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.13288 Wednesday DECEMBER 26, 2018 Dey 5, 1397 Rabi’ Al thani 18, 1440 Figures saddened over Iranian, Russian, Opera “Carmen” to go Congratulations on Ayatollah Shahroudi’s generals meet on stage for women-only the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ to all passing 2 in Tehran 2 audience 16 monotheists in the world See page 4 Payam Satellite to be sent into orbit TECHNOLOGY TEHRAN – The the Payam Satellite will be completed deskPayam Satellite, and delivered by Friday. manufactured by Amirkabir Univer- He praised the aerospace activities sity of Technology, will be launched of the university saying that the Zafar Rouhani submits into orbit in the near future, the Satellite, which is manufactured by the information and communication experts at the university, should be com- technology minister announced, pleted as soon as possible. Fars reported on Tuesday. The Zafar Satellite has double GPS Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, accuracy in comparison with other Ira- who visited the space center at Iran Uni- nian satellite, which is crucial for the $405b budget versity of Science and Technology, said country, he said. 10 17 arrested for abusing banking, forex systems bill to Majlis POLITICS TEHRAN — The Isfahan provinces, IRNA reported. deskIntelligence Minis- The network had received foreign cur- try on Tuesday announced the arrest rency with a lower exchange rate from the ‘All U.S. plots against Iran of 17 members of a network who had government for imports, but instead had abused Iran’s banking and foreign exchanged the foreign currency at a higher 2 currency systems. rate for its benefits, the statement read. have ended in failure’ In a statement, the ministry said the It also said 87 sham companies and arrests were made in Sistan-Baluchestan, documents were identified by the intel- Tehran, Mazandaran, Qom, Kerman and ligence forces. Majlis speaker calls for stronger Tehran-Baku ties POLITICS TEHRAN — Ira- “closer economic ties”. desknian Parliament Pointing to the friendly relations Speaker Ali Larijani described on Tues- between the two neighbors, Larijani day ties between Iran and Azerbaijan attached great importance to the as “strategic” and “praiseworthy”, and development of comprehensive ties Majid Asgaripour called for broader economic relations. between Tehran and Baku, especially In a meeting with Speaker of the in the economic sector. National Assembly of Azerbaijan Ogtay During the meeting, the two sides Asadov in Tehran, Larijani hailed the also discussed ways to facilitate bor- longstanding and strategic relations der interactions and accelerate the between the Islamic Republic and implementation of mutual agree- Tehran Times/ Tehran Times/ Azerbaijan, and pushed for securing ments. 2 PERSPECTIVE Nothing can hold down Iran’s female footballers: Khosrowyar REPORT M.A.Saki was becoming a big sports program for girls. Ramin Hossein Abadian EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Mehr News Agency Deputy editor-in-chief By Marjan Golpira & Masoud Hossein She was athletic at a very young age, like her parents and siblings. Her father preferred her journalist TEHRAN — Katayoun Khosrowyar, an Ameri- to play a team sport, because he saw that she can-Iranian head coach of Iran’s U-19 women’s was a team player and enjoyed being with kids Budget bill and football team, says Iranian female football players her age. Bread revolution are more determined than ever. Katayoun went quite far, as far as the football national interests “Nothing can hold Iranian women’s football- levels go, and she was going to play for a university, in Sudan ers down”, Khosrowyar, who is also known as and everyone on her team got full scholarships he rise of bread price along with loss inally the administration submitted Coach Kat, tells the Tehran Times in a recent including herself. However, that same summer of a large part of Sudan’s resources the national budget bill to parlia- interview. when she was going into her senior year, she and other issues over the years have ment for the next year which starts Katayoun, Katiana in English, was born in decided visit Iran to see relatives before her final T F Tulsa Oklahoma, an oil and gas city where her year and heading off to college, and that is when triggered protests in the African country. on March 21, 2019. As Mohammad Reza She began playing football or soccer when Sudan has been witnessing mass pro- Nobakht, director of the Management and family is affiliated with energy industry. she was five years old, mainly because soccer her story in Iran begins. 15 tests for some time. To understand the Planning Organization, had announced on depth of Sudanese’s’ horrible condition Dec. 6, there was no increase in fuel prices, it suffices to refer to an interview Reuters including gasoline, in the 1398 budget. Erdogan government certainly does not like Assad government.: ex-CIA official had conducted with a protestor who said Now we should wait and see what the getting out of Turkey’s way in northern Syria, feat” the reason for the decision. This is while he has been unable to buy a loaf of bread Majlis would decide about energy pric- EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Erdogan agreed to downplay the issue of the some sources have spoken of the consultations for four days. es including electricity, water, and more By Javad Heirannia Saudi crown prince’s involvement in the murder between Erdogan and Trump. Can the decision The process of development in Sudan is importantly gasoline. TEHRAN — Professor Paul Pillar, who was of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.” be linked to Erdogan and tramp’s consultation? accelerating to an extent that it has reached Rouhani’s administration has only CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Following is the text of the interview: If so, what is the agreement between Trump and the capital. Subsequently, the internet was a little time to reform the fuel subsidy Tehran Times that “The Syrian Kurds now The United States has announced that it Erdogan on the Kurdish regions? disrupted in the country and some social system. So far, more than five years of have a much stronger incentive than before will immediately leave the north-east of Syria A: It is likely that the conversation with Er- networks such as Facebook, Twitter and his two four-year presidency have passed to reach some sort of understanding with the and leave the entire Syria within the next 60 to dogan is related to Trump’s decision, although Whatsapp were filtered. Schools closed without making a serious effort to reduce Assad regime--possibly pledging loyalty to the 100 days. What are the reasons for this decision? it is only a matter of speculation as to what sort down. In two cities of Omdurman and the ever-increasing gasoline consumption. regime in return for a degree of autonomy in A: This decision was wholly a matter of Presi- of understanding the two presidents may have Atbara, police attacked demonstrators who It is true that his government has faced northeast Syria.” dent Trump wanting to fulfill a campaign promise. reached. One possibility that comes to mind is took to the streets for rising prices and renewed sanctions by the Trump adminis- Pillar says “Although the Erdogan govern- Although there are legitimate strategic reasons for that in return for getting out of Turkey’s way in reduction in liquidity, and fired tear gas. tration despite the nuclear deal, Rouhani ment certainly does not like the Assad regime, the move, Trump has repeatedly shown himself northern Syria, Erdogan agreed to downplay the According to media reports, protesters only has two more times to present budget it would be less worried about an extension of to be motivated less by international strategy issue of the Saudi crown prince’s involvement in Khartoum, not far away from the Presi- bills to the Majlis. the regime’s influence in northeastern Syria than and geopolitics than he is by domestic politics in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. dential Palace, chanted slogans calling for When studying the current year’s budget about a more independent Kurdish separatist and campaign rhetoric. Trump seems determined to stay on the side the withdrawal of Omar al-Bashir, Pres- in the winter of the 2018, Majlis opposed movement.” Trump in justifying the withdrawal of his of the crown prince, and he would welcome ident of the Sudan, from power. Some a 50 percent increase in gasoline price. He also adds that one possibility for withdrawal troops from Syria has declared that ISIS has Erdogan’s cooperation in helping to make the sources have reported about 10 deaths There is a little chance that this time the of U.S. troops from Syria is that “in return for failed in Syria and implicitly called “ISIL de- issue go away. 7 and some 22. The hub for the protestors Majlis make a different decision because a was the city of Atbara. majority of MPs do not know economics. Atbara is the second most important Most of them are mostly focusing on reelec- city, after the city of Ad-Damir, in the tion in the next year’s parliamentary polls. province of Nahr al-Neel. The office of In view of Iran’s economy, one of the the British Colonial Railway Company main approaches to build a solid economy was located in the city of Atbara, which in the face of cruel and illegal sanctions is why it is called the city of iron and fire. is to gradually put an end to unnecessary The city of Atbara is a longtime base of subsidies.