** IRNA DAILY

-- Iran eyes 20m tons of annual transit: Deputy minister

Iran is seeking to reach common policies with Central Asian countries in order to achieve an annual 20-million-ton transit goal, announced Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari.
“Iran will provide transit routes to its landlocked neighbors to achieve the goal,” he said in a meeting on transit cooperation between Iran and five Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan which started in Tehran on Saturday.

-- Development of tourism in South Khorasan Province crucial

South Khorasan, the easternmost province of Iran, is the land of red gold (saffron), dreamy deserts, old aqueducts, elevated castles, green gardens, museums, caves, historic mosques, caravanserais, cisterns, and tourist villages.
Known as the cradle of civilizations and cultures, South Khorasan Province has a border with Afghanistan on the east and neighbors Sistan and Baluchestan, Kerman, Yazd, Isfahan and Khorasan Razavi provinces.
The climate of the province is arid, and the autumn is a best time to visit the region, especially when saffron is harvested.
Despite being located in a desert region, the province has numerous green areas with a unique pristine nature which surprises everyone. You can find a combination of various attractions in the province.

-- IME weekly trade surpasses $525m

The Iran Mercantile Exchange (IME) announced that over 2.3 million tons of commodities, worth over $525 million, were traded in its domestic trading and export halls in the week closing on October 7.
A total of 1.89 million tons of various products, worth about $317 million, were traded at IME’s domestic and export metal and mineral trading hall.

** KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL

-- Official: Sanctions Backbone of U.S. Human Rights

 Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has censured the new round of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic, saying the bans are the “backbone” of the so-called American human rights regulations.

Kan’ani made the remark in a post on his Instagram account, after the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on seven Iranian officials over what it claimed to be the shutdown of internet access and the crackdown on protesters.

-- Tehran, Caracas Keen on Developing Cooperation in Gas Field

The CEO of Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company Reza Noshadi and the Vice President of Venezuela Oil Company in gas affairs Juan Santana have met and discussed cooperation in the field of gas and equipment supply.
In the meeting, Noshadi said that there are very good relations between the two countries and emphasized the need to operationalize the data-x-items agreed upon in the previous negotiations.
“Iranian companies manufacture the most complex equipment with the best quality and according to the latest international standards,” he said.

-- Iran Advance to U-17 Asian Cup 2023 Finals

Iran confirmed its ticket to the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023 Finals with a 4-0 win over the Kyrgyz Republic in Group I of the Qualifiers on Friday. Iran, who defeated Laos 3-0 in its opener, is assured of top place irrespective of its result against already eliminated Hong Kong, who lost 5-0 to Laos in the day’s earlier match.
Kasra Taheri opened the scoring for Iran in the 30th minute. Defender Nima Andarz doubled Iran’s lead in the 57th minute. Reza Ghandi Pour made it 3-0 in the 77th minute and Alireza Homaeifard was on target in the 81st minute. Iran will play Hong Kong on Sunday.

** TEHRAN TIMES

--“Seven Symphonies of Zagros” honored at Belgrade ethnological filmfest

 The Iranian documentary “Seven Symphonies of Zagros” has won the Dobrivoje Pantelic Award at the 31st International Festival of Ethnological Films in Belgrade. The award is dedicated to the best film about indigenous culture in independent production.

“‘Seven Symphonies of Zagros’ is a lyrical documentary, full of gorgeous scenes of the countryside,” the jury comprising Sandrine Loncke, Meghanne Barker and Ivan Milosavljevic said in a statement published on Friday.

-- Riots' long-term consequences for Iranian economy

 Iran has witnessed incidents of street violence over the past few days following the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in hospital after she was taken by morality police for violating social dress codes. Despite clarification on the circumstances surrounding Amini’s death, with the incitement of anti-Iran media, rioters appeared in the streets of some cities and damaged public property.

The violent protests led to attacks on security officers and acts of vandalism against public property as well as ambulances and police vehicles.