Iran to launch mass production of Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine Iran's ambassador to Russia, KazemJalali, has announced that a joint production line for Russia’s Sputnik V anti-coronavirus vaccines will begin in the near future. https://entekhab.ir/002XVW   Iran to import 1m doses of Covid-19 vaccine in a month Spokesman for the Iranian national headquarters fighting COVID-19: By the end of the Iranian calendar year (March 21), with the delivery of another 400,000 doses of vaccine from Bharat India, the total number of Russian, Chinese and Indian vaccines for frontline workers will increase to one million doses. The first batch of Covax vaccine related to the World Health Organization will be delivered in the amount of one million and 100 thousand doses between March 19 to April 31, and the total of these vaccines will increase to 2 million doses. With the arrival of the second batch of Covax vaccine, the number of imported vaccines will increase to 4,200 million doses by May this year, and this will lead to a quicker vaccination process. https://t.me/isna94   European Commission initiative to strengthen trade with Iran The European Commission, therefore, created a due diligence desk to help SMEs, a major source of employment and innovation in Europe. The helpdesk worked closely with banks and with INSTEX to determine the details needed for compliance. It gives practical help to an SME to perform the due diligence assessment, a partly automated process. It also reaches out to the Iranian business partner, who then completes questionnaire and provides compliance documentation. If sufficient, the helpdesk will give the transaction a clean bill of health, which could be used in dealings with European banks. If there would be issues of concern or missing information, then further information would be requested or additional research would be done. This may include interviews with local stakeholders to understand the nature of the business transaction. The EU’s support means that the helpdesk at www.sanctions-helpdesk.eu has the capacity to evolve as needs are identified. www.irna.ir/news/84248754/   Regional railway: Pakistan set to host meeting on railway Pakistani official sources have confirmed that the country is set to host Tehran-Islamabad-Istanbul freight train after its re-launching in coming days.  The tenth high-level meeting of the working group of Tehran-Islamabad-Istanbul railway project also called 'Eco train' was held virtually in early December last year with the presence of relevant officials of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). The spokesman of Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan while confirming the meeting had announced that the train will be revived in the next year. Although ZahidHafeezChaudhri had told media that the ECO container train would be re-launched in January 2021 local media reported that there is a strong possibility that the ECO freight train between Ira, Pakistan and Turkey would move on March 4. www.irna.ir/news/84246879/ Iran's economic growth positive now An Iranian official has reported that the economic growth of the country has become positive this autumn, making it less than one percent. According to the Statistics Center of Iran, in the autumn of the Iranian calendar year, the country's economic growth has reached a positive number of 0.8 percent. This number excluding oil export is 0.2 percent. https://www.isna.ir/news/99121511095/   India to commemorate ‘Chabahar Day’ Representatives from six countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Russia and Kazakhstan, will attend the Chabahar Day celebrations in India. The Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Chabahar Day ceremony will take place on the margins of the 2021 Indian Naval Summit in New Delhi. The Indian Foreign Minister also proposed that the port of Chabahar be included in the north-south international transport route. www.irna.ir/news/84252013/   Producing smart bandage with microfibers made by Iran-made machine A group of researchers from a knowledge-based company based in the Pardis Technology Park has produced microfibers to use in smart bandage in the country. https://www.isna.ir/news/99120604857 Iranian President attends ECO summit The 14th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was held on Thursday with the theme "Regional Economic Cooperation in the Post Covid Era" with the participation of the leaders of 10 member countries. In the virtual summit, leaders of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, attended. The event was hosted by Islamabad as chair. https://t.me/khabaronline_ir Iran ranks among states producing titanium metal Iran has ranked among states that are the producers of titanium metal, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran reported on Saturday. The first contract for the sale of medical titanium grade bars was inked with one of the companies producing orthopedic implants, it noted. Prototypes of medical-grade titanium ingots were produced by analysis through very meticulous medical standards and succeeded in passing various stages of quality control, it further noted. https://fa.alalamtv.net/news/5473328   Iran to unveil first national metro train A ceremony to unveil the first national metro train has been set for Thursday, March 19, and the president is also scheduled to attend, according to Iran Metro Company. https://t.me/isna94   Unique features of the Iranian UAV "Kaman 22" Iran is in the final stages of manufacturing its first wide-body combat drone that is also the first aircraft in the country’s drone squadron to be capable of flying as far as 3,000 kilometers (1864 miles). The aircraft, codenamed Kaman (Bow)-22, has been designed and developed in line with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force’s requirements, IRIAF Commander Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh announced on Wednesday. It is outfitted with various types of combat equipment, including different kinds of smart ammunition, as well as diverse optical and electronic warfare equipment, he noted. According to the official, Kaman-22 can also endure airborne missions lasting longer than 24 hours. “The aircraft will contribute a high combat capability to the Air Force,” Nasirzadeh stated. The commander also credited the new UAV with reconnaissance, surveillance, and intelligence-gathering features, including the capability to take pictures from distant targets. “Today, we have attained complete maturity in production of various unmanned aircraft, including combat, reconnaissance, and electronic-warfare [drones] that are capable of carrying out several [different] missions,” Nasirzadeh noted. https://tn.ai/2462804 http://farsnews.ir/news/13991211000988 IAEA, no place for political games: President Rouhani President Rouhani made the remarks in reaction to a plan by the European Union to draft a resolution with IAEA Board of Governors criticizing Iran for reducing cooperation with the UN nuclear agency. President Rouhani also responded to a statement made by US President Joe Biden's nominee for Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman that Washington is willing to develop scope of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by saying that the JCPOA is a single text agreed upon by the participant states and that Iran will hold no new negotiations on the agreement. He advised the European countries not to pursue the case, also calling upon the UN nuclear agency not to allow “good and friendly” relations with Iran be disturbed with such a move. https://t.me/Tasnimnews Pope Francis meets with Ayatollah Sistani during visit to Iraq Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, has held closed-door talks with Iraq’s prominent Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on the second day of his visit to the Arab country. The meeting took place at Ayatollah Sistani’s residence in the holy city of Najaf on Saturday morning. The office of Ayatollah Sistani said in a statement that he highlighted challenges facing mankind and stressed the role of belief in God and commitment to high moral values in overcoming them. Ayatollah Sistani cited injustice, oppression, poverty, religious persecution, repression of fundamental freedoms, wars, violence, economic siege and displacement of many people in the region, especially the Palestinians in the occupied territories as some of the major problems which afflict the world. The cleric touched on the role which religious and spiritual leaders can play in tackling some of these problems. Ayatollah Sistani said religious leaders have to encourage parties involved in conflicts, particularly the world powers, to give primacy to rationality over confrontation. He also stressed the importance of efforts to strengthen peaceful coexistence and solidarity based on mutual respect among the followers of different religions and intellectual groups. https://www.isna.ir/news/99121611568/ Ambassador of Hungary to the United Nations reacts toPope Francis and Ayatollah Sistani meeting KatalinBogyay: The Pope's visit to Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's supreme Shiite cleric, emphasizes that if we succeed in addressing our differences as a member of the human family, we can begin the process of reconstruction and create a fairer and more humane world. https://t.me/akhbaarejahan President Rouhani Urges Europe to End Inaction towards JCPOA Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has criticized Europe for its inaction towards the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the JCPOA, saying Tehran can no longer be the only party that pays the price for saving the multilateral deal. Speaking in a Sunday meeting with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney in Tehran, President Rouhani said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to the deal and its preservation, and is the only party that has paid for it, but this cannot continue this way, and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by all parties is essential for maintaining and reviving the JCPOA.” In turn, the Foreign Minister of Ireland referred to his country’s role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the next two years and the role of facilitating the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, and said, “Trump’s withdrawal from the deal was a historic mistake and the new US administration is determined to return to the deal.” http://www.isna.ir/news/99121712472 Iran’s Historical Sites: TchoghaZanbil Located in ancient Elam (today Khuzestan province in southwest Iran), TchoghaZanbil (Dur-Untash, or City of Untash, in Elamite) was founded by the Elamite king Untash-Napirisha (1275-1240 BCE) as the religious centre of Elam. The principal element of this complex is an enormous ziggurat dedicated to the Elamite divinities Inshushinak and Napirisha. It is the largest ziggurat outside of Mesopotamia and the best preserved of this type of stepped pyramidal monument. The archaeological site of TchoghaZanbil is an exceptional expression of the culture, beliefs, and ritual traditions of one of the oldest indigenous peoples of Iran. Our knowledge of the architectural development of the middle Elamite period (1400-1100 BCE) comes from the ruins of TchoghaZanbil and of the capital city of Susa 38 km to the north-west of the temple).