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Top Stories
Reuters:
"Iran welcomed the most senior French trade delegation in years on
Monday, telling more than 100 executives that the farsighted among them
stood to win the race for business following an easing of some economic
sanctions. The prospect of a relaxation of commercial restrictions has
whetted the appetite of French firms eager to win back business in an
oil- and gas-producing country of about 80 million people where some
previously had extensive operations. 'A new chapter has begun in
relations between Iran and Europe,' Mohammad Nahavandian, President
Hassan Rouhani's chief of staff, was quoted as saying by the official
IRNA news agency. 'You should carry the message back that potential for
cooperation with Iran is real and not to be overlooked,' he told the delegation.
'Those with longer foresight stand to win this race.' The delegation of
more than 100 executives from Medef, the French employers' association,
on a Feb 2-5 trip, met Nahavandian and members of Iran's Chamber of
Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, IRNA said. A source close to
the delegation told Reuters it was the most senior group of entrepreneurs
and financiers to visit Iran since the 1979 revolution, representing the
defence, aviation, petrochemicals, automotive, shipping and cosmetics sectors.
Among companies represented were Safran, Airbus, Total, GDF-Suez,
Renault, Alcatel, Alstom, Amundi and L'Oréal, the source said. 'Many of
these firms have worked in Iran before and their goal now is to restore
links,' the source said. 'The very makeup of the delegation shows these
people are here to evaluate potential for cooperation.' A French embassy
source in Tehran said the visit was merely exploratory and 'nothing is to
be signed this time around.'" http://t.uani.com/1eMMMel
AFP:
"Iran has received the first instalment of $4.2 billion in frozen
assets as part of a nuclear deal with world powers, Deputy Foreign
Minister Abbas Araqchi told ISNA news agency Saturday. Unblocking the
funds under the landmark deal in which Iran agreed to roll back parts of
its nuclear programme and halt further advances is expected to breathe
new life into its crippled economy. 'The first tranche of $500 million
was deposited in a Swiss bank account, and everything was done in
accordance with the agreement,' Araqchi said... A senior US
administration official told AFP last month that the first $550-million
(400-million-euro) instalment of $4.2 billion in frozen assets would be
released from February. 'The instalment schedule starts on February 1 and
the payments are evenly distributed' across 180 days, the US official
said." http://t.uani.com/1kunVB3
Fars News (Iran):
"Supreme Leader's representative at the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC) Ali Saeedi underlined Iran's regional influence, and said
that the country's clout has now gone way beyond the nation's
geographical borders. 'Today our borders have stretched and reached the
Mediterranean coasts,' Saeedi said, addressing a ceremony marking the
35th anniversary of the return of the founder of the Islamic Republic,
late Imam Khomeini, from exile back in 1979. The IRGC official underlined
that Iran should now be careful not to lose these stretched boundaries of
power, otherwise the enemy will once again come to stand right behind the
country's borders." http://t.uani.com/1cNedbl
Nuclear Program & Negotiations
Reuters:
"Six world powers and Iran will begin talks in Vienna on February 18
on a long-term deal for Tehran to curb parts of its nuclear programme in
exchange for a gradual end to sanctions, European Union foreign policy
chief Catherine Ashton said on Friday. 'We have agreed that we will start
the talks on February 18 at the U.N. building in Vienna,' Ashton said
after what she described as a 'really interesting' meeting with Iranian
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Munich security conference.
'It's a good change of venue to the U.N. office (in Vienna). We are
looking forward to seeing you in Iran soon,' Zarif said." http://t.uani.com/1aW82Tx
WSJ:
"The six powers negotiating a nuclear accord with Iran will take the
time they need to seal what will be an 'extremely difficult' accord even
if that means extending their six-month timeline, European Union
foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton said. In an interview with The Wall
Street Journal on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on
Sunday, Baroness Ashton, who is the EU's chief negotiator, said a final
deal must make the international community certain that Iran's nuclear
program is peaceful... 'Everyone will say to you, and rightly so, this is
extremely difficult,' Baroness Ashton said. 'We have no guarantees in
this and we will take the time that is necessary to get this to be the
right agreement.' Western officials say privately that they are doubtful
an accord can be sealed by July, given the complexity of the issues... An
extension of the talks could escalate pressure in the U.S. Congress for
fresh Iran sanctions and would mean the continuation of negotiations
during the American midterm vote in November." http://t.uani.com/1ajsDjV
NYT:
"Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, met for an hour on
Sunday with Secretary of State John Kerry, another sign of serious
efforts to solve the crisis around Iran's nuclear program. The two met on
the margins of the Munich Security Conference here, and Mr. Zarif later
said on a public panel that Iran 'will go to those negotiations with the
political will and good faith to reach an agreement.' According to
American officials, Mr. Kerry 'reiterated the importance of both sides
negotiating in good faith' when talks aimed at a comprehensive deal begin
Feb. 18 in Vienna. Mr. Kerry also urged Iran to keep to 'its commitments'
under an initial temporary deal agreed upon in November. Mr. Kerry told
Mr. Zarif that the United States would continue to enforce existing
sanctions, the officials said, but also emphasized that Washington would
keep its commitment not to create new sanctions while the temporary,
six-month deal was in force." http://t.uani.com/1dYbTcT
Reuters:
"Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Mohammad Zarif said on Monday a
final deal with world powers on Tehran's nuclear program is possible
within six months if there is good will and he was not worried about the
U.S. Congress trying to impose new sanctions... 'With good will we can
reach an agreement within six month,' he said in a speech to the German
Council on Foreign Relations. 'I don't fear a decision in the U.S.
Congress ... The U.S. president has promised to veto it.' Zarif was
visiting Berlin after meeting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and
other members of the six powers negotiating with Iran at the annual
Munich Security Conference at the weekend." http://t.uani.com/1kEg4kg
Reuters:
"President Hassan Rouhani has secured the backing of senior
conservative clerics against hardliners opposed to a nuclear deal reached
with major powers, Iran's official news agency IRNA said on Saturday. His
first vice president, Eshaq Jahangiri, visited clerics in the Shi'ite
Muslim holy city of Qom to explain the deal and seek their blessing over
'complex foreign policy issues' ahead of talks next month on a long-term
accord, IRNA said... IRNA said the response of from the clerics in Qom,
in central Iran, was unanimously positive. Support from Qom, whose
clerics traditionally have influence among core supporters of the
establishment, is likely to boost Rouhani's government's position in the
next round of talks in Vienna, having already won over more reform-minded
clerics." http://t.uani.com/1bn3YJx
Sanctions
Relief
AFP:
"Six months after the inauguration of Iran's moderate President
Hassan Rouhani, Western diplomats and businessmen are racing to Tehran
hoping that a diplomatic thaw will reopen lucrative markets... Iran has
also seen recent high-profile political visits, including by Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who led a delegation last week aimed
at boosting economic ties between the two countries, which back opposite
sides in Syria's civil war. Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino visited
Tehran in December. And Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt is due to
arrive in Tehran on Monday, while his Polish counterpart Radoslaw
Sikorski is expected in late February. The recent visits of former
British foreign minister Jack Straw and ex-UN chief Kofi Annan could be
also added to the list... 'These visits are a sign that the taboo of
sanctions has been shattered,' Amir Mohebian, a political analyst, told
AFP. 'This is already a major success for the diplomacy of President
Rouhani.'" http://t.uani.com/1dm0V0W
FT:
"A delegation of more than 100 French companies is set to visit
Tehran on Monday in the biggest demonstration of western business
interest in Iran for more than a decade. The three-day visit, which
includes top French companies such as oil major Total, engineer Alstom,
telecoms group Orange and carmaker Renault, has raised hopes in Iran that
an interim deal on its nuclear programme could lead to a return of
foreign investment. This was sharply curtailed after sanctions were
imposed in retaliation for Tehran's perceived bid to acquire nuclear weapons...
The French delegation includes government representatives but not
France's two big nuclear power companies, Areva and EDF. Other countries
are also preparing to seize opportunities which may be created if
sanctions are eased. A German business delegation, comprised of
specialised companies in the food industry, health, spare auto parts
industries, as well as in urban planning and engineering, is due in late
February. A Dutch delegation is also expected soon." http://t.uani.com/MqbHgL
Reuters:
"France will have 'significant commercial opportunities' in Iran if
sanctions are lifted, but Tehran first has to prove its good faith in
abiding by nuclear undertakings, Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said
on Sunday. Moscovici was speaking on LCI television as a French business
delegation travelled to the Iranian capital for meetings with officials
and business leaders. The three-day visit is intended to 'convey the
message that, if the situation improves, there will be significant
commercial opportunities for France in Iran', Moscovici said. 'But the
underlying message should be read as an (encouragement) to the Iranians
to keep their word,' he said, adding: 'It's a very sensitive
dossier.'" http://t.uani.com/1fSdTXx
Sanctions
Enforcement & Impact
WSJ:
"U.S. officials are fanning out across the globe, privately warning
international executives not to commit too much as they re-engage with
Iran during a temporary easing of sanctions. The outreach echoes some of
the statements U.S. officials have made in recent weeks cautioning about
the limited and temporary nature of the sanctions relaxation. In recent
days, senior U.S. officials have also started touring global commercial
capitals-including London, Paris and Dubai-and meeting executives from
blue-chip companies to hammer home the message. Treasury Secretary Jacob
Lew said in an interview on Friday that he has personally taken on the
issue in meetings with hundreds of American and international business
executives in recent weeks. This effort included meetings he held at the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week. 'It's really
important that businesses understand that we are continuing to monitor
transactions and enforce sanctions,' Mr. Lew said. 'It's really been our
focus that we don't have any misunderstandings.'" http://t.uani.com/1n7ecjk
WashPost:
"Secretary of State John F. Kerry told Iran's foreign minister
Sunday that the United States will continue to enforce existing sanctions
on Iran while bargaining over a deal to rein in Iran's disputed nuclear
program. The top U.S. and Iranian diplomats held a rare face-to-face
meeting Sunday in Germany, the State Department said... 'Secretary Kerry
reiterated the importance of both sides negotiating in good faith and
Iran abiding by its commitments' under that initial agreement, a senior
State Department official said Sunday. 'He also made clear that the
United States will continue to enforce existing sanctions.'" http://t.uani.com/1fSgz7r
Syria Conflict
Al-Monitor:
"Hard-line Iranian University Students News (IUSN) published the
names of 15 Iranians killed who had volunteered to go to Syria. While
Iranian officials and commanders have admitted to having sent 'advisers'
into Syria to assist the Syrian government in its fight against the
opposition, that Iran has active fighters is addressed only when the
hard-line media mention that a fighter has been killed in Syria
'defending the Shrine of Zeinab,' which is the official line on those who
die in Syria. Iran has mandatory military service, but those who have
gone to fight in Syria are most likely part of the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps' Quds Force that have chosen to fight in Syria. In the
Iranian hard-line media are typically shown pictures of their funerals
and posters of them with the Shrine of Zeinab in Damascus. In September
of 2013, video footage of an Iranian commander and cameraman revealed
that Iran's role in training militias across the region was deeper than
officials had suggested." http://t.uani.com/1bn6aRf
Human Rights
AFP:
"Iranian opposition figure Mehdi Karroubi, detained for three years
at a safe house for orchestrating anti-government protests, has been
moved home but still kept under house arrest, his son said Sunday.
Karroubi and fellow opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and Karroubi
have been held incommunicado under separate house arrests since February
2011 for orchestrating massive, unprecedented street protests sparked by
a disputed presidential election in 2009. Karroubi 'was transferred to
his home last night,' his son, Hossein Karroubi told ISNA news agency. He
said that his father has been confined to the second floor of the family
house while 'security forces are present on the first floor'. 'In terms
of security, nothing has changed. The location (of his incarceration)
only has changed,' said Hossein Karroubi. He said that his father can
only watch state television and has no access to the Internet or the
telephone." http://t.uani.com/MRQj4S
Al-Monitor:
"Mahboubeh, a 62-year-old Iranian schoolteacher, was forbidden from
traveling outside the country a couple of weeks ago. She has been
separated from her husband for three years, after what she describes as
over three decades of constant fighting. Since her husband has not agreed
to divorce her, he has taken revenge by preventing her from leaving the
country, even for a short trip to the United Arab Emirates with a couple
of her old friends. Mahboubeh told Al-Monitor she's fed up with the
system that hands over so much authority to men, allowing them to rule
women's lives, even when they are no longer living under the same roof.
Married Iranian women, even if they hold a valid passport, require their
husband's permission to depart the country, regardless of age. For
obtaining or renewing a passport, a notarized permit from the spouse is
required. Husbands can easily refrain from allowing their wives to obtain
or renew their passport." http://t.uani.com/1bn5ATL
ICHRI:
"In an action labor leaders are calling 'illegal,' security forces
have arrested over 20 workers of the Chadormalu Mine in the central
province of Yazd, including the head and the secretary of the labor
union, who stopped work as part of a contract negotiation and labor
dispute. Prominent labor unionist Mansour Osanloo told the International
Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, 'According to the Iranian Labor Law,
when workers reach a dispute with their employers because of their pay or
other guild demands, they have a right to stop work. Therefore they
didn't do anything illegal to warrant the arrests.' For the past several
months, more than 3,000 workers have demanded a pay increase that is
compatible with the inflation rate, as well as their overtime pay which
had been unpaid for four months." http://t.uani.com/1esJpwD
Opinion &
Analysis
Alireza Ramezani
in Al-Monitor: "Iran made the
decision to prescribe 'resistance' for its ailing economy more than three
years ago, after US-led sanctions against it gained momentum. The
strategy was an attempt to thwart the effects of the sanctions and
accelerate the implementation of a long-awaited plan to reduce the
country's reliance on oil exports. The United States, however, moved too
quickly for Tehran on new sanctions, leaving large parts of Iran's nearly
$1 trillion economy disconnected from the rest of the world and
shattering hopes that the new strategy adopted by ultraconservatives
would have time to work. The idea to adopt a 'resistance economy' came
from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who announced it in a
speech in summer 2010. He later proclaimed the new year starting March
2011 as the 'Year of Economic Jihad.' Twelve months after that, he
proclaimed the 'Year of National Production,' encouraging authorities to
produce a revolution in the country's economy in defiance of Washington's
demand that Tehran abandon its nuclear energy program or face continued
economic punishment. The strategy required the government to take prompt
measures to reduce reliance on oil revenues, which constituted
approximately 60% of the country's foreign revenues. Many also
interpreted the call to 'resistance' as a reaction to the populist
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's economic policies, which ultimately
increased liquidity to 4,730 trillion rials ($190.3 billion) in June
2013, a sevenfold increase compared to 2005 figures, and increased
inflation by more than 40% for the first time in years. At present, the
majority of political groups believe the economy simply did not respond
to resistance, while a minority argues that the timing was not right
early on. The groups who opposed the strategy from the beginning assert
that the resistance economy was always a 'myth.' They contend that the
nuclear deal reached in Geneva between Iran and the P5+1 powers in
November was a more true solution to the decadelong dispute with the
West. The six-month agreement - which includes easing sanctions and
releasing $4.2 billion in frozen Iranian oil revenue assets - is expected
to breathe fresh air into the Iranian economy. In addition, President
Hassan Rouhani has vowed to pursue a more comprehensive agreement in the
near future that he hopes will further break the ice on relations with
Iran's greatest foe... With sanctions targeting Iran's economic Achilles'
heel, the petroleum sector, its oil exports have fallen to around 1.2
million barrels per day (bpd), down from 2.5 million bpd in 2011. The
decline in one year alone, 2012-2013, reduced oil revenue by $26 billion.
Sanctions have affected other sectors as well. The automotive industry,
which ranks second, after oil and gas in terms of revenue generation, is
also in bad shape. In 2011, Iran produced 1.65 million cars, with exports
to Africa, Iraq, Russia, South America and Syria. Production plunged by
40% in 2013, pushing the industry's world ranking to 21st, down from 13th
two years prior, and affecting 700,000 employees, constituting 4% of the
workforce. Iran has more than $100 billion in foreign exchange assets
amassed around the world, but it has not been able to touch them due to
the financial restrictions of the US-led sanctions. A shortage of foreign
currency coupled with depreciation of the rial in the last couple of
years caused food prices to jump multifold, raising fears among
authorities that 'resistance' for millions of Iranians living below the
poverty line was exhausting them. So, the Geneva deal was a relief for
everybody, including ultraconservatives, despite their publicly expressed
outrage against Rouhani's 'compromising.'" http://t.uani.com/1nImGRf
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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