Khamenei receives domestic Covid vax

On Friday, the Supreme Leader received the first dose of the COVIran Barakat vaccine, which was approved for emergency use by the Health Ministry on June 13, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I did not want to use non-Iranian vaccines, so I said I would wait for the Iranian vaccine," Khamenei stated.

He also expressed his gratitude toward the people who have worked to develop the vaccine, which is manufactured by the Barakat Foundation, an affiliate of Iran's Headquarters for the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order (HEIKO).

HEIKO is a state-owned enterprise under the direct control of the country's Supreme Leadership Authority.

On Monday, the spokesman for HEIKO Hojjat Niki Maleki said the organisation expected to produce 20 million doses per month of the vaccine by October.