Iran registers a 20 percent rise in its saffron exports in the first half of the Iranian calendar year, earning more than 83 million dollars in revenues.
A senior Iranian official says the appointment of a UN special rapporteur on human rights situation in Iran is illegal, calling on Ahmed Shaheed, the current rights investigator, to resign.
The French envoy to Tehran has disputed inclusion by Paris of Iran in the list of dangerous states for travelling, saying Iran is the most secure regional country for trips.
The Iranian oil minister says countries that hold talks with Iran before the lifting of sanctions will have an edge over others that wait until after the sanctions are removed.