Iran Focus
London, 22 May – Iran is the second worst country in the world for traffic related accidents, with road accidents killing 28,000 each year and injuring or disabling over 300,000.
This incredibly high rate means that a huge 8% of the country’s GDP is spent on traffic accidents alone, so why are fatal and other serious road accidents such a problem under the Mullahs?
Let’s find out.
By Jubin Katiraie
Just a fortnight after the US withdrew from the fatally flawed nuclear deal of 2015, the new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has recognised the Iranian people’s uprising and called for an international front against the Iranian rulers in his first public message.
Pompeo spoke about the key flaws in the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including the payment of blood money” to Iran and its key members, like IRGC Commander Qassem Soleimani who is banned from leaving Iran by international sanctions.
Iran Focus
London, 22 May – Currently, Iran’s notorious Evin Prison is housing 11 Christian inmates who are being punished for their faith.
One Christian inmate, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, charged with “acting against national security through the formation and establishment of an illegal church organisation in his home” was sentenced to a 10-years in Even Prison. His crime was setting up a prayer group in his home. International Christian Concern (ICC), an anti-persecution charity, claims that is facing “completely losing his teeth” due to lack of medical treatment.
Iran Focus
London, 21 May – Insurance companies from around the world are now taking time to assess how the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and the subsequent threat of imposing sanctions on companies that do business with Iran will affect them.
While global insurers wait for guidance from the United States and European Union, many are now making contingency plans for all possible outcomes.
Illinois insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. said on Friday that they will be monitoring developments closely, while the Zurich-based Swiss Re said that it would be “assessing the impact” of the US decision on its business activities.
Iran Focus
London, 21 May – A British charity worker wrongly jailed in Iran on false espionage charges is now facing a new trial with further “invented” charges, according to her husband.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was initially arrested and jailed in 2016, was taken to court on Saturday to face the charge of spreading propaganda against Iran.
Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said that she denied committing any crime and appealed for freedom, but was told by Judge Salavati to expect a conviction.
Iran Focus
London, 20 May – By doing business with Iran, you’refunding the Revolutionary Guard — the IRGC — who was sanctioned in its entirety by the United States in October.
Last week, President Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Now, the stakes are high for those who engage in trade agreements with Iran. In fact, Europe will have to choose between standing alongside its deals with Iran and protecting its trade relations with Washington.
Iran Focus
London, 20 May – Some of Europe’s biggest firms rushed to do business with Iran after the nuclear deal took effect. Now, after President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, European businesses are worried that their ties with the US could be damaged if they continue doing Iranian deals.
The present White House believed that the Iran deal was only a temporary deferral of nuclear activity in exchange for billions in funding for Iranian proxy warfare — appeasement only made the aggressor more aggressive.
To effectively roll back Iranian armament and expansionism, it appears that White House policy toward Iran has become more harsh, and only works if Europe shoulders its share of the economic burden.
Iran Focus
London, 18 May – Saudi Arabia and the US have accused Iran of making and supplying ballistic missiles to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, which were used in attacks against the Kingdom. While the UN has agreed that at least some of the missiles fired by the Houthis in 2017 were Iranian-made, in violation of the UN resolution that enshrines the nuclear deal.
That’s why Ralph Savelsberg an associate professor of missile defence at the Netherlands Defense Academy, completed an in-depth report into the missiles for Breaking Defense.
Iran Focus
London, 18 May – Earlier this week, the US and the countries of the Gulf placed six Hezbollah leaders their terror lists, which represents an important step to tackling the problem of the Iran’s terrorist proxies.
This move draws a clear line between Lebanon and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which the terrorist cell always seems determined to blur, thereby making the Lebanese people hostages who pay the price for Hezbollah’s crimes.
Iran Focus
London, 18 May – On Wednesday, industry sources said that European refiners are already experiencing difficulties in shipping Iranian crude, as shipowners have begun to avoid this route for fear of falling foul of US sanctions.
Just a week after President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, European tanker owners fear secondary sanctions from the US. According to a US Treasury Department fact sheet, international buyers of Iranian oil must wind down contrast by November 4th, when the US will reimpose sanctions on the oil, energy, shipping, and insurance sectors.
