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TOP STORIES
Denmark wants the European Union to impose fresh
sanctions on Iran after finding evidence of a planned assassination
of an Iranian national on the Nordic country.
A police operation last month that briefly cut off
Copenhagen from the rest of Denmark stemmed from an alleged Iranian
plot to kill an opposition activist, the head of Denmark's
intelligence agency said Tuesday while announcing a suspect's arrest.
On a sunny day in late June, an Iranian émigré named
Amir Saadouni met on the terrace of a Luxembourg cafe with an Iranian
intelligence agent known to him only as Daniel, who for years had
paid him to spy on a France-based group that opposes the regime in
Tehran. Gathering information "isn't enough for us," Daniel
said, according to people familiar with the matter... This account of
the alleged June plot is based on interviews with European officials
as well as people close to Mr. Saadouni and his wife, Nasimeh Naami.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Washington can use sanctions as leverage to demand more
vigilance from JCPOA signatories even as it allows certain useful
procurements.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC
NEWS
[A] request for waivers will force the U.S. to consider
other priorities before deciding how hard to crack down. Here are
some countries that could fall afoul of U.S. rules -- and the case
they could make for special treatment.
Oil market prospects look dim for Iran as the US
sanctions to be implemented in November are planned to target the
government's lifeline, namely the country's oil export, and the
international banking operations vital for repatriating oil revenues.
The Trump administration has cut down Iran's oil exports
more quickly than many expected, but just days before a White House
deadline, it is still a long way from achieving its stated goal of
zeroing out Iranian oil sales.
With just days to go before U.S. sanctions take effect
on Iran's oil sector on November 5, Tehran's top two customers -
India and China -- are resisting Washington's call to reduce
purchases to zero, arguing there are not sufficient supplies
worldwide to replace them, media are reporting.
Iraq should be exempted from U.S. sanctions against Iran
because of the heavy reliance of the former on the latter for gas and
electricity supplies, a senior Iraqi official told a Kuwaiti
newspaper, as quoted by news agency Mehr.
On Oct. 28, for the first time in its history, Iran sold
some of its crude oil via an energy exchange house. This new approach
of selling to anonymous private customers is part of Tehran's efforts
to evade US sanctions on Iranian oil, which are set to be imposed
from Nov. 4. Whether it will be that much harder for Washington to
identify and penalize private customers-as opposed to big national
oil importers-remains to be seen. Meanwhile, a few realities are
crystal-clear.
With just days to go before U.S. sanctions on Iran go
into effect, it appears that India, China and Turkey are still
resisting demands from Washington to eliminate purchases. Reuters
reports that there is tension within the Trump administration over
how hard to press these countries, with one camp, led by national
security adviser John Bolton, pushing for zero tolerance, and others
more in favor of offering some waivers.
Recent statements by the Israeli media that Iran might
start selling oil to Russian refineries to evade US sanctions should
be taken with a grain of salt. Cooperation with Russia in the oil
sector is not Iran's first choice, but rather a plan B to be
implemented only if there are no other alternatives left.
In what must seem like a nightmare scenario for Iran,
not only is another U.S. president leveling sanctions against its
economy, and particularly that economy's lifeblood, its oil sector,
but the current U.S. president has admittedly made it his mission to
drive Tehran to its knees over what he sees as non-compliance over
the 2015 nuclear accord between western powers and Tehran.
How the administration deals with pressure to dilute
sanctions will reveal U.S. resolve toward the global menace.
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
The European Union looks unserious about a real internal
threat.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran's morality police once again sparked outrage this
week after a video went viral, renewing debate on the controlling
practice. In the footage, apparently captured Oct. 27, a female
student is seen confronting a police van that drives into her and
almost runs her over before it is surrounded with bystanders.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would push Trump
officials to ensure Iran is cut off from a key financial service amid
concerns that the administration is shying away from its maximum
pressure campaign against Tehran.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Lebanon's Hezbollah pressed a demand for one of its
Sunni allies to be given a post in a new government on Tuesday as
politicians sought a compromise to a standoff pitting the
Iranian-backed group against prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri.
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Iran's top diplomat is in Pakistan for talks on key
issues between the two neighbors, including how to strengthen
security along their shared border from where 11 Iranian border
guards were abducted earlier this month.
MISCELLANEOUS
Anyone wanting to gauge Donald Trump's success in
isolating Iran would do well to study the menu at Maryam Sharifi's
restaurant in Dubai. Iranian businessmen are leaving the city as
links with the Islamic Republic are slowly severed, and in July, she
began offering pasta and biryani alongside Persian favorites like
kebabs and saffron rice to attract a broader clientele.
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