Iran Focus
London, 20 Mar – In his address to the Iranian people during the Persian New Year (Nowruz), Donald Trump attacked the Iranian Regime, their suppressive security forces, and their shadowy state institutions for stealing from the Iranian people in order to line their own pockets and fund illegal wars.
Iran Focus
London, 20 Mar – During his visit to the United States on 20th March, it is expected that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad bin Salman, will discuss the shortcomings of the Iran nuclear deal with US President Donald Trump. It is also expected that the two leaders will attempt to come up with plans to deal with Iran’s meddling in the conflicts in the region.
Iran Focus
London, 19 Mar – At the end of last week, US officials confirmed that they are calling on their allies in Europe to agree on further measures against Iran so that the 2015 nuclear deal can be kept alive.
The US diplomats said that it was not certain that the United States would pull out of the deal despite what has been said by President Donald Trump.
The comments came after private meetings in Vienna between Iran, Russia and the United States.
Iran Focus
London, 19 Mar – The meeting between US President Donald Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince is due to take place shortly. Their discussions will place emphasis on finding a solution to curb Iran’s belligerence across the Middle East. It is also expected that much will be said about the US position with regards to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Despite the Iranian government claiming a 4.4 percent growth for the country’s economy, a member of parliament’s Economic Committee says that 80 percent of the country’s population live below poverty line. Meanwhile, an advisor to Iran’s president has also warned rivals, saying “we’re all aboard the same ship, and all of us will be hurt if this ship is going to sink.”
While Iran’s Statistics Center claims a 4.4 percent economic growth in the first nine month of the current Iranian year, there are more and more disturbing reports on the situation of people living below poverty line.
Iran Focus
London, 17 Mar – The US State Department has called out the Iranian Regime for its “unacceptable” treatment of the news media, citing reports that journalists there have been harassed, jailed, or worse for doing their jobs.
In a statement, on Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said: “The United States notes with concern the grave conditions facing the press in Iran as detailed in the [United Nations] Special Rapporteur’s report.”
She also called on the Iranian Regime to stop these malign activities and guarantee the right to freedom of expression.
Iran Focus
London, 17 Mar – If Iran develops nuclear weapons, then Saudi Arabia will do the same, according to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi’s defence chief and heir to the throne.
In an interview with CBS news on Thursday, Prince Mohammed said: “Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.”
This has confirmed long-held fears by the international community that if Iran developed a nuclear weapon, it would spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
Iran Focus
London, 16 Mar – Cyber security researchers have warned that Iranian-based cyber warfare group TEMP.Zagros, aka MuddyWater, is conducting the massive phishing campaign currently attacking both Asia and the Middle East.
This group have also significantly improved their technique, notably by using new backdoor entry tools, making them an even greater danger.
In a blog on Tuesday, FireEye researchers Sudeep Singh, Dileep Kumar Jallepalli, Yogesh Londhe and Ben Read wrote: “We observed attackers leveraging the latest code execution and persistence techniques to distribute malicious macro-based documents to individuals in Asia and the Middle East. In this campaign, the threat actor’s tactics, techniques and procedures shifted after about a month, as did their targets.”
In addition to deteriorating the country’s air quality, Iran’s road transport industry has also been severely hit by a dilapidated truck fleet over the past few years.
Ranging from 127,000 to 202,000, different figures have been given by state official on the numbers of Iran’s dilapidated trucks.
While, according to state-run ISNA news agency, state’s head of Industrial Development and Renovation Organization (IDRO) ‘Mansour Moazami’ has spoken of replacing 202,000 outdated heavy vehicles in the next three years through a fleet renovation program that is going to need $10 billion in investment, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development has stated that 127,000 dilapidated trucks aged 25 and higher are currently traveling across Iran as part of the country’s road transport fleet.
Iran Focus
London, 16 Mar – Donald Trump made clear that he is focused on the threat posed by Iran, in his comments following the sacking of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Trump said: “When you look at the Iran deal, I thought it was terrible, he thought it was OK. I wanted to either break it or do something. He felt a little differently.”
This is especially telling when you consider that the deadline for fixing the flaws to the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is now less than two months away, on May 12.
