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TOP STORIES
Investigators have uncovered evidence of a
multibillion-dollar corruption scheme by a Persian Gulf bank that
secretly helped Iran evade sanctions for more than a decade,
according to documents filed in a legal dispute. Records from a
Bahraini government audit reveal that the now-closed Future Bank - a
joint venture partly owned by two of Iran's largest lenders -
routinely altered financial documents to mask illicit trade between
Iran and dozens of foreign partners, the documents show.
Anticipating an unpredictable president's next moves,
U.S. officials have started actively planning for the likelihood that
Donald Trump will announce next month the U.S. is withdrawing from
the Iran nuclear deal. But no one knows exactly what would happen
next, nor how Iran would respond.
U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the threat posed
by Iran with the emir of Qatar on Tuesday and also stressed the
importance of resolving the rift among Gulf nations, the White House
said.
UANI IN THE NEWS
The world's leading auto companies descended upon New
York this week for the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), and
the hundreds of thousands of visitors attending the convention are
expecting to see the best of what the auto industry has to offer...
Today, the appetite for doing business with Iran remains, despite the
country's status as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism,
and unfortunately, several American auto companies currently showing
at the NYIAS have apparent business ties to the regime in Tehran. In
response, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is asking auto
companies, including Big Three automakers, General Motors (GM), Ford
Motor Company and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, to sever ties with
groups that knowingly do business with Iran.
With John Bolton's appointment as national security
adviser, the odds have significantly risen that President Trump will
abandon his predecessor's nuclear deal with Iran. But there's no need
for hysteria. If Trump abandons the deal, the Islamic Republic still
isn't likely to run amok, ramping up its nuclear program and killing
American soldiers in the Middle East.
NUCLEAR DEAL
Tehran seems to believe that President Trump will kill
the deal next month, so it may start prepping its dormant nuclear
facilities, sowing division between U.S. allies, or courting other
global powers.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
Elevated geopolitical tension between Saudi Arabia and
Iran could soon threaten the unity of an OPEC-led pact to keep oil
prices in check, according to one commodity strategist.
Saudi Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman confirmed that
Islam is a religion of peace and that the "triangle of
evil" that seeks to exploit and distort it to achieve their
agendas consists of Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood and extremist
groups, pointing out that the Iranian regime seeks to spread the
extremist "Shiite Ideology" to govern the whole world.
HUMAN RIGHTS
To understand the protests, it's necessary to analyze
the slogans chanted by the protesters... Some commentators - from
conservatives in Iran to Western analysts uncritical toward the
Hassan Rouhani administration - have interpreted the protests as
merely reflecting Iranians' desire for a better economic performance.
Yet, the slogans tell a different story, one that inevitably
showcases the interlocking of socioeconomic and political grievances,
which after all are intimately intertwined in the Islamic Republic.
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Media outlets and research centers of the world write a
lot about Iran's expansionary policies in the Middle East. In fact,
Iran's hegemonic tendencies in the region are a matter of serious
concern and should be studied in-depth. However, few in the global
media and the wider research community pay adequate attention to
Iran's growing interference in South Caucasus. This region has three
important former Soviet republics: Georgia - which has complicated
relations with Russia and has taken the path of European integration;
Christian Armenia - which is an ally of Russia, Turkey and Israel as
well as has the highest percentage of Shiite population after Iran -
and secular Azerbaijan.
SYRIA & IRAN
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attacked the United
States and Israel for their roles in Syria before he boarded a plane
for Turkey where he was scheduled to meet President Tayyip Erdogan
and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held talks in Ankara on
Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan ahead of a
three-way summit with Russia on the Syrian conflict.
Three foreign powers who have shaped Syria's civil war -
Iran, Russia and Turkey - will discuss ways to wind down the fighting
on Wednesday despite their involvement in rival military campaigns on
the ground.
Despite the eagerness to declare it ebbing, Syria's war
is unlikely to get closer to its end simply because Vladimir Putin,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani are meeting in Ankara this
week.
IRAQ & IRAN
Iran's influence is looming large as Iraqis prepare to
head to the polls for parliamentary elections in May, with many in
the country worried that Tehran may be looking to strengthen its
political grip on Baghdad through the ballot box.
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