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TOP STORIES
Renault SA is shaping up to be the latest European
company to fall victim to Donald Trump's renewed sanctions on Iran --
even if it doesn't sell cars in the U.S.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps employed German
companies to disguise illicit activities in its funding of the war
against the pro-US government in Gulf country's capital of Sana'a.
Iran is offering to insure oil cargoes to India after
some local insurers stopped providing the service in the face of
impending U.S. sanctions, industry sources said, a move that would
help Tehran continue supplying its second biggest oil client.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
In Tehran, people fear the country is spiraling out of
control.
The suppression of online communications constitutes a
key modus operandi of [Iran's Information and Communications
Technology (ICT)] Ministry, which helps administer a vast
telecommunications infrastructure that not only blocks millions of
websites but also aids Tehran's efforts to monitor dissidents. But
while the United States has sanctioned several prominent Iranian
individuals and entities responsible for cyber repression, the ICT
Ministry itself and its current leadership have escaped Washington's
attention. It's long past time for the Trump administration to add
them to the sanctions list.
Tehran is now threatening to stop the flow of seaborne
oil exports from the Middle East by blockading the Strait of Hormuz,
a 21-mile-wide strategic choke point in the Arab Gulf (see map). A
conflict with the Islamic Republic would prove disastrous for the
theocratic dictatorship for many reasons, but the consequences would
not be one-sided. In addition to the certain and significant loss of
life, a closure of the waterway would send the global economy into a
tailspin.
Although Iran's position internationally is increasingly
becoming precarious due to pressure from Washington, not all hope is
lost in the Asian country. Tehran is strengthened by the fact that it
receives the support from most major powers besides the U.S. Tehran
hopes that the Europeans provide enough economic stimulus for it to
ignore the hardliners and remain in the nuclear deal. The trade war
the U.S. is waging with almost every major economy in the world has
further strengthened Iran's position. The question now remains, how
long is Tehran able to withstand its inner demons in the shape of its
domestic politics and hardliners who demand a tougher stand against
the U.S.?
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
The senior Iranian military commander Qassem Suleimani
has hit back at Donald Trump's tweeted threats against Tehran in
colourful language, likening him to a gambler and a cabaret owner,
and saying Iran would be the one to "end" any war between
their two countries.
CONGRESS & IRAN
A group of Republican senators on Thursday warned
European nations not to try to flout U.S. sanctions on Iran that will
soon be re-imposed after President Donald Trump withdrew from a
landmark nuclear accord.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Syria and its merciless civil war is back in the news
and in policy discussions, after months of being all but ignored,
following reports that President Donald Trump discussed potential
resolutions with Russian President Vladimir Putin during last week's
summit in Helsinki. Until then, the last time Syria figured
prominently in U.S. media coverage was in April, when President Trump
publicly and repeatedly stated that he strongly favored pulling U.S.
forces out of that war-ravaged nation "very soon."
Pro-Assad forces raised the Syrian flag in the largely
ruined city of Quneitra on Thursday, regained from surrendering
rebels as the government tightens its hold on the Syrian sector of
the Golan Heights, strategic territory bordering Israel and
Jordan.
ECONOMIC WARFARE
China, Russia and Iran are ramping up their theft of
trade secrets and proprietary information from U.S. companies, government
labs and universities to hurdle America's competitive edge.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
"The United Arab Emirates (UAE) denied reports on
Thursday that Yemen's Iranian-aligned Houthi movement had attacked
Abu Dhabi airport with a drone, and said operations were unaffected.
Houthi-run media said earlier that a Sammad-3 drone had launched
three strikes on the facility, disrupting air traffic, but did not
provide any evidence and there were no reports of damage or
casualties. "Operations at the airport are business as
usual," a UAE official told Reuters."
Saudi Arabia took the unprecedented step of halting oil
exports via the Red Sea after a Houthi rebel-fired missile at two oil
tankers traversing the straits that connect the Indian Ocean to the
Mediterranean.
A Houthi attack on two Saudi oil tankers near Yemen
could be an Iranian bid to hammer a key energy choke point.
An attack on Wednesday by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi
rebels on two oil tankers in the Red Sea was totally irresponsible,
United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar
Gargash said.
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
One of the reasons why Hamas is seeking to mend ties
with Iran is because it is strapped for cash... Apart from funding,
Hamas is also reaching out to Iran because it is finding itself
increasingly isolated... Iran is also finding itself under increasing
international isolation after the Saudi-Israeli-US axis stepped up
pressure on Tehran regionally and internationally. After its
disastrous involvement in the Syrian war, the Islamic Republic also
alienated many Sunni Arabs. Rapprochement with Hamas and attempts to
engage other Islamist organisations in the region are part of Iran's
crisis management and its efforts to improve its image in the Arab
world by re-emphasising its commitment to the Palestinian cause.
CYBERWARFARE
China, Russia and Iran pose the biggest threats of
computer attacks to spy on U.S. companies and steal their trade
secrets, according to a report from the Office of the Director of
National Intelligence.
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