|
|
Top Stories
JPost:
"The US House of Representatives will vote next week on legislation
aimed at slashing Iran's ability to export any oil. With 360 co-sponsors
in the 435-member body, the bill will pass, and is expected to be matched
in the Senate after Congress's August recess. The sanctions bill requests
that the US president, under his authority provided by the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act, come up with a strategy within two months
to cut Iran's remaining export sales of roughly a million barrels a day.
After a year, exemptions granted to countries such as China, Japan,
Turkey and South Korea - which continue to import Iranian oil - will no
longer be granted. Companies in those countries doing business with Iran
previously given a pass will be cut off from the US economy. American
officials are confident there is spare capacity in the global market to
replace Iran's exports." http://t.uani.com/134JGRo
Just-Auto:
"Renault says it is studying closely new sanctions imposed against
Iran by the US as domestic manufacturer, IKCO, claims a tentative
agreement has been been reached to build CKD Clio type 3 and 4 models at
some point in 2013. Iran Khodro (IKCO) said today (23 July) it would
produce the Clio types 3 and 4 in the near future, with a spokesman for
the manufacturer telling just-auto from Tehran that 'it will be soon,
this year.' However, any potential Clio production would come at an
extremely sensitive time politically with regards to Western companies
doing business with Tehran and hot on the heels of US President Barack
Obama's recent Executive Order clamping down even further on automotive
business in Iran... The United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) lobby group,
headed by former US ambassador to the United Nations, Mark Wallace, says
it is concerned about Renault's 'Iran business activities' and has
informed the French automaker of the new US sanctions. 'It is time for
Renault to end its business in Iran or face sanctions,' said a UANI
statement." http://t.uani.com/14321kj
FT:
"Greek shipowner Victor Restis will appear before the Athens public
prosecutor on Friday to face criminal charges of embezzlement and money
laundering through an Athens bank controlled by his family, according to
a court official. Mr Restis, who controls one of the largest Greek
commercial fleets with about 90 vessels, was arrested on Tuesday on
orders of an anti-corruption prosecutor, following separate
investigations by the central bank and Greece's anti-money laundering
unit... Mr Restis's arrest came the week after he filed a defamation suit
against United Against Nuclear Iran, a US lobby group that claimed FBB
and the Restis family shipping group, Enterprises Shipping and Trading,
were planning a sanctions-busting deal with Iran's state-owned petroleum
company. Mr Restis denied the claims, saying he had 'no involvement,
arrangement or transaction of any kind with nay sanctioned entity'. Mr
Restis is a major shareholder in Seanergy Maritime, a bulk carrier
operator on New York's Nasdaq market." http://t.uani.com/14311wB
Nuclear Program
Reuters:
"Russian leader Vladimir Putin will meet Iran's newly elected
president in Tehran next month to discuss restarting talks on the Islamic
Republic's nuclear program, Russian and Iranian media reports said on
Wednesday. The Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted a source close to the
Iranian Foreign Ministry as saying President Putin would visit on August
12, days after Hassan Rouhani is inaugurated... Kommersant also cited a
defense industry source as saying Putin could discuss an offer to replace
frozen shipments of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Tehran with
deliveries of Antey-2500 anti-ballistic missiles, an upgrade of the
S-300s. Russia scrapped an S-300 sale to Iran in 2010 after it came under
international pressure not to complete the deal because of the
sanctions." http://t.uani.com/13cSIrF
Sanctions
Reuters:
"Iran has offered to underwrite insurance for its vessels to keep
oil exports to India flowing, after New Delhi asked for assurances to
help halt a fall in shipments. Letters seen by Reuters show Iran is
offering sovereign guarantees of up to $1 billion per incident to back
its ships sailing to India, its second biggest oil customer after China.
India's crude imports from Iran have been hit by insurance problems
triggered by western sanctions, falling by 59.4 percent in June, and the
state guarantee could keep oil revenues flowing. In letters seen by
Reuters from Iran's industries, mines and trade minister Mehdi Ghazanfari
and Oil Minister Rostam Ghasemi told India that liabilities of $50
million to $1 billion are covered by 'sovereign guarantee and government
special fund'. The two ministers said Iran's finance minister will issue
a final letter on the sovereign guarantee in due course." http://t.uani.com/1bMSIXU
Reuters:
"India's Essar Oil imported 21.1 percent more Iranian oil in June
compared with a year earlier and shipped in Kazakhstan's CPC blend for
the first time, tanker arrival data made available to Reuters showed, as
the private refiner increased its appetite for testing new grades after
expansion. Essar was the only Indian client of Iranian oil in June buying
138,900 barrels per day (bpd), a growth of 16.3 percent over May. The
refiner, however, has cut Iranian oil imports by about a third in the
first half of this year when it received 86,300 bpd as it stepped up
purchases last year ahead of sanctions starting in July 2012... Two
government-run refiners, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd and
Hindustan Petroleum Corp, stopped importing oil from Iran from April, as
local insurers said they could no longer cover plants that process
Iranian oil after Europe-based reinsurers backed out. However, Essar
continued using Iranian oil based on legal advice that EU sanctions are
not applicable in this situation, a document made available to Reuters
showed. But there is some uncertainty as it is up to reinsurers to
interpret the sanctions. Indian Oil Corp, the country's largest oil
refiner, is not planning to lift Iranian cargoes until the fourth
quarter." http://t.uani.com/164o5Jb
FT:
"Gulf oil producers are benefiting from the sharp fall in crude
exports from Iran through increased export revenues, according to
analysis by the US government's Energy Information Administration.
Excluding sanctions-hit Iran, members of the Opec cartel of oil producers
earned $982bn in net oil export revenues last year, according to EIA
estimates, the most since EIA data began in 1975... The data point to
stark differences in the fortunes of Opec members, as US production
surges, reducing demand for some Opec crudes from the world's largest oil
consumer, and Iranian exports continue to decline. Gulf producers have
had strong demand for their medium and sour crude oils, thanks to the
absence of similar Iranian oil from international markets." http://t.uani.com/17D7H1M
Seatrade:
"Early 23 July, shipowner Victor Restis, 45, was arrested in Athens
by officers of Greece's Organised Crimes Squad (DOE), in connection with charges
of embezzlement, fraud and the establishment of a criminal
organisation... Restis' arrest comes as the dispute between he is having
with the American coalition United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), and its
chief executive, Mark D Wallace, becomes ever more nasty as he attempts
to stymie the US lobby's efforts to get an official probe into the Restis
group and its alleged dealings with Iran. Seatrade Global has reported
the Restis Group's filing with an Athens magistrate court alleging libel
and other offences against UANI and Wallace. The clash between the New
York-based UANI and Restis has simmered since May when Wallace accused
Restis, together with FB Bank, and the Restis group's shipping firm,
Enterprises Shipping & Trading, of being 'frontmen for the illicit
Iranian regime.'" http://t.uani.com/143qDlZ
Human Rights
RFE/RL:
"There are many websites that the Iranian establishment doesn't
like. It shows its feelings by blocking them, usually on allegations of
immorality or offenses against the country's national interests. Then
there are websites that Iran really doesn't like. Those are blocked, too,
and the people behind them are often punished. Among them is the Sufi
website 'Majzooban-e Noor,' which covers news about the Nematollahi
Gonabadi dervishes in Iran. The group, considered the largest Sufi order
in the country, has come under increasing state pressure in recent years.
Conservative clerics describe Sufi interpretations of Islam as deviant.
'Majzooban-e Noor' has closely covered the crackdown on dervishes,
becoming an invaluable source of information for Sufis and others
interested in their plight. Recently, the website has felt the full wrath
of Tehran, as officials have arrested and jailed those behind it." http://t.uani.com/134KZzN
Foreign Affairs
AP:
"Iran's Foreign Ministry says that the United States and Israel have
not been invited to attend the Aug. 4 inauguration of the country's
president-elect. Spokesman Abbas Araghchi told a press conference Tuesday
that leaders from all other countries, including Britain, have been
invited to the swearing-in of Hasan Rouhani. Araghchi had said on Sunday
that all world leaders have been invited to the event, but his remarks
Tuesday clarified that U.S. leaders are not in the welcome list. Iran also
doesn't recognize Israel." http://t.uani.com/17D8Iqr
Opinion &
Analysis
Steve LeVine in
Quartz: "Hassan Rouhani, who will be sworn in Aug. 4
as the nation's new president, tweets in a more personal style in both
English and Farsi: On July 5, Rouhani sent out the photo above, of the
Iranian women's futsal team after it won a silver medal at the Asian
Indoor and Martial Arts Games in South Korea. Among three tweets in the
last 24 hours, he included the photo below of what he suggested was a
reunion of Khamenei's circle. Skeptical Iranian hands say we are
witnessing a gigantic ruse: Khamenei and Rouhani are scheming to make the
world think they have warmed up and are ready to compromise on their
nuclear program, these voices say. All the while, they instead are just
playing for more time while their centrifuges redouble their work. If so,
the trick seems to be working to some degree-as his tweets win Rouhani
points from some quarters for being warm and fuzzy, observers are
pressing Washington to give him a chance and not box him into a
corner." http://t.uani.com/164nEPb
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment