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Why Would Iran Want to Talk to Trump Anyway?

One would think that Tehran might welcome President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he is willing to meet with his Iranian counterparts “any time they want” with “no preconditions.” After all, Trump’s offer could be interpreted both as a vindication of Tehran’s refusal to blink first, and as a timely relief for an embattled Iranian economy. Only […]

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Why Is Europe Underplaying Its Hand on Iran?

Following President Donald Trump’s May 8 decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the United States has embarked on a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. The campaign involves, among other things, the reinstatement of all nuclear-related sanctions, revoking all licenses that allow for minor exemptions to those sanctions and applying additional economic […]

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Encouraged by Government, Iranian Entrepreneurs Dream of ‘Smart Cities’

“Smart Cities” integrate multiple information and communications technology (ICT) and internet of things (IOT) solutions to create more successful and sustainable urban environments. There is growing interest in smart city technologies as governments around the world struggle to manage population growth and the resource consumption of major cities. Smart city transformations can improve quality of […]

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Iran Versus US Battle to Hit UN’s Top Court in August

The UN’s top court said Thursday it will hold hearings next month in a bitter battle between Iran and the United States, after President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on the Islamic  republic. “The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings from Monday 27 to Thursday […]

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EU Struggles to Counter US Sanctions on Iran: Report

TEHRAN (ECOIDEAL) – European efforts to protect businesses investing in Iran from US sanctions risk leaving executives with the tough choice of whether to obey EU or American rules. The EU is finalizing its plans to mitigate the punitive measures as the Trump administration prepares to impose a new wave of sanctions next month and […]

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Memo to Trump: Iran Isn’t North Korea

President Donald Trump’s ALL-CAPS Twitter threat against Iran—“CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED”—feels like a cut-and-paste job from his approach to North Korea. Apply sanctions, make irresponsible suggestion of Armageddon, see what happens. The president is like an arsonist who puts out his own fire. The desultory results on North […]

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Will China Undermine Trump’s Iran Strategy?

In May, President Donald Trump announced that he was pulling the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal. A few weeks later, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined the administration’s aggressive new Iran policy, which was designed to prevent the country’s emergence from isolation. This strategy, the Trump administration believes, will force Iran to return to […]

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Re-imposed U.S. Sanctions on Iran Gives Superjet a Chance

In a wake of the decision by the White House on May 8 to pull out of the nuclear deal with Iran, European vendors may still keep a presence in the Persian market through Russian OEMs. However, with the re-imposition of the “toughest sanctions” on the Islamic Republic, the European aerospace sector faces a difficult […]

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ATR CEO ‘Reasonably Optimistic’ about Iran Resolution

ATR CEO Christian Scherer is “reasonably optimistic” the turboprop manufacturer can resolve the issues around new Iran sanctions and its pending deliveries to Iran Air. The Iranian national carrier placed an order for 20 ATR 72-600s, eight of which had been delivered by June when the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) export license was revoked. According to Scherer, conversations with […]

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China May Boost Iranian Oil Purchases Once US Sanctions Step into Force

Washington’s “comprehensive” package of sanctions against Tehran are expected to kick in this November, but officials say the main target, Iranian crude oil exports, will likely simply be diverted from one group of buyers to another. A senior US energy official has told The Wall Street Journal that Washington expects China to buy up much of the oil others won’t […]

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Iran Lodges Complaint Against US Over Renewed Sanctions

Iran has lodged a complaint with the International Court of Justice against the United States’ reimposition of sanctions, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday. The complaint was registered the previous day, spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said on the ministry’s website. The goal is “to hold US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions,” Foreign Minister […]

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European Governments Explore Financial Channels for Iran

The move is the first concrete sign that Europe could deliver on its promise to take steps to sustain the Iranian nuclear deal, setting European governments squarely against the Trump administration’s Iran sanctions policy aimed at isolating Tehran economically. Following the U.S. withdrawal from the deal in May, Iran has said it would stop complying […]

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Iran’s Khamenei Seeks Better Ties with The World, Apart from US

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei has called for better ties with the world—though not with the United States, according his official website on Monday. Khamenei met President Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet on Sunday and spoke of the “necessity of developing diplomacy and relations with foreign countries,” according to a transcript published in English. “Except […]

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EU Protects Firms as It Fights US Bid to Isolate Iran

EU countries on Monday gave European firms legal cover to operate in Iran despite the US pullout from the nuclear deal, after a report that the Trump administration has rejected calls by Brussels for an exemption from sanctions. The bloc’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the 28 countries were doing all they could to save […]

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Don’t Let Trump Go to War With Iran!

The decision of the United States to wage war against Iraq in 2003 was one of the worst mistakes our country has ever made. Was Saddam Hussein a brutal dictator? Yes, but he didn’t have weapons of mass destruction, and toppling his regime had profound consequences—bringing the deaths of thousands of Americans and hundreds of […]

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US Demands on Iranian Oil Pose Dilemma for Japan

TOKYO — With the U.S. considering making exceptions to its demand that countries stop importing Iranian oil, Japan is looking to secure its oil supply and pursue business opportunities in the Middle Eastern country without raising red flags in Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hinted at the waivers during his visit to Abu Dhabi on […]

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If Trump’s Problem Is OPEC, His Solution Is Iran

President Donald Trump has once again taken to Twitter to slam OPEC for driving up oil prices. The group is a useful scapegoat on which to pin the blame for rising gasoline prices at home, but getting it to pump more crude won’t bring them down for long. The way to really lower prices is for […]

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Iran Shows New Savvy in Defining Outcome of Key Nuclear Deal Meeting

Following two months of rising uncertainty after President Trump decided to withdraw from the nuclear deal despite Iran’s continued compliance with its commitments, the remaining parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) assembled in Vienna on Friday. The meeting of foreign minister was convened at Iran’s request. Iranian expectations of the meeting centered […]

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Why New US Sanctions on Iran Won’t Work — and Might Backfire

The Trump administration released more details this week of how it plans to slap sanctions back on Iran. It is an ambitious and aggressive policy to change Iran’s behavior, but it is premised on faulty assumptions, and ultimately may be counterproductive. Two months ago, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined 12 demands of Iran. The list reads more […]

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China Looks to Buck Iranian Oil Sanctions

China is unlikely to fully heed President Trump’s caveat to stop buying oil from Iran, according to FGE. If the planned U.S. sanctions prove successful to cut Iran’s oil exports to zero by Nov. 4, that will put as much as 2.3 million barrels a day of crude from the Persian Gulf state at risk, the consultant said. The […]

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State Department Leaves Door Open to Iran Oil Import Exemptions

The U.S. will grant waivers “on a case-by-case basis” so countries can buy Iranian oil after American sanctions are reimposed, a State Department official said, softening the Trump administration’s stance as it seeks to isolate the Islamic Republic after quitting the Iran nuclear deal. Brian Hook, the State Department’s director of policy planning, said three […]

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Iran Vows to Foil US Bid to Block its Oil Exports

Iran vowed Sunday to thwart US efforts to block its oil exports and warned rival OPEC producer Saudi Arabia it would never take Tehran’s “place” on the international oil market. “We will surely do something to thwart the US rallying cry that Iranian oil (exports) must be stemmed,” First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri said in […]

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