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Iran Covid: 8 deaths, 288 infections

COVID in Iran

The Wednesday tally of the Health Ministry showed that 8 people had died of the virus in the past 24 hours. The total death toll from Covid is 141,244.

The daily caseload was 288. The cases included 56 hospitalizations.

Officials in Iran attribute Covid’s downward trend to a nationwide vaccination process that has seen the double-inoculation of over 85 percent of the country’s population.

The officials say herd immunity has occurred in Iran now.

Other factors in keeping down the number of deaths and infections include observance of health protocols by citizens. The authorities have urged all Iranians to not ease the health protocols as this could trigger a resurgence of the Coronavirus in the country.

Covid killed millions worldwide before subsiding in many parts of the world. The worst hit country is the US with a million-strong death toll.

The disease created apocalyptic scenes during its peak in some countries such as India.

Iran oil minister: It takes time for Russia to find oil customers amid sanctions

Russia Oil

Javad Owji played down the reported Russian attempts to overtake Iran’s share of the crude market, saying Tehran has “its own customers” and “will powerfully continue its sales of oil at good prices.”

Iran has also found “new markets” for oil exports and the trend will continue, he added.

“Russia has offered many discounts to oil purchasers, but it will take time for the Russians to find customers given the sanctions placed [on the country],” he added.

Reuters reported recently that China’s purchases of Iranian oil in April came off peak volumes seen in late 2021 and early 2022 in the wake of growing imports of lower-priced Russian oil.

It also added, Moscow turned to the Chinese market as demands for Russian crude have fallen in Europe amid sanctions on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine.

Analyst: Iran, UAE can strengthen ties based on commonalities

Hossein Amir Abdolahian Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Sabah Zanganeh, in an interview with ISNA, highlighted efforts by the UAE over the past year to improve its relations with Iran, saying ties between the two sides were put on a “new track” following a visit to Iran by the UAE’s top national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, late last year.

“Since the establishment of the kingdom, the UAE and Iran have had constant relations. Iran has always tried to maintain natural neighborly ties with this country, although it has issued the necessary warnings [to the UAE] wherever there was a need. Iran has, however, never sought tensions and bitterness in ties with the UAE,” he said.

He referred to the cultural, demographic and social commonalities between the two states, adding, “Iran and the UAE can use these joint capacities in the political, economic and security context to strengthen their relations.”

The analyst described mutual visits by officials of the two states as an important step toward the enhancement of ties.

Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian visited the UAE to pay his respects after the passing of UAE’s President Khalifa bin Zayed.

Zanganeh further said although Tehran’s ties with Abu Dhabi have taken a blow from the latter’s normalization with Israel, the Islamic Republic is in such a powerful position that it will not feel endangered by such a development.

Festival honors traditional cultivation, drinking of tea in Iran’s north

Tea Festival Iran

Government officials honored top local tea farmers during the Amlash Tea Festival in the Bileh Langeh Village on Tuesday.

Read more: Tea: Popular Hot Drink for Iranians

Here is a collection of photos (Source) from the event.

Suspect kills three, self in hostage standoff in Iran’s west

Iran Police

Police said the man took people hostage at the Department of Assets of Ilam Province’s Mostazafan Foundation on Wednesday morning.

The suspect, who was not identified by name, was reportedly a former employee of the institution who had been fired.

Counter-terror police immediately responded to the scene.

Colonel Farzad Yassemi, a deputy police chief for Ilam Province, said the incident was being investigated.

Meanwhile, some of the wounded are said to be in critical condition.

New Iran envoy to Baghdad submits credentials to Iraq president

Iran and Iraq Flags

Al-e Sadegh met with Saleh in the presidential palace in Baghdad, to submit his credentials on Tuesday.

In addition to the new Iranian envoy, the new ambassadors of China and Canada also presented their credentials to the Iraqi president today.

During a meeting with Iran’s new ambassador to Iraq, Saleh stressed the need to strengthen balanced relations, international and regional cooperation to tackle the terrorism challenges, strengthen political and economic cooperation, as well a joint fight against climate change.

Al-e Sadegh also met with Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein at the foreign ministry compound to submit a copy of his credentials.

He replaced Iraj Masjedi who was designated as the ambassador to Iraq in January 2017.

Russia, China, India after investment in Iranian transit routes as part of INSTC: Deputy min.

Iranian transit routes

Kheirollah Khademi told ILNA on Wednesday that the three countries were seeking investment opportunities given the significance of the INSTC, a 7,200-kilometer-long multi-mode network of routes to moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan Republic, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe.

Despite their interest, Khademi said, Iranian financial sources were also investing in the project, sprawling infrastructure that he said was well under construction.
China is not a partner to the INSTC but is pursuing an ambitious transit program of its own known as the Great Silk Road.

The transit network envisioned in the INSTC would help boost Beijing’s plan.

Iran and Russia signed a comprehensive railway transit agreement last month, preparing to significantly ratchet up bilateral ties in transportation.

Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Rostam Qassemi, who signed the agreement on behalf of Iran, said at the time that Russia viewed Iran as a “hub of commerce and transit” in the region and added that the completion of an Iranian railway route that would help connect Northern Europe to the Indian Subcontinent would give the countries in the region, including Russia, “many transit benefits.”

Yemen: Saudi-led coalition in dire need of extending UN-mediated ceasefire

Yemen War

Yasser al-Houri, a senior official with Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, said the enemies are well aware that the Yemeni army will resume its military operation when the ceasefire expires on June 2, and that this is why they are trying to compensate for some of the “mistakes” they have made since the truce took effect in early April.

He was referring to the Saudi-ked coalition’s green light to a commercial flight — the first of its kind in six years — to take off from Yemen’s capital on Monday.

“We have no trust in the enemy, but the aggressors may seek to make up for their lack of commitment [to the truce] and meet the other conditions communicated to them via intermediaries, since they know that is the only way to secure an extension of the ceasefire,” he said.

The Yemeni official slammed the UN for siding with the aggressors in the course of the war, expressing hope that the world body’s incumbent special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, will not repeat the mistakes made by his predecessors.

Grundberg is currently holding talks with the parties to the Yemen conflict, namely the former Yemeni government backed by the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi Ansarullah movement which runs state affairs from Sana’a, in an effort to set the stage for the extension of the 60-day truce.

The Saudi-led coalition has on numerous occasions violated the ceasefire by launching raids on Yemen and maintaining the siege of the Sana’a Airport.

Saudi Arabia and its allies began their military campaign and siege against Yemen in 2015 to reinstall the country’s former Riyadh-allied government. They, however, failed to achieve that goal and are now seeking a face-saving exit from the quagmire.

Iran says Int’l bodies must take appropriate approach to Afghanistan, Palestine, Yemen

Hossein Amir Abdolahian & Ingrid Brockova

Amirabdollahian stated in his meeting with Brockova that he is pleased with the outcome of the two countries’ deputy foreign ministers, and voiced the foreign ministry’s readiness for further improvement and deepening of bilateral political and economic cooperation.

He added that holding the Joint Economic Commission was an appropriate move for consultations on creating new business and economic opportunities.

Referring to the prevailing developments in the region, Amirabdollahian said that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s stance is against wars in which the civilians are hurt.

“Unfortunately, in our region Afghanistan, Palestine, and Yemen we are witnesses to the scenes of heartbreaking suffering of ordinary people, including women and children, and it is necessary that the international and European organizations will adopt appropriate stances and pay greater attention to those issues,” added the Iranian foreign minister.

The Slovakian deputy foreign minister, for her part, expressed delight for the meetings among the two countries’ political and economic officials in various levels.

Brockova also stressed the importance of bilateral political and economic relations.

Air pollution closes schools in Iran’s Tehran Province

Air pollution

Abed Maleki, an official with the Tehran Provincial Governor’s Office, said after an ad hoc meeting of the province’s air pollution emergency task force on Tuesday that all elementary and high schools would be closed on Wednesday over the pollution.

Tehran’s air quality has been in the very unhealthy zone for the past 24 hours, and the deputy governor of Tehran Province declared all schools, universities, and government departments closed for Tuesday.

But universities and government departments were not declared closed for Wednesday.

Maleki said that in the event of a further reduction in air quality, a subsequent decision would be made about those institutions.