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** IRAN DAILY
-- Rouhani: Khuzestan refinery megaproject inauguration shows failure of US pressure
Iran on Thursday opened a sprawling refinery in its oil-rich province of Khuzestan to collect gas flares that are normally burnt and wasted during crude production.
The Persian Gulf Bid Boland Gas Refinery, a megaproject launched in the southwestern city of Behbahan, came on line upon an order by President Hassan Rouhani through a videoconference call.
-- Iran’s oil exports rise significantly despite sanctions: Zanganeh
Iran’s oil exports have climbed in recent months and its sales of oil products to foreign buyers reached record highs despite US sanctions, the oil minister said on Friday.
Bijan Namdar Zanganeh did not give figures but said exports of crude had recently risen “significantly” despite tough sanctions that were imposed since 2018, when the administration of former US President Donald Trump withdrew from a nuclear pact.
-- Tehran, Moscow to speed up INSTC project
Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali conferred with CEO of the Russian Railway Mikhail Pavlov on ways to accelerate the implementation of the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Jalali and Pavlov exchanged views on removing obstacles in the way of the construction of the transport corridor among Iran, Russia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
**KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Don’t Ask Tehran to Meet New Demands
As a candidate for president in 2016, Donald Trump pledged to stop wasting American blood and treasure on wars in West Asia. During his time in office, Trump instead further trapped the United States in the region and inflamed divisions to the point where a minor incident might quickly spiral out of control and lead to a major war.
The new administration in Washington has a fundamental choice to make. It can embrace the failed policies of the Trump administration and continue down the path of disdain for international cooperation and international law—a contempt powerfully evident in the United States’ decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, that had been signed by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union just three years earlier. Or the new administration can shed the failed assumptions of the past and seek to promote peace and comity in the region.
--Olympic Leaders, Japan Prime Minister Deny Report About Tokyo Games Cancellation
Tokyo Olympic organizers, the IOC and the Japanese government said the Games are still set to open July 23, opposing a Thursday report that quoted an unnamed source that suggested the Tokyo Games would have to be canceled.
"All our delivery partners including the national government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, the IOC and the IPC are fully focused on hosting the Games this summer,” according to a Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee statement. "We hope that daily life can return to normal as soon as possible, and we will continue to make every effort to prepare for a safe and secure Games.”
-- UAE Confirms $ 23 Billion Deal to Buy F-35 Jets
The United Arab Emirates confirmed that it signed agreements with the United States on former President Donald Trump’s last full day in office to purchase up to 50 F-35 jets, 18 armed drones and other defense equipment in a deal worth $ 23 billion.
The UAE embassy in Washington said in a statement on its website that the letters of agreement had been finalized on Tuesday confirming terms of purchase, including costs, technical specifications and anticipated delivery schedules. The deal, however, could now be reviewed as the new Biden administration has said it will re-examine the agreements for the sale.
** TEHRAN TIMES
--Qatar voices readiness to mediate between Iran, U.S.
Qatar is ready to mediate between Iran and the United States as the new U.S. president, Joe Biden, assumes office after the turbulent years of the Trump administrations, Lolwah al-Khater, spokeswoman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, has said.
She also pointed out that Qatar is committed to engaging in a “constructive dialogue” between Tehran and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.
--National observatory construction at final stage
Iranian National Observatory (INO), which is being built near the city of Kashan, central Isfahan province, enters the final stage of construction and the functional tests begin, IRNA reported on Friday.
The 3.4-meter telescope will be put into operation by mid-June, executor of the INO project, Habib Khosroshahi said.
The domestically-made telescope will be handed over to the National Observatory of Iran after passing the basic motion tests, installation, the software system, and control, he stated.
--60,000 relics being re-arranged, documented in Iranian museum
Some 60,000 relics and historical objects are being documented to be put in the right order in the Great Museum of Khorasan, which is located in Mashhad, northeast Iran.
“60,000 historical objects are being documented and re-arranged in the Great Museum of Khorasan,” CHTN quoted the deputy tourism minister, Mohammad-Hassan Talebian, as saying on Thursday.
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