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Stories
NBC: "Seven Iranian computer
experts linked to the government in Tehran were charged Thursday with
cyber attacks against American banks and a dam in New York. The FBI
released mug shots of the men named in the indictment as the charges
were announced at a Washington press conference. FBI Director James
Comey said the suspects may be out of reach while they are in Iran, but
the indictments should have them looking over their shoulder if they
travel. 'The world is small and our memories are long,' he said. 'We
never say never.' Forty-six major financial institutions were targeted
with distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks in 2011, 2012 and
2013. That stopped hundreds of thousands of customers from accessing
their accounts and cost the businesses millions of dollars, the feds
charged. Targets included Bank of America, the New York Stock Exchange,
Capital One and ING and PNC Banks, according to court papers. 'These
attacks were relentless. They were systematic. And they were
widespread,' Attorney General Loretta Lynch said. The hackers allegedly
also broke into the control system for a small dam in the suburbs of
New York, the indictment says." http://t.uani.com/1VJ97T4
AFP: "Foreign banks looking to
deal with Iran following the lifting of sanctions must avoid engaging
with entities that remain subject to an embargo by Washington, a US
official said Wednesday. 'What banks need to be careful about now is
... not doing business with sanctioned parties in Iran, and there are
some that are still sanctioned for terrorism,' said Chris Backemeyer, the
principal deputy coordinator for sanctions policy at the US Department
of State. Speaking to reporters in Dubai, Backemeyer, who was one of
the negotiators in the talks that resulted in Iran's nuclear deal with
major powers, named the Revolutionary Guards in particular... 'They
(banks) need to be careful, and they need to be careful not to route
things through the United States because... it's still prohibited for
transactions (to go) through the United States,' Backemeyer said. The
US official was in Dubai as part of a delegation to explain the deal
with Iran to businesses. He pointed out that the US embargo on Iran
'remains in place.' 'Americans cannot engage in commercial activities
with Iran. American companies aren't buying Iranian oil and haven't been
for a couple of decades. That part hasn't changed,' he said." http://t.uani.com/22HPAod
Reuters: "Iranian oil flows to Europe
have begun to pick up from a slow start after sanctions were lifted in
January, but trading sources say a lack of access to storage part-owned
by Tehran's Gulf Arab rivals now looms large on a list of obstacles.
European countries accounted for more than a third of Iran's exports, or
800,000 barrels a day, before the European Union imposed sanctions in
2012 over its nuclear programme. Since January, Tehran has sold 11
million barrels to France's Total, 2 million barrels to Spain's Cepsa
and 1 million to Russia's Litasco, according to Iranian officials,
traders and ship-tracking data. Some of these cargoes will not arrive
in Europe before mid-April. With most U.S. sanctions still in place,
there is no dollar clearing, no established mechanism for non-dollar
sales and banks are reluctant to provide letters of credit to
facilitate trade. A new initiative by international ship insurers has
helped, but traders say exports have been hampered by Iran's
unwillingness to sweeten terms for potential European buyers. Iranian
oil officials and international traders have also grown increasingly
concerned by a delay regaining access to storage tanks in Egypt's port
of Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean coast, from where it supplied up to
200,000 bpd to Europe back in 2011. 'As of now, there is no tankage for
Iran there. Before sanctions, it was Iran's main terminal for supplies
to Western nations,' one Iranian oil source said. Four traders with
western oil majors and major trading houses told Reuters Iranian
officials have notified them Iran cannot get access to the SUMED-owned
terminal for now and so could not supply them with crude from there...
SUMED is half owned by state-run oil company Egyptian General Petroleum
Corp. The other half is owned by Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates,
Qatar and Iran's arch rival Saudi Arabia, with which it is vying for
influence across Middle East. 'There is competition for market share
and they don't want Iran to lease storage there. Of course, not having
storage will hurt Iran's exports to Europe,' the Iranian source said, adding
he still hoped to gain access to some storage in April... Some 45-50
million barrels of Iran's oil are estimated to be held in tankers at
sea, barely changed from the amounts thought to be in floating storage
before sanctions were lifted at the start of the year. A tanker with
one million barrels of Iranian crude, the Distya Akula, has been
anchored off Suez since Feb. 24, as Iran has been unable to find a
buyer, traders said. They also said Greece's Hellenic Petroleum, a
major buyer of Iranian oil prior to sanctions, has been unable to
secure financing for deliveries and has yet to restart purchasing oil.
Several trading sources said Hellenic would now rely on Total to ship
Iranian oil." http://t.uani.com/1LJA32Z
U.S.-Iran
Relations
Free
Beacon: "The
Obama administration has been shipping historical artifacts to Iran
since last year as part of a secret détente that also included a
taxpayer-funded payment of nearly $2 billion, according to a letter
written by the State Department and exclusively obtained by the
Washington Free Beacon. Obama administration officials engaged in
secret talks with Iran between June 2014 through at least January 2015
over a series of legal claims leveled against the United States by the
Islamic Republic, the State Department disclosed in its letter. 'These
discussions led to the settlement of claims for architectural drawings,
which are now in the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, and for
fossils, which are now in the possession of Iran's Ministry of the
Environment, and the parties also discussed the possibility of broader
settlements,' the State Department wrote, in response to an inquiry
launched in January by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.). The Obama
administration is seeking further settlements with Tehran to transfer
assets, according to the State Department... 'After nearly two months
of stalling, the State Department confirmed what I feared was true: the
Obama administration is negotiating behind closed doors with the
Islamic Republic of Iran and using taxpayer dollars to pay the regime,'
Pompeo said in a statement on the letter. 'Worse yet, more of these
payments are likely coming.' 'Secretary Kerry still refuses to answer whether
the $1.7 billion U.S. payment to Iran was related to the release of
American hostages held by Iran,' Pompeo continued. 'While we celebrate
the return of these hostages, this administration could be setting a
dangerous precedent, as innocent Americans continue to be held in Iran.
I will not stop until we have all of the answers and will do all in my
power to stop the Obama administration's dangerous Iran policy.'" http://t.uani.com/22xKluB
Sanctions
Enforcement
Reuters: "A consultant to Iran's
mission to the United Nations has been criminally charged with
violating a U.S. law against dealing with that country, according to an
indictment made public on Wednesday. Ahmad Sheikhzadeh, 60, faces seven
charges including conspiracy to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran,
money laundering, and helping arrange false tax returns, the May 18
indictment said. Federal prosecutors unveiled the charges a few hours
after a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, where U.S.
District Judge Pamela Chen set a $3 million bond for the defendant.
Sheikhzadeh was arrested nearly three weeks ago, court records show,
and had pleaded not guilty at a prior hearing... According to the
indictment, Sheikhzadeh was paid a regular cash salary by the Iran
mission, often through a colleague employed there, and deposited it
into a Citibank checking account. But the indictment said he also used
that account for side transactions with two U.S.-based co-conspirators
who wished to invest in Iran, and at their request directed an
Iran-based co-conspirator to funnel money to people in that country.
The defendant 'did not obtain any license from the (U.S.) Department of
Treasury' authorizing these and other activities, the indictment said.
At Wednesday's hearing, Chen restricted Sheikhzadeh from going to the
Iranian mission and limited his contact with people there, after a
prosecutor expressed concern about whether the defendant might seek sanctuary
or become a flight risk. 'He does work for a hostile government,' and
the mission might be a 'potential safe haven for him,' Assistant U.S.
Attorney Tali Farhadian told the judge." http://t.uani.com/1Rj98LC
Sanctions
Relief
TASS
(Russia): "Iran
will not be able to seriously increase oil production without foreign
investment, Vice-President Leonid Fedun said, adding that global
producers may take the decision on oil output stabilization without the
country. 'This makes no difference as Iran will not be able to
seriously increase output without major foreign investment. Also,
Iran's domestic demand is very high, this is a huge populous country.
Well, they can add 300,000-400,000 barrels to the market, which is
minor and more of speculation,' he said when answering the question
whether global oil production may be stabilized without Iran. The
official pointed out that Lukoil keeps interest in participating in
Iran's projects, though it expects better terms from the country.
'We're still interested in Iran, though so far neither terms nor
legislation are in place. We're considering (it) similar to Iraq, with
the same provinces, which we know very well. We will say yes if the
terms are in line with our investment strategy,' he said, adding though
that 'no one will agree to buy back.'" http://t.uani.com/1UOmBMF
Express
Tribune (Pakistan):
"Pakistani businessmen will open letters of credit (LCs) for
imports from Iran in euros instead of dollars as some US sanctions are
still in place that could obstruct payments to Tehran. The State Bank
of Pakistan (SBP) told the Ministry of Commerce and other stakeholders
in a recent meeting that it was not possible at this stage to open LCs
in dollars in trade with Iran, a senior officer in the ministry told
The Express Tribune." http://t.uani.com/21IP1rR
Human
Rights
LAT: "The United Nations Human
Rights Council voted Wednesday to renew its agreement with a special
rapporteur to continue monitoring and reporting on the human rights
situation in Iran. The resolution was adopted with 20 countries voting
to extend the mandate of Ahmed Shaheed, while 15 nations opposed the
mandate, and 11 abstained. Among the countries that voted against
extending the mandate were Russia, China, Cuba and South Africa. In a
statement, UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights group, called the
adoption of the resolution 'a concrete sign that the international
community recognizes that human rights violations are ongoing in the
country and stands in solidarity with the numerous victims in Iran.'
The transgressions Iran is accused of include restrictions on freedom
of expression and assembly, the arbitrary detention of journalists and
political and civic figures, discrimination against ethnic and
religious minorities, and violence against women and the suppression of
their rights, advocates said. Last year, executions increased to the
highest number in more than two decades, according to Shaheed's most
recent report." http://t.uani.com/21INdiz
AP: "The Swedish Academy, which
selects the winners of the Nobel Prize in literature, has condemned an
Iranian death warrant against British writer Salman Rushdie, 27 years
after it was pronounced. Two members quit the academy in 1989 after it
refused to condemn Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini's fatwa against Rushdie
for allegedly blaspheming Islam in his book 'The Satanic Verses.'
Citing its code against political involvement, the academy issued a
statement defending free expression but without explicitly supporting
Rushdie. However, in a statement posted on its website Thursday, the
academy for the first time denounced the fatwa and reward money for
Rushdie's death as 'flagrant breaches of international law.' It didn't
specify what prompted its change of heart, but cited state-run Iranian
media outlets' recent decision to raise the bounty by $600,000. 'The
fact that the death sentence has been passed as punishment for a work
of literature also implies a serious violation of free speech,' the
academy said, adding that literature must be free from political
control." http://t.uani.com/1SjhiCL
HRW: "Iran should remove
restrictions on access to lawyers for people charged with national
security crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. Nine months after
Iran's new criminal procedure expanded detainees' access to a lawyer
during the investigative phase, authorities are denying people charged
with national security and political crimes access to an independent
legal defense. These defendants should be able to choose their own
lawyers. Human Rights Watch interviewed lawyers, political prisoners,
family members, and sources familiar with cases of detainees facing
national security and political charges. Human Rights Watch documented
several instances over the past year in which the detainees were denied
access to lawyers during investigations or were forced to change their
legal advocate under pressure by judiciary officials." http://t.uani.com/1RnG4kV
Guardian: "A film-maker and two
musicians in Iran are each facing up to three years in jail after an
appeals court in Tehran upheld their conviction in connection with
their artisic activities, including distribution of underground music.
In a case that highlights the plight of those tried without access to
legal representation, the three Iranian artists are at risk of imminent
arrest following the recent confirmation of their prison sentences. The
trio are currently free as Iran celebrates Persian new year holidays,
Nowruz, but fear being arrested at any time when the two-week festive
period ends next week. Brothers Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian, 26 and 31,
and their friend Yousef Emadi, 35, had been found guilty of 'insulting
Islamic sanctities', 'spreading propaganda against the system' and
'illegal audio-visual activities' in a 2015 trial that activists said
lasted no longer than three minutes. They were condemned to lengthy
prison sentences without having access to lawyers whilst being
interrogated, nor during the course of their trial." http://t.uani.com/1pJTPl7
Foreign
Affairs
WSJ: "Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani is due to visit Islamabad this week, as Tehran steps up a
diplomatic campaign to woo Pakistan amid a deepening sectarian conflict
in the Muslim world. As part of his charm offensive, Mr. Rouhani is
expected to sign a deal to sell electricity to power-hungry Pakistan
and pledge deeper commercial ties now that international sanctions
against his country are being lifted. Improving relations with
neighboring Iran is part of a delicate balancing act for Pakistan,
which also depends on economic support from Tehran's rival, Saudi
Arabia, the Sunni kingdom that enjoys popular support among Pakistan's
Sunni-majority population." http://t.uani.com/25nypdL
Opinion
& Analysis
Economist: "Despite a lessening of
tension between Iran's government and the West since last year's
agreement over the country's nuclear programme, draconian punishments
of criminals and dissidents persist, according to a report by the UN's
Human Rights Council. At least 966 executions are said to have been
carried out in 2015, one of the highest rates in the world, up from 750
in 2014. Some sources, according to the report, put the figure above
1,000. It notes that 25 people were executed in one day last year in a
prison close to Tehran, the capital. It particularly laments the
execution of juveniles; at least 16 have been hanged in the past two
years for crimes committed when they were under 18; at least 160 young
offenders are on death row." http://t.uani.com/1Ucze5j
Matthew
Levitt in WINEP:
"Despite the Iran deal, or perhaps because of it, Hezbollah
continues to present a significant threat to U.S. interests both in the
Middle East and, as events in Europe and South America indicate, closer
to home. Iran is Hezbollah's primary benefactor, giving the Lebanese
political party and militant group some $200 million a year in addition
to weapons, training, intelligence, and logistical assistance. For
about eighteen months prior to the nuclear deal, however, Iran had cut
back its financial support to Hezbollah -- a collateral benefit of the
unprecedented international sanctions regime targeting Iran's nuclear
program, as well as the fall in oil prices. The cutback mostly
curtailed Hezbollah's political, social, and military activities inside
Lebanon. Its social-service institutions had to cut costs, employees
received paychecks late or were laid off, and funding for civilian
organizations, such as the group's satellite television station,
al-Manar, was reduced. By contrast, Hezbollah's Syria command, which
has been a priority for Tehran given its commitment to defending Bashar
al-Assad's regime, showed no sign of financial hardship even then.
Increased Iranian spending in the wake of the Iran deal is likely to
benefit Hezbollah's regional and international operations. The group is
no longer limited to jockeying for political power in Lebanon and
fighting Israel. With more money, it should be expected to step up its
aid to Shiite militias in Iraq and Yemen in cooperation with Iran,
sending small numbers of skilled trainers to bolster local forces and,
in some cases, fight alongside them. In Iraq, Hezbollah is training and
fighting with Shiite militias, and that will likely expand. Though they
are fighting on behalf of the government, their tactics exacerbate
sectarian tensions. In Yemen, Hezbollah's footprint is small, but it
could expand with additional resources. The group is already trying to
find long-term support for these operations, such as investments in
commercial front organizations in Iraq." http://t.uani.com/1q3ZG4F
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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