Iranian official calls for negotiations with Washington in Iraq

[Pitcher]

Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said economic pressure on the regime could bring about its collapse within a year, Arutz Sheva reported on Wednesday.

"Iran must understand that the United States' determination on the nuclear issue is strong," Steinitz said at a conference of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs entitled Is Iran on the road to economic collapse? following the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement.

The US will be willing to use military pressure and even military action against Iran in the event that it returns to work to obtain nuclear weapons. At the end of the day, the US can destroy any nuclear facility in Iran no matter where it is and what air defense will protect it, Steinitz said.

He estimated that the mere threat of sanctions already leads to economic damage and discomfort in the regime and among its citizens.

 

"Iran will have to choose whether or not it's ready to return to the negotiating table. If the economic pressure continues, I assume they'll be willing to make concessions on issues that the US is talking about."

 

 

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs President and former Foreign Ministry Director General Dr. Dore Gold said during the discussion that "the Iranian regime chose weapons instead of butter. The Iranian public understands this and is outraged.

"The Obama administration thought it would be able to moderate the Iranian regime by means of the nuclear agreement and change it, but Iran in response increased its presence and expansion in the Middle East and tried to spread to Jordan as well as to Turkey."

"The world talks only about regime change, its overthrow, but not about the day after," said Jawad Khaddam, an exiled Iranian minister who served in post-revolution and now heads the Union for Democracy in Iran and lives in London.

"When addressing the Iranian public, it is important to take into account the middle class and its will. The middle class doesn't want forces the Trump government supports as a governing body."

 

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/29343/Economic-pressure-could-lead-to-Iranian-collapse

[yota691]

$ 15 trillion Iran's oil losses as sanctions begin

Readers

 

 

$ 15 trillion Iran's oil losses as sanctions begin

 

12-07-2018 06:29 PM

 

The Euphrates -

 

The former official of the Committee on the review of Iranian oil deals, Sayed Mahdi Hosseini that his country and the result of US sanctions will lose $ 15 trillion worth of national wealth in the long run, as a result of declining production capacity because of missed opportunity to develop their oil fields and raise the rate of recovery. 

The Iranian official said, according to the Iranian student news agency 'Isna', that the Iranian government's oil ministry and the current after the signing of the agreement - nuclear has given great importance to the subject of development and raising the rate of recovery in the oil fields, and placed within the conditions of Iran during its nuclear negotiations in 2015, it did not reach a conclusion. 

He explained that the productive capacity in the Iranian oil fields are declining over time, and became in dire need of foreign investment and the use of modern technologies for development. 

Iran's oil minister, Begin Zankane, had predicted that Iran's oil production would reach 4.4 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2030, and that production would continue at the same pace until 2040 if development projects were to increase recovery in oil fields in Iran. 

He pointed out that the rate of recovery in oil fields in Iran does not exceed the level of 23 to 25%, which means that Iran and if the situation continues to this situation can produce only a quarter of its oil reserves.

[yota691]

Economy / Economy date: 2018 Jul / the July 12 - GMT 08:34

 

 

 

A US delegation in Riyadh to discuss the cut off of financial flows from Iran

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Teams from the US administration spent three days in Saudi Arabia discussing ways to cut off financial flows from Iran without disrupting energy markets, the Bloomberg network quoted a senior State Department official as saying.

The coordination comes at a time when Washington is pressing the world to get it to stop buying Iranian oil no later than November 4.

The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said envoys from the US State Department and the Treasury had discussed several measures with Saudi Arabian ministries to ensure sufficient supply of oil markets after the November 4 deadline.

The US official said the United States was working with several countries, including Saudi Arabia, to ensure adequate supplies in oil markets. After the deadline set by US President Donald Trump, Washington will begin to "punish" Iran and the countries and companies that deal with it in the oil sector.

Trump's fear of potential volatility in oil markets when the embargo is imposed on Iran could raise oil prices above current high levels and raise voter discontent.

On the other hand, Iranian leaders and officials threatened a hint and permission to close the Strait of Hormuz to oil shipments if Tehran was prevented from exporting its oil under US "sanctions".

According to data from the US Energy Information Administration, about 80% of oil produced in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and Iraq shipped through the Strait of Hormuz to Asian markets.

 

Source: Agencies

[yota691]

Trump: Iran will seek a new deal with the impact of economic sanctions

 12 July 2018 05:38 PM
Direct US President Donald Trump said that Iran 's economic problems to force it to seek a security agreement with Washington after the withdrawal of the US nuclear deal.

Trump said at a news conference on the sidelines of the NATO summit on Thursday that Iran was treating the United States with "much greater respect" after the withdrawal from the nuclear deal, expecting Tehran to communicate with Washington for a new deal.

In May, the US chief announced his withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran, declaring economic sanctions against it. Washington then demanded that states not buy oil from Tehran by November 4.

"I know that they face a lot of problems and that their economy is collapsing," Trump said, adding that Iran felt "a lot of pain" at the moment.

European countries still support the 2015 agreement, under which Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for a relaxation of international sanctions.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on US allies to help put economic pressure on Iran.

 

[yota691]

Trump Says Iran Will Seek Fresh Deal as Looming Sanctions Weigh on Economy

 

July 12, 2018, at 7:44 a.m.

 

 

U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from the media during a news conference after participating in the NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium July 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque REUTERS

BRUSSELS (REUTERS) - U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran's economic troubles were going to force it to seek a security deal with Washington following his withdrawal from a nuclear pact.

In May the United States pulled out of a multinational deal to lift sanctions against Iran in return for curbs to its nuclear program. Washington has since told countries they must halt all imports of Iranian oil from Nov. 4 or face U.S. financial measures.

This may cut Iran's hard currency earnings from oil exports, and the prospect has triggered a panicked flight of Iranians' savings from the rial into dollars, weighing on an already ailing local currency, hit by economic woes and financial difficulties at local banks.

 

Speaking to a news conference at a NATO leaders summit in Brussels, Trump said Iran was treating the U.S. with 'so much more respect' following the move and he expected Tehran to reach out for a fresh deal.

"I know they're having a lot of problems and their economy is collapsing. But I will tell you this: at a certain point they're going to call me they're going to say 'Let's make a deal'. They're feeling a lot of pain right now."

Tehran's Grand Bazaar was hit by strikes late in June and protesters angered by the rial's collapse clashed with the police and traders massed outside parliament to complain about a sharp fall in the value of the national currency.

European powers still support the 2015 deal, under which Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear development in exchange for international sanctions relief.

They say they will do more to encourage their businesses to remain engaged with Iran, though a number of firms have already said they plan to pull out as they also face sanctions following Trump's decision.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday called on American allies to help impose economic pressure on Iran.

"We must cut off all funding the regime uses to fund terrorism & proxy wars," Pompeo said in a Twitter post ahead of his scheduled meeting with European Union's foreign affairs and security policy representative Federica Mogherini in Brussels.

He has also accused Tehran of continuing to sell weapons in the Middle East despite United Nations resolutions.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and David Brunnstrom, Editing by Keith Weir)

[yota691]

By Ebrahim Fallahi

U.S. ‘zero Iranian oil’ plan: A fantasy doomed to failure

 

July 12, 2018

 

U.S. has recently claimed that it wants to wipe all the Iranian oil from the global market to reduce the Islamic country’s oil revenues to zero, a plan which seems rather like a ‘Trump fantasy’ than a well-thought government-level program.

When the U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned Iran’s nuclear deal on May 8, he offered a 180-day window to non-U.S. persons to quit activities involving Iran before a new round of sanctions on Iran starts.
Since Trump’s announcement the oil market has been through so many ups and downs with the worried traders constantly exposed to a ‘war of words’ between the involved parties.
These days, the most important issue among the oil traders is estimating the magnitude of the effect of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Will the U.S. ‘really’ succeed in eliminating all the Iranian oil exports?

‘Zero Iranian oil’

In a nutshell, The United States is aiming to cut all Iran’s crude oil exports, starting from November. In doing so, the U.S. expects its allies like Saudi Arabia and other OPEC and non-OPEC members to use their spare capacity to fill the supply gap.

“We are working to minimize disruptions to the global market, but we are confident that there is sufficient global spare oil production capacity,” Reuters quoted Brian Hook, the U.S. director of policy planning as saying on July 2.

But to what extent this goal is reachable in reality and how practical this strategy is? There are two main aspects to be considered for a clear understanding of the extent of ‘practicality’ for this plan. The first aspect concerns the export destinations of the Iranian crude oil, will they all comply with the U.S. imposition, despite their own national interests?

Case of Iranian oil buyers

Iran is currently exporting oil to several Asian and European countries, with more than 60 percent of the shipments heading to Asian buyers like China, India, Japan and South Korea and the rest going to European countries including Turkey, Italy, Greece, France and Spain.

First of all, as Iran’s top oil importer, China plays a very significant role in the whole situation, the country is in the midst of a trade war with the U.S. and has threatened to increase tariffs on U.S. oil shipment to the Asian country, a move, which according to many energy analysts, could push Chinese refineries further toward Iran for securing their feedstock.
Considering the situation with the U.S., it is safe to say that the country will most certainly oppose the U.S. decision and not only continue taking in the current levels of Iranian crude but also there is chance that under a yuan-rial payment agreement, more Chinese refineries lean toward Iran amid the trade war with the U.S.

Among other Asian customers, Japan has already plead for a waiver to continue imports of Iranian crude.  On the other hand, worried about losing the convenience of Iranian crude imports, India is also not happy about the U.S. actions. Indian Energy Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said India sees the U.S. sanctions on Iran as a ‘challenge’ and will take a ‘considered and comprehensive’ view based on ‘national interest’, Hindustan times reported. According to Indian news agencies, India is also considering a rupee-rial payment strategy to withstand the U.S. sanctions.

Overall, considering all the aspects, the most likely outcome would be that Asians, as Iran’s main oil importers, will seek ways to keep Iranian oil flowing.
“Asian buyers could resort to using currencies other than the dollar to pay Iran for their oil purchases. Payments may be routed through either local or foreign banks that don’t have close ties to America,” Goldman wrote in a report on the matter.

Following Trump’s announcement, the EU has vowed to uphold the Iran nuclear accord and since then the three European signatories namely France, Germany and UK have been trying to find the best solution to persuade Iran for staying in the nuclear accord (known as JCPOA). Iran has also announced that it will remain in the deal provided that the country’s interests are guaranteed.

So considering the support of the deal signatories in place, it seems obvious that European customers of Iranian crude will most likely continue to do so in the future, but of course if they are granted waivers.

Case of supply and demand

So far we discussed how much the U.S. plan for zeroing Iranian crude oil revenues is close to reality considering the position of Iranian oil buyers, now the second and more important aspect to take into account is the global oil market’s supply and demand situation.

With all the OPEC efforts for pushing the prices up, the oil market is already going through a tight state and if U.S. succeeds in removing the whole 2.4 million barrels of Iranian oil from the market, this would, in Reuters words, “leave the global market tighter than at any time since the oil shocks of 1973/74 and 1979/80”.

Although quite unlikely, but the situation also begs the question of “where all this oil is going to be supplied from?”

According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) published in June, OPEC and non-member nations all together had about 3.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of spare capacity at the end of May.

The OPEC’s spare capacity is mostly accounted by Saudi Arabia followed by Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait while Russia accounted for almost all of the non-OPEC spare capacity.

However, it should be noted that despite IEA report, the real spare capacity that OPEC and non-OPEC nations hold is much less than what comes on paper.

For instance, in Iraq thousands of people are currently protesting for their right for being employed by oil companies. As reported by several news agencies the protesters have threatened to ‘paralyze’ oil production if the hundreds of companies running the oil fields fail to employ them.

UAE and Kuwait, too, hold quite a small amount of spare capacity [if any in reality] compared to what is needed to offset Iranian oil in the market.

The IEA data implies that most of the Iranian oil [which is going to be cut!] is expected to be offset by Saudi oil. That means the Arab nation is required to ramp up its current 10.5 million bpd output to over 12.5 million bpd to completely offset Iranian crude shipments to the market.

It is interesting to note that, as reported by Reuters, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Saudi Arabia has not produced more than 10.42 million bpd on an annual basis (2016) or 10.63 million bpd in a single month (July 2016) in the last 20 years.”

Furthermore, the kingdom has already increased output to compensate the losses in Libya, Angola and Venezuela, which means the nation has already used some of its spare capacity.

It should also be noted that maximizing production is not a simple affair which can be quickly achieved, and even if Saudi Arabia hypothetically does so, maintaining that maximum for a long period of time won’t be an easy task for them.

The inevitable increase in domestic consumption in a country which is seeking a separation from an oil-dependent economy in long-term is yet another factor which teases the illusion of “Saudi is going to offset Iranian oil”!

Considering the geopolitical and economic factors which are entangled to shape the current global oil market, the U.S. will most probably have to back down on its “zero tolerance” policy towards Iran.

The supply gap in the oil market would be too large for any country to be able to fill and eliminating Iran exports in this tight market would push prices to unimaginable highs, creating a mess which Trump administration will be the first to cry from.

[yota691]

World's top oil producers

• Russia. 10.5.
• Saudi Arabia. ...10.0
• United States. 9.2.
• Iraq. 4.3.
• China. 4.1.
• Canada. 3.8.
• Iran. 3.5.
• UAE. 2.7.

[yota691]

The United States dismantled the Quds Force's Guards Forces Corps

 

•  
• 1397/04/21

Assistant Secretary of State Treasury Sigal Mandlerek 

US Treasury Secretary Sigal Mandler said the country, along with the United Arab Emirates, broke down the illegal network that sent millions of dollars to Iran.

Reuters Release July 21, 97:

Dubai, a senior US official on Thursday said the United States and the United Arab Emirates were breaking a network that had fired illegally into Iran. The move comes at a time when Washington is pushing for a move to restrict trade and access to Iranian cash in the region.

"We jointly broke a foreign exchange network that transferred millions of dollars to the Revolutionary Guard Corps," said Sigal Mandlker, deputy minister for terrorism and financial information at the Treasury.

He said the network was dismantled in May.

Use of Quds Force from UAE financial system
The Quds Force Network used the Emirates financial system to convert currencies to transfer cash from Iran and convert it to US dollars for use by pro-regime groups sponsored by the Iranian regime.

Mandlark told reporters that the network, under the guidance of the senior officials of the Central Bank of Iran, forged documents and hid their deals behind cover companies. He did not provide details of the operation .

In early June, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates announced that it has limited its operations to seven currency exchange bills for violations of anti-money laundering and other regulations.

UAE Central Bank and UAE government press office on Thursday immediately to questions about the rigor explained by Mndlkr response provided did not.

Mandlakar was visiting the UAE after doing similar trips to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to provide support system">support for the American effort to put pressure on Iran. This is after President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from the international agreement on Iran's nuclear program and re-enforce the sanctions against Tehran.

Gulf states' cooperation to counter the money laundering of the Quds Force
Assistant Treasury Secretary Sigal Mandalkar said the governments and financial institutions in the Gulf have worked closely with the United States because they agreed on Tehran's vicious influence in the region. Mandelkark said Washington was trying to restrict Iran's trade in general, not just selling its oil and gas, which supplies more than half of its export revenues.

But Washington may be working hard to realize a sharp decline in Iran's trade with the United Arab Emirates. Dubai has traditionally served as a center for exports to Iran, and has received Iranian investment in its businesses and real estate markets.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Arab Emirates exports to Iran in 2017 totaled $ 19.9 billion, or about 5 percent of GDP.

When asked about Mandlkark in this regard, he said that Washington has an "excellent partnership" with the UAE. "There is no ambiguity in my mind that in working together we can take significant action (against Iran) to disrupt their ability to finance themselves," he said.

[ChuckFinley]

Man, does she look like has been a long week or what. 

[yota691]

10 hours ago, yota691 said:

"We jointly broke a foreign exchange network

Wonder if this will have any effects on Iraq CBI Sales..and GM DV

[gregp]

Good Morning. This could be really good. 

Thanks!

[SocalDinar]

Iraq urges the US to not engage in strategic reserve oil price manipulation

By Joshua Gibson

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The US is planning to make severel large releases from the US Strategic Oil Reserve in an effort to lower gas prices ahead of the upcoming mid-term elections in November.

Officials from Iran have urged the US administration to hold off on selling off their strategic oil reserves, instead suggesting that they drop their sanction efforts to block Iran's oil exports.

The US has been seeking to completely block Iran from global oil markets, even though the US has been the only country so far to pull out of the Iran denuclearization accord. The move to try and convince the rest of the world to embargo Iranian oil imports has seen oil prices receive support on the charts as oil traders fear the impact of a possible major market constraint should Iran be unable to supply markets.

https://www.fxstreet.com/news/iraq-urges-the-us-to-not-engage-in-strategic-reserve-oil-price-manipulation-201807152221

[SocalDinar]

Weekend: Iraq urges US admin not to engage in Strategic Reserve oil price manipulation

 Sun 15 Jul 2018 20:34:31 GMT

Author: Eamonn Sheridan | Category:  News

• 
  share

Plans by the Trump administration to use a release from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve

• Greg had the heads up on Friday: Trump administration considering releasing oil from the strategic petroleum reserve

This would be to lower gasoline prices ahead of the US elections in November. 

Over the weekend an Iranian oil official urged the US admin not to use the Strategic Reserve to push prices lower, but instead to drop sanctions on Iran's exports of crude.

More 

-

One for the oil traders about to kick off the new week

I guess the good news (for drivers) is one or the other it looks like there will be moves to get prices down. 

A price manipulation I can approve of 😄  

https://www.forexlive.com/news/!/weekend-iraq-urges-us-admin-not-to-engage-in-oil-price-manipulation-20180715

[justchecking123]

Iranian Official Urges Trump Not to Use U.S. Strategic Oil Reserve

 

A senior Iranian oil official urged U.S. President Donald Trump not to use the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to push prices lower, and instead drop sanctions on Iran’s crude exports.

 

 

“My advice to you, Mr. President, is to avoid touching the SPR - to cool down and give up sanctioning Iranian oil," Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, Iran’s representative to OPEC, said by email.

 

 

The Trump administration is actively considering tapping into the nation’s emergency oil inventories as political pressure grows before congressional elections in November, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump is also trying to choke off Iran’s oil exports after quitting a nuclear deal with the country.

 

 

“Mr. President, as I have foreseen earlier, it seems you are resorting to the SPR due to the fact that there is no spare capacity to cover for Iranian exports - but there will be many repercussions," Kazempour said.

 

 

Trump is pressing Saudi Arabia and some other OPEC members to fill in any supply gap that will arise when U.S. sanctions curtail Iranian crude exports. Iranian flows could be slashed in half once American sanctions take effect on Nov. 4, according to the International Energy Agency. The country ships about 2.5 million barrels a day.

Global Markets

U.S. government teams visited Saudi Arabia recently to ensure that global markets remain adequately supplied after the deadline. Producers such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Russia have announced their intention to increase supply.

"Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E and Russia pretended to be able to deliver 2.5 million barrels a day of Iranian exports,” Kazempour said. “That was a miscalculation, Mr. President: you have fallen in their trap, and prices will go up."

It’s not the first time the Iranian official has responded to Trump’s policies. Earlier this month, Kazempour said that tweets by Trump criticizing the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries had pushed oil prices up by about $10 a barrel.

"If we in Iran were to stop our exports for just one month to show what it can bring to the world economy, you would have thought twice,” Kazempour said. “But we are a civilized nation, and a responsible government."

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-07-14/trump-putin-summit-beware-of-a-deal-for-russia-to-sell-more-oil

 

Edited July 16, 2018 by justchecking123

[ChuckFinley]

Not  

[SupraRacer]

Confused.  Headline reads Iraq body of text says Iran.

 

SR

[Pitcher]

I believe it’s a typo.  Probably should read an Iraqi official

[Pitcher]

Thanks, just checking123.  I was just getting ready to post the same article. That article clears up the confusion.  Thank you.

[yota691]

They emphasized the "strength" and "unity" of Russia

Trump and Mai agreed on a nuclear ban Iran

Part of the joint press conference between May and Trump. Reuters

Source:

• London - Agencies

Date: 14 July 2018

US President Donald Trump has agreed with British Prime Minister Theresa May that Iran should not have nuclear weapons and urged May to step up pressure on Tehran. Trump praised the strong relations between Washington and London, following criticism of the British prime minister's plan on the BRICEST, which stunned the United Kingdom.

For her part, May said that common interests are shared with the United States, adding that the talks with Trump focused on what can be done about the Iranian file.

During a joint press conference on the second day of the US president's visit to Britain, Trump confirmed the special relationship between Britain and the United States, thanking May for its contribution to the defense expenditure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

He said that his meeting with May dealt with stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and that they agreed that Iran should never acquire nuclear weapons. He stressed that many countries should stop supporting terrorism.

Trump pointed to the military cooperation between the US and British military in many special operations, noting that he continued joint exercises between the two sides at the College of St. Hirst of the British defense.

• The US president does not mind Britain's strategy for the BRICEST, denying his criticism of Mai.

He stressed that he discussed with Mai the need to control immigration procedures, explaining that he is working on the issuance of US law protects the country.

The US president said his relationship with the British prime minister was "very strong", denying his criticism of Mai during his interview with The Sun, which quoted Trump as saying that Britain's exit from the European Union probably ended the hope of a future trade agreement between the two countries. "OK" on May's strategy about Breakst, and continued after his talks with Mai "I do not mind what you do. The only thing I ask Teresa is to make sure we can trade, "he said." I did not criticize the prime minister. This is false news. "

For her part, the British Prime Minister confirmed that London and Washington agreed to seek "an ambitious trade agreement between the two countries, after the departure of Britain from the European Union.

On the relationship with Russia, May said Britain and the United States had agreed to show "strength" and "unity" in the face of Russia. "We agreed that it is important to engage Russia in terms of strength and unity," she said, with Trump ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday.

In Washington, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders tried to soften Trump's statements against May, which angered British political figures, telling reporters that the president "loves Mai and respects her a lot."

British Assistant Secretary of State Alan Duncan tried to soften the comments and told BBC radio that "Trump is controversial and that's his style. I do not think it's an insult."

"Where is your suit, Mr. President?" Wrote British State Secretary for Universities, Science and Research Sam Gayma on Twitter.

As part of the visit, opponents of the US president yesterday launched a six-meter-long balloon outside the British Parliament, portraying Trump as an angry orange baby.

[yota691]

Trump sanctions distance South Korea from Iran's oil

15-07-2018 01:16 PM

Readers

 

Baghdad News -

 

 

In a new aversion to Iran from Washington's expected sanctions, South Korea's imports of Iranian oil fell 40.3 percent in June compared to the same period last year, the lowest level recorded since January 2015.

 
South Korea, one of Iran's main oil customers, imported 686,849 tons of Iranian crude in June, equivalent to 167,820 barrels per day, compared with 1.15 million tonnes in June 2017. 

In the first half Year, South Korea's imports of Iranian crude fell 33.9 percent from the same period last year to 6.13 million tons or 248,367 barrels a day. 

The decline was recorded after the administration of US President Donald Trump announced that it would be excluded from the nuclear agreement and would impose harsh economic sanctions on Tehran, Reuters reported. 

Since then, Seoul has been holding talks to seek an exception from the United States to avoid any negative effects on Iran's imports of crude. 

Informed sources said South Korea's imports of Iranian crude could be halted for the first time in six years in August.
 

 

 

 

[yota691]

US Treasury Secretary: We will consider exemptions from Iranian sanctions in certain cases

- 7/16/2018 3:53:00 AM10 Number of readings

 

 

 

 

Khandan-

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States wants to avoid influencing global oil markets when it reinforces sanctions on Iran and will consider exemptions in "certain cases" if countries need more time to cut their purchases of Iranian oil to zero, US Treasury Secretary Stephen Menochin said. 

"We want people to reduce their purchases of oil to zero, but in certain cases if they can not do so overnight we will consider exemptions," Menuchin told reporters on Friday, explaining some US officials said there would be no exemptions and banning his comments until Monday. "Reuters." 

Menuchin was speaking to journalists on his way to Mexico, where he is part of a large US delegation led by Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo to meet Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

[yota691]

Senior US officials turn down European requests for Iran waivers

 

• 
  
• 7/14/2018

US must cut off all funding the regime uses to fund terrorism & proxy wars

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

 

July 14, 2018 - Two of the Trump administration’s main men, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, known for their very strong positions on the Iranian regime, have flatly turned down a request from leaders in Europe seeking waivers from Iran sanctions the U.S. will slap against those countries choosing to do business with the mullahs’ regime after U.S. President Donald Trump has exited from the highly flawed Iran nuclear deal.

The U.S. withdrawal from the deal will most likely make pledges made by the other parties, China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.K., to remain loyal to the pact virtually impossible.

Pompeo and Mnuchin have informed their counterparts in the U.K, France and Germany that Washington will be applying “unprecedented financial pressure” on Tehran’s mullahs after exiting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA, and will continue until a “tangible, demonstrable and sustained shift” in the Iranian regime’s policies are witnessed, according to a letter seen by the media.

“The president withdrew from the JCPOA for a simple reason -- it failed to guarantee the safety of the American people,’’ Pompeo and Mnuchin wrote in the undated letter. “We are thus not in a position to make exceptions to this policy except in very specific circumstances where it clearly benefits our national security.’’

This letter is a response to a communiqué received from Paris, Berlin, and London in June with a request from their governments for Washington to “strongly regret” a decision to exit. The three Green Continent countries also sought a slate of exemptions, including guarantees that EU entities and individuals will be waived from “extraterritorial effects” of scheduled U.S. secondary sanctions.

With talk of U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime continuing extensively, the mullahs’ oil exports are expected to drop significantly. This is a reminder of the 2013-2015 period where the regime exported 1.0 to 1.5 million BPD while suffering from heavy U.S. and European economic embargoes.

European countries never actually expected to receive sanctions waivers from the U.S., according to a European diplomat talking to Bloomberg. This lack of expectation was also shared by European companies, many of which are already seen pulling out or significantly scaling down their ties with the Iranian regime.

The weight on Tehran is part of a general drive led by Washington seeking to isolate the mullahs and attract the attention necessary to the Iranian regime’s long slate of belligerence across the Middle East and even Europe itself.

More recently, U.S. administration officials are alerting their European counterparts about the arrest of Vienna-based Iranian regime diplomat who stands accused of attempting to provide aid to an Iranian-Belgian couple intending to bomb the annual Iranian opposition – Free Iran 2018 – convention held just outside of Paris recently.

Pompeo continued his efforts on Thursday by posting a number of tweets to raise attention to the level of Tehran’s threats and attacks

 

We ask our allies & partners to join our economic pressure campaign against #Iran’s regime. We must cut off all funding the regime uses to fund terrorism & proxy wars. There’s no telling when Iran may try to foment terrorism, violence & instability in one of our countries next. pic.twitter.com/XHxd3EPaBP

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) July 12, 2018

 

[yota691]

At the Helsinki Summit

Trump: Iran's malicious activities in the region must stop

 

• 7/16/2018

President Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin

US President Donald Trump has called on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to press Iran to stop its activities and interventions in the region. 

Trump said in a joint press conference with Putin at the end of their summit in Helsinki on Monday evening that he discussed with Putin the Iranian interventions in the region and the need to work together to stop these malicious activities, adding that the talks dealt with the importance of pressure on Iran.

 

Trump revealed that the summit with President Putin discussed the issue of nuclear proliferation in the world, describing the dialogue between him and his Russian counterpart deep and frank.

 "The Helsinki summit with Putin is only a beginning," he said.

He added that constructive dialogue between Russia and America opens new ways to peace and stability in our world, noting that cooperation with Russia saves the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Syria .

Trump stressed that Baladah, in cooperation with many allies, is on the verge of destroying a terrorist organization in the region, revealing the presence of large and clear coordination between the leaders of the Russian and American armies in order to eliminate the intimidation and terrorism.

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country and the United States face the challenges of global security and the spread of the threat of terrorism and increase the problems in the global economy.

On the situation in Syria, the Russian president said that the establishment of peace in Syria could be an example of cooperation between Moscow and Washington, stressing the need to restore the situation in the Golan according to the cease-fire agreement in 1974.

The Finnish capital, Helsinki, witnessed Monday, the first summit between the US president and his Russian counterpart.

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 report that monitors Iran's economic difficulties in Iraq

 

 

3 hours ago

 

LONDON (Reuters) - The conflict between Tehran and Washington in the country is getting hotter and this exacerbates divisions within Iraq, the British newspaper The Independent reported on Monday.

"The legacy of terrorism that Daqash left is not the only destabilizing factor. The United States and Iran have been rivals and, in some cases, collaborators in Iraq for decades, but the conflict between the two is getting hotter," the newspaper said in a report released on July 16, 2018. Exacerbates divisions within Iraq. "

"It seems fundamental, but at the core of the crisis of identity of the Iraqi regime after 2003, which was sponsored by America and Iran by agreement sometimes or without it, national sovereignty has a title in Baghdad?" She is angry and aggressive towards Arabs in particular, Turks and even Americans, but soft and loyal to Iran.

"The loyalty of Iraq today to Iran Khamenei and Qasim Soleimani does not stop at large units within the Iraqi security forces. It is not the popular crowd that follows Iran militarily and faithfully; most of the army and police units, except for the US-trained military forces, (The anti-terrorism apparatus), which was the striking force in a daunting defeat, but has been accused by the powerful Iranian camp in Iraq of being "pro-American" and a permanent project to carry out a military coup, as recently stated more than a forceful leader in the popular crowd.

"The broader field of Iranian influence in Iraq is the field of finance and business. Iraq has sometimes been described as Iran's" head. "It is a broad opening for imports and exports from the" dear Islamic Republic "as the ruling Shiites call it .

"As the United States strives to close that hole in the wake of its withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, and Trump's attempt to force Iran into political submission by imposing tough sanctions on an economic blockade, the conflict seems open to unknown horizons. Iran has its arms stretched Not many private banks have Iraqi name, Iranian management and direction; even in the Iraqi Central Bank of government, which is still through (auction of foreign currency daily) provides Iran with all the hard currency.

What is the task assigned to Khamenei's son in Iraq?

The newspaper added that Iran sells Iraq poor quality goods, starting with weapons and does not end with drinking water, about 20 billion dollars a year, which provides them, not only smuggled from US sanctions, but an important cover for the currency crumbling .

"Here we have to know how the Iranian financial octopus in Iraq, backed by the ruling Baghdad parties, is controlling the lives of the Iraqis." Last week, Tehran stopped Tehran supplying electricity to the extent to which Baghdad would go to the Iranian conflict With Washington, stood the current, which is the main concern for the lives of Iraqis, was on the pretext that Iraq did not pay the money owed to Iran because of US sanctions, forcing Baghdad to ask Washington to exclude from sanctions on Tehran, US Secretary of State Pompeo said " Aldo Of sanctions on Tehran. "

Since the arrival of the Islamic Shiite parties in power since 2005, the Compass of Iraq has always been loyal to Islamic Iran, a deep trend in the politics of these parties. It is the core, if you like, which Washington does not understand, that the ruling Islamic Dawa party And the rest of the Shiite parties and militias, it is considered (legally mandated) to win the Islamic revolution in Iran, which determines the direction of that compass.

Social networking sites: Turkey and Iran kill Iraqis thirsty

The newspaper said that in 2012 and after the US withdrawal from Iraq, which was considered a victory for Iran, the then Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, sold the Obama administration Badrhm, and it would not be strange to sell his successor Abadi, Trump management Badrham and half ! .

"The two men, Maliki and Ebadi, from a party that regards loyalty to Iran as legitimate and they are proud of that," she said.

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Washington does not rule out exemptions from sanctions and Tehran calls Trump for communication to negotiate

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Iran has kept the door open to the prospect of negotiations with the United States, although it stressed that US President Donald Trump "start" call and "make the call" if he wanted to negotiate after his withdrawal from the nuclear agreement. At the same time, US Treasury Secretary Stephen Menuchin said his country wants to avoid impacting global oil markets when it reinstates sanctions on Iran and will consider exemptions in "certain cases" if countries need more time to cut their purchases of Iranian oil to zero.

"We want people to reduce their purchases of oil to zero, but in limited cases if they can not do so overnight, we will study," Menuchin said in a statement that was not published until yesterday. Exemptions ».

In contrast to the position of the Treasury Secretary, the Financial Times reported yesterday that the United States refused to return its decision to impose new sanctions on companies operating in Iran, despite the request to exempt European companies, stating that «international companies active in Iran are subject to US sanctions Within weeks, after Washington rejected a European request at the highest level to exempt vital industries, to help keep the nuclear agreement with Tehran alive. "

On June 6, France, Britain, Germany and the European Union sent a joint request to the Trump administration to exempt its companies from new sanctions on Iran. The newspaper quoted diplomats as saying that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Menuchin refused in an official letter to grant the Europeans the exemption they requested, as confirmed by French Economy Minister Bruno Lemerre, who told France's Le Figaro newspaper on Friday that the United States would not respond to Europe's request. Trump described him as a trade foe, accusing her again of exploiting America.

In Brussels, EU foreign ministers on Tuesday rejected a US request to isolate Iran economically and approved a judicial mechanism to protect European companies operating in the country from expected US sanctions. "We will take all measures to make Iran economically able to lift the sanctions," Federica Mujerini, the EU's foreign minister, said.

Meanwhile, Iran's ISNA news agency quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasimi as describing Trump's behavior as an "aggressive" Iran, as well as his response to the US president's statement. "At some point, the Iranians will call me and say, 'Let's conclude a deal, "This aggressive behavior is clearly seen in various aspects, perhaps he has said it as a joke, and of course he could call Tehran one day and ask to negotiate. The subject is more likely, and there may be signs in the past. " "If you contact Trump, it is not clear if anyone will answer."

At the same time, the guide called on Khamenei to strengthen his country's relations with "East and West" except the United States, as stated on its official website yesterday. He stressed during his meeting with President Hassan Rowhani and members of the government on «the need to strengthen diplomacy and develop foreign relations», according to comments published in English. "Except in some cases, like America, the country's relations with the East and the West must be strengthened in a big way," he said.

According to statistics released by the World Bank, Iran has experienced a significant economic decline over the past four decades, and its gross domestic product last year amounted to 439 billion dollars. The Iranian economy has fallen from 17th place to 27th in the world in the last four decades, with all that means a drop in the living standards of the Iranians.

The World Bank estimates Iran's per capita gross domestic product, based on the purchasing power of the Iranian currency between 1976 and 2017, and reveals that the Iranian citizen is 32 percent poorer in this period.