Eye on Iran: Executives Are Confused by Iran Sanctions

Join UANI             Top Stories Bloomberg: "More than half of global companies interested in doing business with Iran are holding back for fear of running afoul of sanctions that remain in place even after its nuclear deal with world powers, a new survey shows. Fifty-eight of 100 executives of U.K.-based international firms said they aren't confident they know what precautions need to be taken to protect their investments and avoid regulatory penalties, according to a report by global law firm Clyde & Co provided to Bloomberg. Businesses are also hesitant to expose themselves to the risk of nuclear-related sanctions being reinstated if Iran violates the deal, which would 'very likely' lead to a loss of money, the report said. The findings show the challenges Iran needs to overcome as it seeks to reap the benefit of last year's landmark nuclear accord... Some 30 percent of executives questioned said they were not comfortable discussing plans to enter Iran with their banks, according to the survey conducted by Clyde & Co at a seminar on Iran-related sanctions relief held in London in conjunction with the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 'If a third of the businesses looking to enter Iran are so worried about sanctions that they are fearful of discussing their plans with their own banks, then there is a problem,' said John Whittaker, a partner at Clyde & Co. 'The high level of regulation involved is proving too arduous for most banks, coupled with concerns over handling Iran-related business.'" http://t.uani.com/1TYns9k Newsweek: "Both Tehran and Washington insist they're committed to the accord. But Iran's concerns and the prospect of the deal collapsing were evident in April, when Valiollah Seif, Iran's central bank governor, made a rare visit to Washington, ostensibly to attend the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. At a sit-down with Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, Seif demanded more sanction relief. 'They need to do whatever is needed to honor their commitments,' the Iranian banker told an audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank. 'Otherwise, the [nuclear deal] breaks up under its own terms.' ... Meanwhile, an influential lobby, United Against Nuclear Iran, is leading a major campaign to discourage European companies from doing business with Tehran, warning they could end up violating the remaining sanctions. On Capitol Hill, in addition to the push for further measures-a move experts say could torpedo the accord-some lawmakers are pressuring Boeing to pull out of a reported deal to provide Iran with passenger jets and other services. 'We urge you not to be complicit in the likely conversion of Boeing aircraft to IRGC warplanes,' the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg in May. And in one more blow to Iran, American pistachio growers convinced the administration to slap a 200 percent tariff on Iranian pistachios, effectively eliminating them from the U.S. market." http://t.uani.com/1W2dryg CNBC Africa: "United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) says President Zuma has a special responsibility as the first African leader to visit Iran since the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to focus his efforts on pressuring Tehran to halt its destabilising and provocative behaviour rather than prematurely rewarding the Iranian regime with lucrative business opportunities. David Ibsen, President of United Against Nuclear Iran, joined CNBC Africa as we examined South Africa president's visit to Iran." http://t.uani.com/1svBRnO Nuclear & Ballistic Missile Program Tehran Times: "A senior Judiciary official called on Western countries not to violate or undermine a recent deal between Iran and world powers on Tehran's nuclear program. Speaking in Tehran on Monday, Mohammad Javad Larijani, head of the Judiciary department for human rights, noted that Iran has made major accomplishments in the field of nuclear technology but put some restrictions on its nuclear program under the deal, Nasim reported. He warned Western countries against impairing the deal otherwise Iran would resume its previous work 'at a much higher speed.'" http://t.uani.com/1TYtPtn U.S.-Iran Relations CNN: "The outgoing Iranian Parliament is demanding unspecified compensation from the United States for its involvement in 'spiritual and material damage' for the past 63 years, Iranian state news reported Tuesday. During its Tuesday morning session, the Parliament cited examples such as the U.S involvement in the coup of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953, America's support of Iraq in its war with Iran from 1980 to 1988, and the destruction of oil platforms in the late '80s. This comes as a response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month, which ruled that Iran should hand over nearly $2 billion in frozen assets to Americans affected by attacks that Iran was accused of organizing." http://t.uani.com/1syce61 Business Risk FT: "Iran must implement macroeconomic and structural reforms and combat money laundering and terrorist-financing if it is to reintegrate into the global economy, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday. 'The first and most basic requirement for access to international markets is maintaining good macroeconomic policies so you are viewed as a good credit...and creating an environment in which the economy has a better growth prospect,' David Lipton, the IMF's first deputy managing director, said in Tehran. He added that Iran could rely on IMF support to develop a 'suitable supervisory structure that is up to the international standards for preventing money laundering and the financing terrorism'. Mr Lipton is the first senior IMF official to visit the Islamic Republic since the 1979 Islamic Revolution." http://t.uani.com/27zfHRp Sanctions Relief Reuters: "Iran's oil exports are set to surge in May, climbing nearly 60 percent from a year ago, with European shipments recovering to about half of pre-sanction levels, according to a source with knowledge of the country's crude lifting plans. This shows Tehran is regaining market share at a faster pace than analysts had projected as it battles with Saudi Arabia for customers by cutting its prices. April loadings at 2.3 million barrels per day (bpd) were around 15 percent higher than the International Energy Agency estimated earlier this month. May shipments are set to jump to 2.1 million bpd from 1.3 million bpd during the same month in 2015, when Iranian exports were constrained by Western sanctions imposed because of the country's nuclear program. The April loadings were the highest since January 2012. The increase in loadings suggests that Iran has overcome a tanker shortage that threatened to derail attempts to regain market share after the sanctions were lifted in January... Oil major Total SA is set to take 160,000 bpd of crude in May, down from the 240,000 bpd loaded in April. The company, along with Spain's Cepsa, signed import deals with state-owned National Iranian Oil Co soon after the sanctions were lifted in January. Loadings to Spain are set for 32,000 bpd in May, while Greece will take 65,000 bpd." http://t.uani.com/205Nps7 Tehran Times: "Like many other international companies, Bombardier Inc. and Siemens AG are willing to develop their activity in the Iranian market in the post-sanction time, although they consider banking barriers, which are still in place, an obstacle getting in the way. The following is what some directors of the two international giants that are participating in Iran RAILEXPO 2016 (running from May 15 to 18 in Tehran) told the Tehran Times. 'Now, after having a new situation (lifting of sanctions) we as many others have an interest to participate in the upcoming opportunities and when you see the number of exhibitors and particularly the foreign participants, you see there is an appetite of the outside industry to participate in the Iranian market opportunities,' said Dieter Brandenburg, the chief representative of Bombardier in Iran... Also, Ali Khalatbari, the local representative of Bombardier in Iran, referred to transfer of technology the priority of the company for business in the Iranian market. 'For Bombardier having gained now over the last year in depth knowledge of what the market requires, the most critical point is transfer of technology. We are working with Mapna [a group of Iranian companies involved in implementation of power, oil & gas, railway and other industrial projects] and IRICO [Iranian Rail Industries Development Company] and other companies to carry out the projects with manufacturing the units here in Iran rather than importing from Europe.' ... 'Iranian customers are very open. It is a pleasure to work with them,' said Joerg Scheifler, the senior executive vice president of Siemens LLC Mobility Middle East... 'Despite the sanctions, we were quite active in Iran. We have locomotive factory here with our partner Mapna. So, our relationship with rail industry in Iran is quite deep and long,' Scheifler noted." http://t.uani.com/25b7VhV Korea Times: "Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has won the right to manage Iran's state-run shipbuilder, paving its way into the Middle Eastern nation with huge growth potential. DSME said Monday that it recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Iranian government to run Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex. Under the agreement, DSME will also transfer manufacturing technology to the Iranian shipbuilder. The deal is widely expected to help DSME and other domestic shipbuilders win orders from refiners and other companies in Iran... Iran has been seeking to cooperate with Korean shipbuilders to modernize its aging dockyards... According to DSME officials, the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO), the state-run organization in charge of the nation's strategic industries such as automobiles and shipbuilding, is seeking to form a partnership with the Korean shipbuilder. Among others, IDRO wants to acquire advanced technology and dockyard management knowhow from DSME in order to transform Iran into a shipbuilding industry hub in the Middle East. The organization also requested DSME to invest in Iran to manufacture equipment and intermediary materials." http://t.uani.com/1ODunZB Extremism AP: "Germany is condemning a contest in Iran for cartoons depicting the Holocaust, saying it sows hatred and deepens divisions in the Middle East. The event was organized by non-governmental bodies with support from Iran's hard-liners. A previous contest in 2006 got a boost from then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who referred to the Holocaust as a 'myth.' German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said Wednesday that 'the murder of 6 million men, women and children during the Holocaust, for which we Germans bear guilt and responsibility, must not be abandoned to ridicule.' Schaefer said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier made clear during a February visit to Tehran that no further such competition should take place, and that it was 'very regrettable' it went ahead." http://t.uani.com/1YBV5C9 The Hill: "Iran's revolutionary guard has accused Kim Kardashian West of using her Instagram account to corrupt the country's women and youth. The Iranian police organization that monitors the country's Islamic culture to avoid outside influence has said that the reality TV star is working in coordination with Instagram. 'They are targeting young people and women,' said the organization's spokesman Mostafa Alizadeh, according to Iran Wire, a website run by Iranian journalists. 'Ms. Kim Kardashian is a popular fashion model so Instagram's CEO tells her, 'make this native,'' he added. 'There is no doubt that financial support is involved as well. We are taking this very seriously.' Iranian authorities have arrested eight people in modeling, photography or fashion throughout the country whose photos seemed at odds with the Islamic culture. 'Our aim is to teach them a lesson and make them wake up,' said a represenative from the prosecutor's office, reported Iran Wire." http://t.uani.com/1TYtcjz Human Rights BBC: "A political storm has erupted in Iran after the daughter of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani visited a leader of the persecuted Bahai religious minority while she was on leave from prison. Senior conservative clerics denounced Faezeh Hashemi following her meeting with Fariba Kamalabadi, a mother-of-three who was temporarily released and allowed home to see her newborn grandchild. Iran's religious establishment regards the Bahai faith, which emerged in Iran in the 19th Century, as a heretical sect. Bahais, who number approximately 300,000 and are heavily concentrated in Tehran and Semnan, are often denounced as unclean and accused of being agents of the US and Israel. In response to the criticism of Ms Hashemi's visit and calls for her to be prosecuted, her father issued a terse public reprimand saying she had made a big mistake that had to be rectified. He described the Bahai faith as 'a deviant sect', which 'we disavow and have always done.'" http://t.uani.com/1srgfs2 Foreign Affairs AP: "The government of the Maldives said Tuesday it has decided to sever 40-year-old diplomatic ties with Iran, saying the country's policies in the Middle East are detrimental to peace and security in the region. The Maldives foreign ministry said in a statement that peace in the Middle East is also linked to the island nation's own peace, stability and security... The Islamic Summit held last month in Turkey called on Iran to pursue a policy based on the principle of 'good neighborliness, non-interference in their domestic affairs, respect for their independence and territorial sovereignty, (and) resolving differences by peaceful means in accordance with OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) and the UN Charters,' the foreign ministry statement said. 'The Maldives calls on Iran to show more commitment and tangible results in implementing the recommendations of the OIC,' it said." http://t.uani.com/1Tfq5te         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.