Top News of Last Week with ANA 

Azad News Agency (ANA) published a number of scientific and technological news during the past week whose top ones are as follows:

Iran, Turkmenistan Sign Deal to Build New Railway Lines

Iran and Turkmenistan reached an agreement to build two new railway lines aimed at alleviating the backlog of cargo at the Sarakhs railway terminal. 

Talking to reporters after a meeting with Turkmenistan’s Minister of Railways Mammet Akmammedov, Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Jabbar Ali Zakeri announced that Iran and Turkmenistan agreed to construct two new railway lines at the Sarakhs border crossing to enhance freight transport between the two countries.

The agreement was reached during bilateral meetings in Turkmenbashi, held on the sidelines of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.

Zakeri stated that the project will include the construction of one standard-gauge and one broad-gauge line connecting the Sarakhs stations on both sides of the border.

He underlined the significance of expanding rail infrastructure to improve regional connectivity and noted that technical discussions between the two countries’ rail administrations would follow shortly.

Iran’s NISOC Implementing Overhaul Operation in over 100 Processing Units

The National Iranian South Oilfields Co. (NISOC) has begun major overhauls on more than 100 processing units since early April, with 27 of them prioritized for their direct impact on oil production, the company’s head of industrial equipment and process machinery maintenance said.

Comprehensive maintenance, known in the industry as overhauling, is considered a cornerstone of production stability in Iran’s oil sector — particularly at NISOC, which produces more than 85% of the country’s crude. With aging infrastructure, sanctions-related supply constraints, and the need to preserve output capacity, the company has intensified preventive and scheduled maintenance programs in recent years, the oil ministry’s news website reported.

“The slightest production drop — even for a moment — can have far-reaching consequences for the nation’s energy supply, economy, and exports,” said Omid Kiani, the company’s maintenance chief.

From a total of about 300 process units slated for overhaul in the current Iranian year, work has started on more than 100, including preheaters, electrostatic desalters, hydrogen sulfide removal towers, and coalescer tanks. Summer is considered the optimal season for overhauls in the south, where hot weather spans about seven months a year, allowing 60% to 70% of annual work to be concentrated in that period.

Iranian Firms Producing Advanced Material Testing Equipment

Iranian knowledge-based companies managed to develop different advanced material testing equipment to examine and measure the physical, chemical, structural, and mechanical properties of materials.

Microscopes: Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) are the advanced equipment developed by the Iranian companies and are used to observe nanometer and atomic structures. Also atomic force microscope (AFM) is used for surface analysis with nanometer precision.

Equipment for spectroscopy and chemical analysis: Includes X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) to determine the crystal structure of materials, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to analyze the surface chemical composition, and mass spectrometry (MS) and gas chromatography/mass (GC/MS) to identify chemical compounds.

Equipment for mechanical and thermal tests: Includes hardness testing, tensile testing, and bending testing to examine mechanical properties, and thermal analysis to determine the behavior of materials against temperature changes.

Equipment for surface and nanostructure analysis: Includes equipment such as optical and mechanical profilometers for measuring surface roughness and topography and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis for determining the size of nano particles.

Iran’s Steel Production Increases

Official figures reported by the Iranian Steel Producers Association (ISPA) indicate that intermediate steel production reached 10, 864,000 tons in the first 4 months of the current Persian calendar year (started on March 21), showing a 0.7% increase compared to the same period last year.

Intermediate steel production reached 10, 864,000 tons in the first four months of this year, which indicates a 0.7% increase in the country's steel production compared to the same period in the previous year.

With a production of 311,000 tons in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year, figures show a 39.5% decrease in steel production, although rebar production shows a 2.7% increase compared to the same period last year with 3, 516,000 tons.

The total production of long steel sections in the first four months of this year was 4, 124,000 tons, which has recorded a 3% decrease compared to the same period last year.

Hot and cold rolled steel also reported a 6% decrease in production, each separately, compared to the first four months of last year.

Iranian Team Wins 11 Awards in FIRA RoboWorld Cup, IESO 2025

The Iranian robotics team could win 11 awards in the FIRA 2025 World Robotics and AI Competition in Daegu, South Korea.

The Federation of International RoboSports Association (FIRA) and the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) competitions were held in South Korea and China, respectively.

The Iranian participants at the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) in Ji’ning, China, grabbed four bronze medals.

FIRA RoboWorld Cup and Summit 2025 was held from August 11 to 15. The game was held in 46 events in four leagues, including the “Sports League,” an autonomous robot for bipedal walking, the “Challenge League,” such as autonomous vehicles and start-up competitions, the “Air League” such as indoor disaster rescue racing using drones, and the “Youth League,” a youth creative task.

The Iranian delegations won five championships in the Air League and Sport League (students under the age of 19), as well as Challenge and Youth League. They secured four runner-up positions and two third-places in autonomous vehicles, youth creative task, and the Sport League.

Iranian Company Produces Precious Metal Casting Plaster

Experts at a knowledge-based company in Iran managed to make precious metal casting plaster needed by the jewelry industry.

“Our main field of activity is mineral binders such as gypsum and cement, mineral chemical industries, and mineral processing that are used in the construction industry,” said Ebrahim Najafi Kani, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.

“We produce advanced chemical additives for the production of different gypsum and cement products,” he added.

Noting that precious metal casting plaster meets the market needs in the field of precision casting of various non-ferrous metals like gold and silver, Najafi said, "Gold casting plaster for 3D printing resin models has so far been used from foreign samples but relying on our capable research and development team, we were able to mass-produce a completely home-made sample of this product in accordance with international ISO standards."

Iran’s NGL 3100 Project to Turn Flare Gas into Economic Opportunity

Ramin Hatami, the integrated planning manager of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), said that the South Ilam Flare Gas Gathering Project (NGL 3100) will convert hundreds of millions of cubic feet of gas annually into feedstock for downstream industries and petrochemical plants.

Hatami emphasized that the project represents the preservation of national assets and the creation of sustainable employment in one of the country’s most underprivileged regions, the oil ministry’s website reported.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the project, Hatami noted that NGL 3100 is responsible for collecting and refining flare gas, playing a key role in completing the oil industry’s value chain.

He added that the project was implemented in Dasht-e Abbas, Dehloran County, an area symbolizing the sacrifice and dedication of the nation’s finest. 

"Today, we proudly announce that your children in the oil industry have made this project a reality in the same region," he said.

Iranian Technicians Find Way to Monitor, Control Charging of Wireless Battery Cells

Iranian technologists were able to monitor and control the charging of batteries by achieving the technical know-how and indigenization of the Power Monitoring System (SPG), or the wireless battery cell management system.

The system increases the battery’s lifespan to provide emergency power to industrial equipment at any time and ensures the integrity of the DC link of the battery cells to maintain power continuity.

“The battery monitoring system for battery cells and UPS is used in transmission and distribution substations, refineries, power plants, factories, telecommunication equipment and places with emergency battery cells,” said Mousa Ayati, a faculty member of the University of Tehran.

Noting that batteries are the most key element in the performance of UPSs and energy storage systems and emergency power, he said, “The main cause of 75 percent of UPS failures is energy storage systems or emergency power batteries; therefore, battery reliability is key in electrical systems, and accurate and detailed monitoring is vital.”

Ayati explained that the battery management system ensures maximum continuity of power supply for important loads and loads whose power supply should not be interrupted, adding, “Since the battery management is directly connected to the charging circuit, this system prevents overcharging of cells by balancing the batteries, thus increasing the life of the battery.”

Tehran University of Medical Sciences, University of Tehran among Top 500 World Universities

Tehran University of Medical Sciences and University of Tehran are among the top 500 universities in the world and have taken the first place among Iranian universities in the Shanghai 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), an official said.

“In the Shanghai 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), 1,000 top universities in the world have been ranked, and like last year, Harvard and Stanford Universities and MIT in the US have taken the first to third places, respectively,” said Mohammad Mehdi Alavian Mehr, the head of the Islamic World Science and Technology Citation and Monitoring Institute (ISC).

He added that in this ranking, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and University of Tehran have been able to be placed among the top 500 universities in the world and have taken the first and second places among the Iranian universities, with a ranking in the range of 401-500.

“Also, Tarbiat Modares University is considered as the third Iranian university in this ranking,” Alavian Mehr said.

“The Shanghai Ranking 2025 features 51 universities from 10 Islamic countries. Saudi Arabia and Turkey have the highest number of universities in the ranking with 13 and 11 universities respectively, and Iran and Egypt have the highest number of universities with 6 universities each,” he noted.

Iran to Hold Internationalization Camp for Knowledge-Based Companies

Hamedan city’s Science and Technology Park in Western Iran will host the 12th Internationalization Camp for Knowledge-Based, Creative Companies with the support of the Organization for the Development of International Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

The event, which aims to empower companies to enter the global markets, provides a special opportunity for business development and increased exports.

The Internationalization Camp for Knowledge-Based, Creative Companies will be held at the Hamedan Science and Technology Park on Thursday, August 28, at 9:00 -18:00.

The event will include key topics like introduction of support tools of the Organization for the Development of International Scientific and Technological Cooperation, marketing training workshops and international market analysis by using the World Trade Center tools, exports training from origin to destination, and exports consulting sessions.

Iran Launches QKD Network to End Invisible Eavesdropping

Iranian researchers at the Quantum Center of Sharif University of Technology, with the support of the Digital Knowledge-Based Economy, Connectivity and Communications Headquarters of the Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, succeeded in designing the first quantum key distribution network (QKD) specifically for Tehran city.

Javad Salehi, a faculty member of Sharif University of Technology and the project executor, described the project a starting point for the expansion of quantum technology in Iran, and said, “The designed network is equipped with advanced quantum receiver and transmitter equipment and optical switches. In this project, the O band in optical fiber is used for quantum communications, which allows for secure coexistence with classical communications. The network is designed in such a way that it uses the existing fiber optic infrastructure in Tehran and eliminates the need to create a new physical platform.”

“Implementation of this network will put Iran among the few countries with an operational quantum key distribution infrastructure and can significantly improve communication security in sensitive areas like e-government, banking systems, and healthcare services," he added.

"This project also paves the way for the formation of specialized knowledge-based companies in the field of quantum communications," Salehi said.

Iran-Made Nanosensors Detect Bombs, Drugs

An Iranian researcher started a project to develop the artificial smell, a technology that can detect specific odors like explosives and drugs, and it can also be used in diagnosing diseases in the future.

“One of our achievements is the development of artificial smell, which is in the research and development (R&D) stage. This technology leads to the detection of specific odors like explosives and drugs,” said Amirhossein Azizi.

Stressing the project’s success in detecting some samples in the initial tests, he said, "In this technology, we use nanomaterial sensors that react with odor molecules and the type of substance is detected through an optical detection system."

“This technology can be used in places where there is a possibility of bombing or the presence of drugs. In foreign samples, even breath odor is used to diagnose some diseases, and they are more than 90 percent accurate. We are also trying to reach a high level of accuracy,” Azizi said.

Iranian Knowledge-Based Companies to Participate in Arablab Expo in Dubai

 Iranian knowledge-based companies are due to participate in the Dubai Laboratory Equipment Exhibition, titled as Arablab 2025, at the Dubai World Trade Center on September 23-25.

The Iranian knowledge-based firms are supported by the Organization for Development of International Cooperation in Science and Technology.

The Arablab expo will bring together industry leaders, researchers, and innovators to showcase the latest technologies, products, and solutions in scientific research, testing, and development.

It serves as a platform to connect a wide range of global industries, setting the standard for lab excellence and attracting a global audience of exhibitors and visitors from around the world.

The exhibition will cover a wide range of fields, including general and industrial laboratory equipment, environment, petroleum and petrochemical industries, materials and metallurgy, agriculture, organic and inorganic chemistry, water and wastewater analysis, food quality control, medical diagnostics, pharmaceutical research and development, biotechnology, and scientific imaging.

Iranian Scientists Produce Nanocomposite Hydrogels to Increase Oil Fields’ Output

Researchers at the Iranian Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, in collaboration with their colleagues from a knowledge-based company, succeeded in making smart nanocomposite hydrogels that can control sand production from reservoirs as a serious challenge of the oil industry.

The achievement will reduce costs caused by pipeline erosion and well blockages and decrease environmental damage.

A team of Iranian researchers succeeded in designing and developing smart nanocomposite hydrogels that, with the ability to control and reduce sand production from oil reservoirs, can play a significant role in increasing productivity and reducing costs in the oil industry. This achievement, aimed at promoting enhanced oil recovery technology and as an economic-environmental approach, can become one of the country's strategic tools in preserving national resources.

The main innovation of this research team lies in the use of smart nanocomposite hydrogels. These hydrogels can behave dually in relation to oil and water. They swell and increase in volume in an aqueous environment, while they shrink in an oil environment. This smart behavior allows the product to simultaneously reduce the amount of produced water and improve oil flow.

Another important feature of these nanocomposites is their capability to change the zeta potential of sand particles and increase the strength of the formation. In other words, this material causes sand to stick together and prevents them from moving freely in the reservoir fluid flow, without damaging the formation.

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