Iranian official calls for negotiations with Washington in Iraq

[yota691]

30-03-2019 06:21 PM

Trade between Iran and the United States drops by 66%

 

 

BAGHDAD / 
The volume of trade between Iran and the United States increased by 66 percent in January compared to the same period last year. 
The volume of exchange between the two countries fell from 13.5 million dollars in January 2018, to 4.5 million dollars, in the same month of 2019, according to data from the US Census Bureau. 
While Iran was unable to export any US products in January 2019 due to the sanctions, it imported $ 4.5 million. 
The volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached 508 million dollars in 2018. The value of US exports to Iran amounted to 440 million dollars. 
The United States also imported $ 68 million from Iran last year.
Following a decision by the US administration led by Donald Trump to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran in May 2018, Washington imposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran. 
The sanctions included a ban on the export of manual carpets and food products from Iran to the United States.

[yota691]

Deputy: Washington and Tehran can turn Iraq into a commercial market instead of a battlefield

Political | 12:05 - 01/04/2019

 

 

 

BAGHDAD - 
A member of the House of Representatives, Sarkot Shamsuddin, on Monday, that Washington and Tehran can turn Iraq into a commercial market instead of turning it into a scene of conflict between them. 
"The loss of the United States and Iran is a lot if Iraq is turned into a battlefield," Shamsuddin said in a statement received by Mawazine News. 
He added that "there are historical relations linking Iraq with the United States and consolidated after 2003 after the overthrow of the regime in a timely manner, and its leadership of the International Alliance in the war against gangs," urging "in 2016. 
"The sensitivity of the issue of Iraqi-Iranian-American relations, which should be dealt with by the latter in a special way, and allow Iraq to take its role and keep it from being a party to any problems that erupt between them and Iran."
"The two countries can turn Iraq into a commercial market, instead of turning it into a battleground between them, to lose much more later," he said, noting that "the current US administration looks at Iraq from the perspective of terrorism and military interventions only and nothing else." 
He explained that "the administration must change its view of economic and cultural attention during the next phase."

[6ly410]

Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Iraq

Iraq is a convenient channel through which Iran can circumvent current U.S. sanctions.  

(April 1, 2019 / JNS)

For the first time since his swearing-in, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani paid a visit to neighboring Iraq. While the visit was sparked by the economic sanctions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and Iran’s desire to create an economic corridor that would enable it to bypass those sanctions, it was also intended to implement a broader range of interests: to maintain Iraq within Tehran’s sphere of influence on the one hand, and to accumulate achievements at the expense of Rouhani’s domestic opponents on the other.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s unprecedented recent visit to Iraq (March 11-13), which received wide media coverage, was prompted by both domestic and foreign factors. While Rouhani has regularly visited capitals around the world during his tenure, this was his first visit to neighboring Iraq since he took office in 2013.

The visit was preceded by Iran-Iraq meetings at other levels, such as those attended by Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif (in January) and Iran’s oil minister. However, given the nature of the countries’ relations and the degree of Iranian leverage in Iraq, a presidential visit was expected to have occurred at an earlier date.

Iran’s foreign policy in Iraq appears to be conducted by the commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani and, to a lesser extent, by senior officials of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. This dual pattern, which characterizes the overall conduct of the Islamic Republic, has caused internal rivalries between the Foreign Ministry and the security establishment, and was among the reasons for the attempted resignation of Foreign Minister Zarif, who submitted his resignation to protest his exclusion from the visit of the Syrian president to Tehran. His resignation was not accepted by Rouhani as a message to those who would challenge his authority at home.

It is widely believed that the timing of Rouhani’s visit was directly related to the economic sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on the Islamic Republic. This claim is essentially correct but insufficient, in that it does not address the broader range of Iranian interests that served as a catalyst for the visit. Obviously, the economic strangulation and the exit of international companies from the Iranian economic realm forced Iranian policy-makers to expand an economic corridor and develop free trade zones with its neighbor to the west. Moreover, the limitations of foreign-currency trade obliged Iranian traders to seek markets with accessible currency, which naturally increased the attractiveness of the Iraqi market.

Iraq is thus a convenient channel through which Iran can circumvent the sanctions. The agreements signed by the two countries addressed development of free-trade zones along their common border, the establishment of joint-owned banks, the development of transportation infrastructure, the development of Iranian-assisted industry, energy supply and more. These agreements led Rouhani to state that the two nations intend to increase their foreign trade from $12 billion to $20 billion a year.

However, the Iranian efforts to court Iraq stem from other factors as well that are causing concern among policy-makers in Tehran. Other countries’ interest in the Iraqi market, and rehabilitation initiatives directed by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, are perceived by Iran as undermining its influence.

In the first week of March, the annual Sulaimaniya Forum was held, with the participation of Iraqi president Barham Salih and senior officials in his administration. At the forum, Salih and other Arab politicians and academics discussed relations between Iraq and its neighbors. The conference, titled “Iraq and its Neighbors: Towards a New Regional Order,” dealt, inter alia, with the status and role of Iraq in light of geopolitical shifts in the region.

Significantly, various speakers, both at home and abroad, stressed the need to strengthen ties between Iraq and the Arab states while simultaneously reducing Iran’s influence in the region. Moreover, opinion leaders in the Arab world called on Salih to do what is necessary to prevent Iraq from becoming a second Lebanon; i.e., to deny Iran the opportunity to determine Iraq’s internal agenda.

Rouhani’s visit was clearly a counter-reaction to the message sent at the Sulaimaniya Forum. The Iranian fear that dominant countries in the Arab world, primarily Saudi Arabia, will increase their influence in Iraq at Iran’s expense is compelling Tehran to invest significant sums in the reconstruction and development of Iraq.

Moreover, the invitation to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to visit Riyadh, in addition to the visit of ostensibly pro-Iranian Falih Alfayyadh (chairman of al-Hashd al-Sha’abi), has raised concern in Tehran. Iranian policy-makers are well aware of the dialogue taking place between Riyadh and Baghdad and the policy of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is working vigorously to strengthen the bilateral relationship as an alternative to Iranian hegemony.

Another source of concern for Tehran is Trump’s assertion that he wishes to maintain a military presence in Iraq to monitor Iran’s actions. The American military presence is a direct challenge to Iran’s predominance, and undermines its efforts to establish a ground corridor connecting Tehran and Lebanon—a prerequisite of Iran’s desired permanent presence along Israel’s northern border.

This reality is forcing Iran’s policymakers to extend exceptional benefits to Iraq, even going so far as to forgive Iraq’s non-payment of electricity and energy debts. This marks a dramatic change. In early February, Iran’s oil minister, Bijan Zangeneh, issued harsh accusations against Iraq, claiming it was not meeting its commitments, refusing to pay for electricity supplies, and even retreating from signed agreements in the gas and oil realms.

The Iraqi prime minister had assured Tehran that it would not take part in the sanctions imposed by Washington in view of the dependence of his country’s energy economy on Iran. Despite those assurances, Iran-Iraq energy trade has run into numerous stumbling blocks due to the sanctions. Iraq is therefore hedging its bets by exploring additional options, such as getting electricity supplies from Kuwait in addition to Iran.

Rouhani’s visit to Iraq was prompted by domestic, as well as foreign-policy matters. It is no secret that the actions of the Iranian president and his government are subject to criticism from his adversaries in the Supreme Leader’s Office, the conservative wing of Iranian politics, and even the security establishment.

Rouhani’s rivals grew louder after the U.S. withdrew from the nuclear agreement, demanding that he defend his policies both at home and abroad. It is not surprising that his visit to Iraq—and particularly, his meeting with Ayatollah Ali Sistani—were publicized extensively at home and widely discussed in the Iranian media.

The visit with the senior religious leader from Najaf was intended to underscore the prestige of the president in contrast to that of his domestic opponents. But well-advertised though the visit may have been, it did not diminish either the economic challenges that lie ahead due to the sanctions or the political difficulties posed by Rouhani’s rivals.

The centrality of Ayatollah Sistani in the global Shiite establishment, and the admiration he enjoys both in Iran and abroad, puts him and his rulings on a par with those of Iran’s Supreme Leader. Moreover, the fact that the senior cleric, who preaches against any foreign intervention in Iraq and carefully selects his public meetings, agreed to meet publicly with Rouhani and his delegation is a reinforcement of his policy with regard to the hard line led by the security establishment. While it is true that the fatwa issued by Sistani led to the establishment of the popular mobilization forces after the occupation of the city of Mosul by ISIS, it is also true that at the end of the fighting, Sistani called for the departure of all foreign forces from Iraq’s territory. That message was intended as much for the commander of the Quds Force and his personnel as for any other foreign actors.

Rouhani’s visit to Iraq appears to have been intended to preserve Iran’s influence over Iraq’s internal agenda. However, that mission is encountering considerable difficulty. It is being harshly criticized in Iraq and abroad amid calls for the realization of Iraqi sovereignty. Pressure is being exerted on Salih’s government by the United States and countries in the Arab world.

The revolutionary establishment in Tehran hopes a series of economic initiatives will lead to the creation of an economic corridor between Iran and Iraq that will allow a massive influx of Iranian goods and services into Iraqi territory. This corridor would enable Iran to bypass the sanctions imposed on it while strengthening the land corridor it wants to employ to advance its “axis of resistance,” directed mainly against Israel.

President Rouhani can reasonably consider his meetings with senior officials in the Iraqi establishment, and with Ayatollah Sistani in particular, a success. But they do not diminish the economic, foreign and domestic challenges that lie ahead.

https://www.jns.org/opinion/hassan-rouhanis-visit-to-iraq/

[In this since 2004]

gotta love a pumper in disguise

[pokerplayer]

Just now, In this since 2004 said:

gotta love a pumper in disguise

 

You should frequent the Lopster tank. Your getting a rep and its not good.

 

    Just saying,  pp

[Butifldrm]

US planning new Iran sanctions, may target oil waivers — report

Official says Washington wants ‘continued chilling effect,’ Tehran accuses US of hampering rescue efforts as fresh floods drown cities in western Iran

By TOI STAFF and AFPToday, 3:03 am  0

This Saturday, March 16, 2019 photo, shows a natural gas refinery at the South Pars gas field on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf, in Asaluyeh, Iran. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

A US official said Washington was considering bolstering sanctions against Iran Monday, as Tehran protested that existing financial constraints placed by the US were hampering recovery efforts as the country continued to be hammered by deadly floods.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the new sanctions could come in May, a year after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal, putting many of the lifted penalties back in place.

“We just want a continued chilling effect,” the official said, according to Reuters. “We want businesses to continue to think doing business with Iran is a terrible idea at this point.”

The official said the new sanctions could target oil imports, specifically rescinding waivers handed to eight countries allowing them to continue buying oil from Iran.

“That, I think, is where we’re headed,” the official said.

Under the 2015 deal, Iran pledged not to resume atomic weapons work and the UN’s atomic watchdog says Iran continues to comply with the agreement. The US, however, pulled out of the agreement last year, saying it was fatally flawed and allowed Iran to gradually begin advanced atomic work over time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cheered the decision and has urged other parties to follow suit.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani dedicates the final phase of a new oil refinery in the city of Bandar Abbas, Iran, February 18, 2019. (Official website photo)

The Trump administration has continued to impose new sanctions as part a pressure campaign to force Iran to renegotiate the agreement. Trump in the past has vowed to kill the Iranian oil industry, one of the country’s only main economic lifelines.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused the United States of impeding aid efforts and of “economic terrorism,” as the country was hit by fresh floods.

US sanctions are “impeding aid efforts by #IranianRedcrescent to all communities devastated by unprecedented floods,” Zarif tweeted, referring to search and rescue operations being conducted after huge rainfalls triggered vast flooding.

“Blocked equipment includes relief choppers,” the tweet read, adding that “this isn’t just economic warfare; it’s economic TERRORISM.”

Authorities on Monday as authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of flood-stricken cities in western Iran after rivers burst their banks, dams overflowed and vast areas were cut off from communication.

An Iranian man sits in a boat at his flooded garden in a village around the city of Ahvaz, in Iran’s Khuzestan province, on April 1 2019. (Mehdi PEDRAMKHOO / TASNIM NEWS / AFP)

A chronic shortage of rescue helicopters in Iran, due to US sanctions, has forced the emergency services to request help from military helicopters and amphibious armored personnel carriers to assist in the rescue operations.

The authorities declared a “situation red”, the highest level of alert, in Lorestan province with four or five cities “completely critical,” state television news network IRINN reported from Khorramabad, the region’s capital.

“In Khorramabad the water has risen by as much as three meters (nearly 10 feet) in parts… and reports are coming in of regions… completely submerged with residents stranded on their rooftops,” it added.

The Red Crescent’s provincial director, Sarem Rezaee, said his organization had lost contact with much of the region.

“Telephones are not working, our radio communications are down… at this moment we have no news of other cities and villages,” he told IRINN, adding roads were flooded and helicopters were unable to take off due to the bad weather.

“We have requested emergency help from neighboring provinces but at the present no one can do anything.”

The airport in the western city of Khorramabad was flooded, with images showing water submerging the runway and cutting the province’s main air link to the rest of the country.

Authorities in Lorestan ordered evacuations in many regions, bringing in the armed forces to forcibly remove those who do not comply, local media reported.

Numerous rivers had burst their banks and landslides blocked many roads, according to reports.

Vehicles are piled up on the street after a flash flood in the southern city of Shiraz, Iran, March 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Amin Berenjkar/Mehr News Agency)

Media outlets showed images of collapsed bridges and oil and gas pipelines destroyed by the flood.

The main railway line linking Tehran to the south of the country had also been blocked by the flood.

This is the third major flood to hit Iran in the past two weeks with unprecedented rainfalls in the mostly arid country that had endured a decades-long drought until this year. Heavy rains are expected to continue into Tuesday.

The first occurred in the northeast of the country on March 19 and the second struck the west and southwest of Iran on March 25 with a combined toll of 45 people killed.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-planning-new-iran-sanctions-may-target-oil-waivers-report/

[10 YEARS LATER]

Riverfront property, that's okay.

 

Definitely not handing my car keys over the Parking Attendants at this restaurant . . . no way.

[yota691]

Hakim comments on America's intention to impose new sanctions on Iran

Political | 01:46 - 02/04/2019

 

 

 

BAGHDAD - The 
head of the Coalition for Reform and Reconstruction Ammar al-Hakim, Tuesday, the recent sanctions of the US administration against the Islamic Republic of Iran is cruel and useless, calling for a return to the spirit of the nuclear agreement and agreements concluded under the supervision of the United Nations. 
"The recent decisions of the US administration against the Islamic Republic, which is the introduction of a new package of economic sanctions, are cruel and futile," Hakim said in a statement received by Mawazine News. 
He called on Hakim to "restore the spirit of the nuclear agreement and agreements concluded under the supervision of the United Nations," noting that "the method of starving peoples to achieve political interests is unfair and condemnable." 
Al-Hakim warned of "the dangers and consequences of the intensification of these differences and their openness to imminent crises that would endanger the security and stability of the region."

[6ly410]

http://www.rudaw.net/mobile/english/middleeast/iran/02042019

Spend your US dollars here, Iran tells Iraqis – just don’t bring your American cars 

By Mohammed Rwanduzy 1 hour ago

419Views

         

The Iranian currency has collapsed against the US dollar since the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018. File photo: MEHR News Agency

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iran is feeling the pinch as US sanctions take their toll on the nation’s economy. Desperate to attract foreign visitors flush with US dollars, Tehran announced Monday that tourists from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region will no longer have to pay for visas. 

However, one unusual caveat of the deal is that no American-made cars are permitted to cross the border. 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani signed the visa deal during his three-day visit to Iraq last month. Both sides agreed to remove obstacles to free movement across the shared border.

“From today, the Islamic Republic took the initiative and cancelled all the fees related to visa,” Iran’s consul-general to Erbil Morteza Ebadi told Rudaw on Monday. 

Although Iraqis will still need to apply for an electronic visa before they travel, as of April 1 they will no longer need an Iranian stamp in their passport, Ebadi said.

Iraqis with an Iranian stamp often face intrusive questioning at western consulates and embassies when applying for visas and at airports when they travel. Now Iranian visas will only be issued electronically, the consul-general said.

“We do everything electronically. That means there will be no visa or date of entry stamped on the Iraqi passports. We register everything online,” he said. 

Iran has however placed a ban on what vehicles are allowed to cross the border. Ebadi said Iran would not allow Iraqis to travel in their American-made vehicles. 

“If the vehicle documentation is in the owner’s name, they can … travel to Iran for a limited period of time,” Ebadi said. 

“There is no difference between vehicles except that as of now we do not give permission for American [made] vehicles to enter and on that there is room to debate and it seems we need to review this again,” he added.

It is unclear why Iran has specifically banned American-made cars from crossing the border. The move could be designed to prevent gas-guzzling vehicles from exploiting Iran’s cheap petroleum. Then again, it could simply be a continuation of Iran’s long-established culture of anti-American jingoism.

Rudaw has reached out to the Iranian consulate for further clarity but is yet to receive a response. 

Tehran hopes to increase its annual trade with Iraq from its current $12 billion to $20 billion in the coming years. 
 

Current trade between the two countries is largely a one-way street. Iran exported $1.1 billion-worth of goods to Iraq over the Mehran crossing alone during the last Iranian year ending March 21. Meanwhile Iraq exported just over $2.5 million-worth of goods to Iran over the same period, according to the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce. 

Iraq’s Council of Ministers confirmed the mutual removal of visa fees in a Facebook post on Monday.

“The Council of Ministers agreed to lift the fees of entry for the citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the basis of similar treatment,” it said.  

Consul-general Ebadi said he met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Interior Minister Karim Sinjari who agreed to remove the 25,000 IQD fee levied on Iranian tourists visiting the Kurdistan Region. 

However, Sami Jalal, chief of staff at the KRG Ministry of Interior, told Rudaw on Tuesday the KRG has never charged Iranian visitors a visa fee – merely administrative costs. 

“We don’t collect visa fees. We only collect administrative fees,” Jalal said.

He said reducing the 25,000 fee was a “possibility” that is still under discussion.

 

[yota691]

Mr. Ammar al-Hakim: US sanctions on Iran are useless and threaten the region

Date of release: 2019/4/2 13:14 • 190 times read

[Baghdad: Al-Furat News} The head of the Coalition for Reform and Reconstruction, Mr. Ammar al-Hakim, criticized the recent US sanctions against Iran.

Mr. Ammar al-Hakim said in a statement received by the agency {Euphrates News} a copy of it, "We promise the recent sanctions of the US administration against the Islamic Republic of the introduction of a new package of economic sanctions to enter into force is cruel and useless, and calling for the spirit of the nuclear agreement and agreements concluded under UN supervision, The method of starving people to achieve political interests is unfair and condemnable. " 
"We can not fail to warn of the dangers and consequences of the intensification of these differences and their openness to imminent crises that endanger the security and stability of the region," he added. 
A senior administration official told reporters on Monday that Washington was considering additional sanctions on new sectors of the Iranian economy.
The official said the administration was aiming to impose sanctions as a year passed since President Trump's withdrawal in May from a nuclear deal between Iran and a number of major powers. 
"We just want to have a strong impact, we want companies to continue to think that dealing with Iran is a terrible idea at this stage," the 
official said, adding that "the administration hopes to take further action in the coming weeks." 
Trump announced in May that the United States would withdraw Of the agreement reached in 2015 and ordered the imposition of sanctions again on the Islamic Republic 
The agreement, which includes the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia, China and Iran aims to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb in exchange for lifting sanctions that crippled its economy.

[DoD]

6 minutes ago, yota691 said:

Mr. Ammar al-Hakim: US sanctions on Iran are useless and threaten the region

Date of release: 2019/4/2 13:14 • 190 times read

 

At one time I thought this was a pretty smart an honest guy, after reading parts of this statement I'm now convinced I was totally wrong. He's just another political pawn being played by Iran. 

If I could ever exchange my Dinar for a big profit to the USD I will never ever read another article about Iraq or Iran....

[6ly410]

US Considering Additional Sanctions on Iran: Official

 

 Basnews English 02/04/2019 - 15:17 Published in Middle East

 

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/middle-east/511913

ERBIL — The United States is considering the imposition of additional sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, an official said.

The official explained that Washington aims at targeting areas of Iranian economy that have not been hit before, Reuters reported.

The new sanctions will possibly come with the first anniversary of US withdrawal from 2015’s Iran Nuclear Deal in May.

“We just want a continued chilling effect,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “We want businesses to continue to think doing business with Iran is a terrible idea at this point.”

He noted that imposing additional sanctions could take time, and that the US Treasury Department was working on them.

[Pitcher]

DoD, awesome, I agree 100%

[Pitcher]

France, Germany, UK say Iran missiles can deliver nukes

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France, Germany and Britain are expressing concern that Iran’s latest ballistic missile activity is part of a trend of developing missiles capable of delivering a nuclear weapon, Associated Press reported.

 

Ambassadors from the three UN Security Council nations said in a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres circulated Tuesday that Iran’s latest buildout and launching of ballistic missiles is having a destabilizing effect in the Middle East and increasing existing tensions.

The Western allies said Iran’s activities are “inconsistent” with a 2015 council resolution calling on it not to undertake any action involving missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

They pointed to Iran’s launch of a Dousti satellite, its unveiling of a Dezful surface-to-surface ballistic missile, and its public display of a variation of the Khorramshahr ballistic missile, all in February.

 

 

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/37964/France-Germany-UK-say-Iran-missiles-can-deliver-nukes

[slb]

Perhaps they should of been concerned a long time ago .......

[Pitcher]

Three of eight Iran-waiver countries have cut imports to zero

 

Three of the eight countries to which Washington granted waivers to import Iranian oil have now cut their shipments from the country to zero, theUS special representative for the country said on Tuesday.

“In November, we granted eight oil waivers to avoid a spike in the price of oil. I can confirm today three of those importers are now at zero,” Brian Hook told reporters without naming the countries.

 

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/37963/Three-of-eight-Iran-waiver-countries-have-cut-imports-to-zero

[Pitcher]

New planned sanctions on Iran can affect its ties with other states

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A US official said Washington was considering bolstering sanctions against Iran Monday, as Tehran protested that existing financial constraints placed by the US were hampering recovery efforts as the country continued to be hammered by deadly floods, AFP and Times of Israel reported.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the new sanctions could come in May, a year after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal, putting many of the lifted penalties back in place.

 

“We just want a continued chilling effect,” the official said, according to Reuters. “We want businesses to continue to think doing business with Iran is a terrible idea at this point.”

 

The official said the new sanctions could target oil imports, specifically rescinding waivers handed to eight countries allowing them to continue buying oil from Iran.

“That, I think, is where we’re headed,” the official said.

Under the 2015 deal, Iran pledged not to resume atomic weapons work and the UN’s atomic watchdog says Iran continues to comply with the agreement.

 

The US, however, pulled out of the agreement last year, saying it was fatally flawed and allowed Iran to gradually begin advanced atomic work over time. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cheered the decision and has urged other parties to follow suit.

 

The Trump administration has continued to impose new sanctions as part a pressure campaign to force Iran to renegotiate the agreement. Trump in the past has vowed to kill the Iranian oil industry, one of the country’s only main economic lifelines.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused the United States of impeding aid efforts and of “economic terrorism,” as the country was hit by fresh floods.

US sanctions are “impeding aid efforts by #IranianRedcrescent to all communities devastated by unprecedented floods,” Zarif tweeted, referring to search and rescue operations being conducted after huge rainfalls triggered vast flooding.

“Blocked equipment includes relief choppers,” the tweet read, adding that “this isn’t just economic warfare; it’s economic TERRORISM.”

Authorities on Monday as authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of flood-stricken cities in western Iran after rivers burst their banks, dams overflowed and vast areas were cut off from communication.

 

A chronic shortage of rescue helicopters in Iran, due to US sanctions, has forced the emergency services to request help from military helicopters and amphibious armored personnel carriers to assist in the rescue operations.

The authorities declared a “situation red”, the highest level of alert, in Lorestan province with four or five cities “completely critical,” state television news network IRINN reported from Khorramabad, the region’s capital.

“In Khorramabad the water has risen by as much as three meters (nearly 10 feet) in parts… and reports are coming in of regions… completely submerged with residents stranded on their rooftops,” it added.

The Red Crescent’s provincial director, Sarem Rezaee, said his organization had lost contact with much of the region.

“Telephones are not working, our radio communications are down… at this moment we have no news of other cities and villages,” he told IRINN, adding roads were flooded and helicopters were unable to take off due to the bad weather.

“We have requested emergency help from neighboring provinces but at the present no one can do anything.”

The airport in the western city of Khorramabad was flooded, with images showing water submerging the runway and cutting the province’s main air link to the rest of the country.

Authorities in Lorestan ordered evacuations in many regions, bringing in the armed forces to forcibly remove those who do not comply, local media reported.

Numerous rivers had burst their banks and landslides blocked many roads, according to reports.

 

Media outlets showed images of collapsed bridges and oil and gas pipelines destroyed by the flood.

The main railway line linking Tehran to the south of the country had also been blocked by the flood.

This is the third major flood to hit Iran in the past two weeks with unprecedented rainfalls in the mostly arid country that had endured a decades-long drought until this year. Heavy rains are expected to continue into Tuesday.

 

 

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/37959/New-planned-sanctions-on-Iran-can-affect-its-ties-with-other-states

[Pitcher]

I thought the Iran Deal Kerry made was to stop nuke and missle production. Obviously they never stopped. Thanks Kerry and Barry.  

[Synopsis]

59 minutes ago, Pitcher said:

I thought the Iran Deal Kerry made was to stop nuke and missle production. Obviously they never stopped. Thanks Kerry and Barry.  

 

Yeah, Scary John Kerry AND Bark Insane Obama REALLY pulled a fast one on everybody, Pitcher, AND The Very Best Of The Rest Of Your Week To You!!! 

 

I anticipate more news to expose THESE miscreants AND others SOON!!!

 

Ole Mr. Potato Head Nouri al-Maliki WILL HAVE the hang man's noose chasing HIM AND I am pretty sure HE is going to squeal on THEM much like Slobodan Milosevik did on Billy (goat).

 

Go Moola Nova!

[Pitcher]

17 minutes ago, Synopsis said:

 

I anticipate more news to expose THESE miscreants AND others SOON

 

This Friday Nunes is to file criminal charges.  Bout time. 

[southbeach]

Satan himself, through these lawless liberal elites, are trying their best to stop this free country from liberating the many remaining countries from dictatorship.  Remember what God through apostle Paul said:  The Holy Spirit expressly says that in the last days they (liberals) shall call good evil and evil good.  

[Synopsis]

58 minutes ago, southbeach said:

Satan himself, through these lawless liberal elites, are trying their best to stop this free country from liberating the many remaining countries from dictatorship.  Remember what God through apostle Paul said:  The Holy Spirit expressly says that in the last days they (liberals) shall call good evil and evil good.  

 

Amen To That, SouthBeach, AND The Very Best Of The Rest Of Your Week To You!!! 

 

Go Moola Nova!

[yota691]

America: Three countries exempt from sanctions have stopped imports of Iranian oil

 

Arab and international Economy News _ Baghdad WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three of the eight nations granted sanctions by Washington to import Iranian oil have cut imports of Iranian crude to zero, a US official said, adding that an improved global oil market would help cut Iran's crude exports further. The United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran after US President Donald Trump in May, the withdrawal of his country from the nuclear agreement concluded in 2015 between Iran and a number of world powers, accusing Tehran of supporting terrorism and interference in conflicts in Syria and Yemen. While the United States has set a goal of halting Iran's oil exports altogether, Washington has granted temporary exemptions to China, India, Greece, Italy, Taiwan, Japan, Turkey and South Korea to keep oil prices low and ensure supplies are not disrupted by the world oil market. Views 37   Date Added 04/03/2019

[yota691]

Abdul Mahdi issues a directive to the financial authorities on US sanctions against Iran

Political | 08:56 - 04/04/2019

 

 

 

BAGHDAD - 
Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi issued a directive to the financial authorities on US sanctions against Iran, government sources said on Thursday. 
The sources told Mawazine News that "Abdul Mahdi directed the financial authorities in Iraq to abide by agreements signed with international bodies on the US sanctions against Iran." 
She explained that "the confusion hit the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, on Baghdad's continuing signals to its intention not to comply with US sanctions on Iran, but the prime minister finally dispelled this confusion." 
The sources added that "Abdul-Mahdi replied to the queries of the financial authorities in his country on the mechanism to deal with US sanctions on Iran by stressing the need to abide by the charters signed with the United States and the International Monetary Fund in this regard."
She pointed out that "Abdul Mahdi told the financial authorities in his country literally not to listen to the political courtesy of him or other officials, on US sanctions on Iran, and cruelty. 
Any visit to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Saturday is due to be held in Iran on a two-day official visit. 
This is the second visit by Abdel Mahdi to the country since he became prime minister after his visit to Egypt at the end of last month. 
Iran, Iraq's second largest exporter, is suffering sanctions that Americans have re-imposed following Washington's unilateral withdrawal in 2018 from an agreement on Iran's nuclear program reached in 2015.

[Synopsis]

4 hours ago, yota691 said:

The sources told Mawazine News that "Abdul Mahdi directed the financial authorities in Iraq to abide by agreements signed with international bodies on the US sanctions against Iran." 

 

WOWZERS!!!

 

HEY, HEY, HEY EVERBODAE'!!!

 

NOW THIS is Good, NO Question ABOUT THAT!!!

 

4 hours ago, yota691 said:

Any visit to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Saturday is due to be held in Iran on a two-day official visit. 

 

YYYEEEAAAHHH BBBAAABBBYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

SO, WHAT, pray tell, IS Mahdi going to TELL Rouhani???!!!

 

Mahdi WILL SAY, "I JUST got my KEESTER KICKED to the point of NO KEESTER remaining. Sorry, Rouhani. YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE PUMMELED SENSELESS. We, the Bicraqi Iraqi, WILL ReInstate the Bicraqi Iraqi Dinar INTERNATIONALLY, pay YOU (the Insanians) in a ReInstated ELECTRONIC Bicraqi Iraqi Dinar, AND leave YOU (the Insanians) IN THE DUST FINANCIALLY!!! Oh, AND By The Way, the Bicraqi Iraqi CBI DAILY Currency Auctions (YOUR Cash Cow) is NOW HEREBY TERMINATED!!!"!!!

 

Ah, fagetaboutit.

 

JUST Dreamin'!!!

 

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming (      ) .......

 

Go Moola Nova!