Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian underscored Iran’s commitment to improving stability and security in West Asia, saying regional security can only be provided by the countries within the strategic region.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian underscored Iran’s commitment to improving stability and security in West Asia, saying regional security can only be provided by the countries within the strategic region.
US sanctions are contributing to environmental harm in Iran and preventing all people in Iran, including migrants and Afghan refugees, from fully enjoying their rights to health and life and contributing to additional negative factors like air pollution, UN experts said.
Oil prices were little changed on Wednesday, as a larger-than-expected draw in US crude stocks offset worries about rising Covid-19 cases in top oil importer China.
Power plants with a total capacity of 2,900 megawatts are under construction by the mining industry, which will become operational by the end of the next Iranian year (March 2024), a deputy managing director of Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company (Tavanir) said.
“The projects are the result of a memorandum of understanding signed last year between the Energy Ministry and the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade for the construction of power plants by industries to provide reliable and stable electricity to mining and other industries,” the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven also quoted Seyyed Zaman Hosseini as saying.
According to the memorandum of understanding, 10,000 MW of power stations were initially planned by industries. However, the figure later increased to 17,000 MW, which will be constructed in 15 provinces.
The development of Azar Oilfield in Ilam Province is underway and the project will be handed over to the West Oil and Gas Production Company in the near future, the managing director of the Iranian Central Oil Fields Company said.
“The project seeks to add more than 33,000 barrels per day, or 80% to the field’s output,” Mehdi Heydari was also reported as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news service.
The total production of the joint field, which Iran shares with Iraq, currently stands at 42,000 barrels per day.
The development of renewable energy can immensely curtail annual natural gas consumption in thermal power plants, Iran Renewable Energy Association’s (IrREA) secretary-general said.
“Close to 71 billion cubic meters of gas are burnt in power stations in Iran each year to generate around 300 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. This is while a small investment in renewables can help reduce gas consumption substantially,” ILNA also quoted Mohammad Amin Zanganeh as saying.
Supplying as little as 20% of total annual power demand with the help of green energy resources, namely solar and wind that does not require huge investments, can curb annual gas consumption in power plants by as much as 14 bcm, which equals the annual production of one phase of South Pars Gas Field, he added.
A total of 428 domestically-made/overhauled train wagons worth 16.18 trillion rials ($40 million) joined Iran’s rail fleet on Dec. 20, during a ceremony attended by Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash and the CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways Miad Salehi.
The addition included 405 new freight wagons, 11 overhauled passenger wagons, nine new and three overhauled locomotives, IRNA reported.
Investors in the project and buyers of these rolling stock were Ehya Rail Iranian Company, MAPNA Multimodal Transportation Company, Parsian Rail Sharq Company, Sepahran Rail Rasa Company, Tejarat Kushesh Sepahan Company, Azar Kia Tejarat Company, Alborz Nirou Company, Mobarakeh Steel Company, Parto Bar Farabar Persian Gulf Company, Sirjan’s Gohar Tarabar Company, Sina Rail Pars Company and IRIR.
Data released by the Iranian Steel Producers Association show Iranian steelmakers registered a 14% rise in the production of both semi-finished and finished steel products.
According to the report, they produced a total of 21.13 million tons of semis during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Nov. 21), 14% more than in the corresponding period of last year.
The production of billet and bloom reached 12.83 million tons, registering a 17% rise while that of slab stood at 8.3 million tons to mark a 10% rise.
The output of finished steel increased by 14% to 14.74 million tons during the period.
Iran has exported more than 195,300 tons of goods worth $115.4 million to Nigeria during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Nov. 21), according to the spokesperson of Iran-Africa Traders Club.
“Urea accounted for the lion’s share of exports,” Rouhollah Latifi was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Other exported products included truck and auto spare parts, rubber, glass containers, dishwashing machines, swamp coolers, flooring, apparel, aluminum, rosewater, kiwi, paint, biscuit, saffron, furniture and edible oils.
Iran and Tajikistan traded 146,531 tons of goods worth $140.49 million during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Nov. 21), registering a 151% and 190% year-on-year rise in weight and value, respectively, according the spokesperson of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration.
Iran’s exports stood at 130,069 tons worth $93.1 million.
“Petrochemical products, glass wool, dried fruit, aquatic feed and different kinds of agricultural and horticultural products were the main products exported during the period,” Morteza Emadi was also quoted as saying by IRIB News.
Iran needs 550 passenger airplanes to be able to adequately meet market demand, the head of Civil Aviation Organization of Iran (CAO), Mohammad Mohammadi-Bakhsh, said in a recent meeting of government officials about the country’s air transportation status.
Russian cargo dispatched regularly by railroads will be transported through Azerbaijan to Iran’s Astara city in Gilan Province in the north of the country, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali wrote on his Twitter page.
An estimated 7 million gold coin bonds, the equivalent of 70,000 Bahar Azadi gold coins were sold in the capital market up until December 20 and are seen as pushing gold coin prices higher in the market, IBENA reported.
The Central Bank of Iran’s gold coin bonds are tax-free and real persons can buy up to 100 Bahar Azadi gold coins.
The CBI launched the initial public offer for the sovereign gold bond at the Iran Mercantile Exchange (IME) in November.
The Central Bank of Iran has floated the possibility of raising interest rates any decision must be first be approved by the Money and Credit Council MCC) before announcement.
Economist and university professor, Morteza Afqeh, told IBENA that the current 40% plus inflation has added to the increasing disinclination among savers to keep their money in banks.
“The maximum interest banks offer are between 17%-18%, this simply means that the people are losing 20% of their purchasing power every year. The people want to be able to at least retain the ability to buy goods, which under the present interest rate structure is not possible,” Afqeh added.
Two laws on scrapping age and scrapping age limit are being used by different organizations with contradictory results.
The two laws were devised to get rid of worn-out cars, but they are not achieving the same result, according to the head of the Management of Used Car Scrapping and Recycling Centers Association.
“The Clean Air Law was very clear about the scrapping age of worn-out cars, which was canceled by the Administrative Court of Justice,” Mahmoud Mashhadi Sharif was also quoted as saying by Khabar Khodro.
“According to the Clean Air Law, any car that has reached the scrapping age should be sent to the junkyard, but the application of scrapping age has turned the criterion related to dilapidation into a technical inspection item,” he explained.
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