Iran Focus
London, 30 Apr – Iran is currently going through a major economic crisis that is affecting the lives of the Iranian people and the country’s trade. The problems are devastating for many and to make matters worse, the problems have been caused by the corrupt leadership that has been in place for decades.
Iran Focus
London, 27 Apr – The deteriorating economic situation in Iran is a factor that potentially gives the United States leverage in the negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal.
In the past several weeks, the rial, Iran’s currency, has lost 25 per cent of its value against the dollar. Tehran set an official exchange rate of 42,000 rials to the dollar —a move that is not likely to succeed, as market prices of the rial are 60,000 to the dollar.
Iran Focus
London, 27 Apr – A number of reports this week have suggested that the economic crisis in the Islamic Republic of Iran is very much ongoing, in spite of the government’s effort to restrict foreign currency exchanges and otherwise interrupt the collapse in the value of the rial.
Earlier this month, the Iranian national currency fell to an exchange rate of more than 60,000 rials to the dollar, representing about half the value it had maintained last September. The government subsequently set an artificial rate of 42,000 rials to the dollar and banned currency traders from altering it. But EA Worldview reported on Tuesday that such stopgap measures had failed, with a number of exchanges opting to close down instead of adhering to the artificial rate.
By Jubin Katiraie
The future of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is hanging in the balance. Following meetings between United States President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, Iran is feeling the pressure.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also planned a visit to coincide with that of the Europeans. He is apparently attending the United Nations peace conference with other officials from around the world, but it is clear that he is there with regards to the nuclear deal.
Iran Focus
London, 26 Apr – The economic situation in Iran is in a dire state and more than a third of those that are not in employment in the country are university graduates. According to the government’s Planning and Management Organization (PMO), a staggering 42 per cent of the unemployed have a university degree.
Iran Focus
London, 26 Apr – Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Iran has been present in the country with an influence that is ever-increasing. The elections that are due to take place next month will be the perfect opportunity for Iraq to limit Iran’s influence.
On May12th, the parliamentary and local elections will take place and the government of Iraq has been taking measures to move towards reconciliation with its neighbours.
Iran Focus
London, 25 Apr – The 2015 Iran nuclear deal was made with the Islamic Republic, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, France and Russia – the five permanent members of the United Nations Security. Germany and the European Union were also involved.
The deal was seen as the main foreign policy achievement of former president Barack Obama but it has been highly controversial – both at the time of negotiations and now.
Iran Focus
London, 24 Apr – During last fiscal year, which ended on March 20th, the statistics of Energy Ministry’s annual report indicates that Iran has increased minimal power generation capacity by 3% to around 78.9 GW, denoting that the power generation — the actual capacity — is below 68.5 GW. This shows the debilitation and fatigue of the country’s aging power plants.
Iran has fulfilled only about half of last year’s power generation growth plan, especially for its renewable power projects. To avoid summertime’s power outages, when the electricity demand soars, Iran needs at least 5 percent growth annually.
Iran Focus
London, 24 Apr – Iranians hackers targeted at least 23 German universities as part of a global cyber-attack. On Friday, the magazine Der Spiegel reported that they stole unpublished research, dissertations, and conference reports.
The report further stated that the cyber-attacks started in 2014, and can be traced back to the Tehran Mabna Institute, a private company linked to Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The statement also said, “They hacked the computer systems of approximately 320 universities in 22 countries. 144 of the victims are American universities. The defendants stole research that cost the universities approximately $3.4 billion to procure and maintain.”
By Edward Carney
On Sunday, the CBS News program Face the Nation aired an interview with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, leading to widespread reporting upon his comments regarding the 2015 nuclear deal, as it faces a crucial deadline. In January, US President Donald Trump renewed the sanctions waivers put into place by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but announced that he would not do so again unless Congress and the European signatories to the nuclear deal agreed upon a plan for fixing its “terrible flaws.” Progress toward such an agreement has been slow, but the American waivers must be renewed by May 12.
