AID AND COMFORT: New York Times Co. Sells Access To Iranian Oil Official: Sponsors Of London Conference Are Offered Introductions, VIP Treatment. “The news that the Times is selling $4,000 tickets for face time with Iranian oil decision makers at a fancy London hotel is likely to trigger criticism at a moment when a reporter of the Washington Post, Jason Rezaian, is languishing in a Tehran prison where conditions are known to be considerably harsher than at the Park Lane.”