Iran defense min. congrats new Chinese counterpart on post

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani in a message congratulated Li Shangfu on his appointment as Chinese defense minister.

Iran, Syria discuss Islamic world issues

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Head of Iran's Foreign Policy Strategic Council Kamal Kharrazi met with Syrian Minister of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) Mohammed Abdul Sattar on Monday.

Russia, China have lots of common goals, Putin tells Xi

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Moscow and Beijing have a lot of common goals and tasks, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on Monday.

South Pars output hits 2mt in 10 month

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – The CEO of South Pars Gas Complex announced that since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year which began on March 21, more than 165.32 billion cubic meters of gas has been produced in South Pars joint gas field.

Oil minister:

Iran self-sufficient in constructing oil, gas refineries

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Iran has become self-sufficient in constructing oil and gas refineries, said Oil Minister Javad Owji on Monday.

4 killed in Colombian military helicopter crash

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Four soldiers died when their helicopter crashed Sunday in Colombia’s Choco province.

Malawi moves to rescue survivors after Cyclone Freddy

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – In Malawi, more than 400 people have died in the flooding caused by Cyclone Freddy.

Britain imposes sanctions on IRGC officials

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – The UK has imposed sanctions on senior officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran FM felicitates Nowruz to counterparts

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in separate messages congratulated the arrival of Nowruz to his counterparts.

Medvedev threatens to strike ICC with hypersonic missile

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council early on Monday threatened the International Criminal Court (ICC) with the use of a Russian hypersonic missile, amid the issuance of an arrest warrant for President Putin.

Shamkhani:

Iran, Iraq agree to new payment mechanism for arrears

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani has said that Tehran and Baghdad have agreed to a new mechanism for the settlement of payments related to Iraqi energy arrears to Iran.

China’s Xi:

Peace proposal for Ukraine war reflects unity of global view

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – China’s President Xi Jinping has called for pragmatism to end the war in Ukraine, saying his country’s peace proposal reflects the unity of the global community’s views and aims to neutralize the consequences of the crisis.

6 killed in bomb explosion in western Afghanistan

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Afghan sources reported that a number of people were killed due to a bomb explosion in the west of the country.

Russian intelligence:

US arming terrorists in Syria, wants to destabilize region

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – The US continues to use ISIL under its control to undermine Syrian President Bashar Assad’s position, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin has said.

Kim calls for nuclear attack readiness against US, S. Korea

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen drills simulating a nuclear counterattack against the US and South Korea in a warning to the allies who are scaling up their joint military exercises.

Australia issues new sanctions on Iran

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Australia has issued a slew of new sanctions against Tehran under the pretext of human rights violations in Iran.

Raeisi in Khuzestan to inaugurate Abadan Refinery 2nd phase

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi arrived in Abadan on Monday morning to inaugurate the second phase of the development plan of Abadan Refinery in southwestern Iran.

Ulyanov says;

Tehran-Riyadh improvement of ties is of strategic importance

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – Russia's permanent envoy to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov called the improvement of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia important for the region.

Borrell:

Iran-Saudi ties normalization to add more stability to region

TEHRAN, Mar. 20 (MNA) – The EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell says that the normalization of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia will add more stability to the region.