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TOP STORIES
The United States has once again named Iran as the
world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, accusing it of fueling
conflicts and undermining governments throughout the Middle
East.
The United States is seeking to negotiate a treaty with
Iran to include Tehran's ballistic missile program and its regional
behavior, the U.S. special envoy for Iran said on Wednesday ahead of
U.N. meetings in New York next week.
The Trump administration persuaded Volkswagen AG to
comply with sanctions on Iran and end almost all of its business in
the country, according to a U.S. official, a symbolically charged
step in undercutting European Union efforts to keep the 2015 nuclear
deal alive.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
German chemical giant BASF has made a firm commitment to
comply with all U.S. sanctions against Iran, becoming the latest in a
string of large European companies to back away from ambitious plans
to invest in the Islamic Republic following Washington's withdrawal
from the Iran nuclear deal. BASF said in a statement that while it
will maintain a business presence in Iran, it would "strictly
comply with all prevailing rules."
Iran said it will veto any OPEC decision that harms the
Islamic Republic and warned that some oil producers are trying
to create an alternative suppliers' forum that supports U.S. policies
hostile to the government in Tehran.
Iran's oil exports started to fall noticeably in August
as key customers in Asia began to curtail oil purchases to either
comply with the U.S. efforts to bring Iranian exports to zero, or to
win waivers with the U.S. Administration.
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
The State Department released a report Wednesday
identifying Iran as the leading state sponsor of terrorism with a
"near-global reach" and accusing it of sending suspected
operatives to the United States. The annual Country Reports on
Terrorism for 2017 said Iran and the proxy groups it finances were
responsible for attacks or attempted attacks in the Middle East,
Europe, South America and Africa.
France will not name a new ambassador to Tehran before
getting information from Iran following a foiled plot to bomb an
Iranian opposition rally in Paris last June,
The State Department released its annual Country Reports
on Terrorism today... As in past assessments, State says that Iran
"has allowed" al Qaeda to operate its key facilitation
network on Iranian soil.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
The United States' economic and diplomatic pressure on
Iran is expected to reach its crescendo in early November with the
imposition of oil and gas sanctions. The Iraqi Kurds who were
punished by Tehran and snubbed by Washington last year following
their ill-conceived referendum for independence are under extensive
pressure to choose a side in this international affray.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
The United States has evidence Iran is helping Hezbollah
build missile production facilities in Lebanon, a senior official in
Washington said Wednesday, though he did not offer proof.
Hezbollah will stay in Syria "until further
notice", the leader of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hassan
Nasrallah said Wednesday in a televised address.
Iran asked the United Nations to condemn what it
described as Israeli nuclear threats against it on Thursday, while
Israel said it was stepping up security around its atomic sites as a
precaution against threats from Tehran and its regional allies.
The naming of a street in the Lebanese capital Beirut
after a late military commander of the Hezbollah movement has sparked
a political row. Mustafa Badreddine, after whom the street in the
suburb of Ghobeiry is named, is alleged to have masterminded the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.
Israel Atomic Energy Commission Director General Zeev
Snir called for action against Iran and Syrian nuclear sites during
the 62nd General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency
on Thursday.
An Iranian delegation comprising representatives from
180 companies visited Syria to assess business opportunities in the
war-torn country, Iranian and Arab media reported.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese terror
group Hezbollah, said Wednesday that Israel must stop its
"intolerable" attacks in Syria.
Tehran, not Baghdad, will determine whether to launch
Iranian rockets stationed in Iraq against Israel, former National
Security Council chief Maj.- Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror told The
Jerusalem Post in a recent interview.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
A series of clashes between Yemeni Houthi militias and
the Saudi-led coalition have escalated over the past week, further
fueling tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which allegedly
provides financial assistance and weapons to the Yemeni rebels.
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
President Emmanuel Macron will separately meet his US and
Iranian counterparts, Donald Trump and Hassan Rouhani, during the UN
General Assembly in New York next week, the French presidency said
Wednesday.
Britain on Wednesday advised British-Iranian dual
nationals against all but essential travel to Iran, tightening up its
existing travel advice and warning it has only limited powers to
support them if detained.
MISCELLANEOUS
"Six years ago, when I entered USA as a refugee, I
never imagined that someday I would be standing in front of
you," said 29-year old Holakou Rahmanian, speaking to professors
of mathematics and computer science at his graduation from the
University of Santa Cruz, California in 2018. As a member of the
Baha'i religious minority, which is subject to official
discrimination in Iran, Rahmanian was not allowed to study at a
university in his home country.
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