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.13897 Thursday MARCH 4, 2021 Esfand 14, 1399 Rajab 20, 1442 U.S. that has been trading arms at Iran’s Khademalsharieh Iran-Georgia trade Ettehadieh Edifice to host cost of Yemenis’ blood will remain named as FIDE Athletes webinar slated for exhibit featuring 40 years shameful in history Page 3 Commission Page 3 mid-March Page 4 of Tehran art history Page 8 Army drone power thrived during sanctions: General Mousavi TEHRAN - Army Commander Major Gen- He added, “The Makran port ship and Israel sets trap for eral Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi said on HESA Kowsar (an Iranian fighter jet) are Wednesday that the power of Iran’s drones produced in the periods of sanctions.” prospered in the era of sanctions. Pointing to the military exercises con- “The drone power of the army thrived ducted by the Army in recent months, at the height of sanctions,” the army chief General Mousavi also said, “Iran’s army See page 3 said, adding this happened at the time of is ready to conduct military drills in less “maximum pressure” introduced against than 24 hours. It prepared its plans and new Arab allies Iran by the Trump administration. conducted four drills in less 10 days.” Intl. railway exhibition underway in Tehran TEHRAN - The eighth edition of Iran’s Presenting the latest achievements and International Exhibition of Rail Trans- technological developments of the rail- portation and Related Industries and way transportation and related industries, Equipment (Rail Expo 2021) kicked off promotion of domestic production, export on Wednesday at Tehran Permanent In- development, introducing the capabilities ternational Fairgrounds. of Iranian companies, indigenization of The opening ceremony of the four-day railway industry equipment and machinery, Arab allies cast event was attended by the Transport and and familiarization of railway manufac- Urban Development Minister Mohammad turers with the latest developments in Eslami and the Head of the Islamic Re- this industry are reported to be some of doubt on Israeli public of Iran Railways (known as RAI) the main goals of this exhibition. initiative Saeid Rasouli, IRNA reported. Continued on page 4 Leader’s book on political life of Imam Sajjad (AS) published TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revo- Iranian city of Mashhad on Wednesday. lution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s Hojjatoleslam Mohammad-Javad book on the cultural and political life of Haj-Aliakbari, a provisional Friday prayers Imam Sajjad (AS), the fourth Imam of leader of Tehran, and a number of religious the Shia, has been published. and cultural figures attended the meeting. Released by Islamic Revolution Pub- The Leader has used his own writing meth- lications, “Epic of Imam Sajjad (AS)” was od in “A 250-Year-Old Person” to author “Epic twitter introduced in a meeting at the Razavi Islam- of Imam Sajjad (AS)”, Haj-Aliakbari said. ic Sciences University in the northeastern Continued on page 8 Biden backing Importing Iranian medicine ‘a priority’: Ilhan Omar unveils bill to sanction MBS for away from level of Syrian health minister Khashoggi murder support for Saudis: TEHRAN – Syrian Minister of Health Hassan house of innovation and technology in the Syr- Democratic members of the U.S. House of to sanction Mohammed bin Salman — a man Al-Fabash has said that the import of Iranian ian capital of Damascus with the aim of finding Representative have introduced two bills to our own intelligence found to have approved academic medicine is one of the priorities of his country’s new markets for domestic technological and penalize Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin the murder of U.S. resident and Saudi journalist medical system. knowledge-based products during this trip. Salman (MBS) for his personal role in the violent Jamal Khashoggi.” BY MOHAMMAD MAZHARI “We highly emphasize [the need to import] Exporting technological products of Iranian murder of one of his most prominent critics, On Monday, Congressman Tom Malinowski n American academic de- these drugs, as Iranian biotechnology medi- knowledge-based companies is one of the im- Jamal Khashoggi. introduced a different bill, backed by Demo- scribes the Biden admin- cines play an important role in the treatment portant and key programs of the vice presidency The motions were put forward after the cratic House members James McGovern and istration’s decision to de- of incurable diseases,” he noted. for science and technology, and in this regard, administration of U.S. President Joe Biden Andy Kim. A He made the remarks on Tuesday in a meet- the first house of innovation and technology was declassified last week an intelligence report The legislation would mandate a visa ban crease U.S. support for Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen as an ing with Sourena Sattari, the vice president for inaugurated in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi that accused bin Salman of having approved against the heir to the Saudi throne, based on important step. science and technology, who headed a delegation on January 27. the 2018 killing of the Washington Post existing rules that bar human rights abusers “They are backing away from the level of 40 knowledge-based companies to Damascus, A house of innovation and technology has journalist. from entering the United States. It also allows of support they’ve shown for Saudi Arabia IRNA reported. already been set up as a technology exchange Congresswoman Ilhan Omar announced the president to issue a national security waiver over the last years. The Biden administra- Al-Fabash also said that “If it becomes pos- office in China. on Tuesday a bill that would freeze the Saudi to lift the visa ban. tion’s decision to withdraw their support sible for some Syrian doctors to travel to Iran The signing of a memorandum of cooper- crown prince’s assets and impose a visa ban “I applaud the Biden administration for nam- from Saudi Arabia’s operations in Yemen for short courses, it will be a good opportunity. ation for the development of scientific, tech- on him. ing MBS as Khashoggi’s killer, but it undercuts is an important one,” Michael Wuthrich Because our country is under siege and the fa- nological, and political relations between the “This is a test of our humanity,” she said in our message to Saudi Arabia if we accuse him tells the Tehran Times. cilities that are imported from foreign countries two countries are among the other purposes a statement. “If the United States of America of the crime and then do nothing to hold him In a new move on Friday, U.S. intelli- are very limited.” of the trip. truly supports freedom of expression, democ- accountable,” Malinowski said. gence released a report in which it said the It is planned to open up the third Iranian Continued on page 7 racy and human rights, there is no reason not Continued on page 5 Saudi de facto ruler approved an opera- tion to capture or kill murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who wrote Mazandaran overnight stays cut by 58 percent due to virus Taliban just seeking opinion columns for the Washington Post TEHRAN – Overnight stays in Mazandaran prov- “A total of 4,650,000 people made overnight With less than a month to go till Noruz which prisoner release, critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin ince, one of the most touristic Iranian provinces stays [at hotels and other authorized accommo- has long been associated with millions of domestic Salman’s policies, was killed and dismem- owing to vibrant lush green landscape and an dation centers across the province] over the past travels, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, foreign troop exit: ex- bered by a team of operatives linked to attractive stretch of coastline, has plunged 58 year…. However, the number of overnight stays and Handicrafts Minister wants to find a way to the prince in the kingdom’s consulate in percent over the past 12 months. in Mazandaran reached about 12 million peo- partially revive the already-slumped travels in U.S. security adviser Istanbul. “The official number of tourists entering ple during the same period a year earlier,” the the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. BY M.A. SAKI The murder of Khashoggi laid bare and having overnight stays in the province official explained. Tourism Ali-Asghar Mounesan last week said TEHRAN – A former adviser to the U.S. Special Op- only part of gross human rights abuses has decreased by 58% over the past year due Mazandaran is traditionally a major destina- despite all the obstacles and issues and the out- erations Command says the Taliban only negotiates in the Saudi kingdom. to the coronavirus pandemic,” the deputy tion for domestic vacationers during the Persian break of the coronavirus, the country’s tourism only on the release of its prisoners by the Afghan “I think many in the U.S. are concerned provincial tourism chief, Mehran Hassani, New year (Noruz) holidays, which will officially sector “is still alive and dynamic”. government and the exit of foreign forces, including about and have voiced concerns about said on Tuesday. begin on March 21. Continued on page 6 Americans, from the central Asian country. the issues of human rights within and “The position of the Taliban has been consistent outside of Saudi Arabia, and the Biden from the beginning of the period in which the topic administration appears to be concerned of negotiations surfaced. The Taliban has never been about these,” the assistant professor of Paintings willing to negotiate except on two points.