Nowruz Art Exhibition in Tehran

Tehran's Museum of Contemporary Arts will hold an exhibition of works by master Iranian artists during the Persian New Year (Nowruz) holidays (starting 21 March). The exhibition is part of the International Nowruz Celebrations events taking place in Tehran next week with the theme of ‘Nowruz, Spring and Nature.’

The exhibition will showcase works by artists such as Sohrab Sepehri, Faramarz Pilaram, Reza Shahabi, Ali-Mohammad Heidarian, Mehdi Vishkaei, Ahmad Esfandiari, Davoud Emdadian, Yaqoub Emdadian, Reza Mafi, Mohammad Ehsaei, Abolqasem Saeedi, Nasrollah Afjei, Jalil Rasouli and Monir Farmanfarmayan.

Tehran will also host the 'Manifestations of the World's Contemporary Arts' exhibition, showcasing a collection of rare international artworks, including impressionist, cubist, abstract, minimalist and conceptual masterpieces. Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Kamil Jacob Pissarro, Fernand Leger, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst, Vasily Kandinsky, Pierre Soulages, Francis Bacon, Juan Miro and Roy Lichtenstein are among the artists whose works will be displayed.

Photo: A work by Faramarz Pilaram / PressTV

Japan on Our Minds

Japan suffered from an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami that created 30-feet waves and washed over coastal cities in the northeast of the country. Hundreds are dead and concerns have mounted over possible radiation leaks from two nuclear reactors in the area.

Photo: AP via New York Times

AFP Correspondent Expelled

By Nader Uskowi

Iran expelled Agence France-Presse (AFP) deputy bureau chief in Tehran, Jay Deshmukh, on Friday. The authorities did not give any explanation for their decision. Deshmukh, a 40-year-old Indian national, had been in the country since January 2009.

"Jay Desmukh, in common with the whole of the Tehran bureau, does a great job and with a professionalism that is universally recognized," said Emmanuel Hoog, AFP chief executive, in Paris. "Thus to attack this journalist and AFP, as the Iran authorities have done, is totally unjust and unjustifiable." [AFP, 11 March].

AFP reporting from Iran has been among the most professional and balanced sources of news from the country. Uskowi on Iran regularly uses AFP dispatches, including those written by Mr. Desmukh, and regrets the decision by Iranian authorities to expel him.

We are also concerned for the implications of this decision on the freedom of press in Iran. Many Iranian journalists are in jail. Coverage by foreign correspondents is largely restricted. Most western television and radio networks are systematically jammed in the capital Tehran and in most big cities. The authorities also block many of the Internet websites based abroad.

Iran Non-Oil Exports at $40 Billion

Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) announced today the country’s non-oil exports will exceed $40 billion by the end of the current Iranian year (ending March 20). TPO’s figures include $5 billion for gas condensates exports that the organization counts as non-oil revenues. The export of technical and engineering services amounted to more than $3 billion.

This year’s non-oil exports of $40 billion represent a 40% increase over last year. The country’s oil exports during the coming Iranian calendar year are estimated at $80 billion.

Sanctions against Iran Ineffective – DIA Chief

The Director of US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Lieutenant General Ronald Burgess said Iran has produced “more than enough” low-enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon, and that the UN sanctions “are not stopping Iran’s drive to enrich uranium.”

In a statement prepared for the Senate Armed Services Committee and carried by news agencies today, the DIA chief said Iran has installed nearly 9,000 centrifuges at Natanz. In 2007, when the sanctions by UN and Western countries began, Iran had only 3,000 centrifuges. Burgess’s remarks reinforce latest US government assessments that the current sanctions against Iran have been ineffective.

Gen. Burgess says in his statement that Iran is protecting its Natanz and Qom nuclear installations underground.

“Buried, hardened facilities and improved air defenses are key elements of Iran’s extensive program to protect its nuclear infrastructure from destruction,” Burgess says. “Iran’s construction is in keeping with a transnational tunneling trend where potential adversaries conceal and protect their most vital national security activities.”

On air defenses, Burgess says Iran’s plans to defend its facilities, as well as protecting its senior leaders, was dealt a setback when Russian officials in September prohibited delivery of the advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran.

On Iran’s missile program, the DIA chief says Iran’s Simorgh satellite launch vehicle shows the country’s progress toward developing an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Al Aman -- Iran-Syria Joint Bank

Iran's Minister of Economy and Finance Shamseddin Hosseini announced in Tehran the establishment of a joint Iranian-Syrian bank. Al Aman, the joint bank, will have branches inside Iran and Syria, Hosseini said. He also said that the building of the bank in Syria has been purchased [Mehr News Agency, 9 March].

On a related development, Iran and Syria signed a new trade agreement reducing all existing tariffs to four percent within five years.

Rafsanjani Loses Assembly Chairmanship

Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani lost his position today as the head of the powerful Assembly of Experts, a clerical body charged with choosing or dismissing Iran's supreme leader. Facing certain defeat, Rafsanjani decided not to run for reelection to "avoid division," as he later explained. The Assembly then elected Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani as its new chairman. He received 63 votes in the 86-member assembly as the sole candidate for the post.

Rafsanjani’s loss is the latest indication that the regime is sidelining anyone remotely associated with the 2009 Green Movement. Their leaders, Mousavi and Karrubi, are under house arrest. Former reformist president Khatami is pushed out and now Rafsanjani has lost the powerful chairmanship of the assembly, the Islamic Republic’s version of the Vatican’s College of Cardinals.

Hardline Member of Majlis Mahmoud Ahmadi Biqash said Rafsanjani paid a price for not condemning the opposition leaders Mousavi and Karrubi.

"Today, Assembly of Expert members showed that they are pioneers in confronting enemies and seditionists and obeying the orders of the supreme leader," Biqash said [IRNA, 8 March].

DIO Self-propelled 155 mm/39 HM41 howitzer

click photos to enlarge

Truck mounted DIO 155 mm/39 HM41 howitzer (domestically upgraded US M114).

Truck mount appears to be a derived MAN 6x6 variant, with secondary cab and crew bench.

Angled HM41 gun with recoil plate depressed.

New SPG appears to be a locally produced and economical solution for Iran's mobile artillery requirements.

Photos: Vahid Reza Alaei at FARS & ISNA

Growing Tensions in Iran-UAE Relations

The Iranian parliament, Majlis, will vote on a bill downgrading Iran’s relations with the UAE. The bill, introduced at the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Majlis, calls the “insulting attitude toward Iranians travelling to the UAE” as “unacceptable.”

“The nature of Iran's trade relations with the Emirates is to the benefit of the UAE and in return their treatment of the citizens of our country is absolutely unacceptable,” Commission member Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said.

The action in Majlis came amid sharp criticism by senior Iranian officials of UAE’s decision to construct artificial islands on the Persian Gulf. On Monday, IRGC Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, senior military adviser to the Supreme Leader, described the construction of the islands as “illegal.”

Iran’s main concern is that the artificial islands would reduce by 10 kilometers the distance between the UAE mainland and Abu Musa, an Iranian island also claimed by UAE, changing the coastal borders between the two countries.

Dutch Stamps on Iran

Stamps by the Netherlands commemorating the 2009 Green Movement in Iran

Iran Expects $80 Billion in Oil Revenues

Iran’s oil minister said today in Tehran that his country’s oil exports are expected to reach and remain at least at $80 billion a year. Iran currently exports some 2.2 million barrels a day. The uprisings and uncertainties in the Middle East have pushed the price of each barrel of Iran Heavy above the $100 mark, and rising. At $100 per barrel and 2.2 million bpd in exports, the country’s annual oil revenues would reach $80 billion.

The Shah’s government at the height of Iran’s prosperity in mid-70s enjoyed oil revenues of $20 billion. Even accounting for population increase and the rate of inflation, the quadrupling of oil revenues creates an unparalleled opportunity for the Islamic Republic to continue its hold on power.

Nuclear Weapons Contradicts Iran's Religious Principles - FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said in an interview today with the Euronews channel that the development or use of nuclear weapons contradicts Iran's religious principles and would violate the tenets of Islam.

"Islamic Republic authorities have reiterated that nuclear arms are against the country's religious principals," Salehi said. "We have been committed to the NPT and believe that the proliferation of a nuclear bomb is against the tenets of Islam."

Iranian Ships at the Red Sea

The two Iranian warships Alvand and Kharg left the Mediterranean and passed through the Suez back into the Red Sea on Saturday.

"The flotilla has completed its mission successfully in the Mediterranean Sea and has returned to the Red Sea transiting through the Suez Canal," said Navy Commander Rear Admiral Sayari [IRNA, 5 March].

Photo: IRIS Alvand Docked at Syrian Port of Latakia on 24 February. IRNA

Government Will Continue Cash Payments to People – Minister of Economy

Iran’s Minister of Economy Shamsoldin Hosseini today told reporters in Tehran that direct cash subsidies to 65 million Iranians during the coming Iranian calendar year of 1390 will remain at least $44 per month, the same level as the cash payouts in the past four months. The payouts are part of the program of ending government subsidies of energy and food products.

Half Urban Population in Iran Under Poverty Line – Report

Between 44.5 and 55 percent of Iran's urban population lives under the poverty line, according to a report presented by senior Iranian government researchers at a conference organized by Statistics Center of Iran (Markaz Amar-e Iran), Tehran Bureau reported on its Website.

The authors, Mansour Kiani, Khalil Attar, and Jila Habibi, reported 23.3 million people in the cities were under the poverty line and cannot subsist on their households' incomes [Tehran Bureau, 4 March].

Energy Subsidies at $80 Billion – Oil Minister

Iran’s Oil Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi said today the government’s subsidies of energy products had reached nearly $80 billion a year. The gradual removal of energy subsidies, a program started by the government late last year, would prevent waste and would channelize the country’s energy resources into reconstruction projects, Mir-Kazemi said [Fars News Agency, 3 March].

Mir-Kazemi’s remarks are the first official confirmation of the extent of government’s energy subsidies and its growth in the past 40 years. Iran’s oil revenues started rapid increase in early 70s and with it came increasing government subsidies of basic needs of the population, including gasoline, natural gas, electricity and other energy products. Reaching the $80 billion level was of course unsustainable, a trend the current subsidy reforms program is trying to reverse.

India Clears Oil Payments to Iran

India has paid 1.5 billion euros ($2.08 billion) to clear overdue payments for oil imports from Iran [Reuters, 3 March]. Last December, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stopped using the Asian Clearing Union to settle India’s payment to Iran for their possible non-adherence to US sanctions against the country. The RBI did not disclose the new payment mechanism. It is believed, however, that the payments were settled in euros through the Bundesbank, the German central bank.

Iran is India's second-biggest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia. India imported 424,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil from Iran last year, worth $12 billion.

Iran Navy ships returning through Suez Canal

From PressTV:

Two Iranian Navy ships that made their first ever journey through the Suez Canal following Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution are currently sailing through the canal before heading toward the Red Sea.

The vessels will pass through the Red Sea later on Thursday and enter the Gulf of Aden, the Public Relations of Iran's Army said on March 3.

The Iranian warships are due to arrive in zone one of the country's Naval Forces later.

On Wednesday, a canal official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters, “Tomorrow (Thursday), the Iranian ships will cross the canal with the convoy starting in the north from the Mediterranean.”

The official added that the two Iranian naval ships will go through the canal on Thursday morning.

On February 22, Iranian vessels, Khark and Alvand, crossed the Suez Canal, a strategic international shipping route in Egypt en route to Syria after Cairo had "agreed to allow the two Iranian warships to transit the Suez Canal."

The 1,500-ton patrol frigate Alvand is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, while the larger 33,000-ton supply vessel Khark has 250 crewmembers and can carry three helicopters.

It was a potentially risky move but the Iranians appear to have pulled it off. It sets a precedent for Iran Navy activity, as well. Expect the Iran Navy to assume more confidence on the high seas, in partnering with its allies, and-- within the scope of its relatively limited resources-- combatting piracy. The sailors of Alvand and Kharg deserve campaign ribbons for this groundbreaking tour.

The Oil Rising

Today dated Brent spot price rose to $116.15, the highest in nearly three years. The price of Iran Heavy, the Iranian crude oil, is linked to Brent and today climbed to nearly $110 per barrel.

Conflicting Reports on Number of Arrests During Tehran Demonstrations

Tehran’s Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi told reporters todays that the security forces did not arrest anyone during the street demonstrations in Tehran on Tuesday. Earlier, an opposition website, Saham News, had reported that 79 protesters were detained during the protests in Tehran. Jafari Doulatabadi also put the number of detainees during the 14 February demonstrations in Tehran at only “dozens.” Saham News had reported “hundreds” arrested during that day.

Jafari Doulatabadi also denied reports that the leaders of the opposition, Mir Hosssein Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi, and their wives have been transferred to a prison in Tehran, although he confirmed the reports that they are under house arrest. He did not elaborate how long they will be held under house arrest, or which judicial organ has issued the order for the house arrests.

Monthly Cash Subsidies: Lowered or Ending Soon?

Iran’s Ministry of Economy denied reports that the popular monthly cash subsidies paid to more than 80 percent of the population to cope with the removal of government subsidies would be slashed by 40 percent to $27 a month starting with the second month of the coming Iranian new year of 1390 (the new year starts on 21 March). At present monthly cash payouts are at $44 per month per person.

The controversy started yesterday when the ministry itself announced that its budget for cash subsidies for the eleven months of the new calendar year is at $19.3 billion. Considering that 65 million people will be eligible to receive cash subsidies next year, the monthly cash payout per person per month comes to $27, and not $44! Unless the government is planning to end these payments in seven months, in which case it would need only $19.3 billion. So the apparently contradictory announcements are perhaps meant to convey the message that these payments will end sooner than expected.