Iran (January 15, 2021)
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1a)
The US should compensate for its withdrawal from the JCPOA: Zarif
January 14, 2021
„In his televised speech that was delivered on January 8, 2021, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution discussed the issue of the JCPOA. He said, “We do not at all insist on the return of the US to the JCPOA, and we are in no rush for them to do so… Our reasonable, logical demand is that sanctions be lifted. This is a right that has been taken away from the Iranian nation.” This is the position stated by Imam Khamenei as being the final, definitive word of the Islamic Republic. With regard to this “definitive word,” KHAMENEI.IR has conducted an interview with Dr. Muhammad Javad Zarif, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and one of the members of the Supervisory Board for the Implementation of the JCPOA, in order to clarify the Islamic Republic’s position on sanctions and the nuclear deal. […]“
1b)
Khamenei’s First Speech of 2021: Reemphasizing U.S. Weakness, Iranian Self-Reliance
By Omer Carmi
The Washington Institute
January 8, 2021
„Although the Supreme Leader left room for Biden to return to the nuclear deal and dialed down the vengeful rhetoric, his main message was that Iran cannot trust Washington when it comes to economic matters, security issues, or even coronavirus vaccines. […]“
1c)
Biden Foreign Policy Team on Iran
United States Institute of Peace
Original: November 24, 2020
Updated: January 4, 2021
https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2020/nov/24/biden-foreign-policy-team-iran
1d)
Iran challenging Trump and giving Biden no choice: an imminent deal or no deal
By Elijah J Magnier
January 8, 2021
Iran challenging Trump and giving Biden no choice: an imminent deal or no deal
„In the remaining two weeks with President Donald Trump in power, Iran is sending strong messages to the United States of America, and in particular to both the current President and to the President-elect Joe Biden, by launching a two-day exercise involving domestically produced drones in central Semman province, and by increasing its enriched Uranium purity to 20 per cent. The first message is directed at Trump’s “maximum pressure” sanctions and his orders to send two B-52S bombers, the USS Georgia submarine and the Nimitz carrier to the Persian Gulf. Iran challenged Trump, counting on the fact that he will no longer launch a war in his last weeks of office and demonstrating that, at any rate, Tehran is not afraid, and determined to face whatever is the result. The second message to Biden is an ultimatum for his new administration to respect the nuclear deal (signed in 2015 and rejected by Trump in 2018) as it is. Iran’s return to 20 per cent Uranium supports Biden if he is sincere in returning to the nuclear deal and helps overwhelm all voices contesting the respect of the JCPOA. Otherwise, Iran will continue its enrichment and its nuclear capability with resolve. This is far from being a souk for bartering or selling carpets, where negotiation would be possible. Iran is setting the rules with only two choices for Biden: take the nuclear deal as it was signed in 2015, or leave it. […]“
1e)
Joe Biden should end the US pretence over Israel’s ‘secret’ nuclear weapons
By Desmond Tutu
December 31, 2020
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/31/joe-biden-us-pretence-israel-nuclear-weapons
„Every recent US administration has performed a perverse ritual as it has come into office. All have agreed to undermine US law by signing secret letters stipulating they will not acknowledge something everyone knows: that Israel has a nuclear weapons arsenal. Part of the reason for this is to stop people focusing on Israel’s capacity to turn dozens of cities to dust. This failure to face up to the threat posed by Israel’s horrific arsenal gives its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a sense of power and impunity, allowing Israel to dictate terms to others. But one other effect of the US administration’s ostrich approach is that it avoids invoking the US’s own laws, which call for an end to taxpayer largesse for nuclear weapons proliferators. […]“
1f)
Experts urge President-elect Biden swift return to Iran nuclear deal
January 9, 2021
Experts urge President-elect Biden swift return to Iran nuclear deal
„A group of more than 50 international relations and Middle East experts have signed onto a letter urging President-elect Joe Biden to swiftly return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. The experts on Iran international relations and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons voiced full support to the Biden administration’s commitment to abandon Trump’s failed policy toward Iran and his campaign of maximum pressure and returning the US to diplomacy and adherence to the JCPOA, the letter said. Full text of the letter reads as follows: […]“
1g)
Nuclear diplomacy in the Biden administration
By Rebecca Davis Gibbons
The European Leadership Network (ELN)
January 6, 2021
„The Biden administration not only inherits a country where COVID-19 is surging and jobs are haemorrhaging, but he also takes over a perilous global landscape when it comes to nuclear arms control and disarmament. The Trump years saw the dissolution of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (i.e. the Iran nuclear deal) and the Open Skies Treaty. President Trump has not extended New START, the last remaining arms control treaty, leaving 16 days for the new administration to work out an extension before the treaty expires. […]“
1h)
How Close is Iran to a Nuclear Bomb?
By Amos Yadlin, Ephraim Asculai
The Institute for National Security Studies,Tel Aviv University
January 13, 2021
https://www.inss.org.il/publication/iran-nuclear-bomb/
„Israeli intelligence believes that from the moment Tehran decides to break out to a nuclear bomb, it will take it two years to complete the process. This is a fairly optimistic scenario, but is it justified? Does Iran’s decision to resume uranium enrichment to a level of 20 percent influence the timetable? This article calculates the possibilities. […]“
1i)
Iran Advances Research on Uranium Metal Production
January 14, 2021
https://www.bourseandbazaar.com/news-1/2021/1/14/iran-advances-research-on-uranium-metal-production
„Tehran told the UN nuclear watchdog Wednesday that it was advancing research on uranium metal production, in what would be a fresh breach of the limits in Iran’s 2015 deal with world powers. The latest move, which adds to pressure on US President-Elect Joe Biden just days before his inauguration, concerns Iran’s plans to conduct research on uranium metal production at a facility in the city of Isfahan. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement that „Iran informed the Agency in a letter on 13 January that modification and installation of the relevant equipment for the mentioned R&D activities have been already started'“. Iran says the research is aimed at providing advanced fuel for a research reactor in Tehran. […]“
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2a)
Report: IDF drawing up plans to strike Iran’s nuclear program
Newspaper says IDF chief has asked for options to derail atomic production, day after Likud minister warned Israel could attack Islamic Republic if US rejoins nuclear deal
By Ties of Israel Staff
14 January, 2021
https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-idf-drawing-up-plans-to-strike-irans-nuclear-program/
„[…] The Israel Hayom report came a day after Likud minister Tzachi Hanegbi, considered an ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, threatened that Israel could attack Iran’s nuclear program if the United States rejoined the nuclear deal, as US President-elect Joe Biden has indicated he plans to do. “If the United States government rejoins the nuclear deal — and that seems to be the stated policy as of now — the practical result will be that Israel will again be alone against Iran, which by the end of the deal will have received a green light from the world, including the United States, to continue with its nuclear weapons program,” Hanegbi said in an interview with Kan news. “This of course we will not allow. We’ve already twice done what needed to be done, in 1981 against the Iraqi nuclear program and in 2007 against the Syrian nuclear program,” he said, referring to airstrikes on those two countries’ nuclear reactors.[…]“
2b)
US official reveals Israel carried out attacks on eastern Syria using American intelligence
By Press TV
January 13, 2021
„A senior US intelligence official says recent airstrikes on eastern parts of Syria near the Iraqi border were carried out by Israel with intelligence provided by the United States. Syria’s official news agency SANA said the air assaults were carried out on the city of Dayr al-Zawr and the town of al-Bukamal in the early hours of Wednesday. […] The US official with knowledge of the attack, who requested anonymity, told the Associated Press that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had discussed the raid with Yossi Cohen, chief of Israel’s spy agency Mossad, at a public meeting in a Washington restaurant on Monday. The official claimed the attack hit Iranian-linked targets, alleging the strikes targeted a series of warehouses used to store and stage Iranian weapons. Israel has already claimed to have hit Iranian targets and positions in Syria. Iranian officials have vehemently refuted the allegations, stressing that such „lies“ will not impede Tehran’s advisory assistance to Damascus in its anti-terror fight. […]
2c)
IRGC Unveils Strategic Missile Base on Persian Gulf Coast
Tasnim News
January 8, 2021
„IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami and IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri inaugurated the new missile silo on Friday morning and visited a series of strategic missile achievements and equipment of the IRGC Navy. […] “We believe that our enemies do not accept the power of logic, but rely on the logic of power. Therefore, we have no option but to strengthen the defensive and offensive deterrent power for preventing the imposition of their (enemies’) hegemonic will and plots,” the top commander added. […]“
2d)
Iran’s IRGC Begins Military Drills by Firing Multiple Guided Ballistic Missiles
By Tasnim News
January, 15, 2021
„The Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps started the first stage of large-scale military exercise code-named of Payambar-e Azam 15 (The Great Prophet 15) in the Central Desert of Iran on Friday by implementing a combined missile and UAV operation. […]“
2e)
Iranian Scientists Urge IRGC Aerospace Force to Shoot Down Any Intruding US B-52s
By Oleg Burunov
January 13, 2021
„In late December, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif signalled the Islamic Republic’s readiness to defend its „security and vital interests“ amid the US military buildup near the country’s borders. He accused Washington of wasting hefty sums to repeatedly send B-52 bombers to the region instead of focusing on the fight against COVID-19. Hundreds of Iranian scientists have urged the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force to destroy any US warplanes, especially B-52 bombers, and American warships if they trepass Iran’s borders, the FARS news agency reports. […]“
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3a)
Qatar says deal with Saudis won’t affect ties with Iran
Tehran Times
January 8, 2021
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/456757/Qatar-says-deal-with-Saudis-won-t-affect-ties-with-Iran
„[…] Qatar’s reassurance that the deal with Riyadh will not alter its relation with Iran came after Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman railed against Iran during the summit, in which the emir of Qatar was present. The Saudi crown prince told the summit that they are “in utmost need to unite” their efforts to advance their region and confront the challenges surrounding them. Mohammad bin Salman warned of what he called “the threats posed by the Iranian regime’s nuclear program, its ballistic missile program, its destructive sabotage projects as well as the terrorist and sectarian activities adopted by Iran and its proxies to destabilize the security and stability in the region.” The summiteers also issued a statement against Iran that echoed the Saudi accusations. The statement elicited a strong response from Iran. […]“
3b)
Washington Doing All It Can to Disrupt Dialogue between Iran, Persian Gulf States
By Tasnim News
January, 15, 2021
„Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday at a press conference the United States is doing all it can to prevent convergence and dialog between Iran and the Persian Gulf region’s Arab countries. „We are interested in Iran and the Arab states [of the Persian Gulf] establishing a normal dialogue, reaching confidence-building agreements, transparency in military affairs and developing cooperating in general. <…> Unfortunately, our American colleagues up, at least the current administration, have been doing their utmost to thwart this dialogue up until now,“ he said. According to Lavrov, the Russian proposal to create a security strategy for the Persian Gulf is particularly aimed at developing dialogue between Iran and the Arab states. „It is crucial that no one interfere in this process and take actions aimed at undermining the very efforts to create this dialogue,“ he underlined. […]“
3c)
Iranian Website Irdiplomacy.ir: Iraq Is Another Azerbaijan For Turkey
Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
January 8, 2021
https://www.memri.org/reports/iranian-website-irdiplomacyir-iraq-another-azerbaijan-turkey
„[…] On December 17, 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi met in Ankara. During the joint press conference, President Erdoğan said that Turkey and Iraq have agreed to continue fighting against their „common enemies,“ namely the PKK, ISIS, and the Gülen movement. During the press conference it was also highlighting that Turkey and Iraq can easily achieve the $20 billion trade volume target. Lately, tension in Iran’s relations with Turkey was given public expression in the Iranian media. The Iranian regime is alarmed by the expansionist ambitions of Erdoğan’s Sunni Islamist government, which come at the expense of Shi’ite Islamist Iran and its resistance axis. […]“
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4a)
The Raging 2020s. Soleimani Geopolitics, One Year On
Though Southwest Asia’s Che Guevara is gone, the Tehran-Baghdad-Damascus-Hezbollah axis lives and grows
By Pepe Escobar
January 4, 2021
„The assassination of Maj Gen Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), alongside Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi militia, by laser-guided Hellfire missiles launched from two MQ-9 Reaper drones, was an act of war. […]“
4b)
2020 began with assassination of Gen Soleimani
By Press TV
January 7, 2021
„The year 2020 was a tough one for Iran due to the efforts of the US government. Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was assassination by the US government, the very government which prevented medicine and masks from entering Iran amid the coronavirus pandemic. Iranian professor Fakhrizadeh was also assassinated which apparently was carried out by Israel and with the green light of the US government again. The White house in transition released two New Year statements. While outgoing president Trump reflected on what he called his historic victories, President-elect Joe Biden looked to the future with plans for improvements, such as distributing COVID vaccines more quickly. Trump’s accomplishments include frequently ignoring the severity of the pandemic, and at times even the science behind virus transmission. Earlier in the year 2020, he presented Iran with a New Year’s gift, the lifeless body of its anti-Daesh General Soleimani. It was on January the 3rd that Soleimani was assassinated by a US drone-strike in Baghdad. And then towards the year-end a nuclear scientist, Dr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated. In-between assassinations, Iran grappled with, and is in fact still grappling with, the coronavirus like the rest of the world, but while under the harshest ever sanctions imposed by the US. […]“
4c)
Professor says General Soleimani’s legacy will be determined by his leadership in fighting ISIS
By Mohammad Homaeefar
January 4, 2021
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/456569/Professor-says-General-Soleimani-s-legacy-will-be-determined
„Professor Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, chair of the Centre for Iranian Studies at the London Middle East Institute, commends Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani’s leadership in the war against terrorists, especially ISIS, in Iraq and Syria. “I am on the record for saying that General Soleimani’s legacy will be primarily determined by his leadership in the fight against ISIS,” Adib-Moghaddam tells the Tehran Times. Nader Entessar, a professor emeritus of political science from the University of South Alabama, says General Soleimani’s acumen in fighting terrorists was “unmatched”. In a commentary on January 8, five days after his assassination in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad’s international airport, the TIME magazine wrote a commentary headlined “Soleimani spun a web of Iranian influence that will long outlive him”. […]“
4d)
Nasrallah explains why Qassem Soleimani is unique and how he defeated ISIS in Iraq
January 3, 2021
Nasrallah explains why Qassem Soleimani is unique and how he defeated ISIS in Iraq
„Interview with Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah devoted to Hajj Qassem Soleimani, Commander of the al-Quds Force (whose ultimate goal is the Liberation of Jerusalem) of the Revolutionary Guards, on the occasion of the 40th day after his death, February 13, 2020. […]“
4e)
Assassination of Gen. Soleimani ‘was a flagrant instance of state terrorism’: Richard Falk
By Tehran Times
January 4, 2021
„The assassination of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani by the United States in January 2020 “was a flagrant instance of state terrorism,” says Richard Anderson Falk, a professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University. Falk makes the remarks in an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times as Iran is marking the assassination anniversary of the senior military officer in January 2020. General Soleimani, a legendary commander in the war against terrorists, was assassinated near Baghdad’s international airport while he was on a peace mission to Iraq. The prominent international law professor also says, “Iran has opposed non-state political violence of groups such as ISIS or Taliban that engage in terrorist activity by committing atrocities against civilians that amount to Crimes Against Humanity.” […]“
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5a)
Iran Uses Its Grip On Strait Of Hormuz To Fight Back US-imposed Sanctions
January 5, 2021
Iran Uses Its Grip On Strait Of Hormuz To Fight Back US-imposed Sanctions
„Iran has found an original way of dealing with sanctions and limitations imposed on it by the so-called “maximum pressure” campaign launched by the Trump administration. On January 4, the Navy of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps detained a South Korea-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz over an alleged environmental pollution issue. […] Two days before the seizure of the tanker, Iran said a South Korean diplomat was due to travel to the country to negotiate over billions of dollars in its assets now frozen in Seoul. The total amount of Iranian money blocked in South Korea is up to $8.5 billion and Tehran declared its readiness to barter its money for deliveries of a variety of goods and commodities, including raw materials, medicine, petrochemicals, auto parts, home appliances.[…]“
5b)
South Korean Delegation in Iran After Oil Tanker Seized
By Bourse & Bazaar
January 8, 2021
„[…] In a statement late Thursday Said Khatibzadeh said it was an advance delegation ahead of a visit Sunday by South Korean deputy foreign minister Choi Jong-Kun. The visit by the South Korean delegation „had been agreed before the seizure“ of the Hankuk Chemi oil tanker, „and its main goal is to discuss ways of accessing Iranian funds in Korea“, Khatibzadeh said. Iran’s seizure of the tanker came after Tehran had urged Seoul to release billions of dollars of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea under US sanctions. Iran was a key oil supplier to resource-poor South Korea until Washington’s rules blocked the purchases. Seoul has said that South Korea’s deputy foreign minister would discuss the frozen assets during his three-day visit to Iran, and the trip would go ahead despite the seizure. According to Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei, Iran has „$7 billion of deposits in South Korea“. […]“
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6a)
New Database Tracks Iran’s Human Rights Violations Since 1979
By Natasha Phillips
January 7, 2021
New Database Tracks Iran’s Human Rights Violations Since 1979
„Evidence linking Iranian officials and organizations to human rights violations in Iran has been shared in a new database produced by London-based charity Justice for Iran. The database, entitled “Faces of Crime,” was launched on December 10 to coincide with International Human Rights Day and Justice for Iran’s 10-year anniversary. The directory, which charts human rights breaches from 1979 — the year the Islamic Republic was established — to the present day, took a decade to compile and features more than 220 individuals as well as organizations involved in at least 430 serious human rights violations. The interactive tool allows individuals who believe they have evidence of human rights violations to contact the charity directly. […]“
6b)
Iran approves 3-day release for jailed lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh
By Al-Monitor Staff
Jan 8, 2021
„Iran has granted a three-day medical release for internationally renowned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, her husband said Friday. „Nasrin came on medical leave for three days a few hours ago to continue her treatment,“ Reza Khandan tweeted, along with a picture of him and Sotoudeh. […]“
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7a)
Iran cancels import of American Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines after Leader bans it
By Press TV
January 8, 2021
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/08/642557/Pfizer-COVID-19-vaccine
„The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) says the import of American Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines has been cancelled against the backdrop of a national address by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who banned the purchase of coronavirus vaccines produced by the United States and Britain. […]“
7b)
Why aren’t American and English vaccines trusted?
January 13, 2021
https://english.khamenei.ir/news/8274/Why-aren-t-American-and-English-vaccines-trusted
„In his recent public speech, delivered on the anniversary of the January 9, 1978 uprising sparked by the people of Qom, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution explicitly announced that importing American and English vaccines to the country is forbidden. He also mentioned France, saying: “I do not trust the French either.” In this op-ed, Khamenei.ir examines the reasons behind the Iranians’ and the Leader’s distrust of the US and some European countries. […]“
7c)
U.S. adds Iranian COVID-19 vaccine developers to sanctions list
By Tehran Times
January 15, 2021
„The U.S. Department of the Treasury has added Mohammad Mokhber, the president of the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order, and Barkat Ventures, which developed the first homegrown vaccine for the coronavirus, to OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. COVIRAN BARKAT, the first coronavirus vaccine made by Iranian researchers, was unveiled and injected into three volunteers during a ceremony on December 29, 2020. The daughter of Mohammad Mokhber was the first volunteer who received the vaccine. […]“
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8)
Iranian-Flagged Ship Arrives in Venezuela Again Despite US Pressure, Tracking Data Suggests
By Aleksandra Serebriakova
January 9, 2021
„Venezuela and Iran, two nations which have been heavily targeted by US sanctions, have maintained their close cooperation in the fuel sector. Tehran has been sending ships to the South American nation to bring gasoline supplies or load them with Venezuelan crude for future exports. An Iranian-flagged ship made its way to the Venezuelan port of La Guaira this week, Reuters reported, citing vessel tracking data provided by Refinitiv Eikon analytical firm. The Golsan, a cargo ship which had reportedly entered port on Thursday, was spotted leaving Iran in November. However, it remains unclear what is on board the vessel, which is owned by Mosakhar Darya Shipping Co. […]
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9)
US Declares Iran, 5 Other States as Adversaries in Communication Technologies
By Tasnim News
January, 15, 2021
„The US Department of Commerce issued an order on ensuring security in the field of information and communication technologies, according to which Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela, North Korea, and Cuba are declared adversaries in this area.“ […]“
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10a)
Ex-CIA director Pompeo: ‚We lied, we cheated, we stole‘
„Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: „I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment.“ Pompeo said this at an event at Texas A&M University on April 15, 2019.[…]“
10b)
Pompeo floats dubious claim that Iran is helping al-Qaida
By Matthew Petti
January 12, 2021
„Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Iran of acting as al-Qaida’s “new home base,” the outgoing secretary of state’s latest attempt to advance a dubious claim that could justify a military strike against Iran or sabotage President-elect Joe Biden’s diplomatic efforts. The administration has tried several times to tie Iran to al-Qaida, a claim that has been called politicized or an outright lie. Pompeo made the latest allegation with less than two weeks left in office, and did not offer any new evidence to back it up. […]“
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11)
Minister: Iran to hit record 52 million tonne in steel production soon
By Press TV
January 13, 2021
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/13/642925/Iran-steel-production-record-sanctions-Iraq-trade-
„[…] The Islamic Republic has sought to boost the steel sector under its plan to increase non-oil revenues. It has succeeded in adding steel capacity which currently stands at 30 million tonnes a year. “Iran will reach a production capacity of more than 52 million tonnes of steel in the near future,” Minister of Mine, Industry and Trade Alireza Razm-Hosseini said in his meeting with Iraqi Trade Minister Alaa Ahmed al-Jubouri in Tehran Wednesday. The country aims to export 20 to 25 million tonnes of steel annually by 2025 when it expects to hit the vision target of 55 million tonnes. However, political and logistical hurdles are high and the sector has had to battle the headwinds of the most intensive US sanctions unleashed in May 2019 when Washington targeted Tehran’s export revenues from its industrial metals. […]“
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12)
Alternative Workers News – Iran
Issue No. 129
January 15, 2021
Klicke, um auf awni-no.-129.pdf zuzugreifen
„The sugarcane workers of Haft Tappeh are still struggling with various problems and the officials; the government, parliament and the judiciary have not taken effective action to address these issues. Currently, the last wage paid to workers is for October. The workers were not paid for the months of November and December. It is merely claimed that they have been paid. Workers will be paid till December 30, but it is unclear whether this claim will be implemented. Although, January has arrived, there is no news of reed harvesting production.[…]“
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13)
The Plan to Save the Iran Deal Needs Private-Sector Buy-In
By Darya Dolzikova
January 12, 2021
„[…] There is some indication that, even if US sanctions on Iran were lifted, the uptake for private sector engagement with Iran would remain slow and limited. A few weeks ago, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani reportedly requested that Iran’s Expediency Council reprise its review of legislation that would address the deficiencies in Iran’s financial crime legislation called out by the FATF, which may help address some private sector concerns. However, persistent challenges in relations between Iran and the US and E3 will continue to create uncertainty for businesses. On December 17, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning Iran’s detention and execution of human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience and called for the application of targeted financial sanctions on the Iranian individuals responsible. A few days earlier, a European Union-funded virtual business conference was postponed following the execution in Iran of journalist Rouhollah Zam. Furthermore, some key US economic measures against Iran—for instance, sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as the designation of Iran as a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern—are not related to Iran’s nuclear activities and may not be lifted as part of a return to the nuclear deal. […]“
Amir Mortasawi (alias Afsane Bahar) (امیر مرتضوی (افسانه بهار 