Iran's Banking System Reform: Improving Or Interrupting?

- Last week, Iranian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Farhad Dejpasand announced that a plan for reforming the country's banking system has been prepared by the ministry and handed over to President Rouhani in late September. And on Monday, the minister announced the start of the mentioned plan in the government-owned banks. -Mahnaz Abdi, Tehran Times - 10/13/19

US sanctions impeding treatment of Iranian victims of Saddam's chemical attacks: OPCW envoy

- Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says unilateral US sanctions have prevented the country's access to medical and health services required to treat victims of chemical attacks carried out by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1980s. - 10/10/19

How much Iranians spend on ICT hardware and services?

- The Information Technology Organization of Iran has conducted a survey which shows that Iranian families spend 222.68 trillion rials (about $5.3 billion) annually for information and communication technology (ICT) hardware and services, Mehr reported on Saturday. - 10/10/19

Iran Says China's CNPC Pulls out of Gas Project

- Iran's oil minister said Sunday that China's CNPC has withdrawn from the development of an offshore gas field and that state-owned Petropars will take over the entire project. The South Pars gas field was to be developed jointly by France's Total, China National Petroleum Corporation and Petropars under a $4.8-billion (4.1 billion-euro) deal signed in July 2017. -VOA - 10/7/19

Iranian currency rial regains value by 40 percent in a year: Central Bank

- Governor of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) said the value of Iranian currency, rial, has recovered by over 40 percent against U.S. dollar in the past 12 months. Today, the national currency has strengthened by 40 percent compared to exactly a year ago; the inflation has been controlled and indications of economic growth are starting to show," Abdolnasser Hemmati wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday. - 10/4/19

Iran's Auto Parts Tycoon Charged With Major Corruption, Punishable By Death

- The representative of Tehran's Prosecutor has charged the manager of an auto parts manufacturing company in Iran with "corruption on Earth," punishable by death. The man charged is Abbas Iravani, a renowned businessman, a close confidant of the ex-President of the Islamic Republic late Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and many other influential leaders, as well as an art collector. -Radio Farda - 10/4/19

Brother Of Iran's President Rohani Sentenced To Five Years For Corruption

- The brother of Iranian President Hassan Rohani has been sentenced to five years in prison for corruption and bribery. Gholamhossein Esmaili, a spokesman for the judiciary, told reporters on October 1 that Hossein Fereidoun, Rohani's brother, might face further charges in another case, though he gave no details. - 10/1/19

Iran awards contracts to push ahead with major oil pipeline project

- Iran has awarded contracts to three domestic engineering firms for manufacturing giant pumping devices needed for a major pipeline project that would transfer Iran's oil from export terminals southwest of the country to the coast of the Sea of Oman, in the southeast. - 10/1/19

Iran's foreign minister slams Europe for taking similar stance as US against Iran

- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has lambasted Germany, France and Britain -- three of the European signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal -- for echoing statements and claims made by the United States regarding the Islamic Republic. -Press TV - 9/30/19

Iran's Inflation Rate at 42.7 Percent: Statistical Center

- The Statistical Center of Iran announced that the inflation rate in the twelve-month period ended on September 22, which marks the end of the sixth Iranian calendar month of Shahrivar, stood at 42.7 percent, IRIB reported. - 9/30/19

Turkey's Erdogan Defies Trump Over Iran Sanctions

- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday continued to chart a collision course with Washington over Iran. Erdogan is categorically ruling out enforcing American sanctions intended to put Iran in an economic straitjacket. -Dorian Jones, VOA - 9/28/19

Striking Iranian Sugar Plant Workers Add Colleagues' Freedom to List of Demands

- Hundreds of workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-industrial Complex in the city of Shush, southwestern Iran, attended a fifth consecutive day of demonstrations on September 27, 2019, to protest the expulsion of about 20 of their colleagues and imprisonment of seven others under lengthy sentences. -CHRI - 9/28/19

Iran's Rohani Accuses U.S. Of 'Economic Terrorism'

- Iranian President Hassan Rohani has told the UN General Assembly that Iran won't negotiate on its nuclear program as long as it remains under sanctions, and accused the United States of "merciless economic terrorism." -RFE/RL - 9/26/19

New Trump Iran Designation Threatens Humanitarian Goods

- In July 2019, Brian Hook-the U.S. Special Representative on Iran-released a video addressing the purported "myth" that the U.S. sanctions humanitarian trade with Iran. That wasn't a "myth" at the time, as the U.S. had historically circumscribed how humanitarian trade with Iran may take place. But now more recent events indicate that sanctioning humanitarian trade is not only a reality but increasingly appears to be a hallmark feature of current U.S. sanctions policy towards Iran. -Tyler Cullis - 9/25/19

Iran's March-August aluminum output down by 32%: Industry Ministry

- A report by Iran's ministry of industry shows that production of primary aluminum in three major smelters in the country have decreased by over a third in the initial five months of the current Iranian calendar year. The significant decrease in primary aluminum production in Iran comes despite a reverse trend reported in other metal sectors, including in steel and raw iron. - 9/18/19

Iran says 'masters of sanction' killing innocent people

- Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN office in Geneva has lashed out at the US for imposing cruel sanctions against Iran, warning that the negative consequences of such measures turn it into a "crime against humanity." -Press TV - 9/13/19

Iran non-oil exports hit $44.3B in March 2019: Plan and Budget Organization

- A report by the Iranian government shows non-oil exports, including petrochemicals and condensates, exceeded $44 billion in the year ending March 2019. The report by Plan and Budget Organization of Iran (PBO) published on Thursday showed that exports had topped $44.310 billion in the 12-month period, an increase of 5.9 percent compared to the figures recorded in March 2013. -Press TV - 9/13/19

Trump Says He Could Ease Sanctions if Iran Wants to Talk

- U.S. President Donald Trump again dangled the possibility of easing U.S. sanctions on Iran if it can bring President Hassan Rouhani to the bargaining table. "We will see what happens," Trump told reporters at the White House Wednesday. He said Iran wants a deal because "they have tremendous financial difficulty and the sanctions are getting tougher and tougher." - 9/12/19

Is Iran At Risk Of Becoming A Chinese Colony?

- According to an article in the Petroleum Economist, during Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif's visit to China in late August, Tehran and Beijing updated an agreement they had reached in 2016 called the China-Iran Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and added new items to it. Most of these new points have not been publicly released. -Shireen T. Hunter - 9/12/19

Iran talks with US meaningless while sanctions still in place, Rouhani tells Macron

- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has informed his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that there is no point in talks with the United States as long as it keeps sanctions against the Islamic Republic in place. Speaking to Macron over phone on Wednesday, Rouhani said the US violated its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal once it decided to quit it in May 2018. - 9/12/19

Iran Sanctions Curbing Global Scientific Progress: Top British Journal

- The British medical journal BMJ Global Health says US sanctions on Iran, a leading country in the world for science, are curtailing global scientific progress. As a result of the draconian sanctions, Iranian scientists have been denied opportunities to publish their findings, attend meetings, and access essential supplies and information, the publication said. -Press TV - 9/10/19

Former Minister's Daughter Arrested In Iran For Alleged Corruption

- Authorities in Iran have arrested the daughter of a former minister of industry, mines, and trade for cornering a part of the medicine market and accumulating assets through illegal channels, the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on Sunday, September 8. - 9/9/19

Europe's trade mechanism with Iran goes forward: EU

- The European Union says there is "an advancement" in a long-anticipated trade mechanism, called the INSTEX, with Iran, after Tehran's announcement of further cuts in its commitments under a 2015 nuclear accord it signed with major world powers. - 9/6/19

The Stubborn Persistence Of Failed Maximum Pressure Against Iran

- It is a sure sign that the Trump administration's campaign to squeeze Iran into submission is a failure when those who customarily favor pressuring Iran acknowledge that failure. Take what has become the administration's go-to rationale for the campaign in the face of other evidence that it is not working: the claim that U.S. sanctions have undercut Iran's "malign" activity in the Middle East by reducing the funds available for such activity. -Paul Pillar - 9/4/19

Thousands Of Children Forced To Work, Beg In The Streets In Iran

- Beggars in the Iranian capital city Tehran earn more than $350,000 a month, says the deputy of the Islamic Republic's Welfare Organization, Mohammad Reza Fazelinejad. Speaking to the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA), Fazelinejad said on Sunday, September 1, "By direct handouts to street urchins, child workers, and beggars, citizens of Tehran increase the number of vagrants, while their payments ultimately are taken away from the paupers." -Radio Farda - 9/3/19

Iran imports nearly $1B worth of rice from March to August: Customs Office

- Rice, corn and oil-rich seeds top Iran's list of food imports, shows five-month data by Iran's customs office, amid measures adopted by the government to minimize the impacts of American sanctions on food security in the country. The figures released by IRICA on Monday showed that Iran had spent a total of $946,216,210 on rice imports between late March and late August 2019. -Press TV - 9/3/19

Iran foreign debt down by 7 percent in 2 months: Central Bank

- The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) says the debt the country owes to foreign creditors have decreased by seven percent in two months. The CBI said on Sunday that aggregate foreign debts stood at $8.816 billion on May 21, 2019, down from $9.339 billion at the end of last Iranian calendar year on March 20. - 9/2/19

Around 8 million tourists arrived in Iran in early 2019: Tourism Chief

- Head of Iran's government department on tourism says around eight million foreigners visited the country in the last Iranian calendar year ending in March 2019. "Some 7.8 million foreign tourists arrived in the country last year," said Ali Asghar Mounessan, adding that the figure shows a 40-percent year-on-year increase. -Press TV - 8/27/19

Iran's Currency Keeps Rising Amid Diplomatic Efforts To Reduce Tensions

- In the wake of a series of diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions between Iran and the United States, the value of the Iranian currency rial rose 1.8 percent against the dollar on Tuesday. Various currency websites at midday Tuesday local time in Iran reported the rial trading at just below 110,000 to the dollar. In July the dollar stood at above 120,000 rials and in March it was trading at 150,000 rials. - 8/27/19

China's oil imports from Iran rise despite US threats

- China imported more than 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil from Iran in July, up more than 8 percent from the month before, data released by China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Tuesday showed. -Press TV - 8/27/19

Two Iranian Lawmakers In Arrested In Connection With Auto Industry Corruption

- Security forces in Iran have arrested two members of the Iranian Parliament (Majles) on charges of "disrupting the car market," a member of parliament's ethics committee told Fars news agency on Thursday, August 22. The arrests are the latest in a series of developments concerning the Judiciary's clamp-down on financial corruption in Iran's vehicle manufacturing Industry. -Radio Farda - 8/23/19

Either security for everybody or insecurity for everybody, Iranian FM warns

- The top Iranian diplomat says "security is a common global commodity," that either exists for everybody or no one. Speaking at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) during a visit to Sweden, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made the comments Wednesday amid the US military presence in the Persian Gulf. -Press TV - 8/21/19

Sanctions hindering pharma raw materials import: Iranian Red Crescent

- Problems in transferring money from foreign banks and using foreign exchange has been hindering the import of pharmaceutical raw materials into the country for a long time, announced the director of medical supply department at the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS). - 8/20/19

Iran in reverse brain drain as top students come home in rising numbers: Official

- A senior Iranian official says the government has managed to reverse a trend of brain drain that has harmed the country's aspirations for scientific and economic development. Sorena Sattari, Iranian deputy president for science and technology, said on Monday that students from top universities around the world were returning home in quite unprecedented numbers, adding that a total of 130 students graduated from 100 top-ranked universities of the world had returned to Iran between late March and late July. -Press TV - 8/20/19

Iran-operated tanker Adrian Darya leaves anchorage at Gibraltar

- The Iran-operated Adrian Darya 1 supertanker, which was recently released by the government of Gibraltar one month after being seized by British marines, has finally left anchorage at the Strait of Gibraltar, slowly moving toward its new destination. - 8/19/19

The Five Caspian Sea Littoral States Ink Economic Cooperation Deal

- Iran and four other Caspian Sea countries have signed an agreement on economic cooperation in Turkmenistan's capital. Senior officials from Iran, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia signed the deal during the First Caspian Economic Forum in Bishkek on Monday, according to Fars News. -Press TV - 8/12/19

More Iranians Forced to Rely on Unsafe Online Hosting After Blocked by Amazon

- Amazon has become the latest major American technology company to block Iranians from accessing its products and services due to U.S. government sanctions that prohibit companies from providing products or services to people based in Iran. -CHRI - 8/8/19

Smart Hives Developed by Researchers at Tehran's Sharif University of Technology Increase Efficiency of Beehives

- Researchers at Sharif University of Technology have developed smart hives for better beekeeping. The Nove startup team, led by Dr. Amin Rezaiezadeh, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at Sharif University of Technology, and Dr. Mehdi Shahrdad, Assistant Professor of Electronics Research Institute of Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, has developed a smart beehive, Kando 1+ benefiting from IoT - 8/5/19

Iran draws a record 600,000 medical travelers in four months

- Iran hosted a record high of nearly 600,000 medical travelers during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-July 21), nearly equal to the figure for the whole past year (March 2018-19), according to an Iranian association for the health tourism promotion. - 8/1/19

Iran's government approves plan to drop four zeros from currency, revert to toman

- The Iranian government has approved to revalue its rial tenfold and revert to the currency's old name, the toman, the Fars news agency reported on Wednesday. The proposed plan has now to go before the parliament for vote and final approval by the Guardian Council which vets legislation before it takes effect. - 7/31/19

Brazil judge orders Petrobras to refuel stranded Iranian ships

- Brazil's highest judicial authority has ordered Petrobras to refuel two Iranian grain ships after the Brazilian state-run oil company refused to assist the vessels citing the United States sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic. -Press TV - 7/26/19

Iranian startups come to light with No-Afarin scheme

- The No-Afarin scheme, developed by Iran's Information and Communication Technology Ministry to support startups, was introduced during a ceremony on Wednesday July 17, 2019. With the slogan, 'Smart Iran, brighter future', the scheme is a part of the digital economy development document and aims to create 68,000 job opportunities. -Setareh Behroozi, Tehran Times - 7/23/19

Foreign tourists arrivals in Iran surges 40.66 percent in spring

- The number of foreign visitors arriving in Iran surged 40.66 percent during spring, which corresponds to the first three months of the current Iranian calendar year, compared with the same period last year, data from the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization showed on Saturday. -Tehran Times - 7/22/19

Iran travel sector: Ups and downs since U.S. reimposed sanctions

- Last November, the Trump administration reinstated sanctions on Iran, mainly the ones that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, in order to batter Iran's economy, however, according to official data, they have so far failed to lessen foreign arrivals to the Islamic Republic. -Afshin Majlesi, Tehran Times - 7/17/19

EU Announces Strides in Iran Trade Mechanism Amid Nuclear Deal Scramble

- The European Union says talks are under way on whether a barter mechanism aimed at salvaging some trade with Iran might include oil, as Europeans scramble to ease tensions between Iran and the United States. -Lisa Bryant, VOA - 7/16/19

Iran's currency rial regains footing as government tightens controls

- Iran's national currency rial has recovered against US dollar in a first sign that new government measures to control the exchange market are paying off. Iran's rial traded a months-high against dollar at 118,000 on Tuesday afternoon local time, up more than 10 percent compared to the same time last week when traders sold each dollar for 130,000 rials. -Press TV - 7/16/19

Iran warns UK about 'consequences' of oil tanker seizure

- President Hassan Rohani warns the UK about the "consequences" of its recent seizure of an Iranian supertanker. "I remind [this] to the Britons," Rohani cautioned on Wednesday, "You are the ones initiating insecurity, and will come to realize its consequences in the future." Rohani, who was addressing a government meeting in Tehran, called the action "very juvenile, heinous, and wrongful" and "to their [Britain's] detriment," noting that all international efforts should instead be focused on ensuring maritime security. -Press TV - 7/10/19

Iran's trade with Turkey sees major leap despite sanctions

- While the U.S. unilateral sanctions against Iran have created some limitations for trade with the Western partners which led the Islamic Republic to expand economic and trade ties with its neighbors and boost non-oil exports to them, trade with the northwestern neighbor, Turkey, is growing significantly. -Mahnaz Abdi, Tehran Times - 7/10/19

Iran exported $13B worth of goods and services to Iraq

- Iran has managed to export some $13 billion worth of goods and services to neighboring Iraq in the last Iranian calendar year which ended in March 2019, a business magnate has revealed. Yahya Al Eshaq, who heads the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce, said on Tuesday that the value of the Iranian export to Iraq increased by 37 percent in the 12-month period. -Press TV - 7/3/19

Seven Steps For Trump To Get U.S. Out Of The Mess Of His Own Creation

- This time the Islamic Republic of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, the IRGC, had no problem admitting, even bragging, about shooting down the most advanced and the most expensive American pilotless drone out of the skies. The ten-miles-high drone was hit by an indigenous surface-to-air missile over what the IRGC insists was Iranian airspace. -Kambiz Zarrabi - 6/26/19

Russia Calls New Iran Sanctions 'Unlawful' And 'Deliberate' Escalation By U.S.

- Russian officials continue to criticize U.S. policy towards Iran, especially new sanctions to be announced Monday by Washington. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called U.S. sanction "unlawful" Monday, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said tightening of sanctions leads to further escalation of tensions. -Radio Farda - 6/24/19

President Xi: China to promote ties with Iran no matter what

- Chinese President Xi Jinping says Beijing will continue to promote steady development of ties with Tehran no matter how the situation changes. He made the remarks on Friday during a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit underway in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the official Xinhua news agency said. -Press TV - 6/14/19

Iran's Haft Tappeh Workers Send Written Appeal to International Labor Organization

- A group of Haft Tappeh sugar mill workers in the city of Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, have submitted an official complaint to the International Labor Organization (ILO) about the ongoing suppression of protests there and detentions of peaceful demonstrators and journalists covering the protests. -CHRI - 6/10/19

Iran, under U.S. sanctions, a perfect travel destination for tourists

- There has been a rise in the arrival of foreign tourists to Iran as well as internal tourism by Iranians themselves after the unilateral US sanctions devalued the national currency rial, making a trans-Iranian journey very cost-effective and relatively cheap for world travelers. - 6/7/19

Russia 'In Talks With Europeans' To Be Included In Iran Trade Mechanism

- A Russian diplomat has said that Moscow is in talks with Europeans to be included in the trade mechanism created by three EU members to ease sanctions pressures on Iran. The Russian Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizov told Interfax news agency that Russia is holding talks with European countries on being included in the INSTEX trade mechanism with Iran. -Radio Farda - 6/6/19

Iran Lawmaker Blames U.S. Sanctions For Shortage Of Medical Devices

- Iran continues to face serious problems with the import of medicines and medical equipment as a result of sanctions imposed by the U.S., according to Behrouz Bonyadi, a lawmaker who sits on the parliamentary health and treatment commission in Tehran Sanctions "have definitely affected transactions for medicine and foodstuff," he told the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) on Sunday, June 2. -Radio Farda - 6/4/19

SANCTIONS: Iran Medical Professionals Report Shortage, High Prices Of Imported Equipment

- Medical professionals in Iran say prices of imported medical equipment have risen 4 to 5 times in the last few months, Mehr news agency reported on Monday May 27. Vahid Karimi, the secretary of Iranian Radiology Association told Mehr that the price of laboratory equipment have risen up to five fold. The Iranian currency has depreciated more than fourfold in the last 18 months against major currencies, mainly due to U.S. sanctions. - 5/27/19

Chabahar Port: U.S. geopolitical interests offer Iran sanctions loophole amid mounting tension

- The Indian-backed Iranian port of Chabahar has emerged as a major loophole in a tightening military and economic noose and ever harsher U.S. sanctions that President Donald J. Trump, reluctant to be sucked into yet another war, sees as the best way to either force Tehran to its knees or achieve regime change. - 5/24/19

US grants sanctions waiver for Iraq to import energy from Iran: Official

- The US envoy to Baghdad says Washington has exempted Baghdad from some of its unilateral anti-Iran sanctions, allowing Iraq to continue importing energy from Iran. US charge d'affaires Joey Hood told reporters on Wednesday Baghdad can now buy energy from Iran, a report by Al-Alam news network said. The waiver will allow Iraq to continue buying gas and electricity from Iran. -Press TV - 5/23/19

Iran's Central Bank: Forex Reserves Remain Ample

- Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolnaser Hemmati says the country's foreign exchange reserves are robust despite tightening US sanctions which seek to stem the Islamic Republic's hard currency stream. Last month, the United States demanded that buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases or face sanctions. The US reimposed sanctions in November on exports of Iranian oil after President Donald Trump last spring pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal. -Press TV - 5/22/19

Iranian Minister's Son-In-Law Accused Of Embezzling $50 million

- Mohammad Hadi Razavi - the son-in-law of Iran's labor minister, Mohammad Shariatmadari - has been charged with embezzlement and "disruption of the economy" after receiving 2.11 trillion rials (around $51m) in loans from banks, which he has failed to pay back. - 5/22/19

Iranian medical academy writes to UN about 'unjust' U.S. sanctions

- The Academy of Medical Sciences of Iran has written to the UN to complain about the illegal sanctions imposed by the US against the Iranian nation, saying the restrictive measures have adversely affected the medical treatment of Iranian patients. - 5/21/19

In Beijing, Iranian FM Zarif Calls For 'Concrete Action' To Salvage Nuclear Deal

- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has urged China, Russia, and other "partners" to take "concrete action" to safeguard a nuclear deal that the United States exited a year ago. Zarif made the call on May 17 upon arriving in Beijing where he held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. -RFE/RL - 5/17/19

New U.S. Sanctions On Iran Metals Target Jobs, Not Government Revenue

- The Trump administration has announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran's steel, aluminum and copper industries. A statement from President Trump declares, "Today's action targets Iran's revenue from the export of industrial metals-10 percent of its export economy-and puts other nations on notice that allowing Iranian steel and other metals into your ports will no longer be tolerated." -Esfandyar Batmanghelidj - 5/10/19

U.S. Targets Iranian Steel, Mining Sectors With New Sanctions

- The United States has announced new economic sanctions on Iran, targeting its steel and mining industries, as Washington tries to turn up the pressure on Tehran. The new sanctions target Iran's steel, copper, aluminum, and mining sectors, all key sources of revenue for the country. -RFE/RL - 5/9/19

Iran giving remaining signatories chance to save JCPOA: Foreign Minister Zarif

- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says it is time for Tehran's remaining partners in the 2015 nuclear deal to uphold their end of the bargain following the US withdrawal, because Iran has provided them with a 60-day "opportunity" to salvage the landmark agreement. - 5/8/19

Iran's Currency Drops To A Seven-Month Low In Tehran's Forex Market

- Iran's currency reached its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in the past seven months, according to reports from Iran on Tuesday, May 7. Foreign exchange websites reporting virtually live on actual free market rates, say that the Iranian rial reached a low of 154,000 against the greenback. - 5/7/19

European Deal Signatories Criticize U.S. Move On Iran Nuclear, Oil Sanctions

- The European Union and the foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany expressed concern about the U.S. decision not to extend two waivers related to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and others regarding Tehran's oil industry. -RFE/RL - 5/6/19

Price Of Bread Jumps Threefold In Iran

- The state-run Iranian Students News Agency ISNA reported an unusual rise in the price of bread in Iran on Tuesday April 30. However, the chairman of the trade union for traditional bakers has told the agency that the rise in the price of bread is "illegal." -Radio Farda - 5/3/19

Iranians Queue Up At Gas Stations Fearing Rationing Of Gasoline

- Following a report that Iran will ration gasoline on May 2, long lines have formed outside gas stations, while an official says the timing of the move is not final. Wednesday morning, Tasnim news agency close to Iran's Revolutionary Guards reported that gasoline, at the heavily subsidized price of 20 cents per gallon, will be rationed at 16 gallons per month for each driver. Immediately after the news was published long queues formed in the streets as drivers tried to fill their tanks before rationing goes into effect. -Radio Farda - 5/2/19

Iran Oil Show 2019 hosting 106 foreign exhibitors

- The 24th Iran International, Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition (Iran Oil Show 2019), which kicked off at Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds on Wednesday, is hosting 106 foreign exhibitors from 21 countries, Shana reported. - 5/2/19

Iran Officially Launches Trade Mechanism To Match Europe's INSTEX

- Iran on April 29 announced the establishment of a company designed to match a mechanism European countries have set up to facilitate trade despite U.S. sanctions. Earlier on March 20, the Governor of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnaser Hemmati had announced that a mechanism similar to Europe's Instrument for Trade and Exchanges (INSTEX) has been registered. -Radio Farda - 4/30/19

IMF: Iran Inflation Could Reach 40 Percent Amid Sanctions

- Iran's economy is expected to shrink by six percent this year and inflation could reach 40 percent, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts, as the country copes with the impact of tighter U.S. sanctions. Washington reimposed sanctions on Iran's oil exports in November following the U.S. withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear accord. -RFE/RL - 4/29/19

Iran's Quds Force chief: Negotiations with U.S. at current situation is equal to surrender

- Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC Qods Force, told a police gathering in Tehran on Monday that negotiations with the Trump administration at the current situation is equal to total surrender. "Through economic pressure the enemy wants to bring us to the negotiating table but such a negotiation would be an example of surrender; however, our people are vigilant and clever and believe that negotiation in the current conditions is pure surrender and we will not give in to such an indignity," the major general remarked. -Tehran Times - 4/29/19

Putin Says Russia Will Host Summit In August With Presidents Of Iran, Azerbaijan

- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Iranian President Hassan Rohani at a summit in Russia during August. Putin made the announcement to journalists in Beijing on April 26 after meeting with Aliyev on the sidelines of China's so-called Belt and Road forum - an initiative aimed at building trade and transportation infrastructure that links China with South and Central Asia, Europe, and Africa. -RFE/RL - 4/26/19