Iran (August 4, 2020)
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1a)
Iran-Russia-China: A Strategic Alliance Is Born While the US Loses Ground and Allies
By Elijah J Magnier
July 26, 2020
Iran-Russia-China: a strategic alliance is born while the US loses ground and allies
„[…]Iran’s Foreign Minister Zarif made one of his most important visits to Moscow, a “tested partner in Syria and a real supporter at the United Nations at the most needed time when the US has lost its balance”, said the source. After the deal with China, a comprehensive deal with Russia is on its way to pave the road for Iran to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as a member and no longer merely as an observer. This will involve establishing a very long -term partnership on all levels, including the military cooperation with another long-term deal to sign in the near future. These are exceptional deals with superpower countries. It is unusual for Iran to accept the terms imposed by dealing with such powerful countries; Iran is treading the minefield of article 3 of its constitution. New alliances are emerging, between countries united and strengthened by the imposition of US sanctions imposed on all of them. Meanwhile, the US is losing more ground and more allies.“
1b)
Iran’s foreign minister urges updating document for strategic cooperation with Russia
By Press TV
August 2, 2020
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/02/630933/Zarif-Iran-Russia
„In a meeting with Chairman of the Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky in Tehran on Sunday, Zarif added that given the level of cooperation between the two countries in different fields, it is necessary to update the document on long-term cooperation to the level of strategic relations. […] During the meeting, Zarif and Slutsky also discussed ways to boost bilateral ties, especially in the economic sector, maintain the multilateral nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and solve ongoing conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya, as well as enhance bilateral cooperation on regional and international developments.[…]“
1c)
China Plays the Iran Card
By Vali Nasr, Ariane Tabatabai
July 29, 2020
„[…] By increasing pressure on both China and Iran, the US has encouraged the two countries to forge a common front. Though the Sino-Iranian a relationship is still a long way from becoming a new axis, the recent negotiations show that such an arrangement is possible. American foreign policymakers should take note. The US will need to try placing a wedge between China and Iran, which requires deciding which one poses the greater threat. Americans may want nothing more than to leave the Middle East once and for all. But the fact is that the strategic competition with China will not play out only in East Asia.“
1d)
Iranian ambassador calls for aerospace cooperation with China
By Tehran Times
August 4, 2020
„Iranian Ambassador to China Mohammad Keshavarz-Zadeh has highlighted the opportunities for cooperation with Beijing in the aerospace industry given the recent successful launch of a Chinese networking satellite that has broken monopoly of the U.S. government-owned Global Positioning System (GPS). […]“
1e)
Is Iran sacrificing the revolution for petrodollars?
By Lindsay Gabow
Foreign Policy News
August 3, 2020
„[…] Various U.S. scholars and policy wonks have warned that the burgeoning partnership will compromise our interests in the Middle East. Analysis predicts an expanded Chinese foothold in the region and a massive market for sanctioned Iranian oil. On the surface, it indeed appears that such an agreement will undermine two major U.S. foreign policy objectives: taming its most powerful peer competitor and neutralizing its most troublesome Middle East foe. But this agreement will not prove entirely advantageous to besieged Iran. The Islamic Republic, buffeted by Western sanctions, international isolation, a hawkish Israel, and, of course, COVID-19, has lost considerable ground economically and militarily. Aspiring for leadership in the Muslim world, Iran has no choice but to rely on its soft-power influence. […]“
1f)
The 25-Year Agreement between China and Iran: A Continuation of Previous Policy
By Sheng Zhang
The Washington Institute
August 3, 2020
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/fikraforum/view/25-year-agreement-china-and-iran-foreign-policy
„The recently announced 25-year agreement between China and Iran appears to have become almost an urban myth among Middle East watchers. The importance of the agreement has been exaggerated and even become the subject of conspiracy theories. It has been both demonized as a “shameful treaty” that enables China to exploit Iran’s natural resources as claimed by Reza Pahlavi in his twitter, or as a sign of “Chinese expansive policy” which allows China to deploy soldiers globally. Those claims either fit the political stance of the exiled political dissents from Iran who would like to label the current Iranian regime as “selling out interests to foreigners” or fit the overall anxiety of Western society toward a so-called “aggressive Chinese expansion.” However, these assumptions are misunderstanding the agreement; it does not have any sort of revolutionary dimension for the China-Iran relationship. Rather, the agreement is mostly a gesture of friendship and the natural and unsurprising continuation of the relationship between the two states. China does not plan to and will not deploy soldiers in Iran, nor does it plan to pick any sides among the regional conflicts in the Middle East. […]“
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2a)
The Quincy Institute’s Middle East report and the hopes of a new Iran nuclear deal
By Gregory Brew
July 31, 2020
The Quincy Institute’s Middle East report and the hopes of a new Iran nuclear deal
„[…] The report calls for narrowly defining U.S. interest in the Middle East. A policy in the region must focus on safeguarding the United States from attack and ensuring the free flow of global commerce. The authors contend that these goals could be accomplished by reducing the U.S. military presence, extending diplomatic efforts to secure human rights, and setting up a regional security architecture modeled after the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. […] Yet the Quincy Report, while vivid and well-framed, is highly ambitious. The authors’ aims are sure to be tempered by circumstance outside of U.S. control, as well as the limitations imposed by current and past policy. This is particularly true in the report’s call for normalized relations between the United States and its historical bête noire, the Islamic Republic of Iran. […] Yet if Biden triumphs, the goals of the Quincy Report will continue to face considerable obstacles. The barriers to improving relations between the United States and Iran may not be insurmountable, but they are certainly more considerable now than they were five years ago. The JCPOA may not rise from the ashes. And the current fraught state of U.S.-Iranian relations may endure even if Donald Trump exits the White House in January 2021.“
2b)
A New U.S. Paradigm for the Middle East: Ending America’s Misguided Policy of Domination
By Paul Pillar, Andrew Bacevich, Annelle Sheline, and Trita Parsi
The Quincy Institute’s Middle East
Report No. 2
July 2020
„I. Executive Summary
Conventional wisdom holds that the presence of United States forces in the Middle East makes America and the region more secure. To the contrary, the U.S. military’s large footprint in the region, combined with voluminous U.S. arms sales and support for repressive regimes, drives instability and exacerbates grievances and conditions that threaten the United States. This presence has made Americans less safe and undermined U.S. standing abroad; it also leaves America less prepared to address more dangerous nonmilitary challenges such as pandemics and climate change, as the Covid–19 crisis makes clear.
Given the manifest failure of the current strategy, growing calls for a demilitarized approach to the region should come as no surprise. However, translating concepts of military restraint into practical policy requires sustained effort. This paper is intended to move the debate forward by operationalizing a holistic approach to the region based on a narrow definition of vital U.S. interests, in accordance with a foreign policy centered on military restraint and responsible statecraft.
U.S. policy toward the Middle East should be guided by two core interests: Protect the United States from attack; and facilitate the free flow of global commerce.
While these objectives require the U.S. to prevent hostile states from establishing hegemony in the region, they are best served by enhancing peace and security within a framework of international law. Neither warrants a major U.S. military presence in the Middle East, let alone regional military dominance.
A basic reorientation of U.S. policy is long overdue. Rather than allowing bilateral friends and adversaries define regional policy, the U.S. should center policy decisions across the region on their direct implications for U.S. interests, rigorously defined. Bilateral relations should be adjusted to this regionwide policy, not the other way around. A new approach based on responsible statecraft would not disengage from the Middle East, but would instead prioritize diplomatic and economic involvement over military domination, military interventions, and arms sales. This paper explains what such a shift would entail in practice and makes the following recommendations: […]“
2c)
Sanctions on Iran put the health of US allies at risk
By Hikmet Çetin (Former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkey)
The European Leadership Network (ELN)
July 31, 2020
„[…] The call here is not for an overall change of US policy toward Iran, even though that would be the most desirable course to take. Rather, it is a call for pragmatic measures that could help ensure that sanctions, which have humanitarian exemptions under US and international law, actually protect the lives of Iranian doctors and nurses as well as the wider public. There are other reasons besides humanitarian ones for why the US should take the step of providing sanctions relief. As Iran’s neighbour, Turkey knows full well that Iran’s stability and security are essential for the region. This cannot be overemphasised. It is a regional power. Pushing and pressuring Iran into a corner serves no one’s interest and is tantamount to looking for trouble. The Gulf States and Israel also stand to benefit from the COVID-19 crisis in Iran stabilising. To expect Iran, a proud and enduring nation, to fold in the face of sanctions is futile. […]“
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3a)
The Beginning of the U.S.-Iran Hot War?
By Sina Toosi
July 27, 2020
https://www.juancole.com/2020/07/the-beginning-iran.html
„[…]The recent remarks of Gha’ani, who is Soleimani’s successor, indirectly warns the U.S. of increased costs to America if it continues its current policy. However, Netanyahu and his allies in Washington have likely pinned their hopes on Iran providing a casus belli for further escalation. Any violent reaction from Iran could be seized upon to shift global opinion and engulf the U.S. in a conflict that a Biden administration could not easily undo.
President Trump remains committed to escalating against Iran even as the U.S. battles a worsening pandemic, an economic depression, and internal discord not seen in decades. In May, Trump even vetoed legislation that would prevent military actions against Iran without Congressional authorization. As Trump’s prospects for re-election fade, a dangerous stage has been set for conflict in the months ahead.“
3b)
Syria: U.S. move against Iranian plane is a terrorist act
By Press TV
July 26, 2020
Top Syrian diplomats slam harassment of Iranian plane as a double threat.
3c)
Mahan Air Passenger Undergoes Surgery on Spine After US Jet Incident
Iran says passengers of plane can sue US for endangering flight
By Dave DeCamp
July 26, 2020
Mahan Air Passenger Undergoes Surgery on Spine After US Jet Incident
„A passenger who was onboard the Iranian Mahan Air flight that encountered a US fighter jet over Syria last week had to undergo surgery for a spinal fracture after the plane landed in Beirut. Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hassan visited the hospital where the passengers were treated and called the incident “criminal intimidation” by the US. A total of four passengers were admitted to the hospital in Lebanon after the incident. So far, three have been treated and have flown back to Iran. Lebanese media said the remaining passenger “suffers from a fracture of his spine and strokes as a result of a blow to the head.” […]“
3d)
Russian expert calls IRGC drills in Persian Gulf a warning to enemies
By Tehran Times
August 1, 2020
„Anatoly Tsyganok, the head of the Russian Center for Political-Military Studies, said on Saturday that recent drills by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in the Persian Gulf was a serious warning to the enemies of Iran, especially the United States. In an interview with IRNA, Tsyganok said the maneuver showed Iran’s power in the sea and air. Iran has repeatedly announced that it is not looking for any disputes and tensions in the region, but it keeps militarily alert and ready to react to any aggression, the Russian expert added. The IRGC ended on Thursday massive drills in the southern parts of Iran and the Persian Gulf which it had started on Tuesday. […]“
3e)
IRGC’s Military Drills’ Message Aimed at the U.S. and a Domestic Iranian Audience
By Ali Alfoneh
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
August 3, 2020
IRGC’s Military Drills’ Message Aimed at the U.S. and a Domestic Iranian Audience
„During its annual “Great Prophet” military exercises in late July, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck dummy targets, including a replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier, as it did in 2015, and a U.S. missile defense system. But the IRGC also launched two hitherto unidentified ballistic missiles from underground positions in the Iranian desert. Who was the intended audience of the IRGC’s spectacle? In the wake of numerous unconventional attacks, widely attributed to the United States and/or Israel, against Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, the United States and the Iranian public (the latter in desperate need of a morale boost) appear to be the target audiences.[…]“
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4)
Ebb and flow of Iran’s influence in Iraq
By M.K. Bhadrakumar
July 27, 2020
„[…] The point is, Tehran views Iraq through the prism of its own national security. Tehran had the means to block Kadhimi’s appointment on the floor of the parliament but it chose not to. For, Kadhimi kept lines of communication open to Tehran too, and Iran drew appropriate conclusions from the American experience in Iraq that creating a puppet in Baghdad is an exercise in futility and can only be counterproductive. Tehran preferred to cast its net wide in the Iraqi society and create organic relationships — not only among the Shia majority but also among Sunnis and Kurds — which explain the spread of its influence, ensuring that no security threats emanate from Iraqi soil as in the Saddam era. Second, make no mistake, Iraq all along served as a buffer for Iran — a turf where the Americans would get a better understanding of Tehran’s motivations and potentials to be a factor of regional stability. Third, Tehran sees interesting potentials in Kadhimi being a ‘balancer’ in Iran-Saudi relations. […]“
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5a)
US Officials Speak at Iran Regime Change Conference
By Dave DeCamp
July 19, 2020
„[…] A frequent guest of the MEK, Giuliani spoke at Friday’s conference, calling for regime change and railing against the mullahs. […] Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) also spoke at the conference, the only sitting members of Congress to attend. “Thank you to Madame Rajavi on everything she’s done. I want to encourage young people to continue your fight, your resistance … the people of the United States are with you,” Gooden said. Other speakers from the US included former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former New Jersey Senator Robert Toricelli, and others. The MEK pays well for these short speeches. President Trump’s Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao collected $50,000 from the MEK for a five-minute speech in 2015. Although he was missing from this conference, former National Security Advisor John Bolton is a MEK favorite and has delivered many speeches to the group. Records show the MEK has paid Bolton at least $180,000 for speeches over the years.[…]“
5b)
Iran arrests ringleader of US-based terrorist group: Intelligence ministry
By Press TV
August 1, 2020
„Iranian security forces have managed to arrest the head of the terrorist group, Jamshid Sharmahd, who directed „armed operations and acts of sabotage“ in Iran from the US, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. […] The ministry said it has dealt a heavy blow to the Tondar group that planned and carried out a deadly terrorist attack on Seyyed al-Shohada mosque in the southern city of Shiraz, Fars Province, in 2008, which killed 14 people and wounded 215 others. It noted that the terrorist group had also planned to carry out other large-scale operations, like blowing up several places, including Sivand Dam in Shiraz, Mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran, and Tehran International Book Fair, which were all foiled. […]“
5c)
For first time, Iran releases name of martyrs killed by MKO terrorists during 1988 ops
By Press TV
July 27, 2020
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/27/630513/-MKO-Iran-Habilian-names-martyrs-operations
„An Iranian human rights NGO has for the first time released the names of 1,503 martyrs killed by the anti-Iran Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group in western parts of the country some 32 years ago. […] These terrorists carried out several military incursions from Iraq against Iranian territory. The operations included three rather massive military attacks named Aftab (in Fakkeh region in the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan on March 28, 1988), Chelcheragh (in Mehran region in western Ilam Province on June 18, 1988) and Forough Javidan (targeting the western city of Kermanshah on July 25, 1988). The recent list released concludes the people who were martyred by the MKO in these three military operations and other sporadic offensives in 1988 along the western borders of the country. […]“
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6)
Will Foreign Investment Return to Iran’s Automotive Sector?
By Hassan Karimi Sanjari
July 26, 2020
„Iran produced just 770,000 automobiles in 2019, down from 1,418,550 just two years prior. The re-imposition of U.S. secondary sanctions interrupted new investment in Iran’s automotive sector, particularly by European automakers such as Renault, Peugeot, and Volkswagen. […] Notably, the new post-JCPOA investment was intended to facilitate the partial privatization of the state-owned manufacturers. Through the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization (IDRO), the Iranian state was set to become a minority shareholder in the new Renault joint venture. A similar deal was struck between Daimler and Iran Khodro Diesel for the manufacturing of Mercedes-Benz trucks in Iran. Allowing foreign firms to be the majority shareholders of their joint ventures was an important shift in industrial policy for the “strategic” automotive sector. Such policy was also intended to address the long-running issue of inefficiency and poor productivity among the state-owned automakers. There were also a number of deals between foreign automakers and private sector firms in Iran, such as the agreement between Volkswagen and Mammut, which has produced Scania trucks in Iran since 2008. Scania’s persistence in the Iranian market has earned it a commanding market share of over 60 percent. […]“
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7)
TPO determined to facilitate technical-engineering services export to Syria
By Tehran Times
August 1, 2020
„The head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) said that his organization is determined to facilitate the export of technical and engineering services to Syria, TPO news portal reported. Emphasizing the significance of the Syrian market for the export of Iranian services, Hamid Zadboum said that this issue has been seriously investigated in two expert sessions of the TPO. During a meeting between Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous and an Iranian delegation in Damascus on June 17, the two sides explored the ways to further develop economic cooperation between Iran and Syria which have been targeted by the U.S. sanctions. […]“
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8)
Bachelet alarmed by threats against prominent Iranian NGO
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
July 30, 2020
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26141&LangID=E
„The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said today she was alarmed by the Iranian Government’s increased pressure on a prominent civil society group working on poverty and social protection, and the arrest of its founding member. […]“
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9)
Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (1989 Edition)
On 3 December 1979, almost one year after Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi left Iran, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran replaced the monarchical constitution of 1906. The new constitution was to guarantee that the monarchy was abolished and the Islamic Republic system of government was enforced in its place. The constitution was to observe the Islamic and the nationalistic aims of the revolution with regard to the demands of a public that came from various social, religious, ethnic, and political backgrounds. Thus the 1979 constitution included differing components, which necessitated the amendments and the modifications that were added to the constitution in 1989.
Klicke, um auf ir001en.pdf zuzugreifen
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PDF-Version: Iran 4.8.2020
Amir Mortasawi (alias Afsane Bahar) (امیر مرتضوی (افسانه بهار 