Editorials
– Arman Amroz praises the U.S. Department of Treasury decision of lifting sanctions on Iran.
– Ebticar calls Oil Minister to respond to the claims of not needing to grant foreign companies the right to invest in the Iranian oil fields.
Iranian News Roundup
– Rise in the number of homeless and working children in Sunni-majority province of Sistan.
– Unemployment rate is up to 12.2%.
– The nuclear deal consequences failed to meet the Government’s promises.
Arman newspaper
Bright days in the life of the Iranian economy
An editorial in Sunday’s Arman newspaper analyses the positive results of the Executive’s decision, issued by the US Treasury Department on the lifting of banking sanctions imposed on Iran.
The editorial says that the decision opens the doors for Iran’s banks to deal with their European counterparts, which had previously abstained from deals with Iran, fearing the application of financial penalties by the US government. The new decision is a positive signal for the start of the entry of foreign investments into the Iranian market, the editorial said, adding that the same will happen with Japan, a premier trading partner of Iran. Without this opening facilitated by the US, it was impossible to achieve progress in the Iranian economy and to complete international commercial transactions, such as the purchase of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, for example. Despite this, however, the editorialist notes that there is still skepticism amongst some in the United States who believe that there has been too great a rush to lift the sanctions on Iran, and who compare the current situation with what happened in Iraq.
However, the editorial asserts, Iran’s implementation of anti-money laundering legislation under the FATF treaty confirms that the Iranian leadership is behaving in a more rational fashion than it did previously, with Isaac Jihangeri First Assistant to Iranian President, revealing that Germany has already delivered $130 million to Iran.
Brokers who carried out the delivery of the money, however, were forced to cut around $30 million from the total as a result of lack of Iran’s ability to make a direct transfer under the international sanctions imposed on it. In fact, the editorial concludes, this decision proves the success of the Rouhani recent visit to New York in which he presented the Iranian regime’s case to the international community. Further focusing mainly on the signatories of the nuclear deal with the P5+1 nations, which the editorialist is perhaps asserted the greatest decision and diplomatic victory for Iran since the signing of the nuclear deal.
Ebtikar newspaper
Bijan Zangeneh has to respond Mohammad Mokhber
The Ebtekar newspaper calls on Iran’s oil minister, Bijan Zangeneh to answer a claim by Dr. Mohammad Mokhber, the chief officer of the Executive Committee of the Imam Khomeini’s Order. Or EIKO a government financial holdings program-who asserted that there is no need to give foreign companies the right to exploit Iran’s oil fields.
Dr. Mokhber said that his executive economic committee could implement the Azadegan oil field development project in Al-Ahwaz in southwestern Iran rather than giving it to foreign companies. The editorial explained, with the senior regime official also revealing that his group has already managed to implement similar projects that had been monitoring a budget estimated at 668 million dollars, which were carried out by his committee at the cost of $ 580 million,
The EIKO head further said that Azadegan oil field project is huge in financial terms but easy to implement in technical terms, with no need to award the contracts to foreign companies as recently agreed by the Iranian oil ministry under the conditions of the nuclear agreement.
The editorial calls on Zangeneh, a regime veteran with 35 years of political experience who has served as oil minister for the last 11 years, to respond to the EIKO head’s statements, asserting that silence in this situation would confirm that Dr. Mokhber’s assertions were correct. Moreover, would increase levels of doubt concerning uncertainty over the agreements made by the oil ministry under Zangeneh’s leadership. The editorialist concluded by warning that this would, in turn, increase public suspicion and distrust of not only Zangeheh himself but the Rouhani administration and the moderate political lobby in general.
Afarinesh Daily Newspaper
Aleppo is International collision point
An editorial in Sunday’s Afarinesh Daily focused on the impact of the battle of Aleppo on international relations, and the possible results of a superpower clash.
The editorial said that the war in Syria is currently going through a very delicate period, with the flames of diplomacy no less dangerous than those of the military clashes, asserting that this is demonstrated by the mutual aggression between Russia and the USA.
America wants to prove that Russia is carrying out war crimes by its continuing indiscriminate aerial bombardment of Aleppo, the editorialist continued, while Russia seeks to secure gains on the ground before entering into any final negotiations, with the two sides unable to tolerate one another’s actions.
Of all the pieces in the Syrian ‘puzzle,’ Aleppo remains the most important for Arabs as well as for the US and Turkey, who wish to keep it in the hands of the opposition. The editorial asserted, while Russia and Iran want to ensure that it is under the control of Bashar al-Assad, since whoever controls Aleppo monitors the whole of northern Syria. The editorial stated that Turkey is the most important state in ensuring the survival of the Syrian people and preventing Aleppo from falling to Bashar al-Assad since it does not wish to have Assad or the Kurdish PYD as a direct neighbor. The downfalls of Aleppo meaning that the main supply line of the Syrian opposition would be cut.
For America, the fall of Aleppo would mean its defeat at the hands of Russia which the US views as unacceptable, the editorialist stated, since this would inflict severe damage at the international level in the US and on domestic public opinion amongst the American people. As well as on its standing amongst its international allies, dealing a massive blow to global confidence in American power. Aleppo’s fall into the regime hands would mean diminished, US influence in the region, and globally. The editorial stated, whetting Russia’s appetite to repeat the same scenario in other places around the world.
Any defeat for Russia, meanwhile, would be viewed as an unacceptable military defeat by Moscow and would limit its strength in maneuvering diplomatically in other areas. The editorialist added, stating that those supporting Assad’s opponents would not refrain or hesitate to provide any support to the opposition to defend Aleppo.
Thus, the editorialist concluded, Aleppo remains a battle to prove war crimes and the targeting of civilians, in which the United States seeks to condemn Russia with international organizations.
♦ Rasoul Nami: Increase in homeless and working children is a social anomaly
Deputy-attorney of Sistan and Baluchistan for social affairs and crime prevention, Rasoul Nami, said the number of working and homeless children is increasing day by day, asserting that officials have to take action to control this social anomaly.
He added, “If these kids are facing health and nutrition difficulties, all concerned organizations have to find a solution for their problems and make them frequently live like other children.” He added, “These kids work to earn a living, which deprives them of education and expose them to other social problems like addiction and crime tendency.”
Dana Agency
♦ Journalists to Larijani: Saharkheiz and Mazandarani are marked to death
In an open letter to the Chief of Judiciary Sadiq Larijani, 132 journalists demanded a fair treatment for their colleagues that were arrested last fall in the framework of a security procedure called “Power.” In the letter, journalists said, “You should know that at the time of publishing this letter, two friends are marked to death, and they have the right to a fair trial.”
The arrested journalists were Issa Saharkheiz, General Manager of the Internal Journalism of the Ministry of Guidance and Islamic Culture during the reign of Mohammed Khatami, Ihsan Mazandarani former Executive Manager of the Farhikhatian newspaper. In addition to Saman Safarzai, afrin Chet Saz, and Davod Asdi who were all sentenced 5-10 years imprisonment, but was lowered to 2.5 years by the Court of Appeal. According to Article 58 of the Islamic law, those prisoners can ask for conditioned release, but some say that they will be released after one year in prison by the time of the 2017 elections.
Kalimah Website
♦ Iran sells 140 thousand tons of crude oil to Hungary
The Hungarian MOL oil group announced that Hungary had imported 140 thousand tons of crude oil from Iran. It added that Hungary is expected to receive about 13-17 more shipments of Iranian oil this year.
Iran Newspaper
♦ 12.2% unemployment rate in Iran in the spring of 2016
Statistics of Iran center revealed that unemployment rate in Iran within the category of 10 years old and up reached 12.2% of the total number of citizens with 1.4% increase in compare with spring of last year, and 0.4% in compare with winter 2015.
The number of working people in Iran in 2016 is 22 million, 604 thousand, and 718 people achieving an increase of 742 and 882 people more than last year.
Statistics also showed that unemployment was centralized in the category of 15-29, representing 24.9% of the total category with an increase of 2.5% in compare with spring of last year, and 0.1% growth in compare with winter of 2015.
Etilaat Newspaper
♦ Rafsanjani: Bad management causes significant losses
Chief of the Expediency Discernment Council, Hashemi Rafsanjani said that bad management and the criminal sanctions imposed on a developing country like Iran had caused massive damages to the country.
In his response to a question about Inflation and unemployment, Rafsanjani said that sanctions have left Iran behind for many years and hindered the development of the country. He also expressed his distress for the bad situation in Iran due to the policies of the former government of Ahmadinejad that caused most factories to close down and wasted most oil revenues on buying Chinese low-quality products, asserting that these policies have caused most major world banks to cut their ties with Iran.
Young Journalists Agency
♦ Zakani: Nuclear deal consequences failed to meet government’s promises
A year after the nuclear deal with group 5+1, former head of the Nuclear Deal Study Committee Ali Zakani said that what we see on the ground contradicts the plenty promises of the government, especially President Rouhani’s. He added, “The government stated that sanctions would be lifted as soon as signing the deal, but they were lifted on papers only because America is not willing to implement its commitments; on the contrary, it prevented Iran’s major banks from making business with world banks.” Zakani concluded that the government promised to offer banking facilities to companies willing to invest in Iran, but this has not happened, urging officials to take serious actions toward implementing the nuclear deal commitments, in particular by the United States.
Dana Agency
