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TOP STORIES
The United States has imposed sanctions on 30 foreign
companies or individuals for transferring sensitive technology to
Iran for its missile program or for violating export controls on
Iran, North Korea and Syria, the State Department said on Friday. Eleven
companies or individuals from China, North Korea or the United Arab
Emirates were sanctioned for technology transfers that could boost
Tehran's ballistic missile program, the State Department said in a
statement. Nineteen entities or individuals were sanctioned for other
violations under the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation
Act, it said. They are believed to have transferred or acquired
sensitive technology that could contribute to development of weapons
of mass destruction.
Iran has imposed sanctions on 15 US. companies for
alleged human rights violations and cooperating with Israel, the
state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday, in a tit-for-tat reaction
to a move by Washington. The agency quoted Iran's foreign ministry as
saying the companies had "flagrantly violated human rights"
and cooperated with Israel in its "terrorism" against the
Palestinians and the expansion of Jewish settlements. It was not
immediately clear if any of the companies, which included defense
technology firm Raytheon, had any dealings with Iran or whether they
would be affected in any way by Tehran's action, which IRNA said
would include seizure of their assets and a ban on contacts with
them. The sanctioned companies also included ITT Corporation, United
Technologies and specialty vehicles maker Oshkosh Corp.
As U.S. influence wanes across the Middle East, Iran and
Russia have joined forces to expand their power in the region,
strengthening political and diplomatic ties and stepping up joint
military operations in Syria. In a sign of the closer relations,
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is slated to travel Monday to Moscow
to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is expected to be
Rouhani's last major trip before he faces reelection in May.
Together, the two countries have fought Syrian rebels, sidelined the
United States from regional diplomacy and embraced each other as
bulwarks against the West. In a meeting Tuesday, Putin and Rouhani
are scheduled officially to discuss projects in areas such as energy,
infrastructure and technology. Unofficially, however, the talks are
likely to be dominated by their tacit alliance in the Middle East.
"The visit shows the importance that Russia has in Iranian
foreign policy. For Russia, Iran is one of their most important
political allies," said Mohsen Milani, executive director of the
Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies at the University of
South Florida.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says the Trump
administration "has put Iran on notice," and will not
tolerate Iranian efforts to "destabilize the region and
jeopardize Israel's security" His comments Sunday night in
Washington came at the opening of the three-day annual policy
conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Pence said U.S. commitment to Israel is "non-negotiable,"
and that President Donald Trump is committed to finding a lasting
peace between Israel and the Palestinians. He also said the president
is seriously considering moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem. Such a move could seriously impair peace efforts, with
Palestinians viewing East Jerusalem as the capital of their state
under a two-state solution.
The family of a former FBI agent who went missing in
Iran a decade ago on an unauthorized CIA assignment has filed a
lawsuit against the Islamic Republic, accusing it of using
"cold, cynical and false denials" to torture his loved
ones. The lawsuit by Robert Levinson's family in U.S. federal court
comes years after the last hostage photos and video of the
69-year-old investigator surfaced in emails they say were sent by
Iran so the country "would not be held responsible for his
ultimate fate." The lawsuit also describes in detail offers by
Iran to "arrange" for his release in exchange for a series
of concessions, including the return of a Revolutionary Guard general
who defected to the West. "Iran has, for many years, established
a pattern of seizing and holding hostages in order to extract
concessions from the hostage's home country," the lawsuit filed
Tuesday in Washington reads. "That Robert Levinson's seizure is
a part of that pattern is reflected in Iran's multiple attempts to
use Robert Levinson's imprisonment to extort concessions from the
United States."
Iran denied on Saturday U.S. accusations that its
fast-attack boats were "harassing" warships at the mouth of
the Gulf, and said Washington would be responsible for any clashes in
the key oil shipping route. U.S. Navy commanders earlier accused Iran
of jeopardizing international navigation by "harassing"
warships passing through the Strait of Hormuz and said future
incidents could result in miscalculation and lead to an armed clash.
They spoke after the U.S. aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush
confronted what one of the commanding officers described as two sets
of Iranian Navy fast-attack boats that had approached a U.S.-led,
five-vessel flotilla as it entered the Strait on Tuesday on a journey
from the Indian Ocean into the Gulf.
BUSINESS RISK
In a statement on Sunday, the CBI announced that it
would use all means at its disposal to protest and appeal the
decision by the Luxembourg court, adding that legal efforts would
continue until the rights of the Iranian nation are restored.
"The recent decision by the court in Luxembourg does not mean
the recognition and enforcement of the US court verdict and the
aforementioned seizure [of assets] only is a preliminary measure,
which can be countered through various means," it said.
"There are numerous means available under Luxembourg laws to
counter it, such as protesting and appealing the verdict at higher
courts, and the Central Bank [of Iran], with the cooperation of the
Iranian Presidency's Center for International Legal Affairs, will
make the utmost use of the above means," the statement added.
SANCTIONS RELIEF
After years shunning Iran, Western businesses are
bursting through the country's doors. France's Peugeot and Renault SA
are building cars. The U.K.'s Vodafone Group PLC is teaming up with
an Iranian firm to build up network infrastructure. Major oil
companies including Royal Dutch Shell PLC have signed provisional
agreements to develop energy resources. And infrastructure giants,
including Germany's Siemens AG, have entered into agreements for
large projects. After Iran's nuclear accord with world powers lifted
a range of sanctions, many foreign investors began to push into the
promising market of 80 million people, setting off skirmishes among
European and Asian companies eager to gain a step on more cautious American
rivals. Peugeot Middle East chief Jean-Christophe Quemard says his
company's early entry has left American competitors in the dust
"This is our opportunity to accelerate," he said in
February.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that
Tehran welcomed Russian investment in its gas and oil fields,
signaling major developments in energy cooperation between the two
countries. "There is a huge potential for Russian investment in
Iran's energy sector," Rouhani told reporters at Mehrabad
airport in Tehran before departing for Moscow. "Some oil and gas
fields have been suggested to Russian companies... We will see a big
development in energy cooperations," he said in a news
conference broadcast live on state television.
Iran's official IRNA news agency is reporting that the
third of the 100 planes it purchased from Airbus following a landmark
nuclear with world powers has joined its commercial fleet. The now
Iran Air A330 jet landed in Tehran Saturday after a flight from
Toulouse, France, home to the headquarters of the European
consortium. It has 32 business and 206 economy class seats. Iran Air
received its first and the second planes from Airbus in January and
March. Iran's flag carrier sealed a deal with Airbus in December for
100 planes. It separately reached an agreement to buy 80 planes from
Boeing. Most of Iran's 250 commercial planes were purchased before
the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 2016, only about two thirds of them
were operational because spare part shortages.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Turkey seeks to justify its expansionist and
interventionist policies in the region by accusing other countries,
Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, reacting to recent remarks by
the Turkish president. Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Iran on Saturday
of adopting and pursuing "racist and discriminatory"
policies in Iraq, what Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram
Qassemi dismissed as "unacceptable and unjustifiable."
"By accusing others and repeating fictitious claims, they
[Turkish officials] are trying to justify their meddlesome and
expansionist policies toward their neighbors," Qassemi said.
Elsewhere, he dismissed comments made by Turkish Deputy Prime
Minister Veysi Kaynak. The Turkish official claimed that some three
million refugees, mostly Afghans, were trying to go to Turkey from
Iran, expressing concern that Iran was "ignoring their demand for
migration." Qassemi said, "Iran has been hosting millions
of refugees from its neighboring countries for more than 30
years."
Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled al-Jarallah made the
remarks to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony at Bangladeshi
Embassy in Kuwait City on Sunday, the official Kuwait News Agency
reported. A ministerial meeting of the Persian Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC), a body of regional Arab states, would address the
issue of potential dialog with Iran on Thursday, he added. He also
said his country had informed leaders of other Persian Gulf states of
the content of a recent message relayed to the emirate by the Islamic
Republic. The official message by President Hassan Rouhani was
submitted by Iranian Ambassador Alireza Enayati to Kuwaiti Foreign Minister
Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah on March 13. The top Kuwaiti
diplomat visited Tehran in late January, bearing a message from the
GCC. The message reportedly described a "basis of dialog"
between the organization's Arab states and the Islamic Republic.
TERRORISM
Bahrain said on Sunday it had broken an Iranian-linked
"terrorist cell" suspected of involvement in a bomb attack
on a police bus in February and plotting to assassinate senior
officials, state news agency BNA reported. The agency quoted an Interior
Ministry statement as saying that the 14-member cell was working
under direct supervision from two exiled Bahrainis living in Iran,
one of them recently designated by the United States as a
"global terrorist". Tensions have been rising in the
kingdom since last year after authorities stepped up a crackdown on
dissent, banning the main opposition group al-Wefaq, arresting a
leading activist and critic of the government and revoking the
citizenship of the spiritual leader of the country's majority
Shi'ites.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, has
condemned as "selective and spiteful" the U.N. Human Rights
Council's resolution to renew the mandate of the U.N. special
rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, saying it was a
politically-motivated move by a few countries abusing U.N.
mechanisms, according to state TV. Ghasemi said Friday that the U.N.
Human Rights Council extended the mandate of the special rapporteur
on Iran for the seventh consecutive year despite the lack of
endorsement by the majority of member states, and through reliance on
the vote of a "certain political bloc" and its few allies
in the region. The spokesman said such a "confrontational policy
and destructive and failed approach" pursued through the
"exertion of pressure on other countries" would regrettably
undermine the U.N.'s credibility.
DOMESTIC POLITICS
Ibrahim cannot remember the last time he could afford to
feed his family chicken - the cheapest meat available in Iran. The
38-year-old builder, who relies on casual work, says that finances
have been so tough that he could not afford to buy his children clothes
for the Persian new year. The festival, which began last week, is
normally a time for feasting and celebration. "My income this
year has been just enough to stop me begging in the streets,"
says Ibrahim, who lives in a poor neighbourhood in the east of the
capital Tehran. "My bank account has had zero money for most of
this year, unlike before when I could save small amounts." It is
nearly two years since the Islamic Republic agreed with western
powers a plan to curb its nuclear programme, raising widespread
expectations that the country's economic suffering would ease. But
more than a year after some sanctions were lifted, many say they have
yet to see their situation improve. With Iran set to go to the polls
in May, this adds to pressure on centrist president Hassan Rouhani,
already facing opposition from hardliners.
Iran's state TV says a significantly higher number of
Iranians are seeking to run in the municipal elections next month.
Monday's report says 287,000 hopefuls - or 14 percent more than four
years ago - submitted their candidacies, hoping to be approved to
contest the vote for the nearly 110,000 members for city councils
across Iran. The candidates had a week to register and those approved
will be announced by a parliament-led committee early next month.
Municipal councils, set up in the 1990s, choose city mayors and
decide on the spending of their constituencies' budgets. The May 19
vote is to be held at the same time as the country's presidential
election. Under the law, Iran's current President Hassan Rouhani is
eligible to run for another term in office.
OPINION & ANALYSIS
In June 2016, the Department of Justice and the Eastern
District of New York announced the guilty plea of a US. citizen of
Turkish descent, Erdal Kuyumcu, 44, of Woodside, New York, on a
charge of conspiring to sell to Iran specialized metallic powder
composed of cobalt and nickel and applicable in nuclear and missile
programs. Kuyumcu was arrested in March 2016. From January 2013 until
February 2015, Kuyumcu, who was CEO of the U.S. company Global
Metallurgy, acted as an intermediary for an unidentified Iranian
procurement agent and an unidentified Turkish representative who
owned an unidentified company based in Turkey to procure metallic
powder and deceive U.S. suppliers about its end destination Kuyumcu
helped arrange for some 1,000 pounds of the commodity to be shipped
to Turkey where it was sent onward to Iran.1 The Department of
Justice characterized the metallic powder as having uses to
"coat gas turbine components, including turbine blades, and can
be used in aerospace, missile production and nuclear
applications."2 The exports were in violation of the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Iranian Transactions
and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR). A U.S. Department of Commerce
post-shipment check uncovered the scheme when an agent visited the
Turkish company, met with the Turkish representative, and viewed
documents indicating the goods had been exported to Iran.
What the United Arab Emirates ambassador to Washington
said earlier this week in a panel discussion on the Iranian nuclear
deal should attract the administration's appropriate attention.
Yousef al-Otaiba stated in a Carnegie conference in Washington, D.C.
that the UAE is not pleased with its nuclear compact. Iran got a
better nuclear deal than us, he said, and "it continues to keep
its uranium enrichment program, while we made a commitment to forgo
uranium enrichment," suggesting that others in the Middle East
might want the same uranium enrichment capability Iran has. The UAE
will soon be the first Arab state with a civilian nuclear program.
The country's first of four reactors is scheduled to be operational
in a few months, barring any delays.
Iran has been continuing its series of blatant measures
in defiance of norms accepted as standard by the international
community, all as the Trump administration continues to weigh on
blacklisting the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). Iran has gone as far as
pledging to launch "roaring missiles" in response to
threats. To this day, several ballistic missile launches - capable of
delivering nuclear payloads - have been Tehran's report card. Reports
also show Iran increasing its support of the Houthis in Yemen by providing
"Kamikazi" drones, water and airborne, to threaten shipping
lines in Bab el-Mandeb and most certainly Saudi Navy ships, as
weapons analysts confirmed forces aligned with former Yemeni
president Ali Abdullah Saleh are also using these weapons to target
missile-defense systems used by Saudi-led coalition units.
'Harkat al Nujaba' or the 'Movement of the Nobles' is
not temerarious enough to contend the Arabic language printed by the
Iranians on placards carried by masked members to declare the
formation of the Golan Liberation Brigade. The Golan name is
misspelled missing the introducatory 'al' that precedes Golan as it
should be written in the Arabic language. Nonetheless - exactly like
'nobles; - they "toed the line" and raised the banner. They
also released propaganda videos showing members of the movement
carrying banners that read: "Israel will be destroyed". The
militia's official spokesperson, Hashim al Mussawi, said in a press
conference on March 8 in Tehran that the new unit could assist the
Syrian regime in taking the Golan Heights, a region occupied by
Israel since 1967, a verdict he left entirely to Damascus to take,
saying: "Should the Syrian government make the request, we are
ready to participate in the liberation of occupied Golan with our
allies. Unquestionably, the unit in concert with the regime, is
likely to participate in a future offensive to capture territory from
Syrian opposition on the part of the Golan still controlled by Syria
prior any "full liberation" of the Golan.
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