Iran Says OPEC Has 'Not Much Credit' Left

Oil cartel OPEC has "not much credit" left as some members are turning it into "a tool for the US", a senior Iranian official said in comments published Saturday.

"Saudi Arabia and the UAE are turning OPEC into a tool for the US and consequently the organization has not much credit left," Iran's OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili told the Shana newswire, affiliated to Iran's Oil Ministry.

"It is a fact that OPEC is losing its organizational character and becoming a forum," he added.

In a move heavily opposed by Iran, OPEC and other oil producers including Russia agreed in June to boost crude output by around a million barrels a day, reversing course after supply cuts that had cleared a global glut and boosted prices.

Iran, a founding member of the cartel, had been against the move which came as the country faces renewed US sanctions after Washington's decision to leave the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

The US decision had stoked supply concerns on world markets.

Ardebili also accused Saudi Arabia and Russia of taking the market "hostage" through increased production and said that OPEC's responsibility is to restore market balance, not to boycott its founding members.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged the cartel to raise its production and said that other countries must stop buying oil from Iran or face US sanctions.

Meanwhile, output from Iran has hit its lowest level since July 2016 as top buyers India and China distance themselves from Tehran due to looming US sanctions on November 5, according to the International Energy Agency.

Photo Credit: Wikicommons

Eyeing Reconstruction, Russia, Iran Take Centre Stage at Syria Expo

Companies from dozens of countries are showing their wares at the Damascus International Fair this week, but those from two in particular are getting special treatment—Russia and Iran.

Firms from the top two wartime allies of Syria's government are set up in an entirely separate building, hinting at the preferred status they hope to enjoy as the country tries to transition into reconstruction.

Packed pavilions feature Iranian cars and carpets, Russian wires and cables—and translators ready to help Syrian businessmen connect with potential foreign partners.

A flatscreen television in the Russian wing plays a sleek advertisement for Libena Agro Build, a metalworking company that produces farming equipment and grain silos.

“Foreign companies are scrambling and competing to invest in Syria, but Russia's got preference," says its regional representative, Lebanese-Russian national Leba Shehadeh.

"We were the ones defending Syria politically and militarily, so we expect the lion's share of the economy and of the reconstruction phase."

He flips through a pamphlet of irrigation products, metal recycling services, moulds, and more.

"Syria needs all this equipment," Shehadeh tells AFP, saying Libena Agro was aiming for large-scale deals with Damascus.

"We're here so that, together, we can draw the plan for rebuilding this country."

Seven years since war first broke out, President Bashar al-Assad has managed to recapture around two-thirds of Syria, with help from both Tehran and Moscow.

Iranian "military advisers" and Tehran-backed militias have supported troops on the ground, and Russian warplanes have battered rebel targets from the sky for the past three years.

’Attractive for Investment'

But fighting has left Syria in ruins, with the United Nations saying 
destruction has cost the country close to USD 400 billion. 

Assad has pledged to make reconstruction his top priority, saying Syria's "allies" would be the only ones allowed to take part.

Even during war, Russian companies have invested in Syria's oil, gas and mining sectors and won contracts to build flour mills and water-pumping stations. 

Syrian state companies have also issued tenders open exclusively to Iranian companies, according to the economic magazine Syria Report. 

Just last month, Tehran and Damascus reached a deal for Iran to rehabilitate Syria's defense industry. 

And on Friday, at the fair's opening, the Russian and Syrian ministries of industry inked a memorandum of understanding on future cooperation.

The Russian ministry had organized a delegation of investors to attend the fair, including representatives of Romax, a firm that produces storage silos and is involved in transportation and shipping. 

“The Syrian market is attractive for investment," says its representative at the fair, Aron Levashov.

"We're finding a window, a gate for Russia towards the Mediterranean sea, and from there to Europe and Africa," he tells AFP, speaking in Russian through an interpreter.

He says Russia's "familiarity with the situation on the ground, the markets, the depth and scope of destruction" gave it a better understanding of Syria's economic needs. 

"Russia proved herself with a show of force in the air, and it's continuing its political support. We should take advantage of the space afforded to us to crystalize our economic role," Levashov tells AFP. 

'Like Brothers'

Companies from 25 countries, as well as officials from another 23 are taking part in the fair, Syrian state media said.

Around 50 Russian firms are being represented, and Iran has made an equally strong showing. 

Mohammad Reza Khanzad, who runs the Iranian pavilion at the expo, says the wing "includes 50 Iranian companies, among them 32 firms specialising in reconstruction"—compared with 31 firms in total last year. 

"The rest are in various industries like car production, homeware, programming, reconstruction materials, handmade carpets and agriculture," he says.

At a nearby table, Iranian businessman Mehdi Qawwam, 38, is smoothly pitching his construction firm Maskan Omran to three Syrian entrepreneurs in Farsi through a translator. 

"After Syria's war, the market will need companies specialized in construction and will benefit from Iranians to rebuild an even stronger market," he says.

Dressed in a grey suit, Qawwam concludes his sit-down and tucks newly acquired business cards into his suitcase.

"We reached some preliminary agreements to facilitate the entry of Iranian goods exclusive to our company into Syria, and in the coming phases we'll have meetings in Tehran or Damascus to confirm those deals," he says.

Strolling through the expo, he waves to friends and rivals alike.

"Syria is one of the few countries that accepts our products in the wake of the US sanctions" reimposed by Washington last month, he says.

"These sanctions must not affect us, because the relationship between our two countries is like one between brothers."

Photo Credit: EPA

Trump Lashes Ex-Secretary of State Kerry for Iran Meetings

President Donald Trump lashed out at former secretary of state John Kerry for his meetings with Iran's foreign minister after the Obama-appointee had left office.

"John Kerry had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian Regime which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of the American people," Trump said on Twitter late Thursday.

"He told them to wait out the Trump Administration!" he said, ending his Tweet with the word "BAD!"

Kerry, who negotiated the 2015 Iran nuclear deal which Trump scrapped this year, said during a tour to promote his new book "Every Day is Extra" that he had met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif "three or four times" since he left office and Trump had entered the White House.

Without commenting on the legality of such meetings, the current US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, accused his predecessor of "actively undermining US policy."

"What secretary Kerry has done is unseemly and unprecedented," said Pompeo, who is seen as an anti-Iran hawk.

"This is a former secretary of state engaged with the world's largest State sponsor of terror and according to him... he was telling them to wait out this administration."

A spokesman for Kerry said there was nothing improper about his conduct.

"Secretary Kerry stays in touch with his former counterparts around the world just like every previous Secretary of State," the spokesman said in a statement.

"And in a long phone conversation with Secretary Pompeo earlier this year he went into great detail about what he had learned about the Iranian's view."

"No secrets were kept from this administration," the statement said, accusing Kerry's successor of "political theatrics."

Straight Talk

Asked by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday if he had offered Zarif advice on how to deal with Trump's decision to withdraw from the pact, he replied: "No, that's not my job.

"What I have done is tried to elicit from him what Iran might be willing to do in order to change the dynamic in the Middle East for the better.

"I've been very blunt to Foreign Minister Zarif, and told him look, you guys need to recognize that the world does not appreciate what's happening with missiles, what's happening with Hezbollah, what's happening with Yemen," he added, echoing the current administration's denunciation of Tehran's "malign" influence.

Conservative commentators immediately leapt on the act as evidence of "treason," with some calling for Kerry to go to prison.

Asked by a Republican lawmaker during a congressional hearing about the so-called shadow diplomacy, Manisha Singh, an assistant secretary of state, said Thursday: "It's unfortunate if people from a past administration would try to compromise the progress we're trying to make in this administration."

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert added: "I've seen him brag about the meetings that he has had with the Iranian government and Iranian government officials. I've also seen reports that he is apparently providing, according to reports, advice to the Iranian government. 

"The best advice that he should be giving the Iranian government is stop supporting terror groups around the world." 

Photo Credit: Wikicommons

EU Nations Mull Clearing House to Avoid Iran Sanctions: Reports

Germany, France and Britain are mulling setting up a new financial institution to allow EU trade with Iran to continue despite American sanctions renewed by US President Donald Trump,  German media reported Friday.

The three countries could set up a "Special Purpose Vehicle" (SPV)—a firm resembling a clearing house that would cut Tehran out of the financial loop while still allowing trade, news weekly Der Spiegel and business daily Handelsblatt reported.

For example, Iran could ship oil to a Spanish firm, accumulating credit that could be used to pay a German machine-tool manufacturer for goods going the other way—without any money passing through Iranian hands.

Spokespeople for the German economy and finance ministries told AFP the scheme was one of several options capitals are discussing with the European Commission to create "independent payment channels" to Tehran.

European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said Brussels wants "to make sure the effects of the sanctions are minimised for companies that want to do legitimate business with and in Iran and they can still have access to necessary finance," adding that "currently the work is ongoing.”

Trump's decision in May to withdraw Washington from a 2015 deal with Iran, under which the country agreed to freeze its nuclear weapons program in exchange for slackening of economic sanctions, dismayed diplomats across Europe.

Since then EU chiefs have been scrambling to find a way for their firms to continue trading with the Islamic republic.

Banks that usually execute the payments in international deals fear themselves falling foul of American reprisals if they continue to enable business with Iran.

While Berlin, London and Paris are driving the scheme, Der Spiegel reported it would be open to other EU member states if it is set up. Italy is reportedly also interested in participating.

Photo Credit: Wikicommons

'Crucial Period' for Oil as Iran Exports Shrink: IEA

Global oil output hit a record of 100 million barrels per day in August, but the market may tighten and prices rise as exports from Iran and Venezuela decline, the International Energy Agency said Thursday.

"We are entering a very crucial period for the oil market," the IEA said in its latest monthly report. "Things are tightening up."

The global record came as output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries rose to a nine-month high of over 32 million barrels per day (mb/d).

The cartel had agreed in Vienna in June to push up production in order to put a cap on soaring prices.

In recent months, prices have wavered comfortably between the USD 70 and USD 80 per barrel on the Brent crude futures contract.

According to the IEA, a rebound in Libyan production, near-record Iraqi output and higher supply from Nigeria and OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia have so far managed to offset the impact of shrinking production from crisis-hit Venezuela and Iran.

But with the crisis in Venezuela showing no sign of abating, and with new US sanctions on Iran's oil industry set to come into force on November 4, other producers may have to ramp up production even further if they want to limit the impact on the market.

"It remains to be seen if other producers decide to increase their production. The price range for Brent of USD 70-80/bbl in place since April could be tested," the IEA said.

In May, US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and said other countries must stop buying oil from Tehran or face American sanctions.

And hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled their country since the nation became engulfed in a political crisis that has sent the economy into free fall.

"The situation in Venezuela could deteriorate even faster, strife could return to Libya and the 53 days to 4 November will reveal more decisions taken by countries and companies with respect to Iranian oil purchases," the IEA said.

Iran Sanctions Loom

Output from OPEC member Iran in August hit its lowest level since July 2016, the IEA said, "as more buyers distanced themselves from Tehran ahead of looming US sanctions", the report said.

Top buyers China and India have already cut back purchases from Tehran, and other countries are likely to do the same between now and November.

"While Iranian exports have fallen by nearly 500,000 barrels per day since May, shipments from Iraq and Saudi Arabia have risen by 200,000 barrels per day and 60,000 barrels per day respectively," the IEA added.

In Venezuela too, production dipped in August to 1.24 million barrels a day, and should it continue to decline, may hit 1 million barrels a day at the end of 2018.

OPEC, of which Venezuela is a member, had already warned that the country's output was at a three-decade low.

"If Venezuelan and Iranian exports do continue to fall, markets could tighten and oil prices could rise without offsetting production increases from elsewhere," the IEA warned.

Photo Credit: Wikicommons

Iran's Options to Face Down US Oil Sanctions

Iran faces a potentially crushing loss of oil exports when US sanctions return in November, but the impact could be blunted by its experience of working around embargoes.

When Iran faced its toughest international sanctions between 2012 and 2015, analysts say it found a number of creative solutions, from repainting and renaming ships to switching off their tracking devices.

Those tactics have continued.

"We find those tankers quite often, leaving and entering Iran in a covert fashion with their transponder turned off," said Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, which monitors the oil trade.

"We spot them through satellites. I'd say several vessels a month," he told AFP.

Analysts expect such behavior to ramp up when US sanctions on Iran's oil industry return on November 5, following Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear deal in May.

US pressure has already caused a 24 percent drop in Iran's sales between May and August, according to Bloomberg.

The big surprise has been cuts by Asian buyers, which analysts expected to resist US pressure, notably a 35 percent drop by China and 49 percent by India, according to the Eurasia Group consultancy.

"We underestimated the degree to which New Delhi and Beijing would concede to Washington's demands," it said in a briefing note.

Eurasia Group said wider geopolitics are at play: India is looking to deepen strategic ties with the US, while China may wish to avoid a fresh spat when it is already embroiled in a bitter trade dispute with Washington. 

Iran was exporting 2.7 million barrels of oil per day in May, but that has already fallen to 2.1 million.

Overall, Eurasia Group predicts the country's sales will fall by a further 0.9 million barrels per day to 1.2 million by November.

That would mean a loss of some USD 2-2.5 billion a month, at current prices.

'Cat and Mouse'

But analysts say Washington's goal of reducing Iran's oil sales to zero is unrealistic.

Iran has the world's fourth-largest reserves, and many countries—particularly in Asia—rely on its supplies and have refineries designed for its particular flavor of heavy crude.

And Tehran has many tried and tested ways to keep oil flowing.

It has already increased price discounts since May, worth around USD 10-15 million a month to large importers like China and India compared with last year, said Wood Mackenzie, a consultancy.

"Buyers can pay in kind, trade in other currencies, or extend credit—even keep the money in an escrow account in Switzerland and wait until these sanctions are over. India had a deal like that last time," said Madani.

If Iran can get its oil to a friendly port, it could be blended with oil from elsewhere and resold, said Thijs Van de Graaf, assistant professor for international politics at the University of Ghent.

"Iran played a cat and mouse game last time... and will probably do so again," he told AFP.

It also has more aggressive options, with President Hassan Rouhani recently restating an old threat to block the vital Strait of Hormuz through which around a third of the world's seaborne oil passes every day.

Rouhani announced last week that Iran was moving its main oil terminal out of the Gulf to a port in the Oman Sea, so that its tankers would no longer need to pass through the strait, giving it more scope to disrupt supplies.

Pressure on Europe

Iran says it will not accept major drops in its oil sales, putting pressure particularly on Europe, which was buying more than a fifth of its oil, to resist US demands.

The EU strongly opposed Washington's decision to scrap the nuclear deal and has vowed to introduce a package of measures to protect trade with Iran.

But European firms are highly vulnerable to US sanctions.

Shipping, banking and insurance firms have already backed out of Iran and oil purchases are down by 35 percent.

"If we cannot continue (the previous) level of sales even after the European package has been implemented, then that is a red line for us," warned deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on state television.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned recently that Iran would "set aside" the nuclear deal if it was no longer receiving the economic benefits it promised.

One slight upside for Iran is that oil prices are already rising due to the squeeze caused by the looming US sanctions.

Some analysts predict prices could exceed USD 100 per barrel, from the current level of around USD 70.

The United States has pressured its ally Saudi Arabia to pump more oil to compensate for the loss of Iranian supplies.

"In theory, it is perfectly possible to have an increased price of oil that entirely compensates for the loss of exports. That's why the US-Saudi relationship is key here," said Van der Graaf.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Netanyahu Accuses Europe of 'Appeasing' Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday accused European leaders of "appeasing" Iran instead of confronting its militant activity.

Netanyahu's remarks, made in a cabinet meeting, feed into his ongoing efforts to sway world leaders to join the United States in upping pressure on Israel's arch foe through sanctions.

"The time has come for the world to unite in the fight against terrorist organizations. It is doing so to a certain extent against the Islamic State group, but it is not doing so against Iran," Netanyahu said.

He accused European leaders of "appeasing" and "reconciling" with Iran.

In May, US President Donald Trump withdrew from a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, before re-imposing a first major round of unilateral sanctions on Tehran in August.

Netanyahu had consistently called for the landmark 2015 accord to be altered or scrapped, saying it was too limited in scope and time-frame, and did nothing to stop Iran financing militant activities in the region.

European powers are seeking to save the nuclear deal and have vowed to keep providing Iran with the economic benefits it received from the accord.

Germany, France and Britain—and other signatories Russia and China—argue that the agreement has worked as intended in keeping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons for now.

"The appeasement of Iran abets the relentless assault on the values and security of the free societies, and the time has come for Western governments to join the strong and clear effort by the Trump administration against the terror regime in Tehran," Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

Washington has sought to build up multilateral pressure on Iran and has set a November 5 deadline for halting its oil exports.

Photo Credit: Wikicommons

Iran Factor Seen in Tajikistan’s Stranded Trucks

This article has been republished with permission from Eurasianet.

For the last two weeks, around 50 trucks traveling to or from Tajikistan have lain stranded on the northern and southern borders of Turkmenistan in a standoff that defies immediate explanation.

The trucks traveling from Tajikistan are carrying aluminum, produced at the country’s giant Talco plant, to Turkey. The cargo coming in the other direction comprises mainly textiles.

It is not clear why Turkmenistan should have barred Tajik vehicles from crossing its territory. In fact, senior transportation officials in Dushanbe have told Eurasianet on condition of anonymity that one working suspicion is that the blockade may have been instigated by Iran, which shares a long border with Turkmenistan.

One long-haul driver, who also asked that his name not be published for fear of repercussions, said that in the 10 years he has been ferrying aluminum from the Talco plant in the town of Tursunzoda, this is the first time he has run into such trouble. On September 4, when Eurasianet spoke with the driver, who is parked with his freight in a location on the Uzbek-Turkmen border, he had been waiting for nine days to be allowed through. 

“They will not give us a reason. We thought the problem might be something to with transit permits, which we didn’t bring with us from Tajikistan,” the driver said, referring to a document issued to long-haul truckers by Tajikistan’s Transportation Ministry. “But even with the permits they won’t let us through.”

Turkmen border officials have purportedly told Tajik drivers that they might as well turn around and find another route, since they will not be allowed through. Meanwhile, large vehicles registered anywhere but Tajikistan are being let into Turkmenistan.

Khairullo Abidov, director of the Dushanbe-based Real Trans freight company, told Eurasianet that in addition to the 50 or so Tajik trucks stuck on either side of Turkmenistan, there are also some 15 Turkish trucks—whose manifests show Tajikistan as their final destination—not being permitted to leave Iran. 

“They would not even allow our trucks into the neutral zone, they are just waiting in the parking lot on the Uzbek side and the Iranian side,” Abidov said.

Transportation Ministry officials in Dushanbe have told Eurasianet that they have received no explanation from Turkmenistan for the cause of this blockade. A formal note requesting clarification has been submitted by the Foreign Ministry to the Turkmen Embassy in Dushanbe, but no response has been forthcoming.

“For a week, we have yet to receive a clear explanation from Turkmenistan, and so we are advising our drivers to go through [Kazakhstan and] Azerbaijan. The road is longer and more expensive. It depends on the drivers whether they want to wait or drive further,” one high-level ministry source said.

Abidov said that for now, he will bide his time. 

“But if the worst comes to the worse, then we will have to take our vehicles across the Caspian to Kazakhstan, and from there to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. But that is an additional USD 1,200 for each truck,” he said.

The Transportation Ministry official told Eurasianet that one of the possibilities being considered in Dushanbe is that the situation has been instigated by Iran. Turkmen officials have told their Tajik colleagues that Iran is allowing only 40 trucks through their border daily, but that does not seem to explain why the Tajiks are being singled out for this treatment.

“We know perfectly well that they are letting through all vehicles except those from Tajikistan,” the ministry official said.

Relations between Tajikistan and Iran have fallen to an all-time low of late. With encouragement from Saudi Arabia, which has disbursed several dozen million dollars in aid to Dushanbe, the Tajik government has embarked on an often outlandish demonization campaign against Iran. 

In an interview in July, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Tajikistan, Abdulaziz ibn Muhammad al-Badi, boasted that by doling out USD 200 million in aid over the years, Riyadh had managed to squeeze Iran out of the country. In the same exchange, al-Badi indicated that he gave credence to Tajik state media claims that Iran is trying to lay the ground for an Islamic revolution in Tajikistan.

Most recently, Tajik officials have sought to imply that Iran was somehow involved in a hit-and-run attack in late July that left four foreign cyclists, including two Americans, dead. The killings were claimed by the Islamic State group. 

Whether suggestions that Iran may have somehow leaned on Turkmenistan to impose the blockade is part of a broader smear campaign, or if Tehran is engaging in reprisals, remains uncertain. 

Another theory is that Turkmenistan is adopting stricter security measures in response to a possible discovery of drugs being carried across the border. Tajikistan is believed by international drug enforcement officials to be a major hub for the trafficking of heroin originating in Afghanistan. 

One final, if implausible, scenario mooted in Dushanbe is that Turkmenistan has adopted this unfriendly policy in response to an incident on August 21 in which a young Turkmen woman died while waiting in a line at the Tajik consulate. Securing visas can entail months of wrangling and standing for endless hours in stuffy hot rooms, so the suggestion is that the woman may have succumbed to exhaustion. Tajik officials have said they think it unlikely this would have been enough to instigate a blockade, however.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Environment Head Seeks Answers on Detained Activists

Iran's vice-president in charge of environmental affairs has called for an explanation on the fate of more than a dozen activists arrested this year, state news agency IRNA reported Sunday.

"We are not asking for their release or for their execution, we just want their fate to be clarified. This is part of their citizenship rights," Isa Kalantari, who heads Iran's environment department, told IRNA. 

"This was supposed to have happened by the end of this summer but their trial hasn't even started yet," he added.

Iran has arrested at least a dozen environmental activists since January on charges of spying for foreign intelligence agencies, but few details have been released.

One of them, Kavous Seyed Emami, a 63-year-old professor and renowned environmentalist, allegedly committed suicide in prison in February, a fortnight after his arrest.

The judiciary has prepared indictments against five of the detainees, according to state media, but a court date has yet to be set.

"We have cited the intelligence minister that these activists are not spies, and that the ministry is the sole official authority on whether someone is a spy," Kalantari said.

In May, Mahmoud Sadeghi, a reformist member of parliament, also tweeted that the intelligence ministry had not found any proof that the environmentalists were spies.

Iran's judiciary, however, considers itself as the only authority on settling the question of spying and has warned other bodies not to interfere.

Photo Credit: UNDP 

Conflict Hinders Iran Efforts to Counter Dust Storms

Iran's efforts to counter worsening dust storms have been hampered by conflict in the region, the deputy head of the environment department said on Saturday.

"We signed agreements with the Iraqi and Syrian governments in 2010 and 2011 to help them counter the source of dust storms," Masoud Tajrishi told a news conference in Tehran. 

"But with the events that have happened in those two countries, the environment has lost all priority, and it is still not a priority for them," he added.

Some 30 million hectares (74 million acres) of Iran suffer devastating dust storms every year, many blowing in from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria. 

Hundreds are hospitalized with respiratory problems and border towns have some of the worst air pollution in the world. 

The outbreak of civil war in Syria in 2011 and the subsequent spread of the Islamic State group into Iraq were a major setback for efforts to work against dust storms. 

Tajrishi said a new mapping system was being implemented to track the origins and paths of the storms so they could be better understood and countered.

But he added: "Iran is situated within a belt of deserts, and with the decrease in rains due to climate change, dust storms are here to stay for quite some time," Tajrishi said. 

Photo Credit: IRNA

Photo Credit: IRNA

Rouhani Evokes Iran-Iraq War in Call to Defy US Pressure

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani evoked memories of the devastating Iran-Iraq war on Saturday to call for unity in the face of economic hardships and US pressure.

"Today, the government is on the front-lines. This is an economic, psychological and propoganda war," Rouhani said on state television.

"We had sweet days and we had hard days during the sacred defense," he said, using the official name for the war with Iraq which claimed up to two million lives between 1980 and 1988. 

"But our nation never backed down. Now, too, our nation will not bow before the pressure of a new group in the White House."

Iran's economy has been battered in recent months, in part due to Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, which had lifted sanctions in return for curbs to its atomic program. 

Prices are rising and shortages are widespread, while Iran's currency has lost around 70 percent of its value against the dollar compared with a year ago. 

Rouhani said that the United States is pressuring Iran and at the same time calling for negotiations "every day."

"Which one should we believe? Your messages, or your brutal acts? If you want the best for the Iranian people why are you pressuring them?"

Rouhani called for unity after weeks of pressure from both reformist and hardline factions over his handling of the economic crisis.

We cannot fight America, the left and the right at the same time. We cannot fight on three fronts," he said. 

The president also acknowledged the mounting economic pressure.

"(Yet) we cannot back down from our goals because of temporary difficulties. Remember those (war) days, our heartaches brought us to eventual victories."

Rouhani made the remarks during an event named after Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Iran's second president whose assassination in August 1981 was blamed on the political-militant group Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK).

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Supreme Leader Warns Against Spread of Pessimism

Iran's supreme leader on Thursday warned against the spread of pessimism in the country, as people face mounting economic woes after the imposition of US sanctions.

Addressing the Assembly of Experts, an elected body of high-ranking clerics tasked with choosing the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for people's problems not to be overstated.

"This exaggeration intensifies the anxiety of public opinion and causes the pessimism virus to spread," Khamenei said in comments published on his official website.

"It is not correct to speak in a way that the audience is terrified and thinks that all is lost," he added, calling for both the good and bad aspects of state institutions to be highlighted.

Khamenei was speaking as Iranians adjust to sanctions imposed by the United States last month, after Washington pulled out of the landmark nuclear deal with Tehran.

The move by US President Donald Trump has exacerbated economic woes in Iran, with the Iranian rial losing 70 percent of its value in the past year. 

The currency crisis has led to huge price rises in the country and put pressure on President Hassan Rouhani, who has so far been defended by Khamenei.

"No government can go on without the support and trust of the people, we must not act in a way that will deprive the government of the people's trust," the supreme leader said Thursday.

Photo Credit: leader.ir

Trump Leaves Door Open to Meeting Iran's Rouhani at UN

President Donald Trump left the door open Wednesday to meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly—even as the United States ramps up the pressure on a regime it accuses of destabilizing the Middle East.

"It's possible, anything is possible," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the possibility of a face-to-face with Rouhani during the gathering later this month.

"We'll see what happens with Iran. Whether they want to talk or not, that's up to them, not up to me," said the US leader, who decided in May to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran.

"Iran is a much different place than when I took over the presidency," Trump added, describing the country as "in turmoil." 

"When I took office it was just a question of how long until they took over the entire Middle East. Now they are just worrying about their own survival as a country."

Trump is due to lead September 26 meeting of heads of state of the UN Security Council, with the goal of ramping up pressure on Tehran over its alleged violations of council resolutions.

Photo Credit: Wikicommons

Iran Says to Go Beyond Previous Enrichment If Deal Fails

Iran will begin uranium enrichment beyond previous levels if the remaining parties fail to uphold the 2015 nuclear deal, its Atomic Energy Organization told local media on Wednesday.

"We will not return to previous levels if our counterparts leave the JCPOA (nuclear deal), but will instead reach even more advanced levels," the organization's spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said, quoted by state broadcaster IRIB.

"We are at a considerably more advanced status than when we signed the deal. The country is moving ahead in nuclear activities at a favorable pace," he added.

Iran has repeatedly said it will resume high-level uranium enrichment if the 2015 agreement—which stringently limits its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief—falls apart.

Following the withdrawal of the United States in May, the other parties—Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the EU—have vowed to provide Iran with enough economic benefits to keep the agreement alive.

But Tehran is increasingly skeptical that those countries can counter the effects of renewed US sanctions, which have already battered Iran's economy.

Last week, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran should be ready to "set aside" the agreement if it is no longer in the country's national interests.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly stated that Iran is sticking to its commitments

The administration of US President Donald Trump claims the deal did not prevent Iran from eventually working towards a nuclear weapon—which Tehran has denied it is seeking.

Photo Credit: CGTN

US to Lead Security Council Talks on Iran in Late September: Haley

US President Donald Trump plans to lead a meeting of heads of state of the United Nations Security Council meeting on Iran in late September, his envoy Nikki Haley announced Tuesday.

With the United States now holding the presidency of the Security Council, Haley said the aim is to further pressure on Tehran over its alleged violations of council resolutions.

"President (Donald) Trump is very adamant that we have to start making sure that Iran is falling in line with international order," Haley told reporters.

"If you continue to look at the spread Iran has had in supporting terrorism, if you continue to look at the ballistic missile testing that they are doing, if you continue to look at the sales of weapons we see with the Huthis in Yemen—these are all violations of security council resolutions,"
she said. 

"These are all threats to the region, and these are all things that the international community needs to talk about."

During a rare public meeting on Tuesday to discuss the proposed U.S. agenda for the council, Russia’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said the Iran meeting should focus on the implementation of a 2015 resolution on Iran. 

“We very much hope that there will be views voiced in connection with the U.S. withdrawal” from a 2015 international nuclear deal, Polyanskiy told the council. 

Photo Credit: Wikicommons

Iran Moving Main Oil Export Terminal Out of Persian Gulf

Iran is to move its main oil export terminal from the Persian Gulf to the Oman Sea, President Hassan Rouhani announced on Tuesday, sparing its tankers from using the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Rouhani said exports were already being shifted from the Khark Island terminal, deep in the Persian Gulf, to Bandar-e-Jask in the Oman Sea and would be completed by the end of his term in 2021.

"This is very important for me, it is a very strategic issue for me. A major part of our oil sales must move from Khark to Jask," Rouhani said in a televised speech as he inaugurated three new petrochemical plants in the southern energy hub of Asaluyeh.

To reach the oil terminal on Kharg Island, tankers must currently pass through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, slowing down deliveries. 

Iran has in the past repeatedly threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz—which is used by its Gulf rivals including Saudi Arabia—when faced with sanctions on its oil exports and possible military action by the US.

The latest threat was in July when Rouhani said Iran has always guaranteed the security of the strait but warned the US "should not play with the lion's tale."  

Moving its terminal to the Oman Sea would in theory allow Iran to continue exporting oil even if the strait was closed.

The US pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May and will reimpose sanctions on Iran's oil sector in November.

The last time there was a major disruption in the flow of oil through Hormuz was in 1984 during the Iran-Iraq war when both sides attacked each other's oil facilities and tankers. 

The strait is the world's most important oil chokepoint with roughly 35 percent of all seaborne oil passing through it, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Bloomberg reported that Iran exported 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil in August, but analysts say US sanctions could reduce sales to around 1 million bpd.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Currency Hits All-Time Low Against Dollar

The Iranian rial hit another all-time low against the US dollar on Monday in spite of central bank efforts to stem the decline.

The rial has lost around 15 percent of its value on the open market in the past three days, bottoming at 128,500 to the dollar by Monday evening, according to Bonbast.com, which monitors Iran's rates.

The drop followed a speech by central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati on Saturday, in which he announced tighter restrictions on allocating foreign exchange reserves, said financial journalist Maziar Motamedi.

"Hemmati said that he wishes to be much more careful in allocating foreign currencies at government rates, signalling a potential forthcoming shortage of hard currency," he told AFP.

The rial has lost 70 percent of its value in the past year, primarily due to increased hostility from the United States and its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal in May.

Official statements have done little to calm the markets.

Hemmati, who took over in August after his predecessor was sacked, "seems to have had a point when he said in (his inaugural speech) that he will try to minimise public remarks, as every comment coming from high-ranking officials aiming to calm the market has spurred negative reactions," said Motamedi.

The central bank puts tight controls on how much foreign currency is pumped into the system, and hands out a special government rate of 42,000 to certain importers, such as those buying essential goods like medicines.

Another factor may be demand from pilgrims heading to Iraq for the upcoming Arbaeen religious festival, attended by some two million Iranians last year.

The central bank has tried to calm the market, first by trying to end open-market trading in April, fixing the rate at 42,000 and shutting down exchange shops.

But that only sparked huge speculation and corruption on the black market, leading the government to sack the central bank chief and reverse the April measures.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Parliament Drops Plan to Impeach Education Minister

Iran's parliament called off a planned vote to impeach the education minister on Sunday, Iranian media reported, offering some respite for the embattled government of President Hassan Rouhani.

Twenty-nine lawmakers signed a motion last Wednesday to impeach the minister, Mohammad Bathaei, but all of them withdrew their signatures.

"Given the imminent opening of schools (on September 23), those requesting the impeachment have withdrawn their request," said Ahmad Amirabadi, a member of parliament's presiding board, according to the semi-official news agency ISNA.

Rouhani has faced mounting pressure from lawmakers over his handling of an economic crisis, partly triggered by the withdrawal of the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposition of sanctions.

Parliament sacked his labour and economy ministers last month, and industries minister Mohammad Shariatmadari has also been targeted for impeachment, though it is not clear if that will still go ahead.

Rouhani himself was summoned to parliament to answer questions from lawmakers last Tuesday, a first in his five years in power, and only the second time for a sitting president.

Economic grievances played a role in Bathaei's planned impeachment, with lawmakers criticizing the reduced budget for education and school renovation, though senior officials pointed out that the minister has no power over budgets.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week welcomed the pressure on Rouhani's cabinet, saying it was a sign of the strength of Iran's democracy.

But he also warned that differences between officials should not be overly emphasized "because the people would become worried."

Photo Credit: Mehr

Iran Still Abiding By Nuclear Deal Terms: IAEA

Iran is sticking to the terms of its nuclear deal with world powers, a UN atomic watchdog report showed Thursday, despite ongoing uncertainty over its future.

The report from the International Atomic Energy Agency showed that Iran was still complying with the key parameters of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed in 2015 by Iran and the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany.

It comes despite the future of the deal being thrown into doubt after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact in May and re-imposed US
sanctions.

The latest report says the IAEA had had access "to all the sites and locations in Iran which it needed to visit."

The agency repeated language in its previous report emphasizing the importance of "timely and proactive cooperation in providing such access" on Iran's part.

A senior diplomat with knowledge of the issue said that the language was a way "to send a message to Iran to prevent potential problems" rather than being caused by any particular behavior on the part of the Iranians.

The report said Iran's stockpiles of low-enriched uranium and heavy water had both slightly increased since the last report in May, but were still under the limits agreed in the deal.

Iran's economy has been battered by the return of US sanctions following Trump's decision, undermining support for the deal within Iran.

'No avoiding' Further Talks

On Wednesday Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran should be ready to "set aside" the JCPOA if it is no longer in the country's national interests.

However, Khamenei said talks should continue with European states, who have been trying to find a way to salvage the agreement.

Last week, the EU agreed an EUR 18 million package of assistance to Iran "for projects in support of sustainable economic and social development" in the Islamic Republic, the first tranche of a wider package worth EUR 50 million."

Most foreign firms have abandoned investment projects in Iran, and the next phase of renewed US sanctions in November will hit the crucial oil sector.

Speaking on Thursday while attending meetings of EU foreign and defense ministers, the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that despite disagreements with Iran over other issues, "we believe that addressing regional disagreements with Iran can be done in a more effective manner if we maintain the nuclear deal in place".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, also speaking in Vienna, said that in his opinion Iran was respecting "the fundamentals of the JCPOA."

However, he added that "Iran cannot avoid discussions, negotiations on three other major subjects that worry us," namely Iran's ballistic missile program, the long-term future of its nuclear program and its role in conflicts in the wider region.

In June, in a bid to mount pressure on the Europeans, Iran announced a plan to increase its uranium enrichment capacity with new centrifuges in the event that the agreement collapses, while still denying any desire to build a nuclear weapon.

Under the 2015 agreement, Iran can only enrich uranium to 3.67 percent—far below the roughly 90-percent level needed for nuclear weapons.

Photo Credit: IAEA

Iran 'Cannot Avoid' Expanded Talks on Nuclear Issue: France

Iran "cannot avoid" talks on thorny issues like its ballistic missile program and role in Middle East conflicts, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Thursday, as European powers work to rescue the beleaguered nuclear deal with Tehran.

France, Germany and Britain are leading European efforts to save the landmark 2015 deal to curb Iran's nuclear program, which was thrown into crisis in May when US President Donald Trump withdrew and reimposed sanctions.

Critics of the accord—which was also signed by Russia and China—say it is too narrowly focused on the nuclear issue and does nothing to curb Iran's meddling in regional conflicts or its program to develop conventional ballistic missiles.

The European Union is trying to find ways to maintain oil and banking ties with Iran after the second phase of US sanctions kicks in in November, and Le Drian said it was important to find ways to keep the Islamic republic trading.

But he warned that Tehran must keep up its side of the deal, and be prepared to expand talks.

"Iran must respect the fundamentals of the JCPOA (nuclear deal) and I think that is the case," Le Drian said as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Vienna.

"But Iran cannot avoid discussions, negotiations on three other major subjects that worry us—the future of Iran's nuclear commitments after 2025, the ballistic question and the fact there is a sort of ballistic proliferation on the part of Iran... and the role Iran plays to stabilize the whole region.

"We must talk about these three subjects, Iran must be aware of this and that's the message I send to them from Vienna."

Despite European pledges to keep providing Iran with the economic benefits it received from the nuclear deal, many major companies have already pulled out of the country for fear of US penalties. 

Photo Credit: Wikicommons