to the Iran-Pakistan border. species of Iran, is considered one of the most Over the past years, the species have been precious animals of the country’s deserts. observed in different provinces of Iran, in- In Farsi, Persian ground jay’s is called cluding Semnan, Isfahan, Tehran, Yazd, Kho- “Zagh-e-Boor” (literally meaning blonde rasan Razavi, South Khorasan, Kerman, Fars, chough). Local people in Lut Desert also Sistan-Baluchestan, and Golestan. call it “Soose’ le’ng” which drives from its While the highest density of the bird can jackhammer type of feeding while scavenging be found in Khar Turan National Park in at the roadsides. Semnan Province. The closer you get to the The Persian ground jay is baby brown eastern central deserts of Iran the better type in color and around 24 centimeters chance of observing them you stand. in length and weighs 85 to 90 grams. It Threats to Persian ground jay has a boldly patterned and slightly curved Although Persian ground jay is the only slim bill adapted for digging and probing endemic bird living in Iran, in Lut Desert, and relatively short, glossy black upper little information exists about it. However, tail coverts. the survival of this animal can be described They are active during dun and dusk, The Persian ground jay is baby brown type as the least concern. Scientists don’t fully understand what drives this movement, avoiding the noon heat. Persian ground Of course, this does not mean that the but they do know the way water is distributed on the Earth’s jay shows adaptations to ground living in color and around 24 centimeters in length species’ life is not in danger. Due to human surface is one key factor which can affect the process, which is such as long, strong legs adapted to fast and weighs 85 to 90 grams. It has a boldly involvement, such as habitat destruction known as “polar wander” or “polar drift”. running and the ability to leap and bound and improper use of natural resources are New research reveals that melting glaciers redistributed enough onto boulders and rocks with great agility. patterned and slightly curved slim bill adapted among the causes of death and population water to cause the direction of polar wander to turn and accelerate Their long, curved thick bills are adapted for digging and probing and relatively short, decline of these birds. eastwards during the mid-1990s. for digging and probing. While capable of glossy black upper tail coverts. Another danger is that they can be hunted “The faster ice melting under global warming was the most flight, they prefer running, and will readily by other animals (including eggs) such as likely cause of the directional change of the polar drift in the perch on trees and bushes. can stay together all year. Persian ground It has a beautiful musical voice. When foxes, snakes, and livestock that reduce the 1990s,” said Shanshan Deng, a researcher at the Institute of Breeding occurs in the first half of March. jay usually lay four small eggs, each one- you hear it singing constantly in low sound, area’s vegetation. Due to the fact that Persian Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research at the When the Iranian ground Jay bonds with the inch-long, light cream-colored mottled with be sure that it is driving you away from its ground jay lives in uninhabited areas, they Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an author of the new study. opposite sex the pairing is long-lasting and reddish-brown dots. nest; it also opens its head feathers like a are less likely to be hunted by humans. Vincent Humphrey, a climate scientist at the University of Zurich who was not involved in the study, explained how the Earth spins around an axis a bit like a spinning top. He said if the weight of a spinning top is moved around, the top would start to lean and wobble as its rotational axis changes. Second phase of COVID-19 vaccination begins in Iran The same thing happens to the Earth as weight is shifted from one area to another. 1 started the clinical trial on February 27. The domestic companies are endeavoring to Researchers have been able to determine the causes of polar Iran has also started human trials of Fakhra vaccine, produce vaccines jointly with three countries of Cuba, drifts since 2002, based on data from the Gravity Recovery and the third domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, Russia, and Australia, he added. Climate Experiment (Grace), a joint mission by NASA and the named after nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (he While Iran continues efforts to mass-produce local German Aerospace Centre, launched with twin satellites that was assassinated in late November near Tehran), that candidates, several foreign vaccines have already been year and a follow up mission in 2018. was unveiled and started the clinical trial on March 16. imported and others are expected soon. The mission gathered information on how mass is distributed “Osvid-19”, the fourth domestic vaccine produced by Mass vaccination against COVID-19 started on Ira- around the planet by measuring uneven changes in gravity at Osvah Pharmaceutical Company is also undergoing human nian citizens with the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine different points. trials, which will also be available in early September. on February 9. Previous studies have also revealed that more recent move- New cases and mortalities So far, 718,510 doses of coronavirus vaccine, includ- ments of the North Pole away from Canada and toward Russia In a press briefing on Tuesday Health Ministry’s ing the first and second doses, have been injected in the to be caused by factors like molten iron in the Earth’s outer core. spokesperson, Sima-Sadat Lari, confirmed 20,963 new country. Other shifts have been caused in part by what is called the cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number Domestic vaccines terrestrial water storage change - the process by which all the of infections to 2,438,193. She added that 1,907,190 pa- COVIRAN BAREKAT, the first coronavirus vaccine water on land, including frozen water in glaciers and groundwater tients have so far recovered, but 5,287 remain in critical made by Iranian researchers, started the third phase of stored under our continents, is being lost through melting - driven on March 29. conditions of the disease. the human trial on Sunday by being administrated to by the climate crisis - and groundwater pumping. Meanwhile, a vaccine developed by the Razi Vaccine During the past 24 hours, 462 patients have lost their lives, 20,000 people. The authors of the new study said this water loss on land and Serum Research Institute (Razi Cov Pars) is expected bringing the total number of deaths to 70,532, she added. Developed by researchers at the Headquarters for Ex- contributed to the shifts in the polar drift in the past two decades to become the second Iranian-made vaccine to be ad- So far, 15,435,147 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have ecuting the Order of the Imam, the vaccine was unveiled by changing the way mass is distributed around the world. In ministered among the population in early August; which been performed in the country. on December 29, 2020, and started to be mass-produced particular, they examined changes that occurred in the mid-1990s. In 1995, the direction of polar drift shifted from southward to eastward. The average speed of drift from 1995 to 2020 also increased about 17 times from the average speed recorded 27 Iranian universities among world’s top for global impact from 1981 to 1995. 1 Alzahra University, Amirkabir University Iranian universities shine at world With a scientific growth rate of 10.4 percent Universities for July 2020. The research team said they have managed to wind modern of Technology, Kashan University of Medi- rankings in 2019, Iran ranked second among the top Moreover, 7 Iranian universities have pole tracking analysis backwards in time to learn why this drift cal Sciences and Health Services, Kordestan Times Higher Education has published its 25 countries in the world, next to China with been listed among the best 1000 worldwide; occurred. The new research calculates the total land water loss University of Medical Sciences, University of annual ranking of the world’s top universi- a growth rate of 12.9 percent, according to including, Tehran University of Medical in the 1990s before the Grace mission started. Mohaghegh Ardabili, Shahid Beheshti Univer- ties for 2021, listing 47 Iranian universities, the Web of Science website. Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Using data on glacier loss and estimations of groundwater sity of Medical Sciences, and the University which shows an increase of 7 universities According to statistics released by the Medical Sciences, Sharif University of pumping, the team calculated how the water stored on land of Tabriz are the next seven universities with compared to the last year. International Web of Science Database, Technology, Tarbiat Modares University, changed. They found that the contributions of water loss from the highest rate of global impact. Six Iranian universities have been placed Iran’s citation rank has always been on the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Isfahan the polar regions is the main driver of polar drift, with contri- The overall ranking is led by the Univer- among the world’s top universities announced rise over the last eight years, from 24 in 2012 University of Technology, Iran University butions from water loss in nonpolar regions. Together, all this sity of Manchester for the first time. Three by the prestigious Quacquarelli Symonds to 16 in 2019. of Science and Technology. water loss explained the eastward change in polar drift. Australian institutions complete the top (QS) World University Rankings 2021. Iran ranks first in terms of the number of In June 2020, THE Asia University Rank- “I think it brings an interesting piece of evidence to this ques- four, including the University of Sydney, With 47 Iranian universities ranked among universities in the region and among Islamic ings 2020 ranked five Iranian universities tion,” said Dr Humphrey. “It tells you how strong this mass change RMIT University, and La Trobe University. 1,527 top universities of 93 countries in the countries, according to Shanghai Ranking’s among the top 100 universities worldwide. is - it’s so big that it can change the axis of the Earth.” Iranian universities hosting students world in 2021 rankings, Iran achieved a great Academic Ranking of World Universities The Center for Science and Technology Dr Humphrey said the change to the Earth’s axis isn’t large from 133 countries, Afshin Akhoundzadeh, improvement in the academic field. (ARWU) 2020. Studies Leiden Ranking has placed 36 Iranian enough that it would affect daily life. It could change the length head of the office for non-Iranian students Some 21 Islamic countries were also list- Two Iranian universities have been ranked universities in the list of over 1,000 major of day we experience, but only by milliseconds. at the Organization of Student Affairs said ed in the ranking. However, Iran holds the among the top 100 universities in Asia, ac- universities worldwide in 2020 compared But the faster ice melting couldn’t entirely explain the shift, on April 16. highest share with 47 universities. cording to Webometrics Ranking of World with 26 universities in 2019. Dr Deng said. While the team didn’t analyse this specifically, she speculated that the slight gap might be due to activities involving land water storage in non-polar regions, such as unsustainable groundwater pumping for agriculture. ENGLISH IN USE Dr Humphrey said this evidence reveals how much direct human activity can have an impact on changes to the mass of water on land. Their analysis revealed large changes in LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION water mass in areas like California, northern Texas, the region around Beijing and northern India, for example--all areas that have been pumping large amounts of groundwater for agricultural use. Iran urges Afghanistan to resume “The groundwater contribution is also an important one,” Dr Humphrey said. “Here you have a local water management افغانســتان بــرای دادن حقابــه هامــون بایــد ”.problem that is picked up by this type of analysis بــه میــز مذاکــره بازگــردد talks on Hamoun wetlands Iran and Afghanistan should resume negotiations on the water LET’S LEARN PERSIAN بــه گــزارش روز جمعــه باشــگاه خبرنگاران جوان مســعود تجریشــی معــاون محیط ,rights of Hamoun wetlands, YJC quoted Masoud Tajrishi (Part 170) (Source: saadifoundation.ir) زیســت انســانی ســازمان حفاظــت محیــط زیســت گفــت: ایــران و افغانســتان برای deputy chief of the Department of Environment, as saying بــرای دادن حقابــه هامــون بایــد بــه میــز مذاکــره بازگردند. .on Friday تجریشــی بــا اشــاره بــه سیاســت هــای مســئوالن افغانســتان بــرای ســد ســازی در Commenting on Afghanistan’s injudicious dam construction on its tributaries Tajrishi also noted that low precipitation باالدســت تــاالب اظهــار کــرد: متاســفانه وضعیــت بــارش هــا در منطقه در شــرایط .levels in the region has added insult to the injury مطلوبــی نبــود و بــه همیــن علــت شــرایط وخیــم تــر شــده اســت. Iran and Afghanistan should reopen talks over the remaining“ ایــران و افغانســتان بــرای حــل مشــکل آب بایــد بــه میــز مذاکــره بازگردند تــا برای water in Helmand River and discuss the water rights of the آب باقــی مانــده در رود هیرمنــد مذاکــره کنند. ”.wetlands in Iran وی ادامــه داد: مــا بایــد پیگیــر ایــن آب باشــیم و بــه یــک تفاهمــی برســیم چــرا He further underscored the importance of reaching a formal agreement with Afghanistan as the exposed lake bed is the کــه ایــن گــرد و غبــاری کــه در سیســتان و بلوچســتان وجــود دارد، حتــی مــردم main hotspot for debilitating sand and dust storms which افغانســتان را نیــز تحــت تاثیــر قــرار مــی دهــد . .cause great discomfort both for Iranians and Afghans as well thanks Prayer Times Noon:13:02 Evening: 20:08 Dawn: 4:42 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 6:15 (tomorrow) APRIL 28, 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 Poetry night replaces literati’s annual Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 meeting with Leader over COVID-19 case rise Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051430 Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 ART Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 TEHRAN – Literati’s the Art Bureau said in its press release. deskannual meeting with The annual meeting of the poets and Printed at: Jame Jam Bartar Borna - 44197737 Leader of the Islamic Revolution Aya- literati with Ayatollah Khamenei is organ- tollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was replaced ized on the eve of the birthday of Imam Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimes79 with a poetry night on Tuesday due to Hassan (AS) on Ramadan 14. However, the a big rise in the number of COVID-19 meeting has been canceled over the past cases in the country. two years due the COVID-19 pandemic. No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran P.o. Box: 14155-4843 The poetry night named “Visiting the During the meeting, the poets and Zip Code: 1599814713 Moon” was held at in the courtyard of writers usually recited excerpts of their the Art Bureau in Tehran, the art Bureau latest works. announced. The poetry night “Visiting the Moon” The gathering, which was held with was also held last Ramadan in the court- a limited number of poets and literary yard of the Art Bureau. The organizers figures, was broadcast live on IRIB played a recording of last year’s speech by Channel 2. Ayatollah Khamenei during the gathering. Yusefali Mirshakkak, Ali Ensani, In his meeting in 2019 with the literati, Morteza Amiri Esfandaqeh, Abbas the Leader criticized Persian media and Baratipur, Hadi Saeidi Kiasari, Moham- Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting GUIDE TO mad-Mehdi Sayyar and Qasem Sarrafan, (IRIB) for their disregard of the standard SPIRITUAL AWAKENING were among the invitees. language, using “faceless language” and “We hope the wretched virus misery foreign terms and words, and addressing will come to an end soon, and with God’s Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei glances at a book by the cultural officials and literati, warned, Every religion has its distinct characteristic, and help, the meeting with the Leader will be Tehran-based Afghan writer Mohammad-Sarvar Rajai (C) during his annual meeting “Don’t let the Persian language fall into the distinct characteristic of Islam is modesty. organized as usual in next Ramadan,” with poets and literati on May 20, 2019. (Leader.ir) decay and ruin.” Prophet Muhammad (S) Iranian movies line up for Riverside festival to solve the termite problems in the apartment. While the “The Blue Bed” tells the story of Zahra, a middle- Music video featuring pest control company is working, Matiar is recording the aged woman who visits a temporary marriage agency procedures, as this is his hobby. The next day, Matiar gets and signs up to have a young working girl. She picks “Combat”, “Homeland” kidnapped after school, and the kidnapper asks Sudeh her up to take her home but the girl, Negar, who has to pay 10 Bitcoins for her son. Tremendous pressure is never had a female client before, becomes suspicious released in memory of put on Sudeh, but the truth hidden beneath will surprise of Zahra’s intent and sexual orientation. Gen. Soleimani everyone. “Quit” is about a girl who is forced to distribute “Metamorphosis in the Slaughterhouse” tells the drugs by her father and brother. She remembers her ARTTEHRAN – A music video featuring the song story of Shadi, a little girl that her parents have been mother because of an accident and then decides to stop desk“Combat” and “Homeland” was released in accused of murdering a girl in the village, and villagers distributing drugs because of her mother. This decision memory of Lieutenant-General Qassem Soleiamni on Tuesday. killed her parents to seek revenge. Her uncle adopts her causes her to be killed by the drug dealer. and now Shadi must face the problems that people of “A Boy Has Disappeared” is about a seven-year-old the village have caused. boy named Daniel whose parents are divorced, and who Hassan Majuni acts in a scene from “The Badger” “Radde” by Ali Lavari-Monfared, “Ava’s Silence” is sexually abused by his dad during his monthly visits. by Kazem Mollai. by Seyyed Gholamreza Nematpur, “The Blue Bed” by He overcomes this tragedy by his imagination, revolving Alireza Kazemipur, “Quit” by Sina Ravi, “A Boy Has around his having the ability to cause himself, as well ARTTEHRAN – The Riverside Disappeared” by Aida Alimadadi, “Goodnight Melika” by as the objects around him, to disappear. deskInternational Film Festival has selected Alborz Pursayyad and “The Guardian Angel” by Afshin “Goodnight Melika” tells the story Melika, a teenage to nine Iranian movies to screen various sections of the Eisai have been selected for the short film competition. girl who is the child of divorce. She lives with her mother. non-profit event that opened on Tuesday in the Inland “Radde” revolves around an alone fisherman who lives His mother intends to remarry and wants to evict her Empire region of Southern California. on an abandoned Wharf with derelict ships. Suddenly daughter. Melika accidentally finds out that her mother “The Badger” directed Kazem Mollai and he finds a fish who tried to commit suicide himself and told her fiance that she had never had a child, and this “Metamorphosis in the Slaughterhouse” by Javad Darai the fisherman wants to save its life. causes Melika mental damage. are competing in the feature films section. “Ava’s Silence” is about Ava, a young girl who has to “The Guardian Angel” is about a girl who is caring “The Badger” is about Sudeh, a 40-year-old woman work in her father’s auto shop as a mechanic because of for her ailing father. She must go to far-fetched lengths who faces a strange incident right before her second her father’s illness. Ava is looking forward to her brother to emigrate from Iran. marriage. Sudeh and her son Matiar live in an old returning from military service in a border area so she The Riverside International Film Festival will run Lieutenant-General Qassem Soleiamni (file photo). apartment. One day, she hires a pest control company can marry Abbas. until May 1. The music video has been produced in a collaborative effort between IRIB’s Music Center and the Art and Cultural Organization of Tehran Municipality. The songs for the music video have been selected from “The Fajr Intl. Film Festival picks Istvan Szabo’s Soldier”, a symphonic poem released by the Art and Cultural Organization of Tehran Municipality last December to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Commander Soleimani. “Final Report” The symphonic poem was composed by Arman Mehraban with lyrics by Ali-Mohammad Moaddab. Amir-Hossein Samiei ARTTEHRAN — Os- In “Final Report”, Szabo presents a differ- As the most internationally recognized desk sang the symphonic poem with the IRIB Symphonic Orchestra car-winning Hungarian ent definition of retirement, accompanied Hungarian filmmaker since the 1960s, Szabo conducted by Arash Amini. director Istvan Szabo’s latest movie “Final by the film’s capable actor, Klaus Maria has produced many films to represent several In February 2020, only one month after his martyrdom, Report” will be screened at the 38th Fajr Brandauer, who has starred in many of his political conflicts of the European history the courtyard of Tehran’s City Theater Complex hosted some International Film Festival, the organizers films and is also of retirement age. as well as his own personal struggles in life. open-air performances named “The Soldier” on the military announced on Tuesday. His belief in this film is that work should Szabo’s 1981 film “Mephisto” won the “Final Report” is Szabo’s 18th feature not stop at any stage of life, and his perfor- Oscar for best foreign-language film. life of the commander. Hungarian director Istvan Szabo’s movie film. It is about a retired renowned pro- mance as a director at the age of eighty-three Szabo’s other films “Colonel Redl” (1985) Following his assassination last year on January 3, Soleimani “Final Report”. has become a symbol of heroism, patriotism and sacrifice. He has fessor of cardiology who has dreamed of emphasizes the liveliness of cinema. and “Hanussen” (1988), with “Mephisto” drawn the attention of numerous artists, filmmakers, directors being an opera singer since childhood “If someone still wants to be with others are described as his trilogy. Dear Bobe” and “Sunshine”. and documentary producers, and has since become the main and returns to the village where he was in the future [after death], the cinema is “Meeting Venus” directed by Szabo in The 38th Fajr International Film Fes- character of several theatrical productions and movies. born upon retirement to become the local what will remain,” Szabo said in his latest 1991 was his first English-language film. tival will be held in Tehran from May 26 General Practitioner. interview about the film. His credits also include “With Sweet Emma, to June 2. Hungarian festival picks five films from Iran “The Notebooks of Serafino Gubbio” comes to Persian bookstores

ARTTEHRAN – Five Iranian movies are competing CULTURE TEHRAN – “Shoot!: The Notebooks Through Gubbio’s narrative — saturated with fantasy desk deskin the various section of the Mediawave on the of Serafino Gubbio, Cinematograph and folly — Pirandello grapples with the philosophical Road Online Film Festival, which opened in the Hungarian city Operator” by Italian writer Luigi Pirandello has recently implications of modernity. of Komarom on Tuesday. been published by Farhange No in Tehran. Like much of Pirandello’s work, “Shoot!” parodies The book has been translated into Persian by Asmar human weaknesses, drawing attention to the themes Musavinia. of isolation and madness as emerging tendencies in Originally published in Italian in 1915, “Shoot!” is the modern world. one of the first novels to take as its subject the heady Enhanced by new critical commentaries, “Shoot!” world of early motion pictures. is an entertaining caricature, capturing early twenti- Based on the absurdist journals of fictional Italian eth-century Italian filmmaking and revealing its truths camera operator Serafino Gubbio, “Shoot!” documents as only a parody can. the infancy of film in Europe — complete with proto-di- Pirandello was also a dramatist, novelist, poet and vas, laughable production schedules, and cost-cutting short story writer whose greatest contributions were measures with priceless effects — and offers a glimpse his plays. “Just for the Record” by Vojin Vasovic. of the modern world through the camera’s lens. This combination photo shows writer Luigi Piran- He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature “Tire-Lever” by Akbar Ruh and “I Will Wait” by Mohammad The book is a classic example of Nobel Prize-winning dello and the front cover of the Persian version of his for “his almost magical power to turn psychological Shervani will be screened in the short competition of the festival, Sicilian playwright Pirandello’s literary talent, and genius book “Shoot!: The Notebooks of Serafino Gubbio, Cin- analysis into good theater.” which will run until June 9. for blurring the line between art and reality. ematograph Operator”. Pirandello’s works include novels, hundreds of short “Tire-Lever” shows that sometimes people make decisions From the film studio Kosmograph, Pirandello’s stories and about 40 plays, some of which are written in in order to live and survive in difficult conditions that questions Gubbio steadily winds the crank of his camera by day both mundane and melodramatic that unfolds in front Sicilian. His tragic farces are often seen as forerunners humanity. and scribbles with his pen by night, revealing the world of his camera. of the Theatre of the Absurd. “I Will Wait” is about Soheila who leaves her infant at her neighbors in order to earn enough money, but they get upset with the baby and don’t want to take care of the infant. Soheila has to find a way for the baby so that she can continue at her work Alexandre Dumas’ travelogue of Caucasus published in Persian until her husband comes back from the war. ARTTEHRAN – University fans of travel writing. Sultanetta is a novella from his writing, Dumas was almost “The Mountain” co-produced by France and Iran and “Just for deskof Tabriz Publications has inspired by a classic Russian novel. perpetually penniless thanks to his the Record” co-produced by Iran and Serbia will be competing recently published French writer Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) was a famous extravagant lifestyle. in the animation category. Dumas’ “Tales of the Caucasus - The Ball of French writer. He is best remembered His novels have been translated into “The Mountain” directed by Amir-Mehdi Gharshi shows Snow and Sultanetta” in Persian. for his exciting romantic sagas, including nearly a hundred different languages, and that human life is like a tumultuous path that everyone is Ghaffar Abdollahi Matanaq is the “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count have inspired over 200 motion pictures. doomed to follow. translator of the travelogue first published of Monte Cristo”. Many of the earliest books, particularly Directed by Vojin Vasovic, the story of “Just for the Record” in 1903. His father’s aristocratic rank helped those dating back to the 1900s and before, is set in an abandoned attic, in which dictaphone robot REC It is a chronicle of his 1858 trip across the young Alexandre Dumas acquire work with are now extremely rare and increasingly desperately tries to connect to òõå bird that stops on its window. Caucasus, and details his experiences hunting, Louis-Philippe, the Duke of Orleans, as a expensive. “Dusty Dream” directed by Soleiman Rahimi is competing attending Russian dances, skirting around writer, finding early success. He became Many of his novels, including “The Count in the documentary section. battles, and braving the harsh elements. Cover of the Persian translation of French one of the leading authors of the French of Monte Cristo”, “The Three Musketeers”, This is a documentary about the traditional brick factory and An enjoyable and interesting read, “The writer Alexandre Dumas’ “Tales of the Cau- Romantic Movement in Paris. “The Man in the Iron Mask” and “The Vicomte families and even children whose lives and work are intertwined. Ball of Snow” is highly recommended for casus - The Ball of Snow and Sultanetta”. Despite making a great deal of money de Bragelonne” were serialized.