Iranian official calls for negotiations with Washington in Iraq

[yota691]

TEHRAN: We will not negotiate with Trump about our national security

 

Tuesday 19 June

 

 

 

 

BAGHDAD (Reuters ) - Iran will never negotiate with US President Donald Trump over its national security, the government's spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobkhat said on Tuesday.  This came in a statement in which Noubkht, during a press conference, a letter addressed by some reformist politicians to senior officials of the state and asked to negotiate with Washington without restriction or condition.   The government spokesman said the existence of the letter itself indicates freedom of expression in Iran, but said "the ground is not available now to negotiate with this person" (Donald Trump), explaining that "logic refuses" to negotiate with him.      He added: "We do not negotiate at all on our national security, but the negotiation itself comes along with other tools in the Islamic Republic of Iran." He said Tehran was in talks "with Europe at present, where the foreign minister and his aides often do so."

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Russia against Iran .. Has Assad's alliance begun to collapse?

- 4 Hours Ago 
In a speech on May 21 by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the US strategy following President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran-Iran nuclear deal, he vowed in a harsh tone to confront Iran's Revolutionary Guard and networks of multi-national Shiite militias throughout the country. Middle east. But strong words still have to be matched with action. The United States has struggled for years to come up with a strategy to contain Iranian influence in Syria, the most controversial battlefield in the Middle East.
This may be about to change, thanks to the rift in the pro-Syrian alliance of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. On one side of the divide, Iran is seeking to boost its gains in Syria to apply military pressure on Israel. On the other side are the Assad regime, Hezbollah and Russia, all of whom fear a major conflict with Israel that could undermine what they fought for in the Levant over the past decade. These divisions could finally provide Washington with the opportunity it sought to verify Tehran's ambitions in Syria.

Disintegration
Assad's position today remains as strong as it has been since 2012, when the Syrian armed opposition began to gain momentum. Over the past two years, the regime and its allies have achieved significant regional gains, especially in the strategic areas of and around the capital Damascus and in the last parts of the rebel rule in the province of Homs. Assad's opponents lack the will or ability to prevent him from winning the war slowly.

Russia played a key role in helping Assad stay in power, but the regime's most important ally was Iran, which used its intervention in Syria to lay the foundations for a permanent military presence. The investment of the vast Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the country allowed the re-formation of many sectors of the security state of the Assad, where he gave his blessing to deploy Hezbollah thousands of troops inside Syria, and imported thousands of Afghans, Iraqis, Pakistanis and Yemenis to fight on their behalf. Assad recruited and mobilized local militias from various Syrian identity communities, including Sunni Arabs. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have also become entangled in the Syrian economy by winning contracts to rehabilitate and expand the country's mining and telecommunications industries.

Iran is now trying to use its forces in Syria to apply strategic pressure on Israel. It works to help Hezbollah build missile and missile production facilities inside Lebanon and the Lebanese-Syrian border, and continues to transfer advanced weapons to the group they can use to threaten Israel. In recent months, Iran has carried out a number of provocative deployments near the Israeli border and fired rockets into the Golan Heights, resulting in violent Israeli retaliation.

But the motive for the confrontation is when Iran's priorities enter into conflict with the priorities of Assad and his other allies. As Assad consolidates his rule, he and his supporters are trying to normalize their presence and secure funding for reconstruction. Although Assad is unlikely to get Western reconstruction funds, he hopes that Brazil, China, India and some European countries like Italy will seek investment opportunities in rebuilding Syria. Assad does not want war with Israel, a military force capable of causing serious damage to Syria and undermining its attempts at integration and normalization. Moreover, there will be no international investment if the Syrian civil war is replaced by fighting between Iran and Israel.

The Russians also want to avoid the Syrian conflict with Israel. Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, wants to end the war in Syria in a way that brings him international credit and prestige. Moscow wants to strengthen its hold on its naval base in Tartous and its only air base in the Middle East in Hameimim, which is now expanding to support future military operations throughout the region. Putin also wants to secure reconstruction contracts for his allies, especially those related to natural gas reserves off the Syrian coast and energy-rich desert areas of central and eastern Syria. Any major Israeli intervention puts all this at risk.

Hezbollah also avoids the conflict with Israel. At present, his position inside Lebanon is stronger than ever, as the group strengthened its political power in elections in May. It also removed the threat of Sunni extremist organizations such as al-Qaeda and the state organization, both of which tried to establish Lebanon as a base for fighting in Syria. The only event that could threaten these gains would be a war with Israel that could destroy everything Hezbollah built since the last war between Israel and Hezbollah in July 2006.

The challenge for Hezbollah is that it is in a much weaker position at present for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards than ever since its inception. While Hezbollah was the sole agent of Iran in the Levant - which has given considerable influence to its sponsors - since the start of the Syrian civil war, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has established a larger multinational militia network inside Syria. It is an open question whether Hezbollah can refuse if the Iranian Revolutionary Guards push it into a war with Israel.

backing down
These tensions separate Iran from its former partners in Syria. For example, Israeli air strikes against Iranian targets and Hizballah targets in Syria were carried out by accepting the Russians, if not with their support. Russia has chosen not to combine its forces with Iran's forces, which when coupled with the Israeli-Russian non-conflict agreement on Syrian airspace gives Israel the flexibility it needs to attack Iranian assets in Syria. This is a reminder from Moscow that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard should not try its luck as it tries to make the Syrian-controlled areas of Syria a base for a future war with Israel.

More recently, there has also been disagreement between Iran and Russia over whether foreign militias - Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Shiite militia networks - should remain in Syria as the conflict is completed. In May, Putin said all foreign forces must leave Syria. His Syrian envoy, Alexander Lavrintev, later explained that Putin meant Americans, Iranians, Turks and foreign Shiite militias, but not Israelis. In response, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that no one could force Iranian forces out of Syria and that they would remain until Assad asked her to leave.

There were also reports of a decision by the Assad regime to comply with the withdrawal of Iranian forces and allied Shiite militias from the escalation zone near the Israeli and Jordanian borders. Instead of a military attack in the south-west - which Iran prefers - Assad may choose to work through Russia for the peaceful takeover of opposition-held territory through reconciliation agreements that provide a small degree of local autonomy. Local reports from the south-west, especially in the province of Daraa near the Syrian-Jordanian border, indicate that there is a current withdrawal of Iranian and Hezbollah forces from the area, although no one knows how long this will continue. If the withdrawal is real, it could be a major step in keeping the IRGC away from Jordan and Israel. It could also serve as a model for how to reduce Iran's interests when faced with a united opposition from Assad, Hezbollah and Russia and the threat of Israeli force.

Washington Options
Because the United States has chosen to limit its involvement in Syria - especially in the west of the country where Iran's power is based - it does not have much influence. However, there are a number of steps the US government can take to exacerbate the current divisions in the pro-Assad coalition, thereby reducing Iran's influence in the Levant.

First, the position of the official Trump administration continues to emphasize regime change by applying economic pressure and refusing to normalize Assad. But this position keeps Assad close to the IRGC and without him will be weak, at a time when Russia is trying to separate the two sides. Unfortunately, at this stage, the self-interest of Damascus and Moscow is the best defense against Tehran. The United States needs to recognize and benefit from it. This does not mean full engagement with Assad, responsible for the deaths of about 500,000 of his compatriots. But it means giving up the deception that Assad or his regime could be isolated anytime soon.

Second, the United States must unequivocally declare that it plans to remain in northeastern Syria in the long term. The United States in the north and east of Syria has the majority of the country's major oil, water and agricultural resources, providing Trump's control over Syria's future. Trump's comments, in which he expressed his desire to leave Syria, were not helpful, even if he traveled to them later. If the United States leaves east of Syria, it will unite Assad, Iran and Russia in an effort to restore these lands. Moscow and Damascus aspire to energy resources in this region, which can help finance Russian intervention and reconstruction in Syria. For Iran, the control of friendly forces on these territories will greatly increase the ability of militia forces to maneuver in Iraq and Syria.

Thirdly, the United States is still able to shape the outcome in south-west Syria, working with Jordan and Israel, and has successfully invested in a moderate opposition force that has retained this land over the past few years. The area is in the range of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, a likely place for a war in Syria between Israel and Iran. The Trump Administration should clearly state that the areas controlled by the opposition in south-west Syria must remain independent, maintain control of movement to and from their communities, and continue to access humanitarian assistance and trade across the border with Jordan.

To support these goals, Trump should cancel a $ 200 million freeze on the financing of stability in Syria. Much of this money has been allocated to train armed opposition groups and transfer them to local security roles and to support local governance in these communities. These efforts are pragmatic and practical, but none will disrupt the current negotiations between Jordan, Russia and the United States on the future of the Southwest. These efforts will indicate that Trump remains an investor in the region's stability.

Finally, with regard to Israel, the IDF has demonstrated its ability to strike Iranian targets in Syria. The threat of future strikes is an important point of pressure on Tehran. However, this stick should be used with caution. The United States will certainly continue to support Israel, but it must also encourage restraint from its ally.

The US strategy, which focuses on containing Iran's influence in Syria by exploiting divisions with its partners, will be consistent with the constraints that Iran has faced in other parts of the Middle East. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has succeeded in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by civil wars in the region: first in Lebanon and most recently in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. These conflicts have come through working with local partners who have been given broad freedom to work because their goals intersect. But we see again and again the overlap of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, causing a national reaction from its local partners. May now reach a dead end within Syria, where its interests finally diverge from the interests of its allies.

[yota691]

Iran rejects European proposals to save nuclear deal

Posted by Tomorrow

 

Date: 11:54 AM, June 20

 

Iran has rejected European proposals to save the nuclear deal after the withdrawal of the United States. 
During his meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi expressed his country's dissatisfaction with the European proposals, warning that all parties would lose if the West to marginalize the role of his country.

The Iranian official pointed out to Salehi the situation in the Middle East region, pointing out the importance of Iran's role to maintain stability in the region and its potential, especially at the internal and regional levels.

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The Revolutionary Guard: Communist Kim surrendered ... and we will not follow in his footsteps

- 1 Minute Ago

Iran's Revolutionary Guard commander General Mohammad Ali Jafari warned that "reconciliation" with the United States "means the death of the revolution" in his country, saying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "Communist" surrendered to Washington and "we will not follow in his footsteps."

He pointed out that more than 100 moderate and reformist Iranian figures have sent a message to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei demanding direct talks with Washington without conditions, stressing that previous negotiations with the United States over the Iranian nuclear file were an "exception". "The formulation of this letter is not surprising, given the intellectual principles that these people carry. If we want to look at this issue with good faith and not say that they committed treason, we can say that their vision is neither revolutionary nor Islamic. "

"The North Korean leader is revolutionary, but he is a non-Islamic communist. So he surrendered, but we will not follow his footsteps. Everyone knows that reconciliation with the United States means the death of the revolution and causes great damage to the people and the regime. The president (Hassan) Rohani announced that negotiations with the Americans are crazy, and if we do not consider these (the sites of the message) crazy, we must say that they are lost. "

The commander of the Guards said Tehran was "scientifically able to increase the range of its missiles." But this is not part of our policy, because most of the strategic objectives of our enemies are within 2,000 kilometers. This is enough to protect Iran. " Khamenei ordered in 2017 that the range of the missiles should not exceed 2,000 km. "The type of wars has changed after the victory of the Iranian revolution," he said. "Fighting between an army and an army is fighting between a people and an army."

"There is no reason or reason to talk to this person," said Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Baqir Nobbakh. Public opinion will not welcome this either. At a time when Americans do not trust their president, it is not acceptable to send a message in which we want to negotiate. His advocates lack political maturity. " "There is no room for negotiations on national security, and political leadership will negotiate when necessary to ensure national interests, and the model of that, the nuclear agreement" between Tehran and the six countries in 2015, he added.

In Paris, French Economy Minister Bruno Lemerre ruled out the survival of his country's companies in Iran after it was again subject to US sanctions following Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal. "They will not be able to survive. They have to receive an allowance for the products they receive or manufacture in Iran, and that will not be possible because we do not have a sovereign and independent European financial body," he said.

He stressed the "priority of building" this body, and added: "The United States is no longer the economic policeman in the world, and since the US president decided to be a policeman, it is up to us to give ourselves tools so as not to be victims of this option.

On the other hand, the "Student Movement for Justice" sent a letter to the prosecutor in Tehran, complaining that former Iranian chief of staff General Hassan Fairuz Abadi has been living free for a quarter of a century in a palace belonging to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. She pointed out that the property area of about 10 thousand square meters in Luasan, an upscale suburb outside Tehran. The letter added that Khamenei had twice asked Fayrouz Abadi to vacate the building, realizing that the police had not carried out the orders of the guide.

[yota691]

Iraq: US sanctions on Iran will not affect the oil swap agreement with them

Editorial Date: 2018/6/22 13:47 • 11 times read

{International: Al Furat News} Iraq announced that US sanctions on Iran will not affect the agreement of the two countries to exchange crude oil.

"The crude being shipped to Iran so far pays for the electricity Iraq is getting instead of the oil swap," Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Friday to discuss production levels. 
"We have just started sending small quantities to Iran refineries, but not on a swap basis," he said. 
Iraq agreed last year to ship crude from the fields of Kirkuk to Iran for use in refineries, to be delivered by Iran then a similar amount of oil in the ports of southern Iraq.

[yota691]

 

Iran is threatening to withdraw from the nuclear agreement if Europe does not comply with it

 

13:27

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threatened Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Abbas Araqchi on Friday, the withdrawal of his country from the agreement signed in 2015 on its nuclear program, in the case of Europe , it has not adhered to in the wake of the withdrawal of the United States of it.

"The waiting period for Iran is over, and it may withdraw from the joint comprehensive plan of action in the coming weeks," Araqji said, according to the Tasnim news agency. 

"I can not say that the chances of entering into further negotiations with Europe are clear and lead us to a joint decision on maintaining a comprehensive joint action plan." We are still waiting, and we hope that the European offer will be acceptable to Iran so as not to withdraw. 

"Europe must reassure Iran of its commitment to the agreement," he said.

On May 8, US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from the Comprehensive Agreement on Iran's nuclear program, which was reached between the "six-party" as international sponsors (Russia, the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany) In 2015, Trump announced the resumption of all sanctions suspended as a result of the deal. 

On the other hand, the European Union and European countries, led by France and Britain, refused to withdraw from the nuclear agreement and stressed the continuation of the agreement reached in 2015. Iran announced that it would abide by the agreement in return for the commitment of European countries and guarantees to Iran.

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FUTURE OF IRAN’S NUCLEAR DEAL- SHAFAQNA EXCLUSIVE

SHAFAQNA-

Islamic Students Associations in Britain held a discussion panel on the “Future of Iran’s Nuclear Deal” at Kanoon Towhid in London which is the centre of their London Branch. Mohammad Hossein Amirhosseini, the President of the Islamic Students Associations in Britain chaired the discussion, and  introduced the Union of Islamic Students Associations in Europe as its hosts. The event  was broadcast live to other branches in the UK and Europe with an audience of thousands. He outlined that “after years of complicated and overwhelming negotiations, finally, Iran and the 5 + 1 group, which is now “4 + 1″, reached a comprehensive international agreement, but after three years, with the withdrawal of the United States from this international agreement, a new phase has come into play.”

 

 

Some analysts believed that Iran would immediately withdraw from the deal, but it did not, and Iran decided to consider a short deadline for negotiating with Europe in order to examine the conditions for continued action if Iran’s interests were satisfied by the European side of the agreement, and to subsequently decide on whether to stay in the agreement or exit from it. It was in this regard that the discussion panel was set up –  to analyse the future of the Iran’s nuclear deal.

 

 

The first speaker, Syed Mohsin Abbas, a journalist, broadcaster and Middle East Analyst, who appears on various international media channels, mentioned that “it is not simply a question of whether Iran should have the nuclear weapon or not – understanding the broader history and geopolitical context is vital on an issue as grave and complex as this.

 

 

In fact the Nuclear problem between the US and Iran is totally rooted in their history and in fact since the 20th century. It is particularly linked to US oil resource acquisition agendas, their military expansionism, the US blind support of Israeli geopolitical ambitions and also the genuine major ideological differences with Iran that existed ever since the time of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, who the CIA toppled because he wanted to nationalize the hugely lucrative Iranian oil industry.The Americans of course replaced him with the Shah of Iran who then, as their puppet, dutifully complied with the policies of his US masters.

 

 

The deterioration of Irano-US relations was resumed during the Islamic revolution of 1978 and it has never really recovered after the US Embassy hostage crisis. It was killed by a sequence of deadly events – the ill fated US helicopter mission to.rescue its hostages from Tehran, the Iranian Passenger Airbus shot down by the US Navy, and most fatally finished off by the war imposed by the West’s Iraqi proxy, Saddam Hussain, resulting in over a million deaths.”

 

 

Syed Mohsin added that “more recently the various ongoing US and Western psyops efforts to sponsor the overthrow of the current political order, and their use of Wahhabist ideologies to fuel the rise of Takfirists such as ISIS in Syria and Iraq are yet more manifestations of the USA’s desperation to encircle and destroy Iran’s defiant government led by Grand Ayatollah Khamenei .

 

 

So the USA’s  U-turn on the nuclear deal is hardly a surprise for Iran’s establishment.In light of all this history Iran can now hardly be blamed for its mistrust of a US establishment which has reneged on a binding international agreement, and that too, inspite of the advice of its own key European allies to honour it.” Iran has Mohsin said “complied with aĺl the JCPOA and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s stipulations; scaling down its operations hugely in the process, but the Zionist lobby cannot be satiated; it in fact wants the total capitulation of Iranian military capacity not just denuclearization. All this while they remain unquestioned by the US government about their reported four hundred nuclear warheads, all but uninspected by any International agency. They do not even subscribe to the Nuclear non proliferation treaty either, and have also tactically initiated several regional wars and continue to promote the Balkanization of the Middle East.

 

 

No such beligerent travesties of this magnitude have been commited by Iran, whose Supreme Leader has even stated his own principled Islamic jurisprudential position against the use of nuclear weapons, and yet the Nuclear investigation focus is still on Iran rather than Israel. A strange hypocricy indeed, particularly on the part of the US government.”

 

 

The real problem is that Iranian political ideology is challenging America’s hegemony in the Middle East and Welayat Faqih is its unique new system of moral politics. You cannot see anything approaching such an  effective interpretation of Islamic governance in any other Muslim country, most of whom prefer dictatorships, monarchies or badly operated secular ‘copy paste’ versions of Western democracies. The danger for the Structural elite is, of course, that if Iran stands up on his own feet, it will show other oppressed countries that it is possible to successfully resist the US oppression and be an independent nation inspite of all the US economic sanctions, military intimidation.”

 

 

Mr Abbas argued that “the nuclear issue cannot be understood outside of the reality of global politics, nor the historical context of Western imperialist treachery and exploitation of the region. Iranian people understand this but some will argue “roti kapdah makan” (bread,clothes,shelter) are pressing realities too.” Mohsin said “Iran ignites the fears of the Corporate Structural elite with its Islamic independence. Their Western governmental levers of power fear that the Islamic world and the oppressed world might wake up to claim independence too ultimately developing their own Islamically inspired institutions and systems.

 

 

The second speaker, Dr. Majid Tafreshi,who is a historian, researcher writer and analyst on contemporary developments in Iran and the relationship between Iran and UK, said the nuclear power ambition started from Mohammad Reza Shah’s time. Documents show that there were always some people in Iran who remained interested in developing nuclear power and even nuclear weapons capability. He added that “after the Islamic Revolution, some people in Iran said we do not want nuclear activities but following the Iran /Iraq war, where chemical weapons supplied by the West were used against Iranian soldiers, they tried to restart the process of having nuclear power. Obviously there are still some people who think Iran needs to have a nuclear weapon or some certainly believe that Iran should have the technology to be able to make the bomb as a last ditch deterrent.”

 

 

He said that “in 2013, when Iran’s President Rouhani came to power, the United States announced that they would not allow Iran to have any sort of nuclear facility. The reality is that the US economic sanctions on Iran were not just started after the Islamic Revolution, but rather from the few days before the revolution when America noticed the last of the non revolutionary Prime ministers could not stop the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini. One of those pre Islamic Revolution sanctions was for example the cancellation of the contracts for supply of the Chieften tanks to Iran by the UK. Over a hundred billion dollars of Iranian funds were also frozen by the US around this period.”

 

 

According to Dr Majed “at the time of the recent Nuclear deal there were three basic idealogies about it; the first group believed that any deal with the West should be forbidden.The second group were pragmatists who believed it possible to make a deal as long as Iran’s needs were satisfied. The third group that was not happy with concluding a nuclear deal was allegedly those who were making money out of the sanctions.These three camps with their ideas were competing inside and outside of the country to influence or dictate Iran’s nuclear strategy.” They stilll may well be.

 

 

The panelists both agreed that the main external anger towards Iran’s nuclear programme comes from the Israelis, global Zionists and Saudi Arabia, who all feared that for the first time in the last two hundred years, Iran sat face to face in front of the world super powers at the top table negotiating in parity with them.The outcome of the deal was the secondary issue for them – Iran’s growing importance was their primary problem.

 

 

Dr Tafreshi said however that the first problem for Iran is still “that Iran remains relatively weak in lobbying effectively for its interests in the fields of foreign policy, commercial policy and public diplomacy policy inspite of the Russian and to a lesser extent Chinese support. The second problem is that Iran is weak in its media projection too and after 2009 when Press TV and AL-Alam lost their international credibility things have regressed further ” ensuring much of the world does not know Iranian hearts and mind.

 

 

So even though the Europeans and the US seem to be at loggerheads over the Iranian nuclear deal ultimately the transnational corporations will not take the risk of doing business with Iran given the inevitable negative impact of a US sanctions on their businesses elsewhere in the world. Syed Mohsin said ” It will take some very dextrous Iranian diplomacy to get things back on track as Iran demands credible guarantees from the Europeans to provide an economic firewall against US sanctions which would protect the Iranian Central Bank.

 

 

Iran will also dig its heels in on the non negotiable issues around its ballistic missile program, and its regional foreign policy especially in Syria where a very real threat of a direct confrontation with Israel has emerged. All this may ultimately mean Iran and the US have to sit together one on one to discuss how to avoid an escalation of a much greater war in a region already aflame.”

 

 

Economic expedience and moral principles are once again the choice facing Iran. The US of course has no such moral dillema – for Trumps’s administration economics overides morality everytime and the Israeli lobby on Capitol Hill will ensure Trump remains the Zionist entities sugar daddy.

 

 

JUNE 22, 2018/

[yota691]

Rohani: Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal was America's worst choice

Release date: 2018/6/26 9:47 • 108 times read

(AFP) - Iranian President Hassan Rowhani described US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal as "the worst choice for America".

"The White House believed that Iran would come out of the nuclear agreement on the second day of their withdrawal from the agreement to return our file to the Security Council again and impose sanctions on Tehran again," Rowhani said at the forum of Iran's judiciary. 
"Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal was the worst choice for America. His position only supported a number of small countries," he said. "What Iran has done has forced America to pay a heavy price for this move." 
The Iranian president stressed that Tehran today enjoys strong political conditions in the world as America tries to frustrate and resist the Iranian people in some way. 
He stressed that "the Iranians will not bow to American pressure and will defend their independence and Islamic values," noting that Trump's step in relation to the nuclear agreement is "shocking and illegal and damaged the reputation of the United States in the world."

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U.S. Urges Allies to End Iranian Oil Imports

JENNA LIFHITS

• 3 MIN READ

 

A support vessel maneuvers near the crude oil tanker Devon as it sails through the Persian Gulf toward Kharq Island oil terminal to transport crude oil to export markets in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Friday, March 23, 2018. Geopolitical risk is creeping back into the crude oil market.

Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

•  

June 26, 2018 2:23 PM

State Department official warns that countries that refuse risk sanctions.

The United States is urging its allies to cut imports of Iranian oil to “zero” by November 4, a move aimed at intensifying the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign against Tehran after leaving the 2015 nuclear deal.

“We’re going to isolate streams of Iranian funding and looking to highlight the totality of Iran’s malign behavior across the region,” a senior State Department official told reporters Tuesday.

The official, who has been traveling Europe and Asia, said that the administration does not plan to issue waivers. “I would be hesitant to say zero waivers ever,” the official said, but added that the predisposition is not to grant them.

 

U.S. officials have asked Japan to end imports, and plan to urge China and India to do the same. If countries do not do so, they risk U.S. sanctions.

“Their companies will be subject to the same sanctions that everybody else’s are if they engage in those sectors of the economy,” the official said of China and India. “We will certainly be requesting that their oil imports go to zero, without question.”

The official said the U.S. request is a “challenge” for countries that import Iranian oil, but one that allies, faced with the risk of sanctions, are willing to comply with.

“They genuinely understand that the secretary and the White House aren’t kidding about this, that as part of our maximum pressure economic campaign, the sanctions are going to come back on,” the official said. The U.S. also plans to meet with Middle Eastern allies “to ensure that the global supply of oil is not adversely affected.”

 

President Donald Trump announced in May that the U.S. would be leaving the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposing the “highest level of economic sanctions” lifted under the agreement. European parties to the deal vowed to stick with it and work to maintain sanctions relief to Iran—though they have acknowledged that doing so will be difficult. Many companies have announced their intent to leave Iran.

That includes energy giant Total, which has said it will be unable to continue with a gas development project there without a waiver. State Department officials, asked on Tuesday about the European position on the U.S. sanctions campaign, pointed to the “flight” of European business from Iran.

“The self-policing of European companies, the flight of European companies doing business in Iran away from Iran, has changed the equation,” Wess Mitchell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, told lawmakers. “When European leaders look at Iran and they see their own businesses are voluntarily removing themselves from the equation in Iran. I think that creates a different playing field.”

Mitchell said that there “is some difference of opinion” among European countries and that more would become known about their position on Iran sanctions “in coming days.”

 

In early June, European officials asked the Trump administration for exemptions in sectors like civil aviation and banking. “As close allies, we expect that the extraterritorial effects of U.S. secondary sanctions will not be enforced on EU entities and individuals, and the United States will thus respect our political decisions,” they wrote.

According to an Iranian official cited in Iranian media, the Europeans have been working to “compile a package to keep the JCPOA alive” consisting of “economic measures against U.S. sanctions.” Iran has saidthat it is moving to increase its uranium enrichment capacity in case the deal fails.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in May that Iran could see sanctions relief if its leaders make “major changes.” He listed 12 conditions, including ending support to groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, “permanently and verifiably” abandoning its nuclear work, and ending uranium enrichment.

“Relief from our efforts will come only when we see tangible, demonstrated, and sustained shifts in Tehran’s policies,” Pompeo said. “We’re not asking anything other than that Iranian behavior be consistent with global norms.”

 

Iran has seen angry protests in recent days, which a senior State Department official on Tuesday attributed to the regime wasting money abroad rather than at home. “Iranians are basically fed up with the regime squandering the nation’s wealth on not particularly productive or enriching adventures abroad,” the official said.

[yota691]

ENERGY

JUNE 26, 2018 / 12:31 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

UPDATE 2-U.S. pushes allies to halt Iran oil imports, waivers unlikely

 

Reuters Staff

5 MIN READ

•  
•  

 

(Adds quote on waivers, analyst comments)

By Lesley Wroughton and Doina Chiacu

WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - The United States has told countries to cut all imports of Iranian oil from November and is unlikely to offer any exemptions, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on allies to cut off funding to Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump in May said his administration was withdrawing from the “defective” nuclear deal agreed between Iran and six world powers in July 2015, aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear capabilities in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions, and ordered the reimposition of U.S. sanctions against Tehran that were suspended under the accord.

“Yes, we are asking them to go to zero,” the official said when asked if the United States was pushing allies, including China and India, to cut oil imports to zero by November.

“We’re going to isolate streams of Iranian funding and looking to highlight the totality of Iran’s malign behavior across the region,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

The official said a U.S. delegation was headed to the Middle East next week to urge Gulf producers to ensure global oil supplies as Iran is cut out of the market starting on Nov. 4 when U.S. sanctions are reimposed.

 

Officials have yet to hold talks with China and India, among the largest importers of Iran’s oil, as well as Turkey and Iraq.

Benchmark U.S. oil futures rose more than $2 on Tuesday, topping $70 a barrel for the first time since May 25 as the threat that the United States would push buyers to limit Iranian oil imports added to concerns about tightening supplies.

Asked if any waivers were expected to be granted in the process, the official said the position of the administration was that no exemptions would be permitted. He added: “I would be hesitant to say zero waivers ever.”

Senior State Department and Treasury officials are pressing allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East to adhere to the sanctions, which are aimed at pressuring Iran to negotiate a follow-up agreement to halt its nuclear programs.

Iran has met with Chinese oil buyers to ask them to maintain imports of its oil, although it failed to secure guarantees from China, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in May.

“We will be engaging in the next segment coming up in a week or so with our Middle Eastern partners to ensure the global supply of oil is not adversely affected by these sanctions,” the official said.

China, the world’s top crude oil buyer, imported around 655,000 barrels a day on average from Iran in the first quarter of this year, according to official Chinese customs data, equivalent to more than a quarter of Iran’s total exports.

Oil analysts said there are concerns that OPEC producers will not be able to fully supply the market after Iranian oil is cut from the market.

 

“There is real concern on whether the ‘OPEC Plus’ will have enough spare capacity to balance potential drops in oil production from Venezuela and Iran,” said Abhishek Kumar, Senior Energy Analyst at Interfax Energy’s Global Gas Analytics in London.

European powers have vowed to keep the 2015 deal alive without the United States by trying to keep Iran’s oil and investment flowing, but have acknowledged that U.S. sanctions would make it difficult to give Tehran guarantees.

“For the vast majority of countries they are willing to adhere and support our approach to this because they also view” Iran’s behavior as a threat, the official added.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday promised Iranians the government would be able to handle the economic pressure of new U.S. sanctions amid reports of a second day of demonstrations in protest at financial hardship and a weakening rial.

Fars news agency reported that parts of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar were on strike for a second straight day. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm the report.

Washington has sought to emphasize that the protests are part of rising economic discontent in Iran hoping it will force the government to negotiate a new nuclear deal to avoid sanctions.

“There is a level of frustration that people have with regard to the regime activity and behavior, the enrichment of the military and clerical elite and the squeezing out of the life of the economy,” the senior State Department official said.

“Iranians are tired of this situation,” the official added. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Doina Chiacu Editing by James Dalgleish)

[yota691]

UN reveals Iraqi violations of its resolutions on Iran

Readers

 

 

UN reveals Iraqi violations of its resolutions on Iran

 

28-06-2018 01:52 PM

 

The Euphrates -

 

A UN report said Iraq was violating a UN Security Council resolution on the Iranian nuclear deal. 

The Secretary-General of the United Nations addressed the report to the Security Council, which contains many details of the violations of the Iranian nuclear agreement. 

Among the violations committed by Iraq was the participation of Iranian military companies in a military exhibition held in Baghdad on 10 March 2018. 

Qasem Soleimani's repeated visits to Iraq also contravene UN Security Council Resolution 2231. 

The representative of the United States of America to the United Nations commended the report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, which for the first time demonstrated Iranian military activity in the region. 

"Looking at the region, Iran supports the Huthis, Iran supports Hezbollah, Iran supports Hamas, and Iran supports the Assad regime," said US Deputy Secretary of State Jonathan Cohen. 

[yota691]

28-06-2018 01:24 PM

Iraq violates UN Security Council resolution on Iran nuclear deal: UN

 

 

 

Iraq is violating a UN Security Council resolution on the Iranian nuclear deal, a UN report said on Thursday. 

The Secretary-General of the United Nations addressed the report to the Security Council, which contains many details of the violations of the Iranian nuclear agreement. 

Among the violations committed by Iraq is the participation of Iranian military companies in a military exhibition held in Baghdad on March 10, 2018. 

Qasem Soleimani's repeated visits to Iraq also contravene UN Security Council Resolution 2231. 

The representative of the United States of America to the United Nations commended the report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, which for the first time demonstrated Iranian military activity in the region.

Russia's delegate to the United Nations, Vasily Nabenza, said the United States delegate "focuses on the wrong part of the report, while he has to focus on the first part of it." 

In the section to which the Russian delegate referred, the Secretary-General of the United Nations criticizes the American withdrawal from the nuclear agreement to which the European Union is still committed. 

"We will continue to work to strengthen the nuclear agreement so that it can be preserved and ultimately successful," said Dutch delegate to the UN Karl van Ostrom. 

Instead of focusing on the agreement, the United States delegate focuses on Iran's role in the region without addressing Iraq and supporting Iran's popular mobilization. 

"Looking at the region, Iran supports the Huthis, Iran supports Hezbollah, Iran supports Hamas, and Iran supports the Assad regime," said US Deputy Secretary of State Jonathan Cohen.

In a more moderate tone than her American counterpart, British Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Karen Pearce, criticized at one of the meetings of the Iranian nuclear agreement, for the first time, the regional role of Iran. 

"Iran is a mature and respectable civilization with legitimate security interests in the region and deserves its place in the multi-faceted world order. But Iran's ways of protecting its interests often lead to instability and threats to its neighbors," Peres said. 

But America is not only criticizing the British and European, but its representative at the United Nations calls on all countries of Europe, India and China to stop buying Iranian oil, and punish Iran economically.

[Synopsis]

16 hours ago, yota691 said:

Iraq is violating a UN Security Council resolution on the Iranian nuclear deal, a UN report said on Thursday. 

The Secretary-General of the United Nations addressed the report to the Security Council, which contains many details of the violations of the Iranian nuclear agreement. 

Among the violations committed by Iraq is the participation of Iranian military companies in a military exhibition held in Baghdad on March 10, 2018. 

Qasem Soleimani's repeated visits to Iraq also contravene UN Security Council Resolution 2231. 

 

BINGO EVERYBODY!!!

 

              

 

Driving the Ole Wedgie between Iraq AND Iran where Ole Qasem Soleimani is going to GET IT!!!       

 

Hey, The United States Of America gave the Israeli Mossad the "Green Light" to take Qasem Soleimani out!!! Maybe sooner rather than later!!!

 

I find this UN report "timely" with Ole Qasem Soleimani trying to push Ole Nouri al-Maliki as a united Shia coalition with Ole Nouri al-Maliki as the new Prime Minister!!!

 

Maybe next week we will see the Iranian influence in Iraq fold like a house of cards with Sadr's coalition being able to present Haider al-Abadi for a second term as Prime Minister!!!

 

Just my conjecture, thoughts, opinion, and  for whatever THAT is worth!!! CAVEAT EMPTOR, Reader!!! 

 

In The Mean Time...........................................

 

Go Moola Nova (YEAH AND YEE HAW, BABY, READY WHEN YOU ARE BROTHER (OR SISTER) - LET 'ER BUCK!!!)!!!

   

[Rockymtnhi]

Iran has seen angry protests in recent days, which a senior State Department official on Tuesday attributed to the regime wasting money abroad rather than at home. “Iranians are basically fed up with the regime squandering the nation’s wealth on not particularly productive or enriching adventures abroad,” the official said.

Washington has sought to emphasize that the protests are part of rising economic discontent in Iran hoping it will force the government to negotiate a new nuclear deal to avoid sanctions.

“There is a level of frustration that people have with regard to the regime activity and behavior, the enrichment of the military and clerical elite and the squeezing out of the life of the economy,” the senior State Department official said.

“Iranians are tired of this situation,” the official added.

"Looking at the region, Iran supports the Huthis, Iran supports Hezbollah, Iran supports Hamas, and Iran supports the Assad regime," said US Deputy Secretary of State Jonathan Cohen.

Iraq is violating a UN Security Council resolution on the Iranian nuclear deal, a UN report said on Thursday. 

The Secretary-General of the United Nations addressed the report to the Security Council, which contains many details of the violations of the Iranian nuclear agreement. 

Among the violations committed by Iraq is the participation of Iranian military companies in a military exhibition held in Baghdad on March 10, 2018. 

Qasem Soleimani's repeated visits to Iraq also contravene UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

 

the Secretary-General of the United Nations criticizes the American withdrawal from the nuclear agreement to which the European Union is still committed. 

"We will continue to work to strengthen the nuclear agreement so that it can be preserved and ultimately successful," said Dutch delegate to the UN Karl van Ostrom. 

Iran continues to push the EU to continue to support the nuclear agreement the US cancelled.  Thank GOD for Trump.

The US and the rest of the world needs to squeeze Iranian leaders into oblivion.  The Iranian public has had it. 

[yota691]

Turkey announces the opening of a consulate in Mosul

Readers

 

 

Turkey announces the opening of a consulate in Mosul

 

29-06-2018 02:41 PM

 

The Euphrates -

 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mouloud Zhaoshoglu announced Friday that he would begin work on opening a consulate in the city of Mosul, stressing that his country would not cut off trade ties with Tehran on the orders of other countries. 
Turkey closed its consulate in Mosul shortly after an incursion into the city taken by a capital for what it called succession. 
Okhlu's confirmation comes after Tehran told the United States this week to stop all imports of Iranian oil from November.

Turkey relies on imports to provide nearly all of its energy needs. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last year Turkey was looking to increase its annual trade with Iran to $ 30 billion from $ 10 billion.

US President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on US allies to cut funding to Iran.

[yota691]

TEHRAN: We will confront Washington by relying on our own capabilities

Date Posted       29/06/2018 12:23 PM

Iran's Foreign Ministry responded to a US call to halt the import of Iranian crude by November. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasimi said that Iran would confront the United States by relying on its own capabilities and the use of international energies, pointing out that the United States is heading toward isolation. He added that the countries of the world will choose what suits their interests, describing the imposition of the policy of one country to other countries in the policy of the Middle Ages, as he put it.

[yota691]

For fear of Trump ... European purchases of Iranian oil are going to stop

 

Donald Trump, President of the United States of America

Arab and international Economy News Baghdad European refiners are cutting their purchases of Iranian oil at a faster pace than expected as the United States prepares to re-impose sanctions on Iran, threatening more severe effects than the previous round of punitive measures against Tehran in 2012 despite the EU not taking part in the sanctions. This time. Washington said companies should liquidate their activities with Iran by November 4 or face the threat of exclusion from the US financial system. Following the sanctions imposed by former US President Barack Obama on Iran in 2012, Europe imposed its own ban on Iranian oil. But this time, credit lines have been cut despite European leaders pledging to stick to the nuclear deal, with European purchases going to a halt. "Those sanctions will be worse than Obama's sanctions ... with him, you know where you stand and how you move within the sanctions ... Nothing can be expected with Trump, everyone is afraid," a source in the oil sector said. According to Reuters, Europe receives more than a fifth of Iranian crude exports of 2.5 million barrels per day. The United States has said it wants to deprive Iran of all oil exports, making the exceptions unlikely. But Washington later softened its position, saying it would work with countries on a case-by-case basis to cut as many imports to zero by November. Views 53   Date Added 30/06/2018

[yota691]

New punitive measures besieging Iran internationally

- 2 Minutes

PARIS - An international body monitoring money laundering worldwide said on Friday it had given Iran until October to complete reforms that would bring it into line with global standards or face consequences that could further alienate investors.

Iran has sought to attract foreign investors after a 2015 agreement with the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain, lifting a number of sanctions in exchange for Tehran's agreement to restrict its nuclear program.

Iran is trying to apply the criteria set by the FATF, an international body to combat money-laundering and counterterrorism financing, hoping to remove it from a black list that some foreign investors are reluctant to deal with.

On Sunday, three days of protests erupted in the Tehran bazaar, in which hundreds of angry merchants and shop owners condemned the sharp devaluation of the Iranian currency.

Protests early this week gained political character, and demonstrators chanted anti-Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials whom the protesters called thieves and demanded they step down.

Bazaar traders, most loyal to the leadership since the 1979 Islamic revolution, have been angered by what they called the government's turbulent response to the crisis, which they said caused a sharp rise in prices that made trading almost impossible.

The punitive measures taken by the group could worsen the situation for its financial sector, which began to suffer from the US decision in May to withdraw from the nuclear deal

The Iranian riyal has lost 40 percent of its value since last month when US President Donald Trump pulled out of a nuclear deal in 2015 and imposed tough economic sanctions on Tehran.

These include seeking to stop Iranian oil sales, the main source of revenue, which has cast a shadow over the economy.

"The FATF is disappointed by Iran's failure to implement its plan of action to address the significant shortcomings in the fight against money-laundering and the financing of terrorism," it said in a statement after a week of deliberations in Paris.

"The FATF urgently expects Iran to move quickly on the reform track to ensure that it addresses all remaining items in its plan of action ... We expect Iran to amend AML / CFT laws ... with full compliance with FATF standards by October 2018, Appropriate and necessary actions at that time ".

The decision gives Iran some time to know that punitive measures by the group could worsen the situation for its financial sector, which began to suffer from a US decision in May to withdraw from the nuclear deal and the administration of President Donald Trump to carry out a series of new sanctions that alarm companies.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on June 20 that parliament must pass anti-money laundering legislation in accordance with its own criteria.

Khamenei's words mean that parliament is unlikely to use the FATF criteria. Foreign companies say a draft law that includes the FATF guidelines is necessary if Iranians want to increase investment.

Opponents in Iran's parliament have opposed passage of legislation in compliance with FATF standards, saying it could hamper Iran's financial support for allies such as the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which the United States lists as terrorist organizations.

The Arabs

[yota691]

Keep doing what your doing Iran as the World watches...Expecting different results...

5 hours ago

Iran threatens foreign companies

2018-06-30T15: 12: 33Z

Mohamed Shariat Medari

Abu Dhabi - Sky News Arabiacalled on Tehran on Saturday, foreign companies operating in Iran not to bow to "threats" the US to impose sanctions.

And announced that it was discussing with French car manufacturers PSI and Renault how to keep their activities in the country.

"Foreign companies operating in Iran should not bow to US threats and continue their activities in Iran," Iranian Industry Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari told a news conference in Tehran.

"All the companies that do not do so will replace them. Other companies are willing to invest in Iran," he said.

"So far they have not told us that they will not continue their work" in Iran, he said in response to a specific question about the two French cars PSA (Peugeot, Citroen and DS) and Renault brands.

"They continue to cooperate, and so far we continue the discussion, there is nothing new yet." The two groups are subject to US sanctions if they decide to continue their activities in Iran.

When the United States decided on May 8 to withdraw from the nuclear deal signed in 2015, US President Donald Trump launched a reverse count to re-impose sanctions under the agreement.

As for the auto industry, US sanctions will be imposed again from August 6.

[ChuckFinley]

I hope Trump squeeze the crap out of them.  

[jg1]

1 hour ago, ChuckFinley said:

I hope Trump squeeze the crap out of them.  

Unfortunately I am a very visual person.

[ChuckFinley]

3 minutes ago, jg1 said:

Unfortunately I am a very visual person.

[10 YEARS LATER]

3 hours ago, jg1 said:

Unfortunately I am a very visual person.

 

As am I  - Gonna have to slaughter a Hog to get CF's Visual outta my head now . . . 

[yota691]

Iraqis and directors of Iranian companies buy African passports

 

 Twilight News    
 6 hours ago

In February, the Comoros quietly canceled a series of passports that foreigners bought during the past few years.

The tiny country off the coast of East Africa did not publish details of the reason for the decision, saying only that the passports were improperly issued.

But a confidential list of passport holders suggests the move is more motivated than the government has said.

Reuters found that more than 100 of the 155 people whose passports were issued in the Comoros in January were Iranians, including senior executives from companies in the fields of navigation, oil, gas, foreign exchange and precious metals, All of which are subject to international sanctions against Iran.

Some have bought more than one passport issued by the Comoros.

Diplomats and security sources in the Comoros and the West fear that some Iranians have obtained passports to protect their interests, with sanctions crippling Iran's ability to conduct business on the international scene.

Although none of these individuals or companies are targeted by sanctions, restrictions on Iran may make the carrying of another passport useful.

Comoros passports allow for visa-free travel to areas in the Middle East and Far East, which can be used by Iranians to open accounts at foreign banks and register companies abroad.

The Iranian government does not officially allow citizens to hold a second passport, but an Iranian source familiar with foreign passport purchases said the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence had given green light to some business and corporate dignitaries to obtain these passports to facilitate travel and financial transactions.

The Iranian government and the Iranian embassy in London have not responded to requests for comment.

Hamid Masidi, a former interior minister in the Comoros who was in office during the issuance of some of these passports, said he had doubts some Iranians were "trying to exploit the Comoros to circumvent sanctions." He added that he pressed for further audits before granting passports to foreigners but gave no details.

The US Treasury declined to comment, saying it did not address ongoing investigations.

Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East expert at the US Congressional Research Service, said the Comoros was one of several African countries where Iran was trying to have diplomatic and trade influence.

"Getting passports from the Comoros will allow them to do things without finding out they are Iranian," he said.

According to the Comorian passport database, more than 1,000 people born in Iran purchased passports from the Comoros from 2008 to 2017.

Most of these passports were bought between 2011 and 2013 when international sanctions against Iran were tightened, particularly on the oil and banking sectors.

Other foreigners who bought passports from the Comoros included Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis, Chinese and a few people from Western countries.

Keywords: 

[10 YEARS LATER]

This should come as NO SURPRISE to anyone . . .  VERY enlightening to say the least, though - - Thank you Yota for bringing this over.