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TOP STORIES
India's Reliance Industries Ltd, owner of the world's
biggest refining complex, plans to halt oil imports from Iran, two
sources familiar with the matter said, in a sign that new U.S.
sanctions are forcing buyers to shun oil purchases from Tehran.
The U.S. on Wednesday imposed sanctions on several
Iranian groups and officials it accused of human rights abuses, in
another round of weekly punitive actions intended to isolate Tehran
and force a fundamental change in the Islamic Republic of Iran's
military posture. The Treasury Department's new sanction targets
included Ansar-e Hezbollah, a conservative organization linked to the
government, and Evin Prison, where Tehran detains political
prisoners.
A top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, is proposing Iran resume its uranium enrichment in the wake
of the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal between world powers and
Tehran. Ali Akbar Velayati was quoted Wednesday by the semi-official
Tasnim news agency as saying Iran is "capable to spin
centrifuges for enrichment" to higher levels should it choose to
do so. Velayati says Iran should also accelerate production of
nuclear propulsions and also research on advanced centrifuges.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the order
in 2011 for the military to prepare to attack Iran within 15 days, a
former Mossad chief [UANI Advisory Board member Tamir Pardo] said in
remarks released on Thursday.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran's crude oil exports have declined slightly in May,
according to estimates from a leading tanker-tracking company, in the
first sign that the threat of U.S. sanctions may be deterring buyers.
The estimates from Geneva-based Petro-Logistics also suggest Iranian
oil buyers are not rushing to cut volumes from OPEC's third-largest
producer. The U.S. sanctions have a 180-day period during which
buyers should "wind down" purchases.
Iran's numerous tourist attractions, many of which stem
from its rich history and civilization going back thousands of years,
have the potential to transform into revenue streams far more sustainable
than the country's vast oil and natural gas reserves. But this
potential has remained largely untapped due to unyielding
restrictions that deprive visitors of a number of basic liberties,
Iran's troubled foreign relations - mostly with the United States -
and lackluster development caused by mismanagement.
MISSILE PROGRAM
Iran carried out previously unreported ballistic missile
tests in January that contravened UN Security Council Resolution
2231, according to Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
Javad Zarif was recently caught on video chanting
"Death to America!" and "Death to Britain!" and
"Death to Israel!" at a rally in Tehran. That should come
as no surprise to Americans who understand the nature of the Iranian
regime, its history, and the anti-Western animus that pulsates at its
heart. Yet numerous American political and media figures have spent
years promoting Zarif as something other than what he is: a pure
product of Khomeini's hateful revolution.
SYRIA, RUSSIA, ISRAEL & IRAN
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman is visiting
Moscow for talks focusing on Syria. The Syrian government's plans to
recapture rebel-held parts of the region have raised Israeli concerns
that its backers - Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah -
could take up positions along the frontier... Russian news reports
said Moscow wants to cut a deal that would see Russian military
police deployed to areas near Israel. The agreement would envisage
the pullout of all Iranian forces from the area and require Syrian
rebels to surrender heavy weapons.
Israel plans to act against Iran anywhere in Syria,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, as Defense
Minister Avigdor Liberman prepared to fly to Moscow for talks about
removing the Islamic Republic and its proxy armies from the war-torn
country.
Israeli media reports that Moscow and Tel Aviv have
reached an agreement on the withdrawal of Iranian-led forces from
southern Syria have caused a stir in Iran.
Israel is pointing a finger at Iran for being behind the
most serious escalation on it's southern front in four years.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
The mother of an Iranian citizen-journalist who has been
jailed in Iran for four years says her son [Soheil Arabi] has been on
a hunger strike for a month to raise awareness about poor conditions
at his prison.
Masih Alinejad discusses her campaign against a law
requiring that Iranian women and girls to cover their heads and necks
with a hijab.
OTHER IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
On May 30, in an internal election over the speakership
of Iran's parliament, moderate Ali Larijani defeated the leader of
the main Reformist parliamentary faction, becoming the speaker for
the 11th time in a row - a record in the history of Islamic Republic.
CHINA & IRAN
Amid current tensions between Washington and Tehran,
Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani on the sidelines of the forthcoming Eurasian Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting June 9-10 in Qingdao, China.
Analysts say Rouhani's presence at the SCO conference will send a
message that China is ready to fill the void left after the U.S.
withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal earlier this month.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
While Yemeni legitimate forces march towards Hodeida,
which is the most important port for the rebels, Tehran is offering
its desire to negotiate on Yemen.
HEZBOLLAH & LEBANON
Theresa May's former chief-of-staff has called for her
government to finally proscribe Hezbollah in its entirety, ending a
legal loophole that will enable the public display of the terror
group's flag on the streets of London next weekend.
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