Iran’s parliamentary Japan’s TonenGeneral Iran’s 2016 Olympic Iranian theater 21112group to visit 4 buys first oil uniforms revealed troupe pays tribute NATION Damascus ECONOMY from Iran: sources SPORTS ART& CULTURE to Anton Chekhov WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y ‘Iran resolved to open new chapter in cooperation with ASEAN’ 2 12 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 38th year No.12611 Sunday JULY 31, 2016 Mordad 10, 1395 Shawwal 26, 1437 Failed coup Al-Nusra strengthened Turkish Tehran, Moscow set roadmap rebranding unity: ambassador for strategic economic co-op just ‘word EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW By Ali Kushki and Parvin Telli Iran and Russia are to sign a five-year Iranian Communications and Informa- Vaezi and Novak, who co-chaired play’: Iran strategic cooperation plan on more tion Technology Minister Mahmoud the Russian-Iranian intergovernmental TEHRAN — Two weeks after the July 15 coup, the Tehran than 70 industrial projects. Vaezi to Moscow, starting from July 26, commission on trade and economic POLITICAL TEHRAN — Irani- Times sat face-to-face with Turkish ambassador to Tehran The two countries conferred on tak- and his meetings with various Russian cooperation, told reporters about the deskan Foreign Ministry Riza Hakan Tekin to hear his remarks about the pre- and ing bilateral economic partnership into senior officials including Energy Minister outcomes of their meeting in a news spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on post-coup Turkey. a new level during the four-day visit of Alexander Novak. conference on Friday. Thursday that changing the name of Too strong to be defeated by tanks and helicopters, Al-Nusra Front to Jabhat Fatah al-Sh- said the ambassador, hailing the Turkish people’s will. See page 4 am is just a “word play”. Following is the first part of the interview. “This play is targeted at removing Your country has been in a complicated this group from the list of terrorism situation over the past two weeks, experiencing a while the ugly face of extremism and coup and this is what we would like to start with. terrorism cannot be purified by such What happened? actions,” he said. A: Right. This it is no longer a secret due to access The terrorist nature of the group to media outlets, not comparable with other coups in will not be changed by such actions, Turkey’s contemporary history from this perspective. Qassemi asserted. What happened has to do with Fetullah Gülen’s terrorist He said that such actions indicate fail- group which had infiltrated into virtually all important ure of the policy adopted by supporters state institutions, including the Army, security organiza- of extremism in the Middle East region tions, interior ministry, and judicial organizations. This with Saudi Arabia at the top. had been going on, it was understood, for many years The Iranian Foreign Ministry official and they sought to obtain power through this very il- called Saudi Arabia “founding father legal and wildwild act par-par- and main supporter” of al-Qaeda, Tal- ticularlticularlyy throughthrough their iban, Daesh (ISIS) and other terrorist people in armarmy.y. groups, especially those active in Syria. See page 2-9 Qassemi called on the internation- al community to pay attention to the roots of terrorism and exert pressure against supporters of terrorists. The al-Nusra Front announced on Thursday that the group has ended its affiliation to al-Qaeda and would re- form under the new name of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. Sputnik The leader of the al-Nusra Front, Mohamad al-Golani, announced that the group will have “no ties with any foreign party”. Iranian movies line up According to Reuters, earlier on Thurs- Germany, Italy and France send most tourists to Iran day, bin Laden’s successor as Al Qaeda for Melbourne festival leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, gave the Nusra TOURISM TEHRAN — Most of countries can obtain visa on arrival at Front his blessing to break away. desk ARTTEHRAN — A lineup of Iranian movies are the tourists who apply the country’s airports with one-month deskcurrently on screen at the Melbourne In- for getting visa to visit Iran are from Ger- validation, he added. ternational Film Festival (MIFF), which opened in Melbourne, many, Italy and France, the head of Ira- In October 2015, Soltanifar said the Zarif calls Australia on July 28. nian Tour Operators Association, Ebra- easing of visa rules was opening the Asghar Farhadi’s acclaimed drama “The Salesman” is a high- him Pourfaraj, told IRNA on Thursday. door for the return of foreign tourists extremism light of the lineup. The social drama won awards for best screen- “Not taking religious tourists [visiting to Iran. play and best actor at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in May. holy shrines] into account, Europeans Earlier this month, Cultural Heritage, The number of foreigners visiting ‘common pain of Also among the films are “A Dragon Arrives” by Mani Haqi- rank first among tourists who visit the Tourism, and Handicraft Organization Iran has grown 12 percent in each of Islamic world’ qi and the joint Iranian-American production “Radio Dreams” country,” he said. Director Masoud Soltanifar announced the past two years. by Babak Jalali. The number of foreign tourists who that Iran has increased its visa on arrival In 2014, Iran hosted over five million visited Iran was doubled after the nucle- extension from 1 month to 3 months. tourists, bringing in some $7.5 billion in POLITICAL TEHRAN — Irani- Earlier in February, desk ar agreement in January 2016, he said. For the time being, citizens of 190 revenue. an Foreign Minister “Radio Dreams” won the Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thurs- Tiger Award at the Rot- day that extremism is “the common terdam Film Festival. JCPOA has been a success so far: Fitzpatrick pain of the Islamic world”. The lineup also in- During a meeting with Mali’s Prime cludes two acclaimed INTERVIEW sides have respected their fends the report by the UN “was correct to criticize Iran’s Minister Modibo Keita, Zarif also said documentaries, Mehrdad Oskui’s “Starless Dreams” and By Javad Heirannia obligations. secretary general about the missile program”. that Iran is ready to cooperate with Mali Rokhsareh Qaem-Maqami’s “Sonita”. “I judge the JCPOA to be Resolution 2231 which en- The resolution calls upon in fighting terrorism and extremism. “Starless Dreams” is the winner of the Amnesty Interna- TEHRAN — Mark Fitzpat- a success, so far,” Fitzpatrick dorsed the July 2015 nuclear Iran not to test missiles capable tional Film Prize at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival and the True rick, director of the non-pro- tells the Tehran Times. agreement between Iran and of carrying nuclear warheads. Vision Award at the 2016 True/False Film Festival while “Son- liferation program at the However Fitzpatrick de- great powers, arguing Ban “Iran is called upon not ita” has received the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Fes- International Institute for to undertake any activity tival and Audience Award at the International Documentary Strategic Studies (IISS), says “The quarterly IAEA reports related to ballistic missiles Film Festival Amsterdam. Around 360 movies from over 60 the nuclear deal between published since the deal was designed to be capable of countries are at the festival that runs until August 14. Iran and great powers, offi- delivering nuclear weapons,” cially called the JCPOA, has signed confirm that Iran has met part of the resolution states. Iran basketball earns spot been a “success” so far as the all the conditions.” 9 at U19 Worlds Asia’s June Iran oil imports jump “Mali has been cradle of moderate SPORTS TEHRAN — Iran defeated South Korea 88- 47.1% y/y to more than 4-year high Islam but we are upset about presence desk63 at the 24th FIBA Asia U18 Championship of extremist groups in Mali,” he said. semifinals. Imports of Iranian oil by four major buy- August crude sales to Asia, the Med- pan, China and India, imported 1.72 Zarif also said that Iran has “very In the match held in Tehran’s Azadi Hall on Saturday, the ers in Asia in June jumped 47.1 percent iterranean and from the port of Sidi million barrels per day (bpd) in June, good relations” with Mali. Iranian team booked a place in the final match. from a year ago to the highest level in Kerir in Egypt, in a continuing effort to government and ship-tracking data He added that the two countries Earlier on the day, the Japanese team defeated Lebanon more than four years, evidence Tehran’s regain market share in these regions showed. Japan’s trade ministry on can expand cooperation in areas of 75-59. Iran will meet Japan in the final on Sunday and South determination to recoup market share, post-sanctions. Friday released official data showing culture and economy. Korea face Lebanon in the bronze-medal match. lost under international sanctions, is Tehran’s oil sales hit 4-1/2 year high its imports almost tripled from a year Iran can provide Mali with its expe- Iran advanced to the 2017 FIBA U19 World Championship paying off. in June, nearly doubling since Decem- earlier to 275,000 bpd last month. riences in countering drug trafficking, as one of the tournament’s top three teams. Iran is regaining market share at a ber as sanctions were lifted on its oil Iran has also gained new customers he also said. The 2017 FIBA U19 World Championship will be held in faster pace than analysts had project- exports in January. this year. Japanese oil refiner Tonen- Keita said that Iran proved that all Cairo, Egypt from 1 to 9 July 2017.