Iranian Workers in City of Arak, Peacefully Demanding Unpaid Wages, Beaten and Arrested by Anti-Riot Police - Anti-riot police forces stormed peaceful protests by workers at two industrial units in Arak, the capital of Iran's Central Province, on September 19, 2017, and arrested several people, according to information received by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). A labor activist who asked not to be identified for security reasons told CHRI that day that several workers were detained during the protests against the Heavy Equipment Production Company (HEPCO) and the Azarab Industries Company. - 9/22/17
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Poll: Iranians Want Economic Reform, More Engagement With Europe - A new IranPoll survey conducted in August finds that Iranians generally support globalization, want to see economic reform inside Iran, and want to improve their economic ties with Europe in particular. They are concerned, however, that U.S. pressure will cause European companies to think twice about doing business in Iran. The results show an Iranian public that seems increasingly optimistic about their economic future under the sanctions relief provided by the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA)-at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is seriously threatening the deal. -Derek Davison - 9/19/17
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At $80 an ounce, it's not for everyone. But Iranian caviar is eyeing a comeback in the U.S. - Nasser Meshkin Azarian took a careful nibble, letting the salty, grainy texture roll across his tongue. He smiled and washed it down with a sip of cool water. "I give it an 82 or 83" out of 100, Azarian said. At the retail price of $80 an ounce in Iran, it was an expensive bite. But beluga caviar is for discerning palates. -Los Angeles Times - 9/19/17
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Lack of transparency challenges foreign investment in Iran: Jens Ronnberg - A member of European Central Bank's Executive Board and an auditor in PricewaterhouseCoopers firm says transparency is still the major obstacle to international companies' cooperation with Iran. "We must pay special attention to financial security. Iranian companies must be responsible for risk management and ensure the investors that they have thought out potential risks," he added. - 9/18/17
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U.S. Extends Iran Nuclear Sanctions Relief, Adds Other Sanctions Over Missile Activity - The United States says it is extending sanctions relief for Iran that was granted under the 2015 nuclear deal, while imposing new penalties on several individuals and entities over the country's ballistic-missile program. The State Department announced on September 14 that it will continue to waive sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers, but that no decision has yet been made on whether to preserve the deal itself. - 9/15/17
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China Signs Deal To Provide Iran With 10 Billion Dollars In Loans - China has signed an agreement with Iran to provide a credit line of $10 billion for its infrastructure projects - what is seen as the biggest economic deal between the two countries after the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic in 2016. - 9/15/17
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US House votes to block aircraft sales to Iran - The US House of Representatives has voted in favor of new measures that block sales of commercial aircraft to Iran, ignoring some lawmakers' warnings that the hostile move would undermine the 2015 nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic and the six world powers. - 9/14/17
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Mercedes-Benz inks deal to resume Iran trucks business - Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler AG, has signed a contract with Iran Khodro to distribute its trucks in the Middle Eastern country, the German automaker has said. The deal signed on Tuesday includes creating a joint venture to provide sales and after-sale services in the Islamic Republic, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported. - 9/13/17
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Iran Signs Deals To Repair Syria's Power Grid, Infrastructure - Iran has signed a series of deals and memorandums of understanding with Damascus to repair Syria's electrical-power infrastructure, state media report, giving the Islamic republic a potential foothold in war-torn Syria's eventual rebuilding process. - 9/13/17
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Over 4.9 million foreign travelers visited Iran in 2016: UNWTO - The number of international tourist arrivals to Iran stood at 4.9 million in 2016, falling 5.6 percent from a year earlier and showing the first decline since 2013, according to the latest UNWTO Tourism Highlights report released on August 15. - 9/12/17
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Companies from 26 countries explore Iranians taste buds - Along with companies from 26 countries, three American firms are taking part at Tehran Cookies and Chocolate Exhibition, being billed as the greatest professional event of the Middle East in the pastry and chocolate industry. According to Jamshid Maghazei, secretary of the Association of Iranian Confectionery Manufacturing Companies, 68 companies from as many diverse countries as Italy, Spain, Germany, France, the US, China, Turkey, the UAE, Malaysia and Ukraine are attending the event. - 9/12/17
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Following Apple's footsteps, Google Play drops Iranian apps - Digital service distributor Google Play has followed Apple's lead in removing Iranian apps from its store, citing US sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Companies such as Google and Apple were hosting Iranian apps reportedly under a license issued by former President Barack Obama's administration in 2014 but it is not clear why they have stopped those services now. - 9/10/17
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EU rejects punitive measures against Iran steel - Iran's steel exports to Europe are now safe from punitive measures after EU governments reject hitting imports from the Middle Eastern country with trade tariffs. The European Commission, which sets out trade policy in the 28-member European Union, had proposed duties of up to 23 percent for steel from Iran's Mobarakeh Steel Company (MSC). - 9/10/17
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Protest Against Killing of Couriers in Iran's Kurdistan Province Attacked by Security Forces - A protest was met with tear gas in the city of Baneh in northwestern Iran on September 5, 2017, after people gathered in front of the local governor's office to demonstrate against the killing by Iranian border guards of two "kulbars," the Farsi word for border-crossing couriers. - 9/8/17
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After years of sanctions, Persian rugs back to brighten world markets - Iran's capital city hosted the world's largest and most prestigious handmade carpet exhibition Aug. 23-29. Hamid Kargar, the head of Iran National Carpet Center, told Al-Monitor, "About 730 companies from across Iran and dozens of carpet traders from across the globe participated in the 26th Iran Handmade Carpet Exhibition." He added, "Among them were more than 90 international businessmen, including 14 Americans and 14 Japanese, who came to Iran for the first time." -Maysam Bizaer, Al Monitor - 9/7/17
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Indians push for undersea gas pipeline from Iran - With a $7 billion project to pump gas from Iran discarded, a 1,300 km undersea pipeline is finding new proponents in India where they say natural gas from the Persian Gulf can reach at rates less than the price of LNG available in the spot market. The Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (Assocham India) has released the results of its study on "a trans-national deep water gas pipeline from Iran, passing through Oman but by-passing Pakistan," it said. - 9/6/17
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Iranian job market shifting toward female workforce - An investigation into the job market in Iran shows that employment among women has decreased in comparison with men during 2006-2013, but the trend has reversed over the past three years. Although women's participation rate has reached 17 percent in recent years, but the rate of women's entrance to the job market is now more than 50 percent, according to Masoud Nili, a top economic aide of President Hassan Rouhani. - 9/5/17
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Each tourist means 30 barrels of oil in revenues for Iran - Every single foreign tourist visiting Iran spends an average of $1,200, bringing in income as much as exporting 30 barrels of oil, the Iranian tourism chief said in a meaningful comparison as the country seeks to cut reliance on oil incomes. "Tourism [boom] will have a significant impact on job creation," Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization Director Ali-Asghar Mounesan said on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. - 9/4/17
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Iran seeking to develop start-up jobs: Information Minister - Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Iran's Minister of Information and Communications Technology, has said that his most ambitious plan is to develop start-up businesses in Iran, which is highly sought by the young population. "Providing infrastructure for the development of employment is at the top of our agenda, which would be fulfilled by supporting start-up businesses," Azari Jahromi told Press TV on Tuesday - 8/31/17
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Iranian Zoroastrian NGO making efforts for women's empowerment - The Zoroastrian Women's Organization, an NGO founded in 1950 in Iran, is trying to empower women and girls in different aspects, Mehrangiz Shahzadi, the vice president of the organization said here on Monday. The organization follows several goals such as creating jobs for the youth and improving business markets for all walks of life especially for women and girls, Shahzadi said in an interview with the Tehran Times. - 8/31/17
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Iran Says European Giants Bidding For Development Of Azadegan Oil Field - Iran says a host of European giants are bidding for the development of its South Azadegan oil field - which was once considered as the world's biggest oil find after it was discovered over 15 years ago. Nouroddin Shahnazizadeh, the managing director of the Petroleum Development and Engineering Company of Iran, told the domestic media that the leading European bidders for the project include Total (France), Shell (UK/Hollande), Eni (Italy), Wintershall (Germany), Rosneft (Russia), OMV (Austria) and Maersk (Denmark). - 8/30/17
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Iran's Kish Airline to buy Boeing, Airbus planes - Iran's Kish Airline has announced an ambitious plan to purchase over a dozen new planes from global aviation giant Airbus and Boeing. Kish Airline CEO Mohammad Taqi Jadidi was quoted by the domestic media that the plan envisaged buying 10 planes from Boeing and 6 more from Airbus. - 8/29/17
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Iran eyeing more foreign investment in its capital market - Iran is planning to attract more foreign investors to its capital market through holding a series of international conferences to introduce this market, Hamid Rouhbakhsh, the director of public relations and international affairs of Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE), told the Tehran Times in an exclusive interview on Monday. -Mahnaz Abdi - 8/29/17
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Iran to secure $30 billion of credit line next month - Iran will finalize financing contracts worth $30 billion within the next month, head of the Organization for Investment, Economic and Technical Assistance Mohammad Khazaei says, dismissing claims that the credit lines will leave the country in the red. - 8/29/17
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Iranian Glue Company's Rules Attract Scrutiny for Possible Rights Violations - The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has declared some workplace regulations at the HL Glue factory in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province, to be in violation of the Labor Law, including a requirement that all employees participate in Islamic group prayers. An Iranian human rights lawyer has also compared the company's regulations to slavery. - 8/24/17
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Iran-Europe trade up 94% on year in first half of 2017 - Trade exchange between Iran and Europe increased 94 percent in the first half of 2017 from the same time in 2016, based on the latest figures released by the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat. Iran-Europe trade stood at 9.9 billion Euros in the first six months of this year, while the figure was 5.1 billion Euros in the time span from January to June 2016, the same report confirmed. - 8/24/17
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Isfahan's Healthcare City aims to boost Iran's medical tourism prospects - The first phase of an enormous healthcare city was officially inaugurated in the city of Isfahan, central Iran, on Monday as the country avidly seeks to surge its global share of the medical tourism market. Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh-Hashemi accompanied by several provincial officials cut the ribbon on Isfahan Healthcare City which is comprised of orthopedic, obstetrics and gynecology clinics, as well as medical offices. - 8/24/17
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Russians To Finance 1 Billion Euro Rail Electrification In Iran - A Russian bank has agreed to provide 1 billion euros to electrify a 500 km railway route in northern Iran, state news agency IRNA has quoted a senior official as saying. Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways for northern network, Yusef Gheranpasha, said the bank will finance the electrification of the line between the cities of Garmsar and Gorgan. - 8/23/17
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Iran's biggest gold mine beats production estimates - One of the Middle East's biggest gold mines in northwest Iran has beat quarterly production estimates, yielding 142,000 tonnes of recoverable reserves in the four months since March 20. The figure is 3.5 times above the forecast for recovery from Zarshuran mine in Takab, which is believed to hold 110 tonnes of pure gold in reserves. - 8/22/17
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Iran considers rustic charm to buttress tourism sector - Iran seeks to make the best use of its rich rural landscape as an approach to promote its budding tourism sector with pinpointing over 5000 villages with considerable tourism potentials across the large country. - 8/21/17
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Iranian labor market on path to gender transformation - Iranian society has undergone tremendous change in past decades, with women continuously playing a role in this transformation. Indeed, Iranian women have long sought a more active presence in society, gradually distancing themselves from the cliche of being mothers or wives. Today, they make up almost 70% of university applicants and half of the graduates. -Maysam Bizaer, Al-Monitor - 8/18/17
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Persian carpets trump toxic anti-Iran hype in US - The United States is now the largest importer of Iranian carpets, shipping in $196 million worth of highly prized Persian artistry last year, head of the Iran National Carpet Center Hamid Kargar says. The US has long been a major market for Iran's hand-woven carpets but a stack of sanctions imposed in 2010 pulled the rug from under the Persian craftsmanship, allowing cheaper craft from Pakistan, India, Turkey and China to gain a foothold. - 8/16/17
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Iran, Russia, Turkey mark a new turn with $7B drilling deal - Turkey's Unit International which signed a drilling deal last week with Russia's state-owned Zarubezhneft and Iran's Ghadir Investment Holding says the contract is worth $7 billion. The drilling in Iran will take place at three oil fields estimated to hold 10 billion barrels of reserves and produce 100,000 barrels per day and a large natural gas field with a production capacity of 75 billion cubic meters per day. - 8/16/17
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How Donald Trump's travel ban has hit Iran's tourism renaissance - Trump's repeated threat to withdraw the US from the nuclear agreement, achieved through years of painstaking negotiations, is creating concern that Iran will be pushed back towards isolation -Independent - 8/16/17
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Iran selecting financiers for 200 airplanes: New Iran Air CEO - Iran is in the process of selecting financiers for the purchase of 200 new passenger aircraft from among many domestic and foreign companies which have submitted their proposals to Iran Air, the new CEO of the national airline Farzaneh Sharafbafi said Tuesday. Sharafbafi became the first Iranian woman in July to take the helm at Iran Air which has signed deals with Airbus and Boeing as well as Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR for the purchase of new brand passenger planes. - 8/15/17
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Iran Ranks First In Sturgeon Production - Deputy Minister of Agricultural and Head of Iran Fisheries Organization Hassan Salehi said Iran ranked first in the world as regards production of trout and sturgeon. Salehi made the remarks adding "in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended March 20), Iran took a major step in the fisheries sector by realizing a production of nearly one million and 100 thousand tons of aquatic species." - 8/14/17
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Iran Says Talks Under Way With Airbus On Purchase Of Helicopters - Iran says it is in talks with the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus about the possible purchase of 48 helicopters for civilian use. Deputy Transport Minister Asghar Fakhrieh-Kashan told Iran's Financial Tribune newspaper on August 12 that Tehran plans to order 45 emergency medical helicopters. - 8/13/17
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The real footprint of the IRGC in Iran's economy - The Iranian economy consists of three distinct sectors: public, private and semi-state -- which includes religious, revolutionary, military foundations and cooperatives, as well as social security and pension funds. Experts agree that as a result of flawed privatization processes in the past three decades, the ownership of top governmental enterprises has been transferred to the semi-state sector. -Bijan Khajehpour, Al-Monitor - 8/11/17
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Health Tourism Could Fetch Iran 7 Billion Dollars A Year - The Iranian minister of cooperatives, labor and social welfare has said that the country has a potential to earn $7 billion in revenues through attracting one million health tourists on a yearly basis. Health-tourism companies from more than 30 countries including the Netherlands, Germany, France, China, Canada, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania and Uzbekistan are supposed to collaborate with Iran in this regard. - 8/10/17
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Workers at Iranian Sugarcane Company Summoned to Court After Protesting Unpaid Wages - Fifty-three workers of Iran's Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro Industrial Company who have been peacefully demanding back pay and benefits since July 2017 have been summoned without charge to the courthouse in Shush, Khuzestan Province. - 8/10/17
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India cuts Iran oil imports amid Farzad gas field row - India is making good on its promise to cut crude oil imports from Iran amid the two countries' spat over the development of a gas field in the Persian Gulf. According to new data released on Wednesday, India's purchases of Iranian crude fell 16.3 percent in July from a month ago to 414,900 barrels per day (bpd). - 8/9/17
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French automaker Renault signs landmark auto deal in Iran - French carmaker Renault has signed a much-awaited agreement with Iran to produce more than 150,000 cars a year in the country - what is already being described as the Islamic Republic's biggest ever auto deal. The value of the agreement, which was signed after 10 months of negotiations, would be 660 million Euros. - 8/7/17
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Regional countries to help Iran reshape medical tourism - Iran has signed agreements with 13 neighboring countries with the aim of developing and reorganizing its medical tourism sector. The state-run Tourism Holding Company, affiliated with the Social Security Organization, is to unveil this week a comprehensive plan, which will be implemented with the participation of 22 hospitals and over 200 physicians, specialists, and surgeons. - 8/7/17
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Trump keeps scaring investors away from Iran - Iran hoped that agreeing to curtail its nuclear program would encourage foreign firms to pour tens of billions into the country. But a flood of major investment has not materialized -- and that's largely because of the United States. -Zahraa Alkhalisi, CNN Money - 8/7/17
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Iran Industry Spotlight: Water Management - Like other countries in the region, Iran faces a severe water crisis due to climate change and poor water management. One of the most visible reminders of this ongoing problem is Lake Urmia. Located in the northwestern corner of Iran, Lake Urmia's watershed serves an agricultural regionwith a population of 6.4 million people. Previously one of the largest salt lakes in the world, Lake Urmia was also once a popular tourist destination. However, the last 20 years of environmental conditions and damming of tributary rivers for irrigation have shrunk Lake Urmia's surface area by 70% and its water volume by 95%. -Elliot Plaut - 8/4/17
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Iran's oil exports to China to reach record levels - Speculations are rising that Iran's oil exports to China would rise to the highest levels over the past 11 months in August. Reuters in a report highlighted speculations that the rise in Iran's exports to China would follow a recent decision by the Islamic Republic to cut the prices for its heavy crude oil. - 8/4/17
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Is the EU Pushing Back Against Trump on Iran? - The European External Action Service (EEAS) has officially announced that the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will attend the inauguration ceremony of the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on August 5. According to the brief statement released by the EEAS on July 29, Mogherini will visit Iran in her role as chair of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) tasked with overseeing the implementation of the agreement. It also says that she will meet with Iranian dignitaries to discuss issues of bilateral and regional relevance. -Eldar Mamedov - 8/1/17
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U.S. sanctions violate its obligations to JCPOA: Iranian Committee - A committee chaired by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that the US' sanctions directly violate its obligations to the JCPOA. On Monday, Iran's committee for monitoring the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) also stressed the importance of an intelligent, appropriate, and powerful response to the recent US sanctions imposed on Tehran. - 8/1/17
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Russia's Gazprom, Iran's OIEC sign deal over oil fields - Russia's Gazprom has signed a cooperation agreement with an Iranian company over the development of two major oil fields in western Iran. The agreement was signed with the Oil Industries' Engineering and Construction (OIEC), Iran's IRNA news agency reported. - 8/1/17
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Iran's economy a 'masterpiece of structural ambiguity' - The economy dominated Iran's recent presidential election. Hassan Rouhani, the incumbent, argued that integration into the global economy is the only path to prosperity and job creation, while his rivals accused his administration of having ignored the poor. Rouhani's opponents also promised to create millions of jobs, double the size of the economy and triple monthly cash payments to low-income families. -Ali Dadpay, Al Monitor - 8/1/17
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Corruption Verdicts Seen As Warning To Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad - Mahmud Ahmadinejad was no stranger to controversy during his two terms as Iran's president. Now he faces possible sentencing for his alleged mishandling of billions of dollars during his time in office. But following news that multiple verdicts have been issued against the former president, analysts looking at the murky legal process suggest that the development is intended as a warning for Ahmadinejad to rein in his criticism of the country's clerical establishment. -Frud Bezhan, RFE/RL - 7/31/17
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Sanctions as Feckless Disapproval - The recent bill imposing sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea, which President Trump is signing in the face of the veto-proof majorities by which Congress passed the measure, partly reflects the peculiar relationships Trump has with both Russia and Congress. But the bill is consistent with, and puts in stark relief, a larger problem of Congress habitually using economic sanctions against foreign states as an expression of disapproval that is poorly designed to achieve any U.S. foreign policy objectives. -Paul Pillar, LobeLog - 7/31/17
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Iran, Iraq reach deal over Kirkuk pipeline - Iran says it has reached an agreement with Iraq to construct a pipeline that would export crude oil from the northern Iraqi fields of Kirkuk via Iran. The announcement was made by Iran's Petroleum Minister Bijan Zanganeh after a meeting with his visiting Iraqi counterpart Jabbar al-Luaibi. - 7/31/17
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Iran Inks Rail Deal Worth 2.5 Billion Euros With Russia - Iran and Russia signed a 2.5-billion Euro deal on joint manufacturing of passenger and cargo wagons in Iran, IRIB reported. The deal was inked between Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO) and Russia's largest manufacturer of locomotives and rail equipment, Transmashholding, in Tehran on Monday. - 7/31/17
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Why are Iranians joking about onion prices? - A sharp increase in the price of onions has caused consternation amongst social media users in Iran. People quickly started making jokes about the "onion crisis" with the Persian hashtag #onion being used in conjunction with #luxury. -BBC - 7/31/17
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Iran Condemns Sanctions, Says It Will Pursue Missile Program 'With Full Power' - Iran has condemned new sanctions passed by the U.S. Congress over its missile program and vowed to continue it. "We will continue with full power our missile program," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi was quoted as telling state-controlled television on July 29. "We condemn the hostile and unacceptable action," he said of the sanctions. - 7/29/17
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Sanctions: Can Iran Avoid Taking the Bait? - The U.S. House of Representatives has just imposed new sanctions on Iran as well as on Russia and North Korea. The Iran sanctions have been justified based on its missile development and its disregard of human rights, plus its so-called destabilizing activities in the Middle East. Because technically these sanctions are not new, they cannot be strictly speaking considered a violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, they will undoubtedly undermine the success of the nuclear deal. -Shireen T. Hunter - 7/28/17
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Is France Ready to Stand Up to Trump on Iran? - On July 26th, the French foreign ministry issued a declaration about the package of new sanctions targeting Russia and Iran making its way through Congress to President Trump's desk in the Oval Office. In the estimation of the French foreign ministry, "the extraterritorial scope of [the sanctions] appears to be unlawful under international law." The statement outlined the need for the Europeans to "adapt our national mechanisms and update European mechanisms" to protect themselves from the U.S. legislation. The French foreign ministry called for coordination with European partners to address American overreach. -Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, LobeLog - 7/28/17
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U.S. Congress Reaches Deal Clearing Way For Russian Sanctions Bill - Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress late on July 26 said they had reached an agreement clearing the way for final action on a bill that would impose new sanctions on Russia and put them into law, while also preventing President Donald Trump from easing punitive measures against Moscow without congressional approval. - 7/27/17
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US sanctions fail to hinder rapid growth of Iran's tech sector: Report - Iran's tech market continues to boom despite the US sanctions against the country, while the bans have merely restricted the global giants' access to Iran's lucrative tech market, a new report says. "US sanctions have protected the Islamic republic's tech sector, barring Silicon Valley from profiting from one of the world's most promising emerging markets, and giving a free run to domestic start-ups to recreate their services," a Tuesday report by AFP read. - 7/26/17
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House OKs New Sanctions Against Iran as Tehran Flexes Military Muscle - The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Tuesday in favor of imposing new sanctions on Iran, a move that most likely will further exacerbate tensions between Washington and Tehran. - 7/26/17
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Iran's annual GDP growth stands at 11.1%: Official - Iran's Government Spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht put the country's growth of gross domestic product (GDP), including oil sector, at 11.1 percent in the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20, 2017). In a press conference on Tuesday, the official also put Iran's non-oil GDP growth at 6.4 percent in the past year, Fars news agency reported. - 7/26/17
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China's EXIM inks $1.5B deal for high-speed rail in Iran - The Export-Import Bank of China (EXIM) signs a $1.5 billion deal to finance the electrification of a high-speed rail line between the Iranian cities of Tehran and Mashhad. EXIM's Vice President Sun Ping and CEO of the Bank of Industry and Mine Ali Ashraf Afkhami signed the documents in Tehran on Tuesday after "16 months of intensive talks", the Iranian official said. - 7/25/17
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Iran, Afghanistan to link railway networks - Iran and Afghanistan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Sunday for implementing a project linking rail networks of the two neighboring countries. The MOU, between Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (IRIR), also known as RAI, and Afghanistan Railway Authority (ARA), was signed by IRIR's Managing Director Saeed Mohammadzadeh and Afghanistan Railway Authority's Director General Mohammad Yamma Shams during a meeting at IRIR's building in Tehran. - 7/24/17
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U.S. Lawmakers Reportedly Agree On Sanctions For Russia, Iran, North Korea - U.S. lawmakers say they have reached a bipartisan agreement on a bill that would bring new sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The new sanctions package in the agreed-to legislation would impose mandatory penalties on people involved in Iran's ballistic-missile program and any person or entity that does business with them. The measure would also apply "terrorism sanctions" to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and put in force an arms embargo. - 7/23/17
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Iran needs new development vision - Since the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, Iran's development policies and investment plans have been formulated in so-called five-year plans (5YPs), with the first one starting in 1989. Five 5YPs have been completed so far, and Iran started the implementation of the sixth 5YP on March 21. The approval and implementation of this latest plan had been delayed due to disagreements between the government and the parliament -- disagreements that point to key differences on what political stakeholders understand as a "development plan." -Bijan Khajehpour, Al-Monitor - 7/23/17
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PHOTOS: Iran starts extraction from world's second largest lead and zinc reserve - Extraction from Iran's largest and the world's second largest lead and zinc reserve began today at a ceremony attended by Industry Minister Nematzadeh. "The mine is situated at Mehriz, 116 kilometers southeast of Yazd city, and contains over 160 million tons of lead and zinc with purities of 2.3 and 7.3 per cent, respectively," said Amin Safari, Managing Director of Mehdiabad Lead and Zinc Mining Complex. - 7/21/17
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Rohani Says Tehran Will Respond 'Appropriately' To New U.S. Sanctions - Iranian President Hassan Rohani says that Tehran would "respond appropriately" to new U.S. sanctions while reiterating that his country remained committed to its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. "The Islamic Republic of Iran will always stick to its international commitments," Rohani said at a July 19 cabinet meeting, according to a text posted on the government's website. - 7/19/17
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Iran Accuses U.S. Of Trying To 'Poison Atmosphere' With 'Illegal' Sanctions - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused U.S. President Donald Trump's administration of trying to "poison the atmosphere" by imposing new sanctions on Tehran despite its adherence to the 2015 nuclear accord. "This unfortunately has become a bad habit for this administration," Zarif told reporters at the United Nations in New York. "The international community has read this very loud and clear and continues to deal with Iran without much attention to this theater." - 7/19/17
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Iranian women's presence in job market up 40 percent: Report - The number of women in the Iranian job market has experienced a 40 percent growth over the past three years, Irantalent.com reported. The report, which is related to the previous Iranian calendar year (March 2016-March 2017), puts women's share of employees in branches of international companies at 29 percent, in privately-owned companies at 32 percent, and in state-run organizations at 20 percent. - 7/19/17
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Russians set record with Iran oil deals - The National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC) and Russia's Zarubezhneft have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop two oil fields in southwest Iran. The agreement signed in Tehran Monday allows the state-run Russian company to conduct technical surveys on Shadegan and Rag Sefid fields in Khuzestan Province. - 7/18/17
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Iran to export 1 million tonnes of wheat: Official - Iran expects to export 1 million tonnes of surplus wheat and its products this year, up 60 percent from the year ago, the country's trade regulator the Government Trading Company (GTC) says. GTC Managing Director Yazdan Seif on Tuesday said the rise was "the result of the creation of necessary mechanisms and the increase in wheat production as well as guaranteed purchases of wheat, especially durum." - 7/18/17
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Brother Of Iran's President Rohani Arrested On Financial Crimes Charges - Iranian President Hassan Rohani's younger brother, Hossein Fereidoun, has been arrested on financial crimes charges,the Iranian judiciary said on July 16. "Multiple investigations have been conducted regarding this person, also other people have been investigated, some of whom are in jail," spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said in a televised press conference. - 7/16/17
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Japanese, Korean firms to fund "Octopus of the Persian Gulf" - A consortium of South Korean and Japanese companies has signed agreements to fund and implement a chain of condensate refining projects in southern Iran - a project known as the Octopus of the Persian Gulf. The agreements were signed between South Korea's Daelim and Hyundai as well as Japan's Chioda - all partners in the project to construct Siraf refineries in Iran's southern province of Bushehr. - 7/14/17
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This London-based investor says Iran holds huge promise -- and it's not just in energy - Iran has piqued financial interest throughout the world for its massive energy reserves, but the country actually has a host of other opportunities in less obvious areas, according to one global investor. For Clemente Cappello, CIO of London-based Sturgeon Capital, Iran holds promise in part for its cheap labor, abundance of natural resources, and well-educated youth. -CNBC - 7/14/17
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