Iran Daily
 
Leader tells Army to upgrade defense readiness
 
Merkel welcomes Iran�s role in any Syria talks
Germany would welcome Iran�s participation in any negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in Syria, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday.

 
Survey: Majority of Americans back nuclear deal with Iran
According to a new poll released on Tuesday majority of Americans support the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

 
UN confirms destruction of Temple of Bel in Syria
Satellite images have confirmed the destruction of the Temple of Bel, which was one of the best preserved Roman-era sites in the Syrian city of Palmyra, a United Nations agency said, after activists said the ISIL terrorist group had targeted it.

 
Thailand arrests second foreign suspect in blast probe
Police hunting those responsible for Thailand�s deadliest bombing arrested a second foreign suspect on Tuesday, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said.

 
Protesters occupy Lebanese ministry
Several dozen activists occupied part of Lebanon�s Environment Ministry on Tuesday, staging a surprise sit-in to demand the minister�s resignation after mass protests which began over a nationwide trash collection crisis.

 
18 Yemeni civilians killed in Saudi attacks
At least 18 civilians were killed in Saudi airstrikes against residential areas across Yemen as part of Riyadh�s ongoing military campaign against its southern neighbor.

 
Speaker urges more efforts to stop spread of terrorism
Iran�s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani warned of the spread of terrorism in the Middle East, calling for more efforts to stop the ominous phenomenon.

 
Zarif: Regional states should determine own fate
Iran�s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says regional states should determine their own fates, adding nobody has a right to interfere in their internal affairs.

 
Leader tells Army to upgrade defense readiness
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei instructed the Iranian Air Force defense forces to constantly upgrade their preparedness for repelling any threat.

 
Several acts of sabotage foiled
Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said that his ministry has defused several acts of sabotage planned by enemies� intelligence services.

 
Tehran Times
 
Leader urges military to boost defense readiness
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on military commanders to constantly improve and upgrade their preparedness for repelling a variety of threats.

 
Iran boasts $518b banking asset, highest in Islamic world
Iran�s banking asset amounts to $518 billion, making the country the biggest asset holder in Islamic banks, said Mehdi Razavi, the chairman of Iran Banking Institute.

 
�Approbative supervision essential to Guardian Council function�
Assembly of Experts Chairman Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi has said that the Guardian Council should exercise its �approbative supervision� on elections.

 
Ground broken for �3 billion refinery in Iran
Construction of an oil refinery with an estimated cost of �3 billion started in Iran�s western province of Kermanshah on Tuesday.

 
Iran deal could open door to Persian Gulf Arab businesses
In the 10 years since RAK Ceramics opened a $40 million tile manufacturing plant in Iran, the United Arab Emirates-based firm has racked up millions of dollars in losses in the Persian country, fired hundreds of employees and all but extinguished its kilns.

 
Soleimani briefs top clerics on regional developments
he Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Major General Qassem Soleimani, on Tuesday briefed members of the Assembly of Experts on the latest developments across the region, a member of the assembly announced.

 
Merkel says would welcome constructive Iranian role in any Syria talks
Germany would welcome Iran�s participation in any negotiations aimed at ending the civil war in Syria, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday.

 
Al-Shabab claims �scores� killed in attack on AU troops
Al-Shabab fighters in Somalia have killed �scores� of African Union troops in an attack south of capital, Mogadishu, a spokesman for the armed group told Al Jazeera.

 
Zarif says Iran will not negotiate regional countries with outsiders
Iran did not include anything but the nuclear case in the nuclear negotiations and the country will not negotiate regional countries with others, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.

 
Democracy doesn�t flow from barrel of gun: Larijani
Iran�s Parliament speaker Ali Larijani says some governments, which purportedly seek democracy for their own peoples, support despotic and violent regimes in some countries and seek to establish democracy in others via bombs and machine guns.

 
Nuclear deal has thrown U.S. into political turmoil: Salehi
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Ali Akbar Salehi says discussions in the United States on the recent nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic and the 5+1 group have thrown Washington into political turmoil.

 
Iran to hold 20 war games by yearend
The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has announced that the armed forces plan to stage some 20 military exercises in the current Iranian year, which ends on March 19, 2016.