Social and Political

PayvandNews – Iran has called for China to step up its economic relations with the country in the post-sanction era. “As China expanded its economic relations with Iran during the sanctions, the country fits for playing stronger role in the Iranian economy after the removal of the sanctions,” Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture Chairman Gholam-Hossein Shafeie said …

RFL/RE – The British government has distanced itself from comments made by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who accused Iran, Britain’s ally Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern states of engaging in “proxy wars.” Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokeswoman Helen Bower said they are Johnson’s own views and do not reflect Britain’s policy on Saudi Arabia and its role in the …

RFL/RE – Iran and Shell signed a deal on December 7 to explore the development of three of Iran’s biggest oil and gas fields, undeterred by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to undo last year’s nuclear deal that enabled Western companies to resume business with Iran. Anglo-Dutch Shell is the largest oil company to wade back into Iran since the …

RFL/RE – Iranian President Hassan Rohani has announced that his administration will reintroduce the toman as the country’s official currency, replacing the rial, upon approval by parliament, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported on December 7. For most Iranians, the currency change won’t make much of a difference, as most Iranians already calculate prices using the toman, which is equal …

Al-monitor -The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries finally agreed to cut oil production at its Nov. 30 meeting in Vienna. The decision was preceded by months of intense negotiations against the backdrop of dramatically declining oil prices since mid-2014. The talks in Vienna were complemented by intense telephone diplomacy involving Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as major non-OPEC producer …

Al-monitor – After a week of heavy pressure on the administration of moderate President Hassan Rouhani and senior members of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, the Council for Monitoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) held a meeting on Dec. 7 to discuss Washington’s recent move to renew the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA). AUTHOR Changiz M. Varzi Tasnim News Agency …

RFL/RE – The press agency for Iran’s hard-line conservative volunteer militia, the Basij, has quoted a senior official as saying that 50 Iranian student volunteers have been killed while fighting in Syria. Basij Press quoted Daud Gudrazi — the head of the Student Basij Organization, a branch of the militia force — as saying on December 6 that 50 students …

VOA – Iran’s destabilizing actions across the Middle East constitute a security threat that rivals that of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Republican and Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday. “Iranian proxies remain a direct threat to the United States and our allies today,” said the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Bob Corker of Tennessee, pointing to Lebanese Hezbollah, Shia …

Al-monitor — The US House of Representatives voted to extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) on Nov. 15, and the Senate followed suit on Dec. 1, approving the measure in a vote of 99-0 and sending it to President Barack Obama for his signature. “We believe the Iran Sanctions Act extension is not necessary, but we also believe it won’t …

RFL/RE – An Iranian court has sentenced 12 people working in the fashion industry to jail for posting images on the Internet, according to a report in local media. The eight men and four women were given sentences ranging from five months to six years in jail by a court in the southern city of Shiraz on December 5, the …