# News & Current Events > World News & Affairs >  Target: Iran

## goldenequity

Iran is now a global Pariah. A boogeyman. Attack attack attack!
The world's new 'center' of planet wide terror. (oh noooozzzzz)
Hezbollah. Republican Guard. Missile tech. Nuke tech. Energy. Exports. Strait of Hormuz. Media.... We needed a thread on Iran 
(It's really BRICS v Empire isn't it  Iran just gets thrown under the bus too. )

========

*WEAPONIZING TRADE*

*EU targets Iran’s steel exports with hefty duties*



The European Union is targeting Iran’s hot-rolled steel, planning to hit imports from the country with punitive trade tariffs.  

According to a document cited in the European media, the European Commission 
is proposing duties of up to 23 percent for steel from Iran's Mobarakeh Steel Co.

European steel lobby group Eurofer is at the center of the campaign 
and has forced Europe’s trade policy oversight European Commission to intervene and check imports.

The bloc’s steel producers have been pressuring the continent’s leaders to copy America’s draconian regulations,
 including levies of more than 500 percent on steel imports in some cases. 

Brazil, Russia and Ukraine are the other countries which the Commission plans to target with duties of up to 33 percent.

In June, China reacted furiously after the European Union set duties of up to 35.9 percent on Chinese hot-rolled steel.

Eurofer has said Iranian exports to Europe had leapt to more than 1 million tonnes annually, 
accusing Mobarakeh of "trade distorting measures."

Steel is the second biggest industry in the world after oil and gas. 
The commodity was Iran's largest export item after oil, gas and petrochemicals last year, 
partly because of the slump in domestic construction.

Iran enjoys a competitive advantage because production costs are tied to the low energy prices in the country.

Last month, Austria said it had allocated a credit line of 1 billion euros for a major steel production project in southern Iran.

----------


## goldenequity



----------


## goldenequity

REUTERS July 20, 2017
*Russia calls new US sanctions against Iran unfounded* 


MOSCOW - New US sanctions against Iran over its ballistic missile program are unfounded, 
a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official said on Thursday, the RIA news agency reported.

Washington slapped new economic sanctions against Iran on Tuesday over its ballistic missile program, 
saying Tehran's "malign activities" in the Middle East had undercut any "positive contributions" coming from the 2015 Iran nuclear accord.

RIA also cited Mikhail Ulyanov, head of the Foreign Ministry's department for non-proliferation and arms control, 
as saying that the United States was fulfilling its own part of the Iran nuclear deal "very badly."

========

*Kuwait expels Iranian diplomats over 'terror' cell*

A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP around 15 Iranian diplomats were expelled.

He declined to comment on whether the Iranian ambassador was among those ordered to leave.

Kuwait also ordered the closure of the Iranian "military, cultural and trade" missions, the official said.

----------


## goldenequity

The Spectator Index
*BREAKING: Iran has summoned Kuwait's top diplomat in Tehran over deterioration in relations.*

----------


## Iowa

Dunno if their boogey man status every really went away.  They were hated for in 79 and the 80s.  The US reminds me of some lumox kid who keep trying to push around some other kid.  Other kid eventually explodes and lumox don't know what hit him.  US $#@!s with Iran you see some real $#@! hitting the fan everywhere.

----------


## goldenequity

> Dunno if their boogey man status every really went away.  *They were hated for in 79 and the 80s.*  The US reminds me of some lumox kid who keep trying to push around some other kid.  Other kid eventually explodes and lumox don't know what hit him.  US $#@!s with Iran you see some real $#@! hitting the fan everywhere.


True. It goes back to the Iran/Iraq war and *Regan*.
G.H.W. Bush was VP (following his stint as CIA director)
US jumped into the middle (as always).. aid, weapons (+ chemical), intelligence etc. etc. (Yemen 2.0)
and sided with Saddam when he was gassing Iran among other things.
*Iran took it as a declaration of War.*.. which it was.
http://www.iranchamber.com/history/a...rming_iraq.php

The Beirut Marine BLT Barracks bombing happened on October 23, 1983 killing 241. 
Though denied, Iran probably organized it.
btw.. it had nothing to do with Hezbollah, a common misperception.
Hezbollah was put together as the US withdrew from Beirut in 1985.

Bad blood is real.

CIA/UK overthrew their government in '53. 
The installed Shah's secret police SAVAK tortured a million people during his reign. 
Reagan then helps Saddam slaughter their people by the tens of thousands. 
Why would they forget?

Reagan is far from a hero in Iran and Lebanon.

----------


## goldenequity

BREAKING
*TRUMP warns Iran of serious undisclosed consequences if Tehran doesn't quickly hand over US prisoners held illegally* 

*Trump Issues Ultimatum To Iran Over Americans Unjustly Detained By Tehran*

----------


## goldenequity

per usual.. articles/reports never provide any info on maritime coordinates to fact check for territorial trespass or not 

*US Navy Ship Fires Warning Shots At Iranian Ship In Persian Gulf*


A U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots at an Iranian ship in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, U.S. defense officials confirmed to Fox News.

The U.S. Navy coastal patrol ship fired warning shots from its .50-caliber machine gun at an Iranian patrol boat when it came within 150 yards of the ship in the Persian Gulf, according to two U.S. defense officials.

The Iranian ship ignored repeated radio calls from the USS Thunderbolt, which also launched flares to warn the fast approaching Iranian ship, officials said.

The incident happened Tuesday as a formation of U.S. Navy warships was doing an exercise in the Northern Persian Gulf.

It’s the first time since January a U.S. Navy warship has fired warning shots at an Iranian vessel which approached too close.

----------


## goldenequity

I would file this as Iran combating asymmetric warfare 


*Iran's Parliament Passes a Motion to Decriminalize Drug Use, Making it Legal for the Government to Hand out Diluted Drugs to Addicts
*
Iran appears to be on the verge of overhauling its drug-related policies. While a new bill is being amended in parliament to stop the execution of petty drug smugglers, another plan is also under study for allowing state organs to distribute drugs -- primarily opium -- among addicts

our objective is to sever the relation between drug addicts and narco-traffickers.’

“220,000 to 250,000 drug smugglers in Iran, and that is a serious source of social harm,”

“Iran currently has 2.8 million addicts whose cost for the country’s economy is 500 trillion rials (roughly $15 billion). Out of that, 200 trillion rials go to smugglers and dealers.”

July 16, 2017, parliament approved a proposal to amend Iran’s 1997 Law to Combat Drugs to limit the death penalty for some nonviolent, drug-related offenses. 

*Pakistan and Afghanistan are two origins of producing and trafficking various types of narcotic in the region.

Iranian police officials maintain that drug production in Afghanistan has undergone a 40-fold increase 
since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.*

----------


## AZJoe

> I would file this as Iran combating asymmetric warfare 
> 
> 
> *Iran's Parliament Passes a Motion to Decriminalize Drug Use, Making it Legal for the Government to Hand out Diluted Drugs to Addicts
> *
> Iran appears to be on the verge of overhauling its drug-related policies. While a new bill is being amended in parliament to stop the execution of petty drug smugglers, another plan is also under study for allowing state organs to distribute drugs -- primarily opium -- among addicts


PNAC and AEI have just concluded this leaves Washington no other option but to bomb Iran.
Of course all options are on the table, so long as those options are limited to eventually bombing Iran.

----------


## goldenequity

*Iran successfully tests Phoenix space rocket meant to deliver small satellites into orbit – Update: US complains*





 Iran says it has successfully tested the Simorgh rocket, a two-stage vehicle meant to deliver small space satellites into orbit. The test comes years behind schedule and may be the second one for the rocket.

Named after a mythical beast of Persian folklore, the rocket was first unveiled under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2010 as part of the celebrations of Iran’s first domestic satellite launch.

The Iranian space program is viewed with concern by some observers. While Simorgh is designated as a satellite launch vehicle, the technology is close to what is used by missiles carrying military payloads, so critics of Iran say it is merely trying to obtain longer-range ballistic missiles, potentially capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. Iran denies it has any intention of creating a nuclear weapon, and says it is in compliance with the terms of an international deal which put restrictions on its nuclear program to ensure that it remains civilian. 

The United States considers Iran's launch of a satellite to space with a long-range rocket to be a provocative act that violates a UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR), US Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a briefing on Thursday.

"We would consider that a violation of the UNSCR 2231," Nauert told reporters. "We consider that to be continued ballistic missile development. We also remain very concerned about Iran's support for terrorism. We consider this to be a provocative action."

----------


## goldenequity

*US hits Iran with more sanctions in response to space launch*


*The sanctions target six Iranian subsidiaries of the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group.* 
The Treasury Department says that group is "central" to Iran's ballistic missiles program.

The U.S. has said that launch flouted a U.N. Security Council resolution 
because the technology is inherently designed to be able to carry a nuclear payload.

The sanctions come as the Trump administration continues debating its Iran policy and whether to scrap the 2015 nuclear deal.

----------


## goldenequity



----------


## goldenequity



----------


## goldenequity

*US Navy fires warning shots at Iranian vessel in Persian Gulf for 2nd time in days – Tehran*


The US Navy ships were intercepted by IRGC missile boats near the Resalat gas-oil field, 
when they approached the Iranians and dispatched a helicopter at 4pm on Friday, according to the statement. 
Then American warships opened fire in what the IRGC described as “a provocative and unprofessional move.” 
The Americans then left the area, the IRGC added, while the Iranians went on with their patrol.

A US aircraft carrier “flew a helicopter near the Resalat oil and gas platform and approached the IRGC’s ships,”
 IRGC Navy said in a statement, adding that the US also resorted to shooting flares to warn the Iranian side.

In response, Navy spokesman Lieutenant Ian M. McConnaughey called the move “safe and professional.”

“The US warships in a provocative and unprofessional move began firing warning shots at the Iranian vessels, 
to which the IRGC Navy’s ships paid no attention and continued with their mission.”

It is the second confrontation between US and Iranian navies in the Persian Gulf this week.

----------


## goldenequity

Kudos.


*US Student in Iran to Attend Olympiad despite Team’s Withdrawal*



An American student has traveled to Iran alone to attend the 2017 International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2017) in Tehran 
despite the US team’s withdrawal from the event.

The student received an applause from the participants and spectators at the opening ceremony on July 29, 2017.

The IOI 2017 is an annual event in which high school students compete with each other in the field of computer sciences. 
The week-long International Olympiad in Informatics hosted by the Iranian Education Ministry is underway in Iran.

The Islamic Republic had agreed to the US team’s traveling to Tehran to attend the event. 
However, the American team pulled out of the race due to unknown reasons. 
Still, an American student decided to come to Iran alone to take part in the competition.

----------


## goldenequity

Finally finished it.
A word about this new article via Buzzfeed -- 
I liked it but only using my lens to filter out the 'Iran Threatens to take over the Planet' narrative... it was restrained.. but it was there.
It's focus is the 'Iran Threat' so, it makes no mention of any neocon/Israeli/Sunni transgressions..
rather
provides readable/understandable insight into how well Iran/Shiite strategies are accomplishing their goals. 
Trans-border Militias have totally become effective on the ground and no amount of F-16s are effective at stopping it.

I see the 'goal' as the reinforcement of Sovereigns... namely Iraq, Syria, Iran and Lebanon. You might add Yemen. 
Pakistan & Afghanistan are not really involved... though the US sees the Iran boogeyman as being 'everywhere'.
And it's definitely not (imo) primarily about spreading the Shiite ideology. (Palestinians are Sunni... as an obvious example.)
Like I said I enjoyed the article. 

*Iran has enlisted tens of thousands of young Shiite men into an armed network that is challenging the US across the Middle East. The Trump administration is not prepared.*

----------


## goldenequity

*Al-Sadr*

If you don't already know him... get to know/research this guy. 
He didn't always, but is now/lately/cleverly playing 'both sides against the middle' in Iraq.
I compare his tactics similar to Barzani.

===========

*Iraqi Shiite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr Arrives in Saudi Arabia*




*Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr arrived in Saudi Arabia on his first official visit to it in 11 years.*

*The Spin*

►“Al-Sadr is one of the few Shiite clerics in Iraq who demand the need to establish balanced relations with all neighboring countries.”



*The Reality*

►An *Internal* Iraqi political agressive 'reformer' developing a 'protest' following.

►stays 'outside' of government yet constant critic. 

►Clever long time 'player' w/ aspirations of 'revolution' & regime change.

►Al-Sadr works to *deny* the general idea that Iraq is a follower of Iran. (so he 'uses' Nationalism)

►“Al-Sadr opposes the Iranian orientation in several issues of the region, especially the situation in Syria,”

►Al-Sadr is working to end the existence of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) 

►Claims Iran is trying to strengthen PMU at the expense of the government forces. 

►Al-Sadr has repeatedly called for dissolving PMU and integrating it with the official forces at the end of the war against ISIS.

►He called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave after the US missile strike on Al-Shaerat airport in Syria.



Above all... he desires political control and is OBVIOUSLY willing to 'play ball' and 'bargain' w/ the hegemons. (just like Barzani.)
*bin Salman* is like: 'Who do I make the check out to?" hahaha

----------


## AZJoe

> *US Navy fires warning shots at Iranian vessel in Persian Gulf for 2nd time in days – Tehran*


What if Iranian ships sailed into the Gulf of Mexico and fired warning shots at any US Navy ships that dared approach them?

----------


## donnay

> PNAC and AEI have just concluded this leaves Washington no other option but to bomb Iran.
> Of course all options are on the table, so long as those options are limited to eventually bombing Iran.



Check out this think tank:  Center for a New American Security--   http://www.voltairenet.org/article186381.html

----------


## goldenequity

> Check out this think tank:  Center for a New American Security--   http://www.voltairenet.org/article186381.html


Liberal Hawks

AntiWar.com - Justin Raimondo
*The New Neocons*

Supporters of imperial expansion have regrouped to create: 
the *Center for a New American Security, 
which plays in the Democratic Party* 
a role equivalent to that of 
*the Project for a New American Century
within the Republican Party.*





Published on Jun 29, 2017
*CNAS 2017: Keynote Address by Secretary John F. Kelly* 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83_SdeO82Fo

Jun 29, 2017
*CNAS 2017: Keynote Address by LTG H.R. McMaster* 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jRYYhSXNiE

----------


## goldenequity

I wanted to include this important post to this thread... thnx Swordsmyth.




> Iraq and Iran have reached an agreement to commission a feasibility study of a crude oil pipeline that would export  oil from Iraq’s northern fields in Kirkuk via Iran, the oil minister of  Iran, Bijan Zanganeh, said on Sunday after a meeting with his Iraqi  counterpart Jabar al-Luaibi.
> The two ministries reached an  agreement about an international company that will carry out the  feasibility study of the pipeline plan, Zanganeh was quoted as saying by  the oil ministry’s new service.
> In February, the two neighboring  countries had signed a memorandum of understanding to study the  possibility to build such a pipeline. 
> 
> More at: http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-Ne...Crude-Oil.html





> This is huge.
> This is the Sovereigns v Centcom/Barzani.
> Great chess move.
> Probably China or France would build it. (guess)
> =============
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi1zlQvSn80

----------


## goldenequity



----------


## liveandletlive



----------


## goldenequity

*IRGC: What Is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps?
https://sputniknews.com/military/201...rrorism-state/*



Fighting 'Deviant Movements'

The IRGC was founded after 1979 Revolution. 
Whereas Iran's regular military (or Artesh) defends the country's borders and maintains internal order, 
the Revolutionary Guard is intended to protect the country's Islamic Republic system, 
preventing foreign interference, 
coups by the military 
or destabilization by "deviant movements" (internal groups, individuals and elements opposed to the government). 

The Corps has roughly 125,000 military personnel including ground, aerospace and naval forces, 
with the latter now the primary forces tasked with operational control of the Persian Gulf. 
It also controls the paramilitary Basij militia which has about 90,000 active personnel.

----------


## goldenequity

You could write this off as just diplomatic back slapping & glad handing...
and of course, this is nothing most of us don't already know...
but 
being *able* to declare this history making Syrian *victory* 
against an aligned, covert and failed 'international plot' of the hegemons
*is a one-of-a-kind event*.
It shows their elevated and allied resolve and blunt awareness.
I celebrate with them ANY victory against global hegemony.
It's a Concord and Lexington event for the planet imo.
Viva la resistance.


*US after creating second Israel in eastern Syria
http://en.mehrnews.com/news/128484/U...-eastern-Syria*



TEHRAN, Oct. 10 (MNA) – Iranian Leader’s Senior Adviser Ali Akbari Velayati warns 
that the increasing presence of the US in eastern Syria signifies their intention to split the region. 
They have the same plot for Iraq, looking for the formation of a second Israel.

*Speaking at a meeting with Syria’s envoy to Tehran*, 
*Ali Akbar Velayati* stated that Syria’s government and president Bashar al-Assad 
proved their support for the Resistance in the region. 
The US and Saudi Arabia thought they could defeat Syria within a few weeks, 
but with the guidance of Bashar al-Assad, the government and its people 
managed to resist for six years, eventually winning an international war.

“The government and people of Syria guarded the honor of the resistance, 
and demonstrated that it is possible to stand against an evil and international plot.” He added.

Velayati went on to say that without doubt, 
the hostility of the US and the Zionist regime will bear no fruit in the face of Resistance Front. 
He was certain that Syria’s government will make further efforts to maintain their territorial integrity.

He noted that the region’s situation is very complicated, but terrorists, extremist groups and their supporters have been defeated, 
adding that the countries of the region have consensus on their shared interests 
which makes them triumphant against the disintegration plots of their enemies.

Velayati stressed on the intelligent and insightful guides of Leader of Islamic Revolution without which victory would be impossible.

Adnan Hassan Mahmoud, Syrian envoy to Tehran, expressed his gratitude for Leader’s influential role in the victories of the region 
and said that Iran stood against terrorists with all its might.




=======



On *October 15th* Trump is supposed to declare: 
1. our abrogation (breach) of the 5+1 Nuclear agmnt w/ Iran
2. the inclusion of a 'State entity' IRGC as a 'terrorist org' and 
3. his 'strategy' for Iran (probably resumption of sanctions)

----------


## goldenequity

**Neocon alert**  (I post in its entirety)



*Trump Admin Will Not Commit to Designating IRGC as Terror Group
http://freebeacon.com/national-secur...-terror-group/*



The Trump administration will not commit to designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, Iran's elite fighting force, as terrorists, despite a congressional mandate to do so by the end of the month, according to multiple U.S. officials and other administration insiders who told the Washington Free Beacon that holdovers from the Obama administration are working to stymie the effort.

While President Donald Trump is expected to announce this week that he will not certify Iran as in compliance with the landmark nuclear deal, it remains unclear if he will follow through with congressionally approved plans to extend a terror designation to the IRGC, a move that has prompted Iran to threaten greater attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East.

The IRGC is responsible for numerous terror attacks on American troops over the years and has played a key role in interfering with U.S. operations in Syria. A bipartisan consensus in Congress has already backed such a designation, but key Obama-era holdovers and top national security officials who have the president's ear are urging him to refrain, according to multiple sources who spoke to the Free Beacon.

Top lawmakers and insiders who spoke to the Free Beacon about the growing uncertainty over how best to hold Iran accountable for its terror activities expressed frustration over what they view as the administration's inability to follow through with its foreign policy promises, particularly as they relate to Iran, which has increasingly targeted U.S. forces with military action.

New reports emerged Wednesday afternoon that Trump's planned speech on Iran may be scaled back and not take place until Friday, if it does at all.

Trump last week signed new sanctions legislation mandating that the United States extend a terror designation to the IRGC, marking the first time in U.S. history a foreign country's military branch would be hit with such a designation.

However, the State and Treasury Departments would not confirm Wednesday that the administration intends to make good on this law, which was approved by Congress with bipartisan support.

The administration may be getting cold feet due to the objections of key U.S. officials and those in the Treasury Department who view such a designation as harmful to American companies that have business interests in Iran, where the IRGC controls a majority of the economy, sources said.

"The IRGC is responsible for wreaking havoc throughout the Middle East and, through its Quds Force, for killing hundreds of American troops in Iraq," Rep. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chair of its National Security Subcommittee, told the Free Beacon.

"The IRGC represents a quintessential terrorist group and should be designated as such," DeSantis said.  "Whereas the Obama administration flew pallets of cash to the IRGC, the Trump administration should act to hold the IRGC accountable.  Designating it as a terrorist group is a good first step."

Neither the State Department or White House would confirm to the Free Beacon plans to follow through with this designation, prompting speculation that the process may be held up over objections by Obama-era holdovers in the Trump administration who view the move as a shot at dismantling the former president's nuclear deal.

"Congress didn't ask the president to designate the full IRGC," according to one veteran Middle East policy advisor who lobbies Congress on Iran sanctions. "They told the president to do it by veto proof majorities. Obama holdover lawyers and his establishment staffers are telling him he can use loopholes to just go after some entities and circumvent Congress."

These same voices are continuing to advise Trump against decertifying Iranian compliance with the deal, despite the president's personal belief that the Islamic Republic has flagrantly violated what he has repeatedly described as a bad deal.

"These are the same people advising him to certify the nuclear deal, which was also rejected by bipartisan majorities in Congress," the source said. "They're wrong and if they stay wrong, lawmakers will eventually make it an oversight issue."

A State Department official declined repeated requests for clarification on what the administration intends to do about the IRGC, but told the Free Beacon officials remain "deeply troubled by Iran's longstanding provocative activities including its support for terrorism and destabilizing activities in the region."

"We are committed to holding Iran accountable for its behavior," the official said. "The United States retains the authority to respond to Iran's support for terrorism, human rights abuses, and destabilizing activities. The U.S. government constantly reviews information, through an interagency process, to evaluate potential sanctions violators for targeting under existing sanctions authorities."

A Treasury Department official did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Iranian officials vowed last week to strike U.S. forces and bases in the region if the Trump administration moves forward with extending a terror designation to the IRGC.

Rep. Sean Duffy (R., Wis.), a vocal opponent of the Iran deal, told the Free Beacon that Iran would be wise to back down from its threats.

"President Obama's terrible Iran deal predictably emboldened the Iranian regime to build up their military and antagonize the region," Duffy said. "Iran may have been able to bully our previous president, but the American people elected President Trump to stand up for the United States on the world stage."

"The Iranian regime is already on notice for being the world's largest state-sponsor of terror, and it would be wise for them to back down from their belligerent posture," Duffy added.
=============




basically a warhawk piece excusing Trump & blaming Obama holdovers as peacenik 'traitors'/obstructionists.

----------


## goldenequity

*Iran to stay committed to JCPOA if Russia, China, EU refuse to back U.S. decision to quit deal* - Tehran source

aka 5-1 ... EU would have to disobey/ignore 'global' banking sanction commands...

----------


## goldenequity

*Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Says Missile Program Will Accelerate
https://sputniknews.com/military/201...le-accelerate/*

----------


## AZJoe



----------


## Swordsmyth

*Saudis Call Missile Attack "Blatant Act Of Aggression" By Iran, "Could Be Considered Act Of War"*http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-05/saudis-call-missile-attack-blatant-act-aggression-iran-could-be-considered-act-war

----------


## Swordsmyth

*Iran Slams Saudi/US Claims It Ordered Ballistic Missile Attack From Yemen*http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-07/iran-slams-saudi-us-claims-it-ordered-ballistic-missile-attack-yemen

----------


## Swordsmyth

*Arab League To Hold Urgent Meeting On Iran As Saudis Reportedly Mobilize Fighter Jets*http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-12/arab-league-hold-urgent-meeting-iran-saudis-mobilize-f-15-fighter-jets

----------


## Swordsmyth

In October Mr Trump, who scorns the multinational agreement to freeze  Iran’s nuclear weapons programme as “the worst deal ever”, disavowed but  did not formally withdraw from the pact. That gave Congress 60 days to  reintroduce sanctions that were suspended by the deal: a deadline  expiring this week. Mr Trump also urged lawmakers to craft new measures  to halt Iran’s ballistic-missile development and support for Middle  Eastern terrorism. European allies noted Iran’s technical compliance  with the deal and warned America it would walk out alone. The buck will  now pass back to Mr Trump, whose next chance to kill the agreement falls  in January.

More at: https://espresso.economist.com/8808e...f50499f2fc75e8

----------


## goldenequity

*Iran to join Russia-led economic power bloc
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...ic-power-bloc/*


delegates of member states of the Eurasian Economic Union: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan


*Yemen Missiles*

Strategic Sentinel-Conta verificada
According to CNN, *tomorrow* the Trump administration will present *evidence* to the Defense Intelligence Agency of evidence 
that Iran has provided missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen, missiles like the type the rebels recently fired at Saudi Arabia

(likely it will be this...)
*U.N. Panel Finds Evidence of Iranian Hardware in Yemeni Rebels’ Missile. And American.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/12/08/...e-white-house/*

*UN does not confirm Iran link to Yemen missiles: report
http://www.france24.com/en/20171211-...eport?ref=tw_i*

----------


## Swordsmyth

*U.S. presents its evidence of Iran weaponry from Yemen*The  United States on Thursday presented for the first time pieces of what  it said were Iranian weapons supplied to the Iran-aligned Houthi militia  in Yemen, describing it as conclusive evidence that Tehran was  violating U.N. resolutions.The  arms included charred remnants of what the Pentagon said was an  Iranian-made short-range ballistic missile fired from Yemen on Nov. 4 at  King Khaled International Airport outside Saudi Arabia's capital  Riyadh, as well as a drone and an anti-tank weapon recovered in Yemen by  the Saudis.
Iran has denied supplying the Houthis with such weaponry and on Thursday described the arms displayed as "fabricated."
The  United States acknowledged it could not say precisely when the weapons  were transferred to the Houthis, and, in some cases could not say when  they were used. There was no immediate way to independently verify where  the weapons were made or employed.
But U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley expressed confidence that the transfers could be blamed on Tehran.
"These  are Iranian made, these are Iranian sent, and these were Iranian  given," Haley told a news conference at a military hangar at Joint Base  Anacostia-Bolling, just outside Washington.
All  of the recovered weapons were provided to the United States by Saudi  Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Pentagon said. Saudi-led  forces, which back the Yemeni government, have been fighting the Houthis  in Yemen's more than two-year-long civil war.
The  unprecedented presentation - which Haley said involved intelligence  that had to be declassified - is part of President Donald Trump's new  Iran policy, which promises a harder line toward Tehran. That would  appear to include new diplomatic push.
"You  will see us build a coalition to really push back against Iran and what  they're doing," Haley said, standing in front of what she said were the  remnants of the Nov. 4 missile.
Under  a U.N. resolution that enshrines the Iran nuclear deal with world  powers, Tehran is prohibited from supplying, selling or transferring  weapons outside the country unless approved by the U.N. Security  Council. A separate U.N. resolution on Yemen bans the supply of weapons  to Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and others.
Iran on Thursday rejected the U.S. accusations as unfounded.
"These  accusations seek also to cover up for the Saudi war crimes in Yemen,  with the U.S. complicity, and divert international and regional  attention from the stalemate war of aggression against the Yemenis,"  Iran's mission to the United Nations said in a statement.

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/first-u-p...170545594.html

----------


## AZJoe

> *U.S. presents its evidence of Iran weaponry from Yemen*


Good thing there is no evidence of any US or Saudi bombs, missiles, ships, planes, artillery, mortars, ammo, guns, or other weapons being used in, on, or against Yemen.

----------


## goldenequity

> *U.S. presents its evidence of Iran weaponry from Yemen*The  United States on Thursday presented for the first time pieces of what  it said were Iranian weapons supplied to the Iran-aligned Houthi militia  in Yemen, describing it as conclusive evidence that Tehran was  violating U.N. resolutions.The  arms included charred remnants of what the Pentagon said was an  Iranian-made short-range ballistic missile fired from Yemen on Nov. 4 at  King Khaled International Airport outside Saudi Arabia's capital  Riyadh, as well as a drone and an anti-tank weapon recovered in Yemen by  the Saudis.
> Iran has denied supplying the Houthis with such weaponry and on Thursday described the arms displayed as "fabricated."
> The  United States acknowledged it could not say precisely when the weapons  were transferred to the Houthis, and, in some cases could not say when  they were used. There was no immediate way to independently verify where  the weapons were made or employed.
> But U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley expressed confidence that the transfers could be blamed on Tehran.
> "These  are Iranian made, these are Iranian sent, and these were Iranian  given," Haley told a news conference at a military hangar at Joint Base  Anacostia-Bolling, just outside Washington.
> All  of the recovered weapons were provided to the United States by Saudi  Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Pentagon said. Saudi-led  forces, which back the Yemeni government, have been fighting the Houthis  in Yemen's more than two-year-long civil war.
> The  unprecedented presentation - which Haley said involved intelligence  that had to be declassified - is part of President Donald Trump's new  Iran policy, which promises a harder line toward Tehran. That would  appear to include new diplomatic push.
> "You  will see us build a coalition to really push back against Iran and what  they're doing," Haley said, standing in front of what she said were the  remnants of the Nov. 4 missile.
> Under  a U.N. resolution that enshrines the Iran nuclear deal with world  powers, Tehran is prohibited from supplying, selling or transferring  weapons outside the country unless approved by the U.N. Security  Council. A separate U.N. resolution on Yemen bans the supply of weapons  to Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and others.
> ...


*Neocon Niki's Dog & Pony Show*
*
"It's hard to find a conflict or a terrorist group in the Middle East that does not have Iran's fingerprints all over it."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/haley-r...inkId=45908145*


(better cuz it's BIGGER!!!!!!)

----------


## goldenequity

Al-Masdar News-@TheArabSource
*Iran will pull out of Syria immediately if Damascus requests - Analyst
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...uests-analyst/*

----------


## AZJoe

Saudi Arabia has been bombing the entire infrastructure of Yemen with the aid of Washington, for years. Saudi Arabia, with Washington assistance,  is blockading Yemen and starving the people to death. Saudi Arabia is arming Al Qaeda and other terrorists organizations in Yemen, with the assistance of Washington. The situation in Yemen is tragic. So Washington's answer is to sanction _Iran_.

----------


## AZJoe

Target Iran

Years ago there was a plan, A Clean Break: Project for the New American Century (PNAC), to wreck the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians and to re-mold the Middle East. It first involved destroying Iraq or in the discredited words of Paul Wolfowitz, The road to peace in the Middle East goes through Baghdad.

Destroying Syria was to be next. And then Iran.  the Clean Break plan to aggressively remake the strategic environments of Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. 

In a short one minute video former NATO commander General Wesley Clark criticizes the plan as hatched to remake the Middle East.   neoconservative David Wurmser (subsequently Vice President Cheneys principal advisor) forecasting if Saddam Hussein were driven from power, Iraq would be ripped apart by the politics of warlords, tribes, clans, sects, and key families, and out of the coming chaos in Iraq and most probably in Syria, the United States and her principal allies, namely Israel and Jordan, could redraw the regions map. See _American Prospect_, The Apprentice. 

 all this was years ago, but the plan remains 

Trump has declared that Iran is violating its nuclear agreement although all the other signatories state that it is in compliance.  Washington imposing tighter economic sanctions to bring about a pretext for attacking Iran 

 A Cato Institute report details all the ways Iran has complied with the [nuclear] agreement including giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium, dismantling two thirds of its uranium enrichment centrifuges, allowing international surveillance and other measures 

Times are Changing
Washington is now finding it harder to force the Europeans to go along with re-imposing sanctions. China is much stronger and might take up the trade and giant oil investments which Washington could force European companies to forego. Iran has a vastly stronger missile program to retaliate  Iran is three times as large as Iraq and far less subject to fractional internal ethnic divisions. The pro-Israel lobby is divided although  North Koreas nuclear and new missile technology make it harder for Washington to demand concessions, while at the same time reneging on its past commitments. Americas trustworthiness is already suspect from having attacked Libya after Libya gave up its nuclear program. And even in Washington there is new congressional resistance to the Presidents ability to start new wars. 

starting a war with bombing runs against Iran would make escalation inevitable. U.S. forward deployed bases (and war ships)are within range of Iranian missiles and it is easy to imagine the vast oil facilities in the Persian Gulf being targeted as war passions would grow. This would paralyze oil exports to Europe and Asia and bring on a world economic crisis. A new American started war would also likely exacerbate Americas terrorism problems and most likely produce profoundly negative consequences for regional security and American interests, 

war professionals are far less enthusiastic for wars than parts of the pro-Israel Lobby for which wars and chaos help their fundraising.  much of Israels intelligence establishment supports the Iran agreement.  Carmi Gillon, the majority of my colleagues in the Israeli military and intelligence communities supported the deal.

----------


## AZJoe

> *Neocon Niki's Dog & Pony Show ...*
> 
> 
> (better cuz it's BIGGER!!!!!!)


Appropriate. Its Neocon Nikki's Colin Powell moment.

So Yemenis are being killed and starved to death by Saudis with US bombs, weapons, intelligence, advice, and logistics ...
therefore we must go to war with Iran to end the Saudi genocide of Yemen.

On another point, one Yemen missile supposedly has Iran's "fingerprints", yet ISIS is using large quantities of high tech weaponry unequivocally proven to me directly traced to the US government. Yet Nikki has no problem with US traced ISIS weapons. Oh the hypocrisy. Shouldn't she be calling for a war on Washington.

----------


## AZJoe

RE: Washington's Regime Change 

Let's not forget that Secretary of State *Tillerson in testimony before Congress in June of 2017 openly acknowledged that the US supports regime change in Iran*, and further stated that “*Our policy towards Iran is to work toward support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of that government*.”

From *Counterpunch* back in August of 2017:
"*In other words, Tillerson said, the U.S. government was committed to overthrowing the current government in Iran* by peaceful means. *What they mean by “peaceful” should not be taken lightly. No regime-change operation is ever peaceful.* The Trump administration, meanwhile, is conducting an inter-agency review of the sanctions on Iran and of the various options available to the U.S. for action against Iran. These options include military force. There is belligerence in the air.

"The President has made very clear that he thought this [Iran Treaty] was a bad deal” … Trump had wanted to refuse to certify the deal this time ... There is widespread enthusiasm in the White House to walk away from the deal and to use the full vitality of U.S. power to suffocate Iran. … and in July, at the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Trump asked his European allies to stop doing business with Iran. …

The U.S. already has military bases on the doorstep of Iran—in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and elsewhere. There are at least 125,000 U.S. troops on the edge of Iran and thousands of warships and aircraft at the ready. …

----------


## AZJoe

Duran comments:

Now that Syria has been lost, the United States is going straight for the main prize, an overthrow of the current government in Iran. All the chatter and demonization of Iran that has been making recent headlines serves a purpose.

This is standard American regime change 101.

Demonize using mainstream media soft power.Ramp up economic sanctions.Cause internal strife.Foster, fund and promote protests.Rinse and repeat. ...

----------


## goldenequity

@L0gg0l
Reports of protests in Iran city of Ahvaz, car of security forces put on fire (via @AhwazonaTV )
   @saeedKD
Protester from inside Tehran University tells me students are puzzled how the protests spread so fast, especially that it is happening more in provinces than the capital. "But we're not getting leads from anyone," he insists.


@StratSentinel
Iranian protestors take over police stations and captured weapons of regime forces in #Kashan, a town of 248,000 people. De facto control now in their hands for the time being.

*Iranians Protest Across Country Three Days In Row
https://southfront.org/iranians-prot...medium=twitter*

*RUSSIAN* FOREIGN MINISTRY ADVISES CITIZENS AGAINST JOINING MASS GATHERINGS IN IRAN -- TASS

Mister Analyst -@mister_analyst 1h20 hours ago
Convoy of tanks spotted in Qom #Iran

Breaking911
@Breaking911
Thousands of demonstrators defy curfew and clash with security forces in city of Mashhad #IranProtests

War_Intel
@WarIntelNEWS
IRAN : According to numerous sources in various cities, the IRG is now positioning military *SNIPERS* on office building roofs to shoot at protesters.

(They haven't changed the script even a little bit!)

BNL NEWS
BREAKING NEWS: Unconfirmed reports that protesters have gained full control of the city of Kashan, Iran. Some protesters are reported to be armed.

Zain Khan-Cuenta verificada
@ZKhanOfficial
#BREAKING : #Iran: Protesters have stormed the governor's building in #Arak City.

@fuadhud
All government buildings in Arak (central Iran) under protesters' control.

@fuadhud
Police Headquarters in 3 cities - Khorremabad, Kashan and Arak - under protesters' control.

----------


## goldenequity

> Lee Saks  @lee_Saks
> 
> FORMER #IRAN PRES *AHMADINEJAD ARRESTED* IN SHIRAZ ON INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE: AL QUDS AL ARABI. #OOTT
> 
> *Iran's Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Arrested For Inciting Unrest
> https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...-unrest-report*


Caleb T. Maupin @Calebmaupin
Reports of the #Ahmadinejad arrest in #Iran are #fakenews. I have confirmation of this. He has not been arrested. #IranProtests #IranProtesters

----------


## Swordsmyth

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...-iran-protests*

And then there was Bibi Netanyahu's surprising televised address to "the Iranian people" on  behalf of the state of Israel, wishing them "success in their noble  quest for freedom" - something which we predicted would only have an  adverse effect on the demonstrators' momentum*, considering that  authorities in Tehran accused protest leaders of serving the interests  of and being in league with foreign "enemies" like Saudi Arabia and  Israel nearly from day one. 
  The address was surprising *precisely because it was the surest way to kill the protests as quickly as possible*. From the moment Netanyahu publicly declared, "*When  this regime [the Iranian government] finally falls, and one day it  will, Iranians and Israelis will be great friends once again" - all the  air was sucked out of whatever momentum the protesters had.* 
  For many average Iranians who had not yet joined  anti-government demonstrations at that point, Bibi's speech gave them  every incentive to stay home. *All that the regime had to say at  that point was, "see, you are in league with enemies of the nation!" And  that is exactly what Tehran did*. It was on the very Monday of Netanyahu's speech that Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it would be taking charge of the security situation in Tehran, though likely they were mobilized earlier. 




> Yuval  Steinitz, Israels energy minister,  confirmed there had been contact  between Israel and Saudi Arabia but  said that Riyadh was eager to keep  the cooperation a secret. 
> "We  have ties that are indeed partly covert with many Muslim and Arab   countries, and usually (we are) the party that is not ashamed, Mr   Steinitz said. 
> "It's  the other side that is interested in keeping the ties quiet. With  us,  usually, there is no problem, but we respect the other side's  wish, when  ties are developing, whether it's with Saudi Arabia or with  other Arab  countries or other Muslim countries.
> 
> More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/israeli-m...150807982.html
> 
> Why?
> Is Israel trying to bring down the house of Saud?





> Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz  wants Saudi Crown Prince  Mohammed bin Salman to visit Israel and would  like King Salman to  officially invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin  Netanyahu to Riyadh,  The Daily Star reported Dec. 13. 
> 
> More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...i-crown-prince
> 
> This open exposure of the relationship has to be intended to cause the fall of the Saudi regime.
> 
> Related:                                             *Saudi, Israel May Set Up Joint Military Headquarters*
> 
> 
> ...

----------


## Swordsmyth

*Iran Fears "Cultural Invasion" - Bans English Lessons In Primary Schools*After a week of unrest in Iran, which the government has blamed on foreign agents, *senior education officials have forbidden English lessons from being taught in all primary schools.*


  Speaking to national broadcaster IRIB, _Deutsche Welle reports_ that *High Education Council leader Mehdi Navid-Adham called the English language a gateway to the "cultural invasion" of the West.*
 "Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is *against laws and regulations,"* Navid-Adham was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
  "This is because the assumption is that,* in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid.*"



More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...rimary-schools

----------


## goldenequity

> *Iran Fears "Cultural Invasion" - Bans English Lessons In Primary Schools*After a week of unrest in Iran, which the government has blamed on foreign agents, *senior education officials have forbidden English lessons from being taught in all primary schools.*
> 
> 
>   Speaking to national broadcaster IRIB, _Deutsche Welle reports_ that *High Education Council leader Mehdi Navid-Adham called the English language a gateway to the "cultural invasion" of the West.*
>  "Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is *against laws and regulations,"* Navid-Adham was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
>   "This is because the assumption is that,* in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid.*"





*How Mainstream Media Lose Their Reputation - #Fakenews On Iran And Egypt
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/01...and-egypt.html*

----------


## Swordsmyth

> *How Mainstream Media Lose Their Reputation - #Fakenews On Iran And Egypt
> http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/01...and-egypt.html*


Interesting, but they might have banned private schools from teaching English that early.

I don't really care one way or the other, they are being targeted and not teaching their children English until they are older is not some kind of crime anyway.

----------


## Firestarter

I had thoroughly investigated 9/11 (or at least thought I did): https://www.lawfulpath.com/forum/vie...start=20#p4559

I was looking for information on Iran and was shocked to find that Iran has been sentenced to pay more than $10.5 billion because they were found guilty for the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001...
They used for evidence the wonderful (undisputed) work of the 9/11 Commission that was ordered to explain how the official story could have been true.
The 9/11 Commission claimed that some of the reported hijackers had not only travelled through Iran, but Iranian border authorities didnt stamp the passports of the terrorists. Otherwise this group of 19 Muslim extremists would have drawn attention from the US authorities.

The most important evidence appears to be what former Iranian intelligence agent Abolghasem Meshabi had to say.
They also used for evidence the confessions of the terrorist that were tortured into confessing at Guantanamo Bay (and similar locations).
US expert witnesses explained that in their expert opinion, Iran was behind it all, including Daniel L. Byman, Janice L. Kephart, Patrick Clawson, Claire M. Lopez, Bruce D. Tefft, and Ronen Bergman.
Investigative journalist Kenneth Timmerman confirmed that Meshabi is very credible. Timmerman was even used as expert witness.

On 9 March 2016, a US civil court ruled that Iran must pay the victims of 9/11 more than $10.5 billion in fines (this is just a short document without explanation): 


> The Ashton plaintiffs are awarded a default judgment against Iran in the amount of $7,494,720,000. The Federal Insurance plaintiffs are awarded a default judgment against Iran in the amount of $3,040,998,426.03.


 https://law.justia.com/cases/federal...977/39284/785/


The same judge that pronounced Iran guilty, George B. Daniels, had on 29 September 2015 ruled that Saudi Arabia cant be sued because it has sovereign immunity.
On 14 March 2016, Irans Foreign Ministry said Iran wont pay, because: 


> The ruling is ludicrous and absurd to the point that it makes a mockery of the principle of justice while [it] further tarnishes the US judiciarys reputation.


 http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2016/...fuses-pay.html


On 23 May 2013, FBI Agent Daniel A. Mehochko was honored for his report in which he explained that the events of 9/11: _"provided an unprecedented opportunity for a strategic rapprochement between the United States and Iran_.
Iran didnt even claim that 9/11 was nothing but a false flag
At the January 2002 Afghanistan Donors Conference in Tokyo, Iran even pledged $540 million in assistance for the new Afghan puppet government, compared to the $290 million committed by the United States: https://www.strategic-culture.org/ne...-for-9-11.html


The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) of Trump backer Sheldon Adelson also pushes for the war against Iran.
For more information on Sheldon Adelson, who on 3 October met Donald Trump and Jared Kushner at the White House to discuss strategies to make the most out of the 1 October Las Vegas mass shooting: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...etal-detectors

The FDD explained that its unreasonable that Iran didnt pay after it was sentenced to pay *more than $56 billion to American terror victims*. This includes over $1 billion that were awarded against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself.

This sort of means that Iran can be found liable for every terrorist attack for which Hezbollah, Hamas and even USAma Bin Laden had already been proven guilty. To me that this looks like changing history in the best Orwellian tradition
On 20 April 2016, the US Supreme Court ruled that nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian government funds must be turned over to injured survivors and families of Americans killed in several terrorist attacks for which Iran was found liable by US courts. Even after this $2 billion has been paid (how much of this went to the lawyers?) Iran still owes $53 billion in outstanding federal court judgments to American victims of Iranian terrorism: http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media...npaid-us-cour/
(archived here: http://archive.is/Rjqck)

Havlish obtained a $6.1 billion judgment against Iran, but Iran refused to pay.
On 25 May 2016, the US court ruled that victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, wouldn´t get (part of) the $2.1 billion that Royal Dutch Shell rightfully owed Iran, but couldn´t pay because of the sanctions.
Maybe Shell would rather keep the $2.1 billion

The US District Court in New York decided that Royal Dutch Shell doesn´t conduct a continuous and systematic business in the state of New York, so has no jurisdiction: http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2017/0...tch-shell-plc/


I think that sanctions against Iran could be just another ploy to grant a monopoly to the big oil corporations that are effectively above the law.
The result of this embargo is that the Erdogan family got a monopoly on gas from Iran.
And... Royal Dutch Shell makes billions of Euros from Iranian oil.

In March 2010, Royal Dutch Shell was caught loading Iranian crude on theoil tanker Front Page (evading sanctions). The Front Page left a port in the UAE on March 17 and reported it was going to another UAE port, then on to Saudi Arabia. Ship-tracking data reveal that Front Page also made an unreported stop, to the coast of Iran where it loaded Iranian oil.

Total SA chartered another oil tanker that stopped in Iran in March 2010. This oil tanker turned off its tracking transponder throughout the visit, according to ship-tracking data (this link is obviously not to a site affiliated with Royal Dutch Shell): http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2010/0...es-discreetly/
(archived here: http://archive.is/rk0Jf)

According to Reuters, in March 2012 an Iranian tanker delivered 1.5 million barrels of oil to Shells refinery in Singapore despite sanctions.
Royal Dutch Shell claimed that it _complies with all all applicable sanctions_.
Some industry sources claim that Shell is one of the biggest consumers of Iranian crude worldwide: https://www.reuters.com/article/iran...8E245620120302
(archived here: http://archive.is/Xzogu)

----------


## Swordsmyth

*New sanctions imposed by Washington targeting Iranian  businesses and officials are in violation of international law, and any  “fixes” to the nuclear deal will be rejected, the Iranian Foreign  Ministry said on Saturday.*
 In a statement published by the state-run IRNA news agency, the  ministry said that Tehran would not accept any changes to the Joint  Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), “neither at present nor in the  future,” emphasizing that it will “not take any measures beyond the  commitments it has made” under the agreement. 
 The targeting of one of the officials, judiciary chief Sadegh Amoli  Larijani, “crossed the red line of international diplomacy and is  against the basic principles of international law and a violation of  bilateral and international commitments of the US” and would provoke a  “fitting reaction” from Iran, the foreign ministry said in its  statement.
 Trump's policy & today’s announcement amount  to desperate attempts to undermine a solid multilateral agreement,  maliciously violating its paras 26, 28 & 29. JCPOA is not  renegotiable: rather than repeating tired rhetoric, US must bring itself  into full compliance -just like Iran.
 — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 12, 2018President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he would for the last  time waive economic sanctions that were lifted under the nuclear deal,  while warning Washington’s European allies that the US would pull out of  the accord if they did not fix its “terrible flaws.” Specifically,  Trump called for the removal of the so-called “sunset clauses,” which  allow Iran to gradually resume nuclear activities in the next decade.  Trump’s ultimatum was also paired with fresh sanctions against Iran for  alleged human rights abuses and ballistic missile development. Under the  new sanctions regime, the Treasury Department will target 14 officials,  businessmen and companies from Iran, China and Malaysia, freezing any  assets they have in the US. 

More at: https://www.infowars.com/iran-reject...new-sanctions/

----------


## nikcers

> *New sanctions imposed by Washington targeting Iranian  businesses and officials are in violation of international law, and any  “fixes” to the nuclear deal will be rejected, the Iranian Foreign  Ministry said on Saturday.*


gulp.



> The ultimatum puts pressure on Europeans, key backers of the 2015 nuclear deal, 
> to satisfy
> *Trump, 
> who wants the pact strengthened with a separate agreement within 120 days.
> 
> **CONDITIONS*
> 
> Trump laid out conditions to keep Washington in the deal. Iran must allow “immediate inspections at all sites requested by international inspectors,” he said, and “sunset” provisions imposing limits on Iran’s nuclear program must not expire.
> 
> ...

----------


## goldenequity

Tehran

*IRNA – Minister of Defense Brigadier General Amir Hatami met with Pakistani Minister for Defense Production Rana Tanveer Hussain in Tehran on Tuesday.*

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTueaxMWAAE-LUO.jpg:large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTuebwWXcAA4WMY.jpg:large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTuecqnXkAAAxon.jpg:large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTuedQKWkAAX4Vg.jpg:large

Armenian News-NEWSam
@NEWSam_English
*Iran intends to register Armenian cathedral in Isfahan as World Heritage.
https://news.am/eng/news/431614.html*



(ha. Can you see this happening in Riyadh?)

----------


## AZJoe



----------


## Ender

> 


Exactly-

But that evil Iran is baaaaaad for wanting to have it's oil profits go to the Iranian people and for taking back it's country from the US/Brit coupe, in 1979.

----------


## AZJoe



----------


## goldenequity

*Why Europe Must Reject U.S. Blackmail Over Iran's Nuclear Agreement - An Update
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/01...an-update.html*

----------


## goldenequity

*IRAN*

02/19 10:36 IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: ACTS OF ISRAELI AGGRESSION IN SYRIA SHOULD STOP

02/19 10:36 U.S. DECISION ON JERUSALEM DERIVES FROM ANTI-IRANIAN LOGIC - LAVROV

Iran has no military bases in Syria - foreign minister

NO ONE CAN PUT IRANIAN MISSILE PROGRAM UNDER CONTROL - ZARIF TO INTERFAX

*02/19 10:36 LAVROV: RUSSIA SEES IRAN'S STATEMENTS THAT ISRAEL MUST BE DESTROYED AS UNACCEPTABLE*

Lavrov: Russia won’t accept statements on destroying Israel or on fighting Iran
http://tass.com/politics/990684

02/19 10:38 INCIDENTS AT SYRIAN-ISRAELI BORDER SHOULD BE SETTLED THROUGH UN MECHANISMS, WHICH SHOULD CONDUCT INVESTIGATION - LAVROV


02/19 10:41 IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: CONFRONTATION BETWEEN TEHRAN, RIYADH UNNECESSARY OR EVEN DANGEROUS, THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE RESOLVED

02/19 10:42 Tehran sees U.S. attack on Syrian forces on Feb 7 as dangerous precedent with long-term consequences.

OCCUPATION OF NORTHEASTERN SYRIA BY U.S. IS ATTEMPT TO ROB SYRIA, PREVENT RUSSIA, IRAN FROM PARTICIPATING IN DEVELOPMENT OF ITS ECONOMIC WEALTH - ADVISER TO SYRIAN PRESIDENT

LAVROV, IN REPLY TO FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER'S REMARK THAT IRAN SHOULD WITHDRAW ITS FORCES FROM SYRIA: UNLIKE FRANCE, IRAN INVITED BY LEGITIMATE GOVT

----------


## goldenequity

*Basij militia*
With a nominal strength of over 13 million, The Basij militia is an Iranian volunteer force of Islamic government loyalists 
often called out onto the streets at times of crisis...

The Basij Special Unit against a bus...





Where in Iran? Why? I have no other information other than it was posted today. 


*UPDATE:* (msm: set filters to 'HIGH')

*https://www.yahoo.com/news/5-officer...091449982.html
https://m.investing.com/news/world-n...7360?ampMode=1
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/w...es-tehran.html*

----------


## AZJoe

*US Army Major Speaks Out: US Military Should Stay Out of Iran*

Last week, after Israel reportedly shot down an Iranian drone and Prime Minister Netanyahu proudly displayed a hunk of twisted metal  Americans were treated to fresh calls for regime change from some prominent neoconservatives. 

The last thing the overstretched U.S. military needs is another hot war.  President Obama bombed seven countries in 2016, and President Trump has continued apace. 

In December, when protestors hit the streets of Tehran based on mostly economic motives, Trump immediately rallied in support and not-so-subtlety tweeted Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever. Except, that is, for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other illiberal authoritarian regimes _we_ support. 

if the recently released National Defense Strategy is any indicator  it lists Iran as one of four core threats *U.S.-imposed regime change is certainly on the table. It shouldnt be*. At present, Iran does _not_ present a clear and present vital threat to American national security. 

The secretary [Mattis] is the boss, my boss, but his focus on the Iranian regime qualifies as his blind spot, a veritable Iran obsession.  Iran, Iran, Iran.  Iran spends about as much on defense annually as the U.S. does on a single aircraft carrier.  Irans GDP was about $427 billion, and it spent some $11.5 billion on defense in 2016. U.S. allies, like Saudi Arabia (GDP: $678 billion; defense spending: $66.7 billion) and Israel (GDP: $348 billion; defense spending: $19.6 billion) can more than hold their own. And  standing behind them is the real behemoth, the U.S., which plans to spend $716 billion on defense in 2019thats $300 billion more than Irans entire GDP. 

While Iran definitely is engaged in the Mid-East, its own neighborhood, its rarely _behind_ much of anything and doesnt have nearly the power or influence to pull all the various regional strings. Yemeni and Bahraini unrest were homegrown. Conflict in Syria and Lebanon preceded Iranian deployments there. And Iraq, well, the U.S. handed Baghdad to Iran on a silver platter 

try and view the last decade of U.S. military actions from Tehran. Washington toppled and seemingly permanently occupied Irans neighbors on its western (Iraq) and eastern (Afghanistan) flanks, encircled the country with its military bases, and intervened in just about every country in its neighborhood. ... Who could rationally blame Irans leaders for fearing they were next? And who would be surprised to see them turn to Shia militias to trap the U.S. military in a Baghdad quagmire? Thats basic survival instincts. 

Iranians also have a long memory. The CIA helped overthrow a democratically elected government in Tehran in 1953. Then, throughout the 1980s, the U.S. backed Saddam Hussein in Iraqs brutal invasion of Iran. 

this must serve as a reality check for Washingtons triumphalism and an unfathomable commitment to strategic overreach. Walking the proverbial mile in an adversarys shoes isnt soft, its smart. 

Irans military is far from the imposing behemoth threat of hawkish imagination.  Saudi Arabia is much better armed  it spends more than five times much on its military than Iran. 

Iran is spatially large and mountainous with an enormous, fiercely nationalist population.  U.S. military occupation of the Islamic Republic would make the Iraq War, for once, _actually_ look like the cakewalk it was billed to be.

Americas armed forces are currently spread thin in a dozen simultaneous operations and deployed in nearly 70 percent of the worlds countries. ... Eastern Europe; manning the DMZ in South Korea; training and advising across Africa; conducting raids in Somalia, Yemen, and Niger; and actively fighting in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

So where are the troops available to topple Tehran? They dont exist. The U.S. military is already running at full throttle  The polling data is clear: Americans dont want another war.  

And these days, with Turkish tanks just miles from U.S. forces in Syria and openly threatening Washington 

Indeed, it might be time for Washington to swallow its pride and admit to some common interests with Iran in the regionthe defeat of ISIS, suppression on Sunni Islamists, and a stable, non-threatening Afghanistanrather than harping on the exaggerated negatives. 

Forget a new war. Iran isnt worth it. Not now, probably not ever.  Washington should ditch the alarmism and get _real_ in the complex Middle East. ...

----------


## Ender

> *US Army Major Speaks Out: US Military Should Stay Out of Iran*
> 
> Last week, after Israel reportedly shot down an Iranian drone and Prime Minister Netanyahu proudly displayed a hunk of twisted metal  Americans were treated to fresh calls for regime change from some prominent neoconservatives. 
> 
> The last thing the overstretched U.S. military needs is another hot war.  President Obama bombed seven countries in 2016, and President Trump has continued apace. 
> 
> In December, when protestors hit the streets of Tehran based on mostly economic motives, Trump immediately rallied in support and not-so-subtlety tweeted Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever. Except, that is, for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other illiberal authoritarian regimes _we_ support. 
> 
> if the recently released National Defense Strategy is any indicator  it lists Iran as one of four core threats *U.S.-imposed regime change is certainly on the table. It shouldnt be*. At present, Iran does _not_ present a clear and present vital threat to American national security. 
> ...


*^^^THIS^^^*

And I'd +rep you, if I could.

----------


## goldenequity

> *^^^THIS^^^*
> 
> And I'd +rep you, if I could.


covered.

----------


## AZJoe

*Top US General Expresses Support for Iran Nuclear Deal*

Speaking Tuesday at the Senate Armed Service Committee, the US Centcom Commander, General Joseph Votel, came out openly in favor of the P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran. Votel even warned over possible consequences if President Trump withdraws from the pact. 

President Trump has opposed the deal from the start  Votel very directly contradicted Trump with his comments, saying he believes it is in Americas best interest to stay in the deal.

----------


## Vieux Canard

> I had thoroughly investigated 9/11 (or at least thought I did): https://www.lawfulpath.com/forum/vie...start=20#p4559
> 
> I was looking for information on Iran and was shocked to find that Iran has been sentenced to pay more than $10.5 billion because they were found guilty for the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001...
> They used for “evidence” the wonderful (undisputed) work of the 9/11 Commission that was ordered to explain how the official story could have been true.
> The 9/11 Commission claimed that some of the reported hijackers had not only travelled through Iran, but Iranian border authorities didn’t stamp the passports of the “terrorists”. Otherwise this group of 19 Muslim extremists would have drawn attention from the US authorities.
> 
> The most important “evidence” appears to be what former Iranian intelligence agent Abolghasem Meshabi had to say.
> They also used for “evidence” the confessions of the “terrorist” that were tortured into confessing at Guantanamo Bay (and similar locations).
> US expert witnesses explained that in their “expert” opinion, Iran was behind it all, including Daniel L. Byman, Janice L. Kephart, Patrick Clawson, Claire M. Lopez, Bruce D. Tefft, and Ronen Bergman.
> ...


Funny that Iran would be fingered when it were Mossad agents that were caught in NYC witnessing the event and celebrating as the plane hit the tower.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8FlSWitOpg&t=6s

----------


## Ender

> Funny that Iran would be fingered when it were Mossad agents that were caught in NYC witnessing the event and celebrating as the plane hit the tower.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8FlSWitOpg&t=6s


Plus, supposedly all the hijackers were Saudis. 

Iran has been in the US crosshairs for years.

----------


## Vieux Canard

> Plus, supposedly all the hijackers were Saudis. 
> 
> Iran has been in the US crosshairs for years.


My opinion is that Iran is to the middle east what Germany is to Europe.  Two major wars were fought to keep Germany from being the dominant power in Europe and while Germany has been largely neutered militarily it remains the principal economy that drives the continent.  I can count at least three Persian Empires each of which spanned far beyond the middle east.  Modern Iran is what is left of the last one.  Arabia was never a part of any of them, presumably because it wasn't worth conquering.  Iran was bypassed by the industrial revolution so it entered the modern era relatively weak, but that is changing.  Today it is a modern, technologically advanced country with an educated workforce, some of the world's' best universities and virtually limitless resources.  While it shows no signs of craving it's' former lands, it is feared by its neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia and Israel, each for separate reasons.  Beyond that it is vilified by the US because it demands independence from the US empire to follow its own path.  Sanctions have hurt it, but not defeated it.  Really given the corruption in certain parts of the government, especially the revolutionary guard, it is its own worst enemy as well.  Left to its own devices and with a lot of reforms within the government, Iran should be one of the wealthiest countries on earth.

----------


## Ender

> My opinion is that Iran is to the middle east what Germany is to Europe.  Two major wars were fought to keep Germany from being the dominant power in Europe and while Germany has been largely neutered militarily it remains the principal economy that drives the continent.  I can count at least three Persian Empires each of which spanned far beyond the middle east.  Modern Iran is what is left of the last one.  Arabia was never a part of any of them, presumably because it wasn't worth conquering.  Iran was bypassed by the industrial revolution so it entered the modern era relatively weak, but that is changing.  Today it is a modern, technologically advanced country with an educated workforce, some of the world's' best universities and virtually limitless resources.  While it shows no signs of craving it's' former lands, it is feared by its neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia and Israel, each for separate reasons.  Beyond that it is vilified by the US because it demands independence from the US empire to follow its own path.  Sanctions have hurt it, but not defeated it.  Really given the corruption in certain parts of the government, especially the revolutionary guard, it is its own worst enemy as well.  Left to its own devices and with a lot of reforms within the government, Iran should be one of the wealthiest countries on earth.


Interesting that the Germans & Iranians are considered some of the most intelligent people on the planet.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Interesting that the Germans & Iranians are considered some of the most intelligent people on the planet.


Be careful, you might be accused of racism.

----------


## Ender

> Be careful, you might be accused of racism.


Well, lessee, white & "kinda" brown?

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Well, lessee, white & "kinda" brown?



Aryan.

I know you aren't racist, neither am I so stop jumping on anything I say that can be twisted to claim I am, you say things that could be taken that way too.
Truth has no agenda and neither do I.

----------


## Ender

> Aryan.
> 
> I know you aren't racist, neither am I so stop jumping on anything I say that can be twisted to claim I am, you say things that could be taken that way too.
> Truth has no agenda and neither do I.


I was playing. 

Thought you were being sarcastic.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> I was playing. 
> 
> Thought you were being sarcastic.


I was making a joke with a point.

----------


## Ender

> I was making a joke with a point.


Das cool- I appreciate humor- especially of late on the forum.

----------


## Vieux Canard

> Das cool- I appreciate humor- especially of late on the forum.


It was Shah Reza, father of the late Shah who changed the name of the country from Persia to Iran in the 1930's.  Reza was a modernist who sought to de-islamify the country.  Persia (Fars) is merely a province anyway in terms of ethnicity.  While today the Basij sometimes beat women who refuse to cover their hair, Reza Shah's secret police beat women who did.  What would replace Islam is the old religion, Zoroastrianism, which he also supported.  Iran is a short form of the Persian phrase used by Cyrus the Great, the Zoroastrian founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire 2500 years ago and means "Land of the Aryans."  This had absolutely nothing to do with the German Nazi Party and their ideology and when war lurked on the horizon, Reza Shah did everything he could to distance himself from the Nazis and declared Iran neutral.  It didn't work, mainly because Iran had oil that the USSR needed to defeat Hitler so they invaded and occupied Iran anyway and Reza Shah was deposed.  One of the major WW2 conferences that featured Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill occurred in Soviet occupied Tehran...I think in 1943.

----------


## Ender

> It was Shah Reza, father of the late Shah who changed the name of the country from Persia to Iran in the 1930's.  Reza was a modernist who sought to de-islamify the country.  Persia (Fars) is merely a province anyway in terms of ethnicity.  While today the Basij sometimes beat women who refuse to cover their hair, Reza Shah's secret police beat women who did.  What would replace Islam is the old religion, Zoroastrianism, which he also supported.  Iran is a short form of the Persian phrase used by Cyrus the Great, the Zoroastrian founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire 2500 years ago and means "Land of the Aryans."  This had absolutely nothing to do with the German Nazi Party and their ideology and when war lurked on the horizon, Reza Shah did everything he could to distance himself from the Nazis and declared Iran neutral.  It didn't work, mainly because Iran had oil that the USSR needed to defeat Hitler so they invaded and occupied Iran anyway and Reza Shah was deposed.  One of the major WW2 conferences that featured Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill occurred in Soviet occupied Tehran...I think in 1943.


Interesting stuff.

I believe why Iran is still in the West's gun scope is because of oil.

----------


## Vieux Canard

> Interesting stuff.
> 
> I believe why Iran is still in the West's gun scope is because of oil.


I don't think so.  I think it's because Iran insists, like Russia, of being independent.  It is also because Saudi Arabia and Israel fear it, for completely different reasons.  Israel want to occupy Southern Lebanon for it's land and water resources of the Litani River and Hezbollah stands in it's way, as does Assad of Syria.  Saudi Arabia wants to be the big dog in the islamic world and their version of islam (which frankly sucks) conflicts with Iran's.

----------


## nikcers

> *I don't think so.  I think it's because Iran insists*, like Russia, of being independent.  It is also because Saudi Arabia and Israel fear it, for completely different reasons.  Israel want to occupy Southern Lebanon for it's land and water resources of the Litani River and Hezbollah stands in it's way, as does Assad of Syria.  Saudi Arabia wants to be the big dog in the islamic world and their version of islam (which frankly sucks) conflicts with Iran's.


The zionists want genocide, they won't accept anything else as an option.

----------


## Vieux Canard

> Interesting stuff.
> 
> I believe why Iran is still in the West's gun scope is because of oil.


I should also add that while Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the late shah is hated my most Iranians, his father, Reza Shah is beloved and if you follow any Iranians protests by the educated young people that occur from time to time you will see signs and chants in his praise.

----------


## Ender

> I don't think so.  I think it's because Iran insists, like Russia, of being independent.  It is also because Saudi Arabia and Israel fear it, for completely different reasons.  Israel want to occupy Southern Lebanon for it's land and water resources of the Litani River and Hezbollah stands in it's way, as does Assad of Syria.  Saudi Arabia wants to be the big dog in the islamic world and their version of islam (which frankly sucks) conflicts with Iran's.


I agree with this as well.

When Prime Minister Mossadegh dared to nationalize Iran's oil, he became a target.

Interesting article here about the alphabets finally releasing the info on the coup.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/06/20/...an-tehran-oil/

----------


## Swordsmyth

Saudi  Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman urged the international  community to step up economic and political pressure against Iran in  order to avoid a large military conflict in the Middle East.
During a whirlwind tour of the United States this month, during which he met President Donald Trump in the oval office, Saudi Arabia’s rising leader has urged his interlocutors to sanction his country’s archenemy Iran. 

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/saudi-ara...125039602.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Four days into 2018, two Iranian nationals tried to buy parts of an  advanced missile in Kyiv, according a spokesperson for the Ukrainian  intelligence service. This effort appears to have violated a UN arms  embargo on Iran. 
Masked men in Ukraine’s secret police arrested  the men and found parts of the missile in their vehicle, according to  the spokesperson. What followed became a secret diplomatic incident, and  both men were detained and then quietly deported to Iran. 

More at: https://www.thedailybeast.com/ukrain...ile?yptr=yahoo

----------


## Swordsmyth

Israel's Defense Minister says Iran is on the brink of economic and  military collapse, and that Israel will attack Tehran "and destroy every  Iranian military outpost in Syria threatening Israel," according to  Arab-language publication _Elaph_ and reported by Israeli media Thursday. 
  “*They know that the Iranian regime is in its final days and will soon collapse*,” said Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, adding "*If they attack Tel Aviv, we will attack Tehran*."

  Liberman suggested Iran is vulnerable on two fronts, economic and  military - and that an American withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal  would significantly damage the regime's economy during a period in which  the Islamic Republic is devoting resources to a military build-up in  Syria against the West. 
  “*Iran is trying to establish bases in Syria and arm them with advanced weapons*,” Lieberman said. “Every military outpost in Syria in which Iran seems to be trying to dig in militarily, *we will destroy*.”
  Lieberman says that Israel must prevent an Iranian military build-up on their border. “*We won’t allow it, whatever the cost*,” he said.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...its-final-days

----------


## goldenequity

> Israel's Defense Minister says Iran is on the brink of economic and  military collapse, and that Israel will attack Tehran "and destroy every  Iranian military outpost in Syria threatening Israel," according to  Arab-language publication _Elaph_ and reported by Israeli media Thursday. 
>   “*They know that the Iranian regime is in its final days and will soon collapse*,” said Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, adding "*If they attack Tel Aviv, we will attack Tehran*."
> 
>   Liberman suggested Iran is vulnerable on two fronts, economic and  military - and that an American withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal  would significantly damage the regime's economy during a period in which  the Islamic Republic is devoting resources to a military build-up in  Syria against the West. 
>   “*Iran is trying to establish bases in Syria and arm them with advanced weapons*,” Lieberman said. “Every military outpost in Syria in which Iran seems to be trying to dig in militarily, *we will destroy*.”
>   Lieberman says that Israel must prevent an Iranian military build-up on their border. “*We won’t allow it, whatever the cost*,” he said.
> 
> More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...its-final-days


Sep 25, 2012
*Israel Lobbyist - We Need a False Flag to Start War with Iran*




"I mean, look people, Iranian submarines periodically go down, someday one of the might not come up, who would know why?
 . . . we are in the game of using covert means against the Iranians, we could get nastier about it"

=====

April 21, 2018
*IRGC Navy Commander Ali Fadavi Threatens to Sink U.S. Ships*

----------


## goldenequity

So now it's the missiles... (not just the 'nukes') 'All your self-defense R belong to US!!'

*Pompeo lands in Saudi Arabia, immediately calls for new sanctions against Iran
https://www.rt.com/usa/425439-pomepo...-saudi-arabia/*



"*We are urging nations around the world to sanction any individuals and entities associated with Iran’s missile program, 
and it has also been a big part of discussions with Europeans,”* 
*Brian Hook*, a senior policy advisor on Pompeo’s team, told journalists shortly after landing in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Saturday evening.

“Iran’s missiles prolong war and suffering in the Middle East, they threaten our security and economic interests and they especially threaten Saudi Arabia and Israel,”

US President Donald Trump has threatened he will not recertify the 2015 nuclear control agreement with Iran on May 12, which he has described as “the worst ever,”
*unless European signatories, including the UK, Germany and France “fix” its “serious flaws*."
(so Trump blackmails BOTH Iran AND Europe with threats and sankshuns. Shalom)

“There’s been no decision, so the team is working and I am sure we will have lots of conversations to deliver what the president has made clear,” 
Pompeo told the media on Friday in Brussels.

As well as delivering diplomatic gains, Pompeo has promised to return “swagger” to the US State Department, 
which he admitted was “demoralized” in recent months due to the internal divisions regarding White House foreign policy and the management of Rex Tillerson, 
who was occasionally ignored and belittled by Trump before resigning late last year.




*So simple:*
Neocons/zionists/wahhabists hate Iran? 
God bless Iran then...

----------


## goldenequity

i24NEWS EnglishVerified account
BREAKING: US Secretary of State Mike *Pompeo arrives on first visit to Israel* for talks with Netanyahu on Iran nuclear deal

i24NEWS EnglishVerified account
BREAKING *Bolton on Iran deal: "[Trump] has made no decision on the nuclear deal, whether to stay in or get out"*

----------


## pcosmar

> *So simple:*
> Neocons/zionists/wahhabists hate Iran? 
> God bless Iran then...


All the right enemies.

----------


## goldenequity

Some companies have opted for leaving the Iranian market to comply with US regulations and avoid facing sanctions blackmail, 
others haven’t decided yet on what to do.

*List of European Companies Operating in Iran*

►France (38): 
Accor; ADP; ADYA FOILS; Airbus (the plane-maker may leave Iran in the immediate future); 
Alliance Export; ALSTOM; Auto Chassis International Pars; Avicenne Gerontologic; 
Balmoral Intl SAS; Bel Rouzaneh Dairy; Boeing France (the airplane-manufacturer may withdraw from Iran in the near future); Bureau Veritas; 
CBE Group; CGG; Cohen Amir-Aslani; Danone; Eiger International; Engie; Faurecia Azin Pars Seating; 
Gaz de France (GDF SUEZ); GEA; Golden Group; Hyper Market Maf Pars; Intertek International Limited (SAI); 
Negotium Partners; Nexans Co.; PSA Group; Renault; RGG Capital; 
Schneider Electric Co. (Telemecanique Iran); SNCF; Suez Environnement; 
Thales; Total (the oil and gas giant is leaving Iran); 
Vecteur Cast; Vinci Technologies; Vision France Consulting; Well Services of Iran (WSI — Schlumberger Methods).

►Germany (35): 
AIOTEC GmbH; Alldos Eichler GmbH; Allianz (an international financial services provider, which is pulling out from Iran); 
Bada AG; Bayer Parsian AG; BASF Iran (PJS) Co.; BASF's Wintershall; Butting GmbH (CamalAmiran Co.); 
COMMERZBANK; Eisenmann Co.; Eltherm GmbH; Evonik Iran; Ferrostaal; Germanischer Lloyd (GL); HERRENKNECHT; ILF Consulting Engineers Pars (PJSC); 
KOBOLD Messring GmbH Iran; KROHNE Iran; KSB Aktiengesellschaft; Linde Co.; Minimax GmbH & Co. KG, Iran Branch Office; Minova CarboTech Iran Branch; Nivea; 
PM Piping (Project Materials Group); Regalbuto Steel GmbH; Rieckermann GmbH (Iran Liaison Office); 
Salzgitter Mannesmann International Tehran; Siemens Co. (the tech giant is leaving the Iranian market to comply with US regulations); 
TGE Gas Engineering GmbH; TUV NORD Iran (RWTUV Iran); Uhde GmbH Iran Branch; Volkswagen; 
WIKA Instrumentation Pars Kish Ltd.; Wintershall Iran Holding GmbH.

►Italy (21): 
AGIP; AlItalia; Ansaldo Energia SpA; CONDOTTE D'ACQUA; Danieli Cina (the steel manufacturer has halted work in Iran); 
Edison International; Enel; Eni (the energy company is leaving Iran); Ferrovie dello Stato; Fiat-Chrysler; FINCANTIERI; Fincantieri SpA; 
GEOLOG International BV — Iran; ITINERA; Kinetics Technology (KT); 
Saipem; Seli; SSE SpA Iran Branch; Tecnimont SpA; Tectubi Raccordi S.p.A.; TELECOMA ITALIA GROUP.

►UK (16): 
Atlantic International Operation Limited; BG — British Gas Iran; BHP Billiton; BP Iran Ltd.; Cameron Integrated Services (South Well Drilling Engineering Co., SWDEC);
 Daimler; Energy Deployment Co. Ltd. (EDC); Euroinvest; Flowstream International Ltd.; KBC Iran Office; 
Lloyd's Register Group Ltd; Lloyd's of London (the insurance market may halt cooperation with Iran in the short term); 
Pergas International Consortium; Royal Dutch Shell; UK P&I (the mutual steam ship assurance association may pull out from Iran in the near future); 
Welding Alloys Group (Aliaj Joosh Iran).

►Switzerland (8): 
ABB (PJSC); BUCHER; Burckhardt Compression Tehran SSK; MSC BASEL (the shipping giant may stop cooperating with Iran in the short term); 
SGS Iran Limited; Sulzer Co.; Weatherford; ZURICH INSURANCE.

►Spain (7): 
Esproenko Pars; JC Valves; Sercobe Co.; Star Petroleum Middle East; TAIM WESER Iran Office; Tubacex Service Solutions Pars (TSS Iran); Tubos Reunidos Group.

►Denmark (6): 
Ecco; Haldor Topsoe; LEO Pharma; Maersk (the container shipping company is abandoning Iran); 
Novo Nordisk; Welltec Oilfield Services Iran (Touse Mohandesi Fanavari Chah Mayadin).

►Norway (6): 
Barwil; Fugro-Geoteam AS; Hydro; ROXAR Norway; Saga Energy (the energy firm is leaving Iran); SPT Group Norway.

►Czech Republic (6): 
Bresson Energy; Energo-Pro; Moravia Steel; Ostroj; Solek Holding; SOR Libchavy.

►The Netherlands (5): 
AkzoNobel; BAF Valves Pars; ENI Iran B.V.; Royal Dutch Shell; Zagroz Equipment Engineering Co.

►Sweden (4): 
Alfa Laval Iran Co. Ltd.; Atlas Copco Iran; Camfil Farr Co.; NYNAS.

►Austria (2): 
Christof Industries — Geety Sanaat Mayestan Co. (GSM); Oberbank; O.M.V.

►Finland (2): 
Metso Iran (Garno Group); Styrochem of Finland.

►Macedonia (1): 
ABE Power Co.

►Poland (1): 
PGNiG (the national oil company has suspended a project in Iran).

►Romania (1): 
Robust Star Group.

►Cyprus (1): 
Sezzol Group.

----------


## goldenequity

Exposee 0f MEK nutjob proxiis

----------


## Swordsmyth

Iran's  supreme leader demanded punishment for those who disrupt business,  signaling a tougher line after two days of strikes by market traders,  the biggest unrest since the start of the year.With  the economy facing the prospect of new U.S. sanctions, the country's  leadership signaled it was taking a united front toward the unrest. In a  speech, President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist who has long sought more  open economic relations with the outside world, blamed Washington for  Iran's hardship, calling on Iranians to "bring America to its knees".
At Tehran's Grand Bazaar on Wednesday, business was back to normal after the two-day strike had closed most shops.
On  Monday traders had massed outside parliament to complain about the  plunge to record lows of Iran's currency. Reuters was unable to verify  footage that showed police clashing with protesters. Public  demonstrations are rare in Iran but in recent months there have been  several over the state of the economy.
Supreme  Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the hardline cleric in power since 1989,  demanded the judiciary punish those "who disrupt economic security", in  remarks clearly intended to send a message to Iranians who may plan  more demonstrations.
"The  atmosphere for the work, life and livelihood of the people must be  secure," he said in a meeting with judiciary officials, according to his  official website. "And the judiciary must confront those who disrupt  economic security."

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/protests-...114707743.html

----------


## AngryCanadian

Those public  demonstrations are made by the US and West who want another regime change in Iran to bring in MEK.

----------


## Swordsmyth

Protests in the southern Iran city of Khorramshahr turned into *an armed confrontation with security forces early Sunday*, resulting in injuries among protesters and police, with conflicting reports that one or more demonstrators may have died.

Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) confirmed the clashes in the historically restive Arab-majority city after *large protests over clean water shortages in the region began Friday*, and after 3 days of economic protests in Tehran resulted in the temporary closure of the Grand Bazaar early last week.
  Though the AP confirms that gunfire erupted in Khorrmashahr, it reports multiple injuries and no fatalities as *"online videos appear to show Iranian security forces shooting at protesters."*
  However Saudi-owned _Al Arabiya_ reported *four deaths among protesters on Saturday*, and BBC Persian cited at least one death based on an eyewitness account. The _Times of Israel_ echoed regional Arabic press and cited four deaths during the protests.
 #Breaking: Several people were killed and wounded in protest against the Islamic Republic of Iran in #Khorramshahr. The protests are still ongoing. People slogan: "Down with Islamic Reupblic"#Iranprotests pic.twitter.com/yKkeyjqH8x
 — Mehdi Mirghaderi  (@mobarez_nastooh) June 30, 2018Meanwhile the AP emphasizes that *police were primarily on the receiving end of the violence* while citing Iranian media:
 _Gunfire erupted as Iranian security forces confronted protesters  early Sunday amid demonstrations over water scarcity in the country's  south,_ *violence that authorities said wounded at least 11 people, mostly police.*While difficult to verify the exact nature of what's being shown,  multiple social media videos from the clashes purport to show shots  fired by police into crowds of demonstrators, and elsewhere armed men  opposing police, *including a scene of a man wielding an assault rifle on a motorcycle.*
 Khoramshar water shortage protest turned violent tonight.

What we know:
-At least 2 protesters shot, possibly by getting close to military zones
-Mobs set 2 museums on fire (reports)
-1 hour of calm
- No base takeovers(anti-regime journos have claimed)
- Armed bike is suspicious pic.twitter.com/lwWr9lHcY3
 — Sayed Mousavi  (@SayedMousavi7) June 30, 2018The dramatic footage of overnight events in Khorramshahr has pro- and  anti-regime activists debating who is to blame for the violence;  however, it's clear from video footage being circulated by both sides  that *some among the demonstrators were armed* _—_ though it should be noted that some activists claim the armed group in the motorbike screen are actually plain clothed security forces.
  Regardless, the video confirms shots fired by both sides, and that at least some among the opposition were armed. 


The weekend protests in Khorramshahr in particular, which lies about 400 miles southwest of Tehran, came after residents *complained of salty, muddy water issuing from their taps during a years long drought.*
  According to a recent report by a recent report by the United  Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization, the last decade of drought  in Iran has reached crisis levels: "Although Iran has a history of drought, over the last decade, *Iran has experienced its most prolonged, extensive and severe drought in over 30 years,"* the report reads. 
  Elsewhere in the country hundreds of deaths have recently been reported based on *water poisoning during sporadic outages and shortages* —  a situation which could get worse due to heightened US sanctions as in  some instances the government has failed to properly chlorinate and  purify city water supplies.  
  Meanwhile, events appear to be unfolding in similar fashion to the  early phase of protests that gripped mostly provincial cities and towns  across Iran in January. While the last week of protests appear isolated  and primarily driven by local and regional factors, and fundamentally by  the tanking economy, protest videos increasingly show people chanting *"death to Khamenei"* in reference to Iran's Supreme Leader. 
  And notably, the last week has witnessed *mass power and internet outages across the country*, as _Newsweek_ reports:  "Power outages have hit Tehran this week as protests rocked the Iranian  capital due to economic woes, which have seen the country’s currency  fall rapidly in recent months".

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...hange-end-near

----------


## AngryCanadian

> Protests in the southern Iran city of Khorramshahr turned into an armed confrontation with security forces early Sunday, resulting in injuries among protesters and police, with conflicting reports that one or more demonstrators may have died.


MEK terrorists supporters are trying desperately to push for a regime change in Iran, dispute the fact their Syrian proxy war failed.

----------


## goldenequity

> MEK terrorists supporters are trying desperately to push for a regime change in Iran, dispute the fact their Syrian proxy war failed.


*All you need to know about MEK terrorists*

----------


## Swordsmyth

Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran's parliament, announced that the body  has summoned President Hassan Rouhani to answer questions about how the  government has handled the country's economy, the state-backed Mehr News  Agency reported Aug. 1.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...stions-economy

----------


## Swordsmyth

The _AP_ reports on a new round of protests now spreading to  multiple cities in Iran after the dramatic drop in the rial early this  week, based on emerging social media footage:   The videos were being circulated on Thursday. They show dozens of  demonstrators said to be on the streets in the town of Gohardasht, west  of Tehran. *The protesters are seen setting fire to police vehicles and shouting “death to the dictator.”* Police respond with tear gas.Iran's state-run media briefly acknowledged the pockets of unrest in  scant reports noting the protests were "without official permission" and  isolated, but a series of social media videos emerged Wednesday and  early Thursday which appear to show *protests and clashes with police gaining steam across multiple cities*. 


Previously in July protesters clashed with police in short-lived  demonstrations outside of parliament in Tehran as merchants of the Grand  Bazaar shuttered their stores while economic woes amidst looming  sanctions renewal and runaway inflation meant they lost money by merely  staying open.
  Those prior protests lasted only three days and included a swift  crackdown by authorities; however this week's protest will likely  continue to grow through the weekend. 
 #Protests continuing for a third day in #Iran against rising prices, the collapsing currency. Videos suggest the demonstrations are spreading to more cities, including #Mashhad and #Shiraz. They are chanting: "The #US is not the enemy, our enemy is right here"... pic.twitter.com/UMWXpiNw4n
 — Rana Rahimpour (@ranarahimpour) August 2, 2018Demonstrations involving crowds of hundreds were reported on  Wednesday and Thursday in a handful of locations, including in the  northern city of Rasht, as well as the city of Karaj, adjacent to Iran's  capital.
 #BREAKING: Anti-#Iran's Islamic Regime protest now in #Tehran.  Protesters chant: "Akhoond (Shiite clerics) must go". Protesters have  set trash bins on fire in order to neutralize effect of tear gas. #IranProtests #IranRegimeChange #RezaPahlavi pic.twitter.com/r0Pkr6ITP4
 — Babak Taghvaee (@BabakTaghvaee) August 2, 2018Both cities witnessed fierce clashes with police deploying riot  control measures, according to unverified social media accounts. 
 Street clashes in Isfahan, #Iran.
Anti-regime protesters occupy the street and fight the riot police with rock#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/XVCLARc3NK
 — آسپیران دودکار (@ssimamm) August 2, 2018Activist accounts have also claimed government messages were sent to cell phones in the country *accusing the United States and Saudi Arabia of stoking domestic turmoil*. 
 #BREAKING: Minutes ago, the regime's Ministry of Telecommunication just randomly sent this SMS for millions of #Iran|ians in which says: "the call for protests on Thursday is a plot of #US & #SaudiArabia".
The Islamic Regime is scared of the nationwide #IranProtests tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/OQMmHMxGPc
 — Babak Taghvaee (@BabakTaghvaee) August 1, 2018The US government-funded news source _VOA_ has featured this week's social media protest footage out of Iran and noted anti-regime slogans, including chants of "The silence of any Iranian [in response to Iran’s current problems] is a betrayal against the country.”
 #IranUpdate,
What how young protesters in Esfahan are fighting back and try to hold their ground. Clashes are on going. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/fgOFTVfFR1
 — Raman Ghavami (@Raman_Ghavami) August 2, 2018 ♦️ ویدئو کوتاه |
فیلمی جدید از #تظاهرات مردم در منطقه #شاپورجدید #اصفهان؛ ماموران خطاب به مردم: جلوتر نیایید#ایران pic.twitter.com/KGWm2tf8bU
 — VOA Farsi (@VOAIran) August 1, 2018Iran's currency is now nearing collapse  ahead of sanctions. Days ago an elite top military commander urged  President Hassan Rouhani to take "revolutionary actions" to prop up the falling rial.  
  Protesters appear to be responding primarily to *a sharp hike in prices on imported products after the dollar's surge to record highs against the rial* in black market trading. The unofficial rate of the Iranian rial plummeted to a record low at estimatesof between 112,000 and 120,000 rials against the dollar on concerns over the imminent return of full US sanctions.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...lummeting-rial

----------


## Swordsmyth

Iran plans to implement a new financial rescue package on Monday to  try and halt the rial’s decline, coinciding with the re-imposition of  severe U.S. sanctions on the oil-rich state’s economy after President  Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal. 
The  decision follows a week of sporadic protests against Iran’s political  and religious establishment as concerns over the economy mount. On  Friday, one person was shot dead and 20 others arrested in the city of  Karaj, west of Tehran, the semi-official Fars news reported. About 500  protesters in Eshtehard, a town west of the capital Tehran, used stones  and bricks to smash the windows of a seminary and tried to set fire to  its building, Fars news reported, citing local cleric Hojjatoleslam  Hendiani.
Fars reported that a number of the protesters had been arrested by police who then went house-to-house trying to identify them.
                  Video posted to social media this week purported to show protests  in various Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran. None of the  footage can be independently verified but appeared to show people  chanting against the government.
Iran  is struggling to quell anger over rising prices while seeking to assure  the public that it can successfully counter the economic crisis  triggered by Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear accord.  At the same time, its fighting to stem the rial’s decline, which has slumped to record lows against the U.S. dollar since the start of the year amid protests.
*Currency Steps*Iran’s judiciary, legislature and government on Saturday approved plans by the Central Bank of Iran  to strictly limit access to official, fixed currency rates to essential  imports, the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency reported. Also  approved were measures to tighten the process of allocating foreign  currency to businesses and crack down on corrupt practices and currency  manipulation, it said.

More at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-u-s-sanctions

----------


## goldenequity

*Iranian bank to fund imports of essentials from Russia
https://theiranproject.com/blog/2018...s-from-russia/*



Press TV – As Iran is preparing for the first wave of returning US sanctions that could largely hamper its foreign trade, 
the country’s banks appear to have already created a mechanism for imports of essential goods from Russia.

Bank Saderat Iran (BSI) announced in a statement on Sunday that it had sealed a deal with the Moscow offshoot of Bank Melli Iran (BMI) 
over a re-financing scheme that envisaged providing €10 million to fund imports of essential commodities, medicines, medical equipment 
and the raw materials for industrial units.

The rate of the funds that BMI’s Mir Business Bank would provide the BSI would be 2.5 percent with two return periods of six months and a year.

The deal between the two banks would cover imports only from Russia or the Commonwealth of Independent States, 
Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.

BSI’s statement further added that the imports subject to the deal with the BMI needed to be approved by the relevant ministry in Tehran.

On August 6, the administration of US President Donald Trump would re-impose a series of economic sanctions 
that had been lifted after the country signed deal with the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in 2015.

The deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) –
 envisaged the removal of certain economic sanctions against in return for certain restrictions in Iran’s nuclear energy program.  
However, US President Donald Trump announced in May that he would pull America out of the JCPOA. 
He also said he would re-impose the sanctions that the deal had lifted.

This provoked the disagreement of other signatories to the JCPOA with certain other countries including India and Turkey 
announcing that they would not implement the US sanctions against Iran.

The first wave of sanctions – to strike on Monday – would include a universal ban on Iran’s access to the US dollar 
as well as prohibitions against the country’s trade in gold and other precious metals among other restrictions.

The second wave of sanctions that would hit in early November would be meant to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero, as US officials have already acknowledged.


=========


China Xinhua News
*Russia starts imposing additional import tariffs of 25-40 pct for various U.S. goods, according to Russian government 
http://xhne.ws/SV6jg*

----------


## goldenequity

China Xinhua News
*BREAKING: U.S. 1st batch of reimposed sanctions on Iran to come into full effect on Aug. 7: senior official*
(tomorrow)

►*Breaking: EU to block anti-Iran sanctions imposed by US
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...imposed-by-us/*

►*BREAKING: EU blocks US anti-Iran sanctions as from August 7 to defend business - EC 
https://sptnkne.ws/jnpf*

zerohedge
►*Trump Warns Allies "Risk Severe Consequences" If They Violate Iran Sanctions
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...iran-sanctions*

►*Iran says Trump, regional allies isolated over Tehran policy: TV 
https://reut.rs/2OjsdzB*

----------


## goldenequity

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...62818773757955

----------


## goldenequity

*Iranian Oil Exports To China Hit 874,000 Bpd In August
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...In-August.html*

these will start declining now, with the August number representing the peak.

Loading data for delivery this month suggests that China imports of Iranian crude will average *581,000 bpd in September*.

Despite this expected decline, China has said it will continue to do business as usual with Iran, including in oil, despite a promise that Beijing officials made to a U.S. delegation last month that Chinese refiners will not increase their intake of Iranian crude further. In light of the escalating trade war between China and the United States, it’s anyone’s guess how willing the Chinese will be to keep this particular promise.

As for how Chinese refiners would continue buying crude from Iran without attracting sanctions from the Department of Treasury, one way would be by using tankers owned and insured by the National Iranian Oil Company. Another, less public way would be to accept illegal shipments that Iran has suggested it could resort to under sanctions

*Sinopec* is the biggest Chinese buyer of Iranian crude, utilizing two-thirds of the total.
*PetroChina* is another big buyer, taking in about one-tenth of total Chinese imports from Iran
third-largest buyer of Iranian crude in China is a trader, *Zhuhai Zhenrong*, which then sells it on to local refineries.

----------


## goldenequity

----------
*Iran receiving an S-300 system from Russia/2017*

----------


## goldenequity



----------


## homahr

According to CNN, Iran's missiles landed within 3 miles of US troops.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/01/middl...les/index.html

Wrong approach by Iran. All they need to do is kill 3000 American civilians using airliners and Trump will grovel and bend over for them like he does with the Saudis.

----------


## homahr

*IAEA dismisses Israel's call to inspect Iran facility*Trump and Netanyahu couldn't convince IAEA which is a pushover organization. Epic failure.

----------


## Swordsmyth

French authorities on Tuesday froze the  assets of the internal security section of Iran's Intelligence Ministry  as well as those of two Iranians, and all but pointed a finger at Tehran  as the force behind an alleged plot to bomb an Iranian exile group's  rally near Paris.Police also raided  the headquarters of a Muslim religious association in northern France,  seizing weapons and detaining three people. The building houses a Shiite  federation, an anti-Zionist party and other groups. The assets of the  groups and their leaders were frozen as well.
A  joint statement by France's interior, economy and foreign ministers  made clear the six-month freeze on the Intelligence Ministry's internal  security section was linked to the alleged attempt to bomb the June 30  rally outside Paris of the People's Mujahedeen of Iran, or MEK.
"An  attempted attack was thwarted," the statement said. "This act of an  extreme gravity envisioned on our territory could not go without a  response."


The ministers  called the action "preventative, targeted and proportionate." The  statement did not explain what funds might be in France.
In  the second move, authorities froze the assets of Centre Zahra France, a  Muslim association in the town of Grande-Synthe, outside Dunkirk, as  well as those of three organizations and four men linked to the groups.
The three groups are under Zahra France's wing and include the Shiite Federation of France and the Anti-Zionist Party.
One  of Zahra France's leaders, Yahia Gouasmi, is president of the  Anti-Zionist Party, In 2010, he met with the leader of the  Iranian-backed Hezbollah at its base in Lebanon.
The year before, he met in Tehran with then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who predicted Israel's demise.

More at: https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/201...ance-iran.html

----------


## homahr

> French authorities on Tuesday froze the  assets of the internal security section of Iran's Intelligence Ministry  as well as those of two Iranians, and all but pointed a finger at Tehran  as the force behind an alleged plot to bomb an Iranian exile group's  rally near Paris.Police also raided  the headquarters of a Muslim religious association in northern France,  seizing weapons and detaining three people. The building houses a Shiite  federation, an anti-Zionist party and other groups. The assets of the  groups and their leaders were frozen as well.
> A  joint statement by France's interior, economy and foreign ministers  made clear the six-month freeze on the Intelligence Ministry's internal  security section was linked to the alleged attempt to bomb the June 30  rally outside Paris of the People's Mujahedeen of Iran, or MEK.
> "An  attempted attack was thwarted," the statement said. "This act of an  extreme gravity envisioned on our territory could not go without a  response."
> 
> 
> The ministers  called the action "preventative, targeted and proportionate." The  statement did not explain what funds might be in France.
> In  the second move, authorities froze the assets of Centre Zahra France, a  Muslim association in the town of Grande-Synthe, outside Dunkirk, as  well as those of three organizations and four men linked to the groups.
> The three groups are under Zahra France's wing and include the Shiite Federation of France and the Anti-Zionist Party.
> One  of Zahra France's leaders, Yahia Gouasmi, is president of the  Anti-Zionist Party, In 2010, he met with the leader of the  Iranian-backed Hezbollah at its base in Lebanon.
> ...


Raiding Shia mosques, but letting Wahabi/Salafis roam free to propagate their jihadist hate. Seems like SOP for France.

----------


## goldenequity

*BREAKING International Court of Justice approves Iran's plea to suspend US sanctions*

(means countries can legally trade with Iran and point to UN backing and gain 'standing' (in Europe)
for when the lawsuits and damage awards start flying against banking/financial sector..
going to be the legal equivalent of a food fight.)

*UN court orders Washington to lift Iran sanctions linked to humanitarian goods, civil aviation
https://www.rt.com/news/440187-un-or...ran-sanctions/*


*The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered the US to lift sanctions on Iran which are linked to civil aviation and humanitarian goods.* 

*CONCLUSIONS OF THE COURT*

The measures: 
endanger civil aviation safety in Iran and the lives of its users, 
prevent Iranian airlines “from acquiring spare parts” and equipment, 
prevent access to “maintenance, repair services and safety-related inspections” which are necessary for civil aircraft, the statement says. 

also

restrictions on the importation and purchase of goods “for humanitarian needs,” such as:
foodstuffs and life-saving medicines, 
treatments and medical equipment for chronic disease or preventive care.


*RULE OF LAW* 

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif called the court’s ruling “another failure for [the] sanctions-addicted” US and a “victory for the rule of law.”

----------


## goldenequity

*Iranian FM Zarif to Saudi Arabia: Trump ‘humiliates’ you, but we extend our hand
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...tend-our-hand/*



========

----------


## goldenequity

> With most major importers of Iranian crude, including India and even  China, already falling into compliance with U.S sanctions, the Iranian  government will have to move quickly to not only make up the shortfall  in oil revenue needed for state coffers but to also appease already  festering public angst over the fall of the country’s currency (the  rial), high inflation, unemployment and ongoing economic problems in the  Islamic Republic.


*Trump says oil supply elsewhere sufficient to allow cut in Iran purchases
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-i...-idUSKCN1N5329*

----------


## Swordsmyth

As the start date of the U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil draws near, key  Asian buyers of Iranian oil dramatically cut their purchases from Iran  in September to the lowest level since the previous sanctions on Tehran  were lifted in January 2016, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing ship-tracking and government data.
Total  imports from Iran by the four major Asian importers—China, India, South  Korea, and Japan—plunged by 40.9 percent year on year in September  2018, to a total of 1.13 million bpd.
India increased its  purchases of Iranian oil compared to September last year, but China and  Japan significantly reduced their imports from Iran, while South Korea  stopped Iranian oil imports altogether—for the first time since  September 2012.
China—Iran’s  single largest oil customer—saw its imports drop by 41.6 percent in  September compared to the same month last year, to 458,184 bpd from  784,060 bpd, according to Refinitiv Eikon oil flow data.
India,  the second biggest Iranian oil buyer in the world, imported 527,600 bpd  on average in September, up by 27 percent on the year.
Japan cut  its oil imports from Iran by 31 percent annually to 148,775 bpd in  September, Reuters said, citing Japanese trade ministry data.
According to oil trade flow data, Japan loaded its last Iranian oil cargo in the middle of September. 

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...Month-Low.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Washington has granted India a waiver from the sanctions against Iran that snap back this Monday, the Economic Times reports, noting the waiver was secured after India agreed to reduce its Iranian oil imports by a third during financial 2018/19.
“India  and the US have broadly agreed on a waiver. India will cut import by  about 35% from last year (2017-18), which is a significant cut,” the  Indian daily cited an unnamed source as saying.
Last financial  year, India imported some 22 million tons of Iranian crude and had plans  to increase this to 30 million tons in the next financial year.  Instead, it will have to cut them to between 14 and 15 million tons, the  source told the Economic Times.
Indian refiners began cutting their imports of Iranian oil imports a couple of months ago in preparation for the waiver.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...r-From-US.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

After months of negotiations and just days before U.S. sanctions imposed on importers of Iranian oil  kick in, the United States has apparently agreed to give waivers to two  of Iran's biggest oil customers, sparing them from the penalties.  Bloomberg News reported Nov. 1 that India and South Korea, the largest  importers of Iran's oil behind China, have arranged deals for the  exemptions, while noting that the details of those broad agreements may  not be completed until after sanctions start on Nov. 5.
Japan and  Turkey have also been trying to secure waivers, but no announcement on  the status of those negotiations has been made. In a sign that further  waivers could be coming, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton  acknowledged that while the United States would like to choke off all  Iranian oil exports, some countries were finding it difficult to find  alternative suppliers, and Washington would like to spare U.S. allies  the economic damage of sanctions.





According  to details leaked from waivers talks, India has agreed to reduce  Iranian oil imports by about 40 percent below planned levels to about  1.25 million metric tons per month, or about 290,000 barrels per day. In  its plan for the 2018-19 fiscal year, set before the United States  announced its JCPOA withdrawal, India was to import 25 million metric  tons of Iranian oil, or about 490,000 bpd. During the summer, however,  Iranian oil sales to India averaged much higher, topping out at a record  768,000 bpd during July.
No details have been released on the  waiver agreement reportedly made by South Korea, Iran's third-largest  oil customer before Trump announced its JCPOA pullout in May. Through  April, South Korea had imported an average of 300,000 bpd of Iranian  oil, but in the months since Trump's decision, it tapered those  purchases in anticipation of the sanctions. To gain the waiver, it  likely agreed to a larger cut of imports from previous levels.




While the United States may be on the verge of issuing a few waivers,  it will keep up its pressure on the oil customers that receive them.  The waivers, which typically must be renewed every six months, will only  be granted to countries that continue to meet U.S. expectations by  buying less and less Iranian oil.
Moreover, while the waivers will  allow continued imports of Iranian oil, they will not make it easier  for customers to pay for it. Another set of U.S. sanctions targets the  international payment system that allows customers to process  transactions with Iran and will make it more difficult to arrange  transportation and insurance for oil shipments. New Delhi has assured  the United States that the barter arrangement that it has been trying to  set up will include safeguards to prevent Indian purchases of Iranian  oil from funding terrorism. That system would keep Iranian oil "revenue"  in special overseas accounts that will prevent Iran from exchanging it  for anything but Indian exports.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/artic...l-sanctions-us

----------


## goldenequity

*India* and *south Korea* allowed to buy Iranian oil.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/01/trum...s-reports.html
Russian Market
*Azerbaijan* gets U.S. waiver to continue pumping Iranian oil.
Russian Market
U.S. AGREES TO LET *CHINA* KEEP BUYING IRANIAN OIL AFTER IT REIMPOSES SANCTIONS
Russian Market
*Japan* gets US waiver to continue to buy Iranian oil


obvious no one was going to stop comply; so gave waivers to maintain image of still running the show... 
EU & Globe won't forget 'who' the 'enemy' is though and will prepare a 'future' defense/de-dollarize-bilateral agmnts.
US gained nothing and lost loyalties... 'allies' now wary.
good.


late break..
Lee Saks
IRAQ OFFICIALS SAY THE UNITED STATES IS TO GRANT *BAGHDAD* WAIVER OVER SOME IRAN SANCTIONS

BREAKING: US wants to cut Iran from global banking network *Swift*: Treasury


*Russia vows to help Iran counter US oil sanctions
https://www.ft.com/content/d6f59f52-...4-38d397e6661c*

Conflict News
*BREAKING: France, Germany, UK, EU condemn new US Iran sanctions - @AFP*

* United States will allow eight countries to continue importing Iranian oil but only at much lower levels - Pompeo
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/us-exempt-...151559699.html*



> The US Treasury will also demand the SWIFT global financial network stop servicing Iran's banking industry as part of enforcing sanctions over the country's nuclear program and alleged support for terrorism.
> 
> Another 700 companies, individuals, businesses, aircraft and ships will be added to the US sanctions list, widely expanding the people and entities Washington seeks to block from accessing global business and financial networks.
> 
> The reimposition of sanctions "is aimed at depriving the regime of the revenues it uses to spread death and destruction around the world," Pompeo said.
> 
> "Our ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well documented outlaw activities and behave as a normal country."

----------


## goldenequity

what Trump tweeted today:



What posted on Soleimani's Instagram account later today:



Well done...

----------


## Swordsmyth

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin threatened the global financial  messaging service SWIFT on Friday that it could be penalized if it  doesn’t cut off financial services to entities and individuals doing  business with Iran. The warning came just days ahead of the US  re-imposition of all US sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the  2015 nuclear deal, which will take effect at midnight tonight and cover  Iran's shipping, financial and energy sectors.
  Speaking to reporters, Mnuchin was quoted by Reuters as saying that  "SWIFT is no different than any other entity," adding "We have advised  SWIFT that it must disconnect any Iranian financial institutions that we  designate as soon as technologically feasible to avoid sanctions  exposure."

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...-iran-isnt-cut

----------


## Swordsmyth

Just ahead of U.S. sanctions on Iran set to snap back on Monday  targeting primarily the energy, shipbuilding, shipping, and banking  sectors, Iran's most prominent conservative cleric has announced that *if oil exports are halted, Saudi tankers will be confiscated and Gulf countries attacked*.
  Powerful Shia cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda is the Friday Prayer  leader in Mashhad, considered Iran's spiritual capital and among the  holiest places in Shia Islam, and sits on the government's "Assembly of  Experts" but has no formal government role or decision-making ability.  However, he's a powerful leader and chief spiritual force behind Iran's  conservative faction who has long been at odds with President Hassan  Rouhani. 
  Iranian opposition sources report that Alamolhoda told his followers during his Friday prayer sermon:
 If we reach a point that our oil is not exported, the Strait of Hormuz will be mined. *Saudi oil tankers will be seized and regional countries will be leveled with Iranian missiles*.

The cleric is further reported to have declared that Iran has the power to *"instantly" create conditions for $400 a barrel oil* prices if it decides to act in the Persian Gulf. 
  He said as reported in regional opposition media: 
 *If Iran decides, a single drop of this region's oil will not  be exported and in 90 minutes all Persian Gulf countries will be  destroyed.* The UAE and Saudi Arabia will be destroyed in 60  minutes. After 90 minutes the U.S. will have nothing in this country.  And we haven't even started with Israel. Beware of the day we go after  Israel, too. That's why they want us to round up our missiles.Though the hardline cleric's rhetoric is often of this fiery tone and  threat-laden in nature, it articulates the position of conservative  critics who've long pointed out that President Rouhani's risk of  entering a deal with the West (the 2015 JCPOA) has utterly failed. 
  Meanwhile, with less than 24 hours to go before the next and fiercest round of sanctions come back into force, *thousands of demonstrators appeared on the streets of Iran holding anti-American banners and chanting "down with the US"*. Iranian media reported that similar demonstrations were held in multiple cities across the country.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...missiles-ahead

----------


## pcosmar

> *If Iran decides, a single drop of this region's oil will not be exported and in 90 minutes all Persian Gulf countries will be destroyed.*


This is not an empty threat..
And Iran has shown great restraint,, (by my observation) in the face of multiple provocations..

They very literally have the capability.

----------


## Ender

> This is not an empty threat..
> And Iran has shown great restraint,, (by my observation) in the face of multiple provocations..
> 
> They very literally have the capability.


The very reason the US has held Iran captive is for their resources. This needs to STOP.

----------


## shakey1

Risky business.

----------


## devil21

> Washington has granted India a waiver from the sanctions against Iran that snap back this Monday, the Economic Times reports, noting the waiver was secured after India agreed to reduce its Iranian oil imports by a third during financial 2018/19.
> “India  and the US have broadly agreed on a waiver. India will cut import by  about 35% from last year (2017-18), which is a significant cut,” the  Indian daily cited an unnamed source as saying.
> Last financial  year, India imported some 22 million tons of Iranian crude and had plans  to increase this to 30 million tons in the next financial year.  Instead, it will have to cut them to between 14 and 15 million tons, the  source told the Economic Times.
> Indian refiners began cutting their imports of Iranian oil imports a couple of months ago in preparation for the waiver.
> 
> More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...r-From-US.html


LOL@waivers.  That's called perception management.  Those "waiver" countries are going to continue to buy oil from Iran regardless of what the US govt says.  So, publish that they were granted waivers so as to make it appear that the US govt is still in control.  De-dollarization spin.  Pretty much everything coming out of DC is purposely designed to isolate the dollar thus facilitating the global dropping the dollar as sole oil reserve currency.  The mockingbird media sells the .gov spin to the sheep.  I'm pretty well convinced that oilprice.com is completely controlled to help sell the .gov/media spin.

----------


## Swordsmyth

The United States has decided to issue temporary allotments to China,  India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey to  continue importing Iranian oil, due to the specific countries’  circumstances and to ensure a well-supplied oil market, U.S. Secretary  of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday, the day on which U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil return.
Late last week, U.S. government officials signaled that the United States had granted waivers to eight countries  to continue temporary buying Iranian oil, on the condition that they  had significantly reduced purchases from Iran. At that time, the waivers  were not official, and the eight countries were unidentified.
Monday’s  announcement specified which countries are getting those waivers, and  they include Iran’s top oil customers China and India.
More  than 20 importing nations have cut their imports of crude oil already,  taking more than 1 million bpd off the market, Secretary Pompeo said at a  press conference.
“The regime to date, since May, has lost over $2.5 billion in oil revenue,” he added.
Referring  to the eight countries to which the U.S. is granting waivers, Secretary  Pompeo said that “each of those countries has already demonstrated  significant reductions of the purchase of Iranian crude over the past  six months and indeed two of those eight have already completely ended  imports of Iranian crude and will not resume as long as the sanctions  regime remains in place.”
“We continue negotiations to get all the nations to zero,” Secretary Pompeo noted.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...Irans-Oil.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

The US on Monday (Nov 5) is reimposing disciplinary measures  targeting Iran's oil, shipping, insurance, and banking sectors in what  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called "the toughest sanctions ever  placed" against Iran. In response, Tehran has reportedly turned off all  oil tanker tracking systems as the sanctions take effect today.
  Analysts at TankerTrackers.com,  a watchdog that monitors production, refinement, shipping, and trading  of crude oil on a global scale, revealed in late October all Iranian  tanker vessels turned off their transponders to avoid international  tracking for the first time since 2016.
 *“It’s the first time I’ve seen a blanket black-out. It’s very unique,”* TankerTrackers co-founder Samir Madani told Sputnik News.Madani said with the transponders turned off, the vessels can only be  monitored using private satellite imagery. He believes that such a  shift to lesser transparency is a ploy by Iran’s leadership to keep the  international supply chains open amid US sanctions.
 “Iran has around 30 vessels in the Gulf area, so the past 10 days  have been very tricky, but it hasn’t slowed us down. We are keeping  watch visually,” said co-founder Lisa Ward.The analysts suggested that going dark could pose significant  problems in pinpointing the date when a tanker loaded its crude cargo.
  Between 2010 and 2015, when Iran was slapped with international  sanctions, its oil industry discovered that it could keep crude on  tankers off the Gulf coast to avoid supply chain disruptions.

  According to TankerTrackers.com's research, there are currently six  tankers with a total capacity of 11 million barrels moored offshore as  floating storage, which allows Iran to continue deliveries.

  Iran is the third-largest oil producer in OPEC, and the country’s  First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri revealed in late October that  Tehran had been exporting 2.5 million barrels per day over the past few  months, said Sputnik.




More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...anctions-start

----------


## goldenequity

Iran Sanctions Back On! Is War On The Way? - today in a special Liberty Report filmed before a live audience

----------


## goldenequity

Al-Masdar News‏
*Egyptian President vows to defend allies in Persian Gulf against Iran
https://aml.ink/j1o4d*

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Al-Masdar News‏
> *Egyptian President vows to defend allies in Persian Gulf against Iran
> https://aml.ink/j1o4d*


*Egypt Goes on an Arms Spending Spree*

----------


## goldenequity



----------


## Swordsmyth

South Korea will resume Iranian crude oil imports at a rate of about 4 million barrels a month, S&P Global Platts  reports, citing three unnamed South Korean sources. At the same time,  the sources added, the country will continue to look for alternative  sources of the commodity.

Earlier today, Japan’s minister of trade said Japanese refiners were  also about to restart imports of Iranian crude now that the waivers were  granted although he declined to mention any volumes.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...Per-Month.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

The United States government is preparing more sanctions against Iran,  national security adviser John Bolton told Fox Business News, commenting  on what the current sanctions have already helped Washington  accomplish, and what the ultimate goal is.

“We’re going to have sanctions that even go beyond this. We’re not  simply going to be content with the level of sanctions that existed  under Obama in 2015 — more are coming,” Bolton told Fox Business News’  Maria Bartiromo, without, however, going into any detail as to the  nature of the additional sanctions.“This is going to cut into  Iran’s ability to continue their nuclear program, to finance terrorism  and to engage in military activity around the Middle East and I think  we’re already seeing that,” the national security adviser said.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-G...inst-Iran.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

The  SWIFT banking network, the backbone for international monetary  transfers, said Monday it has suspended several Iranian banks from its  service, after the United States reimposed nuclear sanctions on Tehran."In  keeping with our mission of supporting the resilience and integrity of  the global financial system as a global and neutral service provider,  SWIFT is suspending certain Iranian banks' access to the messaging  system," it said.
"This  step, while regrettable, has been taken in the interest of the  stability and integrity of the wider global financial system."

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-sancti...152155927.html

----------


## goldenequity

> The  SWIFT banking network, the backbone for international monetary  transfers, said Monday it has suspended several Iranian banks from its  service, after the United States reimposed nuclear sanctions on Tehran."In  keeping with our mission of supporting the resilience and integrity of  the global financial system as a global and neutral service provider,  SWIFT is suspending certain Iranian banks' access to the messaging  system," it said.
> "This  step, while regrettable, has been taken in the interest of the  stability and integrity of the wider global financial system."
> 
> More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-sancti...152155927.html


bootlickers

----------


## Swordsmyth

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department has announced that the  United States will waive sanctions on certain parts of the Chabahar port  in Iran, along with the accompanying Chabahar-Afghanistan railway  project and Iranian petroleum exports to Afghanistan, Agence  France-Press reported Nov. 7.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...-chabahar-port

----------


## goldenequity

Matt Lee
@APDiploWriter
*"US warns nations not to allow Iran oil tankers into waters, ports"*
https://apnews.com/311ca16d33da47f682fc8b379a7cbac2

US now 'commands and orders' Sovereign nations who they can transact with and now dictates access and THREATENS their coastal ports????
wtf????

----------


## goldenequity

https://twitter.com/Russ_Warrior/sta...40959493185536
https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-...ban-1541609785

----------


## goldenequity

zerohedge  @zerohedge
*TRUMP WON'T ATTEND PARIS `PEACE FORUM' NOV. 11, AFP SAYS


*America threatens Iranian oil tankers.

State Dept's Brian Hook: 
US sanctions will force Iran to use domestic insurers for its tankers, but they can't cover losses. 
"We sincerely hope there'll be no accidents, but accidents are a very real possibility"*

thug empire. unbelievable.

----------


## Firestarter

Nuclear energy? Installing a new Iranian puppet regime? I don't think so! 


If I remember correctly all the links in this post have earlier been posted in this thread by @Swordsmyth...


It must be easy when you control or have advance knowledge of “world events” to make a profit.

We can expect that the Iran sanction will:
1) Increase the oil price.
2) Because oil is paid in dollars this will automatically increase the dollar “price” (conversion rate).
3) Increased inflation.


The sanctions on Iran would especially increase the US dollar compared to the Iran rial. Such an effect could be made even stronger with stories in the media like the following...

Since the country's 1979 “Islamic Revolution” (staged by CIA and British intelligence), one dollar was worth 70 rials.
When Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took power in 2013, 1 dollar bought 36,000 rials. At the end of August, 1 US dollar was worth 107,000 rials, compared to 43,000 rials in January.

Iranian “investors” have reportedly been buying dollars: https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Middle-East/Iranians-Are-Turning-To-US-Dollars-To-Offset-Sanctions.html


By September, the rial plunged further to over 150,000 rials to $1 in the currency exchange shops of Tehran.

Turkey has experienced a surge in Iranian real estate purchases, helped by readily available loans from Turkish banks: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-12/iranian-money-heads-turkeys-troubled-economy-immigrants-buying-turkish-property


The rise in Turkish real estate will probably be stronger because Turkey was granted a waiver…


Events like these, with the aid of our media, create bubbles. The intelligent fools that invest, after reading stories like these, probably don’t know that these bubbles aren’t created to make everybody win.
It’s just a matter of time before they take our hard earned money, by blowing the bubble (for example by changing interest rates or stopping the sanctions).

----------


## goldenequity

*Iran International: UK-based Iranian TV station funded by Prince Mohammed bin Salman
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...o-saudi-arabia*

----------


## goldenequity

Trita Parsi
WOW!
Here Secretary Pompeo reveals the Trump admin' real goal:
To starve the Iranian people and then blame the Iranian government for their deaths.
The pleasure this administration takes in this is deliberate. It's to signal Netanyahu and Saudi that "Trump is on it..."



Russian Market
Market chatter that Russia is next after Iran to get kicked off from SWIFT - Bloomberg reports on German Lobby.

Russian Market
Breaking Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov calls US’ pressure on SWIFT "unacceptable"

----------


## Swordsmyth

Iran  sold 700,000 barrels of crude oil to private companies for export on  Sunday in a second round of sales aimed at countering U.S. sanctions on  the country's exports, oil ministry news website SHANA reported.Three  unnamed companies paid $64.97 per barrel for two crude shipments of  245,000 barrels each and one shipment of 210,000 barrels, which were  traded on Iran's energy bourse, SHANA reported.
Iran  began selling crude oil to private companies for export in late  October, just ahead of U.S. sanctions on sectors including oil which  came into effect on Nov. 5.
Crude  oil trade is state-controlled in Iran. Earlier, private refining  companies could only buy crude oil for exports of oil products.

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/iran-sell...--finance.html

----------


## AZJoe

*Washington Warns All Ports to Block Iranian Ships*

Says Iranian oil tankers mustn't even be allowed in territorial waters ...

The *US State Department has issued a series of [threats] today demanding that all ports in the world avoid even nominal contact with Iranian commercial ships*, warning that even limited contact could lead to US sanctions.

Among the demands were that all ports and maritime insurance companies steer clear of Iranian ships, saying the US would sanction anyone knowingly providing service to them. ...

*the State Department says no country must be able to allow any Iranian oil tankers to even enter their territorial waters, saying this would result in penalties and catastrophic economic damage.*

US officials are trying to force the world to stop buying Iranian oil ...

----------


## AZJoe

*New Iran Sanctions Risk Long-term US Isolation*

The U.S. is going for the jugular with new Iran sanctions intended to punish those who trade with Teheran. But the U.S. may have a fight on its hands …

The next step in the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran … Crucially, they apply not only to Iran but *to anyone who continues to do business with [Iran].* …

*While the U.S. intention is to isolate Iran, it is the U.S. that could wind up being more isolated*. …

The administration is going for the jugular this time. It wants to force Iranian exports of oil and petrochemical products down to as close to zero as possible.  …  *they also exclude Iran from the global interbank system known as SWIFT*. …


Revoking Iran’s SWIFT privileges will effectively cut the nation out of the dollar-denominated global economy. But there are moves afoot, especially by China and Russia, to move away from a dollar-based economy. …

Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Obama administration-backed, nuclear agreement … The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly certified that the deal is working and the other signatories—*Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia have not pulled out and have resumed trading with Iran*. China and Russia have already said they will ignore American threats to sanction it for continuing economic relations with Iran. The key question is what will America’s European allies do?

*Europeans React*
*The European Union is developing a trading mechanism to get around U.S. sanctions*. Known as a Special Purpose Vehicle, it would allow European companies to use a barter system similar to how Western Europe traded with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. …

EU officials have also been lobbying to preserve Iran’s access to global interbank operations by excluding the revocation of SWIFT privileges from Trump’s list of sanctions. …  Some European officials, including Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, propose making the euro a global trading currency to compete with the dollar. …
The big European oil companies, unwilling to risk the threat of U.S. sanctions, have already signaled they intend to ignore the EU’s new trade mechanism. Total SA, the French petroleum company and one of Europe’s biggest, pulled out of its Iran operations several months ago. …

*Whether Europe succeeds in efforts to defy the U.S. on Iran is nearly beside the point from a long-term perspective. Trans-Atlantic damage has already been done*. A rift that began to widen during the Obama administration seems about to get wider still.

*Asia Reacts*
Asian nations are also exhibiting resistance to the impending U.S. sanctions. …China, India, and South Korea are the first, second, and third-largest importers of Iranian crude; Japan is sixth. …

*India is considering purchases of Iranian crude via a barter system or denominating transactions in rupees. China, having already said it would ignore the U.S. threat*, would like nothing better than to expand yuan-denominated oil trading, …

[IMG]file:///C:\Users\CHRIST~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\  01\clip_image002.jpg[/IMG]
Trump: Unwittingly playing with U.S. long-term future.

*Long-term Consequences for the U.S.*
*The de-dollarization of the global economy is gradually gathering momentum*. … with European and Asian reactions to the imminent sanctions against Iran it could come sooner than previously thought.
The coalescing of emerging powers into a non-Western alliance —most significantly China, Russia, India, and Iran—starts to look like another medium-term reality. This is driven by practical rather than ideological considerations, and the U.S. could not do more to encourage this if it tried. When Washington withdrew from the Iran accord, Moscow and Beijing immediately pledged to support Tehran by staying with its terms. If the U.S. meets significant resistance, especially from its allies, it could be a turning-point in post-Word War II U.S. dominance.

*The U.S. may be drastically overplaying its hand and could pay the price with additional international isolation* that has worsened since Trump took office.
Washington has been on a sanctions binge for years. …

----------


## AZJoe

*How US Sanctions on Iran Could Herald a Profound Global Power Shift*

the US will ratchet up its brutal and merciless economic war against Iran, raising sanctions to a new level. . 

The US is not simply intent on waging an economic war, but also wants to build up a military and strategic coalition against Iran.  Mattis is keen on the creation of a what amounts to an Arab NATO  potentially including Benjamin Netanyahus Israel. The primary outside backers would be the US, France and Britain.  But this twin-pronged military-economic strategy is doomed to failure, and will likely end in humiliation for the US.

In the medium term, it will backfire; the US and its allies will lose influence, while Iran will gain confidence and power. In the worst case scenario, it will result in a war whose consequences will be incalculable. 

For starters ... It will not and cannot work, because the US will be unable to isolate Iran in the way it hopes to. 

*China and India, the largest buyers of Iranian oil, will continue to make substantial purchases. Turkey and Russia are likely to do the same*, which is not much of a surprise.

*Epic miscalculation*
Much more remarkable, *France and Germany, as well as Britain, have expressed their intention to continue to do business with Iran* in defiance of US will. They are looking at the creation of a special purpose vehicle that would enable them to continue trading with Iran independently of the US dollar. 

The option is open to Trump to raise the stakes and punish China through sanctions or other means, but even he likely lacks the appetite to open up an economic war on a second front.

The same consideration applies to N*arendra Modis India, which has infuriated the US by continuing to buy Iranian oil*. Does Trump truly want to turn India into an enemy?


All of this means that *the Trump administration has made an epic miscalculation*. Trump thinks that he can take the international community with him as he embarks on his economic war against Iran. He cant   Trump is playing for very high stakes; if he loses, much of the global power of the US will collapse.

*Weakening financial muscle*
This is because *over the last few decades, successive US presidents have used the reserve currency status of the US dollar as a weapon to isolate the countrys enemies and to enforce its will*.  This financial muscle has been a far more potent tool than military might. If Trump fails in his economic war against Iran  and I believe he will  it will signal to the world that the dollar can no longer be used as a foreign policy weapon. 

If Trump fails on Iran, the cry will go round the chanceries of the region that the US is a paper tiger.

We would therefore see the end of US global hegemony and the emergence of rival economic areas, with the power and reach to operate independently of US economic pressure. 

*Increasing isolation*
In this new world, it is by no means obvious that the US would be widely viewed as a force for global stability. This is already obvious in the Middle East, where the US caused chaos with the invasion of Iraq and turned its back on the nuclear deal with Iran.

It is the US ally, Saudi Arabia, that has been accused over many years as being the source of jihadi movements that have created mayhem across the globe. It is primarily Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies backed by the US and Britain  that have brought about the humanitarian calamity in Yemen. And that is before we come to the terrible murder of *Jamal Khashoggi.*

----------


## AZJoe

> Trita Parsi
> WOW!
> Here Secretary Pompeo reveals the Trump admin' real goal:
> To starve the Iranian people and then blame the Iranian government for their deaths.
> The pleasure this administration takes in this is deliberate. It's to signal Netanyahu and Saudi that "Trump is on it..."


*Dr. Ron Paul responds:*

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was refreshingly honest last week when, speaking about newly-imposed US sanctions, he told the BBC that the Iranian leadership “has to make a decision that they want their people to eat.” *It was an honest admission that new US sanctions are designed to starve Iranians unless the Iranian leadership accepts US demands*.

*His statement also reveals the lengths to which the neocons are willing to go to get their “regime change” in Iran*. …  Pompeo is letting us know that a few million dead Iranians is also “worth it” if the government in Tehran can be overthrown. …

How twisted is US foreign policy that Washington considers it “normal” to impose sanctions specifically designed to make life miserable – or worse – for civilians! Is it normal to threaten millions of people with starvation if their leaders refuse to bow down to US demands? Is the neoconservative obsession with regime change “normal” behavior? Is training and arming al-Qaeda in Syria to overthrow Assad “normal” behavior? …

The continued Saudi genocide in Yemen does not bother Washington a bit. In fact, Saudi aggression in Yemen is viewed as just another opportunity to strike out at Iran. … the US government justifies literally handing the Saudis the bombs to drop on Yemeni school busses while claiming it is fighting Iranian-backed terrorism! Is that “normal”?

Millions of Yemenis face starvation after three years of Saudi attacks have destroyed the economy and a Saudi blockade prohibits aid from reaching the suffering victims, but Secretary Pompeo recently blamed Yemeni starvation on, you guessed it: Iran!

And in a shocking display of cynicism, the US government is reportedly considering listing Yemen’s Houthis as a “terrorist” organization for the “crime” of fighting back against Saudi (and US) aggression. …

----------


## goldenequity

===

----------


## RonZeplin

*The US Wants to Bring Back the Shah of Iran

*[*......*]

Trump  says that the Iran Deal is the worst deal in history. What the US wants  is the old deal that it had with Iran from 1953 to 1979. That was the  Greatest Iran Deal in History. The CIA already has their man ready.  They have been grooming him since he was 17 years old. 

He lives not far  from the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. He is Reza Pahlavi, the  Crown Prince of Iran. He is the last heir apparent to his fathers  defunct Peacock Throne. He is waiting in the wings for the job opening  for a new Shah of Iran. 

*

*Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran

----------


## Swordsmyth

> *The US Wants to Bring Back the Shah of Iran
> 
> *[*......*]
> 
> Trump  says that the Iran Deal is the worst deal in history. What the US wants  is the old deal that it had with Iran from 1953 to 1979. That was the  “Greatest Iran Deal in History”. The CIA already has their man ready.  They have been grooming him since he was 17 years old. 
> 
> He lives not far  from the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. He is Reza Pahlavi, the  Crown Prince of Iran. He is the last heir apparent to his father’s  defunct Peacock Throne. He is waiting in the wings for the job opening  for a new Shah of Iran. 
> 
> *
> ...


Does he have a male child?

It isn't a very good idea if he doesn't.

----------


## Swordsmyth

State-controlled China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has  suspended investment in the giant South Pars gas field in Iran,  following pressure from the United States and in an attempt to steer  clear of U.S.-China tensions amid the ongoing trade talks, Reuters reported on Tuesday, quoting three Chinese state oil executives.  
“China  sees the relationship with the U.S. as paramount over anything else. As  a state-owned entity CNPC will stay clear of bringing any unwanted  trouble into this relationship as the U.S. China trade talks are under  way,” an official familiar with CNPC’s global strategy told Reuters.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...-Pressure.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

India’s oil imports  from Iran dropped to a one-year-low in November, plunging by 41 percent  from October due to the U.S. sanctions, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing industry sources and ship-tracking data.

Iran  also dropped to sixth place on India’s largest oil suppliers list, from  fourth in October, losing market share to fellow OPEC members Saudi  Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In  November, the month on which the U.S. sanctions snapped back, India’s  oil imports from Iran averaged 276,000 bpd, a 41-percent plunge from  October, as India had cut back significantly allocations for November  amid uncertainties over who might be getting a U.S. waiver to continue  importing oil from Iran.

India  did get a waiver, alongside seven other Iranian oil customers,  including the single biggest, China. The waivers allow those eight countries  to continue Iranian oil imports at reduced volumes until early May next  year. India’s allowed imports from Iran are about 300,000 bpd.

In  November, Iran was only sixth among India’s top oil suppliers. Iraq and  Saudi Arabia held the first two spots, while the UAE—sixth in  October—moved up to third place, ousting Venezuela to fourth. Nigeria  held onto its fifth position, but Iran moved from fourth in October to  sixth in November, according to industry and ship-tracking data obtained  by Reuters.


More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...-November.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Japanese refiners will start buying Iranian crude oil in January, but  will only continue buying until March to make sure they don’t get on  the bad side of Washington in case the 180-day sanction waivers are not  extended, S&P Global Platts reports, citing the head of the country’s Petroleum Association.
"We aim to lift as much as possible over January-March to keep our hope for the next [period]," Takashi Tsukioka said.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...ext-Month.html

----------


## Swordsmyth



----------


## Swordsmyth

Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft has decided to quit Iran and the  possibility of US$30 billion worth of joint Russian-Iranian investments  in oil and gas projects in the Islamic Republic, Russian business daily  Vedomosti reports, quoting three sources close to Rosneft’s top management.

According to analysts who spoke to Vedomosti, Rosneft’s move to quit  Iran is wise because risks were higher than rewards and Tehran hadn’t  offered attractive terms for international investors anyway.
Rosneft is not the only Russian company said to have quit projects in Iran due to the U.S. sanctions.
Days before the U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil snapped back, sources at Russia’s state-owned oil producer Zarubezhneft told Reuters that the company withdrew from Iran due to the sanctions.

Lukoil, Russia’s second-largest oil producer, said as early as in May that it was putting its plans to develop projects in Iran on hold, due to the U.S. sanctions.  

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...vestments.html

----------


## goldenequity

https://twitter.com/Iran_NewsRoom/st...49472433278976


https://twitter.com/Iran_NewsRoom/st...48911508082689

----------


## Swordsmyth

A  Revolutionary Guards general, who headed a military base in a sensitive  security area in northeastern Iran, died on Sunday after he  accidentally shot himself in the head while cleaning his gun, the  official news agency IRNA reported.The report identified the commander as General Qodratollah Mansouri, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/iran-guards-g...190759239.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Iran’s revenues from crude oil and oil products surged by 55 percent  between March and October, the first seven months of the Iranian year,  compared to the same period of the previous year, the Islamic Republic  News Agency (IRNA) reported on Monday, quoting data from the Central Bank of Iran.  
Between  March and October, Iran’s oil exports revenues were helped by high  volumes of exports early in the period—with Iran’s oil exports at record in April and May, and later on with the high oil prices in the late summer and early fall.
Iranian crude oil and oil product revenues in the first four months of the Iranian year beginning March 21 until July 23 jumped by 60 percent on the year to reach the equivalent of US$9.9 billion, according to Iran’s central bank.
After  July, however, Iran’s oil exports started to drop noticeably as buyers  were unwilling to commit amid uncertainties over whether anyone would be  receiving a U.S. waiver to continue importing oil from Iran.


In early November, U.S. sanctions returned, and with them came  waivers to eight key Iranian oil buyers to continue importing reduced  volumes of Iranian oil until early May 2019.
In October, with lack of certainty over U.S. waivers, crude oil exports from Iran to Asian countries—its biggest clients—sank to average 762,000 bpd, official customs data and shipping data reported by Reuters revealed.  This was the lowest monthly average for Iranian crude oil exports to  Asia in five years and a 56.4-percent decline on an annual basis.
The  U.S. sanctions have effectively removed around 1 million bpd of Iranian  oil from the market, but Iran is still estimated to be exporting more  than 1 million bpd of crude oil.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oi...Sanctions.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

India will use five escrow accounts in Iranian banks to pay for deliveries of Iranian crude oil amid U.S. sanctions, Bloomberg reports, citing sources close to the situation. The accounts are in the name of state Indian lender UCO Bank.
The  payments will be made in Indian rupees in a bid to avoid punitive  action from Washington, the sources also said. Also, the deposits are  spread across five banks to reduce risk in case Washington decides to  add more Iranian banks to its sanction list.
“We already have 15  Iranian bank accounts, out of these five have come under secondary  sanctions,” the managing director of UCO Bank said yesterday. He also  said, however, the other 10 are still good to use for bilateral  transactions.
Iran, according to the Bloomberg sources, will use  the money to cover the expenses of its diplomatic missions in India, and  to buy essential goods.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oi...inst-Iran.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Switzerland is close to launching a U.S.-approved payment mechanism that  will allow Iran to purchase humanitarian goods, specifically food,  medicine and medical devices, the Financial Times reported Dec. 19. It  is unclear when the mechanism will be launched as there are ongoing  discussions between U.S. authorities and firms from Switzerland and  Iran.

Enabling a Swiss-led effort for an Iranian payment mechanism would allow  the United States to oppose the EU-backed special purpose vehicle (SPV)  more forcefully as Washington could argue that the Swiss channel covers  humanitarian trade while the SPV allows for more extensive trade  transactions.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...mechanism-iran

----------


## goldenequity

> Switzerland is close to launching a U.S.-approved payment mechanism that  will allow Iran to purchase humanitarian goods, specifically food,  medicine and medical devices, the Financial Times reported Dec. 19. It  is unclear when the mechanism will be launched as there are ongoing  discussions between U.S. authorities and firms from Switzerland and  Iran.
> 
> Enabling a Swiss-led effort for an Iranian payment mechanism would allow  the United States to oppose the EU-backed special purpose vehicle (SPV)  more forcefully as Washington could argue that the Swiss channel covers  humanitarian trade while the SPV allows for more extensive trade  transactions.
> 
> More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...mechanism-iran


in other words...
"We'll kill all of your diabetics if you try and go around us...
and it'll be YOUR fault."
orange psychopathic thugs.

----------


## Swordsmyth



----------


## Swordsmyth

The United States has granted Iraq a 90-day waiver extension from Iran  sanctions, allowing the country to continue importing much-needed  Iranian natural gas and electricity, Agence France-Presse reported Dec.  20.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...iver-extension

----------


## goldenequity

> The United States has granted Iraq a 90-day waiver extension from Iran  sanctions, allowing the country to continue importing much-needed  Iranian natural gas and electricity, Agence France-Presse reported Dec.  20.
> More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...iver-extension


how magnanimous.

----------


## Swordsmyth

A US aircraft carrier sailed into the Persian Gulf on Friday amid  Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, the only sea passage from  the Gulf to the open ocean and strategic waterway linking Middle East  crude producers to crucial world markets.
  Some 30 Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels *fired rockets in the waters patrolled by a US aircraft carrier strike group led by USS John C. Stennis on Friday*, the AP reported. At one point, one small ship launched what looked like *a “commercial-grade” drone to film the US vessels*, said the AP report, adding that journalists on the Stennis were also filming the Iranian boats.


“The Iranian craft drove in front of our ship and stopped, and tried  to capture their own sort of picture of what was going on”, Capt. Randy  Peck, the commanding officer of the Stennis, was cited by AP as saying.  There were no immediate reports of the Stennis’ arrival in the Persian  Gulf in Iranian media. The US Navy statement also noted that IRGC speedboats fired rockets that *weren't pointed at American vessels*.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...r-persian-gulf

----------


## Swordsmyth

*German Company Says It Won't Sell Rocket Parts To Iran*

----------


## Swordsmyth

Iran is closer to achieving self-sufficiency in gasoline by raising  its national production capacity to more than 100 million liters daily,  Iranian media report.
The  increase will come from a capacity increase at the Persian Gulf Star  refinery on the Persian Gulf, which is fed condensate from the giant  South Pars gas field that Iran shares with Qatar.
The Persian Gulf  Star began operation in 2017, with a production capacity of 12 million  liters of gasoline and diesel daily. Two expansion phases later, the  refinery has a daily capacity of 360,000 barrels daily of condensate and  36 million liters of gasoline per day.
The  facility, billed to be the biggest condensate refinery in the Middle  East, will, according to local media, immunize Iran from the grave  effects of U.S. sanctions as it will enable it to export high-value  products, which are in high demand especially in Asia.
Iran is  also investing in another refinery, Nagapattnam, located in India and  operated by an Indian company. India is a key market for Iran,  especially amid the sanctions, which would explain Tehran’s efforts to  make its Indian buyers happy. The Economic Times reported  earlier today Iran will shoulder a portion of the US$4-billion  investment necessary to boost the facility’s annual processing capacity  to nine million tons of crude. The operator of the Nagapattnam refinery  is Chennai Petroleum.
Speaking of India and its crude oil purchase arrangements with Iran amid U.S. sanctions, Indian media reported  this week the government has exempted all payments for Iranian crude  oil from taxes. The payments would be made in rupees to bank accounts in  an Indian bank and although such transfers are subject to a 40-percent  tax, these will be an exception.
In exchange, according to the  government, the National Iranian Oil Company, which will be the receiver  of the payments, undertakes to not carry out any activity in India  other than receiving the payments for the crude oil imports.


https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...Sanctions.html

----------


## Swordsmyth



----------


## Swordsmyth

Iran’s Parliament Research Center is predicting negative growth for  Iran in the current fiscal year that ends March 20 due to its falling  exports, Radio Farda reported on Friday.
The  economic contraction could be as significant as 5.5 percent negative  growth, the Research Center figures, with the best-case scenario ending  with a 2.6 percent negative growth.
The rosier scenario of the two  assumes that Iran will see a 800,000 barrel per day loss in Iran’s  crude oil exports. The bleaker view assumes Iran’s oil exports will dip  by 1.6 million barrels per day.
Beyond March 2019, when this fiscal year ends, the research center is predicting a 4.5 to 5.5 percent contraction.
Iran’s  oil exports have decreased despite Iran’s insistence that the U.S.  sanctions levied against Iran in November would have no effect on its  oil exports.
But Iran’s oil exports have dropped, including in  November 2018, the first month that the US sanctions were in force.  November saw a several-hundred-thousand-barrel  decline because although eight major importers of Iranian oil secured  sanction waivers, they were not given until the last minute, Unsure if  they would get a waiver or not, they tapered their call for Iranian oil  for fear of violating the sanctions.
While unofficial, Reuters  reported that Iran’s exports to Asia recently fell to 660,000 barrels a  day compared to 1.7 million barrels a day in 2017.




Iran’s total crude oil exports are likely somewhere between 1.3  million and 1.5 million barrels daily, down from roughly 2.7 million  barrels per day pre-sanction.
To mitigate the effects of the US  sanctions on its oil exports, Iran is making a push to become  self-sufficient with gasoline by increase its capacity to 100 million liters daily.

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...s-Crumble.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Iran's powerful Expediency Council approved an anti-money laundering  bill on Jan. 5, Reuters reported, citing the official Iranian state news  agency, IRNA.

The debate over anti-money laundering legislation in Iran has pitted  hard-liners against moderates. The Financial Action Task Force meets in  February, and has given Iran a last chance to approve anti-money  laundering legislation to avoid the reimposition of punitive  countermeasures.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...ng-legislation

----------


## Swordsmyth

Have you heard of "Restart"?

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Have you heard of "Restart"?

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Have you heard of "Restart"?





> 


Notice the Lion in the symbol.

The lion of Judah?
The lion of England?

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Have you heard of "Restart"?





> 





> Notice the Lion in the symbol.
> 
> The lion of Judah?
> The lion of England?


Related?




> A new group in Iraq called White Flag is coming under close scrutiny  by  U.S. intelligence agencies amid concerns the terrorist organization   could become a regional successor to the Islamic State.
> 
>  White Flag is an armed group operating in areas of northwestern and   central Iraq since late last year and appears to be a union of Kurdish   terrorists and former ISIS fighters, according to U.S. defense and   military officials.
>  "It's kind of a hodge-podge of people and a white flag with a lion on   it is their emblem," said a military official familiar with the region.
>  Little is known about the new organization and some reports from the   region say White Flag has adopted the Islamic State jihadist ideology.
>  But so far the group has not conducted suicide bombing attacks, a key   ISIS terror tactic, and the lack of such attacks is raising suspicions   White Flag may be a front group for Iraqi factions vying for power.
>  The military official said intelligence on the group is sketchy but   preliminary indications are it poses a threat to the areas of Iraq where   it has operated. White Flag, however, does not currently have   capabilities for conducting terror attacks outside the country.
>  Estimates of numbers for White Flag members vary widely from as few as 100 terrorists to as many as 1,000.
> 
> ...

----------


## Firestarter

> The lion of Judah?
> The lion of England?


 The official explanation for all of the lions in the coat of arms of Royal families, is the lion of Judah.

I think it's really the lion of Mithras.
The Mithra cult orginates in Persia and was practiced by Aryans (Iranians).



> I thought that the lion in all these coat of arms of the aristocratic families is the Lion of Judah, but it looks like I was fooled again...
> See the winged lion of Mithras; also note the serpents, dragons.


 http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...=1#post6617651

----------


## Swordsmyth

> The official explanation for all of the lions in the coat of arms of Royal families, is the lion of Judah.
> 
> I think it's really the lion of Mithras.
> The Mithra cult orginates in Persia and was practiced by Aryans (Iranians).
> http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...=1#post6617651


Perhaps but I suspect the hand of Israel or the UK is inside this puppet.

----------


## pcosmar

> Perhaps but I suspect the hand of Israel or the UK is inside this puppet.


Why not the US,, CIA could have deep moles...
Surviving members of SAVAK?

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Why not the US,, CIA could have deep moles...
> Surviving members of SAVAK?


Those are possible, it is likely that there are multiple parties involved but I am looking at the lion in the symbol and analyzing that.

----------


## pcosmar

> Those are possible, it is likely that there are multiple parties involved but I am looking at the lion in the symbol and analyzing that.


Common and used by Many.. of various belief and region.

I suspect it is just the next to take the place of the last..  al-CIAda style.

----------


## Swordsmyth

India’s state-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) will  resume importing oil from Iran in February after a three-month hiatus  that began with the U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil, Reuters reported on Monday, citing three industry sources.
In  the months immediately preceding the return of the U.S. sanctions on  Iran, many Indian state-run refiners had refrained from nominating  Iranian oil loadings because of the initial uncertainty over which  countries would be granted waivers to continue importing crude from Iran  and because countries had to significantly reduce imports to qualify  for potential waivers.
India—Iran’s second-largest oil customer after China—received a waiver to continue Iranian imports at reduced rates, alongside seven other major buyers of Iranian oil.
Under  the waiver valid until early May 2019, India has to restrict its oil  imports from Iran to 1.25 million tons, or 9 million barrels, in one  month, according to Reuters.
BPCL will buy 1 million barrels of Iranian oil in February, the industry sources told Reuters today.
Another  Indian state-run oil refiner, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited  (HPCL), will also buy 1 million barrels of Iranian oil in February.
Last month, sources told Reuters  that HPCL would return to buying 1 million barrels of Iranian oil in  January after a pause of six months. In July, Hindustan Petroleum cancelled a crude oil shipment from Iran after its insurer refused to provide coverage for the cargo on concern about U.S. sanctions.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...anian-Oil.html

----------


## RonZeplin



----------


## Swordsmyth

Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen announced via Twitter on Jan. 8  that the European Union has enacted sanctions against the Iranian  Intelligence Ministry over its role in assassination plots within  Europe. The sanctions have placed a unit of the ministry – and two of  its staff – on EU terrorism lists, freezing their financial assets in  the European Union. 

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...n-plots-europe

----------


## Swordsmyth

After the United States pulled out of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal  and re-imposed and added to sanctions last year, the Trump  administration granted waivers to eight countries who were already  established buyers to continue buying specified amounts of Iranian oil  for 180 days. Now, however, a senior Iranian energy official in Tehran  says that these countries are not making use of the waivers and are  instead complying fully with the strict zero-oil sanctions.
According  to Iran's deputy oil minister for trade and international affairs Amir  Hossein Zamaninia, "China, India, Japan, South Korea and other countries  that were granted waivers from America to import Iranian oil are not  willing to buy even one barrel more from Iran." The “other countries”  granted waivers by the United States are Italy, Greece, Taiwan and  Turkey.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oi...r-Its-Oil.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

FireEye reported Jan. 9 that it identified a wave of domain name system  hijacking attacks affecting numerous domains belonging to governments,  telecommunications and internet infrastructure companies and offices in  the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and North America. While the  report does not link the attack to a specific group, early signs  indicate a connection to Iranian entities.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...cking-campaign

----------


## Swordsmyth

Indian oil imports from Iran plunged by 41 percent on the year to just  over 300,000 bpd in December, roughly around the level of Iranian oil  India is restricted to buy under the U.S. waiver, allowing it to  continue importing oil from Tehran, according to ship tracking data  reviewed by Reuters.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...Sanctions.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Continuing his eight day tour of the Middle East which kicked off  with a speech at Cairo University, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has  announced the United States will host an international summit next month  focusing on Middle East security and Iran's regional influence in what  appears *the latest attempt to reassure allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia*  that in pulling out of Syria the US will still seek to prevent Iranian  expansion and entrenchment in the region. In total Pompeo will visit  nine nations, including Gulf GCC countries were he's expected to  continue *a heavily anti-Iran message to allies*. 
  In an interview with FOX  while speaking from Cairo, Pompeo said the international gathering  would take place Feb. 13 to Feb. 14 in Poland to "focus on Middle East  stability and peace and freedom and security here in this region, and  that includes an important element of *making sure that Iran is not a destabilizing influence*."


"We'll bring together dozens of countries from all around the world,”  he added, noting that invitees would include leaders from Asia, Africa,  the Western Hemisphere, Europe and the Middle East, according to FOX.  The White House has in recent months sought to keep up an  intense "pressure campaign" on Iran and new sanctions after pulling out  of the 2015 nuclear deal.
  The US has also warned Iran to cease it's "illegal" space program to  launch satellites into orbit, saying the ballistic technology used in  tests and launches only serve to further Iran's nuclear delivery  capability. Early this month Pompeo threatened Iran via Twitter  statement over plans to fire off Space Launch Vehicles which possessed,  as Pompeo claimed, *"virtually the same technology as ICBMs" in a "defiant" launch that will "advance its missile program"* — a threat which Tehran rebuffed. 
  Notably, *France on Friday affirmed Pompeo's warning, and in a statement condemned Iran's upcoming space launches*.  After Iran again announced it plans to put two satellites into orbit in  the coming weeks,  Foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll  told reporters, "France recalls that the Iranian missile program is not  conform with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231," and added, "It  calls on Iran to *immediately cease all ballistic missile-related activities* designed to carry nuclear weapons, including tests using ballistic missile technology."
  Iran, for its part, has always maintained it is free to develop a  "peaceful" space program, pointing out that the wording of the UN  resolution leaves open the possibility of missile development programs  unrelated to the delivery of nuclear weapons. 
  The resolution says that Iran “is called upon” not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles *"designed to be capable" of nuclear warhead delivery* while stopping short of explicitly banning the activity.
  Meanwhile, on Friday the US Secretary of State arrived in Bahrain, after which he will visit the United Arab Emirates, where he's expected to push  both a unifying message among increasingly splintered Gulf allies  amidst an ongoing dispute with Qatar and give reassurance that the US is  not abandoning the region to Iranian influence by its Syria exit.  Toward this end he'll promote the administration's idea of *an “Arab NATO” to counter Iran in the broader Middle East*. 
  Ahead of Pompeo's tour of the Gulf states, the State Department  issued a formal statement saying American partnerships with the members  of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)  “are critical to achieving shared regional objectives: defeating ISIS,  countering radical Islamic terrorism, protecting global energy supplies,  and rolling back Iranian aggression.”

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-...zing-influence

----------


## Swordsmyth

Angered  by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's announcement that Poland will  host an international conference on Iran in mid-February, Iranian  authorities on Sunday summoned Warsaw's top diplomat in the country and  called off a Polish film festival.The  moves followed a tweet by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif  who denounced the upcoming summit as America's anti-Iran "circus."


The  official IRNA news agency said Iran conveyed its protest over Warsaw  hosting the conference to Poland's Chargé d'Affaires Wojciech Unolt,  demanding that Poland not side with this "hostile move" by the United  States against Tehran.
The  statement quoted an unnamed Iranian official as saying that if the  summit goes ahead, Iran will resort to unspecified "counter-action"  toward Poland, without elaborating.
Separately,  Iran's culture ministry in a statement said it was suspending "Poland's  Film Week," supposed to be held in Tehran in late January, until Warsaw  reconsiders its position and starts demonstrating "appropriate  behavior" toward Tehran.
Poland's  Foreign Ministry in Warsaw could not immediately be reached for comment  on Sunday morning. However, Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said  Saturday he hoped the conference will provide a new platform for  international dialogue and allow the U.S. and European Union to find a  closer position on Iran.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/iran-summons-...073706186.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

The United States has no intention of granting any further sanction  waivers to Iran crude oil buyers, the U.S. special representative for  Iran, Brian Hook, said this weekend, as quoted by Reuters, just as Iran’s top oil buyers Japan and South Korea restart their purchases of Iranian crude.
Speaking  on the sidelines of an oil industry conference in the UAE, Hook said  “We are not looking to grant any waivers or exemptions to the import of  Iranian crude,” adding “Iran is now increasingly feeling the economic  isolation that our sanctions are imposing ... We do want to deny the  regime revenues.”

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...Sanctions.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

A major military aviation disaster has unfolded in Iran on Monday at an  airport belonging to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The  Iranian army confirms 15 dead after a Boeing 707 military cargo plane  crashed reportedly due to bad weather about 25 miles west of the Iranian  capital. 

Of the sixteen people on board, one survived _—_ a flight engineer who was taken to the hospital _—_ in the crash near Fath airport, located near Karaj in the central Iranian province of Alborz.
  Reports say that the plane attempted an emergency landing after which it skidded off the runway and *into a residential neighborhood where it slammed into a wall and engulfed in flames*. State media footage showed residential homes and complexes burning amidst the wreckage. 
  The army said in a statement the aircraft had been carrying supplies: “A  Boeing cargo 707 plane carrying meat from Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan had an  emergency landing at Fath airport today ... the flight engineer has been  dispatched to the hospital.”


Regional reports called the aircraft *"decades old"* _—_ which  suggests Washington's latest rounds of sanctions on Iran, targeting in  part the aviation industry including civilian airplane parts, could have  played a role. A number of international reports are already suggesting  precisely this scenario: 
 The crash of the jetliner marked just the latest aviation disaster  for Iran, which hoped to replace its aging fleet under terms of the 2015  nuclear deal with world powers.
  But instead, *President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the  accord in May scuttled billions of dollars in planned sales by Airbus  and Boeing Co. to the Islamic Republic, only increasing the danger for  passengers in Iran planes*.Given that the Iranian air force does operate Boeing 707s and that state media and officials have used the word "martyrdom" to describe the fate of the crash victims _—_ a word commonly used for casualties during military service _—_ it was *likely an air force owned and operated aircraft*. 
  But it is perhaps only a matter of time before other tragic aviation  disasters hit Iran's civilian passenger side given the impact of  sanctions, which Tehran has sought relief from through Europe. 

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-...ation-industry

----------


## Swordsmyth



----------


## Swordsmyth

A special purpose vehicle (SPV) for transactions between Iran and the  European Union will be formed within the next two to three weeks, The  Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 17. The SPV will likely operate from  France, feature a German managing director and include British  stakeholders.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...s-within-weeks

----------


## Swordsmyth

China’s largest crude oil refiner, Sinopec, has offered US$3 billion  to Iran’s state oil company, NIOC, to jointly expand the development of a  major field in Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources in the know.
The  sources, who wished to remain unnamed, said the Chinese company  considered the offer safe from the sanctions the United States reimposed  on Iran last November because the initial deal for the development of  the Yadavaran field was inked back in 2007.


More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...-Iran-Oil.html

----------


## goldenequity

Brasco_Aad
@Brasco_Aad
How humiliating:

Nobody wants to attend Fat Mike @SecPompeo's anti Iran summit in traitor nation Poland.


*EU Nations Set to Snub Washington’s Latest Anti-Iran Push

https://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-nati...sh-11547745315*

----------


## Swordsmyth

Japan has resumed purchases of Iranian crude oil, the governor of the  central bank of Iran told state news agency IRNA, Reuters reports.
“After China, South Korea, India and Turkey, Japan also started the process of importing Iranian oil,” Abdolnaser Hemmati said.
Japan  refinery industry insiders said late last year that they were planning  to resume imports of Iranian crude in early 2019, with Trade Minister  Hiroshige Seki telling  Reuters in November “It would be up to the judgment of private firms,  but based on this decision, the (Japanese) companies would likely  prepare for resuming Iran crude imports.”


The current restart may also be temporary: the current sanction  waivers expire in March, and chances are that Japan, like South Korea,  will not risk angering Washington unless it expressly extends the  waivers, which many observers believe will happen as alternative sources  of crude oil at low enough prices are hard to come by.
Meanwhile, Iranian oil exports inched up in December from November, according to data  from the International Energy Agency, to an average daily of 1.3  million bpd, despite the fact Japan and South Korea were not buying  Iranian crude that month.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...l-Imports.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports jumped by 534,000 bpd month on month  in November to 8.24 million bpd—the highest level in years as the  Kingdom moved to offset supply losses from Iran with the return of the  U.S. sanctions on Tehran’s oil industry.
According to data by  the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI) database, which collects  self-reported figures from 114 countries, Saudi Arabia’s crude oil  exports hit a 24-month high, while crude oil production surged to an  all-time high of 11.09 million bpd in November.
The month before that, Saudi Arabia had increased its October crude oil exports to what was then the highest level since January 2017, when the initial OPEC/non-OPEC production cut deal began.


More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...-Returned.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

A top Trump  ambassador is winning kudos for his part in convincing Germany to ban  Iranian airline Mahan Air amid allegations it ran weapons to Syria. 
            Officials said that Richard Grenell, U.S. ambassador to  Germany, played a key role and scored his latest victory since landing  last May when he warned, “German companies doing business in Iran should  wind down operations immediately.” 

               Iran’s Mahan Air is shut down in Germany, immediately. Thank you to the German government for their leadership. https://t.co/kPrqua3lbG
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell)                January 21, 2019 


More at: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/w...-blocking-iran

----------


## Swordsmyth

A special payment channel between Bern and Tehran to facilitate  transactions for humanitarian-related trade is now ready to operate, but  it does not yet contain any Iranian funds, the president of the  Iran-Switzerland Joint Chamber of Commerce said Jan. 22.

Switzerland is Iran's largest trading partner for pharmaceutical  equipment, but Swiss companies will not be able to export to the Islamic  republic if Iranian capital is unavailable to facilitate the trade.  Since Tehran has almost no ability to generate cash by exporting to  Switzerland, it will be required to transfer currencies into the Swiss  banking system, which has proven to be problematic in the past due to  U.S. sanctions on Iran and several banks' unwillingness to allow such  transactions. The U.S. Treasury Department has previously allowed Iran  to transfer cash during a 24-hour window, although it is not clear if  the U.S. Treasury Department would permit such a transfer again. 

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...ranian-capital

----------


## AZJoe

*India Begins Paying For Iranian Oil In Rupees*

----------


## Swordsmyth



----------


## devil21

> A special payment channel between Bern and Tehran to facilitate  transactions for humanitarian-related trade is now ready to operate, but  it does not yet contain any Iranian funds, the president of the  Iran-Switzerland Joint Chamber of Commerce said Jan. 22.
> 
> Switzerland is Iran's largest trading partner for pharmaceutical  equipment, but Swiss companies will not be able to export to the Islamic  republic if Iranian capital is unavailable to facilitate the trade.  Since Tehran has almost no ability to generate cash by exporting to  Switzerland, it will be required to transfer currencies into the Swiss  banking system, which has proven to be problematic in the past due to  U.S. sanctions on Iran and several banks' unwillingness to allow such  transactions. The U.S. Treasury Department has previously allowed Iran  to transfer cash during a 24-hour window, although it is not clear if  the U.S. Treasury Department would permit such a transfer again. 
> 
> More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...ranian-capital



edit:  wait, no, on second thought scratch that.  The bankers always fund both sides of every war (BIS is there, hence Swiss neutrality in all wars) so it would make sense to have open money and supply/trade lines in place.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> edit:  wait, no, on second thought scratch that.  The bankers always fund both sides of every war (BIS is there, hence Swiss neutrality in all wars) so it would make sense to have open money and supply/trade lines in place.


Iran is very likely controlled opposition.

I have made that argument and collected the evidence in this thread:

*Israeli minister publicly confirms contacts with Saudi Arabia amid growing threat from Iran*I don't expect that there will be war with Iran, I just keep track of the possibility because I could be wrong.

----------


## devil21

> Iran is very likely controlled opposition.
> 
> I have made that argument and collected the evidence in this thread:
> 
> *Israeli minister publicly confirms contacts with Saudi Arabia amid growing threat from Iran*I don't expect that there will be war with Iran, I just keep track of the possibility because I could be wrong.


Israel and KSA working together is nothing new at all.  Both are run by the same yahudi clan seeking the Greater Israel vision.  The House of Saud is only muslim publicly and their historically draconian rule has been to keep the people (many of which know that truth) under control.  It's just always been kept out of media.  Dunno if Iranian leadership could be considered controlled opposition yet but cozying up to the Swiss bankers usually means yes to some extent.  But like I said, the bankers have always funded both sides of every war and the leaders of the countries involved in the major wars of history actually worked together.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Israel and KSA working together is nothing new at all.  Both are run by the same yahudi clan seeking the Greater Israel vision.  The House of Saud is only muslim publicly and their historically draconian rule has been to keep the people (many of which know that truth) under control.  It's just always been kept out of media.  Dunno if Iranian leadership could be considered controlled opposition yet but cozying up to the Swiss bankers usually means yes to some extent.  But like I said, the bankers have always funded both sides of every war and the leaders of the countries involved in the major wars of history actually worked together.


The headline of the thread is less important than the information on Iran that I posted later in that thread, you should go there and read it.

They are quite likely to be controlled opposition.

----------


## devil21

> The headline of the thread is less important than the information on Iran that I posted later in that thread, you should go there and read it.
> 
> They are quite likely to be controlled opposition.


The entry about Ahmadinejad being from a Jewish family that converted to Islam (probably only publicly) fits with the overall gist of what's really going with the various leaderships of most countries.  _Fake convert_ to the dominant religion of the region to gain acceptance, then work the way up to ladder to power.  It's based in Sabbatai Zevi's history as one of the first crypto-jewish "converts" and is still followed today by much of the ruling class.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> The entry about Ahmadinejad being from a Jewish family that converted to Islam (probably only publicly) fits with the overall gist of what's really going with the various leaderships of most countries.  _Fake convert_ to the dominant religion of the region to gain acceptance, then work the way up to ladder to power.  It's based in Sabbatai Zevi's history as one of the first crypto-jewish "converts" and is still followed today by much of the ruling class.

----------


## devil21

> 


Don't get too carried away.  It also applies to Drumpf.  Changed name....see the trend?

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Don't get too carried away.  It also applies to Drumpf.  Changed name....see the trend?


I have never denied that Trump was a member of the ruling class but there appears to be a faction war among the oligarchs and Trump seems to be part of the faction that is better for the rest of us.

----------


## Swordsmyth

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said Paris is ready to  impose sanctions on Iran if talks over its ballistic missile program  fail, Reuters reported on Jan. 25.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...s-fail-foreign

----------


## Swordsmyth

The U.S. government has been attempting to push the International Atomic  Energy Agency (IAEA) to launch a special investigation into the  possible military dimensions of Iran’s past nuclear activity, Bloomberg  reported Jan. 25. The United States has been threatening sanctions  against the IAEA and seeking more information on inspection sites.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...-investigation

----------


## RonZeplin

With crackpot psychos like Bolton, Pompeo, Trump, BIbi, Javanka and Bolton as national leaders and advisers, Iran needs them some nukes!   Self defense is a God given inalienable natural right.  

Time to get real, IMO.

----------


## AZJoe

President Bolton's Trump acting as despot over the entire world ...

"has issued a statement warning [Europe] not to defy the US sanctions. in any way. The US reimposed sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from the P5+1 nuclear deal. EU nations did not withdraw from the deal, and companies are still allowed to trade with Iran. This, however, is difficult because US sanctions are scaring most banks away.

The EU solution is a clearing house for the trades, which allow companies to pay for Iranian goods, and Iran to pay EU companies for services, without any money crossing borders, cutting the banks out of it. US officials are threatening stiff fines and penalties if the plan goes forward. ..."

----------


## Swordsmyth

Japan, South Korea, India, and China are all buying Iranian crude  once again, but at much lower rates than they did before November when  U.S. sanctions kicked in, S&P Global Platts calculations reveal.
All  four countries, along with another four, were granted sanction waivers  for a period of 180 days, with China and India only lowering their  intake of Iranian crude, while Japan and South Korea suspended Iranian  oil imports ahead of the sanctions.
According to the S&P  Global Platts calculations, the rate at which India, Japan, and South  Korea are importing Iranian crude at the moment, is at least half lower  than the rate from before the sanctions went into effect.
India  and China are Iran’s largest crude oil buyers, accounting for 80  percent of the country’s oil exports to Asia, which, in total,  constituted half of Iran’s overall oil exports. Now, as the sanction  waiver window narrows, S&P Global Platts analysts expect Iran’s oil  exports to fall to 1.2 million bpd over the first four months of 2019,  and further slump to 860,000 bpd in the fourth quarter of the year. This  compares with an average 2.7 million bpd in the first few months of  2018, before President Trump pulled the United States out of the  so-called Iran nuclear deal last May.
There has been talk among  analysts that Washington will probably grant waiver extensions to Iran’s  biggest Asian clients who would apparently find it difficult to replace  the cheap supplies of Iranian crude with alternative sources  cost-efficiently.
However, Washington officials have remained firm that there will not be any waiver extensions. 

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...Low-Rates.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Mohammad Affinian, an editor for the Financial Tribune, tweeted Jan. 30  that Iranian funds that had been frozen in Japan have been transferred  to the Swiss Banque de Commerce et de Placements.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...red-swiss-bank

----------


## goldenequity



----------


## Swordsmyth

Revolutionary  Guards have broken up a group of militants in southeast Iran who were  linked to a suicide bombing that killed 27 guards near the border with  Pakistan last week, the Corps said on Monday."Last  night, a terrorist cell was identified and destroyed in an operation,"  the Corps said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news  agency.
Three militants were arrested and explosive material was seized from houses in the cities of Saravan and Khash, it said.
"They  were linked to the suicide bombing attack last week. The Corps will  continue its efforts to take revenge over the deadly terrorist attack,"  it said.
The  Sunni group Jaish al Adl (Army of Justice), which says it seeks greater  rights and better living conditions for the ethnic minority Baluchis,  claimed responsibility for the attack.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/iran-arrests-...115415181.html

----------


## goldenequity

> Revolutionary  Guards have broken up a group of militants in southeast Iran who were  linked to a suicide bombing that killed 27 guards near the border with  Pakistan last week, the Corps said on Monday."Last  night, a terrorist cell was identified and destroyed in an operation,"  the Corps said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news  agency.
> Three militants were arrested and explosive material was seized from houses in the cities of Saravan and Khash, it said.
> "They  were linked to the suicide bombing attack last week. The Corps will  continue its efforts to take revenge over the deadly terrorist attack,"  it said.
> The  Sunni group Jaish al Adl (Army of Justice), which says it seeks greater  rights and better living conditions for the ethnic minority Baluchis,  claimed responsibility for the attack.
> More at: https://news.yahoo.com/iran-arrests-...115415181.html



*Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of supplying Al-Qaeda with weapons in Iran
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...apons-in-iran/*



===========

Don't miss the interview with FM Zariff at the Munich Security Conference

----------


## Swordsmyth

Japanese refiners are unlikely to continue buying Iranian crude from  April onwards, the president of the Petroleum Association of Japan said as quoted by Reuters.
However,  Takashi Tsukuoka added they would continue importing Iranian crude if  Tokyo agreed on a sanction waiver extension, which it was currently  negotiating with Washington.
This makes Japan the second country  to try and negotiate a waiver extension, after India entered identical  talks earlier this month. Washington has signaled it would probably  agree to some form of an extension as long as the importing countries  agree to reduce their intake of Iranian crude.
Japan  has been very strict in following Washington’s lead in the sanction  department, but it has also indicated that finding an alternative to  Iranian crude might be tough.
“Japan has told the U.S. that the  sanctions should not negatively affect Japan’s stable supply of energy  and Japanese companies’ operations,” one government official in Tokyo  said, commenting on the waiver negotiations to Reuters.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...-By-April.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Oil data provider TankerTrackers.com first reported last year that  Iranian tankers were turning off their transponders to hide the  destination of their journeys. At the time, most tanker tracking data  came precisely from transponders and port authorities, which made most  Iranian tanker movement reports unreliable. This, in turn, contributed  to the October-December oil price drop when it emerged that Iran was  shipping more crude abroad than previously believed.
No wonder,  then, that the United States is now targeting vessels transporting  Iranian crude oil in violation of sanctions, a senior State Department  official told VOA this week.
"We  are closely tracking ship-to-ship transfers of [Iranian] oil to evade  our oil sanctions," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Counter  Threat Finance and Sanctions David Peyman. "And we're working closely  with foreign governments to ensure they are monitoring ship-to-ship  transfers off their coasts."
Peyman also said everyone involved in  the transport and ship-to-ship transfer of Iranian oil in defiance of  sanctions will be held accountable by Washington.
"If you are  engaged in evasive action, which is really the worst kind of violation  when it comes to U.S. sanctions, we will hold you accountable," the  official said. 

In fact, oil and fuel traders are resorting to measures that they  already used during the previous term of Iranian sanctions when those  were enforced by not just one country but the United Nations. Reuters reports,  quoting industry sources from Asia, that since the sanction waivers do  not extend to oil products, even countries granted waivers may be buying  products such as fuel oil from Iran.

“Some buyers...will want Iranian oil regardless of U.S. strategic  objectives to deny Tehran oil revenue, and Iran will find a way to keep  some volumes flowing,” the agency quoted Economist Intelligence Unit  analyst Peter Kiernan as saying.
VOA quoted TankerTrackers  co-founder Samir Madani as saying the service had detected two such  transfers in February alone, with one taking as long as three months to  complete and the other a month. In both cases, Madani told VOA, the  transferred fuel was then moved to a third vessel that shipped it to a  port.
As for Washington’s call to foreign governments to join the  effort of cutting access to Iranian oil to markets, for now only Panama  has responded. VOA reports that the country took away the right of 59  tankers linked to Iran to fly the Panamanian flag.
"Panama really  led the way for other countries to follow suit by pulling their own  flags and for other countries to commit to the U.S. that they will not  reflag those ships that the Panamanians withdrew their flag from,”  Peyman commented to VOA.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oi...t-Tankers.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

The U.S. Administration has renewed for another 90 days a sanctions  waiver for Iraq to continue importing energy from neighboring Iran  despite the American sanctions on Tehran, an official with the U.S.  State Department told Reuters on Wednesday.   
“Iraq was granted a 90-day waiver to purchase energy imports from Iran,” the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
This  is the third waiver for Iraq—which depends on Iranian electricity and  natural gas imports for part of its energy needs—that the United States  has granted since it re-imposed sanctions on Iran’s oil, energy, and  shipping industries in early November 2018.
At the end of last year, the U.S. granted Iraq  a 90-day extension to the initial 45-day waiver allowing Baghdad to  continue imports of electricity from Iran after the U.S. sanctions on  Tehran returned.
Major Iraqi power plants are dependent on Iranian  natural gas supply, while Iraq also imports electricity from Iran, as  Baghdad’s power generation is not enough to ensure domestic supply.
Iraq  has argued that it needs more time to find alternative sources of  electricity supply if it is to avoid more and more power outages, which  is one of the main reasons for protest rallies in the heart of Iraq’s oil region in the southern city of Basra last summer.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...From-Iran.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

While Iranian customers have started negotiations with the U.S. on  possible waiver extensions to continue buying oil from Tehran, Iran’s  oil exports so far in March are down from January and February to  average around 1 million bpd-1.1 million bpd, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing industry sources and ship-tracking data.
This compares to around 1.3 million bpd estimated Iranian exports for February.
The  U.S. waivers for eight key Iranian oil customers, including China,  India, Japan, and South Korea, expire in early May. While the U.S.  Administration says that it continues to pursue zero Iranian oil  exports, analysts expect Washington to extend waivers to at least a few  of the currently exempted buyers, with reduced volumes allowed under the  new waivers, as the Administration wouldn’t want to push oil prices too  high.
In January and February this year, Iranian crude oil exports were higher than expected,  as several of Iran’s customers were using up their U.S. sanction  waivers to continue importing Iranian oil, according to industry sources  and shipping data, quoted by Reuters 10 days before the end of February.
According  to tanker-tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon and a source at a company  tracking Iranian oil flows, Iran’s exports in February averaged 1.25  million bpd, while the January exports were between 1.1 million bpd and  1.3 million bpd, higher than the previously expected below 1-million-bpd  level, which was seen in December.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...-Decision.html

----------


## RonZeplin

*Pompeo: God Sent Trump to Invade Iran*

Reading recent remarks made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, it is  obvious we have crossed over from light to dark into the twilight zone. 

This must be the Old Testament God, because it has nothing to do with  Christ, the Sermon of the Mount, and Christs teaching that one should  turn the other cheek. 

 Indeed, the Old Testament, taken from the Jewish Tanakh, is chock  full of violence, revenge, genocide, and acts of terrible punishment and  cruelty. A vengeful Jewish God slaughtered the Sodomites, eradicated  the Canaanites with leprosy, sent a plague into Egypt, and told his  people to make slaves out of neighboring tribes. There are dozens of  other references in the Old Testament to horrific acts of violence, most  of it retributive. 

 Pompeo made his remarks on Purim, the celebration of the Jewish  exodus from the ancient Achaemenid Persian Empire, today known as Iran. 

 From the BBC:

_[Pompeo] was asked if President Trump right now has been sort of  raised for such a time as this, just like Queen Esther, to help save  the Jewish people from an Iranian menace._

 The former tank commander declared, I am confident that the Lord is at work here.

   For Americas top diplomat to say God has sent Trump to save the Jews  (who are not threatened by Iran) is a new milestone in absurdity for  the indispensable nation. 
It demonstrates apocalyptic Christian  Zionists like Pompeo have undue influence on a largely clueless  president. 

 For Christian Zionists, the return of the Jews to the Holy Land and  the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 followed biblical  prophecy envisioning the return of Christ as King of the Earth. They  believe in a dispensationalist view of the Bible, that is to say they  believe the Old Testament foreshadows Christ and the New Testament. 

 Pompeos remarks are extremely dangerous. His commentary anchors the  Trump effort to destroy Iran directly within the context of biblical  prophecyand such religious fanaticism, as history repeatedly  demonstrates, often results in war and mass murder. 

 The Trump administration is now fully and unapologetically embracing  Christian Zionism following the move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv in  Israel proper to a divided (and increasingly ethnically cleansed)  Jerusalem. Trumps VP is an evangelical Christian and his daughter  Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner are Orthodox Jews. 

https://kurtnimmo.blog/2019/03/23/po...o-invade-iran/

----------


## Swordsmyth

The governor of Khuzestan, the biggest oil-rich province in Iran, has  banned government officials from leaving it despite the danger of  floods in the region, Radio Farda reports, citing a statement by Gholamreza Shariati.
"Since  there are some concerns over the basin of Karkheh River, forces have  been assigned to check the floodgates, and do whatever necessary to  confront a possible flash flood in the province," the Khuzestan governor  said.
The local meteorological service has warned there is a  danger of floods in parts of the west and southwest of the country as  well as freezing temperatures. While drought is a typical occurrence in  the southern province of Khuzestan, now it’s another disaster  threatening the region and putting the capabilities of local authorities  to handle emergencies to the test.
The  Khuzestan governor’s statement comes after Iran’s vice president, Eshaq  Jahangiri, fired another governor for failing to return from a trip to  Europe to oversee the management of the flood emergency in his area.
According to a CIA file,  Khuzestan accounts for almost 70 percent of the country’s oil  production. More importantly, perhaps, the province produces almost all  of Iran’s natural gas. It also houses four ports that are Iran’s largest  exit point for various exports.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...ood-Alarm.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

*France on Monday banned flights by Iranian airline Mahan  Air, on the grounds that Mahan is employed by the Iranian regime to send  troops and weapons to hotspots across the Middle East, including Syria. *  The move is a significant step toward  European acceptance of the Trump administration’s argument that Iran is  a major threat to stability in the Middle East.
 Mahan Air, Iran’s oldest private  airline, was sanctioned by the United States in 2011 for supporting the  notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the  theocracy-controlled, terror-sponsoring wing of Iran’s military. 
   The airline was also banned by  Germany at the beginning of 2019. France considered a ban under the  previous administration but relented because it worried sanctions  against the Iranian airline would destroy the allegedly positive  diplomatic environment after the Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2015.
 Germany cited  Mahan Air’s ties with the IRGC’s Quds Force, an elite unit with a  history of espionage activity, when it revoked the airline’s permits in  January. The United States designated Mahan as a material supporter of  terrorism due to its Quds Force ties.
 “The French ban on the airline, which  had four flights a week to Paris from Tehran, takes effect from April  1. The airline’s website is no longer taking reservations and calls to  its offices in Paris were not answered,” Reuters reported on Monday.


More at: https://www.breitbart.com/national-s...ons-to-syria/#

----------


## AngryCanadian

> *France on Monday banned flights by Iranian airline Mahan  Air, on the grounds that Mahan is employed by the Iranian regime to send  troops and weapons to hotspots across the Middle East, including Syria. *  The move is a significant step toward  *European acceptance of the Trump administration’s argument that Iran is  a major threat to stability in the Middle East*.
>  Mahan Air, Iran’s oldest private  airline, was sanctioned by the United States in 2011 for supporting the  notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the  theocracy-controlled, terror-sponsoring wing of Iran’s military. 
>    The airline was also banned by  Germany at the beginning of 2019. France considered a ban under the  previous administration but relented because it worried sanctions  against the Iranian airline would destroy the allegedly positive  diplomatic environment after the Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2015.
>  Germany cited  Mahan Air’s ties with the IRGC’s Quds Force, an elite unit with a  history of espionage activity, when it revoked the airline’s permits in  January. The United States designated Mahan as a material supporter of  terrorism due to its Quds Force ties.
>  “The French ban on the airline, which  had four flights a week to Paris from Tehran, takes effect from April  1. The airline’s website is no longer taking reservations and calls to  its offices in Paris were not answered,” Reuters reported on Monday.
> 
> 
> More at: https://www.breitbart.com/national-s...ons-to-syria/#



America is accusing Iran of starting the instability in the Middle East? that's rather comical coming from an nation that has armed and funded Jihadist groups within in Syria for the past 8 years now and all they do now is blame everything on Iran.

----------


## Swordsmyth

Unable to secure a waiver extension from Washington to continue  buying Iranian oil, Japanese refineries are putting the brakes on  further imports in order to give payments enough time to be processed  under the existing waiver.
In total, Japanese refiners purchased  over 15 million barrels of Iranian crude from January through March, but  the waiver expires in early May and payments still have to be processed  for those cargoes, Reuters reports, citing industry sources and data from Refinitiv Eikon.
In  order to avoid sanctions violations, all necessary transactions with  banks and insurance companies must be finalized before the waiver  expires, with the last cargo set to arrive in Japan on April 9.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...e-Imports.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Three of eight importers granted waivers by Washington to buy oil from  Iran have now cut their shipments to zero, a U.S. official said on  Tuesday, adding that improved global oil market conditions would help  reduce Iranian crude exports further.

The Trump administration is currently in consultations with the importers ahead of a May 2 deadline when the waivers expire.
"In  November, we granted eight oil waivers to avoid a spike in the price of  oil. I can confirm today three of those importers are now at zero,"  Brian Hook, the special U.S. envoy for Iran, told reporters.
Hook did not identify the three.
"There  are better market conditions for us to accelerate our path to zero,"  Hook said. "We are not looking to grant any waivers or exceptions to our  sanctions regime."
Hook  said U.S. oil sanctions against Iran had removed about 1.5 million  barrels of Iranian oil exports from the market since May 2018.
"This has denied the regime access to well over $10 billion in (oil) revenue - a loss of at least $30 million a day," he said.
Oil  prices on Tuesday hit their highest level so far in 2019, with Brent  crude approaching $70 a barrel on the prospect that more sanctions  against Iran and Venezuelan disruptions could deepen an OPEC-led supply  cut.
Analysts  believe the administration is likely to extend the waivers to the  remaining five importers to placate top buyers China and India and to  decrease the chance of higher oil prices.
China,  India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey are likely to be given waivers  that could cap Iran's crude oil exports at about 1.1 million barrels per  day, U.S.-based analysts at Eurasia Group said in January. That would  remove Italy, Greece and Taiwan from the waivers list.
Hook  said a decision on whether to extend the waivers would be made "in due  course." A total of 23 importers that once took Iranian oil had cut  imports to zero, he added.
"With  oil prices actually lower than they were when we announced our  sanctions and global production stable, we are on the fast track to  zeroing out all purchases of Iranian crude," Hook said.
A  senior Trump administration official told reporters on Monday that the  U.S. government was considering additional sanctions against Iran that  would target areas of its economy that have not been hit before.
Hook  said more than 26 rounds of U.S. sanctions against Iran had restricted  the country's cash flow and constrained its ability to operate in the  region.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/three-importe...043424965.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Two South Korean refiners have bought an unspecified amount of U.S.  superlight to test it as a potential replacement for Iranian condensate,  Reuters reports, citing sources. The country is currently negotiating an extension of the sanction waiver Washington granted it last November.
Whatever  the outcome of those negotiations, South Korean refiners are preparing  for low Iranian condensate intake as the U.S. plans to reduce the amount  of oil it permits Iranian oil buyers to continue importing in line with  its goal to cut the country’s oil exports to zero.
The buyers of  the U.S. light, the source said, are South Korea’s largest refiner, SK  Energy, and its smallest one, Hyundai Oilbank.
“The  crude’s API seems to be 48 degrees so in a way it’s possible (to  replace Iranian condensate) but again we need to check the oil’s  quality,” Reuters quoted one of its sources as saying.
South Korea  is a major importer of Iranian condensate, but light crude from the  U.S. shale patch—especially the Permian—is comparable in terms of  properties. The light grades are used to produce naphtha, a feedstock  for petrochemicals.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...light-Oil.html

----------


## goldenequity

Guy Elster
*BREAKING UN nuclear watchdog inspects Iran 'warehouse' Netanyahu pointed to in Tehran: Reuters
http://news.trust.org//item/20190404165714-8jo8d/*

* Netanyahu singled out Tehran site in U.N. speech

* IAEA bristled at him telling it to go there immediately

* Decision to inspect shows IAEA felt it was necessary

* Samples taken should tell if nuclear material was present

* Analysis of those samples will not be available for months

* Iran granting access shows nuclear deal holding for now

By Francois Murphy

VIENNA, April 4 (Reuters) - The U.N. atomic watchdog policing Iran's nuclear deal has inspected what Israel's prime minister called a "secret atomic warehouse" in Tehran, three diplomats familiar with the agency's work said.

----------


## goldenequity

*Pompeo: 'Iran's Suleimani will be viewed the same way as Al-Baghdadi' 
https://aml.ink/23xy6*

----------


## enhanced_deficit

While in principle I'm opposed to open-ended perpetual foreign occupations but silverlining here maybe that if  America-First MAGA's top Iran war championing Israel-First top funder Adelson convinced hin to spread Freedon in Iran, US military bases will be right next door in Afgahnistan to support freedoms.

*Foxnews: US may need to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely due to ISIS threat*

----------


## Swordsmyth

> While in principle I'm opposed to open-ended perpetual foreign occupations but silverlining here maybe that if  America-First MAGA's top Iran war championing Israel-First top funder Adelson convinced hin to spread Freedon in Iran, US military bases will be right next door in Afgahnistan to support freedoms.
> 
> *Foxnews: US may need to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely due to ISIS threat*


 *Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Takes Military Intervention in Iran Off the Table for Now*https://twitter.com/Global_Mil_Info/...37394580348928

----------


## pcosmar

Buckle up Buttercup.

----------


## ATruepatriot

> Iranian Coast Guard have Ship killing missiles..  Upgraded versions of Chinese design.
> 
> Old and common knowledge,,  presented as News?


Posted as their lame excuse why they say they are going in. Maybe they think Iranian missiles might get to Cuba and Venezuela.

----------


## goldenequity



----------


## Warlord

This is WW3.

----------


## goldenequity



----------


## Snowball

Time to prep, people. 

We knew this was coming with the Zionists running things. 

I wish you luck.

----------


## goldenequity

> Time to prep, people. 
> We knew this was coming with the Zionists running things. 
> I wish you luck.


prepping always a good thing.

======

*China Restarts Purchases of Iranian Oil, Bucking Trump’s Sanctions
https://www.bourseandbazaar.com/arti...umps-sanctions*



the Chinese oil tanker PACIFIC BRAVO began traveling eastward, having loaded approximately 2 million barrels of Iranian oil from the Soroosh and Kharg terminals in the Persian Gulf over the past few days, and is currently reporting its destination as Indonesia, but the tanker was recently acquired by Bank of Kunlun, a financial institution that is owned by the Chinese state oil company CNPC. TankerTrackers.com believes China is the ultimate destination for the oil on board. 

PACIFIC BRAVO is the first major tanker to load Iranian crude after the Trump administration revoked waivers permitting the purchases by eight of Iran’s oil customers.

----------


## goldenequity



----------


## goldenequity



----------


## goldenequity



----------

