Eye on Iran: Belgium Charges Iranian Diplomat with Planning Bomb Attack

TOP STORIES Belgium Charges Iranian Diplomat with Planning Bomb Attack | Reuters Belgium has charged an Iranian diplomat and three other individuals with planning to bomb a meeting of an exiled Iranian opposition group in France in June, Belgian prosecutors said on Wednesday.  US Says No Syria Reconstruction Aid If Iran Stays | Agence France-Presse The United States said Wednesday it will refuse any post-war reconstruction assistance to Syria if Iran is present, expanding the rationale for US involvement in the conflict.     Iran Plot in Paris 'Lays Bare' Terrorist Intentions, Pompeo Says | Jerusalem Post A plot by Iranian officials to bomb a dissident rally in the heart of Paris "lays bare Iran's continued support of terrorism throughout Europe," and justifies the Trump administration's broad reimposition of sanctions on the state, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday. UANI IN THE NEWS How Trump Can Get a Better Deal on Iran | UANI Advisory Board Member Michael Singh for Foreign Policy The United States needs to keep Europe on board, go beyond sanctions, and ensure lasting bipartisan support for its new policy. NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM Rouhani's Deceptive U.N. Speech | Adam Turner for the Jerusalem Post Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's September 21 opinion editorial in The Washington Post is extremely dishonest - in its depictions of Iran and of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iran deal.  SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS   China, Russia, North Korea Call for Adjusted Sanctions Ahead of Denuclearization | South China Morning Post Chinese, Russian and North Korean deputy foreign ministers have met in Moscow to coordinate a trilateral approach to the denuclearization process on the Korean peninsula, and called on the U.N. Security Council to "adjust" the current sanctions regime against Pyongyang. This is in contrast to the Trump administration's declaration that tough sanctions would remain on North Korea until its complete denuclearization. Tomato Squeeze: U.S. Sanctions Begin to Distort Iran's Economy | Reuters Tomato paste is not the most obvious economic indicator, but in Iran, where it is a staple that some people have started panic-buying, it says a lot about the impact of renewed U.S. sanctions. While Iran makes its own paste from an abundant crop of locally grown tomatoes, sanctions reimposed by U.S. President Donald Trump since August have played havoc with supply. Iran's Khamenei Orders Officials to Resolve Economic Crisis: Fars | Reuters Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered officials to urgently find solutions to overcome a crisis spurred by the reimposition of U.S. economic sanctions, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday.  Iran Sanctions, Natural Gas Discoveries Redefining Middle East: US State Department's Fannon | S&P Global Mediterranean natural gas discoveries are helping redefine the Middle East as the US and its allies work to deprive Iran of funds through the use of sanctions, the assistant secretary at the US State Department's Bureau for Energy Resources, Francis Fannon, said Wednesday. Iran Officials Tell Media Not to Focus on Economic Crisis | Radio Farda Iranian media have been under immense pressure by judiciary and security officials to keep silent about the implications of the devaluation of Iran's currency, rial.  Shop Owners Join Truckers in Iran Strikes | National (UAE) Shop owners in Iran have joined truck drivers in a strike across dozens of cities in protest against deteriorating living conditions amid widespread economic woes.  TERRORISM & EXTREMISM Iran Summons German Envoy Over 'Bomb Plot' Diplomat's Extradition | Deutsche Welle Iran's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said it had summoned Germany's ambassador to Tehran to protest a German court's decision to extradite one of its diplomats to Belgium.  The Hunt: A Look At Hezbollah's Capabilities As Concern Grows Again | WTOP There are new concerns about Hezbollah, a terrorist proxy of the Iranian government. Fred Burton, author of "Beirut Rules: The Murder of a CIA Station Chief and Hezbollah's War Against America," explains why he wrote the book. IRAQ & IRAN Washington Should Reverse Its Retreat in Basra | Michael Knights for the Washington Institute The shuttering of a vital U.S. diplomatic outpost in Iraq sends all the wrong signals about America's resolve to push back against Iran's malign activities. TURKEY & IRAN Turkey Steps In As Iran Cuts Off Water Supplies to Iraq | National (UAE) Turkey announced on Wednesday it will increase water supplies to Iraq after Iran said it would shut off vital exports to its downstream neighbour. OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS   Serbia Abolishes Visa-Free Travel with Iran Over EU Pressure | Associated Press Serbia has abolished vise-free travel with Iran apparently in response to European Union pressure after the system was abused by migrants trying to reach the bloc. More than 15,000 Iranians have visited Serbia since visas were abolished last August. Many have moved on toward Western Europe rather than return home. Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Eye on Iran is not intended as a comprehensive media clips summary but rather a selection of media elements with discreet analysis in a PDA friendly format. For more information please email press@uani.com. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.  UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons.