** IRAN DAILY
-- NIOC: Contracts worth $14b to be signed, SP pressure-boosting project to start by end of winter
The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) managing director announced $14 billion worth of contracts for developing oil and gas fields will be signed and a project for boosting pressure in the South Pars (SP) gas field will start by the end of this winter.
Mohsen Khojastehmehr added several private-sector contractors will help carry out the pressure-boosting project in the joint South Pars field.
-- Tehran, Moscow sign long-term grain supply agreement
Iran and Russia have signed a long-term agreement for supply of grains from Russia to Iran.
The agreement was signed on Saturday on the sidelines of a meeting between Iranian and Russian deputy agriculture ministers in Moscow.
-- Iran proposes to double tea imports from Sri Lanka
Iranian tea importers have proposed to double the quantity of tea they take from Sri Lanka under the tea-for-oil barter mechanism, from its current $5 million to around $10 million during the winter months, local media reported on Sunday, quoting Niraj de Mel, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB).
He said that Iran’s winter season runs from December to March and there is always high demand for tea at that time.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Leader Pardons, Commutes Sentences of 2,827 Inmates
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has pardoned or commuted the sentences of thousands of Iranian prisoners on the eve of the Eid al-Mab’ath, and the upcoming 45th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution as well as Sha’ban celebrations.
Ayatollah Khamenei on Wednesday agreed to a request by Iran’s Judiciary chief Gholamhussein Mohseni-Ejei to suspend or mitigate the sentences of a total of 2,827 inmates eligible for parole or reduction of sentence.
-- Navy’s 94th Flotilla Returns From Long Mission
The Iranian Navy’s 94th flotilla of warships has returned home after a long mission in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. The Islamic Republic is expanding its naval presence in high seas amid tensions stoked by outsiders in the region.
The flotilla, led by Alborz frigate, entered the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic on Saturday, after sailing more than 12,000 kilometers of sea routes in 91 days. During a welcoming ceremony in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Rear Admiral Farhad Fattahi, deputy commander of the First Naval Region of Iran’s Navy, hailed the presence of Iranian flotillas in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
-- Iran Among World’s Top 5 Steam Turbine Manufacturers
Iran is among the leading five countries in the field of manufacturing power plant turbines, thanks to the nonstop and unflinching efforts of its domestic experts after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Presently, more than 91% of the components and equipment needed in the power plant construction industry are manufactured by the domestic engineers in Iran, obviating the need for imports.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Iran football need rejuvenation
Once again, the Iran national football team failed to seize the opportunity of winning the AFC Asian Cup trophy, extending their pursuit of this coveted prize for over fifty years.
Iran's performance during the 2023 AFC Asian Cup was characterized by notable highs and lows. Amir Ghalenoei, who began his tenure as the national team's head coach in March 2023, hoped that the experienced players comprising the team would lead them to victory and end Iran's 48-year football drought. Unfortunately, this didn't happen, so Iranian football will have to wait for over four years to compete for the cup, adding to over 50 years of anticipation.
--- Non-oil trade with neighbors reaches nearly $50b in 10 months
The value of Iran’s non-oil trade with its neighbors reached $49.83 billion during the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2023-January 19, 2024), the spokesman of the International Relations and Trade Development Committee of Iran's House of Industry, Mining and Trade said.
Ruhollah Latifi put the weight of non-oil trade with the neighboring countries at 79.98 million tons in the said period and stated that trade with the neighbors increased by 1.8 percent in comparison to the same period last year.
-- Cultural heritage ministry participates in 22 Bahman rallies in Tehran
The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts fervently marked the 45th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in a simultaneous tribute alongside the grand procession on the 22nd day of the month of Bahman on the Persian calendar (11th of February).
Transforming Azadi Street into a hub of celebration, the Ministry orchestrated an array of cultural and artistic programs, engaging diverse communities and march participants.
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