ECONOMIC IDEAL – Tehran, April 4, IRNA – The following headlines appeared in English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Sunday:
** IRAN DAILY
— Two Iranian provinces hit by new COVID-19 wave: Rouhani
The fourth wave of coronavirus infections has started in two Iranian provinces, President Hassan Rouhani said, stressing the need for stricter compliance with the health protocols.
Rouhani made the remarks in an address to a Saturday meeting of the National Task Force for Fighting the Coronavirus, warning that a failure to observe the protocols would cause the new wave to spread into other Iranian provinces.
— Iran-UAE annual trade tops $14b
The value of trade between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stood at $14.2 billion in the past Iranian year (ending on March 20), an official with Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) announced.
Farzad Piltan, the director general of TPO’s Department of Arabian and African Countries, also put the weight of annual trade between the two countries at 20.3 million tons, and said that the figure shows a 28 percent growth year-on-year.
— Iran rules out ‘step-by-step’ lifting of sanctions
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Saturday ruled out any “step-by-step” lifting of sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic under former US president Donald Trump.
“As has been clearly stated many times, no step-by-step plan is being considered,” Khatibzadeh told Press TV.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
— Zarif to Visit Four Central Asian Nations
Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif will pay an official visit to four Central Asian countries through April 5-8 for talks on enhancing bilateral and regional cooperation.
In a post on his Twitter account, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Zarif will travel to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. “Enhancing ties with Central Asia, a region of civilizational, historical & cultural commonalities, has always been among #Iran’s top priorities,” he wrote, adding that the focus will be on bilateral and regional cooperation.
— ‘$76 Billion of Yemeni Oil, Gas Revenues Looted’
Yemen’s minister of oil and minerals has said more than $76 billion of Yemen’s oil and gas revenues has been looted since the beginning of the Saudi-led war on the Arab country.
“The value of oil and gas revenues looted by the invading forces in Yemen in six years is more than 19 trillion Yemeni rials (nearly $76 billion),” Ahmad Abdullah Dares told Yemen’s al-Masirah television network. Dares explained that the looted revenues include 1.3 trillion rials (some $5 billion) of the Ma’rib oil refinery’s revenues and 1.3 trillion rials of domestic natural gas revenues.
— Pakistan’s Naval Flotilla Docks in Bandar Abbas
An Iranian Navy commander said Saturday naval forces of Iran and Pakistan enjoy very good level of relations and are cooperating to promote maritime peace and security.
Commander of the Navy’s first zone Admiral Jafar Tazakkor made the remarks as a Pakistani flotilla docked at the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
** TEHRAN TIMES
— Iran using new advanced centrifuges at Natanz
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has started feeding uranium into cluster of 174 IR-2m centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facility, the IAEA confirmed in a report on Thursday.
“On 31 March 2021, the Agency verified at FEP [Fuel Enrichment Plant] that: Iran had begun feeding natural UF6 into a fourth cascade of 174 IR-2m centrifuges,” the report, dated Wednesday, said. UF6 stands for uranium hexafluoride – the chemical compound used in the process of uranium enrichment.
— Iran’s petchem production capacity rises 13.5m tons
The capacity of Iranian petrochemical production increased by 13.5 million tons in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20) following the inauguration of 12 new petrochemical projects across the country.
With the inauguration of the mentioned projects which were defined under the framework of the petrochemical industry’s second leap, the country’s total petrochemical production capacity has now reached 83.5 million tons.
— Symposium to explore Iran tourism over past 100 years
Iran will be hosting a specialized symposium to explore its tourism ups and downs over the past 100 years. The symposium is scheduled to be held in the second half of the current Iranian calendar year.
The event is jointly organized by the coordination council of cultural heritage, handicrafts, and tourism NGOs; Science and Technology Park; the Iranian National Committee for ICOM; and the e-Tourism Society of Iran, Mehr reported. Furthermore, it enjoys support from the University of Tehran, University of Isfahan, Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Institute, Transport and Urban Development Ministry, Prof. Jafari Tourism Foundation, Tourism Commission of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Tehran Municipality Tourism Headquarters and other specialized tourism and trade unions, the report said.
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