Monday, April 25, 2016

Eye on Iran: US Insists European Banks Can Now Deal with Iran






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AFP: "The United States insisted Friday that foreign banks should feel free to do business with Iran after Tehran's compliance with a nuclear deal with world powers. Secretary of State John Kerry downplayed fears that Asian or European banks could fall afoul of Washington's continuing sanctions against Iran's non-nuclear activities. And, as Kerry met with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for the second time in a week, Washington itself agreed to buy 32 tonnes of Iranian heavy water. These parallel moves in support of non-US trade with Iran will enrage President Barack Obama's domestic critics, who argue he has already ceded too much ground to Tehran. 'I want to emphasize we've lifted our nuclear-related sanctions as we committed to do,' Kerry told reporters, sitting alongside Zarif in a New York hotel. 'And there are now opportunities for foreign banks to do business with Iran,' he said. Kerry said that this included those banks that are holding an estimated $55 billion in frozen Iranian assets, who have been nervous about returning the funds even after the deal. 'Unfortunately, there seems to be some confusion among foreign banks and we want to clarify that as much as we can,' Kerry admitted. And, he promised, if banks have questions about the remaining sanctions targeting Iran's missile program and sponsorship of militant groups, 'they should just ask.' Zarif welcomed the statement. 'Iran has implemented its part of the bargain,' he said. 'And we hope that with this statement ... that we see serious implementation of all the JCPOA benefits that Iran should derive from this agreement,' he added, referring to the deal." http://t.uani.com/1rcnXWI

AFP: "US officials said they would spend $8.6 million to buy Iranian heavy water, even as the nuclear deal came under sustained attack from critics in both countries. Hardliners in Tehran argue that President Hassan Rouhani has been tricked into surrendering control of Iran's nuclear program without getting much in return. And in Washington, Obama's critics claim he plans to allow an unreformed Iran access to US finance despite the separate sanctions remaining in place. The State Department defended the heavy water deal. 'This transaction provides US industry with a critical product, while also enabling Iran to sell some of its excess heavy water,' spokesman John Kirby said. He said the purchase had come after Iran met its obligations under the nuclear accord implementation process. And he added: 'This material had already been removed from Iran, ensuring it would not be used to support the development of a nuclear weapon.' The heavy water purchase immediately came under attack in Washington as another concession to Tehran and a crack in the wall barring Iran from the US financial system. 'Once again, the Obama administration is handing Iran's radical regime more cash,' declared Ed Royce, chairman of the House foreign affairs committee. 'US purchase of this sensitive material goes well beyond what is required by the nuclear agreement.' House Speaker Paul Ryan did not mince his words. 'This purchase -- part of what appears to be the administration's full-court press to sweeten the deal -- will directly subsidize Iran's nuclear program,' he said. 'It's yet another unprecedented concession to the world's leading state-sponsor of terrorism.' But a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, insisted to AFP the transaction did not break any rules. 'Regardless of whether or not this is in US dollars, this licensed transaction is limited in scope,' he said. 'This routing through third-country financial institutions is similar to the mechanism that has been used for years to allow other authorized transactions,' he said." http://t.uani.com/1rcnXWI

Reuters: "A French-Iranian citizen who left Iran in 2009 after facing espionage charges has been sentenced to six years in jail following her return to the country to visit her critically ill mother, an opposition website reported. Former French embassy employee Nazak Afshar, 58, was arrested last month on arrival at Tehran airport, website Kaleme said late on Sunday. She was freed on bail from Evin prison after sentencing, it said. The Iranian judiciary has not commented on her case or made the charges against her public. Afshar, who had dual citizenship, was arrested and tried in 2009 on charges of spying and acting against Iran's national security. No verdict was issued and she was freed following the intervention of the French government, leaving the country the same year. The potential opening up to the West after last year's nuclear deal has alarmed Iranian hardliners, and Afshar's arrest appears to be part of a crackdown against what some officials have portrayed as Western infiltration. Several other dual-nationality citizens or expatriates have been arrested on returning to visit Iran, and a spokesman for the Iranian judiciary said on Sunday that four had recently been sentenced for their connections to foreign countries. 'Five people who were arrested recently for their connections outside the country were put on trial ...and four of them have received their sentences,' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency... Iranian conservative media reported last week that the presenter of a pro-opposition television channel was arrested as he traveled to Iran in 'the disguise of visiting relatives.' Sabri Hassanpour, was host of the online network 'Simay-e Rahayi' (Liberation TV) in the Netherlands, and an outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic. Other dual nationals Iran is holding include Iranian-Briton Kamal Foroughi, 76, who was arrested in 2011 while working in Tehran as a business consultant. Iranian-US citizens Siamak Namazi and his 80-year-old father, Baquer, are also in jail." http://t.uani.com/1Uc8P77

Nuclear & Ballistic Missile Program

WT: "Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis on Friday took the Obama administration to task over the White House's nuclear development deal with Iran... Mr. Mattis, a former U.S. Central Command chief known for his blunt, plain-spoken command style, took that same tact in levying his strong criticisms of the Iran deal during a speech at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies on Friday. He characterized the deal struck between Washington and Tehran as an 'imperfect' agreement that does not eliminate, but simply delays, Tehran's efforts to become a nuclear power. 'It [was] not a friendship treaty,' the retired four-star general said. 'It's an arms control agreement that fell short.' ... given Iran's regional ambitions to become the Shi'ite bulwark against Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia in the Mideast, it is only a matter of time before Tehran will violate the terms of the deal to achieve that goal, Mr. Mattis said. 'Iran will cheat ... that's the sense you get when reading' the terms of the nuclear agreement, he said, adding Iran is 'not a nation state, but a revolutionary cause intent on mayhem.' Mr. Mattis suggested Congress create an oversight committee, consisting of members from the intelligence, foreign affairs and armed services panels, to ensure Iran continues to comply with the deal. He also suggested Washington bolster its ties with regional intelligence agencies, like those in Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to ensure American officials are fully informed on Iran's nuclear activities." http://t.uani.com/1MSHbdX

Congressional Action

Reuters: "House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, commenting on a report in the Wall Street Journal on Friday that the Obama administration is buying 32 tons of heavy water from Iran, said the purchase was 'another unprecedented concession to the world's leading state-sponsor of terrorism.' Ryan, a Republican, added in a statement that the reported purchase for $8.6 million appeared to be part of the Democratic administration's efforts to sweeten the nuclear deal with Iran and would 'directly subsidize Iran's nuclear program.'" http://t.uani.com/1SEO55O

Business Risk

AP: "Kerry, however, stressed that the confusion and remaining U.S. sanctions on Iran - imposed for its ballistic missile tests, human rights abuses and support for terrorism - are not the only reasons for foreign reluctance to do business with Iran. He cited the fragility and questionable integrity of Iran's banking system as well as other behavior that gives business executives pause about jumping into the Iranian market. Some U.S. officials believe some foreign companies have their own concerns about deals with Iran and are using the sanctions confusion as an excuse to avoid them." http://t.uani.com/1SEOMfq

Reuters: "[Indonesia's governor to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Widhyawan] Prawiraatmadja said nothing had yet been signed on a deal for Indonesia to import liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Iran, noting that some impediments remained such as being able to pay for the products. While sanctions imposed on Iran due to its nuclear programme were lifted in January, separate sanctions imposed by the United States on financial transactions remain in place, hampering attempts to do business with the Islamic Republic. 'It's not quite a deal yet - the understanding is you can make it happen once you are able to execute it. 'The difficulty is the transaction, as it's not always easy to get the banks to do it.'" http://t.uani.com/1T90agX

Reuters: "Western firms also are wary of doing business in Iran because of the prospect that seemingly innocent local companies could have links to banned entities controlled by the increasingly powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), economists and officials say." http://t.uani.com/1rcoxUy

Sanctions Relief

AFP: "South Africa's embattled President Jacob Zuma praised Iran's 1979 revolution Sunday at the start of a three-day state visit which he said could 'dramatically expand trade' with the Islamic republic. The overthrow of a U.S.-backed Shah was a source of encouragement as black South Africans fought against apartheid, Zuma said at a press conference with President Hassan Rouhani. With international sanctions against Iran now lifted under its nuclear deal with world powers business activity is likely to increase. 'Iran occupies a special place in our struggle against apartheid,' Zuma said, noting how Tehran cut ties with South Africa when it was under white rule, only resuming relations in 1994 after Nelson Mandela was elected as its first black president. Mandela, who served one term before voluntarily standing down in 1999, visited Tehran before his election and soon after leaving office. 'South Africans were inspired by the 1979 revolution, which showed that emancipation is possible, whatever the odds,' said Zuma, the first serving South African president to visit since. Having signed eight cooperation agreements ranging from energy development to business insurance, Zuma said the nuclear deal was an opportunity to deepen commercial links. 'The challenge is to dramatically expand trade volumes,' he added." http://t.uani.com/24fdjN8

Press TV (Iran): "Iran on Sunday signed an agreement with South Africa over the production of gas to liquids (GTL) - an agreement that could lead to the transfer of knowledge to the Islamic Republic over the production of the clean fuel. The agreement was signed between Iran's Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI) and South Africa's national oil company PetroSA. This came during the state visit to Tehran by South Africa's President Jacob Zuma. He supervised the signing ceremony together with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani. The agreement also envisages cooperation between PetroSA and RIPI over the oil blending technology. The GTL agreement appears to have been meant to provide Iran with the academic knowledge over producing the clean fuel and is not expected to lead to any industrial yield. South Africa's Sasol was previously pursuing a major project to produce GTL at industrial level in Iran's South Pars energy zone. However, it had to quit the projects in 2005 as complications grow as a result of US pressures on foreign investors in Iran as well as certain technical hurdles. Sasol originally planned to produce 600,000 barrels per day of GTL from South Pars Phase 14 over a period of 10 years." http://t.uani.com/1T93YyS

Reuters: "Reports that Bombardier Inc is involved in launching an airline in Iran are inaccurate, the Canadian planemaker said on Sunday, although it confirmed it was in talks for sales as its executive chairman visited the country to drum up business. Bombardier Executive Chairman Pierre Beaudoin led a delegation of company aviation and rail executives to Iran last week, but no deal has been reached yet on sales with Iranian customers, company spokeswoman Marianella de la Barrera said on Sunday. Aviation Iran reported on Saturday that Bombardier signed a memorandum of understanding with officials from Iran's Qeshm Free Zone on establishing an airline. Citing an anonymous source, Bloomberg reported on Sunday that Qeshm Free Zone officials hoped to conclude a deal with Bombardier in the next two months on a project to set up an airline in the southern Qeshm island. De la Barrera said by phone that Bombardier did not plan to launch and run a new airline, but she could not say specifically whether the Montreal-based company was holding talks to sell planes to an Iranian start-up. 'We build, market and sell aircraft and trains,' she said. She said the company's talks in the country were progressing. 'We are advancing in discussions,' she said. 'We are visiting more often.'" http://t.uani.com/1pxPUGZ

Yonhap: "South Korean construction companies are set to sign a series of big development projects in Iran when a business delegation visits the Middle Eastern nation next month to promote bilateral economic ties, industry officials said Saturday. President Park Geun-hye is to visit Iran from May 1-3 to discuss ways to promote business ties between the nations, leading a delegation of some 200 businesspeople from such areas as construction, energy and finance. Her visit, the first of its kind by a South Korean president since the two sides established diplomatic relations in 1962, comes as Iran has been emerging as a high-potential market after years of international sanctions were lifted in January. Leading Korean builders plan to set memorandums of understanding and preliminary agreements on building railway, dam, petrochemical plant and hospitals, with the value of contracts estimated around 15-20 trillion won ($13-17 billion), according to industry officials. Daelim Industrial said it plans to ink a $4.9 billion deal on railway projects and a preliminary agreement on a dam and water plant deal estimated at $2 billion next month. It has also been pushing for participating in a petrochemical project, hoping to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Tehran government during the delegation visit. Hyundai Engineering Co. said it is set to clinch a $3.6 billion framework agreement with Kangan Petro Refining Co. to build a gas refining facility in the South Pars, the world's largest gas field located in the Perisan Gulf. The firm also plans to sign a preliminary deal to participate in a private power plant construction project estimated at $500 million.  Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. and POSCO Daewoo Corp., formerly Daewoo International Corp., will sign a deal with Iran's health ministry to build a hospital for Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, according to the company officials. Under the contract, Hyundai E&C will build the facility and POSCO Daewoo will provide the medical equipment, they said." http://t.uani.com/1rufqz3

Mehr (Iran): "Iran's minister of energy has said two Swedish tech companies will participate in Iran's power sector in framework of knowledge and technology transfer deals. Hamid Chitchian and Swedish Energy Minister Ibrahim Baylan met on Saturday in Tehran where they discussed the prospects of bilateral cooperation in energy sector. Mr. Chitchian hailed years of good relations between Iran and Sweden and said that however sanctions had stymied the process; 'with the removal of sanctions, Swedish famous companies ABB and Ericsson, two prestigious firms in energy and electricity, would participate in Iran's energy projects as transferring technology,' he told the Swedish minister. 'Iran produces an annual sum of 74,000mW, with projected growth of 6-7 per cent during next 10 years which will add another staggering 50,000mW to the current capacity.' Chitchian told Swedish minister that private sector had contributed to almost half of Iran's power plant capacities; 'we welcome Swedish cooperation in deals which guarantees technology transfer; we predict 5 million smart devices to be used by users and Swedish Ericsson would contribute to Iran's data transfer sector,' said the minister. 'We also welcome single-mode production of energy or Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP).'" http://t.uani.com/1T93pot

Mehr (Iran): "Iran industry minister and the Swedish minister for energy in a meeting emphasized escalation of trade turnover between the two countries. Speaking at a meeting on Sunday with Minister for Energy in the Swedish Government Ibrahim Baylan, Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh pointed to the cruel sanctions against the country saying 'during sanction years, Scania AB maintained its collaborations with Iran.' ... Also at the meeting, representatives of large industrial units of Sweden like Scania AB and Volvo shared views on reinvigorating joint cooperation with Iranian companies." http://t.uani.com/1SEQgpP

Press TV (Iran): "Uruguay's Vice President Raul Sendic Rodriguez will pay an official visit to Iran to hold talks with Iranian officials on ways to strengthen trade and economic cooperation. Heading an economic and trade delegation, Rodriguez will visit Tehran from April 24-27 at the invitation of Iranian First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri. The Uruguayan official plans to hold talks with President Hassan Rouhani; Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani; Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif; Minister of Agriculture Mahmoud Hojjati; Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh and Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian. The two sides are expected to hold talks on a variety of issues, including oil export, construction of refineries, joint ventures, customs and banking cooperation, marine transportation and shipping, husbandry, science and technology. Rodriguez's trip to Tehran comes after delegations from three other South American countries, including Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela paid visits to the Islamic Republic and discussed bolstering bilateral relations and leading regional and international developments." http://t.uani.com/23V42NJ

Reuters: "Reliance Industries Ltd, India's biggest oil refiner, said it is looking to buy more crude from Iran as the company seeks to rebuild ties to benefit from shorter shipping distances. The company had made small purchases from Iran in the current quarter and was currently engaged in talks for bigger supplies, indicating that it could also get into a long-term supply contract, said V Srikanth, Reliance's joint chief financial officer. 'We have had engagements with Iran before the sanctions and they have grades of crude that are attractive to us from where we are,' Srikanth said at a news conference on Friday. India is set to import at least 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian oil in the year from April 1, with refiners looking to ramp up purchases after the sanctions targeting Tehran ended in January, sources had told Reuters. Iran was India's second biggest oil supplier before economic sanctions aimed at Iran's nuclear programme hampered its trade relations. Now, Indian buyers are being drawn back to Iran in part by freight discounts that increase as more barrels are purchased." http://t.uani.com/1YQ2aid

Reuters: "Italian refiner Saras hopes to resume taking shipments of Iranian crude oil in the coming months if not weeks, its managing director Dario Scaffardi said on Friday. Saras, which is part owned by Russian oil giant Rosneft , used to take a significant part of its crude feedstock from Iran before the U.S-led embargo on the country. Speaking on the sidelines of a shareholder meeting, Scaffardi said the group had renewed its contract with National Iranian Oil Company but added there were still some hurdles to overcome on the banking payment front. 'I hope these will be resolved soon and we can start in a few months, maybe even weeks,' Scaffardi said." http://t.uani.com/1NLbKNE

Tehran Times: "The multinational mobile communication MTN Group intends to make investments in some infrastructure projects, including IPTV services and fiber optic, in Iran, the Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday." http://t.uani.com/1rueWZG

Human Rights

AP: "Iran's judiciary spokesman has said that an Iranian graduate student studying at the University of Texas who is in jail in Tehran, has been hospitalized for surgery outside prison. Iranian state TV quotes Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi Sunday as saying Omid Kokabee, who studied optics in the physics department at the University of Texas, was serving a 10-year prison term on charges of having 'relations with a hostile country' and receiving 'illegitimate funds.' Ejehi said Kokabee is 'guilty of espionage' but is receiving treatment outside of prison. Kokabee was arrested in February 2011. The nature of his surgery was not publicized." http://t.uani.com/1NsYimC

Opinion & Analysis

UANI Chairman Joseph Lieberman & UANI CEO Mark Wallace in WashPost: "In his April 21 op-ed, 'Why Iran is building up its defenses,' Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif argued that Iran has 'not launched a war in more than two centuries' and is committed to 'never commencing such foolishness.' But what about terrorists supported by the Iranian government who have killed hundreds of Americans? What about the presence of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps troops, Hezbollah, Shiite militias and Iranian materiel on the ground in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen? While Mr. Zarif proclaimed that Iran is a 'stable, safe and healthy environment for our citizens and for those visiting and doing business with us,' the facts suggest otherwise. The Iranian regime remains designated as a primary money-laundering concern under U.S. law. Severe risks exist for companies thinking about investing with the ayatollah, including doing business with the wide array of front companies tied to the IRGC, a terrorist organization sanctioned by the United States and the international community; the unavailability and deficiency of insurance coverage; and hacking and cyber-insecurity. Let's not forget the totalitarian suppression of women, homosexual and transgender people, political opponents and journalists. That is a high price for stability, unacceptable to the United States and inconsistent with our values. We look forward to the day when Iran behaves in a way that will give the United States reason to fully engage with it." http://t.uani.com/1VxmeIh
       


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 Internal Revenue Code. Eye on Iran is not intended as a comprehensive media clips summary but rather a selection of media elements with discreet analysis in a PDA friendly format. For more information please email Press@UnitedAgainstNuclearIran.com

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.  UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons.

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