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$158m in Foreign Investment Went into Iran’s Free Zones in 9 Months

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.

Iran, Thailand to Work Together to Tackle COVID-19 Impact on Culture, Art

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.

Iran’s President Inaugurates Major Natural Gas Refinery

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.

Baku Embraces Ira’s Offer to Form Working Group of Kura-Aras Basin States

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.

Trump Relegated to ‘Dustbin’, but Soleimani’s Memory ‘Shines on’: Zarif

“Trump, [his secretary of state Mike] Pompeo and Co. are relegated to the dustbin of history in disgrace. But the memories of Gen Soleimani and the 1000s murdered, maimed and starved of food and meds by Trump’s state — and economic — terrorism and crimes against humanity, will shine on,” Zarif tweeted on Wednesday.

“Perhaps new folks in DC have learned,” he added, referring to President Joe Biden who took office earlier in the day.

Zarif also retweeted a tweet by General Soleimani’s daughter Zeinab, in which she sent a goodbye message to the outgoing US president.

“Mr. Trump, you murdered my father, the General who led the victorious war against ISIS/Al-Qaeda, with the perverse hope that you will be seen as some sort of hero but instead you are defeated, isolated & broken – viewed not as a hero, but one who lives in fear of foes. The irony!”

Earlier in the day, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Trump registered state terrorism on America’s official record by openly accepting responsibility for the assassination of General Soleimani in a third country.

“We had [never before] seen a US president explicitly announcing that he had assassinated a senior military commander who was a guest in a third country,” Rouhani told a cabinet meeting in Tehran.

“With what this stupid terrorist did, ‘state terrorism’ was inscribed on the forehead of the United States. Today is the end of the political life of the individual who violated international law and [US] obligations for four years,” Rouhani added.

General Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Units, were assassinated along with their companions in a US terror drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3.

Both commanders were highly popular because of the key role they played in eliminating the ISIS Takfiri terrorist in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

Ireland to Reopen Its Embassy in Iran: Foreign Minister

The two sides conferred on the issue in a videoconference call on Wednesday, which also included issues related to mutual relations and the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The two top diplomats also discussed Iran and Ireland’s perspectives on key regional issues.

Zarif praised the Irish side for initiating the videoconference call, and invited his opposite number to visit Iran.

In November 2011, Ireland announced it was closing its embassies in Iran, the Vatican, and East Timor on cost-saving grounds. Dublin said at the time that the closure of three missions would save about 1.25m euros a year.

US ‘Political Isolation’ Legacy of Trump: Iran President

Iran Policies to Remain Unchanged No Matter Who Becomes US President: Rouhani

President Hassan Rouhani noted on Wednesday the policies of the Trump administration also resulted in the US society becoming bipolar.

“One of the results of Trump’s amateurish or tyrannical actions was the bipolarity of the US society. Political isolation of the United States was another legacy of Trump. The United States was left alone in its policies. The US was left alone when acting against Palestine because the majority of world countries opposed the US. The United States was also left alone regarding the Iran nuclear deal,” said President Rouhani.

He underlined the US was also isolated at international organization, namely at the United Nations Security Council. 

He said the US tried to rally UN Security Council members’ support against the Iran nuclear deal, but it failed to. 

“Washington also failed to reinstate and arms embargo against Iran,” President Rouhani added.

President Rouhani said Trump’s multiple failures at the United Nations was a disgrace for the US. 

He said another legacy of the Trump administration was “state terrorism.”

President Rouhani lashed out at Trump for “officially announcing that the US had assassinated general Qassem Soleimani.”

The president further said Iran expects the new US administration to make up for the mistakes of Trump’s government.

“Today, we expect those who take power at the White Hosue to return to the law and deliver on their commitments and, over the next four years, try, if they can, to remove all the dark stains left on the US during the previous four years, because some of these dark blots cannot be removed,” President Rouhani said. 

“The new US administration will shoulder a heavy responsibility,” he said.

President Rouhani further said the new US administration should also begin abiding by international law and resolutions. 

He said if US authorities act in good faith and show their honesty not only in word, but in deed, and if they live up to their obligations, Iran, too, will fully comply with its commitments. Presidetn Rouhani reiterated the whole world realized that Washington’s maximum pressure policy on Iran as well as its economic terrorism failed.

South Korea Seizing Iranian People’s Food, Drug Money: Zarif

In comments on Wednesday, Mohammad Javad Zarif once again criticized Seoul for seizing Iran’s assets “upon US orders”.

“’ We told South Korean officials that they had frozen the money of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) which is spent on [Iranian] people’s food and medicines,” he said.

“We said that they had held Iranian people’s food and drugs upon US orders,” he explained.

“I told them they should know that this move will, in the future, affect Iranian people’s attitude toward South Korea,” Zarif said.

He said the final losers in this game will be South Korea and its industries.

Iran’s COVID-19 Death Toll Rises to 57,000: Ministry

Iran’s COVID-19 Cases Hit 600,000: Ministry

In a press briefing on Wednesday, the Ministry’s spokeswoman Sima-Sadat Lari reported 6,182 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of cases to 1,348,316.

So far, Lari added, 1,137,812 patients have recovered from the disease or been discharged from the hospital.

Lari said 4,214 patients are also in critical conditions caused by more severe infection.

The spokeswoman noted that 8,688,732 COVID-19 tests have been taken across the country so far.

She said currently 10 cities are in the “red” zone, 23 cities in the “orange” zone, 163 in the “yellow” zone, and 252 in the “blue” zone in terms of coronavirus outbreak.

Iran Condemns US Blacklisting of Yemen’s Ansarullah

In a statement released on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh strongly condemned the designation of Ansarullah as what the US government has called a terrorist organization.

“Such a move would aggravate the most catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the current century and obstruct the course of ongoing efforts for the political settlement of Yemen’s crisis,” he warned.

The spokesman also noted that the US State Department’s blacklisting of Ansarullah in the final days of Donald Trump’s administration, which created regional and international tensions, has been rejected by the world community and the international circles, saying only a few warmongers have welcomed the move.

“If the new US administration seeks to reconsider the (previous administration’s) failed policy on Yemen crisis, it will be necessary for it to nullify that measure (blacklisting of Ansarullah) and develop a realistic view of the realities on the ground in Yemen,” Khatibzadeh stated.

The Iranian spokesperson finally called for the termination of political and military support for Saudi Arabia and its self-proclaimed coalition, including a ban on the arms sales to Saudis by certain countries, such as the United States.