Feb 8 - The Iranian film “A Separation” which is vying for an Oscar at the US Academy Awards, is a “universal” tale that resonates strongly with foreign audiences, its lead actor told AFP on Wednesday.

The movie’s international popularity -- evidenced by multiple festival prizes over the past year -- stems not so much from the rare glimpse it offers into ordinary lives in Tehran as its shared themes of love, lies and honour, Peyman Maadi said.

It has clicked “with universal audiences and that is why it has won various prizes and received international critical acclaim,” said the 41-year-old./-

Feb 8 - Iran's ambassador to the Vatican said Wednesday Pope Benedict XVI is welcome to visit Iran and that Vatican officials could play a role to resolve the international spat over Tehran's nuclear programme.

"If the Holy Father decides to embark on such a visit, we would be ready to welcome him in an excellent way and with enthusiasm," Ambassador Ali Akbar Naseri was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.

An invitation by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the pontiff to visit the Islamic Republic dates back to November 2010 when the Vatican's top interfaith dialogue official, Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran visited Tehran, Naseri said.

Iran and the Holy See had "very sincere and cordial relations," that were cemented by talks every two years with the next round scheduled to take place October in Rome, Naseri said.

"When I presented my credentials (as ambassador) Pope Benedict XVI said that the peaceful use of nuclear (power) is a right of each nation," Naseri said, according to ANSA.

The Iranian ambassador also said he believed that Vatican envoys to the European Union could "contribute in a positive way" to defuse tensions over Iran's nuclear programme./-

Feb 8 – Iran and China will start talks in the coming days to substitute the dollar as the currency used to bilaterally trade, Mehr news agency reported Wednesday.

The discussions will take place amid a growing number obstacles preventing China from paying for crude imports using the petro-dollar, including the U.S. mandate to punish companies doing business with Iran.

China's crude-oil imports from Iran last year were up 30 percent from 2010, to 27.76 million metric tons, according to China's General Administration of Customs – around 557,000 barrels a day.

In the first half of 2011, China was the largest importer of Iranian crude, followed by Japan, India, South Korea and Italy, according to data from the U.S. Energy Department.

China is the top buyer of Iranian oil, accounting for around 20 percent of its total exports, but since January it has cut purchases by around 285,000 barrels per day (bpd), or just over half of the total daily amount it imported in 2011./-