Iran Focus
London, 21 Apr – Experts say that the threat of new, tougher sanctions leaves Iran’s oil industry vulnerable, even after this week’s move by Iran to replace the US dollar with the euro for its foreign currency data references.
After sanctions were frozen the Islamic Republic added nearly 1 million barrels per day (b/d) to its oil production, while it attempts to reduce its dependence on the dollar. If tougher sanctions are imposed on May 12th, the country may once again be isolated.
By Jubin Katiraie
Delphine O, MP from Paris, chairs the France-Iran friendship group in the National Assembly (the French parliament). Her activities are divided into three areas: “supporting Franco-Iranian political relations; strengthening academic and scientific exchanges between France and Iran; and promoting Iran in France. As it is difficult to show sympathy for a regime, as problematic as that of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Delphine O spares no effort to “whitewash” its detestable image due to its Islamist theocratic nature and its serious violations of human rights, as very often pointed out by the UN and important international NGOs.
Iran Focus
London, 20 Apr – The Donald Trump administration is preparing for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un in the near future. To prepare Trump’s strategy, they should learn some lessons from the shortcomings of Iran nuclear deal. Let’s look at those lessons.
Sanctions are very strong against North Korea at the moment and it will be hard to increase the pressure again after a temporary deal is struck.
When the Iran deal was struck, its major flaw was that the restrictions on nuclear weapons development were only temporary. Iran can start advanced development work as soon as 2024.
Iran Focus
London, 20 Apr – The exchange rate for Iran’s rial dropped its lowest ever price on April 9, at 61,000 to the dollar.
The following day, the Iranian govrenment artificially fixed the price at 42,000 and threatened to arrest anyone caught selling at a different price.
This was no empty threat. government arrested some money exchangers for flouting the rules, with some mullahs even calling for the death of the vendors.
Iran Focus
London, 20 Apr – On Thursday, the CHRI reported upon the latest call to action by United Nations experts regarding issues related Iran’s human rights record and its perennial abuse of the death penalty. The statement was signed by a trio of UN special rapporteurs, Agnes Callamard, Dainius Puras, and Nils Melzer, whose areas of focus are, respectively, extrajudicial and arbitrary executions, universal rights to physical and mental health, and cruel, inhumane, and degrading punishments including torture. It called attention to the case of Ramin Hossein Panahi, an Iranian Kurdish prisoner who is facing a potentially imminent threat of execution.
Iran Focus
London, 19 Apr – The instant messaging app Telegram will soon be banned in Iran, with the highest-ranking members of the Iran announcing their intentions to abandon the platform and move to domestic apps instead.
They’ve even issued a directive to Iranian government workers and school to prevent their use of foreign messaging apps.
The mullahs have claimed that the banning of Telegram is necessary to “protect national security” and would have the side benefit of promoting homegrown apps, like Soroush and Gap.
Iran Focus
London, 19 Apr – A senior Middle East analyst has said that the best thing Washington could do is to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal on May 12.
Michael Pregent of the Hudson Institute said: “Iran is the biggest threat to the US interests and its allies in the region, including Israel, due to its activities in the region.”
These activities are the same ones that Donald Trump mentioned when he declared Iran not in compliance with the nuclear deal in late 2017.
Iran Focus
London, 19 Apr – Since United States President Donald Trump took office, he has maintained harsh rhetoric against Iran. His actions have been firm and he is taking steps to address Iran’s belligerence. Trump also wants to strengthen the 2015 nuclear deal and has warned the other signatories of the agreement that he will not keep the United States in the deal if he is not satisfied that it is effective enough.
Iran Focus
London, 19 Apr – When it was announced that John Bolton would be taking up the position of national security adviser in the Trump administration, many claimed that this was increasing the likelihood of another US war in the Middle East.
However, the US is already caught up in several conflicts in the region and the threat to international security is real. Stability in Iraq is uncertain and the Taliban looks set to re-emerge in Afghanistan. The United States has a necessary presence in Syria where is it trying to minimise the damage caused by Bashar al Assad. US allies are facing a threat with the civil war in Yemen.
Iran Focus
London, 18 Apr – The 19,000-hectare wetland in Bandar Anzali, Iran, was once designated as a Ramsar site for its natural beauty, extensive water flora, and important role in the lifecycle of water birds, in particular breeding.
The unique ecosystem was once a flourishing tourist attraction and preservation site, but after decades of mismanagement regarding waste disposal and other environmental matters, the spectacular wetland is facing grave threats that need immediate attention.
