Iranian official calls for negotiations with Washington in Iraq

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Iran's UN Representative: US Sanctions Stabilize World Trade

New York / November 1 - Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations said unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on nations are a sign of weakness in its understanding of the current global complexities, not only hurting the people but also the interests of nations and world trade.

"Iran once again expresses its support for the government and people of Cuba in the face of long-standing illegal and unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States," Gholamali Khoshro said in a speech at a UN General Assembly meeting to examine a draft resolution to end US unilateral sanctions against Cuba. 
"There is no doubt that the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba is unilateral, unjust and long-term," Khoshro said. 
Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations said the approach adopted by American politicians is far away from the realities of today's multi-world world. 
"The US administration's obstinacy in imposing unilateral sanctions and resorting to outdated Cold War policies has done much damage to Cuba's economic sector and caused many problems to its people," he said.
Khoshro pointed to the United States' 37-year unilateral sanctions against Iran and said the Islamic Republic of Iran, for more than 37 years, has been facing the pressures of American unilateralism, economic and financial sanctions and common positions with the government and people over the recklessness of America and its disregard for international values and institutions. 
He said the comprehensive joint plan of action reached in 2015 between Iran and the 5 + 1 group, which won the support of the Security Council, represents the fact that America is a bad player in the international arena. 
"The American economic war, which is under the title of the new sanctions, is not only aimed at the Iranian people, but also has bad repercussions on the peoples of other countries and has been disrupting world trade," he said. 
He said the US resort to imposing sanctions on Iran after its unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal proved that it was not reliable and relied on its commitment to the commitments a major mistake.
"The era of coups, instability and the policy of building the wall and the embargo, which all threaten global security and stability, are over." 
"It is unfortunate that some politicians in the world believe that they are able to safeguard their temporary interests by crushing world laws and weakening international institutions. 
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President of the UN Security Council:

We oppose unilateral sanctions against any state

NEW YORK, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) - The UN Security Council's chief delegate to the United Nations, Majao Shou, supported the nuclear deal and said we oppose unilateral sanctions against any country.

This was announced on the evening of Thursday at local time in a press conference and he asked whether he agreed that the imposition of unilateral US sanctions contradicts UN Security Council Resolution 2231. "We see this issue as very important, and I personally and other members follow the case closely," he said. 
Xu, who explained the UN Security Council's November programs, said that a proposal had not yet been submitted for a Security Council meeting but was ready to listen to any draft or proposal put forward by each member and hold a session in cooperation with other members. 
In response to a question on the country's national position on the violation of the resolution, the Chinese delegate to the United Nations said: "Our national position is very clear and everyone knows that we oppose any unilateral sanctions against any country." 
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Rohani: Europe must cooperate to counter US unilateralism

LONDON, Nov. 1 (Xinhuanet) - President of the Islamic Republic Hujjatul-Islam Hassan Rowhani said that America's behavior presents international stability to the danger, calling on Europe to cooperate with Iran to counter American unilateralism.

The cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Europe guarantees the long-term interests of both sides and guarantees international peace and stability, President Rowhani said in an article published in Britain's Financial Times on Thursday. 
He said the world faces a range of challenges, including economic issues, social crises, the dilemma of refugees, terrorism and extremism, and that Europe was not excluded from it and is facing these problems every day. 
In the past two years, US foreign policy has turned into a new and complex dilemma, creating new challenges at various levels of international relations, the president said.
"Every day we witness America's complicity in the crimes committed in Yemen and its contempt for the Palestinian people and their attempts to eradicate it, which hurts the feelings of 1.5 billion Muslims. "We believe that the American administration supports criminal groups, such as those that do not lend any value to humanitarian principles, which exacerbates the problems in the region." 
"US President Donald Trump's approach to trade issues, international treaties and his cynical behavior, even with America's allies, proves that America's foreign policy is a serious challenge to world order," the article said. 
"In terms of total, the policy of American exclusivity, racial discrimination, Islamophobia and the disregard of important international conventions, including the Paris Climate Agreement, does not in principle coincide with the multiple orientation of Europe and its valuable political and social norms," he said.
President Rohani described the nuclear deal and the US withdrawal as another example of American exclusivity, saying the nuclear deal was the outcome of two years of intensive talks between Iran and six countries, three of which are European. 
He said that according to UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the agreement was ratified by a global consensus and that all the members of the United Nations have committed themselves. However, the United States, by making false claims and ignoring its obligations under international law, withdrew from the nuclear agreement and imposed Unilateral sanctions against Iran and then other countries. 
President Rohani said that the United States has resorted to threatening countries that comply with resolution 2231 to impose sanctions, which is a mockery of international resolutions.
The president described the nuclear deal as the greatest victory for diplomacy in the present era, saying, "The European Union, by cooperating with all but a few other countries, is trying to preserve this great achievement." 
"After the withdrawal of the United States from the nuclear agreement, we have had positive talks with all the parties to the agreement and the support we received from them was valuable, but the important thing is for the European parties, China and Russia to work out the final package to compensate for the losses caused by US unilateral sanctions. 
He stressed that the condition of saving the 'historic agreement' is the benefit of the Iranian people. 
The president also said the International Court of Justice had ruled in favor of Iran, calling US sanctions illegal, and warned that ignoring the court's decision would discredit international treaties.
"Europe's traditional approach to multilateralism has made this region suitable to play an important role in strengthening security and stability to ensure its identity and common interests," President Rouhani wrote in his article. 
Finished

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2018/11/02 21:32

• Number of readings 431
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Officials: America will grant Iraq exemption from some of Iran's sanctions

 

 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States has told Iraq it will continue to import vital supplies of gas, energy and food from Iran after Washington reinstates sanctions on Iran's oil sector, three Iraqi officials said on Friday.

They added, according to Reuters, that "the exemption to Iraq is conditional not to pay Iran the price of imports in US dollars," officials said, including a member of an Iraqi ministerial committee overseeing energy activities.

US sanctions will take effect on Nov. 4.

http://almasalah.com/ar/news/154848/مسؤولون-أمريكا-ستمنح-العراق-إعفاء-من-بعض-عقوبات-إيران

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America excludes Iraq from its sanctions against Iran

21:44 - 02/11/2018

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Information / Baghdad ..

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States has told Iraq it will continue to import vital supplies of gas, energy and food from Iran after Washington reinstates sanctions on Iran's oil sector, three Iraqi officials said on Friday.

"Exemption from Iraq is conditional on not paying Iran the price of imports in US dollars," the officials, including a member of an Iraqi ministerial committee overseeing energy activities, told Reuters.

"The Iraqi Ministry of Finance has established an account with a state-owned bank in which Baghdad will deposit the amounts owed to Iran for imports, in Iraqi dinar," the official said.

Iraq imports vital supplies from the Islamic Republic of Iran, including gas used in power plants

https://www.almaalomah.com/2018/11/02/360419/

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The United States excludes Iraq from its sanctions against Iran on condition

 

2 hours ago

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Digital Media NRT

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States has told Iraq it will be able to continue importing gas and other goods from Iran after US sanctions are reinstated, but on condition , Iraqi officials said on Friday .

The Iraqi news agency quoted Iraqi officials as saying on November 2, 2018 that Iraq's exemption from the US embargo on the Iranian energy sector comes on condition that Iraq does not pay the price of Iranian exports in US dollars .

One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Iraqi Ministry of Finance has opened an account in a government bank to pay for Iranian exports in Iraqi dinar .

US sanctions against Iran come into force on November 4.

The sanctions target Iran's energy sector and banks, as Washington seeks to reduce Iran's oil revenues to zero, but the United States has granted 8 countries a conditional exemption from the ban on importing energy resources from Iran .

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that eight countries would receive temporary exemptions from the sanctions imposed by his country on Iran, adding that they were granted exemptions because they "took important steps to reach zero level in crude oil imports ."

Pompio added that six countries would import Iranian crude oil at significantly reduced levels, 2 of which would complete their full import, and none of the eight countries awarded concessions said .

He said the European Union would not get a concession and that the list of the eight countries would be released on Monday and the United States was due to re-impose its sanctions on Iran next Monday, following the withdrawal of US President Donald Trump from the nuclear agreement signed in 2015

http://www.nrttv.com/AR/News.aspx?id=6060&MapID=2

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Special Briefing

Michael R. Pompeo 
Secretary of State

Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin

Via Teleconference

November 2, 2018

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MS NAUERT: Thank you, sir. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to today’s on-the-record call on the Iran snapback sanctions. We’re pleased to have with us Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin. They will each have brief remarks at the top and then take several of your questions. We’ll start first with Secretary Pompeo.

Secretary, please, go ahead.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you, Heather. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining the call. Earlier this year, President Trump withdrew from the fatally flawed nuclear deal and implemented a new campaign aimed at fundamentally altering the behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This part of the campaign about which we’re speaking today is simple. It is aimed at depriving the regime of the revenues that it uses to spread death and destruction around the world. Our ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlaw activities and behave as a normal country.

Today, Secretary Mnuchin and I will discuss one of the many lines of effort to achieve these fundamental changes in the Iranian regime’s behavior as directed by the President. While important, these economic sanctions are just a part of the U.S. Government’s total effort to change the behavior of the Ayatollah Khamenei, Qasem Soleimani, and the Iranian regime.

On November 5th, the United States will reimpose sanctions that were lifted as part of the nuclear deal on Iran’s energy, ship building, shipping, and banking sectors. These sanctions hit at the core areas of Iran’s economy. They are necessary to spur changes we seek on the part of the regime.

In order to maximize the effect of the President’s pressure campaign, we have worked closely with other countries to cut off Iranian oil exports as much as possible. We expect to issue some temporary allotments to eight jurisdictions, but only because they have demonstrated significant reductions in their crude oil and cooperation on many other fronts and have made important moves towards getting to zero crude oil importation. These negotiations are still ongoing. Two of the jurisdictions will completely end imports as part of their agreements. The other six will import at greatly reduced levels.

Let me put this in context for you. The Obama administration issued SREs to 20 countries multiple times between 2012 and 2015. We will have issued, if our negotiations are completed, eight and have made it clear that they are temporary. Not only did we decide to grant many fewer exemptions, but we demanded much more serious concessions from these jurisdictions before agreeing to allow them to temporarily continue to import Iranian crude oil. These concessions are critical to ensure that we increase our maximum pressure campaign and accelerate towards zero.

Our laser-focused approach is succeeding in keeping prices stable with a benchmark Brent price right about where it was in May of 2018 when we withdrew from the JCPOA. Not only is this good for American consumers and the world economy, it also ensures that Iran is not able to increase its revenue from oil as its exports plummet. We will, we expect, have reduced Iranian crude oil exports by more than 1 million barrels even before these sanctions go into effect.

This massive reduction since May of last year is three to five times more than what many analysts were projecting when President Trump announced our withdrawal from the deal back in May. We exceeded our expectations for one simple reason: Maximum pressure means maximum pressure.

The State Department closed the Obama era condensate loophole which allowed countries to continue importing condensate from Iran even while sanctions were in place. This loophole allowed millions of dollars to continue to flow to the regime.

This administration is treating condensate the same as crude since the regime makes no distinction between the two when it decides to spend its oil revenue on unlawful ballistic missiles, terrorism, cyberattacks, and other destabilizing activities like the assassination plot Denmark disclosed this past week.

And starting today, Iran will have zero oil revenue to spend on any of these things. Let me say that again. Zero. One hundred percent of the revenue that Iran receives from the sale of crude oil will be held in foreign accounts and can be used by Iran only for humanitarian trade or bilateral trade in nonsanctioned goods and services.

These new sanctions will accelerate the highly successful effects of our sanctions that have already occurred. The maximum pressure we imposed has caused the rial to drop dramatically, Rouhani’s cabinet is in disarray, and the Iranian people are raising their voices even louder against a corrupt and hypocritical regime.

On that note, our actions today are targeted at the regime, not the people of Iran, who have suffered grievously under this regime. It’s why we have and will maintain many humanitarian exemptions to our sanctions including food, agriculture commodities, medicine, and medical devices.

I will now turn the call over to Secretary Mnuchin.

SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Thank you very much. Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the Treasury Department has been committed to putting a stop to Iran’s destabilizing activities across the world. We’ve engaged a massive economic pressure campaign against Iran, which remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. To date, we have issued 19 rounds of sanctions on Iran, designating 168 targets as part of our maximum pressure campaign. We have gone after the financial networks that the Iranian regime uses to fuel its terrorist proxies and Hizballah and Hamas, to fund the Houthis in Yemen, and to support the brutal Assad regime in Syria.

The 180-day wind-down period ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday November 4th. As of Monday November 5th, the final round of snapback sanctions will be enforced on Iran’s energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and financial sectors. As part of this action on Monday, the Treasury Department will add more than 700 names to our list of blocked entities. This includes hundreds of targets previously granted sanctions relief under the JCPOA, as well as more than 300 new designations. This is substantially more than we ever have previously done. Sanctions lifted under the terms of Iran’s nuclear deal will be reimposed on individuals, entities, vessels, and aircraft that touch numerous segments of Iran’s economy. This will include Iran’s energy sector and financial sectors. We are sending a very clear message with our maximum pressure campaign that the U.S. intends to aggressively enforce our sanctions. Any financial institution, company, or individual who evades our sanctions risks losing access to the U.S. financial system and the ability to do business with the United States or U.S. companies. We are intent on ensuring that global funds stop flowing to the coffers of the Iranian regime.

I want to make a couple of comments on the SWIFT messaging systems since I’ve received lots of questions about this over the last few weeks. So I’d like to make four points. Number one, SWIFT is no different than any other entity. Number two, we have advised SWIFT the Treasury will aggressively use its authorities as necessary to continue intense economic pressure on the Iranian regime, and that SWIFT would be subject to U.S. sanctions if it provides financial messaging services to certain designated Iranian financial institutions. Number three, we have advised SWIFT that is must disconnect any Iranian financial institution that we designate as soon as technologically feasible to avoid sanctions exposure. Number four, just as was done before, humanitarian transactions to nondesignated entities will be allowed to use the SWIFT messaging system as they have done before, but banks must be very careful that these are not disguised transactions or they could be subject to certain sanctions. Thank you very much.

MS NAUERT: Thank you, sirs. Why don’t we go ahead, take our first question. We’ll go to Matt Lee with the Associated Press. Matt, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you, Heather. Both – either or both of you, on SWIFT, there are a lot of complaints among the President’s allies in Congress that this does not go far enough, and that without designating – without going after SWIFT harder for these messaging transactions, that it allows a serious loophole. I understand Secretary Mnuchin’s four points on it, but how will you address this criticism? Because it’s already coming even before this announcement today.

SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Okay, well let me – Secretary Mnuchin – let me make some comments. First of all, I think there’s been a lot of fueled misinformation as it relates to SWIFT and what we’re doing with SWIFT. So that’s why I want to be very clear. So one, okay, I think there was information that SWIFT would not be subject to sanctions. That’s not the case. SWIFT will be subject to sanctions. Number two, as I said, that – could be subject to sanctions, excuse me. Number two, it is our intent that they cut off designated entities as was done before. And again, I think there’s misinformation that they cut off everybody last time. Again, they did allow for certain entities to do humanitarian transactions consistent with what’s allowed under our sanctions. There are exceptions for humanitarian sanctions, but I want to very clear, people need to be careful that those are real humanitarian – those are real humanitarian transactions. So again, I would just say I – hopefully this will clarify the misinformation that’s out there.

MS NAUERT: Next question, we’ll go to Nick Wadhams from Bloomberg.

QUESTION: Hi. I had a question about the oil sanctions going into effect. Will those include – or will there be exceptions granted for nonhumanitarian transactions such as consumer goods, as were allowed last time, or will Iran only be allowed – or will Iran only be allowed to spend revenue that it gains through – on humanitarian items? And then second, if you’re giving eight waivers and two jurisdictions are already cutting imports to zero, what’s the point of giving them – those two jurisdictions waivers? Thanks.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Nick, this is Mike Pompeo. With respect to your first point, you’ll see the details on Monday. There are nonhumanitarian goods that we included in there, but they’re small. They’re ones that you would’ve already seen in the exemptions that were granted under the direction of the President. Second, some of these will take a few months to get to zero. So by November 5th they won’t be there. That’s the purpose of those exemptions, to give them a little bit longer to wind down. Weeks.

MS NAUERT: Pardon me?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Weeks longer to wind down.

MS NAUERT: Next question, Mike Warren from the Weekly Standard.

QUESTION: Hi, gentlemen, thank you. I want to follow-up on Matt’s questions about SWIFT. Secretary Mnuchin, you said that certain financial institutions in Iran will be cut off from SWIFT. Could you explain exactly which financial institutions, or maybe the financial institutions described in a Treasury FAQ, the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian financial institutions described in section 104(c)(2) blah blah blah – could you be more specific about which institutions? And how can – how can the United States Government be confident in SWIFT’s ability to monitor transactions using SWIFT that they – I imagine there are numerous of these transactions going on daily. How can the United States Government be confident that those are not transactions that are funding the bad actions that the government says is – they are trying to stop?

SECRETARY MNUCHIN: So again, let me comment on the first issue, which – that the list of banks, which will be substantially longer than last time, will be coming out over the weekend. And as it relates to monitoring transactions, again, financial institutions have liability for any transactions that go through SWIFT or any other mechanisms. I’m being told the list will come out on Monday. And again, it’s our expectation that that will be implemented as soon as technologically feasible.

MS NAUERT: Okay, thank you. Next question goes to Elise Labott from CNN.

QUESTION: Thank you. The question is for both secretaries, but maybe from a different angle. Could you address the workaround that the Europeans are trying to institute to avoid U.S. banks, maybe using their own central banks or electronic transactions? For Secretary Mnuchin, how much revenue do you think this would give the Iranians, and how seriously are you taking that in terms of a financial component?

And then Secretary Pompeo, could you talk about once these sanctions go into effect and if the Europeans do try to institute this workaround, what the diplomatic implications for relations with European allies? Thank you.

SECRETARY MNUCHIN: I’ll comment on the Special Purpose Vehicle. I have no expectation that there will be any transactions that are significant that go through a Special Purpose Vehicle based upon what I’ve seen. But when the details come out of some Special Purpose Vehicle, if there are sanctions – if there are transactions that go through there that have the intent of evading our sanctions, we will aggressively pursue our remedies.

SECRETARY POMPEO: And let me take the second part of that. We’ve been working closely with the Europeans on this set of issues. We’re very confident that our sanctions will be incredibly effective. And frankly, I can prove that already. As I stated, the Iranian economy today is already feeling the effects of this. It’s already feeling the effects of this effort not because the sanctions have snapped back – that won’t occur until – on Monday – but because the world and Iran knew this was coming. And so European entities of any scale that are doing business with the United States of America have already ceased their conduct with Iran. There may be an exception to that, but there has been an enormous departure of European businesses.

So whatever it may be that the EU is proposing, the folks who have risk – financial risk, business risk, operation risk – have already made their decision about the effectiveness of the sanctions that will be reimposed this coming week.

MS NAUERT: Our next question goes to Michele Kelemen with NPR.

QUESTION: Yeah, hi, thank you. One quick question that – just technically, which of the eight countries are getting these waivers? And then secondly, for Secretary Pompeo, you said in one of your interviews this week that the U.S. wants to restore democracy in Iran. Is that one of the goals of this campaign? And if so, how do you make sure that these sanctions aren’t going to hurt average Iranians who, as you point out, are suffering under this corrupt regime?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes, thanks for the question. The President’s policy is very clear: We are looking to change the Iranian leadership’s behavior. I laid out the 12 things we’ve asked them to do; that is the goal not only of what we’re speaking about this morning – and please don’t lose sight, we’re talking about a set of sanctions that will be reimposed on Monday. The administration’s efforts to change Iranian behavior are far broader, far deeper, there are many other lines of effort. We’re simply focused on this line of effort today because of the significance of November 5th.

My comments about restoring democracy are completely consistent with what we have described before. We’re counting on the Iranian people to have the opportunity and we are working towards allowing the Iranian people to have the opportunity to have the government they want, a government that doesn’t take wealth from their country and spend it on malign activity around the world. I mean, this is a regime that is conducting a assassination campaign inside of Europe today, murdering not Iranian citizens in those countries, but folks who live, reside, and are citizens of those European countries. These are the behaviors we’re trying to change, and our every effort is aimed at giving the Iranian people the opportunity to have the government that they not only want but deserve.

MS NAUERT: Next question: Josh Rogin, Washington Post.

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your time. Thanks for your service. I’d like to ask you about the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. My understanding is that you waived secondary sanctions on foreign firms that do business with that organization, mostly Russian and Chinese firms that are involved in the Arak and Fordow facilities. Why did you make that decision, and why are you letting Arak and Fordow continue? And are there plans to change that in the future? Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thanks, thanks for the question. We are not allowing the continued work to develop nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons systems in Arak and Fordow. We will provide on Monday a complete explanation of what we’re going to do with the continued efforts to prevent those facilities from doing the things that put the world at risk through proliferation, and we’ll give you all the detail. It’s a long and complex answer, but we’re happy to provide it to you on Monday morning.

MS NAUERT: Final question to Arshad with Reuters, please.

QUESTION: Two things. One, exactly how many financial institutions are going to be redesignated, i.e. put back on the SDN list on Monday? Previously I believe the number was close to or slightly above 30. You said it would be substantially more. How many is it going to be?

Secondly, you pointedly said that you were granting the exceptions to eight jurisdictions. Is one of those jurisdictions the European Union, thereby covering a much larger group of countries, i.e. 28 EU member-states?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Steven, you want to go first?

SECRETARY MNUCHIN: I’ll answer the first part. So the bank list will come out on Monday. Again, it will be more than last time, and again, we may continue to add banks to that in the future. But the original list will come out on Monday and we’ll carefully monitor situations to add on more banks as needed.

SECRETARY POMPEO: The second part of your question, we will provide the list of the eight jurisdictions on Monday. The EU will not be receiving an SRE.

MS NAUERT: The final question, Carol Morello, Washington Post.

QUESTION: Hi, thanks for doing this. Say in the past, the Iranians have blended their oil with foreign oil to evade sanctions, and there have already been reports that they are turning off the ID tags on their tankers. So what in particular are you going to be doing to track their attempts to evade these sanctions?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thanks for the question. Make no mistake about it, the Iranians will do everything they can to circumvent these sanctions – that’s unsurprising to me. They’ll turn off ships, they’ll try and do it through private vessels, they’ll try and find third parties that don’t interact with the United States to provide insurance mechanisms. The list of Iranian efforts to circumvent these sanctions is long. You should all recognize there’s a reason for that. These sanctions are far tougher than the sanctions that have ever been imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran. That is why they are so desperate to find ways to circumvent it.

And I won’t speak to our efforts to counter those circumvention efforts. There are many, they are varied, and make no mistake: The United States is fully prepared to do all that we can to prevent Iran from circumventing not only the crude oil sanctions and the financial sanctions, but all of the designations and all of the other sanctions that are being reimposed this coming Monday and those that are already in place.

SECRETARY MNUCHIN: And I would just add to that that anybody that does facilitate those transactions will be subject to sanctions and will be added to the list.

MS NAUERT: Secretary Pompeo, Secretary Mnuchin, thank you so much for joining us. Everyone, thanks for joining the call. Have a great day. We’ll be putting out a transcript shortly.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you all.

https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2018/11/287090.htm

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 2018-11-03 BY SOTALIRAQ

 

 

America allows Iraq to import three items from Iran

 

 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States told Iraq it would be allowed to continue to import essential gas, energy supplies and food from Iran after Washington reinstates sanctions on Tehran's oil sector, three Iraqi officials said on Friday.

The officials, who were members of Iraq's ministerial committee overseeing energy activities, said the waiver was conditional on non-payment to Iran for imports in US dollars.

US sanctions begin on Nov. 4.

https://www.sotaliraq.com/2018/11/03/أمريكا-تسمح-للعراق-باستيراد-ثلاث-مواد/

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03-11-2018 10:18 AM

Reuters: America has exempted Iraq, Turkey and India from Iranian oil and financial sanctions

 

 

 

 

Baghdad / News

The newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat quoted officials in Iraq, Turkey and India as among the countries that have received US exemptions from Iran's oil and financial sanctions, which will come into force on Monday.

The newspaper said, quoting 'Reuters' that 'three Iraqi officials said yesterday that the United States informed Iraq that it will allow him to continue to import vital supplies of gas, energy and food from Iran after Washington re-impose sanctions on the Iranian oil sector.'

According to officials, the 'exemption for Iraq is conditional on not paying Iran the price of imports in US dollars'.

For his part, said the Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Doniz said yesterday that 'was informed that Turkey will receive exemption from sanctions on Iranian oil sales,' noting in an interview with reporters' just moments ago, officials brought the news that the US Secretary of State made a statement on the restriction or lifting sanctions To eight countries including Turkey and we welcome this move because Ankara has previously warned that US sanctions will have a negative impact on peace and economy in neighboring countries such as Turkey. '

"The United States may allow India to continue to buy oil from Iran, which Washington is imposing sanctions because cutting off the supply of Iranian supplies to the market will affect global crude prices," the Indian Oil Corporation said yesterday.

"The United States may announce an exception to New Delhi on Sunday," a source in the Indian government told Reuters. He said India would continue to buy Iranian oil in the current fiscal year ending in March, but would agree to reduce its purchases further to get an exception.

"I can not say that there will be an exception or there will be no exception, but we certainly hope we have some kind of statement that makes us continue with Iran," said Sanjeev Singh, the Indian Oil Corporation. To zero will be a difficult rule, not only for India alone, but for the global oil trade.

The US government has agreed to allow eight countries to continue buying Iranian oil after sanctions are reinstated and the eight countries, including South Korea, a close ally of the United States, Japan and India, were quoted by the Bloomberg news agency as saying.

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Trump confirms the continuation of sanctions on Iran until it is subject to an agreement that satisfies Washington

 

Saturday, November 3

 

 

BAGHDAD (Reuters)  - US President Donald Trump said new US sanctions against Iran would continue until they were accepted, a new agreement that suits Washington and Tehran's final path toward nuclear weapons.  "We urge the Iranian regime to abandon its nuclear ambitions, change its destructive behavior, respect its people's rights and return to the negotiating table in good faith. We seek cooperation with our allies and partners in these efforts," Trump said in a statement published by the White House.   "The United States remains ready to reach a new, more comprehensive agreement with Iran that would permanently block its way to nuclear weapons. Until that moment, our historic sanctions will be fully implemented," he said.  The United States reintroduced large-scale sanctions against Iran as of August 7, 2018, which had previously been suspended as a result of a comprehensive joint action plan on Iran's nuclear program signed between Iran and the International Quartet (Russia, the United States, Britain, China, France and Germany), which withdrew Including the United States in May.  The second package of US sanctions will come into effect on November 5, covering banking, energy, shipping and shipbuilding in Iran and the Central Bank of Iran. "These measures, along with 19 rounds of sanctions since May 2017, have become the toughest and toughest US sanctions against Iran," Trump said, adding that Iran's national currency had "fallen by 70% year-on- , Inflation in October recorded 37%, the recession began to threaten the Iranian economy.  The US president once again threatened countries and companies that did not stop dealing with Iran in line with US measures and sanctions. "Governments and companies must ask themselves whether continuing deals with Iran is worth the risk," he said.

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Trump to reinstate all US sanctions on Iran, targeting over 700 entities & individuals

Published time: 2 Nov, 2018 14:33Edited time: 3 Nov, 2018 09:00

 

© (L) AFP / Mandel NGAN; (C) Global Look Press / Ahmad Halabisaz; (R) Global Look Press / Ahmad Halabisaz

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All sanctions on Iran lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal will be back in force on November 5, the US administration has announced.

The sweeping sanctions will see 700 people blacklisted, the US Treasury has announced. These include persons that were granted relief under the 2015 deal, as well as over 300 new names, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters.

Sanctions will also target payments through the special mechanism that the EU has been creating specifically to avoid Washington’s penalties and to keep buying Iranian oil.

Mnuchin has also threatened sanctions against the transaction service SWIFT.
 

 

“SWIFT is no different than any other entity,” Mnuchin told reporters. “We have advised SWIFT that it must disconnect any Iranian financial institutions that we designate as soon as technologically feasible to avoid sanctions exposure.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed earlier reports that eight nations will receive exemptions from the reimposed penalties, but refused to name them and said the EU as a singular entity was not among them. Earlier reports suggested that the list of exemptions would include Japan, India and South Korea.

Pompeo has released a list of 12 demands for Iran to comply with if it wants the sanctions lifted. These include halting all nuclear and ballistic missile development, as well as ending what Washington calls Tehran’s “support for terrorism,” and withdrawing from the Syrian conflict.

“Our ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlaw activities and behave as a normal country,” Pompeo said. More details will become available on Monday as the sanctions take effect, he announced.

Tehran is dismissing the sanctions, saying it is fully capable of managing its economy despite the resultant pressure.

“The new US sanctions will mostly have psychological effects,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on state TV. The US will not attain its political goals through such sanctions, he added.

FILE PHOTO: Iranians burn US flags to protest US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear deal © AFP / Atta Kenare

This is the second batch of sanctions to be re-imposed after US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the landmark deal, which was signed by Iran and six world powers in 2015. They cover Iran’s shipping, finance and energy sectors; and penalize other countries that don’t stop dealing with Tehran.

Since its withdrawal, the US has been pursuing the policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran, much to the chagrin of the European signatories, who have long praised the Obama-era agreement and attested to its effectiveness. The EU has been working on creating special payment channels to continue importing Iranian oil legally. This was set to be “symbolically ready” by the time sanctions kick back in.

[yota691]

Sweeping US sanctions target Iran’s oil, banks

Toughest of Obama-era sanctions lifted under 2015 nuclear deal will come back on Monday, six months after US President Donald Trump bolted from nuclear deal.

Friday 02/11/2018

 

 

Part of Pardis petrochemical complex facilities in Assalouyeh on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf, Iran

WASHINGTON - The United States will add 700 individuals and entities to its Iran blacklist and pressure the global SWIFT banking network to cut off Tehran when expanded sanctions are put in place next week, US officials said Friday.

But eight countries will be able to continue importing Iranian oil at lower levels in order to avoid upsetting global crude markets when the sanctions take effect on Monday, they said.

The US aims to cripple the Iranian economy to pressure Tehran to halt its nuclear activities and what the US says is broad support for "terrorism" in the region, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

The reimposition of sanctions "is aimed at depriving the regime of the revenues it uses to spread death and destruction around the world," Pompeo said.

"Our ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlaw activities and behave as a normal country."

The sanctions come six months after President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal struck between world powers and Iran.

At the time, he began reimposing sanctions that had been suspended or removed by his predecessor Barack Obama. That process will be completed starting from midnight Sunday, US eastern time, when sanctions on the regime's banks, shippers, shipbuilders and oil sector are imposed.

The impact remains in question as other countries, particularly Washington's European allies, resist joining its effort to economically strangle the Tehran regime.

The European Union has gone so far as to protect businesses that operate in Iran. It has announced plans for a legal framework through which firms can skirt US sanctions, although few major corporations have been eager to risk the wrath of penalties in the world's largest economy.

"This is not 2012 when the world was united behind sanctions against Iran. This is the Trump administration trying to force the rest of the world to go along with a policy that most countries do not accept," said Barbara Slavin, an Iran expert at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

"The US has had some success in terms of frightening away major corporations. The sanctions hurt a lot. But Iran is still going to be able to sell oil," especially to China, she said.

Oil trade exemptions

Pompeo said the US will grant exemptions to eight countries that have pledged to or have already cut back on purchases of petroleum from Iran, which has long depended on crude exports to power its economy.

He did not name the eight countries, but they are believed to include India, Japan, South Korea, and possibly China.

Pompeo said the countries agreed that the payments for the oil will go into offshore accounts that Iran will only be able to tap for "humanitarian trade, or bilateral trade in non-sanctioned goods and services."

"Maximum pressure means maximum pressure," Pompeo said.

To punish Iranian banks, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the global financial network SWIFT -- which enables secure bank-to-bank communications and transactions -- will also be subject to US sanctions if it provides services to Iranian financial institutions on the US blacklist, which includes most major Iranian banks.

That could make it very hard for Iran to do business with other countries.

"SWIFT is no different than any other entity," Mnuchin said.

US objective in question

Justifying the action, Pompeo has issued a list of demands for Iran that go well beyond the nuclear program that was the focus of Obama's deal.

He wants the Shiite clerical regime to withdraw from war-ravaged Syria, where it is a critical ally of President Bashar al-Assad, and to end longstanding support to regional militant movements Hezbollah and Hamas.

The US also wants Iran to stop backing Yemen's Huthi rebels, who are facing a US-supported air campaign led by Saudi Arabia.

But experts don't expect Iran's leaders to immediately throw in the towel.

"It's basically magical thinking. The Iranians have been able to continue their support to regional proxies and allies for 40 years despite economic pressure," said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group.

He said the Trump administration believed that a constrained, struggling Iran would see its influence erode. But the final goal, he said, was unclear.

"I think the end-game depends on who you're asking. The president himself is interested in having a broader, better deal with the Iranians, but I believe that most of his national security team are interested in either destabilizing Iran or assuring a regime change in Tehran," Vaez said.

Sanctions already reimposed

On August 7, the first sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal came into force, banning:

- The Iranian government's purchases of dollars, or the international buying and selling of significant sums of rials, Iran's under-pressure currency

- Purchases of Iranian treasury bonds

- Trade in gold or other precious metals, aluminum, steel, carbon or graphite

- Automobile and commercial aviation trade

- US imports of Iranian carpets or foodstuffs

Sanctions come into force Monday

The toughest of the Obama-era sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal will come back, including bans on:

- Energy sector sales including oil. The Trump administration says it aims for Iranian oil exports to be "as close to zero as possible" but the United States will likely give at least temporary reprieves to countries that cut but do not end purchases.

Iran will likely still export oil, its main commodity, in some form. Iran could mix its oil with crude from neighbouring Iraq, sell on the black market or try a barter system supported by the Europeans.

Another key pressure point will be the price of oil, which is politically sensitive in the United States. The reduction in Iranian crude would likely bring up global prices. Saudi Arabia could make up the difference; while the kingdom has threatened to use oil in retaliation for international punishment over its killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it also is eager to squeeze Iran, its regional rival.

- Financial transactions. Starting on Monday, any foreign institution that does business with Iran's central bank or other banks in the country will lose access to the US financial system. The risks for foreign banks are high in a globalized economy in which the dollar remains the dominant currency.

US hardliners want to press ahead on disconnecting Iranian banks from SWIFT, but others argue for keeping the option as a bargaining card with the Europeans and say that SWIFT access remains useful in tracking Iranian transactions.

[Butifldrm]

 

2018/11/03 09:26

• Number of readings 131
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Trump: New sanctions against Iran will continue until a new deal is reached

 

 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump has said new US sanctions against Iran will continue until a new deal is reached that suits Washington.

"We urge the Iranian regime to abandon its nuclear ambitions, change its destructive behavior, respect its people's rights and return to the negotiating table in good faith," Trump said in a statement published by the White House.

"The United States remains ready to reach a new, more comprehensive agreement with Iran that would permanently block its way to nuclear weapons ... until that moment our historic sanctions will be fully implemented."

The United States reintroduced large-scale sanctions against Iran as of August 7, 2018, which was previously suspended as a result of reaching a comprehensive joint action plan on Iran's nuclear program between Iran and the Sixth International Russia, the United States, Britain, China, France and Germany, which withdrew Including the United States in May.

The second of these sanctions will be effective as of November 5, and include the energy sector as well as crude hydrocarbons related to the Central Bank of Iran.

Follow the obelisk - agencies

http://almasalah.com/ar/news/154865/ترامب-العقوبات-الجديدة-ضد-إيران-ستستمر-لحين-التوصل-لاتفاق-جديد

[trident]

Middle East

New, toughest phase of Iran sanctions begins on Monday

Laurie Mylroie |

7 hours ago

 

---

A staff member removes the Iranian flag from the stage during the Iran nuclear talks at the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria July 14, 2015. (Photo: Reuters/Carlos Barria)

 

Iraq Iran US Sanctions Baghdad Washington

 

 

WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – On Friday, senior US officials described in detail the next phase of international sanctions on Iran that will start at midnight on Monday.

The sanctions target Iran’s oil, banking, and shipping sectors. States that are not in compliance will be subject to secondary US sanctions, although Washington has provided for temporary waivers—“Significant Reduction Exemptions” (SREs) to be issued for renewable six-month periods.

The SREs are for countries dependent on Iranian oil imports and which have made a substantial effort to reduce such purchases.

Eight countries will receive SREs, and two are so close to ending their imports of Iranian oil that they are expected to end such purchases “within weeks,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo explained.

He, and other US officials, declined to identify any of those countries on Friday but said they would do so on Monday.

However, Turkey’s Energy Minister said that his country would receive an SRE.

Iraq will also receive a waiver that will allow it to continue importing food, along with gas and other energy supplies from Iran, Reuters reported, citing three Iraqi officials.

However, Iraq will be obliged to pay Iran in Iraqi dinars rather than US dollars, with the money to be kept in an escrow account for humanitarian purchases. The same conditions, presumably, would also apply to the Kurdistan Region.

It is also speculated that China, Japan, India, and South Korea will also receive waivers.

Iran will not be free to spend the money it receives from countries that continue importing its oil. Rather, those funds will go into a special escrow account in the national bank of the importing country. Iran will be allowed to use that money only for humanitarian purposes, while the US will be monitoring those accounts.

Although the sanctions have yet to begin, Iran is already feeling their effect. In a statement issued by President Donald Trump, he noted that over the past year, Iran’s currency has “lost about 70 percent of its value.”

“Iran’s economy is sliding into recession,” while the inflation rate has “nearly quadrupled since May,” reaching 37 percent last month, Trump explained.

“More than 100 companies” have stopped doing business with Iran, and “we expect that number to grow,” he continued.

They include major US firms, such as Boeing and General Electric, as well as European companies like Peugeot, Renault, Siemens, and Total, despite the European Union’s efforts to maintain the nuclear deal and insulate Iran from the effect of the new sanctions.

Pompeo noted that the US measures have already reduced Iranian oil exports by one million barrels a day, even before the sanctions go into effect. That is “three to five times more than what many analysts” expected, he said, and represents a 40 percent decrease from Iran’s earlier export of 2.5 million barrels a day.

Pompeo also noted that this reduction of Iranian oil exports had been accomplished without an increase in oil prices: the price for benchmark Brent crude remains unchanged from May, when the US withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal, he said.

So far, Iran’s response has been relatively mild. It is downplaying the anticipated effect of sanctions and highlighting the eight waivers, suggesting that they show that the US has failed in its objective of cutting off all Iranian oil exports.

Iran’s muted response to the new sanctions could change quickly, however. And particularly given its extensive terrorist activities, Tehran could resort to such attacks, whether directed at US targets or at US allies, such as Saudi Arabia, whose increased oil production is helping to compensate for the cut-off of Iranian supplies.

Editing by Nadia Riva http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/042ebe34-e5cd-431f-a450-2cd5913aa965

[10 YEARS LATER]

Squeeze play is on - 

 

 

[6ly410]

those sanctions against Iran starting.. nov 5...are a big deal for us imo.. time to shut down the currency auction.....we will see but wow this is big 

Edited November 3, 2018 by 6ly410

[NoviceInvestor]

7 hours ago, 6ly410 said:

those sanctions against Iran starting.. nov 5...are a big deal for us imo.. time to shut down the currency auction.....we will see but wow this is big 

Hope so.. 

[Butifldrm]

 

Iraqi policy to british Britons to help Iran's nuclear program

 

 Twilight News    

 

 3 hours ago

 

 

Two retired couples have revealed how they were tricked into supplying parts of Iran's nuclear program from their home in Britain.

Paul Atwater and Iris wanted some extra money to pay for the Corolla Town FC ticket and a few holidays in the sun, but Paul, 65, and Iris, 66, were shocked after being summoned to court after being charged with helping a "rogue state" "In the development of weapons of mass destruction.

Instead of being sophisticated arms dealers, they were selling nuts and bolts to an Iraqi-born businessman in Malaysia.

Instead of engaging in espionage, they were fixing screws on the floor of the living room from the end of their balcony, £ 90,000.

The British citizens were shocked when the investigators told them that the devices were being shipped to Iran, where they could be used by the latter in the nuclear weapons development program.

A judge prevented them from jail this week after saying they were "very naive" and had been deceived by the businessman.

But the couple - despite losing £ 180,000 in the £ 100,000 business venture - are afraid to lose their home as plaintiffs seek to seize their assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

 

Keywords: 

http://www.shafaaq.com/ar/Ar_NewsReader/bd31ca7b-6c61-4adc-ac45-14d7e970e34c

[ChuckFinley]

Thanks Bitifldrm,  if I am reading this correctly anyone selling anything could be tied to a criminal act. 

[Butifldrm]

 

The policy
of "fear" of the US "revenge" in Iraq , Iran and Syria

 

 Twilight News    

 

 57 minutes ago

 

 

The Wall Street Journal published an article in which the US military's "concern" about retaliation for its forces in Syria and Iraq was the result of Israel's military campaign throughout Syria against Iranian-backed groups , Including Hezbollah, with the encouragement of the White House. 
In an article titled "As Israel Targets Iran in Syria, US Officials Warn of Retaliation," the paper noted "there is concern among US military officials who say they fear it would be counterproductive if Iran believes that the United States Is behind many attacks, which will prompt groups supported by Iran to attack US forces in Syria or Iraq. " 
"This situation between Israel and Iran is a growing concern," the newspaper quoted a senior US military official as saying.
It also quoted other US officials as saying that "if Iran is convinced that the United States is involved in targeting it, it could organize reprisals against US forces, especially in Iraq, where there are more than 5,000 US troops."

 

Keywords: 

http://www.shafaaq.com/ar/Ar_NewsReader/3978a491-bd59-4906-a735-70a821427429

[Butifldrm]

US Threatens SWIFT With Sanctions If Iran Isn't Cut Off

by Tyler Durden

Sun, 11/04/2018 - 12:35

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin threatened the global financial messaging service SWIFT on Friday that it could be penalized if it doesn’t cut off financial services to entities and individuals doing business with Iran. The warning came just days ahead of the US re-imposition of all US sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, which will take effect at midnight tonight and cover Iran's shipping, financial and energy sectors.

Speaking to reporters, Mnuchin was quoted by Reuters as saying that "SWIFT is no different than any other entity," adding "We have advised SWIFT that it must disconnect any Iranian financial institutions that we designate as soon as technologically feasible to avoid sanctions exposure."

The Trump administration has been pressuring allies to cut Iranian oil imports to “zero” next month although on Friday the US agreed to grant exemptions to 8 countries that import Iran oil; the countries include Japan, India, and South Korea according to Bloomberg. China, the leading importers of Iranian oil remains in discussions with the US on terms but is among the eight, as is Turkey which will likely receive an exemption, the country's energy minister said on Friday. The full list of countries receiving waivers will be released on Monday.

By cutting Iran off from SWIFT, Iran would lose its ability to be paid for its exports and to pay for imports. Washington has been pressuring SWIFT to cut Iran from the financial system as it did in 2012 before the nuclear deal. Six years ago the EU imposed sanctions on Iranian banks, forcing SWIFT, which is subject to EU laws, to cut financial transactions with at least 30 of Iran’s financial institutions, including the central bank.

Iranian banks were reconnected to the network in 2016 after the Iran nuclear deal came into force, allowing much needed foreign cash to flow into Tehran’s coffers.

While SWIFT (The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), which is a financial network that provides cross-border transfers for members across the world, is based in Belgium, its board includes executives from US banks with US federal law allowing the administration to act against banks and regulators across the globe. It supports most interbank messages, connecting over 11,000 financial institutions in more than 200 countries and territories.

Washington’s pressure has pushed Brussels to look at creating a SWIFT alternative. As we reported at the time, in August German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on the EU to set up an independent equivalent of the system. Later, EU Foreign Affairs Chief Federica Mogherini confirmed that the bloc’s signatories remain committed to the nuclear deal with Iran and are working to create special payment channels to do business with the Islamic Republic. That proposal stalled in Brussels and major European firms left Iran.

* * *

Whether with or without SWIFT's involvement, Iranians are bracing for the full force of US sanctions due to hit on Monday. The new sanctions, which also aim to cut off Iran’s banking sector from the global market, are timed to coincide with the anniversary of the 1979 storming by Iranian revolutionaries of the US embassy in Tehran, when angry students took 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days.

Iran has remained defiant, saying it is confident it can weather the impacts, and that the US will fail to bring down Iranian oil imports to zero.

On Friday, President Trump announced the reimposition of sanctions by tweeting on Friday a photograph of himself in the style of an advertisement for the Game of Thrones series, with the tagline: “Sanctions Are Coming, November 5” (much to the chagrin of HBO).

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The office of Iran’s Quds force commander, Qassem Soleimani, retaliated by posting a photo of himself in a similar style alongside the tagline: “I will stand against you.”

But ordinary people, wary of the fluctuations of the currency and the rising prices of goods, are anxious. On Sunday, a state-organised rally took place in front of the former US embassy compound in central Tehran to mark the anniversary. The crowd held placards reading “Down with USA”, and “Down with Israel”, while others set US and Israeli flags on fire.

“Never threaten the Iranian people,” Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of Iran’s elite revolutionary guards told people gathering in front of the former embassy, officially referred to as a “den of spies”. “Do not make military threats against us, and do not frighten us with military threats,” he added.

Iran is also relying on European support: as noted above, the EU has set up a mechanism – known as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) – to sidestep US sanctions and persuade an increasingly reluctant Iran to stay inside the deal in the hope of rescuing its economy. It is unclear if Europe will be willing to actually activate this "SWIFT-alternative", however, in light of Mnuchin's threats.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reacting to Trump’s threats on Saturday, said America’s power was in decline. “The US’s goal in imposing sanctions is to paralyze and prevent the growth of national economy; but it resulted in a movement towards self-sufficiency in Iran,” he said.

Inside Iran, however, people are on tenterhooks. Economic grievances were a trigger for a wave of nationwide protests in recent months over the scarcity of the US dollar, unpaid wages and rising prices. “Nov 5th isn’t the most pivotal moment in this saga,” said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group told the Guardian. “Paradoxically, if sanctions prove as effective as the White House is hoping for, they are bound to push Iran to either revive its nuclear program or become more aggressive in the region. Both will significantly increase the risks of a military confrontation.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-04/us-threatens-swift-sanctions-if-iran-isnt-cut

Edited November 4, 2018 by Butifldrm

[nannab]

It is sad to say but Iran has been asking for it for a long time. 

 Thanks Butifldrm. 

[Butifldrm]

2 minutes ago, nannab said:

It is sad to say but Iran has been asking for it for a long time. 

 Thanks Butifldrm. 

 

Nanna, yes Iran/ the Mullah's deserve severe sanctions, but now it appears the US/Trump administration is going after SWIFT!  This is a real WOW moment.  It's a Push against the Globalist Moment!

[Butifldrm]

Iran's Powerful Hardline Cleric Threatens To "Instantly" Create $400 Oil By Seizing Tankers

by Tyler Durden

Sun, 11/04/2018 - 18:00

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Just ahead of U.S. sanctions on Iran set to snap back on Monday targeting primarily the energy, shipbuilding, shipping, and banking sectors, Iran's most prominent conservative cleric has announced that if oil exports are halted, Saudi tankers will be confiscated and Gulf countries attacked.

Powerful Shia cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda is the Friday Prayer leader in Mashhad, considered Iran's spiritual capital and among the holiest places in Shia Islam, and sits on the government's "Assembly of Experts" but has no formal government role or decision-making ability. However, he's a powerful leader and chief spiritual force behind Iran's conservative faction who has long been at odds with President Hassan Rouhani. 

Iranian opposition sources report that Alamolhoda told his followers during his Friday prayer sermon:

If we reach a point that our oil is not exported, the Strait of Hormuz will be mined. Saudi oil tankers will be seized and regional countries will be leveled with Iranian missiles.

Prominent hardline cleric Ahmad Alamolhoda

The cleric is further reported to have declared that Iran has the power to "instantly" create conditions for $400 a barrel oil prices if it decides to act in the Persian Gulf. 

He said as reported in regional opposition media: 

If Iran decides, a single drop of this region's oil will not be exported and in 90 minutes all Persian Gulf countries will be destroyed. The UAE and Saudi Arabia will be destroyed in 60 minutes. After 90 minutes the U.S. will have nothing in this country. And we haven't even started with Israel. Beware of the day we go after Israel, too. That's why they want us to round up our missiles.

Though the hardline cleric's rhetoric is often of this fiery tone and threat-laden in nature, it articulates the position of conservative critics who've long pointed out that President Rouhani's risk of entering a deal with the West (the 2015 JCPOA) has utterly failed. 

Meanwhile, with less than 24 hours to go before the next and fiercest round of sanctions come back into force, thousands of demonstrators appeared on the streets of Iran holding anti-American banners and chanting "down with the US". Iranian media reported that similar demonstrations were held in multiple cities across the country.

Weekend protests in Tehran marking the anniversary of the US embassy takeover, via AFP

November 4 marks 39 years since the 1979 US embassy takeover after which the Shia Islamic revolution held 52 American staff and Marines hostage for 444 days. In the streets of Iran people could be seen burning effigies of Trump, and torching American and Israeli flags, and even burning dollars. 

White House officials have openly declared that Washington is waging "economic war" against Iran, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying on Friday, "The administration's efforts to change Iranian behavior are far broader, far deeper." Hinting that it's part of a broader package that includes covert regime change efforts, he said further, "There are many other lines of effort," and added, "We're simply focused on this line of effort today because of the significance of November 5th."

It will be interesting to see if economic war quickly escalates into a confrontation in the Persian Gulf, something Iran's IRGC has said could be coming many times before. However, as Tehran tries to cling to a lifeline in the form of European countries willing to find ways to circumvent the U.S.-led sanctions, it is unlikely that the Rouhani government would ever give the order - yet those IRGC operatives loyal to the hardline clerics might. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-04/irans-powerful-hardline-cleric-threatens-seize-oil-tankers-launch-missiles-ahead

[yota691]

 

Analysts confirm Saudi Arabia's willingness to compensate for Iran's oil supplies

 

14:14

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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - 

Saudi Arabia is ready along with key partners in the oil sector to cover any supply shortfall due to US sanctions on Iran, although the crude market remains generally unstable, analysts say.

Six months after US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of his country from the nuclear deal, the United States will return from Monday to impose the second batch of sanctions, which was raised after reaching an agreement with Tehran in 2015, according to Agence France-Presse. 

The US decision is to prevent all foreign countries, entities or companies from entering the US market if they decide to proceed with the purchase of Iranian oil or continue to deal with Iranian banks, but Washington has announced that eight countries will benefit from temporary exemptions on the purchase of oil from Iran. 

The United States is re-imposing sanctions on the Islamic Republic at a time when producing countries are experiencing a series of unrest that has a negative impact on their supplies, while Trump seeks to prevent rising prices.

Analysts expect Iran's oil exports, estimated at 2.5 million bpd, to fall by 1 million to 2 million barrels a day when sanctions come into effect, and this could put pressure on the oil market, which has been tense for years. 

The attention is directed to Saudi Arabia as the only producer with an important spare capacity of about 2 million barrels, which the kingdom may resort to to compensate for the shortfall caused by the US sanctions on Iran. 

Saudi Arabia's energy minister, Khalid al-Faleh, said his country, which increased its daily production by 700,000 barrels to 10.7 million barrels in October, is ready to increase further to a production rate of 12 million barrels. 

"There are sanctions against Iran and no one is aware of the status of Iranian exports," he told Russian news agency Tass last week.

In addition, there may be a new drop in the exports of Libya, Nigeria, Mexico and Venezuela, adding that there is also instability in US oil production of rock. 

Al-Falih stressed that the Kingdom may resort to its huge strategic reserves of about 300 billion barrels to meet global demand. 

Houston oil expert Anas al-Haji said the decline in Iranian exports was difficult to determine, but he expected it to be "less than what analysts say." 

"The Iranians have mastered the game of action under sanctions, there will be a black market for Iranian crude," he said. 

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait could also increase production by 300,000 barrels if needed.

"Everyone is talking about Saudi Arabia, but the country's exports are stable around 10 million barrels a day," analyst Samir Madani told Tanker Trakers, a specialist in tracking oil tankers. 

He added that "the real increase is Iraq, which exports 4.2 million barrels per day, an amount I have never seen before." 

But the Kuwaiti oil expert Kamel al-Harami doubts Riyadh's ability to maintain the rate of 12 million barrels per day for a long time. 

They have not even reached an average of 11 million barrels on a continuous basis, "he said." It can not continue. " 

Iranian officials are betting on market instability to overcome US sanctions.