By Mehdi
Newly revealed information from the U.S. military points to Iran being responsible for the deaths of 608 U.S. troops in Iraq since 2003. The U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, said earlier this week that the information is being revealed now because military reports have been de-classified.
Iran Focus
London, 04 April – Donald Trump has until May 2 to decide whether to renew sanctions waivers given to eight importers of Iranian oil last November, but analysts warn that despite a promise to crush Iran’s funding, Trump will likely renew the waivers in order to stabilise global oil prices with the hope of ensuring re-election in 2020.
By Pooya Stone
Britain, France and Germany have accused Iran of developing missile technology in violation of UN resolution, following recent activities, and called for a full UN report in a letter sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday.
The three countries said that Iran’s launch of a space vehicle and unveiling of two new ballistic missiles in February are part of a “trend of increased activity inconsistent” with UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which was adopted just after the signing of the 2015 nuclear deal, more formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
By Jubin Katiraie
A human rights group has published the cases of 100 human rights violators in Iran in the first volume of a series of books, titled “The Face of Crime”, which declares that many of those in power in Iran are guilty of despicable crimes against humanity, including the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani, and Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeisi.
Iran Focus
London, 04 April – Three of eight countries granted sanctions waivers by Washington last year so that they could continue importing oil from Iran have now cut their imports to zero, according to a US official on Tuesday.
Brian Hook, the special US envoy for Iran, said: “In November, we granted eight oil waivers to avoid a spike in the price of oil. I can confirm today three of those importers are now at zero.”
He did not say which nations had stopped.
By Mehdi
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, recently made a statement in an interview with Iran’s state-owned Channel 2, regarding the Iran nuclear deal, saying it has done nothing to stop Iran from making advances in its nuclear program. He boasted, “If we have to go back and withdraw from the nuclear deal, we certainly do not go back to where we were before … We will be standing in a much, much higher position.”
By Pooya Stone
APT39 is cyber espionage group with links to Iran and it has recently been discovered that it was behind a huge theft of personal information. Cyber security experts have been tracking the group’s activity for a number of years now – mainly to protect companies from malicious attacks by the group.
Iran Focus
London, 03 April – During his Nowruz (Persian New Year) speech just over a week ago, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke about the effect of the U.S. sanctions on Iran and about the ways the country can overcome its economic hurdles. He said that domestic production must be increased, meaning that the levels of imports must be drastically reduced.
By Jubin Katiraie
According to local officials across Iran, severe losses have been sustained due to the floods that hit 28 of the country’s 31 provinces during the past week. While no comprehensive reports regarding the economic impact of the floods is available yet, reports have surfaced saying a terrible blow has been dealt to housing, roads, farmlands, animal husbandry farms, and fish farms. As well, officials who deal with agriculture announced a preliminary estimate of $200 million worth of destruction to that sector.
In Kerman Province in the southeast, it is reported that some 1,600 kilometers of rural roads have been washed away by the floods. There are no reports about extent of damage in the city of Shiraz, as people dig out of the mud that is clogging the streets.
Iran Focus
London, 01 April – The Middle East is undergoing major changes after years of war and conflict. Iran is becoming increasingly desperate as its options run out, especially now that it is subject to tough economic sanctions.
It has been reported in recent weeks that Iran has the assistance of foreign financial institutions. Financial entities in Lebanon and Iraq are said to have been setting up money laundering schemes to circumvent U.S. sanctions and to funnel hard currency to Iran.
