WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 Pages Price 40,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13585 Monday JANUARY 20, 2020 Dey 30, 1398 Jumada Al Awwal 24, 1441 Iran warns to reconsider Response to Soleimani Iranian fans launch Overseas musicians cooperation with IAEA if assassination a ‘turning furious Instagram performing at Tehran E3 acts unfairly 2 point’ in power balance 3 rant at AFC 11 Southern Nights festival 12 Domestic production saves Iran All-Iranian environmental over €1.2b since Mar. 2019 TEHRAN — Iran’s deputy industry, tion expert desks have resulted in a reduc- mining and trade minister for industry tion of foreign currency expenditure by 1.2 affairs says domestic production has saved billion euros,” Mehdi Sadeqi Niaraki said. the country over €1.2 billion since the Speaking in a gathering of the heads of beginning of the current Iranian calendar the country’s industry, mines and trade satellite unveiled year (March 21, 2019), IRIB reported. organizations, Niaraki said: “The main “So far, the contracts and agreements focus of the [industry] ministry’s programs See page 9 signed [with domestic producers] with the for the current year is on the domestic support of the domestic production promo- production boom.” 4 200 MPs call for a decision on British ambassador TEHRAN — 200 parliamentarians out with Britain to the level of charge d’affairs. of the 290-seat parliament issued a state- On January 12, Iran’s Foreign Ministry ment on Sunday calling for a decision summoned Macaire for his “unconven- about British Ambassador Rob Macaire, tional behavior and presence” in the illegal who was arrested briefly by police during gatherings. an authorized demonstration in central The British diplomat was reminded Tehran on January 11. that his presence in illegal gatherings has Hamid-Reza Haji Babaee, an MP who no conformity with his responsibility as represents Hamedan, said in a public ses- his country’s political representative in sion of the parliament that the Foreign Iran and that his behavior is in contrast to Ministry is duty bound to defend the the 1961 Vienna convention on diplomatic people’s rights and reduce political ties relationship, the ministry said. 2 Top Persian Gulf airlines continue using Iranian airspace TEHRAN — Qatar Airways, Emirates and Iran’s air defense accidentally shot down several other Persian Gulf airlines have a Ukrainian airliner. been continuing to use Iranian airspace However, Dubai-based Emirates and Shahab Ghayoumi Shahab despite propaganda over security issues sister carrier flydubai have announced in the region. they will continue to use Iranian airspace, On January 3, a U.S. drone strike as- Reuters reported on Sunday. sassinated top Iranian general Qassem Kuwait Airways and Abu Dhabi-based Soleimani and in an act of retaliation Etihad Airways are amongst other regional Tehran Times/ Iran fired missiles at U.S. targets in Iraq carriers that have continued using the on January 8. In the tense aftermath, airspace. 8 ARTICLE Thousands of women protest against Trump across the U.S. ARTICLE Masoud Hossein Thousands gathered in cities across the country “Today, we will be the change that is needed discrimination, and taking back the Democratic Mahnaz Abdi Head of the Sport Desk of Saturday as part of the nationwide Women’s March in this world! Today, we rise into our power!” majority in the House of Representatives. Head of the TehranTimes the TehranTimes rallies focused on issues such as climate change, activist Donna Hylton told a cheering crowd in “In 2020, I have no doubt that it will be women Economy Desk pay equity, reproductive rights and immigration. Foley Square. who will lead again, rise up and move this coun- Hundreds showed up in New York City and Snow began falling by the afternoon in Man- try forward on a path toward justice,” she said. Iran must utilize thousands in Washington, D.C. for the rallies, hattan, apparently putting a damper on plans In Denver, organizers opted to skip the rally Trade centers in which aim to harness the political power of women, for the two groups to converge in large numbers after the march and instead invited participants sports diplomacy although crowds were noticeably smaller than in near Times Square. to meet with local organizations to learn more regional countries previous years. Marches were scheduled Saturday In downtown Los Angeles, thousands of men, about issues such as reproductive rights, climate egardless of how disappointing the ban- in more than 180 cities. women and children filled several blocks as they change, gun safety and voting. to spur non-oil ning Iranian teams from hosting AFC The first marches in 2017 drew hundreds of made their way from a plaza to a park adjacent Several thousand came out for the protest RChampions League looked, it is an irref- thousands of people to rallies in cities across to City Hall, where a rally featured speeches by in Washington, far fewer than last year when exports utable fact that Iran needs sport diplomacy to the country on the day after President Donald Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California about 100,000 people held a rally east of overcome difficulties of the current situation. Trump was inaugurated. That year’s D.C. march Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. the White House. But as in previous years, eimposition of the U.S. sanctions Football is more than just a game played on the drew close to 1 million people. Maxine Waters and others. many of the protesters made the trip to the on Iranian economy has led the field for the Iranian people. And It’s not nonsense In Manhattan on Saturday, hundreds of people Jennifer Siebel Newsom credited women for nation’s capital from cities across the country Islamic Republic to reduce its de- that the Iranians are the most loyal fans in Asia. R gathered as part of a “Rise and Roar” rally at sepa- mobilizing against gun violence, creating the #Me- to express their opposition to Trump and his pendence on oil revenues and elevate its A match between Persepolis of Iran and rate events in Foley Square and Columbus Circle. Too movement against sexual harassment and policies. 10 other sources of income instead; while Kashima Antlers of Japan in the 2018 ACL increasing non-oil exports has come as the Final held in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium proved most significant approach in this regard. the FIFA and AFC officials the importance To expand non-oil exports during the of football for the Iranian fans and now the Jordan parliament passes draft law to ban gas imports from Israel sanctions time, Iranian economic and trade question is: why the wildly enthusiastic fans Jordan’s parliament on Sunday approved a draft It was not referred to parliament for approval. The import of Israeli gas has become a major organizations have been defining some should be deprived of their rights? law to ban imports of Israeli gas to the country just Although U.S. ally Jordan has a peace treaty focus in Jordan and sparked protests and calls for strategies and resolved to pursue them Teams from Iran and Saudi Arabia meet days after they started under a multibillion-dollar with Israel the deal, which supplies Jordan for both the deal and the peace treaty to be scrapped. vigorously. in neutral venues for AFC Champions League deal struck in 2016 which is opposed by much 15 years, has faced much popular opposition, “The gas of the enemy is an occupation. Down The major strategy is to focus on the clashes from 2016 after two countries failed to of the population. with lawmakers arguing it makes the kingdom with the gas deal,” placards carried by protest- neighboring countries and the trade part- resolve their political differences, while the Asian The motion was passed unanimously by Jor- dependent on its neighbor for energy. ers said. ners in the region, and it is in fact one of Football Confederation (AFC) ruled all matches dan’s 130 lawmakers and will be referred to the Many Jordanians are also the descendants Jordan’s ties with Israel have come un- would be played on a home-and-away basis as the top priorities of the government for cabinet to be made law, although legal hurdles of Palestinians who moved to the country after der increasing strain since the gas deal was defying the U.S. sanctions. planned between Qatari and Saudi Arabian teams. may prevent it coming into force. the creation of Israel in 1948, and view Israel as struck as Israel has moved to the right and Also, Qatar has recently hosted the Persian Iran shares border with fifteen coun- The government has previously said it was a an erstwhile enemy that expelled their ancestors since Donald Trump replaced Barack Obama tries, namely the United Arab Emirates, Gulf Cup with the participation of Saudi Ara- deal between companies rather than a political from their homes. as U.S. president. bia and the UAE and it shows that the Qatari Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Rus- matter. The Jordanian government said after the Jordan’s King Abdullah fears Israel’s re- sia, Oman, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, officials utilized sports diplomacy to overcome The $10 billion supply deal was originally agreement was signed in 2016 that securing jection of a Palestinian state in the occupied the complications of the current situation. Kuwait, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Armenia, struck between Jordan’s state-owned utility and a stable energy prices for the next decade West Bank could spark renewed violence and AFC has banned the Iranian teams from hosting Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.