The following headlines appeared in English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Monday, October 4, 2021:
*** IRAN DAILY
— Iranian MPs laud army for war games, caution Caucasus actors
Iran’s lawmakers have praised the army for holding an exercise in the northwestern regions of the country with a message of peace and power, warning the countries in the Caucasus not to fall under the sinister influence of the Zionist regime and to avoid divisive measures.
In a Sunday statement, 165 members of the Iranian Parliament voiced support for the army’s recent military drill near the country’s northwestern border.
— Iranian petchem firm sets 17-year output record
Iran’s Bouali Sina Petrochemical Company (BSPC) registered a new record in production for the past 17 years, according to the company’s head of operations.
Located in the Special Economic Zone of Imam Khomeini Port in southern Iran, the company produced 262,000 tons of heavy naphtha in the first six months of the current Persian calendar year, which started March 21, indicating a 76% hike compared to the same period of the previous year, Shana quoted Alireza Qassemi as saying.
— UNESCO inspector visits Deir-e Gachin Caravanserai in Qom Province
A representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) paid a visit to Deir-e Gachin Caravanserai in Qom Province on Saturday, said the director-general of the province’s Cultural Heritage Organization.
Alireza Arjamandi added that the visit was made to pave the
— way for the registration of the caravanserai on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, an objective pursued by the Cultural Heritage Ministry, chtn.ir reported.
He added that the visit shows the significance of all caravanserais situated in Qom Province, especially Deir-e Gachin Caravanserai, which is known as the mother of Iranian caravanserais.
He said that world registration of the caravanserai will help provide an opportunity for related officials to attract investments for renovating and maintaining the caravanserai.
*** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
— Saudis Confirm First Talks With New Iran Admin
Saudi Arabia confirmed on Sunday it had held its first round of direct talks with Iran’s new government last month, part of a process begun earlier this year to reduce tension between the Persian Gulf’s Muslim powers.
Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said the latest round had taken place on Sept. 21. He did not give the location of the meeting. The date coincides with a speech by Raisi at the UN General Assembly in New York. “These discussions are still in the exploratory phase. We hope they will provide a basis to address unresolved issues between the two sides and we will strive and work to realise that,” he told a joint news conference.
— Iran FM: Americans Don’t Have True Intentions
Iran’s foreign minister has said that U.S. officials tried to discuss restarting nuclear talks last month, but he insisted Washington must first release $10 billion of Tehran’s frozen funds as a sign of good will.
The United States used intermediaries at the United Nations last month to attempt to make contact, Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian told national television Saturday night.
Iran has been unable to obtain tens of billions of dollars of its assets in foreign banks, mainly from exports of oil and gas, due to U.S. sanctions on its banking and energy sectors.
“The Americans tried to contact us through different channels (at the UN General Assembly) in New York, and I told the mediators if America’s intentions are serious then a serious indication was needed … by releasing at least $10 billion of blocked money,” the minister said.
— Iran Wrestlers Shine at 2021 World Freestyle Championship
Iranian free-style wrestlers on Sunday set up exciting matches against their opponents in the semifinal bouts and qualified for the final matches in the 2021 World Wrestling Championships in Oslo, Norway.
In 57 kg category, Iran’s Alireza Sarlak dismantled his Turkish opponent Süleyman Atlı 7-4 to advance to the final.
Sarlak had defeated Ecuadorian, Belarussain wrestlers to reach the semifinal.
In the final, Sarlak to meet Thomas Gilamn.
*** TEHRAN TIMES
— Iran seeks closer cooperation with Armenia on manuscript restoration
The Iranian cultural attaché in the Armenian capital of Yerevan said that Iran is seeking closer cooperation with the country on the restoration of Persian manuscripts.
Hossein Tabatabai made the remarks in a recent visit to the Matenadaran, a museum and repository of manuscripts in Yerevan, Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) announced on Saturday.
Ara Philipossian, an Iranian-Armenian professor of chemical engineering at the University of Arizona, who is scheduled to finance an immense project, which includes the restoration of Persian manuscripts at the Matenadaran, accompanied Tabatabai.
— Iran’s export to Iraq increases 28% in H1
The value of Iran’s export to Iraq has risen 28 percent during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-September 22), as compared to the same period of time in the past year, the secretary-general of Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce announced.
Jahanbakhsh Sanjabi Shirazi said that Iran exported 13.9 million tons of products valued at $3.8 billion to its neighbor Iraq in the first half of this year, which also indicates 50 percent rise in terms of weight.
He put the country’s non-oil export to Iraq at 9.3 million tons valued at $2.971 billion in the first six months of the previous year.
— 70% of Iranian hotel employees vaccinated against coronavirus
The vaccination of hoteliers and hotel staff against coronavirus has reached 70 percent to date, the head of the Association of Iranian Hoteliers has announced.
Vaccination has been widespread in most Iranian provinces, but in total, more than 70% of all hotel staff has received both vaccine doses, as well as a vaccination card, ISNA quoted Jamshid Hamzehzadeh as saying on Sunday.
Following the lifting of travel restrictions for people who were vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine, and the government’s decision to resume issuing tourist visas, hotels around the country are ready to welcome domestic and foreign travelers in near future, the official added.