By Jubin Katiraie
The United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were damaged in “acts of sabotage” near the country’s territorial waters.
This was confirmed by Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister, who revealed at around 6 am on Sunday revealed that two Saudi oil tankers had suffered “significant damage” in the area just 85 miles south of the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping route, where a fifth of the world’s total oil passes through.
By Pooya Stone
Iran’s trade figures with Europe’s biggest economy are shrinking and its key oil exports are faltering. According to Bloomberg, crude oil is Iran’s main revenue source and it has compiled for foreign ports in the first nine days of May.
The unilateral sanctions on Iranian oil exports tightened on May 2nd, when waivers that allowed several countries to keep importing crude from Iran expired. Now, the US aims to reduce oil imports to zero in an effort to pressure Iran to change its perceived malign behaviors.
By Mehdi
While supporters of the Islamic Republic, as well as critics of Trump’s policies toward Tehran, are doubtful about the achievability of the Trump Administration’s aim to reduce Tehran’s oil exports, “The White House has shown itself to be committed and determined to exerting pressure until it brings Iran’s oil exports to zero, “writes Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, who is also the president of the International American Council.
Iran Focus
London, 12 May – In an ironic turn of events, on May 8th, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared that his country would stop complying with two of its commitments under the Iran nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Rouhani’s declaration came exactly one year to the day from US President Trump’s announcement that America was withdrawing from the agreement.
By Jubin Katiraie
The mullahs in Iran could be considered among the most corrupt and malign in the world. The leadership of Iran has been involved in the plotting of terrorist attacks and assassinations of political opponents across the world.
To make matters worse, some of the top officials in the country today have been involved in numerous such crimes.
By Pooya Stone
The commander of US naval forces in the Middle East said Thursday that intelligence showing a threat from Iran would not stop him from using an aircraft carrier into the Strait of Hormuz if needed.
Vice Admiral Jim Malloy, the commander of the US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, did not confirm whether this meant that he would send the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group into the strategic shipping lane near Iran, through which one-fifth of the global oil supply is sent.
By Mehdi
Donald Trump has urged the mullahs in Iran to talk with him about giving up their nuclear program and said that, given the increased tensions between the two countries, he could not rule out a military confrontation.
He said: “What they should be doing is calling me up, sitting down. We can make a deal, a fair deal, we just don’t want them to have nuclear weapons – not too much to ask. And we would help put them back to great shape. They should call. If they do, we’re open to talk to them.”
Iran Focus
London, 10 May – New US sanctions on Iran’s industrial metals will severely affect two of the Middle Eastern country’s most lucrative non-energy exports, according to Iranian government data.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump signed an executive order to sanction Iran’s exports of iron, steel, aluminium, and copper. It means that anyone involved in producing those metals inside Iran will have their assets in the US frozen and that any foreign financial institutions that help Iran to produce or export those metals will be subject to sanctions.
By Jubin Katiraie
The US warned European banks, investors and businesses on Wednesday against using the special purpose vehicle (INSTEX) that Europe has created to bypass US sanctions on Iran by trading in Euros as opposed to the dollar.
Tim Morrison, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Weapons of Mass Destruction and Biodefense, said: “If you are a bank, an investor, an insurer or other business in Europe you should know that getting involved in the … Special Purpose Vehicle is a very poor business decision.”
By Pooya Stone
After the 1980-1988 war between Iran and Iraq ended, Iran needed to keep the demobilized soldiers from roaming the streets with nothing to do. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was their answer. Khatam-al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, the biggest contractor for government projects, was established by order of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
