In a press briefing on Friday, the Ministry’s spokeswoman Sima-Sadat Lari reported 6,305 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of cases to 1,360,825.
So far, Lari added, 1,151,676 patients have recovered from the disease or been discharged from the hospital.
Lari said 4,134 patients are also in critical conditions caused by more severe infection.
The spokeswoman noted that 8,796,864 COVID-19 tests have been taken across the country so far.
Speaking at a videoconference on Thursday, held on the opening of the Persian Gulf Bidboland Gas Refinery megaproject in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan, Zangeneh said the administration of President Hassan Rouhani has succeeded in fulfilling plans to collect the associated petroleum gas, particularly the gas that used to be flared.
“The issue of flare gas is one of the historical issues in the oil industry. It has been discussed for years, but it (flare gas collection) has not been implemented for various reasons… Plans have been devised in such a way that we will not burn any flare gas until end of year 1401 (March 2023), as more than 95 percent of the associated petroleum gas will be collected and used,” the oil minister said.
He also noted that the administration formulated plans at the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 2020) to inaugurate 17 petrochemical projects with an investment of $11.4 billion that would increase the daily production capacity to 25 million tonnes.
The minister said the huge Persian Gulf Bidboland gas refinery will be generating around $1.5 billion in revenue per annum.
“From a macro perspective, the project pursues also a regional development goal. This is a mother plan, which has fruitful children downstream. This project would supply the input for Bandar Imam Petrochemical Complex and supply the olephyne and polyethylene input for Gachsaran (complex),” he added.
Zangeneh also noted that two other petrochemical factories, each with a capacity of 300,000 tonnes, will come on stream in Gachsaran and Dehdasht which would consume olephyne and polyethylene.
“Trump’s team thought that we would die under the sanctions, but we didn’t die and they were destroyed. We are alive and have advanced our projects. Although the volume of our investment was reduced, no project was halted because of technology or equipment. We pressed on with our job. We are alive and lively. The hope in our hearts is much greater than before,” he underlined.
Zangeneh finally noted that the new megaproject would allow Iran to save around 60 percent of the associated petroleum gas, saying more projects will drive the flare gas waste in Iran down to zero by 2023.
In a post on his Twitter account on Thursday, Alireza Moezzi said the opening of Persian Gulf Bidboland Gas Refinery marks a “historic day” for Iran’s oil and gas industry.
“The Persian Gulf Bidboland megaproject is the homeland’s huge stride in production, in seizing the opportunities, and in standing against the sanctions. The old wish to turn the flare gas into refinery input came true under the 12th administration,” he added.
Moezzi noted that 82 percent of the Persian Gulf Bidboland Gas Refinery was completed during President Hassan Rouhani’s tenure.
He said the opportunity provided by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was taken to finance the environmental-friendly project and supply its basic equipment, noting that the megaproject never came to a halt under the pressure of sanctions.
Known as the symbol of resistance to the economic war, the gas refining complex was chosen as the world’s third biggest megaproject in 2020, Moezzi added.
“The installment stage and operating this megaproject, as well as the domestic supply of many of its apparatus, have been carried out in the era of sanctions. Now as Trump, the initiator of the cruelest anti-Iranian sanctions, has been removed from power, the symbols of Iranian resistance, such as Persian Gulf Bidboland, are emerging one after another,” deputy chief of staff of the President’s Office for communications and information affairs noted.
The megaproject launched in the southwestern city of Behbahan, came on stream on Thursday upon an order by President Rouhani who used a video conference call to open the facility.
Construction of the refinery began in 2015. It has cost $3.4 billion, of which $2.3 billion has come from Iran’s sovereign wealth fund. Some 15,000 people contributed to the construction process which included works for over 1,000 kilometers of pipelines to collect flares from oilfields in three southern provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad.
Iran and the ESCAP have reaffirmed resolve for closer cooperation by signing the administrative and financial agreement for the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM).
The agreement was signed by Iran’s Ambassador to Bangkok and Permanent Representative of Iran to ESCAP, Seyyed Reza Nobakhti, and Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.
The proposal to establish APDIM was approved in an annual meeting of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in 2015. In January 2018, Head of Iran’s Plan and Budget Organization Mohammad Baqer Nobakht and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Shamshad Akhtar signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of APDIM. The Iranian administration’s proposed bill on the centre was ratified by Iran’s Guardian Council in 2019.
APDIM has been established with the purpose of natural disaster risk reduction through the exchange of technical capabilities and disaster information management among 66 Asian and Pacific countries. The Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management would strengthen Iran’s international position in the fields of humanitarian activities and disaster risk reduction.
In a Thursday statement, Saeed Khatibzadeh condoled with the families of victims on behalf of the Iranian government and nation.
He further expressed condolences to the Iraqi government and people and wished a rapid recovery for those wounded in the terror act.
“Takfiri terrorism, which has taken a fresh breath, is targeting Iraq again and seeks to disrupt tranquility and stability in this country and create a pretext for continued presence of foreigners,” said the spokesman.
He reiterated Iran’s support for the Iraqi government as well as for stability in, and the integrity of that country.
He also said Tehran backs measures adopted by the Iraqi government and security agencies to establish security and apprehend and punish those who order and perpetrate [acts of terror] and to eradicate the roots of Takfiri ideology.
“As before, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to offer Iraq whatever help and assistance in the fight against terrorism and extremism,” he said.
Twin suicide bombs rocked a busy market in central Baghdad on Thursday morning, killing at least 32 people and injuring 110 others, according to officials and state media.
Security forces say they pursued the two attackers before they blew themselves up. It was the first suicide attack to strike Baghdad in nearly two years.
The first bomber entered the marketplace and, pretending to be sick, asked for help, causing people to gather around him before he blew himself up, according to officials and state media.
The second bomber then drove to the scene on a motorbike before detonating his explosive vest.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the twin attacks.
Managing Director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways Saeed Rasouli announced Tehran and Ankara have inked three agreements to maximize the capacity of carrying passengers and cargo between the two countries.
The official underscored the need to boost railway cooperation between Iran and Turkey.
“In accordance with mutual agreements and cooperation, we have broken the record of carrying cargo amid the coronavirus pandemic,” he noted.
“During the nine months to December 2020, we transported more than 500,000 tonnes of cargo, and the figure is set to reach 600,000 by March 2021,” he said.
He said Iran has reached an agreement with the Turkish side to boost the East-West Corridor, from China, Afghanistan and Pakistan to Turkey via Iran.
As much as $200 million in foreign finances was also funneled into free zones last year, said an Iranian official.
“In the twelve months to March 2020, the country absorbed an overall $1.5 billion in foreign investment, $200 million of which went into free zones,” said Ahmad Jamali, the deputy head of the Secretariat of the High Council of Free Trade-Industrial Zones and Special Economic Zones.
“The statistics show around 15% of the foreign investment in the country went into free zones,” he said.
He underlined the coronavirus pandemic and sanctions were two major contributors to a drop in investment in the country’s free zones.
The official noted some $138 billion worth of goods have been exported from Iran’s free zones so far, with imports standing at $48 billion.
Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi sat down with the Thai ambassador to Tehran where the two sides called for the enhancement of mutual cooperation.
“Iran and Thailand have, since long ago, enjoyed good and extensive relations, and I hope these relations will further grow,” said the Iranian minister.
“Both countries are of significance in terms of tourism potential, historical and civilizational heritage and their status in the region,” said the minister.
“Iran and Thailand have age-old relations,” he added.
He said he is going to have a virtual meeting with the Thai culture minister next week where the two sides will hopefully discuss ways of dealing with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the culture sector.
The project has come with a price tag of $3.4 billion.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, President Hassan Rouhani appreciated efforts by all Iranian engineers, workers and experts involved in the project.
He then lashed out at the US for imposing sanctions on Iran to impede its activities.
He said the whole world came to realize the anti-democracy nature of those who had conspired against the Iranian nation and American people themselves.
“It became known to everyone what crimes these terrorists had committed against the people of America and the world,” he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, President Rouhani said part of Iran’s oil revenues go into the National Development Fund to be used for national projects.
He expressed hope Iran, as planned, will be able to export 2.3 million barrels of oil per day next week.
Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev embraced the offer by Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardekanian in a meeting with him on the sidelines of a session of the Iran-Azerbaijan
Joint Economic Cooperation Commission.
Ardekanian had suggested in the meeting that a working group of the Kura-Aras basin region be formed by its littoral states, including Iran, the Azerbaijan Republic, Armenia and Turkey.
It was decided that with the establishment of the working group, the regional states officially discuss joint exploitation of resources in the Kura-Aras basin.
The energy minister further touched upon the good decisions adopted during a previous trip to Iran by Mustafayev back in December.
The Azerbaijani official, in turn, highlighted the importance of economic relations between the two sides and hailed agreements reached by the two countries during his last trip to Iran.
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