Monday, May 2, 2016

Eye on Iran: US Lobby Group to Campaign Against Business Investment in Iran








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FT: "An influential American lobby group that tried to block the Iran nuclear deal is launching an international campaign to discourage big western companies from doing business in the country, warning that they could fall foul of remaining sanctions. United Against Nuclear Iran, a bipartisan group which was at the forefront of the campaign against last year's landmark nuclear agreement, will use a mixture of newspaper adverts and public letters to put pressure on multinationals that have either returned to Iran since the deal or are thinking of doing so. The ramped-up lobbying against business with Iran comes at a sensitive time when Tehran is already complaining loudly about what it believes to be the lack of economic benefits it has received so far from the agreement... UANI plans to send letters warning about the continued risks of doing business with Iran to 140 international companies who are pursuing business there, 30 of which have already been written. It will also publish a series of newspaper and television adverts in Europe this week ahead of a major conference in Zurich to encourage trade and investment in Iran. 'As they get on a plane to Tehran, companies need to have a hard look at the business risk,' said Mark Wallace, a former US ambassador to the UN who is chief executive of UANI. 'The risk profile has not fundamentally changed.' Mr Wallace pointed to US sanctions that are still in place over Iranian human rights violations, support of terrorism, and its ballistic missile programme. Any company connected to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards is also still covered by sanctions. Responding to the charge that he was using public pressure on multinationals to try to unpick the Iran deal, Mr Wallace said that the agreement did offer 'limited sanctions relief' to Iran 'but in terms of a flood of businesses going back in, that was never the idea'. It was a risk for companies to be associated, he said, with 'the country that is the biggest state-sponsor of terrorism'... The companies UANI has written to so far include General Electric, Bombardier, Maersk and Siemens. In its letter to GE, which has said it intends to do some business with Iran, UANI said the company's decision would 'give aid and comfort to a lawless regime that foments terrorism and unrest'. GE responded that any business it conducted in Iran would be 'allowed by [US] laws and regulations' and would be 'consistent with the foreign policy of the United States and in the best interests of GE's shareholders.'" http://t.uani.com/1TFCdke

NYT:
"The United States on Friday rejected Iranian accusations that it had broken international law with a Supreme Court ruling that allows the use of seized assets from Iran's central bank to compensate American victims of terrorist attacks. The Iranian accusations, which hinted that retaliation was possible, were contained in an angry letter by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, sent on Thursday to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations. The letter, which Iran's United Nations mission distributed to the news media, asked for Mr. Ban's help in stopping the United States from carrying out the April 20 court ruling. Under the ruling, nearly $2 billion in impounded assets from Iran's central bank may be disbursed to more than 1,000 Americans - survivors and relatives of victims killed in terrorist attacks that the United States has attributed to Iranian agents. Iran, which has denied any responsibility for the attacks, has described the ruling as an 'outrageous robbery.' Mr. Zarif's letter also asked Mr. Ban to help ensure that the United States carries out its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the official name of the nuclear agreement between Iran and major powers that took effect in January. Mr. Zarif reiterated complaints that the Americans were interfering with Iran's ability to conduct financial transactions permitted by that agreement. Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement on Friday that American officials were aware of Mr. Zarif's letter to Mr. Ban but that the United States rejected the complaint about the Supreme Court ruling. 'We believe the U.S. laws and the application of those laws by the courts of the United States comport with international law,' Mr. Toner said. Regarding Mr. Zarif's other complaint, Mr. Toner reiterated assertions made last week by Secretary of State John Kerry that the United States was 'committed to doing our part' in the nuclear deal. 'The United States is not standing in the way and will not stand in the way of business that is permitted with Iran' since the nuclear deal took effect, Mr. Toner said." http://t.uani.com/1UrPtuR

NYT: "Supporters of President Hassan Rouhani of Iran have won more seats in parliamentary runoff elections, the Iranian state news media reported Saturday, but they failed to win enough of the 68 contested seats to secure a majority, limiting their ability to carry out significant political and social changes. The gains made by the moderates and reformists were not enough to decisively alter the balance of power in Iran, the president's supporters acknowledged. They added that political clashes between their lawmakers and conservative hard-liners were bound to increase. 'Expect a Parliament with a slightly friendlier tone, but also many political crises,' said Farshad Ghorbanpour, a political analyst close to the government. After Friday's runoff elections for races that were not decided in the first round of voting in February, the reformists and moderate supporters of Mr. Rouhani hold 122 seats in the 290-member Parliament, and the conservative hard-liners have 84, the state media reported. Independents - who are likely to side with Iran's conservative clerical leaders, particularly the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on crucial issues - have 82 seats, according to the results announced by the state media... Conservatives expect that many of the independent candidates will vote with them, one political analyst said. With no group controlling a majority, many decisions will be hotly contested. 'There will be many, and intense, discussions,' said Hamidreza Taraghi, a political analyst close to Iran's conservative leaders. 'Making decisions will be more complicated.'" http://t.uani.com/26Kt6G7

Nuclear & Ballistic Missile Program

AFP: "Iran's outgoing parliament approved a motion Sunday to increase the capabilities of the country's ballistic missiles, a military programme that has been ruled dangerous by the United Nations... Lawmakers said measures must be taken 'to develop and increase ballistic missile capability' and 'short, medium and long range anti-aircraft capabilities.'" http://t.uani.com/1rN7ngF

AP: "The sanctions lifted, the head of Iran's nuclear program is coming to talk business with Czech leaders. The Czech Foreign Ministry says Monday the two-day visit of Iran's vice president and nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, will focus on developing a bilateral nuclear cooperation. The Czechs say that would contribute to a better international control of Iran's nuclear program. Iran is seeking help from European nations to better its civilian program... In Prague, Salehi is meeting the prime minister, foreign minister, industry and trade minister and the head of the nuclear watchdog." http://t.uani.com/1rcNCOL

WSJ: "South Korea's president said she sought Iran's help to implement international sanctions against North Korea as Seoul works to build pressure on its volatile neighbor amid concerns that Pyongyang will carry out another nuclear test. 'I explained our government's intolerance of North Korea's nuclear weapons ... and asked for Iran's cooperation,' President Park Geun-hye said in televised remarks following talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran on Monday. Mr. Rouhani said Iran was 'in principle, opposed to any nuclear-weapons development' and added that Tehran hoped for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula... Iran and North Korea have had military ties dating back to the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, when Pyongyang supplied Scud missiles to Tehran. U.S. officials have also expressed concerns about possible cooperation in nuclear technology between North Korea and Iran, such as sharing of technology or test data. Iran says it has no current military ties with North Korea. But earlier this year, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned an official in an Iranian organization that it alleged had sent missile technicians to North Korea in recent years to work on a rocket booster being developed by Pyongyang. Iran and North Korea have regular diplomatic and trade links, and in 2012 signed an agreement for the expansion of mutual cooperation in scientific, academic and technological fields." http://t.uani.com/1rcPmaS   

Free Beacon: "Iran is offering to help the global community construct nuclear power plants, according to a top official, who said that Iran would be home to seven new nuclear plants by 2020, according to recent remarks. Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, announced on Friday that Iran has the technology and know-how to help the world's advanced nations construct nuclear power plants. Iran is currently holding talks with a variety of nations aimed at cementing new deals to construct new nuclear plants, Kamalvandi was quoted as saying in the country's state-controlled press. 'Besides Bushehr nuclear power plant and two other plants being constructed in Iran, four others will be built by 2020,' Kamalvandi announced. Iran has been working with Russia to construct several new nuclear plants in the country. 'The Islamic Republic is pursuing a plan 'to build at least one nuclear power plant every 15 years,' Kamalvandi said in separate remarks this month." http://t.uani.com/1TfwjDj

U.S.-Iran Relations

AP: "Iran's Supreme Leader criticized the U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf region on Monday, saying American forces should go back to the Bay of Pigs, state media reported. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a group of teachers Monday that American military drills in the region were proof of U.S. arrogance. 'They sit together, scheme and say that Iran must not hold war games in the Persian Gulf. What a foolish remark! They come here from the other side of the globe and stage war games. What are you doing here? Go back to the Bay of Pigs. Go and hold exercises there. What are you doing in the Persian Gulf? The Persian Gulf is our home,' said Khamenei. State TV broadcast part of his speech. His remarks were an apparent reference to the 1961 failed invasion of Cuba by 1,500 CIA-trained exiles. Muslims also view pigs as unclean animals as the Quran prohibits followers of Islam from eating pork." http://t.uani.com/1VGUeSG

Reuters: "The United Nations on Friday suggested it would be willing to assist in a dispute between Tehran and Washington after Iran requested U.N. help in convincing the United States to stop what the Islamic Republic says are violations of state immunity. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday to ask him to intervene with his 'good offices' after the top U.S. court ruled that $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets must be paid to American victims of attacks blamed on Tehran. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed receipt of Zarif's letter. 'We'll obviously take a look at it,' he told reporters. 'As a matter of principle ... the Secretary-General's good offices are always available should both parties to whatever tensions or issue request it.' State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States was aware of the letter. 'To the extent that this letter was prompted by the recent Supreme Court decision in the Bank Markazi v. Peterson case, we believe the U.S. laws and the application of those laws by the courts ... comport with international law,' he said." http://t.uani.com/21pQUec

Business Risk

DW: "Following the relaxation of some Western sanctions, Iran is embracing its role as a regional hegemon and not shying away from direct conflict with Saudi Arabia. But it's also a country with lamentably decrepit infrastructure and a strong desire for Western know-how, particularly of the kind that leads to long-term cooperations. That's why 150 business representatives are joining German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel as he travels to Tehran this Monday. 'We see great potential for closer cooperation, especially in the fields of mechanical engineering or renewable energy,' a spokesman for Gabriel said. Gabriel (pictured above during his last visit to Iran) became one of the first Western politicians to visit Iran shortly after the historic resolution of the years-old nuclear dispute with the Islamic Republic. Even back then, Gabriel didn't mince his words: A trip to this strict Muslim country is never without controversy. Thus Germany must make utterly clear: 'Whoever has sustainable relations with us, they may never call Israel's right to exist into question,' Gabriel said at the time. The youth organization of Gabriel's Social Democrats, the Young Socialists, however, views the minister's trip critically. Branches in Lower Saxony and Berlin distributed a statement that called for the trip to be canceled. 'He who makes deals with an anti-Semitic dictatorship that threatens Israel with annihilation and is a world leader in human rights violations, is complicit,' the statement read... The German government's coordinator for transatlantic relations, Jürgen Hardt, is also cautious when it comes to doing business with Iran. He said it would be premature for Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Iran as long as the country puts a 'Greetings to Israel' label on its rockets. 'If the Iranian president were to seize the occasion of a trip to Germany to officially acknowledge Israel's right to exist, it would exactly be the right place to do so,' Hardt argued. This makes it abundantly clear that there may be hopes for good business, but bilateral relations will remain difficult medium-term." http://t.uani.com/26KyaKk

Sanctions Relief

AFP: "Iran and South Korea have decided to triple their annual trade volume to $18 billion, President Hassan Rouhani announced Monday after meeting his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-Hye. 'The two sides decided to increase by three times the current trade volume of around $6 billion (5.2 billion euros) to $18 billion,' Rouhani said in a joint televised press conference. 'We also spoke about tourism, direct flights between Seoul and Tehran, and Korean investment in Iranian tourism infrastructure, including building hotels,' he added. Park is the first South Korean president to visit Iran since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1962, and as Seoul seeks new markets to turn around a lengthy decline in export revenues. Her three-day visit comes just months after a historic nuclear deal with world powers lifted sanctions crippling Iran's economy in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. Park, who is accompanied by several ministers and a 230-strong business delegation, will also be received by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The two countries have pledged to develop their relations in the energy sector. 'We will expand relations in energy projects and infrastructure... and in oil, gas, railways and ports,' Park said. Tehran hopes this month to increase its oil exports to Seoul to 400,000 barrels per day from a current 100,000 bpd, according to Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh. The two governments signed 19 cooperation documents in the presence of the presidents, and further memorandums of understanding were due to be signed by the private sector, Rouhani said." http://t.uani.com/1SXf0go

Tehran Times: "International prominent oil companies will take part in the 21st International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition of Iran (Iran Oil Show 2016), the Director of Iranian Oil Ministry's Public Relations Department Akbar Ne'matollahi announced, the ministry's public relations department reported on Saturday. 'Renowned international companies namely Gazprom, Lukoil, Sulzer, Lincoln Electric, and FUCHS are the definite participants of the oil show, while some Italian companies are conducting negotiations to confirm their presence in the show,' Ne'matollahi, who is also the head of policymaking council of oil ministry's exhibitions, said. The official said that by the time, more than 900 Iranian companies and above 800 foreign ones have purchased their booths in the exhibition. The total number of participant companies will surpass 1,900 ones, he added... Tehran will host the named exhibition, which is the country's first oil show in post-sanction era, at Tehran Permanent International Fairground from May 5 to 8." http://t.uani.com/24iwo4D

Reuters: "India's oil imports from Iran rose 48.8 percent in April from a year ago as refiners bought more crude after the lifting of sanctions against the OPEC producer, although the purchases were down from a multi-year high hit the previous month. Refiners in the world's third-largest crude importer took in 393,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian oil in April, the first month of the new contract year, according to preliminary tanker arrival data from trade sources and ship-tracking services on the Thomson Reuters terminal. The April shipments were down 22.4 percent from Iranian volumes in March, when imports from Tehran topped 500,000 bpd to reach the highest level in at least five years. India's oil imports from Iran are set to surge to a seven-year high in the year that began April 1, industry sources said early last month, with the nation's state-owned and private refiners together buying at least 400,000 bpd. Part of India's recent resurgence in Iranian purchases comes from Reliance Industries, operator of the world's biggest refining complex, which in March took oil from Iran for the first time in six years for its plant in western India. The private refiner, however, did not take any parcel from Tehran in April, accounting for most of the drop from the previous month. Its purchases in March were done under spot deals, although it is looking to sign up for long-term supplies from Iran. Another private refiner, Essar Oil, was the biggest buyer of Iranian oil in April, shipping in about 181,300 bpd, followed by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd with about 110,200 bpd, and Indian Oil Corp with 101,400 bpd, the shipping and terminal data showed. In the first four month of 2016 India's Iran oil imports more than doubled to 322,500 bpd, the data showed, in comparison with 160,500 bpd in the same period last year." http://t.uani.com/1TFDiIC

Reuters: "Two European refiners are set to receive their first oil cargoes from Iran since international sanctions were lifted in January against the country, which is ramping up crude exports in a battle to take back market share... Italy's IPLOM booked a 1 million barrel cargo of Iranian crude that is sailing towards the country aboard the Poetic, industry sources told Reuters. It will be the first post-sanctions cargo to arrive in Italy. Oil trading and shipping sources said Greek refiner Motor Oil Hellas would also receive its first post-sanctions delivery of Iranian crude aboard the Kriti Breeze, which loaded at Kharg Island on April 20... France's Total, Spain's Cepsa and Greece's Hellenic Petroleum have booked Iranian crude for their European refineries this year. Others, including Italy's Saras and ENI, have expressed interest in buying. But exports have been much slower than Iran targeted due to struggles with shipping and insurance." http://t.uani.com/1OapLEH

Reuters: "German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel has fallen ill and therefore cancelled a trip to Iran where he was expected to co-chair an economic conference with his Iranian counterpart, a German government official said on Sunday. German industry has been hoping for a surge in exports to Iran after international sanctions were lifted in January in return for the Islamic Republic complying with a deal to curb its nuclear programme. The government official did not give further details on Gabriel's illness. No new date for a visit had been fixed, the official said. The minister had planned to co-chair an economic conference with Iranian counterpart Ali Tayyebnia in Tehran on Tuesday, and German companies had seen the event as a potential catalyst for increasing exports to Iran to as much 5 billion euros per year, double their current worth. But the head of the German banking association on Friday dampened such expectations, saying it would take some time to restore banks' financial ties with Iran due to old debt still owed to Berlin and general transparency concerns. Iran owes Germany about 500 million euros ($569 million) under so-called Hermes covers, a German government arrangement that protects German companies if foreign debtors fail to pay." http://t.uani.com/1SUXLcz

Congressional Action

Daily Caller: "A new bill set to be introduced Friday by Rep. Peter Roskam and co-sponsored by Jackie Walorski aims to prevent the Department of Defense (DOD) from awarding contracts to companies that do business with Iran. If passed, companies that want to do business with the DOD would have to certify they are not conducting a significant amount of business with Iranian nationals designated by the Department of the Treasury. The intent of Roskam's bill is to signal to companies they can either do business with the U.S. or Iran, but not both. The bill intends to specifically target Iranian entities with connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the paramilitary organization that operates under Iran's supreme leader. It would apply to any Iranian individual named on the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control's (OFAC) specially designated nationals and blocked persons lists. The IRGC is well-known for funding and coordinating with Iran's various terrorist proxies across the globe, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah. 'This is common sense. If a company subsidizes terrorism, it should not be eligible to receive taxpayer dollars in the form of DOD contracts,' Roskam told The Daily Caller News Foundation... 'I look forward to offering the No Defense Contracts for Terror Profiteers Act as an amendment to the NDAA once it hits the House floor and expect it to receive widespread support,' said Roskam." http://t.uani.com/1rcUvj9

Daily Caller: "Rep. Robert Pittenger, along with 22 of his congressional colleagues, demand the Obama administration explain why it ceased sanctions on a Chinese telecommunications company accused of violating export bans imposed against Iran. In a Thursday letter sent to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew and Secretary of State John Kerry, Pittenger and his colleagues allege that in 2012, Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE illegally sold communications equipment to the Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI), a state-run entity. The equipment could be utilized by the government to monitor and suppress Iranian citizens and dissident voices, according to the letter. It is believed that the Commerce Department made a deal with ZTE to cease sanctions as the government's investigation continues. 'We are concerned that if ZTE is not ultimately punished for its reported conduct, American export control laws and international efforts to promote human rights in Iran will be weakened,' said Pittenger and his colleagues in the letter. Pittenger explained in an interview with The Daily Caller News Foundation that China was part of the international sanctions regime imposed on Iran when the sale occurred, which means ZTE should not have been allowed to sell the equipment to Iran. 'Iran's abuse of human rights is ongoing,' said Pittenger to TheDCNF, noting that the Islamic Republic has only become more aggressive since the signing of the Iran nuclear deal last July. 'What changed in Iran to allow this to happen?'" http://t.uani.com/1VGX7mw

Extremism

JTA: "The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum challenged a claim by the Iranian foreign minister that Iranian government authorities had nothing to do with a Holocaust cartoon contest. 'The organizations associated with the contest are sponsored or supported by government entities, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Tehran Municipality, and the Ministry of Islamic Guidance,' the museum said Friday in a statement. 'Previous contests in 2006 and 2015 have had the endorsement and support of government officials and agencies,' the museum said. 'There are reports in the Iranian press that the Ministry of Culture is asserting its support for the upcoming contest.' Javad Zarif last week told the New Yorker that his government 'does not support, nor does it organize, any cartoon festival of the nature that you're talking about.' He said the festival is organized by a non-governmental organization 'that is not controlled by the Iranian government.' ... Zarif said the government's role in this case is limited to issuing visas for those who attend. 'We take into consideration that people who have preached racial hatred and violence will not be invited,' he said... In its statement, the Holocaust museum said it 'urges global leaders to hold the Iranian government to Foreign Minister Zarif's promise to deny visas to some contest participants and that neither he nor President Rouhani would attend the contest.'" http://t.uani.com/1SFY2RI

Regional Destabilization

AFP: "Iran has passed a law allowing the government to grant citizenship to the families of foreigners killed while fighting for the Islamic republic, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday. 'Members of the parliament authorised the government to grant Iranian citizenship to the wife, children and parents of foreign martyrs who died on a mission... during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) and afterwards,' it said. Citizenship must be awarded 'within a maximum period of one year after the request', IRNA added... The law could apply to 'volunteers' from Afghanistan and Pakistan who are fighting in Syria and Iraq against jihadists including the Islamic State group and Al-Nusra Front... Tehran says its Fatemiyoun Brigade, comprised of Afghan recruits, are volunteers defending sacred Shiite sites in Syria and Iraq against Sunni extremists like those of IS... Iranian media regularly report on the death of Afghan and Pakistani volunteers in Syria and Iraq, whose bodies are buried in Iran." http://t.uani.com/1TpQn6h

Daily Star (Lebanon): "Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri blasted Iran during a visit to Turkey Friday, saying its 'negative interference' in the affairs of regional states is preventing the establishment of good ties with Tehran. He also staunchly rejected reported proposals for the election of a Lebanese president for two years, saying such a move needs an amendment of the Constitution. Hariri spoke to reporters after holding talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Yildiz Palace in Istanbul... 'I also explained to the president the impact of the presidential vacancy on the situation in Lebanon, particularly the economic and political life. We also talked about the Iranian role in the region. We want good relations with Iran, but its negative interference in the countries of the region is preventing these good relations. We will continue the discussion with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.'" http://t.uani.com/1VGUNvI

Human Rights

FT: "Setayesh Ghoreishi, was just six when she died. The Afghan girl was allegedly raped and killed by a 17-year-old, who then destroyed her body with acid. Her case could have disappeared in the Iranian court system - Afghan migrants, who number about 2m, often face discrimination by the judiciary and other institutions. Instead, her death provoked a social media storm, with an online outpouring of grief and a show of solidarity with Afghan migrants. A vigil for the murdered child was organised via Telegram, a popular messaging app in Iran, and eventually the judiciary took notice and promised to fast-track her case. The public outcry over the murder is an example of how social media has allowed Iran's civil society to hold accountable hardliners in the judiciary and other state bodies without directly challenging the regime. 'Those people who were suppressed [for pro-democracy activities] are not dead and live under the city's skin, have created a vibrant information society,' said Hamid-Reza Jalaeipour, a reform-minded sociologist. 'They react to anything that concerns them but are not covered by official media. The murder of this Afghan girl could have gathered at least 10,000 people if the police had not intervened.' ... Another successful social media campaign is helping a detainee of the notorious Evin Prison. Omid Kokabee, an Iranian physicist associated with the University of Texas, has been in the jail since being arrested on charges of espionage in 2011. He is currently suffering from kidney cancer, and Iranians blame the regime for delaying treatment two years ago that could have helped prevent its spread. A #freeomid campaign has prompted a response from Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, a hardline spokesman of the judiciary who has denied any failure on the part of the authorities but said the prisoner's 10-year sentence could be reconsidered depending on his medical condition. 'What would Kokabee have done if he were free?' said Mr Ejei. 'He would have gone to hospital. He is in hospital now.'" http://t.uani.com/1SXfP8U

ICHRI: "In a long-established practice of targeting the family members of Iranian journalists who live outside Iran, the Revolutionary Guards have sentenced the brother of a journalist to five years in prison, on trumped up national security charges. The Guards have long harassed the relatives of Iranian journalists living abroad, in an effort to intimidate foreign-based reporters and silence critical media coverage of the Islamic Republic. In the most recent case, Davoud Assadi, the brother of the well-known Iranian journalist Houshang Assadi who lives in Paris, was sentenced to the five-year prison term for 'assembly and collusion against national security.' Yet Davoud Assadi, while referred to for six months by Iranian news media as a 'journalist' in detention, is neither a journalist nor has he ever been interested or involved in politics. Rather, he is the marketing manager of a private company based in Tehran. He is in his early 30s, married, and has a child." http://t.uani.com/1Tfx7YP

Domestic Politics

AFP: "Iran's new parliament will have more women than clerics when its members are sworn in this month, a first in the Islamic republic and a sign of the country's evolving politics... After the second round of elections a record 17 women will become lawmakers in the 290-seat parliament -- one more than the number of clerics, which has hit an all time low. In the first parliament that followed the Islamic revolution in 1979 there were 164 clerics elected... Although the 17 women, nearly all reformists, elected represent only nine percent of the total it is a high for the Islamic republic and almost double the nine conservative women in the outgoing chamber. The previous high for female MPs was 14." http://t.uani.com/1rN50us

Foreign Affairs

The Hindu: "In a bid to balance India's relations in West Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make a visit to Iran later this month. According to sources, the dates are yet to be finalised, but the Prime Minister is likely to travel to Iran between May 21 and May 23. In the run-up to the visit, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Oil and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan have made trips to Iran where they held extensive discussions on the agenda for the Prime Minister's visit, where he will possibly travel to Tehran, Chabahar and visit gas fields of India's interest. According to officials involved in the planning of the visit, Mr. Modi will have a three-pronged agenda: of connectivity, energy and balance in the region." http://t.uani.com/1SXh1sP

Opinion & Analysis

UANI Advisory Board Member Olli Heinonen in FDD: "The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the international community limits Tehran's heavy water inventory to no more than 130 metric tons for the current Arak reactor before reconfiguration to a smaller capacity. In February, the first International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report following the nuclear deal's implementation confirmed that the Islamic Republic had briefly exceeded this limit before shipping 20 metric tons 'out of Iran.' A look at the corresponding footnote, however, indicates otherwise: 'The quantity of heavy water shipped out of Iran will be verified by the Agency.' In other words, the IAEA was merely confirming a statement made by the Iranians themselves rather than presenting facts on the ground. This is not the first time the IAEA's reporting has been insufficiently clear regarding Iranian inventories of nuclear material. In its January report, for example, the agency also provided insufficient information on how Tehran had reduced its enriched uranium inventories to the agreed limits. Iran's February statement to the agency that it had shipped out its excess heavy water also raises questions. U.S. officials said the heavy water was shipped to Oman to await transport to the United States. According to standard IAEA verification practices, however, inventory changes are only registered when material has left a country's territory and receipt of material is acknowledged elsewhere. Until then, it continues to be considered part of the original country's inventory. According to the State Department, a contract for 32 tons of heavy water was signed in Vienna on April 22 to be delivered to the U.S. 'in the coming week.' It remains unclear, however, whether this refers to an additional 12-ton shipment on top of the 20-ton shipment cited in the IAEA's February report, or as a separate shipment altogether. Whatever the case, the real concern is Iran's excess production above the agreed-upon limits. If the heavy water's destination is unclear due to Tehran not being able to find a partner to take it, then U.S. negotiators should say so. Even if that were the case, however, Iran should have simply halted heavy water production until it was able to comply with the agreement. After all, the JCPOA's nuclear inventory limits were set for a purpose. Iran is continuously enriching uranium and producing heavy water, and exceeding the JCPOA's limits threatens to cut its nuclear breakout time - namely the time needed to produce material for a nuclear bomb... It is Iran's responsibility to comply with the limits delineated in the JCPOA by exporting or diluting excess material as stipulated in the deal. And when no buyer can be found, it is not the international community's responsibility to become a buyer in an already saturated market where both heavy water and uranium are in excess supply." http://t.uani.com/1TfyxCE

Dan Levinson in WashPost: "Recently, reports have surfaced that the U.S. government is going out of its way to grant Iran access to the dollar for financial transactions, which officials had said would not happen as a result of last summer's nuclear deal. For my family, such a failure by the Obama administration to stand by its commitments concerning Iran would be another in a series of failures that are very personal to us, with life-and-death consequences. My father is Robert Levinson, the longest-held hostage in U.S. history, who was kidnapped in Iran on March 9, 2007. What incentive does Iran have to send my father home if it is already being handed everything it wants? I have no doubt that if the administration told Iran there would be no further negotiations on any other issues until my dad is returned, Tehran would move quickly to resolve his case. But Washington has shown an unwillingness to do that, and we feel helpless. My father appears to be a secondary issue. Last June, I testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee with family members of three other Americans held in Iran to press for the return of our loved ones. In January, my family found out while watching the news that my father was the only one of those captives not coming home as part of an exchange. Meanwhile, media outlets have quoted an Iranian official as saying that the two sides are close to another deal involving two Iranian Americans arrested in recent months. Once again, my father, a CIA contractor and ex-FBI agent who was the only one of the imprisoned Americans acting in service to his country when he was taken, is being abandoned. We've lost track of how many times he has been left behind. In the three weeks after the January swap, we went on a full-court press in the media, asking #WhatAboutBob . During that time, we did not hear directly from a single administration official. The only comments we heard were those made on TV, sometimes immediately before or after we went on the air ourselves. When officials did talk about my father, they said they weren't sure he was in Iran anymore. This was news to us, considering that the FBI, tasked with the day-to-day investigation of the case, had repeatedly told us it believed he was still there. We were eventually granted meetings with President Obama, Secretary of State John F. Kerry and FBI Director James B. Comey. During those meetings, there was never any question that the U.S. government believed the Iranians know what happened to my father. The White House is not doing enough to pressure Iran. On March 9, the ninth anniversary of my father's disappearance, the FBI released a statement calling him the longest-held hostage in U.S. history. The House and Senate unanimously passed resolutions saying that he is the longest-held U.S. civilian in history. Yet the White House and State Department have avoided acknowledging the basic fact that he is a hostage. When pressed by a reporter about this, a State Department spokesman spent 3½ excruciating minutes refusing to call him a hostage. My father has appeared in a video pleading for help and in pictures wearing chains, clearly being held against his will. What further evidence is needed?" http://t.uani.com/1Z2TWU1
       

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

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