The EU is planning to switch from US dollars to euros in payments for oil supplies from Iran, a diplomatic source has told the Russian Sputnik.

According to Sputnik, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Tuesday that after talks with the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Iran in Brussels that the sides had agreed to work out practical solutions in response to the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, within the next few weeks. In particular, the European Union and Iran would maintain and deepen economic ties, including in the area of oil and gas supplies. The source did not disclose more details about the plan.

The Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of France (Jean-Yves Le Drian), Germany (Heiko Maas), the United Kingdom (Boris Johnson) as well as EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini on Tuesday evening in Brussels to discuss the ways to guarantee the interests of Iran and other remaining signatories of the JCPOA. / Mehr news /

Adviser to the Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade for International Affairs Mohammad-Reza Fayyaz said that Iran is planning to increase trade volume with Qatar to $1 billion.

He put the trade volume between Iran and Qatar in the past Iraian fiscal year (ended March 20, 2018) at $320 million and added, “after a 12-year hiatus, Iran and Qatar Joint Commission was held in Qatari capital Doha, during which an agreement was inked between the trade ministers of the two countries.”

He added, “Iranian trade and economic delegation, headed by the minister of Industry, was composed of 40 businessmen from the private secto and 40 others from the public sector. During the expert-level meeting, the two sides discussed ways to exapnd trade and economic cooperation.”

Although trade volume exchanged between the two countries already stood at a good level but such bilateral trade was not satisfactory, he said, adding, “with the coordination made in this regard, it has been envisioned that trade volume between the two countries will experience a considerable jump in 2018.”

The two sides held constructive talks in the following fields: facilitating entry of Iranian traders and merchants, easing visa issuance with regard to the economic, trade, business and banking issues, making investment in transport, information technology (IT), free zones, agriculture and environment, oil, gas, petrochemicals and tourism, Fayyaz noted.

Moreover, the two sides exchanged their views in the field of export of technical and engineering services from Iran to Qatar and vice versa as well as making investment in the mining sector.

Fayyaz further pointed to the necessity of facilitating transportation between the two countries and said, “it is hoped that Iran and Qatar will take more giant strides in future to broaden trade and economic ties.”

The next meeting of Iran and Qatar Joint Economic Commission will be held in Tehran.

Iran freestyle wrestling team claimed the title of the 2018 Cadet Asian Championships.

The Iranian team grabbed six gold medals and two bronzes in the competition held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Rahman Amouzad in 45kg, Mohammad Baghi in 65kg, Mohammad Nokhodi in 71kg, Mohammadreza Ghiyasi in 80kg, Ali Abdollahi in 92kg and Amirabbas Zare in 110kg claimed six gold medals for the Iranian wrestling team.

Seyederfan Jafarian in 51kg and Sajjad Goudarzi in 55kg won two bronze medals.

Iran claimed the title with 196 points, followed by Kazakhstan (171 points) and Uzbekistan (146 points).

RESULTS

45kg

GOLD – Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI) df. Sultan KURMANALIYEV (KAZ), 10-0

BRONZE – Myrza ZHYRGALBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Chaehwan SHIN (KOR), 10-0

BRONZE – Sarvarbek KHUDAYBERGANOV (UZB) df. Otgonbaatar BOLDBAATAR (MGL), 13-2

48kg

GOLD – Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) df. Assylzhan YESSENGELDI (KAZ), 10-0

BRONZE –  Saurabh Madhukar IGAVE (IND) df. Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL), 12-6

BRONZE – Kento YUMIYA (JPN) df. Elnur AKMATOV (KGZ), 14-2

51kg

GOLD – Arslan RAKHIMOV (UZB) df. Kenessary TAIYRBEK (KAZ), 4-2

BRONZE –  Seyederfan JAFARIANGELYERDI (IRI) df. Faisal ALDOSSARY (KSA), 0-0

BRONZE –  Abdymalik KARACHOV (KGZ) df. Rasuljon INOYATOV (TJK), 4-2

55kg

GOLD – Hayato FUJITA (JPN) df. Auyez SEITBAYEV (KAZ)

BRONZE – Sajjad Ali Reza GOUDARZI (IRI) df. Oseong HAN (KOR)

BRONZE –  Parvinder PARVINDER (IND) df. Rayan Mazen B HAWSAWI (KSA)

60kg

GOLD – Ravinder RAVINDER (IND) df. Iassaui MUKHTARULY (KAZ), 8-1

BRONZE – Yamato HAGIWARA (JPN) df. Amir Arsalan Yousef DARABI GORGELANI (IRI), 4-3

BRONZE – Mirkamol BESHIMOV (UZB) df. Muhammad Asad ULLAH (PAK), 10-0

65kg

GOLD – Mohammad Baghi KARIMISEIFABAD (IRI) df. Bekzat ZHALGASSOV (KAZ)

BRONZE – Masaki SATO (JPN) df. Inayat ULLAH (PAK)

BRONZE – Stambul ZHANYBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Khairullo KULULOV (TJK)

71kg

GOLD – Mohammad Asghar NOKHODILARIMI (IRI) df. Alinur TAKIROV (KGZ)

BRONZE – Azizbek FAYZULLAEV (UZB) df. Hikaru TAKATA (JPN)

BRONZE – Islyambek ILYASSOV (KAZ) df. Kumar ANKIT (IND)

80kg

GOLD – Mohammadreza Ezatollah GHIYASI (IRI) df. Mukhammadrasul RAKHIMOV (UZB)

BRONZE – Yudai TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Batmagnai ENKHTUVSHIN (MGL)

BRONZE – Ankit VATS (IND) df. Erzo Shamil T ISAKOV (JOR)

92kg

GOLD –  Ali ABDOLLAHI (IRI) df. Yunus GAFUROV (KAZ), 12-2

BRONZE – Shokhjakhon AVAZOV (UZB) df. Banzragch MUNKHBAT (MGL), 2-1

BRONZE –  Monu DAHIYA (IND) df. Ismoil RADZHABOV (TJK), 6-0

110kg

GOLD – Amir Abbas ZARE (IRI) df. Kumar ANIRUDH (IND), 10-0

BRONZE –  Rahmonjon MAHMADBEKOV (TJK) df. Islam TAGIROV (KAZ), 10-0

BRONZE –  Qiang LI (CHN) df. Baehyeong JEONG (KOR), 10-0

TEAM SCORES

GOLD – Iran  (196 points)

SILVER – Kazahstan  (171 points)

BRONZE – Uzbekistan (146 points)

Fourth – India (134 points)

Fifth – Japan (111 points)

/ Tehran times /

An equipped first human cell production factory was opened in West Asia in the in the presence of First Vice President Es’hagh Jahangiri.

Minister of Health and Medical Education Dr. Seyyed Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi and Sorena Sattari Vice President for Science and Technology, Hamid-Reza Tayyebi Head of Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research Activities and Mohammad Mokhber Head of Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO) also attended the inaugural ceremony of this giant project.

Jahangiri was briefed on the activities and performance of this equipped center. First Human Cell Production Plant was set up jointly between Barakat Pharmaceutical Company and Royan Research Institute which is tasked with producing products including Monocell, Ricollersal, Rhinooderm cell, etc. which are used to treat various cardiovascular, skin and skeletal diseases.

Technology for the production of fibroplast cells will be launched as of the third year of operation of this equipped factory.

Construction operation of this industrial and production unit began in June 2013 in a way that this factory has generated new employment opportunities for job-seeking people in the country. About 500 billion rials has been spent for launching pilot project of this industrial unit which is located on a land area with 1,300 sq.m built-up area. / Mehr news/

An exhibition, which will be organized at the Bahar Gallery of the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) from May 18 to 23, will showcase a collection of photos featuring the daily lives of Iranian nomads living in the Kohkiluyeh-Boyer Ahmad region.

The exhibition titled “Something Like Life” will be organized in collaboration with the Rade No-Andish Art and Cultural Institute and the Yasuj branch of the Art Bureau, the IAF announced on Monday.

The photos are from a collection by Es’haq Aqai, an Iranian photographer who was raised in a nomad family in the region.

In a catalog published for the exhibit, the organizers wrote, “Kohkiluyeh-Boyer Ahmad is a part of the central Zagros region, which, due to its two different types of climate, has provided a suitable habitat for nomads over history.”

“Migration of the nomads begins in mid-autumn and mid-spring every year. The collective relocation is done every year, but there has been a major decline in the nomad population over the past few decades so that   half of the nomads have given up the nomadic lifestyle.”

According to the catalog, Iran has a nomad population of 1.2 million, which is declining as they gradually stop living as nomads and choose to live in permanent residences in villages and cities.

“This change will have serious repercussions for the country: Many subcultures, rituals, traditions and the beauty of this lifestyle will be consigned to oblivion,” read the catalog.

In his brief comments published in the catalog, Aqai said, “Photography of nomads is a cultural obsession for me, and in a time when modernity has infected all the structures of society, nomadic life is also not safe from it.” / Tehran times /

President Hassan Rouhani on Monday inaugurated five projects via video conferencing as part of a government initiative aimed at promoting tourism across the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province.

A total of 3,240 billion rials (some $80 million) has been invested in the projects that have generated jobs for 570 people, CHTN reported.

Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Director Ali-Asghar Mounesan and several provincial officials attended the inauguration ceremony, which was held at the Park Hayat Grand Hotel.

Saken Hotel and the Park Hayat Grand Hotel being renovated during the scheme that also included construction of some eco-lodges and a museum.

“Khorasan Razavi province has diverse tourist attraction capacities in terms of religious, historical, cultural and natural arenas… and it plays host to over 20 million domestic and foreign pilgrims and travelers so that it is considered as one of the most fertile provinces in implementing tourism projects,” the official explained.

Over 900 hotels, apartment hotels and guest houses are catering to travelers across Khorasan Razavi province, according to data announced by Abolfazl Mokarramifard, the provincial tourism chief.

In January, the administration approved a bill allocating 24 trillion rials (some $600 million) to empowering rural areas and small towns in arenas of handicraft-associated jobs, ecotourism and hospitality industry. / Tehran times /

The 7th edition of Iran’s International Exhibition of Automobile (Iran Auto Show 2018) is due to be held from May 19 to 24 at Tehran Permanent International Fairground, IRIB news reported. As reported, over 100 Iranian companies will be taking part in the six-day event.

The participating companies plan to unveil their latest products including passenger cars, pickups, buses, minivans, trucks and motorcycles along with their latest services.

Introducing the country’s automotive industry, introducing new job opportunities, familiarity with other countries’ automotive industry achievements, improving the quality of domestic products for exporting to world markets and attracting foreign investment are reported to be among the exhibition’s goals. / Tehran times /

Iran traded $1.15 billion worth of non-oil goods with the UK during the last Iranian year (ended March 20, 2018), 153.82% more compared to the year before, making the European country Iran’s 14th biggest trading partner. As per the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration’s data, Iran exported 17,952 tons of commodities worth $48.15 million to the UK last year, posting a 9.16% and 16.24% increase in tonnage and in value respectively year-on-year. The exports mainly included floorings, carpets and polyethylene compounds. The UK exported 3.04 million tons of goods worth $1.10 billion to Iran during the period under review, up 200.36% and 167.64% in tonnage and value respectively YOY. Iran mainly imported oilcake, field corn and soybeans, from the UK during the period.

/ Financial tribune /

“The Distance” by Yusef Kargar won the Grand Prix for Best Picture in the 35th Busan International Short Film Festival, the organizers announced on Wednesday.

The film was an entry to the international competition section of the festival, which ran in the South Korean city from April 24 to 29.

“A simple, delicate, profound story about the pain of love, and how sometimes we must hide the truth to protect the ones we love,” the festival jury said in a statement.

“The Distance” is about Yashar who returns to Iran after several years to give news to his friend’s family, but is unaware of the news he would be hearing from that family.

The jury handed the Excellence Award for Best Picture to “The Kitman” by Andres Cornejo Pinto from Ecuador.

The Jury Prize was given to “High Way” by Chia Chee Sum from Malaysia. “Tweet-Tweet” by Zhanna Bekmambetova from Russia also received a Special Mention. /  Tehran times /

For the first time in history, Iran will send a female triathlete to the Asian Games. Shirin Gerami will represent Iran in the 2018 Asian Games in triathlon event.

On 15 September 2013, Gerami raced the triathlon championship in London while garbed in full Islamic dress. She has designed a range of sportswear to inspire other Iranian women to participate in sports.

The 29-year-old athlete was born in Iran but lives in England at the moment. In 2016, Gerami was chosen as one of the BBC 100 Women.

In 2013, she has made history by becoming the country’s first female triathlete to have taken part in the sport’s world championship.

Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, greeted her achievement by tweeting: “Shirin Gerami,1st female triathlete to have participated in world championship wearing Iran’s colors #GenderEquality.”

Head of Iran’s Triathlon Federation (ITF) Mohammad Ali Sabour is reportedly negotiating with National Olympic Committee President, Reza Salehi Amiri, to send also a male triathlete to the Asian Games.

The 18th Asian Games 2018, to be attended by 45 countries, will feature 462 events of 40 sports of which 32 are Olympic sports and eight are non-Olympic sports.

The Games will be held in Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra, on August 18-September 2, 2018. / Tehran times /