www.irannewsdaily.comVOL. XXIV, No. 6463 TEHRAN Price 10,000 Rials SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018 - MORDAD 14, 1397

LONDON (Dispatches) - Iran’s steel, metals and minerals trade with the rest of the world may be severely curtailed following the United States’ reimposition of sanctions against the Middle Eastern nation from Monday.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is reimposing sanctions on trade in metals and minerals with Iran, (alongside some other products) after the U.S. pull-out in May from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPCOA), otherwise known as the Iran Nuclear Deal.

This is set to hit Iran’s metals and minerals trade worldwide as the U.S. is also imposing secondary sanctions, involving penalties for other countries trading these products with Iran, including in the European Union where some countries have become increasingly important business partners to Iran since sanctions were lifted after the nuclear deal became effective in early 2016.

European plantmakers and steelmakers including Danieli, SMS, Fives, Sarralle, Outotec and voestalpine have boosted their involvement in Iranian steel production projects since then.

Trade to and from Iran in steel and aluminum products, gold and precious metals, graphite and coal will now be subject to the secondary sanctions.

Iran has become a significant steel exporter in recent years. Total exports of steel and direct reduced iron (DRI), exceeded a record 9 million mt in the Iranian year ended March 20, 2018, according to The Iranian Steel Producers Association (ISPA).

Within this total, exports of semi-finished steel products such as billets and slabs accounted for 6.87 million mt, an 84% jump on the previous year. Carbon steel imports into the EU from Iran reached 1.1 million mt in 2016, before falling back to 103,400 mt in the first five months of this year following imposition by the EU of anti-dumping duties on Iranian hot rolled coil in October 2017.

Even though Iran’s steel traders have in the past lived with sanctions and do not typically use letters of credit, a London-based trader indicated in early August he was not optimistic about the new Iran steel trade scenario and said he would monitor the situation in coming months.

Renewed Sanctions Set to Curb Iran Steel, Metals, Minerals Trade

Gov’t to Announce New Forex Policy on MondayTEHRAN (Dispatches) - Iran Air said Saturday it was set to

take delivery of five new planes from Franco-Italian firm ATR just before renewed U.S. sanctions go into effect.

“Based on existing agreements, five new ATR aircraft will land at Mehrabad Airport today (Sunday) at 9 am (0430 GMT),” the national carrier said on its Telegram channel.

The new ATR-72600 planes are part of a deal for 20 new aircraft that Iran Air agreed to buy in April 2017, of which eight have so far been delivered.

The deal was thrown into doubt by the U.S. decision to withdraw from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers and reimpose sanctions, part of which are due to resume from Tuesday.

Iran says U.S. sanctions are endangering lives by blocking the sale of new planes and spare parts for its ageing fleets.

Iran’s Aseman Airlines was ordered to ground its fleet of ATR planes in February after one of them crashed in the Zagros mountains, killing all 66 people onboard.

TEHRAN (Dispatches) - Deputy head of the Iran-Russia Chamber of Commerce said Iran is on the verge of joining the Eurasian Customs Union (EACU).

The Islamic Republic of Iran is seeking to join the Eurasian Customs Union following the returning US sanctions, Kaveh Zargaran told Tasnim.

He added that preparatory talks to pave the way for Iran’s membership in the customs union have been held.

Noting that Tehran plans to enhance its all-out ties with Moscow, the official said Iran’s membership in the EACU would increase the country’s exports to all the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, Russia in particular.

The customs union is a principal task of the Eurasian Economic Community, established in 2000, and now succeeded by the Eurasian Economic Union. No customs are levied on goods travelling within the customs union and - unlike a free trade area - members of the customs union impose a common external tariff on all goods entering the union. One of the consequences of the customs union is that the Eurasian Economic Union negotiates as a single entity in international trade deals, instead of individual member states negotiating for themselves.

ISLAMABAD (Dispatches) – Pakistan and Iran may initiate in the next month of September the much awaited parleys on how to advance on the IP gas line project which was earlier shelved by the previous Nawaz government in June 2016.

Iranian delegation wanted to come to Pakistan, but the caretaker government was of the view that any decision on the project will be the prerogative of the next elected government, a senior official at Petroleum Division told The News.

“In June 2016, Pakistan got shelved the IP gas line project in the wake of pressure of a leading gulf country, irking the authorities in Iran at that time and to this effect, the vibes that had emanated from Tehran indicated that it might move the arbitration court against Pakistan for not completing the project in its territory.”

“Now elections in Pakistan are over, and most likely the PTI headed government is going to take the charge.”

Imran Khan, the head of PTI that has won the elections in the country, is going to swear in as prime minister of Pakistan by August 9 and the whole process to shape up the cabinet will also be completed in the current month.

BERLIN (AP) - Germany’s central bank is changing its terms and conditions to provide for deeper scrutiny of cash transfers, a move that comes as Iran seeks to repatriate cash held in a Hamburg-based bank and the U.S. presses allies to get tough on Tehran.

Iran wants to bring home 300 million euros ($347 million) it has in the European-Iranian Trade Bank ahead of new U.S. sanctions. German authorities have been examining the request for weeks, and the U.S. has made clear its concerns about potential terrorist financing and money-laundering.

Changes to its business conditions taking effect Aug. 25, and released in late July, allow the Bundesbank to block cash transfers in the absence of assurances from those involved in a transaction that it doesn’t violate financial sanctions or rules to prevent money-laundering and the funding of terrorism. It also mentions possible risks to “important relationships with third countries’ central banks and financial institutions.” The changes don’t specifically mention Iran, but are widely viewed as a reaction to the transfer request.

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Scania’s entire sales into Iran could be lost if the United States reinstates sanctions against the country, the Swedish truckmaker’s head warned on Friday, a day after first-half results showed the company’s Iranian order book was already being hit.

CEO Henrik Henriksson said Scania, which was one of the first truck companies to return to Iran after the EU lifted sanctions in early 2016, had cancelled all orders that it could not deliver by mid-August as anything after would have been hit by the new sanctions.

Among truckmakers, Scania, which is owned by Volkswagen, has one of the larger presences in Iran, selling 5,000-6,000 trucks and buses annually, according to Henriksson. That represents about 5 percent of its global vehicle orders of 109,415 last year.

Such a move would be another blow to the Iranian car industry, which unlike the energy and banking sectors, had managed to sign contracts with top European firms after the lifting of sanctions in 2016, attracting sizable foreign investment.

TEHRAN (ABNA) - Some 39,000 Iranian Hajj pilgrims have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia, head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said.

Hamid Mohammadi said flights carrying the pilgrims from Iran to Medina and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, began on July 18, and by Friday, August 3, 39,000 Hajjis arrived in the Land of Revelation.

He said flights to Medina will run until August 10 and those to Jeddah continue until the last batch of Iranians arrives in Saudi Arabia. The returning flights will run from August 26 to September 15, the official added.

Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city in Islam.

It is regarded as one of the pillars of Islam and the largest act of mass pilgrimage in the world.

The holy pilgrimage is also a demonstration of Muslims’ unity and their submission to Allah.

Every able-bodied Muslim is obliged to perform the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime.

Like last year, more than 85,000 Iranian pilgrims will make the pilgrimage this year.

In 2017, some 85,000 pilgrims from Iran travelled to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia for Hajj.

A year earlier, more than 1.8 million pilgrims attended Hajj, but Iranians stayed at home after tensions between Riyadh and Tehran boiled over following a deadly crush of people during the 2015 pilgrimage.

Iran to Open Interests Section In Saudi Arabia

Iran, Brazil Keen

To Cooperate

On Auto Industry

Pompeo “Optimistic” About Ending N. Korea’s

Nuclear Program

Zverev Beats Nishikori To Reach Semis

2 4 8DOMESTIC INTERNATIONAL SPORTS

> SEE PAGE 2 > SEE PAGE 3 > SEE PAGE 4 > SEE PAGE 8

DOMESTIC

Iranian Minister of Roads

And Urban Development

Abbas Akhoundi and His Afghan

Counterpart Discussed Ways

To Facilitate Transit of Goods

According to Reports,

Minister of Cooperatives, Labor

And Social Welfare Mr. Ali Rabiei

Is Poised to Be Impeached

By Majlis on Wednesday

IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK

TEHRAN - First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri said yesterday that a new set of forex policies to bring the rial depreciation under control will be announced by Central Bank of Iran on Monday.

Jahangiri made the remarks on the sidelines of a meeting of the Supreme Council of Economic Coordination in Tehran.He said that the new U.S. sanctions will take effect within few days and will bring about a new economic

situation in the country that requires new mechanisms and decisions on behalf of the government.The Iranian vice-president further detailed that according to the new mechanism, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI)

will supply ample hard currency to basic goods at the official rate, and the government bodies will monitor the distributed currency to make sure it will meet the market’s demands.

He also said that the final decision on the new mechanism will be discussed and finalized in tomorrow’s cabinet session.Jahangiri further stated that the new mechanism will come into force from Monday after coordinating efforts

with the newly-appointed CBI governor.The government policies have so far failed to arrest the rial’s slide and two different rates continue to exist in official

and free markets. By mid-week, the value of rial sharply declined and hit a new low against foreign currencies.According to Iranian media, the new mechanism is a newly-established secondary market for transactions

between currency suppliers and buyers to float pricing for U.S. dollar. The government intends to take the pricing out of the hands of street dealers and foreign-based exchange shops.

According to some reports, the government is to announce two rates for dollar and euro and the essential commodities will be provided with the official rate and the secondary rate will be for other commodities.

3

Germany Tightens

Cash Transfer Rules

Iran in Talks to Join Eurasian Customs Union

Iran, Pakistan May Start

Parleys on IP Gas Project

39,000 Iranian Pilgrims

In Saudi Arabia for Hajj

Scania May Lose Iran Market

Due to U.S. Sanctions

Iran Air to Receive

5 ATR Planes Today

See Page 7

See Page 7 See Page 7

See Page 7

DOMESTIC

President Felicitates Niger on Independence Day

Reformist Rejects Talks With U.S.

FARS* - Former Iranian interior minister Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari blasted Washington for violating international agreements, including the 2015 nuclear deal, stressing that talks with the US will not benefit Tehran’s interests.

“Under such conditions that the US administration is not committed to the implementation of international agreements, including the nuclear deal, speaking of talks with the country is meaningless,” said Mousavi Lari, the interior minister during former reformist president Seyed Mohammad Khatami’s tenure, on Saturday.

“Of course, I believe that negotiation has always been the best solution to meet the country’s interests but under such circumstances that the other side does not favor talks at all, sitting to the negotiating table cannot meet the country’s interests,” he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 30 that he would “certainly meet” Iranian president Hassan Rouhani without preconditions, a move that was later rejected by Trump’s own administration.

3 Ministers Summoned to Majlis

MEHR* - Three Iranian minister including foreign, intelligence as well as the ICT ministers will attend National Security Commission’s sessions in the coming week to respond to the MP’s questions regarding recent internal and external issues.

The Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will present a report on the Iran nuclear deal to the lawmakers in the Parliament National Security Commission on Monday. He will also attend a Parliament session to respond to lawmakers’ questions on different foreign affairs.

Furthermore, the Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi will attend the National Security Commission session tomorrow to respond questions on the recent developments in the country.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, will be present in the National Security Commission session on Tuesday to present a report on the country’s virtual space and the steps taken by his ministry to replace foreign apps with their domestically-produced counterparts.

HR a Pretext for Pressure

On Muslim States

MEHR* - Hamid Reza Asefi, former Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that the westerners’ call for human rights in not genuine and is to spread their cultural dominance.

“Unfortunately, the human rights issues is used as gimmick today to exert pressure on Muslim countries,” said Hamid Reza Asefi, the former spokesman of Iranian foreign ministry.

The Iranian veteran diplomat made the remarks at a forum on the Islamic Human Rights and Human Dignity Day.

The Iranian veteran diplomat divided Islamic countries into two categories of conforming states and independent states. According to him the pressure is directed on those which are independent.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has its own claims in human rights and it should not be positioned as the accused. Moreover, the human rights issue is not a western issue as it is framed by westerners,” he underlined.

“Concepts like the right to property, the right to life, labor rights, and equality exist in Quran at their top capacity and even today when the westerners talk about human rights they claim that they want to guarantee human dignity,” he maintained.

More Drugs Seized

IRNA* - Police discovered and confiscated 2,574 kilograms of narcotic drugs in two separate operations in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran, it was reported on Saturday.

The operations have been launced on Friday night.‘In an operation in Saravan-Iranshahr road, three

Peugeots loaded with narcotics were seized,’ said Brigadier-General Mohammad Qanbari.

After being chased for some time, the traffickers decided to abandon the cars and escape to the heights in the dark, Qanbari said.

TEHRAN (MNA) – Iranian parliamentary official said Iran has no problem with talks per se, rather it has issues with U.S. bullying behavior and repeated violations of its commitments.

“Holding negotiations with the U.S. has never been a taboo subject [for Iran],” the Iranian Parliament Director General for International Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian wrote in a tweet on Saturday.

He added that the foreign ministers of the two countries had held dozens of meetings during the course of nuclear negotiations, as well as three rounds of talks in Baghdad, in which the Iranian official had also participated.

“Negotiation in itself is not the issue here,” said Amir-Abdollahian, adding “rather, it is the US’ bulling behavior, its great crimes before and after the Islamic Revolution, and the repeated violations of its commitments.”

“Any diplomatic negotiation is based on the ‘right timing’ and ‘dignity’,” he added.

The official’s remarks came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani with “no preconditions”. Trump’s call for talks came as US unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reinstated sanctions against Tehran.

Talks With U.S. Not Taboo Subject

Bahram Qassemi voiced Iran’s readiness to hold negotiations with Saudi Arabia, saying Tehran has not rejected calls for mediation by third countries.

Saudi Arabia appears to be reluctant to mend ties with Iran, he said, adding, “We believe that the problems originate mostly from inside Saudi Arabia. Because of some internal problems that Saudi Arabia is facing and certain foreign issues, Mr. Trump’s election (as the U.S. president) and the relations he has established with Saudi Arabia, and Trump’s analyses of Iran, they (Saudis) are somehow under the illusion that they may win more concessions from Iran through patience.”

Asked about the future of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh, Qasemi said Switzerland has been representing Iranian interests in Saudi Arabia under an agreement reached with Bern eight months ago.

“There have been advances made in the past two weeks, and I believe there are

signs that (Iran’s) Interests Section office would open and become active.”The spokesperson then pointed to the international anger at the U.S. and

Washington’s policies towards its age-old allies, saying, “There is indication even in the Persian Gulf littoral states that there are concerns about Trump’s policies, because they have the feeling that Trump is only seeking to empty their pockets.”

Tensions ran high between Tehran and Riyadh after Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in January 2016, and a subsequent attack by outraged Iranian protesters on the Saudi embassy in Tehran, which resulted in the Arab country’s decision to sever its ties with the Islamic Republic.

The controversial move was preceded by a deadly crush of Hajj pilgrims in September 2015, which killed more than 460 Iranians.

TEHRAN (MNA) – Kazakh Minister of Defense Saken Zhasuzakov met on Saturday with the Iranian team which is participating in drone contest of Army Games 2018 in Kazakhstan.

Meeting with the Iranian team and visiting their equipment, Zhasuzakov wished success for Iran’s representatives in the event.

Colonel Ahmad Ahmadi, the Iranian team’s supervisor, introduced features of Iranian drones to the Kazakh minister while appreciating Kazakhstan’s efforts for hosting the competition.

The drones’ team of the Air Force of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran competes with representatives of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China and Pakistan in the field of hand-launched remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle.

Two stages of drone contest have been already held, where the Iranian squad, comprising of nine participants and seven drones, have so far showed great performance and are among the top teams. The team is using domestically-developed ‘Safir’ drone in this contest.

TEHRAN (IFP) - Senior Iranian officials say the country may enter into talks with the U.S. provided that Washington offers an apology for its hostile moves against the Iranian nation and resume fulfilling its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.

Ali Najafi, the spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said the U.S. has taken a huge number of hostile measures against Iran’s national interests, including a 1953 coup against the democratically-elected government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq.

“Sitting for talks would be possible if they abide by the JCPOA, offer apologies and set aside hostile policies. Iran has stressed so many times that we are ready for talks and dialogue,” he said.

He was responding to Monday remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that he is ready for unconditional talks with Iran

Trump said he would be willing to meet Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and officials “any time” and “without preconditions” to discuss how to improve ties.

Speaking to ISNA on Saturday, Najafi said he believes the U.S.’ behavior shows the country is not serious in its call for talks with Iran and Trump’s call for talks with Tehran has ulterior motives. “The U.S. paid a high price for pulling out of the deal, and is now seen as a violator of international rules and law,” Najafi said.

“This move by Trump is meant to repair his reputation and to convey a message that the U.S. is willing to talk but Iran is not,” he said.

TEHRAN (ISNA) - North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Yong Ho will conduct an official visit to Iran following his trip to Singapore this week, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Ri is expected to attend a meeting at the ASEAN Forum in Singapore and arrived in the country on Friday.

“The DPRK government delegation headed by Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho left North Korea to pay official visits to Singapore and Iran,” KCNA reported.

“Ri Yong Ho is to attend the Ministerial Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum due in Singapore before making an official visit to Iran.”

Since the beginning of the year, Ri has visited China, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Sweden.

It is also his second trip to Singapore, having visited in June as part of the DPRK’s official delegation to the summit between leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Despite not being reported to have a visit to Iran this year, KCNA stated that Ri met with Iranian counterparts during a Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) ministerial meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan in April.

Kazakh Minister Meets Iranian Drone Team

Iran Ready to Hold Talks If U.S. Apologizes

N. Korean FM to Visit Iran

Websites Review

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani congratulated his Nigerien counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou on the Independence Day.

In a message cabled on Saturday, Rouhani offered felicitations to the Nigerian nation and government on the occasion of their Independence Day, and expressed hope that ties between Tehran and Abuja would further develop.

“I extend congratulations to Your Excellency and Nigerien nation, as you celebrate 58th Independence Day,” Rouhani addressed Mahamadou Issoufou in his message.

Iran to Open Interests Section in Saudi Arabia

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson

announced plans for the opening of the country’s interests

section in Saudi Arabia, which severed diplomatic ties

with the Islamic Republic in 2016.

World Wants To Preserve JCPOA

TEHRAN (FNA) - Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined that the majority of the world countries are in consensus over safeguarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“There is a clear global consensus on the need to take concerted action to preserve the JCPOA,” Zarif wrote on his Twitter account on Saturday.

The Iranian foreign minister pointed to his meetings with Singaporean president and foreign minister as well as his counterparts from China, New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia, and said, “I also met European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini to discuss actions by EU and ensure economic benefits for the Iranian people.”

Zarif arrived in Singapore on Wednesday to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN) and returned home on Saturday.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018 IRAN NEWS 2

TEHRAN (FNA) - A senior Iranian legislator said that no official in Iran is willing to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran sat to the negotiating table once and an agreement was made in the framework of the nuclear deal but the Americans’ defiance of the agreement killed Iran’s trust in them,” senior member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Seyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said.

“No one in the Islamic Republic of Iran will answer Trump’s call, as they violated their undertakings in the past after the negotiations and agreement, unless the Americans change their behavior,” he added.

Naqavi Hosseini said that Iran has already responded to Trump’s proposal for talks, and said, “Our unchangeable view is rejecting this proposal.”

TEHRAN (MNA) – In the latest report on Logistics Performance Index (LPI) published by World Bank, Iran has been ranked 64th among 163 countries with a score of 2.85.

This report is published once every two years under the title ‘connecting to compete’.

The Logistics Performance Index (LPI) of more than 160 countries has been evaluated on a one (worst score) to 5 (best score) scale, based on which, Germany was ranked first with a 4.2 LPI. Iran’s considerable LPI improvement is one of the noteworthy aspects of this report. According to the report, Islamic Republic of Iran is ranked 64th with a 2.85 LPI score.

This is while Iran’s LPT in 2016 was ranked 96th with a 2.6 score. In 2012, the country was ranked 115th with a score of 2.49.

According to the latest statistics of the World Bank, this improvement in Iran’s performance has occurred in all indexes of the “Logistics Performance Index”.

No One Willing to Hold Talks With U.S.

Iran’s LPT Climbs 32 Steps in 2018

DOMESTIC

Brazi’s Ambassador to Tehran Mr. Rodrigo de Azeredo Santos met the Head of Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO) Mr. Mansour Moazzami and during the meeting he announced readiness of Brazilian government for financing investments in Iran’s heavy vehicle manufacturing sector.

Head of international affairs department of IDRO Mr. Seyed Ali Araqchi said that during the meeting both sides reviewed ways for boosting cooperation especially in vehicle production.

He went on to say that Brazilian envoy in the meeting pointed to the high capabilities of Brazil in manufacturing vehicle for trade or public transportation and announced determination of Brazilian auto-makers for entering Iran’s auto market.

Araqchi said that the Brazilian diplomat claimed that Brazilian auto-makers can provide enough parts for heavy vehicles which is a tougher job for their European rivals.

He added that Brazilian government has given him authority to act as the representative of the COMEX and APEX in Iran to start talks. He noted that Brazil

has allocated around 1.2b euros financing for the first phase of cooperation.He went on to say despite sanctions, Brazil can manufacture the vehicles

and provide spare parts for Iranian companies.Araqchi added that soon a banking and technical delegation from Brazil will visit

Tehran for more talks and finding ways for interactions.Meanwhile after the meeting, Moazzami told reporters that the production of

vehicles and cars will continue to meet the public demands.Iran and Brazil have expanded their trade relations in recent years as Iran’s exports

to Brazil witnessed 25-fold in the first four months of the current year.

Iran, U.S. to Hold Joint Academic Training Course

PRAYER TIME

Noon (Zohr) 13:10

Evening (Maghreb) 20:24

Tomorrow’s Dawn (Fajr) 04:41

Tomorrow’s Sunrise 06:16

130. O ye who believe! Devour not usury, doubled and multiplied; but fear Allah.

that ye may (really) prosper.

131. Fear the Fire, which is repaired for those who reject Faith:

Surah 3. The Family Of ‘Imran, The House Of ‘Imran ( 130 - 131 )

TEHRAN (Shana) - The CEO of Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) said Iran’s natural gas production from the supergiant South Pars Gas Field will increase by 100 million cubic meters by the end of the current calendar year to Mach 2019.

According to POGC, Mohammad Meshkinfam said two gas sweetening trains of phase 13 refinery was being fed by the gas recovered from phases 6 to 8 of the gas field, adding two other trains of the refinery would come on-stream by November.

He also said that the phase’s production would reach 56 mcm/d during winter. The official stated that the third train of phases 22 to 24 refineries would also come online by November, adding the first train of the phases’ onshore refinery was operating and its second sweetening train would be presently operational.

He said that the third sweetening train of the refinery was planned to come online by November and it last train would become operational by March 2019.

Meshkinfam further added that by November three offshore platforms would become operational in South Pars which would add 84 mcm/d to the field’s total gas production capacity.

He went on to add that the third platform of phase 14 of the joint gas field would come on-stream during winter with 14.1 mcm/d of sour gas production capacity.The phase’s productivity would reach 28 mcm/d by November, he added. Inauguration of the third platform of the phase would bring its total production capacity to 42 mcm/d.

Iran to Add 100mcm/d To S. Pars Gas Output

Iran, Brazil Keen to

Cooperate On Auto IndustryIRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK

TEHRAN – Brazilian government has announced its full

readiness for investment through finance in Iran’s heavy vehicle

manufacturing sector.

IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK

TEHRAN – An international institute in its latest report claimed that Iran Export Development Bank has enjoyed an upward growth and increase in the capital after the nuclear deal.

Capital Intelligence (CI) is a company which has been providing credit analysis and ratings since 1985. Capital Intelligence rates over 400 Banks, Corporates and Financial institutes.

It announced that it has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) at ‘BB-’.

The report indicates a possible support from the government for the bank in the liquidity and capital sectors.

Capital Intelligence announced the bank’s capital increased to 10 trillion rials in the first six months of the past year, adding that the capital has reached an acceptable level.

The report reiterates that the main factor for this improvement in the ratings is the bank’s direct access to the regular mid and long term facilities.

The ratings agency also reiterated that liquidity of the bank is in a favorable level and it has grown since the nuclear agreement, the JCPOA, and it is growing afterwards.

The agency in its reports claimed that economic improvement and deflation are to the benefit of the bank.

TEHRAN (MNA) – Iran’s University of Tehran (UT) and the United States’ Purdue University will hold a joint training course on engineering, said UT’s Director General for International Relations.

Abdolmajid Eskandari said that a joint training course on electrical, mechanical and computer engineering

will be held by University of Tehran and Purdue University in Indianapolis (IUPUI).

Academic diplomacy differs from political ties and scientists are always in pursuit of promoting academic cooperation internationally, he highlighted, adding that scientific ties have a positive effect on political trends.

Since the Chancellor of Purdue University in Indianapolis is an Iranian [referring to Nasser Paydar], academic exchanges between the two universities have reached an appropriate level during past two years, Eskandari added.

Admitting that U.S. sanctions against Iran has caused problems for obtaining visa, he said that all scientists believe that scientific endeavors are for defending the humankind and it should be followed regardless of politics.

He went on to say that UT will additionally hold joint training courses with Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Netherland’s Erasmus University Rotterdam, adding that there also plans for boosting academic cooperation with France’s ENSAM (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers) and Swede’s Lund University.

TEHRAN (IRNA) - The value of Iran’s exports to Iraq increased 25 percent during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-July 22) compared to the same period of time in the past year, the secretary general of Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce announced.

Seyed Hamid Hosseini said this increase occurred while Iraqi government has boosted import tariffs.

He put the value of Iran’s exported products to the neighboring country at $2.584 billion in the first four months of this year, while the figure was $2.054 billion in the same time span of the past year.

Iran Exports to Iraq Rise 25%

EDBI Enjoys Growing Trend After the JCPOA

Isfahan to Host National Steel Industry MajorsIRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK

TEHRAN – The 10th International Exhibition of Metallurgy, Steel, Foundry Machinery and Related Industries will be held at Isfahan International Exhibitions Center on August 7-10 and it will host Iran’s steel industry giants.

According to reports, the event has proved itself as one of the most prestigious steel industry event in the country and this year it will be held on Pol-e Shahrestan of Isfahan, the venue for international exhibitions of Isfahan.

More than 150 Iranian and foreign companies are to attend in the exhibition on a space around 8,000 square meters.

Mobarakeh Steel Company, Esfahan Steel Company, Toka Foulad Holding, Mosammam Metallurgy of Isfahan, Faraz Pouyan of Damavand, Mehrtash Sepahan, Foundry Indusries of Foulad Sepahan Atashgah, Salim Sanaat Sepahan and Joupan Gas are of the major Isfahani brands in steel industry which are present in the exhibition and will put on display their achievements.

Meanwhile Parto Gostar, Pasargad Mine Steel, Kimia Teb, Tajhiz Baran, Novin Modern Controlling Equipment, Atlas Kala Tejarat Sabz, Ideh Tamin Mechanic, Baher Kimia Rahavard and International Electricity Clinic will represent the foreign companies which are present in the exhibition. The exhibition will host more companies this year and the space allocated for the exhibition has also increased.

Some panel discussions and workshops will be held by experts in the steel industry on the sidelines of the exhibition.The exhibition is held at the time when Iran ranks 14th among the world steel making countries and its exports

have surpassed countries like France and UK.Iran currently ranks 20th in terms of steel exports in the world.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018 IRAN NEWS 3

INTERNATIONAL

MOSCOW (Dispatches) - An Mi-8 helicopter has crashed in Siberia, killing 18 people, including three crew members, Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said Saturday.

The accident occurred around 6:20 a.m. Moscow time near the village of Igarka in the remote Krasnoyarsk region, the ministry said in a statement on its official website. Both a technical malfunction and pilot error are being considered as possible causes of the crash.

Russian media also reported an explosion of both helicopter’s fuel tanks.

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Civil Protection Minister Nikos Toskas resigned on Friday in the wake of a wildfire last month that killed 88 people and led to widespread criticism of the government for its handling of the disaster.

Toskas had previously offered to quit after the July 23 blaze in the small seaside town of Mati east of Athens, but Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras refused to accept his resignation. The minister reiterated his desire to step aside again on Friday during a meeting with Tsipras, in a move that the main political opposition said came too late to appease the public.

18 Killed in Helicopter Crash in Siberia

Greek Civil Protection

Minister Resigns

ANKARA (Dispatches) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday unveiled first 100-day action plan of Turkey’s new presidential Cabinet in the capital Ankara.

“Today, we share our first 100-day action plan with you,” Erdogan said at the presentation meeting at the presidential complex.

Erdogan said they are planning to announce Medium-Term Program by the end of August. “We have started working on a strategic plan for 2019-2023 and aim to complete this by the end of November,” he said.

The president said over 1,000 projects will be completed within 100 days but announced most important are 400 in the program.

Erdogan noted that 48 out of 400 projects are related to defense industry and said Turkey has no second thoughts on defense industry projects.

Speaking about judicial system in the country, he said: “We have come a long way in recovering from the destruction that FETO [Fetullah Terrorist Organization] caused to our judicial system”. The FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of carrying out a long-running campaign to overthrow the Turkish state through the infiltration of state institutions. Erdogan said within the scope of action plan, the environmental impact assessment and survey project works of Canal Istanbul will be submitted for approval. The Canal Istanbul Project, an artificial sea-level waterway that will connect the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean, is planned to be completed by 2023.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Even behind bars, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will secure his leftist party’s nomination Saturday and continue to overshadow more likely candidates in the country’s most unpredictable presidential election for decades.

Today will see three big party conventions, two months before the first round of voting on October 7 in Latin America’s dominant economy.

Center-left environmental campaigner Marina Silva will get the nomination of her Rede party in Brasilia. Also in the capital, former Sao Paulo governor and establishment heavyweight Geraldo Alckmin will secure the nod from the center-right Brazilian Social Democratic Party, or PSDB.

But while both Silva and Alckmin are serious contenders in a battle against controversial right-winger Jair Bolsonaro, it’s the third convention taking place in Sao Paulo that will suck up much of the attention.

The Workers’ Party, founded by Lula, will nominate him in his bid to return to power for a third term.

Never mind that he started serving a 12-year sentence for corruption this year. Never mind that he is likely to be barred from the ballot.

Despite the scandals -- which he and his supporters believe have been artificially stoked to keep him out of the election -- Lula is still unquestionably the biggest beast in Brazilian politics.

Polls show him with near double the support of all other main candidates in a first round, crushing any runner up in the second decisive round two weeks later.

Lula and his Workers’ Party, which underpinned his domination of Brazil during two terms in 2003-2010, believe he’s no yesterday’s man. “He’s still the leader,” rubs in the Workers’ Party’s latest election ad online, featuring a picture of the smiling 72-year-old, dressed in his trademark black T-shirt and suit jacket.

GUWAHATI (Dispatches) - A retired junior commissioned officer, who served in the Indian army, is among four million people whose names were excluded in the draft list of citizens issued by the Indian government.

The government published a draft known as the National Register of Citizens (NRC) on Monday.“This is very unfortunate. I just can’t accept this behavior. I’m deeply hurt,” 50-year-old Azmal Haque, who

retired from the Indian Army in 2016, told Anadolu Agency.The NRC list is unique to Assam. It was first tabulated in 1951, four years after independence from British rule,

to distinguish Indian citizens from illegal migrants from bordering Bangladesh, which was then part of Pakistan.“I never expected to see this day, even after serving the nation for 30 years, I will not be called as an Indian citizen,”

Haque said. “There are around seven such persons who have served the Indian Army or Indian Air Force but their names were not mentioned in the list. We are going to write to the president of India for questioning our citizenship,”

says Haque, who is permanent resident of Chaygaon village in Kamrup district of northeastern Assam State.

The list includes only those people or their descendants who entered India till midnight of March 24, 1971, when Bangladesh became an independent state. However, the Bangladeshi government labeled it an “internal issue” of India and stated that Dhaka has nothing to do with the matter.

“Whatever is happening in Assam is an internal issue,” Bangladesh’s Minister of Information Hasanul Haq Inu told Indian broadcaster WION on Tuesday. “Assam is a case of purely ethnic conflict,” he said and noted that the Delhi government “has not raised this issue with us.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia has used a closely guarded communications channel with America’s top general to propose the two former Cold War foes cooperate to rebuild Syria and repatriate refugees to the war-torn country, according to a U.S. government memo.

The proposal was sent in a July 19 letter by Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian military’s General Staff, to U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to the memo which was seen by Reuters.

The Russian plan, which has not been previously reported, has received an icy reception in Washington. The memo said the U.S. policy was only to support such efforts if there were a political solution to end Syria’s seven-year-old civil war, including steps like U.N.-supervised elections. The proposal illustrates how Russia, having helped turn the tide of the war in favour of President Bashar al-Assad, is now pressing Washington and others to aid the reconstruction of areas under his control. Such an effort would likely further cement Assad’s hold on power.

“The proposal argues that the Syrian regime lacks the equipment, fuel, other material, and funding needed to rebuild the country in order to accept refugee returns,” according to the memo, which specified that the proposal related to Syrian government-held areas of the country.

The United States in 2011 adopted a policy that Assad must leave power but then watched as his forces,

backed by Iran and then Russia, clawed back territory and secure Assad’s position. The United States has drawn a line on reconstruction assistance, saying it should be tied to a process that includes U.N.-supervised elections and a political transition in Syria. It blames Assad for Syria’s devastation.

Dunford’s office declined comment on communications with Gerasimov.

“In accordance with past practise, both Generals have agreed to keep the details of their conversations private,” said spokeswoman Captain Paula Dunn.

The Kremlin and Russia’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Syria conflict has killed an estimated half a million people, driven some 5.6 million people out of the country and displaced around 6.6 million within it.

“The United States will only support refugee returns when they are safe, voluntary and dignified,” said the memo, which is specifically about the Russian plan for Syria.

Rebuilding Syria will also be a massive effort, costing at least $250 billion, according one U.N. estimate.

Russia Seeks U.S.

Help to Rebuild Syria

India’s New Citizens’ Draft List Sparks Controversy

WASHINGTON (Dispatches) - The U.S. on Friday blacklisted a Russian bank, an individual and two entities for allegedly violating U.S. and UN sanctions.

Russia’s Agrosoyuz Commercial Bank was sanctioned for facilitating a “significant transaction” with Han Jang Su, whom the Treasury Department said is the Moscow-based chief representative of North Korea’s main foreign exchange bank.

Han was designated by the U.S. in March 2017, and his bank, known as Foreign Trade Bank, was sanctioned in 2013. He was later sanctioned by the UN in August 2017.

The Treasury Department further sanctioned Ri Jong Won, Han’s deputy, on Friday.

The U.S. said under a 2016 UN Security Council resolution Han and Ri should be expelled from Russia because it has determined they work on behalf of a North Korean bank or financial institution.

The Treasury Department further designated what it called two “front companies” for the North’s Foreign Trade Bank: Dandong Zhongsheng Industry & Trade Co., and Korea Ungum Corporation.

“The United States will continue to enforce UN and U.S. sanctions and shut down illicit revenue streams to North Korea. Our sanctions will remain in place until we have achieved the final, fully-verified denuclearization of North Korea,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The U.S. separately announced it submitted a list of sanctions proposals to the UN Security Council as “part of a coordinated U.S. government effort to continue to implement existing sanctions, both domestic and multilateral, and cut off North Korea’s illicit financial activities.”

“The United States has been clear that if the international community wants to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, the best way to support that process is to remain vigilant in applying the current sanctions to their full extent,” the U.S.’s UN mission said in a statement.

On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported Russia issued work permits to thousands of new North Korean laborers in contravention of UN sanctions.

Russia has denied the report, but the U.S.’s UN envoy called it “credible” and “deeply troubling.”

U.S. Blacklists Russian Bank Over North Korea Sanctions

SINGAPORE (Dispatches) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday the process of ending North Korea’s nuclear program would take time but he was optimistic that it would be achieved within a timeline set by the leaders of the two countries.

It was important to maintain diplomatic and economic pressure, Pompeo said on the sidelines of an Asian regional conference, adding the United States took very seriously any relaxation of U.N. sanctions against North Korea.

“I’m optimistic that we will get this done in the timeline and the world will celebrate what the U.N. Security Council has demanded,” Pompeo told a news conference.

“The work has begun. The process of achieving denuclearization of the (Korean) peninsula is one that I think we have all known would take some time.”

He said there was every reason to believe the reports about Russia’s issuance of visas to North Korean workers were accurate, which would be in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

“I want to remind every nation that has supported these resolutions that this is a serious issue and something that we will discuss with Moscow,” he said.

“We expect the Russians and all countries to abide by the U.N. Security Council resolutions and enforce sanctions on North Korea.”

Russia has denied a report by the Wall Street Journal that said Moscow was allowing thousands of fresh North Korean laborers into the country

and granting them work permits in a potential breach of U.N sanctions.

Russia’s ambassador to North Korea also denied Moscow was flouting U.N. restrictions on oil supplies to North Korea.

Pompeo flew to Singapore, where the U.S. and North Korean leaders held a landmark summit in June, to

attend meetings of the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as China, Russia, Japan and South Korea.

At a group photo session at an ASEAN security forum, Pompeo walked up to North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, who was also attending, and shook hands and exchanged words and smiles.

Pompeo, who has been leading the U.S. negotiations to get the North to abandon its nuclear programme, had primarily engaged with Kim Yong Chol, a top North Korean party official and former spy agency chief, and not Ri.

U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim, who has long been a key negotiator on the nuclear issue, said earlier he had no plans to meet the North Koreans in Singapore.

At the summit on June 12, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who is seeking relief from tough sanctions, committed to work towards denuclearisation, but Pyongyang has offered no details on how it might go about this.

Pompeo suggested on Friday on the flight to Singapore that continued work on weapons programmes by North Korea was inconsistent with its leader’s commitment to denuclearise.

On Monday, a senior U.S. official said U.S. spy satellites had detected renewed activity at the North Korean factory that produced the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States.

Erdogan Unveils 100-Day Action Plan

Lula Launches Presidential Candidacy From Behind Bars

Pompeo “Optimistic” About Ending

N. Korea’s Nuclear Program

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018 IRAN NEWS 4

PROMOTIONAL ITEM IRAN NEWS 5SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

U.S. Job Growth Slows in July, Unemployment Rate Drops

Saudi Arabia Pumped

Less Crude Oil in July

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Friday the government had fixed the framework of its 2019 budget, but investors concerned about Rome’s spending plans sold government bonds and the statistics bureau said the economy would keep slowing.

Conte’s economy minister, Giovanni Tria, is under pressure from within the coalition to ramp up spending and challenge European Union budget rules, and investors fear for the stability of both state accounts and the government. “Today we decided the economic and financial plan we will present in September,” Conte said in a statement after meeting his top ministers. The budget does not have to be presented until mid-October, but with markets edgy over reports of a rift between Tria and his colleagues, the meeting aimed to show a united government. Tria, an economics professor seen as more moderate than most of his cabinet colleagues, said he was satisfied with the deal.

“(It shows) the compatibility of budgetary objectives already laid out in parliament and the start of the reforms contained in the government program,” his ministry said in a statement referring to planned tax cuts and welfare hikes. Tria had previously told parliament the budget will ensure there is no rise in the structural budget deficit, adjusted for economic growth fluctuations, and would aim to cut public debt.

The cabinet looked at “various reforms that will allow Italy to launch more robust and stable economic growth ... making us more competitive on global markets,” Conte said, without giving further details. Ahead of the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said the budget would include tax cuts and pensions reform.

Both moves would be likely to increase Italy’s debt, unless balanced by corresponding spending cuts, which the government has so far not detailed.

“The budget will not include all planned measures immediately, but there will be the first steps towards a flat tax and a radical overhaul of the pensions system,” Salvini, who leads the right-wing League, said in a TV interview. His remarks came as Italian government bonds were selling off for a second day on speculation over the budget.

Yields on Italian 10-year bonds IT10YT=RR rose to 3 percent for the first time since June 11 before easing slightly, and the closely watched spread over German debt DE10YT=RR hit its widest since late June, at 258 basis points.

The ruling coalition, made up of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the League, have pledged to cut taxes, roll back a 2011 pension reform that raised the minimum retirement age, and boost welfare spending.

Tria, who is not a member of the ruling parties, has promised to cut Italy’s debt which, at around 132 percent of national output, is the highest in the euro zone after Greece’s.

WASHINGTON (Dispatches) - Mexico’s economy minister said on Friday that Mexico and the United States could overcome key stumbling blocks standing in the way of a new NAFTA deal next week, adding that Canada would likely soon rejoin the negotiations.

Mexican and U.S. teams will work through the weekend to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the ministers will return to the table late next week, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo told reporters after meetings with U.S. officials in Washington.

Mexico and the United States resumed talks last week, after a U.S. move to slap tariffs on Mexican and Canadian metal exports and Mexico’s July elections stalled negotiations that began last year when President Donald Trump demanded a better deal for U.S. workers. “Technically, we are ready to move into finishing the issues, Mexico-U.S. issues, the most next week. There are very good probabilities that we’ll be landing solutions,” Guajardo said in English.

“We are optimistic that we can try to land a deal before the end of August,” adding there were “three critical, specific points” to resolve that he declined to specify.

Another senior Mexican negotiator was a little less bullish about the chances of a deal this month.

“I am cautiously optimistic. I think it can be done, but there can also be problems. We have to see,” Jesus Seade, who joined the Mexican negotiating team last week representing President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Canada has not been at the table in rounds of talks over the past weeks. Some experts say this is a sign of tensions between Canada and the United States, while officials insist trilateral talks will soon resume. Guajardo said top U.S. and Mexican officials could meet again on Wednesday or Thursday.

China Tariffs on LNG, Oil Aim at

U.S. Energy Dominance Agenda

Italy Fixes Budget Outline, As Markets Worry

Mexico Eyes NAFTA Breakthrough Next Week

U.S., EU Forming United Front Against China

Opel to Slow Production at Two German PlantsBERLIN (Dispatches) - Carmaker Opel, a unit of France’s PSA Group, plans to slow production at two German sites after the summer to help cut costs in response to declining sales, regional newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Friday.

The company will cut production from 55 to 42 vehicles per hour at its Ruesselsheim plant and from 37 to 30 vehicles in Eisenach, the newspaper said, adding that output at Opel’s Polish site of Gliwice had already been slowed to 25 from 40 cars per hour. In July PSA reported that it had succeeded in bringing the Opel-Vauxhall business back into the black after two decades of losses.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s proposed tariffs on U.S. liquefied natural gas and crude oil exports opens a new front in the trade war between the two countries, at a time when the White House is trumpeting growing U.S. energy export prowess.

China included LNG for the first time in its list of proposed tariffs on Friday, the same day that its biggest U.S. crude oil buyer, Sinopec, suspended U.S. crude oil imports due to the dispute, according to three sources familiar with the situation.

On Friday, China announced retaliatory tariffs on $60 billion (46.13 billion pounds) worth of U.S. goods, and warned of further measures, signalling it will not back down in a protracted trade war with Washington.

That could cast a shadow over U.S. President Donald Trump’s energy dominance ambitions. The administration has repeatedly said it is eager to expand fossil fuel supplies to global allies, while Washington is rolling back domestic regulations to encourage more oil and gas production.

“The juxtaposition here is clear: it is hard to become an energy superpower when one of the biggest energy consumers in the world is raising barriers to consume that energy. It makes it very difficult,” said Michael Cohen, head of energy markets research at Barclays.

The United States is the world’s largest exporter of fuels such as gasoline and diesel, and is poised to become one of the largest exporters of LNG by 2019. U.S. LNG exports were worth $3.3 billion in 2017. China is the world’s biggest crude oil importer.

China had curtailed its imports of U.S. LNG over the last two months, even before its formal inclusion in the list of potential tariffs. It had also become the largest buyer of U.S. crude oil outside of Canada, but Kpler, which tracks worldwide oil shipments, shows crude cargoes to China have also dropped off in recent months.

It comes at a time when the United States has several large-scale LNG export facilities under construction, and after Trump’s late 2017 trip to China that included executives from U.S. LNG companies.

China became the world’s second-biggest LNG importer in 2017, as it buys more gas in order to wean the country off dirty coal to reduce pollution.

“This will not affect the trade but will simply make gas more expensive to Chinese consumers,” said Charif Souki, chairman of Tellurian Inc, one of several companies seeking to build a new LNG export terminal.

China, which purchased almost 14 percent of all U.S. LNG shipped between

February 2016 and May 2018, has taken delivery from just one vessel that left the United States in June and none so far in July, compared with 17 in the first five months of the year.

“The U.S. gas industry will be much harder hit by this as China imports only a small volume whereas U.S. suppliers see China as a major future market,” said Lin Boqiang, professor on energy studies at Xiamen University in China.

Meanwhile, according to Kpler, crude exports to China dropped to an estimated 226,000 barrels per day (bpd) in July, after reaching a record 445,000 bpd in March. Sinopec, through its Unipec trading arm, is the largest buyer of U.S. crude.

China would likely hike purchases from Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq if the tariffs slowed U.S. flows, said Neil Atkinson, head of the oil industry and markets division at the International Energy Agency. There will be “others who will be offering barrels to China, so it could find itself able to replace lost volumes from the U.S.,” Atkinson said.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia pumped around 10.290 million barrels per day of crude in July, two OPEC sources said on Friday, down about 200,000 bpd from a month earlier.

The amount of oil supplied to the market in July was slightly higher at 10.380 million bpd, the sources said.

Supply to the market - domestically and for export - may differ from production depending on the movement of barrels in and out of storage.

Saudi Arabia told the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries that the kingdom pumped 10.488 million bpd of crude oil in June, an increase of 458,000 bpd from the production figure it submitted for May.

However, crude supply to the market in June was higher than wellhead production at 10.579 million bpd, a figure that includes domestic consumption and all exports, including from storage tanks.

OPEC agreed with Russia and other oil-producing allies in June to raise output from July, with Saudi Arabia pledging a “measurable” supply boost.

OPEC and the non-OPEC producers said they would raise supply by returning to 100 percent compliance with previously agreed output cuts, after months of underproduction. That would mean a roughly 1 million bpd increase in output.

Brent oil futures steadied on Friday as the market focused on bearish longer-term factors after gains in the previous session, which were driven by U.S. crude inventories at a major hub falling to their lowest in nearly four years.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. job growth slowed more than expected in July as employment in the transportation and utilities sectors fell, but a drop in the unemployment rate suggested that labor market conditions continued to tighten.

With manufacturing payrolls increasing by the most in seven months, the moderation in hiring reported by the Labor Department on Friday likely does not reflect the rising trade tensions between the United States and other nations including China.

“While the ongoing trade dispute may discourage businesses to invest and hire down the road, today’s jobs report suggests the jobs market is not yet collateral damage,” said Beth Ann Bovino, chief U.S. economist at S&P Global Ratings in New York.

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 157,000 jobs last month, still more than the roughly 120,000 jobs per month needed to keep up with growth in the working-age population. The economy created 59,000 more jobs in May and June than previously reported.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls increasing by 190,000 jobs last month. The unemployment rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.9 percent, even as more people entered the labor force.

A broader measure of unemployment, which includes people who want to work but have given up searching and those working part-time because they cannot find full-time employment, dropped three tenths of a percentage point to 7.5 percent, the lowest level since March 2001.

Wage growth remained moderate, with average hourly earnings increasing seven cents, or 0.3 percent, after a gain of 0.1 percent in June. The annual increase in wages was unchanged at 2.7 percent in July.

WASHINGTON (Dispatches) - The U.S. and EU are working to form a “united front” against China that could soon expand, President Donald Trump’s top economic aide said Friday.

“We are coming together with the European Union to make a deal with them so we will have a united front against China,” National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow told Fox Business News.

“I think most of our trade team will tell you we’re moving close on Mexico. So this unifies NAFTA and U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan. China is increasingly isolated with a weak economy,” he said. “China knows what we are asking, they just have not made satisfactory responses.”

The declaration comes amid a growing U.S.-Sino trade spat.

China announced earlier Friday it plans to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on $60 billion of U.S. goods, as the trade salvos between the world’s two largest economies continued.

“The Chinese had better not underestimate the determination of President Trump to follow through and seek zero tariffs and non-tariff barriers, and subsidies and a level playing field and major reforms in IP theft and forced transfer of technologies,” Kudlow warned, referring to intellectual property. “These are the things we have asked them in a number of meetings.”

The U.S.-China trade relationship is estimated at $650 billion annually.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018 IRAN NEWS 6

WORLD NEWSSUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018 IRAN NEWS 7

French carmaker PSA Group began to suspend its joint venture activities in Iran in June and Germany’s Daimler said it was closely monitoring any further developments and would then evaluate the potential impact on its business.

Despite the efforts of European governments to salvage the nuclear deal and provide guarantees to European firms to protect them against secondary U.S. sanctions, many of them are leaving Iran anyway to avoid any possible U.S. penalties.

America accounted for 13 percent of Scania’s orders for trucks, buses and coaches in 2017.

Scania declined to comment on how much of an impact the decline in orders from Iran, considered as one of their growth markets, had had on first half results.

The company’s factories in Latin America and Europe are used to produce vehicles for Tehran and it distributes trucks and buses through local partners, which also own Scania’s production and extensive servicing network in Iran.

Henriksson said Scania was also pressing for faster payment as sanctions could potentially close financing networks by November.

“As it is right now, it’s a wind down window of getting orders out that were in before a certain date and getting payments in as much as you can,” he said.

However, Henriksson said Scania was working on a contingency plan so that it could continue to deliver spare parts needed to keep its trucks and buses on Iranian roads running, but that nothing was resolved yet.

“The impact of the new sanctions on many different aspects such as shipping and payment terms is not clear. It could be difficult especially “any direct and indirect trade of steel is under the secondary sanctions of the United States and some importers may prefer to switch to the other suppliers to avoid this risk,” he said.

Importing products into Iran has also become more difficult since the announcement that sanctions would be reinstated, according to local sources.

Steel imports into Iran in early August were reported to have slowed sharply. Iran has recently been importing mainly flat steel products, mostly from the CIS, but this trade has now virtually halted due to the devaluation of the Iranian rial -- which slumped to a record low against the US dollar in the last week of July -- and the impending sanctions, local sources said.

In addition, Iran has banned any import of billet and some steel long products, the sources said.

The final outcome of European Commission attempts to introduce blocking action against the secondary sanctions was not immediately clear.

According to media reports, the blocking regulation will prohibit EU entities from complying with U.S. extraterritorial sanctions and allows companies to recover damages from such sanctions.

The blocking regulation will reportedly come into force today unless more than half of the members of the European Parliament or the EU Foreign Affairs Council object prior to that date.

Iron ore has not been included in the list of products liable to U.S. sanctions. As virtually all Iran’s iron ore exports are destined for China, this trade is not expected to suffer any immediate impact from U.S. sanctions. Iron ore exports have dwindled in recent years due to the need to keep more at home to feed the nation’s growing steel production. Iran exported some 20 million mt of iron ore in the year ended March 20, 2018, down from a peak of 25 million mt/year several years ago.

“We are grateful to our German partners at the chancellery and throughout the government for recognizing the need to act,” U.S. ambassador Richard Grenell told The Associated Press on Saturday. “Iran’s malign activities throughout Europe are a growing concern for us.” The German finance ministry said this week, after Germany’s Bild daily reported on the new Bundesbank rules, that the Iranian request is still under consideration — a process that involves Germany’s financial market regulator and financial intelligence unit.

The matter is awkward for Germany because the government is also committed to keeping alive the 2015 deal with Iran which provides incentives in exchange for Tehran not pursuing a nuclear weapon. Iran has indicated it will stay aboard as long as the remaining signatories stick to the deal and it continues to enjoy economic incentives. President Donald Trump’s administration began dismantling the sanctions relief that was granted to Iran under the deal in June, a month after Trump announced the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the accord.

“Both sides would put their heads together to find out the way out how to proceed for implementation of the project in the presence of the US sanctions and hawkish attitude of the Trump administration. President Trump is hell bent upon the deviating from the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal earlier done during Obama regime. So under the new scenario, the top mandarins of both the countries would also work out new timelines for the project’s completion.”

Pakistan hopes Iran will, the official said, not move the arbitration court on IP gas line project, knowing the fact that in the presence of U.S. sanctions, it was not possible to arrange the required funding for laying down the pipeline.

And if under the worst scenario, Tehran moves The Hague court, then Pakistan will be left with no option but to defend its case seeking the force majeure, the official argued.

“Yes, Pakistan has failed to lay down 781 kilometres pipeline in its territory, but on account of US sanctions imposed on Iran for its ambitious nuclear plan. No development partner country, IFIs and donor agencies were ready to fund the project,” he argued further saying that Pakistan, in case of litigation, will seek force majeure under the clause of the agreement.

Pakistan and Iran have already, he said, agreed to open up and review the gas sales- purchase agreement (GSPA) inked between the two in 2009 following the reduction in the prices at which Pakistan is procuring the LNG from Qatar and is having the imported product through spot purchasing and the price of gas settled under TAPI gas line. Pakistan and Iran signed GSPA in 2009 under IP gas pipeline project in era of Pakistan People’s Party.

As per the internal note of the Petroleum Division secretary sent to the prime minister available with The News, in February 2018 Iran had threatened to move the arbitration court against Pakistan for unilaterally shelving the IP gas line project invoking the penalty clause of the gas sales purchase agreement (GSPA). Pakistan and Iran signed the GSPA in 2009 under the IP gas pipeline project in the era of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Since then, the project could not get a shape.

The internal note reads that Tehran has asked for payment of over $1.2 billion as under the penalty clause from January 1, 2015, Pakistan is bound to pay penalty of $01 million per day if it fails to have intake of gas from Iran under the IP project.

In June 2016, Pakistan had shelved the IP gas line project in the wake of pressure of a leading gulf country. The decision had irked authorities in Iran at that time.

Googlers Bristle at

Censoring Search for ChinaWHO Warns of New Yemen Cholera Surge

U.S., Allies Spent $500b to Destabilize RegionTEHRAN – Iranian Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, criticized U.S. destabilizing role in the Middle East region.

“The Americans and some other countries have spent more than $500 billion to create insecurity in the region,” said Brigadier General Amir Hatami, Iranian Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. The Iranian official made the remarks on Saturday while meeting with a number of families who have lost a member in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war or the fight against terrorism in Syria.

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Word that Google is crafting a search engine to meet China’s draconian censorship rules has sparked widespread employee anger at the company which has responded by limiting workers’ access to documents about the project, a report said Friday.

Google was scurrying to stop leaks and quell outrage inside the company over what had been a stealth project prior to a report this week by news website The Intercept.

“Everyone’s access to documents got turned off, and is being turned on [on a] document-by-document basis,” a source told the news site.

“There’s been total radio silence from leadership, which is making a lot of people upset and scared. … Our internal meme site and Google Plus are full of talk, and people are a.n.g.r.y.”

Google withdrew its search engine from China eight years ago due to censorship and hacking but it is now working on a project for the country codenamed “Dragonfly,” an employee told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The search project -- which works like a filter that sorts out certain topics -- can be tested within the company’s internal networks, according to the worker.

“There’s a lot of angst internally. Some people are very mad we’re doing it,” the source told AFP. The tech giant had already come under fire this year from thousands of employees who signed a petition against a $10-million contract with the US military, which was not renewed.

A Google spokesman declined to confirm or deny the existence of the project.

“We provide a number of mobile apps in China, such as Google Translate and Files Go, help Chinese developers, and have made significant investments in Chinese companies like JD.com,” spokesman Taj Meadows told AFP when news of Dragonfly broke. “But we don’t comment on speculation about future plans.”

A Bloomberg report on Friday said that Google’s effort to get back into China includes seeking local partners, perhaps Tencent Holdings, to provide datacenter and computing capacity for services hosted in the internet cloud. Google did not respond to requests for comment on Friday. U.S. internet titans have long struggled with doing business in China, home of a “Great Firewall” that blocks politically sensitive content, such as the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and The New York Times website are blocked in China, but Microsoft’s Bing search engine continues to operate. In early 2010, Google shut down its search engine in mainland China after rows over censorship and hacking.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Yemen may be on the brink of a new cholera epidemic, with a heightened death rate due to widespread malnutrition, and the United Nations is hoping for a ceasefire in the north to allow for vaccinations, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

“We’ve had two major waves of cholera epidemics in recent years and unfortunately the trend data that we’ve seen in the last days to weeks suggests that we may be on the cusp of the third major wave of cholera epidemics in Yemen,” WHO emergency response chief Peter Salama told reporters in Geneva. “We’re calling on all parties to the conflict to act in accordance with international humanitarian law and to respect the request of the U.N. and international community for three full days of tranquillity and to lay down arms to allow us to vaccinate the civilian population for cholera.”

Northern Yemen has never had an oral cholera vaccination campaign, but 3,000 healthworkers plan to vaccinate more than 500,000 people over the next three days in and around the city of Hodeidah, the Arabian Peninsula country’s main port and a key element in U.N. plans for a political solution to the war.

On Thursday, Saudi-led air strikes hit a fishing port and fish market in Hodeidah, which is held by Iran-aligned Houthi forces, and 26 people were killed, Yemeni medical sources said. Al Thawra Hospital, Yemen’s biggest, was caught in the attack. The Saudi-led coalition denied responsibility for the attack, saying it did not carry out

any operations in the area that day.Its spokesman, Colonel Turki al-Malki, showed images

of mortars at a press conference in Riyadh on Friday and said they demonstrated that Houthi forces were behind the carnage. Lise Grande, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said in a statement that hundreds of thousands of people depended on the hospital to survive.

“Every day this week we have seen new cholera cases in Hodeidah, and now this. The impact of the strikes is appalling. Everything we are trying to do to stem the world’s worst cholera epidemic is at risk.”

Salama said the main hospital building remained intact but many subsidiary departments, especially the statistical department, were hit, affecting workers preparing for the cholera campaign.

This year’s cholera incidence was not at the massive level seen a year ago, when case numbers surged to an eventual 1.1 million, but the steady recent increase pointed to a new outbreak beginning, he said.

Previous outbreaks might have helped build cholera immunity in the population, but other diseases, as well as malnutrition, have weakened Yemenis’ immune systems.

“What we’re likely to see is that interplay with cholera and malnutrition occurring more and more...and not only more cases because of that but even higher death rates among the cholera cases that do occur, because people just don’t have the physical resources to fight the disease any longer,” Salama said.

LONDON (Dispatches) - Three men have died from heatstroke in Spain as Europe sweltered in a record heatwave Friday, with temperatures hitting a scorching 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some areas and meteorologists saying only scant relief is in sight in the coming days.

A middle-aged man in Barcelona, who media said appeared to be homeless, was found collapsed on a street and taken to hospital where he later died of heatstroke, Catalonia’s civil protection agency said in a statement.

Two other men -- a roadworker in his 40s and a 78-year-old pensioner -- also died from heatstroke this week, as Spain is set to experience one of its hottest days this summer on Friday, with temperatures expected to top 44 C in Badajos on the border with Portugal, 42 C in Seville and 40 C in Madrid.

In Portugal temperatures topped a record 45 degrees in Alvega, 150 kilometres (93 miles) north of Lisbon, on Thursday. The heatwave is expected to reach its peak on Saturday, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

While no “substantial” wildfires have been reported so far, the emergency services say they remain on maximum alert and Interior Minister Eduardo Cabrita declared a policy of “zero tolerance” towards risky activity, such as barbecues.

Tourism operators, such as Thomas Cook and Alltours, were quoted by German news agency DPA as saying that last-minute bookings for the Mediterranean are down, as holidaymakers seek out cooler temperatures on the North Sea and Baltic coastlines.

In the Netherlands, where the current heatwave is the longest-ever recorded -- with temperatures reaching 35 C on Friday -- people are beginning to experience water shortages, even if drinking supplies remain unaffected for now.

With almost no rainfall since May, Sweden experienced its hottest July in more than 250 years, with the drought and high temperatures sparking wildfires across the country, even as far north as the Arctic Circle. The fires have largely abated.

Temperatures passed 40 C in France for the first time this summer on Friday as millions hit the roads for August vacations, with sweltering conditions forecast to persist into next week.

Wide swathes of the country have been placed on heatwave alert with the health ministry rolling out a TV and radio campaign alerting people to the dangers of what

is expected to be the most intense heatwave since 2006.French power company EDF announced that it was stopping a reactor at two

nuclear power plants in order to avoid raising too high the temperature of the water in the Rhone river.

In Britain, the heatwave has hit retail sales, which were down 1.1 percent in July, according to accountancy firm BDO.

In Britain, the heatwave has hit retail sales, which were down 1.1 percent in July, according to accountancy firm BDO.

“While the sunshine and buzz around England’s World Cup run was a boost for pubs and supermarkets, the scorching conditions did not encourage physical shopping and only hindered footfall in shops,” said BDO’s Sophie Michael.

Europe Wilts Under

Record Heatwave

LONDON (Dispatches) - Manchester City take on Chelsea in today’s Community Shield -- the

traditional curtainraiser to the English season -- but the Wembley showpiece will offer few clues as to the destination of the Premier League title.

The glorified friendly between the league champions and the FA Cup winners has been a notoriously poor predictor of success in recent years -- no winner has gone on to be crowned champions in the same season since Manchester United in 2010-11.

The game, likely to be played in sizzling summer temperatures in London, is set to feature various youngsters and fringe players as World Cup stars ease their way back into club action.

But whatever the line-ups, there are plenty of talking points and the game will be closely watched for clues as domestic football reclaims centre stage just three weeks after the World Cup final in Russia.

Can Manchester City pick up where they left off last season or will they have a serious challenger?

Will new manager Maurizio Sarri be able to revive FA Cup winners Chelsea, who finished fifth last season after winning the title the previous year under Antonio Conte?

One question for City fans is how manager Pep Guardiola will deploy Riyad Mahrez -- the only significant addition to their already-impressive list of forward options during the summer transfer window.

FIJI (Dispatches) - Gaganjeet Bhullar held a one shot lead after the third round of the Fiji

International on Saturday as Ernie Els began his charge at the Natadola Bay Golf Club.

Ben Campbell, who started the day with a four-shot lead, held on to top spot for most of the day before a late stumble with a bogey and double bogey saw him slip two shots off the pace.

Bhullar, seeking his first European Tour title after 106 starts, signed for a 69 to get to eight under 208 and lead Australians Andrew Dodt, Jarryd Felton, Jake McLeod and Terry Pilkadaris by one with Campbell a stroke further back.

Four-time major winner Ernie Els closed at seventh with two birdies going into the final day, only three strokes behind Bhullar.

Bhullar, who has had three top tens in his last four appearances, showed excellent scrambling with just one bogey to go with four birdies in round three.

“I had a great start to the day,” the 30-year-old Indian said.

MADRID (Dispatches) - Barcelona announced

Friday that they had reached an agreement with Bayern Munich to sign Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal in a deal reportedly worth 30 million euros ($35 million).

“FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich have reached an agreement for the transfer of player Arturo Vidal,” said Barcelona on their website.

“The agreement is for the next three seasons and is pending the medical examination that the player will undertake over the course of the next few days.

“FC Barcelona will shortly inform everyone about the arrival of the player and the agenda of the presentation ceremony.”

Vidal, 31, was whisked away from Bayern’s pre-season training base on Friday morning with the club’s director of sport Hasan Salihamidzic to finalise the details.

SAN JOSE (Dispatches) - Greece’s Maria

Sakkari delivered one of the biggest upsets of her career at the WTA San Jose tournament on Friday, ousting former seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in a straight sets shocker.

The 23-year-old Sakkari saved two set points in the second set en route to a 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) victory over the former world number one, punching her ticket to the semi-finals where she will face another unseeded player, Danielle Collins.

World No.49 Sakkari needed one hour and 43 minutes to dispatch Williams as she has rolled through her first three matches at this event without dropping a set. Sakkari converted six of her eight break points in the match, and hammered 21 winners, three more than the 38-year-old Williams.

“I was ready for the match, compared to the last times I played against her. I was ready for a battle and ready to play against Venus Williams,” said Sakkari.

BIRMINGHAM (Reuters) - Captain Virat Kohli stroked an unbeaten 43 as he steered India to 110

for five at the end of the third day on Friday, leaving the visitors needing another 84 runs to win the first test against England.

With 35 wickets having tumbled inside three days, England will be hoping they can grab the five remaining Indian wickets quickly on day four so that they can mark their 1000th test with a victory.

“We need five more wickets, and we just have to give everything that we have in the morning as we are looking at another 25-30 overs maximum in this game,” fast bowler James Anderson said at a press conference.

In a dramatic game that has swung with every session, England’s bowlers made the most of the new ball in slightly overcast conditions by reducing the visitors to 78-5 in a fierce spell of swing bowling after the tea break.

With the exception of Kohli, none of the Indian top order batsmen looked at ease against the bowlers, with Stuart Broad the pick of the attack with two wickets.

The arrival of wicket keeper Dinesh Karthik after the fall of Ravichandran Ashwin calmed some nerves in the Indian camp, with the duo putting on an unbeaten 32 runs partnership for the sixth wicket.

Earlier, all rounder Sam Curran followed up his first innings haul of four wickets by scoring a solid half century to guide England to 180 all out in their second innings.

WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – U.S. President Donald Trump sniped back at NBA great LeBron

James late Friday, days after the basketball player and philanthropist accused him of fueling racial divides in the United States.

“Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, (CNN presenter) Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do,” the president tweeted of the Los Angeles Lakers player. In an interview on Tuesday -- also broadcast late Friday -- James told CNN he believed Trump “is kind of trying to divide us.”

“He’s kind of used sport to... divide us and that’s something I can’t relate to, because I know that sport was the first time I ever was around someone white. You know?” said James, who on Monday opened an elementary school for at-risk youth in his native Akron, Ohio. Trump’s comment sparked huge reaction on Twitter from James’ backers.

“We got your back @KingJames Someone sure sound like they wish they was you.”, tweeted linebacker Bobby Wagner of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. James, who ranks seventh in career National Basketball Association scoring, also told CNN Tuesday he would “never sit across” from Trump, whom he accuses of emboldening racists. “I think (racism’s) always been there. But I think the president in charge now has given people -- they don’t care now, they throw it to your face,” he said.

That echoed comments he made in January that Trump had “given people and racism... an opportunity to be out and outspoken without fear.”

Kohli Keeps Alive Indian Hopes of Defeating England

Trump Hits Back at James Over Racial Division Comments

Barcelona Agree Vidal Switch Deal

Sakkari Ousts Venus Williams

8 SPORTS

Man City, Chelsea Lock Horns in Community Shield

Bhullar Leads in Fiji As Els Charges

IRAN NEWS

Kolasinac Faces Up To 10 Weeks Out

LONDON (Reuters) - Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac will be out of action for eight to 10 weeks after

suffering an injury to his left knee, the Premier League club said on Friday.

The Bosnia international was forced off during Wednesday’s pre-season win over London rivals Chelsea in Dublin after a clash with Victor Moses.

Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey missed that game with a tight calf and will aim to return to training next week, the club added.

Musa Leaves Leicester For Saudi Side Al-NassrLONDON (Dispatches) - Nigeria forward Ahmed Musa has left

Premier League side Leicester for Al-Nassr, the Saudi Arabian club announced on Friday. The 25-year-old was Leicester’s record signing when he joined the then-English champions for £16 million from CSKA Moscow in 2016, but struggled to make an impact and spent last season back on loan at the Russian team. “The Al-Nassr club management has finalised the transfer for the star of the Nigerian team and English club Leicester City, Ahmed Musa, on a four-year deal,” the Saudi club wrote on Twitter.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Defending champion Alexander Zverev outlasted Japan’s Kei

Nishikori 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 Friday to reach the ATP Washington Open semi-finals while three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray withdrew citing fatigue.

Germany’s third-ranked Zverev, seeking his fifth final of the season and third title of the year after Munich and Madrid, dispatched seventh-seed Nishikori, the 2015 champion, as he did in last year’s Washington semi-finals. “I felt like I had the more powerful shot,” Zverev said. “That worked out well in most of the rallies for me. It was a good high-level match.”

Zverev booked a semi-final against 10th-seeded Greek 19-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas, who eliminated Belgian third seed David Goffin 6-3, 6-4 in just 74 minutes.

“I’m super happy I got this win in two sets and saved some energy,” Tsitsipas said. “I was serving very well. Confidence plays a very important role in my game so getting early breaks was super important.”

Australian Alex De Minaur, another 19-year-old, reached the semi-finals by walkover when Murray withdrew, citing the fatigue of three grueling three-set wins that kept him on the court more than eight hours in total.

Murray, who also withdrew from next week’s Toronto Masters event, was in only his third event back and first hardcourt event since March 2017 at Indian Wells after an 11-month layoff with a hip injury.

“I’m exhausted after playing so much over the last four days, having not competed on the hard courts for 18 months,” Murray said. “I also need to be careful and to listen to my body as I come back from a long-term injury.

The 31-year-old Scotsman, a former world number one now ranked 832, broke down in tears after a 3:02 a.m. Friday finish to his third match, the latest finish in the event’s 50-year history. De Minaur will next play either Russian 16th seed Andrey Rublev or American Denis Kudla, whose match was postponed to Saturday, among with three women’s quarter-finals, by a fifth consecutive day of rain.

If 20-year-old Rublev advances, Zverev will be the oldest semi-finalist at age 21. His reaction: “My God, that hasn’t happened to me before.” Tsitsipas, ranked a career-high 32nd, reached the fourth round last month at Wimbledon, becoming the first Greek player in the last 16 of a Grand Slam in the Open Era.

Tsitsipas, who reached his first ATP final in May at Barcelona but lost to Rafael Nadal, says he won’t change to face Zverev. Zverev and Tsitsipas are both of Russian heritage. Zverev’s Russian parents moved to Germany in 1991. Tsitsipas’s mother was a top 1980s Soviet Union player.

“The Soviet Union back then was a very technical school,” Zverev said. “It helped us out a lot to have parents to teach us the technique. We’re not all the same but we don’t have a shot that’s so bad.”

Nishikori likes where his game is at with the US Open still more than three weeks away. “I’m playing good,” Nishikori said. “I’ll try to play a couple more good tournaments and do my best at the U.S. Open.”

In the WTA event, Germany’s Andrea Petkovic, seeking her seventh title and first since 2015, downed Swiss sixth seed Belinda Bencic 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (10/8) to reach the semi-finals. She earlier beat reigning US Open champion Sloane Stephens.

Zverev Beats Nishikori

To Reach Semis

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