Iran is strictly opposed to any act of aggression against diplomatic centers inside Iraq and has always denounced such provocations, Iran’s ambassador in Baghdad said.
Iran is strictly opposed to any act of aggression against diplomatic centers inside Iraq and has always denounced such provocations, Iran’s ambassador in Baghdad said.
Deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic in Iran crossed the 60,000 threshold on Sunday after a one-year battle with the viral infection.
The OPEC+ group of producers’ compliance with the oil output cuts in January hit 103%, higher than the estimated compliance in December.
To underpin the sustainable supply of feedstock to petrochemical plants, the first phase of a natural gas liquid (NGL) recovery plant became operational in Kangan Petro Refining Company (KPRC) in Bushehr Province, the head of the company said.
“Costing $1 billion, the processing facility has an annual production capacity of 3.5 million tons of NGLs and will help complete the value chain and development of downstream petrochemical sector,” Hamid Qaderi was also quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news portal on Sunday.
Undertaken by domestic engineers, the venture’s completion took five years, he added.
The project was funded by Ahdaf Investment Firm, a subsidiary of Iran's Oil Pension Fund Investment Company.
Three petrochemical companies in southern Iran have been collaborating with domestic catalyst producers and knowledge-based firms to indigenize catalysts.
Hengam Petrochemical Company on Hengam Island in the Persian Gulf has signed deals with Iranian catalyst providers for the supply of catalysts needed for the production of urea and ammonia, managing director of the company said.
“Eight catalysts are used for urea and ammonia production, of which seven catalysts have been localized and when the last one, ammonia’s synthesis catalyst, is produced locally, the country will no longer need to import them,” Alireza Javanmardi was also quoted as saying by the National Petrochemical Company’s news website Nipna.
The ammonia unit annually produces 726,000 tons and the nominal capacity of the urea unit is 155,000 tons per year.
The government has allocated 42,700 billion rials ($167 million) to New Towns Development Company as per the budget bill for the next fiscal year (March 2021-22), a board member of the company told the website of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
Noting that the company’s budget in the current year was at 27,300 billion rials ($106 million), Yadollah Rahmani added that during the 11 months to Feb. 18, NTDC earned 35,630 billion rials ($140 million,) i.e., 30.5% more than the projected budgetary figure.
“We’ll try to generate 40,000 billion rials [$157.79 million] by the end of the year [March 19],” he said.
Housing inflation in Iranian metropolises has spiked suburbanization over the past couple of years.
The Statistical Center of Iran has released a new report reviewing the price changes in 53 food products during the month ending Feb. 18.
The biggest month-on-month price rise in urban areas during the month under review was recorded for cucumbers with 47.4%, such that 1 kilogram of cucumbers was sold at 153,554 rials (60 cents).
The second and third biggest month-on-month price increases were registered for eggplants with 37.6% and bananas with 33%, the Statistical Center of Iran reported.
A kilogram of eggplants was sold at rials (34 cents) and a kilogram of bananas went for 445,418 rials ($1.73) last month.
Two out of 53 food items examined by SCI saw a price decrease in the 11th Iranian month (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) compared with the month before.
Iran and Thailand traded $430 million worth of commodities during the first nine months of the current Iranian year (March 20-Dec. 20, 2020), $295 million of which pertained to Iran’s exports to the Southeast Asian country, according to Iran’s ambassador to Bangkok.
“Iran’s main exported products were steel, which alone accounted for 65% of the overall sum, seafood, fruit and vegetable, petrochemical products, medical equipment, minerals and plastic products. In return, we imported rubber and rubber products, motorcycles and their spare parts, processed fruit, fishing net, chemicals, rice, ceramics and auto parts,” Reza Nobakhti was quoted as saying by ISNA.
The envoy noted that apart from the US sanctions on the Iranian economy, the Covid-19 pandemic has also negatively impacted Iran-Thailand trade and bilateral exchanges are expected to decline by the fiscal yearend (March 20).
A total of 3,917 homes were sold in Tehran during the 11th month of the current fiscal year (Jan. 20-Feb. 18), registering an 11.4% increase compared with the preceding month but a 70.5% decline compared with the same month of last year.
Data published by the Central Bank of Iran on its website also indicate that the average price of each square meter of a residential property in Tehran stood at 283.89 million rials ($1,108) during the month under review, showing an increase of 97.2% over last year’s same month as average prices were registered at 143.97 million rials ($562) then.
Home prices in the capital city increased by 3.7% compared to 273.86 million rials ($1,069) in the 10th month of the current fiscal year.
On Sunday, Iranian lawmakers approved the revenues section in the next fiscal year’s budget bill with 198 votes in favor, two votes against while four MPs abstained from voting.
In the upcoming fiscal year (to start March 21, 2021), the operating budget, including revenues derived mainly from taxation and exports at the disposal of the government, has been projected to stand at 9,107 trillion rials ($35.57 billion), IRNA reported.
Add to this, revenues earmarked for ministries and government institutions worth 950.73 trillion rials ($3.71 billion) take the total sum of the general budget to 10,058 trillion rials ($39.28 billion).
The Central Bank of Iran has sent the details of 450,000 bank cards used in online betting and gambling websites to the judiciary, in line with measures for combating online casinos.
"These cases are placed in three categories, whereby some have been merely cautioned about their illegal activities, some have received warnings from the judiciary bodies over their online betting activities and the third group involved in complex activities are set to face a court ruling," Abdolnasser Hemmati, the CBI governor, was quoted as saying by IRIB News.
"We are determined to combat online betting and gambling websites," he said, noting that several bank accounts have also been blocked recently, as part of the measures.
Stocks have continued to post losses in the 10th consecutive session on Sunday, as the value of unprocessed sale orders mounts and liquidity of shares still pose a challenge for investors.
The main gauge of Tehran Stock Exchange, TEDPIX, shed 8,405.83 points, or 0.7% to further retreat to 1,185,603.
The TSE's equal-weighted index was down 0.23%. The index gives the same weight to all shares, irrespective of their market cap.
Trade turnover at Iran Mercantile Exchange reached 3,080 trillion rials ($12.3 billion) in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year ending Feb.18.
The figure registered a 103% growth compared with the first 11 months of the previous fiscal year, IRNA reported, citing data published by IME.
The trade value is considered a record, as commodities worth 1,690 trillion rials ($6.7 billion) changed hands during the whole of last fiscal year. The figure in the fiscal 2018-19 stood at 1,780 trillion rials ($7 billion).
The Central Bank of Iran has extended banking restrictions aimed at avoiding congestion in bank branches in line with broader measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.
According to a notice published on CBI's website, the restrictions will continue throughout the next fiscal year that starts on March 20.
Banks have been instructed to expand electronic services to reduce the physical presence of clients in line with nationwide restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Customers have been encouraged to use online banking services and banks are asked to facilitate access to non-physical services.
Iran’s Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari has inaugurated 57 tech-based projects to boost the role of the technology in industrial fields.
During an event held at the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology on Saturday, Sattari launched 17 nanotech and 41 tech-based industrial projects, the vice presidential office’s website reported.
He inaugurated several industrial units and workshops for the Industrialization Center for Applied Nanotechnology in Tehran.
The center was established in 2017 by Iran Nanotechnology Innovation Council to commercialize scientific achievements and meet the tech needs of industries.
The launch is hoped to enable the center to accommodate more knowledge-based companies, giving them an opportunity to use better equipment, consultation and financial aid to flourish.
The third phase of a food industry innovation center was also launched in the capital. It is affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and aims to support innovative student projects, commercialize research achievements and create job opportunities for entrepreneurs.
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