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TOP STORIES
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps has successfully
test-fired a naval missile, the semi-official news agency Tasnim said
on Thursday, a move likely to heighten concern in Washington, whose
warship operate in the waters near Iran. Tasnim said the missile, called
the Hormuz 2, could destroy moving targets at sea at ranges up to 300
km (180 miles). The missile was built in Iran, Tasnim said. "The
naval ballistic missile called Hormuz 2 this week has successfully
destroyed a target which was 250 km away," said Amir Ali
Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, according to
Tasnim. The missile test is the latest event in a long-running
rivalry between Iran and the United States in and around the Strait
of Hormuz, which guards the entrance to the Gulf.
Iran's top leader criticized the pace of national
economic growth on Thursday in what appeared to be a rebuke of the
president, who had forecast prosperous times after the 2015 accord
that lifted international sanctions in exchange for nuclear limits.
The critical comments by the leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, came two
months before elections in which President Hassan Rouhani is expected
to seek a second term. The comments suggested some tension between
them as the vote draws nearer. "We receive complaints from
people," Ayatollah Khamenei said in the remarks reported on
state television, as translated by Reuters. "People should feel
improvements regarding creation of jobs and manufacturing. It is not
the case now." It is not yet clear who may run against Mr.
Rouhani, a moderate cleric. While he is said to enjoy a longstanding
relationship with Ayatollah Khamenei, the president is not well liked
by some other hard-line conservative elements of Iran's political
hierarchy.
Iran poses the most significant threat to U.S. Central
Command's complex area of responsibility, Centcom commander Army Gen.
Joseph L. Votel told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
Centcom has dealt with a number of significant challenges over the
past 12 months, including in Iraq and Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt
and the Sinai, the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, he said. We are also dealing
with a range of malign activities perpetrated by Iran and its proxies
operating in the region," the general said at the hearing on the
posture of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command. "It is
my view that Iran poses the greatest long-term threat to stability
for this part of the world," Votel said. Iranian activities of
concern, according to Votel, include "malign influence across
Iraq and Syria," and efforts to prop up the Syrian regime and
exploit Shia population centers.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the
disappearance of former FBI agent Robert Levinson on the Iranian
island of Kish. Acknowledging the anniversary Thursday, both the FBI
and the White House released statements that pledged to do more to
find the missing American. "Bob went missing in Iran," FBI
Director James B. Comey said. "Ten years is an inhumane amount
of time to ask a family to wait for word of their loved one. Our
ability to reunite Bob with his family is dependent on this shared
commitment and we continue to call on the Iranian government to
provide assistance." White House press secretary Sean Spicer
said that the Trump administration remained "unwavering" in
its commitment to finding Levinson and getting him home. "We
want him back, and we will spare no effort to achieve that goal,"
Spicer said.
The White House marked the 10th anniversary on
Thursday of the disappearance of American Robert Levinson in Iran
with a pledge to bring him back to the United States. "The Trump
Administration remains unwavering in our commitment to locate Mr.
Levinson and bring him home. We want him back, and we will spare no
effort to achieve that goal," according to a statement, which
noted a $5 million reward for information leading to Levinson's safe
return. Levinson, a former FBI agent and DEA agent, disappeared in
Iran in 2007.
On Oct. 18. 2016, Tehran sentenced Baquer and his
youngest son, Siamak, 45-also a U.S. citizen-to 10 years in prison
for collaborating with a foreign government-the United States. The
U.S. government, and Namazi family, dismiss the charges as baseless,
and consider their detention as a play by Iran's notorious Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps to taunt America, and extract concessions.
As the Obama administration tried and failed to negotiate with Iran
to free Siamak and Baquer, Babak, an attorney, had stayed silent, not
wanting to disrupt the fragile talks. "I came to Washington to
highlight my family's situation," Babak says. "These are
two American citizens being held captive in Iran. My father's
situation is extremely dire. I understand we are in a new U.S.
administration. From a logical and rational point of view, I
understand things take time. But from an emotional point of view, my
father's time is running out very quickly."
SANCTIONS RELIEF
German industrial gases group Linde has revived
plant-engineering contracts in Iran that lay dormant for years under
sanctions but cannot act on them until there is a way to transfer
money out of the country, its chief executive said. "We have
already signed engineering contracts to resuscitate projects from
years ago but the banking system has to be fixed first before we can
start performing on these contracts," Aldo Belloni told analysts
on a conference call on Thursday.
Volkswagen's Spanish subsidiary Seat is considering
selling its cars in Iran to broaden its reach beyond the crowded
European market, its chief executive said on Tuesday. Seat has been
invited by the Spanish government to explore opportunities in Iran
but entering the market would require major investment and only work
in conjunction with Seat's German parent VW, Chief Executive Luca de
Meo told Reuters. "It's not a market where we can go
alone," de Meo said at the Geneva auto show. "We have to
see what our sisters and brothers are doing. We are analysing the
situation but nothing concrete is on the table." French
carmakers once dominated the Iranian market and both PSA and Renault
are ramping up investment and production there after an international
deal to lift sanctions in return for curbs on Tehran's nuclear activities.
Western and Japanese carmakers that had previously avoided Iran are
also eyeing its potential and Iran's deputy industry minister told a
conference in Tehran last month that VW may soon finalise a
production deal with an Iranian company.
Germany's Continental, commonly known for its quality
tires, has signed a deal with Iran's Crouse Co. to set up a local
auto parts production joint venture. The two companies will produce
injectors, engine management sensors and electronic control units
through the JV named Crouse-Continental Automotive Components, ILNA
reported at the weekend. The total investment in the venture will be
€18 million, and Continental is committed to put up 45% of the
capital. The company will later expand production to brakes and car
audio systems. Tire production has not been highlighted in the deal.
Crouse has incorporated technology transfer as one of the conditions
of the joint venture with the Germans. Currently, four engineers from
the German company are training their counterparts in Iran. The
number of German engineers participating in the project is set to
rise to 10 in the coming weeks. Crouse and Continental have
collaborated for 12 years, producing engine parts. According to company
statistics, they have produced eight million engines during this
period. However, during the sanctions years the German firm halted
cooperation. With revenue of €40 billion in 2016, Continental is the
third largest auto parts manufacturer in the world.
Iran Air announced in a statement as quoted by the
domestic media that the plane - an A330 - would arrive in Tehran's
Mehrabad International Airport from France's Toulouse at 08:00 local
time.Last January, Iran signed a deal worth $18 billion with Airbus
to purchase 100 new planes including 46 A320 family, 38 A330 family,
and 16 A350 XWB aircraft. Last year, Iran also sealed another plane
purchase deal to purchase 80 new planes from US aviation player
Boeing.The US-led sanctions against Iran prevented global plane
providers from selling aircraft to Iran. However, this restriction
was lifted after a nuclear deal between Iran and the five permanent
members of the Security Council plus Germany - the so-called P5+1 -
came into effect last January.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow
on Thursday seeking reassurance from Russian President Vladimir Putin
that his country's presence in Syria would help Israel block
arch-nemesis Iran from taking advantage of the chaos to position
itself permanently on Israel's northern border.At the start of his
meeting with Putin, Netanyahu noted the significant progress made by
Russia and other players in the region in fighting Islamist militant
groups, including the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. He added, however,
that "the victory over the terrorism of ISIS cannot lead to an
upsurge in terrorism by Iran and its proxies. We will not exchange
terrorism for terrorism." ISIS is an alternative acronym for the
Islamic State. After the meeting, Netanyahu issued a statement in
which he said, "I made it clear that regarding Syria, while
Israel is not opposed that there should be an agreement there, we
strongly oppose the possibility that Iran and its proxies will be
left with a military presence in Syria under such an agreement."
A 31-year-old Pakistani man went on trial Wednesday in
Berlin on allegations he operated as a spy for Iran in Europe,
collecting information on possible Israeli and Jewish targets for
attack in Germany and France. Haider Syed Mustafa is accused of
having collected extensive information for an elite unit of Iran's
Revolutionary Guard on Reinhold Robbe, the former head of the
German-Israeli Association in Berlin, and Daniel Rouach, a
French-Israeli professor from the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de
Paris university. No pleas are entered in the German system and
Mustafa refused to make a statement as the trial opened. According to
prosecutors, Mustafa collected large amounts of information including
photos and video of the two men, and details of their workplaces,
homes, families and acquaintances as well as the neighborhoods and
public transportation they frequented. He then allegedly sent the
information to a contact called "Mahmud" who passed it on
to the Iranian Quds Force unit.
MILITARY MATTERS
Iran's Defense Minister claims that his country's
indigenous fighter, the F-311 Qaher ("Conqueror") is
nearing production. The fighter was first unveiled in 2013, when it
was widely ridiculed as a fake. First revealed in 2013 to great
fanfare, a full-size mockup was shown to the public. The plane then
disappeared into obscurity. "The fighter jet is Iranian-made and
all its parts have been manufactured domestically," Qaher's
project manufacturer told Iranian state television at the
introduction. At the time of rollout, FlightGlobal polled several
aviation experts about Qaher's airworthiness. The experts were united
that the "plane" was not a viable aircraft and was likely
being shown off for propaganda purposes. Qaher's weird design, which
included droopy wings and thick wing leading edges, appeared to make
the plane unstable and not particularly stealthy.
SYRIA CONFLICT
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian
President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday there could never be
peace in Syria as long as there was an Iranian presence there.
"We discussed at length the matter of Iran, its objectives and
intentions in Syria, and I clarified that there cannot be a peace
deal in Syria when Iran is there and declares its intention to
destroy Israel," Netanyahu said in footage supplied by his
office after their meeting. Iran, Israel's arch-enemy, has been
embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest backer and
has provided militia fighters to help him in the country's civil war.
"(Iran) is arming itself and its forces against Israel including
from Syria territory and is, in fact, gaining a foothold to continue
the fight against Israel," he said in reply to a reporter's
question. "There cannot be peace when they continue the war and
therefore they have to be removed."
HUMAN RIGHTS
At least seven prisoners were executed in Iran on
Saturday March 4.
The 9th annual report of the
organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) on the death penalty in Iran
shows that in 2016 at least 530 people were executed in the Islamic
Republic of Iran. Although this number is significantly
lower than the annual execution numbers in the past five years, Iran,
with an average of more than one execution per day, remains in 2016
the country with the highest number of executions per capita.
Commenting on the relative decrease in the 2016 execution figures,
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director and spokesperson of IHR said:
"We welcome any reduction in the use of the death penalty. But
unfortunately there are no indications that the relative decrease in
the number of the executions in 2016 was due to a change in the
Islamic Republic of Iran's policy. Our reports show that in just the
first two months of 2017 Iranian authorities have executed at
least 140 people."
OPINION & ANALYSIS
There is little doubt that Barak Obama deems the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) of July 2015 to be his crowning
foreign policy achievement and an important pillar of his
presidential legacy. To his mind, the deal is a shining
nonproliferation success story achieved via peaceful diplomacy and an
important catalyst to improving decades-long, moribund U.S.-Iranian
relations. But, Obama's assessment is wrong. The JCPOA has many flaws
and weaknesses, and it is important to assess the president's role in
the process that produced this dubious deal: What happened on the
ground; how Obama's perceptions of nuclear disarmament colored his
attitudes toward Iran, and the tactics he used to marginalize
criticism and mobilize support for a flawed deal at the domestic
level. It is equally important to examine to what lengths the
president went in order to protect his problematic deal after it was
presented, and at what cost. What legacy on Iran has Obama left for
the next administration?
The present report is submitted to the Human Rights
Council pursuant to resolution 31/19. The report communicates
developments in the human rights situation of the Islamic Republic of
Iran that have transpired since the submission of the report of the
former Special Rapporteur to the 71st session of the General Assembly
in October 2016. During its 33rd session, the Human Rights
Council appointed Ms. Asma Jahangir as Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The
present report outlines the Special Rapporteur's activities since her
appointment by the Human Rights Council, examines ongoing issues, and
presents some of the most recent and pressing developments in the
country's human rights situation.. It is envisaged that a number of
important issues not covered in the present report will be addressed
in the Special Rapporteur's future reports to the General Assembly
and the Human Rights Council.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary
Detention, which investigates cases of arrest that may be in
violation of international human rights law, did something in January
that the previous two U.S. presidents failed to do: It announced a
finding that my father, retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, was
arrested by Iranian authorities without any legal grounds in March
2007 on Kish Island, and it called on the Iranian government to
release him immediately. In finding that Iran has violated
international law - and fundamental human decency - by detaining a
U.S. citizen and providing him no rights whatsoever, the U.N. working
group is being far more aggressive than our own U.S. government has
been in 10 years. This is shameful.We desperately need President
Trump to succeed now where his two predecessors failed. Last March,
then-candidate Trump stated Iran "absolutely" knows where
my father is. He also spoke of how he believed my dad might be
released before he even took office. While that unfortunately did not
happen, this is still one of Trump's first foreign policy
opportunities to demonstrate American strength.
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