Iran in talks with Russia to buy Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

Tel Aviv [Israel], January 27 (ANI/Sputnik): Iran is negotiating the procurement of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 and the parties could conclude the deal soon, Mahmoud Vaezi, the Iranian head of presidential office, said on Wednesday.
"Our ambassador [to Russia] is working on a contract. I hope that the agreement will be signed either today or tomorrow," Vaezi said on Iranian television.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said during his visit to Moscow that Sputnik V was successfully registered in Iran, and Tehran hoped to start its joint production with Russia in the near future.
Sputnik V was registered by the Russian government on August 11. The vaccine is built on a human adenoviral vector platform, which is a well-researched technology in comparison with more modern mRNA medications. The latest interim clinical results in mid-December established the vaccine's efficacy at 91.4 percent.
Aside from Russia, the vaccine was approved for use in Algeria, Argentina, Belarus, Bolivia, Hungary, Palestine, Paraguay, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Registration applications were submitted to the European Union and the World Health Organization. (ANI/Sputnik)