Khamenei Reacts to UN Sanctions

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday denounced new UN sanctions against Iran as "confused acts" and the “helplessness of world powers” in dealing with the Islamic Republic. These were Khamenei’s first reactions to the new sanctions.

"Their confused acts to adopt the resolution and the unrealistic exaggeration of sanctions followed by half-baked military threats are indications of the helplessness of the arrogant order in facing the great and respectable movement in the Islamic world," Khamenei said [Kayhan, 24 June].

“Sanctions are adopted as the emergence and the existence of the Islamic Republic establishment is the main cause of current problems for the domineering order. That is the reason for their animosity to the Islamic system,” Khamenei added.

The officials of the Islamic Republic use phrases “arrogant power” and “domineering order” to refer to US and the US-dominated Western world respectively.

Iran’s Uranium Enrichment, Ctd

Iran said it has produced more than 17 kilograms of 20 percent enriched uranium and is capable of adding some 5 kilograms a month. Ali Akbar Salehi, director of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, announced the news in Tehran.

"We have so far produced more than 17 kilograms of 20 percent enriched uranium and we can potentially produce five kilograms per month," Salehi said [ISNA, 24 June].

Salehi had previously announced that Iran had acquired the necessary technical expertise to convert the 20 percent enriched uranium into fuel plates required to power reactors [ISNA, 16 June].

The enrichment announcement represents a defiance of the UN Security Council resolution calling on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities.

Brazil that had helped brokered an agreement with Iran to send its LEU to Turkey in return for the reactor fuel; today issued a word of caution to Iran. The Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, on a visit to Bulgaria, said there were concerns over Iran’s nuclear program by the Vienna Group over the Tehran Agreement and “now it is up to Iran to react to these” [AFP, 24 June].

Israel Launches Spy Satellite Over Iran

Israel launched a military spy satellite today to monitor Iran and its nuclear program. The Ofek 9, which the Israeli Defense Ministry said was launched from the Palmachim air force base south of Tel Aviv, will join three other Israeli spy satellites already in space. Israeli media reports said the satellite's high-resolution cameras would enable Israel to keep a closer eye on Iran. Israel has expressed concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, although the country is the region’s only nuclear power.

News Source: Reuters

Ofek means Horizon in Hebrew.

Iran Sanctions: Private Sector - UPDATE

In a testimony today at Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Stuart Levey, the top US Treasury Department official overseeing financial sanctions against Iran, spoke of Iranian vulnerabilities against private sector initiatives.

"Virtually all major financial institutions have either completely cut off or dramatically reduced their ties with Iran," said Levey. “Voluntary actions of the private sector amplify the effectiveness of government-imposed measures.”

Levy told the Senate committee that firms in the insurance, consulting, energy and manufacturing sectors were making decisions similar to banking institutions cutting off their ties with Iran.

The Foreign Relations committee was discussing accompanying unilateral sanctions against Iran beyond those imposed by the UN. The Congress is moving toward targeting American and non-American firms that sell goods, services or know-how to Iran’s energy sector, including insurance, financing and shipping companies. The centerpiece of the proposed new legislation is an effort to choke off Iran’s import of refined oil products, including gasoline.

Levey warned the senators, however, not to see these sanctions as a cure-all, considering Iran had braced itself for such sanctions for the past year or so. Oil-rich Iran lacks extensive domestic refining capabilities which leaves it heavily dependant on imports of gasoline, jet oil and other refined products to meet domestic demands

“This is a vulnerability and we think it's one that could be exploited,” said Levey. “It's not a silver bullet.”

The US officials believe that Iran has already decreased its dependence on gasoline imports to 25 percent of domestic consumption, instead of 40 percent a few years ago. However, that figure is still too high for comfort on the part of the Iranian leadership.

"We do know that the Iranian leadership is quite concerned," said Levey.

Source: AFP

Stuart Levey is the US Undersecretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

UPDATE: US Congress passed Iran sanctions on Thursday 24 June by a vote of 408-8. Earlier in the day, the US Senate had passed the same bill by a vote of 99-0. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law.

Iran Sanctions: Declining Trade with Dubai

Observing a more strict application of UN sanctions against Iran, the UAE government has taken measures that are resulting in significantly lower trade volume across the Persian Gulf.

- In the last two months, UAE authorities have closed down 40 trading firms doing business with Iran for dealing in “dual-use and dangerous materials” that violate UN sanctions [AFP, 22 June].

- All containers arriving at Dubai ports for trans-shipment by smaller boats to Iran have to be unloaded, inspected, and loaded into new containers, a process that costs traders 1,000 extra dollars per container.

- For years, Dubai was Iran’s top trading partner, with trade volume estimated at 10 billion dollars a year. Last year, the volume dropped to 7 billion dollars and in the recent months, Dubai trade volume has slipped to the third place.

Anti-Majlis Student Protest in Tehran

Student Demonstrators at Majlis

The sign at far right reads: 'How Much Money For Each Vote?'

Tehran. 22 June 2010. Fars Photo

In a large student demonstration in front of Majlis, the Iranian Parliament, the protesters demanded that the parliament reverses its recent vote to allow the Free Islamic University of Iran to continue as an endowed private institution. The Free University, as it is popularly called, is the largest and arguably the richest institution of higher learning in Iran. The Majlis action legalized its status as an endowed private institution governed by its board of trustees, a common arrangement in the West, but an oddity in Iran’s system of government ownership of universities and colleges.

The semi-official Fars News Agency reports from Tehran that the student demonstrators were chanting slogans against the Majlis and its speaker: “Traitor Deputies Shame on You!”, “Larijani Shame On You, Resign, Resign!”

Some fundamentalist deputies joined the demonstrations and spoke at the gathering condemning the 134-72 vote on Sunday legalizing Free University’s status.

Implicit in the angry protests is the fact that the university, created during the first years of the Islamic Republic by Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, is believed to be controlled by pro-opposition personalities. Fars News Agency highlighted related chants by protesters: “Larijani, Hashemi Have United!” , “Majlis, Mafia Have United!”

NAJA citation for improper attire

click to enlarge

Citation issued by NAJA (Iran police) to women for improper attire.

Citation photo: Sheila K at iranian.com
NAJA file photo: Iranian Students News Agency

Protesters prevent unloading of Israeli ship

Hundreds of demonstrators, gathering at the Port of Oakland before dawn, prevented the unloading of an Israeli cargo ship.

The demonstrators, demanding an end to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, picketed at Berth 58, where a ship from Israel's Zim shipping line is scheduled to dock later today. The day shift of longshoremen agreed not to cross the picket line.
International pressure to end the Gaza closure has increased since Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla of ships attempting to run the blockade on May 31, killing nine people. Last week, Israeli officials announced that they would loosen but not lift the blockade, allowing more goods to enter the impoverished area.

"Our view is that the state of Israel can not engage in acts of piracy and kill people on the high seas and still think their cargo can go anywhere in the world," said Richard Becker, an organizer with ANSWER, one of many peace and labor groups involved in Sunday's action.

Becker estimated that 600 to 700 people joined the demonstration, many of them arriving at 5:30 a.m. Oakland police, who estimated the crowd at 500 people, reported no arrests.

The demonstrators want to block the unloading of the Zim ship for a full day. After convincing the day shift of longshoreman to honor the picket line, the demonstrators dispersed around 10 a.m., Becker said. The ship is scheduled to arrive in mid-afternoon, and the demonstrators plan to gather again around 4:30 p.m. and re-establish their picket line before the evening shift of longshoremen arrives at 6 p.m- SF Gate

Not directly Iran-related, but newsworthy nonetheless.

Jundallah Leader Executed

Abdulmalik Rigi, the former leader of Jundallah, was hanged today at Evin prison in Tehran on charges of “corruption on earth.” Rigi was arrested in February by Iranian intelligence agents when he was flying over the Persian Gulf en route from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan. He had led a bloody campaign in his province of Iranian Baluchistan against the country’s security forces and the IRGC.

Rigi's younger brother, Abdulhamid, was executed last month in Zahedan. He had been captured in Pakistan in 2008 and extradited to Iran. The two brothers were the young heads of Rigis, historically the most prominent Sunni family in Baluchistan. Their executions are major blows to Jundallah. The militant group had been involved in many terrorist acts. Their bombing attacks have killed dozens in recent years, including five senior IRGC commanders.

Gates and the Iran Missile 'Threat'

By Mark Pyruz

US intelligence has shown Iran could launch an attack against Europe with "scores or hundreds" of missiles, prompting major changes to US missile defenses, Pentagon chief Robert Gates said on Thursday.

President Barack Obama in September cited a mounting danger from Iran's arsenal of short and medium-range missiles when he announced an overhaul of US missile defense plans.

The new program, called the "phased adaptive approach," uses sea and land-based interceptors to protect NATO allies in the region, instead of mainly larger weapons designed to counter long-range missiles.- AFP

I suppose the US IC is including Turkey and Israel in this threat projection, otherwise the geography makes little sense for the types of MRBM and numbers of SSMs possessed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Also unclear are any sort of first or second strike threat projections against Europe "proper" from potential (re: imagined) SSM forces of the IRI.

This sounds a lot like a military-industrial sales pitch, as well as a duplicitous rationale for US forces positioned in areas to maintain strategic dominance and counter Russian influence.

Iranian MRBMs are under-tested, and as such represent a deterrence force far more than any actual effective offensive capability. That is to say they are almost purpose-built primarily to counter the weekly threats of Israeli attack against Iran's nuclear power infrastructure.

Update: Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Vahidi's response to Gates.

Pew Poll On War With Iran

Majorities in many Western and some Muslim countries are willing to consider military action against Iran to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons, a poll conducted by Pew Research Center in 22 countries has revealed.

Americans are among the most supportive of a military option to deal with Iran with 66 per cent of those who oppose a nuclear-armed Iran saying they would consider the use of force. Nigerians are the most supportive, with 71 percent in favor of military action.

Among Europeans, the views are more mixed. In France, 59 percent said they would consider the use of military force, but a sizeable minority of 41percent rejected this option.

Support for the military option is softer in Germany (51pc), Spain (50pc) and Britain (48pc). Russians were divided on the use of force, with 32pc in each camp.

In the Muslim world, there is support for military action in Egypt (55pc), Jordan (53pc) and Lebanon (44pc). In Turkey, 37 percent said avoiding a military conflict should be the priority while 29 percent would consider the use of military force.

The poll surveyed 24,000 people in 22 countries between April 7 and May 8.

'Sanctions will not undermine Iran's defense': Defense Minister

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi says the UN Security Council sanctions targeting Iran's defense sphere will not undermine the Islamic Republic's military might.

He noted that the earlier sanctions against Iran all failed to undermine the "solid will of the Iranian nation."

"In the recent resolution, arrogant powers banned weapons sales to Iran, but we do not need their weapons and we can even export such weapons," Fars news agency quoted Vahidi as saying on Thursday.

"Iran is self-sufficient in making and mass-producing artillery, tanks, helicopters and warships," the defense minister noted.

Iran Will Not Withdraw From NPT

Speaker of Iranian Majlis Ali Larijani said in Tehran today that Iran will not withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT) Treaty, despite new sanctions imposed against the country.

"The western countries' reactions should not make us angry and cause our withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)," Larijani said [Mehr News Agency, 17 June].

"I think we should not withdraw from the IAEA or the NPT. We must provide the grounds for implementing the rules by strengthening them instead," Larijani added.

Reacting to the news that European leaders had agreed to impose new sanctions on Iran, Larijani said the Europeans should realize that these measures “will have no effect on Iran's nuclear stance.”

EU Leaders Impose New Sanctions On Iran

European leaders decided today to impose accompanying new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program beyond those already approved by UNSC. The EU sanctions include a ban on new investment, technical assistance and transfer of technology to Iran’s oil and gas industry, adding more pressure on global energy majors to end their activities in Iran. The new sanctions also target IRGC as well as the country's transportation and banking system [AFP, 17 June].

Iran Oil Exports: 2.3 million bpd

During the Iranian calendar year 1388, ending 21 March 2010, Iran exported an average of 2.3 million barrels of oil a day. 35 percent of Iran’s oil exports constituted light crude, with 65% heavy crude [IRIB, 16 June].

Japan, China, South Africa, Brazil, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Spain, India and the Netherlands were the main importers of Iran's crude oil.

Oil income accounts for more than 80 percent of Iran's foreign currency revenues.

IRGC Mobilized in Iranian Azerbaijan

IRGC has announced that it has mobilized its forces in the western border regions of Iran.

"The presence of US and Israeli forces along Iranian borders is the reason behind Iran's military movements in the region," Brig. General Mehdi Moini, commander of IRGC in Iran’s West Azerbaijan Province, told reporters on Tuesday [Press TV, 16 June].

Gen. Moini also accused the West of attempting to destabilize the western province under his command by inciting rebel groups.

"Through magnifying the ethnic, religious strife in the region and inciting terrorist groups, they seek to destabilize our province," he said.

The IRGC commander added that during recent clashes [presumably with rebel groups], no IRGC base has been overrun.

West Azarbaijan Province is located in northwest Iran. It shares border with Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Iranian Ship Heading to Gaza Despite Israeli Warnings

Iranian foreign ministry confirmed today that an Iranian ship carrying food supplies, building materials and toys are heading to Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel said today that it will prevent the Iranian vessel from reaching Gaza.

Israeli daily Yediot Ahranot reported today that the Israeli navy is preparing to deal with two ships expected to reach the region by the end of the current week, which are an Iranian ship, and another sent from Lebanese Hezbollah Party.

Tragedy In The Philippines

A bus carrying Iranian medical students in the Philippines plunged into a ravine off a mountain road in Balamban in central Cebu province, killing 20 Iranian students and the bus driver. Sunday 13 June 2010. AP Photo.

EU Foreign Ministers Approve Iran Sanctions

The European Union today approved "accompanying measures" to the UN sanctions against Iran. The EU foreign ministers had met in Brussels to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. Before approving the new sanctions, the foreign ministers heard from Saeed Jalili, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, who argued Iran’s case.

The new sanctions include further restrictions on trade insurance and financial transactions, and target Iran's transport sector particularly its shipping and air cargo operators. Investments in Iran’s oil industry would also be affected.

"Some (European) companies ask what does that mean for their business, but what would nuclear bombs in the hands of Iran cost us," Germany’s Westerwelle asked. "We have to contribute our own European measures in addition to the Security Council sanctions to press Iran back to the negotiation table,” he added [AFP, 14 June].

EU heads of government would need to approve the new sanctions on Thursday during their meeting in Luxemburg before they go into effect.

Meanwhile in Tehran, the all-powerful IRGC said it was “not worried” by new sanctions against Iran.

Iran to Extend IPI Pipeline to Pakistani Border

In yet another signing ceremony, Iran formally committed itself to start supplying Pakistan with natural gas from 2014. Iran also announced that it will start building the next 300-kilometre (187.5 miles) leg of the pipeline from the southeastern city of Iranshahr to the Pakistani border, through the Iranian port of Chabahar.

Iran has already constructed 907 kilometres of the pipeline between Asalooyeh, the main port connected to South Pars field, and Iranshahr.

If the Iranian-Pakistani agreement is executed by 2014, Iran will export more than 21 million cubic meters (742 million cubic feet) of natural gas daily to Pakistan.

India had originally agreed to join the project as well, known as Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline, but has since withdrawn its participation. IPI project has been discussed for nearly two decades, with many signing ceremonies in between. So far, the construction of Assalooyeh-Iransharh leg of the pipeline has been the only tangible result of those discussions.

Saudi Arabia refutes airspace claim

According to the Israeli news source Haaretz Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf has denied that Saudi Arabia would or intend to give use of its airspace to Israel.

He has stated that it would be "illogical to allow the Israeli occupying force, with whom Saudi Arabia has no relations whatsoever, to use its land and airspace."