Monday, August 14, 2017

Eye on Iran: Iranian Parliament, Facing U.S. Sanctions, Votes To Raise Military Spending


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Iranian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to increase the country's budget for its ballistic missile program and foreign operations by the Revolutionary Guards, a direct challenge to new United States sanctions against the Islamic republic. Some lawmakers shouted "Death to America" after the outlines of the bill "to counter America's terrorist and adventurist actions" were passed by an overwhelming number of votes in Parliament, state television reported. The increase in the military budget and other measures came in retaliation to legislation passed by Congress and reluctantly signed by President Trump this month to impose new sanctions on Iran over its missile program. Mr. Trump has repeatedly threatened to leave the nuclear agreement, which was struck by the United States, Iran and other world powers in 2016. That has led to rising frustration in Iran, where the agreement was hailed by ordinary citizens as a fresh start after years of sanctions. It was also seen as a counterweight to hard-line forces in the country.


Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced a new hardline head of one of the country's top oversight bodies on Monday, while former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad kept his seat despite a string of controversies. The appointment of former judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi as head of the Expediency Council means Iran's conservatives have tightened their grip on a key institution despite recent election successes for reformists. The Expediency Council plays a critical role in shaping policy and resolving disputes between different power centres. For years it was chaired by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the central figures of the Islamic revolution who sought to chart a middle ground between Iran's hardliners and reformists. But his death in January has opened the way for conservatives to assert their influence.


Iran's foreign minister has accused President Donald Trump of trying to "kill" the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. Mohammad Javad Zarif said on his Twitter account on Friday that the U.S. president "always wanted to kill" the deal that curbed Iran's controversial nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Zarif says Trump is the one to blame and that the United States "violated the letter and the spirit" of the nuclear agreement. 

U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS


An anti-US bill Iran's lawmakers turned into law on Sunday urges the country's military, diplomatic and security organizations to devise plans on countering the United States' terrorist measures in the region and its threats against Iran. The Iranian Parliament on Sunday ratified a motion on countering "US adventurous and terrorist measures in the region."The 27-article draft was endorsed after it was brought forward in the Parliament by the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission in July. It came after the US House of Representatives and then the Senate passed a sweeping package of bills on sanctions against Iran, Russia, and North Korea. The US legislation would impose mandatory penalties on people involved in Iran's ballistic missile program and anyone who does business with them.

BUSINESS RISK


At his swearing-in ceremony this month, Iran's president Hassan Rouhani promised to embark on an "economic revolution", creating jobs for the Islamic republic's army of unemployed youth. But one huge obstacle stands in his way - the country's ailing banking sector. For decades isolated from the rest of the financial world, many Iranian banks struggle to comply with international banking norms. After years of populist policies, many are beset by high levels of bad loans. With more than a quarter of Iranian youth unemployed, reform of the sector is seen as central to the revitalisation of an economy desperate for foreign investment. Mr Rouhani, who is beginning his second term after winning a landslide victory at elections in May, has described it as his "biggest challenge".


Iran is holding talks with European planemaker Airbus to buy 48 helicopters for civilian use, an Iranian official was on Saturday quoted as saying, as Iran continues its shopping spree of Western aircraft after the lifting of sanctions.  "The Health Ministry is planning to order 45 HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) helicopters and the purchase is being negotiated by the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development," Iran's Financial Tribune daily quoted Deputy Minister Asghar Fakhrieh-Kashan as saying. "Ports and Maritime Organization is also planning to hold a tender to purchase three search-and-rescue helicopters," he added. An Airbus Helicopters spokesman said: "We don't comment on discussions we may or may not be having with potential customers".  Iran has ordered more than 200 planes since international sanctions against the country were lifted last year in return for curbs on the country's nuclear activities.

TERRORISM


Kuwait's Interior Ministry says 12 men with links to a terrorist group associated with Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guard have been arrested. The ministry said in a statement late Friday that the men were among a group of 26 who had received prison sentences from Kuwait's Supreme Court in June but they refused to turn themselves in. They were accused of weapons possession and planning "hostile actions" inside Kuwait. One Iranian man was tried in absentia and the rest are Kuwaiti nationals. Four men remained at large. The case spurred Kuwait to shutter the Iranian cultural mission and reduce the number of Iranian diplomats stationed there last month, deepening a rift between the Gulf Arab states and Tehran. The government says the terror group was uncovered in 2015.


When Hamas' political bureau member Izzat al-Rishq, heading a delegation from the movement, met with Iran's supreme leader's foreign policy adviser, Ali Akbar Velayati, it was the first time the two men had met since 1991, when the former was still a junior member of Hamas and the latter was Iran's foreign minister. The 1991 meeting gave Iran a strong ally inside the Palestinian territories and provided Hamas with steady and generous support to take its fight with Israel to another level. This was while the region was in the midst of a peace process that saw both the Palestinians and Jordanians signing separate peace accords with Israel. The normalization of ties between Iran and the Palestinian Hamas movement appears to be accelerating amid the crisis among Gulf states.

RUSSIA-IRAN COOPERATION


Insurgents have gained ground in the wake of President Obama's decision to withdraw U.S. combat forces at the end of 2014. Both groups have launched a string of deadly attacks across the country this summer, and Afghan security forces have sustained huge losses among their ranks. Unlike, Afghanistan's troublesome neighbor, Pakistan, which directly supports the Taliban, it is not clear the extent of Russia and Iran's involvement with insurgent groups. "We haven't any indications that there are sanctuaries in Iran right now," said Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghan Ambassador to the U.S. told Fox News, "But the ones in Pakistan continue to be a problem for Afghanistan."


Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday it is a pity that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was casting doubt on the 2015 deal to curtail Iran's nuclear weapons program. "Unfortunately now our American partners call this ...(treaty) into question," Lavrov told a meeting with students broadcast live by state television. "In the Trump administration they continue calling these agreements wrong and erroneous, and it's a pity that such a successful treaty is now somewhat being cast into doubt." Trump said on Thursday said he did not believe that Iran was living up to the spirit of the deal.


Iran has been asked to provide further information to global soccer body FIFA over a decision to drop two players from the national team after they turned out against an Israeli side for their Greek club. Masoud Shojaie and Ehsan Hajsafi played for Panionios against Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv a week ago in a Europa League match. Iran's Football Federation last week strongly condemned their participation, but prominent football players and many ordinary Iranians have backed the two on social media, saying they had no choice but to take part in the game. FIFA's statutes ban political interference in its affiliated national associations, which can be suspended if the rule is breached. "We are currently monitoring the matter and will request additional information from the Iran Football Federation," said a FIFA spokesperson in an emailed statement to Reuters. "We have no further comment for the time being." If a country's FA is suspended, it means both the national team and its clubs are barred from international competition.

SAUDI-IRAN TENSIONS


Moqtada al-Sadr, a prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader, is emerging as a key player in efforts by Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Gulf states to weaken the influence of regional rival Iran.The United Arab Emirates flew in Sadr for talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan late Sunday. That followed a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the desert kingdom last month, another rare face-to-face visit with a senior Gulf official, in which financial aid and deeper ties were discussed, according to Sadr's website. "The promising move toward Iraq led by Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the participation of the U.A.E. and Bahrain is an example of the influence of the Gulf states once the vision and objectives are united," the Emirates' Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a Twitter post on Monday.

HUMAN RIGHTS


Despite a decrease in the number of executions, Iran continues to be the nation with one of the highest rates of executions in the world, mostly for drug-related crimes. According to Amnesty International, Iran executed a reported 567 people in 2016. In 2015, the number was 977. Still, at 567 people, Iran was executing more than one person a day. This issue has been openly discussed in one of the unlikeliest places: Iran's judiciary. Hojat al-Islam Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for Iran's judiciary, in a Aug 9 speech addressed Iran's high execution rate with respect to drug-related crimes. "Do we want to solve all of our problems with punishments and increasing punishments?" he asked. "Some say, you have increased the punishment but there is still crime. On the issue of illegal drugs, we have laws from many years ago and many times [the punishment] has been increased and now they want to decrease it."


Iran's parliament passed a long-awaited amendment to its drug trafficking laws on Sunday, raising the thresholds that can trigger capital punishment and potentially saving the lives of many on death row. The bill must still be approved by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council but gained parliamentary approval after months of debate, according to parliament's website and the ISNA news agency. According to Amnesty International, Iran was one of the top five executioners in the world in 2016, with most of its hangings related to illicit drugs. The new law raises the amounts that can trigger the death penalty from 30 grams to two kilos for the production and distribution of chemical substances such as heroin, cocaine and amphetamine. For natural substances such as opium and marijuana, the levels have been raised from five to 50 kilos.

DOMESTIC POLITICS


The daughter of Iran's opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has been under house arrest since early 2011, hides her pain behind abstract watercolor paintings of birds and blossoms - but bullets and bars are never far away. That's according to Narges Mousavi's latest art exhibition, which opened on Friday in Tehran. The display, entitled "When it Dawned," is the second public showing of her art since her father was placed under house arrest along with another opposition leader, Mahdi Karroubi.
OPINION & ANALYSIS


The Trump administration is conducting a comprehensive review of U.S. policy toward Iran. There is no doubt top national security officials view the Islamic Republic as a major threat, both in terms of regional instability and proliferation. This recognition represents the principal difference from the previous administration and a welcome step forward. One likely outcome will be a stronger U.S.-led effort to counter Iran's expanding presence, particularly in Syria and Iraq. The formation of an Arab alliance against Islamic terrorism, announced when Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia, signaled a move toward a more effective regional stance. But there is little to suggest that, beyond an attempt to roll back Tehran's external adventurism, there will be a fundamental change in U.S. policy.


The Iranian government continues to persecute religious minorities, including groups supposedly given special recognition by the country's constitution: Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians. According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's (USCIRF) annual report for 2017, Iran's government "engaged in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and executions based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused." Because of its failure to respect religious minorities, Iran has been considered a "country of particular concern" by the State Department for close to two decades.


Opponents of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal often complain that the deal doesn't address the nefarious ways in which Iran is expanding its influence and further destabilizing the Middle East. Such concerns, while valid, are no reason to blow up the agreement, as President Trump is recklessly trying to do by pressing his administration to declare, with absolutely no evidence, that Iran is in violation of the terms. Critics often ignore the fact that the deal was intended to keep Iran from producing a nuclear weapon, a crucial and necessary goal. They also ignore the fact that the deal is working, as the International Atomic Energy Agency, which rigorously monitors Iran's activities, and even Mr. Trump's own State Department have certified. One can imagine the challenges the United States could be facing if the deal did not exist and this administration were grappling with two nuclear-armed adversaries at once. But it is not; North Korea, which traded fiery threats with Mr. Trump in recent days, has 20 or more nuclear weapons. Iran has none and, thanks to the deal, is significantly constrained in its nuclear ambitions for years to come.


On the second anniversary of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iran nuclear deal, some argue that the agreement succeeded in slowing Iran's progress toward a nuclear weapon. However, the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program are only limited, as is the international inspectors' access to the country's illicit facilities. In addition, in areas unrelated to the nuclear agreement, the Iranian regime's behavior has only gotten worse over the past two years. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has escalated its nefarious activities in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, has deliberately sought out close encounters with American warships, and has boasted of new Iranian military equipment. The White House's efforts to enforce a harder line on Iran policy is well justified and the president's signing into law of H.R. 3364, which included a title, "Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017" is a step in the right direction.


Over the last few months, Iraq's Shiite political groups have intensified their fight for influence in Baghdad in preparation for the parliamentary elections next year. Much to the displeasure of Iran, which has supported a number of these groups, some Iraqi Shiites have been publicly distancing themselves from their patron because posturing as independent forces, free from the tutelage of foreign powers, will win them points with Iraqi voters. Tehran is particularly concerned that after the Islamic State (ISIS) is finally driven out of Iraq, the political dialogue that will ensue among the country's various political factions, as well as between Iraq's ethnic and sectarian groups, about power-sharing will shut Iran out, and in turn jeopardize its long-term interests for regional control. There is now a debate in Tehran over whether the trend in Baghdad is simply a tempest in a teapot or whether Tehran will have to learn to live with a resurgent Iraqi Shiite nationalism.






Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Eye on Iran is not intended as a comprehensive media clips summary but rather a selection of media elements with discreet analysis in a PDA friendly format. For more information please email press@uani.com.

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.  UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons.

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