Monday, November 26, 2012

Eye on Iran: Turkey Swaps Gold for Iranian Gas








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WSJ:
"Turkey on Friday acknowledged that a surge in its gold exports this year is related to payments for imports of Iranian natural gas, shedding light on Ankara's role in breaching U.S.-led sanctions against Tehran. The continuing trade deal offers the most striking example of how Iran is using creative ways to sidestep Western sanctions over its disputed nuclear program, which have largely frozen it out of the global banking system. The disclosure was made by Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister and top economic policy maker Ali Babacan in answers to questions from the parliamentary budget committee. Iran provides 18% of Turkey's natural gas and 51% of its oil. But since U.S. and European Union sanctions ban Tehran from receiving payments in dollars or euros, Ankara pays Iran for the gas in Turkish liras. The lira is of limited value for buying goods on international markets but ideal for purchasing Turkish gold. The government hasn't specified how it pays for Iranian oil... In Turkey, state-run lender Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS has been responsible for processing the payments, since the U.S. adopted a measure in January to stop dealing with financial institutions working with Iran's central bank, freezing out private Turkish banks from facilitating payments. Halkbank raised 4.5 billion liras ($2.5 billion) Monday in Turkey's biggest offering in a secondary share sale-a 20.8% stake, according to a statement to the Istanbul Stock Exchange." http://t.uani.com/TcLwqx
 
Postmedia News: "The vast majority of Canadians and Americans think that the world can't accept a nuclear-armed Iran, according to a new poll. Nine out of ten people polled in both countries said they agreed with the statement 'the world cannot tolerate an Iran with nuclear weapons capability,' according to an Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of The Munk Debates. Just over 2,000 Canadians and Americans were polled. The results, 92 per cent of people in agreement with the statement, were the same for respondents both north and south of the border. The degree to which Canada's views on Iran mirrored those polled in the United States surprised Rudyard Griffiths, co-organizer and moderator for The Munk Debates - a semi-annual contest of debates on issues facing the world and Canada... 'Many people I think were assuming that this government was somehow out of step with public opinion when it comes to its very hawkish, hard-line stance on Iran. When in fact, I think they're both shifting public opinion but they're also being led by public opinion.'" http://t.uani.com/10VkJEI

Bloomberg: "Iran Air increased the expense of tickets for travel outside the country by as much as 90 percent after a government decision to stop subsidizing jet-fuel prices sent costs at the state-owned carrier soaring. Prices rose on Nov. 22, the state run Iranian Students News Agency said, citing guidelines issued to local travel agents. An economy seat from Tehran to London now costs 17.6 million rials ($1,430), versus 9 million previously, with a ticket to Dubai priced at 6.1 million rials, up from 3.8 million rials, it said. Iran Air is lifting fares after the rial slumped 40 percent versus the dollar since August, with the cost of kerosene jumping 83 percent to 22,000 rials a liter, ISNA said. While the government shields importers of some goods from exchange rates by granting access to dollars at a central bank level of 12,260 rials, the Association of Iranian Airlines said in September that members would no longer benefit... Outside carriers including Qatar Airways Ltd. have increased services to Iran to fill gaps where the Islamic republic's own operators are struggling to operate." http://t.uani.com/U6t7gr
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Politico: "Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) singled out Iran on Sunday as a major source of instability in the Middle East, urging President Barack Obama to marshal world opinion against the country. '[Obama's] got to point out that behind all of this is Iran,' the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'Iran's support of Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, and the way that has then been filtered into weaponry that goes through Egypt, into Gaza... keep pulling the world together against Iran. That's the source of the problem.' Levin's sentiment appears to be bipartisan. 'The centrifuges continue to spin in Tehran,' warned Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) ominously earlier on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'The Iranians will continue unless they see that there is a price to pay...It's time that we recognized that it isn't just nuclear weapons the Iranians are doing.'" http://t.uani.com/UVpqJg

Daily Telegraph: "When the aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis returns to the placid blue waters of the Gulf with her strike force of 70 jets in the next few days, she will be ready for action off the coast of Iran. The flagship $4.5 billion carrier, a 100,000 ton floating city with a crew of 5,000, was despatched four months earlier than planned to bolster the United States Navy's already formidable force in the region, the Fifth Fleet. Its mission is to keep some of the world's busiest shipping lanes open in its most combustible region; at any moment America's standoff with Iran could escalate into a crisis. 'Could there be a threat?' asked Rear Admiral Mike Shoemaker, the man who would command any mission to force open the sea lanes. 'Yes is the answer. Is it manageable? Also yes.'" http://t.uani.com/Sklx3x

AP: "Iran is accusing the U.S. Navy of carrying out 'illegal and provocative acts' in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman. In identical letters to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council, Iran's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said the Navy repeatedly violated the country's airspace. He cited flights over the coastal areas of Bushehr on seven occasions in October and most recently a U.S. drone flight on Nov. 1 which disregarded all radio warnings and penetrated Iranian airspace." http://t.uani.com/Tllimq

Sanctions

Reuters:
"Iran will build millions of barrels of oil storage facilities in the Gulf over the next few months in response to international sanctions on its exports, Iran's Press TV reported on Sunday. 'By the middle of the next (Persian calendar) year (beginning March 20, 2013), nearly 8.1 million barrels will be added to the crude oil storage capacity of Iran,' Press TV reported the managing director of the Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC), Mahmoud Zirakchian-Zadeh, as saying. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that Iranian oil exports rose to 1.3 million barrels a day (bpd) in October from around 1.0 million bpd in August and September, but sales are still far below the 2.2 million bpd it exported in 2011 because of U.S. and European Union sanctions... The IEA estimates that Iranian crude oil held in floating storage nearly halved to 13 million barrels at the end of October from as high as 25-30 million in April... Iran has over 20 million barrels of onshore oil storage capacity at Kharg Island and another 5 million at Lavan Island but these facilities are believed to have been filled as Iran's exports have slid over the past year." http://t.uani.com/UWiGe3

Economic Times: "Basmati rice exports to Iran may take a hit this fiscal. Information trickling in from Indian rice trade sources indicates that Iran has just reworked its multiple exchange rate system to circumvent sanctions and rice importers in Iran will now have access to the open market exchange rate with a 2% discount. This means that the Iranian rice importer will now have to shell out Rs 23,000 to Rs 25,000 rials (or 2,300 to 2,500 toman) against one dollar as compared to 12,600 rials against a dollar a week ago. This will automatically work as a disincentive to import basmati rice from India as imports will become doubly expensive." http://t.uani.com/V173mu

Reuters: "Hewlett Packard Co said in a letter made public on Friday that its products could have been delivered to Syria through resellers or distributors, but the world's largest PC maker affirmed it did not sell directly to the country. The letter was a response to a request from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Global Security Risk that asked whether HP's products were sold in countries where they would be subject to U.S. sanctions... HP's overseas subsidiaries ended sales of printers and related supplies to third-party distributors and resellers with customers in Iran in early 2009, the company wrote. But because its products are often sold by others through indirect channels without its knowledge or consent 'it is always possible that products may be diverted to Iran or Syria after being sold to channel partners, such as distributors and resellers,' HP said. Reuters has documented how banned computer equipment from U.S. companies has made its way to Iran's largest telecommunications company through China-based ZTE." http://t.uani.com/TYbFIR

AP: "Spanish authorities have raided a company suspected of exporting machinery to Iran that could be used in Tehran's nuclear program. The company is suspected of sending to Iran, via Turkey, machines for the manufacture of turbine propellers used in energy generation, the Finance Ministry said in a statement Monday... The machinery was worth almost €1 million ($1.29 million) and officials believe it went to a company in Istanbul before being sent on to Iran. Those arrested face smuggling charges, which carry punishments of up to six years in prison and a fine." http://t.uani.com/V1SMpr

AFP: "Sri Lanka will sidestep US-led sanctions against Iran by diverting its oil payments towards a water management project that Tehran is funding in the island, a senior official was quoted Sunday as saying. Two billion rupees ($15.38 million) owed to Iran for oil will be used to finance the Uma Oya irrigation scheme, Sri Lankan Water Resources Secretary Ivan de Silva told the local Sunday Times. Iran had pledged some $450 million for the water project in 2008 but implementation had been delayed due to lack of cash. 'Because of the US sanctions there is a delay in transferring funds from Iran to Sri Lanka,' Silva said, adding that both governments had agreed to the deal." http://t.uani.com/Sot7IK

Kuwait Times: "A Kuwaiti newspaper claims possessing photographic evidence proving that a local logistics firm could be dealing with an Iranian company subjected to international sanctions. The photograph published by Al-Rai yesterday shows a container owned by Iran's Valfajr Shipping Company (VGC) docked in a no parking zone at the Shuwaikh Port. The paper explained that the photograph was originally clicked by the Kuwait Ports Association which sent it to the handling contractor at the port in order to coordinate for the container's removal. The newspaper further noted that a notice was sent to a 'Kuwaiti logistics company' to remove the container within ten days of the receipt of the notice, before pointing out that the unnamed company is in a partnership with VGC in operating a Kuwaiti navigation company suspected of helping the Iranian firm use ports in the Gulf region." http://t.uani.com/UMDBSN

Human Rights

Radio Zamaneh: "Three Iranian labour organizations have issued a joint statement urging the government to pursue the case of Sattar Beheshti's death in police custody so the perpetrators of his death can be brought to justice. The Kaleme website reports that the Vahed Transit Drivers Union, the Labour Union Project and the Defenders of Labour Rights Centre issued a joint statement on Sunday November 25 to challenge the arrest and eventual death of Sattar Beheshti in prison. Beheshti, a blogger and labour activist, was arrested on October 30 for 'acting against national security through activities on social networks on the internet and on Facebook.' Five days later, his family was informed that they should collect his remains from prison authorities." http://t.uani.com/10Ew64L

Syrian Uprising

AFP: "Iran's influential parliament speaker Ali Larijani met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Friday to discuss a solution to the conflict in his country's key ally, reports said... In Damascus, Larijani accused regional powers he did not name of causing 'problems' in Syria, in an allusion to the principal champions of arming the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad's regime - Qatar and Saudi Arabia. 'Syria has played an important role in supporting the resistance [against Israel and the United States] but some in the region want to carry out actions with negative consequences, to cause problems in Syria,' he told journalists. 'But Iran appreciates the key role Syria has played in supporting the resistance,' he added... More than 40,000 people have been killed across Syria since the outbreak of the uprising against Assad in March last year, according to the watchdog. The revolt became a bloody insurgency after peaceful protests were met with brutal repression. Larijani and Assad also reaffirmed their commitment to resistance against Israel in light of the Jewish state's recent offensive against the Gaza Strip." http://t.uani.com/UmWLjO

Reuters: "Iran said Turkey's plans to deploy Patriot defensive missiles near its border with Syria would add to the region's problems, as fears grow of the Syrian civil war spilling across frontiers. Turkey asked NATO for the Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, last week after talks about how to shore up security on its 900-km (560-mile) border. 'The installation of such systems in the region has negative effects and will intensify problems in the region,' Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said on returning from a trip to Syria, Lebanon and Turkey on Saturday evening, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA." http://t.uani.com/10UZ1kh

Terrorism

Reuters: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the head of the Hamas government in Gaza on Saturday that eight days of cross-border fighting showed that Israel had no choice but to 'bow' to Palestinian rights, according to Iran's IRNA news agency. The Iranian-backed Hamas has basked in what it called a victory against Israel after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire on Thursday ended the conflict in which 163 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed. IRNA said Ahmadinejad, in the rare telephone call with Ismail Haniyeh, praised the Palestinian 'resistance and perseverance'. 'Zionists have reached the dead point and have no other alternative but officially recognizing and bowing to the absolute right of the Palestinian nation,' IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying, referring to Israel." http://t.uani.com/V7hafh

Reuters: "Nonetheless, senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar showed how fragile the ceasefire remained, with defiant remarks to reporters of how the Islamists would go on smuggling in weapons 'by all possible means', including via Israel's arch-foe Iran... Zahar said Hamas would continue to arm itself with the help of Israel's arch-enemy, Iran, though the truce signed in Cairo calls for a cessation of rocket fire at Israel, which Israel gave as its reason for launching its attacks in mid-November. 'We have no choice but to continue to bring in weapons by all possible means,' Zahar said, adding that he expected Tehran would 'increase its military and financial support to Hamas'. 'We have a right to take money and weapons from Iran. They (Iran) give to us for the sake of God, no conditions attached, and I am a witness to that,' Zahar told reporters." http://t.uani.com/YhBJWW

AFP: "'Thousands of rockets' will hit Israel if it attacks Lebanon, the chief of the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah said on Sunday, reiterating support for Iran and the Palestinian resistance... Meanwhile, Nasrallah fiercely defended his backer Iran: 'Day after day, it is confirmed that Iran is an ally of Arabs and Muslims... and this was confirmed during the recent confrontation in Gaza and before that in Lebanon.' 'There are Arab and Islamic countries working to offer Israel a friend and Iran an enemy,' he said, in an apparent reference to Gulf countries." http://t.uani.com/Qkmf0R

Opinion & Analysis

NY Daily News Editorial: "While the world was riveted by Israel's defensive action against rockets fired by Hamas, Iran has been busy - and chillingly successful - with its anti-Israel drive to build a nuclear weapon. Despite economic sanctions that are severely crimping the Iranian economy, the mullahs are devoting full resources to pursue their dream of dominating the Mideast with nukes. In fact, the world's chief nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency Director Yukiya Amano, described Iran as enriching uranium at 'a quite constant pace.' The IAEA reported that the Iranians have installed 2,800 high-speed centrifuges for enriching nuclear fuel deep in an underground military facility at Fordow, near Iran's holy city of Qom. Inspectors said Iran has increased its supply of 20% pure uranium by half in the past three months. The centrifuges put the country's suicidally messianic Islamist extremists within ever-shortening reach of enriching enough uranium for a nuclear weapon to the 20% purity threshold. At the 20% level, uranium can quickly be further refined to the highly enriched form required for atomic weaponry. Two months ago at the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel could not allow the mullahs to acquire a quantity of uranium sufficient for a weapon at 20% purity. He called this a red line that his nation cannot permit Tehran to cross. That point is fast approaching, and the menace posed by a nuclear Iran should be clear even to its Hamas cat's-paws. Tehran has been supplying the terrorists who control Gaza with Fajr 5 missiles that put the civilian populations of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel's two largest cities, within range of conventional warheads. Hamas has been letting them loose with a vengeance. But what would happen if Tehran fired a missile of its own and nuked Israel? Bye-bye - to Gaza, too. And bye-bye to the Palestinians who live on the West Bank. Little would Iran care. In 2001, former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani said using a nuclear bomb against Israel would leave nothing standing, but that retaliation would merely damage the world of Islam, not destroy it. Palestinians should take careful note of the part about leaving nothing standing." http://t.uani.com/10EDUmU

Maseh Zarif in AEI: "FINDINGS OF THE NOVEMBER 2012 IAEA REPORT:

Additional Centrifuge Installation
* Iran increased its enrichment capacity by installing additional centrifuges at its declared sites between August and November 2012. The hardened Fordow facility is now at maximum capacity (2,784 centrifuges). Of the 2,784, 696 centrifuges are currently enriching at Fordow and 696 are ready to begin enriching immediately. The IAEA also noted the addition of first-generation and advanced centrifuges, the latter undergoing testing, at the Natanz facility.

Increasing Enriched Uranium Stockpiles
* Iran continues to produce low- (<5 2012.="2012." 20="20" 40="40" a="a" allocated="allocated" and="and" as="as" at="at" august="august" been="been" br="br" conversion="conversion" core="core" for="for" fraction="fraction" fuel="fuel" has="has" high="high" historically="historically" however="however" into="into" it="it" its="its" material="material" medium-enriched="medium-enriched" nbsp="nbsp" near="near" now="now" of="of" only="only" packaged="packaged" placed="placed" plates="plates" rates.="rates." reactor="reactor" roughly="roughly" small="small" the="the" to="to" uranium="uranium">
Parchin Facility Inspection
* Iran continues to deny the IAEA access to the Parchin facility, where the agency believes Iran conducted experiments related to nuclear weapons development. The IAEA noted that, even if it is given access to the site, its ability to 'conduct effective verification will have been seriously undermined' by physical disruption and sanitization undertaken by Iran at the facility in 2012.

Weaponization
* Iran continues to stonewall the IAEA regarding its weaponization activities. The agency reiterated its assessment of Iran's work on nuclear weapons development: 'the information indicates that, prior to the end of 2003 the activities took place under a structured program; that some continued after 2003; and that some may still be ongoing.'

Arak Reactor Timeline
* Iran told the IAEA that it will begin operating the Arak heavy water reactor later than previously planned. The reactor, now scheduled for an early 2014 launch, will provide Iran with a separate pathway to acquiring fissile material for nuclear weapons in the form of weapons-grade plutonium." http://t.uani.com/10HhdyA

Behrooz Behudi in Al Arabiya: "When Obama announces that he is after a peaceful diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue and that he is looking towards starting negotiations with Iran, this means that he doesn't have any new approach during his second term. Obama confirms that his administration will not limit itself to protocols and diplomacy if Iran decides to settle the nuclear issue, but he doesn't guarantee Iran's collaboration in solving this issue. He knows well that this issue between Iran and the West is subject to the behavior of Iran's leadership. He also knows that the real problem resides in the contradiction in the modus operandi of the government in Iran, as the pillars of the regime are in need for this contradiction in order to nurture the anti-West feelings so as to carry on. If this wasn't the case, the Iranians would have to overcome all pending issues with the United States and its allies more than 30 years ago, so this is the reason behind Obama's doubts in the sincerity of Iran in dealing with the international community. In spite of these facts, the Iranian regime insists on creating additional crises in the Middle East and igniting an arms race in the region, posing threats to the diverse countries. We have witnessed in the last years the huge armament deals concluded in the region for the sake of acquiring a modern arsenal and defense systems to face the Iranian threats in the region. So even if the world overcomes the issue of the Iranian nuclear project, what about the 5,000 km strong Iranian rockets, which Iran claims to develop for peaceful purposes, such as space exploration projects, although they can literally pose a threat to all the nations of the world, which means that the problem is bigger than the nuclear project, as it is within the behavior of the regime itself. In fact, militarization is a deep rooted policy within the structure of the Iranian regime, and it goes deeper to reach the foundation of the regime itself and the thinking of its leadership. The Supreme Advisor of the Iranian Republic, the Revolutionary Guard and Security forces control the government of the country and interfere in every details, no matter how small or big, they hold tightly the key economic sectors, including smuggling, to support their militarization based policies, which makes it impossible to seek peaceful and diplomatic ways to solve the conflict." http://t.uani.com/XTFVNz

Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Eye on Iran is not intended as a comprehensive media clips summary but rather a selection of media elements with discreet analysis in a PDA friendly format. For more information please email Press@UnitedAgainstNuclearIran.com

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.  UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons.

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