Tasnim� Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei paid a visit to the 31st Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) on Friday.

During a one-and-a-half-hour tour of the exhibition, Ayatollah Khamenei visited 50 pavilions as publishers provided information about their latest publishing activities.

Iranian Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Seyed Abbas Salehi accompanied the Leader in the visit to the book fair.

In a short speech in the exhibition, Leader highlighted the importance of reading books and said it is a necessity for people from all walks of life, the youth in particular.

The TIBF was inaugurated during a ceremony on May 1 attended by high-ranking Iranian officials, including Salehi.

Publishers and delegations from 53 foreign countries are present at the fair and Serbia is the special guest country of the international event.

The Tehran International Book Fair is annually held as a social and cultural phenomenon with book displays, panel discussions and publishing deals.