Iran approves American J&J Covid shot as fifth wave spreads September 16, 2021 at 03:41AM

Iran’s new government has approved the Covid-19 vaccine developed by US firm Johnson & Johnson, a senior official said on Thursday, as the Islamic Republic faces a fifth wave of infections. The announcement came eight months after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned imports of vaccines made by the US and Britain - though Iran has since accepted vaccines developed by Western firms but manufactured elsewhere.