Iranian official calls for negotiations with Washington in Iraq

[jg1]

17 minutes ago, yota691 said:

France: Trump sanctions on foreign companies in Iran are unacceptable

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11/05/2018

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French Foreign Minister Jean-Louis Lauderian said on Thursday that the sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump on foreign companies operating in Iran were "unacceptable", stressing that they must be negotiated with the Europeans.

"We tell the Americans that the punitive measures they will take are their own," Ludrian said in an interview published on the Web site of Le Journalis.

"The Europeans do not have to pay for the withdrawal of the United States from the treaty they themselves contributed to," he said, referring to the nuclear deal with Iran.

"We need to take action to protect the interests of our companies and start negotiations with Washington on this issue," he said.

An official in the French presidency said Wednesday that European officials would make every possible effort to protect the interests of their companies operating in Iran following Trump's decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran and re-impose sanctions on Tehran.

Washington has threatened sanctions on foreign firms cooperating with Iran and given 180 days to comply.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha, really.

And what are the penaltys for that France. What you don't think Trump does not follow-through that he doesn't keep his promises. Dummies

[blueskyline]

www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/iran-sanctions-may-trigger-currency-shift-dae-chief-448522/.....

Iran sanctions may trigger currency shift: DAE chief

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• 11 MAY, 2018
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• SOURCE: FLIGHT DASHBOARD
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• BY: ELLIS TAYLOR
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• SINGAPORE

DAE Capital’s chief executive speculates that the United States’ withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal could challenge the dollar’s status as a global reserve currency, with flow-on effects for aviation.

Speaking at the recent ISTAT Asia event, Firoz Tarapore says that the lessor had tried to position itself for the “unique opportunity” to serve the Iranian market when sactions eased, and expected to see demand for 400-500 aircraft from the country.

Growing rhetoric from US president Donald Trump against the Obama-era Iran nuclear agreement had already caused DAE to change its posture in recent months.

Tarapore says that it would be “problematic now to think about doing business in Iran.”

That is primarily due to the need for any payments from Iranian carriers to be conducted in US dollars, which would break the sanctions and expose companies and banks to massive fines.

But, with the prevalence of cryptocurrencies and challenges from other currencies to the US dollar’s reserve status, Tarapore speculated that they could be used to allow transactions to be conducted “without touching the US dollar payment system.”

“I think this could be one of those unintended, very, very bad consequences for the dollar, which unfortunately has bad consequences for us as well as a dollar-based business,” he adds.

“The world used to be a totally different place when the dollar took its position as the reserve currency. It is so far from that today but the solutions don’t seem to have changed.”

News of the withdrawal from the nuclear accords came before the last day of ISTAT Asia, after Boeing and Airbus representatives had already presented at the event.

Speaking briefly on Iran, ATR’s general manager sales for ASEAN and the Pacific, Christophe Potocki hinted that the manufacturer may look to bring forward some of Iran Air’s orders for turboprops to get more aircraft delivered before sanctions are re-imposed.

“It’s definitely a challenge in the long-term but if you want to be smart, you try to accelerate your delivery span,” he said.

Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that Iran Airhas received eight ATR 72-600s out of a firm order for 20 aircraft, plus 20 options.

Other sources that FlightGlobal spoke with speculated that the sanctions could be a blow to smaller aircraft traders, with Iranian purchasers said to be paying above market rates for some mid- and end-of-life aircraft.

 

[blueskyline]

https://www.fxstreet.com/news/iran-oil-sanctions-could-advance-chinas-petro-yuan-reuters-news-201805110345...........

Iran oil sanctions could advance China's 'petro-yuan' - Reuters News

By Omkar Godbole

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Trump's decision to walk out of Iran deal could give China leverage to demand oil imports be priced in yuan, several currency experts said on Thursday, according to Reuters News. 

Pricing imports in Yuan will spare China the cost of exchanging dollars and would go a long way in helping the world's second-largest economy internationalize its currency - something that is widely seen hurting USD's international clout. 

[Floridian]

The collapse of the Iranian economy after the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement

May 11, 2018

 

• HomepagePublications Center

Shatha Khalil

US President Donald Trump announced on 8 May 2018 the withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran in 2015, although not a bilateral agreement, a collective agreement involving five other major powers. Under which Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in exchange for easing economic sanctions.

Washington considered Trump’s decision to be a radical development, not only in Washington’s relationship with Tehran but in the international system as a whole, and destroying the “achievement” of the foreign policy of his predecessor, Barack Obama.

The agreement was the only guarantee not to launch a Western war on Tehran, but a US withdrawal would make it possible, especially if Iran announced it would return to enrich uranium.

The nuclear deal:

The agreement between Iran and the six countries (China, Russia, America, France, Germany and Britain) to negotiate a comprehensive settlement of the Iranian nuclear program in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, in order to give it a peaceful character, in exchange for the abolition of sanctions imposed on Iran, The agreement in July 2015 known as the “Comprehensive Comprehensive Action Plan” ie the nuclear agreement.

Under the plan, Iran, the United States, Germany, Britain, China, Russia and France, known as the 5 + 1 group, and the European Union agreed to lift international sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program in return for Tehran dismantling its nuclear program.

The plan came into effect in January 2016 under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has wide oversight powers and led to lifting sanctions on Iran related to nuclear energy development, including sanctions on financial transactions, trade and energy. As part of the deal, tens of billions of dollars of Iran’s frozen financial assets have been released, but sanctions could be reinstated if Iran violated the deal.

The joint plan of action allows Iran to pursue its peaceful nuclear program for commercial, medical and industrial purposes in line with international non-proliferation norms. More importantly, the joint work plan concerns Iran’s nuclear program only, meaning that the agreement does not address other issues such as the Iran program With ballistic missiles, human rights violations, support for terrorist organizations and alleged “destabilizing” activities in the Middle East. There are sanctions and trade restrictions imposed by the European Union and the United States. There is also a separate UN Security Council resolution on Iran’s ballistic missile program.

Tramb described Iran’s nuclear deal as catastrophic, that Iran was “lying” about its nuclear file and insisted on doing the most economic sanctions. “Every country that helps Iran in its pursuit of nuclear weapons can also impose severe sanctions on the United States,” Trump warned.

Tramb said the Iranian regime financed “a terrorist system in which the wealth of its people was wasted” and that the nuclear agreement allowed Tehran to continue enriching uranium and to acquire nuclear weapons.

“This catastrophic agreement has given the Iranian regime millions of dollars,” Trump said. “If this agreement is allowed to continue, there will be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.” Iran will not stop its ambition to acquire nuclear weapons.

The effects of the withdrawal on the Iranian economy

• Immediately after the declaration of Trump, his country’s withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear agreement, and the signing of a presidential memorandum imposing sanctions on the Iranian regime, was reflected directly on the Iranian currency as it recorded a decline against the US dollar as some Iranians withdraw their savings from banks even before the announcement The withdrawal has put pressure on the banking system, which is already suffering from bad loans and years of isolation.

• Lack of confidence between Iranians and Iranians has contributed to the expansion of problems that threaten Iranian President Hassan Rowhani in the religious establishment, with investments shrinking as banks impose a limit on lending while growth slows and the unemployment rate reaches a record high, prompting Rowhani to be increasingly criticized by militants.

• The Iranian riyal lost nearly half of its value in six months to April, because the United States adopted a tougher stance, making Tehran impose a foreign exchange ban and impose a foreign exchange ceiling of $ 12,000.

• You will not be able to export or import weapons, and black lists of individuals, companies and banks that were previously accused of violating US laws will appear.

• It will not be able to import spare parts for aircraft and ships to modernize its air and sea fleet, and will be denied large foreign trade deals that have been relied upon to revive its economy, which is already suffering from several problems that recently caused many street protests.

The Iranian oil sector, which is Iran’s main source of income, will suffer sanctions. It has been in urgent need of support from foreign companies to develop it in order to increase its production, except that many countries will stop importing Iranian oil.

• The Iranian riyal lost about 22% of its value against the US dollar, which is reflected in rising prices, increasing unemployment, increasing poverty and deteriorating economic situation in Iran.

More economic crises await Tehran, the Federation of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry announced that European companies may face sanctions in the United States if they put their Iranian partners in business on US sanctions lists.

As for the investments, Iran will not be able to attract foreign investments. Most of the agreements will mean freezing Tehran’s assets abroad, especially in the United States. Among the most important agreements that will be affected by the withdrawal are

agreements between Tehran and Boeing and Airbus, “We are considering the announcement and are evaluating the most appropriate steps that are consistent with our domestic policies and are consistent with the sanctions regulations and their laws,” Airbus said in a statement in response to Trump’s decision.

– Deals with major international oil companies, electronic devices, such as deals held by Tehran with Total Oil Company, Volkswagen German automaker and GE Electric for electronic devices and equipment.

– Airlines and hotel groups, where companies in the sector have benefited from lifting sanctions on Tehran and promoting Iran as a tourist destination, such as operators such as British Airways and Lufthansa, on direct flights from Berlin and London to Tehran. Accor, which was the first to open in Iran in 2015 as well as other hotel groups such as Rotana and Melia.

The repercussions of the withdrawal on European countries

did not hide the Aubian companies fears of the declaration of withdrawal, which caused heavy economic losses, which prompted an official from the French presidency on (May 9, 2018) to announce that European officials will make every possible “effort” to protect the interests of their companies working In Iran “through interference with the US administration.”

Washington threatened to withdraw sanctions on all foreign companies cooperating with Iran and gave it 180 days to comply, as expressed by the new US ambassador in Berlin, Richard Grenell, where he urged in a social networking site to withdraw German companies from Iran immediately.

He said that German companies operating in Iran should “stop immediately.” US national security adviser John Bolton also said that the reinstatement of US sanctions linked to Iran’s nuclear program would immediately apply to new contracts. ” from Iran.

The German magazine Focus published an article calling on the German government to rescue German economic interests.

According to the magazine estimated the volume of German exports to Iran amounted to three billion euros in 2017, which amounts to 0.2% of the total German exports in general.

German exports rose 16 percent from a year earlier, but the Trump decision could freeze economic relations between the two countries and inflict heavy losses on Germany, the magazine said.

German companies have expressed concern about alleged financial losses. Volkswagen said it started last year only by sending cars to Iran. The US decision may mean stopping the export. Henkel, a leading detergent maker, also expressed concern about the impact of Trump’s decision on its future business plans. With Iran, according to Focus magazine.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed that Berlin, Paris and London “will do everything necessary” to ensure that Iran remains in the nuclear agreement in 2015 after the withdrawal of the United States.

Merkel’s head of international policy, Norbert Roitgen, told German magazine Spiegel that it would be difficult to abide by the agreement without the United States, since European companies that continue to trade with the Iranian side could face harsh US sanctions.

Norbert said that anyone who “invests in Iran will face harsh sanctions by the United States, and the price can not be compensated.” “Therefore, the affected companies will probably quickly drop their investments or withdraw from the country altogether.

Economic Studies Unit

http://rawabetcenter.com/archives/66512/amp

[Floridian]

Russian Report:  Three bitter scenarios await Iran

May 11, 2018

Twilight News

30 minutes ago

With the arrival of tensions between Iran and Israel and the peak in Syria, in addition to the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, the media has circulated possible scenarios in the wake of these accelerating developments.

The potential for some analysts and writers to be summarized in three major scenarios, whose authors believe that the current situation is moving in an accelerated manner, predicts radical changes in dealing with what is described as the “Iranian problem” for Western countries and allied countries in the region.

The first scenario is expected to exploit Israel’s current international situation, especially the break-up of the “nuclear deal” and the positions of the Trump administration, which strongly supports Tel Aviv in an unprecedented manner, and resort to a scenario similar to what happened in 1967, when the Israeli air force attacked the Egyptian bases and eliminated most of the Egyptian air force .

This scenario consists of raiding Iranian centers, especially nuclear facilities and major military bases, in an attempt to destroy Iran’s military infrastructure and not only its recent massive military operations against the Iranian military presence in Syria, following which it announced the destruction of Iran’s military infrastructure in the country.

The second scenario is that the United States will not be “patient” with Iran. It may declare, as it did with Iraq in 2003, that this country possesses weapons of mass destruction, threatens US interests and supports “terrorists” including al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda. Ending its “repressive” and “undemocratic” regime, and after sending the aircraft carriers after the allies were mobilized from the region and beyond and the invasion was carried out.

The proponents of this scenario believe that the United States will not put an end to the friction with Iran in the Gulf, and after receiving justification for sudden air and missile strikes, culminating in ground operations that, hopefully, will bring down the regime and occupy Tehran.

The third scenario is that the United States will aggressively stifle Iran economically. Its war against Iran will focus on a key instrument, the Ministry of Finance, which Tehran calls the kitchen of war against it.

This scenario is in some way a re-enactment of the Soviet-style scenario. It also aims to change the regime from within by striking the local economy and dragging the country down to provoke the Iranians against the existing regime.

Of course, these scenarios are not inevitable and are not final, and there are other possibilities that can go on, but it is likely that the escalation around Iran will continue to prevail under the current US administration.

Russia Today

Keywords:

http://www.shafaaq.com/ar/Ar_NewsReader/3e5f4b5d-e75c-47bb-8b3f-1553be9f4a21

[Rmc10]

My friends went to the Trump rally and they told me that the protesters told them they need to get jobs. I don't think they realize the county they are from has the lowest unemployment rate in the country as of now and that almost everyone has a job unless they don't want to work. The protesters are so dumb.

[Synopsis]

6 hours ago, blueskyline said:

But, with the prevalence of cryptocurrencies and challenges from other currencies to the US dollar’s reserve status, Tarapore speculated that they could be used to allow transactions to be conducted “without touching the US dollar payment system.”

 

I read an article that North Korea was into the crypto currency Monero. I suspect this is one reason for the heightened attention to the North Korea issue. Iran as well may be shifting to crypto currencies so could, along with North Korea, gain a whole new life to funding their evil plans.

 

What you should know about North Korea’s new favorite cryptocurrency

• North Korea appears to have taken a liking to monero, the world's 13th largest cryptocurrency by value
• Researchers found evidence of hackers creating a malicious piece of software that infected computers to mine monero and send it back to North Korea
• Monero developers claim it's a super anonymous cryptocurrency that can help avoid capital controls

Arjun Kharpal | @ArjunKharpal

Published 5:03 AM ET Wed, 10 Jan 2018  Updated 9:57 AM ET Wed, 10 Jan 2018CNBC.com

 

 

Monero is North Korea’s new favorite cryptocurrency  9:59 AM ET Wed, 10 Jan 2018 | 00:49

North Korea appears to have taken a liking to monero, the world's 13th largest cryptocurrency by value.

Earlier this week, cybersecurity researchers at U.S. firm AlienVault found evidence of a malicious piece of software that infected computers to mine monero and send it back to North Korea.

Mining is the process of solving complex mathematical equations in order to verify a transaction using cryptocurrency; the miner gets rewarded in that cryptocurrency.

 

What happened?

AlienVault said it found evidence of malware that took over a person's computer and mined monero. The mined currency was then sent back to Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang.

North Korea has been hit by sanctions from the United Nations and by countries including the U.S.

"Cryptocurrencies could provide a financial lifeline to a country hit hard by sanctions," the researchers said in a blog post. "Therefore, it's not surprising that universities in North Korea have shown a clear interest in cryptocurrencies."

There have been other incidents of North Korean attackers mining monero. A group called Andariel took over a server at a South Korean company last year and used it to mine the cryptocurrency.

What is monero?

Monero is a cryptocurrency built on a different blockchain to bitcoin. The blockchain is the underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies.

These blockchains are public ledgers of activities that show all the transactions on a network. But monero's blockchain is purposely made to be more obscure. It works by obfuscating the so-called wallet addresses that people are sending monero from, making it more anonymous.

Why is it attractive to North Korea?

The increased anonymity that the developers of monero claim exists could be a reason it has been so favored by North Korean actors.

Monero's website also claims that it is "safe from capital controls" or measures that restrict the outflow of traditional currencies, much like the North Korean won. Given that sanctions have hit North Korea, monero could be an alternative currency.

Also, the time it takes for a monero transaction to take place is 21 minutes. For bitcoin, this rises to more than an hour and a half, and on any given day could be several hours.

How big is monero?

Monero is the 13th largest cryptocurrency in the world with a market capitalization of $5.9 billion, according to Coinmarketcap.com, which tracks prices of cryptocurrencies.

It's worth noting that Coinamarketcap removed some South Korean exchanges from the way it calculates prices on its website, citing the large divergence in price in the country. This caused the price of some coins on its site to show price declines earlier this week.

One monero token was worth just over $378 at around 4:15 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Coinmarketcap data showed.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/10/what-is-monero-north-korea-new-favorite-cryptocurrency.html

 

Just my thoughts, opinion, and 

 

Go Moola Nova (YEAH AND YEE HAW, BABY!!!)!!!

   

[Pitcher]

The head of Iran's nuclear energy committee in the parliament, Mujtaba Zol-nor said that the Iranian government does not have a clear plan to respond to the nuclear agreement clash with the United States.

"Despite the announcement by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and some officials of the government that they have a unified plan on the future of the nuclear agreement in any situation, but what we have seen during the past two days confirms the absence of any plan", Mujtaba said.

Senior Iranian officials have issued contradictory statements about Europe's role in saving Iran from the nuclear deal crisis as the Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei called on the government to not trust the Europeans, while Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani asked European countries to engage in talks with them to resolve the crisis with Washington.

"The trade exchange between Europe and the United States is estimated at thousands of billions of dollars, while the volume of trade between Europe and Iran is estimated at 15 billion dollars, so who believes that Europe will lose its relations with the United States in order to help Iran?", Mujtaba added. 

On May 8, United States President Donald Trump announced withdrawing from the deal.

The Iran nuclear deal was reached in Vienna in July 2015 between Iran and the P5 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) plus Germany and the European Union.

 

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/27191/Iran-does-not-have-a-response-to-nuclear-agreement-crisis-official

 

 

 

[yota691]

No, we didn’t ‘owe’ Iran that $1.7 billion ransom payment

By Rick Richman

September 8, 2016 | 7:42pm

 

Modal Trigger

Barack ObamaReuters

Amid all the fuss over President Obama’s “ransom” payment to Iran to free US hostages, less scrutinized is the president’s justification for airlifting cash to Tehran: that we owed them the money. It deserves more attention, because the administration has failed to make its case.

To review: On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Obama administration not only paid $400 million in cash to Iran on Jan. 17, but $1.3 billion more in cash in two subsequent shipments — all in Swiss francs, euros and other currencies. The administration claims the payments were returning money Iran paid in 1979 under the Foreign Military Sales program for military equipment it ordered but did not receive, plus interest.

It’s a misdirection. And as Congress returns from its recess, it’s time to focus on two key questions the administration has been refusing to answer ever since the beginning of the year: How was the payment calculated, and was it really due?

In his Jan. 17 announcement, Obama cast the payment as a favorable settlement of Iran’s claim for its 1979 payment. He said he had potentially saved “billions of dollars” Iran could have pursued at the Iran-US Claims Tribunal at The Hague. But the administration has repeatedly refused to answer questions about the merits of the claim or the amount of the payment.

Not for lack of trying on the part of Congress.

On Feb. 3, Rep. Edward J. Royce (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, requested “all legal analyses . . . evaluating the likelihood of Iran prevailing in this dispute” and a “detailed explanation of how the interest payment to Iran of $1.3 billion was calculated.”

Six weeks later, Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Julia Frifield responded that the United States “could well have faced significant [additional] exposure in the billions of dollars,” because “Iran was of course seeking very high rates of interest,” and “we are confident that this was a good settlement for the American taxpayer.”

But she provided neither a legal analysis of the claim nor a calculation of the interest paid.

The State Department’s response also noted that the United States “has a significant counterclaim against Iran arising out of the [Foreign Military Sales] program” seeking “substantial damages.” But the administration has declined to explain the nature and amount of its counterclaim, or why it paid Iran’s claim and left its own counterclaim for future litigation.

Moreover, the administration had more than $400 million in other claims against Iran, arising under the “Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act,” for court judgments it holds against Iran for terrorist attacks against Americans. That law specifically provided that “no funds shall be paid to Iran . . . from the Foreign Military Sales Fund, until [such claims] have been dealt with to the satisfaction of the United States.”

In a Jan. 29 letter, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) asked why the administration had paid Iran its claim before Iran satisfied the VTVPA claims — which total $465 million plus interest. The administration responded it had resolved the VTVPA claims “by securing a favorable resolution on the interest owed” Iran. But in a June 1 letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, Royce computed the maximum Iranian claim arising out of the 1979 payment as $1.8 billion — before considering any offsets in American claims against Iran.

We currently don’t know whether, after such offsets, the United States owed Iran anything at all.

In his Aug. 4 press conference, the president contended that “we were completely open with everybody” about the payment to Iran. He said his lawyers assessed that “there was significant litigation risk” regarding Iran’s claim.

But the administration hasn’t disclosed how it calculated its payment, or the amount of its counterclaim, or how the VTVPA claims were resolved by the payment, or why the administration thought Iran would prevail in a lawsuit that surely would have considered counterclaims.

Since the administration has withheld the legal analysis, the computation, the details of the offsets and counterclaims and the explanation of why it paid Iran without first consulting the relevant congressional committees, we need more information to evaluate the administration’s repeated insistence that this was a good deal.

We need — to be specific — the information Congress has been requesting for more than seven months.

[yota691]

The White House demands pressure on Iran to change its behavior

 11 May 2018 11:01 PM
Direct: The White House urged the world to put pressure on Iran to change its behavior in nuclear weapons, noting that Tehran acts constitute a threat to international peace and regional security.

The White House said in a statement on Friday: "The time has come for responsible countries to put pressure on Iran to change this dangerous behavior, describing Iranian actions as" reckless. "

The White House said Iran's Revolutionary Guard was destabilizing the Middle East.

The comments come in the wake of the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and the announcement of President Donald Trump imposing economic sanctions on Tehran amid the many criticisms of this decision by world leaders.

[yota691]

A Trip Down Memory Lane: In 2015 the Obama Administration Said the Iran Deal Wasn’t Even a ‘Signed Document’

By DAVID FRENCH

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•  

May 10, 2018 6:08 PM

•  

President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry at a meeting in China in 2016. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

How easy we forget. On November 19, 2015, the State Department sent a letter to then-Representative Mike Pompeo that severely undercuts the notion that the Iran deal represents any form of binding American commitment. It turns out that the Obama administration not only acknowledged that the deal wasn’t a treaty (obvious enough), but it also admitted that it wasn’t “an executive agreement” or even a “signed document.” Here are the key paragraphs:

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is not a treaty or an executive agreement, and is not a signed document. The JCPOA reflects political commitments between Iran, the P5+1 (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, China), and the European Union. As you know, the United States has a long-standing practice of addressing sensitive problems in negotiations that culminate in political commitments.

The success of the JCPOA will depend not on whether it is legally binding or signed, but rather on the extensive verification measures we have put in place, as well as Iran’s understanding that we have the capacity to re-impose — and ramp up — our sanctions if Iran does not meet its commitments.

You can read the entire letter here.

 

 

 

 

The Iran deal was no sacred American commitment. This was the action of one administration, working with allies and other nations who were fully aware of American domestic skepticism and fully aware of the nature of the “political commitment” they were making.

 

 

As our Joel Gehrke reported in 2015, “President Obama didn’t require Iranian leaders to sign the nuclear deal.” In short, there was nothing truly binding about this deal. From its inception it existed only so long it was politically or strategically expedient for the relevant parties. The only thing truly concrete that came out of the JCPOA was the substantial financial benefit to the world’s most dangerous jihadist state.

COMMENTS

Finally, let’s not forget that one of the justifications for the deal was the entirely faith-based belief that it could represent a turning point in American-Iranian relations, one that would ultimately lead to Iran “fully rejoin[ing] the community of nations.” That didn’t happen. Instead, Iran doubled down on jihad and doubled-down on its efforts to directly threaten Israel from bases in Syria. A foundational premise of the agreement went up in the choking smoke Middle Eastern war.

The Iran deal wasn’t binding then, and it’s not binding now. It wasn’t a true “agreement” then, and it isn’t now. America can’t break its word when it never made a promise.

[yota691]

 date: 2018 May / May 12 - GMT 13:14

 

 

 

US Treasury hails ban on Iranian individuals and entities

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Council of Ministers has issued a resolution to include nine Iranian entities and individuals on the list of individuals and organizations under the pretext of supporting terrorism.

WAM reported that individuals and entities were listed as having bought and transferred millions of dollars to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Corps Quds Force and its agents for allegedly financing "destabilizing" activities in the region by hiding the purpose for which the dollars were obtained.

The Iranian entities and entities were listed as a result of close cooperation between the UAE and the United States, which included the individuals and entities on its list.

In turn, US Treasury Secretary Stephen Menuchin praised the efforts of the UAE and its close cooperation in this regard. He called on all countries of the world to be aware of Iran's efforts to exploit the financial institutions of other countries to exchange currencies and finance the "terrorists" active in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

On Thursday, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on six people alleged to be linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, as well as three Iranian entities. This comes days after President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal.

[Pitcher]

WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – The New York Times reported Saturday that John Bolton, who was appointed White House National Security Advisor last month and who is very hawkish on Iran, “is emerging as an influential figure with a clear channel to the president and an ability to control the voices he hears.”

The Times suggested that President Donald Trump’s strong stand on Iran—abrogating the nuclear agreement and re-imposing tough sanctions—was an important indicator of Bolton’s standing.

Notably, Bolton has long sympathized with Kurdish political aspirations.

“I think the Kurdish people have been without a voice for far too long,” he told Kurdistan 24 shortly before last September’s independence referendum.

“If their decision is to seek independence for [the Kurdistan Region], I think the United States should recognize it,” he said.

And the day after Iraq’s attack on Kirkuk, Bolton criticized US inaction, characterizing the assault as “the Iran-dominated government in Baghdad, along with their regular forces and Shia militias, attacking our allies, the Kurds.”

“We were not paying attention,” although Qasim Soleimani, heads of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,was in Kirkuk, “directing everything,” Bolton complained.

Bolton’s rising clout, as reported by one of America’s most prestigious papers, can only be good news for the Kurdish people—both in terms of Bolton’s sympathy for them and his tough stance against Iran.

In fact, the Times suggested that the real issue at hand is whether the Trump administration would pursue “regime change” in Iran or merely seek to change the regime’s behavior.

For over ten years, Bolton had advocated overthrowing Tehran’s theocratic government. However, on Friday, he said that was “not the objective of the administration.”

The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news website, had reported the day before, on Thursday, that the White House was reviewing a plan to do just that.

The plan, a three-page paper, written by the Security Studies Group (SSG), a Washington think-tank with close ties to senior White House officials, including Bolton, is now circulating within the National Security Council. It “offers a strategy by which the Trump administration can actively work to assist an already aggravated Iranian public” topple the regime “through a democratization strategy,” the Beacon reported.

“More than one-third of Iran’s population is minority groups, many of whom already seek independence,” the SSG paper states.

That would include the Kurds of Iran, who number nearly seven million people.

“US support for these independence movements, both overt and covert, could force the regime to focus attention on them and limit its ability to conduct other malign activities,” the SSG paper suggests.

As Bolton’s influence has risen, the Times reported, that of Jim Mattis, Secretary of Defense, has fallen. Mattis has lost two close allies, former Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, who was forced to resign in March, and outgoing National Security Adviser, H.R. McMaster, whom Bolton replaced.

Some individuals, frustrated by the extent to which the US has allowed Iranian influence to grow in Iraq, blame Mattis for not pushing back more vigorously.

They include the Hudson Institute’s Michael Pregent, an Iraq expert who worked under Mattis, when he was CENTCOM commander.

 

http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/0ba382e5-59a4-45d6-98cc-ad9c0ae0eb4c

[Synopsis]

WOWZERS!!!

 

Listen to this from the 1:10 mark!!!

 

 

This was in Paris France in July 2017!!!

 

Maybe just wishful thinking but the way things are stacking up we may just see a whole new Iran in the new few to several months!!!

 

Go Moola Nova (YEAH AND YEE HAW, BABY!!!)!!!

   

[skeetdog]

Thanks Pitcher...It's no big secrete that Iran is the next target for TPTB....The NWO has an agenda...jmho

[ChuckFinley]

24 minutes ago, skeetdog said:

Thanks Pitcher...It's no big secrete that Iran is the next target for TPTB....The NWO has an agenda...jmho

OH HA-  

[yota691]

 

Gulf Cooperation Council calls on Iran to implement 5 requirements to demonstrate its concern for the security of the region

 

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Follow - up / Tomorrow Press: 

The Secretary - General of the Gulf Cooperation Council , Abdullatif Al - Zayani, on Sunday, that there are five requirements on Iran achieved if it is keen on the security of the region. 

"The five requirements that Iran must achieve if it is keen on the security of the region are the completion of the nuclear file in terms of inspection, control and the period of the end of the agreement, the non-supply of ballistic missiles, respect for Security Council resolutions, non-interference," said Zayani. The affairs of neighboring countries, and non-support of terrorist acts, "according to Saudi Press Agency.

"This will make our region safe and the world needs to be the region so that it can play its part in prosperity and development," he said. 

"The GCC countries want a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, and the decision of US President Donald Trump creates an opportunity for Iran to change course. Iran must respect the Charter of the United Nations and stop supplying Huthis and terrorists with missiles that threaten the region," he said. 

On the Gulf, Zayani said that "the people of the Council are coherent, and through the cohesion of the Council through its institutions and legislation, and the style and decision-making process." 

"There is strong security coherence through the Joint Defense Agreement, as well as the Island Shield Forces, the Unified Command, the Air Force and Air Defense Operations Center, the Combined Naval Operations Center, the Naval Force 81 and the Gulf Police."

He added that "the Gulf initiative to resolve the Yemeni crisis has received support and support of Arab, regional and international," explaining that "Yemen is a brother neighbor of the GCC countries working to address the Yemeni crisis, first of the political solution is the desire of the Cooperation Council from the ground, the second track is the use of force to return the legitimate government and return To the political track, and the third track is to provide humanitarian assistance. "

[yota691]

1 hour ago, skeetdog said:

The NWO has an agenda

Hey Skeet if that was the case...Then it would be consider a Break up party...and GM DV

[nannab]

Good morning Yota. 

[yota691]

Rohani: Iran may remain in nuclear agreement

Posted by Reuters

 

Date: 11:14 AM, May 13

 

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rowhani said on Sunday that Tehran would remain committed to a 2015 nuclear deal if it ensured the protection of its interests, adding that the United States' withdrawal from the agreement was "a blow to all moral standards."

"The American withdrawal ... is a blow to all moral and political standards, peaceful diplomatic means and global decisions," Rouhani said during a meeting with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Seressina, who is in Tehran.

"If the remaining five countries abide by the agreement, Iran will remain in it despite the nose of America," he said in remarks broadcast on state television.

[yota691]

Lower oil prices affected by the consequences of the nuclear agreement

at: May 12, 2018

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Follow-up / Student News Agency

Oil prices fell in a volatile session, retreating from initial gains as US allies appeared likely to push for a nuclear deal with Iran, which could keep Iranian crude supplies on world markets.

Oil pumps in Wilmington Field in Long Beach, California. Reuters Photo.

In another sign that global supplies may continue to rise, data showed this afternoon that the number of oil drilling rigs active in the United States increased by ten excavators this week.

Despite falling in today's session, crude prices remain near their highest levels in more than three and a half years.

Brent crude for the day closed at $ 77.12 a barrel close to $ 78 a barrel on Thursday, its highest level since November 2014. The Brent contracts ended the week with gains of 2.8 percent.

US WTI crude fell 66 cents to settle at $ 70.70 a barrel, compared with a three-and-a-half-year high of $ 71.89 recorded at Thursday's session.

Over the course of the week, US crude gained 1.2 percent.

[ChuckFinley]

Better RV while it is still up there.  

[yota691]

Angry Iran threatens to expose Western officials who took bribes to make nuke deal happen.

[yota691]

Airbus sets its position on Iran's aircraft deal

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13/05/2018

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The French airline company Airbus will announce its position on the sale of passenger planes to Iran Air, the official carrier of the country this week, following the announcement by the United States to withdraw from the nuclear agreement.

 

"It is too early to judge the decisions of the Europeans and the position of the airlines (Airbus-ATR-Puying) should be waited on," Kashan said in an interview with Al-Ittihad Press about the repercussions of the US decision on the fate of cooperation with European companies.

 

He said Iran had asked Airbus to give its position on the purchase contract, which is expected to be announced this week.

 

Kashan said Iran had not paid any advance in the deal with Airbus and Boeing to avoid potential damage if contracts were suspended.

 

After the nuclear deal in 2016, Iranair signed three contracts for the purchase of passenger aircraft including 120 Airbus, 20 ATR and 80 Boeing aircraft, and has received eight ATR and 3 Airbus aircraft so far, "These contracts are challenging after President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the agreement and re-impose the embargo on Iran."

[js214]

On ‎5‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 8:02 AM, jg1 said:

Hahahahahahahahahahaha, really.

And what are the penaltys for that France. What you don't think Trump does not follow-through that he doesn't keep his promises. Dummies

Not so fast here... I think France may be playing a bit of poker