Iran on Thursday received its first batch of foreign-made coronavirus vaccines as the country struggles to stem the worst outbreak of the pandemic in the Middle East.
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The shipment consists of 500,000 doses of Russian-made Sputnik V vaccines which arrived at Tehran's Imam Khomeieni International Airport from Moscow, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Iranian state TV quoted Tehran's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, saying that Iran has ordered 5 million doses from Russia. The next batches are to arrive on Feb. 18 and Feb. 28, said Jalali.
However, a report on the semi-official ISNA news agency appeared to contradict Jalali's statement and the Fars report. ISNA quoted Mohammadreza Shanehsaz, head of Iran's food and drug organization, as saying Thursday's shipment included only 10,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine.
The conflicting reports could not be immediately reconciled. Shanehsaz also said that Iran had purchased 2 million dozes, not 5 million.
