Iran Daily 
 
Leader says not opposed to nuclear talks
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said in Tehran on Monday that he is not optimistic about Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 group, but noted that he is not opposed to the talks, either.

 
Envoy: Iran seeks settlement of S-300 dispute
Iran’s ambassador to Russia said Tehran hopes to see a friendly settlement of its dispute with Moscow regarding the delivery of Russian-made S-300 missile systems to the Islamic Republic.

 
Iran to set up carbon trading market
Iran plans to set up a carbon trading market to reduce industrial emissions of climate-warming gas, an official from Iran’s Fuel Conservation Organization (IFCO) said.

 
Venezuela expels three US diplomats
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused Washington of plotting with anti-government protesters and expelled three US diplomats in retaliation.

 
Iran takes over presidency of OIC parl. union
Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani assumed the rotating president of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation Member States (PUOICM) on Monday.

 
Energy key to global interaction
President Hassan Rouhani said Monday that energy plays a key role in interacting with the world based on national interests of all countries.

 
Tehran warns Pakistan to secure borders
Iran has asked Pakistan to secure its borders, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Monday.

 
UNODC lauds Iran efforts on drug demand reduction
Representative of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Iran, Leik Boonwaat has praised Iranian non-governmental organizations’ efforts in drug demand reduction.

 
Tehran Times 
 
Leader not opposed to nuclear talks, but not optimistic
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says he is not optimistic about the nuclear talks between Iran and the major powers but is not opposed to them.

 
Cash subsidy payments will only go to low-income families, Iranian MPs decide
On Monday, Iranian MPs approved a clause in the national budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year, which starts on March 21, according to which cash payments in the second phase of the subsidy reform plan will only be given to low-income families.

 
Syrian army recaptures village in Hama
The Syrian army recaptured on Monday an Alawite village in central Hama province where rebels “massacred” civilians earlier this month, state news agency SANA said.

 
‘Calm Syrian election can only be held if transfer of terrorists, arms stopped’
A Contd. on P. 4 high-ranking Iranian Foreign Ministry official says that it will not be possible to hold a “calm election” in Syria if the dispatching of terrorists and the shipment of arms to the country are not halted.

 
We will keep fighting in Syria: Nasrallah
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said Sunday that his party would fight on in Syria despite the wave of car bombings targeting predominantly Shia areas in Lebanon controlled by the group.

 
Venezuelan president expels U.S. diplomats amid protests
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday ordered the expulsion of three U.S. Embassy officials after Washington came to the defense of an opposition hard-liner accused by Venezuela’s leader of responsibility for bloodshed during anti-government protests.

 
Bahraini activist Zainab al-Khawaja freed after nearly a year in prison
After nearly a year in prison for multiple convictions, Bahraini activist Zainab al-Khawaja was released on Sunday, AFP reported.

 
Iran threatens to take action to free abducted border guards
Iran says it may send forces to Pakistan to secure the release of its five abducted border guards if Islamabad does not take necessary measures to free them.

 
Egyptian and Iranian consular officials hold talks
The Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs, Ali Al Ashiri, met with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Ghashghavi in Tehran on Monday.

 
A nuclear deal requires compromise from Iran and the west
At a meeting in Vienna on Tuesday, negotiators from Iran and six world powers will begin hammering out a long-term agreement that would resolve questions related to Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for respecting Iran’s right to use peaceful nuclear technology and a gradual lifting of sanctions.

 
Qatar FM appreciates Iran’s approach toward Persian Gulf Arab states
Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, has said that Iran’s positive approach toward the Persian Gulf Arab states has provided numerous opportunities.

 
Iran, Russia have vast potential to boost economic ties: ambassador
Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei says Tehran and Moscow have vast potential to boost their economic and political relations.

 
Political will required to find solution to nuclear issue: Zarif
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that “political will” and “goodwill” are required in order to find a final solution to Iran’s nuclear issue.