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TOP STORIES
A Turkish-Iranian gold trader described in a U.S. court
on Wednesday how he ran a sprawling international money laundering
scheme aimed at helping Iran get around U.S. sanctions and spend its
oil and gas revenues abroad.
One American prisoner has lost six teeth from
malnutrition. Another tried to kill himself. A third, a Briton, is
traumatized by the possibility her sentence could be doubled. They
are among the foreign nationals incarcerated in Iran on spying or
sedition charges, a continuing source of tension in that country's
relations with Western nations, particularly the United States and
Britain. Many are Iranians with dual citizenship. Now, the prisoner
issue is heating up as President Trump threatens to derail the
nuclear agreement with Iran and possibly revive onerous American
sanctions. Nearly two years after a group of American captives in
Iran was freed when the nuclear accord took effect - in return for the
release of a group of Iranians held in the United States - there is
speculation that another prisoner exchange may be sought.
The Trump administration has put a stop to U.S.
purchases of nuclear materials from Iran, a policy that first began
under the Obama administration in an attempt to ensure Iran remains
in compliance with the landmark nuclear deal.
NUCLEAR & BALLISTIC-MISSILE PROGRAMS
Iranian Army Chief General Mousavi and IRGC Commander
Brig. Gen. Jafari met Sunday to discuss the necessity of boosting
Army, Navy, air force and missile powers.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
The Iranian oil minister claimed that energy-related
firms from the U.S. are the main losers from the sanctions placed
against his country. Iran's oil-dominated economy has been hampered
by sanctions put in place by the U.S. since the Iranian Revolution of
1979. In 2016, many restrictions were removed, but Washington has
continued to bar American citizens and companies from most forms of
investment or trade with the country.
BUSINESS RISK
Imports of Iranian crude by major buyers in Asia fell in
October from a sixth-month high hit the previous month, dropping for
the first time since June, with South Korea the only big Asian
importer to increase loadings.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, LEBANON, AND IRAN
Turkish and Iranian ministers have signed an agreement
with Qatar aimed at increasing the flow of goods to the Gulf state.
Qatar faces trade restrictions from its Middle Eastern neighbors,
including Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has said it wants to
punish Qatar for its ties with Iran and suspected links to terrorist
groups.
Iran denied access to its airspace to a Bulgarian
government jet taking a delegation led by Prime Minister Boyko
Borissov to Tehran's regional arch-enemy Saudi Arabia, Sofia's
foreign minister said on Wednesday.
A number of Lebanese lawyers have presented a case to
the judiciary calling for "the halting of Al-Nabaa and Lualua,
two channels funded by Iran," a judicial source told The Daily
Star Wednesday.
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