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.13904 Sunday MARCH 14, 2021 Esfand 24, 1399 Rajab 30, 1442 Persons with military Skocic protests AFC over Free medical services “The Sand Wolf” background can stand choosing Bahrain as for people aged hunts Iran’s Flying as candidates Page 2 Group C host Page 3 over 65 Page 7 Turtle Page 8 Iranian heavy crude oil price rises 11.5% in February: OPEC TEHRAN- Iranian heavy oil price increased in the previous year’s same period. $6.28 in February to register an 11.5-per- The report put Iranian crude output for Illogical presence cent rise compared to the previous month, February at 2.12 million barrels per day according to OPEC’s latest monthly report. indicating a 35,000-bpd increase compared See page 3 Iran sold its heavy crude oil at $60.66 to the figure for the previous month. U.S. faces trouble justifying presence in Iraq per barrel in the mentioned month, com- Based on OPEC data, the country’s av- pared to January’s $54.38 per barrel, IRIB erage crude output in the fourth quarter reported. of 2020 stood at 1.993 million barrels According to the report, the country’s per day indicating a near 45,000-bpd average heavy crude price was $57.52 from rise compared to the figure for the third the beginning of 2021 up to the report’s quarter of the year. publishing day, in comparison to $57.97 Continued on page 4 Gen. Soleimani mourners, former traceur: World Press Photo Awards nominee pics TEHRAN – Images of a former traceur and mer professional traceur – practitioner of mourning ceremony for General Qassem parkour – who lives in the Iranian town of Soleimani by Iranian photographers have Gachsaran. He fell in a parkour competition received nominations at the 2021 World seven years ago, injuring the spinal cord Press Photo Awards. in his neck. His injury when he fell was The photo series “Thoughts of Flight” so severe that he could only blink, and by Fereshteh Eslahi has been nominated doctors said he wouldn’t even be able to in the 2021 sports stories category. sit in a wheelchair. The series depicts Saeid Ramin, a for- Continued on page 8 TEHRAN – The first domestically manu- Through the project, the 25 to 30 factured subway train was unveiled during percent share of domestic companies in a ceremony on Saturday, with 85 percent designing, manufacturing, and supplying of the parts developed and made inside subway train parts has increased to 85 the country, ISNA reported. percent, Ali Emam, head of Tehran Urban In June 2019, a memorandum of un- and Suburban Railway Company said. derstanding was signed between the Vice The national train was produced by 18 National subway train Presidency for Science and Technology, knowledge-based companies and based Tehran Urban and Suburban Railway Com- on the experience of the last 20 years in pany, and the Innovation and Prosperity the production of three generations of Fund to complete the subway train project subway cars, he noted. developed despite sanctions under an 18-month contract. Continued on page 7 hamshahrionline AFC’s clear Campaign launched to promote handicrafts U.S. “ceasefire plan” meant to prolong Yemen’s favoritism as Noruz gifts descent into turmoil: Ansarullah BY FARROKH HESABI TEHRAN – The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, dition on a fresh new year symbolizes wealth, The spokesman for Yemen’s popular Houthi ade. We would then welcome the measure. he Asian Football Confeder- Handicrafts, and Tourism has launched a social prosperity, fertility, or luck. Perhaps the most Ansarullah movement has dismissed the U.S. Aggression and siege against Yemen have ation (AFC) has chosen Bah- campaign for using domestic handicrafts as gifts enduring image of Noruz is about socializing, proposal for a nationwide ceasefire in the war-torn not stopped even for a single day over the rain as host of FIFA World to celebrate Noruz, the Iranian New Year. deepening family bonds, and meeting up with country, saying the plan would plunge Yemen past six years, so what is the U.S. concept T For more than a year, the coronavirus pan- old friends mostly in their homes. further into turmoil. of ceasing fire or breaking the siege?” Ab- Cup qualifiers in Group C and the decision is a clear favoritism which demic has ruined hundreds of thousands of Last May, the deputy tourism minister Pouya “The U.S. plan doesn’t include breaking the dul-Salam added. has deeply wounded 85-million ar- jobs in the country including those related to Mahmoudian noted that due to the outbreak of siege or ceasing fire. It is actually a detour which The Ansarullah spokesman said the U.S. dent football fans in Iran. craftspeople. The campaign, according to ad- coronavirus, suitcase exports of handicrafts were would lead to a resumption of a (Saudi) block- presentation of Saudi conditions as a so-called Thursday, 11th March marked the vocates, is intended to create a change and to completely stopped since the month of Esfand ade diplomatically,” Mohammed Abdul-Salam peace plan once again proved that Washington first anniversary of the World Health help the handicrafts sector to emerge from a (the last month of the year), and official exports said in an interview with Yemen’s al-Masirah explicitly supports the Saudi war and blockade Organization’s declaration of COVID-19 prolonged recession. of handicrafts experienced a steep decline. “Some television Friday evening. against Yemen. a global pandemic. On making that dra- Tehran province directorate of the Cultural 295 fields of handicrafts are currently practiced “One of the conditions presented in the He further noted that what the U.S. special matic announcement, WHO’s Director Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism has adopted across Iran with more than two million peo- initiative is to determine the destinations of envoy on Yemen, Tim Lenderking, presented General Tedros Adhanom emphasized a motto, which is translated into “I will give ple engaging, majority of whom are women… flights departing Sana’a airport, and for the was a plot to plunge the Arab state further into that “Pandemic” was not a word to use handicrafts as gift this Noruz”. “Citizens are Handicrafts also play an important role in the coalition of aggression to issue flight per- turmoil. lightly or carelessly. asked to use handicrafts as a beautiful and last- economy in our rural villages,” she said. mits. This means they are not licensed here “It is unacceptable for an American envoy With that announcement life as we ing Noruz gift to support the employment of Over the past couple of years, dozens of in Sana’a,” he said. to present a plan which is inferior to that of knew it, changed. One-third of the whole craftspeople,” Parham Janfeshan, who presides high-quality Iranian handicrafts have been “If they were serious to stop the aggres- the United Nations special envoy for Yemen world went into lockdown. What did not over the directorate, said on Saturday. honored with the UNESCO Seal of Excellence. sion and siege, they would have declared (Martin Griffiths),” Abdul-Salam said. deem essential came to a complete halt, From ancient times to today, gift-giving tra- Continued on page 6 a complete end to hostilities and block- Continued on page 5 with sports and football amongst those. All forms of domestic and international football at all levels stopped. The Asian Iranian ship hit in terror attack in Mediterranean “Greater Kurdistan” Football Confederation’s joint FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 / AFC Asian Cup China TEHRAN - One of the cargo ships of the Islamic A small fire broke out in the aftermath of through relevant international institutions to an impossible dream: 2023 matches, scheduled on the two FIFA Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) has been the explosion, which was quickly put out by identify the perpetrators. dates in March 2020 were put on ice. The slightly damaged after it was targeted by a terrorist the crew members, Qiasi said, according to On Thursday, a report by The Wall Street KRG representative attack en route to Europe in the Mediterranean Press TV. Journal claimed the Israeli regime had been AFC has since tried to reschedule the last BY MOHAMMAD MAZHARI Sea earlier this week, the company says. The ship, the spokesman added, “will con- involved in a clandestine campaign of attacks four rounds of their eight qualifying groups TEHRAN – Describing the “Greater Kurdistan” idea The container ship, named Shahr-e Kord, tinue on its route after damage assessments on Iranian ships carrying oil and arms to Syria to no avail and lost 12 FIFA dates, including as impossible, the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Govern- was hit as it was traveling in the high seas on and repair.” since 2019. the March 2021 window. ment (KRG) representative in Tehran emphasizes Wednesday, IRISL spokesman Ali Qiasi told Such acts of terror are a clear example of na- The Israeli attacks started in late 2019 and The continent’s governing body decided that this idea is like a far-fetched dream. Nour News on Friday. val piracy and runs counter to the international targeted both Iranian vessels, and other ships to consult with its member associations “The map of “Greater Kurdistan” may be the desire The official said the vessel’s hull sustained law on the safety of commercial vessels, he said, with Iranian cargo, the report claimed, citing in mid-February to make a “collective de- of some Kurdish parties, but putting it into practice slight damage, but those aboard were unharmed.