Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated the country’s policy of cooperation with Latin American states and said the Islamic Republic’s political will is to deepen relations with the friendly nations.

Speaking at a meeting with Uruguay’s new ambassador to Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani stressed the need to boost cooperation between Iran and Uruguay in all areas, including science and technology.

He"...

Top Iranian commander on Wednesday stressed respecting sovereign states' territorial integrity, adding that adopting the policy of non-interference guarantees security, peace and stability of the region.

Iran-Turkey borders have been always the borders of peace, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri made the remarks in a meeting with the Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli.

He voiced hope"...

Iran’s defensive missile program is part of its “national interests,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says, asserting that the new US sanctions against the Islamic Republic over its missile activities are “illegitimate” and only harm the nuclear deal between Tehran and the P5+1.

Speaking to reporters in a news conference on Wednesday, Lavrov said Iran’s development of an array of ballistic missiles was"...

'The two Iranian and Austrian nations have never had any conflicts of interests', President Hassan Rouhani said in a meeting with the new Austrian Ambassador to Tehran, describing Tehran-Vienna ties long-standing and very friendly.

Receiving Ambassador Stefan Scholz's letter of credence on Wednesday, Rouhani added: 'Tehran welcomes deepening ties with the European Union member countries, including Austria,' president.ir reported.

A top Iranian official says the Islamic Republic exports $250 million worth of handicrafts each year.

“At the moment, the country’s handicrafts exports have tripled, and even inside the country there is a growing interest in handicrafts given the measures adopted,” said Bahman Namvar, a top handicrafts official.

“The"...

The government is making another foray to enforce pricing, as the so-called Competition Council has announced a new pricing mechanism for steel.

Based on average global prices and foreign exchange rates in Iran, the pricing method for less than 5-mm-thick hot-rolled coil, for instance, is meant to regulate a seemingly monopolized market.

Consequently, the base price of"...

As the Islamic State (IS) has been in steady retreat, Iran and Russia are facing real difficulties sustaining their partnership. Each took advantage of the fight against IS to further its military campaign in Syria.

Both sides avoid discussing their differences, keeping their critics from making the most of the situation, but both fail to completely conceal the friction. In 2016, Moscow and Tehran jointly shielded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's"...

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced a new hardline head of one of the country’s top oversight bodies on Monday, while former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad kept his seat despite a string of controversies.

The appointment of former judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi as head of the Expediency Council means Iran’s conservatives have tightened their grip on a key institution despite recent election successes for reformists.

The Expediency Council"...

Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Monday that Iran welcomes internal talks between Baghdad and Erbil, noting that through constructive talks, the Iraqi nation will be able to take long steps in the way of stability and sustainable security which are essential for the country’s construction and development.

The Iraqi leaders and nation achieved great"...

Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, a prominent cleric and politician, has been appointed chairman of Iran’s influential Expediency Discernment Council (EDC), Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported Monday.

Shahroudi replaces Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who served as president of Iran for two terms (from 1989 to 1997), as EDC chairman.

Since Rafsanjani passed away in"...