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AP:
"An Iranian newspaper is reporting that the country's military plans
to target a mock-up American aircraft carrier during upcoming war games.
The Sunday report by independent Haft-e Sobh daily quotes Adm. Ali
Fadavi, navy chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guards as saying Iranian
forces should 'target the carrier in the trainings, after it is
completed.' Adm. Fadavi said: 'We should learn about weaknesses and
strengths of our enemy.' This is the first reaction by Iranian officials
to a March report that said Iran is building a simple replica of the USS
Nimitz in a shipyard in the southern port of Bandar Abbas." http://t.uani.com/QUAuvB
WSJ:
"Less than a year after Iranian President Hasan Rouhani was elected
in a landslide vote on a platform of change, he faces his first domestic
crisis, as public anger roils his administration. Many Iranians who voted
for Mr. Rouhani in the expectation that he would improve human rights and
the economy have protested his government in recent weeks over what they
say is his neglect of domestic issues, as he focuses on foreign policy.
On the economic front, Mr. Rouhani's move to trim gasoline and energy
subsidies, which went into effect on Friday, leading prices to nearly
double, is testing support for his government in a country already
battered hit by inflation and consumer shortages. On the human-rights
side, the alleged beating of dozens of prominent political prisoners last
week set off an unusual public fury, evident in a flood of calls into
television talk shows, newspaper commentaries, social media and
spontaneous protests and vigils. The government said it was investigating
the alleged beatings but he has yet to publicly comment on them. 'If he
doesn't show any reaction now, he has betrayed the people's votes,' said a
42-year-old doctor in Tehran." http://t.uani.com/1rEzg4S
Reuters:
"A senior U.S. official signaled optimism on Sunday about a possible
resolution of the Iranian nuclear dispute but said Washington remained
concerned that Iran's ballistic missiles threatened Gulf Arab states.
Frank Rose, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for space and
defense policy, said Washington was 'acutely' aware of Gulf Arab states'
anxieties about Iran and wanted to help them launch a Gulf-wide
coordinated missile defense capability. 'We are optimistic that we'll
have a successful resolution of the Iran nuclear issue ... but that
doesn't downgrade our concern about Iran's other bad behaviors,
specifically their support for terrorism as well as their continued
development of ballistic missile capabilities,' Rose told reporters on
the sidelines of a conference in Abu Dhabi on missiles and defense. 'As
long as Iran continues to develop ballistic missiles that can threaten
the United States or deployed forces and our friends and allies in the
region, we will work effectively with our partners here in the UAE as
well as the rest of the Gulf to defend against that threat.'" http://t.uani.com/QUxX4o
Nuclear
Program & Negotiations
Reuters: "Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on
Sunday he saw a good chance for a nuclear deal with the West because
'most Iranians' were in favor of it, playing down resistance from Islamic
hardliners. 'Some factions have no interest in reaching an agreement due
to political reasons, but what counts at the end is the vote of the
majority of Iranian people,' Zarif told a joint news conference in Tehran
with visiting Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz... 'Mr Rouhani is
acting on a popular mandate and I am sure Iranians will accept any deal
that would respect their rights and legitimate demands,' Zarif said, in
comments broadcast live on state Iranian television. 'I am sure if we
score a decent deal, it will be backed by a majority of Iranians,' he
added." http://t.uani.com/1m16EE1
AFP: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned anew on
Sunday of a nuclear-powered Iran at the annual Holocaust memorial for the
victims of the Nazi genocide, saying Tehran wants 'our destruction'.
'Iran is calling for our destruction, it is building underground bunkers
to enrich uranium, producing heavy water for plutonium, acquiring
intercontinental missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads that
threaten the entire world,' Netanyahu said... Speaking at the Yad Vashem
Holocaust memorial, Netanyahu urged world powers 'not to give in for the
sake of avoiding, at all costs, a confrontation' with Tehran. Netanyahu,
whose government has not ruled out military action to prevent Iran from
acquiring an atomic bomb, said the international community must demand
Tehran 'dismantle totally its capacity to produce nuclear weapons.'"
http://t.uani.com/1nyGGqY
Press TV: "Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the
nation's peaceful nuclear program is homegrown and no one can take it
away from Iranian scientists. Zarif made the remarks during a meeting
with the Chairman of the French Senate's Finance Committee Philippe
Marini, who heads a French parliamentary delegation, in Tehran on
Sunday." http://t.uani.com/1hHlRGf
Sanctions
Relief
WSJ: "Iran held talks with Russia over $10 billion worth of
electricity deals on Sunday, in the latest attempt by Moscow to leverage
a privileged relationship with Tehran. Russia is already in talks with
Iran to swap food and other goods for Iranian oil. The move is seen by
some as a Russian attempt to take positions in Iran's vast market when it
opens up and assert its international clout amid increased tensions with
the West. In a statement posted on its website, Iran's energy ministry
said Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian met his Russian counterpart
Alexander Novak in Tehran on Sunday to discuss $10 billion worth of power
deals. They included the construction of hydroelectric power plants and,
according to the Mehr news agency, the possibility of Russia exporting
500 megawatts of electricity to Iran... Moscow is also in talks with
Tehran to barter 500,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil for Russian goods.
The deal, worth as much as $20 billion, has rattled Washington because it
could bring Iran's crude exports above a one-million-barrels-a-day
threshold agreed in the nuclear deal." http://t.uani.com/1k3vEU9
Trend: "China's COSCO Container Lines is studying the possibility of
resuming operation at Iranian ports. Wu Jinping, Director General of the
Chinese International Shipping Line COSCO, paid a visit toIran's Shaid
Rajaee port, which is the largest container port in the country, Iran's
IRNA news agency reported on April 28. Wu Jinping promised to talk with
senior officials of the company about resuming operation at the Iranian
port. China's COSCO Container Lines, the world's 5th largest
international shipping company, ended its ties with Iranin June 2013.
'All of COSCO's business to and from Iran was suspended,' said a
Shanghai-based company official, citing a company statement saying lines
to Iran stopped in early June and those leaving Iran ended in early
July." http://t.uani.com/1isAaQx
Trend: "Belgium has called for boosting investment in Iran. The
chairman of Belgian chamber of commerce said it is hoped that Belgian
companies would boost investment in different economic fields in Iran,
Iran's Mehr news agency reported on April 28. The official made the
remarks in Tehran in a meeting with Abolfazl Koudehi, director of Iranian
bureau for foreign investment. In February, Head of Iran's Chamber of
Commerce Gholam-Hossein Shafeyee underlined Tehran's willingness to
expand economic cooperation with Brussels, Fars news agency reported. 'We
ask the Belgium-Iran Joint Chamber of Commerce to pave the way for the
expansion of economic ties with Iran,' Shafeyee said in a meeting with
Vice-President of the Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce Jacques
Glorieux in Tehran." http://t.uani.com/1fpanIA
Trend: "Iran plans to import 200,000 tons of rail tracks from India.
Abbas Nazari, director of international affairs at the Iranian Railways
Company, said officials of India's STC will come to Iran next week to
pave the way for selling 200,000 tons of rail tracks, Iran's Tasnim news
agency reported on April 28. On April 20, the Indian Express reported
that with the Western nations easing sanctions on Iran, India's biggest
steel maker SAIL is all set to sign a definitive agreement to help Tehran
set up a railway network project spanning over 15,000 km to connect its
major ports and key production centers. Khaleel Rahim, chairman of
state-owned trading firm State Trading Corporation (STC) is slated to
visit Tehran to finalize some of the formalities that could pave the way
for steel exports from India." http://t.uani.com/1h6GlED
Trend: "Ali Akbar Velayati, director of the Iranian Expediency
Council's Center for Strategic Research, said France has announced its
readiness to facilitate trade with Iran. Velayati made the remarks on the
sidelines of a meeting with a delegation of French parliament members in
Tehran, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on April 28. The two sides
discussed ways to expand bilateral ties and remove obstacles on economic
transactions between the two countries, Mehr quoted Velayati as saying. The
French delegation, headed by Chairman of the Finance Committee of the
French Senate Philippe Marini arrived in Iran on April 22." http://t.uani.com/1flhyBQ
Press TV: "An Italian parliamentary delegation is slated to pay a
visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran early next month to hold talks with
the country's authorities. Hossein Sheikholeslam, an advisor to Iran's
Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani on international affairs, said on Monday that
the Italian lawmakers are to visit the Iranian capital of Tehran on May 3
to exchange views with senior Iranian officials over issues of mutual
interest. The visit takes place at the invitation of Alaeddin Boroujerdi,
the chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of
Majlis. The Italian parliamentarians are also set to meet with the
Iranian side of Iran-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group during their
stay." http://t.uani.com/1isCI1h
Today's Zaman: "After growth restrictions were removed on one
Iranian bank already doing business in Turkey, two more have been
approved to open branches in the country, Turkish news outlets reported
on Tuesday. Bank Mellat, which has been in Turkey since 1982, faced
restrictions in 2012 which led to a decline in its growth due to economic
sanctions imposed against Iran. However, the Banking Regulation and
Supervision Agency (BDDK) approved expansion requests from Bank Mellat
last month in light of the US and the UN Security Council loosening
economic sanctions after headway was made in negotiations regarding the
curbing of Iran's nuclear program. Afterwards, applications from the
Iranian banks Pasargad and Tejarat to set up shop in Turkey were approved
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bank Mellat has operated in Turkey
through its three branches in İzmir, İstanbul and Ankara. Turkish news
outlets reported last week that Turkey and Iran had come to an agreement
allowing an increase in banking transactions between the two
countries." http://t.uani.com/1itQlHx
Human Rights
IHR: "One prisoner was hanged in the public in Semnan (Northern
Iran) today, April 26, reported the official website of the Iranian
Judiciary in Semnan province... At least 48 people have been executed in
the month of April, most of them not being announced by the official
Iranian media." http://t.uani.com/1j7QsNA
IHR: "Three prisoners were hanged in the public in the town of
Zabol, southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan. The
executions were carried out only two months after the trial by the
Revolution Court. Iran Human Rights (IHR) strongly condemns today's
public executions... IHR strongly condemns today's executions. Mahmood
Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR said: 'These prisoners have been
subjected to unfair trials and possibly torture, followed by public
execution which is an inhumane and brutal punishment meant to spread fear
in the society.'" http://t.uani.com/1h6Be7o
AFP: "Iran's judiciary banned reformist newspaper Ebtekar on
Saturday for 'spreading lies', ISNA news agency reported, making it the
third such publication to be shut down by authorities in recent months.
'I received a note from media court which said a ban has been imposed on
the daily for spreading lies,' Mohammad Ali Vakili, managing director of
the daily, told ISNA. ISNA said the ban was imposed because of a headline
in Thursday's edition for a story about the replacement of the country's
prisons chief over reports of violence against political prisoners. 'The
headline of one of the Ebtekar columns read prisons chief was dismissed,
while he has been appointed to another post and not dismissed,' ISNA
said." http://t.uani.com/1rECx4j
IranWire: "Despite renewed calls from the international community
for the Iranian government to protect the rights of all of its citizens,
Iranian Baha'i communities continue to face systematic abuse and
violations. The Iranian government's long-running campaign to repress and
isolate the Baha'is includes arbitrary arrests, long prison sentences,
expulsion from higher education, bans on government employment and the
destruction of Baha'i homes and cemeteries. Those responsible for the
murder of and violence against Baha'is are not punished... The
infographic directly contradicts Larijani's claims, clearly outlining the
Iranian government's failure to uphold the rights of its citizens." http://t.uani.com/S1DuHL
AFP: "Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami has called for the
release of political prisoners and urged an end to house arrest for two
leaders who alleged fraud after the 2009 election. In remarks published
by ISNA news agency, Khatami, in office between 1997 and 2005, said such
steps would benefit the country. He was referring to Mir Hossein Mousavi
and Mehdi Karroubi, reformists held incommunicado since February 2011,
after they urged massive street protests following the election.
Thousands of protesters, reformists and journalists were arrested after
demonstrations that became known as Iran's green movement." http://t.uani.com/1hIoQtI
Domestic
Politics
AFP: "Iran's President Hassan Rouhani was elected on hopes that he
could revive the country's sanctions-neutered economy, but the public's
goodwill towards him is showing the first signs of fading... Although
there is a general acceptance that prospects for economic growth are
positive under Rouhani, Iranians are being squeezed and they speak of
being no better off now than when he took charge. 'It's just the same,'
said Nahid Pakmiat, a retired university administrator, as she bought
groceries in Ali Abad, a lower-middle class area of southern Tehran. Most
sanctions remain in place and the economy is still in recession. But no
matter how tough the medicine, Rouhani's cabinet appears determined to
pursue major reforms, including an overhaul of state subsidies for
electricity, fuel and basic foods, which will hit the poorest people hardest."
http://t.uani.com/1nVCeQh
AFP: "After accusations of wiretapping of parliamentary officials, a
new bill that sets guidelines and oversight on wiretapping has been
presented by Iran's parliament. The bill is being hailed as promoting
'Islamic wiretapping.' Member of parliament Saeed Haydar-Teyeb told the
parliament's leadership that the new bill has been put together 'so the
security apparatus is not infected with sin.' He added that all aspects
of wiretapping 'will be monitored by members of parliament.' According to
the Reformist newspaper Shargh, Haydar-Teyeb said that wiretapping would
then conform to Islamic standards. The other members of parliament who
support this bill said that the bill 'would be in line with citizen's
rights and based on jurisprudence and Shariah.' They added, 'It is
necessary in order to protect the sanctity and dignity of people.'" http://t.uani.com/1fJhne2
Al-Monitor: "A former leader of the group responsible for storming
the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and taking American hostages has
been criticized for offering an apology to the families of the hostages.
'Talk of an apology is not from one administration to another, but of
sympathy for families of individuals that for any reason were mentally
and spiritually hurt,' Ebrahim Asgharzadeh told the Iranian Students'
News Agency on April 14. As a member of the Muslim Student Followers of
the Imam's Line who stormed the embassy and held 52 hostages for 444
days, Asgharzadeh was asked to weigh in on the controversy over Iran's
pick for its new United Nations envoy, Hamid Aboutalebi." http://t.uani.com/1h6ETC2
Foreign Affairs
Trend: "Director general of political affairs of the British Foreign
and Commonwealth Office is due to visit Iran. Simon Gass will visit Iran
on April 28 to talk with Iranian officials on mutual and international
issues, Iran's Fars news agency reported on April 28. Gass who heads the
British delegation to P5+1 group, served as the UK Ambassador to Iran
from 2009 to 2011." http://t.uani.com/1mRdZFy
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
Nuclear Iran (UANI) a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear
Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the
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email Press@UnitedAgainstNuclearIran.com
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