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Top Stories
WSJ:
"French car maker Renault SA, one of the last large European
companies still active in Iran, is considering winding down its sales to
the country as the impact of international sanctions deepens, according
to people familiar with the matter. The pullback from the Iranian market
could prove costly for Renault, due to lost sales revenue and asset
write-offs, the people said. The surprise election of moderate Hasan
Rouhani as Iran's president last month has rekindled hope in Tehran of a
thaw in its relations with the West and of possible relief in mounting
sanctions. But new U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's automotive sector
since July 1, combined with difficulties in getting paid by Iran as its
economy sharply declines, has led Renault to cut its sales of automobile
kits to Tehran's manufacturers and review its strategy in the country. A
spokeswoman for Renault said the company's commercial transactions in
Iran 'are slowing down, and we don't have any visibility for the future.'
Renault said recently it 'is taking appropriate measures necessary to
address the scope' of the new U.S. sanctions and their impact on its
Iranian operations." http://t.uani.com/11j4h39
NYT:
"Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq told the Obama
administration this month that Iran was interested in direct talks with
the United States on Iran's nuclear program, and said that Iraq was
prepared to facilitate the negotiations, Western officials said Thursday.
In a meeting in early July with the American ambassador in Baghdad, Mr.
Maliki suggested that he was relaying a message from Iranian officials
and asserted that Hassan Rouhani, Iran's incoming president, would be
serious about any discussions with the United States, according to accounts
of the meeting. Although Mr. Maliki indicated that he had been in touch
with confidants of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he did
not disclose precisely whom he was dealing with on the Iranian side. Some
Western officials remain uncertain whether Iran's leaders have sought to
use Iraq as a conduit or whether the idea is mainly Mr. Maliki's
initiative." http://t.uani.com/16ikaGE
WSJ:
"The Obama administration, seeking to improve relations with Iranian
President-elect Hasan Rouhani, eased restrictions on medical supplies,
agricultural products and humanitarian aid entering the heavily
sanctioned country. The Treasury Department's announcement Thursday was
viewed by many Iran-watchers as a gesture of good will from Washington as
it seeks to restart talks with Tehran over its nuclear program once Mr.
Rouhani enters office next month. However, the White House is clashing
with Congress, where a bilateral group of lawmakers is seeking to tighten
the sanctions, say U.S. officials and Capitol Hill staffers. Their
proposed legislation would significantly toughen financial penalties on
Iran by targeting the country's oil exports, ships and banks by October,
in an effort to convince Tehran to halt its nuclear program." http://t.uani.com/1bUW62W
Sanctions
WSJ: "Renault SA said a €512 million
($680 million) provision to cover disrupted Iranian sales weighed on its
earnings in the first half of the year. A six-month operating loss of
€249 million also reflected falling revenue from chronic weakness in the
European automobile market, the French car maker said Friday. The Obama
administration's decision in June to toughen economic sanctions on Iran
and to extend them to the automobile sector has meant that Renault can't
repatriate money that it is owed, Chief Financial Officer Dominique
Thormann said to a group of journalists. Renault has no industrial
activity in Iran. It has no employees and no fixed assets. It ships kits
of semicompleted vehicles that are assembled by its Iranian partner, and
these shipments are being halted, Mr. Thormann said. Renault is basically
writing off its Iranian receivables, he said." http://t.uani.com/174wERp
AFP:
"French auto group Renault reported a profit plunge on Friday owing
to charges for halting its activities in Iran and for restructuring in
France. The group reported a net profit for the first six months of the
year of 39 million euros ($52 million) compared with 746 million euros at
the same time last year. The exceptional charges helped to push the
operating result to a loss of 249 million euros from a profit of 519
million euros last time... The company took a charge this year of 512
million euros for its activities in Iran which have been hit by a
hardening since July 1 of international sanctions which now include the
auto sector. Finance director Dominique Thormann told a press conference
that 'there is an effective halt to activity' in this country. Renault is
the second-biggest French auto group after struggling PSA Peugeot Citroen
which early last year interrupted its activities in Iran." http://t.uani.com/12pe2PU
WSJ:
"Oil field services giant Schlumberger Ltd. said in a securities
filing that it wound down its operations in Iran, which ran at a loss.
The disclosure, made late Wednesday in a securities filing under
sanctions law requirements that went into effect in February, said
non-U.S. subsidiaries of Schlumberger provided oilfield services to the
National Iranian Oil Co. in the first half of the year as the company
completed its wind-down of the operations during the second quarter. Schlumberger
earned $102 million in revenue during 2013 for the Iranian activity,
resulting in a net loss of $69 million, it said in the filing." http://t.uani.com/1dZQt07
Human Rights
HRW:
"Iran's judiciary should stop the executions of four members of Iran's
Ahwazi Arab minority because of grave violations of due process, Amnesty
International, the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, and Human
Rights Watch said today. The judiciary should order a new trial according
to international fair trial standards in which the death penalty is not
an option. Family members and Ahwazi Arab rights activists have told
human rights groups that the detainees contacted their families on July
16, 2013 and said they feared that authorities were planning to carry out
the execution orders any day now." http://t.uani.com/13KURyr
Foreign Affairs
WSJ:
"The inauguration ceremony of Iran's President-elect Hassan Rouhani,
scheduled for Aug.4, is being carried out with unusual diplomatic
fanfare. For starters, Iran decided to depart with its tradition of a
low-key inauguration ceremony. The Foreign ministry said it has sent out
formal invitations to all heads of states, except for the U.S. and
Israel, to travel to Tehran for the event... 'Our invitations have been
very well received,' said Abbas Araghchi, the foreign ministry spokesman.
'For the first time since the Islamic revolution we've decided to invite
foreign guests to the inauguration.' Iranian inaugurations are nothing
like their counterparts in the U.S. for example. The event is not open to
the public. It takes place in the parliament and is usually attended by
officials and resident foreign diplomats... But this year, it seems Iran
is using the occasion to extend an olive branch to the world and showcase
to the West that it's not an isolated pariah state. It also keeps with
Mr. Rouhani's campaign promises that if elected, he will improve
relations with the world, including with the West, and put an end to
provocative foreign policies." http://t.uani.com/16ilQjp
Opinion & Analysis
Majid Rafizadeh in
The National: "In less than two weeks, Hassan
Rowhani, Iran's President-elect, will assume the presidential office and
replace the hardliner and controversial figure, President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad. However, as more facts from Rowhani's past are unearthed,
questions have been raised regarding who really is Iran's new president,
and more importantly, if he will be able to legally take office based on
the new astonishing information released this week by the Persian media.
After a considerable amount of analysis on Persian newspaper archives
conducted, one significant fact was revealed this week. First of all, it
is crucial to contextualize the new information by shedding light on
previous facts. It is well-known that passages of Rowhani's Glasgow
Caledonian University PhD thesis, 1999, titled 'The Flexibility of
Shariah (Islamic Law) with reference to the Iranian revolutionary
experience,' were virtually identical to a passage of a book written by
an Afghan author, Mr Kamali, titled Principles of Islamic
Jurisprudence... Although the plagiarism of these passages justifies
Rowhani's PhD to be revoked, plagiarism does not suffice as a strong
enough reason to revoke his presidency, according to the laws of the
Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition, given the notion that PhD
part-time students at GCU are required to fulfill at least 12 hours per
week for the demanding law program and given the fact that Hassan Rowhani
had several crucial governmental positions, many questions have been raised
whether Hassan Rowhani attended GCU and whether he wrote the Masters and
PhD theses. Furthermore, GCU is not an obvious academic university for
Shiite studies. The more recently-exposed information however reveals
that Hassan Rowhani - before holding a PhD degree, or even a Master's
degree - was already claiming in 1980 to have a doctorate degree from
London University. On March 9, 1980, in an interview with Joomhoriye
Islami, one of the most significant newspapers circulating in Iran,
Rowhani stated that he had received his PhD in 'Legal Sociology' from the
University of London. The newspaper wrote that he received his PhD in
1979; twenty years before Rowhani actually received a higher degree from
another university: Glasgow Caledonian University... Although the
plagiarism case might not have legal significance, counterfeiting a
university degree and portraying oneself as a PhD holder while not even
having obtained any graduate degree does have legal consequences in Iran.
According to Iran's Islamic Penal Law Code article 527, any official who
lies about his education, forge their university transcripts, or creates
a fraud university degree will be sentenced from one year to thirty-six
months in prison. However, it is unlikely that the Iranian government will
hold Hassan Rowhani accountable for his actions. Rowhani is a
governmental insider; his loyalty lies with Khomeini and Khamenei, he is
a benefiter of the cleric system, and was approved by the Guardian
Council to run for presidency. Yet, the counterfeiting of a Doctorate
degree and impersonation of a London-educated intellectual has
undoubtedly played a significant role in helping Rowhani climb the
political ladder and even become elected president. An overwhelming of
Iranian people highly value education and highly favor those candidates
who have obtained a PhD, particularly from Western countries which they
believe offer a more open-minded education. What do Rowhani's past
actions suggest about his morals and personality? It suggests that
Rowhani's first priority has been to use any tool possible - even if it
means deceiving the Iranian people - in order to achieve his political
ambitions. If honesty has not been a criterion for 'Doctor Hassan
Rowhani', the President-elect of Iran, how can millions of Iranian
citizens believe in all his promises that he made throughout his
campaign? If gaining power and influential positions have been his main
goal with disregard to ethics, how can the international community, IAEA,
and other regional countries trust the sincerity of his actions?" http://t.uani.com/15kv4wC
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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