The Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) has approved three foreign-made COVID-19 vaccines for use including AstraZeneca's, despite Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei previously banning British jabs.

Speaking on Wednesday evening, IFDA spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour announced that emergency use permits had been granted for India's COVAXIN shot, produced by Bharat Biotech, as well as two versions of the AstraZeneca vaccine – one manufactured by Russia's R-Pharm and the other by South Korea's SKBio Company.

The only COVID-19 vaccine previously approved in Iran was Russia's Sputnik V, after the two nations signed a deal for two million jabs to be delivered.

Tehran announced in early February that British-Swedish pharma firm AstraZeneca would start delivering 4.2 million doses of its vaccine that same month through the global COVAX initiative. 

The news came despite British and American vaccines being hit with a blanket ban by Khamenei in January.  

(With input from agencies)