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Reuters: "International firms are hunting for
Western-educated Iranians to take on executive jobs in the Islamic
Republic after the removal of most sanctions, but are finding it hard
to win them over. Interviews with Western companies and headhunters as
well as more than 20 Iranians living abroad showed that expatriates are
waiting to see how promised reforms progress before deciding whether to
go back, despite lucrative job offers. Many in the diaspora are put off
by the poor quality of life and problems such as red tape, a murky
business culture, security issues, pollution and a lack of
international schools for their children. They are also concerned about
their rights and protections under the Islamic Republic's judicial
system. Their reluctance is making life harder for conglomerates who
need help to navigate Iran's complex business world, train the local
workforce and bridge a cultural and linguistic gap with affluent local
consumers in the country of 80 million. 'This is the place where an
expat who holds an MBA (Master of Business Administration) and has the
right entrepreneurial attitude can make a real impact. Yet there's
never been a queue of expats applying for jobs here,' Giuseppe Carella,
the Iran country chief of Swiss food group Nestlé, told Reuters. To
nurture future managers, Nestlé sends local graduates overseas for
several years, honing their skills away from Iran until they're ready
to go back, Carella said. Expats remain a tiny minority of the about
1,000 employees at the firm's subsidiary in Iran, 15 years after its
launch... Some expatriates whose families left Iran before or soon
after the 1979 revolution are skeptical about career prospects and
worry that Tehran's refusal to recognize their dual citizenship status
makes them vulnerable to arbitrary arrest. Security forces have
arrested some dual nationals who hold U.S. and European passports in
recent years on unspecified national security charges." http://t.uani.com/1Uro1OF
Fars
(Iran): "Commander
of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Mohammad Ali
Jafari said conditions are very good for the resistance front in Syria.
Speaking to journalists in the Northern city of Gilan on Monday, the
IRGC commander said the ancient city of Palymra has been liberated, and
now the main focus is now on pushing back the terrorist group of ISIL
further, and stressed that the ongoing ceasefire has not changed
Russia's Syria policy as it is still in coordination with the
resistance front. 'Liberation of Palmyra shows continuing coordination
between Russia and Syria. As long as there is Islamic Revolution, the
resistance will go on,' he added. The IRGC commander further noted that
the ISIL has waged a proxy war on the resistance front, adding that conditions
in Iraq, Syria and Yemen are now good and to the benefit of the Iranian
Islamic Revolution. 'As maintained by Supreme Leader of the Islamic
Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the enemies of Islam,
including the Zionist regime, will be destroyed within the next 25
years,' Jafari added." http://t.uani.com/25u9PrB
Mehr
(Iran):
"Iran's oil minister has said Iran and French oil giant Total have
signed an accord to develop South Azadegan oil field with articles to
remain confidential. Bijan Namdar Zanganeh told reporters on Thursday
that the accord would accelerate the pace of preliminary explorative
studies in the oil field; 'currently, French Total considers
participation in the project,' Mr. Zanganeh told the press. Earlier in
March, Zanganeh had told the press about the possibility of a Total
involvement in South Azadegan oil field development, predicting a
'confidential deal' to be signed as well. In a related story, Mahmoud
Mar'ashi, the project manager and the principle contractor had told
Mehr News that projections about the gross total of investments for the
2nd phase of the project hit a figure well below $5bn; along with
Total, other partners such as South Korean Hyundai, French Entrepose
and Vinci and Japanese Marubeni Corporation would participate as well,
he was quoted to have said." http://t.uani.com/1VRpAVw
Nuclear
& Ballistic Missile Program
Al-Monitor: "With Russia blocking
sanctions at the United Nations, the Obama administration is looking at
other international avenues to rein in Iran's ballistic missile
program. The White House insists it has all the unilateral authorities
it needs to slap new sanctions on Iran for defying the spirit - if
perhaps not the letter - of the UN Security Council resolution
implementing the nuclear deal. That resolution 'called upon' Iran 'not
to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be
capable of delivering nuclear weapons.' Russia insists that language is
not a legal prohibition, in effect ruling out more missile-related UN
sanctions. But the Obama administration, eager to calm jittery
lawmakers, insists it has a number of other multilateral tools outside
of UN action that it can use to counter threats from Iran's missile
program. Those tools specifically include the Proliferation Security
Initiative and the Missile Technology Control Regime, an administration
official told Al-Monitor. Russia is a party to both agreements, which
are nonbinding but are nevertheless seen as being among the best
chances to prevent Iran from further developing its missile
program." http://t.uani.com/1USCNxP
Extremism
IRNA
(Iran): "Majlis
Speaker Ali Larijani, in a message to the Chairman of Senate of
Pakistan Reza Rabbani to condemn the recent terrorist bombing in the
country, said insecurity in Islamic world would only benefit the
Zionist Regime. He slammed the terrorist operation in the city of
Lahore and said insecurity and religions conflicts within the Islamic
community will serve the interests of the Zionist regime and help its
security." http://t.uani.com/1VRpRYs
Sanctions
Relief
Press
TV (Iran):
"Iran says talks with Boeing over the purchase of new planes are
continuing, stressing that a deal with the American aviation giant is
'very likely' to be sealed. Ali Abedzadeh, the president of Iran Civil
Aviation Organization (CAO), has been quoted by the media as saying
that the country's flag carrier airline Iran Air along with several
other domestic aviation companies are currently engaged in talks with
Boeing to purchase planes. Abedzadeh added that separate trade talks
are also underway with Airbus as well as other global plane makers. The
media in late January quoted a top Iranian official in a report as
saying that the country plans to purchase over 100 planes from
Boeing." http://t.uani.com/1Sjq2pR
Economist: "The 10,500km (6,500-mile)
journey from Yiwu City in eastern China through Kazakhstan,
Kyrghyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan was sluggish; but when the
first Chinese train pulled into Tehran station after a 14-day haul,
Iranian officials hailed a great leap forward. 'We're becoming the
global hub between east and west,' waxed one minister. By April, when
the new trans-Kazakh railroad opens fully, Iranian executives hope to
have cut the journey time to China, currently its biggest trade
partner, to just eight days-a month less than the sea route takes.
Should Turkey get on board, the route might even replace the Suez Canal
as a primary Chinese and Iranian route to Europe. Iranian companies
will no longer be limited to an 80m-strong local market, President
Hassan Rohani's advisers anticipate, but will be connected to the EU's
500m. Other rail links are coming down the line, too. Within six
months, Abbas Akhoundi, Iran's British-trained transport minister, will
open a track to Afghanistan's mines, and ship minerals to India via a
revamped south-eastern port, Chabahar, bypassing Pakistan. Within two
years, Iran will have built a bridge over the Shatt-al-Arab river into
Iraq and into the Fertile Crescent, he says." http://t.uani.com/21R6AWA
Times
of Oman: "An
Iran-Oman joint venture to manufacture cars in the Sultanate will start
operation after one year, according to a senior official of Iran Khodro
Industrial Group. Saeed Tafazoli, deputy president, export and
international affairs at Iran Khodro Industrial Group, said that a
joint venture formed to start assembling cars in Duqm will start
production of 10,000 cars in the first phase, which will be scaled up
to 20,000 units in the second phase. 'A feasibility study is going on
now, which will be completed by next month. Based on the findings of
the feasibility study (if the project is absolutely feasible), a joint
venture company will be established and the project will start
construction. We will need 12 months for building assembly unit and
creating other facilities for starting production,' Tafazoli told Times
of Oman. A memorandum of understanding was signed by Iran-based
automobile giant, which is the largest automobile manufacturer in the
Middle East region, with Oman Investment Fund in January and the joint
venture plans to launch Khodro's Dena brand in Oman. Apart from selling
cars in Oman, the joint venture company plans to export cars to
neighbouring regional markets and Africa." http://t.uani.com/1Urou3p
Syria
Conflict
Reuters: "Bearded and boisterous, the
man wearing a chequered keffiya scarf sings a religious song as several
Iranians in fatigues beat their chests feverishly. The performance by
Saeed Haddadian, a prominent Shi'ite religious singer, took place among
volunteers at the front line in Syria and was posted on the Internet in
January, a sign of the increasingly high-profile political role being
played by the 'maddah' -- religious performers revered like pop stars
among hardliners in Iran. 'In a country where music is outlawed and
there is no outlet for young people to expend their energy, you have to
have a replacement that is more official and without problems,' said
Mohammad Javad Akbarein, a former cleric and Shi'ite scholar who
studied in the holy city of Qom and now lives abroad. 'The maddah are
copying from rap, rock and dance music,' said Akbarein. 'They perform
their songs with the same intensity and excitement. Sometimes the songs
are an exact copy of pop songs. They just take a love song and make it
about religious love.' Most recently, they have played a prominent role
in drumming up enthusiasm for the military venture in Syria, where a
record 58 Iranians died last month helping protect the government of
President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Washington Institute think
tank." http://t.uani.com/25u891i
JPost: "Ali Mohammad Ghafari, a
member of the Iranian Parliament, has recently joined the ranks of
Iran's Revolutionary Guards forces fighting in Syria alongside the
Syrian Arab Army. Pictures showing Ghafari in a village near Damascus
alongside Revolutionary Guards' fighters, carrying a rifle, were
disseminated on Iranian news sites in the last week. One of the images,
taken on March 11-12, shows Ghafari next to a former commander in the
Revolutionary Guards who is a crony of the elite Quds Force commander,
General Qassem Suleimani. In a message he sent through social media before
leaving for Syria, the Iranian MP said: 'I am heading to Syria to
sacrifice myself for Sayyidah Zeinab (the daughter of Imam Ali, and a
major Shi'ite symbol).' ... Sixty-year-old Ghafari formerly filled
important roles in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Currently, he is a
member of the parliamentary committees for agriculture and natural
resources." http://t.uani.com/1Myp7Wb
Iraq
Crisis
FT: "The head of one of Iraq's
most powerful Shia paramilitary groups does not want to talk politics.
'Let's not talk about that yet, or the politicians will get scared,'
Hadi al-Amiri laughs. 'Let's free our country first and then we'll
talk.' But the evasiveness makes his message clear enough: like all of
the leaders of the popular mobilisation forces fighting Isis - forces
known in Arabic as the Hashd al-Shaabi - Mr Amiri's star is rising...
Some Iraqi politicians, as well as western diplomats, worry that if
Hashd leaders can join together to form a successful political bloc,
they could up-end the country's power dynamics. Critics argue that a
political role for Hashd leaders could worsen sectarian tensions in the
country because they head a largely Shia force. Sunnis and
international rights groups accuse the Hashd of kidnappings, widespread
looting and summary killings... Before the US occupation of Iraq in
2003, Mr Amiri's Badr force was based in Iran and fought Saddam
Hussein. After 2003, Badr forces, along with Shia militia like Asa'ib
Ahl al-Haq and Kata'eb Hizbollah, were funded by Iran to fight the
occupation. Many of these forces were also accused of sectarian
killings. Some Iraqis believe these groups want to shape themselves
into something akin to Iran's Revolutionary Guard - an elite force more
powerful than the state army." http://t.uani.com/1UrnUT6
Saudi-Iran
Tensions
IRNA
(Iran): "Secretary
of the Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said on Monday that footprint
of a Saudi national is visible in any terrorist attack while there has
been no name of an Iranian in such attacks. Rezaei made the remark in
reaction to recent comments by Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir in
an article carried by New York Times claiming that Iran is among
supporters of terrorism. Adel al-Jubeir also repeated his anti-Iran
comments in his Twitter account. Rezaei referred to the new wave of
terrorist attacks across Europe and the Middle East, saying a Saudi
national is behind any terrorist or suicide attack." http://t.uani.com/1UroAbh
Human
Rights
ICHRI: "Political prisoner Mostafa
Azizi, one of many émigrés who returned to Iran following assurances of
their safe return by the Rouhani administration, has been sentenced to
three years in prison and a fine of 70 million rials (approximately
$2,300 USD). The appeals court upheld the sentence against the Canadian
permanent resident for the charges of 'acting against national
security,' 'insulting the supreme leader,' and 'propaganda against the
state.' 'My father was previously sentenced to eight years in prison,'
his daughter, Parastoo Azizi, confirmed in an interview with the
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. 'The [Appeals] Court
has not exonerated him of any of the charges. It has only agreed to cut
five years off his prison sentence with the payment of a fine,' she
said. 'And two years of the three-year prison sentence is still
enforceable under Article 134.' ... Mostafa Azizi, 53, was a successful
television writer and producer in Iran before he and his family
immigrated to Canada in 2008. Security forces arrested him on February
1, 2015-two months after he had returned to Iran-and interrogated him
for a month in Ward 2-A of Evin Prison, which is controlled by the
Revolutionary Guards' Intelligence Organization. He was sentenced on
June 11, 2015 to eight years in prison for 'acting against national
security,' 'insulting the supreme leader,' and 'propaganda against the
state' by Judge Abolqasem Salavati of Branch 15 of the Revolutionary
Court. His appeal was heard by Judge Hassan Babaei of Branch 54 of the
Appeals Court on September 20, 2015." http://t.uani.com/1StDSZz
Independent: "The Iranian Supreme Court
has sentenced a man to have his eye gouged out after blinding another
man in a street fight. The 28-year-old, identified only as Saman,
was convicted under Iran's strict retribution laws after fighting in
the street with his then 25-year-old victim when he was 23. According
to Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based NGO, Saman claimed he had
unintentionally blinded the man with a metal rod... Last year, a man
convicted of attacking another man with acid - blinding and disfiguring
him for life in the city of Qoms - was sedated and had his left eye
gouged out." http://t.uani.com/1pXNsuJ
Animal
Rights
Guardian: "It was in the middle of her
financial struggles that an American woman, who had been in contact
only a few times through Facebook, sent more than $3,000. That helped
Sanei rent a 1,000 sq-metre piece of land in Chahardangeh, in the south
west of Tehran province in December 2014 and open a hospice for dogs.
She started with seven dogs and now has more than 60, even though she
says the capacity is 40. Her initial plan was to bring in injured dogs,
take care of them until recovered and then set them free and make space
for other injured dogs. But with municipality workers killing stray
dogs, she won't let them go until they have a home. According to
Interior Ministry guidelines, municipalities are responsible for
capturing stray dogs, putting up the 'useful-purebred' ones for
adoption and putting to sleep the 'unuseful-infected' ones. The reality
is something else. Every once in a while, a report surfaces about
municipalities shooting dogs or killing them by injecting acid. It's
all about money, say animal rights activists. The municipalities
receive a state budget to deal with stray dogs, but look for the least
costly solutions." http://t.uani.com/1XZTUf2
Opinion
& Analysis
Frederick
W. Kagan & Paul Bucala in AEI: "Iran is developing a new way of waging war
beyond its borders using Syria as the laboratory. Combat units drawn
from the conventional brigades and divisions of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have been fighting on the front lines
alongside Syrian and Iraqi militias and Lebanese Hezbollah since
October 2015. The units appear to be deploying as cadres-bringing most
of their officers, some of their non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and
only a small number of enlisted ranks-and plugging into Iraqi, Syrian,
and Hezbollah militia groups that serve as their foot soldiers." http://t.uani.com/1Rx533e
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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@UnitedAgainstNuclearIran.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.
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