News Updates

26 January - 04 February
  • Thousands of German SMEs eager to trade with Iran: German official. ( Tehran Times, 3 Feb 2019)
  • India’s 2019 budget allocates $21m to invest in Chabahar development:
    “For Chabahar port, New Delhi’s key connectivity plan with Afghanistan and central Asia remained unchanged from the previous year at Rs 150 crore”, the report read.In October 2018, Iran, India and Afghanistan inked an agreement on transit of goods via Chabahar. The agreement was signed in Tehran during the first meeting of coordination council of agreement on the establishment of an international transport and transit corridor among Iran, India and Afghanistan (Chabahar Agreement). These three countries had signed a trilateral transit agreement in Tehran in May 2016, which allows them open new routes to connect among themselves via converting Chabahar Port into a transit hub bypassing Pakistan. Then during the visit of the Iranian president to India in February 2018, the lease contract for Shahid Beheshti Port-Phase 1 was signed between Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) and India’s Ports Global Limited (IPGL). India then inaugurated a headquarters called India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ) at the port to help it commit to its part in the accord.India’s commercial operations began at Chabahar with the arrival of a Cyprus registered bulk carrier bearing 72,458 million tons of corn (imported from Brazil) at the port on December 30. (Tehran Times, 3 Feb, 2019)
  • U.S. will fail to save Israel if Zionists start new war: Iranian general. ( 3 Feb, 2019,Tehran Times)
  • Iranian, Russian diplomats hold talks over Syria: Russia's special envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev met in Tehran on Saturday with Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the Iranian foreign minister’s special aide in political affairs, who acts as Iran’s point man for Arab affairs.The meeting anticipates a trilateral summit of the presidents of the guarantor states of the Syria peace process, Iran, Russia, and Turkey, scheduled to be held on February 14 in Russia’s Sochi. ( Tehran Times, Feb 2, 2019)
  • Trump Calls for Keeping Troops in Iraq to Watch Iran, Possibly Upending ISIS Fight. ( Tehran Times, 3 Feb,2019)
  • Iran inches closer to unveiling state-backed cryptocurrency
    Shut out of the global financial system, Iran is inching closer to a workaround to US sanctions with the possible unveiling of its first state-backed cryptocurrency in the near future. The virtual currency is anticipated to be announced at the annual two-day Electronic Banking and Payment Systems conference, which kicks off on January 29 in the capital, Tehran. The theme of this year's gathering is "blockchain revolution".The blockchain is a fixed distributed ledger technology that allows a network of computers to verify transactions between two parties, as opposed to validating them through a trusted, third-party entity. Details of Iran's new cryptocurrency were revealed last summer, after the Trump administration started reimposing sanctions over alleged "malign activities".The biggest blow to Iran's economy came in November, when some of its banks were barred from SWIFT, the Belgian-based global messaging system that facilitates cross-border payments. (AlJazeera, 27. Jan, 2019)
  • The United States has announced new sanctions on two Iran-backed militias fighting in Syria in a move aimed at raising pressure on Tehran and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as Washington prepares for a military withdrawal from the war-torn country. The Fatemiyoun Division, comprising Afghan nationals, and the Zaynabiyoun Brigade, comprising Pakistani fighters, were placed on the US Treasury's financial blacklist, which aims to cut off their access to international financial networks to choke their operations. ( AlJazeera, 24 Jan, 2019)
16 January - 25 January
  • Iran to expand cooperation with Spain in tourism ( Iran Daily- 24.1.2019)
  • Iran, Russia to expand economic cooperation
    Iran's Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaie and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin in Moscow on Thursday discussed Tehran-Moscow economic cooperation at bilateral and regional levels. Based on Russian Customs statistics, Iran-Russia trade volume showed 28.3 percent growth in the first half of 2018, standing at $945.181 million, IRNA reported.In the first half of 2018, Iran reserved the rank of 47 in the list of countries with which Russia had a trade which cannot be regarded an adequate position given the extensive level of cooperation between the two countries internationally and in the fields of security and politics. ( Iran Daily-24.1.2019)
  • Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi unveiled plans for the mass production of the fourth and fifth generations of homegrown centrifuge machines used for enriching uranium. ( Iran Daily- 23.1.2019)
  • Iran, Turkey, and Russia throw their weight behind the Venezuelan government against a bizarre move by the US-backed opposition leader to proclaim himself “president,” warning Washington against interfering in domestic affairs of the South American state ( Iran Daily- 24.1.2019)
  • Iran urges world to end Israeli impunity. ( Tehran Times- 23.1.2019)
  • Israeli army says it hit Iranian targets in Syria ( Al Jazeera- 21.1.2019)
  • New US sanctions target Iran-backed fighters in Syria ( Al Jazeera- 25.1.2019)
  • Lebanon summit reveals Arab divisions over Syria, Iran
    As Lebanon prepares to host a regional economic summit this weekend, the meeting has been overshadowed by divisions over Syria's future and efforts to contain Iran. Having previously confirmed their attendance at the Arab Economic and Social Development summit in Beirut, many heads of state are now set to stay away. The emirs of Qatar and Kuwait will not attend, Egypt is planning to send the prime minister rather than the president, while the Palestinian Authority president has said he will be in New York. The snubs seem to be a message to Iran, whose allies, including Hezbollah, hold power in Lebanon and support the Syrian government. ( Al Jazeera 18.1.2019)
01 January - 15 January
  • Iranian cargo plane crashes near Tehran, killing 15
    The plane was carrying meat from Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan when it crashed near the capital Tehran, an army spokesman told national TV, adding that only the flight engineer survived. (Iran Daily- 15.1.2019)
  • South Korea to receive Iranian condensate after 4-month gap
    The first cargo of about 960,000 barrels of condensate, a type of light crude oil typically produced in association with natural gas, is expected to arrive this week at the port of Incheon, said the source, who declined to be named due to sensitivity of the matter. The Silvia 1, a vessel carrying 955,000 barrels of Iranian oil, is set to arrive in South Korea on Jan. 15, trade flow data from Refinitv Eikon showed. (Iran Daily-14.1.2019)
  • India moving to develop Chabahar port
    With India taking over operations at Iran's Shahid Behesti port in Chabahar, New Delhi has reached an important milestone in realizing its economic and strategic ambitions in Central Asia. Operating Chabahar port will provide India with a foothold at the mouth of the strategic Straits of Hormuz, through which a third of all the world's sea-borne oil passes. India's investment, development, and operation of Chabahar port will strengthen its relationship with Iran, its third largest oil supplier. The port is a gateway to an overland trade corridor through Iran to Afghanistan. It will enable India to play a larger role in Afghan reconstruction. (Iran Daily-14.1.2019)
  • Nuclear chief: Iran advances technology to produce nuclear fuel
    Ali Akbar Salehi says Iranian scientists 'on the threshold' of modernising production of 20 percent uranium. (Aljazeera 14.1.2019)
  • Tehran files protest against Poland hosting 'anti-Iran' summit
    Polish diplomat says meeting not aimed against Iran, as Tehran threatens retaliation if Warsaw does not back down. (Aljazeera 13 Jan 2019)
  • Iran hit with sanctions after being blamed for killing dissidents
    Dutch intelligence agency claims Iran ordered killing of two opposition figures, but Tehran strongly denied accusations. (Al Jazeera, 9 Jan 2019)
  • Israel ex-minister pleads guilty to spying for Iran
    Gonen Segev admits to spying for Iran in a plea deal in exchange for an 11-year prison sentence. ( Al Jazeera, 9 Jan 2019)
  • Iran confirms arrest of US Navy veteran Michael White
    Foreign ministry says 46-year-old US Navy veteran was arrested in Mashhad, denies media reports of mistreatment. 10 Jan 2019.
  • Iran defiant amid US warnings against space programme
    Foreign Minister Zarif says leaving nuclear deal an option as Tehran rules out talks with US on its ballistic missiles. (Aljazeera, 9 Jan 2019)
  • Top Khamenei aide says US sought his help for talks with Iran Ali Shamkhani says he was approached twice by US officials last month but rejected the requests to hold talks. (AlJazeera, 7 Jan, 2019)
  • US warns Iran on space launches, Tehran rejects concerns
    Iran's FM says its planned space vehicles launches and missile tests do not violate a UN Security Council resolution. (Aljazeera, 4 Jan 2019)