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TOP STORIES
The U.S. Treasury Department's top sanctions official
brushed aside European threats to build a workaround to evade
President Donald Trump's penalties on Iran's oil and banking sectors.
Sigal Mandelker, Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and
financial intelligence, kicked off a swing through European capitals
to drum up support for the Iran sanctions by casting doubt on
European efforts to develop a "special purpose vehicle," or
SPV, to keep funds flowing to Iran without using the U.S. financial
system.
As the United States reinstated economic sanctions on
Iran on Monday, American banks were gearing up for retaliatory
Iranian cyberattacks. Bank executives believe Iranian hackers could
attempt to disrupt financial services, perhaps as they did between
2011 and 2013 -- with denial-of-service attacks that interrupted bank
websites and other internet financial services.
There is no indication that Iranian cooperation with the
U.N. nuclear watchdog policing its deal with major powers has changed
since the latest round of reimposed U.S. sanctions against Tehran, a
senior diplomat said on Monday. A report by the International
Atomic Energy Agency obtained by Reuters earlier on Monday showed
Tehran had stayed within the main limits imposed by the deal on
Iranian atomic activities and materials, though several items were
verified before the latest U.S. sanctions went into force on Nov. 5.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran has continued to implement the main nuclear
restrictions set by its 2015 deal with major powers even as the
United States reimposed sanctions against Tehran, a U.N. atomic
watchdog report showed on Monday. Iran has kept its stock of
low-enriched uranium as well as the level to which it refines uranium
within the limits set by the landmark deal, according to the
International Atomic Energy Agency report to IAEA member states,
obtained by Reuters.
Iran continued abiding by nuclear limits in its landmark
accord with world powers even after U.S. President Donald Trump
abandoned the agreement, according to international monitors. In its
first report since the U.S. re-imposed oil and banking sanctions on
Nov. 5, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran is still
allowing intrusive inspections while keeping its nuclear capacity and
material below thresholds allowed under the July 2015 deal, according
to a 5-page restricted report published Monday and seen by Bloomberg
News.
Europe has intensified its efforts to preserve the
Iranian nuclear accord and maintain economic relations with the
Islamic Republic in the face of growing pressure after the Trump
administration renewed its sanctions regime.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC
NEWS
The U.S. isn't concerned by Europe's plans for a
special purpose vehicle to help enable trade with Iran after America
reinstated sanctions, a U.S. official said on Monday. The Trump
Administration withdrew in May from an international agreement
to ease sanctions against Iran in return for curbs to Tehran's
nuclear program, but Europe remains committed to the agreement.
The re-imposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil
exports is undoing every assumption the International Monetary Fund
had about its economy. Instead of a growth spurt the IMF anticipated
only months ago, it now projects a recession starting in 2018, a
deepening fiscal shortfall and inflation more than tripling from last
year, according to its regional economic outlook released on Tuesday.
For all the Trump administration's tough talk about
Iran, on Nov. 5, it handed the country a little relief. In remarks at
the White House, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo granted
a special exemption to allow Turkey to continue purchasing
oil from Iran despite the return of sanctions. Pompeo
explained that the temporary pass, given to eight buyers in all, came
in response to their pledges either to greatly reduce oil
purchases or to end them altogether.
U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton vowed Tuesday
to "squeeze" Iran "until the pips squeak," a week
after a tough new round of sanctions came into force. President
Donald Trump has dramatically increased pressure on Tehran,
withdrawing from an international agreement aimed at ending its
nuclear program and introducing several rounds of unilateral U.S.
sanctions.
U.S. sanctions on Iran and the trade battle with China
have become a boon for owners of tankers, with daily freight rates at
their highest in two years as ships shift their routes to load up
crude from other oil-producing countries. Crude exports from Iran,
the world's fifth-biggest oil producer, have fallen about 50% since
May when the U.S. pulled out of a landmark deal curbing Iran's
nuclear program.
Iraq's oilfields in the disputed Kirkuk region have
taken on new significance after the United States restored oil
sanctions against neighboring Iran. Washington is pressuring Baghdad
to resume exports that stopped last year. Iraq aims to raise its
export capacity to 8.5 million barrels per day (bpd) in the coming
years from less than 5 million bpd currently, 1 million of which
could come via Kirkuk.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that
U.S. sanctions announced last week have had no effect on Iran's
economy because Washington had already practically reimposed them
earlier. The restoration of sanctions is part of a wider effort by
U.S. President Donald Trump to force Iran to curb its nuclear and
missile programs as well as its support for proxy forces in Yemen,
Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia has announced a major cut in oil production
to rebalance global markets and prop up plunging oil prices, citing
U.S. sanctions waivers that are enabling Iran to keep exporting oil
to most of its top customers.
Iran's armed forces will protect Iranian oil tankers
against any threats, an Iranian military official said on Monday,
after the United States said the ships were a "floating
liability" and warned ports operators not to allow them to dock.
"Iran's armed forces ... are prepared today as in the past to
protect our fleet of oil tankers against any threats so that it can
continue to use marine waterways," said Rear-Admiral Mahmoud
Mousavi, a deputy commander of the regular armed forces, the
semi-official news agency ISNA reported.
Iran sold 700,000 barrels of crude oil to private
companies for export on Sunday in a second round of sales aimed at
countering U.S. sanctions on the country's exports, oil ministry news
website SHANA Reported. Three unnamed companies paid $64.97 per
barrel for two crude shipments of 245,000 barrels each and one
shipment of 210,000 barrels, which were traded on Iran's energy
bourse, SHANA reported.
Iranian Oil Tankers Sanctioned By US Go
'Completely Dark' For A Week | Voice Of America
One of the few companies monitoring global oil shipments
says Iranian state-owned tankers have kept their transponders off for
more than a week, in an apparent attempt to evade U.S. sanctions.
Speaking to VOA Persian from Stockholm, Sweden, Friday,
TankerTrackers.com co-founder Samir Madani said National Iranian
Tanker Company (NITC) vessels have remained "completely
dark" since shutting off their Automatic Identification System
(AIS) transponders in late October.
Iraq can continue to import natural gas and energy
supplies from Iran for a period of 45 days, the United States has
said, several days after reimposing sanctions on Tehran's oil sector.
"The United States has given Iraq a temporary relief from the
sanctions for 45 days to continue purchasing natural gas and electricity
from Iran," the US Embassy in Iraq said in a video published on
its official Facebook page on Thursday.
The US Treasury Department last week imposed
more sanctions on Iran to limit Tehran's ability to finance
hostile activities in the region and fund terrorism. The sanctions
now apply to more than 700 Iranian individuals, entities, vessels and
aircraft. Local, regional and international parties immediately
reacted. Palestinians rushed to express their fear of the
sanctions' impact.
The Trump
administration hopes the sweeping sanctions it has imposed on Iran's
oil, shipping and banking industries will cripple its economy and
force it to negotiate a new nuclear deal. But analysts point out that
while such economic penalties can be persuasive, there are also ways
to circumvent them.
Iraq's president on Sunday urged the United States to
consider Baghdad's political and economic position as the countries
negotiate on relief for Iraq from Washington's reimposed sanctions
against Iran. The United States said on Friday Iraq can continue to
import natural gas and energy supplies from Iran for a period of 45
days, so long as Iraq does not pay Iran for imports in U.S. dollars.
Israel views the renewed US sanctions imposed against
Iran on Nov. 2 as nothing less than a historic event. Given the
complex situation on its northern front, Israel is increasingly
pinning its hopes on the sanctions to sever the lifeline of Iran's
economy. Israel had apparently lost the battle against Iran's
entrenchment in Syria through no fault of its own.
The next stage of the 30-year dispute between the US and
Iran is beginning with the imposition last week of a new round of
sanctions on the Islamic republic. One of many questions is how these
will affect other countries in the region such as Qatar, which has no
grievance with Washington and little sympathy for Tehran but has come
in different ways to depend on both.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan
province, denied that the individuals who were behind the Sept.
22 terrorist attack on a military parade in Ahvaz were executed. This
is just the latest news to spill over from the attack in Khuzestan province
that killed 25 people, including bystanders and veterans
participating in the parade. Days after the attack, Iran's
Intelligence Ministry announced they had arrested
a "team" consisting of 22 individuals who
they claimed were "responsible" for the attack. The
ministry also said they had confiscated explosives as well as
military and communications devices.
An Iranian appeals court has upheld the 10-year prison
sentence of a former Foreign Ministry official convicted of spying.
The semi-official Fars news agency on Sunday quoted judiciary
spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi as saying the court upheld
Kamal Amirbeig's sentence and fined him $200,000. The report did not
provide further information.
Iranian special courts set up in a drive against
economic crime have sentenced two people to death, state media said
on Sunday, as the country faces renewed U.S. sanctions and a public
outcry against profiteering and corruption. The fast-track Islamic
revolutionary courts were set up in August after Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for "swift and just" legal
action to confront an "economic war" by foreign enemies.
Iran allowed hundreds of local women to attend the Asian
Champions League final in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian news agencies
reported, in a possible step towards ending their decades-old
exclusion from top soccer matches in the country.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
Senior officials in the Trump administration are
convinced the Iranian regime is vulnerable to collapse and that tough
U.S. economic sanctions could hasten its demise, foreign diplomats
and former U.S. officials told NBC News. President Donald Trump himself
has questioned if the regime can last.
On foreign policy matters, President Donald Trump
through this week's midterm elections has demonstrated a refreshing
willingness to take on critical issues that his predecessors either
avoided altogether or ineffectually kicked down the road.
Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has played down
the impact of the results of US midterm elections on
Tehran-Washington relations, adding that Iran should focus more on
its own actions rather than expecting change to come from beyond its
borders.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
The latest episode with the not-Kowsar fighter
illustrates yet again the casual dishonesty of Tehran's
propagandists. Iranian industry wanted to display the Kowsar-88 for
an expo-which does appear to be a real airplane! However, the actual
Kowsar-88 wasn't ready for display this August, so Tehran simply took
an old, very well-known jet fighter and claimed it was a new one...
An Iranian court has sentenced a man working for the
Foreign Ministry to 10 years in prison after convicting him of spying,
judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on Sunday.
However, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said the man had
been arrested about three years ago and convicted a year later. His
sentence had been reduced by an appeals court, according to the
ministry's website.
A Pakistani official says Iranian border guards have
killed two people trying to cross through an illegal route from the
Panjgur district in Baluchistan. Sabir Baluch, a Baluchistan Levies
Force official, says Sunday three others were wounded and taken to a
Panjgur hospital.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran's official IRNA news agency says authorities have
arrested the former minister of welfare and social security for
financial fraud. The Sunday report says Parviz Kazemi was taken to
Tehran's Evin prison two days ago. Kazemi resigned from his post in
2006 after nearly a year under former hard-line President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad over political differences.
IRANIAN REGIONAL AGGRESSION
Today, international attention is heavily focused on
restraining Iran's aspiration to develop nuclear weapons.
Tehran, however, is using a large portion of its resources to
increase its power by creating a continental corridor of terror,
running from Tehran to the Mediterranean Sea. Syria is a critical
piece of this corridor. Iran and Syria recently signed a military
cooperation agreement cementing Iran's active and expanding
presence in Syria.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany met
Oct. 27 in Istanbul for a summit to discuss the ongoing
developments regarding the Syrian crisis. In a final
statement issued after the summit, the four sides emphasized
Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the
necessity of continuing the fight against terrorism in the war-torn
country. They also underlined the need for resolving the Syrian
crisis through a "negotiated political process," while
calling for providing conditions for the "safe and voluntary
return of refugees to Syria."
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is set on Tuesday
to settle his position from the so-called Sunni obstacle to Lebanon's
cabinet formation process during a press conference at the Center
House in Beirut. Hariri's scheduled press conference comes following
comments delivered Saturday by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan
Nasrallah, who said that his party will continue to support the
demands of independent Sunni MPs "for one year, two years and forever."
The leader of the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah
insisted that one of its Sunni allies be given a portfolio in a new
Lebanese cabinet, and indicated it would be ready to go back to
square one in negotiating a government if necessary.
The head of Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah said his
group will not be compelled by threats or sanctions to give up its
rocket a capability, urging his government in comments Saturday to
contend with the diplomatic pressure it faces.
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun said he would spare no
effort to resolve the current nodes hampering the formation of the
new government. In parallel, "Hezbollah" Secretary General
Hassan Nasrallah insisted on the representation of the Sunnis of
March 8 bloc in the cabinet, few hours after meeting with caretaker
Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil.
CHINA & IRAN
Standing side by side, top U.S. officials urged their
Chinese counterparts on Friday to halt militarization of the disputed
South China Sea, drawing a rebuke from the Chinese for sending U.S.
warships close to islands claimed by Beijing.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
The Trump administration is reportedly contemplating
designating Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia as a terrorist
organization, igniting a debate over whether or not such a label will
bring the protracted war to a faster end.
Iran's destabilising policies in the Middle East must be
countered, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar
Gargash, said on Sunday. "The softer approach has failed,"
Dr Gargash said, at the opening session of Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate
(ADSD), adding that Tehran has played a key role in emerging crises
in the region.
IRAQ & IRAN
While Saudi Arabia courted Iraqi leaders behind closed
doors at the weekend, its arch-foe Iran made a more public showing by
turning out at the Baghdad International Fair, a shop window for
business in Iraq.
TURKEY & IRAN
The Trump administration's sanctions on Iran are the
latest irritant in relations between Turkey and the U.S. even as the
two NATO allies move past their worst diplomatic crisis in decades.
Although Turkey is one of eight countries to receive temporary waivers
allowing them to continue buying Iranian crude exempt from new U.S.
penalties, the Middle East's biggest economy still finds itself being
squeezed.
CYBERWARFARE
Iranian hackers are believed to be responsible for a cyber
security breach and extortion attempt on Australia's biggest defence
exporter. Shipbuilder Austal earlier this month revealed
an "unknown offender" had hacked into its computer
systems, accessing staff email addresses and phone numbers as well as
ship drawings and designs.
MISCELLANEOUS
The New York Times said Friday it is ending a series of
journalist-guided luxury trips to Iran for its readers as global
political tensions continue to escalate. "We're suspending the
Iran tours because of difficulties related to the issuance of visas
for our experts," said a NYT spokeswoman.
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