President Rouhani&rsquo;s maiden visit to India can be perceived as a response to India&rsquo;s West Asia overreach under the present Indian dispensation. The visit comes at a time when Indian government has been actively reaching out to various regional players trying to bolster bilateral ties and economic cooperation. The West Asian region hosts about 7 million expatriate Indians, and is a source of valuable foreign remittances and energy for India. The region also carries strategic significance for India.

&nbsp;

The Iranian president&rsquo;s visit comes in the backdrop of the emergence of new fault lines in the region with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and others like Bahrain and Kuwait seen ranged against Iran&mdash;in tandem with Israel. For India, Israel is a key partner in its counter-terrorism initiatives as well as its efforts to attract innovation and sophisticated technology to boost manufacturing. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are crucial sources of energy for India, providing counter-terror cooperation and who also host a large number of expatriate Indians.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to the MEA officials, during the course of the visit, deliberations are likely to be held on the &ldquo;progress achieved in bilateral relations and also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.&quot; In addition, discussions on &quot;the latest regional and global developments and the finalisation and exploitation of Chabahar port as soon as possible,&quot; are also expected to take place.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

President Rouhani is coming with a big business agenda to expand economic ties with India. A delegation from the National Iranian Oil Company is expected to hold talks with Indian authorities to see whether a pact could be reached on developing Iran&rsquo;s Farzad-B gas field. Incidentally, Iran has been shifting the goalposts since 2007 when the first round of talks began. But things are different now.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;Iran has been trying to reach a better bargain with India after crippling economic sanctions against it were eased following the signing of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or nuclear deal with six world powers&mdash;the US, UK, Russia, France, China, and Germany. Iran also wants to expedite the whole process as they are apprehensive of present US administrations and their commitment to the nuclear deal.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There are some major irritants as well as opportunities for both the countries. India and Iran have strong economic and commercial ties covering many sectors though it has traditionally been dominated by the import of Iranian crude oil by India, which India continued with even at the time of sanctions. According to MEA, bilateral trade with Iran in 2017-18 stood at USD 12.89 billion, with India importing USD 10.5 billion worth of goods, mainly crude oil, and exporting commodities worth USD 2.4 billion.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

When the sanctions were lifted, India announced that its firms could spend as much as USD 20 billion on not just the port but also petrochemical plants, railway lines and other industries in the areas. But progress has only been made on the port. India has committed USD 85 million in investment for the development of the Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar. To show its commitment to the port project India signed the Trilateral Transit Agreement (Chabahar Agreement) between India, Iran and Afghanistan when PM Modi visited Tehran in May 2016. India recently became a signatory to the Ashgabat Agreement and wants to utilise the port to its full potential. The port opens a new strategic transit route between Iran, India, Afghanistan and other Central Asian nations bypassing Pakistan.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The visit is significant for both the nations, especially for Iran. President Rouhani has been facing growing discontent domestically over the falling promises and a brighter future which was shown to the people of Iran when the nuclear deal was signed. The people of Iran have been demanding greater personal freedoms and more opportunities for quite some time. According to estimates, nearly 60 percent of Iran&#39;s population of 82 million is under the age of 35, and nearly 70 per cent of Iranians were not yet born when the Islamic republic was established in 1979.

&nbsp;

Iran had hoped for swift reintegration into the global trade after the easing of sanctions in 2016 but its failure to persuade Western banks to accept Iranian business has been the main roadblock to rehabilitation. For instance, India plans to equip and operate two berths at Chabahar port with a capital investment of USD 85.21 million on a 10-year lease. But the uncertainty over U.S. policies has cast a shadow over the project. India is struggling to get equipment such as cranes for the port because Western banks were not ready to facilitate transactions.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp; &nbsp;

President Rouhani is coming with a big business agenda to expand economic ties with India

President Rouhani’s maiden visit to India can be perceived as a response to India’s West Asia overreach under the present Indian dispensation. The visit comes at a time when Indian government has been actively reaching out to various regional players trying to bolster bilateral ties and economic cooperation. The West Asian region hosts about 7 million expatriate Indians, and is a source of valuable foreign remittances and energy for India. The region also carries strategic significance for India. The Iranian president’s visit comes in the backdrop of the emergence of new fault lines in the region with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and others like Bahrain and Kuwait seen ranged against Iran—in tandem with Israel. For India, Israel is a key partner in its counter-terrorism initiatives as well as its efforts to attract innovation and sophisticated technology to boost manufacturing. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are crucial sources of energy for India, providing counter-terror cooperation and who also host a large number of expatriate Indians. According to the MEA officials, during the course of the visit, deliberations are likely to be held on the “progress achieved in bilateral relations and also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest." In addition, discussions on "the latest regional and global developments and the finalisation and exploitation of Chabahar port as soon as possible," are also expected to take place. President Rouhani is coming with a big business agenda to expand economic ties with India. A delegation from the National Iranian Oil Company is expected to hold talks with Indian authorities to see whether a pact could be reached on developing Iran’s Farzad-B gas field. Incidentally, Iran has been shifting the goalposts since 2007 when the first round of talks began. But things are different now. Iran has been trying to reach a better bargain with India after crippling economic sanctions against it were eased following the signing of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or nuclear deal with six world powers—the US, UK, Russia, France, China, and Germany. Iran also wants to expedite the whole process as they are apprehensive of present US administrations and their commitment to the nuclear deal. There are some major irritants as well as opportunities for both the countries. India and Iran have strong economic and commercial ties covering many sectors though it has traditionally been dominated by the import of Iranian crude oil by India, which India continued with even at the time of sanctions. According to MEA, bilateral trade with Iran in 2017-18 stood at USD 12.89 billion, with India importing USD 10.5 billion worth of goods, mainly crude oil, and exporting commodities worth USD 2.4 billion. When the sanctions were lifted, India announced that its firms could spend as much as USD 20 billion on not just the port but also petrochemical plants, railway lines and other industries in the areas. But progress has only been made on the port. India has committed USD 85 million in investment for the development of the Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar. To show its commitment to the port project India signed the Trilateral Transit Agreement (Chabahar Agreement) between India, Iran and Afghanistan when PM Modi visited Tehran in May 2016. India recently became a signatory to the Ashgabat Agreement and wants to utilise the port to its full potential. The port opens a new strategic transit route between Iran, India, Afghanistan and other Central Asian nations bypassing Pakistan. The visit is significant for both the nations, especially for Iran. President Rouhani has been facing growing discontent domestically over the falling promises and a brighter future which was shown to the people of Iran when the nuclear deal was signed. The people of Iran have been demanding greater personal freedoms and more opportunities for quite some time. According to estimates, nearly 60 percent of Iran's population of 82 million is under the age of 35, and nearly 70 per cent of Iranians were not yet born when the Islamic republic was established in 1979. Iran had hoped for swift reintegration into the global trade after the easing of sanctions in 2016 but its failure to persuade Western banks to accept Iranian business has been the main roadblock to rehabilitation. For instance, India plans to equip and operate two berths at Chabahar port with a capital investment of USD 85.21 million on a 10-year lease. But the uncertainty over U.S. policies has cast a shadow over the project. India is struggling to get equipment such as cranes for the port because Western banks were not ready to facilitate transactions. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why Iranian President Rouhani's visit is important for PM Modi

Iranian President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/hasan-rouhani-irans-diplomatic-sheikh-32962">Hasan Rouhani</a> begins his three-day visit to India from today. He will arrive at Hyderabad&#39;s Begumpet airport on Thursday evening and during his visit, the two countries will discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-gravitas-rouhani-3rd-iran-leader-to-visit-india-in-15-years-8357">Rouhani&#39;s visit</a>, his first after becoming Iran&#39;s President in 2013, is significant in many ways.

Rouhani is persona non grata in some countries such as the United States and Israel, which views a nuclear Iran as an existential threat. US President Donald Trump has already threatened to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and impose more sanctions against Tehran.

In such a scenario, Prime Minister Narendra Modi - who has invested a great deal of time and energy to strengthen ties with both the US and Israel - has signalled his intent to engage Iran. In doing so, Modi has showcased Indian foreign policy&#39;s dexterity, maturity and nimbleness.

The visit assumes significance in a regional context too.

Israel and Iran have been, and are, at loggerheads. Their proxy war manifested itself most recently in Syria, after Israel shot down an alleged Iranian drone that entered Israeli airspace and Syrian forces retaliated by bringing down an Israeli military aircraft.

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria enjoys the support of Iran and Russia. But, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran, coupled with its influence in Lebanon and Syria, poses an existential threat to the state of Israel.

The messaging is clear: India will independently pursue ties with most countries of consequence in the Arab world and the Persian Gulf.

In recent months, India has straddled competing narratives or interests in West Asia with finesse, be it the Israel-Palestine conundrum, or the Saudi Arabia-Iran rivalry for regional supremacy.

If Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel in July last year, he also made it a point to visit Palestine on his most recent West Asia swing.

He visited the Sunni Saudi Arabia and the Shi&#39;ite Iran in 2016, and travelled to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar too. He has also hosted a number of West Asian leaders in New Delhi. Later this month, King Abdullah of Jordan is expected to visit India.

Rouhani will land at the Begumpet Airport around 4pm on Thursday where Union Minister of State for Power R K Singh will welcome him.

During his two-day visit to the city, the Iranian president will be accompanied by 21 delegates.

Rouhani will address a congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad after offering Friday prayers, sources said, adding that religious scholars from different schools of thought will also participate in the session. He will also interact with the Iranians settled in Hyderabad.

Rouhani is scheduled to visit the Salar Jung Museum on Friday.

This is the second time Rouhani will be visiting Hyderabad, but it is his first visit after assuming charge as the president. He will leave for New Delhi tomorrow.

The messaging is clear: India will independently pursue ties with most countries of consequence in the Arab world and the Persian Gulf.

Iranian President Hasan Rouhani begins his three-day visit to India from today. He will arrive at Hyderabad's Begumpet airport on Thursday evening and during his visit, the two countries will discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest. Rouhani's visit, his first after becoming Iran's President in 2013, is significant in many ways. Rouhani is persona non grata in some countries such as the United States and Israel, which views a nuclear Iran as an existential threat. US President Donald Trump has already threatened to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and impose more sanctions against Tehran. In such a scenario, Prime Minister Narendra Modi - who has invested a great deal of time and energy to strengthen ties with both the US and Israel - has signalled his intent to engage Iran. In doing so, Modi has showcased Indian foreign policy's dexterity, maturity and nimbleness. The visit assumes significance in a regional context too. Israel and Iran have been, and are, at loggerheads. Their proxy war manifested itself most recently in Syria, after Israel shot down an alleged Iranian drone that entered Israeli airspace and Syrian forces retaliated by bringing down an Israeli military aircraft. President Bashar al-Assad of Syria enjoys the support of Iran and Russia. But, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran, coupled with its influence in Lebanon and Syria, poses an existential threat to the state of Israel. The messaging is clear: India will independently pursue ties with most countries of consequence in the Arab world and the Persian Gulf. In recent months, India has straddled competing narratives or interests in West Asia with finesse, be it the Israel-Palestine conundrum, or the Saudi Arabia-Iran rivalry for regional supremacy. If Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel in July last year, he also made it a point to visit Palestine on his most recent West Asia swing. He visited the Sunni Saudi Arabia and the Shi'ite Iran in 2016, and travelled to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar too. He has also hosted a number of West Asian leaders in New Delhi. Later this month, King Abdullah of Jordan is expected to visit India. Rouhani will land at the Begumpet Airport around 4pm on Thursday where Union Minister of State for Power R K Singh will welcome him. During his two-day visit to the city, the Iranian president will be accompanied by 21 delegates. Rouhani will address a congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad after offering Friday prayers, sources said, adding that religious scholars from different schools of thought will also participate in the session. He will also interact with the Iranians settled in Hyderabad. Rouhani is scheduled to visit the Salar Jung Museum on Friday. This is the second time Rouhani will be visiting Hyderabad, but it is his first visit after assuming charge as the president. He will leave for New Delhi tomorrow.

Why Iranian President Hasan Rouhani's visit to India is significant

&#39;Moderation and prudence&#39; was the slogan on the back of which Hasan Rouhani stormed to power in a keenly contested election in 2013. But revamping an administration which was full of hardliners, hand-picked by the former president Mahmoud Ahmedenejad, was no easy task.

But Rouhani wasn&#39;t an outsider in the corridors of power in the deeply conservative state.

Rouhani has been an important player in country&#39;s political setting right from the days of the Iranian revolution of 1979. He was an influential leader during the Iran-Iraq war in the &#39;80s, and held several important positions in the defence establishment in the post-revolution regime.

In the difficult period of the post-war scenario in 1989, Rouhani was appointed as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. He also served as the deputy speaker of the Iranian Parliament from 1996 to 2000.

However, it was as the negotiator of Iran&#39;s nuclear program that Rouhani shone through for his approach of moderation.

When he seized power in 2013, one of Rouhani&#39;s key campaign promises had been to end the isolation of Iran.

Iran was considered a rogue state, pursuing nuclear technology to increase its clout in the region on the back of a nuclear bomb. The pariah state was under crippling sanctions, which had pushed the Iranian economy into free fall.

However, in 2015, Rouhani struck a nuclear deal with the United States under Barack Obama and five other world powers, under which Iran would agree to open all its nuclear facilities up for inspections. In return, the crippling economic sanctions were lifted.

But a change of guard at the White House threatens to unravel the Iranian nuclear deal. President Donald Trump throughout his campaigning and even after his election has resorted to the rhetoric that the Iranian nuclear deal is the worst negotiated deal by the US ever, and has repeatedly threatened to pull out of it. The other five world powers who are also signatories to the deal such as France, Russia, Britain, China and Germany have a different assessment.

Rouhani was voted to power for a second term in May, 2017. However, his approach of moderation and pragmatism has yielded few results on the ground in the deeply conservative society. He has faced protests and backlash from the more hardline elements, and despite being a popular elected leader, the Supreme Leader of Iran continues to be Sayyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who has exercised an iron grip on the strings of power in Iran since 1989.

Rouhani&#39;s second tenure has been marred by protests. Despite the economic sanctions being lifted by the West, Iran witnessed widespread unrest last December due to galloping inflation and unemployment. The Iranian government said the CIA, in cahoots with the Saudis and Israel, manufactured the protests. Others, meanwhile, speculated that the former combative president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad was behind the protests which had rocked the streets of Tehran.

Simultaneously, Iran has also witnessed protests from several women against the practice of wearing hijab. Vida Mohaved became a symbol of protest against the directive that hijab for women is compulsory in a public space, when she stood on top of a utilities box at the Enghelab Avenue holding her head scarf on stick. It is safe to predict that Iran hasn&#39;t seen the last of these protests.

For his emphasis on moderation, Rouhani has been described as the &#39;Diplomatic Sheikh&#39;. But it will be interesting to see how the &#39;Diplomatic Sheikh&#39; manouveres through the troubled times which loom in the backdrop of the belligerence of Trump, and protests on Iranian streets which refuse die down.

Rouhani has been an important player in Iran's political setting right from the days of the Iranian revolution of 1979.

'Moderation and prudence' was the slogan on the back of which Hasan Rouhani stormed to power in a keenly contested election in 2013. But revamping an administration which was full of hardliners, hand-picked by the former president Mahmoud Ahmedenejad, was no easy task. But Rouhani wasn't an outsider in the corridors of power in the deeply conservative state. Rouhani has been an important player in country's political setting right from the days of the Iranian revolution of 1979. He was an influential leader during the Iran-Iraq war in the '80s, and held several important positions in the defence establishment in the post-revolution regime. In the difficult period of the post-war scenario in 1989, Rouhani was appointed as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. He also served as the deputy speaker of the Iranian Parliament from 1996 to 2000. However, it was as the negotiator of Iran's nuclear program that Rouhani shone through for his approach of moderation. When he seized power in 2013, one of Rouhani's key campaign promises had been to end the isolation of Iran. Iran was considered a rogue state, pursuing nuclear technology to increase its clout in the region on the back of a nuclear bomb. The pariah state was under crippling sanctions, which had pushed the Iranian economy into free fall. However, in 2015, Rouhani struck a nuclear deal with the United States under Barack Obama and five other world powers, under which Iran would agree to open all its nuclear facilities up for inspections. In return, the crippling economic sanctions were lifted. But a change of guard at the White House threatens to unravel the Iranian nuclear deal. President Donald Trump throughout his campaigning and even after his election has resorted to the rhetoric that the Iranian nuclear deal is the worst negotiated deal by the US ever, and has repeatedly threatened to pull out of it. The other five world powers who are also signatories to the deal such as France, Russia, Britain, China and Germany have a different assessment. Rouhani was voted to power for a second term in May, 2017. However, his approach of moderation and pragmatism has yielded few results on the ground in the deeply conservative society. He has faced protests and backlash from the more hardline elements, and despite being a popular elected leader, the Supreme Leader of Iran continues to be Sayyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who has exercised an iron grip on the strings of power in Iran since 1989. Rouhani's second tenure has been marred by protests. Despite the economic sanctions being lifted by the West, Iran witnessed widespread unrest last December due to galloping inflation and unemployment. The Iranian government said the CIA, in cahoots with the Saudis and Israel, manufactured the protests. Others, meanwhile, speculated that the former combative president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad was behind the protests which had rocked the streets of Tehran. Simultaneously, Iran has also witnessed protests from several women against the practice of wearing hijab. Vida Mohaved became a symbol of protest against the directive that hijab for women is compulsory in a public space, when she stood on top of a utilities box at the Enghelab Avenue holding her head scarf on stick. It is safe to predict that Iran hasn't seen the last of these protests. For his emphasis on moderation, Rouhani has been described as the 'Diplomatic Sheikh'. But it will be interesting to see how the 'Diplomatic Sheikh' manouveres through the troubled times which loom in the backdrop of the belligerence of Trump, and protests on Iranian streets which refuse die down.

Hasan Rouhani: Iran's 'Diplomatic Sheikh'

Iran president Hassan Rohani will arrive in India on Thursday on a state visit.

The Iran president will be in India&nbsp;from February 15-17.

PM Modi invited Iran president Rohani, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement.

PM Modi invited President Rohani to India

Iran president Hassan Rohani will arrive in India on Thursday on a state visit. The Iran president will be in India from February 15-17. PM Modi invited Iran president Rohani, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement.

Iran president Hassan Rohani to visit India from February 15th

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appears in the wake of recent anti-government protests to have put his weight behind President Hasan Rouhani&rsquo;s repeated calls for reduced military and Revolutionary Guards involvement in the economy.

Mr. Khamenei signalled his support by ordering the military and the Guards to start&nbsp;divesting from commercial holdings and businesses&nbsp;not related to their core tasks except for construction projects considered essential by the government.

The order serves not only to address protesters&rsquo; grievances that were sparked in part by losses suffered by millions of Iranians a result of the&nbsp;collapse of fraudulent financial institutions&nbsp;with links to the Guards and other public institutions. The financial entities lured investors with high interest rates that they could not pay.

Mr. Khamenei&rsquo;s order could also sweeten Iranian efforts to persuade Europe to put in place legal measures that would allow it to invest in the Islamic republic even if the United States imposes new sanctions and withdraws from the 2015 international agreement that curbed Iran&rsquo;s nuclear program.

Europe shares many of the United States&rsquo; concern about the role of the Guards in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East and the fact that it runs Iran&rsquo;s ballistic missile program but has insisted that the agreement should be maintained.

A target of US sanctions, the Guards reportedly are not opposed to a reduced stake that analysts say accounts for as much as&nbsp;30 percent of the Iranian economy. The Guards operate, among others, Khatam al Anbia, a huge construction company with tens of thousands of employees that is involved in civil development, the oil industry and defense businesses. The Guards build roads, operate ports, manage telecommunication networks, and own business in sectors as far flung as finance and medical.

The &ldquo;top brass have realized that running companies is actually not their competency. The poor management has been a drag on the economy and--as seen in the recent #IranProtests--a risk to internal security and to the prestige of the armed forces,&rdquo; said&nbsp;Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, an Iran analyst, commentator and business consultant.

In a world in which everything is interlinked, disinvestment by the Guards and military as well as other public institutions like the Social Security Organization, Iran&rsquo;s largest pension fund, would involve privatization in a country that has found it difficult to attract foreign investment because of the threat of a re-imposition of US sanctions conditionally lifted as part of the nuclear agreement.

US President has threatened&nbsp;not to renew US sanctions relief&nbsp;in May if Europe and the US Congress failed to work towards an agreement with Iran on an addition to the nuclear accord that would restrict Iranian missile testing and development, provide for expanded inspections of Iranian facilities, and extend prohibitions on nuclear-weapons work. Iran insists that the accord&nbsp;cannot be renegotiated.

Europe has been pressing the Trump administration not to walk away from the accord. Iranian officials have&nbsp;suggested&nbsp;that Tehran would adhere to the nuclear deal in case of a US walkout provided that it served its interests.

For Iran to see continued merit in the deal, it would have to believe that European companies would remain interested in investing in the Islamic republic. That would require the European Union adopting legislation that would shield European companies from US secondary sanctions that would target non-American entities invested in Iran.

Privatization of military and Guards-owned companies, given Iran&rsquo;s undercapitalized financial markets and its small pool of viable domestic investors, would depend on foreign investors, who in turn are unlikely to risk being penalized by potential renewed secondary US sanctions.

&ldquo;Europe should put in place a viable contingency plan if the United States continues backtracking on the deal and let Washington know it&rsquo;s ready to use it&hellip; Europe will need to present a package (together with China and Russia) that can entice Iran to continue abiding by the core elements of the current nuclear agreement,&rdquo; said Iran expert&nbsp;Ellie Geranmayeh.

Writing in Foreign Policy, Ms. Geranmayeh argued that Europe should initially attempt to secure from the United States exceptions to the potential sanctions modelled on the US penalties imposed on Russia that provide relief from enforcement for European companies.

&ldquo;If Washington refuses this approach, European governments should publicly warn that in any instance where the U.S. Treasury actively enforces secondary sanctions targeting European companies dealing with Iran, the European Union will revive measures similar to its &lsquo;blocking regulation&rsquo;,&rdquo; Ms. Geranmayeh argued.

The blocking regulation adopted by the European Union in 1996 thwarted then US President Bill Clinton&rsquo;s attempt to force Europe and others to abide by US sanctions on Libya, Iran and Cuba. The regulation made it illegal for European companies to abide by US sanctions, gave them legal cover to refuse payment of US fines, and opened the door to the EU penalizing US companies in retaliation.

In practice, European companies, if forced to choose between doing business with the United States or Iran, would likely opt to steer clear of the Islamic republic. The EU would be banking on the expectation that the Trump administration would ultimately opt to compromise in a bid to avoid a deterioration of trans-Atlantic relations.

In announcing Mr. Khamenei&rsquo;s support for reducing the stake in the economy of the military and the Guards,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.iran-newspaper.com/newspaper/item/454808">Iranian defense minister Amir Hatami</a>&nbsp;cautioned that &ldquo;the degree of our success depends on market conditions and the possibility of divestment.&rdquo;

Said&nbsp;Mr. Batmanghelidj: &ldquo;If success in privatization is to be achieved&hellip;Iran&#39;s equity market investors will need foreign investors to help carry the burden and unlock the opportunity.&rdquo;

With little insight into what entities will be put up for sale, European investors, even if the EU puts legal protections in place or cuts a deal with the United States, like their Russian and Chinese counterparts, are likely to take a wait-and-see attitude. That could put efforts to reduce the military and Guards&rsquo; economic stake in jeopardy, catching it between the rock of lack of Iranian transparency and the hard place of weak domestic financial markets and a limited pool of investors.

If that were not enough, Saudi efforts to counter Iran could further dampen foreign investor appetite. In a sign of the times, South Korean construction company POSCO Engineering &amp; Construction in which Saudi Arabia&#39;s Public Investment Fund has a 38 percent stake&nbsp;cancelled a $1.6 billion contract to build a steel mill&nbsp;in Iran because of objections by the company&rsquo;s two Saudi board members.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has supported the call for reduced military and Revolutionary Guards involvement in the economy

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appears in the wake of recent anti-government protests to have put his weight behind President Hasan Rouhani’s repeated calls for reduced military and Revolutionary Guards involvement in the economy. Mr. Khamenei signalled his support by ordering the military and the Guards to start divesting from commercial holdings and businesses not related to their core tasks except for construction projects considered essential by the government. The order serves not only to address protesters’ grievances that were sparked in part by losses suffered by millions of Iranians a result of the collapse of fraudulent financial institutions with links to the Guards and other public institutions. The financial entities lured investors with high interest rates that they could not pay. Mr. Khamenei’s order could also sweeten Iranian efforts to persuade Europe to put in place legal measures that would allow it to invest in the Islamic republic even if the United States imposes new sanctions and withdraws from the 2015 international agreement that curbed Iran’s nuclear program. Europe shares many of the United States’ concern about the role of the Guards in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East and the fact that it runs Iran’s ballistic missile program but has insisted that the agreement should be maintained. A target of US sanctions, the Guards reportedly are not opposed to a reduced stake that analysts say accounts for as much as 30 percent of the Iranian economy. The Guards operate, among others, Khatam al Anbia, a huge construction company with tens of thousands of employees that is involved in civil development, the oil industry and defense businesses. The Guards build roads, operate ports, manage telecommunication networks, and own business in sectors as far flung as finance and medical. The “top brass have realized that running companies is actually not their competency. The poor management has been a drag on the economy and--as seen in the recent #IranProtests--a risk to internal security and to the prestige of the armed forces,” said Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, an Iran analyst, commentator and business consultant. In a world in which everything is interlinked, disinvestment by the Guards and military as well as other public institutions like the Social Security Organization, Iran’s largest pension fund, would involve privatization in a country that has found it difficult to attract foreign investment because of the threat of a re-imposition of US sanctions conditionally lifted as part of the nuclear agreement. US President has threatened not to renew US sanctions relief in May if Europe and the US Congress failed to work towards an agreement with Iran on an addition to the nuclear accord that would restrict Iranian missile testing and development, provide for expanded inspections of Iranian facilities, and extend prohibitions on nuclear-weapons work. Iran insists that the accord cannot be renegotiated. Europe has been pressing the Trump administration not to walk away from the accord. Iranian officials have suggested that Tehran would adhere to the nuclear deal in case of a US walkout provided that it served its interests. For Iran to see continued merit in the deal, it would have to believe that European companies would remain interested in investing in the Islamic republic. That would require the European Union adopting legislation that would shield European companies from US secondary sanctions that would target non-American entities invested in Iran. Privatization of military and Guards-owned companies, given Iran’s undercapitalized financial markets and its small pool of viable domestic investors, would depend on foreign investors, who in turn are unlikely to risk being penalized by potential renewed secondary US sanctions. “Europe should put in place a viable contingency plan if the United States continues backtracking on the deal and let Washington know it’s ready to use it… Europe will need to present a package (together with China and Russia) that can entice Iran to continue abiding by the core elements of the current nuclear agreement,” said Iran expert Ellie Geranmayeh. Writing in Foreign Policy, Ms. Geranmayeh argued that Europe should initially attempt to secure from the United States exceptions to the potential sanctions modelled on the US penalties imposed on Russia that provide relief from enforcement for European companies. “If Washington refuses this approach, European governments should publicly warn that in any instance where the U.S. Treasury actively enforces secondary sanctions targeting European companies dealing with Iran, the European Union will revive measures similar to its ‘blocking regulation’,” Ms. Geranmayeh argued. The blocking regulation adopted by the European Union in 1996 thwarted then US President Bill Clinton’s attempt to force Europe and others to abide by US sanctions on Libya, Iran and Cuba. The regulation made it illegal for European companies to abide by US sanctions, gave them legal cover to refuse payment of US fines, and opened the door to the EU penalizing US companies in retaliation. In practice, European companies, if forced to choose between doing business with the United States or Iran, would likely opt to steer clear of the Islamic republic. The EU would be banking on the expectation that the Trump administration would ultimately opt to compromise in a bid to avoid a deterioration of trans-Atlantic relations. In announcing Mr. Khamenei’s support for reducing the stake in the economy of the military and the Guards, Iranian defense minister Amir Hatami cautioned that “the degree of our success depends on market conditions and the possibility of divestment.” Said Mr. Batmanghelidj: “If success in privatization is to be achieved…Iran's equity market investors will need foreign investors to help carry the burden and unlock the opportunity.” With little insight into what entities will be put up for sale, European investors, even if the EU puts legal protections in place or cuts a deal with the United States, like their Russian and Chinese counterparts, are likely to take a wait-and-see attitude. That could put efforts to reduce the military and Guards’ economic stake in jeopardy, catching it between the rock of lack of Iranian transparency and the hard place of weak domestic financial markets and a limited pool of investors. If that were not enough, Saudi efforts to counter Iran could further dampen foreign investor appetite. In a sign of the times, South Korean construction company POSCO Engineering & Construction in which Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has a 38 percent stake cancelled a $1.6 billion contract to build a steel mill in Iran because of objections by the company’s two Saudi board members. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Threatened by US sanctions, Iran focuses on economic thinking

Iran&#39;s Foreign Ministry on Sunday urged Turkey to protect the territorial integrity of Syria.

Iranian Foreign Minister&#39;s spokesman Bahram Qasemi on Sunday noted that the Islamic republic is concerned about the recent developments in Syria.&nbsp;

Qasemi&#39;s statement came in the wake of the Turkish launch of operation against Kurdish militants entering Syria.

Iran also hoped the Turkish operation to end immediately in order to prevent any more border-region crisis between the two nations.&nbsp;

The foreign ministry urged Turkey to remain committed to political measures to settle the Syrian crisis.

Turkey&#39;s Operation Olive Branch was launched on Saturday with an aim to clear its borders from the People&#39;s Protection Units (YPG).

Ankara considers the YPG as a Kurdish group tied to Syria&#39;s Kurdistan Workers&#39; Party (PKK).

The Ankara-led military operation aims to establish a security zone in Afrin -- 30kms from the Turkish border.&nbsp;

The foreign minister urged Turkey to remain committed to political measures to settle the Syrian crisis

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Sunday urged Turkey to protect the territorial integrity of Syria. Iranian Foreign Minister's spokesman Bahram Qasemi on Sunday noted that the Islamic republic is concerned about the recent developments in Syria. Qasemi's statement came in the wake of the Turkish launch of operation against Kurdish militants entering Syria. Iran also hoped the Turkish operation to end immediately in order to prevent any more border-region crisis between the two nations. The foreign ministry urged Turkey to remain committed to political measures to settle the Syrian crisis. Turkey's Operation Olive Branch was launched on Saturday with an aim to clear its borders from the People's Protection Units (YPG). Ankara considers the YPG as a Kurdish group tied to Syria's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The Ankara-led military operation aims to establish a security zone in Afrin -- 30kms from the Turkish border.

Respect Syria's territorial integrity, Iran urges Turkey

For Iranian parachuting enthusiast Bahareh Sassani, skydiving is &quot;a way to prove that women are just as capable as men&quot; -- a small step from a big height for women&#39;s equality in her country.&nbsp;

The 35-year-old accountant has been skydiving less than two years but already has more than 220 jumps under her belt.&nbsp;

&quot;I encourage all women to try this experience. It gives you the feeling you can do whatever you want. Women should not be excluded from anything,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

Sassani -- one of just a handful of female skydivers in her deeply conservative homeland -- refuses to describe herself as a &quot;feminist&quot;.

But her motto is firm &quot;there is no difference between men and women and a woman can do anything she wants and succeed&quot;.&nbsp;

That still runs against the grain of Iranian society, where women have had a lower legal status than men since the Islamic revolution of 1979 even if they have battled to stay equal in daily life.&nbsp;

Her favourite pastime is still very much the preserve of men in Iran -- made more complicated by the fact there is no parachuting club so she must do it with the army.&nbsp;

&quot;When they organise jumps, the army invites everyone, including civilians,&quot; she explained.&nbsp;

There were a handful of women parachutists in pre-revolutionary Iran: archived images published recently by the ISNA news agency showed the first four female army skydivers from 1965.&nbsp;

But today, women are not permitted to join the army.

The police have an elite unit that does some parachuting practice, but Sassani says she knows only five other qualified women from the civilian population.

Unlike her friends who chose to buy a car, clothes or jewellery with their first pay cheques or savings, Sassani said she opted instead to invest in parachuting, despite the adventurous sport being a male bastion in Iran.

At the start, her motivation for taking up skydiving was to combat a fear of heights, she said. But now she loves the sense of liberation from everyday cares that it gives her, she added.

Male reactions can be rather extreme though, she says.&nbsp;

&quot;Men often avoid women like me, thinking we aren&#39;t made for marriage because we are uncontrollable,&quot; she said, bursting into laughter.&nbsp;

&quot;But a small number do show an interest in what I&#39;m doing.&quot;

It can also generate interest abroad, said Sassani, who has jumped in Russia, Kenya, Thailand and the UAE.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

&quot;Even abroad, when I skydive, people are surprised. They think there are a lot of restrictions in Iran, but I explain to them that there are women doing motocross, flying planes and, yes, parachuting,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

A recent photo did the rounds in the Iranian media, showing Sassani jumping with an Iranian flag.&nbsp;

&quot;I meet lots of cultures and beliefs abroad, but I&#39;m a patriot and I love doing jumps in Iran more than anything,&quot; she adds.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Bahareh Sassani: "Men often avoid women like me, thinking we aren't made for marriage because we are uncontrollable"

For Iranian parachuting enthusiast Bahareh Sassani, skydiving is "a way to prove that women are just as capable as men" -- a small step from a big height for women's equality in her country. The 35-year-old accountant has been skydiving less than two years but already has more than 220 jumps under her belt. "I encourage all women to try this experience. It gives you the feeling you can do whatever you want. Women should not be excluded from anything," she said. Sassani -- one of just a handful of female skydivers in her deeply conservative homeland -- refuses to describe herself as a "feminist". But her motto is firm "there is no difference between men and women and a woman can do anything she wants and succeed". That still runs against the grain of Iranian society, where women have had a lower legal status than men since the Islamic revolution of 1979 even if they have battled to stay equal in daily life. Her favourite pastime is still very much the preserve of men in Iran -- made more complicated by the fact there is no parachuting club so she must do it with the army. "When they organise jumps, the army invites everyone, including civilians," she explained. There were a handful of women parachutists in pre-revolutionary Iran: archived images published recently by the ISNA news agency showed the first four female army skydivers from 1965. But today, women are not permitted to join the army. The police have an elite unit that does some parachuting practice, but Sassani says she knows only five other qualified women from the civilian population. Unlike her friends who chose to buy a car, clothes or jewellery with their first pay cheques or savings, Sassani said she opted instead to invest in parachuting, despite the adventurous sport being a male bastion in Iran. At the start, her motivation for taking up skydiving was to combat a fear of heights, she said. But now she loves the sense of liberation from everyday cares that it gives her, she added. Male reactions can be rather extreme though, she says. "Men often avoid women like me, thinking we aren't made for marriage because we are uncontrollable," she said, bursting into laughter. "But a small number do show an interest in what I'm doing." It can also generate interest abroad, said Sassani, who has jumped in Russia, Kenya, Thailand and the UAE. "Even abroad, when I skydive, people are surprised. They think there are a lot of restrictions in Iran, but I explain to them that there are women doing motocross, flying planes and, yes, parachuting," she said. A recent photo did the rounds in the Iranian media, showing Sassani jumping with an Iranian flag. "I meet lots of cultures and beliefs abroad, but I'm a patriot and I love doing jumps in Iran more than anything," she adds.

Iranian woman skydiver looks to break down stereotypes

Israel issued stark warnings on Sunday over Iran&#39;s presence in neighbouring Syria after a confrontation threatened to open a new and unpredictable period in the country&#39;s seven-year civil war.

Israel carried out major air raids in Syria on Saturday, including against what it described as Iranian targets -- the first time it had publicly acknowledged doing so since the war began.

The raids came after an Israeli F16 fighter was shot down by Syrian air defences. The pilots survived, but it was Israel&#39;s first loss of a warplane in battle since 1982.

&quot;We inflicted on Saturday a heavy blow to Iranian and Syrian forces,&quot; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday&#39;s cabinet meeting.

&quot;We made clear to everyone that our rules of engagement will not change in any way. We will continue to harm anyone who tries to harm us. This was our policy and this will remain our policy.&quot;

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Other Israeli ministers spoke of refusing to accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in Syria, as Netanyahu has said repeatedly. Tehran denies it is doing so.

While several analysts said they did not expect a further escalation in the coming days, some spoke of the possibility of the Syrian war entering a new phase.

Syria has become more emboldened to try to stop Israeli strikes inside the country, while Israel wants to maintain its ability to operate there when it sees fit, said Ofer Zalzberg of the International Crisis Group think tank.

Israel has sought to stay out of direct involvement in the Syrian war, but it acknowledges carrying out dozens of air strikes there to stop what it describes as deliveries of advanced weapons to Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.

Israel fought a devastating war in 2006 with Hezbollah, which along with Iran and Russia backs the Syrian regime in the conflict.

&quot;I think this incident is more likely to be contained because fundamentally it is a gradual attempt to renegotiate the so-called rules of the game,&quot; Zalzberg said, adding that Russia should mediate.

Witnesses said Israel had deployed a missile defence system in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near the demarcation line with Syria on Sunday morning.

&#39;Playing with fire&#39; 
Saturday&#39;s events began with Israel shooting down what it described as an Iranian drone that had entered Israeli airspace from Syria -- which Tehran has denied.

On Sunday, Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus alleged the drone was a copy of a US model captured by Iran in 2011. He said the conclusion was made from an analysis of the drone&#39;s debris.

Israel responded on Saturday with a raid on what it said was the Iranian control systems in Syria that sent the drone.

During that raid, the Israeli F16 met heavy Syrian anti-aircraft fire and was hit, Israeli Air Force Brigadier General Amnon Ein Dar told army radio.

The pilots ejected and the plane crashed inside Israel. One crew member was severely wounded, but his condition was said to be improving on Sunday.

Israel then carried out what it called &quot;large-scale&quot; air strikes inside Syria, including against what it described as Iranian targets.

Conricus warned on Saturday that Syria and Iran were &quot;playing with fire&quot;, but stressed that Israel was not seeking an escalation.

&quot;This is the most blatant and severe Iranian violation of Israeli sovereignty&quot; in recent years, Conricus said.

Iran dismissed Israeli &quot;lies&quot; and said Syria had the right to defend itself against Israeli attacks.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said &quot;Iran does not have a military presence in Syria, and has only sent military advisers at the request of the Syrian government.&quot;

Russia stressed the need to &quot;avoid any measure that could lead to a dangerous escalation&quot;.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate de-escalation.&nbsp;

Netanyahu spoke with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after Saturday&#39;s confrontation.

Washington backed Israel and blamed Iran for the escalation.

Tillerson on Sunday begins a Middle East tour that will take him to Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Kuwait.

Netanyahu has met regularly with Putin in recent months in a bid to convince Russia to keep Iranian forces away from Israeli territory.

Russia and Israel have also established a hotline to avoid accidental clashes in Syria.

Israel is technically at war with Syria and occupies a swathe of the Golan Heights that it seized in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

Israel carried out major air raids in Syria on Saturday, including against what it described as Iranian targets

Israel issued stark warnings on Sunday over Iran's presence in neighbouring Syria after a confrontation threatened to open a new and unpredictable period in the country's seven-year civil war. Israel carried out major air raids in Syria on Saturday, including against what it described as Iranian targets -- the first time it had publicly acknowledged doing so since the war began. The raids came after an Israeli F16 fighter was shot down by Syrian air defences. The pilots survived, but it was Israel's first loss of a warplane in battle since 1982. "We inflicted on Saturday a heavy blow to Iranian and Syrian forces," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting. "We made clear to everyone that our rules of engagement will not change in any way. We will continue to harm anyone who tries to harm us. This was our policy and this will remain our policy." The raids came after an Israeli F16 fighter was shot down by Syrian air defences. The pilots survived, but it was Israel's first loss of a warplane in battle since 1982 × Other Israeli ministers spoke of refusing to accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in Syria, as Netanyahu has said repeatedly. Tehran denies it is doing so. While several analysts said they did not expect a further escalation in the coming days, some spoke of the possibility of the Syrian war entering a new phase. Syria has become more emboldened to try to stop Israeli strikes inside the country, while Israel wants to maintain its ability to operate there when it sees fit, said Ofer Zalzberg of the International Crisis Group think tank. Israel has sought to stay out of direct involvement in the Syrian war, but it acknowledges carrying out dozens of air strikes there to stop what it describes as deliveries of advanced weapons to Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah. Israel fought a devastating war in 2006 with Hezbollah, which along with Iran and Russia backs the Syrian regime in the conflict. "I think this incident is more likely to be contained because fundamentally it is a gradual attempt to renegotiate the so-called rules of the game," Zalzberg said, adding that Russia should mediate. Witnesses said Israel had deployed a missile defence system in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near the demarcation line with Syria on Sunday morning. 'Playing with fire' Saturday's events began with Israel shooting down what it described as an Iranian drone that had entered Israeli airspace from Syria -- which Tehran has denied. On Sunday, Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus alleged the drone was a copy of a US model captured by Iran in 2011. He said the conclusion was made from an analysis of the drone's debris. Israel responded on Saturday with a raid on what it said was the Iranian control systems in Syria that sent the drone. During that raid, the Israeli F16 met heavy Syrian anti-aircraft fire and was hit, Israeli Air Force Brigadier General Amnon Ein Dar told army radio. The pilots ejected and the plane crashed inside Israel. One crew member was severely wounded, but his condition was said to be improving on Sunday. Israel then carried out what it called "large-scale" air strikes inside Syria, including against what it described as Iranian targets. Conricus warned on Saturday that Syria and Iran were "playing with fire", but stressed that Israel was not seeking an escalation. "This is the most blatant and severe Iranian violation of Israeli sovereignty" in recent years, Conricus said. Iran dismissed Israeli "lies" and said Syria had the right to defend itself against Israeli attacks. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said "Iran does not have a military presence in Syria, and has only sent military advisers at the request of the Syrian government." Russia stressed the need to "avoid any measure that could lead to a dangerous escalation". United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate de-escalation. Netanyahu spoke with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after Saturday's confrontation. Washington backed Israel and blamed Iran for the escalation. Tillerson on Sunday begins a Middle East tour that will take him to Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Kuwait. Netanyahu has met regularly with Putin in recent months in a bid to convince Russia to keep Iranian forces away from Israeli territory. Russia and Israel have also established a hotline to avoid accidental clashes in Syria. Israel is technically at war with Syria and occupies a swathe of the Golan Heights that it seized in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

'We will continue to harm anyone who tries to harm us,' Israel tells Iran, Syria

&nbsp;Iran, Israel&#39;s regional arch-enemy, rejected as &quot;ridiculous&quot; reports that Israel had intercepted an Iranian drone launched from Syria on Saturday, state TV reported.

Separately, a Revolutionary Guards&#39; official said he could not confirm the report because Israelis were &quot;liars&quot;.

Israel said it launched air strikes against air defences and Iranian targets in Syria on Saturday and the Syrian army claimed to have hit an Israeli F-16 that crashed in northern Israel in a major escalation of tension.

&quot;Reports of downing an Iranian drone flying over Israel and also Iran&#39;s involvement in attacking an Israeli jet are so ridiculous,&quot; state TV quoted Iran&#39;s foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying.

Shi&#39;ite-dominated Iran is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&rsquo;s main regional ally and denies having any conventional armed forces in Syria, though it has acknowledged having military advisers and volunteers from its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Syria.

&quot;Iran only provides military advice to Syria based on the request of the country&#39;s legitimate government,&quot; Qasemi said.

The Israeli military said the F-16 jet crashed during a mission to strike Iranian drone installations in Syria, where Iranian and Iran-backed forces have established a major foothold while fighting in support of Assad.

Israel said it had sent its jets into Syria after shooting down an Iranian drone flying over Israeli territory on Saturday. Israel said its warplanes came under fire in Syria, though it was still unclear why the jet had come down.

&quot;Syria&#39;s legitimate government has every right to defend its soil and territory against any foreign aggressor,&quot; Qasemi said, state TV reported.

Earlier the deputy head of Iran&#39;s IRGC declined to comment on the reports, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

&quot;We cannot confirm this report on the drone because Israelis are liars ... if Syrians confirm it, Iran will confirm it as well,&quot; Brigadier General Hossein Salami said.

Iran, Israel's regional arch-enemy, rejected as 'ridiculous' reports that Israel had intercepted an Iranian drone launched from Syria on Saturday, state TV reported

Iran, Israel's regional arch-enemy, rejected as "ridiculous" reports that Israel had intercepted an Iranian drone launched from Syria on Saturday, state TV reported. Separately, a Revolutionary Guards' official said he could not confirm the report because Israelis were "liars". Israel said it launched air strikes against air defences and Iranian targets in Syria on Saturday and the Syrian army claimed to have hit an Israeli F-16 that crashed in northern Israel in a major escalation of tension. "Reports of downing an Iranian drone flying over Israel and also Iran's involvement in attacking an Israeli jet are so ridiculous," state TV quoted Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying. Shi'ite-dominated Iran is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s main regional ally and denies having any conventional armed forces in Syria, though it has acknowledged having military advisers and volunteers from its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Syria. "Iran only provides military advice to Syria based on the request of the country's legitimate government," Qasemi said. The Israeli military said the F-16 jet crashed during a mission to strike Iranian drone installations in Syria, where Iranian and Iran-backed forces have established a major foothold while fighting in support of Assad. Israel said it had sent its jets into Syria after shooting down an Iranian drone flying over Israeli territory on Saturday. Israel said its warplanes came under fire in Syria, though it was still unclear why the jet had come down. "Syria's legitimate government has every right to defend its soil and territory against any foreign aggressor," Qasemi said, state TV reported. Earlier the deputy head of Iran's IRGC declined to comment on the reports, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. "We cannot confirm this report on the drone because Israelis are liars ... if Syrians confirm it, Iran will confirm it as well," Brigadier General Hossein Salami said.

Iran sneers at reports of Israel downing Iranian drone: State TV

A few days back, I was talking to one of the Pakistan Defence Experts on the panel of a renowned news channel over the issue of ceasefire violation at Line of Control. The Indian panelists were in anguish over the recent killings but, surprisingly, the Pakistani panelist who was a retired Lieutenant General mentioned repeatedly in his statement that Pakistan is nuclear capable and any adventure from Indian side will be answered by a nuclear missile.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Before we become a victim to these lies and deceits, we must understand the reality of Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear programme.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

As per the statement of AQ Khan to Newsweek on 16 May 2011, Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear programme started as a countermeasure of India&rsquo;s first nuclear test in 1974 but he is wrong. If we go back to study the nuclear program of Pakistan, we must start with their humiliating defeat in 1971. Then PM Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto said that Pakistanis will have to make a nuclear bomb even if they have to eat grass.&nbsp; The entire blueprint of Project 706 or the Kahuta Research Laboratory (KRL) was ready as early as 1973 and the project actually kicked off in 1974. This was the start of a dirty mess created by Pakistan which is still haunting the world.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

To me the actual father of Pakistani Nuclear program was not AQ Khan, it was Dr Munir Ahmed Khan of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).&nbsp; Munir was a true genius and fathered Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear weapon programme using Plutonium. AQ Khan, who started Project 706, had the sole objective to develop Pakistan&rsquo;s own nuclear bomb using Uranium as fuel. And, finally, all the devices of Pakistan&rsquo;s Nuclear arsenal were Uranium based only.

&nbsp;

Technically speaking, any nuclear fission device has two major parts. The Device consists of many parts, such as mechanical, electrical, electronic and the detonation mechanism in the body of the bomb is the first part, and the nuclear fuel is the second part. While the first part is not very difficult to obtain, Pakistan could create it easily in 1974 itself. The second part which is the nuclear fuel was the factor which delayed Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear programme for another 10 years and they could be ready with their first device in 1984 only.

&nbsp;

To understand Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear programme and the role of AQ Khan in this, we must understand the concept of nuclear fuel. Uranium has several isotopes and the main fissile isotope which acts towards the generation of energy or creation of nuclear bomb is Uranium-235 which is only .5% to .7% in the naturally obtained Uranium. The energy grade uranium has 4-6% of U-235 while in the weapon-grade uranium, the concentration should be more than 90% and that was the main concern for Pakistan.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The equipment required to make weapon-grade uranium is an ultra-high-speed gas centrifuge and the technology was not available with Pakistan. The centrifuge is required to spin the gaseous form of Uranium Hexafluoride at more than 100,000 RPM to generate fissile material. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

This was the time when AQ Khan played a vital role. Though he was a nuclear scientist, he was working as a translator in URENCO at Belgium and Netherlands. He approached the Pakistan Government and asked to help them in making the bomb. As per Mr Kuldeep Nayyar, the Pakistan Government was not aware of him and, thus, the ISI was made to run a full background check on him.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Ironically, the ISI declared him incompetent for any nuclear weapon development but still he made his forays in the government set up through his connects in the PAEC and successfully arranged a meeting with Mr Bhutto. Somehow, he was successful in convincing the top leadership and AQ Khan was given the charge of Kahuta Research laboratory after he returned to Pakistan from the Netherlands.

&nbsp;

Khan knew the importance of Pakistan army in the political scenario; he had seen many coups. Hence, to secure his project from any political disturbance, he made this project separated from PAEC and ran it in close connection with the Pakistan Army.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Over the next few years, he established administrative setups at various shell companies in Dubai and the Middle East to route the centrifuge technology. The designs, calculations and blueprints of these centrifuges were stolen by AQ Khan from URENCO and transferred to Pakistan through different international routes. Unconfirmed reports say that certain Middle Eastern Islamic countries also helped him in this on the pretext of having a dedicated Islamic Bomb.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

By 1980, Pakistan had developed some prototype centrifuges for uranium enrichment which were called as PakSat-1. They developed the centrifuges further and by 1984 could have enough fissile material required for their first bomb.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

I would like to mention here that there were two organisations working in Pakistan towards the development of a nuclear bomb. One was KRL under the Pak Army and AQ Khan which was making a Uranium-based bomb; the other was PAEC itself which continued its 1972 program of the Plutonium-based bomb and established its facilities in Khushab, Jorarabad. By late nineties, Pakistan had the design and capability to produce its Plutonium based device too, however, all the existing devices with Pakistan are Uranium-based and the Plutonium-based device was limited to experiments only.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The bomb was in the making and Pakistan needed the missile technology to drive this project too. Its ally and friend America refused to give any technology to Pakistan on the pretext that it could fall into the wrong hands and the eyes moved to their other friends- China and North Korea.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Under Kim-Jong-Il, North Korea was successful in making its missiles with the help of China and was desperately looking for someone who could help them achieve their mission. When Pak PM Benazir Bhutto visited Pyongyang in 1990, certain secret agreements were signed between both the countries and some classified information about the designs of device and centrifuges was shared with North Korea in 1993 in exchange of missile technology. This missile technology formed the base of most of the missiles of Pakistan which surprisingly resemble North Korean missiles.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It was not only North Korea but Iran too. When in 2003, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected Iran and found a large uranium enrichment facility, Iranian government revealed that the centrifuges were obtained from a foreign intermediary through URENCO but surprisingly the design was exactly same as PakSat-1 centrifuge which was invented by Pakistan. Some of the Pakistani centrifuges which were transferred to Iran in 1989 were also recovered.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pakistan was expanding his black market for other countries too and the key person in this was AQ Khan who was working closely with every government and military chief of Pakistan. In 2003 itself IAEA decided to dismantle Libya&rsquo;s nuclear program and to their surprise, they found Pakistani PakSat-1 centrifuges in one of the Libyan uranium enrichment facility. Libyan government openly accepted that they bought this technology from the black market and the supplier was Pakistan. Imagine had that dismantling not been done, the nuclear bomb would have gone into the hands of Islamic terrorists by now as entire Libya is facing turmoils of war with ISIS.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The cost paid for these materials to Pakistan by North Korea, Iran or Libya were not known. It was also not known if Pak government had sold these designs to any other country too. However, as per rough estimates, the payments went into billions of US Dollars which were reportedly used by Pakistan in spreading terror network in Indian and Afghanistan.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In 2004, Pakistan government dismissed AQ Khan and initiated an inquiry against him and, ironically, his military connects saved him when Parvez Musharraf took over the country and issued him a presidential pardon. The Pak government said that AQ Khan ran this nuclear black market purely on his own. However, the fact is that he was awarded the highest civilian decoration of Pakistan- &ldquo;Nishan-E-Imtiyaz&rdquo; twice in 1996 and 1999 which proves the undeterred support of Pakistani government to him.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

Pakistan's nuclear black market extended through N.Korea, Libya, Iran

A few days back, I was talking to one of the Pakistan Defence Experts on the panel of a renowned news channel over the issue of ceasefire violation at Line of Control. The Indian panelists were in anguish over the recent killings but, surprisingly, the Pakistani panelist who was a retired Lieutenant General mentioned repeatedly in his statement that Pakistan is nuclear capable and any adventure from Indian side will be answered by a nuclear missile. Before we become a victim to these lies and deceits, we must understand the reality of Pakistan’s nuclear programme. As per the statement of AQ Khan to Newsweek on 16 May 2011, Pakistan’s nuclear programme started as a countermeasure of India’s first nuclear test in 1974 but he is wrong. If we go back to study the nuclear program of Pakistan, we must start with their humiliating defeat in 1971. Then PM Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto said that Pakistanis will have to make a nuclear bomb even if they have to eat grass. The entire blueprint of Project 706 or the Kahuta Research Laboratory (KRL) was ready as early as 1973 and the project actually kicked off in 1974. This was the start of a dirty mess created by Pakistan which is still haunting the world. To me the actual father of Pakistani Nuclear program was not AQ Khan, it was Dr Munir Ahmed Khan of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). Munir was a true genius and fathered Pakistan’s nuclear weapon programme using Plutonium. AQ Khan, who started Project 706, had the sole objective to develop Pakistan’s own nuclear bomb using Uranium as fuel. And, finally, all the devices of Pakistan’s Nuclear arsenal were Uranium based only. Technically speaking, any nuclear fission device has two major parts. The Device consists of many parts, such as mechanical, electrical, electronic and the detonation mechanism in the body of the bomb is the first part, and the nuclear fuel is the second part. While the first part is not very difficult to obtain, Pakistan could create it easily in 1974 itself. The second part which is the nuclear fuel was the factor which delayed Pakistan’s nuclear programme for another 10 years and they could be ready with their first device in 1984 only. To understand Pakistan’s nuclear programme and the role of AQ Khan in this, we must understand the concept of nuclear fuel. Uranium has several isotopes and the main fissile isotope which acts towards the generation of energy or creation of nuclear bomb is Uranium-235 which is only .5% to .7% in the naturally obtained Uranium. The energy grade uranium has 4-6% of U-235 while in the weapon-grade uranium, the concentration should be more than 90% and that was the main concern for Pakistan. The equipment required to make weapon-grade uranium is an ultra-high-speed gas centrifuge and the technology was not available with Pakistan. The centrifuge is required to spin the gaseous form of Uranium Hexafluoride at more than 100,000 RPM to generate fissile material. This was the time when AQ Khan played a vital role. Though he was a nuclear scientist, he was working as a translator in URENCO at Belgium and Netherlands. He approached the Pakistan Government and asked to help them in making the bomb. As per Mr Kuldeep Nayyar, the Pakistan Government was not aware of him and, thus, the ISI was made to run a full background check on him. Ironically, the ISI declared him incompetent for any nuclear weapon development but still he made his forays in the government set up through his connects in the PAEC and successfully arranged a meeting with Mr Bhutto. Somehow, he was successful in convincing the top leadership and AQ Khan was given the charge of Kahuta Research laboratory after he returned to Pakistan from the Netherlands. Khan knew the importance of Pakistan army in the political scenario; he had seen many coups. Hence, to secure his project from any political disturbance, he made this project separated from PAEC and ran it in close connection with the Pakistan Army. Over the next few years, he established administrative setups at various shell companies in Dubai and the Middle East to route the centrifuge technology. The designs, calculations and blueprints of these centrifuges were stolen by AQ Khan from URENCO and transferred to Pakistan through different international routes. Unconfirmed reports say that certain Middle Eastern Islamic countries also helped him in this on the pretext of having a dedicated Islamic Bomb. By 1980, Pakistan had developed some prototype centrifuges for uranium enrichment which were called as PakSat-1. They developed the centrifuges further and by 1984 could have enough fissile material required for their first bomb. I would like to mention here that there were two organisations working in Pakistan towards the development of a nuclear bomb. One was KRL under the Pak Army and AQ Khan which was making a Uranium-based bomb; the other was PAEC itself which continued its 1972 program of the Plutonium-based bomb and established its facilities in Khushab, Jorarabad. By late nineties, Pakistan had the design and capability to produce its Plutonium based device too, however, all the existing devices with Pakistan are Uranium-based and the Plutonium-based device was limited to experiments only. The bomb was in the making and Pakistan needed the missile technology to drive this project too. Its ally and friend America refused to give any technology to Pakistan on the pretext that it could fall into the wrong hands and the eyes moved to their other friends- China and North Korea. Under Kim-Jong-Il, North Korea was successful in making its missiles with the help of China and was desperately looking for someone who could help them achieve their mission. When Pak PM Benazir Bhutto visited Pyongyang in 1990, certain secret agreements were signed between both the countries and some classified information about the designs of device and centrifuges was shared with North Korea in 1993 in exchange of missile technology. This missile technology formed the base of most of the missiles of Pakistan which surprisingly resemble North Korean missiles. It was not only North Korea but Iran too. When in 2003, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected Iran and found a large uranium enrichment facility, Iranian government revealed that the centrifuges were obtained from a foreign intermediary through URENCO but surprisingly the design was exactly same as PakSat-1 centrifuge which was invented by Pakistan. Some of the Pakistani centrifuges which were transferred to Iran in 1989 were also recovered. Pakistan was expanding his black market for other countries too and the key person in this was AQ Khan who was working closely with every government and military chief of Pakistan. In 2003 itself IAEA decided to dismantle Libya’s nuclear program and to their surprise, they found Pakistani PakSat-1 centrifuges in one of the Libyan uranium enrichment facility. Libyan government openly accepted that they bought this technology from the black market and the supplier was Pakistan. Imagine had that dismantling not been done, the nuclear bomb would have gone into the hands of Islamic terrorists by now as entire Libya is facing turmoils of war with ISIS. The cost paid for these materials to Pakistan by North Korea, Iran or Libya were not known. It was also not known if Pak government had sold these designs to any other country too. However, as per rough estimates, the payments went into billions of US Dollars which were reportedly used by Pakistan in spreading terror network in Indian and Afghanistan. In 2004, Pakistan government dismissed AQ Khan and initiated an inquiry against him and, ironically, his military connects saved him when Parvez Musharraf took over the country and issued him a presidential pardon. The Pak government said that AQ Khan ran this nuclear black market purely on his own. However, the fact is that he was awarded the highest civilian decoration of Pakistan- “Nishan-E-Imtiyaz” twice in 1996 and 1999 which proves the undeterred support of Pakistani government to him. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Pakistan's nuclear black market endangers the world

Oil prices fell for a sixth day on Friday after Iran announced plans to boost production and U.S. crude output hit record highs, adding to concerns about a sharp rise in global supplies.

The falls come amid a rout in global share markets as inflation fears grip investors.

Brent futures were down 44 cents or 0.7 percent, at $64.37 a barrel by around 0700 GMT. On Thursday, Brent fell 1.1 percent to its lowest close since Dec. 20.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 62 cents, or 1 percent, at $60.53 a barrel, having settled down 1 percent in the previous session at its lowest close since Jan. 2.

Both contracts have fallen more than 9 percent from this year&#39;s high point in late January.

&quot;Bets on further rising oil and metals prices, for example by hedge funds, have climbed to excessively bullish levels,&quot; said Carsten Menke, commodities research analyst at Swiss Bank Julius Baer.

&quot;We see oil prices dropping towards and below $60 per barrel,&quot; he said.

OPEC member Iran on Thursday announced plans to increase production within the next four years by at least 700,000 barrels a day.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) this week said crude production last week rose to a record high of 10.25 million barrels per day (bpd).

At that level, U.S. production would overtake the current output in Saudi Arabia, the biggest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

OPEC and other producers, including Russia, have cut production since January 2017 to force down global inventories, but these cuts have been offset by rising U.S. oil production.

China plans to launch its long-awaited crude oil futures contract on March 26, two sources familiar with the situation said on Friday, a move that will potentially shake up the pricing of the world&#39;s largest commodity market.

The launch next month will mark the end of a push to create Asia&#39;s first oil futures benchmark, which would give China more clout in pricing crude in the region and a share of the trillions of dollars in the oil futures trade.

OPEC member Iran on Thursday announced plans to increase production within the next four years by at least 700,000 barrels a day.

Oil prices fell for a sixth day on Friday after Iran announced plans to boost production and U.S. crude output hit record highs, adding to concerns about a sharp rise in global supplies. The falls come amid a rout in global share markets as inflation fears grip investors. Brent futures were down 44 cents or 0.7 percent, at $64.37 a barrel by around 0700 GMT. On Thursday, Brent fell 1.1 percent to its lowest close since Dec. 20. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 62 cents, or 1 percent, at $60.53 a barrel, having settled down 1 percent in the previous session at its lowest close since Jan. 2. Both contracts have fallen more than 9 percent from this year's high point in late January. "Bets on further rising oil and metals prices, for example by hedge funds, have climbed to excessively bullish levels," said Carsten Menke, commodities research analyst at Swiss Bank Julius Baer. "We see oil prices dropping towards and below $60 per barrel," he said. OPEC member Iran on Thursday announced plans to increase production within the next four years by at least 700,000 barrels a day. Meanwhile, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) this week said crude production last week rose to a record high of 10.25 million barrels per day (bpd). At that level, U.S. production would overtake the current output in Saudi Arabia, the biggest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). OPEC and other producers, including Russia, have cut production since January 2017 to force down global inventories, but these cuts have been offset by rising U.S. oil production. China plans to launch its long-awaited crude oil futures contract on March 26, two sources familiar with the situation said on Friday, a move that will potentially shake up the pricing of the world's largest commodity market. The launch next month will mark the end of a push to create Asia's first oil futures benchmark, which would give China more clout in pricing crude in the region and a share of the trillions of dollars in the oil futures trade.

Oil falls for sixth day as supply fears mount

A man was shot and arrested in Iran after trying to break into the presidential office building, the deputy governor of Tehran was quoted as saying by a&nbsp;news agency on Monday.

&quot;We are trying to identify the person and find out his motivation,&quot; Mohsen Hamedani added.

The man was wielding a large knife, according to Tasnim news agency, and was wearing a&nbsp;white shroud, symbolising his readiness to sacrifice his life.

The attacker was shot in leg when trying to pass the security gate of the presidential office in Pasteur Street in central Tehran. It is a high-security area as other key government institutions are also located there.

The man was reportedly wearing a white shroud, symbolising his readiness to sacrifice his life

A man was shot and arrested in Iran after trying to break into the presidential office building, the deputy governor of Tehran was quoted as saying by a news agency on Monday. "We are trying to identify the person and find out his motivation," Mohsen Hamedani added. The man was wielding a large knife, according to Tasnim news agency, and was wearing a white shroud, symbolising his readiness to sacrifice his life. The attacker was shot in leg when trying to pass the security gate of the presidential office in Pasteur Street in central Tehran. It is a high-security area as other key government institutions are also located there.

Man shot and arrested in Iran after trying to break into presidential office: Reports

The United States&#39;&nbsp;new nuclear policy brings humanity &quot;closer to annihilation&quot;, Iran&#39;s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said.

His comments late Saturday came a day after the Pentagon revealed plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal, largely in response to a perceived renewed threat from Russia.&nbsp;

Zarif said the new policy was &quot;in violation&quot; of the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

&quot;The US Nuclear Posture Review reflects greater reliance on nukes in violation of the #NPT, bringing humankind closer to annihilation,&quot; Zarif said on Twitter.&nbsp;

Zarif said the same impulse was driving the United States to undermine the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which President Donald Trump has demanded be renegotiated.&nbsp;

&quot;Trump&#39;s obduracy in killing the #JCPOA stems from the same dangerous imprudence,&quot; Zarif wrote, using the technical name for the nuclear deal.&nbsp;

The latest Nuclear Posture Review published by the Pentagon called for a larger arsenal of smaller, low-yield nuclear weapons to act as a more &quot;credible&quot; deterrent to threats, particularly from Russia.&nbsp;

The NPT, which came into force in 1970 and has been signed by almost all countries including the United States, calls on nations &quot;to achieve at the earliest possible date the cessation of the nuclear arms race and to undertake measures in the direction of nuclear disarmament&quot;.

President Hassan Rouhani took a similar line in a speech on Sunday, saying it showed US hypocrisy in opposing Iran&#39;s missile programme.&nbsp;

&quot;You see the kind of insolent language Americans are using with Russia, threatening them with new nuclear weapons,&quot; Rouhani said in the televised speech.&nbsp;

&quot;How can they then say this is a time of peace, brotherhood and coexistence, and we don&#39;t need defensive power? We will always be in need of a defensive power.&quot;

Iran&#39;s nuclear deal, reached with six world powers, lifted some international sanctions in exchange for curbs to its nuclear programme.&nbsp;

But Trump has consistently attacked the accord and said in January he would not continue to waive sanctions unless new restrictions were placed on Iran&#39;s missile programme and wider actions in the Middle East.&nbsp;

The other parties -- Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- as well as the European Union have strongly defended the deal, saying it has achieved its aim of limiting Iran&#39;s ability to build a nuclear weapon.

President Hassan Rouhani took a similar line in a speech on Sunday

The United States' new nuclear policy brings humanity "closer to annihilation", Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said. His comments late Saturday came a day after the Pentagon revealed plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal, largely in response to a perceived renewed threat from Russia. Zarif said the new policy was "in violation" of the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). "The US Nuclear Posture Review reflects greater reliance on nukes in violation of the #NPT, bringing humankind closer to annihilation," Zarif said on Twitter. Zarif said the same impulse was driving the United States to undermine the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which President Donald Trump has demanded be renegotiated. "Trump's obduracy in killing the #JCPOA stems from the same dangerous imprudence," Zarif wrote, using the technical name for the nuclear deal. The latest Nuclear Posture Review published by the Pentagon called for a larger arsenal of smaller, low-yield nuclear weapons to act as a more "credible" deterrent to threats, particularly from Russia. The NPT, which came into force in 1970 and has been signed by almost all countries including the United States, calls on nations "to achieve at the earliest possible date the cessation of the nuclear arms race and to undertake measures in the direction of nuclear disarmament". President Hassan Rouhani took a similar line in a speech on Sunday, saying it showed US hypocrisy in opposing Iran's missile programme. "You see the kind of insolent language Americans are using with Russia, threatening them with new nuclear weapons," Rouhani said in the televised speech. "How can they then say this is a time of peace, brotherhood and coexistence, and we don't need defensive power? We will always be in need of a defensive power." Iran's nuclear deal, reached with six world powers, lifted some international sanctions in exchange for curbs to its nuclear programme. But Trump has consistently attacked the accord and said in January he would not continue to waive sanctions unless new restrictions were placed on Iran's missile programme and wider actions in the Middle East. The other parties -- Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- as well as the European Union have strongly defended the deal, saying it has achieved its aim of limiting Iran's ability to build a nuclear weapon.

Iran says US nuclear policy brings world 'closer to annihilation'

Police in Tehran arrested 29 women on Thursday after they came out in public without their headscarves as a protest against the dress code in force against Islamic revolution of 1979 escalate.&nbsp;

Women have been protesting for a while and have been climbing onto telecom boxes, standing on pavements and monuments, removing their headscarf and waving it outside.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
More &amp; more brave <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IranianWomen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IranianWomen</a> &amp; even men &amp; old people protest against <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForcedHijab?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForcedHijab</a>, risking imprisonment &amp; torturing in Iran&rsquo;s jails. They deserve worldwide solidarity! Let&rsquo;s not close the eyes for this discrimination! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Feminism?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Feminism</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensMarch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WomensMarch</a> ? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%AF%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%AE%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#دختران_خیابان_انقلاب</a> <a href="https://t.co/3AOOgUT0wu">pic.twitter.com/3AOOgUT0wu</a>
&mdash; Darya Safai (@SafaiDarya) <a href="https://twitter.com/SafaiDarya/status/959081757906784257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The women who were arrested were accused of public order offences and were referred to the state prosecutor&#39;s office.&nbsp;

Thursday&#39;s arrests comes after at least six women were reportedly taken into custody in Tehran this week.

The protests have been happening for a long time but they have intensified since December last year after Iranian women&nbsp;as well as older women, men and even several clerics, have joined the movement and called for the law to be scrapped.&nbsp;

Chief prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said that the escalating protests were trivial and childish which may be influenced by foreigners.&nbsp;

But even religiously conservative Iranians have voiced support for the protests, with many saying that religious rules should be a personal choice.

Women have increasingly flouted the Islamic republic&rsquo;s clothing rules in recent years and often let their headscarves fall around their necks.

Morality police once rigidly enforced the rules, but are a much less common sight since President Hassan Rouhani came to power in 2013, promising greater civil liberties.

The protests appear to mirror that of a woman who stood in Tehran&rsquo;s busy Enghelab (Revolution) Street in December without a headscarf and waving a white scarf on a stick.

Women and girls older than age 9 have been required to wear a headscarf and long, wide coats to conceal their hair and body since Iran&#39;s Islamic Revolution of 1979. Activists face jail sentences of several weeks for removing their headscarves.

Chief prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said that the escalating protests were trivial and childish which may be influenced by foreigners

Police in Tehran arrested 29 women on Thursday after they came out in public without their headscarves as a protest against the dress code in force against Islamic revolution of 1979 escalate. Women have been protesting for a while and have been climbing onto telecom boxes, standing on pavements and monuments, removing their headscarf and waving it outside. More & more brave #IranianWomen & even men & old people protest against #ForcedHijab, risking imprisonment & torturing in Iran’s jails. They deserve worldwide solidarity! Let’s not close the eyes for this discrimination! #Feminism #WomensMarch ? #دختران_خیابان_انقلاب pic.twitter.com/3AOOgUT0wu — Darya Safai (@SafaiDarya) February 1, 2018 × The women who were arrested were accused of public order offences and were referred to the state prosecutor's office. Thursday's arrests comes after at least six women were reportedly taken into custody in Tehran this week. The protests have been happening for a long time but they have intensified since December last year after Iranian women as well as older women, men and even several clerics, have joined the movement and called for the law to be scrapped. Chief prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said that the escalating protests were trivial and childish which may be influenced by foreigners. But even religiously conservative Iranians have voiced support for the protests, with many saying that religious rules should be a personal choice. Women have increasingly flouted the Islamic republic’s clothing rules in recent years and often let their headscarves fall around their necks. Morality police once rigidly enforced the rules, but are a much less common sight since President Hassan Rouhani came to power in 2013, promising greater civil liberties. The protests appear to mirror that of a woman who stood in Tehran’s busy Enghelab (Revolution) Street in December without a headscarf and waving a white scarf on a stick. Women and girls older than age 9 have been required to wear a headscarf and long, wide coats to conceal their hair and body since Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979. Activists face jail sentences of several weeks for removing their headscarves.

WATCH: Police arrests 29 women in Iran following hijab protest

Iran seems to be gripped with another wave of protests, this time around it is the women here fighting against the veil law.&nbsp;

Iranian women are seen taking to the street and removing their headscarves public in a move to protest the law.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
A 2nd woman arrested in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iran</a> for protesting forced <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hijab?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hijab</a> by taking off her headscarf. 
Name: Narges Hosseini <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D9%86%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%B3_%D8%AD%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#نرگس_حسینی</a> 
Women are removing their hijab, posting it with the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%AF%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%AE%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#دختران_خیابان_انقلاب</a> meaning <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GirlsOfRevolutionSt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GirlsOfRevolutionSt</a> where <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VidaMovahed?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VidaMovahed</a> first took off her hijab. <a href="https://t.co/lLbeI5TZMo">pic.twitter.com/lLbeI5TZMo</a>
&mdash; Armin Navabi (@ArminNavabi) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArminNavabi/status/958114610938232834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Social media also witnessed posts featuring pictures and videos of Iranian women removing their headscarves and displaying them tied to the end of a stick.&nbsp;

The protest is against the law that requires Iranian women to cover themselves and put on a veil in public.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E9WaxVfDZnY" width="560"></iframe>

Protests followed Vida Mohaved&nbsp;release on Sunday.

Mohaved was detained by Iranian authorities in December for removing her hijab while taking part in an anti-government protest.&nbsp;

Social media witnessed posts featuring pictures and videos of Iranian women removing their headscarves

Iran seems to be gripped with another wave of protests, this time around it is the women here fighting against the veil law. Iranian women are seen taking to the street and removing their headscarves public in a move to protest the law. A 2nd woman arrested in #Iran for protesting forced #hijab by taking off her headscarf. Name: Narges Hosseini #نرگس_حسینی Women are removing their hijab, posting it with the hashtag #دختران_خیابان_انقلاب meaning #GirlsOfRevolutionSt where #VidaMovahed first took off her hijab. pic.twitter.com/lLbeI5TZMo — Armin Navabi (@ArminNavabi) January 29, 2018 × Social media also witnessed posts featuring pictures and videos of Iranian women removing their headscarves and displaying them tied to the end of a stick. The protest is against the law that requires Iranian women to cover themselves and put on a veil in public. Protests followed Vida Mohaved release on Sunday. Mohaved was detained by Iranian authorities in December for removing her hijab while taking part in an anti-government protest.

Iran: Women take off their hijab to fight veil law

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday after accusing Iran of wanting &quot;to turn Lebanon into one giant missile site&quot;.

He made his comments before leaving for Moscow, where he again said Iran wanted to &quot;destroy&quot; the Jewish state.

Netanyahu has held a series of discussions with Putin in recent months on Iran&#39;s influence in war-torn Syria and in Lebanon, seeking to persuade Russia to limit Iran&#39;s presence near Israeli territory and to stop it from entrenching itself militarily in Syria.

Russia, Iran and Lebanon&#39;s Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah -- which is backed by Tehran -- all support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his country&#39;s civil war.

Netanyahu said before he left Israel that he planned to discuss with Putin Iran&#39;s &quot;relentless efforts to establish a military presence in Syria, which we strongly oppose and are also taking action against&quot;.

&quot;We will also discuss Iran&#39;s effort to turn Lebanon into one giant missile site, a site for precision missiles against the state of Israel, which we will not tolerate.&quot;

After viewing an exhibition in Moscow dedicated to the 1943 uprising at the Sobibor Nazi death camp, Netanyahu said that Israel is &quot;still ready to prevent any attempts of this type of ideology, in the first place Iran, which speaks of the intention to destroy us&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;We will stand before them (Iran) with all our might,&quot; Netanyahu said. &quot;There will not be another Holocaust.&quot;&nbsp;

The two leaders also took part in a Holocaust remembrance ceremony at Moscow&#39;s Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center and watched parts of a Russian-made film on the Sobibor uprising.&nbsp;

Putin said modern political and religious leaders should do &quot;everything possible to preserve historical memory in the 21st century and prevent the weeds of nationalist ideology spreading in whatever form it takes: anti-Semitism, Russophobia and other phobias built on hatred&quot;.&nbsp;

Netanyahu has held a series of discussions with Putin in recent months on Iran's influence in war-torn Syria and in Lebanon, seeking to persuade Russia to limit Iran's presence near Israeli territory and to stop it from entrenching itself militarily in Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday after accusing Iran of wanting "to turn Lebanon into one giant missile site". He made his comments before leaving for Moscow, where he again said Iran wanted to "destroy" the Jewish state. Netanyahu has held a series of discussions with Putin in recent months on Iran's influence in war-torn Syria and in Lebanon, seeking to persuade Russia to limit Iran's presence near Israeli territory and to stop it from entrenching itself militarily in Syria. Russia, Iran and Lebanon's Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah -- which is backed by Tehran -- all support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his country's civil war. Netanyahu said before he left Israel that he planned to discuss with Putin Iran's "relentless efforts to establish a military presence in Syria, which we strongly oppose and are also taking action against". "We will also discuss Iran's effort to turn Lebanon into one giant missile site, a site for precision missiles against the state of Israel, which we will not tolerate." After viewing an exhibition in Moscow dedicated to the 1943 uprising at the Sobibor Nazi death camp, Netanyahu said that Israel is "still ready to prevent any attempts of this type of ideology, in the first place Iran, which speaks of the intention to destroy us". "We will stand before them (Iran) with all our might," Netanyahu said. "There will not be another Holocaust." The two leaders also took part in a Holocaust remembrance ceremony at Moscow's Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center and watched parts of a Russian-made film on the Sobibor uprising. Putin said modern political and religious leaders should do "everything possible to preserve historical memory in the 21st century and prevent the weeds of nationalist ideology spreading in whatever form it takes: anti-Semitism, Russophobia and other phobias built on hatred".

Netanyahu lashes out at Iran in talks with Putin

Iranian authorities granted a four-day leave on humanitarian grounds Sunday to Baquer Namazi, the oldest of a group of American citizens known to be held in the Islamic Republic.

His lawyer Jared Genser said that Namazi, an 81-year-old former UNICEF official, cannot leave Iran and is prohibited from speaking to the media. His son, business consultant Siamak Namazi, is still in jail.

Both are dual Iranian-American citizens.

Namazi was rushed to a hospital on January 15 -- the fourth time in the last year -- after a &quot;severe&quot; drop in his blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, &quot;serious&quot; energy depletion and white coloring, Genser said.

In September, he underwent emergency heart surgery to install a pacemaker.&nbsp;

&quot;We welcome the release of Baquer Namazi given his deteriorating health, but we note that his release is only temporary,&quot; State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

&quot;We call for the immediate and full release of the Namazi family, including his son Siamak, as well as other Americans unjustly held by the Iranian government.&quot;

The Namazis were given 10 years in prison for &quot;espionage and collaboration with the American government&quot; in October.

The elder Namazi`s son Babak said &quot;a return to prison would be life-threatening for him.&quot;

&quot;I beg the Iranian authorities to show compassion and grant my father a permanent release so he can spend his remaining time with his family before we face an irreversible tragedy,&quot; he added.

Genser said returning to prison Thursday as ordered would amount to a &quot;death sentence&quot; for Namazi.

&quot;On humanitarian grounds, his leave must be made permanent. And it is urgent that Siamak Namazi and the rest of the wrongfully imprisoned Americans also have their cases resolved,&quot; Genser said.

Xiyue Wang, a Chinese-American researcher from Princeton University, was also given a 10-year sentence for espionage.

Ex-FBI agent and CIA contractor Robert Levinson went missing in March 2007.

Washington and Tehran have had no diplomatic relations since April 1980 in the wake of the Islamic revolution, and tensions have sharpened under Trump after a brief warming under his predecessor, Barack Obama.

The two countries along with other major powers signed an accord July 14, 2015 aimed at curbing Iran`s nuclear program. Washington has continued to honor the accord, despite Trump`s threats as a candidate last year to &quot;rip it up.&quot;

The 81-year-old American citizen, Namazi were given 10 years in prison for "espionage and collaboration with the American government" in October

Iranian authorities granted a four-day leave on humanitarian grounds Sunday to Baquer Namazi, the oldest of a group of American citizens known to be held in the Islamic Republic. His lawyer Jared Genser said that Namazi, an 81-year-old former UNICEF official, cannot leave Iran and is prohibited from speaking to the media. His son, business consultant Siamak Namazi, is still in jail. Both are dual Iranian-American citizens. Namazi was rushed to a hospital on January 15 -- the fourth time in the last year -- after a "severe" drop in his blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, "serious" energy depletion and white coloring, Genser said. In September, he underwent emergency heart surgery to install a pacemaker. "We welcome the release of Baquer Namazi given his deteriorating health, but we note that his release is only temporary," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. "We call for the immediate and full release of the Namazi family, including his son Siamak, as well as other Americans unjustly held by the Iranian government." The Namazis were given 10 years in prison for "espionage and collaboration with the American government" in October. The elder Namazi`s son Babak said "a return to prison would be life-threatening for him." "I beg the Iranian authorities to show compassion and grant my father a permanent release so he can spend his remaining time with his family before we face an irreversible tragedy," he added. Genser said returning to prison Thursday as ordered would amount to a "death sentence" for Namazi. "On humanitarian grounds, his leave must be made permanent. And it is urgent that Siamak Namazi and the rest of the wrongfully imprisoned Americans also have their cases resolved," Genser said. Xiyue Wang, a Chinese-American researcher from Princeton University, was also given a 10-year sentence for espionage. Ex-FBI agent and CIA contractor Robert Levinson went missing in March 2007. Washington and Tehran have had no diplomatic relations since April 1980 in the wake of the Islamic revolution, and tensions have sharpened under Trump after a brief warming under his predecessor, Barack Obama. The two countries along with other major powers signed an accord July 14, 2015 aimed at curbing Iran`s nuclear program. Washington has continued to honor the accord, despite Trump`s threats as a candidate last year to "rip it up."

Iran grants US citizen four-day release from prison

Around 25 people, including security forces, civilians as well as six protestors, were killed in Iran on Sunday after unrest in several towns and cities following the recent anti-government protests.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Twenty-five people, ordinary citizens and our own forces, were killed during the recent troubles,&rdquo; said judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie, according to the Mizanonline news agency.

&ldquo;None were killed by shots from the security forces because they were ordered not to use their weapons,&rdquo; he added.

On Sunday, Iranian officials announced that hundreds of people detained in the protests had been released.&nbsp;

Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said 440 &ldquo;arrested rioters&rdquo; have been released in Tehran alone.&nbsp;

The semi-official Fars news agency quoted judiciary spokesman Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi as saying that just 55 people remain in detention in the capital in connection with the protests.

Last week, an Iranian reformist lawmaker, Mahmoud Sadeghi, said some 3,700 people were arrested across the country.

The protests, which began three weeks ago, were initially sparked by anger at the weak economy and official corruption, but escalated rapidly, with some protesters calling for the overthrow of the government and clashing with security forces.

The unrest began over economic issues but quickly grew into protests against the Islamic regime as a whole, with attacks on government and police buildings.

The government has said a total of 42,000 people participated in the unrest -- a figure that is hard to verify due to limited information from the provinces where most of the unrest took place.

On Sunday, Iranian officials announced that hundreds of people detained in the protests had been released

Around 25 people, including security forces, civilians as well as six protestors, were killed in Iran on Sunday after unrest in several towns and cities following the recent anti-government protests. “Twenty-five people, ordinary citizens and our own forces, were killed during the recent troubles,” said judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie, according to the Mizanonline news agency. “None were killed by shots from the security forces because they were ordered not to use their weapons,” he added. On Sunday, Iranian officials announced that hundreds of people detained in the protests had been released. Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said 440 “arrested rioters” have been released in Tehran alone. The semi-official Fars news agency quoted judiciary spokesman Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi as saying that just 55 people remain in detention in the capital in connection with the protests. Last week, an Iranian reformist lawmaker, Mahmoud Sadeghi, said some 3,700 people were arrested across the country. The protests, which began three weeks ago, were initially sparked by anger at the weak economy and official corruption, but escalated rapidly, with some protesters calling for the overthrow of the government and clashing with security forces. The unrest began over economic issues but quickly grew into protests against the Islamic regime as a whole, with attacks on government and police buildings. The government has said a total of 42,000 people participated in the unrest -- a figure that is hard to verify due to limited information from the provinces where most of the unrest took place.

25 dead in Iran protests

On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-issues-stay-of-execution-for-iran-nuclear-deal-29380">Trump administration would not issue any more nuclear sanctions on Iran</a>.

However, he did call for stringent measures to keep the agreement alive. He also waived off nuclear-related sanctions on Iran -- a requirement to keep the deal alive.&nbsp;

Iran, however, rejected any modification to its nuclear deal.&nbsp;

Iran &quot;will not accept any amendments in this agreement, be it now or in the future, and it will not allow any other issues to be linked to the JCPOA,&quot; the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Trump asked the European partners to work with the United States in order to &quot;fix the deal&#39;s disastrous flaws,&quot; in the absence of which the United States will withdraw from the deal, Trump threatened.

Trump demanded restrictions on Iran&#39;s missile programme and called for permanent control on Iran&#39;s nuclear plants.

Iran, on the other hand, clarified that the deal remains renegotiated.

&quot;JCPOA is not renegotiable: rather than repeating tired rhetoric, US must bring itself into full compliance -- just like Iran,&quot; Iran&#39;s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted immediately after Trump&#39;s speech.&nbsp;

Iran&#39;s foreign ministry condemned fresh sanctions imposed by the US on 14 individuals,&nbsp; including judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, over human rights issues.&nbsp;

The ministry also criticised US sanctions on Iran&#39;s missile programme and described restrictions on Larijani to have &quot;crossed all red lines of conduct in the international community.&quot;

The official statement from Iran&#39;s foreign ministry stated that &quot;the government of the United States will bear responsibility for all the consequences of this hostile move&quot;.

Iran argued that the continued US sanctions on non-nuclear areas such as human rights and missile testing have effectively barred Iran from gaining many of the financial benefits expected from the deal.

Zarif condemned Trump&#39;s aggressive stance on the deal and Iran describing the White House to also have violated the commitment to &quot;refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely affect the normalisation of trade and economic relations with Iran&quot; in the accord.

JCPOA is the nuclear deal&#39;s technical name.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Iran 'will not accept any amendments to this agreement, be it now or in the future,' Iran's foreign ministry noted.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that the Trump administration would not issue any more nuclear sanctions on Iran. However, he did call for stringent measures to keep the agreement alive. He also waived off nuclear-related sanctions on Iran -- a requirement to keep the deal alive. Iran, however, rejected any modification to its nuclear deal. Iran "will not accept any amendments in this agreement, be it now or in the future, and it will not allow any other issues to be linked to the JCPOA," the foreign ministry said in a statement. Trump asked the European partners to work with the United States in order to "fix the deal's disastrous flaws," in the absence of which the United States will withdraw from the deal, Trump threatened. Trump demanded restrictions on Iran's missile programme and called for permanent control on Iran's nuclear plants. Iran, on the other hand, clarified that the deal remains renegotiated. "JCPOA is not renegotiable: rather than repeating tired rhetoric, US must bring itself into full compliance -- just like Iran," Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted immediately after Trump's speech. Iran's foreign ministry condemned fresh sanctions imposed by the US on 14 individuals, including judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, over human rights issues. The ministry also criticised US sanctions on Iran's missile programme and described restrictions on Larijani to have "crossed all red lines of conduct in the international community." The official statement from Iran's foreign ministry stated that "the government of the United States will bear responsibility for all the consequences of this hostile move". Iran argued that the continued US sanctions on non-nuclear areas such as human rights and missile testing have effectively barred Iran from gaining many of the financial benefits expected from the deal. Zarif condemned Trump's aggressive stance on the deal and Iran describing the White House to also have violated the commitment to "refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely affect the normalisation of trade and economic relations with Iran" in the accord. JCPOA is the nuclear deal's technical name. (With inputs from agencies)

Iran nuclear deal: While Trump calls for stringent measures, Iran rejects any change to deal

As President Trump mulls over<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/macron-warns-against-mid-east-meddling-at-lebanon-conference-26265"> Iran nuclear deal, French President </a>&nbsp;Macron said there should be &quot;strict application&quot;&nbsp;and &quot;importance of all signatories to respect it&quot;.

Trump is expected to decide today on providing relief to Iran under the 215 nuclear deal which was signed by former President Obama along with other nations.

Macron called Trump on Thursday to pitch for the deal stressing its importance even as Trump who has made a number of statements against Iran in recent months kept everyone guessing about his administration&#39;s next move.

&quot;The proper implementation of the agreement should be accompanied by a strengthened dialogue with Iran on its ballistic program and its regional policy, in order to guarantee better stability in the Middle East,&quot; the French president said during his phone call to Trump.

There are fears the US may scrap the nuclear deal which has been signed by the United States, UK, Russia, France, and China including Germany and the European Union.

Macron during his phone call to Trump stressed that the nuclear deal must be accompanied by another round of dialogue with Iran on its ballistic missile programme.

Trump and Macron are set to at the World Economic Forum in Davos later this month.

Macron called Trump on Thursday to pitch for the nuclear deal stressing its importance even as Trump mulled his next move

As President Trump mulls over Iran nuclear deal, French President Macron said there should be "strict application" and "importance of all signatories to respect it". Trump is expected to decide today on providing relief to Iran under the 215 nuclear deal which was signed by former President Obama along with other nations. Macron called Trump on Thursday to pitch for the deal stressing its importance even as Trump who has made a number of statements against Iran in recent months kept everyone guessing about his administration's next move. "The proper implementation of the agreement should be accompanied by a strengthened dialogue with Iran on its ballistic program and its regional policy, in order to guarantee better stability in the Middle East," the French president said during his phone call to Trump. There are fears the US may scrap the nuclear deal which has been signed by the United States, UK, Russia, France, and China including Germany and the European Union. Macron during his phone call to Trump stressed that the nuclear deal must be accompanied by another round of dialogue with Iran on its ballistic missile programme. Trump and Macron are set to at the World Economic Forum in Davos later this month.

As Iran nuclear deal hangs in balance, President Macron calls Trump

Strong earthquake tremors were felt in Iran&rsquo;s western province of Kermanshah on Thursday.&nbsp;

It has been reported that the earthquake was measured at 5.6 on the Richter scale.

News reports say that the temblor rocked the village of Hojedk, located about 700 kilometres, or 400 miles, south of Tehran early on Thursday and the quake&#39;s depth was 10 kilometres.

&quot;The quake jolted the city of Sumar that is located between Ilam and Kermanshah provinces. So far, no fatalities or injuries have been reported,&quot; a local official told TV.

There was no immediate report on damages or casualties.&nbsp;

Media reports informed that&nbsp;residents rushed out to the streets after the quake.

Last year, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit villages and towns in Kermanshah province, killing 620 people and injuring thousands of others.

News reports say that the temblor rocked the village of Hojedk, located about 700 kilometers, or 400 miles, south of Tehran early on Thursday

Strong earthquake tremors were felt in Iran’s western province of Kermanshah on Thursday. It has been reported that the earthquake was measured at 5.6 on the Richter scale. News reports say that the temblor rocked the village of Hojedk, located about 700 kilometres, or 400 miles, south of Tehran early on Thursday and the quake's depth was 10 kilometres. "The quake jolted the city of Sumar that is located between Ilam and Kermanshah provinces. So far, no fatalities or injuries have been reported," a local official told TV. There was no immediate report on damages or casualties. Media reports informed that residents rushed out to the streets after the quake. Last year, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit villages and towns in Kermanshah province, killing 620 people and injuring thousands of others.

Earthquake of magnitude 5.6 hits western Iran

Another deadline is looming and the world is again wondering: Will President Donald Trump tear up the deal Iran signed with world powers to curtail its nuclear program?&nbsp;

What is at stake and why is the issue back in the headlines?

On Friday, Trump is expected to announce that he continues to regard remaining in the Iran nuclear deal not to be in the interests of the United States.

He first announced this in October last year and under the US Iran Nuclear Agreement Act (INARA) of 2015 he is supposed to inform Congress every 90 days.

After he has made his decision -- or leaves his previous decision in place -- Congress may decide to re-impose some sanctions and modify INARA to end the 90-day cycle.&nbsp;

Does this mean new nuclear sanctions are imminent? Not necessarily.&nbsp;

The sanctions imposed on Iran to punish it for pursuing nuclear weapons were never lifted by the US Congress.

Instead, former president Barack Obama and so far Trump have temporarily cancelled them with a waiver in order to meet the US side of the bargain.

Starting this weekend and over the next week, the waivers on the most important packages of sanctions targeting Iran&#39;s oil and financial industries come up for renewal.

If Trump does not act to renew them, the sanctions &quot;snap back&quot; and Iranian businesses and foreign banks and traders who deal with them will once again be sanctioned.

Trump has made it clear that he is no fan of the Iran deal, and he has complained bitterly in the past when obliged to renew waivers on the sanctions packages.

But his most senior advisors, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, are said to be urging him to once again renew the waivers.

Washington&#39;s European allies, including deal signatories Britain, France and Germany are also desperately lobbying Trump to keep faith with the agreement.

On Wednesday, senior officials told AFP they &quot;expect&quot; Trump will grudgingly renew the waivers, but no-one in Washington is certain what the mercurial president will say.

Trump is also expected, however, to impose new sanctions on Iran targeting human right abuses and support for foreign extremist groups rather than nuclear back-sliding.

Would new sanctions or a return to old sanctions kill the deal and leave Iran free to resume a full, unmonitored nuclear drive?

Not necessarily. European powers, Russia and China have economic investments in Iran and have said they would remain in the deal if Iran does.

Iran may, therefore, continue to respect its side of the bargain and limit its nuclear activity to sites and practices that UN watchdog the IAEA deems consistent with the accord.

European banks and businesses would not, however, relish a return of US secondary sanctions excluding them from American markets if the deal with Iran.

This will allow Tehran to further drive a wedge between Washington and its traditional allies.

On Friday, Trump is expected to announce that he continues to regard remaining in the Iran nuclear deal not to be in the interests of the United States

Another deadline is looming and the world is again wondering: Will President Donald Trump tear up the deal Iran signed with world powers to curtail its nuclear program? What is at stake and why is the issue back in the headlines? On Friday, Trump is expected to announce that he continues to regard remaining in the Iran nuclear deal not to be in the interests of the United States. He first announced this in October last year and under the US Iran Nuclear Agreement Act (INARA) of 2015 he is supposed to inform Congress every 90 days. After he has made his decision -- or leaves his previous decision in place -- Congress may decide to re-impose some sanctions and modify INARA to end the 90-day cycle. Does this mean new nuclear sanctions are imminent? Not necessarily. The sanctions imposed on Iran to punish it for pursuing nuclear weapons were never lifted by the US Congress. Instead, former president Barack Obama and so far Trump have temporarily cancelled them with a waiver in order to meet the US side of the bargain. Starting this weekend and over the next week, the waivers on the most important packages of sanctions targeting Iran's oil and financial industries come up for renewal. If Trump does not act to renew them, the sanctions "snap back" and Iranian businesses and foreign banks and traders who deal with them will once again be sanctioned. Trump has made it clear that he is no fan of the Iran deal, and he has complained bitterly in the past when obliged to renew waivers on the sanctions packages. But his most senior advisors, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, are said to be urging him to once again renew the waivers. Washington's European allies, including deal signatories Britain, France and Germany are also desperately lobbying Trump to keep faith with the agreement. On Wednesday, senior officials told AFP they "expect" Trump will grudgingly renew the waivers, but no-one in Washington is certain what the mercurial president will say. Trump is also expected, however, to impose new sanctions on Iran targeting human right abuses and support for foreign extremist groups rather than nuclear back-sliding. Would new sanctions or a return to old sanctions kill the deal and leave Iran free to resume a full, unmonitored nuclear drive? Not necessarily. European powers, Russia and China have economic investments in Iran and have said they would remain in the deal if Iran does. Iran may, therefore, continue to respect its side of the bargain and limit its nuclear activity to sites and practices that UN watchdog the IAEA deems consistent with the accord. European banks and businesses would not, however, relish a return of US secondary sanctions excluding them from American markets if the deal with Iran. This will allow Tehran to further drive a wedge between Washington and its traditional allies.

Fate of Iran deal again in Trump's hands

The US House of Representatives has condemned Iran&#39;s crackdown on the recent anti-government protests.

US lawmakers adopted a resolution and voted in support of anti-government Iranian protesters by a vote of 415 to two.&nbsp;

The House &quot;stands with the people of Iran that are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an oppressive, corrupt regime,&quot; and condemns the government&#39;s &quot;serious human rights abuses against the Iranian people,&quot; the resolution stated.

Iran&#39;s capital Tehran and other areas witnessed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/protests-hit-tehran-as-government-warns-against-illegal-gatherings-28138">violent protests against the government</a> over alleged corruption and economic crisis.&nbsp;

Close to 21 people were reported dead with multiple people injured in clashes that prompted the Iranian regime to temporarily block access to social media.

The government had warned the protestors stating that those who go against the law <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iran-said-protesters-should-pay-a-high-price-if-they-break-the-law-28170">will pay the price</a>.

&nbsp;The Trump administration may also issue new sanctions on Iran&#39;s human rights violators.&nbsp;

The White House has already imposed sanctions on five Iranian firms who were alleged to have been involved in an illegal ballistic missile program.

The US lawmakers also clarified that they stand firm in support of Iranian people and target the &quot;oppressive, destabilizing regime, not the people of Iran.&quot;

&quot;In standing with the Iranian people, we must explain that they are not the target of our sanctions,&quot; House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce said.

Close to 21 people were reported dead with multiple injured in clashes that prompted the Iranian regime to temporarily block access to social media

The US House of Representatives has condemned Iran's crackdown on the recent anti-government protests. US lawmakers adopted a resolution and voted in support of anti-government Iranian protesters by a vote of 415 to two. The House "stands with the people of Iran that are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an oppressive, corrupt regime," and condemns the government's "serious human rights abuses against the Iranian people," the resolution stated. Iran's capital Tehran and other areas witnessed violent protests against the government over alleged corruption and economic crisis. Close to 21 people were reported dead with multiple people injured in clashes that prompted the Iranian regime to temporarily block access to social media. The government had warned the protestors stating that those who go against the law will pay the price. The Trump administration may also issue new sanctions on Iran's human rights violators. The White House has already imposed sanctions on five Iranian firms who were alleged to have been involved in an illegal ballistic missile program. The US lawmakers also clarified that they stand firm in support of Iranian people and target the "oppressive, destabilizing regime, not the people of Iran." "In standing with the Iranian people, we must explain that they are not the target of our sanctions," House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce said.

US lawmakers condemn Iran's crackdown on protesters

Iranian government on Thursday attacked the United States President Donald Trump for backing the anti-government protestors and meddling in Iran&#39;s domestic affairs.

The government accused President Trump of encouraging disruption through his absurd tweets.&nbsp;

In a letter to the UN Security Council yesterday, Iran&#39;s UN Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo said that U.S. government &quot;has stepped up its acts of intervention in a grotesque way in Iran&#39;s internal affairs under the pretext of providing support for sporadic protests.&quot;

Khoshroo highlighted that US has violated international law and the principles of the UN charter, urging other countries to condemn Washington&#39;s statements.

&quot;The U.S. Department of State went so far as admitting that the U.S. government wants to encourage protesters in Iran to change their government, admitting that the U.S. is engaged in interfering with the internal affairs of Iran through Facebook and Twitter,&quot; he wrote.

In a series of tweets, Trump attacked Iran of failing at every level and said that it is time for a change in the Islamic Republic.

&quot;Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government.You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time,&quot; Trump tweeted earlier.

Protests in Iran began when people raised their grievances over the rising cost of food and other necessities, which in a short time spread to expressions of anger against the government.

At least 21 people were killed and hundreds have been arrested during a week of anti-government protests and unrest.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The government accused Trump of encouraging disruption through his absurd tweets

Iranian government on Thursday attacked the United States President Donald Trump for backing the anti-government protestors and meddling in Iran's domestic affairs. The government accused President Trump of encouraging disruption through his absurd tweets. In a letter to the UN Security Council yesterday, Iran's UN Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo said that U.S. government "has stepped up its acts of intervention in a grotesque way in Iran's internal affairs under the pretext of providing support for sporadic protests." Khoshroo highlighted that US has violated international law and the principles of the UN charter, urging other countries to condemn Washington's statements. "The U.S. Department of State went so far as admitting that the U.S. government wants to encourage protesters in Iran to change their government, admitting that the U.S. is engaged in interfering with the internal affairs of Iran through Facebook and Twitter," he wrote. In a series of tweets, Trump attacked Iran of failing at every level and said that it is time for a change in the Islamic Republic. "Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government.You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time," Trump tweeted earlier. Protests in Iran began when people raised their grievances over the rising cost of food and other necessities, which in a short time spread to expressions of anger against the government. At least 21 people were killed and hundreds have been arrested during a week of anti-government protests and unrest.

Iran accuses Donald Trump of interfering in 'internal affairs'

If Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman&rsquo;s foreign policy track record is anything to go by, the ongoing situation in Iran could tempt him to embark on yet another risky adventure. This is following the&nbsp;widespread anti-government protests&nbsp;in Iran, which is the real focus of his multiple regional quagmires that include the devastating war in Yemen and the failed effort to force Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign.

In many ways, Prince Mohammed faces the same considerations in deciding how to respond to events in Iran, as does US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;In January, the&nbsp;president&nbsp;not only has to choose whether to certify Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, but also whether to waive US sanctions on Iran. A decision to re-impose economic sanctions could mean a US withdrawal from the agreement.

At the core of Trump&rsquo;s decision, as well as Prince Mohammed&rsquo;s deliberations on how and if to respond to the Iranian protests, is the question of whether the US and/or Saudi Arabia see a strengthening of hardline conservative factions in Iran as serving their national interests. This is includes containing the Islamic Republic and possibly engineering a situation that would be conducive to regime change.

&ldquo;The most likely scenario is that the evidence of popular dissatisfaction and the inevitable repression will harden the Trump administration&rsquo;s position on sustaining the deal and provide additional incentives for ratcheting up new economic pressure on the government,&rdquo; said Brookings fellow and former State Department policy planning Iran expert&nbsp;Suzanne Maloney. &ldquo;They also may see some possibility of flipping the Europeans if the crackdown is fierce and well-documented.&rdquo; The European Union has urged President Trump not to nix the nuclear agreement.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in contrast to hardliners, has sought to reach out to the protesters. He has recognized their right to criticize the government, while denouncing violence and promising to address their economic grievances. Rouhani may be able to tackle some issues like the fraudulent financial institutions that have deprived many of their savings, but he will struggle to fix the country&rsquo;s structural economic issues, including the power of hardline institutions such as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. He may also be able to institutionalize and anchor in law the right to protest with the&nbsp;backing of hardliners. Moreover, addressing economic issues would be even more daunting if Trump withdraws from the nuclear deal.

Ultimately, the odds are that hardliners, irrespective of what scenario unfolds, will emerge strengthened by the current crisis. This will either be the result of protests losing momentum as the regime curbs access to social media, a brutal squashing of the protests as a last resort, or because increased external pressure will initially unite rival factions and reinforce widespread disillusionment with the nuclear deal, which has failed to provide tangible economic benefits to a majority of Iranians.

Prince Mohammed

Looming in the background is the risk that Prince Mohammed &mdash; with or without US backing or cooperation &mdash; will seek to exploit the Iranian government&rsquo;s problems by attempting to further destabilize the Islamic Republic. This could be by stirring unrest among already restive ethnic minority groups such as the Kurds and the Baluchis. Kermanshah, a city in the predominantly Kurdish western Iran, was one of the first cities to which the protests spread after initially erupting in the conservative stronghold of Mashhad.

&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia has funneled large amounts of money in the last 18 months to militant groups and madrassas or religious seminaries in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan, which borders the Iranian region of Sistan and Baluchistan &mdash; both populated by restive Baluchis. In 2017, a Riyadh-based think tank believed to be supported by Prince Mohammed, published a&nbsp;blueprint&nbsp;for stirring unrest among the Iranian Baluch.

President Trump

In recent days,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and the&nbsp;US State Department&nbsp;have expressed support for the protesters. They have urged the international community to chirp in, and also said they back those in Iran who are seeking a peaceful transition of government.

Various US analysts have argued that Trump&rsquo;s anti-Iranian track record, including his attempted bans on granting visas to Iranians, curtails the impact of his support for the protesters. It may even strengthen the hardliners by allowing them to point fingers at alleged foreign instigation. &ldquo;While we&rsquo;re on Trump, the impact of his tweets has been marginal at best. They&rsquo;ve triggered a slew of angry comments, packed with ridicule. Across classes, factions and generations in Iran, there is a shared contempt for&nbsp;#POTUS&nbsp;whose policies look erratic and hypocritical,&rdquo; tweeted Bloomberg&rsquo;s Iran correspondent,&nbsp;Golnar Motevalli.

Rather than speaking out, the analysts proposed concrete steps the United States could take to support the demonstrators.&nbsp;Maloney&nbsp;and journalist&nbsp;Maziar Bahari&nbsp;suggested the US could use its influence with technology, satellite internet providers and social media networks to try keep communications channels open for protesters.

In an article for Lobe Log, former State Department official&nbsp;Reza Marashi&nbsp;argued that advice he and others proffered in 2009, when the Iranian government faced far larger protests against alleged election fraud, remained valid in the current situation. &ldquo;We advised our superiors to express concern about the violence against protestors, and highlight the importance of respecting free speech, democratic process, and peaceful dissent. We also emphasized a need for the US government to publicly express its respect for Iranian sovereignty, its desire to avoid making America the issue during a domestic Iranian protest, and its belief that it is up to Iranians to determine who Iran&rsquo;s leaders will be,&rdquo; Marashi recalled.

Much of that advice has been ignored by the White House. In doing so, the Trump administration has not only allowed Rouhani and the hardliners to point to a scapegoat. It has seemingly gone out of its way to raise Iranian fears that US policy, with the Saudis in tow, is focused on regime change. Marashi added: &ldquo;Washington would be wise to acknowledge the limits of its power inside Iran. Policymakers and pundits cannot change this simple truth: The problems are Iranian, the protestors are Iranian, and the solution will be Iranian.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

&nbsp;

This <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/middle_east_north_africa/iran-protests-hassan-rouhani-saudi-arabia-donald-trump-latest-news-34069/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">article </a>was originally carried by the <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">Fair Observer</a>.

&nbsp;

Protests in Iran raise tricky questions for American and Saudi policymakers, amid Iranian fears that US policy, with the Saudis in tow, is focused on regime change.

If Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s foreign policy track record is anything to go by, the ongoing situation in Iran could tempt him to embark on yet another risky adventure. This is following the widespread anti-government protests in Iran, which is the real focus of his multiple regional quagmires that include the devastating war in Yemen and the failed effort to force Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign. In many ways, Prince Mohammed faces the same considerations in deciding how to respond to events in Iran, as does US President Donald Trump. In January, the president not only has to choose whether to certify Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, but also whether to waive US sanctions on Iran. A decision to re-impose economic sanctions could mean a US withdrawal from the agreement. At the core of Trump’s decision, as well as Prince Mohammed’s deliberations on how and if to respond to the Iranian protests, is the question of whether the US and/or Saudi Arabia see a strengthening of hardline conservative factions in Iran as serving their national interests. This is includes containing the Islamic Republic and possibly engineering a situation that would be conducive to regime change. “The most likely scenario is that the evidence of popular dissatisfaction and the inevitable repression will harden the Trump administration’s position on sustaining the deal and provide additional incentives for ratcheting up new economic pressure on the government,” said Brookings fellow and former State Department policy planning Iran expert Suzanne Maloney. “They also may see some possibility of flipping the Europeans if the crackdown is fierce and well-documented.” The European Union has urged President Trump not to nix the nuclear agreement. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in contrast to hardliners, has sought to reach out to the protesters. He has recognized their right to criticize the government, while denouncing violence and promising to address their economic grievances. Rouhani may be able to tackle some issues like the fraudulent financial institutions that have deprived many of their savings, but he will struggle to fix the country’s structural economic issues, including the power of hardline institutions such as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. He may also be able to institutionalize and anchor in law the right to protest with the backing of hardliners. Moreover, addressing economic issues would be even more daunting if Trump withdraws from the nuclear deal. Ultimately, the odds are that hardliners, irrespective of what scenario unfolds, will emerge strengthened by the current crisis. This will either be the result of protests losing momentum as the regime curbs access to social media, a brutal squashing of the protests as a last resort, or because increased external pressure will initially unite rival factions and reinforce widespread disillusionment with the nuclear deal, which has failed to provide tangible economic benefits to a majority of Iranians. Prince Mohammed Looming in the background is the risk that Prince Mohammed — with or without US backing or cooperation — will seek to exploit the Iranian government’s problems by attempting to further destabilize the Islamic Republic. This could be by stirring unrest among already restive ethnic minority groups such as the Kurds and the Baluchis. Kermanshah, a city in the predominantly Kurdish western Iran, was one of the first cities to which the protests spread after initially erupting in the conservative stronghold of Mashhad. Saudi Arabia has funneled large amounts of money in the last 18 months to militant groups and madrassas or religious seminaries in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan, which borders the Iranian region of Sistan and Baluchistan — both populated by restive Baluchis. In 2017, a Riyadh-based think tank believed to be supported by Prince Mohammed, published a blueprint for stirring unrest among the Iranian Baluch. President Trump In recent days, Trump and the US State Department have expressed support for the protesters. They have urged the international community to chirp in, and also said they back those in Iran who are seeking a peaceful transition of government. Various US analysts have argued that Trump’s anti-Iranian track record, including his attempted bans on granting visas to Iranians, curtails the impact of his support for the protesters. It may even strengthen the hardliners by allowing them to point fingers at alleged foreign instigation. “While we’re on Trump, the impact of his tweets has been marginal at best. They’ve triggered a slew of angry comments, packed with ridicule. Across classes, factions and generations in Iran, there is a shared contempt for #POTUS whose policies look erratic and hypocritical,” tweeted Bloomberg’s Iran correspondent, Golnar Motevalli. Rather than speaking out, the analysts proposed concrete steps the United States could take to support the demonstrators. Maloney and journalist Maziar Bahari suggested the US could use its influence with technology, satellite internet providers and social media networks to try keep communications channels open for protesters. In an article for Lobe Log, former State Department official Reza Marashi argued that advice he and others proffered in 2009, when the Iranian government faced far larger protests against alleged election fraud, remained valid in the current situation. “We advised our superiors to express concern about the violence against protestors, and highlight the importance of respecting free speech, democratic process, and peaceful dissent. We also emphasized a need for the US government to publicly express its respect for Iranian sovereignty, its desire to avoid making America the issue during a domestic Iranian protest, and its belief that it is up to Iranians to determine who Iran’s leaders will be,” Marashi recalled. Much of that advice has been ignored by the White House. In doing so, the Trump administration has not only allowed Rouhani and the hardliners to point to a scapegoat. It has seemingly gone out of its way to raise Iranian fears that US policy, with the Saudis in tow, is focused on regime change. Marashi added: “Washington would be wise to acknowledge the limits of its power inside Iran. Policymakers and pundits cannot change this simple truth: The problems are Iranian, the protestors are Iranian, and the solution will be Iranian.” (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL). This article was originally carried by the Fair Observer.

Opinion: Iran protests raise risk of regime change

Roiling more than a dozen major cities, young Iranians are protesting against the country&rsquo;s government. They appear to be particularly angered by the country&rsquo;s funding of wars in Arab countries, such as Yemen and Syria, as Iranian citizens slide towards poverty. In the city of Kerman, demonstrators chanted that the &ldquo;People are living like beggars, the Leader is behaving like a God&rdquo;, and in Khuzestan, protesters reportedly called out &ldquo;death to Khamenei&rdquo;, Iran&rsquo;s supreme leader. Something profound is happening &ndash; and it could have major implications for the Middle East as a whole.

On the face of it, this is reminiscent of the huge protests that followed the 2009 election, known as the Green Movement or Green Revolution. But these latest protests are all round very unlike the Green Movement in their implications, their size, and their demographics. In 2009, protesters mainly came from a young and educated middle class; this time, the protests started in the north-western city of Mashad, traditionally a religiously conservative place, and those taking to the streets come from a far wider variety of backgrounds.

Alas, much as happened in 2009, the latest protests in Iran face a severe government crackdown. The first deaths at the hands of security forces were reported in Dorud, and more than 20 casualties have now been counted. And yet the protesters continue to stand up against the government&rsquo;s iron-fisted approach. So what&rsquo;s driving them?

Besides the protesters&rsquo; explicit antipathy toward Iranian foreign policy in the Arab world, the protests also have a distinctively Arab dimension. In Ahwazi, a majority Arab region in Iran&rsquo;s south-west, protests have been going on for weeks, with people taking to the streets to rail against the Iranian government&rsquo;s repression and its confiscation of Ahwazi land and water. Thousands of Arab Iranians took to the streets when an Iranian parliamentarian, Qassem al-Saeedi, slammed the Iranian government&rsquo;s discriminatory policies, even comparing the Iranian regime&rsquo;s anti-Arab policies to those of Israel.

Lending support

Then there&rsquo;s the matter of Syria. Since the beginning of the Syrian uprisings in 2011, Ahwazi Arab Iranians have stood in solidarity with their counterparts on the Syrian streets, while Syrian pro-democracy protesters have waved the Ahwaz flag in their protests against Bashar al-Assad&rsquo;s regime. Small wonder then that today&rsquo;s Syrian anti-regime revolutionaries and activists are standing in solidarity with the Iranian protests.

Abdelaziz al-Hamza, a Syrian pro-democracy activist from Raqqa and active member of the group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, advised the Iranian protesters not to reveal their identity, not to carry any ID documentation, and to use removable memory cards in the devices they use to document the protests. He also strongly advised them to use nicknames for their Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts, and to communicate via encrypted apps.

Many Syrian opposition activists hope that the Iranian protests will start a domino effect that eventually affects Iranian foreign policy towards Syria. In recent years, the Iranian government has spent billions of dollars annually supporting the repressive Syrian regime. Iran&rsquo;s powerful military chief, General Qasem Soleimani, has been leading the Iranian military operation inside Syria. If the current protests lead to some sort of revolutionary change, Iran&rsquo;s strong financial and military support to active actors in the Syrian war &ndash; among them Hezbollah and the Assad regime&rsquo;s army &ndash; could suddenly shrivel up. This will also have major implications for Arab countries where Iran is playing a military role, not least Yemen.

If anything is to be learned from the Syrian uprisings, it&rsquo;s that protests such as these can take on a life of their own in ways no one anticipated. There is a significant chance that the Iranian regime will be every bit as brutal in its crackdown as the Assad regime. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has blamed the protests on a foreign conspiracy; hundreds of protesters have been arrested, and the head of Iran&rsquo;s Revolutionary Court warned that some will receive death sentences.

The prospect of major bloodshed at the hands of the state looms large &ndash; and if that happens, the ensuing domino effect could create yet another volatile and explosive situation in an already stormy and dangerous region.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The </a>Conversation. Read the original article.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Many Syrian opposition activists hope that the Iranian protests will start a domino effect that eventually affects Iranian foreign policy towards Syria.

Roiling more than a dozen major cities, young Iranians are protesting against the country’s government. They appear to be particularly angered by the country’s funding of wars in Arab countries, such as Yemen and Syria, as Iranian citizens slide towards poverty. In the city of Kerman, demonstrators chanted that the “People are living like beggars, the Leader is behaving like a God”, and in Khuzestan, protesters reportedly called out “death to Khamenei”, Iran’s supreme leader. Something profound is happening – and it could have major implications for the Middle East as a whole. On the face of it, this is reminiscent of the huge protests that followed the 2009 election, known as the Green Movement or Green Revolution. But these latest protests are all round very unlike the Green Movement in their implications, their size, and their demographics. In 2009, protesters mainly came from a young and educated middle class; this time, the protests started in the north-western city of Mashad, traditionally a religiously conservative place, and those taking to the streets come from a far wider variety of backgrounds. Alas, much as happened in 2009, the latest protests in Iran face a severe government crackdown. The first deaths at the hands of security forces were reported in Dorud, and more than 20 casualties have now been counted. And yet the protesters continue to stand up against the government’s iron-fisted approach. So what’s driving them? Besides the protesters’ explicit antipathy toward Iranian foreign policy in the Arab world, the protests also have a distinctively Arab dimension. In Ahwazi, a majority Arab region in Iran’s south-west, protests have been going on for weeks, with people taking to the streets to rail against the Iranian government’s repression and its confiscation of Ahwazi land and water. Thousands of Arab Iranians took to the streets when an Iranian parliamentarian, Qassem al-Saeedi, slammed the Iranian government’s discriminatory policies, even comparing the Iranian regime’s anti-Arab policies to those of Israel. Lending support Then there’s the matter of Syria. Since the beginning of the Syrian uprisings in 2011, Ahwazi Arab Iranians have stood in solidarity with their counterparts on the Syrian streets, while Syrian pro-democracy protesters have waved the Ahwaz flag in their protests against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Small wonder then that today’s Syrian anti-regime revolutionaries and activists are standing in solidarity with the Iranian protests. Abdelaziz al-Hamza, a Syrian pro-democracy activist from Raqqa and active member of the group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, advised the Iranian protesters not to reveal their identity, not to carry any ID documentation, and to use removable memory cards in the devices they use to document the protests. He also strongly advised them to use nicknames for their Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts, and to communicate via encrypted apps. Many Syrian opposition activists hope that the Iranian protests will start a domino effect that eventually affects Iranian foreign policy towards Syria. In recent years, the Iranian government has spent billions of dollars annually supporting the repressive Syrian regime. Iran’s powerful military chief, General Qasem Soleimani, has been leading the Iranian military operation inside Syria. If the current protests lead to some sort of revolutionary change, Iran’s strong financial and military support to active actors in the Syrian war – among them Hezbollah and the Assad regime’s army – could suddenly shrivel up. This will also have major implications for Arab countries where Iran is playing a military role, not least Yemen. If anything is to be learned from the Syrian uprisings, it’s that protests such as these can take on a life of their own in ways no one anticipated. There is a significant chance that the Iranian regime will be every bit as brutal in its crackdown as the Assad regime. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has blamed the protests on a foreign conspiracy; hundreds of protesters have been arrested, and the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Court warned that some will receive death sentences. The prospect of major bloodshed at the hands of the state looms large – and if that happens, the ensuing domino effect could create yet another volatile and explosive situation in an already stormy and dangerous region. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Protests in Iran could spell trouble for the Middle East

As violent protests continued to rock Iran, President Trump in an early morning tweet said the United States will give &quot;great support&quot; to Iran at an &quot;appropriate time&quot;.

The anti-government demonstrations which began on December 28th in Mashhad quickly spread to western Kermanshah and religious centre Qom.

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Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948548807612084224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The protests spread to Tehran on December 31st in which 200 people were arrested. Iranian media and officials reported later 10 people had died during the protests overnight.

On January 1st, Rouhani played down the protests as &quot;nothing&quot; and insisted the Iranian people will &quot;respond to rioters and lawbreakers&quot;.

President Donald Trump hit back saying it is &quot;time for change&quot; in Iran and later denounced the Iranian regime as &quot;brutal and corrupt&quot;.

Keeping the pressure on Iran, US envoy Nikki Haley on Tuesday called for an emergency session on Iran at the UN Security Council.

Rouhani phoned his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to demand action against&nbsp;&quot;terrorist&quot; Iranian opposition group as the French president called for &quot;restraint and appeasement&quot;.

On January 1st, Rouhani played down the protests as "nothing" and insisted the Iranian people will "respond to rioters and lawbreakers".

As violent protests continued to rock Iran, President Trump in an early morning tweet said the United States will give "great support" to Iran at an "appropriate time". The anti-government demonstrations which began on December 28th in Mashhad quickly spread to western Kermanshah and religious centre Qom. Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 × The protests spread to Tehran on December 31st in which 200 people were arrested. Iranian media and officials reported later 10 people had died during the protests overnight. On January 1st, Rouhani played down the protests as "nothing" and insisted the Iranian people will "respond to rioters and lawbreakers". President Donald Trump hit back saying it is "time for change" in Iran and later denounced the Iranian regime as "brutal and corrupt". Keeping the pressure on Iran, US envoy Nikki Haley on Tuesday called for an emergency session on Iran at the UN Security Council. Rouhani phoned his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to demand action against "terrorist" Iranian opposition group as the French president called for "restraint and appeasement".

People of Iran will get support from US at an appropriate time, tweets Trump

Two people were shot dead in protests in Iran bringing to four the number of fatalities in the country`s most serious unrest since 2009 and messages on social media called for more anti-government demonstrations on Monday.

The two were killed on Sunday in the southwestern town of Izeh and several others were injured, ILNA news agency quoted the local member of parliament Hedayatollah Khademi as saying.

&quot;I do not know whether yesterday`s shooting was done by rally participants or the police and this issue is being investigated,&quot; Khademi was quoted as saying.

Messages on social media urged Iranians to hold rallies in the capital Tehran and 50 other urban centres, many of which have already seen four days of unrest since price protests in the second largest city Mashhad on Thursday turned political.

Protests continued overnight even though President Hassan Rouhani appealed for calm. He said Iranians had the right to criticise authorities but warned of a crackdown against unrest.

&quot;The government will show no tolerance for those who damage public properties, violate public order and create unrest in the society,&quot; Rouhani said in remarks carried by state TV.&nbsp;

Tens of thousands of people have protested across the country against the Islamic Republic`s government and clerical elite, prompting authorities to warn of a tough crackdown.&nbsp;

Security forces have shown restraint, hoping to avoid an escalation of the crisis triggered by economic hardships and corruption. Anger soon turned to Iran`s clerical establishment in power since the 1979 revolution.

Some called on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down and chanted against a government they described as thieves.

The two were killed on Sunday in the southwestern town of Izeh and several others were injured, ILNA news agency quoted local member of parliament Hedayatollah Khademi as saying.

Two people were shot dead in protests in Iran bringing to four the number of fatalities in the country`s most serious unrest since 2009 and messages on social media called for more anti-government demonstrations on Monday. The two were killed on Sunday in the southwestern town of Izeh and several others were injured, ILNA news agency quoted the local member of parliament Hedayatollah Khademi as saying. "I do not know whether yesterday`s shooting was done by rally participants or the police and this issue is being investigated," Khademi was quoted as saying. Messages on social media urged Iranians to hold rallies in the capital Tehran and 50 other urban centres, many of which have already seen four days of unrest since price protests in the second largest city Mashhad on Thursday turned political. Protests continued overnight even though President Hassan Rouhani appealed for calm. He said Iranians had the right to criticise authorities but warned of a crackdown against unrest. "The government will show no tolerance for those who damage public properties, violate public order and create unrest in the society," Rouhani said in remarks carried by state TV. Tens of thousands of people have protested across the country against the Islamic Republic`s government and clerical elite, prompting authorities to warn of a tough crackdown. Security forces have shown restraint, hoping to avoid an escalation of the crisis triggered by economic hardships and corruption. Anger soon turned to Iran`s clerical establishment in power since the 1979 revolution. Some called on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down and chanted against a government they described as thieves.

Two people killed in Iran amid calls for fresh protests

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/protests-hit-tehran-as-government-warns-against-illegal-gatherings-28138">Protesters in Iran who have staged three days of demonstrations</a> over economic hardship and alleged corruption should pay a high price if they break the law, the government said on Sunday.

The wave of anti-government demonstrations in several cities are the biggest challenge to Iran&#39;s leaders since unrest in 2009 that followed the disputed re-election of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went on for months.

Protesters have attacked banks and government buildings and burned a police motorcycle. Two protesters were shot dead in the western town of Dorud on Saturday night. The deputy governor of Lorestan province blamed foreign agents for the deaths.

&quot;No shots were fired by the police and security forces. We have found evidence of enemies of the revolution, Takfiri groups and foreign agents in this clash,&quot; Habibollah Khojastehpour said in an interview on state television on Sunday. Takfiri is a term for Sunni militants especially the Islamic State.

State media also quoted Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli as saying: &quot;Those who damage public property, violate law and order and create unrest are responsible for their actions and should pay the price.&quot;

Ahmad Khatami, a hardline cleric who leads Friday prayers in the capital Tehran, said the protests were similar to those in 2009 over alleged electoral fraud.

He called for capital punishment for those chanting slogans against the values of the Islamic Republic.

The protests have included chants and slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the clerical leadership in power since 1979 revolution.

Videos posted on social media showed people chanting: &quot;Mullahs, have some shame, let go of the country.&quot;

Protests defied the police and Revolutionary Guards who have used violence to crush previous unrest because they are motivated by economic grievances and have no clear leader.

They are also difficult for the government of President Hassan Rouhani because he was elected on a promise to guarantee rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

Rouhani&#39;s main achievement, a 2015 deal with world powers that curbed Iran&#39;s nuclear program in return for a lifting of most international sanctions, is yet to bring the economic benefits the government promised.

Unemployment rose to 12.4 percent this fiscal year up 1.4 percentage points, according to the Statistical Centre of Iran. 3.2 Iranians are jobless.

The wave of anti-government demonstrations in several cities are the biggest challenge to Iran's leaders since unrest in 2009

Protesters in Iran who have staged three days of demonstrations over economic hardship and alleged corruption should pay a high price if they break the law, the government said on Sunday. The wave of anti-government demonstrations in several cities are the biggest challenge to Iran's leaders since unrest in 2009 that followed the disputed re-election of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went on for months. Protesters have attacked banks and government buildings and burned a police motorcycle. Two protesters were shot dead in the western town of Dorud on Saturday night. The deputy governor of Lorestan province blamed foreign agents for the deaths. "No shots were fired by the police and security forces. We have found evidence of enemies of the revolution, Takfiri groups and foreign agents in this clash," Habibollah Khojastehpour said in an interview on state television on Sunday. Takfiri is a term for Sunni militants especially the Islamic State. State media also quoted Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli as saying: "Those who damage public property, violate law and order and create unrest are responsible for their actions and should pay the price." Ahmad Khatami, a hardline cleric who leads Friday prayers in the capital Tehran, said the protests were similar to those in 2009 over alleged electoral fraud. He called for capital punishment for those chanting slogans against the values of the Islamic Republic. The protests have included chants and slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the clerical leadership in power since 1979 revolution. Videos posted on social media showed people chanting: "Mullahs, have some shame, let go of the country." Protests defied the police and Revolutionary Guards who have used violence to crush previous unrest because they are motivated by economic grievances and have no clear leader. They are also difficult for the government of President Hassan Rouhani because he was elected on a promise to guarantee rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Rouhani's main achievement, a 2015 deal with world powers that curbed Iran's nuclear program in return for a lifting of most international sanctions, is yet to bring the economic benefits the government promised. Unemployment rose to 12.4 percent this fiscal year up 1.4 percentage points, according to the Statistical Centre of Iran. 3.2 Iranians are jobless.

Iran said protesters should pay a high price if they break the law

Demonstrators attacked a town hall in the Iranian capital Saturday as protests spilled into a third night despite government warnings against any further &quot;illegal gatherings&quot; and moves to cut off the internet on mobiles.

Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump weighed in on protests in Iran on Saturday, warning that the country&#39;s people want change and &quot;oppressive regimes cannot endure forever.&quot;

On Twitter, Trump posted two videos of his speech at the UN General Assembly in September where he spoke about the Iranian regime.&nbsp;

&quot;Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice,&quot; he tweeted, quoting from the speech. &quot;The world is watching!.&quot;

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Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching! <a href="https://t.co/kvv1uAqcZ9">pic.twitter.com/kvv1uAqcZ9</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/947181212468203520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran&#39;s people are what their leaders fear the most,&quot; Trump posted, again quoting from the UN speech.

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The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran&rsquo;s people are what their leaders fear the most.... <a href="https://t.co/W8rKN9B6RT">pic.twitter.com/W8rKN9B6RT</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/947180713236934657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He also tweeted in support of the protesters late Friday, prompting Iran&#39;s foreign ministry spokesman Bahran Ghasemi to dismiss his remarks as &quot;opportunistic.&quot;

Demonstrators chanted <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/price-protests-turn-political-in-iran-as-rallies-spread-28091">anti-government slogans</a> in several cities across Iran on Friday, Iranian news agencies and social media reports said, as price protests turned into the largest wave of demonstrations since nationwide pro-reform unrest in 2009.

In the third day, the wave of protests spread to Qom, around 80 km from the Iranian capital, Tehran, protesters in Qom and Tehran raised anti-government slogans against Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei such as- &quot;Death to Hezbollah&quot; and &quot;Aren&#39;t you ashamed Khamenei? Leave the country.&quot;

(With input from agencies)

'Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice,' he tweeted, quoting from the speech

Demonstrators attacked a town hall in the Iranian capital Saturday as protests spilled into a third night despite government warnings against any further "illegal gatherings" and moves to cut off the internet on mobiles. Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump weighed in on protests in Iran on Saturday, warning that the country's people want change and "oppressive regimes cannot endure forever." On Twitter, Trump posted two videos of his speech at the UN General Assembly in September where he spoke about the Iranian regime. "Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice," he tweeted, quoting from the speech. "The world is watching!." Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching! pic.twitter.com/kvv1uAqcZ9 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017 × "The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran's people are what their leaders fear the most," Trump posted, again quoting from the UN speech. The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran’s people are what their leaders fear the most.... pic.twitter.com/W8rKN9B6RT — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017 × He also tweeted in support of the protesters late Friday, prompting Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahran Ghasemi to dismiss his remarks as "opportunistic." Demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans in several cities across Iran on Friday, Iranian news agencies and social media reports said, as price protests turned into the largest wave of demonstrations since nationwide pro-reform unrest in 2009. In the third day, the wave of protests spread to Qom, around 80 km from the Iranian capital, Tehran, protesters in Qom and Tehran raised anti-government slogans against Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei such as- "Death to Hezbollah" and "Aren't you ashamed Khamenei? Leave the country." (With input from agencies)

Government blocks internet amid Iran protests, Trump warns that people need change

Two people were killed overnight in the town of Dorud in western Iran as protests spread across the country, the province&#39;s deputy governor confirmed on Sunday.&nbsp;

&quot;On Saturday evening, there was an illegal protest in Dorud and a number of people took to the streets responding to calls from hostile groups, leading to clashes,&quot; Lorestan province deputy governor Habibollah Khojastehpour told state television.

&quot;Unfortunately in these clashes, two citizens from Dorud were killed.&quot;

Khojastehpour did not explain the killings but said security forces had not fired on the crowd.&nbsp;

Videos reportedly from Dorud, of bleeding victims being carried through the crowd, were spreading widely on social media overnight but could not be verified.

A Revolutionary Guards Telegram channel blamed the killing on &quot;people armed with hunting and military weapons&quot; who &quot;entered the protests and started shooting randomly toward the crowd and the governor&#39;s building&quot;.

It said two people were killed and six wounded.&nbsp;

Khojastehpour said: &quot;In these clashes, no bullets were fired by the police, military or security forces towards the people.

&quot;The goal was for the protest to end peacefully but due to the presence of certain people and groups, unfortunately, this happened and led to the killing of two people.&quot;

A Revolutionary Guards Telegram channel blamed the killing on 'people armed with hunting and military weapons" who "entered the protests and started shooting randomly toward the crowd and the governor's building'.

Two people were killed overnight in the town of Dorud in western Iran as protests spread across the country, the province's deputy governor confirmed on Sunday. "On Saturday evening, there was an illegal protest in Dorud and a number of people took to the streets responding to calls from hostile groups, leading to clashes," Lorestan province deputy governor Habibollah Khojastehpour told state television. "Unfortunately in these clashes, two citizens from Dorud were killed." Khojastehpour did not explain the killings but said security forces had not fired on the crowd. Videos reportedly from Dorud, of bleeding victims being carried through the crowd, were spreading widely on social media overnight but could not be verified. A Revolutionary Guards Telegram channel blamed the killing on "people armed with hunting and military weapons" who "entered the protests and started shooting randomly toward the crowd and the governor's building". It said two people were killed and six wounded. Khojastehpour said: "In these clashes, no bullets were fired by the police, military or security forces towards the people. "The goal was for the protest to end peacefully but due to the presence of certain people and groups, unfortunately, this happened and led to the killing of two people."

Two killed in Iran protests: Deputy governor

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