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Top Stories
NYT:
"The Obama administration, seeking to plug loopholes in its
sanctions against Iran, said Thursday that it would impose additional
measures against more than a dozen companies and people involved in that
country's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The administration also
identified a web of front companies that it says the Iranian government
uses to try to evade American and European restrictions on its oil
exports. The measures, announced by the Treasury Department, are
intended to tighten the vise on Iran, which has continued to defy the
West over its nuclear program despite evidence that the sanctions are
damaging its oil industry and economy. 'Today's actions are the next step
on that path, taking direct aim at disrupting Iran's nuclear and ballistic
missile programs, as well as its deceptive efforts to use front companies
to sell and move its oil,' David S. Cohen, the undersecretary of the
Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a
statement." http://t.uani.com/NmhGxq
Reuters:
"The United States ramped up pressure on Iran's ability to export
oil on Thursday, identifying Tehran's main tanker firm and exposing
dozens of its vessels as government-controlled entities. In the latest
set of measures designed to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, the
U.S. Treasury identified the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), 58
of its vessels and 27 of its affiliates as extensions of the state, which
would undermine Iran's attempts to use renamed, disguised vessels to
evade sanctions, the department said. The identifications, which also
included naming what Washington said were four front companies for Iran's
state oil enterprise, would help countries and foreign companies comply
with Western penalties against Iran. An Obama administration official
said the measures would have some impact on Iran's ability to sell oil.
'It will make it that much more difficult for Iran to deceive potential
purchasers about the origin of the oil,' the official told
reporters." http://t.uani.com/NxwNX9
WashPost:
"Congress is moving to dramatically tighten economic sanctions
against Iran as lawmakers from both major parties express impatience over
U.S. efforts to halt the expansion of Iran's nuclear program. House and
Senate officials began crafting legislation this week that congressional
leaders say will deepen the pain for Iran across multiple fronts, making
it even harder for Iranian businesses to buy insurance, obtain foreign
financing and export goods. The proposals, some of which could carry
financial risks for U.S. allies as well, have attracted scores of
Republican and Democratic sponsors, who say they will push for passage
before the August recess. Supporters say the measures would build on
sanctions approved last year that helped trim Iran's oil exports by 40
percent." http://t.uani.com/PVclmS
Nuclear
Program
Daily
Telegraph: "Sir John Sawers said that covert operations by
British spies had prevented the Iranians from developing nuclear weapons
as early as 2008. However, the MI6 chief said it was now likely they
would achieve their goal by 2014, making a military strike from the US
and Israel increasingly likely. Sir John gave a secret briefing to the
Cabinet in March about Iran's growing military threat but this is the
first time his views on the issue have been made public. It is extremely
rare for the head of MI6 to disclose details of operations by the
intelligence service." http://t.uani.com/PRBvBq
AFP:
"US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday urged South-east
Asian nations to help keep up pressure on Iran and end a diplomatic
stalemate over talks on its suspect nuclear program. The United States
viewed regional body Asean 'as a partner in the broad international
effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons', Mrs Clinton told
a meeting of East Asian nations in Cambodia, according to the text of a
speech released to the media." http://t.uani.com/Mpf2YC
AP:
"War games this month showcased missiles with improved accuracy and
firing capabilities, Iranian media reports said Friday, an apparent
response to stepped up Western moves against Iran's nuclear program.
Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards conducted the exercise in the
central desert, firing ballistic missiles including a long-range variety
meant to deter an Israeli or U.S. attack. The targets were models of
foreign military bases, and the stated goal was to show that Iran's
missiles can hit Western bases and Israel." http://t.uani.com/N5s6Ga
Al-Monitor:
"Dennis Ross, President Obama's former adviser and special envoy to
the Middle East and Iran, declared during an interview with Al-Hayat that
a diplomatic solution is still viable with Tehran because of 'economic
pressures' and 'the changes in the regional balance of power.'" http://t.uani.com/M6WCO0
Sanctions
Bloomberg:
"Abu Dhabi is exporting oil through the first Middle Eastern
pipeline in three decades to circumvent the Strait of Hormuz as producers
seek to nullify Iranian threats to block the shipping chokepoint. The
$3.3 billion link across the United Arab Emirates to the port of
Fujairah, to be inaugurated July 15, ensures that at least some Abu Dhabi
crude will reach buyers if Iran shuts the waterway. A closure of the
transit point would put at risk a fifth of the world's oil supplies.
'This is a significant step to maintain the flow of oil if there is ever
an issue of security around the Gulf,' said Danny Sebright, president of
the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council in Washington and a former Defense
Department and intelligence official who worked on the Gulf region."
http://t.uani.com/OCCkcv
Reuters:
"Iran's fuel oil exports fell nearly 50 percent from May to June,
according to industry sources, adding to declines earlier this year and
to the strain on Tehran's finances as sanctions have hit its oil trade.
Fuel oil exports from the OPEC member, a major supplier to Asia and
Middle East, sank to 396,000 tonnes in June from around 777,000 tonnes in
May, according to a firm that tracks oil shipments. Its exports to Asia
fell the most in June, down 84 percent from just over half a million
tonnes in May to around 80,000 tonnes... The United States has
blacklisted some companies due to their business links with Iran,
including United Arab Emirates-based Fal Oil and Singapore's Kuo-Oil,
once lifters of Iranian fuel oil... More than half of Iran's June fuel oil
exports were lifted by oil trader Vitol. Syrian refiner Sytrol received
around 75,000 tonnes, while China's ZhenRong lifted around 83,000 tonnes,
according to the data." http://t.uani.com/OiK5TU
Bloomberg:
"Japan will load its first Iranian crude cargo backed by sovereign
guarantees since sanctions disrupted coverage in the international
reinsurance market. JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp. and Idemitsu Kosan
Co. will load about 1.7 million barrels of Iranian crude on the very
large crude carrier Ryuho Maru on about July 20 at Kharg Island, the
country's biggest oil-export terminal, according to three officials from
the refiners and Japan's trade ministry. The tanker, owned by Iino Kaiun
Kaisha Ltd., will be backed by the Japanese state, they said, asking not
to be identified because the information is confidential. Japan's Iranian
crude imports will fall in July because refiners were unsure whether the
sovereign insurance would be available when they planned July-loading
schedules last month, the officials said." http://t.uani.com/PVdKK1
AFP:
"South Korea is considering accepting Iran's proposal to supply oil
to Seoul using its own oil tankers, a government source said Monday,
after oil imports from Tehran were halted due to the European Union's ban
on insuring Iranian oil shipments. Iran has proposed that South Korean
oil refiners use Tehran's own oil tankers, a move that would allow them
to receive crude shipments without concerns over insurance guarantees,
the source said on the condition of anonymity. 'Korean oil refiners and
the Iranian side have been in consultations over the matter of using
Iranian-flagged oil tankers to resume oil shipments,' the source
said." http://t.uani.com/M6T7qY
Free Beacon:
"Turkey has exchanged nearly 60 tons of gold for several million
tons of Iranian crude oil, despite its promises to uphold Western
sanctions on Iran's energy sector, according to recent Turkish reports.
By using gold instead of money, Turkey is able to skirt Western sanctions
on Iran's oil trade, particularly those pertaining to SWIFT, the global
money transfer service that until recently assisted the Central Bank of
Iran and other Iranian financial institutions. Over the past several
months, Turkey has given Iran 60 tons of gold, or more than $3 billion,
according to a July 8 report on the Turkish news site Vatan Online. The
report was translated by the Open Source Center, a translation service
used by the CIA. The exchanges raise questions about the Obama
administration's decision to grant Turkey a temporary waiver exempting it
from U.S. sanctions to Iran, according to foreign policy experts and
those on Capitol Hill who speculated that the revelation could spur
Congress to pass a new round of Iran sanctions to prevent such
trades." http://t.uani.com/Ndhkx1
Reuters:
"Turkey is struggling to import Iranian oil in July because of
Western sanctions on ship insurance, trading and shipping sources told
Reuters, leaving Tehran battling to sell oil now stuck in storage tanks
in Egypt. Turkey, which relies on Iran for half its crude needs, has
already cut imports of Iranian oil by a fifth from average levels of 2011
to win waivers from U.S. sanctions. But volumes will now likely fall much
steeper as Turkish main refiner Tupras cannot import Iranian oil on
Turkish tankers after European Union sanctions against Tehran stopped the
region's firms, which dominate the marine insurance sector, from offering
cover on Iranian crude." http://t.uani.com/PVeIpE
Reuters:
"India's biggest buyer of Iranian oil may only import one-fifth of
the 3.3 million barrels of crude it had scheduled for July due to
insurance and shipping difficulties caused by European Union sanctions on
Tehran, industry sources said. The possible drop in imports by
state-owned refiner Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL)
underscores the problems the EU sanctions, which ban most of the world's
major insurance firms from covering shipments of Iranian oil, have
created for Iran's major Asian customers China, India and Japan since
coming into effect on July 1... MPRL had planned to import five cargoes
of 660,000 barrels each from Iran in July. The shipping ministry gave it
approval to ship a single cargo on an Iranian tanker after the blanket
approval was withdrawn, two industry sources said." http://t.uani.com/NfOtbb
WSJ:
"The European Union's ban on Iranian oil has pushed up the price of
similar types of low-quality oil as buyers scrabble for alternative
supplies. Paradoxically, there are surprising bargains to be found for
refiners with the flexibility to purchase and process higher-quality
grades. While the price of high-sulfur Russian Urals crude has risen
sharply since the embargo began on July 1, higher-quality grades in the
Mediterranean and West Africa have come under pressure, providing some unexpected
breathing room for at least some European refiners." http://t.uani.com/MpAQBK
Trend:
"Iran called back seven of its 10 tankers working in European Union,
Mehr News Agency reported, saying this step is Iran's way of applying
sanctions against the Union. An Iran National Oil Company's official told
Mehr anonymously that Iran's 10 super tankers have been sailing in EU,
but recently seven of them have been called back to Iran from
Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf... Iran called back seven of its 10
tankers working in European Union, Mehr News Agency reported, saying this
step is Iran's way of applying sanctions against the Union. An Iran
National Oil Company's official told Mehr anonymously that Iran's 10
super tankers have been sailing in EU, but recently seven of them have
been called back to Iran from Mediterranean Sea to the Persian
Gulf." http://t.uani.com/NvktGQ
Reuters:
"At its gleaming store, RadanMac offers the latest Apple gear - the
new iPad, iPhones, iPods, laptops, all-in-one desktop computers and more.
But this is no ordinary Apple store. It's in Tehran, where Apple and
other U.S. computer products are banned under U.S. sanctions that have
been in place for years. Despite the embargo, RadanMac is one of an
estimated 100 stores in the Iranian capital that openly sell Apple
products, often at little more than U.S. prices. 'Business has been
booming for the last three years,' said Majid Tavassoli, the store's
owner, in a phone interview. He said his company employs more than 20
staffers and has been supplying Apple products to Iranian buyers since
1995. The company also has a servicing unit and a business sales arm
whose clients have included the Central Bank of Iran, state television
channels, newspapers and design professionals." http://t.uani.com/LUs7bG
Corporate
Malfeasance
Reuters:
"The FBI has opened a criminal investigation into ZTE Corp's sale of
banned U.S. computer equipment to Iran, a website reported, as the
Chinese telecoms gear maker warned its first half net profit could fall
as much as 80 percent. The federal investigations stem from a Reuters
report in March that Shenzhen-based ZTE sold Iran's largest telecoms firm
a powerful surveillance system capable of monitoring landline, mobile and
Internet communications, the Smoking Gun website reported... The March
Reuters article also reported that ZTE's 907-page 'Packing List' for the
$120 million contract, dated July 24, 2011, included hardware and
software products from several top U.S. tech companies, including
Microsoft Corp, Hewlett-Packard Co, Oracle Corp, Cisco Systems Inc and
Dell Inc. Sales of the equipment are prohibited by U.S. sanctions on
Iran. The Smoking Gun reported that the FBI was also investigating ZTE's
alleged attempts to cover up the sale and obstruct a Department of
Commerce probe." http://t.uani.com/Mpzrvh
FT:
"South Africa has suspended its former ambassador to Iran in
relation to corruption allegations made in a $4.2bn lawsuit filed against
MTN, the South African emerging markets mobile phone operator. Turkcell,
the Turkish operator, launched legal action against MTN in the US in
March, claiming that the South African group used bribes and its
influence to get South Africa to abstain from a vote on Iran at the
International Atomic Energy Agency in order to win Iran's second mobile
phone licence in 2005... The group has also come under pressure from the
Democratic Alliance, a South African opposition party, and has been the
focus of a campaign by United Against Nuclear Iran, a US anti-Iran lobby
group." http://t.uani.com/Mlf6ML
Human Rights
RFE/RL:
"A court in Tehran has banned the 12-year-old daughter of jailed
Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh from leaving Iran. Sotoudeh's
husband, Reza Khandan, who was also banned from traveling abroad, tells
RFE/RL's Radio Farda that the court did not provide any reason for its
decision. It can be appealed within 20 days. Khandan argues that even if
his daughter, Mehraveh, has committed a crime, she should have been
summoned to a court for minors. He describes the ruling as 'unexpected,'
especially since he and his daughter were not planning to travel outside
the Islamic republic." http://t.uani.com/NlcWv2
CNN:
"How many young people have gotten in trouble for something they've
posted on Facebook? Maybe a party picture or an offensive comment
compromised their chances at a job. But a 25-year-old Iranian says his
Facebook activity has led to his father's detention in a notorious prison
in Tehran. And now he's struggling to find a way to free him. 'I want my
family to forgive me,' Yashar Khameneh said. 'But I believe what I
believe in.' A year ago, while studying at a college in Holland, Khameneh
joined a Facebook page that made fun of a top Shiite Muslim imam, Ali
al-Naqi al-Hadi." http://t.uani.com/NvnWVT
Guardian:
"In the age of emails and tweets, writing old-fashioned letters has
become the new way of expressing dissent in Iran. The veteran journalist
Mohammad Nourizad wrote his first open letter to Iran's supreme leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the aftermath of the disputed 2009 election.
It went unanswered, as have Nourizad's 21 other missives, but dozens more
prominent Iranians have followed his example in a campaign to break the
taboo on criticising the man who purports to be God's representative on earth.
Nourizad, an influential columnist and film-maker, was originally an ally
of Khamenei who wrote for the ultra-conservative state-run newspaper
Keyhan, whose director is directly appointed by the supreme leader. But
that changed amid the bloody crackdown on opposition protesters after the
election. In his first letter Nourizad called Khamenei 'father' - but
criticised him for his handling of the unrest and called on him to
apologise to his people." http://t.uani.com/NH7BNI
Foreign Affairs
Reuters:
"Britain said on Thursday Sweden would look after its interests in
Iran as part of a deal hammered out after the UK closed its Tehran
embassy late last year at the height of a diplomatic confrontation.
Iranian protesters broke into two British diplomatic compounds in Tehran
in November, ransacking offices and burning British flags in protest
against new sanctions. The incident sparked a major row between the two
countries, with Britain shutting its embassy in Tehran and then expelling
all Iranian diplomats from London. Oman said last month it had started
representing Iran in London, indicating a possible slight thawing in
Anglo-Iranian relations." http://t.uani.com/P4t7x8
Opinion &
Analysis
Claudia Rosett in
WSJ: "Too often, one man's sanctions become another
man's windfall. So it is with Iran sanctions and the minuscule Pacific
island nation of Tuvalu, to which Iran's main oil tanker company, NITC,
has just reflagged roughly half its fleet. Iran fields one of the largest
tanker fleets in the Middle East, with NITC, formerly called the National
Iranian Tanker Company, owning at least 40 oil tankers, collectively
worth billions. Tuvalu consists of a spatter of islands located some
2,000 miles northeast of Australia, with a population of about 10,000 and
an annual gross domestic product of about $31 million, according to World
Bank statistics. Yet Tuvalu now hosts at least 21 Iranian oil tankers on
its shipping register-the bulk of them previously flagged to Malta, and a
few to Cyprus. Not that these ships tend to call at Tuvalu. According to
data from Lloyd's List Intelligence ship-tracking service, their new
beachhead on Tuvalu consists of some half dozen new nominal corporate
owners, holding one tanker apiece and sharing as an address a post office
box (P.O. Box 62) in Vaiaku, the village housing Tuvalu's main
administrative buildings on the atoll of Funafuti, the island-state's
capital. The rest of the NITC oil tankers reflagged to Tuvalu now show up
on Lloyd's as owned by companies in such opaque corporate havens as the
Seychelles and the British Virgin Islands; though for all these vessels,
NITC remains the commercial operator. Amid this shift, the ships have
also shed their old Persian names, such as the Nesa, Sima and Hatef.
These vessels now sail under the new names of Truth, Blossom and Glory.
Of the remaining NITC oil tankers, a handful still appear on Lloyd's as
flagged to Malta; 10 now show as reflagged to Tanzania, bedecked with new
names such as Justice, Leadership and Freedom. Not that any of this is
meant to accuse anyone of wrongdoing. For years, there have been no
sanctions whatsoever on NITC or its ships. On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury
added NITC in Tehran, plus most of its newly reflagged tankers, to the
U.S. blacklist. But that only constrains business done under U.S.
jurisdiction or by U.S. citizens. It does not necessarily extend to
places such as Tuvalu, Tanzania and Singapore. For years now, this kind
of arrangement has been a gaping hole in the Iran sanctions net... The
game here for Iran is that each shift of tactics, flags and nominal
ownership buys time and wiggle room while Iran trackers, including
sanctions crafters and enforcers, race to keep up." http://t.uani.com/NthpaI
Thomas Joscelyn in
The Weekly Standard: "In a report to Congress
authored in April, and posted online earlier this week by Bloomberg News,
the Defense Department has once again accused Iran of supporting the
Taliban. The unclassified assessment, which is titled 'Annual Report on
Military Power of Iran,' makes it clear that the U.S. remains the primary
focus of Iran's military and clandestine designs. 'Iran's grand strategy
remains challenging U.S. influence while developing its domestic
capabilities to become the dominant power in the Middle East,' the report
reads. 'Iran's security strategy remains focused on deterring an attack,
and it continues to support governments and groups that oppose U.S.
interests.' Iran does this by 'expanding ties with regional actors while
advocating Islamic solidarity.' This includes 'solidarity' with the
Taliban - Iran's one-time foe. Despite being on the verge of war with the
Taliban in late 1980s after Mullah Omar's regime slaughtered Shiites,
including Iranian diplomats in Mazar-e-Sharif, Iran has found common
cause with the group in their fight against American-led forces.
'Although Tehran's support to the Taliban is inconsistent with their
historic enmity,' the DoD points out, 'it complements Iran's strategy of
backing many groups to maximize its influence while also undermining U.S.
and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) objectives by fomenting
violence.' Iran sees the Taliban, along with the Lebanese Hezbollah and
Iraqi Shia groups, as 'tools' to be used to 'increase its regional
power.' ... Iran and the Taliban began working together in the wake of
the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Just weeks after the attacks,
the Iranians 'pledged to assist the Taliban in their war with the United
States.' This revelation came from a current Guantanamo detainee named
Khairullah Khairkhwa, who was the governor of the Taliban-controlled
Herat province in western Afghanistan at the time." http://t.uani.com/OBIrO8
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
Nuclear Iran (UANI) a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear
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email Press@UnitedAgainstNuclearIran.com
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