Eye on Iran: India's Iran Oil Purchases to Fade Ahead of U.S. Sanctions

TOP STORIES India's Iran Oil Purchases to Fade Ahead of U.S. Sanctions | Reuters Indian refiners will cut their monthly crude loadings from Iran for September and October by nearly half from earlier this year as New Delhi works to win waivers on the oil export sanctions Washington plans to reimpose on Tehran in November.  U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Thai Company It Accuses of Aiding Iran | Reuters The United States on Friday imposed sanctions against a Thai aviation company that it said was acting on behalf of Iran's Mahan Air, which it accused of ferrying troops and supplies into Syria in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The fresh actions target My Aviation Company Ltd in Bangkok and modifies sanctions against Malaysia-based Mahan Travel and Tourism, a U.S. Treasury statement said. Israel Strikes Iranian Arms Shipment at Damascus Airport | Wall Street Journal Israeli missiles are suspected to have struck an Iranian arms shipment at Damascus airport late Saturday, the latest in a string of attacks aimed at eroding Tehran's military foothold in Syria.  UANI IN THE NEWS UANI Chairman Senator Joseph Lieberman on John Kerry's Talks With Iran | Fox News I thought it was a bad agreement for the United States. We have got Iran on the ropes now. And a meeting between John Kerry and the Iranian foreign minister really sends a message to them that somebody in America who is important and maybe trying to revive them, and let them wait and be stronger against what the administration is trying to do, which is to get a better nuclear agreement with the Iranians. 25 Years Later Iran Remains an Obstacle to Peace | UANI Outreach Coordinator Bob Feferman for the Times of Israel This month, we mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO. In numerous articles and discussions, analysts and pundits have been focusing on the question: Why is there still no peace between Israel and the Palestinians? One key factor that has been missing from the discussion is the destructive role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the conflict. SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS Germany Looking at Payment System with Iran to Save Nuclear Deal | Reuters Germany and its European partners are considering setting up a payment system with Iran that allows the continuation of business transactions with the Islamic Republic once U.S. sanctions kick in, an economy ministry spokeswoman said on Friday. Japan Buyer Loads Last Iranian Oil Cargoes As US Sanctions Deadline Nears | S&P Global A Japanese buyer has loaded what appears to be the last Iranian oil cargoes for arrival in early October, ahead of US sanctions, as local importers step up procurements from alternative sources, market sources say.  Europe Must Offset U.S. Pullout from Nuclear Deal: Iran Minister | Reuters Europe should take action to neutralize the consequences of the U.S. decision to quit a 2015 Iran nuclear accord to ensure its own long-term economic interests, Iran's Foreign Minister said in an interview published on Saturday.  US Sanctions on Iran Are 'Unproductive' and 'Wrong', Russia's Energy Minister Says | CNBC U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil industry are unproductive and there will be consequences to such a move, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told CNBC. "Our position remains that this is unproductive, this is wrong," Novak said when asked about the possible impact U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil industry could have. Iran Says Oil Market Is Too Tight for U.S. Zero Exports Target | Reuters The U.S. will find it difficult to cut Iran's oil exports completely as the oil market is already tight and rival producers cannot make up the shortfall, a top Iranian official said on Friday. Iran Says Saudi Arabia and Russia Have Taken Oil Market 'Hostage': SHANA | Reuters Iran's OPEC governor said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia and Russia have taken the oil market "hostage" as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to impose fresh sanctions on Iranian oil sales. Iran Says OPEC Has 'Not Much Credit' Left | AFP  Oil cartel OPEC has "not much credit" left as some members are turning it into "a tool for the US", a senior Iranian official said in comments published Saturday. The U.S. Should Sanction Iran's Key Slush Fund and Its Brutal Custodian | Tzvi Kahn for National Review Former presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi runs a massive business conglomerate that helps Tehran suppress dissent at home and export terror abroad. MISSILE PROGRAM Iran's Latest Missile Strikes Showcase Tehran's Strategy | Seth Frantzman and Zach Huff for the National Interest Increasing missile accuracy, excellent intelligence, and steady dominance in Iraq are all are part of Tehran's plan. U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS Trump, Pompeo Bash Ex-Secretary of State John Kerry on Iran Talks | Associated Press Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has unloaded on his Obama-era predecessor John Kerry for "actively undermining" U.S. policy on Iran by meeting several times recently with the Iranian foreign minister.  IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS Iran Orders the Closure of a Pro-Reform Newspaper | Associated Press Iranian media are reporting that the country's General Prosecutor has ordered the closure of a reformist newspaper on charges of insulting the Shiite religion. IRANIAN REGIONAL AGGRESSION Iran's Callous, Deadly Message | Eli Lake for Bloomberg When a regional power wants to assert itself and intimidate its rivals, it has several options: Stage a military exercise, test a missile, maybe even have a high-ranking general deliver a threatening speech. Rarely does signaling deterrence mean killing innocents. Yet this is exactly what Iran did earlier this month when it launched a barrage of missiles at the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, or KDPI, during a meeting of its 21-member central committee.  RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN. Iran Official Accuses Russia of Moving In on Its Oil Market Share | Radio Farda Days after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to cooperate with Tehran to "rein in" the United Sates, Iran's OPEC Governor has accused Moscow and Riyadh of "embracing" Washington's sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic. Hezbollah Is Flaunting Its Support for Yemen's Houthis | National (UAE) Hassan Nasrallah, the elusive leader of Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, has recently voiced his support for the Iranian-backed Houthi insurgency in Yemen. While his statements have angered Gulf countries and embarrassed Lebanon's Saudi-allied leadership, they have proven popular with his base. GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN Saudi Says It Destroyed Missile Houthis Fired at Jizan Province | Reuters Houthi forces fighting a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen fired a missile over the border targeting the Jizan Industrial City in southern Saudi Arabia on Saturday, but Saudi air defence forces said they had intercepted and destroyed the projectile. UAE Urges Security Council to Act 'Immediately', End Iran's Weapons Supply to Houthi | Asharq Al-Awsat (U.K.) The United Arab Emirates told the UN Security Council on Friday that the liberation of Yemen's key port city of Hodeidah from the Houthi militia is critical to re-engage them in UN-backed peace talks. IRAQ & IRAN Iraq's Abadi Under Fire from Pro-Iran Political Factions | Al Monitor Tension is rising in the conflict between embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), as the United States and Iran vie for influence in the new government that lawmakers are struggling to form in Baghdad. Iraq Elects Pro-Iran Sunni As Parliament Speaker | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Iraq's parliament has elected Sunni lawmaker Muhammad al-Halbusi as its new speaker as the country moves closer to establishing a new government after months of tense negotiations.  OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS Iran Accuses French Police of Slow Reaction To Attack on Paris Embassy | Reuters Iran said on Saturday that Kurdish activists attacked its embassy in Paris and it accused French police of arriving late on the scene.   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.