Iran

24 April 2020; MEMO: Following the successful launch of Iran’s first military satellite on Wednesday, commander of the space unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Ali Jaafar Abadi said yesterday that the “Noor 2” satellite is ready and that the next step is to send it into orbit, with plans to launch larger satellites in the future, reported 

TEHRAN, April 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief warned the US of a “decisive response” after President Donald Trump said he instructed the US Navy to “shoot down” Iranian boats that harass American ships in the Gulf.

“We declare to the Americans that we are absolutely determined and serious… and that all action will be met with a decisive response that will be efficient and quick,” Major General Hossein Salami told state television.

23 April 2020; MEMO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the falling oil prices will have the least impact on the Islamic Republic compared to other countries, because Tehran is less dependent than others on crude oil exports for revenues, the Iranian News Agency (IRNA) reported.

TEHRAN, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian defense minister said on Thursday that the armed forces are ready to repel any threat against the country, official IRNA news agency reported.

The armed forces have been monitoring global and regional developments with vigilant eyes, said Amir Hatami at a meeting held in the capital Tehran with the participation of military advisors and officials.

Highlighting the capabilities of the Iranian armed forces, he said the hegemonic system has been showing hostilities toward Iran for 40 years.

22 April 2020; AFP: Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced they had successfully launched the country's first military satellite on Wednesday, a programme that the US alleges is a cover for its missile development.

"The first satellite of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been successfully launched into orbit by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," said the Guards' Sepahnews website.

TEHRAN, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday urged the European countries to oppose U.S. economic pressures on Iran amid COVID-19 pandemic, state TV reported.

The U.S. economic pressures on the Iranian people are more "inhumane" when the entire world is gripped with the novel coronavirus issue, Rouhani said in a telephone conversation with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

TEHRAN, April 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Shopping malls and bazaars reopened in Iran despite warnings by some health officials that a new wave of coronavirus infections could ripple through the Middle Eastern country hardest hit by the pandemic.

Iran has struggled to curb the spread of the highly contagious lung disease known as COVID-19 but authorities also worry that measures to limit public life to rein in the virus could finish off an already sanctions-battered economy.

TEHRAN, Apr 20 (NNN-IRNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, is visiting Syria today (Monday), for talks with Syrian officials on topics of mutual interest, it was officially reported on Sunday (yesterday).

“During the one-day trip, Zarif will meet with Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid al-Muallem, to discuss bilateral relations, regional developments, as well as, the latest political developments in Syria’s fight against terrorism,” said the report.

19 April 2020; MEMO: The Iranian armed forces have acquired three bomb-carrying drones with a range of 1,500 kilometres (932 miles), Defence Minister Amir Hatami said on state television on Saturday.

The drones could monitor “enemy movements from a considerable distance” and were capable of combat missions, he said at the delivery ceremony in Tehran broadcast on TV.

TEHRAN, Apr 18 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran and Qatar on Friday, agreed to increase energy cooperation despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Iranian state TV reported.

In a video conference, Iranian Energy Minister, Reza Ardakanian and Qatari Minister of Commerce and Industry, Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, discussed joint investments in energy projects.

The meeting had originally been planned for early Apr, in Iran’s central city of Isfahan, but was delayed because of the COVID-19 epidemic.