|
TOP STORIES
Iran could abandon its nuclear agreement with world
powers "within hours" if the United States imposes any more
new sanctions, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday.
"If America wants to go back to the experience (of imposing sanctions),
Iran would certainly return in a short time -- not a week or a month
but within hours -- to conditions more advanced than before the start
of negotiations," Rouhani told a session of parliament broadcast
live on state television. Iran says new sanctions that the United
States has imposed on it breach the agreement it reached in 2015 with
the United States, Russia, China and three European powers in which
it agreed to curb its nuclear work in return for the lifting of most
sanctions. The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on six Iranian firms
in late July for their role in the development of a ballistic missile
program after Tehran launched a rocket capable of putting a satellite
into orbit.
Iran's president issued a direct threat to the West on
Tuesday, claiming his country is capable of revitalizing its nuclear
program within hours and quickly bringing it to even more advanced
levels than when Iran reached a deal with world powers that limited
its ability to produce nuclear weapons. Hassan Rouhani's remarks to
lawmakers follow the Iranian parliament's move earlier this week to
increase spending on the country's ballistic missile program and the
foreign operations of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The bill
- and Rouhani's comments - are seen as a direct response to the new
U.S. legislation earlier this month that imposed mandatory penalties
on people involved in Iran's ballistic missile program and anyone who
does business with them. The U.S. legislation also applies terrorism
sanctions to the Revolutionary Guard and enforces an existing arms
embargo. If Washington continues with "threats and sanctions"
against Iran, Rouhani said in parliament on Tuesday, Tehran could
easily restart the nuclear program.
An Iranian drone came within 1,000 feet (300 meters) of
a U.S. aircraft carrier while it was in international waters in the
Gulf conducting flight operations, a spokesman for the U.S. Naval
Forces Central Command said on Monday. A drone "conducted
an unsafe and unprofessional approach" as it passed by the USS
Nimitz without navigation lights late on Sunday, said spokesman
Lieutenant Ian McConnaughey. Controllers for the drone did not
respond to radio requests for communications, he said. U.S.
officials have complained of numerous unsafe and unprofessional
interactions between the United States and Iranian maritime forces
this year. Last Tuesday, a U.S. official said an Iranian drone had
approached a U.S. fighter jet as it prepared to land on the aircraft
carrier. The official said at the time that it was the 13th such
incident in 2017. McConnaughey said the lack of lights on the drone
in the latest incident could have caused a collision and violated
"international maritime customs and laws."
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
Iran's withdrawal from the agreement on Tehran's nuclear
program is highly unlikely, this is not in the interests of either
Tehran or other major players, except for the US, Vladimir Fitin,
Head of the Middle East Center at the Russian Institute for Strategic
Studies (RISS), told TASS. He thus commented on remarks by Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani concerning Tehran's readiness to quit the
nuclear deal within hours, if the US continues to expand sanctions.
"I believe this is a traditional exchange of belligerent
statements with a certain region or country typical of the new US
administration," the expert noted. "We just need to say
that, with the advent of the Trump administration, the Americans
designated Iran as its chief enemy and opponent and are trying to
deliberately translate all that into reality." As for Iran's
response, Fitin drew attention to the fact that Tehran decided to
earmark additional $520 million for the development of its missile
program.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
On Monday the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said
that an Iranian drone had come within 1,000 feet (300 meters) of a
U.S. aircraft carrier while it was in international waters in the
Gulf conducting flight operations. Spokesman Lieutenant Ian
McConnaughey said the Iranian drone "conducted an unsafe and
unprofessional approach" as it passed by the USS Nimitz without
navigation lights late on Sunday. Iran's IRGC said in a statement
published on Tasnim news agency late on Monday that "it carries
out air patrol missions in Iran's air defense identification zone
(ADIZ) every day and in accordance with current regulations".
Iranian lawmakers voted to raise spending on the
nation's missile program and elite forces, bolstering twin pillars of
the security establishment that are at the center of a growing
dispute with the U.S. Parliament on Sunday overwhelmingly approved a
bill sanctioning an additional 20 trillion rials ($609 million) for
Iran's missile program and the Qods Force arm of the Revolutionary
Guards. The legislation cited "hostile" U.S. policies
against Iran and American "adventurism in the region,"
according to Tasnim news agency President Donald Trump has expanded
sanctions on Iran and swung behind its Gulf rivals since taking
office, amid signs he might attempt to sink the 2015 nuclear accord
that opened the Islamic Republic for business. The extra funding --
on top of two years of increased defense spending -- serves as a
"multifaceted" message, according to Ariane Tabatabai, a
senior associate with the Proliferation Prevention Program at the
Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
BUSINESS RISK
The latest data released by the Central Bank of Iran
show that as oil revenues jumped in the first quarter of the current
fiscal year (March 21-June 21), higher spending and lower tax
revenues have widened the budget deficit. Overall, the government
earned 236.4 trillion rials ($6.2 billion) in revenues during the
period under review, up 9.6% year-on-year, according to the CBI
report published on its website. The report added that 53% of the
projected revenues for the three-month period have been realized.
Spending stood at 548.8 trillion rials ($14.4 billion) in Q1, up
48.8% over the first quarter of a year before. The figure is 85% of
the expenditure predicted by the government in the budget for the
period under review. Revenues associated with the sales of oil, gas
condensates and petrochemicals reached 188.9 trillion rials ($4.9
billion)-65% of what the government had expected to earn
TERRORISM
It was a warm summer morning in Tehran when Islamic
State militants - some dressed as women - staged a rare attack in the
Iranian capital, opening fire at the nation's parliament and outside
the shrine of its revolutionary leader. The assault in June, stunning
in both its symbolism and execution, left 18 people dead and caught
Iranian security forces off-guard. It was the first Islamic State
attack in Iran, whose Shiite Muslim majority the militants regard as
apostates. In recent months, the Islamic State has stepped up its
efforts to target Iran, releasing a stream of propaganda, vowing more
bloodshed and boosting recruitment among Iran's minority Sunnis, some
of whom carried out the June attack. Iran is a target for the cash,
guns and troops it has poured into the battle against the jihadists,
whose lightning ascent in Iraq and Syria three years ago threatened
Iran's security. Last week, Iranian authorities arrested more than
two dozen people they said planned to bomb religious sites with
smuggled explosives.
RUSSIA-IRAN COOPERATION
Russian President Vladimir Putin
discussed energy projects and the situation in Syria during a
telephone call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the Kremlin
said in a statement on Monday. The Kremlin said the conversation was
about "joint projects in the oil and gas, electricity and
transport sectors", while some issues on the international
agenda were also discussed.
As the Islamic State (IS) has been in
steady retreat, Iran and Russia are facing real difficulties
sustaining their partnership. Each took advantage of the fight
against IS to further its military campaign in Syria. As the military
situation shifts in Syria, so does Tehran's once-symbiotic status
with Moscow. Both sides avoid discussing their differences,
keeping their critics from making the most of the situation, but both
fail to completely conceal the friction. In 2016, Moscow and Tehran
jointly shielded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime from the
opposition and sought to preserve the remaining state institutions.
In an attempt to freeze the six-year-long civil war, Russia is
currently opting for agreements beyond the peace talks in Astana,
Kazakhstan - that is, behind Iran's back. Examples include the
de-escalation zone in southwest Syria that Russia negotiated with the
United States in Amman, Jordan, as well as de-escalation zones in
eastern Ghouta and northern Homs, both of which were negotiated in
Cairo.
NORTH KOREA-IRAN COOPERATION
Decades of U.S. and U.N. diplomatic dithering and
devastatingly disastrous capitulation have enabled North Korea and
Iran to collaboratively and separately pose grave and imminent global
dangers. The Obama administration's feckless "Iran deal"
for example, has freed up lots of cash for Tehran to spend on
advanced nuclear warheads and intercontinental delivery rockets that
Pyongyang is now capable and eager to provide thanks to equally impotent
U.S appeasement policies dating back to the Clinton administration's
1994 "North Korean nuclear deal." Last month, North Korea
demonstrated a capability to deliver warheads - potentially including
power grid-disrupting nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) devices -
over the American mainland. That same month, Iran launched a rocket
purportedly designed to place satellites in space. The Obama
administration has known but not publicly reported that the hermit
kingdom has possessed an ICBM - compatible miniaturized nuclear
warhead capability since 2013.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed
Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri arrived in Ankara on
Tuesday morning for talks with top Turkish military and political
officials. Heading a military delegation, the top Iranian general is
going to hold meetings with Chief of the General Staff of Turkey
Hulusi Akar and with Minister of National Defense of Turkey Nurettin
Canikli. Major General Baqeri is also scheduled to have a
meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the
official visit. The meetings will reportedly revolve
around Iran-Turkey defense ties, the regional developments,
cooperation on the border affairs, and the fight against terrorism. Iran
and Turkey enjoy cordial bilateral relations. Despite some
differences on regional issues, Iran and Turkey are two sides of a
trilateral mechanism to maintain ceasefire in certain parts of Syria.
MILITARY
MATTERS
Iran is preparing to send a flotilla of warships to the
Atlantic Ocean following the announcement of a massive $500 million
investment in war spending, according to Iranian leaders, who say the
military moves are in response to recent efforts by the United States
to impose a package of new economic sanctions on Tehran. The military
investment and buildup comes following weeks of tense interactions
between Iran and the United States in regional waters, where Iranian
military ships have carried out a series of dangerous maneuvers near
U.S. vessels. The interactions have roiled U.S. military leaders and
prompted tough talk from the Trump administration, which is currently
examining potential ways to leave the landmark nuclear deal. Iran's
increasingly hostile behavior also follows a little-noticed United
Nations report disclosing that Iran has repeatedly violated
international accords banning ballistic missile work.
A senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC) says the country's Armed Forces will certainly give a
severe response to the Daesh Takfiri terrorists and their allies.
"The kind of response is up to us and we will determine its type
ourselves, but we will definitely do it," Commander of IRGC's
Ground Force Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour told IRNA on Monday.
He added that the IRGC Ground Forces have been engaged in battles
with terrorists backed by the hegemonic powers and Al Saud in
southeastern, western, northwestern and southwestern parts of Iran
during the recent years, but the country is currently in peace and
enjoys "acceptable security." He emphasized that the Daesh
Takfiri terrorists attacked Iraq and Syria in recent years with the
support of the hegemonic powers and Saudi Arabia, adding, "If
they (terrorists) had not been stopped, there would have been no sign
of Damascus, Karbala, Najaf and Shiism."
SAUDI-IRAN TENSIONS
Reports of potential Iraq-led mediation between Iran and
Saudi Arabia come as the latter leads the third year of a costly,
intractable war across its border in Yemen. A rapprochement with
long-time rival Iran, which is backing opposing forces in the Yemen
proxy war and in Syria, could ease political and economic pressures
on both sides, analysts say. Although the struggle for regional
supremacy has long defined Saudi-Iran relations, the extent of the
turmoil in neighbouring countries might have led to the realisation
that both would benefit from a thaw. "There is a political
dilemma where the Saudis are playing a role in Syria and Yemen ... It
is straining Riyadh politically and economically, and [in both]
places, Iran is playing an important role," said Mahjoob Zweiri,
an associate professor of contemporary Middle East history at Qatar
University. Oil production is also a factor, he noted.
HUMAN RIGHTS
The Iranian parliament on August 13,
2017 approved a long-awaited amendment to the country's drug law that
significantly raises the bar for a mandatory death sentence, Human
Rights Watch said today. The amendment, which the parliamentary
judiciary commission revised four times, is a step in the right
direction despite being more limited than a December 2016 draft
amendment that sought to outlaw the death penalty for most
non-violent drug related offenses. Iran has one of the highest rates
of documented executions in the world. According to Amnesty
International, in 2016 alone, Iran executed at least 567 individuals,
including at least two who were children when they allegedly
committed their crimes. When submitting the new draft law to the
parliament, Hassan Noroozi, the spokesperson for the parliamentary
judicial committee, stated that 5,000 people are currently on death
row for drug offenses in Iran, the majority between the ages of 20
and 30.
The BBC says an Iranian court order has frozen the local
assets of over 150 people associated with its Farsi-language service.
A statement from the British broadcaster on Tuesday says those named
in the court order, issued from Tehran's Evin prison, include current
and former staff, as well as contributors. The BBC says the order
bans those named from "selling or buying property, cars and
other goods." BBC World Service Director Francesca Unsworth says
it's "appalling that anyone should suffer legal or financial
consequences because of their association with the BBC." Iranian
officials and state media did not immediately report on the order.
DOMESTIC POLITICS
Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his inner
circle have been at the center of a storm on the Iranian political
stage in recent weeks, with senior aide Hamid Baghaei hurling brazen
accusations of rights abuses at the judiciary. Former Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's inner circle launches a rare and
brazen frontal assault on the judiciary. Baghaei, a former vice
president for executive affairs, made the accusations on July 26
after being released from 18 days in detention, his second
imprisonment without any charge. Law enforcement officers first
arrested him in June 2015, only freeing him after seven months. Soon
after Baghaei's latest detention, Ahmadinejad slammed the move as a
grave injustice and called for his immediate release. In an open
letter on July 9, the former president openly accused political
rivals of deliberately targeting him and his aides, writing,
"They attack us when they quarrel with each other or make peace
with each other ... even if they can't settle their scores, again
they come to settle their scores with us."
Iran's Spiritual leader Ali Khamenei appointed on Monday
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi as the new chairman of Iran's
Expediency Council, a move that means the leader has once again
tightened his grip on Iranian decision-making. Khamenei's decision
brought to an end seven months of anticipation that followed the
death of leader Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who headed the council
for 27 years. The Expediency Council serves as an advisory body for
the Supreme Leader and mediates on legislative differences between
the Parliament and the oversight Guardian Council. The Council's
chairman is directly appointed by the country's supreme leader every
five years. On Monday, Khamenei also appointed the new lineup of the
44-member Expediency Council, including 38 political figures.
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment