Iran Considers Allowing People To Invest In Oil On Local Exchange
Iran is considering letting residents invest in oil on the domestic energy exchange, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, as the Islamic Republic’s economy and its people are struggling with the coronavirus outbreak, low oil prices, and U.S. sanctions on Iran’s energy, shipping, and banking industries.
“The government, especially the economic board, has always been trying to adopt and implement policies and measures to control liquidity and direct it to the right path and production cycle,” the official website of the Iranian president quoted Rouhani as saying on Tuesday.
Iran’s plan is to allow the public to invest in oil and its supply on the energy exchange, which would also be “an important step to counter the enemies’ oil embargo,” the Iranian president said.”People should be confident in the government’s efforts to stabilise the economy and know that we will spare no effort in protecting their livelihood and assets,” according to the Iranian president.However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the collapse in oil prices coincided with the maximum pressure campaign of the United States against Iran, whose oil exports have shrunk over the past two years, reduced oil revenues, and plunged the country into recession long before the pandemic hit all other economies in the world.Iran is now desperate to raise revenues as its key budget source—oil income—is restricted due to the sanctions.On Wednesday, Iranian President Rouhani told a cabinet meeting that “The stock market and oil — not gold and the dollar — are the places to be investing and we want to help people this way,” Bloomberg quoted Iran’s state TV as reporting.Rouhani has not given many details about the plan to have Iranians invest in oil, but the semi-official website Eqtesad News reported earlier this week.
US-Iran won’t make deals as President Trump has suggested: Iranian spokesman
The US will not reach any deals with Iran if President Donald Trump continues his “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Tuesday.
Rabiei’s remarks came in response to comments made by Trump on Monday that he would reach a deal with Iran “within four weeks” if re-elected in November.
“If Trump is serious about making up for past mistakes, we would welcome it, but his recent claim does not seem to have a purpose beyond winning votes,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Rabiei as saying.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated since Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.“Trump had four years to begin successful diplomacy with Iran … not only did he not do it, he made the worst mistakes America has made in decades,” Rabiei said.“Even if Trump is re-elected, he will not succeed in reaching an agreement as long as he continues to pursue a policy of pressure on Iran,” the government spokesman added.Tehran will continue its “maximum resistance” for as long as necessary, according to Rabiei.US efforts to extend arms embargo on Iran will failRabiei also said that US efforts to extend the UN Security Council arms embargo on Iran “will turn into another catastrophic and isolating failure.”Washington has been pushing to extend the arms embargo on Tehran before it expires in October. The US argues that a failure to extend the embargo on Iran would further destabilize the Middle East.The embargo is due to expire on October 18 under the 2015 nuclear deal.“Iran is ready to prove that it will not show the slightest leniency in providing a proportionate and decisive response to any provocative and illegal action,” Rabiei warned.Other Iranian officials have also warned against the extension of the embargo in recent weeks, saying it would have severe consequences for Washington and its allies.
Production of the copper anode in Iran hit 121,202 tons during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-July 21), indicating a three percent rise compared to the output in the same period of time in the past year, IRNA reported.
As reported, Sarcheshmeh Copper Investment Company in the southeastern Kerman province accounted for the lion’s share of the production during the mentioned time span. The company produced 79,083 tons of copper anode.
By producing 41, 371 tons of the product, Khatoon Abad Copper Complex, located in Kerman as well, registered the highest amount of production growth, which was four percent, in the first four months of the year.
In early May, four development projects worth 40 trillion rials (about $952.3 million) were inaugurated in the copper sector of Kerman Province.
President Hassan Rouhani put the projects into operation through video conference.
The projects inaugurated in Khatoon Abad Copper Complex included increasing the capacity of copper smelting in the complex, building a copper concentrate storage, construction of a sulfuric acid production plant, and an oxygen supplying unit. Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO)’s Managing Director Khodadad Gharibpour was present in the inaugural ceremony of the projects.By putting the first project into operation, the complex’s capacity for producing copper anode rises by 50 percent to 120,000 tons, and the country’s copper smelting capacity rose to 400,000 tons. This project creates jobs for 120 persons.Some 1.11 trillion rials (about $26.4 million) plus $118 million have been invested for this project.The second project, which was the construction of a 60,000-ton storage facility, was implemented at the cost of 158 billion rials (about $3.7 million) plus three million euros, creating jobs for 250 people.The third project is valued at 750 billion rials (about $17.8 million) plus 100 million euros and the fourth one was put into operation at the cost of 192 billion rials (about $4.5 million) plus 31 million euros.
Dogfighting, drug deals and tattoos: The hidden lives of Iran’s criminal underworld
Nicknamed “The Eagle of Iran” by his peers because of the golden eagle tattoo on his back, Vahid Moradi was a notorious gangster who spent most of his life in and out of Iranian prisons.
Not much is known about his upbringing or childhood, but throughout his life, The Eagle served multiple prison sentences for various crimes, including gang-related fights and being a member of a criminal organisation.
Moradi is also one of the men profiled in Crime Wave Tehran, a research project and photo book on Iran’s criminal underworld, edited and published by Iranian-Dutch artist and researcher Pouria Khojastehpay in 2018.
Khojastehpay describes “The Eagle” as “a real and respected gangster in every sense”. “He was the main inspiration for the book and my print series,” Khojastehpay told MEE.
In one photograph, Moradi stands with a hand placed respectfully over his heart. He would blend seamlessly into the surrounding crowd were it not for the tattoo of a gun on his hand and the other of a tear drop below his left eye.
Known for being somewhat of a “survivor”, he managed to endure several bullet wounds, before his luck eventually ran out.
In 2018 The Eagle was arrested for the murder of an associate during a party thrown to celebrate his prison release. Soon after, back in jail, he was killed by fellow inmates following a dispute in the prison yard.
The Eagle pictured relaxing in an unidentified location believed to be used as a meeting place. (Pouria Khojastehpay)
In the book, a portrait of Moradi taken on the day he was arrested shows him standing alone. He is dressed in a collared shirt and his eyes have been blurred out by Khojastehpay. Moradi’s chest and neck tattoos are visible, including a scorpion inked into his left ear and the teardrop which sits under his left eye, above a large scar that runs across the side of his face.
Iran and Iraq resumed trade through Shalamcheh border, Mehr news agency reported on Sunday, quoting an Iranian provincial official.
Seyed Ali Mousavi said, “Today, the international border of Shalamcheh was reopened and traders of the two countries resumed their activities.”
Exports of non-oil goods, including foodstuffs, fruits, vegetables, and meat, as well as technical and engineering services, resumed at this border on July 6, according to an agreement reached with the Iraqi side, Mousavi announced.
According to Mousavi, 21,000 tons of non-oil goods worth $95 million exported to Iraq after resuming of Shalamcheh border on July 9, after a four-month shut down due to the outbreak of coronavirus.Before the closure of the Shalamcheh border by Iraq, more than 200 trucks were carrying a variety of domestic exported goods and 150 Iraqi trucks traveled daily at the border dock to unload and load goods. Meanwhile, in early July, the head of Iraq’s Border Ports Authority Omar Al-Waeli announced that Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi had ordered trade exchanges with Iran to be resumed in Mandali and Shalamcheh border markets.Al-Waeli added that accordingly, 250 shipments from Iran will enter Iraq daily for two days a week through the Shalamcheh border in Basra and Mandali in Diyala province, IRNA reported.Preventive measures against coronavirus should be taken in health departments of the two provinces to ensure the safety of workers and incoming goods, he said.The official reiterated that only goods exchanges are permissible and passengers will never be allowed to enter the border crossings.In mid-June, the Iraqi government agreed to reopen Zarbatiyeh (Mehran) border crossing to import goods from Iran for two days a week, and trade is currently underway at that border crossing.Iraq’s Border Ports Authority closed border crossings with Iran and its neighbors in mid-March to prevent the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Iran: The MEK’ Resilience Could be an Existential Threat to the Clerical Regime
Over the past several days, fires have been reported at no fewer than eight sites associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or its civilian militia, the Basij.
Those same activists have also burned public banners images celebrating the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini, and the current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
These attacks on symbols of the regime’s authority come after activities that focused on spreading MEK messages via graffiti.
Many of these messages focused on the anniversary of the regime’s massacre of political prisoners, which began with the establishment of “death commissions” on July 19, 1988, then proceeded through several months of interrogations and hangings.
MEK network pay tribute to political prisoners executed in the 1988 massacre in Iran.
“The mullahs’ virus has no result but mass murder”: MEK Resistance Units.
The death commissions primarily targeted the MEK, demanding that known or suspected members disavow the group and swear loyalty to the theocratic dictatorship.
It has been reported that something like 95 percent of people refused this ultimatum, proudly declaring their commitment to the MEK’s democratic platform, even knowing it could cost them their lives.
The mullahs might have recognized what this implied about the resilience of the underlying movement, but they still made every effort to destroy the organization in one fell swoop. Clerical Regime
Before the end of 1988, over 30,000 political prisoners had been hanged, with most being interred in secret mass graves. The killings were positively indiscriminate, including men who had already served out their designated prison sentences, as well as some teenagers and pregnant women. Clerical Regime
These facts had long been reported by the MEK and its affiliates, but they were confirmed for a much larger audience in 2016 with the release of a contemporary audio recording in which one regime official, Ali Hossein Montazeri, broke away from his colleagues and condemned the “worst crime of the Islamic Republic.”
Gov’t ready to help knowledge-based companies working for COVID-19 medicine, vaccines: President Rouhani
Iran’s president announced at a meeting of the National Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus that the government was ready to help those knowledge-based companies working to find drugs and vaccines for coronavirus.
Dr. Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that the issue would be discussed at a special meeting this week with representatives of knowledge-based companies.
The President also congratulated Eid al-Ghadeer and appreciated the faithful infaq of the people these days, saying that people should plan to live with coronavirus for another year until the day we receive an effective and sufficient vaccine.
Referring to the conflicting views that exist on the tightening of restrictions or opposition to the tightening of restrictions in the process of combatting coronavirus, Dr. Rouhani said, “These days we see some people write letters and due to the arrival of Muharram and mourning want the restrictions not to be increased and some people say that considering that Hajj was an obligatory act and was not held this year, why should mourning be held as a recommended act considering the outbreak of the disease”.President Rouhani stressed, “We must take a moderate path because it is not possible to continue the severe restrictions and we cannot completely shut down economic, educational and cultural activities, as these activities cannot be the same as before coronavirus”.Stating, “We have no choice but to have activities, but also to follow the health protocols completely,” Dr. Rouhani said, “We have to accept that in this year’s mid-February, an alarm went off and emphasized to us that your social life has to undergo changes until further notice, and anyone who has not heard this alarm has lost”.The President added, “To say that Muharram is not a month of mourning is incorrect and is not acceptable for our society. The ceremony should be held with a smaller crowd and most of the ceremony should be broadcast on cyberspace for the mourners.
Iranian Envoy Condoles Lebanese Counterpart in Moscow over Beirut Blast
Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazzem Jalali offered his sympathy to his Lebanese counterpart Shoghi Boonasr over the Tuesday massive explosion in Beirut, and emphasized Tehran’s support and solidarity with the country’s people and government.
Jalali in his meeting with Boonasr on Friday, various aspects of the deadly blast and underlined Iranian people’s support and assistance for Lebanese nation and government.
The Lebanese envoy, for his part, voiced his gratitude to the Iranian nation and government for their continuous support and relief aids for Lebanon.
A massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday, killing at least 157 people, wounding over 5,000 more, and smashing a vast area. Condoles
Terrifying footage showed a huge mushroom cloud of fire and smoke covering much of Beirut’s port area, blowing out windows and destroying buildings in the neighborhood, as a warehouse at the Beirut docks caught fire on Tuesday afternoon.
Photos on social media showed many buildings in the area damaged or destroyed, leaving residents covered in glass and blood.
Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred and turned the city’s streets into a debris-strewn wasteland.
In addition to local authorities, more than 30 Red Cross teams are responding at the scene of the blast.Health Minister Hamad Hassan blamed the explosion on a fireworks accident, ordering all hospitals in Beirut to prepare for the victims of the incident.Head of the Lebanese Red Cross George Kettaneh also stated that hundreds of injured people were taken to hospital for treatment, while some still remain trapped in their homes.Hotel Dieu Hospital in Beirut reported it was treating more than 500 injuries and was not able to receive more. Tens of injured needed operations, the hospital said appealing for blood donations. Rizq Hospital also said that it has admitted 400 wounded people.
Trump And Macron Discuss Extension Of Iran Arms Embargo
The White House said in a statement on August 7 that President Donald Trump spoke with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, about the recent explosion in Beirut and the extension of Iran’s arms embargo.
In a tweet on Friday, the Special Assistant to the president and the White House Deputy Secretary, Judd Deere, said the two leaders expressed their deep sadness over the loss of life and extensive devastation in Beirut.
Deere also announced that President Trump and President Macron discussed the importance of extending the UN arms embargo on Iran.
However, the White House official did not provide further details on talks between the U.S. and French leaders over Iran’s arms embargo’s expiration.Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said on Wednesday that the United States would call for a vote in the UN Security Council next week on extending Iran’s arms embargo.Quoting diplomats at the United Nations, Foreign Policy reported on Friday that the proposed U.S. resolution would be presented to the Security Council next Monday and would be voted on Tuesday.According to Bloomberg, the resolution text is the same as the one the U.S. tabled less than two months ago. Therefore, it shows that the Trump administration has ignored requests by other signatories of the Iran nuclear deal to amend the resolution.Bloomberg says the resolution calls on UN members to refrain from any arms trade, selling or buying, with the Islamic Republic.The resolution also calls on all countries to refrain from providing Iran with technical training, financial resources or services, advice, or assistance in the supply, sale, transfer, manufacture, maintenance, or use of weapons.Nevertheless, U.S. ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, said on August 5 that China and Russia are likely to veto the resolution.
The United Nations said Friday it was urgently trying to get food, aid and medical equipment to Beirut following the devastating explosion that ripped apart the Lebanese capital’s port.
The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) warned that as economically ravaged Lebanon imports 85% of its food, the flow could be severely damaged.
The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, said it lost several containers of essential medical supplies in the blast, with personal protective equipment (PPE) completely destroyed.
“WFP is concerned that the explosion and the damage to the port will exacerbate an already grim food security situation,” said the agency’s spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs, AFP reported.
The severe damage to Lebanon’s largest port “could limit the flow of food supplies into the country and push food prices beyond the reach of many,” she added.
Byrs said the WFP would be allocating 5,000 food parcels to affected families, which contain enough food to feed a family of five for a month.It is also planning to import wheat flour and grains for bakeries and mills to help protect against food shortages.The WHO said hospitals were overwhelmed with injured patients, with three hospitals now deemed non-functional, putting 400 beds out of use, and a further two hospitals partially damaged, putting a further 100 beds beyond use.WHO called for $15 million (12.7 million euros) to cover immediate emergency trauma and humanitarian health needs.It said hundreds of thousands of PPE items for the country’s coronavirus response were destroyed.UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, said preliminary numbers suggested that up to 100,000 children’s homes had been damaged or destroyed and they were now displaced.”We have initial reports of over 120 public and private schools that have sustained damage,” serving approximately 55,000 children, UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado said.The agency has launched a funding appeal for an initial $8.25 million.”The needs are immediate and huge,” Mercado said.UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said it had received unconfirmed reports of several refugee deaths.
The Eagle pictured relaxing in an unidentified location believed to be used as a meeting place. (Pouria Khojastehpay)
