** IRAN DAILY
-- Iran’s sponge iron production rises almost 6%
Production of sponge iron in Iran increased by about six percent during the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21–September 22), compared to the related figure of the past year.
The sponge production during the six months to September 22 was about 18.85 million tons, 5.9% up from last year’s output of 17.8 million tons.
-- Iran says it has access to unfrozen funds in Qatar, rejects reports otherwise
Iran rejected a report that says the country had been barred from accessing its $6 billion fund, recently unfrozen and transferred to Qatari banks.
“There has been no change in the issue of Iran’s access to its foreign exchange resources in Qatari banks and the agreement [reached in this regard] remains in force,” Nour News, which is affiliate with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Thursday.
-- Iran to play role of gas hub: Owji
Iran is the safest and cheapest route for energy transit to international waters, said Iran’s oil minister on Thursday, underscoring that the global energy market cannot deny Iran’s key role.
In addition to its rich energy resources, Iran is located at a suitable geographic position, connecting Asia to Europe, and the only land route between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf, stated Javad Owji, adding that some countries around Iran are oil and gas exporters and some importers, and such conditions make it easier for Iran to play the role of an energy hub, Shana reported. Owji, who addressed a specialized session of the 6th Russian Energy Week International Forum in Moscow said that considering its natural resources and northern neighbors, Iran is the leading player of energy trade in the Middle East and can turn into a gas hub.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Iravani: Ballistic Missile, Space Programs to Continue
Iran’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations says the Islamic Republic is determined to keep up with its activities related to ballistic missiles and space-launch vehicles within the framework of international law.
“We reiterate, once again, that Iran is determined to continue its activities related to ballistic missiles and space-launch vehicles, both of which are within its inherent rights under international law and are necessary for the preservation of its security as well as socioeconomic interests,” Amir Saeid Iravani said in a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres and the Security Council’s President Sergio Franca Danese.
-- CIA Admits for First Time 1953 Iran Coup Undemocratic
The CIA now officially describes the 1953 coup it backed in Iran that overthrew its prime minister and cemented the rule of Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi as undemocratic.
Other American officials have made similar remarks in the past, but the CIA’s acknowledgment in a podcast about the agency’s history comes as much of its official history of the coup remains classified 70 years after the putsch. That complicates the public’s understanding of an event that still resonates, as tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington.
-- Envoy: U.S. Cannot Renege on Deal for Release of Iran Funds
Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations has dismissed a report by an American daily which claims the United States and Qatar have agreed to prevent the Islamic Republic from accessing $6 billion recently unfrozen and transferred to Qatari banks.
“The news is devoid of veracity, the publication of which would tarnish the credibility of the Washington Post,” the mission announced in a statement on Thursday.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Israel suffered biggest defeat since 1948: IRGC chief
General Hossein Salami, the chief commander of the Islamic Revolution, has lauded the recent attack by Palestinian fighters against Israeli military sites, describing it as the biggest defeat since 1948. Speaking at a Friday prayer sermon in Tehran, General Salami said, “The biggest defeat of the Zionist regime since 1948 and the biggest victory for the Palestinian movement took place during Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.”
He added, “This operation is the result of the accumulation and collection of the rage of a nation that has been displaced from its land by usurpers”.
-- Royal wall unearthed in Persepolis
A new finding in Persepolis reveals an eastern wall of a grand prehistorical gateway believed to have been constructed upon the order of Cyrus the Great.
Adorned with striking glazed bricks, the astonishing structure, also referred to as the Gate of Cyrus, is constructed entirely from a combination of bricks and tiles. It spans an impressive 40 meters in length, and 10 meters in width, and boasts a substantial thickness of five meters.
One of the charming construction techniques employed in the creation of the structure is the extensive use of bitumen mortar, Mehr reported on Thursday.
-- Iran’s finance minister, IsDB president discuss bilateral co-op
Iranian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Ehsan Khandouzi met Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) President Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser in Morocco on Friday.
Khandouzi accompanied by Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Governor Mohammad-Reza Farzin has traveled to Morocco to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), which are held during October 9-15 in Morocco.
The meeting was a continuation of the intensive negotiations of the past two years with the Islamic Development Bank, with the aim of promoting the joint programs of the two parties.
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