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TOP STORIES
The Trump administration wants to work with Washington's
allies to ramp up sanctions on Iran, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin said in an interview Monday, but he stopped short of calling
for special action against firms conducting business with Iran's
military corps, which the administration has targeted for added
scrutiny.
Iran's official IRNA news agency says the Iranian air
force is holding its annual military exercise to show off its ability
to safeguard the country's airspace. The drill is taking place near
the central city of Isfahan, a region that is home to the country's
key nuclear facilities, including the Natanz uranium enrichment
plant.
Behrooz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy
Organization of Iran, said on Monday that Iran has put
nuclear-propulsion system for vessels on its agenda as part of
efforts to counter the anti-Iran U.S. moves.
NUCLEAR & BALLISTIC-MISSILE PROGRAMS
The head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard says
the country's supreme leader has limited the range of ballistic
missiles it makes to 2,000 kilometers, or 1,240 miles... The range of
2,000 kilometers would encompass much of the Middle East, including
Israel and American bases in the region.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
Iran says talks with the United States are unlikely
without a "fundamental change" in American behavior.
SANCTIONS RELIEF
Imports of Iranian crude by major
buyers in Asia rose in September for a third straight month to their
highest since March, boosted by a surge in purchases in China and
South Korea.
With most sanctions lifted, Iran is
going all-in on its potential to become a transport hub in the heart
of Eurasia, returning the country to its traditional position as a
vital link between East and West. However, Iran's transportation
dreams have a major problem in the current reality: decades of
sanctions have left the country's rail lines archaic and in
disrepair. To fix this, Iran is devoting 1% of its oil and gas sales
to rail development, amounting to a roughly $25 billion initiative to
revitalize its existing rail network as well as add on 10,000
kilometers of new rail lines by 2025 - creating a yearly demand for
roughly 8,000-10,000 new wagons in the process. Iran's rail ambitions
are currently a shining beacon for rail engineering and rolling stock
firms from all over the world, who are lined up at the gates of
Tehran licking their chops in gleeful anticipation for the
infrastructure building melee that is about to begin.
RUSSIA & IRAN
Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the Syria
crisis and energy cooperation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
and Iran's top authority supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei when
he visits Tehran on Wednesday, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Iran condemned the "bloodthirsty Zionist
regime" of Israel after the IDF destroyed a Hamas terror tunnel
on Monday that crossed into Israeli territory. "
IRAQ CRISIS
Iranian Chief of Staff General Mohammed Baqeri announced
on Monday that Tehran will remove border restrictions with Iraqi
Kurdistan "within days" after they were closed in wake of
the Kurdish independence referendum in late September. Tehran already
re-opened the Bashmagh crossing last week. Baqeri warned that if
Kurdistan implemented its plan to break away from Iraq, "there
would be bloodshed in Iraq and neighboring countries would be
affected", reported Reuters. The Iranian announcement comes a
day after Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani said he would give up
his position as president on November 1, after the referendum he
championed backfired and triggered military action by the Baghdad.
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