*** IRAN DAILY
— Iran exports 10m ornamental fishes in one year
Iran’s annual exports of ornamental fish stands at 10 million pieces (units), announced the head of Ornamental Fish and Aquatics Department of Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO), adding that the Persian Gulf littoral states and neighboring countries including Azerbaijan and Afghanistan are the main export destinations in this field.
In an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, Alireza Rahmani said that East and Southeast Asian countries including China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand are the major producers of ornamental fishes in the world, which export these fishes to all parts of the world.
— Iran exports 110MW of power to Afghanistan
A senior advisor to Iran’s energy minister said that the country exports 110 megawatts (MW) of electricity to neighboring Afghanistan.
Iran’s power grid is connected to Afghanistan’s Herat and the power transfer is carried out through four transfer lines, Mohammad Ali Farahnakian said in an exclusive interview with IRNA on Saturday.
Farahnakian said that Iran is working on plans to add 500MW-600MW to the capacity, adding that Iran and Afghanistan had struck good deals, but the Afghan side didn’t cooperate.
— Deh Sheikh Cave, mysterious attraction of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province
Thanks to its historical, cultural and natural diversity as well as its religious and medical conditions, Iran has the capacity to attract a variety of tourists.
The southwestern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, with its pleasant weather, has many natural landscapes and historical sites, each of which can become an important tourism hub of the region.
*** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
— Taliban Foreign Minister in Tehran for Talks
Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived here Saturday at the head of a high-ranking delegation to hold talks with Iranian officials in the first such trip to the neighboring country since the group seized power. “The visit aims at discussions on political, economic, transit and refugee issues between Afghanistan and Iran,” Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a tweet. He added that a preliminary meeting for the visiting delegation was held in the Afghan Foreign Ministry, “where significant issues were assessed and included in the agenda.”
— Iran Adds 51 U.S. Officials to Terrorism Blacklist
Iran has updated the list of American individuals blacklisted for involvement in the U.S. assassination of top counter-terrorism commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and his companions, adding 51 U.S. officials and commanders to the list.
In a statement released on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the United States, by conducting the “callous terrorist act,” acted in glorification of terrorism and in violation of the fundamental human rights.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran underlines that the heinous terrorist act will not in any manner diminish the resolute determination and resolve of the Islamic Republic of Iran in following the path of the revered General Soleimani in fighting terrorism and terrorist groups, in particular, the US-backed terrorist groups,” the statement read.
— AFC Withdraws License of Three Iranian Clubs to Participate at 2022 ACL
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s independent Enry Control Body (ECB) has decided to withdraw the license of Persepolis, Esteghlal and Gol Gohar (all clubs from Iran) to participate in the AFC Champions League 2022.
The decision was taken pursuant to Articles 14.4 and 14.5 of the AFC Club Licensing Regulations (read together with Article 4.1.4 of the Procedural Rules Governing the AFC Entry Control Body).
*** TEHRAN TIMES
— Sanctions-removal working group meets in Vienna
Late on Saturday a working group meant to lift oppressive sanctions on Iran convened a session with experts from Iran the P4+1 group in attendance at Palais Coburg in Vienna. Bilateral and multilateral meetings will also continue at the level of the heads of delegations.
The Russian negotiator in the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, on Saturday confirmed the meeting of the working group. “The Working Group on sanctions lifting met today in the course of the #ViennaTalks on #JCPOA to assess the current state of affairs in this area,” Ulyanov tweeted. Over the past two days, intensive talks have been held at different levels and formats as well.
— Instagram removes Iranian culture minister’s account for publishing post on Gen. Soleimani
The Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance announced on Friday that Instagram has had his Instagram account “removed” for publishing a post on General Qassem Soleimani. Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili published the post last week to commemorate the second anniversary of Soleimani’s assassination in a U.S. air raid in Baghdad.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Esmaeili said, “The media of imperialism is frightened of the names of Iranian legends; the sunlight of Hajji Qassem scares the bats.”
— Solar farms generate over 50% of Iran’s renewable power
Solar power plants across Iran managed to generate 455.28 megawatts (MW) of electricity in the previous Iranian calendar month (November 22-December 21, 2021), accounting for 50.38 percent of the total electricity generated by renewable sources in the country.
Based on the said data, wind power plants with 310.2 MW of power generation accounted for 34.31 percent of the total power generation by renewable sources in the mentioned month, standing in second place in the country’s renewable energy basket.