** IRAN DAILY
-- Iran calls for its removal from FATF recommendations
In a letter of protest to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Iran’s Finance Minister Ehsan Khandouzi called for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s name to be removed from Recommendation 7 and other documents related to UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
FATF Recommendation 7 requires countries to implement targeted financial sanctions to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their financing in compliance with UN Security Council resolutions.
-- Iranian economic growth beats that of 99 countries in 2023: UN data
The United Nations announced a three-percent economic growth for Iran in 2023, saying it surpassed the economic growth rates of 99 countries and stood in the second rank in the Middle East region.
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in its latest report on “World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024” put Iran’s economic growth in 2023 at three percent and expected that Iran’s economy will grow by 2.4 percent in 2024.
-- Agri-food exports up 22% in nine months: Official
Iran exported agricultural and food products worth more than $4.3 billion to 130 countries during the first nine months of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2023 to December 21, 2023), announced an Iranian official.
Spokesman for the Trade Promotion Commission of Iran’s House of Industry, Mine and Trade Rouhollah Latifi said on Monday that more than six million metric tons (mt) of agricultural, horticultural, livestock, fishery, and food products, worth $4.31 billion, were exported during the nine-month period, adding that the shipments had increased by 7.2% in volume, and by 22% in value year-on-year.
** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
-- Iran Hopeful of Quick Resolution of Umrah Hajj Issues
Iran hopes technical problems preventing Iranian Muslims from making the Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will soon be resolved, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Monday.
Iran initially announced in December that the first Umrah pilgrims would travel on Dec. 19 following an agreement between Tehran and Riyadh to allow the pilgrimage to take place after a pause of eight years.
-- Iran Designs Lithium-Ion Battery for Electric Cars
In a bid to help the country achieve self-sufficiency in the field of lithium-ion battery cells used in electric vehicles, the Iran Space Research Center succeeded in designing and manufacturing the first such battery cells in Iran.
Designing and producing the lithium-ion battery cells is one of the most important stages in the development of the electric cars. This advanced technology is regarded as one of the overflow products of the space technologies that has been obtained by the Iran Space Research Center.
-- Official: Exports of Food, Agricultural Products Top $4bn
The spokesperson of the Trade Promotion Commission of Iran’s House of Industry, Mine and Trade Rouhollah Latifi has said that over $4.3 billion worth of agricultural and food products were exported from Iran to 130 countries in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year.
Latifi stated that the country’s export of food and agricultural products to 130 countries from March 21 to December 22, 2023 registered a 22 percent growth compared to the previous year’s corresponding period.
** TEHRAN TIMES
-- Iran’s Defense Ministry sees impressive increase in sales
Iran’s defense minister announced on Monday that his government department has seen a surge in sales in the past two years.
Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani did not specify what products the ministry has been selling but said that countries trying to counter terrorism and drug trafficking are avid buyers of Iranian-made equipment. “Our sales have more than tripled in the past two years,” he noted.
-- We will show how strong Iran are: Ansarifard
Iran national football team captain Karim Ansarifard says that they have to show how strong they are when they play Palestine in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup opening match.
Team Melle are scheduled to meet Palestine in Group C on Jan. 14, where the team will also play Hong Kong and the UAE.
-- Iranian universities advance in URAP ranking 2023-2024
According to the results of the 2023-2024 edition of the University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP), 71 Iranian institutions are included in the ranking compared to 64 institutions in the 2022-2023 edition.
URAP World Ranking is based on six academic performance indicators including number of articles, citations, total document, scientific productivity, research impact, and international collaboration. In the academic performance ranking of 71 universities in Iran, Tehran University is ranked first nationally with a global rank of 231.
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