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One year ago, on 8 May 2018, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would cease compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear agreement struck in July 2015 by the United States and Iran, along with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the European Union. President Trump has argued […]

Iran’s decision to scale down its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by President Donald Trump signifies a serious foreign policy failure for the EU and its member states. They have acted too meekly and ineffectively in the face of unilateral U.S. sanctions, and this unnecessary softness may well come back to haunt them as […]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday called on European signatories to abide by the Iran nuclear deal, following a meeting in Moscow. Zarif’s visit came as Tehran said it had stopped respecting limits on its nuclear activities agreed under the deal until other signatories find a way to bypass renewed US sanctions. […]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Moscow on Wednesday, the Russian foreign ministry said Tuesday. The two diplomats, longtime allies on a number of issues including the Syrian conflict, will discuss “key issues of the international and regional agenda” as well as bilateral cooperation, the ministry said in a statement. “Cooperation with […]

The standoff between the Trump administration and Iran is escalating, and Europe is caught in the middle. The U.S. is exerting pressure through renewed economic sanctions, and hardliners in Tehran are issuing fiery threats of retaliation. Brussels and national governments in the U.K., France and Germany, meanwhile, have been criticized by both sides for promising […]

Most of the Democrats running for president are vowing to put the United States back in the Iran nuclear deal that President Trump withdrew from nearly a year ago. “Our intelligence community told us again and again: The #IranDeal was working to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. If Iran continues to abide by the terms […]

Europe pledged to keep afloat its efforts to aid Iran after the U.S. tightened the screw by targeting all exports of Iranian oil for sanctions. The French government and the European Union both said they will abide by the terms of the Iran nuclear accord with world powers even after the latest U.S. move. France […]

ARIS, April 23 (Reuters) – The ‘Instex’ mechanism set up by France, Britain and Germany for Iran to skirt U.S. sanctions is making positive progress, said the French foreign ministry on Tuesday, as it responded to the latest moves by the U.S. government to put pressure on Iran. “The work that has been put in […]

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan began his first official visit to Iran on Sunday for talks set to focus on strengthening ties and countering terrorism, state media reported. Khan began his two-day visit with a stop in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, Iran’s second largest and home to the shrine of Imam Reza who is revered by Shiite muslims, state […]

The Netherlands Ambassador to Iran Jacques Werner said the European Union is a still a partner for Iran nuclear deal and is following up the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) to continue financial transactions. Speaking to IRNA, Werner said despite new sanctions against Iran and the US withdrawal from Iran Deal also known […]

After crossing all-time highs on Sunday, the stock market conquered new peaks Monday breaking through another resistance level. The fresh rally lifted the benchmark index TEDPIX 5,721.76 points or 2.92% to end trading at 201,805.9. According to Donyaye Bourse analytical website, a flow of new liquidity was the main driving force behind the market boom. […]

The pipeline through which Iran’s gas is exported has not been damaged by the recent floods, director of gas distribution at the National Iranian Gas Company said. “The pipeline, which passes from Lorestan and Khuzestan provinces, is not harmed and gas export continues without problems,” IRNA quoted Saeid Momeni as saying. Iraq is the main […]

GENEVA (Reuters) – Iran and Iraq have reached an understanding about developing two oilfields on their mutual border, Iran’s oil minister was quoted saying on Sunday, a day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for increased trade between the two countries. The focus of the understanding is the development of the Naft Shahr and Khorramshahr […]

The deadline for the US administration to decide whether to extend sanctions waivers granted to buyers of Iranian oil is now less than a month away, and President Donald Trump faces a tricky decision. He undoubtedly wants to increase pressure on the Persian Gulf nation, but in doing so he risks stoking oil prices and with […]

Nearly a year after the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, it is loudly proclaiming the harsh impact of reinstated US secondary sanctions on the Iranian economy. As a result of reduced revenues, US officials assert that Iran is under increasing pressure to scale back its support for proxy groups that have widened Iran’s […]

The OPEC+ group could easily extend its agreement on oil-production cuts, according to Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh. “My understanding is, there is no difficulty extending the cooperation. It should be easy” to prolong the deal beyond the first half of the year, Zanganeh told reporters in Moscow following a meeting with his Russian […]

Snapp, also known as the Uber of Iran, said its ride-hailing app is generating two million fares a day as young people in Tehran embrace technology in a market that’s off-limits for western investors. “Snapp Tehran is now larger than any Uber city globally,” co-founder Eyad Alkassar said in a statement. “Reaching this milestone in […]

Expectations were high when Iranian president Hassan Rouhani visited neighboring Iraq last month. During the trip, his first as president, Rouhani signed multiple trade deals with Iraq, where the return of peace and stability has renewed the government’s focus on economic development. The deals covered a variety of sectors including railway construction, electricity infrastructure, and […]

Iraq’s parliament speaker voiced hope Friday that the United States will keep waiving sanctions on energy purchases from Iran, saying his country will need to import electricity from its neighbor for three years. President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to cut off all exports from Iran but has twice granted three-month exemptions to Iraq, mindful of chronic blackouts that have reignited unrest in […]

A state visit by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Iran has resulted in an agreement between the two countries to cooperate on the potential transiting of Iranian gas through Armenia to Georgia. If implemented, the agreement promises to be controversial, not least because it would involve Armenia challenging Russian control of its gas distribution sector, and potentially pitching both Armenia and Georgia into conflict […]

Sanctioned by the U.S., Iran has found a sweet way to use the cash it is accumulated from trading oil: Purchase sugar from India. Iran is struggling to spend the rupees it’s made from oil sales to India that are sitting in the south Asian nation’s banks. Meanwhile, sugar stockpiles are stacking up in India […]

Dubai — Iran is ready to increase natural gas exports to Armenia, and is willing to start talks about shipping the fuel to Georgia, Mehr news agency reported, citing President Hassan Rouhani. “We are prepared to negotiate for the export of gas through Armenia to Georgia, as well as the connection of the Persian Gulf to […]

In the past several months, a meaningful debate has finally started to emerge over America’s role in the world. Politicians and analysts — left, right and center — are conceding that longstanding mistakes have brought the United States to an uncertain moment. Provoked by President Trump, they are concluding that the bipartisan consensus forged in […]

Last November, Nicholas Mulder sparked a debate about the place of sanctions in the toolbox for progressive foreign policy, writing in The Nation that progressives must “move beyond the dominant consensus on how to deal with foreign policy problems as framed by the establishment, in which there are only two flavors: the mild option of sanctions and […]

President Hassan Rouhani said the investment arm of Iran’s main social security provider must be privatized as part of a wider effort to scale back inefficient public-sector involvement in the economy. “The promise I have made to the parliament and people is that next year will be the year of privatization of large companies, including […]

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan began exports to India through an Iranian port on Sunday, official said, as the landlocked, war-torn nation turns to overseas markets to improve its economy. Officials said 23 trucks carrying 57 tonnes of dried fruits, textiles, carpets and mineral products were dispatched from western Afghan city of Zaranj to Iran’s Chabahar […]

Iraq is close to finalizing a deal that will allow it to import Iranian energy despite American sanctions by avoiding the U.S. dollar, an Iraqi official said. “A big delegation came from the Iranian central bank and the idea was proposed to trade with Iran in euros,” Abdulkarim Hashim Mustafa, special adviser to Iraq’s prime […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China wants to deepen “strategic trust” with Iran, the Chinese government’s top diplomat told Iran’s foreign minister on Tuesday, days before Saudi Arabia’s crown prince visits Beijing, underscoring China’s difficult Middle East balancing act. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman visited Beijing in 2017, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives in China […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Iran’s exports of crude oil were higher than expected in January and are at least holding steady this month, according to tanker data and industry sources, as some customers have increased purchases due to waivers from U.S. sanctions. Shipments are averaging 1.25 million barrels per day (bpd) in February, Refinitiv Eikon data […]

MUNICH — European leaders have long been alarmed that President Trump’s words and Twitter messages could undo a trans-Atlantic alliance that had grown stronger over seven decades. They had clung to the hope that those ties would bear up under the strain. But in the last few days of a prestigious annual security conference in […]

MUNICH, Germany — The U.S. is trying desperately to isolate Iran, but on Sunday Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif seized the stage of the world’s premier security conference. He held the audience of power-brokers rapt for nearly 40 minutes as he thrashed the Trump administration, fired a pointed demand at Europe to do more […]

Germany on Friday rejected an appeal by US Vice President Mike Pence for Europeans to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal and isolate Tehran. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas defended the 2015 agreement under which Iran drastically scaled back its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. “Together with the Brits, French and the entire EU we have found […]

MOSCOW, Feb 14 (Reuters) – Iran, Russia and Kazakhstan are making progress on organizing finance for a long-planned wheat deal that could double or triple supplies to Iran, the secretary general of Iran’s Federation of Food Industry Associations said. Talks started a year ago, but stalled due to a lack of financing. The deal involves […]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that Ankara is “ready” to establish its own trade mechanism with Iran, allowing companies from the two neighbouring countries to continue doing “legitimate” business amid punishing US sanctions. Erdogan made the statement on Thursday during a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the three-party talks on Syria in the Russian […]

Today we have taken a significant step forward in delivering our commitment under the Iran nuclear deal to preserve sanctions relief for the people of Iran.’ These were the words of Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary of the UK, as he introduced the so-called Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which is the latest attempt by the E3 (France, […]

An international court Wednesday ruled Iran can proceed with a bid to unfreeze assets in the United States, rejecting Washington’s claims the case must be halted because of Tehran’s alleged support for international terrorism. Washington had argued that Iran’s “unclean hands”—a reference to Tehran’s suspected backing of terror groups—should disqualify its lawsuit to recover USD 2 billion in assets frozen […]

To the surprise of many analysts (us included), Iran has continued to abide by the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, despite the Trump administration’s decision last year to withdraw from it and reimpose U.S. sanctions. Tehran seems to be betting that if it can weather the economic pressure, […]

Even if an American military pullout from Afghanistan is on the cards, the U.S. will want to leave behind a stable country. And any peace settlement in Afghanistan will stand a better chance of staying on the rails if it is supported by regional powers. In other words, ties between Afghanistan and its neighbours, including […]

Following weeks of speculation, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany (the E3) have formally registered a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to help facilitate trade with Iran – trade that the return of US sanctions has significantly hampered. This comes after months of technical coordination between member states led by the European External Action Service. While […]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday his country would be ready to establish “friendly relations” with the United States if it apologized for past wrongs. “Our slogan is friendly relations with the whole world,” he said. That would even include “America, if it repents… and apologizes for its previous interferences in Iran, and is prepared to accept the […]

GENEVA, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Iran’s gas production at South Pars, the world’s largest gas field, has hit 610 million cubic metres per day, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh told state TV on Wednesday. The offshore field, which Iran calls South Pars and Qatar calls North Field, is shared between Iran and Qatar. Iran’s daily gas […]

Geopolitical power projection could be, at first sight, the logic underlying Iran’s policy of expanding ties with and playing a role in Iraq. But in recent years, and with the growing necessity arising from the reimposition of US sanctions, Tehran has chosen to also focus on geo-economic interests in Iraq. It has tried, therefore, to augment its share […]

On January 31, 2019, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom announced their most substantive move yet to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, to which they are signatories, from collapse. With the European Union’s blessing, the three states established a special channel that shields trade with Iran from U.S. sanctions. The Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, […]

Three European powers are set to make good on a plan to help companies trade with Iran, defying President Donald Trump with a bid to bypass U.S. sanctions. The entity, which could be presented as early as Monday, is key to the European Union’s effort to save a 2015 nuclear accord with Iran after Trump withdrew […]

The European Commission said it’s seeking to launch “very soon” a special purpose vehicle to help European companies bypass U.S. sanctions on Iran, with three European diplomats saying the official unveiling could come as early as Monday. Progress has been slow in developing the SPV, a key element of the European Union’s effort to keep […]

Iran-Italy relations, which date back to the time of the Roman and Persian empires, are marked by important affinities. Historical and cultural traditions as well as commercial and economic connections have deeply shaped mutual perceptions. Unlike the other major EU countries, Italy is not seen as a former colonial power still trying to “dominate” relations […]

Iran has adequate currency supplies to cover trade, and the rial has stabilized after “a heavy attack” from the U.S.-led economic sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic, the head of the country’s central bank said. Iranians need to adjust their spending habits and “take seriously” sustained efforts by the U.S. to destabilize the economy, while […]

It’s Warsaw and Washington against the big EU powers, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration pushes to kill the Iran nuclear deal — and to exploit European divisions on foreign policy in the process. Of all the damage Trump has done to transatlantic relations, no issue has divided the U.S. from its European allies as […]

State-run Chinese energy giant Sinopec has offered Iran a $3-billion deal on further development of an Iranian oilfield the two countries are already working on, the Wall Street Journal has reported.  The offer made by the China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec) is part of an existing contract to operate the Yadavaran oilfield in southwest Iran on the Iraqi […]

Three years ago, Iran and global powers implemented the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), curtailing the country’s nuclear weapons program in exchange for sanctions relief. The deal continues to hang together—but only just. There are growing indications of signatory states’ fatigue and frustration in attempting to prevent the collapse of the JCPOA, following the […]

WASHINGTON — The Donald Trump administration conducted a preliminary internal assessment of its Iran “maximum pressure” policy this month and determined that it is not working, according to a new report. Such an assessment could drive administration efforts to try to provoke Iran to leave the nuclear deal, possibly by urging a potential inspections crisis at the […]

French auto giant Groupe PSA, which makes the Citroen and Peugeot brands, reported record vehicle sales Tuesday as the acquisition of General Motors’ Opel unit helped offset a sharp downturn in key markets China and Iran. PSA sold 3.88 million vehicles, up 6.8 percent from 2017 when it acquired the Opel business which includes British-based Vauxhall. PSA said that […]

Tehran, Iran – Monir Farmanfarmaian, the grand dame of Tehran’s vibrant art scene, has set a new record for a local female artist after an untitled mirror mosaic of hers fetched almost $1m at an art auction in the Iranian capital. The 96-year-old Iranian artist, who once hobnobbed with the likes of Andy Warhol, Willem de […]

Japan’s energy policy towards Iran has been an area of struggle for independence from the United States for four decades. Even when Japan tried to pursue its own energy policy towards Iran, the US has generally had the final say. From Japan’s point of view, however, the US stance towards Japan-Iran energy relations has toughened […]

A major Iranian oil buyer that shut out supplies last year even before U.S. sanctions on the Persian Gulf state took effect is finally set to receive cargoes once again. National Iranian Tanker Co.’s Silvia I is expected to reach South Korea — Tehran’s third-biggest customer before it stopped purchases in August — on Jan. 15, according […]

President Donald Trump’s Iran policy has been reckless as regards Iran—it all but invites Tehran to return to an unconstrained nuclear program, and it reduces U.S. credibility to bargain on other contentious issues. But it has been far more reckless on the far more consequential matter of America’s relationships with allies and partners and especially […]

Europe has yet to launch its special purpose vehicle (SPV) to support trade with Iran and while Iranian stakeholders grow increasingly impatient, some have begun to question the likely impact of the new mechanism. The chief complaint is that the initial SPV, if limited to humanitarian trade, will not have a meaningful economic impact for […]

LAS VEGAS, Jan 9 (Reuters) – South Korean oil buyers are expected to restart Iranian oil imports in late January or early February, the head of South Korea’s SK Innovation, which owns South Korea’s biggest oil refiner SK Energy, said on Wednesday. In November, South Korea won a six-month waiver from sanctions imposed by the […]

Against the backdrop of an ailing yet dominant banking system that is struggling to upgrade its operations, Iranian fintech firms are slowly but steadily fashioning a position for themselves. Local developments in the past year have made it clear that fintech firms will be a major part if not the architects of the future landscape of financial services in Iran. On […]

Iran will boost trade with India as the European Union struggles to find a way to circumvent a fresh US embargo on Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Tuesday. Brussels is working on a payment mechanism to keep financial transactions flowing with Iran, after the US ditched the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran earlier this year and reintroduced […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Turkey has resumed imports of Iranian crude oil after a one-month hiatus in November when U.S. sanctions on Iran were reimposed, trading and shipping sources said. The United States granted Turkey and other countries import waivers in early November. Turkey said it was permitted to take 3 million tonnes a year, equivalent […]

NEW DELHI, Jan 7 (Reuters) – State-run Bharat Petroleum Corp will import 1 million barrels of Iranian oil in February after a gap of three months, with the nation’s overall purchases from Tehran remaining at 9 million barrels, three industry sources said. The United States in early November granted India a six-month waiver from sanctions […]

London — Iran’s steel exports have remained about steady in the first nine months of the current Iranian year despite the US’ reimposition in August of sanctions on metals trading, according to Mohsen Parvan, CEO of Tehran-based AASIM Consulting Group. For the full year, Iran’s steel exports may equal last year’s record of over 9 million […]

An Iranian arbitration body gave its approval on Saturday to an anti-money laundering bill seen as crucial to maintaining international trade and banking ties, the official IRNA news agency reported. “The bill on amending the law to counter money laundering was approved with certain changes and will be sent to the parliament speaker to be communicated to the government,” […]

LONDON (Reuters) – All countries that were granted waivers from the United States to continue buying a certain amount of Iranian oil imports are complying with U.S. sanctions, a senior Iranian energy official said, noting that Tehran was hopeful to find new buyers. The United States withdrew from a nuclear deal with Iran last year […]

Between 2016 and 2018, Iran’s energy sector was the main beneficiary of the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions. Increased oil production and exports, the return of international oil companies (IOCs), massive investments in renewable energies, introduction of new technologies into upstream and downstream sectors, etc., were among key developments in the industry. The reimposition of US […]

Iran will invest about 15 billion rupees to expand a refinery run by Chennai Petroleum Corp. in south India, the company’s managing director said, amid U.S. sanctions on the Persian Gulf nation that have severely hit its oil exports. The state-run company is boosting capacity at its Nagapattinam facility by nine-fold to process 9 million tons per year and […]

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s finance ministry has exempted rupee payments made to the National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) for crude oil imports from a steep withholding tax, according to a government order reviewed by Reuters. The exemption, put in place December 28 but backdated to November 5, will allow Indian refiners to settle about […]

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran said on Wednesday private exporters have had “no problems” selling Iranian oil, and 3 million barrels of crude could be sold soon to non-government traders, state media reported, despite U.S. sanctions targeting Tehran’s oil sales. Iran began selling crude oil to private companies for export in late October, just ahead of […]

Last month, the Trump administration reimposed sanctions on Iran’s energy sector as part of its ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran. But it nevertheless sought to prevent an unhelpful spike in oil prices ahead of the midterm elections. As a result the United States issued eight waivers to importers of Iranian oil: China, India, Japan, South Korea, […]

The United States has granted Iraq a 90-day extension to an exemption from reimposed sanctions on Iran to keep on importing energy, a government source said on Thursday. President Donald Trump reimposed crippling unilateral sanctions on Iran’s energy and finance sectors on November 5 following his May decision to abandon a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between major powers and […]

This year, the Valdai Discussion Club took part in the 2018 Doha Forum for the first time by holding a session titled “Russia’s evolving global role” on December 16 as part of the event’s business program. Director of PIR Center’s “Russia and nuclear non-proliferation” program Andrei Baklitsky was at the forum and shared his comments […]

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran called on the European Union on Monday to press U.S. authorities to allow delivery of Airbus passenger aircraft purchased by Tehran, Iran’s student news agency ISNA reported.To upgrade its aging fleet, Iran Air ordered 200 passenger aircraft – 100 from Airbus, 80 from Boeing and 20 from Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR […]

Iran is not the only loser if the Iran nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) collapses. A collapse may be near given the U.S. exit from the deal, and U.S. sanctions not only affect American banks and companies but also prevent Europeans from trading with Iran. The U.S. policy is to […]

Iran is going to offer its crude to Asian buyers, to be delivered in January, at US$1 per barrel less than this month, Reuters reports, citing a pricing document. The official selling price of Iranian Light crude was set at US$0.30 above the Platts Dubai/Oman average for January. This makes Iranian Light US$0.30 a barrel […]

Earlier this month, an interim agreement on free trade between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) was approved at the regional body’s summit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. After relevant legal procedures in Iran are fully carried out, the deal is expected to take effect as of early 2019. Seen as Iran’s biggest ever deal on free […]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday he would send a delegation to the United States to seek an exemption from sanctions against Iran that would allow Baghdad to keep importing gas from Tehran. “The American side is cooperating with Iraq to find solutions that would remove pressure on Iraq […]

BERLIN, Dec 11 (Reuters) – German exports to Iran soared in October, a month before the United States re-instated sanctions on the Islamic Republic to choke its oil and shipping industries, data seen by Reuters showed on Tuesday. The surge signals willingness among Germany’s small to medium-sized firms, or Mittelstand, to continue doing business with […]

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union’s foreign policy chief said on Monday a system to facilitate non-dollar trade with Iran and circumvent U.S. sanctions could be in place by year’s end. The European Union wants the so-called Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to help preserve the economic benefits for Iran deriving from the curbs it placed […]

NEW DELHI, Dec 7 (Reuters) – State-run Indian oil refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp will buy Iranian crude in January after a gap of six months, with the nation’s overall purchases from Tehran at 9 million barrels in the month, four industry sources said. The United States in early November granted India a six-month waiver from […]

Iranian officials have announced that a special channel to conduct trade with European countries has been established and will be implemented soon in order to facilitate trade while bypassing US sanctions and keeping the Iran nuclear deal alive. Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization and one of the top nuclear negotiators of the […]

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s parliament approved a tweaked draft law against funding terrorism on Wednesday which officials hope will bring Tehran closer to global standards and help remove it from investment blacklists as it faces renewed U.S. sanctions. The official news agency IRNA said lawmakers had included amendments requested by a powerful clerical body, which […]

US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal is reinforcing a trend that was already underway as doubts mounted about the Donald Trump administration’s commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA): Iran is looking east for its economic survival. Under waivers announced by the Trump administration in November, eight countries are permitted to continue […]

It has been nearly seven months since the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. As sanctions begin to bite, Iranian companies are laying off employees, and Iranian households are facing renewed hardships. Iran has exercised remarkable patience while it waits for Europe to devise its special purpose vehicle (SPV), a new entity intended to help […]

Iran said Saturday it had finalized a deal with South Korea to trade oil for goods, skirting renewed US sanctions. “A mechanism has been devised for returning oil export revenues from South Korea, by which Iran’s oil export revenue will be bartered with imported goods,” Hossein Tanhayi, head of the Iran-South Korea chamber of commerce, told state news agency […]

The Wall Street Journal reported Nov. 26 that Paris and Berlin are about to create a payments channel to maintain trade with Tehran in defiance of US sanctions. The news has been largely received in Iran as a signal that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will yet be salvaged. The channel, known as a Special Purpose Vehicle, has been under discussion for months […]

The laborers edge their way across a field of bright purple flowers gathering up the world’s most expensive spice, a bounty that makes this dusty corner of Iran a crucial part of global cuisine. The delicate purple leaves of the Crocus sativus plant hold just three or four of the even more delicate red stamen, better known as saffron, […]

Iran’s deputy interior minister for security affairs, Hossein Zolfaqari, met with Vasilii Piskarev, the chairman of the Russian Duma’s Committee on Security and Corruption Control, on Nov. 5. At the meeting, both sides stressed the need to finalize a bilateral security agreement and described cybersecurity, the fight against terrorism and countering drug proliferation and illegal immigration as key aspects of such an accord. […]

Qatar Airways announced Monday it is expanding operations in Iran, despite US sanctions on the Islamic republic and a Gulf diplomatic rift over accusations Doha was too close to Tehran. The carrier will begin twice-weekly flights to Isfahan in February 2019 and increase existing services to Shiraz and Tehran in January 2019, it said in a statement. “These latest […]

Do sanctions reduce the military spending in Iran? This is the question we sought to answer by modeling the effects of sanctions on military spending in Iran to investigate the impact of unilateral sanctions (where only the United States sanctions Iran) and multilateral sanctions (where the United States acts in conjunction with other countries to […]

DUBAI (Reuters) – China’s state-owned CNPC has replaced France’s Total in Iran’s multibillion-dollar South Pars gas project, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said, according to the semi-official news agency ICANA on Sunday. “China’s CNPC has officially replaced Total in phase 11 of South Pars but it has not started work practically. Talks need to be […]

Asia’s largest buyer of Iranian oil is said to have resumed purchases from the Persian Gulf state following a one-month hiatus, a move that will help allay fears that U.S. sanctions on the OPEC producer will constrain global supplies. China will start loading the crude again in November after it halted purchases in October, according […]

The reimposition of US secondary sanctions has compelled Tehran to look for ways to reduce their negative impact. According to Iranian officials, one of the strategies is to increase trade and interaction with its neighbors. This is not new to Iran, as the country has pursued a policy of improving relations with immediate neighbors including investments in increased energy interdependency. Yet the past […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Iran on Wednesday praised European efforts to maintain business with Tehran despite U.S. sanctions, citing “constructive meetings” with British and French officials in Tehran this week on setting up a way to conduct non-dollar trade. Iranian Foreign Ministry officials voiced more hope for the move a day after Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad […]

Iraq’s new President Barham Saleh made his first official visit to neighbouring Iran on Saturday, calling for “a new order in the region.” Saleh met his counterpart Hassan Rouhani to discuss trade, transport links and efforts to tackle dust pollution that plagues areas on both sides of the border. “It is now time for a new order in the […]

When U.S. President Donald Trump announced in May his plans to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and re-impose economic sanctions, one of the many reasons he gave was to compel better Iranian behavior across the Middle East. Iran, senior administration officials often said, was “behind every problem” in the region, and cutting off its oil […]

BAGHDAD, Nov 12 (Reuters) – While Saudi Arabia courted Iraqi leaders behind closed doors at the weekend, its arch-foe Iran made a more public showing by turning out at the Baghdad International Fair, a shop window for business in Iraq. An entire hangar was set aside for some of the 60 Iranian firms participating. Vendors […]

Iran has been abiding by the terms of its nuclear deal with global powers, the latest report from the UN atomic watchdog indicated Monday, days after fresh US sanctions hit the country. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest report showed that as of early November, Iran had been complying with the restrictions to its nuclear program laid down in […]

SINGAPORE/SEOUL, Nov 9 (Reuters) – A South Korean delegation including oil buyers is expected to head to Iran next week to discuss resuming Iranian oil imports after a three-month halt, three sources with knowledge of the matter said. South Korea is one of eight countries that received waivers from the United States to continue importing […]

SHANGHAI, Nov 9 (Reuters) – China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) is continuing to take oil from Iranian oilfields where it has ownership stakes, even after the United States re-imposed sanctions on the country’s oil sector, a company executive said on Friday. The state-owned oil giant entered Iran in 2004 when it acquired the MIS oilfield, […]

The resumption of wide-ranging American sanctions on Iran promises economic uncertainty for the Islamic Republic’s neighbors in the Caucasus: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. Washington’s goal of reducing Iran’s oil exports to zero will not directly impact any of three Caucasus states, as none of them imports Iranian crude. All three, however, have to various extents […]

In a recent speech, President Rouhani declared that Iran had achieved a “rare victory” insofar as Europe is seeking ways to sustain its trade with Iran in the face of US sanctions. While this may be true in a political sense, practically speaking, the President is declaring victory too soon. Iran should be doing much […]

The European Union said work “has accelerated” on a so-called special purpose vehicle to help avoid the U.S. administration’s reimposed sanctions on Iran as the bloc tries to preserve the landmark Iranian nuclear accord after the Trump administration abandoned it. The EU also warned that the decision by Swift, the financial messaging network, to suspend […]

Armed with waivers to keep importing Iranian oil without running afoul of U.S. sanctions, some of the Islamic Republic’s top customers are preparing to buy. The exemptions mean at least some supplies from OPEC’s third-biggest producer will keep flowing into international markets, after its exports plunged almost 40 percent since April — the month before Washington announced the curbs. In a […]

A special clearing house designed to allow European companies that trade with Iran to bypass newly reimposed US sanctions will be set up in Europewithin months, possibly in France or Germany. The clearing house, known as a special purpose vehicle (SPV), is seen as critical to reassuring Tehran that the EU genuinely wishes to reward Iran for signing […]

The imposition of sanctions on Iran is designed to curb its “outlaw behaviour”, the US says. Donald Trump said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action “cannot prevent an Iranian bomb” when he announced the US withdrawal from the treaty in May. This week his administration restored all sanctions lifted under the 2015 denuclearisation deal and added more (albeit with […]

Turkey has warned Washington against its new sanctions on Iran, saying isolating the Islamic Republic is “dangerous.” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday. Washington this week imposed a second set of sanctions on Iran that aim to isolate the country’s banking sector and slash its oil exports. Eight countries including Turkey have received a US waiver […]

The foreign ministers of Spain and Russia on Tuesday hit out at US sanctions policy against Iran and ultimatums they say are being imposed by Donald Trump’s administration. President Trump in May abandoned a 2015 multi-nation deal with Iran aimed at reining in its nuclear program. The deal had been unanimously endorsed by a United Nations Security Council resolution, […]

ANTALYA, Turkey – As Iranians braced for the full restoration of economic sanctions imposed Monday by the Trump administration, their government signaled it would be open to talking to the United States about a new nuclear arms accord if Washington changes its approach to discussing the agreement it abandoned this year. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s top diplomat, […]

The United States will exempt China, India and Japan from oil sanctions on Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday, while vowing to be “relentless” in pressuring Tehran. Hours after sweeping sanctions were reimposed following the US withdrawal from a denuclearization deal, Pompeo said eight countries would be at least temporarily exempt from the ban on buying […]

The U.S. has agreed to let eight countries — including Japan, India and South Korea — keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes sanctions on the OPEC producer on Nov. 5, a senior administration official said. While the Trump administration’s goal remains to choke off revenue to Iran’s economy, waivers are being granted in exchange […]

On November 5, the United States will reimpose an array of powerful sanctions on the most important economic institutions in Iran, including its central bank and national oil company. This is the result of President Trump’s decision in May to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement and snap back U.S. sanctions that […]

During the war on terror, the United States quietly turned the world financial system into a hidden empire. The American government used the power of the dollar and its influence over obscure organizations such as the Swift financial messaging service to monitor what its adversaries and terrorists were doing and, in some cases, to cut entire states, […]

The next round of economic sanctions on Iran, which will start going into effect on Nov.4, will mainly target the country’s oil and gas industries. These sanctions were eased after the 2015 signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, but are being phased back in following President Donald […]

Despite Saudi Arabia’s admission that the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi earlier this month was premeditated, the Trump administration appears determined to maintain the U.S. partnership with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel to put unprecedented pressure on Iran. The next step in this master plan will be the Nov. 5 full reimposition […]

Iran sold oil to private buyers through its energy exchange for the first time on Sunday, as part of its efforts to counter the imminent return of US sanctions. Only 280,000 barrels were sold out of one million offered, and went for USD 74.85 per barrel, more than USD 4 below the initial asking price. The identity […]

President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday that the divisions between the US and Europe over renewed sanctions on Iran were a “rare historical victory” for the Islamic republic. “If this time last year, we had stated that America would stand against the great nation of Iran… and Europe would stand with Iran and against America, the overwhelming majority of us… […]

Iran wants to boost its Syrian profile, and presence, by plugging into that country’s electrical sector needs. While fighting and military actions seem to be subsiding in the country, talk of reconstruction is surfacing as the Syrian government’s allies, namely Russia and Iran, seek to secure contracts to rebuild devastated sectors. Tehran is facing US sanctions aimed at undermining its financial capability. Yet Iran is one of the […]

In the November/December issue of Foreign Affairs, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlines President Donald Trump’s strategy for “confronting Iran.” Pompeo describes an Iranian regime hell-bent on dominating the Middle East, and he argues that Trump is determined to overturn the supposed inclination of past U.S. administrations—especially the Obama administration—to accommodate the mullahs in Tehran. In particular, Pompeo reiterates […]

NEW DELHI: The first trilateral meeting between India, Afghanistan and Iran of the Coordination Council of the Chabahar Agreement took place Tuesday in Tehran. The three-nation Chabahar Agreement envisages a transport and transit corridor connecting Iran’s Chabahar Port with landlocked Afghanistan, which would allow Indian goods to be shipped not just to Afghanistan, but eventually […]

On Nov. 4, U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil exports will go back into force after they were suspended following the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Less than a month before that deadline, Iran’s oil sales are already tanking. The United States would like to see them fall further. In July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo […]

European nations are seeking to ensure at least one Iranian bank stays connected to the world after the US imposed new sanctions against the country, a French senator said in Tehran on Sunday. The United States pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran in May and has been reimposing punishing sanctions on the Islamic republic, targeting […]

The Financial Action Task Force has granted Iran until February to complete necessary reforms in the area of anti-money laundering and combating financing of terrorism. In a statement issued following the conclusion of the group’s plenary meeting in Paris, the FATF announced that it had “decided at its meeting this week to continue the suspension […]

The European Union won Asian political support in campaigns aimed at countering U.S. President Donald Trump’s challenges to global trade rules, the fight against climate change and the international nuclear accord with Iran. In a final statement at an Asia-Europe summit in Brussels on Friday, the EU said the government leaders agreed on “the vital […]

PARIS (Reuters) – France’s foreign ministry said on Thursday a so-called Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that the European Union is considering creating to enable trade with Iran could be used more broadly to help the bloc avoid the extraterritorial reach of U.S. law. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in September that the new […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Turkey’s top refiner, Tupras, is in talks with U.S. officials to obtain a waiver allowing it to keep buying Iranian oil after Washington reinstates sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s energy sector in November, industry sources said. The United States is preparing to impose the new sanctions on Iran’s oil industry after Washington […]

White House officials are worried that the apparent killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and Saudi Arabia’s changing account of his fate, could derail a showdown with Iran and jeopardize plans to enlist Saudi help to avoid disrupting the oil market. Officials said the dilemma comes at a fraught moment for the Trump administration, which is expected […]

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has come to rely more and more on economic tools to advance its foreign policy goals. Some of these tools, such as sanctions, involve the direct application of economic pressure. Others, such as the promotion of free trade and open markets, work by changing other […]

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) expects India to get a waiver from U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil exports this month, a company official said on Tuesday. The United States plans to impose new sanctions targeting Iran’s oil sector on Nov. 4 to try to stop the country’s involvement in […]

The Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) has hit astonishingly new highs in past months, netting a return of above 15% in the week ending Sept. 26 alone — the highest weekly rise in its over half a century of existence. Since the start of the Iranian year on March 21, the TSE index has risen almost 90%, while its average volume […]

As part of the effort to salvage the Iran nuclear deal, European governments have vowed to sustain their economic ties – not least their banking connections – with Iran. From 4 November, American sanctions targeting Iran’s banks will make it extremely difficult for European companies to engage in transactions with firms in the country. Many […]

BRUSSELS — Of all the issues dividing Europe and the Trump administration, Iran has become the sharpest, with the Europeans actively working against United States policy, placing them in league with Russia, China and Iran. Since earlier this year, when it pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal that was a centerpiece of former President Barack Obama’s […]

LONDON (Reuters) – The United States has granted BP (BP.L) and Serica Energy (SQZ.L) a new licence to run a North Sea gas field partly owned by Iran in a rare exemption by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration as it prepares to renew sanctions on Tehran next month. The waiver extension will allow Serica to […]

Tehran hosted national security and deputy national security advisers from China, India, Russia and Afghanistan on Sept. 26, in what was billed as the first Regional Security Dialogue. According to Keyvan Khosravi, spokesman for the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, the one-day meeting, initiated by Iran, primarily aimed at “finding joint measures for fighting terrorism and preventing its spread to Central Asia, […]

Iran is resorting to “Houdini tricks” to sustain oil exports as US sanctions loom. New data suggests the magic might be working. With new sleights of hand including disappearing oil tankers, the use of floating storage, and ship-to-ship transfers, tracking Iranian exports is getting harder than ever, leading to divergent estimates from oil analysts. While […]

US sanctions on Iran will not impact Qatar Airways’ flights to the Islamic republic, the airline’s boss Akbar al-Baker said on Monday. Speaking at a high-profile business conference in the Qatari capital Doha, Baker said services to Iran would continue despite a tightening economic and political squeeze on Iran by Washington. “Aviation is not a sanctioned industry, Qatar Airways […]

NEW DELHI, Oct 5 (Reuters) – India will buy 9 million barrels of Iranian oil in November, two industry sources said, indicating the world’s third-biggest oil importer will continue purchasing crude from the Islamic republic despite U.S. sanctions coming into force on Nov. 4. “Refiners have placed November nominations to lift 1.25 million tonnes (about […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration is actively considering waivers on sanctions it will reimpose next month for countries that are reducing their imports of Iranian oil, a U.S. government official said on Friday. The administration withdrew from a deal over Tehran’s nuclear program in May and is unilaterally reimposing sanctions on Iran’s crude oil […]

The UN’s top court ordered the United States on Wednesday to lift sanctions on humanitarian goods for Iran, in a stinging rebuke for the Trump administration which nonetheless made clear the decision would change nothing. Tehran declared victory after the International Court of Justice ruled that sanctions reimposed after President Donald Trump pulled out of a nuclear deal put Iranian […]

For over a year, European governments have been struggling to determine how they can create a financing facility for projects in Iran. Access to external finance was a major expectation of the sanctions relief promised in return for Iran’s implementation of the JCPOA nuclear deal. With the full return of US sanctions just weeks away, […]

The European Union said Monday its members would set up a payment system to allow oil companies and businesses to continue trading with Iran in a bid to evade sanctions after the US withdrew from a nuclear agreement. Iran and the European Union announced their defiance towards US President Donald Trump’s administration after high-level talks at the United Nations among the remaining […]

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that Iran should be allowed to keep selling oil and urged dialogue as he rejected a US push to isolate the clerical regime. Speaking to reporters after addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Macron said that Iranian sales would bring down the price of oil—a professed concern of US President Donald Trump. “It would be […]

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday warned the United States against pursuing hostile policies toward Tehran, saying preventing Iran from exporting oil would be “very dangerous”, though he did not rule out talks between the two countries. In May, U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 international nuclear deal […]

Iran is adhering to its commitments under the Iran nuclear deal and the accord—repudiated by the United States—should stay in place, Britain’s prime minister said in an interview broadcast  on Sunday. “From what we see, we believe that it is doing that,” Theresa May told CBS. “We believe that that should stay in place. And others, […]

The relationship between two major oil benchmarks is charting an unexpected course as U.S. sanctions take Iranian crude out of the market. As demand for alternative Middle Eastern supply increases, regional marker Dubai crude has reason to strengthen. Yet it’s weakening against London’s Brent — an oil grade with very different chemical characteristics that’s used […]

China’s state-controlled Sinopec is pressing ahead with a USD 1.06bn upgrade project at Iran’s 400,000 b/d Abadan refinery, despite the imminent return of US sanctions on Iran’s energy sector. Sinopec is contracted to build a new 210,000 b/d crude distillation unit (CDU) to replace three distillation units with a combined 250,000 b/d that were built […]

Amid reports of detailed talks between the United States and India to cut New Delhi’s oil imports from Iran, Indian refiners are reportedly moving to reduce their crude loadings from the Islamic Republic. Yet, India has also taken the step of allowing its state refiners to use Iranian tankers and shipping insurance ahead of the re-imposition of US sanctions targeting Iranian […]

President Emmanuel Macron will separately meet his US and Iranian counterparts, Donald Trump and Hassan Rouhani, during the UN General Assembly in New York next week, the French presidency said Wednesday. Macron will meet Trump on Monday afternoon before having dinner with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. On Tuesday, the French President will address the assembly and hold talks with Rouhani, an Elysee […]

US leaders remain ready to negotiate with their Iranian counterparts but Tehran is still refusing President Donald Trump’s overture to do so, a senior US official said Wednesday. Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “have all made clear that we are ready to negotiate and to have those discussions,” Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, told the […]

DER SPIEGEL: Mr. Foreign Minister, in May, United States President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. In August, sanctions against your country were reimposed and since then, the Iranian economy has been struggling. Do you feel as though you have been left in the lurch by Europe? Zarif: The Europeans are facing a very fundamental […]

U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil industry are unproductive and there will be consequences to such a move, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told CNBC. “Our position remains that this is unproductive, this is wrong,” Novak said when asked about the possible impact U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil industry could have. “It is better to continue working […]

Companies from dozens of countries are showing their wares at the Damascus International Fair this week, but those from two in particular are getting special treatment—Russia and Iran. Firms from the top two wartime allies of Syria’s government are set up in an entirely separate building, hinting at the preferred status they hope to enjoy as the country tries […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Oil traders have become much more concerned in recent weeks about the potential impact of U.S. sanctions on Iran and the effect on the availability of crude at the end of the year. Brent futures for November have moved to a premium of 45 cents a barrel over the December contract, in […]

For Iran, EUR 18 million represents just a drop in the bucket in terms of the foreign direct investment that the country needs for its economic development. But in terms of development funding, this amount, an initial tranche of a larger EUR 50 million bilateral allocation introduced by the European Commission and the European External […]

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil prices rose more than 2 percent on Tuesday as U.S. sanctions squeezed Iranian crude exports and after U.S. crude oil production in 2019 was forecast to grow at a slower rate than previously expected, prompting supply concerns. Since spring when the Trump Administration said it would impose sanctions on Iran, […]

As the military phase of the Syrian conflict reaches its final stages, the leaders of Russia, Iran, and Turkey met in Tehran on September 9 and reiterated in a joint statement that a political solution to the Syrian conflict requires inclusive, free, and fair elections with the participation of all eligible Syrians under appropriate UN supervision. They […]

Former Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement he helped negotiate was “dangerous and ill-advised.” Speaking on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” Kerry called the deal the “single strongest, single most accountable, single most transparent nuclear agreement anywhere in the world,” saying Trump […]

Singapore — China’s crude imports from Iran are likely to have peaked in August at 874,000 b/d ahead of the looming re-imposition of US sanctions in November, according to S&P Global Platts’ trade tracker cFlow. The imports in August included barrels directly shipped to China and a VLCC cargo that offloaded in Myanmar and was reportedly […]

In a sign of how serious the breach between Europe and the United States is during the Trump era, senior officials in France and Germany are increasingly planning ways to sidestep U.S. financial dominance and the global sanctions power that goes with it. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas late last month called for Europe to achieve financial […]

n an op-ed published in the German newspaper Handelsblatt, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas declared that the “the US and Europe have been drifting apart for years.” Nowhere is this clearer than in the disagreement between the United States and Europe over the fate of the Iran nuclear deal. When President Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan […]

Iran has given European parties to the nuclear deal until Nov. 4 — the start of U.S. sanctions against its vital oil industry — to come up with ways to offset the impact, suggesting it may otherwise pull out. Iran has “clearly announced” to European nations that if its “main interests” in the nuclear agreement […]

Renewable energy has been one of the brightest sectors in the Iranian economy, achieving 70 percent growth in the last Iranian year according to official data. There are currently 85 large-scale and more than 1,850 small-scale renewable power plants feeding electricity into the national grid. The overall capacity of renewable power plants in Iran reached 637 MW […]

WASHINGTON — America’s allies in Europe are plotting ways to bypass President Donald Trump’s sanctions on Iran as they work to keep the nuclear deal alive without the United States. With a second round of U.S. sanctions set to take effect in November, European officials are working at cross-purposes with Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign as they try to […]

Germany’s foreign minister wants Europe to create new financial infrastructures to free it from US domination. He’s suggested a new system for banking transactions. But what exactly would a European SWIFT system look like? Last week, Germany’s foreign minister made headlines around the world when he suggested that Europe should be less reliant on the […]

DUBAI (Reuters) – European countries should take action and be willing to pay the costs to reap benefits from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying on Saturday by the state news agency IRNA. “It is time for the Europeans to act in addition to voicing […]

Tokyo — Japan remains firmly committed to seeking US exemption for Iranian oil imports as it sees the supplies as important for the country’s energy security and businesses, a top government official told S&P Global Platts on Thursday. “Japan’s position remains firm even after the second round of talks [with the US government],” Ryo Minami, the […]

Iran is sticking to the terms of its nuclear deal with world powers, a UN atomic watchdog report showed Thursday, despite ongoing uncertainty over its future. The report from the International Atomic Energy Agency showed that Iran was still complying with the key parameters of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed in 2015 […]

Total SA’s withdrawal from Iran’s giant South Pars gas field has given China another chance to secure a stake in the world’s most coveted energy assets: abundant and low-cost Middle Eastern oil and gas. Chinese companies have invested in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Iran in recent years, and have expressed interest in oil […]

Germany and France said they’re working on financing solutions to sidestep U.S. sanctions against countries such as Iran, including a possible role for central banks. The discussions, which also involve the U.K., are a signal that European powers are trying to get serious about demonstrating a greater level of independence from the U.S. as President […]

Iran on Monday demanded the UN’s top court suspend US nuclear-linked sanctions against Tehran, accusing Washington of plotting its “economic strangulation”. The Islamic Republic launched a suit at the International Court of Justice in The Hague over US President Donald Trump’s decision to reimpose the sanctions that had been lifted in a 2015 accord. Iran […]

A European Union aid plan for Iran sends “the wrong message at the wrong time” to the government in Tehran, the US State Department said Friday. The USD 20.7 million EU assistance package “perpetuates the regime’s ability to neglect the needs of its people and stifles meaningful policy changes,” read a statement Friday signed by US […]

German foreign minister Heiko Maas recently penned an article in which he said that “it’s essential that we strengthen European autonomy by establishing payment channels that are independent of the US, creating a European Monetary Fund and building up an independent Swift system.” So what exactly is Maas’s quibble with SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication? […]

Iran is cheerful with Imran Khan in office next door. Even before his inauguration as Pakistan’s new prime minister, President Hassan Rouhani picked up the phone to congratulate Khan and invite him to Tehran. There are two main reasons, among others, for Iran’s cheerfulness. As discussed in an Aug. 4 conversation between Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Mehdi Honardoost, and the Pakistani […]

Iran’s legal challenge against renewed sanctions by the United States goes before the UN’s International Court of Justice on Monday. Here are four key questions regarding the case: What is the case about? Iran’s attempt to block the reinstatement of sanctions, announced by US President Donald Trump earlier this year, is the latest in a […]

After the Trump administration’s decision unilaterally to exit the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Europe’s anger turned quickly to resignation, as companies moved to sever ties with Tehran lest they suffer retaliation from Washington. Germany is now calling for a reset in the nature of trans-Atlantic relations that will give Europe more autonomy to create foreign […]

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union agreed 18 million euros ($20.6 mln) in aid for Iran on Thursday, including for the private sector, to help offset the impact of U.S. sanctions and salvage a 2015 deal that saw Tehran limit its nuclear ambitions. The announcement is part of the bloc’s high-profile efforts to support the […]

The Kazakh coastal city of Aktau hosted Aug. 12 the fifth summit of the five Caspian littoral states — Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan — on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. The presidents of the five countries signed a landmark convention on the legal status of the Caspian, ending 21 years of disagreements over how to coordinate their […]

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran says Britain has stepped in to help it redesign a reactor following the U.S. withdrawal from Tehran’s nuclear agreement with world powers. Under the agreement, experts from the United States and China were to help Iran redesign the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor to limit the amount of plutonium it produces […]

GENEVA (22 August 2018) – Sanctions must be just, and must not lead to the suffering of innocent people, says United Nations Special Rapporteur Idriss Jazairy. “The reimposition of sanctions against Iran after the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, which had been unanimously adopted by the Security Council with […]

Russia is reportedly making preparations to establish a regional integrated payment network. Iran understandably wishes to join such an endeavor. But what will such a network look like, what will its implications be for Iran and the region, and how will it be received by other countries, especially the United States? The news of the […]

BEIJING/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – China, seeking to skirt U.S. sanctions, will use oil tankers from Iran for its purchases of that country’s crude, throwing Tehran a lifeline while European companies such as France’s Total are walking away due to fear of reprisals from Washington. The United States is trying to halt Iranian oil exports in an […]

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Sunday that Europe had not yet shown it was willing to “pay the price” of defying Washington in order to save the nuclear deal. Zarif said European governments had put forward proposals to maintain oil and banking ties with Iran after the second phase of US sanctions return […]

In the international negotiations that resulted in the 2015 agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear activities, I led the team of American diplomats representing the United States. During the talks, my Iranian counterparts would occasionally ask how they could be assured that any deal we struck would be durable. Most Republicans opposed it, and looking at the […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Clouds are gathering over the outlook for the oil market, as trade tensions and rising crude supply threaten to swamp demand growth, but some of the world’s most prominent energy investors are convinced the price will return to record highs. The escalating trade war between the United States and China threatens global […]

India, the second biggest crude customer for Iran, may cut its imports from the Islamic republic by half to secure a waiver from the U.S. to continue with shipments, people familiar with the matter said. Officials from the U.S. had discussed the issue of a conditional waiver on sanctions in talks last month in New Delhi, the people said, […]

he Trump administration has no coherent Iran policy. In May, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—the Iran nuclear deal—even though Iran was not in violation of it. Other than Trump’s uninformed and empty assertion that it was “the worst deal ever,” his pretext for the withdrawal […]

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Oil Corp.’s planned $5.10 billion expansion of its unit Chennai Petroleum, partly owned by Iran, is not expected to be hit by U.S. sanctions against Tehran, Chairman Sanjiv Singh said on Monday. Chennai Petroleum plans to invest up to 356.98 billion rupees to replace its 20,000 barrel per day (bpd) […]

Iran is selling oil and gas at a discount to Asian customers as it prepares for the return of US sanctions, state news agency IRNA reported on Monday. The “informed source” in Iran’s oil ministry did not give details of the discount, but sought to downplay the move as common industry practice. “Discount is part […]

hina National Petroleum Corp. is expected to take the lead on a $5 billion project to develop Iran’s share of the world’s biggest gas deposit, taking over from France’s Total SA, which halted operations after U.S. President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic. State-owned CNPC, which joined a consortium with Total and Iran’s Petropars Ltd. in 2016 […]

The first U.S. sanctions have been reimposed on Iran with little sign of either side softening its position. Curbs on oil exports will follow in early November and the effect will be bigger and swifter than last time around. Oil forecasters don’t seem to have grasped that yet. There’s no doubt that President Donald Trump will […]

BERLIN (Reuters) – German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier has sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and sanctions policies, saying such measures were destroying jobs and growth and that Europe would not bow to U.S. pressure regarding Iran. The United States has triggered a bitter tit-for-tat trade dispute with import tariffs meant to protect American […]

Iran has threatened to block access to the world’s busiest oil route in response to U.S. sanctions designed to reduce the revolutionary Shiite Muslim power’s petroleum exports to zero. While there has been no indication that Iran was prepared to go through with the warning, such a move would likely be catastrophic for the region […]

The EU said Monday it deeply regretted the US reimposition of sanctions on Iran after President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear pact, and vowed immediate steps to protect European companies. The statement by EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany said it would also work […]

ZURICH (Reuters) – Nestle (NESN.S) sees no direct fallout from renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran, the world’s biggest food company said on Tuesday. “We continue to closely follow political developments regarding sanctions against Iran. There are no direct implications for our business at this stage,” it said in response to a query. Nestle Iran has […]

The US sanctions on Iran are forcing many European companies to rethink their investment plans. But some small businesses are choosing to deal with Iranians, rather than Americans. Al Jazeera’s David Chater went to Chateauroux in France, where one company is doing big business with Iran.

The EU has launched an attempt to protect European businesses from Donald Trump’s sanctions against Iran as the US administration voiced its intent to apply maximum pressure on Tehran by vigorously applying its punitive measures. The sanctions came into force at midnight (US east coast time). At the same time, a blocking statute – last used to protect […]

As Iran’s auto industry is grappling with a multifaceted crisis, there are signs that China’s nascent carmakers may step in to become part of the solution. The US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the impending reimposition of sanctions have not only caused a currency crisis in Iran but also led French […]

The U.S. has been unable to persuade China to cut Iranian oil imports, according to two officials familiar with the negotiations, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to isolate the Islamic Republic after his withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord. Beijing has, however, agreed not to ramp up purchases of Iranian crude, according […]

When the U.S. slaps a nation with punitive sanctions, it tries to prevent not only American companies from doing business with the target country but also those of other states. Inevitably, these extraterritorial effects hit some countries much harder than others — as India has just found to its cost. Even though New Delhi has […]

In a recent interview, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire expressed optimism for the delivery of eight ATR turboprops to Iran as part of a contract with Iran Air, the country’s national airline. The encouraging comments come after Le Maire disclosed two weeks ago that the United States had rejected a joint European letter requesting a broad range […]

Emami is looking for partners as it plans to start operations in Iran by the end of this year. This comes at a time when US sanctions looms large on the country, according to a report by Business Standard.  The company is working towards entering Iran by the end of this year and start selling products from the […]

The European Union and its member states have been scrambling to to preserve the economic benefits of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for Iran following President Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement on May 8. In the last month, the European Commission has moved to add Iran to the investment mandate of the European […]

Iran’s rial rebounded from a series of record lows on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump said he would talk to Iran without preconditions and Iranian officials appeared not to immediately dismiss the idea. The dollar was trading at around 104,000 rials on the black market in late afternoon, from around 117,000 rials the day before, […]

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 […]

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 […]

US President Donald Trump said Monday he was willing to meet with Iran’s leaders with “no preconditions” and “any time they want”—one week after tensions soared between Washington and Tehran. “I would meet with Iran if they wanted to meet. I don’t know if they are ready yet,” Trump told a White House press conference […]

“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 […]

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran plans to offer price and tax incentives to private investors to take over idle state projects and help boost the economy, state media reported on Saturday, as the country faces likely U.S. sanctions and the exit of many foreign companies. In May the United States pulled out of a multinational deal […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The U.S. embargo on Iran oil shipments has put Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a quandary. If he plays along, India could find itself on the right side of President Donald Trump on trade but lose cheap supplies and precious foreign exchange. Oil imports from Iran totaled about $9 billion in the year ended March […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on June 29 extended until October the deadline for Iran to pass and implement legal measures to address concerns regarding anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) in its financial sector. It is clear that a failure to implement what Iran included in its own action plan more than two years ago […]

An independent Chinese refiner has suspended crude oil purchases from the United States and has now turned to Iran as one of its sources of crude, media reports, citing an official from the refiner, Dongming Petrochemical Group. What’s more, the source said that Beijing is planning to slap tariffs on U.S. crude oil imports and replace […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU lawmakers gave approval on Wednesday for the European Investment Bank (EIB) to do business in Iran, overcoming a blocking attempt and keeping alive plans to save the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran that Washington has abandoned. The EIB, the European Union’s not-for-profit long term investment arm, is a key pillar of […]

Top diplomats from world powers will meet on Friday in a bid to defend their landmark nuclear deal with Iran from attack by President Donald Trump. Foreign ministers from China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.K. will convene in Vienna for the first time without the U.S. in order “to ensure the continued implementation” of […]

A plan by the United States to cut Iran’s oil production to zero is a “fantasy,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday during his European tour to rally support for the 2015 nuclear deal. Washington has said it wants to pressure Iran to change its behavior by taking away all revenue Tehran generates from crude […]

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 […]

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 […]

Tehran on Saturday urged foreign firms working in Iran to resist US “threats” of sanctions, adding it was in talks with French car makers about staying on in the country. “All (foreign) companies working in Iran should not be intimidated by US threats and should continue their activities in Iran,” Industry Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari told […]

At its plenary meeting in Paris, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) opted “to continue the suspension of countermeasures” related to Iran’s inclusion in the so-called “blacklist” of countries with deficiencies in anti-money laundering (AML) and combating financing of terrorism (CFT) standards.  The suspension will be in place until October 2018 and in this period […]

India said Wednesday it did not recognize sanctions the United States has threatened to impose on countries that continue to buy Iranian oil after November 4. “India does not recognize unilateral sanctions, but only sanctions by the United Nations,” Sunjay Sudhir, joint secretary for international cooperation at India’s petroleum ministry, told CNNMoney when asked whether […]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has sent a list of demands to France, Germany and Britain as its price for staying in the nuclear accord, vowing not to give in to growing U.S. pressure to curb its oil sales and complicate efforts to salvage the deal. The statement on the official government website, dolat.ir, didn’t give […]

The US decision to withdraw unilaterally from the Iran nuclear deal and pursue a “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran is pushing Europe to find creative new ways to preserve economic relations with Iran and thus salvage the agreement. One idea, floated by the French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, is the establishment of a European version […]

Providing landlocked Central Asia with shipping access through Iran’s southeastern Chabahar port has been a hot topic since the fall of the Soviet Union. With China’s One Belt One Road initiative in recent years and investment by Central Asian countries in the new transit routes, Iran faces more challenges than ever to utilize the potential of Chabahar. Iran’s development strategy for the […]

Oman plans to still go ahead with a giant $1.5 billion natural gas pipeline linking the sultanate with Iran despite the threat of US sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic, according to the Gulf Arab state’s oil minister. Agreed in 2013, the subsea pipeline will deliver 1 Bcf/d of gas to Oman potentially for processing […]

Following the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris Climate Accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is the third multilateral agreement that the current United States administration has withdrawn from. The administration has also put in jeopardy other multilateral arrangements such as NAFTA, the global trade system, and parts of the United Nations system, thus […]

Since US President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear agreement with Iran, formally known as the JCPOA, the EU has been looking for ideas to prevent the worst: the exit of Iran from its obligations under the deal, including a nuclear “breakout.” The best way to prevent that is to keep private investment flowing […]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will visit Austria and Switzerland next month as part of a campaign by Tehran to secure continued European backing for the 2015 nuclear accord. The future of the landmark deal was thrown into doubt when President Donald Trump announced last month that the United States would withdraw and reimpose sanctions that […]

NEW DELHI: India will seek US exemptions to buy Iranian oil and work towards setting up an alternative payment mechanism to protect its trade with the Islamic Republic in the wake of US sanctions against Tehran, according to officials familiar with the matter. Indian policymakers had initially believed that the sanctions may not matter to […]

OPEC nation Iran said it expects the group to stick with its pact to restrain oil supply as world markets don’t need more crude. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners will meet next week and debate whether to restore output halted last year. Saudi Arabia and Russia have said it’s time to […]

NEW DELHI, June 12 (Reuters) – India’s oil imports from Iran surged to about 705,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May, their highest level since October 2016, according to data from shipping and industry sources, despite the threats of fresh U.S. sanctions. From June India’s oil imports from Iran could drop because at least two […]

Following President Trump’s announcement of a U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 international nuclear agreement with Iran, the United States is set to pursue a “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran whereby it reintroduces stringent economic and financial sanctions. From the Iranian perspective, the return of U.S. sanctions means a lost opportunity for growth and international engagement, […]

France, Britain, Germany and the EU on Wednesday sent the United States a joint official request for their companies to be exempt from punitive measures resulting from fresh US sanctions on Iran. “As allies, we expect that the United States will refrain from taking action to harm Europe’s security interests,” said the letter to US […]

The EU said Tuesday that a “first assessment” indicated that Iran’s announcement that it has launched a plan to boost uranium enrichment capacity did not breach its commitments under the beleaguered 2015 nuclear deal. Iran has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency that it plans to open a centre for producing new centrifuges, the Islamic […]

ANKARA (Reuters) – Iran will inform the U.N. nuclear watchdog in Vienna on Tuesday over its start of a process to increase the country’s uranium enrichment capacity, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told ISNA news agency. “In a letter that will be handed over to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) … Iran […]

NEW DELHI/ANKARA (Reuters) – Iran has awarded its first cargo of West Karoun oil to Spain’s Repsol (REP.MC), two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday, indicating that Tehran is keen to boost its oil exports despite the looming threat of sanctions. The Persian Gulf nation’s exports hit 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) […]

NEW DELHI, June 1 (Reuters) – Indian state refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp has requested an extra one million barrels of oil from the National Iranian Oil Co. (NIOC) for June, two industry sources said, amid a looming threat of stringent U.S. sanctions. The move by BPCL indicates that refiners will try to frontload their purchases […]

PARIS (Reuters) – France’s Foreign Minister said on Thursday that the European Union has made some progress on measures to protect the bloc’s companies from U.S. sanctions on Iran but these were still insufficient. “We have moved forward on one point, which is the implementation of a European rule that dates from 1996 which we […]

Afghanistan is at risk of become an unintended victim of the Donald Trump administration’s sweeping sanctions against Tehran, announced as part of the U.S. decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in early May. A major port complex is being developed on Iran’s southern coast that is set to provide a transport corridor to Afghanistan, granting the landlocked country new […]

Iran is still implementing the 2015 accord over its nuclear program, according to a report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog. The International Atomic Energy Agency report, seen by AFP, shows that Iran is abiding by the deal’s key restrictions on its nuclear facilities. The latest assessment from the IAEA comes weeks after US President Donald […]

PARIS (Reuters) – French carmaker PSA Group launched its Citroen C3 model in Iran last week despite Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Tehran, brand chief Linda Jackson said on Thursday. PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, sold 2,000 C3 subcompacts in one hour on launch day, Jackson said, adding that the […]

Efforts by world powers to salvage the landmark nuclear deal with Iran pick up on Friday in Vienna, where officials will meet for the first time without U.S. diplomats present. Russia, China, the U.K., France and Germany will discuss the economic incentives Iran needs to keep caps on its nuclear work in place, according to officials who’ll […]

ran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s highest authority, delivered his most significant speech regarding the United States’ withdrawal from the nuclear deal between Iran and the five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. In the May 23 speech, delivered two days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made 12 demands of Iran, Khamenei presented his own […]

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Wednesday that the United States risks further destabilizing the Middle East after Washington warned Iran faced the “strongest sanctions in history.” “The sanctions to be launched against Iran will not foster dialogue. On the contrary, they will boost the importance and power of Iran’s conservatives and weaken president […]

The U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement between Iran and the EU/E3+3 constitutes a strong rejection of multilateralism by the Trump administration and leaves the remaining parties of the agreement with the challenge to safeguard its survival. Europe has been ascribed a leading role in this quest, as it has arguably a much greater stake […]

Austrian energy group OMV said on Tuesday it had not halted its planned Iranian energy projects despite the U.S. withdrawal from an international nuclear agreement, but it had made no investments there yet. The group was monitoring political developments in the United States and the European Union very closely, said upstream chief Johann Pleininger at […]

The EU’s foreign policy chief warned Monday there was “no alternative” to the Iran nuclear deal, after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed unprecedented sanctions against Tehran following Washington’s withdrawal from the pact. Pompeo—a longtime Iran hawk and fierce opponent of the 2015 agreement earlier Monday outlined an aggressive series of “painful” measures designed […]

A new open letter calls upon the European Union to “discharge its international obligations” and ensure that “Iran and its people enjoy the full economic and political dividends” of the nuclear deal, despite President Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the agreement earlier this month. Over 150 figures have signed the letter so far, including some of […]

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to quit a multinational nuclear deal would not affect Tehran’s oil exports if the EU could salvage the pact. “Every new decision in OPEC needs unanimity… I believe that if the European Union helps us… the level of […]

Chinese state-owned oil company CNPC will replace Total on a major gas field project in Iran if the French energy giant pulls out over renewed US sanctions against Tehran, Iran’s oil minister has said. “Total has said that if it doesn’t get an exemption from the United States to continue its work, it will begin […]

The Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union trade bloc signed an interim trade deal with Iran on Thursday and plans to negotiate a free trade zone, said Kazakhstan which hosted the talks. The agreement signed in the Kazakh capital Astana comes as the United States is snapping economic sanctions on Tehran back into place and warned companies […]

The EU will on Friday begin moves to block the effect of US sanctions on Iran in the bloc, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said, as part of efforts to preserve the nuclear deal with Tehran. “We will begin the ‘blocking statute’ process, which aims to neutralize the extraterritorial effects of US sanctions in the […]

Speaking on Thursday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington D.C. think tank, Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné faced several questions about his company’s recently announced decision to wind down operations in Iran following the reapplication of secondary sanctions by the Trump administration. With his trademark candor, Pouyanné left no doubt that Total was obligated to […]

European Union leaders agreed on a “united EU approach” to keeping the Iran nuclear deal alive after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact, a European source said after talks in Bulgaria. The 28 EU leaders also backed a plan for dealing with trade tariffs that Trump is imposing on European metals, saying that […]

Iran plans to sign a $1.16 billion agreement with the U.K.’s Pergas Resources International Ltd. to work on a southern oil field, marking the Persian Gulf nation’s first energy venture with a foreign company since U.S. President Donald Trump ripped up the Iran nuclear deal. London-based Pergas and state-run National Iranian South Oil Co. will […]

President Donald Trump’s hard exit from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was followed by a hard message for Europe: The United States will use sanctions to coerce its allies to shut their economic doors to Iran. Trump not only chose to violate a multilateral agreement, but his administration now aims to implode it by obstructing […]

EU chief Donald Tusk hit out at US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, accusing Washington of “capricious assertiveness” in abandoning the Iran nuclear deal and imposing trade tariffs on Europe. “Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think with friends like that who needs enemies,” Tusk told reporters in the Bulgarian capital […]

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal and reinstate all U.S. sanctions won’t deliver punishing economic pressure capable of forcing Iran to submit to Washington’s policy demands. Along with diplomatic furor and a blow to nuclear arms control, the move also comes with damning unintended economic consequences for […]

The European Union on Tuesday launched work on a nine-point economic plan to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive after the abrupt withdrawal of the United States. Europe is scrambling to come up with ways to persuade Iran to stick with the landmark 2015 agreement despite US President Donald Trump ditching it a week ago. […]

Iran’s foreign minister is due to land in Brussels later Tuesday on the final leg of a global tour rallying diplomatic support for the country’s nuclear deal after the Trump administration’s abrupt withdrawal. Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany—the three European nations involved in the landmark deal who […]

US President Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has created an urgency for all other deal signatories to work toward saving the accord. As international companies face a new dynamic and risk profile, innovative steps will need to be taken to sustain the deal, especially in response to Iranian […]

European powers alarmed by Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord set out this week on an urgent search for ways to hold the deal together and avoid a further escalation of violence in the Middle East. With Chancellor Angela Merkel warning that faith in the international order is at stake, Germany, France and […]

Iran’s foreign minister said Sunday he was hopeful of forging a “clear future design” for the nuclear deal facing collapse after Washington’s withdrawal, at the start of a diplomatic tour aimed at rescuing the agreement. “We hope that with this visit to China and other countries we will be able to construct a clear future […]

WASHINGTON — While many hands gripped the sword that undercut the Iran nuclear deal, no one outside the Trump administration was a more persistent or effective critic than Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of a hawkish Washington think tank. But rather than publicly celebrate President Trump’s decision Tuesday to jettison the accord, he is mourning […]

While Russia has condemned Washington for its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, Moscow remains less exposed to the economic consequences of US sanctions than Europe and its companies could even benefit from the move. “The deal and the lifting of sanctions in 2015 marked the return of European business to Iran. But it’s unlikely […]

France’s foreign minister on Thursday condemned the United States for reimposing sanctions against foreign companies trading with Iran, labeling the move “unacceptable” in comments that expose the deepening rift between Washington and its European allies on the issue. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced he was pulling out of a landmark deal curbing Iran’s […]

awks on Capitol Hill are preparing to go head-to-head with European countries that intend to continue business with Iran in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimpose all related U.S. sanctions. Several congressional offices are mulling an external memo, obtained by THE WEEKLY STANDARD, which […]

ANKARA (Reuters) – Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to quit a multinational nuclear deal would not affect Tehran’s oil exports. “Trump’s decision will not have any impact on our oil export … that era is history now,” he told state television. Trump announced a U.S. withdrawal […]

In Iran, the housing sector — which accounts for a hefty 35% of all household expenses — has since 2011 been in the grip of its worst recession in recent history. Indeed, it was the only sector not to rebound after sanctions were lifted with the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in January 2016. But […]

Despite months of E3-US negotiations to avert an unnecessary crisis over the Iran nuclear deal, President Trump has declared a hard exit from the nuclear agreement. The decision demonstrates that the US has decided that confrontation with Iran is both necessary and inevitable, regardless of what European allies think. The US administration looks set to […]

French President Emmanuel Macron and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani agreed on Wednesday during a phone call to work toward “the continued implementation of the nuclear deal” despite the US decision to withdraw from the agreement, the French presidency said. “The French and Iranian presidents agreed to pursue their joint efforts with all nations involved, with the […]

European Union officials will seek exemptions for European companies from sanctions the U.S. plans to impose on Iran, The Financial Times reported on Wednesday. The EU in its bid to save the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran and six other countries will have to convince European companies including French oil producer Total SA FP, -0.21% and defense contractor Airbus SE AIR, -1.52% to […]

President Trump has violated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and withdrawn from a landmark arms control agreement that enjoyed broad international support. Crucially, he did so more decisively than many expected. In his televised announcement on Tuesday, Trump clearly relished the opportunity to follow through on his campaign promise to “rip up” the Iran […]

Iran said it will hold talks with signatories to a nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump’s decision Tuesday to withdraw from the accord, which it branded “psychological warfare.” President Hassan Rouhani also said Iran could resume uranium enrichment “without limit” in response to Trump’s announcement. He said he would discuss Iran’s response with the […]

Donald Trump didn’t kill the Iran nuclear deal. He just shrank its membership by one. That was the line taken by the European Union immediately after the U.S. president announced his withdrawal from the 2015 accord. Germany, France and the U.K. all said they’ll stick to their commitments. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said […]

A former Iranian diplomat believes that if the US exits from the JCPOA without the UN Security Council and the Joint Commission under the agreement dealing with Iran’s complaints, Iran can subject its membership in the JCPOA and NPT to the full implementation of the 2015 JCPOA nuclear agreement. On 12 May, Donald Trump will […]

For much of Iran’s political elite, and its overwhelmingly young population, the nuclear deal is becoming a story of failure. This situation risks impacting on Tehran’s willingness to engage politically and to reach diplomatic compromises with Western powers. Last week European leaders were in Washington for a last push to keep the United States on […]

Iran is seeing bumper oil exports. But that doesn’t mean production is on a similar trend. OPEC’s third-largest producer ramped up exports in April to the highest since sanctions were eased more than two years ago. The jump came just weeks before a U.S. decision on whether to pull out of the global deal that […]

Turns out Mark Mobius isn’t one for retirement. Less than four months after leaving Franklin Templeton Investments, the 81-year-old has set up a new asset management firm to invest in emerging and frontier markets. Mobius Capital Partners LLP has yet to line up outside investors and wants to raise about $1 billion within two to […]

Israel began sharing an intelligence trove on Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions Tuesday, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced accusations his televised unveiling of it lacked evidence a 2015 accord had been violated. The IAEA, the United Nations atomic watchdog, said it would evaluate any new relevant information, but cited its assessment from three years ago […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday reiterated that all sides should continue to uphold the Iran nuclear agreement, and that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said many times Iran is in compliance with the deal. Speaking at a daily news briefing, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had noted reports about […]

The UN’s nuclear watchdog reiterated Tuesday it had “no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009”, citing its assessments from 2015. A spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement that its board of governors had “declared that its consideration of […]

Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of lying “big time” about its nuclear program. In a theatrical announcement Monday, the Israeli prime minister presented files and CDs that he claimed show Tehran hid secret nuclear plans after signing the multinational 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement. In response to Netanyahu, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad […]

The leaders of Britain, France and Germany have reiterated their commitment to the Iran nuclear deal “as the best way of neutralising the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran”, Downing Street said Sunday. Prime Minister Theresa May talked by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday and Sunday when they […]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits US President Donald Trump on Friday for a last-ditch European effort to prevent a transatlantic trade war and save the Iran nuclear deal. Merkel’s working trip is expected to be far more business-like than this week’s pomp-filled state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has built a warm rapport […]

he Iran nuclear deal may have more time than you think. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are both visiting Washington this week in part to persuade President Donald Trump not to withdraw from the agreement next month. Most discussions about the deal have focused on May 12 as a make-or-break deadline […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Iran is on track to launch a new aluminum smelter early next year that would boost the country’s output by 70 percent, making it self-sufficient in the metal by taking advantage of rich natural gas reserves. Construction is underway of the South Aluminium Corp (Salco) smelter, due to produce 300,000 tonnes per […]

The fate of the international nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), looks increasingly uncertain in light of repeated attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to walk out of the deal unless Congress and European counterparts agree to “fix it.” The recent appointments of Mike Pompeo […]

French President Emmanuel Macron seems, as much as any world leader, to have developed some kind of rapport with his American counterpart Donald Trump. But will their apparent bond prove productive as European capitals struggle to save the Iran nuclear deal from Trump’s impulsive wrath? The idea will be tested Monday when the young French […]

President Donald Trump will decide by May 12 whether to restore U.S. economic sanctions on Tehran, which would be a severe blow to the 2015 pact between Iran and six major powers. Under the deal, Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions. Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, struck the […]

he last Iranian year, which ended in March, saw several interesting developments for Iranian energy, both domestically and internationally. Numerous challenges remain, hampering the growth of the country’s energy industry – not the least due to complex politics in Iran and abroad. In particular, Iranian energy is overshadowed by mounting uncertainty due to the standoff […]

Iran and Turkey have started implementing a deal finalized by the two neighboring countries last year to use their national currencies in mutual trade with the first letter of credit being opened by Bank Melli Iran on Monday. According to Central Bank of Iran, as part of the agreement to use Iranian rial and Turkish […]

Changing international sanctions regimes continue to create an environment of uncertainty for foreign companies aiming to participate in Iran’s energy industry. Mehrnoosh Aryanpour, managing partner of the Tehran office of Gide Loyrette Nouel, outlines a path forward for ensuring stability in projects undertaken by Iranian-foreign joint ventures. • On Iran’s attractiveness for investment: “Foreign entities […]

EU foreign ministers on Monday discussed how they could persuade the US not to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, but stopped short of imposing new sanctions on Tehran. Britain, France and Germany used a meeting of the EU’s 28 foreign ministers to try to build support for expanding sanctions against Iran to punish […]

Coco Ferguson first saw the potential in logistics real estate in East Africa, where as a co-founder of Nairobi-based Maris Limited, she raised raised USD 60 million to fund the development of Kenya’s first “Grade A” warehouses. Now she wants to replicate that success with Iran Warehouse, a company she founded alongside Nader Sianaki, whose […]

In a decisive move intended to stop the further devaluation of the rial, the Rouhani government announced it would unify the official and free market dollar exchange rates, settling on an official rate of IRR 42,000. First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri made the announcement last night, declaring that trading dollars above the new rate would […]

Following intense tripartite negotiations, the Iranian government, employers and unions agreed to increase the country’s minimum wage by 19.8%, from 9.29 million rials ($245) per month to 11.14 million rials ($294.50). The deal will see the highest year-on-year growth in real terms since 2002. Workers and labor unions have scored this victory as the Iranian economy still reels from […]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday that the United States would regret withdrawing from the nuclear deal, and that Iran would respond in “less than a week” if that happened. “We will not be the first to violate the accord but they should definitely know that they will regret it if they violate it,” Rouhani […]

Members of Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) are determined to develop both business ties and political cooperation with Iran through the parliamentary dimension thus contributing to the implementation of the relevant agreements reached by the two countries’ presidents, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin told Iran’s television. The speaker arrived in Tehran for an […]

The governor of the Riksbank, Sweden’s central bank, will visit Iran on April 5-6 at the invitation of Iran’s central bank governor Valiollah Seif. Stefan Ingves, the governor of the Riksbank will be leading a day of technical exchanges including a working dinner hosted by Sweden’s ambassador in Tehran, Helena Sångeland. The visit, which comes […]

India is set to offer a $3-4 billion development plan for the Farzad B gas field to Iran next week after Tehran reduced the scope of the project, two sources familiar with the matter said. Relations between the two countries, which have long held deep trade ties, were strained last year after Iran sought other […]

MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. The agreement on creation of a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran may be signed within months, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said Monday. “The talks on drafting a temporary agreement on creation of an EAEU-Iran free trade zone have been finalized. The plan is to sign […]

A new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) examining “selected issues” in Iran’s economy, including the expansion of non-oil exports and the role of women in the labor force, places special emphasis on the importance for Iran to develop the government securities market, which is a priority under the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP). […]

France, Britain and Germany are struggling to persuade their EU partners to back new sanctions on Iran to preserve its nuclear deal, diplomats said, with Italy doubting whether the measures can stop the United States pulling out in May. At a closed-door meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, London, Paris and Berlin sought […]

JAKARTA, March 28 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s state oil company PT Pertamina has won a tender to operate Iran’s Mansouri field and it will sign a petroleum contract in early May, its upstream director told reporters on Wednesday. Pertamina will have an 80 percent participating interest in the field and the rest will go to its […]

Iran’s direct-reduced iron (DRI) production rose by 24% year on year to 24 million mt over the first 11 months of the current Iranian year (to February 19), according to the Iranian Steel Producers’ Association. Some 19.8 million mt of DRI was consumed by domestic steel producers in the same period, 4% lower year on […]

The Iran nuclear accord, assailed by President Trump and his revamped retinue of advisers, received a strong endorsement Monday from a bipartisan group of more than 100 national security veterans, who said the United States gains nothing by scrapping it. The group, including 50 retired military officers and at least four former American ambassadors to […]

French oil major Total is committed to the development of an Iranian gasfield and will apply for a waiver if US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdraws from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and re-imposes sanctions on Tehran, the company’s chief executive said. “If the US decides to put back the sanctions, we have to look […]

After a gap of 27 years, direct flights between Iran and Serbia resumed on Saturday, when an IranAir jet touched down at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla airport, Serbian media reported. Iran Air is offering a direct service between Tehran and Belgrade twice weekly, with all flights fully booked until the end of the summer, the reports […]

China will build a train line connecting the Iranian port of Bushehr to the rest of the country’s railway network under a $700 million deal signed on Wednesday. The agreement was inked in Tehran in the presence of Iranian Transport Minister Abbas Akhoundi and officials from China Machinery Industry Construction Group. It will see the […]

Iran is giving Russia another market to offload its massive wheat harvest. The Persian Gulf nation has agreed to buy the grain from Russia and Kazakhstan, and total shipments may reach as much as 1 million metric tons a year over the next five years, according to the Tehran Chamber of Commerce. The wheat can […]

Firms to bid for Susangerd field: IRNA ONGC Videsh, the overseas arm of government-owned ONGC, has signed a cooperation agreement with Iran’s IDRO Oil to jointly bid for a $900 million development plan of Susangerd oilfield in southwest Iran, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Tuesday. ONGC did not comment on the development when […]

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian oil companies could sign contracts with Iran by March 21 that would allow them to work on Iranian oilfields, Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday. Novak also said Iran was ready to supply crude oil to Russia but that would depend on future agreements with the buyers of the […]

Journalists flooded Iran’s National Museum on Monday for the arrival of more than 50 artworks from the Louvre—the first major show by a Western museum in the country’s history. The show reflects France’s determined use of cultural diplomacy as it seeks to rebuild traditional ties with Iran, even as their officials hold tense talks over […]

Major Iranian urban centers have seen unprecedented air pollution in recent years. According to officials, it is caused primarily by the many cars on the streets, with heavy vehicles including trucks and buses emitting 63% of air-polluting particles. An estimated 350,000 dilapidated heavy vehicles, according to the traffic police, are particularly large producers of pollutants. These vehicles also consume more fuel than newer […]

Mohammad Qaempanah is a serial entrepreneur. His first business saw him act as a one-man internet service provider in his town, the connectivity from which he leveraged to start his next business, exporting saffron, a coveted spice with a heady aroma taken from the stigma of the crocus flower. Qaempanah exported the spice until sanctions […]

The Iran Mercantile Exchange plans to begin trading in domestically produced iron ore pellet and concentrate, IME Managing Director Hamed Soltani-Nejad was quoted as saying by local media websites on Monday. The IME also planned to trade imported iron ore in the future, he added. Iran’s iron ore imports were insignificant, however, though a market […]

Iran is still sticking to the 2015 nuclear accord, a UN atomic watchdog report showed Thursday, four months ahead of US President Donald Trump’s deadline to fix its “disastrous flaws”. The International Atomic Energy Agency document, the ninth since the deal came into force in January 2016, showed Iran complying with the accord’s key parameters. […]

A Swedish investment company is “on course” to make a landmark investment in Moheb, the leading manufacturer of plastic and laminate tubes in Iran and the Middle East. The deal represents one of the first private equity investments made by foreign investor in a growth-stage Iranian company, outside the digital sector. Serkland Group, founded in […]

Academic research on Iranian managers is scarce, mainly because of the lack of business ties with foreigners and longstanding international sanctions. Relatively little is known about how Iranian managers, particularly those at smaller enterprises, perceive business collaboration with outsiders. In order to address this knowledge gap, we have conducted a major survey among Iranian managers in […]

PARIS (Reuters) – France reaffirmed its commitment to the Iran nuclear deal on Monday, saying it wanted it to be strictly implemented and was continuing talks with its European and U.S. partners on the programme. The foreign ministry said France was concerned about Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its activities in the region, mentioning its […]

In a masterstroke of cultural diplomacy, the Louvre will launch a major exhibition next month at the National Museum of Iran in Tehran, comprising 50 works drawn from from its collection and the Musée Eugène Delacroix in Paris (The Louvre in Tehran, 5 March-3 June). “The Louvre in Tehran is the first large-scale exhibition by […]

NEW DELHI: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit appears to have smoothened the creases in bilateral energy ties that had developed over delayed Farzad-B gas field deal, with both sides going back to the negotiating table as well as New Delhi agreeing to buy more Iranian crude and Tehran reciprocating by offering “good incentives”. India also […]

With negotiations stuck over pricing of natural gas, ONGC Videsh Ltd has offered to invest USD 6.2 billion in development of Iran’s giant Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf while leaving the marketing of gas to Tehran. OVL had last year made its ‘best’ offer to spend USD 11 billion in developing the Farzad-B […]

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will be seeking billions of dollars of Indian investment during a visit to New Delhi, diplomats said, a trip that comes amid U.S. pressure to review a 2015 international nuclear deal and re-impose sanctions on Iran. India is trying to develop the port of Chabahar on Iran’s […]

In the last week, European business leaders and policymakers have grown more vocal about the possibility that the European Union would employ blocking regulations to protect European businesses from the reach of US secondary sanctions on Iran. These regulations would penalize European companies for complying with secondary sanctions, which may snapback if the Trump administration […]

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was followed by the independence of several states in the Caucasus, including the Republic of Azerbaijan. While the newfound Azerbaijani state has not enjoyed warm ties with Iran, this trend appears to be changing as the two countries move closer to one another. The absence of close ties […]

Defenders of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal responded with trepidation to news this week that the Democrats’ staunchest Iran hawk would be reclaiming a top congressional role. In a hallway interview, however, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., told Al-Monitor that he does not plan to use his perch as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee […]

PARIS (Reuters) – The European Union could put in place regulations to protect its firms doing business in Iran if the United States withdraws from the 2015 nuclear deal and restores extraterritorial sanctions, a senior EU official said on Thursday. European countries have been looking to increase trade with Iran since Paris, Washington and other […]

PARIS (Reuters) – Britain said on Thursday it was working with its partners to tackle U.S. concerns over a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, but said Tehran must avoid actions that threaten regional security. “We and our European partners are absolutely clear. We want the deal to succeed,” Minister for the […]

Iran is founding a consortium of private re-rollers to boost its long product exports, said Ahmad Khorvash, a member of the board of directors of Iranian Steel Producers’ Association and managing director of the country’s largest re-roller Kavir Steel Complex, according to a report by Minews, a domestic website close to the industry, on Tuesday. […]

In a major interview given to French newspaper Le Monde looking at Total’s strong performance in 2017, CEO Patrick Pouyanné was asked about the “American threat” to the company’s “important gas project” in Iran. Pouyanné’s forthright response marks perhaps the first time that a major European executive has publicly called for a diplomatic intervention to […]

Iran can swiftly increase production of crude if OPEC decides to scrap limits on global output when the group meets next in June, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said.  The Persian Gulf nation can raise daily production by at least 100,000 barrels within “five or six days” if the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decides […]

PARIS (Reuters) – France will start offering euro-denominated credits to Iranian buyers of its goods later this year, a move to bolster trade while keeping it outside the reach of U.S. sanctions, the head of state-owned investment bank Bpifrance said. France and other European countries have been looking to increase trade with Iran since Paris, […]

TEHRAN, Iran — Many foreign companies returned to Iran’s largely untapped market after the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in July 2015. The landmark deal took effect six months later, and lifted international sanctions in exchange for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. The deal has helped bring economic benefits for Iran, including the […]

Iran’s target of boosting its steelmaking capacity to 55 million mt/year by 2025 is achievable and could even be met ahead of deadline, domestic media quoted a key industry consultant as saying Tuesday. However, he said the main challenge for Iran was not expanding steelmaking capacity, but obtaining raw materials. “The country’s [nominal steelmaking] capacity […]

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi has expressed hope that Europe will remain committed to the nuclear deal. On Jan. 29, Araghchi appeared on Ofogh TV’s hard-line political show to respond to the criticisms and ambiguous points of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was achieved between Iran and the […]

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Oil production from the West Karoun oilfields in southwest Iran nearly doubled in the past year, oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said in an interview broadcast live on state TV Saturday. Oil production for the West Karoun oilfields for the Iranian month of Dey, which runs from late December until late January, was […]

Regional turboprop manufacturer ATR is hopeful that worsening relations between the US administration and Iran will not hinder its business relationship with Tehran. ATR delivered eight aircraft to Iran Air in 2017 and plans to deliver a further 12 by the end of this year, as part of Iran’s effort to replace its antiquated civil […]

The headquarters of Dongbu Daewoo Electronics are located in a skyscraper on “Teheran-ro” (Tehran Street) in downtown Seoul, South Korea. The street is the address for so many of Korea’s leading industrial and technology companies that the area is called Tehran Valley, a nod to Silicon Valley. The street name dates back to 1977, when, […]

The first shipment to pass through the port of Chabahar to Afghanistan was celebrated with much fanfare and excitement this late October. India, with the largest economy in South Asia and an ever-rising military footprint has much to be proud of regarding this development. In the face of regional tensions with its western neighbor, Pakistan, […]

The last time Europe was tested so heavily by a U.S. president was prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Ever since, members of the European foreign-policy elite have questioned whether the continent failed to adequately push back against this disastrous decision, which proved so costly for European interests. European leaders should heed past experience and […]

Over the next three years, Iran will add more advertising dollars than any of the other countries included in Zenith’s Thirty Rising Media Markets report. Zenith predicts that ad spend in Iran will grow by $713m (£514.4m) between 2017 and 2020, to reach $2.1bn in total. This represents an average annual growth rate of 15%. The […]

In November, a government report detailing the first 100 days of President Rouhani’s second term, announced that Digikala, Iran’s leading e-commerce platform, had received a major new investment. A section of the report tabulating recent foreign direct investment in Iran notes that an entity called International Internet Investment Coöperatief UA (IIIC) has made an investment of USD […]

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that any issues not directly related to the Iran nuclear deal “should be addressed without prejudice to preserving the agreement,” his spokesman said amid U.S. concerns with Tehran. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that European allies and Congress have to work with […]

PARIS (Reuters) – French carmaker PSA’s (PEUP.PA) global sales jumped by 15 percent last year as strong growth in Iran and Latin America helped to offset difficulties in Britain and China. The owner of the Peugeot brand sold 3,632,300 vehicles in 2017, it said on Tuesday, a day after domestic rival Renault (RENA.PA) announced a […]

  Executive Summary: The story of Iran’s post-sanctions economic recovery is so far one of great expectations and frustrating delays. On the two-year anniversary of the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, this report examines the “economic implementation” of the nuclear deal. Multinational companies remain committed to the Iranian market, but the much-needed […]

A new crop of entrepreneurs are making Iran a hub for hardware development, drawing on the country’s deep pool of mechanical and electrical engineering talent. Iran’s burgeoning startup ecosystem has enjoyed extensive international attention over the last few years, but the focus has remained almost exclusively on app developers and software creators. Behind the scenes, […]

Iran’s landmark gas deal with French energy firm Total is moving ahead, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said in a statement, lending confidence to the country’s biggest energy contract since the lifting of sanctions in Jan. 2016. Total signed a $5-billion deal in July last year to develop an offshore section of South Pars, the […]

Aboard member of Middle East Bank, which alongside Bank of Industry and Mine was one of the two Iranian banks that clinched a €5 billion finance deal with Italy’s Invitalia on Thursday, elaborated on the landmark deal. “The Middle East Bank will only use the credit line of the deal to fund the private sector, […]

Donald Trump has waived a raft of sanctions against Iran as required under a 2015 nuclear agreement, staying within the deal for the time being, but the US president warned European allies and Congress it will be the last such waiver he signs if they fail to agree to radical changes. With his announcement, the president […]

Iran’s foreign minister arrives in Brussels on Thursday for a visit threatening to become a lightning rod for critics of the EU’s tepid response to anti-regime protests in the Islamic Republic. Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet Federica Mogherini, Brussels’ top diplomat, and foreign ministers from Germany, France and the UK in a diplomatic show of […]

ROME (Reuters) – Italy and Iran will on Thursday sign a framework credit agreement worth 5.0 billion euros whereby Rome will help Italian companies invest in Iran, a Treasury source said on Wednesday. The accord foresees the opening of lines of credit to two Iranian banks by Invitalia, an Italian state-owned holding, in order to […]

During a planned visit to New Delhi, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development and his Indian counterpart are expected to make the final decision about details of a deal on financing a railroad linking the Iranian southeastern cities of Zahedan and Chabahar, an official said. In a meeting with India’s ambassador to Tehran, Iranian […]

A key OPEC minister has warned that the group risks overheating the oil market as crude prices head toward $70 a barrel. “Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries are not keen on increased Brent crude prices above $60 a barrel because of shale oil,” Iran Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said, according to […]

Months after the Central Bank of Iran clinched an agreement with the Export Insurance Agency of Russia to pave the way for Russian banks to fund Iranian projects, four Iranian banks have signed an “unlimited finance deal” with the Eximbank of Russia. Bank Sepah, the Export Development Bank of Iran, Parsian Bank and Bank Pasargad have signed […]

Italy’s Techint Engineering and Construction signed an agreement with Ardabil Petrochemical Company to provide the technical know-how for the construction of a 500,000-ton petrochemical unit in northwest Iran, the company’s head of the board of directors said. The contract, worth €34 million ($40 million), was signed between Giorgio Veronesi, Techint’s commercial manager, and Bahram Shahsavari, […]

he Iranian government plans to impose a 10% export duty on non-concentrated iron ore from the beginning of the next Iranian year (March 21, 2018), according to a report by Steelprice, a domestic website close to the industry, citing Jafar Sargheini, a deputy at the mines and industries ministry. The duty will also be increased […]

Staff Writer, TradeArabia Iran’s leading car manufacturer Iran Khodro Company will provide Peugeot with the parts it needs in its proposed Algeria plant, according to a senior company official.The company can also invest in Algeria to produce and sell its products to Peugeot, Hashemi Yekke Zare, CEO of Iran Khodro, was quoted as saying in […]

Mineral Commodities Limited (MRC), a listed Australian junior mining company, has entered the Iranian market, announcing a series of acquisitions and exploration joint-ventures with an eye to the country’s rich copper, gold, cobalt, and lithium deposits. In July 2017, MRC established a wholly-owned Iranian subsidiary, Madan Rahjo Kanyab Company. Bahman Rashidi has been appointed country […]

BEIJING/LONDON (Reuters) – China’s top oil and gas company CNPC is considering taking over Total’s (TOTF.PA) stake in a giant Iranian gas project if the French company leaves Iran to comply with any new U.S. sanctions, industry sources said. Total signed the $1 billion deal to develop the South Pars gas field in July. The […]

Unilever, acting through its Iranian subsidiary, has signed a joint venture partnership with Golestan Company, the makers of Golestan tea and one of Iran’s best known consumer goods companies. The agreement was signed on November 29, but was formally announced this week. The new partnership will see Unilever and Golestan join forces to locally manufacture and sell […]

MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. Russia’s top gas producer Gazprom has signed a roadmap on implementation of projects in Iran and a memorandum of understanding and cooperation on an LNG project in the country, the company reported following a visit of its delegation headed by Chairman Aleksei Miller to the country. As part of the visit, Miller […]

WASHINGTON — European diplomatic efforts have helped persuade Congress to hold off on passing legislation that would violate the Iran nuclear deal, at least for now. In the wake of US President Donald Trump’s decision to not certify the Iran nuclear deal in October, a 60-day window for Congress to vote to reimpose Iran nuclear sanctions with […]

Switzerland’s Autoneum, a world leader in the acoustic and thermal insulation for automotive applications, has signed a new exclusive license agreement with Ayegh Khodro Toos (AKT), an Iranian auto parts company that specializes in noise and vibration damping materials. Autoneum and AKT will establish a new production like at AKT’s facility in Mashhad in order to begin producing carpet […]

Ahead of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) ministerial meeting in Vienna Nov. 30-Dec. 1, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh expressed hope that production cuts that were agreed to last year would be extended. What was at stake, however, was more than energy markets. Zanganeh and his counterparts, including Qataris, Saudis and Emiratis, met amid a delicate […]

ZURICH, Dec 11 (Reuters) – Swiss group Autoneum has reached an exclusive license agreement with Iranian automotive supplier Ayegh Khodro Toos (AKT) to produce and distribute components in Iran, it said on Monday. AKT will produce carpet systems and inner dashes at its plant in Mashhad for IKAP, a joint venture between carmaker Iran Khodro […]

President Trump inherited a Middle East convulsed by crisis and civil war with two fragile exceptions: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iran’s nuclear program, both of which were quiescent. With two impulsive, egotistical decisions, taken against the strong recommendations of his national security team, he has endangered the status quo on both fronts. Now the question […]

TEHRAN — On a crisp morning in Vienna two summers ago, hours before concluding the nuclear deal with the United States, the European Union and five other world powers, I took to Twitter to write that the landmark accord was “not a ceiling but a solid foundation.” Unfortunately, for the past 11 months, the response […]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani submitted a $337 billion draft budget to parliament that earmarks about $100 billion for public service programs that would create jobs, address a banking crisis and introduce a new social security program. Rouhani told lawmakers that the budget was based on oil prices forecast at $55 a barrel, according to an […]

Bus maker Ikarus has signed an agreement with Iran for the export of 1,000 buses, one third of its full-year production capacity, although it must adapt to local technical requirements. Ikarus Chairman Gábor Széles was among a 20-strong business delegation accompanying Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga on an official visit to Iran at the […]

SYLMAR, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYES) (“Second Sight” or “the Company”), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable visual prosthetics that are intended to create an artificial form of useful vision to blind patients, today announced market entry into Iran, implanting the first two patients with the Company’s Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis […]

Iran has launched one of its major post-nuclear deal projects – the port of Chabahar – pushing further for engagement with the global community, days before the US Congress’ expected decision on whether Washington will pull out of the landmark international accord. On Sunday, President Hassan Rouhani officially inaugurated the southeastern port in Iran’s Sistan […]

SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) — Hyundai Rotem Co., the train manufacturing unit of Hyundai Motor Group, said Monday it won a 929.3 billion-won (US$856 million) order to supply diesel-powered trains in Iran. The company said in a statement that it signed the mega deal with the Iranian government Saturday (local time) to build 450 trains […]

Iran inaugurated a long-awaited new port at Chabahar in the southeast Sunday, which it is hoped will be a major new trade hub linking India and Africa with Central Asia. The first three shipments of Indian wheat to Afghanistan were unloaded in the morning, according to the Iranian ports organisation. “Through this port, goods will […]

Government officials and investors all agree that Iran needs to improve its business climate to attract the needed investment for job creation. One of the phenomena that can help ease the process of doing business is the country’s customs organization. Incidentally, Iran’s current minister of economic affairs and finance, Massoud Karbassian, was promoted from his previous position as […]

ROME/ANKARA (Reuters) – China is financing billions of dollars worth of Chinese-led projects in Iran, making deep inroads into the economy while European competitors struggle to find banks willing to fund their ambitions, Iranian government and industry officials said. Freed from crippling nuclear sanctions two years ago, Iran is drawing unprecedented Chinese funding for everything […]

America’s politics are mired in dysfunction and division. Much of the focus is on economic questions, and much of the heat is generated by the culture wars; but real wars—and America’s role in them—are part of the debate too. While this debate preoccupies America, the world is changing, and rapidly. We have entered a new […]

Washington (CNN) Some of the US’s closest allies, the UK, Germany and France, who have been growing increasingly frustrated after months of lobbying to keep the Iran nuclear deal intact, have formed a united front. Without being invited, they’ve organized a joint team to travel to Washington this week, setting up their own meetings to ramp […]

Iranian steel billet has been quietly gaining acceptance in the global market because of its attractive prices compared to material from other suppliers. In the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21-September 22, 2017), billet shipments from the country rose 25% year on year to 1.60 million tonnes, according to the Iranian Steel […]

SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Yonhap) — BGF Retail Co., the operator of South Korea’s largest convenience store chain CU, said Tuesday it has opened a store in Iran, marking the first overseas expansion for a local convenience store operator. The launch of the store in Tehran came about four months after the company signed an agreement […]

Muscat: Ithraa, Oman’s inward investment and export promotion agency, held a one-day workshop at the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) Training Centre, to explore the opportunities and challenges Omani exporters face with doing business in Iran. Iran remains an attractive target for Omani businesses, with highly favourable cross-sector opportunities. Home to a burgeoning middle […]

 The aim is to turn the war-scarred plant into a producer of quality fuel so Iran doesn’t have to rely on imports  At the Middle East’s oldest oil refinery, giant, yellow-brick silos that stored Iranian crude and fuel products are mottled by bullet marks from the war with Iraq in the 1980s. One has a […]

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Iran does not have a problem obtaining financing for its aircraft deals and the delivery of purchased aircraft is on track, its deputy transport minister Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan said on Saturday, according to state media. The state news item noted that an Iranian media outlet, which it did not name, had reported […]

German firm ABO Wind has started constructing a 1.3MW solar PV project at Saidabad, Semnan province, in northern Iran. The project will use more than 4,100 PV modules and is due to come online by the end of the month. “We are well on schedule with our first Iranian project,” said Florian Lüders, ABO Wind’s […]

In an unusual move, Total’s press office issued a series of tweets on Tuesday in order to correct an apparent mischaracterization of the company’s position on its planned USD 4.8 billion gas deal in Iran. A piece published by CNN Money on Tuesday, and later echoed by Reuters, suggested that Total was “rethinking” its comittment to Iran in light of […]

Global shifts in the energy system Four large-scale shifts in the global energy system set the scene for the World Energy Outlook 2017: the rapid deployment and falling costs of clean energy technologies, the growing electrification of energy, the shift to a more services-oriented economy and a cleaner energy mix in China, and the resilience […]

VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran has remained within the main limits on its nuclear activity set by its 2015 deal with six world powers, the U.N. atomic watchdog said in its first report since U.S. President Donald Trump decertified Iranian compliance with the terms. Iran undertook to curb its uranium enrichment programme in return for relief […]

Iran’s Arvandan Shipbuilding Company and Netherlands’ Damen Shipyards signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in shipbuilding industry, reports Trend News Agency. The deal envisages cooperation in manufacturing advanced offshore vessels in Iran, the Iranian company announced in a statement. The cooperation will include technology and the transfer of know-how to Iran while employing […]

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan (Reuters) – Senior officials from the European Union and Iran spoke up on Friday in defense of the agreement limiting Tehran’s nuclear program, as the pact comes under heavy pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. The nuclear deal was “a major achievement of European and international multilateral diplomacy”, EU foreign policy chief Federica […]

The rising issuance of various Islamic sukuk and, in particular, Islamic Treasury bills in the past three years in Iran is seen as evidence of the success and allure of the Iranian debt market. However, it should be noted that widespread sales of Islamic Treasury bills on Iran’s nascent bond market come at a price. Perhaps the most important factor contributing […]

Indonesia’s state-run Pertamina will start discussions with National Iranian Oil Company, or NIOC, this week for the renewal of their term LPG import contract for 2018 supplies, a source familiar with the matter said Wednesday. They will review volumes as well as price levels. Pertamina has had a contract since May last year with NIOC […]

Iran is showing no signs of slowing its drive to grow its petrochemical industry, with a senior decision-maker stating that plans are underway to increase the country’s petrochemical production capacity up to 120 million tonnes per year by 2021. This would mean Iran’s petrochemical production capacity gaining ground against the GCC region, which produces over […]

DUBAI (Reuters) – Russian gas giant Gazprom signed an initial agreement with Iranian state-run investment fund IDRO to cooperate in unspecified oil, gas and energy projects, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday. “The Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO) is fully ready to cooperate with Gazprom … and this memorandum of […]

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Iran is seeking $50 billion in investment for its mining industries out to 2022 and has signed agreements with several European and Asian banks in the past few months, the country’s deputy mining minister said on Wednesday. “We are in need of $50 billion for investment in the mining and mining industries […]

With most sanctions lifted, Iran is going all-in on its potential to become a transport hub in the heart of Eurasia, returning the country to its traditional position as a vital link between East and West. However, Iran’s transportation dreams have a major problem in the current reality: decades of sanctions have left the country’s […]

* Asia imports 1.9 mln bpd in Sep, up 5.1 pct yr/yr * China monthly imports rise 60 pct to 784,000 bpd * S.Korean imports hit 5-month high at 504,000 bpd * Japan imports drop more than 30 pct to 216,000 bpd * Indian imports down nearly a third at 415,400 bpd TOKYO, Oct 31 […]

Tehran, Iran – What would have been a routine visit by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) became a public relations opportunity for the Iranian government. Yukiya Amano was in Tehran on Sunday, his first visit since US President Donald Trump told Congress that Iran is not complying with the Joint Comprehensive […]

A recent string of “financing agreements” that various governments and international banks have signed with Iran indicates that Tehran is finding solutions to leave behind the bottlenecks in financing its international projects. The question at this stage is whether or not such deals will facilitate the planned expansion of trade and investment with international — and especially […]

Interview with Bijan Khajehpour, faculty member of the Schranner Negotiation Institute and expert on negotiations with Iranians:   Mr. Khajehpour, thank you for taking the time for this interview. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a country of rich cultural heritage. How do these cultural characteristics affect today’s business dealings in Iran? One could write an entire […]

OSLO (Reuters) – Renewable energy is booming in Iran, where installed capacity is expected to grow at least sevenfold over the next five years, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s more confrontational attitude towards Tehran. Iran’s latest deal was signed on Tuesday, when Norway’s Saga Energy concluded a $2.9 billion (£2.2 billion) deal to build solar […]

PARIS (Reuters) – A United States Congress decision on the Iran nuclear deal could clarify Washington’s stance on the international accord and lead to a positive outcome for Total and its planned $5 billion Iranian gas project, its CEO said on Wednesday. Congress has two months to decide whether to reinstate sanctions on Iran after […]

Just days after US President Donald Trump called for further isolation of Iran, a Norwegian solar company signed a deal Tuesday to invest 2.5 billion euros in the country over the next five years. “Norway is fully committed to the JCPOA (nuclear deal) and this is proof that we have taken the opening very seriously, […]

LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s revised hardline policy towards Iran will have little impact on Tehran’s ambition to develop its vital oil industry and attract foreign investment, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday. The Islamic Republic hopes to signs 10 new deals with foreign companies to develop oil and gas fields by […]

The European Union has urged US politicians to preserve the Iran nuclear deal, warning that Donald Trump’s threat to end it could jeopardise international security and damage diplomatic efforts to defuse tension in North Korea. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said the president’s threat risks making it “more difficult to open any form […]

Most of India’s pending issues with Iran, especially those relating to payment for import of Iranian oil, have been resolved, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said. “There were several pending issues with Iran, particularly relating to the oil payment. Most of them have been resolved,” he told reporters on Saturday following a meeting here with […]

France is determined to preserve the 2015 nuclear agreement in the face of a hardened U.S. position as President Emmanuel Macron considers a potential trip to Iran. “Everything that’s possible” should be done to save the Iran nuclear deal, Defense Minister Florence Parly told CNews in a televised interview Sunday. That’s in keeping with comments […]

resident Donald Trump has finally made good on his threat to decertify Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. Despite warnings from his most senior national security officials — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster — Trump is determined to eviscerate the legacy of his […]

The package would include a strong statement backing the deal by European powers, together with efforts to lobby the U.S. Congress and put wider pressure on Iran, officials said. But without strong U.S. support for the deal, senior officials in Berlin, Paris and London say it may be only a matter of time before the […]

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will hold a briefing with key negotiators of the Iran nuclear deal just days before President Trump is expected to decertify the Obama-era agreement. Former Secretary of State John Kerry and former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who spearheaded the negotiations that led to the agreement, will participate in a panel […]

  Mofid Securities, Iran’s largest independent brokerage and financial advisory company, has entered into a major new agreement with Azimut Group, one of Europe’s leading asset managers. The agreement will see Azimut take a 20% stake in Mofid Entekhab, the asset management business of Mofid Securities, as Azimut and Mofid seek to bring a higher […]

European officials and business executives are quickly mobilizing a counter effort to the expected U.S. rebuff of the Iran nuclear accord, encouraging companies to invest in Iran while urging Congress to push back against White House moves that could hobble the deal.ZURICH — The European stance — sketched out on the sidelines of an Iran-focused […]

EU business leaders have said they are prepared to do everything they can to salvage the Iran nuclear deal in the event of a US withdrawal, as the Danish credit agency extended export guarantees to Tehran in the run-up to a showdown with Donald Trump. The US president has reportedly decided to decertify Iran’s compliance with the landmark […]

Flexible office space provider Regus has opened its first location in the Iranian capital of Tehran in partnership with Edge Business Group. The office, located on the top floor of Sayeh Tower on Valiasr Avenue, is situated in one of the city’s main commercial centres. Regus says local amenities include five-star hotels, restaurants, banks and […]

LONDON (ICIS)–Poland’s CIECH Group said on Thursday it has started importing and selling Iranian polyolefins. Through the company’s Ciech Trading subsidiary, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) products would be sourced from three Tehran-based producers, namely Jam Petrochemical Company (JPC), Jam Polypropylene Company (JPPC) and Persian Gulf Petrochemial Industry Commercial Company (PGPICC). “Our strategy is to create a global chemical […]

For the first time since last year’s lifting of sanctions against Iran, two European banks have announced the signing of financing deals with Iranian banks, and more are ready to follow. Austria’s Oberbank and Denmark’s Danske Bank each entered into framework agreements with a number of Iranian banks on Thursday, under which they will provide […]

OPEC’s no.3 producer Iran will continue to export oil and aim to boost its global crude sales, as it is “not worried” that growing tensions with the U.S. over the nuclear deal would affect its oil flows to Asia and Europe, Saeed Khoshrou, Director of International Affairs at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), has said […]

Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, the most experienced minister in the Islamic Republic of Iran, has yet again been entrusted with one of the most challenging portfolios in the Hassan Rouhani administration: the Ministry of Petroleum (MoP). Experts agree that in the past four years, Zanganeh and his team have managed to rehabilitate the petroleum sector after […]

LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) – While most London-based bankers are brushing up on their German to prepare for a move to Frankfurt post-Brexit, senior staff at French investment banks expect to say “Oui” to government pressure to bring jobs home to Paris. Most international banks in London have declared where they will move their European business in […]

Iran has shipped more than 500,000 b/d of ultra-light crude to the Far East so far in 2017 and that flow is expected to remain strong for the rest of the year as South Korea steps up its purchasing plans and other Asian end-users eye naphtha-rich South Pars condensate for its competitive price. South Korea […]

Less than two years after it returned to the international oil markets, Iran is quick to embrace the alternative of oil: renewable energy sources. The country’s Deputy Energy Minister, Houshang Fallahatian, told media that Tehran plans to add 1,000 MW of new renewable power capacity every year over the next five years. Revenues from renewables […]

Anglo-Dutch major Shell submitted the result of its survey on Iran’s second major gas field, Kish, to the National Iranian Oil Company September 12, according to Shana. The report gave no further information, but last December Shell signed a memorandum of understanding to survey the 1.

LONDON (Reuters) – Germany’s Mercedes-Benz Trucks signed a contract on Tuesday with Tehran-based automaker Iran Khodro, parent company Daimler AG (DAIGn.DE) told Reuters, laying the foundation for resuming distribution of its trucks in Iran.

Sept 10 (Reuters) – Iran will reach an oil production rate of 4.5 million barrels per day (bpd) within five years, Ali Kardor, the managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), said Sunday according to the oil ministry news site SHANA. Iran has been producing around 3.8 million bpd in recent months. Iranian […]

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – France made a new plea on Monday for the United States to preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and suggested its provisions expiring after a decade could be strengthened, as U.S. President Donald Trump again criticized the agreement as “deeply flawed.”

The Europe-Iran Forum (EIF) was established four years ago to help support business diplomacy between Iran and the West. Many of the complex challenges facing Iran involve both political and economic considerations, and so they cannot be solved by policymakers or business leaders working separately. Cooperation is needed among the full range of stakeholders, and […]

VIENNA (Reuters) – Oberbank (OBER.VI) on Thursday said it had signed a deal with Iran, enabling it to finance new ventures there and making it one of the first European banks to do so since sanctions were eased.