Iran Focus
London, 14 Nov – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Newsweek on Monday of helping” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif spread “lies” that the US is preparing to sanction food being imported into Iran.
Pompeo tweeted: “Shame on #FakeNewsweek for helping @JZarif spread lies. The truth is: The U.S. does not, and never did, sanction food and medicine. They are exempt from sanctions, as are financial transactions related to humanitarian needs.”
Iran Focus
London, 14 Nov – The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted four Hezbollah-affiliated individuals who lead the terrorist group’s activities in Iraq by labelling them as Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
This means that Shibl Muhsin ‘Ubayd Al-Zaydi, Yusuf Hashim, Adnan Hussein Kawtharani, and Muhammad ‘Abd-Al-Hadi Farhat are now officially designated as terrorists, allowing the US to seize any of their assets in the US or its territories and making it a crime for any American to provide material support to the four. As the Iran-backed Hezbollah is already a terrorist group sanctioned by the US, it makes perfect sense that their representatives would also be sanctioned.
Iran Focus
London, 13 Nov – As the tenth day of the new round of strikes by truck drivers passed on Saturday, November 10th, Maryam Rajavi, president of the Iranian opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), hailed the strikers, saying that as long as Mullahs are in power, poverty, inflation, and unemployment will continue.
Iran Focus
London, 13 Nov – Another set of crippling economic sanctions on Iran have kicked in. The Trump administration has reaffirmed its goal to ensure all foreign countries reduce their imports of Iranian oil to zero. Time and time again, the Trump administration has said that it will not ignore Iran’s meddling, belligerence, extremism and terrorist activities.
His National Security Advisor John Bolton has said that the United States will continue to put pressure on Iran and that sanctions will be strictly enforced. He also said that there is the potential for further sanctions to be put in place.
By Pooya Stone
Mr. Struan Stevenson former MEP and Coordinator of ‘Campaign for Iran Change’ In a letter to The Guardian November 9, described Reza Marat’s article in this newspaper as far from journalism impartiality and stated: “Actually, Arron Merat, the author of the article is a well-known advocate of the clerical regime and its president Hassan Rouhani, and an activist against the PMOI/MEK. He lacks the minimum journalistic standards regarding the issue of the Iranian regime and its opposition.”
Iran Focus
London, 12 Nov – Russia’s relationship with the Iranian Regime following the reimbursement of US sanctions is “not strategic”, according to the chair of the comparative politics department at Russia’s MGIMO University.
On Sunday, during the fifth Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate, Dr Oxana Gaman-Golutvina said that Russia remains committed to strengthening relations with Saudi Arabia and ensuring regional stability.
Iran Focus
London, 12 Nov – Last week, the United States re-imposed further crippling economic sanctions that were in place before the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or 2015 Iran nuclear deal, was agreed. Former U.S. President Barack Obama lifted the sanctions in exchange for Iran abandoning its nuclear activities.
Iran Focus
London, 9 Nov – Real estate prices in Iran have risen 83.5% in the past year, according to a report released by the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) in early November.
The CBI said that house prices in Tehran are based on the benchmark of 86,100,000 rials per square meter of built-in area in October 2018. That’s $575 based on the global exchange rate as sellers can’t get dollars based on the government’s artificial exchange rate.
Iran Focus
London, 9 Nov – A think-tank based in Washington D.C. – the Institute for Science and International Security issued a report at the end of last month with new information related to the Iranian regime’s nuclear activities, in particular its “nuclear archive”. The report shows that, contrary to what it claims, the Iranian regime did not put an end to its nuclear weaponization efforts after 2003.
Iran Focus
London, 8 Nov – The United States has issued a stark warning to the rest of the world: do not allow Iranian oil tankers to enter your territorial waters or dock in your ports or you’ll be risk harsh US penalties and potential “environmental disaster”.
On Wednesday, November 7, the State Department warned global shipping and insurance industries that they would risk being cut off from the US financial system or massive fines if they continued to transport or insure Iranian oil, after sanctions were reinstated on Monday as part of the US’s “maximum pressure campaign” to get Iran to change its behaviour.
