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** IRAN DAILY
-- Iran’s FM in Baku to discuss regional cooperation, bilateral relations
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has arrived in the capital city of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the first leg of a regional tour to Caucasus, which will later take him to Russia and Turkey as well. Upon his arrival at Baku airport on Sunday evening, Zarif told reporters that the main goal of his visit is promotion of regional cooperation, “which is of high importance” to the Islamic Republic, and the expansion of bilateral relations with countries in this region.
-- Iranian, Spanish academics discuss Iran’s contemporary literature
Iranian and Spanish experts have discussed Iran's contemporary literature in an online meeting, reviewing the status and works of the Iranian renowned poet, Sohrab Sepehri.
The webinar was held on Friday upon the initiative of Iran's Cultural Attaché in Madrid Mohammad Mehdi Ahmadi, and with the participation of a number of Iranian and Spanish academics.
-- Leader did not prohibit using authorized foreign vaccines: Minister
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has not imposed any prohibition on using authorized foreign COVID-19 vaccines in Iran prior to developing domestic ones, said the health minister.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Saeed Namaki added, “We have a plan for vaccinating vulnerable individuals and high-risk groups in the country according to which we will move ahead.
**KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Indonesia Seizes Iranian Oil Tanker: Report
Indonesia said Sunday it has seized two oil tankers, one Iranian and one Panamanian, claiming they were illegally transferring oil in its waters.
A spokesman for the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency, Colonel Bakamla Wisnu Pramadita, said the Iranian-flagged MT Horse and the Panamanian-flagged MT Frea were seized in waters off Indonesia’s West Kalimantan Province.
-- Iran Extends Ban on UK Flights
Iran has extended the suspension of flights to London over concerns about an alarming surge in the coronavirus cases and a new COVID variant in the UK, an official said Sunday.
Head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization Touraj Dehqani Zanganeh told IRNA that the ban on flights to and from London will remain in place until February 18. Iran began to halt the UK flights in December 2020 to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus strain that was first reported in Britain.
--22 Aid Groups Urge U.S. to Revoke Houthi Designation
Twenty-two aid groups working in Yemen called on Sunday for the new U.S. administration to revoke the designation of Yemen’s Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization, saying it puts millions of lives and the peace process at risk.
The U.S. State Department has initiated a review of the designation, which came into effect Jan. 19, the day before President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The designation freezes any U.S.-related assets of the Houthis, bans Americans from doing business with them and makes it a crime to provide support or resources to the movement.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- 'Iran’s gas industry nearly self-sufficient'
Head of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said the country’s gas industry currently has almost no dependence on foreign sources for meeting its equipment needs, Shana reported.
“Fortunately, we have been able to take very positive steps for indigenizing the technology and knowledge for the construction of the equipment needed in the gas industry and currently we have the least dependence on foreign sources in this regard,” Hassan Montazer Torbati stated.
--Kerman organizing intl. painting contest to boost its child-friendly image
Kerman, which has been selected as a child-friendly city in a UNICEF pilot plan, intends to organize a children’s painting competition to acknowledge the choice.
“The municipality attaches great importance to every movement and program promoting the Child-Friendly City Initiative,” Kerman Mayor Seyyed Mehran Alemzadeh said on Sunday in a meeting with managers from a number of organizations involved in children’s issues.
--Domestic company inks $ 33m deal with PMO to build 5 vessels
Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) has signed a deal worth 1.408 trillion rials (about $ 33.5 million) with a domestic company called SADRA Iran Marine Industrial Company (SIMIC), based on which SIMIC will build five small-scale vessels for PMO.
The deal was signed in a ceremony attended by senior officials from the country’s maritime and transportation sectors including Transport and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Eslami.
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