WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 16 Pages Price 20,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13235 Saturday OCTOBER 20, 2018 Mehr 28, 1397 Safar 10, 1440 Cleric likens joining Russia cannot Iran move 17 spots up Asghar Farhadi to FATF to going to force Iran out of Syria at Youth Olympic receive Stockholm the gallows 2 2 Games 15 Visionary Award 16 Iran’s oil exports total 2.2m bpd in first 2 weeks of Oct. Pilgrims on the way Iranian crude oil and condensate ex- days of the month, due to delays caused ports averaged 2.2 million barrels per by AIS manipulation during maritime day (bpd) in the first two weeks of Oc- transportation. tober, an increase of 195,618 bpd over In September, an average of 2 million the full month of September, Kallanish bpd was tracked by the service. Energy reports. In the period of Oct. 1-13, the OPEC According to data released by online member exported 28.64 million bar- to Karbala monitoring service TankerTrackers. rels, according to TankerTrackers. Over 1.1m Iranians applied for visa for Arbaeen pilgrimage com, the volume is based on the first 13 com. 4 See page 12 Medicine tops Iran’s biotech export list TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN — Medi- specially biomedicine during past years. deskcine is on top of the “By producing biomedicine, we already list of exports of biotechnology products save 540 million dollars through decreasing in Iran, the secretary of biotech devel- import of medicine,” he said. opment center (BioDC) announced, “We are already producing biotech Tasnim reported on Sunday. medicine, which are very expensive due Mostafa Qanei said that Iran has a great their hi-tech process of manufacturing,” improvement in the field of biotechnology he explained. 10 Saudi looking for bin Salman replacement Having found Crown Prince Mohammed Jamal Khashoggi, who is believed to bin Salman’s antics too costly for its already have been killed at the Saudi consu- stained reputation, Saudi Arabia’s ruling late in Turkey’s Istanbul upon an order family is looking to replace the young prince from MBS. Mahdi Pedramkhou with his less ambitious brother, Khalid, As crisis grows, Saudi king a new report suggests. checks son’s power The report by the French paper Le So grave is the fallout from the dis- Figaro cited a diplomatic source in Par- appearance of Saudi journalist Jamal is as saying that the Saudi Allegiance Khashoggi that King Salman has felt Council had secretly met to discuss the compelled to intervene, five sources with Tehran Times/ Tehran Times/ disappearance of anti-Riyadh journalist links to the Saudi royal family said. 13 ARTICLE For Why Trump is Attacking Iran as he Defends MBS: Askari REPORT Hamid Bayati EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW special advisor to Saudi finance minister, tells security. He can’t now repeat what he had said Mahnaz Abdi Tehran Times journalist Head of the TehranTimes By Javad Heirannia the Tehran Times in the past. Namely, how he loves the Saudis Following is the text of the interview: because they buy and rent things from him. He Economy Desk TEHRAN — Professor Hossein Askari, an expert What we are increasingly hearing is Trump’s has to say that the Saudis are critical for U.S. on Saudi Arabia who also teaches international attacks on Iran as he defends MBS and King security. So what is he saying? All lies but here U.S. air force; business at the George Washington University, Salman in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Why is a partial list: We need Saudi Arabia to fight Debate over believes that Trump has to invent something for do you think Trump is using this tactic? terrorism, yet he forgets that Osama bin Laden competing with rivals defending MBS and King Salman to his evangelical A: Trump has to invent something for de- was a Saudi and 15 of the terrorists who were offering crude oil base and the millions of other Americans who fending MBS and King Salman to his evangelical responsible for 9/11 were Saudis; and today or creating a new get their news from Fox. base and the millions of other Americans who it is Saudi Arabia that is killing thousands of at IRENEX to tackle “National security is a well-proven candidate get their news from Fox. National security is innocent Yemeni women and children with weapons market and it is less debatable because common folks a well-proven candidate and it is less debat- indiscriminate airial bombing supported by sanctions assume that that is an area left to the government able because common folks assume that that the U.S. military and with U.S. bombs and .S. President Donald Trump has and people in the know. So he says that the U.S. is an area left to the government and people planes that Trump so proudly advertises to he issue of offering crude oil in the once again stressed the need for needs King Salman and MBS for America’s na- in the know. So he says that the U.S. needs the world. And atrocities that will only create stock market of Iran dates back to Uformation of U.S. space force, rea- tional security,” Hossein Askari, who served as King Salman and MBS for America’s national more enemies for the U.S. in the future. 7 Tthe Iranian calendar year of 1379 soning that Russia and China are pioneers (March 2000-March 2001). Since then in the area. it has come on the table several times The U.S. Space Force, which is in- Saudi conference boycott over Khashoggi shows political threat to economy but was never materialized. tended to have control over military A Western boycott of a major business conference - over 150 speakers from more than 140 organiza- too much at stake to abandon the Middle East’s But now, with the U.S.’s with- operations in outer space, would be in Riyadh next week suggests rising political risks tions originally signed up, organizers said. But it biggest economy; privately, some told Reuters drawal from Iran’s nuclear deal in a new branch of the military by 2020, in Saudi Arabia could harm its ambitions to attract deprives the conference of much of its star power. they would send lower-level executives to the May and re-imposition of sanctions on par with the army, navy, air force, foreign capital and diversify its economy away from oil. As Western companies fret over the risk to their conference. against Iranian economy, the issue marines and coast guard. Rather than whipping up interest in Saudi reputations of doing deals and possible exposure Billions at stake has come again under the spotlight Trump’s remark proves that Washing- as an approach to counter the new investment opportunities, the event risks becoming to any sanctions imposed over the Khashoggi Larry Fink, chief executive of U.S. investment ton’s main objective of the space force is round of sanctions. a public relations debacle because of the disap- case, they are likely to put much new business manager BlackRock, said he was pulling out of not to lag behind in the competition with On July 1, Iran’s First Vice President pearance of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, in Saudi Arabia on hold for now. the conference but would not cut ties with Saudi its traditional rivals. Es’haq Jahangiri announced that in a move company executives and analysts say. The freeze may apply to both new Western Arabia as he wanted to “preserve the relationships This is the first time since the adoption to beat U.S. sanctions, Iran will let private Turkish officials have said Khashoggi was contracts or investments in Saudi Arabia, and that we’d worked so long for”. of National Security Bill in 1947 that companies to export crude oil. killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. the Saudi government’s own program of buying Companies in China and Japan have shown a new branch of military is added to Speaking in a ceremony to celebrate Saudi Arabia denies this. corporate assets abroad through its $250 billion little or no sign of withdrawing from the event, the U.S. Armed Forces. Air Force Space the national day of industry and mine, More than two dozen top officials and executives Public Investment Fund (PIF). so U.S. and European firms may lose out on busi- Command (AFSPC), sometimes referred the official said that Iranian crude will from the United States and Europe, including “Most Western businesses will come under ness if they stay cool toward Riyadh for too long. to informally as U.S. Space Command, be offered on the bourse and the private U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and pressure to reconsider their exposure to Saudi “In the new year the impact may start to ease, will be a major branch of the United sector can export it. the chief executives of JP Morgan Chase and Arabia in light of the Khashoggi affair,” said Ay- particularly given that the U.S. seems to be helping States Air Force, with its headquarters The latest news in this due came on HSBC, have canceled plans to attend the Fu- ham Kamel, head of the Middle East practice of Saudi Arabia sweep the incident under the car- at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Tuesday, when National Iranian Oil ture Investment Initiative due to unease over political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. pet,” said Jason Tuvey, senior emerging markets This command intends to support U.S.