Eye on Iran: Iran Oil Exports Will Be in Line with Sanctions Target -U.S.

Join UANI           Top Stories Reuters: "The United States on Friday dismissed suggestions that Iran was exporting much more oil than it is allowed to sell under a preliminary nuclear deal with world powers and predicted that aggregate Iranian oil sales would meet targets set for Tehran... Iran's oil exports have stayed above levels allowed under Western sanctions for a fifth month, the latest sign that the limited sanctions relief agreed upon in November is helping Tehran sell more crude, according to sources who track tanker movements. Under the interim nuclear deal agreed in November in Geneva, Iran's exports are supposed to be held at an average 1 million barrels per day for the six months to July 20. But shipments to Asia have topped that level at least since November, according to ship tracking data. The senior U.S. official said the United States had always expected fluctuations and was focusing on aggregate, not short-term, data. 'We have had teams talk to each of the importers of Iranian oil, and we feel comfortable that, in fact, they will meet the target that we have and there is nothing to lead us to believe otherwise at this time,' the senior U.S. official told reporters in a conference call. 'We of course keep continuous eye on this,' the official added." http://t.uani.com/1inX1bS Reuters: "Iran said on Saturday it had useful expert-level nuclear talks with world powers in Vienna, addressing all major technical issues in the way of a final settlement. 'The meetings were useful, raised mutual insight into our differing positions,' Iranian negotiator Hamid Baeedinejad told the official IRNA news agency at the end of the three-day talks in Vienna. 'Everyone came well-prepared ... addressing issues in minute technical details can facilitate hard political decisions.' He said the results would be submitted on Monday to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton who acts on behalf of the six world powers - the United States, France, Germany, Russia, China and Britain. Ashton and Zarif are to hold their third round of high-level nuclear talks on April 8-9 in the Austrian capital, part of efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement by late July." http://t.uani.com/1fWbBZQ Press TV (Iran): "Iran's foreign minister has strongly criticized a recent European Parliament resolution against Tehran, saying no parliamentary delegation from the body would be allowed to visit Iran on terms mentioned in the resolution... In one of its articles, the resolution also said any future visit to Iran by European Parliament delegations should be subjected to meeting what it said were 'members of the political opposition and civil society activists, and to having access to political prisoners.' 'The government will not allow any parliamentary delegation from Europe to travel to Iran on the conditions included in this European Parliament's resolution,' Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a meeting with members of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on Sunday. 'The European Parliament is not in a position and does not have the moral authority to be able to express views about the situation in other countries,' he added. It is obvious that the EP lacks the legitimacy to advise others on observing human rights, he emphasized. 'Europeans must know that the great and civilized Iranian nation seeks interaction with other countries based on mutual respect and an equal footing, and will not accept insulting and interfering attitude by any movement and country,' Zarif said. Iran has credible information that pro-Israeli lobbies are making great efforts and raising false issues to sabotage 'Iran's positive and constructive negotiations with the P5+1 group' on the country's nuclear energy program, he added." http://t.uani.com/1oGF3Jl        Nuclear Program & Negotiations WashPost: "Significant gaps remain between international negotiators and Iran over its nuclear program, but talks that began early this year are 'getting down to the serious business' and the drafting of a comprehensive agreement will begin in May, a senior Obama administration official said Friday. 'I'm absolutely convinced that we can' complete a deal by a July 20 deadline, the official said, 'although the real issue is not whether you can write the words on paper . . . it's about the choices that Iran has to make. Some of them are very difficult.' ... The senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief reporters on administration views, brushed off those concerns. 'We're quite direct and quite straightforward with each other, so I don't think there's any mystery about positions. And what we are focused on is what is discussed in the room, not what anyone says on the outside.' 'We know where we can see points of agreement,' the official said. 'We know where the gaps are that have to be bridged. But I've also said this is a Rubik's Cube, and where one makes progress on one element may mean there's more trade space on another element.' The official declined to provide specifics about the negotiations but said that 'nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and I would add to that nothing is agreed till everyone agrees to it.'" http://t.uani.com/1fZu1Wb AP: "World powers and Iran will start drafting a final nuclear agreement next month, a U.S. official said Friday in a surprisingly optimistic assessment that expressed hope that a comprehensive pact could be reached in July... The U.S. official said the goal remains to seal a final pact before July 20, without the need for a six-month extension. The official said much of the work remaining was technical in nature, but noted that nothing had yet been agreed." http://t.uani.com/1kBpZ9J AFP: "A Chinese man, an Iranian and two Iranian firms were charged in the United States with conspiring to export devices to Iran that can serve to enrich uranium, an indictment says. Sihai Cheng, 34, was arrested on February 7 at London's Heathrow Airport. London's Metropolitan Police force said Cheng had already appeared at a court in the capital and was awaiting his next appearance. US prosecutors say Shanghai-based Cheng conspired with Seyed Abolfazl Shahab Jamili of Tehran and the Iranian companies Nicaro Eng. Co. and Eyvaz Technic Manufacturing Co. to export US-made pressure transducers. The devices, which are a type of sensor, can be used in gas centrifuges to 'convert natural uranium into a form that can be used for nuclear weapons,' the indictment said. MKS Instruments Inc. in Andover, Massachusetts produced the parts. According to the indictment, Cheng would ship the transducers to Iran upon receiving them in China. Publicly available photographs of Iran's Natanz enrichment facility show 'numerous' MKS pressure transducers attached to Iran's gas centrifuge cascades, the indictment said." http://t.uani.com/1e7Kixd Reuters: "Spain said on Monday it had dismantled a group it accused of plotting to send industrial equipment to Iran that could be used for weapon manufacture in violation of international sanctions. The Spanish interior ministry and civil guard said in a joint statement they had arrested four people from the group, which is also accused of sharing technological information through a complex business network, including engineering projects, which may be used to build missiles... The four suspects - three Spaniards and one Iranian - were arrested in Barcelona, Tarragona and Palma de Mallorca, the Spanish statement said. The operation, dubbed 'Terracota', began last year after police registered the acquisition of two pieces of machinery from a British defense company. 'Officials confirm that the machinery was introduced illegally into Spain in an attempt to hide its real destination, and with the goal of waiting for the right moment to send to Iran,' the statement said. The dual-purpose machinery, which could be employed for both military and civilian purposes, may be used to manufacture missile casing as well as parts which could be included in gas centrifuges for uranium enrichment, it said." http://t.uani.com/1kCxDRc Sanctions Relief WSJ: "Iran has been unable to withdraw much of the unfrozen oil revenue it was to receive under a November interim nuclear deal, a possible complication for efforts to end the decadelong standoff over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The problems were outlined in interviews with nearly a dozen Western and Iranian officials and diplomats, bankers and lawyers with knowledge of the issue.  An estimated $100 billion in payments for Iranian oil imports has been locked up in accounts in the importing countries in compliance with U.S. banking sanctions that have been among the most effective in pressuring Iran economically. Only $4.2 billion was to be freed up gradually under the interim deal. One reason Iran is having difficulty tapping the unfrozen revenue is that banks remain fearful they could violate tight U.S. financial sanctions, especially while the outcome of talks on a final nuclear deal remains uncertain. If financial institutions flout sanctions, they could be shut out of the U.S. banking system, which clears dollar transactions, or face huge fines.  Some Western officials partly blame Iran for the delay. Tehran has been slow to set payment instructions specifying where the money should be sent and, in some cases, how it will use the funds-information banks may require before releasing the money... The difficulty helping Iran withdraw the funds shows the practical challenges of delivering money to a country largely isolated from the global banking system because of the tight web of sanctions. On Feb. 3, the first payment of $550 million in unfrozen oil revenue was transferred from a Japanese bank to Banque de Commerce et de Placements, or BCP, in Switzerland. As of Wednesday, the funds hadn't been withdrawn." http://t.uani.com/1hkV5oj Reuters: "Boeing Co, the world's biggest airplane maker, and engine maker General Electric Co said on Friday they had received licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department to export certain spare parts for commercial aircraft to Iran under a temporary sanctions relief deal that began in January. GE spokesman Rick Kennedy said the Treasury had approved the company's application to service 18 engines sold to Iran in the late 1970s. They will be serviced at facilities owned by GE or Germany's MTU Aero Engines, which is licensed to do the work. He said GE officials would meet with officials from Iran flag carrier Iranair and MTU in Istanbul next week to discuss Iran's needs. A Boeing spokesman said his company received the license this week and would now contact officials in Iran to determine which parts were needed. He said the license covered only components needed to ensure continued safe flight operations of older Boeing planes sold to Iran before the 1979 revolution, and did not allow any discussions about sales of new aircraft to Iran. 'It's very limited,' said the spokesman. The sales would be the first acknowledged dealings between U.S. aerospace companies and Iran since the 1979 U.S. hostage crisis led to U.S. sanctions that were later broadened during the dispute over Iran's nuclear activities." http://t.uani.com/1h62YN5 WSJ: "Officials from Tehran's bourse are set to travel to London next week, people familiar with the matter said, courting Europe's premier financial center amid a detente between Iran and the West. The move by the Tehran Stock Exchange is the latest attempt by Iran to attract investment to its embattled economy following an interim nuclear agreement with six world powers in November. Amir Hossein Erza, the vice chairman of the bourse, and Hassan Ghalibaf Asl, its chief executive, are among a string of financial executives and listed companies due to meet financial professionals at various events in the City of London, the U.K. capital's financial district, the people said... In recent years, Iranian investors have flocked to Tehran's stock exchange, which is one of the largest financial centers in the Middle East. The market has been further buoyed by the interim nuclear deal with the West, rising 130% in 2013." http://t.uani.com/1ii2Whv WSJ: "The U.S. has no information to suggest that a reported Russian oil-for-goods deal is being completed, but has expressed concerns about a move that could lead to fresh U.S. sanctions, a senior official said late Friday. 'We do not have any information to suggest this deal has been culminated,' the senior U.S. official said in a teleconference ahead of the resumption of international talks on Iran's nuclear program. 'We have been very clear about our concerns with both parties regarding this or any similar deal.' Reuters reported earlier this week that Iran and Russia were working to seal a $20 billion oil-for-goods deal in which Russia will receive oil in exchange for Russian goods and equipment. 'If such a deal were to happen, it appears it would be inconsistent with' last November's interim nuclear deal 'and could potentially trigger U.S. sanctions against the entity and individuals involved in any related transaction,' the official said." http://t.uani.com/1oFC2ZP Trend: "Iran has exported averagely 504,000 barrels of gas condensate per day, since achieving an interim nuclear accord with Sextet powers in November 2013. Iran Custom Administration released a 229-page detailed statistics about the country's trade turnover during last Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20. The report indicates that the country increased condensate export volume from 195,000 barrels per day during first eight months (March 20, 2013 to November 20, 2013) to 504,000 barrels per day during the last four months of Iran's calendar year, which covers November 21, 2013 to March 19, 2014). Iran's average condensate exports after nuclear deal is 258 percent more than before that." http://t.uani.com/1gD3Y6A Trend: "Russian company STG has signed a contract with Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation company, known as IMIDRO, to produce alumina from Nepheline syenite, Iran's IRNA news agency quoted IMIDRO director Mehdi Karbasian as saying on April 7. Nepheline syenite is used in glass making, ceramics and in pigments and fillers. STG will handle the production and at a later stage transfer the project to the Iranian side, which refused to give the project to any other specialists. 'Based on the contract, the Russian company will implement the project in 3-4 years,' Karbasian said... A delegation led by Russian Economic Development Minister, Alexei Ulyukayev will visit Iran on April 20, Russia's Ambassador to Iran, Levan Jagaryan said in an interview with ISNA on March 17." http://t.uani.com/1kj5dQy Sanctions Enforcement & Impact Free Beacon: "House lawmakers on Monday are set to introduce a new bill that would greatly tighten economic sanctions on the terror group Hezbollah by going after its foreign assets, narcotics trafficking rings, and its media apparatus, according to information obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. The new bipartisan Hezbollah International Financial Prevention Act aims to widen the scope of sanctions by going after Hezbollah's drug trafficking and public relations arms, which until this point have operated with relative impunity across the globe, including in Latin America. The sanctions also would disrupt Hezbollah's fundraising channels and cut off the group's ability to finance its international terror activities. The new sanctions, which have been in the works for weeks, were spearheaded by Reps. Ed Royce (R., Calif.), Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.), Mark Meadows (R., N.C), and Brad Schneider (D., Ill.). The lawmakers argue that new sanctions are needed in order to thwart Hezbollah's growing global network, which includes drug rings, criminal networks, and terror funding in the Middle East and elsewhere." http://t.uani.com/1e7TwcK Human Rights RFE/RL: "A call by the European Parliament to open an EU office in Tehran has come under fire from Iranian hard-liners, who say the proposed headquarters would allow outsiders to meddle in the country's affairs. 'The people of Iran will not allow another house of spies to be created in the country,' Ayatollah Movahedi-Kermani, Tehran's temporary Friday Prayers leader, said on April 4. The cleric's comments came a day after the European Parliament passed a resolution stating that the first steps toward opening a delegation in the Iranian capital should be taken by the end of the year. The resolution criticizes human rights abuses in Iran and calls for a more active EU role in addressing the rights situation in the country and supporting civil society... A day earlier, the head of Iran's Basij force, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, had harsh words for the EU and its proposed office in the Iranian capital. 'The European Union is a good example of the Koran verse that says they're worse than quadrupeds,' Naqdi was quoted as saying by the hard-line Fars news agency. Naqdi said the Basiji force will organize a human rights exhibition in Iran for EU representatives to visit. 'Homosexuals [in Europe] have intercourse like animals. They have a surge in drug production, which they sell to their young people at a cheap price. Then in their resolution they say: You don't have the right to execute drug dealers, and release the homosexuals,' he said, adding that the EU would not dare open an office in Tehran." http://t.uani.com/1hTtPvP AP: "An Iranian news agency is reporting that the country's foreign ministry has summoned the Greek ambassador in protest of a human rights resolution by European Parliament. The report Sunday by the semi-official Fars news agency says an official in the ministry called the resolution 'uncalculated' and 'against the interests' of both Iran and Europe. Greece is now heading the European Union. On Thursday, the parliament reportedly passed a resolution expressing grave concern over the human rights situation in Iran, seeking the EU to include discussions about human rights in all of its interactions with Iran." http://t.uani.com/1hx8ovQ Foreign Affairs Reuters: "An Iranian suspected of helping kidnap a British-Iranian businessman in Dubai has been arrested in Thailand and deported to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), an official source familiar with the matter said on Sunday. Ali Rehmat Assadi will stand trial in the UAE on charges of abducting Abbas Yazdi, who went missing in June, the source added. Yazdi's wife, Atena, has told UAE media she feared he might have been kidnapped by Iranian intelligence officers. Iran has denied any role in Yazdi's disappearance. UAE authorities said in January they had detained three Iranians suspected of being part of a group that had kidnapped Yazdi, a businessman who owns a general trading company in the Gulf Arab emirate." http://t.uani.com/1ii2mAr WashPost: "Last month, the New York Times reported that satellite images appeared to show that Iran was undertaking a strange task: Creating a nonfunctional, full-size replica of an American Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at the Gachin shipyard near Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf. Why, exactly, would Iran do this? Analysts told the Times that the boat might be blown up, either as target practice or for propaganda purposes. Iranian media rebutted these theories, instead reporting that the boat was part of a set being built for a movie based on the 1988 downing of an Iran Air passenger jet by the USS Vincennes. Either way, something is definitely being built. DigitalGlobe and Google have today released additional images of the Gachin shipyard that show the construction work, which you can see in the images below and the gif above." http://t.uani.com/1jT3Ghp Reuters: "The navies of Iran and Pakistan plan to hold joint military exercises in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, Iran's state news agency said on Sunday. Several Pakistani naval vessels, including a warship and a submarine, docked at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, the IRNA news agency said, citing an Iranian Navy statement. 'The most important activity of the Pakistani fleet during its stay in Bandar Abbas is to launch joint manoeuvres with selected units of Iran's Navy in eastern waters of the Hormuz Strait,' Iranian Rear Admiral Shahram Irani told IRNA. Iran's state news agency said the joint naval exercises were aimed at promoting military cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad but gave no details of the plans." http://t.uani.com/1h621Ve 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.