Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that the Islamic Republic had approved Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for use on its citizens.

“I would like to tell you that the Sputnik V vaccine was registered in Iran yesterday. It was approved by our sanitary authorities,” Zarif said at a press conference after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“We hope we will soon be able to buy it and start joint production [by] the relevant institutes in Russia and Iran”, the top Iranian diplomat added.

Iran is currently working on developing its own COVID-19 vaccines. Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said last week that Iran expected the first vaccine to be ready by the spring, and another two or three by summer.

Tehran is also considering the option of purchasing vaccines manufactured by other countries, except for the UK and US-made vaccines, as they were banned by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei.

Source: Agencies