Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said foreign interference, terrorism, insecurity and war in some regional countries have diverted all the limited capacity of these countries, while environmental challenges facing the region are not being considered enough.
He made the remarks in a message to the first National Conference on Diplomacy and Transboundary Environmental Challenges held in Tehran on Sunday, according to IRNA.
He described military interventions, war and terrorism as an ominous triangle which, in addition to all its destructive effects, has led to widespread destruction of the environment and the destruction of infrastructure.
The Iranian foreign minister said that this situation has caused serious obstacles for the sustainable management of the environment and intensified territorial destruction.
In the West Asian region, wars and crises of the past decades have destroyed the basis for cooperation in various fields, including the environment.
Amir-Abdollahian said that conflicts in the region have terrible effects on the environment.
The destruction of water resources and wetlands, the damage of biological resources and the destruction of land have been such that decades of close regional cooperation are needed to restore these huge resources.

The head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has said that Iran has no decision to resume what he claimed to be its military nuclear program.
In an interview with CBS, William Burns answered the question, “Do the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran have a decision to build nuclear weapons?”
He said that officials in Iran have so far not made the decision to resume what he called the weaponization program that they suspended, or stopped, at the end of 2003.
At the same time, by confirming the claim of 84% uranium enrichment in Iran, he claimed that Iran has advanced its enrichment program and, if they decide, they can reach 90% enrichment in just a few weeks. He also claimed that Iran has advanced missile systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons. While admitting that they have no evidence proving that Iran wants to resume the military nuclear program, he claimed that Iran is developing other aspects of its nuclear program.
The CIA chief’s confession has now put a question mark in front of the measures made by the U.S. and Europe against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. While they admit that Tehran is not pursuing a military nuclear program based on their research and expertise, they have imposed the most severe sanctions against Iran.
Despite Iran’s decision to enter negotiations with world powers and sign a nuclear deal in 2015 as a goodwill gesture, the U.S. withdrew from the agreement during the presidency of Donald Trump in 2018 and adopted the policy of “maximum pressure” towards the Iranian people.
The excuse for all these pressures has been Iran’s attempt to achieve a military nuclear program. Now, however, the head of the CIA has admitted that Iran does not have such a program on its agenda.
Despite such an assessment of Iran’s nuclear program, the current U.S. administration continues to follow the path of Trump's administration and hinders efforts to revive the nuclear agreement.
It seems that the Western front led by the U.S. is fundamentally opposed to Iran’s nuclear capabilities in any form. However, having nuclear energy is the right of all countries, especially those who have signed the NPT treaty.
In the interview, William Burns has echoed Bloomberg’s claims of enrichment of uranium to 84% purity in Iran. Tehran has rejected the claim and recently allowed inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to investigate its facilities.
The CIA chief’s reference to the progress of uranium enrichment in Iran’s facilities is not a secret matter. Following the withdrawal of the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal and the failure of the Europeans to fulfill their commitments under the agreement, Tehran gradually reduced the implementation of its commitments and increased the level of uranium enrichment to 60% in several stages.
There are reports that Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, plans to travel to Tehran in the coming days to discuss the safeguards issues. It is expected that, after this trip and the settlement of the safeguards issues, the stalled talks to revive the nuclear deal will be resumed. The CIA chief’s admission that Tehran has no decision for a military nuclear program can affect the stances of the European troika and Washington and help them abandon their excessive demands and their duplicate claims to reach a  satisfactory deal on Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran’s nuclear chief said the country is seeking to export high-tech products including radiopharmaceuticals to other countries.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 29th Iranian Nuclear Conference on Sunday, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami said that local nuclear scientists have crowned impressive achievements during the current Iranian year, which will end on March 20, according to Tasnim News Agency.
He said Iran has managed to develop a blood clotting powder used for controlling hemorrhage in major surgeries, noting that the country was deprived of such medicine due to foreign sanctions.
Iran’s Food and Drug Administration has approved the powder, which can be exported to other countries, Eslami added.
He also praised nuclear scientists for inventing a new method for the treatment of garbage leachate with plasma technologies.
Highlighting efforts to provide greater opportunities for research in nuclear technologies, Eslami said Iranian radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine equipment are now being exported to other countries.
Earlier in December 2022, Eslami had said Iran aimed to become a global hub for manufacturing deuterium drugs.
“In a not-too-distant future, we will turn into a hub for manufacturing drugs based on deuterium, which are good alternatives to chemical drugs and have lower side effects in comparison (to those drugs),” he stated.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister emphasized the development of political relations and international cooperation between Iran and Bolivia and called for Bolivia's participation in creating a new world order based on multilateralism.
Ali Bagheri Kani made the remarks at a meeting with Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta, according to IRNA.
Mayta welcomed Iran’s initiative, saying that relations between the two countries are good and brotherly and both countries support each other's positions regarding human rights issues and the fight against imperialism.
The Iranian official also held a separate meeting with Bolivia’s vice president, during which he pointed to the capacities of the two sides to develop relations, especially in the economic field.
He also called for more cooperation between the two countries in international forums.
The Bolivian official pointed to the economic, scientific, and industrial capacities of Iran, calling for expansion of economic relations with Iran.
Iran's deputy foreign minister is on a trip to some Latin American countries.

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The Iranian minister also said that Iran and Iraq enjoy a geopolitical connection, comprising ethnic, religious, cultural, economic, and energy elements.
He called for vigilance in the face of plots hatched to damage unity and solitary between the Iranian and Iraqi nations.
“Iran believes in supporting Iraq’s unity and integrity and assisting the country with the process of consolidating its stability and security, development, and prosperity.”
Ashtiani said Tehran and Baghdad needed to improve their military, intelligence, and security coordination as the presence of terrorist groups in Iraq, including in the provinces adjacent to Iran, still posed a threat to the national security of the two countries.
He also expressed Iran’s readiness to provide Iraq with experience to achieve self-reliance in its defense industry.
Abbasi, for his part, said the Iraqi armed forces and nation were still fighting terrorism, appreciating Iran’s assistance as a friendly country in this regard.
“A strong Iran will lead to a strong Iraq and vice versa, and following this path will resolve regional challenges and crises,” he added.