Iran

TEHRAN, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran welcomes the formation of a government with the participation of all ethnic and political groups in Afghanistan, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said here on Sunday.

"Political decisions cannot be made in vacuum, and the formation of an inclusive government must take place in a participatory process, taking into account fundamental structures, institutions and legislations such as the constitution," Zarif was quoted as saying by the Foreign Ministry's official website.

31 Jan 2021; MEMO: Iran on Saturday dismissed the French president's remarks on the need for a new nuclear deal with Tehran, Anadolu Agency reported.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is "a multilateral international agreement that has been endorsed and stabilized by the (UN) Security Council Resolution 2231. It is by no means re-negotiable, and its parties are also definite and unchangeable."

Iran executed on Saturday an ethnic Baluch militant convicted of killing Revolutionary Guards members, the judiciary's official website reported, a day after the United Nations urged Iranian authorities to spare his life, reports Reuters.

30 Jan 2021; MEMO: The Mizan site said Javid Dehghan, who it said was a leader of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, or the Army of Justice, was hanged for shooting dead two Guards five years ago in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province.

(Reuters) - Travellers to Iran from Europe will be required to self-quarantine for two weeks after testing negative upon arrival, a health official said on Saturday.

Travellers from other regions, including neighbouring countries, will have to have tested negative before arrival in the country, Alireza Raisi, spokesman for the national coronavirus task force, said on state TV.

Raisi said travellers arriving from Europe should be holding negative test results, will be tested again and will have to self-quarantine even if their test is negative, state media reported.

30 Jan 2021; MEMO: A move by South Korea towards releasing $7 billion in frozen Iranian funds may help spur Iran's judiciary to resolve the seizure of a Korean ship being held for alleged environmental pollution, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Friday, Reuters reported.

28 Jan 2021; MEMO: Armenia's territorial integrity is a "red line" for Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned yesterday.

Zarif's remarks came during a meeting with his Armenian counterpart, Ara Aivazyan, in Yerevan during a trip to the capital city before he sets off to Azerbaijan and Russia.

Officials reportedly discussed "bilateral relations between Armenia and Iran, as well as other regional issues."

TEHRAN, January 27. /TASS/: Iran expects to sign an agreement with Russia on the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine’s supply in the coming days, the Iranian president’s Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi announced on Wednesday.

"We have launched negotiations with Russia. I hope that an agreement will be signed today or tomorrow," he said, noting that the vaccine could be delivered within three months.

27 Jan 2021; MEMO: Iran threatened on Tuesday to block short-notice inspections of its nuclear facilities, demanding Washington reverse economic sanctions before it returns to compliance with a nuclear deal that President Joe Biden aims to restore, reports Reuters.

TEHRAN, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that if the parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iranian 2015 nuclear deal, do not adhere to their commitments, Iran will stop inspections pertaining to the Additional Protocol of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

25 Jan 2021; MEMO: Tehran yesterday welcomed Saudi Arabia's foreign minister's remarks about the kingdom's readiness to peacefully resolve differences between the two countries, spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry Saeed Khatibzadeh said.