WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 16 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 39th year No.13110 Monday MAY 14, 2018 Ordibehesht 24, 1397 Sha’aban 27, 1439 Leader: Asian states Zarif embarks on journey Persepolis ready to Iran to observe should strengthen to save nuclear deal by first advance to ACL quarters: Ferdowsi cooperation 2 visiting China 2 Branko Ivankovic 15 National Day 16 New Horizon forum on Quds opens in Mashhad Strike planned against POLITICS The international ropean, Asian and Russian scholars as deskNew Horizon Confer- well as political commentators from ence on al-Quds (Jerusalem) opened Iran are attending the two-day event, in the northeastern city of Mashhad according to Tasnim. on Sunday. The gathering focuses on the latest U.S. Quds embassy move The subject of the conference, entitled developments in the Middle East, par- “Quds, Permanent Capital of Palestine”, ticularly U.S. President Donald Trump’s began at Al-Ghadir Hotel. plan to move his country’s embassy from More than 50 senior American, Eu- Tel Aviv to (al-Quds) Jerusalem. See page 13 Iran is EU’s strategic partner: Bulgarian minister ECONOMY TEHRAN — Bul- minister said in a meeting with Iranian deskgarian Minister of Minister of Finance and Economic Economy Emil Karanikolov said Iran Affairs Masoud Karbasian in Tehran is a strategic partner for the European on Sunday. Union, IRIB reported. The official further mentioned creating “Bulgaria, which holds the presi- a payment system and facilitating the trade dency of the European Union Coun- conditions for lowering the trade costs cil, is taking necessary measures to as important issues in the two countries’ expand economic ties with Iran,” the economic relations. 4 Smart city, smart life to be in limelight at INOTEX 2018 By Setareh Behroozi will attend the event, INOTEX Secretary TEHRAN — Smart city and smart life Akbar Qanbarpour said during a press are the main themes of the 7th Interna- conference on Tuesday. tional Innovation Technology Exhibition The delegations are from Georgia, (INOTEX) 2018, which will be held from Kazakhstan, Oman, Iraq, Turkey, Paki- July 5 to 7 in Tehran. stan, Indonesia and Poland, Qanbarpour Supported by the vice-presidency for announced. science and technology, the event will be “We aim to find foreign investors for our Achmad Ibrahim hosted by the Pardis Technology Park (PTP) technological innovation, hence the invited countries are in lower technological level in AP/ and Iran National Technomart. Trade delegations from eight countries comparison to Iran,” he explained. 10 ARTICLE Afshani elected Tehran mayor ARTICLE Hanif Ghaffari SOCIETY TEHRAN — Tehran city coun- post for some 12 years. Peter W Galbraith Political analyst deskcilors elected Mohammad Ali Since the very beginning of his career Najafi Former U.S. Ambassador Afshani as mayor on Sunday. faced a barrage of criticism mainly related to to Croatia Afshani, the former governor general of urban management issues including air pollution, Fars province and the deputy interior min- the traffic scheme, Tehran earthquake, heavy Europe is about to ister for development affairs, was elected snowfall. And finally after six months, he handed How Iran might benefit by securing 19 out of 21 votes, Mehr news in his resignation on March 14. Trump’s decision to take a historical test agency reported. Despite all the efforts to convince Najafi to Afshani and Samiollah Makarem Hosseini, keep his post as mayor of Tehran, eventually withdraw from JCPOA? ast Thursday, Immanuel Macron who served as the caretaker for Tehran Mu- the Tehran City Council accepted his resigna- was in Aachen to receive this year’s nicipality for less than two months, made the tion on April 10. ranians are justified in being angry LCharlemagne prize from Angela shortlist of the candidates. mayor on September 5, 2017. His predecessor Najafi said that the main reason behind his about Donald Trump’s decision to Merkel, the German chancellor. As the Mohammad Ali Najafi, was sworn in as was Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who held the decision was his newly diagnosed disease. Iviolate the terms of the Joint Com- name suggests, the prize isawarded for prehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the work done in the service of European Iran nuclear deal. After all, Iran has kept unification. It has been awarded ‘Saudi Oligarchy can’t run in long run without democratic legitimacy’ to its obligations; thanks to Trump, the annually since 1950 by the German city By Payman Yazdani Adib Moghaddam said, “It is true that in tra- world-view is affected by religious ordinances, United States has not. of Aachen to people who contributed TEHRAN — Professor Arshin Adib-Moghadd- ditional/liberal political economy there was a rather than empirical reality. Trump’s speech was venomous, vin- to the unity of Europe. There Macron am, Chair of the Centre for Iranian Studies at the strong link between economic modernization It is very likely that in Saudi Arabia, some dictive and not factual. But, it was also urged Europe to unite and exert a self- London Middle East Institute says, no Oligarchy and democratization. China seems to have chal- of the rather more orthodox clerics will protest clear that the real source of his hatred confident “European sovereignty” in without democratic legitimacy can run in long lenged this paradigm, at least until now. But social reforms if they don’t yield economic and is not Iran, but Barack Obama. Indeed, the face of an increasingly complex term including Saudi one. the real point is of course whether any state political dividends. But as a self-interested strata Donald Trump’s approach to governing world and unilateral American moves Commenting on the reasons behind Saudi in the world can afford, in the long term, to of society connected to the state through institu- seems principally driven by insecurity on issues such as the Iran nuclear deal Prince Bin Salman’s reforms, he said, “Saudi Arabia be dependent on one person, or an Oligarchy tions that have matured for centuries now, it is about his own inadequacies as compared and climate change. is dealing with unprecedented socio-economic without democratic legitimacy. unlikely that there will be open revolt against the to his predecessor. “Let us not be weak, let us choose,” challenges, in particular youth unemployment. I think it impossible in the long run. There House of Saud. We should all hope for stability While anger is justified, it rarely a good Macron said as he received the prize… A The charter is meant to ease the political reper- will always be this emphasis on freedom, even in Saudi Arabia, and I don’t deem the current basis for responding. At this stage, Iran new Europe must be built on solidarity cussions of these problems and to signal to the in its abstract form in any human society and reforms a major threat to that end.” would do well to think strategically before and convergence, Macron said, and, for world that Saudi Arabia is modernizing. this is largely because human beings are born Answering a question about the possible pos- fashioning a response. that purpose, “I believe in a stronger, Of course, there are more intricate economic free. If the Saudi monarchy doesn’t democratize itive effect of the reforms on the living standards Iran entered in the JCPOA — which more integrated Eurozone with its own reasons such as diversification away from the oil it will lose the support of the middle class and of the poor people including Shia minority in the involved commitments beyond those re- budget that enables investment and sector which go beyond the scope of this interview. I other strata of society in the long run.” country, Abib Moghaddam added, “ quired by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation convergence.” think the dynamics primarily internal as indicated.” Referring to differences between some strong This remains to be seen and it can’t be forecast- Treaty — for two main reasons. First, “Yes, I am ready to say that we need Commenting on the success of the social religious figures and the Prince bin Salman on ed at this stage. There are many socio economically to gain relief from crippling economic to undertake profound reforms and and economic reforms initiated by him with- the reforms and its effect on the success of the challenged strata of Saudi society. Whilst some sanctions and, second, to end its inter- transformations in order to reduce out political reforms in Saudi Arabia and its reforms, he added, “Clerics have a tendency to Shia are discriminated against, the specter of national isolation. Both goals are still public expenditure, which is the possible consequences for the royal family, be conservative and against change because their poverty goes beyond religious affiliation.” achievable and, with the right strategy, sole condition for moving forward in Iran may end up in a stronger position Europe,” Macron stated. internationally than at anytime since the Indirectly, Macron referred to the creation of the Islamic Republic. United States’ President Donald Trump Iranian reciter The United States is not a significant and emphasized on the importance honored at source of trade or investment for Iran. of “refusing to let others decide for Being unable to sell or buy directly us”.Addressing an audience that also Malaysia Quran from the United States will not have included leaders from Lithuania, a big impact on the Iranian economy. Bulgaria, Luxembourg and Ukraine, contest The problem for Iran is the so-called Macron urged Europe to defend the secondary sanctions — the inability of global multilateral order, for the sake CULTURE TEHRAN — Iranian non-American companies to access in desk of the continent’s sovereignty.