{"id":7061,"date":"2019-10-31T16:43:49","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T13:43:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/?p=7061"},"modified":"2021-05-23T10:57:05","modified_gmt":"2021-05-23T07:57:05","slug":"rouhani-under-pressure-by-iranian-hardliners-due-to-his-attempts-to-ratify-fatf-bills-the-irgc-navy-to-use-new-weapons-in-its-next-drill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/monitoring-and-translation\/iran-in-a-week\/rouhani-under-pressure-by-iranian-hardliners-due-to-his-attempts-to-ratify-fatf-bills-the-irgc-navy-to-use-new-weapons-in-its-next-drill\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouhani under Pressure by Iranian \u201cHardliners\u201d due to his Attempts to Ratify FATF Bills; the IRGC Navy to Use New Weapons in its Next Drill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Iranian government insists on ratifying FATF bills<\/strong>
The editorial of Asr Iranian, written by Naghavi Hosseini, Spokesperson of the Iranian Parliament\u2019s National Security and Foreign Relations Commission, explains why Iran should not join the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The Iranian government maintains that not joining FATF will worsen the economic conditions in the country.
The government is said to be pushing for the ratification of FATF\u2019s bills illegally. The government\u2019s officials have been eager for this after the failure of the JCPOA and instead of working to solve Iran\u2019s problems now the government is postponing finding any solutions until FATF\u2019s bills are ratified.
The 11th and 12th Iranian governments have been unsuccessful in improving Iran\u2019s economy, as they have been unable to lower the inflation rate, and improve living standards. Raising issues like the necessity of joining FATF is nothing but a cover-up for the government\u2019s incompetence in the economy.
The government must look to strengthen Iran\u2019s domestic foundations in different fields and use domestic capacities in order to improve public welfare and livelihoods, which is why joining colonial conventions like FATF or any other conventions will not bring about welfare and economic prosperity.
Joining FATF will create many problems for Iran. Under current conditions in which the Americans have imposed tough sanctions on Iran, joining FATF will disclose ways used in sidestepping sanctions. By joining FATF, Iran\u2019s entire financial and monetary transactions will be overseen by members of FATF.
One other problem is the careful overseeing of Iranian enterprises and companies, because of which records of Iran\u2019s economic activities and assets will be handed over to foreign countries. So joining this convention is a kind of self-sanctioning.
One other issue is that the financial transparency of Iran\u2019s enterprises within the framework of FATF\u2019s standards will result in the sanctioning of the country\u2019s financial resources by America and certain western countries.
Asr Iran<\/a>

Unpleasant facts; Iran\u2019s economy according to the IMF<\/strong>
The International Monetary Fund\u2019s (IMF) regional prospect report that was recently released made the headlines: it highlighted a one-tenth shrinkage in Iran\u2019s economy during the past year and a 30% inflation rate for the first time in Iran\u2019s economy.
There is no promising point in the report. Even though some domestic media outlets highlighted Iran \u2018coming out of recession\u2019 or \u2018 the end of the impact of US sanctions\u2019, the truth is that the US sanctions can no longer impact Iran\u2019s economy, as there is not much left to be impacted. In actuality, oil production is for domestic requirements and the level of oil exports have definitively dropped to under 500,000 bpd. Meanwhile, Iran\u2019s budget deficit has reached its peak.
The followings are the most important points of the report indicating the tough days which await Iran\u2019s economy and people.
Economic recession: Iran\u2019s economic growth in 2019 is \u2013 9.5% (10% less than economic growth in the region) and in 2020, it will be zero (2.7% less than regional countries).
Economic recession without oil: Economic growth without oil is 4.2% in 2019 and it will be + 1.2% in 2020.
Reduction in oil production: According to the IMF, Iran\u2019s average oil production in 2019 is 2.29 million bpd, and it will be 2.11 bpd in 2020. This is the lowest in the past 40 years.
Reduction in oil and gas exports: In 2019 Iranian oil exports were estimated at 600,000 bpd. This will drop to 500,000 bpd in the next year. Traditionally, Iran\u2019s share of oil exports in the entire region is 10 to 11 percent. However, as such, it will shrink to 2 to 3 percent.
Inflation: According to the IMF report, the inflation rate in Iran will be 30% for the third consecutive year, which is unprecedented even in the fluctuating history of Iran\u2019s economy.
Growth in liquidity: The IMF report shows that the level of liquidity in 2019 and 2020 will be roughly 27%.
Trade balance: According to IMF estimates, Iran\u2019s forex income in 2019 and 2020 will decrease to $60bn and $50bn. From 2016-2018, Iran\u2019s forex income was about $100bn.
Forex reserves: The IMF report indicates that Iran\u2019s forex reserves will be under $69bn, while Iran\u2019s forex reserves were more than $100bn until 2018 and before the impact of US sanctions.
Iran Wire<\/a>

Iran\u2019s astronomical capital flows into Turkey<\/strong>
The Chairman of Tabriz\u2019s Chamber of Commerce in Iran says that during the past year and a half, $1.5 billion has been taken out of Iran to buy properties in Turkey.
Turkey is one of the few countries in which one can gain residency by investing $250,000, and according to the latest statistics by Turkey\u2019s Statistics Center, 505,795 residential units were sold in Turkey in the first half of 2019. 20,000 units were purchased by foreigners, which shows a 69% increase compared to the same period last year.
Iraqis and Iranians with 429 and 415 units, respectively, stand first in purchasing houses in Turkey, while Russians, Germans, British, and Kuwaitis rank next.
According to reports, $150,000 is enough to buy a house in Turkey, and foreigners have injected $3 billion into Turkey in only 6 months.
Anatoli News Agency had earlier reported that Iranians \u2013 more than Iraqi, Yemeni, and Afghani citizens \u2013 had submitted the most applications for Turkish citizenship due to their financial ability, the ease of obtaining Turkish citizenship, and Turkey\u2019s closeness to Iran both geographically and culturally.
Such investment in Turkey and other neighboring countries, apart from the investors\u2019 motives, is not good news for Iran\u2019s disarrayed economy. Meanwhile, despite migration increasing to Turkey, there has been a decrease in the number of Iranian tourists going to this country, following the fluctuation in both countries\u2019 currencies. The number of Iranian tourists showed an 18% drop last year compared to 2017.
Independent Persian <\/a>

Developing foreign relations is a necessity for improving business<\/strong>
The editorial of Tejarat Online focuses on why Iran must have good relations with its neighboring countries and the world to improve its economy.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is upset over the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) issue. In his recent cabinet meeting, he said, \u201cwe are proud of fighting and countering terrorists and corruption, so we shouldn\u2019t allow them to accuse our banking system of money laundering; this is to the country\u2019s loss. Why have some people created obstacles against four bills that have been ratified by the government and parliament? This is not in the country\u2019s interests.\u201d
Rouhani\u2019s reaction was after the fact that FATF \u2013 with a much harsher tone \u2013 extended Iran\u2019s deadline for joining the Palermo Convention against Transactional Organized Crime and Countering Financing of Terrorism (CFT) for four months.
The main point emphasized by the government headed by Rouhani is developing relations with the world. Iranian officials have now realized that cutting ties with the world has devastating consequences for Iran\u2019s political, social, cultural, and economic spheres.
In this regard, Rouhani has said, \u201cWe must ease our relations with the world so we can export our own goods with Iranian branding and conquer the markets of other countries.\u201d
The business atmosphere in Iran is not very well understood, and currently, all efforts in improving this have not been very useful. In addition, Iran\u2019s business atmosphere has not been helped by US sanctions which have affected its relationship with neighboring countries as well as with other countries.
Accordingly, those who approve or reject a bill in the name of Sharia law and God must consider that improving business conditions and creating jobs will please God and is in accordance with Sharia as well.
In reviewing FATF bills, therefore, the country\u2019s emergency conditions and dire economic situation, as well as the expectations of the unemployed and hopeful youth, must be considered.
Tejarat online<\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hardliners lash out at Rouhani and his first vice president Hardliners lash out at Rouhani and his first vice president <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Mojtaba Zolnour, head of the Parliament\u2019s National Security and Foreign\nPolicy Commission, lashed out at President Hassan Rouhani for his recent\ncomments on the necessity of approving the FATF bills. Accusing Rouhani of\ndeceiving the Iranian people, he said Rouhani acted like a \u201cmagician\u201d who first\nshowed a key to the people yet \u201clocked the country\u201d afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zolnour added that Rouhani\u2019s\nremarks, as well as the comments of the First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri,\nare \u201cinstances of agitating the public mind\u201d and \u201cin contradiction with the\nconstitution.\u201d Zolnour said, \u201cThese gentlemen must be held accountable in this\nregard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mojtaba Zolnour also pointed out\nthat Rouhani cannot intimidate other bodies in the establishment by using\u201cdictatorial\nliterature\u201d, simply \u201cbecause he is the head of a branch and has power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, Hassan Norouzi,\nSpokesperson for the Iranian Parliament\u2019s Judicial and Legal Committee, called\non Iran\u2019s Judiciary to prosecute First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri on the\ncharge of misquoting the Islamic Republic\u2019s Supreme Leader in regards to the\nFATF bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eshagh Jahangiri said last week the\nExpediency Council needs to approve the FATF and CFT (Combatting Financing of\nTerrorism) bills as soon as possible, given that the Islamic Republic\u2019s Supreme\nLeader, as well as the heads of Iran\u2019s three branches, have already confirmed\nthem. The Expediency Council immediately denied Jahangiri\u2019s comments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first Vice President\u2019s\nmisquoted remarks have been published in the country and international\ncommunity; according to the law, this is the dissemination of falsehood,\u201d said\nHassan Norouzi. \u201cThe judiciary must prosecute the First Vice President for\ndisseminating falsehoods and investigate his case.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jahangiri had also said that people\nshould be informed about all affairs, including negotiations in the government,\nParliament, Guardian Council, and Expediency Council. He said it would be\nbetter if the Expediency Council holds its meeting on FATF openly so that\n\u201cpeople know what is going on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another lawmaker criticized\nJahangiri in this regard, saying if the Supreme Leader is opposed to Iran\njoining FATF, \u201cWe have a duty to obey him, regardless of its costs for the\ncountry.\u201d However, the leader has shown no open disagreement with those bills,\nhe continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FATF has set a final deadline of\nFebruary 2020 for Iran to comply with international norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fars News Agency<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human Rights Watch: US sanctions have harmed the health of the Iranian people; Iranian bank accounts to be closed in Malaysia <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Human Rights Watch has published a report, saying US\neconomic sanctions against Iran have severely limited this country\u2019s\nhumanitarian imports such as medications, thus harming the right of Iranians to\nhealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the US government\u2019s exemptions for humanitarian\nimports, Iranians do not have access to essential medicine, according to the\nreport. Under international law, the US should monitor the impact of the\nsanctions on Iranian rights and deal with any violations caused by the\nsanctions, says Human Rights Watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah Leah Whitson<\/a>,\nMiddle East Director at Human Rights Watch, said, \u201cThe comprehensive web\nof US sanctions has led banks and companies to pull back from humanitarian\ntrade with Iran, leaving Iranians who have rare or complicated diseases unable\nto get the medicine and treatment they require.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Malaysian banks have taken steps to close bank\naccounts of Iranian individuals and companies. It is said that this measure is\ntaken due to the US financial sanctions on Iran, which indicates that these\nsanctions have put severe pressure on the Iranian\npeople. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malaysian banks have reportedly given a month to Iranians\nliving in that country to withdraw their money out of their bank accounts.\n10,000 Iranian citizens are said to be living in Malaysia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFI<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The IRGC Navy to use new weapons in its upcoming drill <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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The Commander of the IRGC Navy said new\ndomestically made weapons will be used in the upcoming navy drill. Ali Reza\nTangsiri also pointed out that the IRGC Navy constantly monitors any foreign\nships entering the Gulf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admiral Tangsiri also noted that the\nSupreme Leader, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters and the\nCommander-in-Chief of the IRGC continually appraise the capabilities of the\nIRGC Navy, \u201cso that we are always fully prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tangsiri maintained that the IRGC Navy,\nas well as Iran\u2019s army, are proud of using military equipment made by the\nIranian Navy and Defense Ministry. He said a new military vessel has\njoined the IRGC Navy\u2019s fleet, adding the IRGC currently possess military\nspeedboats with the speed of 90 knots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tasnim News Agency<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

150,000 people die yearly due to heart attacks and strokes in Iran<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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According to the Deputy of the Health\nMinister, Reza Malekzadeh, upwards of 150,000 people annually lose their lives\nin Iran due to heart attacks and strokes, despite the fact that 80% of these\ncases can be prevented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malekzadeh said that 50,000 of those who\ndied of a heart attack and stroke in Iran were under 70 years of age, and\n12,000 were under 50, adding, while 80% of cardiovascular diseases are\npreventable due to successful research in the world and Iran, 50% of\nmortalities and disabilities in Iran are due to these diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier, Dr. Massoud Ghassemi, Chairman\nof the 19th Congress of Cardiovascular Disease, had said that the age of heart\nattack in Iran has reached 30, blaming issues like air pollution, lack of\nmobility, stress, overweight, and smoking among the significant factors for the\ndecrease in the age of heart attack among Iranians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had added that the annual mortality\nrate in Iran is 357,000, of which 35,000 lost their lives due to a heart attack\nand stroke. According to Dr. Ghassemi, the rate of mortality is 300 people per\nday, most of which take place in Tehran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the World Health\nOrganization, 63% of deaths in Iran are due to cardiovascular diseases, 28% due\nto brain diseases, and, in general, Iranians are inflicted with heart diseases\n10 to 20 years sooner than western Europeans and Americans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Independent Persian<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Society of Seminary Teachers of Qum criticizes the presence of women in stadiums<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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The Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom\ncriticized the presence of women in stadiums, calling it an attempt by \u201csome\nofficials to polarize the country\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The society has expressed regrets\nregarding \u201cpushing women to go to men\u2019s stadiums\u201d during months when Shias hold\nmourning ceremonies for their imams, adding that the duty of the officials is\nto resolve the economic problems of the country and make the Iranian people\nproud. However, the statement said, \u201csome officials seem to polarize the\ncountry at any possible chance\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This seminary asserted that it is the\ninherent duty of the Islamic Republic\u2019s officials not to \u201cviolate religious\nprecepts,\u201d while emphasizing that resolving the country\u2019s problems is dependent\non \u201cobserving Islamic rules and orders\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 10, 2019, Iranian women were\nable to buy tickets and go to Azadi Stadium for the first time since 1981 to\nwatch a soccer match. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Sahar Khodayari, known as the\n\u201cblue girl\u201d, committed suicide for not being allowed to go to a stadium, the\nFIFA president followed up the issue and said that allowing women to go to\nstadiums is the right thing to do, adding that this path cannot be stopped or\nreversed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Massoud Slotanifar, Iran\u2019s Minister of\nSports and Youth, has announced that 10 stadiums in several cities including\nIsfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Ahvaz, and Shiraz are ready to accept women. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom,\nheaded by hardliner Mohammad Yazdi, is one of the most influential religious\nfigures close to the Iranian regime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Farda<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n


<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Iranian government insists on ratifying FATF bills The editorial of Asr Iranian, written by Naghavi Hosseini, Spokesperson of the Iranian Parliament\u2019s National Security and Foreign Relations Commission, explains why Iran should not join the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The Iranian government maintains that not joining FATF will worsen the economic conditions in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[3339,481,1637,384,3138,38,1541],"class_list":["post-7061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iran-in-a-week","tag-drill","tag-fatf","tag-iran-in-a-week","tag-navy","tag-pressure","tag-rouhani","tag-weapons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7061","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=7061"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9070,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7061\/revisions\/9070"}],"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=7061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}