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.13885 Wednesday FEBRUARY 17, 2021 Bahman 29, 1399 Rajab 5, 1442 Iran strongly Iran fixture at 2022 Majlis approves Inscribed testament of rejects rumors about World Cup qualifiers amendments of Commander Soleimani unveiled Erbil attack Page 3 announced Page 3 budget bill Page 4 at Tehran art show Page 8 Iran, Russia hold joint naval drills TEHRAN – Iran and Russia started a naval Russian commanders on board the One year into the pandemic, drill in the northern parts of the Indian visiting flotilla first held a meeting with Ocean on Tuesday. Iranian peers at Chabahar port to make The drill started after a flotilla of Rus- arrangements for the drill. sian military vessels arrived in Iran’s Admiral Gholamreza Tahani, the deputy southeastern waters on Tuesday. commander of the Iranian Navy and the spokes- Iran’s achievements The Russian flotilla, comprising Stoiky man for the military exercise, said on Tuesday frigate and Kola replenishment oiler, was given that “security is unstoppable” and “exercises See page 7 a salute by Army and IRGC vessels upon arrival for promoting security is unstoppable.” in Iran’s territorial waters, Tasnim reported. Tahani, who said the maneuver with The slogan of the naval exercise is Russia will be held annually, added the “security of maritime commerce”. The purpose of the exercise is “to strengthen maneuver will cover an area of 17,000 security and its foundations in the region”. square kilometers and it will last four days. Continued on page 2 Tehran hosting 4 international exhibitions TEHRAN - Four international exhibitions Equipment (Woodex 2021), The 11th are being concurrently held at the Tehran Iran’s International Exhibition of Ar- Permanent International Fairgrounds, chitecture, Interior Design, and Mod- IRNA reported on Tuesday. ern House (MIDEX 2021), and the 7th As reported, the 17th edition of Iran’s International Footwear, Bag, Leather international exhibition of metallurgy and Related Industry Exhibition of Iran (IRAN METAFO), the 11th edition of were the exhibitions that kicked off on Iran’s International Exhibition of Wood Monday and will continue for four days. Industries Machineries and Related Continued on page 4 ICRO music video airs Leader’s views for Japanese people TEHRAN – Iran’s Islamic Culture and Re- press release on Tuesday. lations Organization (ICRO) has produced Aspects of development and achievements a music video airing the views of Leader of of the country in social, economic, cultural the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed and scientific fields have also been portrayed. Ali Khamenei with Japanese subtitles. Following the June 2019 meeting of the The video entitled “Through the Eyes of former prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe Iran’s Leader” reflects the Leader’s views with Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran, Japanese on the importance of book, reading and people have shown an interest in learning environment and science, and the nature more about the Leader, the ICRO said. of countries, the ICRO announced in a Continued on page 8 Most U.S. sanctions D-8 event promoting U.S. Congress to set up commission to have been Iranian startups investigate Capitol attack counterproductive: TEHRAN – Twenty Iranian startups are show- investors, despite unilateral sanctions, to con- The United States Congress will establish an as Congress met to ratify Democrat Joe Biden’s casing their achievements at the 3rd Technolo- sider the Iranian knowledge-based ecosystem. independent commission to investigate and report presidential election victory. Hippel gy Investment Meeting (TIM 2021) of the D-8 Due to the prevalence of coronavirus and the on the January 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol, a top The insurrection sent shockwaves across the Organization for Economic Cooperation which observance of social distancing, some side programs Democratic Party lawmaker said on Monday. U.S. and the world, while observers continue BY MOHAMMAD MAZHARI started in Tehran on Tuesday. of this event are held virtually, Akbar Qanbarpour, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy to question how the rioters were able to access ran warned Washington on Tues- Pardis Technology Park is hosting the two-day an official at Pardis Technology Park, stated. Pelosi said in a note to House members that the the seat of the U.S. legislature. day that the window to rejoin the event both virtually and in-person, aiming to address The Strategic Technologies Center of Iran commission would be modelled on one set up She said the commission would look at “the 2015 nuclear deal won’t remain the investment potentials in Islamic developing has announced that over 6,500 startups are now after the attacks of September 11, 2001. interference with peaceful transfer of power” as I countries in order to open up an opportunity for active in the country. “To protect our security … our next step will well as the “preparedness and response” of U.S. open for an indefinite time. Iranian authorities expect the White foreign and domestic investors, ISNA reported. Last year, the vice president for science and be to establish an outside, independent 9/11- Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies. House to swiftly lift economic sanctions D-8 includes major Muslim developing coun- technology Sourena Sattari called Iran the largest type commission to investigate and report on Pelosi’s announcement comes after the U.S. that former President Donald Trump tries namely, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, hub of startups in the region. the facts and causes relating to the January 6, Senate on February 13 declined to convict Trump illegally imposed on the country after Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, 2021, domestic terrorist attack,” Pelosi said. on an impeachment charge of “incitement of withdrawing the U.S. from the 2015 nu- Some 30 percent of these startups are active startups, as well as knowledge-based companies, According to al Jazeera, a mob of pro-Trump insurrection” in relation to the riot. clear pact (the Joint Comprehensive in the field of health, others in fintech (finan- have been working round the clock to provide protesters overwhelmed police barricades and se- While Trump’s defense team had rejected Plan of Action) in 2018, as part of a cial technology), ICT, oil and gas, and artificial items to combat the outbreak. curity checkpoints to force their way into the U.S. the accusation that the former president incited campaign called “maximum pressure” intelligence, he noted. They have taken notable steps to produce Capitol building on January 6 after attending a the mob, Democrats and even some members against Iran. Good opportunities, such as abundant man- face mask, diagnostic kits, and disinfectants rally organized by then-President Donald Trump. of Trump’s own Republican Party said he was However, Frank von Hippel, the power alongside cheap knowledge-based and and manufacture advanced medical equipment Five people died and dozens of police officers “practically and morally responsible for pro- former assistant director for National technological products, have attracted foreign such as ventilators, ICU and CT scan rooms. were injured in the incident, which took place voking the events of the day”. Security in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, believes that the sanctions failed to achieve their goals. Ancient petroglyphs discovered in western Iran Professor says “There may be some U.S. sanctions TEHRAN – Another cluster of ancient petroglyphs horseback riding,” the official said. in Khomein county, have been estimated to be Washington will be unrelated to the JCPOA that will be has recently been discovered in a barren plain The Islamic Republic is seeking an integrated carved in a period spanning from 40,000 to 4,000 kept, but most U.S. sanctions have been in Lorestan province, western Iran. UNESCO recognition for millennia-old petro- years ago, providing insights into past eras and less biased in favor of counterproductive by strengthening “The petroglyphs, which bear carved symbols glyphs scattered across the country. cultures both by tools utilized for carving and the political power of the hard-liners and figures in the two colors of black and ocher, Iran will put forward clusters of its mil- themes being carved. Riyadh in Iran who do not want to negotiate were discovered during an architectural survey lennia-old petroglyphs—located in Khomein Last year, a prehistorical petroglyph, BY MOHAMMAD ALI SAKI over anything,” Hippel tells the Teh- conducted in Chegeni county of Lorestan prov- county of Markazi province, and the ones dotted which bears Pahlavi script written by ordi- TEHRAN - An American professor says that U.S. ran Times. ince,” the provincial tourism chief, Seyyed Amin in the provinces of Isfahan and Lorestan--as a nary people of the time, was found during foreign policy during Joe Biden’s presidency will According to Hippel, American Qasemi, announced on Monday. candidate for inclusion in UNESCO’S World an archaeological survey in the Teymareh focus on human rights and democracy which can hard-liners like sanctions for the same “The drawings include animal, human, and Heritage list. region of central Iran. affect its ties with Saudi Arabia. reason. “So, in general, I think that sanc- plant motifs as well as scenes of hunting and Teymareh petroglyphs, which are located Continued on page 6 “U.S. policy going forward will likely be more tions are counterproductive.” conditioned by concerns about human rights and The Iranian Parliament voted on De- democracy, and less biased in favor of Saudi Arabia cember 1 in favor of a bill called “Strategic and Israel,” Karl Kaltenthaler, professor of political Action to Lift Sanctions and Safeguard Iranian science and director of Security Studies at the Uni- Interests of the Iranian People,” which versity of Akron, tells the Tehran Times.