By Jubin Katiraie
Iran has breached the limit of its enriched uranium stockpile set in a 2015 deal with major powers, two sources told Reuters on Monday, defying a warning by European co-signatories to stick to the deal despite sanctions by the United States.
“As we announced when we said our steps would continue, the stockpile has passed 300 kg,” one of the sources said.
By Pooya Stone
During the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) it was revealed that the Iranian economy’s attraction of foreign capital has decreased by 28% last year and has reached $4.1 billion.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is real investment by foreign companies in Iran in which those companies manage, control and own the related assets.
By Jubin Katiraie
An Iranian Azeri activist arrested last year has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by an Iranian court.
Security forces arrested Kazem Safabakhsh during a soccer match between Perspolis and Tractor Sazi last November. On Monday, the 28th branch of the revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced him to 13 years in prison.
By Pooya Stone
On Wednesday, June 26, Haji Reza Shakarami, the provincial attorney general of Alborz Province, north of Iran, reported the arrest of 11 citizens who walked their dogs in public in the city of Karaj.
The arrests took place despite the fact that last Sunday the attorney-general himself had separately stated that walking leashed dogs in public was not a crime, the state-run Tasnim news agency reported.
By Jubin Katiraie
Iranian political prisoner Soheil Arabi has released an open letter from jail about his hunger strike titled: “Boycotting the state from inside the prison.”
Arabi is a social activist who has been in prison under a seven-year sentence since 2013 and is currently in the prison of Greater Tehran (Fashafouyeh). In his letter, published on June 27, 2019, Arabi described his hunger strike as a “new move and a sanction” against the regime.
By Pooya Stone
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he would “seriously” consider any request from the US regarding military action in Iran “on its merits”, but stressed that no request has so far been made.
However, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has asked Australia to take part in a new “global coalition” against Iran to help protect key shipping lanes in the Gulf after several acts of aggression by Iran, including multiple tanker attacks and the downing of a US drone.
By Jubin Katiraie
Trade between Iran and Germany has seen a marked decline thanks to US sanctions, according to data from the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).
The data showed that trade between Iran and Germany had dropped 49% in the first four months of 2019, compared with the same period last year, with volumes continuing to decline. Now, the majority of Iranian exports to Germany are pistachios, carpets and a limited amount of steel and fuels.
By Pooya Stone
In the coming days, the US will impose sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, according to an announcement made by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin this week.
This speech on Monday coincides with the US’s leveraging of sanctions against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and eight senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These sanctions target individuals that the US says are responsible for Iran’s malign behaviours, including several attacks on oil tankers and the downing of a US drone.
By Jubin Katiraie
The US’s Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper called on European allies on Thursday to publically condemn Iran’s actions and to join the US-proposed maritime security effort to protect the Strait of Hormuz, following several attacks in the key shipping lane that the US blames on Iran.
By Pooya Stone
Iranian families’ cost for purchasing a collection of basic goods and services has increased by 50% in the past month, state-media announced this week.
Official figures published by the Statistical Center of Iran indicate that inflation has increased again and has continued its growth in recent months, the state-run news agency ISNA reported on June 23.
