|
TOP STORIES
The Trump administration is trying to win over the
Iranian public with an information campaign blaming the country's
economic hardship on its leaders and discrediting those who oppose
the White House's policies. The information efforts are a
less-discussed aspect of the pressure being applied to Iran since
President Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal last year and
reimposed harsh sanctions in an effort to secure a more-encompassing
accord that curbs Tehran's nuclear program and its alleged regional aggression.
President Hassan Rouhani of Iran suggested Wednesday
that his country might release a British-flagged tanker in exchange
for the return of an Iranian ship seized by the British military off
the coast of Gibraltar. Iranian officials had previously implied such
an offer might be forthcoming, describing the capture of the British
tanker as "retaliation" for the British having impounded
the Iranian vessel earlier this month. Britain has already said the
Gibraltar court system controls the fate of the Iranian tanker.
The top military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Tehran would not
negotiate with the United States under any circumstances, an apparent
hardening of its position as the Gulf tanker crisis
escalates. The Swedish operator of a British-flagged oil tanker
seized by Iran in the Gulf last week said it had been able to speak
to crew members and all 23 of them were safe.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has told French
President Emmanuel Macron that the Islamic republic is ready to
return to its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal if
the US dials back sanctions, even without returning to the JCPOA
deal, Radio Farda reported on Thursday. Iranian Deputy Foreign
Minister Abbas Araqchi conveyed the offer from Rouhani to Macron in
Paris as an alternative to the "freeze-for-freeze" plan
proposed by the French president.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC
NEWS
Brazil is entangled in a diplomatic spat that could
potentially damage a long-standing commercial relationship with Iran,
which is the biggest buyer of Brazilian corn. Seyed Ali Saqqayian,
Iran's ambassador to Brasilia, was quoted Wednesday in Iran's
semi-official Fars news agency saying that Tehran could reconsider
imports from Brazil if it continues to refuse to refuel two Iranian
vessels stranded there. The ships have been waiting off the coast of
the southern state of Parana since early June.
The Quds Force has been a constant thorn in the side of
American interests in the Middle East, providing military aid and
direct combat support to anti-US militants in such hotspots
as Iraq and Afghanistan. No other branch of the
Iranian military can claim the notoriety that the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has earned for itself over the last
several decades. Earlier this year, the White House took the
unprecedented step of designating the IRGC as an organization
that "actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism
as a tool of statecraft."
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has
been sentenced to one year in prison after being convicted of
"spreading propaganda" against the Islamic republic, a
charge that is often brought against intellectuals and critics of the
Iranian establishment. Rasoulof told RFE/RL's Radio Farda on July 22
that he also has been banned from leaving the country for two years
and faces a two-year ban on membership in political and social
parties and organizations.
The murderer of a political prisoner has been sentenced
to Qisas (an eye for an eye or retribution in-kind, according to
Sharia law), the spokesman of the Islamic Republic's Judiciary
announced. Alireza Shir-Mohammad-Ali, 21, was stabbed to death on
June 10, 2019, in the capital city's infamous prison, the Greater
Tehran Central Penitentiary (GTCP) aka Fashafouyeh.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the United States
will escort American-flagged ships facing threats from Iran "to
the degree that the risk demands it," but noted that such
protection may not involve U.S. military vessels trailing each ship.
Esper made the comments to reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday, a
day after the Senate confirmed him in a 90-8 vote to become
President Trump's next defense secretary.
Soaring tensions with Iran following attacks on tankers
and drones prompted the Trump administration to call for a coalition
of allies to protect ships passing through the Persian Gulf. This
week, U.S. partners including the U.K. and France essentially asked
to be counted out. Rather than signing on to the Trump
administration's "Operation Sentinel," those countries want
to establish a European maritime security initiative nearly identical
to -- but separate from -- the American project.
Some of the 17 Iranians detained on charges of spying
for the CIA were active members of the military and security forces,
state-run Fars news agency reported, citing judiciary spokesman
Gholamhossein Esmaili. Iran said earlier this week that it had handed
down death sentences to several nationals accused of being part of a
CIA-trained spy network uncovered earlier this year. The 17 citizens
are accused of spying for the U.S. on the Islamic Republic's nuclear
and military facilities as well as economic interests.
Iran may be ready to start de-escalating tensions with
the West without insisting on the United States returning to the 2015
nuclear deal, according to a new report. President Hassan Rouhani has
sent a message to French President Emmanuelle Macron suggesting an
alternative to Macron's "freeze for freeze" plan to tackle
tensions between Tehran and Washington. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas
Araqchi is visiting Paris to convey Rouhani's message to Macron, the
conservative Iranian website Alef quoted "an informed
source" as saying.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday said
that he will travel to U.S. Central Command headquarters in Florida
next week to discuss details of a plan to monitor hostile
Iranian activity in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Esper,
who was confirmed and sworn in as defense secretary on Tuesday, said
that he and Centcom leaders will discuss the U.S.-proposed
Operation Sentinel - an effort that would allow the U.S.
military to escort American vessels traveling in the region if
requested.
Iran has warned it may cut imports from Brazil if the
country does not allow two Iranian ships stranded off its coast to
refuel in one of many international disputes involving the U.S.-led
campaign to isolate the Islamic Republic's reach across the world. In
an interview with local news outlets, Iranian ambassador to Brazil
Seyed Ali Saqqayian said his country may find new suppliers of corn,
soybeans and meat after state-run Brazilian oil company Petrobras'
decision last week not to supply fuel to Iranian Sapid Shipping
vessels...
Iran's recent actions show President
Trump made the right decision when he scrapped the Iran nuclear
deal. Within just months of the signing of the nuclear accord in
2015, Iran was making a mockery of it by firing at least
six ballistic missiles. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu provided strong evidence that Iran was cheating long before
inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
revealed that Iran had surpassed uranium enrichment levels provided
by the agreement.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Can Iran mold its internet-surfing young
people into a "revolutionary youth" driven
to steer the country toward an idealized Islamic civilization?
It's hard to say, but Islamic authorities are certainly doing
their best to curb un-Islamic influences in actual and virtual
reality, stepping up their efforts in May. In early
June, Iranian media reported that authorities had closed
hundreds of restaurants for failing to observe Islamic
principles and had introduced 2,000 new morality
officers to police what they consider to be "bad
hijab," when women do not, in their eyes, cover
themselves properly.
IRANIAN REGIONAL AGGRESSION
Hossein Dehghan, a military adviser to Iran's Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Al Jazeera TV on Wednesday July 24
that "Any change in the situation in the Persian Gulf will lead
to a dangerous confrontation." The warning was broadcast as part
of an interview to be aired later. Dehghan repeated Iranian official
stance on negotiations with the United States, saying that "Iran
will not negotiate with the United States under any
circumstance."
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
The Shin Bet intelligence agency said Wednesday that it
busted an Iranian espionage network that aimed to recruit operatives
in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip "for the benefit of Iranian
intelligence." The Shin Bet cooperated with Israeli police, the
army and other security bodies in this regard. According to a
statement issued by the agency, the network was based in Syria under
Iranian guidance and was led by a Syrian operative nicknamed 'Abu
Jihad.'
GULF STATES, YEMEN & IRAN
Yemen's Houthi rebels said they launched a drone attack
at a Saudi air base early on Thursday, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV
reported. The attack targeted King Khaled Air Base in the border city
of Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia, said the television.
However, Turki Al Maliki, spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition
involved in the Yemeni war, denied the reports that King Khaled Air
Base was targeted by the Houthis' bomb-laden drone.
A video of purportedly recorded by Houthi militia was
shared on social media this week, showing a corpse being beaten while
men chant "Death to America! Death to Israel." The footage
showed a corpse being dragged on the ground by his left arm while the
armed men chant the Houthi slogan: "Death to America! Death to
Israel! Curse the Jews, and victory for Islam."
CHINA & IRAN
China's relationship with Iran is being put to the test
after US president Trump slammed sanctions on Chinese state-run
energy company Zhuhai Zhenrong for allegedly violating restrictions
imposed on Iran's oil sector. U.S. Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo stated that the sanctions were put in place as the company
engaged in the sale and delivery of Iranian oil without a waiver
provided by Washington. This action can be seen as another step in
Trump's sanctions agenda to bring the regime on its knees.
IRAQ & IRAN
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi made a
surprise six-hour visit to Tehran late Monday. He was
accompanied by a high-ranking Iraqi delegation including
Falih al-Fayyadh, the head of the Popular Mobilization Units, or
PMU. Abdul Mahdi met with President Hassan Rouhani and
discussed the PMU dossier and the impact of Iran-US tensions on Iraq.
Rouhani reassured Abdul Mahdi that Iraq would be kept at a distance
from the current tension.
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Brazil's foreign trade secretary Lucas Ferraz said there
are no signs that the impasse involving Iranian ships without fuel
near Brazilian ports will affect bilateral trade relations. So
far, Ferraz said, there has been no impact on Brazilian exports to
Iran. The ships, scheduled to bring grains back to Iran, lack fuel
for the journey because state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA
refused to sell them bunker fuel due to U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Iran's ambassador says Tehran will reconsider imports
from Brazil if it continues to refuse to refuel two Iranian vessels
stranded there. Seyed Ali Saqqayian was quoted by Iran's semi-official
Fars news agency as saying Wednesday Iran could easily find new
suppliers of corn, soybeans and meat. He says he "told the
Brazilians that they should solve the issue."
Sweden said on Wednesday it was holding talks with Iran,
Britain and others over a Swedish-owned, British-flagged tanker
seized last week by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. "Sweden is
concerned by developments in the Strait of Hormuz. For Sweden and the
EU it is vital that freedom of navigation is protected. Given the
very serious situation in the region, it is also important that the
measures taken help to ease tensions," the foreign ministry said
in a statement.
Last week, a UK-flagged tanker was seized by
Iranian Revolutionary Guards, along with 23 crew members. Coming
shortly after British forces seized an Iranian vessel in Gibraltar,
it was the latest incident in a series of spats between Iran and its
rivals, including the US and Saudi Arabia: in the Strait of Hormuz,
through which millions of barrels of oil pass every year,
Iran has been accused of attacking civilian tankers.
Iranian media outlets were inundated by editorials July 24 on how a
Boris Johnson premiership would impact the already turbulent
Tehran-London ties. Personal traits and foreign policy approaches
that the incoming British prime minister shares with US President
Donald Trump shaped the picture Iranian outlets painted of the new
Tory leader.
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment