{"id":6666,"date":"2019-06-20T14:28:59","date_gmt":"2019-06-20T11:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/?p=6666"},"modified":"2019-06-20T14:28:59","modified_gmt":"2019-06-20T11:28:59","slug":"the-islamic-republic-awaits-a-miracle-iran-to-surpass-uranium-stockpile-limits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/monitoring-and-translation\/iran-in-a-week\/the-islamic-republic-awaits-a-miracle-iran-to-surpass-uranium-stockpile-limits\/","title":{"rendered":"The Islamic Republic Awaits a Miracle; Iran to Surpass Uranium Stockpile Limits"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\n The necessity of basic changes in regional and domestic policies<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe editorial of Arman Emrooz deals with the consequences of Iran pulling out of the nuclear deal, which requires changes to be made in regional and domestic policies.
\nWhat is happening in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman doesn\u2019t require any decisive documents to prove that Iran is guilty. Even though Britain, France, and Germany have not confirmed that Iran has attacked the oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, the Americans are after changing Iran\u2019s issue to a global one. They are after creating a global consensus against Iran, hence satisfying public opinion in America.
\nThe American people do not want to get involved in another war, and the international atmosphere wouldn\u2019t warrant such a thing either. The U.S. main goal, therefore, is to put economic, political, and military pressures on Iran, thus isolating it from the international community.
\nThe remarks of the Iranian Nuclear Agency spokesperson and President Rouhani mean Iran has entered special circumstances. The White House, France, Germany, and Britain have shown negative reactions to Iran\u2019s new approach. Perhaps, Iran hopes that Russia and China will stand by Iran under any circumstance. However, if eventually, Iran pulls out of the nuclear deal, its ties with the world will be cut off, i.e. it will lose the European Union and all possible hopes.
\nEven though Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA stipulate that if any country doesn\u2019t abide by its obligations, the other country can take certain measures, we should take the circumstances into account. Can Iran take steps in producing more enriched uranium and heavy water than its quota in the JCPOA? Will the international community and the European Union increase their pressures on Iran?
\nWith the German Foreign Minister acknowledging they couldn\u2019t do miracles, INSTEX stopped being implemented. Germany is in charge of implementing INSTEX, and with the German Foreign Minister\u2019s trip to Tehran, none of the expectations were met.
\n Arman Emrooz \u2013 June 19<\/a><\/p>\n

Efforts to preserve Europe\u2019s support for Iran in the JCPOA<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe editorial of Setareh Sobh focuses on why Iran\u2019s measures in reducing its obligations in the nuclear deal (JCPOA) might push European signatories of the deal to the U.S. side.
\nThe Iranian Atomic Energy Spokesperson Behrooz Kamalvandi unveiled the second step in reducing Iran\u2019s nuclear obligations within the nuclear deal. So far, the step has faced reaction by the European signatories of the deal and U.S. negative propaganda but it has not had many consequences for Iran.
\nWhat Kamalvandi said, however, is different from the first step to decrease Iran\u2019s obligations in the nuclear deal within Articles 26 and 36. In the second step, production of enriched uranium will surpass 300kg and the amount of Arak\u2019s heavy water too will increase to more than 130 tons. Also, Kamalvandi said that different scenarios have been taken into account for going beyond 3.67% enrichment, which might increase up to 20%.
\nThese steps might convey the idea that Iran has pulled out of the JCPOA. Even though Iranian officials say Iran is acting within the framework of Articles 26 and 36, surpassing the nuclear obligations means something else for the other parties to the deal. For example, the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano, in the agency\u2019s latest report, talked of Iran\u2019s commitment to its nuclear obligations with doubt. This can be a sign for Iran.
\nGiven the circumstances in the region, taking such steps might mean to the Europeans that Iran intends to exit the JCPOA, which might benefit America. This might lead to Europe distancing itself from Iran. This is what Donald Trump needs, as he is seeking to make Iran an international issue.
\nIranian officials must know that any actions taken to retaliate against U.S. measures might be interpreted differently on the international level. If Europe is distanced from Iran and gets closer to America, and then the signatories to the JCPOA might demand the return of Iran\u2019s case to the UN Security Council.
\n Setareh Sobh \u2013 June 18<\/a><\/p>\n

Empty houses, empty hands<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe editorial of Ettellat focuses on the common practice in Iran\u2019s economic market: buying houses and keeping them empty, which is considered by many as a safe way for investing their money.
\nWith the beginning of the summer, the problem of housing \u2013 particularly in big cities and Tehran \u2013 takes on new dimensions. As a result of a 100% plus increase in the average price of residential apartments in Tehran, house purchases have reached the lowest possible level in the early months of the year, and the number of transactions in the last three months had a 60% drop in Tehran and a 30% drop in the entire country. Nevertheless, the housing market still resists decreasing prices.
\nThis resistance, however, is not because of a shortage of housing or a lack of supply and demand. According to experts and officials, more than 500,000 houses in Tehran and 2.5 million houses in the entire country are empty. Also, the estimates show that the number of existing houses in the country are more than the number of Iranian households. There are more than 25,410,000 residential houses in the entire country.
\nMore than 2.5 million residential houses are empty. The unprofitability of these empty houses amounts to almost $100 billion, which is frozen in the country\u2019s economy and no one benefits from it. The reason is obvious: keeping the houses empty is not only inexpensive but has always been profitable. That is why investing in buying houses and keeping them empty has been always popular in Iran\u2019s economy.
\nAs long as the risk of investing in buying houses and keeping them empty doesn\u2019t increase, we will not see any changes in this sector.
\n Ettelaat \u2013 June 17<\/a><\/p>\n

The positive impact of the trip of the German Foreign Minister and the Japanese Prime Minister on Iranian Markets
\n<\/strong><\/span>The editorial of Setareh Sobh deals with the positive impact of recent diplomatic moves on the economic market in Iran.
\nWhen people see the signs of economic improvement, they will be more ready to pass through pressures. That is because foreign policy naturally impacts economic markets particularly when countries are after interacting with the international community.
\nIt is not clear why some people get upset in Iran when there is a diplomatic achievement, they do not favor resolving Iran\u2019s international crisis and easing its tensions with the international community. It seems as if they benefit more from the crisis than peace.
\nNow the question is: Is it to the disadvantage of certain groups when there are wise measures in foreign, political, and economic relations that benefit the public? When sanctions against Iran were intensified one year after the U.S. pulling out of the nuclear deal; when Pentagon\u2019s warships and bombers were sent to the region; when four tankers were attacked off the coast of Fujairah and two were attacked in the Sea of Oman; the region once again is poised for war.
\nPeople in the world, particularly Iranians and Americans, have spoken out against the possibility of war in the Middle East. It was then that several countries, more importantly, Germany and Japan, took measures to mediate and ease the tensions. That is why the German Foreign Minister and the Japanese Prime Minister went to Tehran.
\nEven though these trips didn\u2019t have desirable results, they were good enough to have a positive impact on businesses and the capital market. The price of shares, automobiles, properties, and other goods relatively decreased, pointing to the meaningful relationship between easing political tensions and economic peace. The evidence shows that the trip of the German Foreign Minister and the Japanese Prime Minister had a positive impact on businesses and the capital market in Iran.
\nSetareh Sobh \u2013 June 16<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
\n Too many mediators in Tehran; the Islamic Republic awaits a miracle<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nAfter the visits by the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the secretary-General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid, another European official visiting Tehran, the Leader of the Islamic Republic Ali Khamenei says he won\u2019t negotiate with Donald Trump. However, the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says, \u2018decrease the sanctions, then we can negotiate\u2019. Meanwhile, attacking two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman with one of them heading toward Japan has turned the mediation into a hot issue and now Russia also wants to join the list of mediators.
\nIran\u2019s condition for starting negotiations is for the US to decrease the oil sanctions imposed on her to the extent that it can provide for the foreign currency requirements of the country with selling at least 1.2 million bpd. The U.S. not extending its sanctions waiver to several countries is the main reason why the European financial mechanism, INSTEX, has not been implemented. European countries expected Italy and Greece to be exempted from the U.S. sanctions so that some money would enter INSTEX and they could resume exporting to Iran.
\nThe United States is not merely seeking to convince European and non-European allies to put maximum pressure on Iran, but also to bring in Russia into this game. An American diplomat told Kayhan London: \u201cNow that the Syrian war is about to end, the presence of Iran in an Arab country is to the disadvantage of Russia\u201d. News from Russia too points to the existence of differences between Tehran and Russia.
\nThe U.S. refusing to decrease sanctions on Iran led to Ali Khamenei\u2019s harsh reaction and he lashed out at Donald Trump while the Japanese Prime Minister visited him. In response to Shinzo Abe who had said he had gone to Tehran with a message from Trump, Ali Khamenei said he didn\u2019t consider Trump worthy of exchanging any messages and had no response for him.
\nIran, which for years forced its citizens to make a choice between the lesser of evils, is now facing the same choice. If it keeps rejecting Trump\u2019s proposal for negotiations, Europe and the other world powers will move closer to U.S. policies day by day, distancing themselves from Iran. The other option is to negotiate with America, which will undermine Iran from several perspectives, by decreasing the current role of the Iranian regime in the region and cutting the dimensions of its missile program.
\n Kayhan London<\/a><\/p>\n

Iran to surpass uranium stockpile limits<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nThe Iranian Nuclear Energy spokesperson said the countdown for increasing enriched uranium has started and on June 27, Iran\u2019s uranium stockpile will surpass 300kg. Behrooz Kamalvandi has also said that different scenarios for increasing the level of enriched uranium above 3.67% have been taken into account.
\nAlong with the escalation of tensions in the Gulf, Iran insists on cutting back its obligations in the nuclear deal (JCPOA). Iran has lost hope in the efficiency of the special financial mechanism by the European Union to confront the U.S. sanctions, which has made Tehran\u2019s stand more firm.
\nIn the JCPOA, the permitted amount of uranium stockpile is determined as 202.8 kilograms, the limit of heavy water is at 143 tons, and the level of enrichment is set at 3.67%.
\nKamalvandi later added that the two-month deadline given by Iran to the signatories of the JCPOA will not be extended. Previously, the Iranian President Rouhani had given 60 days to the Europeans to fulfill their obligations, saying, otherwise, Iran will cut back more of its obligations in the nuclear deal.
\nWhile America, Israel, and Britain called for a reaction to Iran\u2019s plan to enrich uranium exceeding the limits in the JCPOA, the European Union has said that it will wait for the IAEA report.
\nThe U.S. State Department spokesperson responded to Iran\u2019s move to increase its uranium stockpile by calling it \u201cnuclear extortion\u201d. Morgan Ortagus added, \u201cWe should not yield to nuclear extortion by the Iranian regime.\u201d She went on to call the issue not just a challenge to the JCPOA, but a challenge facing international standards regarding the behavior of a country.
\nThe office of the British Prime Minister said in this regard that if Iran stops implementing the nuclear deal, the British government will go over \u201call options\u201d, adding \u201cwe have expressed our concern with Iran following the JCPOA; if Iran stops abiding by the nuclear deal, we will go over all existing options.\u201d
\n Radio Zamaneh<\/a>
\n Iran International<\/a><\/p>\n

Iranian Oil Minister: We can no longer export oil in the name of Iran<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nBijan Zanganeh, the Iranian Oil Minister, said that after the enforcement of sanctions on Iran by Donald Trump\u2019s administration, \u201cwe can no longer export oil in the name of Iran\u201d. Zanganeh stressed that today\u2019s circumstances are much tougher than the time of the Iran-Iraq war.
\nAccording to the Iranian Oil Minister, European countries show no interest in buying Iran\u2019s oil, and wouldn\u2019t cooperate in this regard.
\nCurrently, Iran\u2019s crude oil, gas condensates, petrochemical products, and banking transactions have been sanctioned by the United States.
\nMeanwhile, the Statistical Center of Iran published general statistics for economic growth in 2018. According to this report, Iran\u2019s economy has grown smaller by showing a 5% negative growth, and the GDP was decreased to nearly 713,000 billion tomans. These numbers show that this is the second biggest economic collapse after the Iran-Iraq war.
\nBoth the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have predicted that Iran\u2019s economic growth in 2019 will be one of the worst in the international community.
\nThe day-to-day increase in the inflation rate has made everyday life for ordinary Iranians a daily challenge. Workers, with their current wages, cannot afford to pay for their expenses, which has resulted in household malnutrition.
\nCurrently, 72% hike in prices in Iran has made the Iranian workers\u2019 community one of the most vulnerable groups among citizens.
\n BBC Persian<\/a>
\n Iran Wire<\/a><\/p>\n

Iranian-British citizen jailed in Tehran launches hunger strike<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a dual Iranian-British national, has launched a hunger strike in protest to her \u201cunfair imprisonment.\u201d
\nThe Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) arrested her three years ago during her visit to Iran. Later on, she was sentenced to 5 years in jail charged with espionage \u2013 a charge she has always denied.
\nZaghari-Ratcliffe went on strike on the birthday of her daughter Gabriella who currently lives with her family in Tehran.
\nHer husband, Richard Ratcliffe, who has joined his wife in her hunger strike in London, said Nazanin had informed prison officials of her strike a while ago, adding she wants to remind both governments (Iran and Britain) \u201cenough is enough.\u201d
\nNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation when she was taken into custody in April 2016 at Tehran airport as she was returning to Britain with her young daughter after a family visit.
\nThe British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt tweeted that he has met with Richard Ratcliffe, and once again asked Iran\u2019s officials to let Nazanin return to her home.
\nBritish Foreign Ministers in their meetings with Iranian officials or during their trips to Tehran have asked for the cooperation of the Iranian government and for it to release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, but these efforts haven\u2019t come to fruition yet. British media consider the arrest of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in relation to Britain owing money to Iran for a military contract that was signed during the era of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Britain hasn\u2019t returned Iran\u2019s money despite the ruling of the International Court of Arbitration.
\nJeremy Hunt has said in this regard that no government should use innocent citizens as leverage for gaining diplomatic concessions.
\nApart from Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Iran has arrested other individuals with dual nationality. The Iranian regime has exploited these imprisoned individuals for its own political purposes, such as prisoner exchanges.
\n BBC Persian<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The necessity of basic changes in regional and domestic policies The editorial of Arman Emrooz deals with the consequences of Iran pulling out of the nuclear deal, which requires changes to be made in regional and domestic policies. What is happening in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman doesn\u2019t require any decisive documents to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[1637,3142,3135,3144,3143],"class_list":["post-6666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iran-in-a-week","tag-iran-in-a-week","tag-miracle","tag-the-islamic-republic","tag-the-islamic-republic-awaits-a-miracle-iran-to-surpass-uranium-stockpile-limits","tag-uranium-stockpile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6666"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6673,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6666\/revisions\/6673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}