Iran

TEHRAN, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iran is ready to boost the capacity of its uranium enrichment, Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said on Sunday.

"Based on a decree by Iran's Supreme Leader and the emphasis put on this issue by AEOI head, the country is ready to increase its uranium enrichment capacity to 190,000 separative work units (SWUs)," Kamalvandi was quoted as saying by Press TV.

TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Thursday revealed an underground missile production facility, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The factory of the IRGC is the underground ballistic missile production site which was put on show for the first time, the report said.

The IRGC also unveiled a ballistic missile, named Dezful, in the production site.

Dezful is a smart surface-to-surface missile with the range of 1,000 km and high destruction power, according to Fars.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s state TV says Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pardoned a “large number” of prisoners in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

The report Thursday did not say how many prisoners were released, but previous reports suggested it would apply to some 50,000 prisoners, the largest number ever covered in a single pardon. Some prisoners would be released while others would have their sentences reduced.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran appears to have attempted a second satellite launch despite U.S. criticism that its space program helps the country develop ballistic missiles, satellite images released Thursday suggest. Iran did not immediately acknowledge conducting such a launch.

Images released by the Colorado-based company DigitalGlobe show a rocket at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran’s Semnan province on Tuesday. Images from Wednesday show the rocket was gone with what appears to be burn marks on its launch pad.

MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. The Iranian leadership has sufficient forces to prevent the destabilization of the country after the resumption of US sanctions, Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan said in an interview with TASS.

TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran pledged on Tuesday full support to Syria facing threats from terrorists and Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that Israel does not favor the establishment of peace and security in Syria and in the region, official IRNA news agency reported.

Regional countries should boost convergence and cooperation to counter any plots against them, Zarif said in a meeting with his visiting Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem.

TEHRAN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian judiciary chief said on Monday that his country would never accept the "humiliating conditions" in the EU's payment channel for trade with Iran, Tasnim news agency reported.

"After nine months of procrastination and negotiation, Europeans have created a mechanism with limited capacity, not for exchanging money but for food and medicine," said Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani.

TEHRAN, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iran unveiled an indigenous long-range cruise missile on Saturday, Tasnim news agency reported.

The missile, Hoveizeh, was displayed at a ceremony in the capital Tehran, which was attended by Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami.

Manufactured by Iranian Defense Ministry's Aerospace Industries Organization, the missile is ready to be delivered to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force.

With a range of 1,350 km, Hoveizeh cruises at low altitudes and is used for ground targets.

31 Jan 2019; IRNA: The unmanned jet, showcased in the Eqtedar 40 Exhibition, is named ‘Khodkar’ (automatic) and is the pilotless version of T-33 training aircraft suitable for conducting reconnaissance and combat operations.

The drone has been equipped with two cameras, one on the front of the fuselage for cockpit view, and one beneath the fuselage for landing and takeoff.

Iran's the Eqtedar (authority) 40 Exhibition opened in southwestern Tehran on Thursday.

29 Jan 2019; DW: Iran says it is working to improve the precision of its missiles for defense purposes. At the same time, the German-governed plan with France and the UK for payments to Iran despite US sanctions is moving ahead.

Iran on Tuesday said it had no plan to increase the range of its missiles, but would continue to work on its satellite technology to improve accuracy.