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NYT: "A Canadian-Iranian professor
researching women in the Muslim world has been arrested by Iranian
intelligence officers, the latest in a series of detentions of Iranians
holding dual citizenship. The professor, Homa Hoodfar, was initially
detained on March 10 by the intelligence unit of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guards Corps and was then released, but she was not
allowed to leave Iran. After a series of interrogations, Ms. Hoodfar, a
professor of anthropology at Concordia University in Montreal, was
arrested again last week and transferred to Evin prison, her family
said in a statement released on Wednesday. The family said it was
unclear why Ms. Hoodfar had been arrested and that she had been
'conducting historical and ethnographic research on women's public
role.' Analysts say the recent arrest of Ms. Hoodfar and others seems
to be part of a concentrated effort by hard-liners to pressure dual
citizens. Hard-liners distrust foreigners, especially dual citizens,
who can travel into Iran without visas. In recent months, the unit that
arrested Ms. Hoodfar has questioned dozens of people with two nationalities
and arrested several." http://t.uani.com/1syw3to
FP: "American officials call them
the 'Tikrit rules' - an informal agreement that Iranian-backed Shiite
militias won't enter Sunni cities reclaimed from the Islamic State for
fear of sparking new sectarian tensions there. But the rules are now
facing a serious test in Fallujah, where Iraqi forces - backed by an
array of armed Shiite groups - are gearing up to try to reconquer the
city from the Islamic State. The situation in Fallujah bears some
resemblance to a crisis that erupted last year in Tikrit, where Shiite
fighters backed by Iran launched an offensive to take back the Sunni
town north of Baghdad without consulting with Iraqi Army leaders. The
operation was essentially an end run around the Iraqi Defense Ministry
and their U.S. military advisors, who were blindsided by the news...
Iran has historically relied on three militias to exercise influence in
Iraq." http://t.uani.com/1Uqzskz
National
Post: "The
Iranian government lost a key court battle Thursday when an Ontario
judge ordered the Islamic republic's non-diplomatic assets in Canada to
be handed over to victims of terrorist groups sponsored by Tehran. The
long-awaited ruling by the Ontario Superior Court dismissed every
argument Iran's lawyers had made at a trial held in Toronto in January,
leaving Tehran financial responsible for the actions of the terrorists
it has backed. 'Terrorism is one of the world's greatest threats,'
Justice Glenn Hainey wrote. 'The broad issue before the court is
whether Iran is entitled to immunity from the jurisdiction of Canadian
courts for its support of terrorism.' Iran's diplomatic buildings in
Ottawa remain unaffected, but several non-diplomatic properties and the
contents of a list of bank accounts were awarded to the victims of the
Iranian-supported terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah. The $13-million
case was the first challenge of the Justice for Victims of Terror Act.
The 2012 law allows victims to collect damages from state sponsors of
terror groups. Canada has designated Iran and Syria state sponsors of
terrorism." http://t.uani.com/22XZKAX
U.S.-Iran
Relations
Free
Beacon: "The
State Department is staying silent after Iranian officials disclosed
that the Islamic Republic spent a recent payment by the United States
of $1.7 billion in taxpayer funds to expand and build-up its military,
according to comments provided to the Washington Free Beacon. The Obama
administration earlier this year paid Iran $1.7 billion from a U.S.
taxpayer-funded account in order to settle decades-old legal disputes
with the Islamic Republic. The payment has been caught up in
controversy following claims by Iranian officials and some in the U.S.
Congress it was part of a 'ransom payment' to secure the release of
American hostages and 10 U.S. sailors who were abducted at gunpoint by
the Iranian military. Lawmakers recently launched an investigation to
determine if the payment was in fact part of a secret ransom deal with
Iran, the Free Beacon recently disclosed. Iranian officials have now
disclosed that officials have ordered that this $1.7 billion be
allocated to the Islamic Republic's military forces." http://t.uani.com/1VQtWgh
Sanctions
Relief
Fars
(Iran): "Iran
and the German equipment manufacturer, Siemens, have reached an
agreement to build a big new power plant in Northern Tehran. According
to the Iranian officials, the agreement was made during negotiations by
Iran's economic delegation in visits to Poland, Finland, Sweden and
Latvia, Deputy Head of Andoukhteh Shahed Institute's Board of Directors
Seyed Mohammad Reza Ayatollahi said on Wednesday. 'The agreement for
cooperation with Siemens will be inked soon,' he added, noting that the
German company will finance the big power plant in Damavand city... In
a relevant development in March, the Iranian industrial group MAPNA and
the German equipment manufacturer, Siemens, signed a contract worth
$3.5bln, a trade official announced." http://t.uani.com/1U4WcMB
Mehr
(Iran): "The
MD of Petropars Company told the local media that according to a new
MoU signed between his company, the PSEEZ, and Stinnes Interoil Italia Srl
a new oil field is to be developed in the south of Iran. 'This is the
first document signed to develop a complete oil center in the third
region of Pars oil field with explorations, offshore and inshore
production, and export of the products,' said Mohammad Javad Shams, the
Managing Director of Petropars Company after signing a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with Stinnes Interoil Italia Srl and the Pars
Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ) on Thursday in Tehran." http://t.uani.com/1syuT1e
Press
TV (Iran):
"Iran's media have reported that the Dutch offshore engineering
company Intecsea has expressed interest in the construction of a subsea
pipeline for supplying Iran's natural gas to Oman. The company has
officially submitted a proposal to participate in the project, Mehr
News Agency has quoted the project's manager Mohammad Akbarzadeh as
saying. The construction of the Iran-Oman pipeline across the Persian Gulf
will make Iran's ambition to become LNG exporter come true, Azernews
reported... Intecsea has earlier undertaken construction of some
offshore pipelines in the offshore South Pars gas field shared by Iran
and Qatar, Akbarzadeh noted, adding that the company can cooperate with
Iran by providing special engineering and technical services and
studies." http://t.uani.com/1YhNPgI
SHANA
(Iran): "The
Dutch CBC Oil & Gas Company office in Tehran declared that for the
first time, Iranian companies will have their own especial pavilion to
present themselves in the Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference
2016 (OEEC 2016). The OEEC 2016 is a good opportunity for Iranian
companies active in this field to introduce the country's offshore
energy projects to potential investors. OEEC 2016 together with CBC Oil
& Gas have tailored activities for Iranian companies to meet the
international energy industry at their national pavilion and during a
dedicated technical session on Iran, the developments in the Iranian
oil industry will be discussed. The Offshore Energy Exhibition &
Conference 2016 will be held this year in Amsterdam. The ninth edition
of this event is expected to attract 11,500 offshore professionals and
more than 650 exhibiting companies." http://t.uani.com/1ZDXGMr
Tehran
Times: "South
Korea's SK Engineering & Construction Co. has signed a contract to
launch a feasibility study for a $20 million modernization project for
Iran's Parsian Oil & Gas Development Group Co. (POGD). Under the
non-binding agreement, SK will first explore business prospects on the
project of refurbishing facilities of Tabriz Oil Refining Co., an
affiliate of POGD, in Tabriz, a northwestern city of Iran. The work
includes upgrades to desulfurization equipment worth $20 million and
other gasoline manufacturing facilities, said an official of the company.
The study will take about six months." http://t.uani.com/1rgqgaI
Mehr
(Iran): "The
Philippines has officially voiced readiness to purchase Iran's gas as
well as to establish an LNG plant in southern Iran in collaboration
with a European company... The South East Asian state has formally
called for the purchase of Iranian gas as well as launching new LNG
production projects in southern Iran. Accordingly, a new round of talks
between the two countries was held in Tehran at the presence of the
Iranian Deputy Oil Minister for International Affairs Amir Hossein
Zamaninia and the Philippine National Oil Company Exploration
Corporation (PNOC-EC) President Pedro Aquino." http://t.uani.com/1UGUX0o
Syria
Conflict
AFP: "The defence ministers of
allies Iran, Russia and Syria on Thursday held talks in Tehran on
pressing the fight against opponents of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad... Iranian Defence Minister General Hossein Dehghan said he
and his counterparts from Russia and Syria were determined to deliver a
'decisive' battle against 'all terrorist groups'. 'The terrorists and
their supporters must know that the group fighting against them is
determined to support this route until the end and will do so.'" http://t.uani.com/1TZjI8y
Human
Rights
BBC: "The father of a toddler
stuck in Iran without either of her parents nearby plans to sing Happy
Birthday to her via Skype at a campaign event later. Richard Ratcliffe
will celebrate Gabriella's second birthday near the Iranian embassy in
London's Hyde Park. His wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, was
arrested on 3 April at an airport in Iran after visiting her family. He
says she has been held without charge, while Gabriella is in Iran
because her passport has been taken. Mr Ratcliffe, who is from north
London and has been advised to stay away from Iran, says his
British-Iranian wife has been held in solitary confinement over an
issue of 'national security'. Their daughter, a British citizen, has
had to stay with her grandparents in Iran because she cannot return to
the UK without her passport. Under Iranian law only her father or
mother can bring the toddler home. More than 757,000 people have signed
a petition calling for Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene in the
case." http://t.uani.com/1UalV3h
UN: "Two United Nations human
rights experts today said that the current wave of incitement of hatred
of the Baha'i community reflected in speeches made by religious,
judiciary and political officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran 'has
exposed the Iranian authorities' extreme intolerance for adherents of
the religious minority group.' 'Verbal attacks by state officials
against an already vulnerable community like the Baha'is are extremely
troubling not only because they directly violate Iran's international legal
obligation not to discriminate against its citizens, but because they
could encourage discrimination and possibly acts of violence against
this group by others,' stated the UN Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed. The latest public
backlash against the Baha'i community in Iran began after the daughter
of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Faezeh Hashemi, visited
the home of Fariba Kamalabadi on 13 May after Ms. Kamalabadi had been
granted a temporary release from prison. Ms. Kamalabadi is one of seven
former Baha'i leaders who have been imprisoned in the country since
2008 for peacefully exercising their faith." http://t.uani.com/22Y3Ton
Opinion
& Analysis
Fred
Fleitz in Fox News:
"On January 12, 2016, the day of President Obama's final State of
the Union Address, Iran captured 10 American sailors when their boats
wandered into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf. During the 15
hours the sailors were held, Iran humiliated them, forced an American
female sailor to wear a hijab, and released photos of Americans with
their hands up surrounded by armed Iranian soldiers. The sailors also
were interrogated, filmed while crying and forced to apologize at
gunpoint. One of the sailors was forced to make a video
apologizing for wandering into Iranian territory and thanking Iran for
'your hospitality and your assistance.' Despite the mistreatment and
humiliation of the U.S. sailors, Secretary of State John Kerry thanked
Iran for treating the sailors well and credited improved U.S.-Iran
relations due to the nuclear deal with Iran for the quick resolution of
this incident. Congressman Randy Forbes (R-Virginia) recently said the
full details on how badly the American sailors were mistreated by Iran
will shock the nation but won't be released for at least a year because
the Obama administration has classified this information. Why is this
information classified? Who is the U.S. government keeping it
from? Not Iran, since the Iranian government knows what happened. But
this raises an even more serious issue. Congressman Forbes says
Americans will be outraged when they learn the full details of how Iran
mistreated our sailors. But I am already outraged by what was
publicly released about this incident. What could have happened
that the Obama administration does not want us to know? The full
details on Iran's capture and humiliation of the U.S. sailors have been
classified by the Obama administration for one reason - to hide this
information from the American people so it does not lead Congress to
pass new sanctions against Iran that could cause Tehran to back out of
the president's legacy nuclear deal with Iran. This is part of a pattern
of the Obama administration concealing and explaining away any behavior
by Iran which could threat the nuclear deal." http://t.uani.com/1UqzvNp
Thomas
Joscelyn in The Long War Journal: "While many of the details concerning
Mansour's travels remain murky, his presence inside Iranian territory
shortly before his death isn't surprising. Iran has a long history of
backing the Taliban's insurgency against US and allied forces in
Afghanistan. Indeed, the relationship between the two former foes is
one of the most misunderstood and oft-overlooked aspects of the 9/11
wars. Iran and the Taliban nearly went to war in 1998 after senior
Taliban commanders slaughtered Iranian diplomats and other Shiites in
Mazar-i-Sharif. But by late 2001, as the Americans prepared to topple
the Taliban's government, the situation changed dramatically.
Outwardly, the Iranians acted as if they just wanted to help rebuild
Afghanistan. Western diplomats have praised Iran for its role in the
Dec. 2001 meetings in Bonn, Germany, where a post-Taliban government
was established. But there is much more to this story. Just before the
American-led invasion of Afghanistan two months earlier, the Iranians
cut a secret deal with Mullah Omar's representatives. One of Omar's
most trusted lieutenants, Khairullah Khairkhwa, helped broker an
agreement with the Iranians in Oct. 2001. We know this because
Khairkhwa was captured in Pakistan in early 2002, transferred to
Guantanamo and then told American officials all about it. A district
court in Washington, DC denied Khairkhwa's petition for a writ of
habeas corpus in 2011. The court found that Khairkhwa 'repeatedly
admitted' that after the 9/11 attacks 'he served as a member of a
Taliban envoy that met clandestinely with senior Iranian officials to
discuss Iran's offer to provide the Taliban with weapons and other
military support in anticipation of imminent hostilities with U.S.
coalition forces.' According to the court, the Iranians told Khairkhwa
and his Taliban delegation that they could provide shoulder-fired
missiles (SAM-7's) and 'track all movements by the United States.' In
addition, the Iranians 'offered to open their border to Arabs entering
Afghanistan.' Iran did just that, allowing some al Qaeda members and
others to escape the American onslaught... Given Iran's enduring
partnership with the Taliban, forged in the aftermath of the 9/11
attacks, Mansour's trips to Iran may have been 'unofficial,' but they
are definitely unsurprising." http://t.uani.com/1TZlXJ2
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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