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TOP STORIES
Iran's rial fell to a record low on Wednesday, part of a
staggering 140 percent drop in the currency's value since the United
States pulled out of the nuclear deal only four months ago. Those who
went to work at the start of the Iranian week on Saturday saw their
money shed a quarter of its value by the time they left the office on
Wednesday.
Iran has given European parties to the nuclear deal
until Nov. 4 -- the start of U.S. sanctions against its vital oil
industry -- to come up with ways to offset the impact, suggesting it
may otherwise pull out.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he
remained open to the possibility of talks between Washington and
Tehran, but said Iran was in turmoil and struggling to survive.
UANI IN THE NEWS
The Virginia state senator who met with Bashar al-Assad
two years ago returned to Damascus, where on Wednesday, the state
news service reported that the lawmaker was impressed by the
"love" of the Syrian people for their president's
leadership and army.... David Daoud, a research analyst at United
Against Nuclear Iran, took note of Black's visit, tweeting
"Virginia State Senator Richard Black met with Bashar al-Assad
in Syria today" along with a photo that appears to show Black
sitting with Assad and another man. In 2014, Black wrote a letter of
praise to Assad, which the Syrian president posted on Facebook. He
followed that with a visit to Damascus in 2016.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran will begin uranium enrichment beyond previous
levels if the remaining parties fail to uphold the 2015 nuclear deal,
its Atomic Energy Organisation told local media on Wednesday.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
India imported about 523,000 barrels per day (bpd) of
oil from Iran in August, down 32 percent on a month earlier,
preliminary tanker arrival data showed, as the United States steps up
pressure on buyers to halt Iranian energy imports from November.
US President Donald Trump's top two envoys were expected
Thursday to press India not to buy Russian military equipment or
Iranian oil, while seeking to bolster ties as China grows more
assertive in the region.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
With four more Iranian human rights defenders arrested
in Tehran since August 31, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the
country's authorities have "ramped up" their crackdown
against activists.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that he would
be open to meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani later this
month when world leaders gather in New York for a meeting of the U.N.
General Assembly.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday of planning to
"abuse" the presidency of the U.N. Security Council to
criticise Tehran, Washington's arch-foe.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran's high-living aghazadehs - a satirical moniker for
the offsprings of the Iranian ruling class - have an outspoken critic
in a young cleric from Qom who uses their favorite medium - Instagram
- to name and shame those who flaunt their luxurious lifestyles or land
cushy jobs.
Parvaneh Salahshouri is a Reformist parliament member
and a member of the Iranian parliament's Hope faction, which has been
a staunch supporter of moderate President Hassan Rouhani and his
policies. But Iran's fresh challenges, both economically and
politically on a daily basis, are making critical voices louder from
every side these days.
This time of year in Iran, graduate school applicants
learn if they've been accepted into the programs they've strived for
based on their national exam rank. But over the past decade,
authorities have been quietly barring student activists from
furthering their education, marking their application status with a "star"
that indicates their application is "missing documents."
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN.
Israel's prime minister says the country is working in
"all arenas, near and far" against Iran.
Israel's defense chief has warned that his country will
seek to "destroy any Iranian military presence" in Syria,
where Tehran has intervened to prop up its ally President Bashar
al-Assad in a war that has lasted more than seven years.
When the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran meet
Friday in Tehran, all eyes will be on their diplomacy reaching a
last-minute deal to avert a bloodbath in Idlib, Syria's crowded
northwestern province and last opposition stronghold.
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