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TOP STORIES
Iran's supreme leader criticised the country's slow pace
of economic recovery on Thursday despite the lifting of sanctions and
called on President Hassan Rouhani's government to champion greater
self-sufficiency, state TV reported. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's criticism
comes ahead of Iran's presidential election in May, when the pragmatist
president is expected to seek re-election. "Of course the
government has taken remarkable steps but if the resistance economy had
been implemented fully and widely, we could witness a tangible
difference in people's lives," state TV reported Khamenei as
saying. The "resistance economy" promoted by Khamenei is
aimed at making Iran' economy more self-sufficient. Rouhani's
popularity and his efforts to end Iran's economic and political
isolation have panicked hardline allies of Khamenei, who fear losing
power and aim to reclaim the presidency for their faction. Most
sanctions imposed on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme were
lifted in 2016, in exchange for Iran curbing its nuclear work under a
deal with six major powers in 2015.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrested
two Christians - a mother and her son - in late February as part of a
brutal crackdown on Catholicism in the country's West Azerbaijan
Province. The family's bibles and literature on Christian theology were
also seized during the draconian raid, according to a March 5 report on
the website of the Iranian Christian News Agency, Mohabat. "The
arrest of two newly Christian converts - Anousheh Rezabakhsh and Soheil
Zargarzadeh (mother and son, respectively) - in Urmia, a northern city
in Iran, is very sad and concerning, especially as they both are
dealing with health issues. It's been more than two weeks that Iranian
authorities have not provided any news on them," Eliot Assoudeh,
an Iranian-American academic at University of Nevada, told Fox News on
Wednesday. He said Christianity is the fastest-growing religion in
Iran, and many Christian converts "have to risk their lives attending
underground churches."
The United States supports the U.N.-led Syria peace
talks, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Wednesday, saying Syria
could no longer be a "safe haven for terrorists" and that it
was important "we get Iran and their proxies out." Haley
spoke to reporters after U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura briefed
the Security Council behind closed doors on 10 days of talks between
the warring parties in Geneva, which ended last week. She did not
respond to questions on whether the United States believed Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, should step down.
All eyes have been on how Washington would approach ending the six-year
war in Syria, given pledges by President Donald Trump to build closer
ties with Russia, especially in the fight against Islamic State.
Trump's Syria policy has been unclear. "The United States
absolutely supports Staffan de Mistura and the work that he's doing, we
support the U.N. process, we support the talks in Geneva, we want to
see them continue," Haley said. Iran is backing fighters in Syria
from Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Iran's own media have also published reports vividly
depicting Iran's growing concerns in this regard. The latest measures
taken by United Against Nuclear Iran has raised eyebrows amongst senior
Iranian regime officials. This groups "intends to go the limits to
prevent Iran from going nuclear," according to the Tabnak website,
voicing the views of former Revolutionary Guards chief Mohsen Rezaie,
currently the secretary of the regime's Expediency Council that
oversees disputes between the parliament and ultraconservative Guardian
Council. UANI has recently described an agreement signed between
Austria and Iran to cooperate in the oil industry as
"terrifying" and "concerning." This international
organization has written letters to companies such as Caterpillar,
Terex, and Komatsu asking them to end their economic relations with
Iran, and they have responded positively. "This group has formed
based on the idea of introducing Iran as a global nuclear threat to
public opinion across the globe. On the other hand UANI is continuing
its efforts to place pressure on major international firms to literally
sanction Iran," according to the semi-official Fars news agency
citing Iran's Ministry of Intelligence.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
President Trump and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran have
made no secret of their mutual contempt, raising fears of possible
armed confrontation and doubts about the nuclear agreement reached
under Mr. Trump's predecessor. Equally uncertain are the fates of at
least seven people in Iran, five of them American citizens. Four were
imprisoned after the nuclear accord took effect and relaxed sanctions
against Iran in exchange for its verifiable guarantees of peaceful
nuclear work. Relatives of the imprisoned and their advocates have been
speaking out, frustrated and wondering how Mr. Trump will deal with the
problem. As a candidate, he promised to resolve the prisoner issue but
since the inauguration has said little about it. Last month, on the
anniversary of the elder Mr. Namazi's imprisonment, Unicef exhorted the
Iranian authorities to release him. "After a lifetime of
humanitarian service, he has earned a peaceful retirement," a
Unicef statement said. Mr. Trump has frequently railed against the
nuclear agreement, describing it as a giveaway to Iran. He also vowed
as a candidate to bring home Robert Levinson, an American who has been
missing in Iran for 10 years.
Former CIA Director David Petraeus said Wednesday that
if the U.S. decides to nullify the 2015 deal between Iran and six major
powers, the move would likely isolate the U.S more than it does Tehran.
Trump has called the agreement "the worst deal ever
negotiated." Reuters reported that the Trump administration is
reviewing the deal, which could take months. Petraeus, now a chairman
of the KKR Global Institute, made the remarks at the Montgomery Summit,
a tech investors meeting in Los Angeles. Petraeus pointed to some
positives from the deal, including the reduction of Tehran's atomic
activities. Yukiya Amano, the head of the U.N. agency monitoring the
Iran nuclear deal, said Monday that he emphasized the benefits of the
pact in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. He said
he is confident his message was heard.The issue is important because
Trump promised to "tear up" the pact during campaigning,
saying it fell short of the aim of sufficiently crimping Tehran's
nuclear programs. Amano said he told Tillerson last week that because
of the deal the IAEA now has the "strongest verification"
tools to monitor Tehran's atomic activities. As well, he said,
"the nuclear activities of Iran are reduced."
The Trump administration is emphasizing warnings against
travel to Iran by U.S. citizens in light of the Islamic Republic's
latest effort to implement a travel ban on Americans, which comes in
response to the White House's new immigration order temporarily halting
all immigration from Iran and several other Muslim-majority nations
designated as terrorism hotspots, according to U.S. officials. Iranian
officials announced this week that they are poised to implement their
own travel ban on U.S. individuals and entities they described as aiding
"terrorist groups or [helping] regional dictatorial rulers crack
down on their nations," according to comments carried in the
country's state-controlled media. Iran said the effort is part of a
package of reprisals against the United States for the Trump
administration's latest immigration order, which stops Iranian citizens
and others from entering the United States for several months as
American authorities seek to strengthen vetting procedures
Donald Trump's revised executive order - which keeps a
blanket travel ban on all Iranians - will punish a segment of Iranian
society that is largely critical of the country's regime, academics and
analysts have warned. The US president modified his previous travel ban
on Monday by excluding Iraq from a previous list of seven predominantly
Muslim countries. But nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria
and Yemen are still subjected to restricting measures that include a
suspension of visa issuance for at least 90 days. In Iran, the main
victims of Trump's order are likely to be highly talented students and
academics, said Kamiar Alaei, an HIV specialist who was jailed for
three years after visiting the US to attend academic
conferences."A lot of Iranian students have already been admitted
to MA and PhD programmes and even have secured university funding but
now can't come to this country," Alaei, who is currently the
director of the global of institute for health and human rights at the
State University of New York at Albany, told the Guardian. Trump's ban
will have a similar chilling effect on international study, he warned.
The State Department has approved a resumption of
weapons sales that critics have linked to Saudi Arabia's bombing of
civilians in Yemen, a potential sign of reinvigorated U.S. support for
the kingdom's involvement in its neighbor's ongoing civil war.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's approval this week of the measure
provides an early indication of the new administration's more
Saudi-friendly approach to the conflict in Yemen and a sign of its more
hawkish stance on Iran. Officials in Riyadh allege that the Houthis
have received substantial support from Saudi Arabia's main regional
rival, Iran. At the same time, officials reaffirmed other kinds of military
support, part of a carrot-and-stick approach reflecting U.S. eagerness
to smooth things over with a crucial Middle Eastern ally that was
sharply critical of Obama's nuclear deal with Iran. Now, President
Trump, who has also voiced opposition to the nuclear deal, has an
opportunity to recalibrate that support and reset ties with Riyadh. An
ongoing Yemen policy review is also a chance for Trump to demonstrate a
tougher approach to Iran and its activities throughout the Middle East.
Trump and some of his top advisers, including Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis, have called Tehran a chief threat to American security. A
senior U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss
internal deliberations, said the Trump administration hopes to roll back
Iranian influence in large part in Yemen. "We'll be looking for
ways to blunt Iranian malign influence in the region. And we'll be
looking for all the tools that the U.S. government has," the
official said. "In that context, I think you have to look at Yemen."
SANCTIONS RELIEF
India is keen on expediting development of Chabahar Port
in Iran and hopes to complete the first phase of the project next year,
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said. Located in the
Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Persian Gulf nation's
southern coast, the port is easily accessed from India's western coast,
bypassing Pakistan. "We can complete the work on the first phase
of the project in 2018... The funds are likely to be released
shortly," Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari
told PTI. Kandla Port has floated tenders inviting global bids for
supply and commissioning of terminal tractor trailers, forklifts, reach
stackers, empty container handlers and yard cranes among other
equipment at Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar, Iran. The Cabinet has
already approved funds for development of the project. For greater
trade and investment flow with Iran and neighbouring countries, the Cabinet
last year had cleared proposals for development of Chabahar port
including through a USD 150 million credit from Exim Bank. It also
authorised the Shipping Ministry to form a company in Iran for
implementing the Chabahar Port Development Project and related
activities. As per the MoU signed between the two nations in May last
year, India is to equip and operate two berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I
with capital investment of USD 85.21 million and annual revenue
expenditure of USD 22.95 million on a ten year lease. Ownership of
equipment will be transferred to Iranian side on completion of 10-year
period or for an extended period, based on mutual agreement. The
Iranian side had requested for provision of a credit of USD 150 million
in accordance with the MoU.
French automaker Renault exported 13,449 cars to Iran in
January marking a significant rise in the firm's vehicles in the
burgeoning local automotive market. The new figures indicate a
threefold increase in the company's exports to Iran year-on-year.
However, month-on-month the company showed a 9% fall in exports. In
December the firm exported 14,738 cars to Iran, according to local
automotive blog, Asbe Bokhar. The report said 108,536 units of Renault
were exported to Iran during 2016, indicating a 110% increase compared
to the year earlier Renault is pushing aggressively its brand in the
country since the economic sanctions were eased in early 2016. The
company signed a deal with the Industrial Renovation Organization of
Iran in 2016 to create a new separate venture to produce low-cost
vehicles. Sales of its high-end vehicle range are now handled by its
local subsidiary Negin Khodro.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks
in Qatar on Wednesday with the country's ruler about improving
relations, soured by a dispute last year between Tehran and Gulf Arab
powerhouse Saudi Arabia. Tasnim news agency said Zarif also met his
Qatari counterpart during the trip to Doha, his second this year Qatar
and two other Gulf Arab states recalled their envoys from Tehran in
January 2016 in solidarity with Saudi Arabia after Iranian protesters
torched the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain cut
diplomatic relations with Iran. However, in a signal that he is looking
to defuse tension with the Arab oil-exporting monarchies, Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani visited Kuwait and Oman last month in his
first trip to the Gulf states since taking power in 2013. An Iranian
diplomat in Doha, who declined to be named, said Zarif discussed on
Wednesday with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani how to
"better ties" between the two countries. Qatar has yet to
reinstate its ambassador to Iran.
Russia's Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow welcomes
talks between Iran and Arab countries over political issues of the
region. Iranian officials have called for setting up a regional
platform to hold dialogue and settle differences, and President Hassan
Rouhani recently visited Kuwait and Oman to help improve ties between
Iran and Persian Gulf Arab states. In his remarks televised on Sunday
in Russian media, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov underlined
the significant role of Iran in solving problems concerning Iraq,
Afghanistan and Syria. He was also quoted as saying by IRNA on Tuesday
that "Iran has had a profound influence on eliminating tensions
throughout the region." In a recent interview with the Al-Hayat
newspaper, Bogdanov dismissed accusations about Iran's involvement in
regional crises and said, "I do not believe such claims since no
proof have been offered ... and the issue needs a comprehensive
review." Iran has been providing military advisory support to both
Iraq and Syria in their campaign against terrorism at the request of
the two countries' governments.
PROXY WARS
Speaking at a press conference held at the Tasnim News
Agency central office on Wednesday, Seyed Hashem al-Moussavi
highlighted the involvement of al-Nujaba forces in the Syrian
government's military campaign against foreign-backed terrorists and
said they will not leave Syria until "the last terrorist"
leaves the Arab country. "After recent victories (in Syria), we
have established the Golan Liberation Brigade," he said, adding
that the forces are well-trained. "If the Syrian government
requests, we are ready to take actions to liberate Golan," the
spokesman underlined. He went on to say that the Golan Liberation
Brigade is comprised of highly-equipped special forces, who have not
left a region unless they ended a conflict there. The al-Nujaba
Movement is an offshoot of Iraqi voluntary forces, also known as the
Popular Mobilization Units or Hashid al-Shaabi, which is active both in
Iraq and Syria. Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with
various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL),
currently controlling parts of it. According to a report by the Syrian
Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over
470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half
of the country's pre-war population of about 23 million within or
beyond its borders.
SYRIA CONFLICT
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Russia
for talks with President Vladimir Putin. The conflict in Syria is
likely to top the agenda. But the Israelis are also concerned about
Iran and Hezbollah's expanding ground operations in the Golan Heights,
which Tel Aviv considers a major security threat. Russia's leadership
will also receive official visits by the leaders of Turkey, and
Germany. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli leader Benjamin
Netanyahu are scheduled to meet to discuss "joint efforts against
international terrorism" and "key aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli
settlement," according to a Kremlin statement. Meanwhile, Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to meet with his German
counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel, particularly to discuss the simmering
conflict in Ukraine. Gabriel and Putin might also meet later in the
day.
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