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TOP STORIES
US Defense Secretary James Mattis said Saturday that
Iran was the world's biggest state sponsor of terrorism, as President
Donald Trump slapped fresh sanctions on the country's weapons
procurement network. "As far as Iran goes, this is the single biggest
state sponsor of terrorism in the world," Mattis said at a press
conference in Tokyo, but added that the US had no plans to increase
troop numbers in the Middle East in response. "It does no good
to ignore it. It does no good to dismiss it and at the same time I
don't see any need to increase the number of forces we have in the
Middle East at this time," he said.
US Vice President Mike Pence in an interview airing
Sunday warned Iran "not to test the resolve" of the Donald
Trump administration, days after Washington slapped new sanctions on
Tehran following a ballistic missile test launch. Relations between
the two sides have deteriorated sharply since Trump took office last
month promising a tough line on what he sees as Iranian belligerence toward
US interests. "Iran would do well to look at the calendar and
realize there's a new president in the Oval Office. And Iran would do
well not to test the resolve of this new president," Pence told
ABC News in an interview taped Saturday... "The Iranians got a
deal from the international community that again, the president and I
and our administration think was a terrible deal," Pence said.
Although Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have said the
United States would stand by the agreement, Pence was less
forthcoming. "Well, we're evaluating that as we speak," he
said. "I think the president will make that decision in the days
ahead. And he'll listen to all of his advisors, but make no mistake
about it. The resolve of this president is such that Iran would do
well to think twice about their continued hostile and belligerent
actions."
According to reports compiled by Iran Human Rights,
the Iranian authorities hanged 87 people in the month of January
2017, including two juvenile prisoners and six prisoners who were
executed in public. Out of the 87 executions, only 19 of them were
announced by official Iranian sources. Most of the executions which
were carried out in Iran in January 2017 were for drug related
charges. According to research conducted by Iran Human Rights,
executions tend to significantly increase in the months leading to an
election in Iran but significantly decrease or stop a couple weeks
before the election. Iran Human Rights is deeply concerned that a new
wave of executions have started in Iran and worries that the number
of executions will increase following the "Fajr Decade"
celebrations.
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
Instead of tearing up the Iran nuclear deal, the Trump
administration is exploring how to tighten its enforcement and
renegotiate key terms, but it may prove impossible to get other major
powers and Iran to consider revising the agreement... The options the
administration is considering include insisting the Vienna-based
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog,
get tougher policing Iran's compliance, including demanding access to
military sites, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
"The basic idea is that the IAEA has to be granted access,"
said one source with knowledge of the matter, acknowledging it would
be difficult for the U.S. administration to win support for military
site inspections from the other 34 countries on the IAEA board of
governors. The U.S. also would seek to remove "sunset"
provisions from the pact that allow some restrictions on Iran's
nuclear program to start expiring in 10 years, something critics
consider the deal's biggest flaw, the two sources said. In addition,
the administration could press the agency to report more information
on Iran's compliance with the nuclear pact, one of the sources said,
noting the agency has cut back on reporting some data, such as how
much low-enriched uranium Iran is stockpiling.
Since the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Tehran over a
ballistic missile test Friday, Iran's conservative media has railed
against the government for being too soft, the military has tested
another projectile, and officials have generally thumbed their noses
at a White House warning that they were now "on notice."
What hasn't happened, however, is as important: no official has threatened
to abandon the nuclear deal signed in 2015 under the previous U.S.
administration of President Barack Obama. On Monday, Iran's Foreign
Ministry termed some recent U.S. statements as
"antagonistic" and having "a threatening tone,"
but it also advised against rushing to conclusions about the
government of Donald Trump.
A Revolutionary Guards commander said Iran would use
its missiles if its security is under threat, as the elite force
defied new U.S. sanctions on its missile programme by holding a
military exercise on Saturday... "We are working day and night
to protect Iran's security," head of Revolutionary Guards'
aerospace unit, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh was quoted as
saying by Tasnim news agency. "If we see smallest misstep from
the enemies, our roaring missiles will fall on their heads," he
added.
Iran held military exercises involving missile and
radar systems Saturday, just a day after the Trump administration
imposed new sanctions on Tehran for a recent ballistic missile test.
The morning drills were an illustration of the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps' rejection of sanctions and preparedness to deal with
threats, according to the guards' official website. "We will do
our best to defend the Iranian nation's security day in and day out,
and if the enemy makes any mistake our roaring missiles will land on
their heads," Brig. Gen. Amirali Hajizadeh, the IRGC aerospace
forces' commander, was quoted as saying. The aerospace unit of the
IRGC, an elite military force charged with protecting the country's
Islamic system, carried out the drills in Semnan province, east of
Tehran.
NUCLEAR & BALLISTIC MISSILE
PROGRAM
Iran's nuclear chief says it will have 60 percent more
stockpiled uranium than it did prior to the landmark 2015 agreement
with world powers after a shipment expected later this week. Ali
Akbar Salehi was quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency on
Sunday as saying that Iran will receive a final batch of 149 tons of
natural uranium by Tuesday, in addition to 210 tons already delivered
since early 2016.
Iran will receive the final part of a 149-tonne shipment
of uranium from Russia as part of its nuclear deal with world powers,
it was announced on Monday. "The first shipment arrived on
January 26 by plane and the last will arrive tomorrow, Tuesday,"
said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation,
according to Fars news agency... With the latest shipment, which was
authorised by the United States and the other five signatories to the
deal, Salehi said Iran has imported 359 tonnes of concentrated
uranium, also known as yellow cake, since the nuclear deal came into
effect in January 2016.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
Iran on Friday denounced new sanctions imposed on it
by the United States and said it would impose legal restrictions on
American individuals and entities helping "regional terrorist
groups". The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on
Friday announced sanctions against 13 individuals and 12 entities
linked to Iran, days after the White House put Tehran "on
notice" over a ballistic missile test. "The new sanctions
... are not compatible with America's commitments and resolution 2231
of the U.N. Security Council that endorsed the nuclear deal reached
between Iran and six powers," Iranian state TV quoted a Foreign
Ministry statement as saying on Friday... "In retaliation for
the U.S. sanctions, Iran will impose legal restrictions on some American
individuals and entities that were involved in helping and founding
regional terrorist groups," the Foreign Ministry statement said
President Trump's tough talk on Iran is winning him
friends in the Arab world, but it also carries a significant risk of
conflict with a U.S. rival that is now more powerful than at any
point since the creation of the Islamic republic nearly 40 years ago.
With its warning last week that Iran is "on notice," the
Trump administration signaled a sharp departure from the policies of
President Barack Obama, whose focus on pursuing a nuclear deal with
Iran eclipsed historic U.S. concerns about Iranian expansionism and
heralded a rare period of detente between Washington and Tehran. Many
in the region are now predicting a return to the tensions of the
George W. Bush era, when U.S. and Iranian operatives fought a shadow
war in Iraq, Sunni-Shiite tensions soared across the region and
America's ally Israel fought a brutal war with Iran's ally Hezbollah
in Lebanon. Except that now the United States will be facing down a
far stronger Iran, one that has taken advantage of the past six years
of turmoil in the Arab world to steadily expand its reach and
military capabilities.
The Trump administration is exploring ways to break
Russia's military and diplomatic alliance with Iran in a bid to both
end the Syrian conflict and bolster the fight against Islamic State,
said senior administration, European and Arab officials involved in
the policy discussions. The emerging strategy seeks to reconcile President
Donald Trump's seemingly contradictory vows to improve relations with
Russian President Vladimir Putin and to aggressively challenge the
military presence of Iran-one of Moscow's most critical allies-in the
Middle East, these officials say.
Until President Trump's inauguration, Iran's clerics
felt comfortable leading worshipers in a chorus of "Death to
America" while simultaneously signing a $16.6 billion deal with
Boeing. Now, the establishment is treading carefully, with even most
hard-liners concerned that the smallest provocation could lead to
military conflict. But some question how long their caution will last
in the face of a Trump administration that has brought a new level of
hostility and confrontation to a relationship that under President
Barack Obama was stable, if brittle... Ayatollah Khamenei was
uncharacteristically quiet during a visit on Thursday to the martyr's
graves, usually a moment for brief remarks about current affairs. Mr.
Rouhani's position is more delicate. He has been promoting ties with
the United States. And though he executed the nuclear agreement with
the blessing of Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader has also been
critical of the deal.
Iran's most ardent anti-American politicians are
seeking to take political advantage of the White House's tougher,
more confrontational approach to the Islamic Republic, as the Trump
administration on Friday imposed new sanctions against Tehran...
Hossein Salami, a deputy commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards,
which Mr. Khamenei oversees, said Iran would never bow to demands of
foreign powers and insisted the nation's missile program would grow
each day. "Our enemies will take this wish to disarm us to the
grave," he said, according to IRNA. Another hard-liner, Ahmad
Khatami, who leads Friday prayers in Tehran, said Iran needed its
weapons more than ever to confront the U.S. "We live in the
world of wolves-wolves like the U.S.'s arrogant government," he
said, according to IRNA. "Living in the wolves' world and not
having weapons so they can do every damn thing they want? No
way!" Such rhetorical sparring plays into the hands of
hard-liners who promote a self-reliance and distrust of the U.S.
The United States has sent a Navy destroyer to patrol
off the coast of Yemen to protect waterways from Houthi militia
aligned with Iran, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, amid
heightened tension between Washington and Tehran. The USS Cole
arrived in the vicinity of the Bab al-Mandab Strait off southwestern
Yemen where it will carry out patrols, including escorting vessels,
the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity... While U.S.
military vessels have carried out routine operations in the region in
the past, this movement, first reported by Reuters, is part of an
increased presence there aimed at protecting shipping from the
Houthis, the officials said.
Iran said on Sunday it would allow US wrestlers to
compete in an international tournament after President Donald Trump's
travel ban was halted by a federal court. "Following the court
ruling suspending #MuslimBan...US Wrestlers' visa will be
granted," tweeted Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif. Iran had
blocked visas for US citizens in response to Trump's travel ban,
preventing the wrestlers from competing in the event on February
16-17. Meanwhile, a group of 72 academics from the prestigious Sharif
University in Tehran signed a letter calling for the government to
take the higher ground by offering visas-on-arrival to US citizens.
"(We) request our government to act differently in response to
this ungracious action (by the United States)," the letter said,
adding that US visitors should be encouraged to experience the
"hospitality of peaceful Iranians and Muslims".
BUSINESS RISK
Iran has extended a deadline for bids on oil and gas
projects, urging Britain's BP to join major international companies
that have already applied, local media reported Saturday. The bidding
round for exploration and production licences comes as it seeks to
revive the sector, hard-hit by international sanctions that were
lifted last year. National Iranian Oil Company head Ali Kardor said
the deadline for bids had been pushed back to February 15, ISNA news
agency reported Saturday. He said the original late January deadline
had been extended because "information from some companies was
not complete". He said British Petroleum had still not submitted
a bid. "We are interested to see more companies on the list,"
Kardor said. "BP has not sent its information to us. Although we
said this is an official process and you need to enter your
information, they haven't done it," he added... In early
January, it published a list of 29 companies it would allow to bid.
It said it had received bids from Anglo-Dutch giant Shell, Italy's
ENI, France's Total, Russia's Gazprom and Lukoil, and Schlumberger of
the Netherlands. Asian giants including China's CNPC and Sinopec
International, the Japanese Mitsubishi Corporation and Japan
Petroleum Exploration also put in bids along with companies from
Malaysia and South Korea.
SANCTIONS ENFORCEMENT
China on Monday said it had "lodged
representations" with the United States over Washington's new
sanctions list targeting Iran, which includes Chinese companies and
individuals. The sanctions on 25 people and entities imposed on
Friday by President Donald Trump's administration, and came two days
it had put Iran 'on notice' following a ballistic missile test.
OPINION & ANALYSIS
In an recent article in Foreign Policy magazine,
author Trita Parsi wants us to believe that "Iran's proxy wars
[are] a figment of America's imagination." He brushes off the
statements of newly minted Secretary of Defense James Mattis-a career
Marine, four star general and universally lauded military expert-as
hyperbole. Interestingly, Parsi neglects to mention Iran's long-held
position as the leading state sponsor of terrorism. At a time when
facts are at a premium, let's assess the stark realities of the
Iranian regime and the severe threat it poses to global security.
Iran is responsible for the death of more than 1,000 U.S. service
members, and the catastrophic injuries of countless more through its
financial support, provision of weapons and training of terrorists in
Iraq, Lebanon and across the Gulf states... And in sworn testimony
before the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2008, General David
Petraeus said, "Iran's activities have been particularly harmful
in Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Afghanistan. In
each location, Tehran has, to varying degrees, fueled proxy wars in
an effort to increase its influence and pursue its regional
ambitions." And just last year President Barack Obama echoed
that sentiment saying, "We remain steadfast in opposing Iran's
destabilizing behavior elsewhere, including its threats against
Israel and our Gulf partners, and its support for violent proxies in
places like Syria and Yemen." ... Rather than attempt to deny
the Iranian regime's transparent role in waging destructive proxy
wars across the Middle East, or cast blame on other Gulf states, we
must accept the facts and recommit ourselves to fight all terrorists
and those who would support them.
Iran's continued missile testing on Saturday has given
President Trump one more reason to tear up his predecessor's deal
with the regime in Tehran. After Iran's Jan. 29 ballistic-missile
launch, the Trump administration responded with new sanctions and tough
talk. But these alone won't have a material effect on Tehran or its
decades-long effort to acquire deliverable nuclear weapons. The real
issue is whether America will abrogate Barack Obama's deal with Iran,
recognizing it as a strategic debacle, a result of the last
president's misguided worldview and diplomatic malpractice.
Terminating the agreement would underline that Iran is already
violating it, clearly intends to continue pursuing nuclear arms,
works closely with North Korea in seeking deliverable nuclear
weapons, and continues to support international terrorism and
provocative military actions. Escaping from the Serbonian Bog that
Obama's negotiations created would restore the resolute leadership
and moral clarity the U.S. has lacked for eight years... Time always
works on the side of nuclear proliferators, and the Iran deal is
providing the ayatollahs with protective camouflage. Every day
Washington lets pass without ripping the deal up is a day of danger
for America and its friends. We proceed slowly at our peril.
Iran's most recent test of a ballistic missile on
Sunday is an early test of the Trump administration's bona fides to
get tough on Tehran's antics. Tough talk is important in
international diplomacy with the mullahcracy, but rhetorical flourish
alone won't check an increasingly belligerent Iran. With
Wednesday's confirmation of Rex Tillerson as secretary of State, the
Trump administration needs to embark on forming a multilateral
coalition to hold Iran accountable for its non-nuclear aggression;
advance measures to sanction its ballistic missiles program; and at
the same time crack down on the Tehran-Pyongyang missile pipeline...
Iran's former foreign minister and a special advisor to the Supreme
Leader Ali Velyati taunted President Trump this morning, calling him
"inexperienced." The Iranians are waiting and will
keep pushing the envelope. It's time that America begins to
push back.
Not surprisingly, one of the first countries to probe
the mettle of the Trump administration was Iran, which continues to
seek hegemony in the Middle East at American expense. The prod was a
familiar one: a test of one of Tehran's medium-range ballistic
missiles, which are capable of carrying a payload of more than 1,000
pounds - including a nuclear warhead. Over the objections of the
United States and other Western powers, Iran has conducted a number
of such tests since the signing of the nuclear accord in July 2015.
Eager to avoid a rupture that would ruin a legacy achievement, the
Obama administration played down the launches while applying mostly
symbolic sanctions to entities involved in the missile program...
Rolling back the gains Iran has made across the Middle East in the
past decade will be, at best, a work of years. To succeed, the Trump
administration will have to clarify priorities: Russia, which it
regards as a potential ally in the region, has become Iran's
strategic partner. Leaving the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad in
place will lock in Iranian domination where it matters most. Until it
has a strategy for addressing such challenges, the administration
will find it hard to impress the mullahs.
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