WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 Pages Price 50,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 42nd year No.13931 Thursday APRIL 29, 2021 Ordibehesht 9, 1400 Ramadan 16, 1442 Leader wishes Golmohammadi: Lebanese artist may have Leader regrets COVID-19 success for Hamas and Persepolis want Group faced Khashoggi’s fate in obstacles to annual Hezbollah Page 2 E top spot Page 3 Saudi detention Page 5 meeting with literati Page 8 U.S. must lift all post-JCPOA sanctions before returning to deal, top Iranian negotiator says Why Saudis and Israelis are TEHRAN – Iran’s top nuclear negotiator tions imposed on Iran during the terms underlined the need for the U.S. to lift all the of ex-president Barack Obama and his sanctions imposed after the signing of the successor, Donald Trump, following the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying the U.S. must implementation of the JCPOA in early do so before returning to the nuclear deal. 2016 must be terminated before the United Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed States can return to the agreement. anxious about JCPOA talksSee page 3 Abbas Araghchi made the remarks on Araghchi said Tehran’s position with re- Tuesday following another round of talks gard to the landmark deal has not changed between representatives of Iran and other and will not, either, stressing that, “The signatories to the deal, officially called United States must first lift all sanctions, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and Iran will return to its obligations only Persian Gulf National Day: (JCPOA), in the Austrian capital of Vienna. after verifying the lifting of US sanctions.” Let’s protect precious He told Press TV that all the sanc- Continued on page 3 marine environment Iran-EAEU annual trade hits $2.1b TEHRAN- The value of non-oil trade between oil commodities to the EAEU members last Iran and the members of the Eurasian Eco- year, registering a four-percent decline nomic Union (EAEU) reached $2.1 billion in terms of value. in the previous Iranian calendar year (end- The Islamic Republic’s imports from the ed on March 20), data released by Tehran block stood at $1 billion, with a 16.5-per- Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, cent drop in value. and Agriculture (TCCIMA) showed. The main reason for the drop in the Based on the mentioned data, the value trade between the two sides has been of trade shows an 11-percent fall, as com- said to be the restrictions created by the pared with the figure for the preceding year. coronavirus pandemic. Iran exported $1.1 billion worth of non- Continued on page 4 BY FARANAK BAKHTIARI 241,000 square kilometers. Its length TEHRAN – The Persian Gulf is a valu- is some 990 km, and its width varies able water body in terms of ecosystem from a maximum of about 340 km to and biodiversity, but has been affected a minimum of 55 km in the Strait of severely due to different depleting factors. Hormuz. So, let’s mind its protection on April 30, It has its own environmental charac- Persian Gulf National Day. teristics, as it is a semi-closed sea, aging The day marks the anniversary of 15,000 years, with an average depth of forcing out Portuguese navy of the Strait 35 meters, while being high salty with of Hormuz in the Capture of Ormuz severe heat fluctuations, and an annual (1622). evaporation rate of 140 cm. The Persian Gulf has an area of about Continued on page 7 File photo File Iranian teams have Iran eyes UNESCO status for Anger as ex-generals warn about the been satisfactory in five intangible elements consequence of Macron’s Islamophobia policy ACL: expert TEHRAN – Iran seeks to register five intangi- According to UNESCO, Yalda ceremonies, in The French government has condemned an Florence Parly, tweeted: “Two immutable princi- ble elements on UNESCO’s list of Intangible the best way, point to cultural diversity and open letter signed by active soldiers that said ples guide the action of members of the military BY FARROKH HESABI Cultural Heritage of Humanity in near future, human creativity, especially when one con- the country was heading for “civil war” due to with regard to politics: neutrality and loyalty.” ootball expert Sattar Hamed- Mehr reported on Tuesday. siders the wide range of the communities that Government Islamophobia policy and extremism. She earlier warned that any signatories still anis says that Iranian teams The country has recently submitted [revised] celebrate it. About 1,000 servicemen and women, including serving in the military would be punished for have shown good perfor- dossiers for the ancient festivities of Mehregan Mehregan celebration, which falls on the some 20 retired generals, put their names to the letter. defying a law that requires them to remain po- F and Yalda, crafting and playing [the stringed 196th day of the Iranian calendar year that It blamed “fanatic partisans” for creating litically neutral. mance in the 2021 AFC Champions League. instrument of] the Oud, traditional craft of silk usually equals October 2 in the Gregorian divisions between communities, and said ex- What does the letter say? The fifth matchday of the ACL was the spinning, and Turkmen Duzi (a kind of tradition- calendar, brings together clusters of Iranian tremists were taking over whole parts of the It warns French President Emmanuel Macron, worst day of the matches for the Iranian al textile being practiced by Iranian Turkman Zoroastrians to hold reunions in celebration nation’s territory. his government, and MPs of “several deadly teams as they ended the day with three tribes), the report said. of Mithra, an ancient goddess of friendship, Ministers have condemned the message dangers” threatening France. draws and one defeat without a win. The Yalda (the birth of a new sun), which is affection, and love. A key feature for the event published in a right-wing magazine. The signatories go on to blame “a certain bad news was that Foolad Khoozestan’s also called Yalda Night, is celebrated on the is large spreads in purple laden with various The letter was first published on 21 April anti-racism” for splitting up communities, and defeat against Al Sadd which cost them eve of the winter solstice, which falls on the ingredients, dishes, and elements each on be- - the 60th anniversary of a failed coup d’état. seeking to create “racial war” by attacking statues the tournament. They have no chance to last day of Azar (the last month of autumn in half of a particular belief. Fruits, vegetables, “The hour is grave, France is in peril,” the and other aspects of French history. qualify for the knockout stage even if they the Iranian calendar year). On that graceful dried nuts, sweets, rosewater, grilled lamb signatories said. They also accuse the government of seeking win as they lost the chance to finish among night, the winter chill is vanquished and the meat, lotus seeds, and silver coins, and a scale Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, a candidate to use the police “as proxy agents and scape- the three best second-placed teams. warmth of love embraces the entire family. are typically placed, the latter symbolizes au- in next year’s presidential election, has spoken goats” by brutally repressing the popular “gilets Sattar Hamedani, a former player of It’s a time for pleasant family reunions that tumnal equinox. out in support of the former generals. jaunes”, or yellow vest protests of recent years. Esteghlal, believes that the Blues have a entails laughter, merriment, and good cheer. Continued on page 6 But the minister in charge of the armed forces, Continued on page 5 good chance to make it into the knockout rounds. “Esteghlal played cautiously against The region was able to defend itself from U.S. Hybrid War: analyst Saudi opponent, knowing that even a draw China will fill the gap would pace them in pole position to win BY MOHAMMAD ALI SAKI Central-South-West Asian space’s resilience to of troops into combat over the past 20 years. left by the U.S. in West the group. Now their chances to secure the TEHRAN — A geopolitical analyst says that the Afghan-emanating threats; and the emergence Biden forcibly stamped his views on a policy he top of the table remain in their own hands. Central-South-West Asian space has been resil- of a multipolar alternative to the U.S.’ plans led has long debated but never controlled in rejecting Asia: Pakistani expert ient to U.S. efforts to export Afghanistan’s crises. by Pakistan, Russia, and China.” the Pentagon’s push to remain in Afghanistan They still have a tough match ahead, but BY REZA MOSHFEGH “The broader region was able to defend it- Biden administration will withdraw American for a more extended period. Now, after years of the face-to-face battle between the two TEHRAN – Noting that China is not an “interventionist self from the Hybrid War threats that the U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, declaring arguing against an extended American military other teams (Al Duhail and Al Ahli) is in power,” a Pakistani journalist says that Beijing is attempted to export from Afghanistan,” Andrew an end to one of the nation’s endless war and over- presence in Afghanistan, the American president our interest. going to fill the gap left by Washington in West Asia. Korybko tells the Tehran Times. ruling warnings from American military advisers is doing things his way, with the deadline set “Al Ahli played much better than the “Chinese engagements with regional countries According to the American expert, the U.S.