Eye on Iran: GOP to Move on Iran Sanctions Legislation

Join UANI           Top Stories Politico: "Congressional Republicans are setting up early challenges to President Barack Obama in January, preparing to move forward quickly on new Iran sanctions legislation following on the heels of a vote on a bill approving the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to vote on legislation that would impose additional economic penalties on Iran in the first few weeks of next year, according to Republican senators and aides. The starting point would be a bill written a year ago by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) that managed to accrue the support of 60 senators in both parties despite opposition from the White House. Kirk and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said over the weekend that an Iran vote could occur in January after a vote on Keystone, which is the first bill the Republican Senate will take up and is also opposed by President Barack Obama." http://t.uani.com/1thgal0 Tehran Times: "Iran's gross domestic product grew by 4 percent in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 21, compared to the same period in the previous year, the Central Bank of Iran reported. The country's GDP amounted to 1.022 quadrillion rials (about $28.5 billion) in the first half of the current year, according to the report... Meanwhile, Business Monitor has predicted that the Iranian economy will grow 2.8 percent in 2014." http://t.uani.com/1xtnoGC Mehr (Iran): "During his eleventh provincial visit to Birjand, Southern Khorasan Province, President Rouhani has announced the start of economic growth in Iran after two years of recession. Speaking among citizens of Southern Khorasan on his eleventh provincial visit, President Rouhani highlighted his government's achievements during the past two years since his election and said, 'the two great issues that the government has been grappling with were the inflation and the recession. We have now finally managed to reduce the 40 percent inflation down to 17 percent.' 'The country's economic growth was minus 6.8 two years ago, but the statistics issued by the Central Bank last night showed a four percent positive growth during the six months of the current [Iranian] year,' he added, hailing the start of economic growth in Iran after two years of recession." http://t.uani.com/1wwxFhi     Nuclear Program & Negotiations Reuters: "Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that a widening of U.S. sanctions against Moscow this week may hamper bilateral cooperation on issues such as Iran's nuclear program and the Syrian crisis. 'The actions by the United States are putting in doubt the prospects of bilateral cooperation on solving the situation around the Iranian nuclear program, the Syrian crisis and other acute international problems,' the ministry said. 'As Washington could have seen previously, we don't leave such unfriendly acts without an answer,' the statement added." http://t.uani.com/1vE8vhB Tehran Times: "State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf says the world powers and Iran are closer than they have ever been to a comprehensive agreement over Tehran's nuclear energy program. Speaking at her daily press briefing on Tuesday, Harf told reporters that Iran's nuclear program is frozen for the first time in the last decade, describing it as a 'significant achievement.' 'We are sitting at the negotiating table seeing if we can get a comprehensive agreement, closer than we've ever been to a comprehensive agreement while their program is frozen for the first time in a decade.  That, I think, is a pretty significant achievement,' she said. Elsewhere in her remarks, Harf reiterated her claims that the sanctions imposed on Iran by the West have brought the country to the negotiating table." http://t.uani.com/1y1UlwG ISNA (Iran): "Iran has started construction of two new units in Bushehr nuclear power plant, said Spokesman of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi. 'The construction of two nuclear power plants units has started and we entered into the execution phase of building the units after signing the contract,' he told ISNA referring to a deal recently signed between Iran and Russia on building the units in Bushehr nuclear power plant.  Regarding, the two remaining issues of the third phase of technical cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he said, 'The two issues have not been close[d], and we will not enter the next phase until they are not settled.' The two issues include information exchange with the IAEA 'with respect to the allegations related to the initiation of high explosives, including the conduct of large-scale high-explosives experimentation in Iran.'" http://t.uani.com/1B1Jv9B Sanctions Relief Bloomberg: "Iran's cabinet approved a four-year $15 billion plan to jointly develop oilfields with Iraq that will increase the nation's production capacity by 550,000 barrels a day, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported." http://t.uani.com/1xvlQvK Trend: "Iran's non-oil trade turnover (including condensates) surpassed $73.6 billion during the first nine months of current Iranian fiscal year (March 21- Dec. 21), Iranian Customs Administration reported Dec. 27. Iran's non-oil exports stood at $35.145 billion during the period, 17.72 percent more compared the 9-month period of last year(Iran's fiscal year starts on March 21). Iran also imported about $38.462 billion worth of goods during the period, which indicates a rise by 14.98 percent in value year on year. Liquefied propane, methanol and liquefied butane were the main items exported. China, Iraq, the UAE, Afghanistan and India were the top importers of Iranian goods during the mentioned period. Meanwhile the UAE, China, South Korea and Turkey were the leading exporters of goods to Iran." http://t.uani.com/1rvlaH4 Trend: "Bank Melli of Iran and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to boost bilateral ties. The agreement was reached during a meeting between the Managing Director of BMI Abdolnaser Hemmati and UAE Central Bank Governor Mubarak Al Mansouri in Abu Dhabi, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Dec. 22. During the meeting, Al Mansouri said that the UAE Central Bank will help BMI to widen the activities of its branches in UAE. BMI has seven branches in different cities across UAE." http://t.uani.com/1Bk00M8 Mehr (Iran): "The World Steel Association has introduced Iran as the world's 14th biggest producer of steel in its latest report in November. According to the report, Iran's crude steel output totaled 1,459,000 ton this November which shows a 6.1 percent growth compared to the same period last year (1,375,000 ton). The total steel production of Iran during the last 11 months in the Gregorian calendar reached 14,969,000 ton which shows a 6.4 percent increase compared to the volume of production in 2013, World Steel Association said in the report. This growth places Iran at the fourteenth largest steel producer country after China, Japan, the US, India, South Korea, Russia, Germany, Turkey, Brazil, Taiwan, Italy, Ukraine and Mexico... Isfahan Mobarakeh Steel Company, Khuzestan Steel Mill Complex, and Zob Ahan are three largest steel producers in Iran, accounting for more than 70 percent of the country's crude steel production." http://t.uani.com/1HWElMm Trend: "The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) announced that the inflation rate for the 12-month period to ninth Iranian calendar month of Azar (ended on December 21) hit 17.2 percent. The figure is one percent less compared to the preceding month, official website of the CBI reported Dec. 27. However, Iranian Government Spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht earlier said that the inflation rate for the 12-month period to Azar fell to 16.8 percent citing the Statistical Center of Iran. The country's point-to-point inflation in the mentioned month was 16.7 percent, 1.6 percent more than in the previous month, according to the CBI." http://t.uani.com/1EClb23 IRNA (Iran): "A senior Iranian official said on Wednesday that the products of South Pars gas field were exported to 29 countries in the nine months of current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2014). Talking to IRNA, Managing Director of Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ) Mehdi Yousefi said that the PSEEZ has exported more than 16.12 million tons of products worth over $13.49 billion during the period. Yousefi added that compared to the corresponding figure of last year, the figures show a 30-percent and 26-percent increase in terms of value and weight respectively." http://t.uani.com/1BfsNSk Sanctions Enforcement & Impact Trend: "Iran has some $100 billion of frozen assets in different countries such as China, India, and Japan, head of Tehran Chamber of Commerce Yahya Al-e Es'haq said. He said Tehran can't use the frozen assets immediately, but added that the money belong to the government and can be used in the long term, Iran's ISNA News Agency reported on Dec. 26. Following international sanctions imposed on Iran, some of the country's oil revenues were frozen in different countries including China India, Japan and South Korea. According to Iran's Industry, Mine, and Trade Minister Mohammadreza Nematzadeh, some of the country's assets are also frozen in Sri Lanka and talks are underway to unfreeze them." http://t.uani.com/1zrxru3 Iraq Crisis CSM: "A former aide to General David Petraeus warns that as the Pentagon prepares to send another 1,500 US troops to Iraq to help 'destroy' the Islamic State fighters, there may be an even greater danger that forces face: Iranian-backed Shiite militias... Back in 2007, 'when I was serving with Petraeus, I mentioned to him that although Al Qaeda in Iraq was the wolf closest to the shed, in the long run Shiite militias could be more dangerous to Iraqi sovereignty,' says retired Colonel Peter Mansoor... This 'hidden hand' - which includes Iranian influence and, in some cases, command-and-control of operations - is increasingly apparent in the Shiite militias, says Kimberly Kagan, founder and president of the Institute for the Study of War. 'They ... [are] going to erode Iraq's sovereignty by taking the command-and-control of the security forces out of the hands of Iraqi officials, and placing that command-and-control into the hands of Iran.' She cites photographic evidence of Iraqi security force (ISF) command centers 'in which there are ISF commanders and Iranian-backed Shiite militias all sitting over a map evaluating plans.'" http://t.uani.com/1ztogt1 Human Rights IHR: "At least 33 prisoners have been executed in the prison of Kerman since August 2014, according to sources Iran Human Rights(IHR) has been in contact with. The prisoners have often been executed in groups of 6-8 at a time, according to these sources. Except for one prisoners who was charged with murder, all the other prisoners had been sentenced to death for drug-related charges.  No executions in the prison of Kerman has been reported by the official Iranian sources in this period." http://t.uani.com/1rxfGLU Domestic Politics Tasnim (Iran): "Iranian people on Tuesday attended nationwide events to commemorate the fifth anniversary of 2009 massive nationwide rallies held in support of the Islamic establishment. Special ceremonies were held in major cities across Iran to mark the historic day. The spontaneous demonstrations sparked on December 30, 2009, a few days after a number of rioters desecrated the mourning ceremonies commemorating the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hossein (AS), Shiite Muslims' third Imam and the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Millions of Iranians from different walks of life took to the streets to protest against the desecration. The nationwide massive rallies, seen as the nation's renewed allegiance to the Islamic Republic, also put an end to the post-election unrest in the country. Following the 2009 presidential poll, some supporters of two of the candidates that lost the election raised allegations of electoral fraud and held sporadic violent rallies in Tehran and some other cities. December 30 is now seen as one of the most important days in the history of the Islamic Revolution. Every year, Iranian people mark the event as an epic which restored tranquility to the nation and nipped the sedition against the Islamic establishment in the bud." http://t.uani.com/1A82Fco Trend: "Iran's private has no share in the country's economic growth, head of Tehran Chamber of Commerce Yahya Al-e Es'haq said. He said that the 4-percent figure that the country's Central Bank announced for economic growth only applies to state-owned bodies, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on Dec. 30. 'Big industries such as auto manufacturing, petrochemical, and construction showed desirable growth, but small and medium-size industries still have problems,' he said. 'Lack of liquidity, money transfer problems, and the difference between bank interests and inflation are among the top problems of small and medium-size industries,' he added. The official further urged the government to support the private sector." http://t.uani.com/1vE8VVh Foreign Affairs Tasnim (Iran): "A ranking IRGC commander said many Muslim nations in the region have drawn inspiration from Iran's Islamic Revolution, highlighting the magnitude of Iraq's voluntary forces that are on the same wavelength with Iran. Addressing a conference in Tehran on Tuesday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Lieutenant Commander Brigadier General Hossein Salami said Iraq's popular Army relies on the Islamic Revolution, noting that the force is 'tens of times greater than Lebanon's Hezbollah in size.' In Syria, the commander added, the voluntary forces have close bonds with the Islamic Revolution and get inspiration from the Basij forces of Iran. 'In Yemen, we have Ansarullah (Shiite movement) that follow the logic of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in Palestine, they are the Palestinian groups who fight against the Zionist regime (of Israel),' Brigadier General Salami explained." http://t.uani.com/14aBNxz      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.