At the moment, five firms are working in that field, according to an Iranian official.
“These days, a lot of news is heard from the four corners of the world about achievements gained in the domain of coronavirus vaccine production,” said Mostafa Qanei, the secretary of the Biotechnology Development Committee of the Science and Technology Department of the Presidential Office.
“This news is mostly released by modern and developed countries around the world,” he said.
“But Iran, too, is moving in tandem with these countries by releasing news about the great scientific potential of its knowledge-based companies,” he added.
The official underlined that Iran is in the lead when it comes to research and other measures about the COVID-19 virus.
He said Iranian scientists are also producing equipment needed to tackle the disease despite all sanctions and economic problems.
Saeid Namaki said on Sunday Iran’s success comes despite unfair sanctions imposed by the United States.
“Fortunately, Iran’s situation with regards to fighting coronavirus is very acceptable despite all the hardship and problems caused by sanctions, and despite all economic restrictions and equipment shortages they imposed on us,” he said.
“We can say with certainty that Iran is one of the countries that are at the forefront of the campaign against coronavirus,” he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the minister said it would be naïve to think the coronavirus outbreak is over.
“Today, we should observe the minimum [required directives] and maintain social distancing and try to keep abiding by instructions and health protocols,” he said.
“The biggest problem would be for people to think that everything is back to normal and the coronavirus is gone,” the minister noted.
He urged authorities to not believe that the situation is normal and everything could be returned to normal.
The health minister further said the COVID-19 outbreak has been contained and managed in most provinces.
“In some provinces, we are seeing new surges in the disease, but our colleagues are on the watch, and if people continue to maintain their rapport and national unity while following health tips, we hope that we will have more tranquil days in two months’ time,” he noted.
The minister also said there is no shortage of hospital beds in the country.
“We are also not worried about how to manage our own colleagues with regards to the coronavirus outbreak,” he said.
“Today, we have much more control compared to previous days and we have devised more modern health protocols, and we have not yet unveiled our achievements related to vaccine development,” he said.
“Fortunately, we are not behind the world in terms of producing vaccines, medicine and medical equipment; rather, we are ahead of many countries,” he said.
He once again urged people to further comply with health protocols to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi touched upon US President Donald Trump’s racist behaviour as well as US police’s inhumane violence against its citizens and black people.
“Unlike its false human rights slogans, the arrogant US government has revealed its ugly and inhumane face more than ever these days by confronting public protests, and has destabilized the pillars of its false democracy by resorting to the most violent methods,” said General Shekarchi, the deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
“The arrogant US Establishment is witnessing widespread unrest and riots across the nation these days while White House officials are contributing to many problems in the region and across the globe by pursuing interventionist policies,” he added.
The top general touched upon false news spread by some Western media where they blamed Iranian border guards for the deaths of a number of Afghan nationals on the Iranian border.
“Such false reports are aimed at harming cordial relations between Iran and Afghanistan,” he noted.
“Iran has hosted more than three million Afghan refugees over the past three decades, and deep-rooted religious and ethnic bonds [between the two nations] have left no doubt that some divisive moves cannot serve as a hurdle to the sustenance of these bonds,” he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, General Shekarchi referred to the US Treasury Department’s farcical move to put on its sanctions list the name of several Iranian officials and military commanders, including the interior minister and the police chief.
“Such troublesome moves which are made out of desperation will not be able to harm, even slightly, the willpower of people and officials of the Islamic Establishment when it comes to countering the hegemonic and domineering temperament of the US,” he said.
“The hollow grandeur of the United States is falling apart, and the sound of its bones breaking is heard more clearly than ever,” he noted.
General Shekarchi said the widespread unrest across the US and the divergence of Washington’s traditional allies are a testament to the truthfulness of his remarks.
1- EU Regrets US’ Move to End Waivers for Iran Nuclear Sanctions
Aftab-e Yazd Newspaper:
1- Civil War May Break Out in US: Analyst
2- White Knees on Black Necks [Editorial]
Arman-e Melli Newspaper:
1- Trump’s War against Social Media
2- A Weak Bill Won’t Bring Protection for Iranian Women: Activist
3- End of JCPOA Waivers in 60 Days
Ebtekar Newspaper:
1- Trump in Crisis: COVID-19, Conflict with China, Protests over Killing of Black Man
2- Guardian Council Not to Blame for Delay in Passing Law to Protect Children: Spokesman
3- Rouhani: People Must Believe We Can’t Return to Pre-Corona Era Any Time Soon
Etemad Newspaper:
1- Zagros Wildfire Grew Because of Forestry Organization’s Huge Debt to Defence Ministry
* Americans in Streets, Trump in Twitter
Ettela’at Newspaper:
1- Protests Spread to Entire America
* Curfew Announced in Several States
Iran Newspaper:
1- Outrage over Racism
2- We Shouldn’t Let Zagros Woodlands Turn into Ash
3- All-Out Cooperation for Compliance with Corona
Javan Newspaper:
1- Trump to American People: I’ll Counter You with Wild Dogs
Kayhan Newspaper:
1- US Can’t Breathe: White House Knocked Down
2- In Another Rude Move, Indebted Europe Urges Iran’s Full Compliance with JCPOA
3- Deputy Health Minister: Coronavirus Not Weakened
Khorasan Newspaper:
1- US on Fire, in Blood
Mardom Salari Newspaper:
1- Dance of Fire over Bodies of Zagros Mountain’s Oak Trees
Sazandegi Newspaper:
1- US in Chaos
Shahrvand Newspaper:
1- Rouhani: We Won’t Return to Pre-Corona Era Any Time Soon
Shargh Newspaper:
1- End of Reformists’ Era in Parliament
2- Former Reformist MP Aref Breaks His Silence
3- Strange Growth of Tehran’s Stock Exchange Market Despite Coronavirus
4- Will Qalibaf Make Politics Bipolar?
In his Sunday press briefing, Kianoush Jahanpour said 63 people have died of the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 7,797.
The spokesman said 118,848 patients have so far recovered from the disease, and been discharged from hospital.
2,527 patients are also in severe conditions of the disease, he added.
Jahanpour noted that 935,894 COVID-19 tests have been taken across the country. If you are worried that you may have contracted the Coronavirus, take this test right now.
The products compare to similar foreign-made products as far as quality is concerned. Now, many organizations and institution are using these products.
“At the moment, we have managed to domestically develop seven knowledge-based products in the field of communications and information technology,” says Aynaz Mohajer, the CEO of the Iranian Sharq Golden Communications Network knowledge-based company.
She says one of the products developed is a vehicle tracker used by car fleet management systems. The tracker system can be used to monitor and track vehicles outside organizations.
“This system provides the relevant organization with information such as speed, the time and place of stops, and the fuel consumption amount,” she says.
“After being installed, the system gains full software control over trips. This product is available with quality similar to European products, but at a lower price,” she says.
“They also have more capabilities compared to foreign-made ones,” she adds.
“If foreign-made trackers break down, they cannot be used again. Given a lack of … spare parts for them on the market, the cannot be repaired. But this [Iranian] product has backup and aftersales services, and it can be expanded depending on the requirements of the relevant organization,” she said.
Another product developed is related to electronic payment. The product directly connects the user to the bank.
Yet another product developed by this knowledge-based company is a tracker used to track marine vessels. The product fully displays different marine maps. This product is fitted with a satellite-operated ground positioning system (GPS) and can show position and find directions on the map.
Another product is a network quality monitoring system.
The sixth product is a business support system (BSS) used by telecommunications companies. The system eases contact with customer and offers a variety of services to them.
The last product is a public Wi-Fi internet provider system.
The choppers were deployed upon the urgent order of President Hassan Rouhani, according to the head of the Defence Ministry’s Crisis Management Department.
During the past week, the Army and IRGC had sent seven helicopters to extinguish the wildfire burning the woodlands of Khuzestan and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces, Javad Mostafaei said.
Despite several days of efforts to put out the wildfire, the woodlands located on the foothills of Zagros Mountain Chain are still burning.
A top Natural Resources official at Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province says 50 hectares of the forests and meadows of the region have been destroyed by the wildfire so far.
“It is not possible to deploy forces to contain the fire because of the impassability of the steep slopes where the woodlands are located,” the official said.
Earlier, the head of the Forestry Organization of Iran had noted that helicopters were not sent to extinguish the fires as the organization owes 300 billion rials (about $2 million) to its own Ministry of Defence.
However, Mostafaei announced that the Planning and Budget Organization has undertaken to pay back half of the debt to the armed forces so that the choppers are deployed to the region.
The deployment of choppers came after President Rouhani spoke over the phone with the Defence Minister and the environmental protection organization chief about controlling the wildfires.
Iranian environmental activists have criticized the government for the lack of coordination and for ignoring the problem.
Reports say part of the fire has been the result of arson, however, high winds in the region have quickly spread the fires.
The wildfire first started in Khaeiz protected area in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province four days ago.
“The Islamic Establishment [of Iran], getting stronger day by day at strategic levels, has been moving along, and now, as an important regional power, has turned into an influential player in the international arena,” he said on Sunday.
He said Iran’s newly-formed parliament deems any negotiations with the United States as harmful, and the new parliament’s agenda is to complete Iran’s revenge for the US assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.
The new parliament, he said, “views the fight against the global arrogance both an ideological goal and a strategic benefit, and negotiation and compromise with the US, which is the axis of the global arrogance, fruitless and harmful”.
“Our strategy in confronting the terrorist America is to complete the chain of revenge for the blood of Martyr Soleimani,” Qalibaf added.
The top parliamentarian underlined that Iran has stood up to the enemy’s all-out campaign at military, political, economic, security and cultural fronts.
“The volume and intensity of hegemonic powers’ enmity [toward Iran] with all their powerful media, economic, political and intelligence tools bear testimony to the fact that the Islamic Revolution [of Iran] has, as a role model, turned into the most important rival for global hegemony,” he said.
Qalibaf said Iran’s growing regional prowess has resulted in the country’s deep strategic and geopolitical leverage.
“It is also an opportunity which has turned Iran into a symbol of resistance against oppressors, and given Iran’s increasing deterrence power, no enemy dares encroach upon this land,” he added.
In a message released on Saturday, President Rouhani warmly congratulated Croatian President Zoran Milanovic and the people of the European country on behalf of the Iranian government and nation on the Statehood Day.
President Rouhani also expressed hope that bilateral relations would grow and serve the interests of the two friendly nations of Iran and Croatia given the cultural commonalities and the abundant capacities of the two sides for political, economic, scientific and technological cooperation.
The Iranian president finally wished the Croatian leader health and success and prayed for progress and welfare for the people of Croatia.
Statehood Day is a national holiday celebrated in Croatia on May 30, marking the constitution of its first modern multi-party parliament in 1990.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to the eastern province of South Khorasan on Saturday, Ardakanian said a major railroad project linking the cities of Zahedan and Birjand will be funded by a $5 billion loan provided by the Russian Federation.
He said Iran has ratified plans to set up the railroad project, has notified Russia of its decision, and is making arrangements with the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia to carry out the project.
Citing a Friday telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart about the plan, Ardakanian expressed hope that the railroad project would reach acceptable stages in the coming months and within the remaining year of the current Iranian administration’s term.
The minister also highlighted the abundant opportunities for energy projects in South Khorasan Province, saying the country’s only and largest coal-fired power plant, located in the city of Tabas, is moving rapidly to come into operation.
The major coal-fired power station is going to play a significant role in exploiting the potential of the province’s mines and in creating employment, he noted.
Ardakanian also unveiled plans to generate some 30,000 megawatts of wind power as a reliable source of renewable energy in collaboration with neighbouring Afghanistan.
“Good preliminary negotiations have been held (with Afghanistan), and I hope we could immediately put the plans for cooperation into practice given the situation after formation of a new government in Afghanistan,” the energy minister added.
Iran has a great capacity for solar and wind energies, he noted, saying the construction of renewable energy power plants will dramatically reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and water and reduce emissions.
There are three power plants with generating capacity of 18 megawatts (MW) in South Khorasan, the minister added, hoping that the coming into operation of a new wind farm in Sarbisheh would allow the province to export electricity.
