Non-oil exports from the western ports of southern Hormozgan province in the first half of the current fiscal (started on March 21) stood at 517,123 tons, registering a 27% growth in terms of weight comparing with the corresponding period of last year, a senior official said on Monday.

Ghasem Askarinasab, the director of Bandar Lengeh Ports and Maritime Directorate, added that the exports mostly include fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, minerals and building materials.

The official noted that the province’s imports have observed a considerable decline in the period.

“Some 37,000 tons of non-oil goods have entered the country through the western ports of Hormozgan, which indicate a sharp fall of 60% year on year,” he added.

The official referred to the massive capacity of Hormozgan corridors and said, “close to 4.24 million tons of goods have been loaded and unloaded in the western ports of the province during the six-month period.”

“Of the total amount, oil and non-oil transit share respectively stood at 3.93 million tons and 1.808 million tons,” the official added.

According to him, transit of goods via Bandar Lengeh has observed a 11% growth in terms of volume during the period.

“Some 2,137 TEU containers have been transported through Bandar Lengeh ports, indicating a 19% year-on-year jump.”

Over 146,000 tons of agricultural and livestock products have been exported via Bandar Lengeh, registering a growth of 18% compared with the similar period of last year.

Askarinasab had previously said that the launch of ‘Shiyu Port’ in Parsian city and the minerals terminal in Bandar Lengeh port city, inviting merchants and investors and arranging face-to-face meetings with them, activating new shipping lines, providing port facilities and reducing the time of unloading and loading, are among the measures that have been taken to promote the performance and operation of the ports in southern Hormozgan province.

Bandar Lengeh is located 240 kilometers west of Bandar Abbas and is the main port city of western Hormozgan province. / MNA/

An official in charge of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) Farzad Piltan said that trade volume to be exchanged between Iran and South Africa will hit $1 billion by 2022.

The Director General of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran for Arab and African Affairs Farzad Piltan pointed to design development plan for increasing trade volume exchange between Iran and South Africa to $1 billion by 2022 and said, “effective steps should be taken in line with removing obstacles facing ahead especially in the field of banking problem.”

Speaking in Iran-South Africa Business Forum, held at Iran Chamber of Cooperatives, pointed to the investment opportunities between the two countries and said, “Islamic Republic of Iran attaches great importance to South Africa and intends to enhance its cooperation with this African country.”

He placed special emphasis on the necessity of expanding and developing bilateral trade and business relationship and reiterated, “investment and trade opportunities with South Africa has been planned at TPOI in order to take advantage of all capacities and potentials of the two countries appropriately.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Piltan pointed to the obstacles facing ahead for the development of trade exchanges between the two countries and said, “we request the South African side to take effective steps for the removal of existing problems.”

It is hoped that cooperatives sector, which is one of the most important sectors of economy in the country, will pave suitable ground for accelerating trade and business cooperation between the two countries, he maintained.

In conclusion, Director General of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran for Arab and African Affairs Farzad Piltan put total Iran’s export volume to South Africa in the past Iranian calendar year in 1396 (ended March 20, 2018) at $42.7 billion. /MNA/

A lbertina Museum of Vienna is devoting a retrospective presentation to photographer Alfred Seiland, one of Austria’s first artistic photographers to work exclusively in color.

The exhibit, which will continue until October 7, features five series of works, consisting of around 80 photos. One of the series depicts present-day Iran, Mehr News Agency reported.

Seiland, 66, took photos for his Iran collection during his trip to Iran last year. This is the first time the collection that includes historic locations is being shown to the public.

One of the photos in the series shows Arg-e Bam, located in Bam, a city in Kerman Province. Arg-e Bam was once the largest adobe building in the world but was almost entirely razed to the ground by a 6.6-magnitude earthquake in 2003, which killed around 32,000 people. It is listed by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage Site “Bam and its Cultural Landscape”.

In his photos, Seiland deals with cultural landscapes. “Seiland’s oeuvre revolves around his interests in various cultural spheres ranging from the East to the West Coast of the US and on to the former territory of ancient Rome, to Austria, and to present-day Iran,” Artdaily.com wrote.

The territory of ancient Rome is the focus of Imperium Romanum, one of the five series presented in the current exhibit, which sheds light on tensions between antiquity and the modern era.  / F T  /

Special adviser to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Asghar Zarean said that Islamic Republic of Iran has achieved self-sufficiency in producing various types of centrifuge.

Iran has attained complete self-sufficiency in manufacturing sophisticated centrifuges and there is no need to import such device from other countries, he maintained.

Speaking in the inaugural ceremony of an exhibition held in Qom province on the occasion of eight years of Sacred Defense (Iraqi imposed war against Iran in 1980-1988), he pointed to the high potential and capability of the Islamic Republic of Iran in attaining advanced nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in various fields including medicine and said, “with the nonstop and unflinching efforts of young scientists of country, today, various generations of advanced centrifuges are manufactured domestically.”

He pointed to the plots and conspiracies waged by enemies to stop scientific achievements of the country in various sectors especially nuclear technology and said, “Leader of the Islamic Revolution has repeatedly emphasized on the issue of scientific production in the country since production of science in the country brings about power and wealth, so that enemies extremely fear of dignity and sovereignty of the Islamic Iran in international arenas.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarean revealed that manufacturing of parts and equipment for Arak modern heavy water reactor will start in coming year (to start March 21, 2019).

Redesigning and modernizing Arak heavy water reactor is underway and construction operation of relevant parts and equipment will begin in early next year, he concluded.

/ Mehr news /

The rate of literacy among Iranians between 10-49 years has reached 96 percent and also the population aged 10-29 years is reported to have a literacy rate of over 97 percent, Education Minister Mohammad Bat’haei has said.

Also, enrollment rate in primary education increased to almost 98 percent, which is hoped to enhance to 100 percent, IRNA news agency quoted Bat’haei as saying on Saturday.

Out-of-school youth to enter schools

In the last school year (September 2017- June 2018), despite all the efforts of the responsible bodies, there have been some 142,000 out-of-school children, and this year it is estimated that the number will not increase, Bat’haei said.

“At the same time, we have succeeded in enrolling 31,910 school dropouts in primary schools.”

Iran’s Literacy Movement Organization was awarded the 2018 UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy.

Bat’haei noted that the UNESCO prize has been granted to the organization for its program ‘consolidated teaching of literacy and ICDL basic computer skills’.

The UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy gives special consideration to literacy amongst adults in rural areas and out-of-school youth, particularly girls and women.

Iran’s Literacy Movement Organization is officially tasked with eradicating illiteracy and educating illiterate youth and adults.

Foreign nationals studying in Iran

Approximately 27,000 foreign nationals are covered annually by the Literacy Movement Organization programs, the education minister said.

He further explained that last year the ministry made efforts to enroll 5,669 undocumented foreign nationals in primary schools in coordination with the Ministry of Interior and other related organizations, and it is planned to increase the number this year.

Earlier in August, Gholamreza Karimi, deputy director for international affairs department at the Ministry of Education, told the Tehran Times that some 450,000 foreign national students are studying at schools in Iran of which 420,000 are Afghan nationals.

Up to the year 2015, documented students who amounted to 300,000 could enroll at schools in Iran, however, following a decree issued by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in May 2015, all foreign nationals, even those who have no identification and are living in Iran illegally, are allowed to attend schools.

“The decree which was issued for humanitarian reasons made us to enroll all foreign national students regardless of their status,” Karimi said, stating the decree increased the number of students by 110,000 and now all students who have a health permit from the Ministry of Health and a statement from the Interior Ministry can attend schools.

“These students are not required to pay any tuition fee charges and we always emphasize the fact that no students should be forced to drop out of school,” Karimi highlighted.

/ Tehran times /

The Art Bureau is planning to hold nationwide poster exhibitions, censuring the shooting attack on a military parade that killed 25 people in Iran’s southwestern city of Ahvaz on Saturday.

In the statement published by the Art Bureau on Sunday, interested artists are asked to submit their works to the following email address: [email protected].

Condemning terrorism, tributes to the martyrs, respect to the devoted soldiers, and unity and solidarity of people and the officials can be among the topics for the posters.

Children, women and a journalist were among the dead. The selected works will be displayed in different exhibits across the country in the near future.

Iran’s Custom Administration says in the first five months of this Iranian year (started on March 21) the value of Iran’s exports to the US rose by 37.8 percent to $45.11 million.
Iran exports to US up 37.8% in 5 months
The Customs Administration data table, pointing to the US as the major destination of Iranian goods, said in the period under study, 1,487 tons of goods, showing 60.8 percent growth, were exported to the US.

It said the Iran-US trade balance proved positive in Iran’s favor, while the figure for the first five months last year was $21.6 million negative.

Yoghurt, saffron, caviar, klim, pistachio kernel, gabeh and barberry were major items exported to the US. The imports from the country declined in the period, standing at $41.275 million, according to the report.

The imported items were vegetable seeds, food supplements, cattle and poultry feed additives, mineral or chemical fertilizers, endoscopic instruments, tooth prosthesis and other medical instruments. / Irna /