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TOP STORIES
France's foreign ministry suggested on Monday that new
sanctions could be imposed on Iran if needed over its ballistic
missile program.
French oil and gas major Total would
have to review its Iran gas project if the United States decided to
impose unilateral sanctions on Tehran, given the company's assets in
the U.S. market, its chief executive told CNN.
Rescue efforts were under way Monday after a strong
earthquake near the border between Iraq and Iran killed at least 537
people and injured many more.
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
The European Union's top diplomat rebuffed calls from
Washington to ratchet up pressure on Iran, saying the bloc has no
plans to discuss new sanctions on Tehran. The U.S., following the
administration's review of Iran policy, has urged allies in recent weeks
to raise the cost to Iran of advancing its ballistic-missile program
and stoking conflicts in the region. European officials say they will
work with Washington on those issues but are lobbying the U.S., in
exchange, not to abandon the Iranian nuclear deal...
Iran has remained within the main limits on its nuclear
activity set by its 2015 deal with six world powers, the U.N. atomic
watchdog said in its first report since U.S. President Donald Trump
decertified Iranian compliance with the terms.
NUCLEAR & BALLISTIC-MISSILE PROGRAMS
Any move by the European Union to impose new sanctions
on Iran over its ballistic missile program and alleged involvement in
Middle East conflicts would be "interesting and helpful", a
U.S. administration official said on Tuesday.
TERRORISM AND EXTREMISM
Lebanon's Hezbollah, blamed by Saad
Hariri for his shock resignation as premier, has grown over the three
decades since its founding into a mighty army used by Iran to project
regional influence... From Lebanon to Syria, Yemen, and Iraq,
Hezbollah has matured into Iran's most useful "tool" --
drawing the ire of Tehran's regional rival Riyadh, analysts say.
Egypt has summoned the representatives
of the two major Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, to another
round of reconciliation talks in Cairo on Nov. 21... This is the crux
of the matter: how to achieve Hamas-Fatah unity even as Iran's
interests and involvement in Beirut and Gaza grow daily.
HUMAN RIGHTS
The plight of British-Iranian mother Nazanin
Zaghari-Ratcliffe, accused of trying to overthrow the government of
Iran, has focused attention on other people with dual nationality who
are languishing in the Islamic Republic's prisons... Estimates vary
between 12 to 30 people.
Boris Johnson, Britain's foreign secretary, apologized
on Monday for misleading remarks about a British-Iranian woman
imprisoned in Iran that her family said could be used to justify, and
even prolong, her sentence for sedition.
Britain's former ambassador to Tehran has warned against
expecting a breakthrough in the fight to release Nazanin
Zaghari-Ratcliffe when Boris Johnson visits Iran later this year,
saying negotiations will involve "a long haul".
Iran's new law for combating drugs will be implemented
beginning Nov. 14. The law - passed by the Reformist majority
parliament and approved by the conservative Guardian Council - is set
to decrease the number of people executed in Iran, which leads the
world in executions on a per capita basis.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
France's foreign ministry said on Monday it was an
important condition for the stability of the region that Iran not
interfere in Lebanon's domestic affairs.
An Iranian official said on Tuesday Tehran hoped Saad
al-Hariri would remain as Lebanon's prime minister and denied Hariri
had resigned after a tense meeting with him in Beirut. Hariri
resigned abruptly on Nov. 4 while in Saudi Arabia, saying he believed
there was an assassination plot against him and accusing Iran and its
Lebanese ally Hezbollah of sowing strife in the Arab world.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, AND IRAN
Iran's exports to Qatar have been partially suspended
after Iranian merchants drowned Qatari markets with rotten products
and goods and after fraud, embezzlement and theft increased.
IRANIAN DOMESTIC ISSUES
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's second term in
office, which began in August, has been accompanied by much criticism
from the Reformists, so much so that some have even reported rifts
emerging within the Cabinet.
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