From Inside

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8 P a g e s | P r i c e 5 0 , 0 0 0 R i a l s | 1 . 0 0 E U R O | 4 . 0 0 A E D | 4 3 r d y e a r | N o . 1 4 0 7 8 | W e d n e s d a y | N O V E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 2 1 | A b a n 1 9 , 1 4 0 0 | R a b i ’ A l t h a n i 4 , 1 4 4 3

W W W . T E H R A N T I M E S . C O MS t r a i g h t T r u t h

• Amir Abdollahian: Iran’s defense program will continue regardless of U.S. ‘destructive’ acts P2

• President Raisi holds phone conversation with grand ayatollah P3

• Iran, Germany FMs discuss JCPOA P3• Private sector to develop renewable

energy sector in Iran P4• ‘Having business structure is a

necessity for NIOC subsidiaries’ P4• Over 7.1b needed for maintaining,

renovating roads P4• COVID did not stop medical tourism in

Iran: deputy minister P6• Prehistorical site discovered in

southwest Iran P6• Sanctions spoil right to healthy

environment, official says P7• Iran reaffirms commitment to

address climate change at COP26 P7• Some $450m allocated to rural

development projects P7• Programs for Iran Book Week

announced P8• Iran’s “Linchan” wins FIAP Gold

Medal at Banja Luka Intl. Salon of Photography P8

MBS does not have an honest bone in his body: GWU professor

By Mohammad Mazhari

TEHRAN – A professor from the George Washington University says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not honest when he talks about reforms.

“MBS does not have an honest bone in his body,” Hossein Askari tells the Tehran Times.

“He thinks that he benefits from chaos in the region. It weakens his enemies. And he can better ride the turmoil,” the professor notes.

While bin Salman had pledged to introduce new reforms to ensure Saudi citizens to en-joy basic human rights, freedom of expres-sion, the right to establish associations or assemblies, as well as an independent judi-ciary, Saudi authorities are continuing to jail and execute opponents.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has approved a $650m sale of air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia. He was expected to take harsher measures against the Saudi king-dom over human rights files.

“People see him (MBS) as a strong leader to restore stability. It motivates the U.S. to keep forces in the region and not pivot too fast to South East Asia,” Askari argues.

“It weakens financially-strapped Iran that has to spend valuable resources on defense, intelligence and support for allies.” Page 5

National award on renewables to be held

TEHRAN – The third national award on re-newables will be held November 20-21, aim-ing to introduce exemplary producers and projects which pave the way for expanding the use of renewable energies in the country.

“Top renewable energy project”, “manu-facturers of equipment for renewable ener-gy”, “capable companies in the field of EPC”, “regional power generation and distribution companies”,” top scientific figure”, and “top young researcher” will be awarded, ISNA re-ported.

Iranian Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabi-an has said Iran, like other responsible coun-tries, has prioritized the issue of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change and seeks an ideal world free of pollution.

Considering the high potential of the coun-try’s renewable energy sources such as so-lar, wind, biomass, and geothermal, Iran’s renewable energy market is a very attractive market for investors and the Energy Ministry is offering long-term contracts with attrac-tive incentive rates to investors, Mehrabi-an said in October. Page 7

Iran aim to maintain undefeated run in 2022 World Cup qualification

By Farrokh Hesabi

TEHRAN - Iran national football team will face Lebanon in Group A of the 2022 World Cup qualification, attempting to maintain their undefeated run in the competition.

Iran have been dominant in Group A so far, standing on the top of the table with 10 points, two points clear of South Korea.

Dragan Skocic’s side have not lost in the opening four fixtures and have only conced-ed once so far, which came against South Ko-rea when Tottenham Hotspur’s star, Son He-ung-min, found the back of the net in Tehran.

However, the recent training camp of the national team went into the shadow of con-troversy.

Skocic surprised Iranian football fans when he opted not to pick the iconic forward Mehdi Taremi as part of his squad for this in-ternational break. It is believed that the play-er has been left out of the team because he had criticized Skocic on his Twitter account last month.

In an interview with his hometown’s me-dia, the Croatian coach had pointed out that the Iranian players are so talented and excel-lent in individual techniques. Still, in terms of tactical issues, they need to make more pro-gress. Page 3

Why does Nicaragua’s election results anger the U.S.?

TEHRAN - Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega has secured a fourth consecutive term in office results show, leading the Unit-ed States to warn of new sanctions on the Central American country.

The country’s Supreme Electoral Council says that with almost all the ballots at poll-ing stations counted, a preliminary tally had Ortega’s Sandinista alliance winning with around 76% of votes. The turnout has been put at 65%.

In the lead up to Sunday’s election, west-ern nations, especially the United States, tried their best to portray the vote as unfair.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says his country will work with other gov-ernments and was ready to use a range of tools, including possible sanctions, visa re-strictions and coordinated actions against those it said were complicit in supporting the Nicaragua government’s “undemocratic acts.” Democrats in the U.S. Congress pushed for President Joe Biden to back the so-called Renacer Act that aims to intensify pressure on Ortega.

Ortega, the longest-serving leader in the Americas, hailed the election as a victory against terrorism, a victory for independence and a victory delivered by the “immense ma-jority of Nicaraguans.”

Cuba, Venezuela and Russia all offered him their backing.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said U.S. calls for countries not to recognize the outcome were “unacceptable.” Page 5

TEHRAN — The Iraqi Kurdistan region Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, met with visiting Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Di-plomacy Mehdi Safari in Erbil on Monday.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed economic relations and trade exchanges be-tween Erbil and Tehran.

The meeting, which was also attended by Nasrallah Rashnoudi, Iran’s Consulate Gen-eral in Erbil, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the Iraqi Kurdistan region and Iran, especially in areas of economy, trade and investment opportunities.

Barzani and Safari also discussed develop-ments in the region, relations between Erbil and Baghdad, and some other issues of mutual inter-est.

Removing the barriers against expansion of ties, supporting Iranian companies’ presence in implementing strategic projects, and joint in-vestments in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and completing the launch of several border cross-ings were also discussed at the meeting.

Safari also had a meeting with governors-gen-eral and other officials of Suleimaniyah and Hal-abja provinces as well as several economic agents

of the Kurdistan region on Sunday.

The official also attended non-oil exports development working group meeting in the Parvizkhan border crossing and the meeting of Iranian companies working in Suleimaniyah and Kirkuk provinces of Iraq to explore expansion of non-oil exports to the Kurdistan region.

Safari’s visit was the second of its kind be-tween Iranian and Iraqi officials on Monday.

In an unannounced meeting on Monday, Iran’s Quds Force Chief Esmaeil Qaani met with Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minis-ter Mustafa al-Kadhimi who escaped an assas-sination attempt on Sunday.

Stressing the importance of stability and uni-ty in Iraq, Qaani warned any action that threat-ens the security of Iraq must be avoided.

He also emphasized the need to respond to the demands of the Iraqi people and the pro-testers to the election results within the frame-work of law.

In his meeting with al-Kadhimi, the Quds Force chief strongly condemned the failed as-sassination attempt against the prime minister. Qaani also said Tehran is ready to help investi-gate the incident.

TEHRAN – The managing director of the National Iranian Copper Industries Company (NICIC) has said his company has it on the agenda to be placed among the world’s top 10 copper-producing companies within the next four years, IRIB reported.

Ardeshir Sa’d-Mohammadi said NICIC has defined 45 new projects to this end, of which three will be put into operation by late-May 2022 to add 350,000 tons to the country’s copper concentrate production capacity.

Mentioning the company’s new exploration operations across the country, the official not-

ed that recently two billion tons of new copper reserves have been discovered in a region near Sarcheshmeh in Kerman Province.

He further noted that NICIC’s copper out-put in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-October 22) has exceeded the total production in the pre-vious year (ended on March 20).

“Despite extensive power outages in the summer, the National Iranian Copper Industries Company set very good records, as our produc-tion in the first seven months of the current year was 3.5 percent higher than last year’s to-

tal production,” Sa’d-Mohammadi said.

We hope to have good records in produc-tion and sales by the end of the year as well, he added.

Stating that NICIC is currently in a good po-sition, the official noted that with new discov-eries, the company is on a good upward path.

NICIC carried out 101,000 meters of deep drilling to identify new copper reserves across the country in the previous Iranian calendar year. Considering the new discoveries, NICIC’s total copper reserves across the country have currently surpassed eight billion tons. Page 4

TEHRAN – The United Nations Education-al, Scientific, and Cultural Organization has picked up Iran’s Kermanshah as a ‘creative city’ of gastronomy.

A paradise for history-lovers, nature-enthu-siasts, and foodies, Kermanshah was among 49 cities worldwide to join the UNESCO creative cities network (UCCN) on Monday.

The 49 cities were added to the network of 246 cities following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, in recognition of “their commitment to placing culture and creativity at the heart of their development and to sharing knowledge and good practices”.

According to a release posted on the UN-ESCO site, the network now numbers 295

cities reaching 90 countries that invest in culture and creativity – crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and music – to advance sustainable ur-ban development.

“A new urban model needs to be developed in every city, with its architects, town plan-ners, landscapers, and citizens,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

“We are urging everyone to work with States to reinforce the international cooper-ation between cities which UNESCO wishes to promote,” she added.

The inclusion is likely to pave way for the western city to represent its traditional dish-es and foods on the global stage through UN-ESCO. Page 6

TEHRAN – Twenty-one storytellers from across the world have been selected to per-form during the 23rd edition of Iran’s Inter-national Storytelling Festival, which is sched-uled to be held online due to the pandemic.

Among the overseas participants are six storytellers from India including Usha Ven-katraman, a Mumbai-based award-winning

narrator who has performed at many inter-national and Indian festivals, the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA - Kanoon), the organiz-er of the festival, announced on Monday.

She has also held numerous workshops at schools across India, Malaysia and Sin-gapore. Page 8

Foreign Ministry official consults with Kurdistan region PM

NICIC plans to join world’s top 10 copper producers in 4 years

UNESCO picks Kermanshah as ‘creative city’ of gastronomy

Iran picks 21 overseas narrators for Intl. Storytelling Festival

Interview

Zolfaghar drill ends with great achievementsTEHRAN — The Army’s military exercise, codenamed Zulfaghar

1400, ended on Monday, November 9, with a parade of surface and submarine vessels. Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Command-er-in-Chief of the Army, assessed the quantitative and qualitative improvement in use of drones, the successful evaluation of the sys-tems and the coordination and synergy between the different Army units as the most prominent achievements of the exercise.

Iran Steps Up Afghan Diplomacy

Min

istr

y of

Def

ence

Interview

TEHRAN — In a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed various issues, including bilateral relations and the Vienna talks intended to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

The conversation took place before Iran and the remaining parties to the nuclear deal (France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia) resume nuclear deal talks in Vienna on November 29.

At the beginning of the conversation, the French foreign minister inquired about the health condition of his Iranian counterpart diagnosed with Covid-19 and wished him speedy recovery.

Iran’s top diplomat thanked the French foreign minister for his greetings and noted that the Iranian government seeks a pragmatic and result-oriented approach both in bilateral relations and nuclear

talks, and expressed hope that the Tehran-Paris consultations would help advance cooperation between the two countries.

Amir Abdollahian stated that Iran and France have great potential, noting that Iran is ready to expand bilateral relations based on mutual respect and common interests, and that relations can be expanded in various fields.

In this context, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and the opportunity for cooperation, referring to the two phone calls between the presidents of Iran and France, as well as the talks between Amir Abdollahian and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the Baghdad meeting on August 28 and the recent face-to-face meeting of the two foreign ministers in New York on September 25.

Recalling the U.S. responsibility for the current situation surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of

Action (the official name for the nuclear deal) and the silence of the three European countries in U.S. extravagance, Amir Abdollahian stated that Iran wants to reach a good agreement, but this requires conditions, including return of the other parties to their full commitments and the effective lifting of sanctions.

Referring to the recent U.S. sanctions against Iran, Amir Abdollahian called the move a confirmation of Iran’s continued distrust of the United States and stressed the need to provide assurances and to conduct an effective verification.

Iran’s chief diplomat also described the Islamic Republic’s defense program as a sovereign right and added that regardless of the unconstructive behavior of U.S. sanctions, Iran will continue to increase its defense power resolutely.

Noting that Iran is serious for

fruitful nuclear negotiations and is ready to reach a good agreement immediately, Amir Abdollahian stressed that the International Atomic Energy Agency should avoid politicization of the Iran nuclear case, and emphasized Iran’s continued technical cooperation with the IAEA.

The French foreign minister also said that Paris supports a return of all parties to the JCPOA and will do everything in its power to do so, and expressed hope that the forthcoming talks in Vienna will progress rapidly.

In the Tuesday call, Macron also sent his greetings to the Iranian president and the reciprocal response was reflected through the foreign ministers.

Also on Tuesday, talks were held between the two countries at the level of deputy foreign ministers for political affairs in Paris. The talks focused on regional and international issues.

TEHRAN- A member of the Parliamentary Industries and Mines Committee says Iran must seek a practical lifting of the sanctions in the new nuclear talks.

“We must seek result-oriented negotiations, as a result of which the sanctions are lifted in reality and not on paper,” Ali Akbar Karimi said in an interview with the Fars news agency published on Sunday.

Iran announced on November 3 that it will resume the Vienna nuclear talks on November 29 with the aim of lifting the “unlawful and inhumane” sanctions on the Iranian nation.

The talks to revitalize the nuclear deal started in April during the last months of the Rouhani administration. Six rounds of talks were held until June. However, the talks were suspended as a new government came to power in Iran. The talks started as new U.S. President Joe Biden had said the U.S. is willing to rejoin the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The talks were highly expected to lead to the revitalization of the multilateral agreement. However, the U.S. team raised new issues, did not agree to lift all sanctions imposed during Trump’s presidency, and refused to give guarantees that the U.S. will not quit the agreement under a new administration.

“Based on the general and strategic policies of the country in recent years, our negotiations with the Western parties have been within the JCPOA framework and with the parties in the deal, not unilateral negotiations with the U.S. administration,” explained Karimi, who represents the Arak and Komeijan constituency in the Parliament.

The parliamentarian added since the U.S. has withdrawn from the JCPOA, Washington’s participation in the nuclear negotiations is irrelevant, unless it confesses to its mistake for quitting the

multilateral agreement and fulfils its obligations under the deal.

In this case, he added, it can be present in the composition of the parties in the JCPOA-related talks.

Karimi also stressed that the new round of the JCPOA-related negotiations should be based on the approach of dignity, wisdom and expediency.

With regard to the U.S. and Europeans sanctions against the Iranian nation, Tehran must seek result-oriented negotiations, as a result of which the sanctions are lifted in practice.

Referring to Iran’s firm policy that it is necessary that all sides must honor their obligations under the JCPOA, the MP underlined: “As the Supreme Leader emphasized and the (parliamentary) strategic law on measures for lifting sanctions has stated, the negotiation environment must proceed in a way that the negotiating parties give serious guarantees for fulfilling their obligations, because Iran had earlier fulfilled its commitments, while the other parties, particularly the Americans, not only did not abide by their obligations, but after leaving the JCPOA they imposed new sanctions on Iran.”

Therefore, he said, in the forthcoming negotiations, sufficient guarantees must be made for the lifting of illegal and oppressive sanctions, and after the verification, Iran will fulfill its obligations.

TEHRAN — Iranian Navy Commander Shahram Irani has said that the purpose of the Zulfiqar-1400 exercise was to create more coordination among different units of the Army, noting now Iran “has a lot to say on battlefield”.

In the annual military exercises, which stared on Sunday, naval, air force, air defense and ground force units were involved. The massive military exercise stretched from the eastern sector of the strategic Strait of Hormuz to the northern tip of the Indian Ocean and parts of the Red Sea.

Irani added the exercise was also intended transfer knowledge and experience to the young servicemen.

Irani said display of the capability of the armed forces, particularly the Navy, in ensuring the security of Iran’s interests and the acquaintance of the young personnel with the real battlefield scenes as other objectives of the exercise.

Speaking on the sidelines of the exercise, the admiral stated that Iran has a message to all friendly countries that “today the Islamic Republic of Iran has a lot to say on battlefield and operations.”

He added, “We give the message to everyone that whenever they speak with respect with Iranians, the Iranians will certainly treat them with respect, and if it is not, they will certainly face a decisive response.”

The senior military figure highlighted that marine and commando units of the Iranian Army and its Navy carried out airborne, heliborne, and amphibious exercises, launched surprise attacks, and stroke predetermined mock enemy targets.

Mahmoud Mousavi, spokesman for the Zolfaqar drills, said marine and commando units of the Army and its Navy carried out airborne, heliborne, and amphibious exercises, launched surprise attacks, and stroke predetermined mock enemy

targets.On Monday, the Navy’s submarines blew up

various naval targets with domestically produced torpedoes in the Sea of Oman.

The submarines, called “Tareq” and “Qadir”, launched a domestically-manufactured torpedo named “Valfajr” to hit the naval targets.

Mousavi said the Tareq submarine also laid DM-1 mines during the exercise, Tasnim reported.

In another operation, the offshore naval units could jam the radars of the hypothetical enemy stationed on the coast by flying “Omid”, an anti-radiation drone used for electronic warfare, the news agency said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said, “The forces in the Navy, by escorting ships and tankers,… have made Iran’s main trade routes completely safe.”

Iranian naval fleets have been sent to missions to counter terrorism and piracy and escort merchant ships and tankers.

Earlier this month, the Iranian naval forces managed to thwart a pirate attack on one of the country’s oil tankers en route to the Gulf of Aden before entering Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to Press TV.

The Iranian Navy said four boats carrying between 4 to 6 pirates sought to launch an attack on the Iranian tanker earlier in the morning but they were forced to escape following a timely action by the Navy’s escort teams, which shot warning shots to repel the pirates.

In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, safeguarding merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran or other countries.

Iran’s Navy has managed to foil several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers during its missions in international waters.

TEHRAN — On Monday, President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi officially introduced Masoud Fayazi as the nominee for education minister to the parliament.

Fayazi, 46, holds a degree in civil engineering from the University of Tehran. He is also an assistant professor at the Hikmah and Religious Studies Research Institute.

He previously served as the director general of publications and educational technology at the Ministry of Education; director of the Majaleh Roshd

(growth magazine) affiliated to the Ministry of Education; director general of the ICDL Foundation; chairman of the School Publishing Board and the deputy director for social and cultural affairs at the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Parliament).

In September, the president proposed Hossein Baghgoli for the post of education minister to the parliament, but he failed to get the required votes for the job.

TEHRAN - A member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament has said a resumption of the Vienna nuclear talks should lead to a verified lifting of sanctions.

“Negotiations should lead to a practical result, namely the lifting of sanctions and verification,” Fada-Hossein Maleki said, Fars reported on Monday.

Iran and the remaining parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will resume nuclear talks on November 29. The U.S. will participate in the talks indirectly.

The talks had been put on hold since June, when a new president came to power in Iran.

Maleki said the message of the new round of nuclear talks is that the JCPOA is not the main priority of the country.

Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s new deputy foreign minister for political affairs who will act as chief negotiator, announced the date for resumption of talks last Wednesday after consultation with Enrique Mora, the European Union political director who acts as coordinator for nuclear talks.

“The delay that the Islamic Republic of Iran had during this period regarding the (resumption of) negotiations, in addition to a new administration (in Iran), had an important message for the negotiating parties, that in the new administration the JCPOA will not be the country’s first priority and that it will be pursued only as an important project along with

other issues.”Emphasizing that the first priority of the

country is to pay attention to the internal capacities for reforming the economy, the MP noted that the approach of the parliament and the administration is result-oriented talks and not negotiation for negotiation.

He said the previous Iranian administration did not heed repeated warnings and followed a wrong approach.

The MP stated: “If it is felt that a tangible and practical result will be achieved from the negotiations, the Islamic Republic will definitely sit at the negotiating table and welcome it. The fact that our negotiations with the Europeans will begin means that we will speak openly to them.”

Maleki reacted to the stance of reformists and supporters of the former administration on the need to negotiate directly with the Americans and reach an agreement with them to meet

national interest.“These people have to answer the question:

what is the purpose of negotiation with the United States and was it not done in the previous administration? Didn’t we fulfill our obligations?!

Maleki also said attritional negotiations are not the policy of the administration and parliament.

“At some junctures, the United States tried to get us entangled in attritional negotiations, and some inside the country linked the capacities of the country to the outcome of the negotiations.”

The parliamentarian added as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has emphasized a verified lifting of all sanctions is an important principle for the Iranian side.

“And verification means that our blocked money is released, our merchant ships is able to move freely, and the money from the sale of oil and other products is easily returned to our country, but that the Americans not only do not fulfill their obligations but also order the Koreans to block Iran’s oil money, which indicates illegal and cowardly moves in the world.”

In the runup to resumption of talks, Bagheri Kani has started a tour of three European countries, known as E3, which are signatory to the JCPOA. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has also held phone talks with his British and German counterparts. He also plans hold talks with the French foreign minister.

2 S t r a i g h t T r u t h

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

TEHRAN TIMES

POLITICS Amir Abdollahian: Iran’s defense program will continue regardless of U.S. ‘destructive’ actsNew nuclear talks must lead to

practical lifting of sanctions, MP says

JCPOA is not main priority in the planned nuclear talks: legislator

Iran has a lot to say on battlefield, Navy chief says

Le Drian Abdollahian

President proposes nominee for education minister

TEHRAN – After a short lull in its Afghanistan diplomacy, Iran is once again putting more energy and time into its efforts to bring peace and stability to its easter neighbor, where the Taliban are now grappling with daunting challenges.

On Monday, Tehran announced that Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was planning to take part in the third regional security dialogue in India.

The meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday in New Delhi. And Afghanistan is expected to be the main issue. In addition to Shamkhani, top security officials from Russia, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will also participate in the meeting. Despite being invited by India, China and Pakistan will not take part in the security-oriented gathering.

The New Delhi meeting is the third meeting of its kind. This regional format was established by Iran and its first and second meetings were held in Tehran in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Afghanistan was the focus of the regional security dialogue from the start. Before the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August, Afghan officials, including the then Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib, used to take part in the regional forum.

Of course, the Taliban have welcomed the meeting even before being held. Although the group said it will not take part in the New Delhi meeting, a deputy spokesman for the

group has said the meeting would be in favor of Afghanistan. Enamullah

Samangani, the group’s deputy spokesman, said in a video message that he considered the meeting to be in the interest of Afghanistan and the region.

He added that the Taliban were not worried about the meeting; Because the countries

“The Taliban intend to attend the next meetings directly,” he said.

Shamkhani’s trip to India came amid an increased Iranian activity with respect to Afghanistan. Iran hosted a meeting of the foreign ministers of countries bordering Afghanistan in late October.

The foreign ministers of Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, along with Russia, approved a ministerial

joint statement at the end of the meeting that addressed a range of issues of much interest to all the participants of the Tehran gathering, formally known as the “Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan’s Neighboring Countries + Russia.”

The Taliban welcomed the meeting. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesman, told Fars News Agency that the Tehran meeting was positive. “It was a meeting between Tehran and Afghanistan’s neighbors that had positive results,” he said.

The Iranian president’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, is planning to travel to Kabul in the first high-level Iranian visit to Afghanistan after the Taliban overran Kabul. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the visit would take place soon but did not say exactly when.

In addition, Iranian Ambassador to Afghanistan Bahador Aminian has launched an extensive diplomatic campaign that included meetings with Afghan political figures and Taliban officials.

On Tuesday, Aminian met with former Afghan President Hamid Karzai. During the meeting, Karzai thanked Iran for its humanitarian aid to the Afghan people and said, “Afghanistan should not face another war.”

Stating that the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Afghanistan is peace-seeking, he praised Iran’s approach and called on the Islamic Republic to continue its efforts for lasting peace in Afghanistan.

Aminian also met with Abdullah Abdullah on Tuesday. The two sides discussed the need to form an inclusive government among other issues.

Earlier, Aminian met with Taliban officials in Ghazni province. He said Iran is ready to cooperate to reconstruct and restore historical monuments in the province.

Aminian made the offer after visiting Ghazni and meeting with Taliban officials in the province on Thursday.

The Iranian embassy in Kabul announced on Tuesday that the 11th shipment of Iranian humanitarian aids to Afghanistan was delivered to Afghan authorities in the Kabul airport.

IFFHS names men’s all-time Iran Dream TeamTEHRAN - The International Federation of

Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) named men’s all-time Iran Dream Team.

According to IFFHS, late goalkeeper Naser Hejazi has been included in the Iran Dream Team.

Mehdi Mahdavikia and Andranik Eskandarian are right and left backs in the list.

Mohammad Khakpour, Javad Zarincheh and Rahman Rezaei have been selected as three center backs in the Dream Team.

In the midfield line, Ali Parvin as well as Ali Karimi and Karim Bagheri were chosen by the IFFHS.

Forwards Khodadad Azizi and Ali Daei complete the 11-man list.

Edna Eissaian not worried about her ageTEHRAN – Some say the best things in life are

worth waiting for and in the case of 49-year-old Edna Eissaianjangi of Iran, that notion has been stretched to the absolute limit.

Sporting dreams can fade over the course of time, but never giving up hope and showing extraordinary levels of patience have both been key elements for the forward.

Having played basketball since she was a a teenager, she had always hoped that one day she might be able to experience the joy of being with her country at a major international tournament.

That’s why she will remember the opening day of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup Division B tournament in Amman for the rest of her life after she ended an agonizing wait of more than 30 years.

Taking the considerable honor of stepping up in the center of the court to contest the first tip, she also went on to be the primary player for her team. She came up with a brilliant 14 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists as Iran only just missed out 66-64 in a near upset against favorites Lebanon.

“For so long we have not been able to be at the tournament and I feel so happy to be able to show what we have been doing when it comes to women’s basketball in my country,” stated Eissaianjangi.

“To also be here in Amman wearing our headscarves and special uniforms on the court is very important to us also. A wait of 47 years is a long time, but playing outside of our country and expressing ourselves is very important and we are happy to have the opportunity.

“As for my age, that is just a number to me. What is most important is that I always come ready to play and show that I can do good things on the court for the team. Why worry about your age at all? The only worry should be if you are not doing what you need to do for the team,” she told FIBA.

“I really want to be part of the 3x3 team and I hope in the future it is something that will be possible. I still have so many things that I want to achieve,” Eissaianjangi said.

“I still have so many things that I want to achieve.”

Shahrdari Sirjan focus on beating India’s Gokulam: coachTEHRAN - Shahrdari Sirjan head coach

Maryam Nejati says they just think to defeat India’s Sree Gokulam Kerala FC when the two sides meet in the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2021 at the Aqaba Development Corporate Stadium on Wednesday.

Gokulam Kerala suffered a 2-1 defeat against Jordan’s Amman Club on Matchday One, while

Shahrdari Sirjan cruised to victory with a similar scoreline over Uzbekistan’s FC Bunyodkor.

“Playing against Bunyodkor was very tactical and technical but we read their game and were able to come out victorious,” said Nejati.

“We treat all of our games like it is the final. It will be no different against the Indian side (Gokulam Kerala) and we plan to take the same approach.

“We’re fully focused on the game against India and will do our best to collect the three points. Even though we’re less familiar with Indian clubs, we will analyze with the team and decide which is the best way to approach the game,” Nejati concluded.

We can earn our goal by playing right: Behnam Yakhchali TEHRAN – Iran basketball team guard

Behnam Yakhchali says that they will achieve their goal by playing hard and playing right.

“I don’t think there is any pressure as far as qualifying again for the World Cup,” he said. “We are confident that by playing hard and playing right, we can achieve our goal. We have great players that have lots of experience by playing at highest level. We will go step by step.”

“We qualified first for the Olympics in 2008 and then the World Cup in 2010,” said Yakhchali. “All of those players and coaching staff changed the mentality of Iranian basketball and paved the way for everyone. They believed in themselves and their teamwork and with that they put us on the map.”

“They set a standard also that will last forever in the Iran and Asia basketball.”

“Hamed and Samad are veterans who have been in basketball for many years and kept their level of performance. They have very good knowledge of basketball and all players among ourselves always exchange and keep learning from each other,” he told FIBA.com.

“The generation we have right now is also the result of Iran basketball being present at the highest level of basketball in the world. I talked about the standards and setting the bar high from the first championship and now I give also credit to all the players and who maintained and even raised that level higher so that Iranian basketball remains in such level,” he said.

Iran aim to maintain undefeated run in 2022 World Cup qualificationFrome Page 1 Taremi reacted to the

interview by twitting: “Iran players are tactically at a high level, and the problem is elsewhere.”

Taremi implicitly referred to the national team coach.

Iranian football expert, Bijan Zolfagharnasab, shared his opinion on the recent controversy in his interview with Tehran Times.

“It’s not correct to say that Iranian players are not tactically matured. Such an issue should be raised by the head coach of the national team. Most of the current national team’s squad play in European and Asian clubs. They are among the best players in their club and have proved their tactical abilities and knowledge of the game,” said the former coach of the national team.

“On the other hand, I believe that this story could have been better managed by the Iran football federation so that it would not become a controversial issue, on the eve of Iran’s important games in the World Cup qualifiers. I think both sides – Skocic and Taremi – made mistake in a crucial time for Iranian football. The problem must be solved by talking as soon as possible, and the federation should not be passive in this regard,” the Iranian expert added.

While it is believed Tarmei will be back in the next camp, it will provide opportunities for other players to shine in the attacking line.

3S t r a i g h t T r u t h

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

TEHRAN TIMES

IRAN IN FOCUS Iran steps up Afghan diplomacy

TEHRAN – The foreign ministers of Iran and Germany held a telephone conversation to discuss the situation around the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major world powers.

The Iranian foreign ministry said the two ministers discussed the latest developments in bilateral relations, the Vienna nuclear talks, and the region.

During their talks held on Monday night, Heiko Maas asked about the health situation of Amir Abdollahian and wished him full recovery.

The Iranian foreign minister also referred to the upcoming talks in Vienna. He said the U.S. is to blame for the current situation according to the Iranian foreign ministry.

“The U.S. withdrawal [from the nuclear deal] and the failure of the three European countries to fulfill their obligations have increasingly deepened mistrust. Therefore, full removal of sanctions is a necessity,” he said.

Amir Abdollahian also reiterated the need for the European sides to avoid issuance of statements and comments, which fuel tensions.

“On the path to the talks and in media terms, using a language of force and threats is not helpful and the Islamic Republic of Iran will not give in to unfounded propaganda. Any inaccurate comment, which does not comply with the facts, can jeopardize ongoing efforts,” he said.

The German foreign minister also said his country understands Iran’s lack of trust. He noted that his country will put efforts into returning the U.S. to the nuclear deal, and also to help talks bear results.

During the conversation, which was held in a friendly atmosphere, regional issues were also reviewed.

On the current situation in Iraq, the Iranian foreign minister once more reiterated Iran’s condemnation of the attack on the residence of the Iraqi prime minister.

The German foreign minister, in turn, touched on the joint stance of Germany and Iran to condemn the attack and underlined the necessity of continued support for peace and stability of Iraq.

The German Foreign Office also said that the conversation focused on the Vienna talks that are to be resumed later this month.

“FM @HeikoMaas talked to Iranian FM @Amirabdolahian on the phone today. Main topic:

resumption of talks in Vienna at the end of this month. Germany’s goal is & will remain to conclude these talks quickly to ensure a return to full compliance with the #JCPoA as soon as possible,” the German Foreign Office said on Twitter.

Over the past few days, the Iranian foreign minister held extensive talks with his foreign counterpart despite being infected with Covid-19 and resting at home. The focus of these talks was to discuss the Vienna talks over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Amir Abdollahian also discussed the JCPOA-related issues with his Russian, Chinese, and British counterparts.

In his conversation with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Amir Abdollahian referred to the state of the Iran nuclear deal, blaming the disarray on the U.S. He reiterated that some other signatories to the deal are also at fault over the current situation due to their irresponsibility and silence toward Washington’s actions, according to Iran’s foreign ministry.

The Iranian foreign minister said a success of the Vienna talks is contingent on the removal of all sanctions, the return of all sides to their obligations, giving necessary assurances about the implementation of all talks’ results, and verification of actions by the other sides.

Amir Abdollahian added that normalizing trade ties with Iran was one of the commitments made by the other sides under the nuclear deal. He said the promise must be honored in the Vienna talks.

The British foreign secretary also wished fast recovery from Covid for Amir Abdollahian. She expressed pleasure over setting a date to hold the nuclear deal’s joint commission. Liz Truss said the European troika is serious and eager about making progress in the Vienna talks.

In his phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Amir Abdollahian voiced hope the U.S. and the European signatories to the Iran nuclear deal will enter the Vienna talks realistically so that an agreement is reached swiftly. He added that the U.S. cannot push ahead with its failed maximum pressure policy and economic terrorism and at the same time claim it wants talks and an agreement.

Amir Abdollahian also referred to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s

performing of its duties in Iran. He expressed confidence that cooperation between Iran and the IAEA will continue smoothly in line with agreements and rules.

The Chinese foreign minister welcomed the continuation of the nuclear talks and announced Beijing’s support for them. Wang blamed the U.S. for the obstacles to the implementation of the nuclear deal. He expressed hope that the U.S. will compensate its mistake by fully removing the anti-Iran sanctions so that the negotiations will produce good results in light of Iran’s positive approach.

The nuclear deal was also among the issues discussed by Amir Abdollahian and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. In the conversation, Amir Abdollahian referred to an agreement between Iran and the nuclear deal’s coordinator regarding the time of the 4+1 group’s talks with Tehran. He stressed that fast progress in talks is contingent upon the European troika and the U.S. adopting a realistic and constructive approach through avoiding demanding too much of Iran and making demands beyond the nuclear deal.

Amir Abdollahian said Iran takes into account the process and records of previous talks in Vienna, adding Tehran will insist on its demands forcefully.

The Iranian foreign minister reiterated that no one should even doubt Iran’s seriousness about the talks and the need for all sides to return to their obligations under the nuclear deal.

He also spoke of the latest U.S. sanctions on Iran. Amir Abdollahian said although Iran is pessimistic about the U.S. intentions, it will return to full compliance with the nuclear deal if Washington does the same and does not place increased demands on Iran.

Amir Abdollahian also referred to Iran’s constructive cooperation with the IAEA and underlined the need for its director general to avoid taking political stances. He said Iran will continue its technical cooperation with the UN body.

The Russian foreign minister also stressed the importance of reviving the JCPOA. He said all sides, and first and foremost the U.S., must return to full compliance with the deal.

Lavrov noted that Moscow has always emphasized the need for the U.S. to stop destructive measures against the JCPOA.

Iran, Germany FMs discuss JCPOA

TEHRAN - Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has congratulated the Nicaraguan people and government on successful holding of presidential election, the

Iranian foreign ministry said.

The spokesman offered congratulations to the brotherly and friendly nation of Nicaragua on behalf of the Iranian people and government

on their repeated show and practice of democracy and their peaceful election.

Khatibzadeh expressed hope that the result of the vote will bring

Nicaragua more growth and progress.

Nicaragua held the election on Sunday. It resulted in the victory of Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega for a fourth consecutive term.

Iran congratulates Nicaragua on election

By Mahnaz AbdiTEHRAN- Renewables account

for about seven percent of Iran’s total power generation, versus natural gas’ 90 percent share.

Based on Iran’s Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2016-2021), the country was aiming for 5,000 megawatts (MW) increase in renewable capacity to meet growing domestic demand and expand its presence in the regional electricity market.

But in the final year of the plan, only one-fifth of the figure has been achieved.

Iran was supposed to become a regional hub in the field of energy in the past Iranian calendar decade (March 2011-March 2021), but evidence shows that the country is facing a shortage even in the supply of electricity inside the country, an issue that many believe that could be achieved by developing renewable energy and increasing efficiency of the thermal power plants.

After the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known commonly as the Iran nuclear deal, in July 2015, many foreign delegations came to Iran for making investments and constructing renewable power plants in the country.

However, following the re-imposition of the U.S. sanctions, foreign investment in the country’s renewable industry has fallen significantly.

Two weeks ago, Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian said his ministry welcomes foreign investment in the country’s renewable energy industry.

Speaking in the Second Belt and Road Energy Ministerial Conference which was held by the National Energy Administration of the People’s Republic of China (NEA) through video conferencing, Mehrabian said: “The current government has a four-year plan to increase the capacity of the country’s renewable power plants by 10,000 megawatts.”

Referring to Iran’s potentials and capacities in the renewable energy industry, the official announced the country’s readiness

to attract investment to develop the renewable energy industry for a green and inclusive energy future in Iran.

According to the former Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian, the country has great potentials in the field of renewable energies and can have a significant role in developing the region’s market for such energies.

“Relying on the high potential of renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, etc., the Energy Ministry has planned good measures in order to implement new policies for creating positive changes in the development of the country’s renewable energy sector,” Ardakanian has said.

In early January, the official mentioned improving the utilization of various renewable energy sources as one of Iran’s macro plans to meet part of the growing needs of the country’s energy portfolio, and said, “Relying on the high potential of renewable energy sources, the Ministry of Energy has planned various measures with the aim of materializing the upstream policies

of the country’s development plans.”

Supporting the private sector to develop renewable energy through a 20-year guaranteed renewable electricity purchase contract is one of the mentioned measures.

And on Monday, the head of Iran’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (known as SATBA) said that in line with the plan for generating 10,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity from renewable sources through domestic and foreign investment, the private sector has already announced its readiness for generating 32,000 MW.

Speaking in a news conference, Mahmoud Kamani said that the private sector’s readiness in this due is expected to rise for generation of 60,000 MW.

In the past, there was a route for the construction of renewable power plants in the framework of guaranteed purchase in which electricity generated from renewable power plants was purchased at a price set by the Ministry of Energy, he said, adding that this method is problematic due to lack of resources, which

is why the Ministry of Energy has defined a new model for the development of renewable energy.

Noting that the payment of guaranteed purchases has not been stopped, but has faced a problem, he said in the new model that has been called for, according to Article 12 of the Law on Removing Barriers to Production, the investor receives the amount of investment and profit within six years after construction of the power plant.

“We will receive electricity from these power plants for six years, and after that, investors can offer their electricity on the stock exchange for up to 20 years”, he added.

The official went on to say, “We are currently in the call stage. After collecting the applications, the contracts for the construction of the power plants will be fully concluded.”

Saying that 900 MW of renewable power plants have been built in the country so far, he said of this figure, 310 are wind farms, 390 are solar farms and the rest are the small hydropower plants, biomass and expansion turbines.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kamani announced, “Our next activity is domestic production of equipment in renewable energy sector”, adding: “Because the construction of these power plants in the country has been done in a small volume, power generation has been proportionally limited, while to increase installation capacity, we have issued call to launch a chain of these power plants.”

The installed capacity of renewable power plants in the country is only seven percent of the total capacity of the power plants. This figure is very low, because the average figure in the world is 30 percent, even in some countries up to 80 percent, while in some countries the date for the end of using fossil energy has been set.

“In our country, it is possible to establish 100,000 megawatts of solar capacity and 40,000 megawatts of wind farms capacity, but we have not reached 1,000 megawatts yet”, according to the SATBA head.

From page 1 Sa’d-Mohammadi had previously put the country’s total copper reserves at 40 billion tons, saying that Iran

currently has the world’s seventh-largest copper reserves, and hopefully the country will climb to sixth place in the current Iranian calendar year.

According to the official, NICIC has defined more than €2.4 billion, plus 300 trillion rials (about $7.1 billion) worth of projects to be implemented over the next four years, which will increase the company’s total copper concentrate capacity to 2.3 million tons.

He further noted that the country’s copper exports increased in the previous year despite the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and the U.S. sanctions.

TEHRAN – Head of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has said the company’s subsidiaries should have a structure which focuses more on business and investment and an export-oriented approach must be followed.

Speaking in a ceremony to introduce the new head of the NIOC’s Exploration Department on Monday, Mohsen Khojasteh Mehr said: “If such a structure does not exist, it should be created, and if this structure is already created, it should be strengthened so that the companies would be able to benefit from the capabilities of their business and investment units.”

As reported, Khojasteh Mehr appointed Mehdi Fakour as the new director of the company’s exploration department, replacing Saleh Hendi.

The official underlined the importance of the exploration department in NIOC activities and noted that since all the data related to the oil industry’s upstream sector is collected at the mentioned department it is of utmost importance to manage this information in the best way possible.

The NIOC head stressed the need for the

continuation of exploration activities in the southern, southwestern and central regions of Iran and said: “there are still untapped reserves, both on land and at sea, and we should increase the success rate of our exploration operations with the use of latest technologies and modern equipment.”

In this meeting, Hendi, the former director of NIOC’s Exploration Department, congratulated Fakor for taking the position and wished him success.

He further referred to some of the work carried out during his tenure and said: “With all the measures taken, the exploration goals set for the country’s oil and gas sector in the Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2016-2021) have been achieved by more than 150 percent.”

“Seven rigs are currently drilling on exploration sites, four operational seismic projects and four information processing projects are underway, and 11 approved geophysical projects are in the tender stage,” he said.

TEHRAN – Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Rostam Qasemi has said more than 300 trillion rials (about $7.14 billion) is required for the renovation and maintenance of the country’s road network, the Transport Ministry’s portal reported.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 13th Bitumen, and Asphalt, Machinery Conference and Exhibition on Tuesday, Qasemi said: “There are more than 200,000 kilometers of asphalt roads in the country, and we need more than 300 trillion rials of financial resources for the

renovation and maintenance of these roads.”He mentioned the need for using high-

quality materials for constructing roads and said: “In road construction, one important issue that should be considered is the quality of the used materials, in which we are facing major weaknesses.”

“There are many weaknesses in the maintenance of existing roads that need to be addressed. Also, there are issues regarding the quality of materials, of which bitumen is a major part; we need to use up-to-date knowledge and

technologies throughout the road construction process from implementation to monitoring and testing,” Qasemi said.

“We need to include bitumen quality control and asphalt upgrading in the ministry’s programs,” he said.

Back in 2019, Deputy Head of Iran Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization (RMTO) Heidar Mataei had said that the country’s roads need 120 trillion rials (about $2.8 billion) of the annual budget to be properly maintained.

According to Mataei, RMTO uses the Pavement Management System (PMS) for collecting systemic data about the country’s roads in order to obtain a more scientific look and a better understanding of the state of the roads.

He said that in order to carry out maintenance operations for 36,000 kilometers of arterial roads in the country, 120 trillion rials is needed annually.

In the most optimistic case, credits and allocations will provide about 35 percent of the

required fund, so maintaining roads have been prioritized in order to optimize the costs, in this regard, transit corridors are the top priority, according to the official.

In the past two decades, Iran’s transportation infrastructure has gone through a major transformation, and every year the country is advancing more in this area.

Currently, more than 80 percent of the country’s roads are paved and the government is also hugely planning on expanding and developing the country’s railway network.

TEHRAN - Iran has exported 74,900 tons of fresh apples to India during the 2020/21 apple season (August-July), increasing exports by three times, the East Fruit website reported.

Based on the report, India has registered the largest increase in fresh apple imports among other countries during the mentioned period.

The volume of apple exports to India during the said time span exceeded 400,000 tons, having doubled compared to the 2019/20 season.

Every year Iran exports fresh agricultural products to numerous countries across the world among which Iraq, India, and Russia can be named.

According to the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the Islamic Republic exported 884,798 tons of apples worth $326.668 million to 27 countries in the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20).

Ruhollah Latifi said that Iraq bought $105 million, Russia $95.4 million, Afghanistan $51.7 million, India $26.6 million, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) $21.1 million of apples from Iran last year and were the top five export buyers of Iranian apples in that year.

Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Oman, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Armenia, Kuwait, Georgia, Syria, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Libya, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Egypt,

Norway, and the United Kingdom were the sixth to 27th destinations, respectively, he added.

The official further said that 207,257 tons of apples worth $62.587 million have been exported in the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-June 21).

As Latifi has previously announced, food and agricultural products accounted for 7.7 percent of the country’s weight of exports in the previous year, and the share of these goods in terms of value was more than 17.6 percent of the total value of exports.

In the past year, more than 8.832 million tons of agricultural products, livestock products, fisheries, and foodstuff worth $6.167 billion were exported, the average value of each ton was $698, which is about 70 cents per kilogram, he stated.

Iran’s non-oil export was 112 million tons valued at $34.5 billion in the previous year.

TEHRAN- TEDPIX, the main index of Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE), gained 13,298 points to 1.447 million on Tuesday.

As reported, over 8.803 billion securities worth 60.25 trillion rials (about $1.434 billion) were traded at the TSE.

The first market’s index gained 13,857 points, and the second market’s index rose 13,831 points.

TEDPIX gained 5,000 points (less than three percent) to 1.398 million in the past Iranian calendar week (ended on Friday).

During the past week, the indices of Isfahan Refining Company, National Iranian Copper Industries Company, Mobarakeh Steel Company, Bandar Abbas Refining Company, Sabzevar Pars Steel Complex, and Arian Chimia Tech Industrial Group were the most widely followed ones.

Capital market analyst, Soheil Kolahchi, believes the stock market is going to be able to compete with other parallel markets for bringing positive returns to investors in the

second half of the current Iranian calendar year (September 22, 2021-March 20, 2022), IRNA reported.

Stating that the stock market can be one of the suitable markets for investment in the second half of the year, Kolahchi said: “The capital market can provide an acceptable return to shareholders and experience good growth compared to other parallel markets by the end of the year.”

“The stock market can grow by the end of the year as the prevailing environment for investing in other parallel markets (including the forex, gold, and housing markets) is calm and nothing special is going to happen in any of them,” he explained.

Emphasizing the sharp decline in the number of deals in the housing market in recent months, Kolahchi noted: “The foreign currency exchange market is also experiencing slight fluctuations.”

The capital market expert continued: “Due to the existence

of such conditions, the capital market takes the same path as other markets and takes a slow path to ascend. This market will be accompanied by many ups and downs in its path but eventually, it moves upward.”

“It seems that the cement industry and the banking group can be suitable industries for investment and provide bigger returns by the end of the year; therefore, we can pay special attention to these groups compared to other industries for investment,” he added.

It’s over two years that stock market in Iran has been playing an outstanding role in the attraction of the people’s investment.

Iranian people, who used

to invest their money in some traditional ways such as buying gold, or deposit money in the banks, have taken a new approach for investment over the past two years, as they have been investing more and more in the stock market.

Different factors have created such condition, among them it could be referred to the efforts made by the stock market to attract people’s more investment through laying the proper ground, for example via introducing new financial instruments, and also by making people more acquainted with this market.

The other factor is the government’s policy and new approach toward the stock market, and putting emphasis on this market’s role in funding and economic growth.

The status of the parallel markets such as forex, housing, and gold markets has also made stock market a more attractive place for the people to invest in.

4 S t r a i g h t T r u t h

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

TEHRAN TIMES

ECONOMY Private sector to develop

renewable energy sector in IranNICIC plans to join world’s top 10

copper producers in 4 years

Iran’s apple exports to India tripleTEDPIX gains 13,000 points on Tuesday

‘Having business structure is a necessity for NIOC subsidiaries’

Over 7.1b needed for maintaining, renovating roads

From page 1 Following is the text of the interview:

Biden had pledged during his election campaigns to pressure Saudi authorities for violation of human rights. But his administration has approved a $650m sale of air-to-air missiles with Saudi Arabia. How do you see this contradiction?

Washington is full of contradictions and politicians hardly ever do what they say. Money is all that matters in the United States. Politicians need money to run their campaigns. So the promise of a campaign donation from a defense contractor carries a great deal of weight. Also the jobs that may be created as a result of arms sales in a region where a president needs votes gets the attention of politicians. In the case of MBS, just look at the public disgust about his crimes expressed by American CEOs and their refusal to participate in Saudi Arabia. But then just a few months later they are all running to Riyadh. Please don’t underestimate the role of money in the United States and don’t overestimate the importance of morality and decency. Morality plays no role in the conduct of American foreign policy. America has truly lost its moral compass. Hypocrisy is the trait of U.S. politicians.

How could Saudi Arabia strengthen its lobbies in the U.S. to push American authorities to turn a blind eye on its domestic and regional policies that promote extremism?

Easy. Saudi Arabia uses the two weapons that best work in the United States. They are good at lobbying, only second to the Israelis. They employ a number of ex-U.S. officials as ‘consultants,’ but really lobbyists with high annual retainers that could run into the millions of dollars. Former cabinet members, congressmen, governors, CEOs and military leaders. These folks can move mountains for Saudi Arabia in Washington. But on top of this,

the large Saudi contracts to defense contractors, oil companies and the like win them support. Second, they have learned an important lesson about getting things done in the U.S. That is the power of the Israeli lobby. So they have been quietly partnering with Israel and lobbying against Iran, the country that Israel wants isolated and demonized.

Do you think MBS is honest when he talks about campaign against extremism while he has put a bunch of Saudi activists in jail?

Absolutely not. MBS does not have an honest bone in his body. He thinks that he benefits from chaos in the region. It weakens his enemies. And he can better ride turmoil. People see him as a strong leader to restore stability. It motivates the U.S. to keep forces in the region and not pivot too fast to South East Asia. It weakens financially-strapped Iran that has to spend valuable resources on defense, intelligence and support for

allies.What are the main challenges and

opportunities of Saudi-Iranian talks to restore diplomatic ties?

Trust. The al-Sauds don’t trust the clerics who run Iran, Iran’s political system, Shia Muslims and indeed Iranians. So this is a challenge that will be hard to overcome. I know this from experience. Moreover, there is a built-in resentment of Iran’s history, culture and Shiism. It is tough to negotiate with a party that is jealous of you and does not trust you at all.

What are the fallouts of war on Yemen for the region?

First and foremost is the human tragedy that continues today. The thousands that have died and injured. The millions that are homeless. The economic damage to a country that was already poor. Yet, I don’t believe that there will be a rush by

Arabs to help rebuild Yemen. Yemen will continue to suffer. Second, there will be on and off border clashes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The PGCC will change. Increasingly, Qatar and even Oman will keep a distance from Saudi Arabia. At the core will be Saudi Arabia and Bahrain along with Kuwait and the UAE. Third, there will be a re-

alignment of allies in the region. The UAE will be more distanced from MBS. Fourth, MBS will see Iran as a continued threat and not to be trusted. MBS will buy even more sophisticated arms and engage U.S. mercenaries and maybe even Israelis to train its military, triggering a new arms race in the region. I think that Israel will have a bigger presence in the Persian Gulf. Iran will have little choice but to get closer and closer to China. The future is not bright!

TEHRAN - The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi has held a meeting with members of Iraq’s Resistance Coordination Committee. The committee represents different factions of the anti-U.S. Iraqi resistance groups whose political wings have been elected to parliament. According to Iraqi media, President Barham Saleh and the head of the Judiciary Council were also present at the talks.

The statement added that “the meeting concluded with several points, which are condemning the crime of targeting demonstrators, completing the judicial investigations related to it, holding those involved in this crime accountable, rejecting and condemning the crime of targeting the Prime Minister’s house, completing the investigation, and providing the investigation team with a specialized technical team to find out all the facts of the crime and bring those responsible for it to the judiciary.”

The meeting included an agreement to “reduce tension, stop media escalation

from all sides, remove all manifestations of provocation in the street, pressing ahead towards calming people’s fears, sending messages of reassurance to the Iraqi people, and searching for legal remedies necessary for the results of the non-objective elections that restore confidence to all parties in the electoral process that has been shaken to a degree.” And calling for a national meeting to discuss the possibility of finding solutions to this intractable crisis.”

The outcome of the talks according to what was

published in a statement by several political parties including the second largest bloc in parliament, the conquest alliance included:

A condemnation on the fatal shooting to death of demonstrators protesting alleged election irregularities and the need to complete the judicial investigations related to it and the trial of those involved in this crime.

A Condemnation of the failed assassination attempt using a drone to target the residence of the Prime Minister and completing the investigation related to this attack and

bringing the perpetrators of the crime to the judicial authorities.

Reducing tension in the country, stopping the media escalation from all sides and working towards calming the nation and reassuring the Iraqi people.

Seeking legal ways to resolve the crisis concerning the post election results so that confidence can be restored in the electoral process to all parties as well as calling for a national meeting to consider finding a way out of the crisis.

All present at the meeting stressed the need to maintain peace and internal and civil settlement and address all ambiguities within the framework of the legal and political apparatus.

Since the October 10 election Iraqis have held regular protests across the country against what they say is vote irregularities. The initial announced by the electoral commission put the party of the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the lead. However, the party fell short of a ruling majority.

TEHRAN - Syria’s air defense systems have responded to Israeli air raids, targeting some sites in the central and coastal regions, and shot down most of the hostile missiles.

In a statement a military source said “At around 7:16 p.m. this evening, the Israeli enemy carried out an air aggression from the direction north of Beirut, targeting some points in the central and coastal region. Our air defense media confronted the aggression’s missiles and shot down most of them.”

The source added that the airstrikes led to “the injury of two soldiers and some

material losses.” Last month, a soldier with the Syrian

Arab Army was killed and three others were wounded as a result of Israeli air strikes towards the Palmyra area in the eastern countryside of Homs.

Over the past years, Israeli warplanes have carried out hundreds of airstrikes on Syria, most of the time violating Lebanese airspace. Analysts say the airstrikes are aimed at boosting the morale of terrorist groups, obstructing the advance of the Syrian army’s liberation of the country from terrorist groups and preventing the transfer of weapons to the Lebanese

movement Hezbollah. According to experts Israel has failed on all three fronts.

From page 1 Mexico’s foreign ministry said it would not comment on the election until official results were posted. Mexico maintained a critical view of Ortega’s alleged jailing of opponents but backed non-intervention in Nicaragua’s affairs, a Mexican official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Ortega, born on November 11, 1945, was raised in a middle-class family that opposed the regime of dictator Anastasio Somoza. He was a former rebel who helped topple the right-wing Somoza family dictatorship in the late 1970s, Ortega says he is defending Nicaragua against unscrupulous adversaries bent on ousting him with the aid of foreign powers.

In the 1980s, Ortega served a single term as president before being voted out. He returned to the top job in 2007 and went on to deliver solid economic growth and attracting private investment. Over the past decades, the youth and other activists abroad have been highly optimistic of Ortega’s Sandinista alliance. In Europe and the Americas, they organized solidarity campaigns, fundraisers and protests to support the healthcare reform, educational programs and agricultural projects in Nicaragua.

In 2008, Ortega’s government faced massive waves of anti-government protests; and that’s where critics accuse the U.S. of inciting the unrest.

Russia has previously accused the United States of “destructive” meddling in Nicaragua’s affairs for using a UN Security Council meeting to address demonstrations in the Central American country.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia described the U.S. decision to raise Nicaragua at the UN council as a “glaring and grim example of destructive foreign intervention” and accused Washington of spearheading the division in the country.

Nebenzia says “The Security Council is being transformed into something of a judge over Nicaragua. Following [the session], polarization in Nicaragua will only worsen. The initiators are indeed seeking to achieve that.”

Russia has argued that the situation in the country was “stabilizing” and that differences between the government and its opponents should be resolved “through direct peaceful dialogue, with pressure from abroad”.

According to an investigation conducted by the Grayzone we also know a U.S. government-linked “Public Relations” firm ran fake news networks for right-wing Latin American regimes to bring down government’s such as that of Nicaragua.

The major American PR firm, CLS

Strategies, is located just a few blocks from the White House and was caught running a large scale propaganda operation on social media. The information warfare relied on fake social media accounts and pages to spread disinformation on behalf of right-wing, U.S.-backed regimes in Latin America, while conducting covert online propaganda to destabilize the leftist governments in the region.

According to the company’s own public listings, as well as Foreign Agents Registration Act filings, CLS Strategies has worked for right-wing political forces in Nicaragua that want Ortega replaced with a regime friendly to the United States.

This controversy underscores how U.S. PR firms, elite Washington insiders, and foreign opposition groups work together to promote right-wing regimes in Latin America while creating fake news in support of the opposition to democratically elected governments.

Given the extensive links the PR firm CLS has to the Democratic Party, the scheme also highlights the bipartisan unity around regime change and support for corrupt leaders linked to death squads and drug trafficking.

The research also explains the harsh rhetoric coming out of the Biden administration and the wider Democratic Party.

One of many on the payroll of CLS Strategies is Mark Feierstein, who

boasted that he “oversaw the United States Agency for International Development’s programming in the Americas as assistant administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean, a Senate-confirmed position, and later took on a global portfolio as USAID’s deputy administrator for two years.”

Feierstein previously served in the Bill Clinton administration. He also worked at another U.S. government entity accused with regime-change policies, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In his CLS biography, Feierstein boasted that he spent his time at the NDI helping the right-wing Nicaraguan opposition challenge the government.

Feierstein is also a close associate and friend of U.S. regime-change operative Roger Noriega, a Washington insider who crafted Latin America policy in the George W. Bush administration’s State Department and Ronald Reagan’s USAID, where Noriega oversaw support for far-right Contra death squads in Nicaragua.

Nevertheless, Nicaragua during Ortega’s tenure, has been an independent country opposed to the meddling of the United States in its internal affairs and in Central America. And that is something which does not go down well with Washington.

5S t r a i g h t T r u t h

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

TEHRAN TIMES

INTERNATIONAL

“MBS thinks that he benefits

from chaos in the region. It weakens his enemies, And he can better ride

turmoil.”

In 2008, Ortega’s government

faced massive waves of anti-government

protests; and that’s where

critics accuse the U.S. of inciting

the unrest.

Why does Nicaragua’s election results anger the U.S.?

MBS does not have an honest bone in his body: GWU professor

Iraqi PM meets resistance party blocs

Syrian military thwart Israeli attack

From page 1 “Kermanshah has earned the title of ‘the city of food’, which is expected to lead to the prosperity of tourism in the city,” the mayor of Kermanshah, Amir Rahimi, said on Monday.

Iran is the paradise of foodies. Every province and even every city of Iran has its own specific delec-table dishes. So, one can enjoy a wide range of foods here in Iran; and Kermanshah is one of the most popular places among food-ies.

The cornerstone of every Per-sian meal is rice or Polo. Persian cuisine is, above all, about balance — of tastes and flavors, textures and temperatures. In every meal, even on every plate, you’ll find both sweet and sour, soft and crunchy, cooked and raw, hot and cold.

No Persian meal is complete without an abundance of herbs. Every table is set with sabzi-khor-dan, a basket of fresh herbs, rad-ishes, and scallions, which are eaten raw and by the handful, often tucked into a piece of fresh flatbread with a bite of feta, cu-cumber, or walnuts.

By joining the UNESCO Cre-ative Cities Network (UCCN), cit-ies commit to sharing their best practices and developing part-nerships involving the public and private sectors as well as civil society in order to strengthen the creation, production, distribution, and dissemination of cultural activities, goods, and services. They also pledge to develop hubs of creativity and innovation and broaden opportunities for cre-ators and professionals in the cultural sector.

Here are seven dishes you should eat in Kermanshah:

Dande KebabKebab has a special place

among Iranians. Dande Kebab (lamb ribs kebab) is one of the original, official, famous, and de-licious Kebabs in Kermanshah.

Kermanshahi chefs prepare a

sauce with a combination of to-mato paste, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and saffron and pour it on kebabs repeatedly during the cooking and preparation process. After cooking the food it can be served with rice or bread deco-rated with onion, lemon, or sour orange.

Khoresht-e Khalal This is one of the most popu-

lar competitors of Dande Kebab. Khoresht-e Khalal has a specific fea-ture: it can satis-fy different peo-ple with different tastes. So, every-body will enjoy it.

Its ingredients are usually lamb meat, slices of al-mond, black barber-ry, saffron, oil, onion, salt, Omani Limon, and so on. This delectable Khoresht is served with rice. This Khoresht contains lots of iron and protein, so eat in Kermanshah and get the power of a champi-on – Kermanshah people are en-thusiastic fans of champions and championships.

Ash-e Abbas Ali Kermanshah is really cold

during the winter, that’s why

people cook various kinds of “Ashes” or thick soups in the cold season. One of the most popular and delicious winter dishes of Kermanshah is Ash-e Abbas Ali.

The story of the food, accord-ing to what people say, goes back to the First Pahlavi period. In this single period of history, religious rituals were prohib-ited for a while. That is why a person named Abbas Ali began

cooking this kind of Ash in a mosque and distributing it among people. The Ash, therefore, was known as Ash-e Abbas Ali.

Today, Ash-e Ab-bas Ali is very pop-ular among people. You can enjoy its

delicious taste if you are visiting Kermanshah in winter.

Jegar-o BozYou can have Jegar-o Boz only in

Kermanshah. This is a complete-ly different dish. Jegar-o Boz is a kind of local sausage but a really healthy one. It is prepared by the liver of sheep – yummy.

The liver of sheep is kebabed (roasted) under the ashes of the fire. When it is cooked, it should be

mixed with salt, pepper, and tur-meric.

Kookooye PagharePaghare is one of the popular

vegetables that grow on Kerman-shah’s mountains. People use veg-etables to cook a local dish named Kookooye Paghare. In addition to its pleasing odor, this vegetable has some medical properties as well.

Notice that using Paghare to cure diseases related to the stom-ach and intestines is recommend-ed by doctors. You can find this mountain vegetable in Kerman-shah markets during the spring. Kookooye Paghare should be cooked with egg, flour, vegetables, turmeric, oil, onion, and garlic. In fact, vegetarians can eat in Ker-manshah healthy foods.

Sib PoloThe variety of Iranian Polos is

due to the use of different vegeta-bles. There is a specific kind of Polo cooked in Kermanshah named Sib Polo. The name of the Polo is be-cause of the great amount of Sib-zamini (potato) in the dish. In fact, potato is the main ingredient of this Polo – after rice of course.

Sib Polo is one of the delectable Polos you have ever enjoyed. The ingredients of Sib Polo include po-tato, mutton, raisin, saffron, date, and butter.

Valak PoloMountain vegetables are really

popular among Kermanshah peo-ple. That’s why people are healthy; you may also want to eat in Ker-manshah and enjoy healthy foods.

Kermanshah people cook one of their tasty local dishes by the use of another mountain vegeta-ble named Valak or Kool – as lo-cal people say. This is also one of the useful vegetables growing in spring.

The other ingredients of Valak Polo include the beef tongue, local oil, rice, salt, saffron, and pepper. You can cook the Polo with chick-en, fish, or mutton as well.

TEHRAN – A group of nine French travel-ers has commenced its two-week journey across Iran as the Islamic Republic reopened its borders to international travelers last month.

The group that arrived in Iran on Sunday is scheduled to visit travel destinations in Teh-ran, Hamedan, Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Shiraz, Yazd, and Isfahan, Mehr reported.

Moreover, several Russian travel agents and tour operators arrived in the country earlier this month for a week-long familiar-ization tour.

As mentioned by the UNWTO Barometer, most international destinations reporting data for June and July 2021 saw a moderate rebound in international arrivals compared to 2020. Nevertheless, 2021 continues to be

a challenging year for global tourism, with international arrivals down 80% in Janu-ary-July compared to 2019. Asia and the Pa-cific continued to suffer the weakest results in the period January to July, with a 95% drop in international arrivals compared to 2019.

“West Asia (-82%) recorded the sec-

ond-largest decline, followed by Europe and Africa (both -77%). The Americas (-68%) saw a comparatively smaller decrease, with the Caribbean showing the best perfor-mance among world subregions. Meanwhile, some small islands in the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia and the Pacific, together with a few small European destinations recorded the best performance in June and July, with arrivals close to, or sometimes exceeding pre-pandemic levels.”

Iran is potentially a booming destination for travelers seeking cultural attractions, breathtaking sceneries, and numerous UNE-SCO-registered sites. Under the 2025 Tour-ism Vision Plan, Iran aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025.

TEHRAN – Archaeologists have discovered a gigantic prehistorical site, which is estimated to cover some 10 ha in area, in southwest Iran.

“An important archaeological site with an area of 10 hectares has been identified near Ardal city of Cha-harmahal-Bakhtiari province,” CHTN quoted archaeologist Ali-Asghar Noruzi as saying on Monday.

“The site, which has yielded ev-idence dating back to some 10,000 years ago, was found following various archaeological studies con-ducted under the supervision of the provincial directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.”

“This archaeological site has im-portant archaeological values in terms of expansion in the area, which can be an important place to study the process of transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic and the pro-cess of creating the first human set-

tlements in this part of the Zagros [mountain range],” the archaeologist explained.

Moreover, this archeological site contains credible evidence of some significant human settlements of different pre-Islamic periods, he added.

“Archaeological evidence and pre-liminary studies of surface artifacts indicate that an important part of this area belongs to the Late Pa-

leolithic period, which is more than 10,000 years old, although exca-vations at this site may also reveal older artifacts.”

Furthermore, evidence concerning the various epochs of Neolithic, Cop-per, Stone, and the Bronze Age have been uncovered in the site.

“Other archaeological evidence discovered at the site include pot-tery from the prehistoric Neolithic, Copper and Stone periods, and the

Bronze Age to the Islamic period, along with architectural evidence,” Noruzi stated.

The first well-documented ev-idence of human habitation is in deposits from several excavated cave and rock-shelter sites, located mainly in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran and dated to Middle Paleolithic or Mousterian times (c. 100,000 BC).

From the Caspian in the northwest to Baluchistan in the south-east, the Iranian Plateau extends for close to 2,000 km. It encompasses the greater part of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan west of the Indus River containing some 3,700,000 square kilometers. Despite being called a “plateau”, it is far from flat but con-tains several mountain ranges, the highest peak being Damavand in the Alborz mountain range at 5610 m, and the Dasht-e Loot east of Kerman in Central Iran falling below 300 m.

TEHRAN – Iran’s deputy tourism minister has said COVID-19 restrictions did not stop medical tourism in the country.

“The coronavirus pandemic reduced the arrival of medical tourists to Iran but it did not stop the [worldwide] demand and travel flow,” IRNA quoted Ali-Asghar Shalbafian as saying on Monday.

“Our view towards medical tourism is not purely economic. We see it as a tool and op-portunity to represent the achievements and capabilities of the Islamic Republic in the medical field,” the official explained.

He made the remarks during the 5th In-ternational Health Congress of Islamic Countries, which brought together tens of representatives, experts, travel insiders, and private investors from member states.

Held at Tehran’s IRIB International Confer-ence Center, a three-day event was aimed to find new opportunities for cooperation and development of health tourism among Mus-lim nations, according to organizers.

The congress turned the spotlight on five specialized panel discussions of medical tourism, sports tourism, natural, wellness,

and food tourism, medical and laboratory equipment, and nutrition and healthy food.

The Islamic Republic is known in the world as an affordable destination for health tour-ism and the government is making a great effort to attract more health tourists in the years to come. Many believe that medical tourism in the Islamic Republic is a win-win opportunity both for the country and foreign patients, as they are offered affordable yet quality treatment services and the country gains considerable foreign currency.

Health and medical tourism are of very high importance for the Islamic Republic, which has set a goal to exceed its yearly medical travelers to around two million till the Iranian calendar year 1404 (starting in January 2025).

Various Iranian cities offer a variety of medical services such as eye surgeries and services, cardiovascular surgeries especially pediatric heart surgery, bone marrow trans-plantation, gynecologic and obstetric sur-gery, oncologic services, cerebrospinal sur-gery, orthopedic surgery (total knee & total hip replacement, etc.), and urologic surgery, and so many other services.

TEHRAN – Domestic travelers in Iran will be required to show either proof of negative COVID-19 test or vaccination certificate as of Nov. 22.

“[Domestic] passengers who are not vac-cinated [against coronavirus] should present negative PCR tests to be allowed to have rail, road or air travels as of Nov. 22.,” according to the Ministry of Transport and Urban Devel-opment.

So far, more than 70 percent of Iranians have received the first dose, and more than 47 percent have been fully vaccinated, as re-cently mentioned by the Food and Drug Ad-ministration.

Iranian tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami in September called on travel agen-cies and tour operators to design affordable packages aimed to jumpstart domestic tour-ism when COVID-19 is less of a major concern. “I have two recommendations and requests; one is to offer a variety of tour packages and the other is to design cheap packages [for domestic travels], and of course you have to help in this regard,” said the minister of Cul-tural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.

The ancient land embraces hundreds of historical sites such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and man-sions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNES-CO World Heritage list.

6 S t r a i g h t T r u t h

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

TEHRAN TIMES

TOURISM

Kermanshah is a paradise for history-

lovers, nature-enthusiasts, and

foodies.

COVID did not stop medical tourism in Iran: deputy minister

UNESCO picks Kermanshah as ‘creative city’ of gastronomy

French group starts Iran journey as country reopens borders to intl. travelers

Domestic travelers to be required negative test or vaccination certificate as of Nov. 22

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Prehistorical site discovered in southwest Iran

TEHRAN – A budget of 19 trillion rials (some $450 million at the of-ficial exchange rate) has been allo-cated to rural development projects across the country, IRNA quoted Ali Nikzad, head of the Housing Foun-dation, as saying on Monday.

The funding will be spent on building roads, schools, mosques, and expanding infrastructures, he added.

There are currently around 40,000 villages nationwide, each with over 20 families, he noted, highlighting that the reverse trend of migration from cities to villages is a source of happiness.

He went on to say that in the Iranian calendar year 1384 (March 2005-March 2006), just seven percent of rural houses were reno-vated and strengthened, while the figure has increased to around 50 percent and the rest will be com-pleted by the next ten years.

In Iran, where villages account for generating 20-23 percent of the value-added in the country, the de-velopment of rural areas has been

always a top agenda of the govern-ments’ activities.

Many efforts have been made over the past couple of years by the government to support villagers and slow down the trend of migra-tion from rural areas to cities.

Rural tourism, agritourism, reli-gious tourism, and ecotourism are alternatives or complementary economic activities that could fur-ther stimulate rural development while decreasing rural community dependency on one main econom-ic sector (agriculture, forestry, en-

ergy, or mining).

Mohammad Omid, the vice pres-ident for rural development, said in November 2020 that for the first time in the country, the migration of people from rural areas to cities has reached zero.

COVID-19 UPDATES ON NOVEMBER 9

New cases 8,305

New deaths 112

Total cases 6,004,460

Total deaths 127,551

New hospitalized patients 1,203

Patients in critical condition 3,640

Total recovered patients 5,629,596

Diagnostic tests conducted 36,502,080

Doses of vaccine injected 95,866,990

7S t r a i g h t T r u t h

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

TEHRAN TIMES

SOCIETY

ENGLISH IN USE

Kish to host World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2019

The 7th World Health Summit Regional Meeting will be held on April 29-30 in the Persian Gulf island of Kish, IRNA reported on Monday.

Ali Jafarian, international president of World Health Summit 2019, said that it is the first regional meeting in West Asia and North Africa to host 700 participants, including 150 foreign guests.

Pointing out that playing host to the event is an important opportunity for the country, he added that over 100 health experts from different coun-tries have expressed readiness to attend the meeting.

در منطقه ای مجمع جهانی سلامت نشست کیش برگزار می شود

به گزارش روز دوشنبه ایرنا هفتمین نشست منطقه ای مجمع جهانی سلامت در روزهای 9 و 10 اردیبهشت 98 در جزیره کیش برگزار می شود.

علی جعفریان نماینده دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران در مجمع جهانی سلامت گفت: این نخستین نشست منطقه ای در غرب آسیا و شمال افریقا است که قرار است 700 شرکت کننده از جمله 150

مهمان خارجی در آن حضور یابند.جعفریان، میزبانی از این نشست منطقه ای را برای جمهوری اسلامی ایران فرصتی مهم دانست و گفت: حدود 100 نفر از افراد سرشناس حوزه سلامت کشورهای مختلف جهان به عنوان سخنران برای

شرکت در این نشست اعلام آمادگی کرده اند.

LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION

National award on renewables to be heldFrom page 1 Historically, Iran is

one of the leading countries in the use of wind energy in windmills, but the first modern and industrial use of wind power in Iran was started in 1955 when two modern wind turbines with a ca-pacity of 500 KW were purchased and installed in northern Gilan province, after which the government decided to

develop wind energy in the country.

Currently, the capacity of wind farms in Iran is 302 MW, while the economic potential of the construc-tion of such power plants is more than 7,000 MW, which certainly can be very effective and useful in man-aging the peak of the electricity load in the country.

The first document related to the development of clean energy was prepared by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization with the assistance of the World Bank. In addition to this document, based on the 20-year National Outlook Plan, Iran must establish an annual 90 MW wind farm by the end of 2025.

Iran reaffirms commitment to address climate change at COP26TEHRAN - Experts from the Ministry of Health,

academia, and authors contributing to the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change from Iran came together with World Health Organization pro-fessionals on November 6 to participate in the UN Global Conference on Health and Climate Change, according to WHO website.

Iran is partaking in the Conference of Parties of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) by presenting 3 nationally deter-mined contribution reports to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (UNFC-CC), to which the country is a signatory, and prepar-ing a country profile on climate and health through its Ministry of Health and published jointly by World Health Organization and UNFCCC.

The participants kept the spirit of COP26 alive by discussing health issues impacting societies on a broader spectrum on the sidelines of the confer-ence, in both virtual and in-person attendance in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that has mandated hybrid participation across the world.

At this year’s event, health is the main scientific topic being addressed throughout a full-day ses-sion organized by WHO highlighting the fact that living in a healthy environment is an undeniable human right. It builds on the notion that while not fitting into the classic definition of a pandemic, cli-mate change has enough impacts on the livelihood that it needs to be addressed as one.

On track with its pledge to participate in inter-national efforts to mitigate global climate change, the country is also contributing to COP26 in part-nership with national ministries and organizations, including the Ministry of Health and the National Climate Change Office under the auspices of the Department of the Environment.

As the second-largest country of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Iran is highly vulnerable to

the effects of climate change as it is geographically located in an arid and semi-arid region having faced temperature increases, a decline in precipitation, drought, desertification, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity over the recent years.

Lifting of sanctions

Iran will pursue the issue of lifting sanctions at the Conference so that the country can act more ef-fectively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Given that Iran is affected by climate change, barriers to reducing emissions must be removed, Elham Azizi, head of climate change group of the Department of Environment (DOE), said on Novem-ber 3, ISNA reported.

An Iranian delegation headed by DOE chief Ali Sa-lajegheh will attend the COP26.

Given that we have produced more greenhouse gases than the earth’s capacity, the industrial ac-tivity of the countries should be directed towards reducing the emission. At the Paris Summit in 2015, countries agreed to work to reduce global warming and emissions, Azizi added.

According to the International Committee on Cli-mate Change, even if all countries meet their emis-

sion reduction commitments, we cannot achieve the goal of reducing global warming to 2.5 degrees Celsius, so we cannot hope that industrialized countries can achieve the goal of reducing tem-peratures by 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“Countries will present their reports at the COP26, taking into account domestic conditions and their approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Summit’s Scientific and Working Committees review various aspects of the coun-tries’ reports and discuss issues such as the com-mitment of developed countries to provide finan-cial resources to developing countries.

Iran has so far submitted three national reports to the Secretariat of the Conference and the third report has been registered in 2018,” she explained.

In fact, this summit is an opportunity for the countries to express their demands.

At present, we have no international commit-ment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and we can take action based on the national laws and policies to reform energy consumption pat-terns, she stated.

Regarding obstacles to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Azizi stressed that “Iran has a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ac-cording to the low-carbon economy program, and if sanctions are lifted and funding is provid-ed, there will be no obstacle to the realization of these programs.

Our country is one of the most vulnerable countries in terms of climate change. Iran re-ceives one-third of the average global rainfall annually, but water evaporation is three times that of other countries, so the intensification of climate change can reduce the diversity of agri-cultural products, migration, depletion of water resources, and sand and dust storms.”

Professionals from WHO, the Ministry of Health, and academia came together on November 6 to participate virtually in the UN Global Conference

on Health and Climate Change.

Some $450m allocated to rural development projects

TEHRAN – The third generation of human rights emphasizes the right to development for all human societies and a healthy environ-ment for all human beings, and sanctions by the powers spoil this right, Mohammad Mojabi, chairman of the environment committee at the Expediency Council, has said.

“Sanctions are considered a form of hostility that is a way of fighting in today’s world. War has a direct impact on the environment. Wheth-er the classic wars of the past or the present, ranging from economic wars or bio-terrorism to other hostile methods that violate human rights in their own way. In my opinion, it is self-ish that some governments deprive the coun-tries of their rights by imposing sanctions on the people,” he explained.

He made the remarks at the 12th internation-al seminar on “Relevance of Environment and Climate Change Issues for Peace Negotiations” which was held in Tehran on Tuesday on the occa-sion of the International Day to Prevent Exploita-tion of Environment in War and Armed Conflict.

“One of the factors affecting climate change is the technologies used in different countries, es-pecially developing ones. This leads to an increase in greenhouse gases and ultimately global warm-ing. Although this effect can be seen in more or less different political borders, but in the end, it brings the whole earth and the people of the world closer to the edge of an abyss,” he added.

However, according to the “Climate Change Convention” and its protocols, developed coun-tries are responsible for transferring greenhouse gas emission technology to developing countries, he said, explaining: “This responsibility has not omitted the heavy effects of their unsustainable

development on the increase in greenhouse gas-es of the past decades. The important point is that using this hostile method not only does cause problems for humanity, but also with the increase of temperature in a short time, we will see the ex-tinction of different species, which will lead to the outbreak of invasive species.”

“In my opinion, in today’s world, where conven-tional-classic wars are replaced with cyber-tech-nological ones, the way of dealing with the effects of war on the environment has also changed. I be-lieve that the hostile action of sanctions against nations will be a declaration of war and will have an impact on the environment, especially and es-pecially climate change.

This issue is against common sense and social knowledge and contradicts the Declaration of Hu-man Rights, especially its third generation. Let us encourage all governments and powers to adhere to reason and respect for human rights and na-ture. This is the best solution for the current con-ditions in the world.

Finally, I suggest a global campaign to abolish economic sanctions against the environment, which is a new tool in new wars,” he concluded.

“We need an ecopreneur revolution, and we need it now.” This was the passionate call-to-action de-livered by Simon Mulcahy, Salesforce’s Chief Inno-vation Officer, during the recent Sustainable Devel-opment Impact Summit.

And with good reason. Fifty-percent of the car-bon reductions needed to get to net-zero will come from technologies that have not yet been invented. These innovations will likely come from ‘ecopre-neurs’ — entrepreneurs whose businesses models are not just driven by profit, but by a desire to have a positive impact on the environment. And many of these innovators are only now beginning their jour-ney of building their start-ups.

To meet the Paris Agreement target of staying well-below a 2°C atmospheric temperature rise compared to pre-industrial levels, we will need to see innovations that work for people and planet on an unprecedented scale over the next decade.

While governments are increasingly design-ing new policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions and businesses are accelerating towards net-zero emissions, there is also an ecopreneurship revolu-tion on the horizon: a growing number of start-ups all around the world are building next-generation businesses using innovative approaches that are good for people, planet and prosperity and will help to set the world on a path toward net-zero.

These ecopreneurs put nature and climate at the core of their business models, ensuring that income for local livelihoods is generated and putting societies on a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable path.

One great example of ecopreneurship is Sea6 En-ergy. They have modernised tropical seaweed farm-ing to produce large quantities of inexpensive sea-weed in deep ocean waters, which can then be used in a variety of environmentally-friendly products.

Another example is United States-based start-up Kiverdi, which converts carbon dioxide through NASA-inspired technologies into people and plan-et-friendly nutrients and bio-based materials, such as a new class of organic crop nutrients that improves crop yields and returns organic carbon to depleted soil.

It is obvious that neither of these two innova-tions, nor any other innovation on its own, will be the silver bullet that solves climate change. If we are to meet the Paris targets, we need a broad-er shift that enables thousands of ecopreneurial businesses to emerge and to scale rapidly. For such a change to be successful, we have to go be-yond helping these innovations to accelerate and scale – we require an innovation ecosystem in which these ecopreneurs can thrive and multiply exponentially around the globe.

We need an ‘ecopreneur revolution’ to fight climate change

Sanctions spoil right to healthy environment, official says

TEHRAN – The programs of the 29th edition of the Iran Book Week were announced on Monday.

“Fill in the Blanks with Good Books” is the motto of this year’s festival, which will be held from November 15 to 22, the managing director of the Iran Book and Literature House, the main organizer of the week, said in a press conference.

“This empty space for books in people’s daily lives has been felt in the COVID-19 era more than ever, and we can fill it in with traveling, going to university and school, parties and whatever we want and is inaccessible,” said Ali Ramezani, who is also the director of the week.

The week will begin on November 15, which has been named after “Books, Reading and Librarians” on the Iranian calendar. Therefore, this day of the week has been named “Books, Reading”.

“A Good Book, the Ever Intimate Mate” is the name of the second day of the week, while the third day

is named after “Books, the Persian Language, Poem and Fiction”.

“Books, Media, Synergy and Interaction”, “Books, Family, Iranian-Islamic Lifestyle”, “Publishers, Booksellers, Printing Industry Foundations”, “Books, Martyrs’ Mothers and Women in the Sacred

Defense” and “Books, Children and Young Adults, Future of the Online Generation” are the titles of other days of the week.

Over 15 organizations are scheduled to hold over 80 programs across the country during this week.

Top reading promoters, libraries

and librarians will be honored in a special program at Vahdat Hall in Tehran.

The Ministry of Education will organize festivals on “knowledge and ability” and “teachers and authors”.

The Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research also plans to honor top books authored by university students.

Workers and employers promoting reading will be celebrated by the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare.

The Agriculture Ministry will organize the Books, Agriculture and Natural Resources Festival.

Ten veteran poets and writers are also scheduled to be honored by the Iran Pen Association as part of the programs arranged to take place during Iran Book Week.

In addition, the latest offerings from different publishers will be showcased at dozens of local book exhibitions across the country.

Iran picks 21 overseas narrators for Intl. Storytelling Festival

Laura Esquivel’s “Swift as Desire” appears in Persian

Frome Page 1 Devaki Bhujang Gajare, Meher Gehi, Niyati Vaidya Mehta, Shalini Bajaj and Hema Subramanian are other Indian storytellers who will give performances at the festival.

Nor Azhar Ishak from Malaysia, a science museum educator and award-winning picture book writer and illustrator, is also among the storytellers. He has won the consolation prize in the DBP Picture Book Award 2013, and the YGL-Oyez! Picture Book Award.

Shayna Jones, another world-renowned storyteller who specializes in African folk tales, will participate in the festival. She has performed for audiences across Canada. She combines her passion for live performance with an in-depth study of Afro-centric folk history.

The Filipino-Canadian storyteller Veronica Antipolo will also give a performance at the event. She is the co-founder of Mosaic Untold Lives, a storytelling platform. She has performed for the CBC Glenn Gould Studio.

Paola Balbi, the founder and co-artistic director of Raccontamiunastoria Storytelling Company, an industry leader in Italy, and the Storytelling Company, the first performing storytelling company in the UAE, will also attend the festival.

Marcela Sabio from Argentina, Beatriz Quintana Valle from Cuba, Raquel Lopez Cascales from Spain,

Ruben Corbett from Mexico, Baeletsi Tsatsi from South Africa, Argin Kubin from Turkey, Ahmad Rashedi from Oman, Raida Guermazi from Tunisia, Boniface Ofogo from Cameroon, Haytham Shokry from Egypt and Patrick Mohr from Switzerland will entertain audiences during the festival with their performances.

The storytellers have been selected from among 150 applicants by an expert committee composed of Ehsan Rezai, Azam Qasemi Falavarjani and Bahareh Jahandoost.

The storytellers will be competing with 19 narrators from Iran including Kimia Gudarzi, Farzaneh Sadeqi, Mehdi Mohammadian and Behnaz Mahdikhah.

The final session of the festival will be held on Yalda Night, which falls on December 21 this year, the last day of autumn, the evening of which is celebrated by Iranians as the ancient tradition. Storytelling by parents and grandparents is a key element of the celebration.

Yalda Night is considered the longest night of the year when the ancient Iranians celebrated the birth of Mithra, the goddess of light. It is also known as Chelleh Night, which alludes to the first 40 days of winter, considered to be the harshest of the season.

People on this night are usually served with fresh fruits and a mixture of dry fruits, seeds and nuts in floral bowls.

Following a hot dinner, many people often recite poetry, narrate stories, chant, play musical instruments or just chat cozily until midnight or so.

TEHRAN – A Persian translation of Mexican writer Laura Esquivel’s novel “Swift as Desire” has come to Iranian bookstores.

The book originally published in 2001 has been rendered by Azar Aalipur and No is the publisher of the Persian rendition.

“Swift as Desire” is an enchanting, bittersweet story, touched with graphic earthiness and wit. Esquivel shows us how keeping secrets will always lead to unhappiness, and how communication is the key to love.

Instead of entering the world crying like other babies, Jubilo was born with a smile on his face. He had a gift for hearing what was in people’s hearts, for listening to sand dunes sing and insects whisper.

Even as a young boy, acting as an interpreter between his warring Mayan grandmother and his Spanish-speaking mother, he would translate words of spite into words of respect, so that their mutual hatred turned to love. When he grew up, he put his gift to good

use in his job as a humble telegraph operator.

But now the telegraph lies abandoned, obsolete as a form of communication in the electronic age, and Don Jubilo is on his deathbed, mute and estranged from his beloved wife, Lucha, who refuses to speak to him.

What tragic event has come between two such sensuous, loving people to cause their seemingly irreparable rift? What mystery lies behind the death of the son no one ever mentions? Can their daughter bring reconciliation to her parents before it is too late, by acting as an interpreter between them, just as Jubilo used to do for other people?

“Swift as Desire” is Laura Esquivel’s loving tribute to her father, who worked his own lifelong magic as a telegraph operator.

In this enchanting, bittersweet story, touched with graphic earthiness and wit, she shows us how keeping secrets will always lead to unhappiness, and how communication is the key to love.

“Linchan” by Iranian photographer Mehdi Zabolabbasi won the FIAP Gold Medal at the Banja Luka International Salon of Photography in Bosnia Herzegovina.

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Iran’s “Linchan” wins FIAP Gold Medal at Banja Luka Intl. Salon of Photography

TEHRAN – Iranian photographer Mehdi Zabolabbasi’s monochrome photo “Linchan” has won the FIAP Gold Medal at the Banja Luka International Salon of Photography in Bosnia Herzegovina.

The photo depicting a charcoal factory worker who gazes into the camera with his lifeless eyes won the prize in the Open Monochrome section.

The Banja Luka Photo-Cinema Club is organizing the contest in collaboration with the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and the International Association of Art Photographers (IAAP).

Max van Son from the Netherlands received the PSA Gold Medal for “Sounds of Amsterdam” in the Open Monochrome category.

The IAAP Silver Medal was given to Italian photographer Pietro Bugli for “Haflingers”, while the Salon Gold

Medal went to Duaa Abdulla from Saudi Arabia for “Maternity”.

Amal Alameer from Saudi Arabia was selected as FIAP Best Author and received the top award of the exhibition.

Winners in the categories Open Color, Life and Photo Travel were also honored.

In the Open Color category, the FIAP Gold Medal was given to Yu Ling Ho from Taiwan for “Off-Road Competition”, while “Woman and Rain” by German photographer Ursula Bruder won the PSA Gold Medal.

Sasa Knezic from Bosnia and Herzegovina) was awarded the IAAP Gold Medal for “Section”, and the

Salon Gold Medal went to the Dutch photographer Willem Halbach for “To a Dutch Office”.

In the Life section, “Is There Any Hope for Us” by Ahmet Residovic from Bosnia and Herzegovina won the FIAP Gold Medal, “Sun-Dried Noodles” by Yibing Wu from China received the PSA Gold Medal.

The AAP Bronze Medal was given to Amal Alameer from Saudi Arabia for “Sunset Colors” and the Salon Gold Medal was awarded to Zoltan Bisak from Serbia for “Breakfast”.

The FIAP Gold Medal in the Photo Travel section went to Jing Li from China for “Charming Scenery”, and the PSA Gold Medal was awarded to Pamela Liu from the USA for “The Holy Moments”.

Bulgarian photographer Minko Mihaylov’s “Morocco” won the Salon Gold Medal.

A poster for the 23rd International Storytelling Festival.

Front cover of the Persian translation of Laura Esquivel’s novel “Swift as Desire”.

A poster for the 29th edition of the Iran Book Week.

Programs for Iran Book Week announced

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Iran: Myths and legends

Part 1

Introduction: In popular usage “myth” is equated with something being false or illusory. In the study of religion, in contrast, myths are seen as narratives which encapsulate fundamental truths about the nature of existence, God(s), the universe.

They explain the origin of the world or of a tribe or of a ritual. They concern life after death, embody an understanding of right and wrong, convey messages of salvation or damnation.

Myths are commonly thought to make past events or forces “really” present, especially when acted out in ritual. They are therefore sources of spiritual power.

The origin, function, and legitimation of rites are commonly contained in myths. Various scholars have sought to establish broad patterns and types of myths.

Typologies have value, but commonly myths are conditioned by the culture in which they emerged, and to whose formation and development they have often contributed.

Legends are stories which are seen to have a basis, however remote, with people who are thought to have lived on earth in historical time, though they often portray abstract ideas about valor, good heroes, and wicked tyrants. The distinction between myth and legend can in practice be difficult to identify.

Iranian myths and legends incorporate a variety of traditions. The many precise parallels between Iranian mythology and much early Indian imagery clearly reflect their common heritage, for example, the respective myths concerning the first human being and parallels between Ir. Yima and Ind. Yama, the god of death in Vedic thought.

The remarkable parallels between Iranian eschatology and Norse myths are so striking that some scholars have suggested they reflect fossilized versions of Indo-European mythology (Puhvel).

Some Achaemenid inscriptions on royal reliefs suggest that the Persian empire not only incorporated the Babylonian kingdom, but also some of its myths about kingship.

Eastern Iran appears to have had especially rich traditions of myths and legends. This article cannot cover all the many bodies of material which flourished in Iran, such as the Ossetic tradition or Manichaeism.

It focuses on the diverse body of material preserved in Zoroastrian literature, the great Iranian epic, the Shahnameh, and the romance of Vis and Ramin.

It also includes some references to Greek traditions about the great Zoroastrian monarchs. Much of the material was transmitted by priests in the religious setting, for myths were part of Zoroastrian teaching.

Legendary material, and some myths, were

transmitted by minstrels at court or in numerous public events for musicians and singers.

In any religion or culture one often finds more than one myth or legend on the same subject. Just as Biblical scholars detect two creation myths in the book of Genesis, so in Iran there are various accounts of the first human being or first king.

These poetic narratives do not necessarily indicate various ‘sects’ but may be alternative perspectives on ‘ultimate truth’. This is evident in ancient Indian traditions concerning creation. One should not expect coherent logic, although it is remarkable how coherent much Iranian mythology is.

This article will first look at various types of Iranian myths, cross-referring where possible to other entries in EIr., and will relate some myths briefly in order to highlight the understanding they contain of the cosmos, of good and evil, the physical world, and human nature.

The categories used here, such as Hero Myths and Nature Myths, are widely used in the study of religions. Typologies of myths are useful, but there are few clearly demarcated types, so myths are not necessarily either one type or the other.

Myths are complex interpretations of existence, on which members of the appropriate religion base much of their belief and practice. That complexity will be illustrated in the course of this article, as will be the difficulty in drawing a clear line between myth and legend.

Myth and the cosmos

The major account of the ancient Iranian image of the cosmos is in the Bundahishn. The earth is thought of as round and originally flat, lying on the cosmic waters as a yolk floats in an egg, encased by the sky (asman) as in a bag, originally thought to be made of stone, later of shining metal.

Originally the sun stood still at the noonday position; all was perfect and still. The original material creations were the sky, water, earth, tree, beneficent animal, the first human, and fire.

Between earth and sky were the luminaries: moon, sun, and the constellations. Mount Alborz ringed the earth. When later the rains came (see below on creation myths), two rivers flowed from the north, one towards the east, one towards the west.

They flowed over the earth’s edge and back into the cosmic ocean below. In the ocean grew the tree of many seeds, and from that came 130,000 species of plants.

Next to it is the Haoma or Gokarn tree, from which the elixir of immortality will be produced at the renovation (Frashokereti). Evil produced a lizard to destroy the Haoma, but two “Kar fish” protect it: “those fish are so sensitive that they comprehend sensation as minute as a sharp needle in the deep water …”.

Source: Encyclopedia Iranica

To be continued

Photo: The Bundahishn, or Zoroastrian “Primal Creation”. (The British Library)