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WashPost: "Iran announced Monday two
financial milestones as the country emerges from under sanctions,
saying it has access to more than $100 billion in previously frozen
assets and has rejoined an important international banking network. The
statements follow more than $30 billion in potential business deals
unveiled with France and Italy last week during a trip by Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani, whose government has strongly courted foreign
investors after sanctions were lifted last month as part of an accord with
world powers to rein in Tehran's nuclear program. The deal-making -
including plans for Airbus passenger jet sales and partnerships with
French automaker Peugeot-Citröen - highlighted the interest among many
foreign companies in Europe and Asia for quick re-entry into Iran's
large consumer market... Iran's government spokesman, Mohammad Bagher
Nobakht, said more than $100 billion has been 'fully released' and
available for Iranian use, according to comments on the website of
state-run Press TV. The bulk of the funds, he said, was held in banks
in Asia, including China and India, as well as Turkey. Many of the
countries received waivers to purchase Iranian oil and gas during the
sanctions, but placed the payments in escrow-style accounts that
remained off-limits to Iran... Some opponents of the nuclear deal in
the United States and elsewhere have raised concerns that the freed
assets - possibly up to $150 billion in total by some estimates - could
go to Iranian-linked militant groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah."
http://t.uani.com/2065DZA
Al-Monitor: "Five Iranian commanders from
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who were behind the
detention of 10 US sailors who trespassed into Iranian waters near
Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf, received Fath medals from Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Jan. 31... Khamenei first met with the
Iranian sailors on Jan. 24, showering them with praise. In a video clip
that was televised and shared on Khamenei's personal Web page, he said
that the sailors 'showed bravery. But it was not only bravery. It was
bravery accompanied with faith and an understanding of the moment.
Meaning they acted on time.' He called the incident 'the work of God.'
IRGC Navy Commander Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi spoke Feb. 1 at an open session
of parliament about the incident. He said that this is the fourth time
that IRGC naval forces have arrested foreign forces. He did not
elaborate on the previous times, but said twice before American sailors
were apprehended and twice British sailors were apprehended. Fadavi
boasted, 'Nowhere else in the world can someone apprehend an American
boat.' He said the American sailors intended to 'humiliate Iran' ...
Fadavi said that if US officials are upset by the video of American
soldiers on their knees with their hands on their heads, they should
know that Iran has other video footage that will increase their
humiliation by '100 times.' He warned that 'if American maliciousness
continues, this video will be aired.' According to Fadavi, information
from the cellphones and laptops of the sailors was removed, amounting
to hundreds of pages of information... up to now, very few Fath 1
medals have been awarded and they were mostly given to people who held
important roles in the Iran-Iraq War." http://t.uani.com/2061JQp
WashPost: "Just weeks after the Iran
nuclear deal took effect, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is
taking fresh aim at Tehran with stepped-up sanctions to punish the
Islamic Republic for aggressive non-nuclear activities. Chairman Bob
Corker (R-Tenn.) and at least one other senator are crafting new
measures to address everything from Iran's recent ballistic missile
tests to the country's human rights violations to a reauthorization of
the soon-expiring Iran Sanctions Act (ISA). The measures, which are
likely to come up in February, will be Congress' latest attempts to
ensure President Obama punishes Tehran for bad behavior in the wake of
the now-implemented nuclear deal. 'We are looking at ways of having a
much stronger pushback on the violations that took place,' Corker said
of his proposed sanctions aimed at Iran's recent ballistic missile
tests. The ballistic missile measure is part of a trio Corker is
readying, along with a reauthorization of ISA - a sweeping,
longstanding law to curb Iran's nuclear and missile activities as well
as its support for terrorism through sanctions on the trade, energy,
defense and banking sectors. Corker is also crafting a third measure,
but declined to identify its content. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.)
is also planning a package of 'actions that we should be considering
against Iran outside the nuclear portfolio.' Menendez has already
co-authored, along with Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), legislation to extend
ISA past 2016, and wants to step up sanctions against Tehran for its
ballistic missile tests and human rights violations... There is room to
do more, Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Ben Cardin
(D-Md.), suggested in the days following implementation. 'Iran has
received their initial relief,' said Cardin, who voted against the Iran
deal but committed to support its implementation. 'Therefore, I think
Congress can be bolder.' ... Despite repeated promises the nuclear deal
would not compromise the ability to sanction Iran for non-nuclear
infractions, the administration resisted efforts to advance other Iran
sanctions in the period between the deal's conclusion and
implementation. Lawmakers argued they needed to reauthorize the ISA, at
least, in order to have a ready regime of sanctions to 'snap back' to,
should Iran breach its obligations under the deal." http://t.uani.com/1o2GQda
U.S.-Iran
Relations
Reuters: "A federal judge has
challenged the U.S. government's move to drop charges against an
Iranian man accused of sanctions violations as part of a U.S. prisoner
trade agreed with Iran last month. Federal prosecutors filed a motion
on Jan. 16 to drop the case against Alireza Moazami Goudarzi, an
Iranian man accused in 2012 of trying to buy aircraft parts for Iran,
including those for military aircraft engines. The dismissal was part
of a wider deal which also saw U.S. officials move to drop
international arrest orders and any charges against 13 other Iranians
outside America. The administration also offered clemency deals to
seven Iranians in the United States, mostly imprisoned for or charged
with sanctions violations. In return, Iran released five Americans it
had been holding, including Iranian-American Washington Post reporter
Jason Rezaian... U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel in New York
threatened in a court order last week to deny the government's dismissal
of charges against Goudarzi unless prosecutors could justify
'significant foreign policy interests' they had cited as a reason to
drop the case. Castel wrote in his order that the court should not
approve such a request if it is prompted by 'considerations clearly
contrary to the public interest.' Castel is the only judge so far who
is known to have questioned the dismissals, which were also filed in
jurisdictions including Arizona, Washington, D.C. and California,
Reuters found in a review of court records... In a response to Castel's
order, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cronan said on Monday that the
prisoner swap was a 'one-time, unique agreement based on extraordinary
circumstances' that had been reached in order to obtain the release of
American prisoners held in Iran. 'The United States Government has made
clear to the Government of Iran that the United States does not expect
to repeat these actions,' Cronan said in a court brief." http://t.uani.com/1KUc6ji
Congressional
Action
WSJ: "The House is scheduled to
vote Tuesday on legislation aimed at pressing President Barack Obama to
punish Iran for its testing of ballistic missiles. There's just one
problem: he already has. And in fact, the House has already passed the
bill. But one vacated vote and one blizzard later, the chamber will
vote on it again. The bill initially came up in the House in
mid-January at an opportune moment for its sponsors. At the time, even
Democrats were frustrated that the administration was delaying the
financial penalties it had told lawmakers in late December it would
impose after Iran's two missile tests this fall, which violated a
United Nations Security Council resolution. On Jan. 13, the House voted
on the bill that would not allow the administration to roll back
sanctions on Iran as part of the July nuclear deal - unless it could
certify that the relief would not benefit any individuals involved in
the country's ballistic missile program or terrorism. The legislation
passed 191-106, but 137 tardy lawmakers missed it, thanks to House
Speaker Paul Ryan's efforts to make votes a little more efficient.
House GOP leaders quickly agreed to essentially erase the vote and
re-do it during the final week in January so that more lawmakers could
weigh in. Then the blizzard in Washington pushed that vote to this
week. In the interim, the nuclear deal between Iran and six world
powers officially went into effect and Mr. Obama lifted most of the
sanctions on Iran by executive order. The U.S. Treasury Department also
sanctioned nearly a dozen Iranian-linked entities for their alleged
role in Iran's ballistic-missile program just hours after Washington
and Tehran concluded a high-stakes prisoner swap. Combined, those two
actions take quite a bit of air out of the bill. House GOP aides said
the legislation still served to hold Mr. Obama accountable for the Iran
deal." http://t.uani.com/20mHSC9
Sanctions
Enforcement
Reuters: "Members of the Hezbollah
militant group were arrested on charges they used millions of dollars
from the sale of cocaine in the United States and Europe to purchase
weapons in Syria, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said
on Monday... Those arrested include leaders of the network's European
cell, who were taken into custody last week, the DEA statement said.
Among them was Mohamad Noureddine, who the DEA accuses of being a
Lebanese money launderer for Hezbollah's financial arm.... The
investigation 'once again highlights the dangerous global nexus between
drug trafficking and terrorism,' the statement said. Seven countries,
including France, Germany, Italy and Belgium, were involved in the
investigation that began in February 2015 and is ongoing. The U.S.
Treasury Department last week imposed sanctions against Noureddine and
Hamdi Zaher El Dine, another alleged Hezbollah money launderer.
Noureddine's Trade Point International also was placed under
sanctions." http://t.uani.com/1SVS7IW
Sanctions
Relief
WSJ: "The world's largest group of
oil-tanker underwriters is in talks with the U.S. government to find a
way to insure Iranian petroleum shipments now that sanctions over
Iran's nuclear program have ended, the organization's chief said
Monday. The U.S. maintains several layers of sanctions against Iran,
including a ban on dollar transactions, that undermine insurers'
ability to offer effective coverage for Iranian oil shipments to
Europe, said Andrew Bardot, the executive officer of the London-based
International Group of Protection & Indemnity Clubs--a pool of
reinsurers that covers around 90% of the world's tonnage, including
tankers. Mr. Bardot said in an interview that he has held discussions
with the U.S. Treasury and the State Department in recent days to find
a solution to cover Iranian shipments, including oil as the country increases
exports now that western sanctions over its nuclear program have ended.
The continued U.S. sanctions are over human rights, terrorism and
weapons issues. 'The clubs are looking at ways of addressing these
risks in the short and longer term so as to facilitate resumption of
normal trading,' Mr. Bardot said... European oil companies have
struggled to find tankers with insurance that covers shipments from
Iran, including France's Total SA and Switzerland-based trader Litasco,
according to shipping professionals. The problem could jeopardize plans
by Iran to double its crude exports... One barrier to insuring the
transport of Iranian oil is the participation of the American Steamship
Owners Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association, Inc., also known as
the American Club, in the claims-sharing pool within the International
Group of Protection & Indemnity Clubs, Mr. Bardot said. U.S.
entities are banned from doing business with Iran, and the use of its
dollars in an insurance pool underwriting Iranian voyage could run
afoul of sanctions, the group has said. An 'interim solution' discussed
with the U.S. Treasury would be to set up a reinsurance program
designed to respond to default by U.S. reinsurers because of sanctions,
Mr. Bardot said, a possibility that is being investigated. In the
long-term, Mr. Bardot said the group would like a specific U.S. license
for its American reinsurers to contribute to liabilities arising out of
Iranian shipments and incurred by Iranian vessels." http://t.uani.com/1NOD63J
Reuters: "India's oil imports from
Iran fell more than a quarter in January from the previous month,
although incoming shipments are expected to pick up in February as
post-sanctions crude starts arriving, preliminary tanker data obtained
by Reuters shows. Indian buyers of Iranian oil had been holding their
purchases in check during the final months of international sanctions,
anticipating a big marketing push by Tehran. Now, with January's
removal of the international curbs on Tehran's oil, banking, insurance
and shipping sectors, Indian refiners are talking to the National
Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) about raising their crude imports. Two of
the refiners, Essar Oil and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd,
have already booked three cargoes for arrival in February that would
bring India's Iran purchases for the first-half of the month to nearly
300,000 barrels per day (bpd), the tanker data shows. 'India has asked
for 6 million barrels more than the nominations they had made earlier,
which means about 230,000-250,000 bpd more for February,' an NIOC
source told Reuters last month, although without saying what the
initial nominations had been for the month. In January, India received
170,700 bpd of oil loaded from Iran mostly while sanctions were still
in place, a decline of 27 percent from December and down 38 percent
from a year ago, the preliminary tank arrival data obtained by Reuters
showed. In the first ten months of the fiscal year that began on April
1, 2015, India's imports from Iran fell 9.5 percent to 228,600 bpd from
the same period of the previous year. In January, state refiner MRPL
was India's biggest oil client of Iran, shipping in 103,400 bpd,
followed by Essar Oil, which received about 67,200 bpd." http://t.uani.com/23GQFxM
Bloomberg: "Iranian stocks have seen a
surge in trading by foreign investors since the implementation of a
nuclear deal eased international sanctions against the country, the
chief executive officer of the Tehran Stock Exchange said. The value of
transactions by overseas investors, mostly European, increased to about
500 billion rials ($16.6 million) in the 10 days through Jan. 26,
according to Hassan Ghalibaf Asl. That compares with about 50 billion
rials in the 10 days prior to the nuclear deal implementation on Jan.
16. 'It hasn't been very long since implementation, but its impact in
this short period of time has been very positive' Ghalibaf Asl said in
an interview at his office in Tehran. 'It's also psychological. It has
generated optimism about the future because the picture is clearer for
investors.' The benchmark TEDPIX Index of stocks has rallied about 15
percent since the implementation of the nuclear deal." http://t.uani.com/1NODjEa
AP: "The Tehran Stock Exchange
has rallied to a one year high in the wake of Iran's landmark nuclear
deal with world powers last summer. Hamid Rouhbakhsh, a spokesman for
the stock exchange, said Tuesday the index was at its highest peak in
more than twelve months. The volume of daily trade has increased from
$40 million to $133 million since the implementation of the nuclear
deal in January 2016. Stockbroker Tahereh Mollaie says the rise shows
that 'trust is restoring to the market.'" http://t.uani.com/1Pdu6Hg
Bloomberg: "In an ironic twist,
international sanctions against Iran appear to be benefiting its
economy as decades of isolation forced the nation to adapt to low oil
prices more quickly than other crude exporters, according to Moody's
Investors Service. Gross domestic product will grow 5 percent in 2016-2017,
thanks to a solid foundation built to cope with exclusion from the
global financial system, Moody's said in an e-mailed research note
Monday. Removal of sanctions as part of a nuclear deal reached last
year will grant Iran access to about $150 billion in its frozen foreign
assets, which will be spent on reviving the country's aging
infrastructure, it said. The country also will regain access to the
international payment system, lowering trade and financial costs.
'International sanctions meant that Iran had to adapt to the reality of
lower oil revenues and implement structural reforms much earlier than
other oil-exporters,' Atsi Sheth, an associate managing director at
Moody's, said in a statement." http://t.uani.com/1SBN8fa
IranWire: "A day before the
'implementation day,' when the nuclear deal came into effect and
international sanctions were lifted, the stock market in Tehran went
into overdrive, breaking records. However, one day later,
Tehran's currency market was curiously inactive. Strolling through what
is known as the 'currency district,' a neighborhood south of Ferdowsi
Square in central Tehran, it is clear that foreign currency prices are
not going down any time soon. In fact, in the days that followed the
announcement that sanctions had been lifted, the value of the US dollar
was even more expensive than it had been before the announcement. On
Saturday, January 16, a dollar sold for 3,590 tomans (35,900 rials);
but by noon the next day, it traded for 3,630 tomans (36,300)... Judging
by this, it would appear that neither the lifting of sanctions by the
United States and the European Union nor the normalization of banking
transactions between Iran and the world has made much of a difference
in currency prices in Tehran. 'The dollar is exactly 40 tomans more
expensive than it was yesterday,' a currency trader told me. 'I believe
that this reaction to the lifting of sanctions explains the realities
of the Iranian economy much better than the optimism expressed by
government officials and their promises.'" http://t.uani.com/1QELJ5B
Al
Arabiya: "A
roadshow addressing investment opportunities in Iran is sat to take
place in Muscat later this month. The one day event comes a month after
sanctions spanning five decades were lifted, that had previously
prevented any form of investment in Iran, following a nuclear deal that
was reached late last year. The 'Iran Capital Market Roadshow' will take
place on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at the Ritz Carlton Al Bustan Palace,
Muscat, Oman. Speakers will include senior representatives of Iran's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the
Central Bank of Iran, the Tehran Stock Exchange and the Organization
for Investment Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran. Meanwhile
Iran's private sector will be represented by various organizations
including leading bankers and executives from Sina Bank, Sina
Insurance, Sina Leasing, Behgozin Brokerage Company and Magellan
Capital." http://t.uani.com/1mawtlX
Guardian: "Some multinationals have
managed to retain a presence in Iran despite sanctions. According to
the frequency respondents mentioned specific brands, the poll found
Samsung, LG and Sony dominate the audio and video systems market (93%),
mobile phones (97%) and small home appliances (63%). But the poll found
that 58% of Iranians thought importing more foreign-made goods would
benefit the economy. Respondents expressed a preference for German,
Japanese, French and American goods, and viewed those from China as
substandard." http://t.uani.com/1PwIjCY
Telecompaper: "TI Sparkle, Telecom Italia
Group's international operator, has announced an agreement with
Telecommunication Infrastructure Company of Iran (TIC) to launch a new
point of presence (PoP) in the Middle Eastern country. The new PoP is
intended to support the increasing demand for IP services coming from
the local market as well as from neighbouring countries and accelerate
the development of digital and value added services in Iran." http://t.uani.com/1PwIxKa
Terrorism
Tasnim
(Iran):
"Khalil Abu Leila, a leader of Palestinian Resistance Movement,
Hamas, dismissed media reports on a cut in Iran's support for the
movement, and stressed that Tehran is still assisting the resistance,
for which Hamas is grateful. London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat,
which is funded by the Saudi royal family, claimed on Sunday that Mousa
Mohammed Abu Marzook, a senior political member of Hamas, had pounced
on Iran regarding their proclamations of supporting Hamas, after
cashing them in all as lies, especially those declarations on support
being presented post 2009. Abu Marzook's alleged 'aversion' was quoted
by the newspaper as being recorded over a leaked phone call. Abu Leila
told the Tasnim News Agency on Monday that those who publish such
reports are the enemies of the Palestinian nation and resistance. There
is no doubt that reports about the words and sentences attributed to
Abu Marzook are not correct, he said, stressing that Iran has always
been a supporter of the resistance movement. 'We appreciate Iran for
the support it has provided for the resistance,' the Palestinian leader
said." http://t.uani.com/23GPcYz
Syria
Conflict
Press
TV (Iran): "A
senior Iranian official says Syria is a common interest for Tehran and
Moscow, stressing that the victory in the Arab country's war against
foreign-backed terrorists is crucial for the regional security. 'The
Syria issue is one of the instances of common interest for Iran and
Russia. Victory in this conflict is very vital which can guarantee the
interests and territorial integrity of the regional countries such as
Iraq and Turkey,' Ali Akbar Velayati said. He made the remarks in
Moscow in a meeting with Alexei Pushkov, the head of the State Duma's
International Affairs Committee, as he continued his talks with Russian
leaders. Velayati, who is a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic
Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said Iran and Russia have
'long-standing strategic interests as well as common threats.'" http://t.uani.com/1VH0Igr
Yemen
Crisis
HRW: "Houthi forces have for
months restricted food and medical supplies for civilians in Taizz,
Yemen's third-largest city. Confiscating goods necessary for the
survival of the civilian population and blocking humanitarian aid are
serious violations of international humanitarian law. Seven Taizz
residents described to Human Rights Watch 16 incidents between December
13, 2015 and January 9, 2016, in which Houthi guards at checkpoints prevented
civilians from bringing items into the city, including fruit,
vegetables, cooking gas, vaccination doses, dialysis treatment packets,
and oxygen cylinders, and confiscated some of these items. The Houthis,
also known as Ansar Allah, should immediately end the unlawful
confiscation of goods intended for the civilian population and permit
full access by aid agencies, Human Rights Watch said. 'The Houthis are
denying necessities to residents of Taizz because they happen to be
living in areas that opposition forces control,' said Joe Stork, deputy
Middle East director. 'Seizing property from civilians is already
unlawful, but taking their food and medical supplies is simply
cruel.'" http://t.uani.com/1QET1WS
Human
Rights
HRW: "Security and intelligence
forces were the main perpetrators of human rights abuses in Iran during
2015, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2016. In a
sharp increase from previous years, Iran also executed more than 830
prisoners, the majority for drug-related offenses. The authorities
repeatedly clamped down on free speech and dissent. Social media users,
artists, and journalists, including the Iranian-American Washington
Post reporter Jason Rezaian, face harsh sentences on dubious security charges.
Freedom of assembly and association also suffered in 2015, with
authorities harassing and arresting students, teachers, and labor union
members for peaceful activities. Dozens of political activists and
human rights defenders are in detention for their peaceful or
professional activities. 'Year after year, security forces act with
impunity in repressing basic freedoms and committing abuses in Iran,'
said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director. 'The authorities are
long overdue in holding those responsible for human rights abuses
accountable for violating Iran's domestic and international human
rights obligations.'" http://t.uani.com/1RXVzCw
K24
(Kurdistan):
"UN Representative of the Association for Human Rights in
Kurdistan of Iran-Geneva (KMMK-G) Taimoor Aliassi told K24 on Saturday,
'Out of 830 prisoners executed in Iran in 2015, [at least] 67 were
Kurds though only 47 have been identified.' In its annual report on
Iran for 2015, US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated, 'Convicted
drug offenders sentenced after flawed trials in revolutionary courts
formed the majority of prisoners executed.' 'Executions, especially for
drug-related offenses, increased sharply from previous years,' the
report added. Aliassi highlighted specific tactics used in Iran to
contain the population, 'Drug policies in Iran are a matter of
politically controlling the population, especially minority ethnic
groups. 85 percent of prisoners in Sina (Sanandaj) are drug-related
convicts.' The HRW report also stated, 'Revolutionary courts have also
handed out death sentences on charges of Moharebeh (enmity against
God). Dozens of others [have been] sentenced on [trumped-up]
terrorism-related charges, including many Kurds and Baluch.' The KMMK-G
representative added that 63 of the 93 prisoners on death row, facing
capital punishment for Moharebeh, are Kurds. The term 'Moharebeh' is
used for people who have alleged ties with armed oppositions...
According to Aliassi, in early 2016 out of 1,252 Iranian political
prisoners, 467 were Kurds." http://t.uani.com/1Q9PNbl
Opinion
& Analysis
Guardian
Editorial:
"President Hassan Rouhani's whirlwind visit to Europe last week
was an indication both of how eager Iran is to shed its pariah status
and of how eager western countries are to resume trade and financial
relations now that international sanctions are being lifted. Dozens of
contracts running into billions of dollars were discussed. He met the
pope, the Italian prime minister, the French president, and many
business leaders. After years of tensions and mistrust, the scenes of a
smiling Iranian leader being welcomed with open arms in European
capitals were in stark contrast with the recent past. Yet in spite of
the feelgood imagery, to believe that Iran's regime has altogether
transformed itself and might now be moving towards decisive domestic
reform and a constructive role on the international stage would be
naive and shortsighted. Iran may have a president with a 'moderate'
profile - one whose smooth approach comes as a relief after the
Ahmadinejad years - but that does not mean the authoritarian nature of
the regime or the objectives of its foreign policy have changed. Iran
still ranks as one of the most repressive states in the world, and
there has been no improvement. The government was probably looking for
a public relations bonus in the west when it recently released a number
of journalists, but the statistics tell another story: in 2015 Iran
executed at least 830 people, including juveniles, many for non-violent
crimes. The security services continue to harass and detain activists,
writers and journalists. The methods used by the regime to crush the
pro-democracy Green movement in 2009 are still very much in use today.
Nor has Iran become in any way more 'moderate' in its behaviour in the
Middle East. In Syria, Iran's militias and Republican Guards are direct
participants in the war crimes that the Assad regime inflicts on its
own population. Iran's close ally Hezbollah played a key role in the
siege of Madaya, where children died of hunger as a result, and it is
part of similar operations elsewhere. It is to be hoped that a
sustained implementation of the nuclear agreement will improve
international security. But to draw from that the notion that Iran must
now be spared any reproach would be foolish. Iran's hardliners sought
economic relief through the nuclear deal because they desperately want
to keep their hold on power, not because they want to pursue a more
democratic path at home or more rational policies abroad. Diplomacy is
important, but it must not come at the expense of clearsightedness, nor
should it be accompanied by the kind of simplistic analysis that puts
the sole onus on Saudi Arabia rather than on Iran as far as human
rights are concerned. The records of both countries are equally dismal.
In the reporting of President Rouhani's visit, the covering up of nude
statues in Rome, supposedly to spare the Iranian delegation a sight
they would find objectionable, was treated as a sort of comic
interlude. But it is hardly a laughing matter that, while its president
was on a charm offensive in Europe, Iran's military forces were
carrying on their brutal operations in Syria as usual. It is Iran's
responsibility for the crimes that have generated the refugee crisis
that is the true obscenity, not a few nude statues in the Capitoline museum."
http://t.uani.com/1JVuwWd
Musings
on Iraq: "The
history of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi the founder of Al Qaeda in Iraq has
largely been written. He grew up as a petty criminal in Jordan,
travelled to Afghanistan twice after the war with the Soviets was over
and set up his own camp with the help of Al Qaeda, was imprisoned in
Jordan, and eventually went to Iraq to fight the Americans. The one
part of his life that has not been written about much was his two
stints in Iran in 2001 and 2003 and his ties with the government there.
Zarqawi originally began running his supply lines through Iran to his
camp in Afghanistan, and later received direct support from Tehran when
he was building up his terrorist network in Germany and Iraq. When Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi was organizing his jihadist organization in
Afghanistan called Jund al-Sham it included cells and routes through
Iran. In 1999, Zarqawi travelled to Afghanistan for the second time
after he was amnestied from prison in Jordan. When he arrived in the
country he stayed in an area under the control of the warlord Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar. Zarqawi then met with Osama bin Laden in Kandahar. The two
did not get along as they had different views on jihad, but prominent
Al Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel thought that the group should maintain
contacts with Zarqawi That led Al Qaeda to provide Zarqawi with
$200,000 to help him set up his own camp in Herat along the
Afghanistan-Iranian border in 2000. There he went about creating his
own network that stretched to Europe and Iran. The Iranian city of
Mashhad for example, became an important way station for men and
material to enter Zarqawi's camp. His top operative in Iran was a man
named Abu Ali who ran and coordinated a cell in Germany. Afghanistan
had become a failed state controlled by various factions and warlords
after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. Zarqawi had missed out on the war
against the communists in the country, but like many other jihadists
felt it provided a perfect setting to start his own organization. This
was probably where Tehran first became aware of his activities as it
supported both Hekmatyar and Al Qaeda. It also did nothing about him
establishing his supply lines through Iran. Zarqawi would become more
involved with Iran after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. In October
2001 the Americans began their campaign to overthrow the Taliban.
Zarqawi and his men fought alongside Al Qaeda in Herat and Kandahar,
during which time he was wounded by a U.S. airstrike. The war drove
Zarqawi and 300 of his men to flee to Iran in December. He then went to
Tehran for medical treatment on his injury. Zarqawi ended up staying in
Iran until April 2002, and was initially hosted by a follower of
Hekmatyar who he'd met from his time in Afghanistan. Zarqawi then set
about rebuilding his organization, setting up camps and safe houses in
Zahedan, Isfahan, and Tehran. He also established ties with Ansar
al-Islam in Iraq's Kurdistan, and travelled to Lebanon, Syria and the
rest of Iraq to recruit. Germany's Federal Office of Criminal
Investigation (BKA) in an investigation that ended in the arrest of a
Zarqawi cell found evidence that Iran was actively supporting him at
this time. According to the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND),
the Iranian Revolutionary Guard provided Zarqawi with phone numbers he
could use. Jordanian intelligence seconded the Germans, and claimed
that Iran provided weapons, uniforms, and equipment to the terrorist. When
Zarqawi was based in Afghanistan, the Iranian authorities turned a
blind eye to his activities in their country. When he relocated there
in 2001, they became more actively involved in his operations. As long
as he was focused upon striking the west and Arab governments Tehran
didn't appear to have any problems with him being in the country... The
Iraq war actually made Zarqawi turn to Iran one more time. Zarqawi and
his allies in Ansar al-Islam had their camps wiped out in Kurdistan
during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Both ended up going to Iran as a
result as both had ties with Tehran. There, Zarqawi met up with Saif
al-Adel once again who asked for help getting Al Qaeda operatives into
Iraq. Zarqawi agreed to funnel them via his networks in Syria, and many
of them joined his organization Tawhid wal Jihad, which would later
become known as Al Qaeda in Iraq... The major question that comes to
mind when reading these reports of ties between Iran and Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi was why would they work together when Zarqawi was so
vehemently anti-Shiite? There are many possible answers. First, many
governments in the Middle East maintained ties to jihadist
organizations even ones they didn't agree with to surveil them. Second,
Tehran saw that Zarqawi could further its foreign policy goals. This
started in Afghanistan as Zarqawi was setting up his first camp. The
Iranian government might have thought they could use him later on if he
made anything out of himself. That happened when Zarqawi decided to
move to Iraq as both he and Iran were interested in fighting the
Americans and undermining their plans for a post-Saddam nation. For
Zarqawi he apparently found Tehran a marriage of convenience. He could
use Iran as a way station for his men that did not rely upon routes through
Pakistan, which were dominated by the established jihadist groups in
Afghanistan. After Zarqawi returned to Iraq for good after the U.S.
invasion there was little on his ties with Tehran. What is clear is
that he established relations with the Iranian government that lasted
from 2000 to at least 2003. They both benefited as Zarqawi found a base
and safe haven to work out of, while Iran ended up backing the
deadliest insurgent faction against the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Tawhid
wal Jihad's bombings in Baghdad in 2003 drove off many foreign
countries, companies, and international organizations that might have
helped the Americans, thus immediately undermining reconstruction.
Today, Iran is fighting Zarqawi's successor the Islamic State, but at
one time the two worked together." http://t.uani.com/1NODBuB
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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