Saeed Namaki said Iran is to purchase 20 million doses of the vaccine from the Indian firm under a forward sale contract.
“This Indian company, which has already sold 100 million doses of the vaccine to the US under a forward sale agreement, has got the US permission to sell 20 percent of its products to other countries as well,” said the minister.
Namaki said the Indian company is owned by a Zoroastrian of Iranian descent.
“Based on what this Indian company has promised us, we are going to receive the vaccine at a lower and more reasonable price,” he said.
Meanwhile, the minister underlined that Iranian research centres keep working to develop a homegrown vaccine for COVID-19.
