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Reuters: "Japan will likely refrain
from loading oil at Iranian ports in March because of the impending
expiry at the end of next month of special shipping insurance cover
provided by the government, industry and government officials said. The
potential restriction from one of Tehran's biggest oil customers
highlights Iran's difficulties in boosting exports after U.S. sanctions
were lifted in January. The problem stems from confusion about whether
U.S. companies can offer insurance coverage for tankers with Iranian
crude. The U.S. removed the sanctions after confirming a deal on Iran's
disputed nuclear programme, including prohibitions on non-American
companies selling insurance to and trading with Iranian entities. But
the Treasury Department left in place other sanctions limiting the
amount of reinsurance U.S. companies can provide for Iranian ships, a
crucial element in providing tanker cover. The insurance ban was the
most effective way of limiting Iranian oil exports, which were more
than 3 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2011, but fell to a little more
than 1 million bpd after the sanctions were imposed in 2012. Japan has
kept the oil trade with Iran going through a special government
insurance programme that gives about $8 billion in coverage and the
government plans to renew it with a parliamentary vote, a government
source said. But, given the lack of a timetable on the vote, shippers
are erring on the side of caution and will likely hold back from any
loadings next month, the government source and industry sources, who
requested anonymity, said. International insurers are trying to put
together limited coverage to complement the lack of U.S. cover, but it
is uncertain whether the Washington will approve the plans, officials
at Japan's main insurer, the Japan P&I Club, said. European nations
have resumed loading Iranian oil despite the international P&I club
only providing coverage for about 85 percent of the roughly $8 billion
per ship normal liability coverage, but Japanese shippers are still
holding back, said the officials." http://t.uani.com/1WGfXa3
NYT: "A group of hard-line Iranian
news media organizations says it has raised $600,000 to add to a bounty
for the killing of the British novelist Salman Rushdie. Iran's former
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa, or
religious edict, in 1989 calling for Mr. Rushdie to be killed because
of his book 'The Satanic Verses,' which the ayatollah found to be
blasphemous and insulting toward Muslims. Mr. Rushdie has since then
been living largely out of sight and under the protection of
bodyguards. The semiofficial Fars news agency, one of the organizations
involved, reported that the new reward money was gathered during a
trade fair called the Islamic Republic's Digital Media Exhibition. It
quoted the secretary of the exhibition saying that the $600,000 had
been announced last week to mark the anniversary of the 1989 fatwa...
The decree had already put a considerable price on Mr. Rushdie's head:
A religious organization called the 15 Khordad Foundation initially
offered a $2.7 million reward to anyone carrying out the fatwa, then
increased it to $3.3 million in 2012. The new money, bringing the total
bounty to nearly $4 million, came from 40 news outlets listed by Fars,
which said that it had contributed $30,000." http://t.uani.com/1WGow4H
Manila
Times: "An
alleged terrorist plot to hijack or bomb a passenger plane from the
Saudi Arabian air fleet has reached an 'advanced stage' of
implementation, according to a reliable airport source. The airport
source on Saturday cited the threat of terrorist attack that would be
carried out somewhere in Southeast Asia after Iran warned of 'divine
revenge' against Saudi Arabia over Riyadh's recent execution of a
religious leader, a prominent cleric. The source confirmed that the
Saudi Arabian Embassy in the Philippines has informed the Department of
Foreign Affairs that its government intelligence had received
information that 'Iranian Revolutionary Guards' are allegedly preparing
to mount the attack. The Manila Times has obtained a copy of that
confidential communication written by a retired admiral in behalf of
the Foreign Affairs secretary, dated January this year, indicating that
the plan has reached the 'advanced stage.' The dispatch revealed that
the 'implementing and planning team is said to consist of 10 persons
and six of them are Yemeni nationals tasked to execute the plan, and
some of them have already been identified.' ... The source said it is
possible that the terrorist plot would be launched in Malaysia,
Indonesia or the Philippines." http://t.uani.com/1Ukstxg
Congressional
Action
Al-Monitor: "Congress this week will
finally hear from UN patent agency whistleblowers about years-old
computer shipments to Iran that have raised questions about the world
body's compliance with international sanctions. The Feb. 24 hearing
with three former officials of the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) caps a four-year battle against stonewalling
bureaucrats at the Geneva-based agency. At the same time, the House
Foreign Affairs Committee hearing opens another front in the
congressional campaign to ensure that international pressure on Iran
doesn't let up in the wake of last year's nuclear deal. 'With the UN
wrapping up its own investigation,' Middle East panel Chairwoman Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said in a statement, 'this hearing will provide an
added layer of oversight and accountability, as members will hear from
the WIPO officials previously blocked from testifying, learn what
consequences we can expect from the UN investigation, and assess future
action to safeguard against potential violations of US sanctions and
export controls and other breaches of US national security policy by
WIPO and other UN agencies.' The controversy dates back to April 2012,
when Fox News first reported that the Geneva-based agency had shipped
sophisticated US-made computers and other information technology
systems to internationally sanctioned North Korea, without seeking
permission from - or even informing - the UN Security Council. Three
months later, Bloomberg reported that similar technology transfers had
also been made to Iran. The shipments consist of laptops, servers,
printers and firewall systems and are in line with the agency's mission
to help developing countries build up intellectual-property archives
and come into compliance with global standards that are crucial to
advanced invention-dependent economies such as the United States.
Still, the transfers of dual-use technology, which could conceivably be
used to help develop missile technology or nuclear weapons, have raised
alarm bells in Congress and the State Department." http://t.uani.com/1TD34Q7
Sanctions
Relief
Bloomberg: "General Electric Co., the
world's largest maker of jet engines, has also applied to do business
in Iran, said Rick Kennedy, a spokesman for the company's aviation
unit. The license would cover new-equipment sales as well as
maintenance and repair work, where engine manufacturers make most of
their money. GE's application was submitted in preparation for
opportunities arising as the airframers open talks, Kennedy said. GE
Aviation, through its CFM International joint venture with France's
Safran SA, makes engines powering many aircraft including Boeing's 737
and models in Airbus's A320 family." http://t.uani.com/1OswBUH
Reuters: "Azeri state oil firm Socar's
trading division is looking to reactivate deals with Iran, as well as
expanding into new markets ranging from North American crude to natural
gas in Europe, its chief executive told Reuters. Neighbours Azerbaijan
and Iran have been strengthening ties since the removal of sanctions
against Tehran in January and on Tuesday Iran's national oil company
NIOC and Socar signed a memorandum of understanding as part of a visit
by Azeri President Ilham Aliyev to the Islamic Republic. 'We have been
actively trading with NIOC in the Caspian Sea region, until
international sanctions forced us to discontinue such deliveries. There
is a great potential to explore,' Arzu Azimov, the chief executive of
Socar Trading, said. Other possibilities include trading refined
products with Iran in the Gulf, where Socar has storage facilities in
the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. One option was to supply
Iran with gasoline and to buy naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG), Azimov said." http://t.uani.com/1QvHMx4
Reuters: "Iran is interested in buying
50 airliners from Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA, a presidential aide
in Brazil with knowledge of the negotiations said on Monday, as the end
of international sanctions against the Middle East country triggers a
flurry of trade deals. Negotiations for the jets, along with a
potential package of taxis, buses and trucks made by Brazil's ailing
auto industry, began in October when Brazilian Trade Minister Armando
Monteiro led a delegation to Tehran. Monteiro told Reuters last month
that Brazil will accept payment from Iran in euros and other currencies
to sidestep lingering sanctions forbidding Iran from using the U.S.
financial system... Embraer confirmed to Reuters that it had begun
talks with Iranian airlines. 'The market has a lot of potential, as we
have said, due to the need to reform the old fleet of aircraft and
satisfy growth,' the company said in a statement." http://t.uani.com/20SPY0c
Terrorism
Free
Beacon:
"Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad, who disappeared after his
Phantom went down over Lebanon in 1986, was held in Iran for several
years before dying of illness, according to a report in the Tel Aviv
daily Yediot Achronot. The paper's defense affairs writer, Ronen
Begman, citing Israeli intelligence sources, said that Arad was
apparently transferred by Hezbollah to Iran in 1990 where he was held
in isolation for four years. After Israeli commandos kidnapped the Hezbollah
official who had held Arad captive, the Iranians allegedly transferred
him back to Lebanon for fear that the official might incriminate them.
His whereabouts thereafter are not known. Arad is believed to have died
somewhere between 1995 and 1997, from an illness for which he was not
treated. It is not known where he was buried. Officially, Israel
regards Arad as missing since there is no clear proof that he
died." http://t.uani.com/1UkrEEF
Human
Rights
Reuters: "An Iranian film-maker
convicted of insulting the Islamic Republic has lost his appeal and now
faces jail and lashing, a source said on Monday, as an apparent
crackdown on artists and writers intensified ahead of elections this
week. Keywan Karimi, 30, was found guilty last year of 'insulting the
sacred and spreading propaganda' in a documentary about political
graffiti in Tehran called 'Writing On The City'. An appeals court this
week confirmed Karimi's six-year sentence, suspending five of them, and
condemned him to 223 lashes and a fine for 'shaking hands with women
and drinking alcoholic drinks,' a source close to the issue said...
Karimi is one of dozens of artists, journalists and business people,
including Iranians holding joint U.S. or British citizenship, arrested
in the run-up to Friday's election of parliamentarians and of the
clerics who will choose the next supreme leader... The same source, who
asked not to be identified, said verdicts has been issued this week to
at least 12 film-makers, photographers and writers. He said they were
under pressure not to talk to the media and make this public." http://t.uani.com/1OspDyV
ICHRI: "Keyvan Karimi, an Iranian
Kurdish documentary filmmaker, has been sentenced to 223 lashes and one
year in prison for 'insulting the sacred.' Karimi's initial six-year
prison sentence by Judge Mohammad Moghisseh in October 2015 has been
reduced by an Appeals Court to 12 months in prison and a five-year
suspended prison term. Karimi, 30, was also fined 20 million Iranian
rials or approximately $700. A source close to Karimi told the
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Karimi will be
forced to endure 223 lashes because the Appeals Court upheld the
punishment for the charge of 'having illegitimate relations by kissing
the face and shaking hands' with a woman who is not a relative. The
United Nations has declared lashing a cruel and inhuman punishment
tantamount to torture. Karimi had been accused of denigrating religious
values in his film, entitled Neveshtan Rooy-e Shahr (Writing on the
City), about graffiti in Tehran. Some of the scenes in the film relate
to the protests that followed the disputed 2009 presidential election
in Iran... Karimi's Kurdish and Sunni background may have contributed
to his harsh sentence. Iran's Kurdish ethnic minority and Sunni Muslim
religious minority are subjected to significant discrimination and
persecution." http://t.uani.com/1Rkvgnw
Journalism
Is Not a Crime:
"Iranian-British journalist Bahman Daroshafaei was released on
bail today, February 23. Daroshafaei, 34, is of dual Iranian-British nationality
and a former employee of the BBC's Persian service. He was arrested in
Tehran on February 3, 2016 and transferred to Tehran's notorious Evin
Prison. Arresting officers did not present a warrant when they arrived
at Daroshafaei's home early on February 3, and his family has not been
able to find out about who arrested him, why he was been arrested, or
what charges he might be facing. After living in the United Kingdom for
several years, Daroshafaei returned to Iran in September 2014 to be
near his family. But when he arrived at the airport, authorities seized
his passport. Since his arrival Intelligence Ministry officials have
reportedly interrogated Daroshafaei more than 40 times about his
activities as a journalist. The news of his release on bail was
published today by FreeBahman, a Twitter profile run by some of
Daroshafaei's friends." http://t.uani.com/1T4hIjC
IranWire: "In Iran, women continue to face
harsh discrimination, discrimination that is embedded within Iranian
society - but also enshrined in Iranian law. Although in many
ways, Iranian women are empowered, with female students outnumbering
men in a number of fields, and women playing an active role in social
sciences and the arts, Iran's legal system continues to hold them back
and repress them. As the country gets ready to go to the polls on
Friday, IranWire looks at the laws that have a direct impact on the
lives of women." http://t.uani.com/1RYRbCL
IranWire: "Authorities are planning to
block Iranians' access to the popular messaging app Telegram prior to
the parliamentary elections on Friday, reported the conservative
Iranian news website Alef today, February 22. The prominent news
website is owned and supervised by Ahmad Tavakkoli, a conservative
member of Iran's parliament who formerly served as minister of labor
and social affairs and president of the parliamentary research center.
Alef reported that according to an unnamed Iranian official,
authorities are planning to block or slow down Telegram in Iran on
Thursday February 25 - one day before election day - until the
elections are over. The anonymous source said the authorities would
block Telegram to prevent candidates from using the app for campaign
purposes. Under Iranian law, candidates are banned from campaigning the
final 24 hours before election day. 'The government won't be able to monitor
and control the candidates' campaigns on social media in the final days
before the elections. Therefore it will block the app,' reported Alef.
So far, Telegram is officially open to all Iranians, but it has been
under huge pressure from conservative factions in the country. The
encrypted messaging and content sharing application has become popular
among Iranians, who especially use it for sharing news and opinion. The
app, which is believed to be used by one in four Iranians, is set to
play a major role during the elections." http://t.uani.com/1QYi3Os
RFE/RL: "A disturbing video of a
hunter in northern Iran brutally beating his dog has triggered a rare
public protest in the capital, where dozens gathered to call for an end
to animal cruelty. Pictures and videos of the protest on February 22
posted on social media showed participants calling for the animal
rights to be protected, and for legal measures to be taken to ensure
the safety of animals. The protest, held in front of the state
environmental-protection organization, was held several days after the
emergence online of the graphic video. The clip, which was posted some
time ago, according to officials, shows a man repeatedly kicking and
throwing a dog during an apparent hunting trip, as onlookers laugh. The
dog, seeking to escape the beating, jumps into the bed of a large
truck. The man follows the dog, and can be seen swinging a shovel
downward above his head at full strength, as the dog cries out in
pain... In 2015, animals-rights activists protested in several cities
after footage emerged showing the killing of stray dogs by lethal
injection... Pet ownership, particularly of dogs, is reportedly on the
rise in Iran despite criticism and disapproval by the country's
hard-liners, who have denounced dog ownership as a 'blind imitation of
decadent Western culture' and called for action against dog
owners." http://t.uani.com/1Q8Snii
Haaretz:
"A gay
Iranian poet who fled his homeland after harassment and arrest has requested
asylum in Israel, according to a report in the Al Bawaba news website.
Homosexuality is illegal in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with those
found guilty of the 'crime' facing harsh punishment, including the
death penalty. Payam Feili arrived in Israel at the end of 2015 from
Turkey, where he was living in exile. He came to see his latest
novella, 'I Will Grow, I Will Bear Fruit... Figs,' staged as a play in
Hebrew in a Tel Aviv theater. But now, with his three-month visa
running out, he has applied for Israeli asylum. Permanent residency is
not normally granted to those who enter the country on a tourist visa,
but Al Bawaba says that Israeli authorities are likely to grant his
request, in light of the risk to his life if he has to return to Iran."
http://t.uani.com/21cxfSQ
Domestic
Politics
Tasnim
(Iran):
"Commander of Iran's Basij (volunteer) Force Brigadier General
Mohammad Reza Naqdi condemned foreign interference in the process of
election in Iran, calling on the nation to thwart a British plot by
acting prudently in the upcoming votes, slated for Friday. Addressing a
conference in Tehran on Monday, General Naqdi took a swipe at Britain
for instigating disturbance in the process of elections, stressing that
foreigners have no right to tell Iranians which electoral list suits
them best. 'We must be vigilant and act against Britain's will,' he
stressed. The outright response follows comments by Deputy Chief of
Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri,
who on Monday complained about the Iranian diplomatic body's muted
response to the recent attempts by British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) to influence the outcome of the upcoming elections in Iran."
http://t.uani.com/1OsvX9M
Tasnim
(Iran):
"Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani expressed
the confidence that the country's people would thwart a plot hatched by
the US and Britain to undermine the upcoming polls due to be held
Friday. Addressing a gathering of Iranian veterans and clerics in the
northern province of Mazandaran on Monday night, Ayatollah Amoli
Larijani cautioned about recent attempts made by the US and Britain to
influence the outcome of the upcoming elections in Iran and said
unfortunately, the enemies of the Islamic Establishment have always
tried to harm the Islamic Revolution over the past 37 years since its
victory in February 1979. However, he added, 'Our people are vigilant,
alive and wise and are able to recognize foreigners' attempts to skew
(the polls).' The judiciary chief further said that the Iranian people
will never allow the US and Britain to decide for them in the
elections. The people will deal a strong blow to the enemies with their
high turnout, Amoli Larijani went on to say." http://t.uani.com/24nkwvH
Foreign
Affairs
Press
TV (Iran):
"Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi says he will visit Tehran in
April after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's trip to Rome last month.
Renzi made the announcement at a new conference in Rome on Monday. Iran
and Italy signed deals worth up to 17 billion euros ($18.42 billion)
during Rouhani's 48-hour stay in Italy. The premier said then that
business agreements Italy signed with Iran were 'just the beginning'
for the two countries." http://t.uani.com/1QeajLV
Press
TV (Iran):
"South African President Jacob Zuma will pay a two-day official
visit to Iran to hold talks with Iranian authorities, the African
country's presidency says. Zuma will visit Iran on February 28-29 to
'strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries,' the
presidency said on Monday. On Monday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry also
said that Zuma is expected in Tehran next week. In November 2015, South
African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa led a high-level government
and trade delegation in a three-day visit to Iran to discuss
opportunities for cooperation in the energy sector. Ramaphosa signed
three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Iran's First Vice
President Es'haq Jahangiri. The two countries based on the documents
agreed to create a center to exchange information to fight money
laundering, create joint markets and also expand technical and economic
cooperation." http://t.uani.com/1L8WzBQ
Opinion
& Analysis
Jonathan
Ruhe & Blake Fleisher in WSJ: "Iran's brazen tests of ballistic missiles in
recent months highlight a glaring failure of its nuclear agreement with
Western powers, agreed to only months ago. But the focus on Tehran's
ballistic missiles overlooks an important point: Iran already possesses
cruise missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. Neither the
nuclear agreement, nor the U.N. Security Council resolution endorsing
it, mention cruise missiles despite the threat they pose. Tehran has at
least a dozen nuclear-capable Russian-made Kh-55 cruise missiles,
procured illegally from Ukraine around 2001. They have a range of 1,500
miles, allowing Tehran to place a warhead anywhere from Cairo to New
Delhi. The regime has also copied that design to create its own Soumar
missile, though it isn't clear how many have been manufactured.
Ballistic missiles and cruise missiles can carry nuclear warheads, but
in some ways the latter would be more difficult to counter. Cruise
missiles have short launch times-on the order of minutes, compared with
an hour or longer for Iran's ballistic missiles. Ballistic missiles fly
steep trajectories and generally follow predetermined paths, but cruise
missiles have sophisticated guidance systems. That allows them to fly
close to the ground and around obstacles, making them more difficult
for radar to track. To make matters worse, the nuclear deal will allow
Tehran to expand its arsenal of cruise missiles. More than $120 billion
in Iranian funds was unfrozen as sanctions were lifted. U.N. Resolution
2231, which endorsed the deal, removed the categorical bans that
prevented Iran from buying conventional arms and military technology
that it could potentially use to deliver nuclear weapons. Russia and
China, which sold Iran much of its existing military equipment, have taken
note. Their demonstrated eagerness to rebuild ties with Tehran's
defense industry suggests that Iran will have little trouble purchasing
turbofan engines and guidance systems to improve its cruise missiles'
range and accuracy, and possibly new delivery platforms like bombers
and upgraded strike fighters. Chinese-made antiship missiles are
elemental to Iran's strategy for contesting U.S. predominance in the
Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Iran fired several against U.S.-flagged
oil tankers during the closing stages of the Iran-Iraq War, provided
C-802 Saccades antiship missiles to Hezbollah, and test-fired two new
antiship cruise missiles in recent naval maneuvers. The U.S. should not
feel powerless to play its bad hand well. Under Resolution 2231, the U.S.,
Britain and France can block Russia and China from transferring cruise
missiles, parts and technology to Iran. Such transfers require approval
from the Security Council, and the U.S. must uphold its pledge to veto
attempts to give or sell Iran missile technology. The resolution also
bans Iranian arms shipments abroad. Given Tehran's history of
transferring cruise missiles to Hezbollah and (likely) Hamas, it is
imperative that the U.S. and its partners continue to interdict
clandestine Iranian arms exports. All permanent members of the Security
Council, with the exception of China, are also party to the Missile
Technology Control Regime, which was designed specifically to help
prevent the proliferation of potential nuclear delivery systems like
cruise missiles. This provides a ready-made forum for coordinating more
stringent controls on arms exports to Iran. The U.S. should make clear
that it will use existing sanctions laws to penalize violators of the
MTCR. Because these steps comply with the Iranian deal, the White House
should not hesitate to take them. To prevent Iran from acquiring new
cruise missiles or improving its own designs, the U.S. must move with
the same sense of urgency as when it pursued the agreement in the first
place." http://t.uani.com/24nlwjt
Ray
Takeyh in CFR:
"Iranians will go to the polls on February 26 to elect members of
the 290-seat parliament and the 88-seat Assembly of Experts. A parliament
that will continue to be dominated by hard-liners is thought to be an
obstacle to President Hassan Rouhani's reforms. Elections to the
Assembly of Expert will be closely watched because the body will likely
select a successor to the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The
seventy-six-year-old Khamenei is persistently rumored to be in poor
health. Yet a closer look at both institutions reveals that neither
election will be as meaningful as they are often portrayed in the
international press. In the aftermath of elections, the parliament is
unlikely to act with much decisiveness and the Assembly of Experts
probably will not in fact choose the next leader, but rather, rubber
stamp a selection made by unelected others. The dichotomy often made by
foreign observers of an Iranian polity divided between hard-liners and
reformers is an oversimplification. Rouhani has never been part of the
reform faction as the term is properly understood in its Iranian
context. The reform movement evolved in the early 1990s by calling for
accountability and pluralism. The descendants of that movement were the
participants in the Green Revolution of 2009, which was brutally
repressed with Rouhani's blessing (he served in the Supreme National
Security Council at the time). Since the purges of 2009, Iranian
politics have been reduced to a coalition of hard-liners and centrists
who agree far more than they disagree. On crucial foreign policy
issues, such as projection of power in the Middle East and aiding the
regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, there is a rough consensus across
the political spectrum. As such, elections are unlikely to usher in a
new direction in Iran's international relations. The parliament has
proven a boisterous but largely inconsequential debating chamber. In the
complex Iranian system, the parliament's laws can be overwritten by
various institutions, such as the unelected Guardian Council, whose job
is to vet legislation to make sure it conforms to religious standards.
This function has regularly been abused by the Guardian Council, which
has vetoed bills that have little to do with religious matters. It
routinely sends budgets back to the parliament for greater deliberation
even though it is unclear how they violate Islamic law. Rouhani has
faced little opposition from the parliament due to his close
collaboration with the powerful speaker, Ali Larijani. Although a
conservative himself, Larijani is very much a man of the system who is
interested in the government functioning smoothly. The Rouhani-Larijani
partnership has ensured that the firebrands in the parliament do not
interfere with the executive branch's agenda. In the run up to the
current parliamentary elections, the Guardian Council has, predictably,
disqualified hundreds of reformist candidates. In addition to
overseeing legislation, the council is responsible for vetting
candidates for political office to ensure their loyalty to the Islamic
Republic. Even in the context of Iran's circumscribed elections, the
council's wholesale rejection of a slew of candidates appears excessive
and arbitrary. Although some of the candidates are likely to be
reinstated on appeal, the council has ensured that there will be a
conservative majority in the next parliament. The council is signaling
to the nation that the Islamic Republic will allow only its most ardent
supporters to assume any office... As Iran enters its first election
cycle since the advent of the nuclear deal, what is striking is how
little either the Assembly of Experts or the parliament will affect
national affairs. A conservative parliament will prove cantankerous,
but, under the steady hand of Larijani, a largely compliant body. And
the Assembly of Experts' mostly octogenarian clerics will meet
occasionally to play a mostly ceremonial role. The Islamic Republic's
most crucial political maneuvers will continue to be managed by a cast
of few-including Khamenei, Larijani, and Rouhani-as opposed to the
elected institutions of government." http://t.uani.com/1TwVIwd
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the
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email Press@UnitedAgainstNuclearIran.com
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