Eye on Iran: Supreme Leader: US Iran Policy Run by Global Zionism Network

Join UANI           Top Stories Fars (Iran): "Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said the global Zionism network dictates the US and many EU members' policies vis-a-vis Iran. Addressing a large crowd from East Azarbaijan province in Tehran on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said, 'The US and many European governments' policies are dominated by this (Zionist) netwrok, and the Americans' dealing with Iran's nuclear issue should be understood within this particular framework.' 'Following the lengthy trend of the talks and the pursuing nuclear deal, a US official has in recent days said they would take (the necessary) action to dissuade foreign investments in Iran,' the Leader reminded, adding in response that 'this demonstrates the depths of the US hostility toward the Iranian nation.' He said the Iranian team of nuclear negotiators and their backers at home made industrious efforts to strike a deal in a bid to improve Iranian economy through foreign investment, 'but the Americans now want to block this path'. 'And that's exactly why it has been repeatedly stated that Americans are not trustworthy,' the Iranian Leader reiterated. In response to Washington's protests against the slogan of Death to America in nationwide rallies, the Leader said, 'When you act like this, when your past and present is nothing but open hostility, what else do you expect from the Iranian people?' In conclusion, the Leader said, 'The reality is this: After the marathon talks and the (nuclear) deal, they are now saying we won't. In broad daylight, they threaten us with new sanctions.'" http://t.uani.com/1QoaCzw DW: "Every traveler that lands in Tehran becomes a customer of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. That's because the elite troops of the Islamic republic operate the Imam Khomeini International Airport, making extremely lucrative business through entry and landing fees alone. With control of the country's other air and seaports, the Revolutionary Guard - also known the 'Sepah Pasdaran' - monopolizes Iran's borders. They pay neither tolls nor taxes. They choose which goods to allow into the country. And they aren't questioned over how many of these goods end up in the black market - and how much they have pocketed from them... By now, the Pasdaran is believed to control up to a third of the national economy, an estimate that Iran expert Bahman Nirumand sees as realistic. 'There are of course no precise statistics or data on this, but that is a prevalent estimate, that a third - maybe even more - of the Iranian economy is in the hands of the Revolutionary Guard,' he told DW. According to World Bank figures, Iran's economic output in 2014 amounted to more than $425 billion. This would put the Pasdaran's dealings at a volume of around $140 billion... But the strings of Iran's economy are not pulled only by the military. Religious foundations led directly by the country's highest Shi'ite clerics wield even far more influence. Germany's Federal Foreign Office estimates that such companies command altogether up to 80 percent of Iran's economy. Nobody knows the full extent of their business dealings. They are not required to disclose their earnings and have never been held publically accountable. Many Iranians asked where billions of dollars disappeared to while Ahmadinejad was in power. But they received no answer. Bahman Nirumand recalled that corruption existed under the former rule of Iran's shah as well, 'but there weren't pickpockets then in comparison to those wielding power today.' ... The lifting of sanctions by the West will therefore benefit these billion-dollar companies most." http://t.uani.com/21aYTMt Bloomberg: "As Iran prepared to return to the global crude market, ship insurance, an obscure but vital part of the commodity trading world, was seen as an impediment to ramping up exports quickly. Those concerns appear to be easing with the help of a U.S. company. Two oil tankers able to load a million barrels each of crude appeared to load Iranian cargoes this month and head for Constantza in Romania, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Joe Hughes, chairman of the New York-based American Club, an insurer to the global shipping industry, said in an e-mailed statement Wednesday that the two vessels are 'entered in the club at present', meaning they are normally insured by his organization. The ships are among the first to go to Europe since sanctions eased last month. Provision of insurance was seen as an initial sticking point for a revival of Iranian oil sales when wider sanctions against the Persian Gulf country were lifted last month. Andrew Bardot, Executive Officer of the International Group of P&I Clubs, of which the American Club is a member, said in January that remaining U.S. sanctions on Iran were a 'significant hurdle' to insurers. The American Club said Feb. 9 it got government permission to cover shipments by 'non-U.S. person members'... There are other signs cover for the cargoes may become easier to obtain. Swiss Re, the global reinsurer, said on Tuesday that it's 'now open to sanctions-compliant Iranian re-insurance business with no U.S. nexus,' while carrying out enhanced due diligence on any potential business." http://t.uani.com/21aWZvn Nuclear Program & Agreement Free Beacon: "Iran is expected to conduct a rocket test this month in violation of the recent UN resolution on the Iranian nuclear deal that bans long-range missile tests, according to U.S. intelligence officials. Intelligence agencies are closely watching preparations in Iran to test a Simorgh space launch vehicle that U.S. officials say is the base for Tehran's covert program to develop long-range nuclear missiles. The large liquid-fueled rocket was developed with North Korean technology and was observed on a launch pad at the Semnan satellite launch center, located about 125 miles east of Tehran. UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which outlines implementation of the recent Iranian nuclear agreement, prohibits Iran from conducting nuclear ballistic missile tests for the next eight years. The resolution, passed in July, states in Annex B that Iran will not 'undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.'" http://t.uani.com/1Tst40v Sanctions Relief WSJ: "Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Wednesday it had started the process of repaying $2 billion in oil-related debts owed to Iran, easing a key hurdle to doing business there now that western sanctions have been lifted. The Anglo-Dutch oil giant's debt is the largest part of $4 billion that a group of European companies owed Iran after western nations imposed a ban on Iranian crude imports and on any banking transactions with Tehran in 2012. Shell had loaded Iranian oil for shipment without being able to pay for it, something the company acknowledged. At the end of 2014, Shell owed Iran $2.164 billion, an amount a company spokesman said was roughly unchanged. Shell-which explores for oil, pumps it and then refines and sells it to customers-bought the Iranian oil in its capacity as a trader. 'Following the lifting of applicable EU and U.S. sanctions, we can confirm that the process for paying Shell's outstanding debt to [state-run National Iranian Oil Co.] has started,' the Shell spokesman said." http://t.uani.com/1Kscg73 Reuters: "Reliance Industries Ltd, owner of the world's biggest refining complex, is preparing to buy oil from Iran next month after a gap of about five years, said an industry source with knowledge of talks between the two. The conglomerate, controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, stopped Iranian oil imports in 2010 because it was worried that the threat of U.S. sanctions on companies doing business with the Islamic republic would complicate its efforts to boost market share for its fuels in the United States... Officials from India's biggest private refiner recently visited Iran to chalk out the details for resumption of trade ties with Tehran, the source said, and to begin with, National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) will be supplying a million spot barrels each of condensate and crude oil to Reliance in a single cargo. The shipment will make Reliance Iran's first new Indian oil customer since the lifting of the sanctions. Reliance is also talking to NIOC for a term deal to buy 100,000-120,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil, the same level it used to buy before sanctions hit its imports. 'Finalization of the volumes depends on the grades that Reliance wants,' the source said. Reliance is planning to lift the spot cargo in the first week of March, although there could be some delays, the source added... Reliance may also restart refined fuel shipments to Iran that were stopped in 2007." http://t.uani.com/1R9YgOG WSJ: "The European Union's top court on Thursday upheld a contention by Iran's Bank Mellat that it was improperly sanctioned for six years without sufficient evidence of its involvement in the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. The European Court of Justice said there wasn't enough evidence to back up the European Council's contention that Bank Mellat was involved in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs because it was the parent company of another sanctioned entity called First East Export. The court also rejected the Council's contention that it couldn't provide evidence of Bank Mellat's involvement because it came from confidential sources whose safety could be compromised if they were identified, the ECJ said. The decision isn't open to appeal and could give rise to a claim for damages, according to the bank's lawyers. The victory follows a similar win for Bank Mellat in the U.K., where it is seeking $4 billion worth of damages for being improperly targeted. Sarosh Zaiwalla, a London-based lawyer representing the bank, called the decision a significant one, though he said the EU damages claims might be wrapped together with those it is pursuing in the U.K. 'It follows that because the EU Council has lost, they will pay damages, but Bank Mellat cannot recover damages twice,' he said. Bank Mellat, Iran's largest privately-owned bank, was slapped with sanctions in 2010 as the EU and Western countries targeted Iran's nuclear program, which they suspected of seeking to develop weapons." http://t.uani.com/1Tsqmb5 Bloomberg: "Norway opened its $810 billion wealth fund to Iranian government bonds as the Middle Eastern nation emerges from almost a decade of international sanctions following a deal to curb a nuclear program. Norway has had sanctions in place on investing in Iranian government bonds since January 2014 as part of a ban that now will include only North Korea and Syria, according to a statement from the Finance Ministry in Oslo. The ban was lifted as Iran met its initial obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the ministry said. 'As part of this easing the prohibition against buying Iranian government bonds falls away,' Norway said." http://t.uani.com/1WtMnEI Human Rights IHR: "On Tuesday February 16 at the European Parliament, Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif claimed that anti-narcotics enforcement actions in Iran are carried out  honestly and responsibly and also urged the European Union to act more effectively to remedy the growing drug problem. According to the official website of the European Parliament, Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs debated with Zarif regarding the high number of executions and other human rights violations in Iran and also called for an end to the status quo. According to Iran state run new agency ISNA, Zarif acknowledged that most of the executions carried out in Iran are for drug charges but also questioned the adequacy of funding and protection the European Union was providing to stop the transit of narcotics to Europe. This is not the first time that Iranian government officials have defended executions in Iran. In a November 2015 interview with an Italian publication, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani defended the execution of drug offenders in Iran." http://t.uani.com/21aTi8U Domestic Politics Reuters: "Iranians will shape the future of the Islamic republic for at least a decade when hardline and moderate candidates battle next week in elections for parliament and the body which will choose the country's next supreme leader. Allies of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, buoyed by Iran's nuclear deal, hope to gain influence, but moves by hardliners to block moderate candidates and disillusion over Rouhani's stalled reforms leave them with an uphill task... Even if his hardline allies were to lose the parliamentary race to their moderate rivals, Khamenei will continue to hold ultimate authority in matters of state, while presidents and lawmakers will come and go. Khamenei, supporting the Guardian Council's strict vetting, has repeatedly warned that Iran's enemies have sought to use the elections to 'infiltrate' its power structure. 'I won't get tired of saying the truth again and again ... The enemy pursues infiltration into the elections. People must be aware of that and act against what the enemies seek,' Khamenei said on Wednesday... Many voters - particularly women and young people - who pinned their hopes in 2013 on Rouhani to bring social change and greater freedom, have grown disillusioned since he took office and may be reluctant to support his candidates next week. Rights campaigners say there have been few, if any, moves to bring about greater political and cultural freedoms." http://t.uani.com/1Oi00AK         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. 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