US Visa Waiver Program will push foreign investment in Iran down to zero

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December 16, 2015

An Iranian economist says that changes to the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) will violate the provisions of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and will eventually lead foreign investment toward a no-growth future.

Lotfali Bakhshi, a professor of economics at Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran, made the remark in an interview and added that if the US Visa Waiver Bill passes the US Congress, which is highly likely, it would view travel to Iran by any Americans as a blight on their record.

Nasimonline.ir on December 14 published the interview and the following is the translation of the remarks of the economist:

Compared with the sanctions imposed on Iran, the new US decision – if it clears the US Congress, which is very much likely – will take a more devastating toll on foreign investment, the tourism industry and trade in the country.

The new Visa Waiver Bill, which infringes on JCPOA, amounts to deep hostility the US government has shown to the Iranian nation. Under JCPOA, the Americans have committed themselves to dropping hostile acts against the Iranian nation, but the congressional decision on visa waiver will violate the US commitments in dealing with Iran.

The Europeans seem to have objected to the US move, and the Iranian officials are expected to inform the American side that Tehran views Washington’s new decision as a hostile act against the Iranian people and violation of JCPOA.

The new US bill will target foreign investment in Iran. This reveals the hostility America bears toward the Iranian people and government, because the decision will virtually cut the foreign investment Iran absorbs and will make it very hard for tourists to travel to Iran.

The visa waiver legislation will also undermine Iran’s normal trade with other nations. It bans foreign investors and businessmen who make a trip to Iran from easily traveling to the United States and elsewhere in the world.

The Europeans and Americans as well as the South Koreans and the Japanese are the main foreign investors in Iran, with countries such as China, the UAE and Turkey which are known as Iran’s trading partners claiming no share of Iran’s foreign investment.

The new visa law in the US will target 80-90 percent of foreign investment in Iran. Countries such as Turkey or the UAE which benefit the most from Iran’s economy have yet to make remarkable investments in Iran. The Chinese have tried to make investment in Iran, but Iran’s economy has yet to reap revenues from what they have done.

During the years Iran was reeling under the weight of sanctions, a number of countries, including Turkey, the UAE and China, could make investment in Iran, but they didn’t. And the new visa legislation will provide them with a new pretext not to put their money into [different sectors in] Iran.

A congressional resolution on the US Visa Waiver Program – resolution, H.R. 158 – has already passed the House of Representatives and has been sent to the Senate for its consideration, along with a similar Senate resolution.
According to the bill, which was passed by 407 to 19 on Tuesday, visitors from the 38 “visa waiver” countries will need to obtain a visa to travel to the US if they have been to Syria, Iraq, Iran or Sudan in the past five years.

Presence of foreign banks spurs competitiveness: MP

By

Emad Askarieh

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December 16, 2015

Nothing stands in the way of foreign bank presence in Iran because such presence will give a boost to competitiveness of the banking system, Mousa al-Reza Servati, a member of parliament’s Planning and Budget Committee, told the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA).

He further said that under the laws the chamber has voted for foreign banks that meet the requirements face no restrictions in setting up branches here in Iran. “Of course, the laws determine the stake of foreigners in such banks. Their Iranian partners should claim a bigger share.”

The following is the translation of what else Servati told ICANA:

He said that such presence would infuse liquidity into the national economy which could help production flourish, if managed properly.

The MP, who represents Bojnourd in the chamber, further said to ease concerns about the presence of foreign banks in the country, a team of experts can make all the necessary assessments and remove the legal problems, if any.

He said the presence of foreign banks can also inject competitiveness to efforts to adjust interest rates.

Servati also hailed the Central Bank of Iran’s decision to streamline the currency exchanges and said that measures to clamp down on unauthorized dealers in foreign currencies should continue in cooperation with Law Enforcement.

4,600-year-old grave unearthed in Burnt City

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Emad Askarieh

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December 16, 2015

An ancient grave of a 40-year old wealthy woman, containing 112 artifacts, has been discovered in the Burnt City (Shahr-e Soukhteh) site in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

With the discovery of the grave, which dates back to 4,600 years, the archeologists have managed to register a new record in the history of their excavations.

Mansour Seyyed Sajjadi, head of the Burnt City’s Excavation Team, said three types of graves have so far been found in the Burnt City including simple ditches, ditches with two sections and burial crypts.

He added it is the second time that a grave, with 112 ancient items, has been discovered at the Burnt City site.

“A grave of 32- year-old man and his 10-year-old child, containing 112 relics, was discovered in the Burnt City in 1998,” he said.

He said archeologists have discovered only two burial crypts during the 15th excavation season in the ancient city.

Seyyed Sajjadi noted that archeologists and genetic specialists have conducted extensive studies on the ancient graves, the skeletons and the relics found in them.

“Genetic specialists, speculated that the skeleton unearthed from one grave belonged to a woman whose height was 155cm ,” he said, adding a number of containers resembling collyrium box, colorful jars and pieces of textile materials have been found near the skeleton.

Seyyed Sajjadi said salt and minerals available in the soil of Burnt City made the textile durable for such a long time.

Prior to the excavations by Iranian archeologists at the Burnt City site, an Italian team had come across 220 graves in the location.

Iran nuclear case fabricated scenario: Iran nuclear chief

By

Emad Askarieh

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December 16, 2015

Iran’s nuclear chief says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s recent decision to drop the so-called possible military dimensions (PMD) in relation with the country’s nuclear case proved that the entire case was fabricated.

The whole nuclear case of Iran was “manufactured” in order to ratchet up the pressure on Iran, said head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). Ali-Akbar Salehi made the remarks during a televised interview on Tuesdaynight following the closure of the PMD case.

During its meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Tuesday, the IAEA’s Board of Governors overwhelmingly voted in favor of a draft resolution which brings down the curtain on a 12-year investigation into the past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

In a separate development, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araghchi said that the closure of the PMD case on will open a new chapter in Tehran’s ties with the UN nuclear agency.

Araghchi said the ratification of the resolution is a major step toward the implementation of JCPOA, adding that following the closure of the PMD case, Iran will now start fulfilling its commitments regarding two major issues, namely the redesigning of the Arak heavy water reactor and the shipment of Iran’s enriched uranium stock out of the country.

He also noted that Iran will continue to fulfill its other obligations as stipulated in JCPOA, adding that the closure of the PMD case bears testimony to the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program.

A look at Iranian newspaper front pages on Dec. 16

By

Emad Askarieh

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December 16, 2015

The decision by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency to declare Iran’s PMD case closed dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Wednesday.

Ettela’at: Iran’s PMD case at the International Atomic Energy Agency was declared closed.

The director general of the UN nuclear agency has said that there has been no diversion in Iran’s nuclear program.

Ettela’at: Phases 15 and 16 of South Pars gas field will become operational next week.

The inauguration of these two phases of the giant field will earn the country $3 billion in additional revenues on an annual basis.

Ettela’at: President Rouhani has called for the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate the tragedy of a Shiite massacre in Nigeria.

In a telephone conversation with his Nigerian counterpart, the Iranian president said that partial differences of opinion should not be allowed to degenerate into deep-rooted conflicts.

Ettela’at: Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that PMD (possible military dimension) is now history.

He further said the fact that Iran has never been in breach of the NPT has been established and the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program has once again been proven to the world.

Ettela’at: President Rouhani’s special advisor has said organization of free and fair elections will be a guarantor of the future.

Ali Younesi described the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as the most important achievement of the administration’s foreign policy.

Ettela’at: The Sixth Development Plan allocates special funds to measures to ease social harms.

The government spokesman has said special committees will be formed to deal with social issues.

Ettela’at: Iran blocks the transit of some 500 tons of drugs to Europe annually, the interior minister told his Austrian counterpart.

He further said an effective fight against the scourge of terror requires the honest and serious contribution of all nations.

Ettela’at: Kharazmi Festival has named top students from across the nation.

Afkar: A Swiss trade delegation will arrive in Iran.

Arman-e Emrooz: Saeed Mortazavi [a former judge and director of the Social Security Organization who is on trial for corruption] goes to court with an armed bodyguard!

Dehdashti, an Abadan MP, has said Mortazavi’s years as a judge will be investigated.

Arman-e Emrooz: Morteza Talaei has resigned from Tehran City Council.

Ebtekar: PMD is now history; a resolution by the IAEA’s Board of Governors has ended a 12-year dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.

All sanctions will be lifted in three weeks.

Emtiaz: Tehran police chief has said that 72 gangs involved in goods smuggling have been busted.

Etemad: No political grouping [which acts within the framework the establishment has set] can be eliminated, the government spokesman said.

Etemad: Some 40,000 cars whose occupants failed to observe the Islamic dress code have been impounded.

Hamshahri: A visa war

Europe and the US are at loggerheads over Iran.

Hemayat: Senior Iranian clerics and officials have urged international institutions not to remain silent over the massacre of Shiites in Nigeria.

Iran: An end to allegations

The diplomacy of moderation brought the curtain down on a 12-year nuclear dispute.

Javan: A fabricated case was declared closed for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Jomhouri Islami: Individuals should not make unwise remarks in the name of defending the Leader, said Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Kar va Kargar: Some individuals are making fuss about the threat of the flu only to be able to sell flu vaccines which are past their best-before date, said the health minister.

Kar va Kargar: MPs have voted for a motion to establish an organization to take on corruption.

Kayhan: The West is not afraid of our centrifuges, what is frightening to Westerners is the line of thinking which is on the march here, participants in a Tehran University gathering said.

Qods: The Guardian Council won’t give the green-light to individuals who do not meet the requirements to run for office, said Ayatollah Momen, a member of the council.

Resalat: Creation of a new Ottoman empire is what motivates Turkey to support Daesh, said Hossein Sheikholeslam, an advisor to the parliament speaker.

Saheb Ghalam: The UN nuclear agency won’t admit that Iran has made no mistake whatsoever, because such admission will prompt Tehran to file its own claim, said the director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

Shahrvand: An end to a dispute

Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that the practical lifting of sanctions will start in three weeks.

Valuable legislation, meritorious enforcers

By

Fatemeh Askarieh

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December 16, 2015

An Iranian Shiite cleric says that members of parliament should focus on “Continuous Ijtihad” as they try [to make laws] to improve people’s lives.

Ayatollah Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad, a university and seminary school instructor, made the remark in a fourth conference on the Role of Research in Lawmaking and added that under Article Two of the Constitution, Continuous Ijtihad [an Islamic legal term that means “independent reasoning”] is one of the cornerstones of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but that the Constitution falls short of explaining how this article should be legally binding.

[Article 2: The Islamic Republic is a system based on belief in: (…) continuous Ijtihad of the fuqaha possessing necessary qualifications, exercised on the basis of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Ma’sumun, upon all of whom be peace;]

Entekhab.ir on December 16 published Ayatollah Mohaghegh Damad’s remarks in the conference and the following is the translation of what he said:

A nation’s prosperity rests with its valuable legislation and meritorious enforcers. Educated and meritorious managers will achieve no success in the absence of valuable laws, and valuable laws will do little to help the nation achieve prosperity even if its managers are meritorious.

Continuous Ijtihad is the legislative underpinnings of the country. The responsibility the MPs should undertake is heavier. We lacked a Legislative Branch 100 years ago and our legislation used to be made based on modern laws, with the judges making judgment based on Ijtihad. Back then Ijtihad was a requirement a judge had to meet before they were appointed to the bench.

If laws are written to run [the affairs in] the country, the responsibility [to write the laws] should be based on Continuous Ijtihad.

The Iranian nation calls on members of parliament not to compare their needs with what people needed 30 years ago. The interests of an entire nation are in your [MPs] hands. The MPs should think things over, take into account the country’s national interests, and make brave decisions. The MPs are expected to take into consideration Continuous Ijtihad when they strive to improve people’s lives.

Our country is protected by a holy legislative institution. [Addressing the director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran] Mr. Salehi! I wish you could do something to launch scientific management in the country in addition to the scientific progress the country has achieved. Whose negligence is to blame in this regard? Does it mean that [the Islamic Consultative] Assembly has not practiced Continuous Ijtihad?

The bills and motions [parliament debates on the floor] should be supported by Continuous Ijtihad. Iran has made scientific progress in some areas which are acceptable and a source of pride, but the question that arises here is: Why hasn’t the medical science achieved progress in ethics?

[Recalling the suture removal scandal in Khomeinishahr in Isfahan Province] It is disgraceful and tear-jerking that in a hospital in an Iranian town parents lack money to pay for the stitches their child needs [on his chin] and the medical team takes out the stitches of the child. I pray to God that such a story is not true; otherwise, we need to do something for such decline in morality. We need to shed tears for such an ethical decline.

Wall of Compassion in Shiraz (PHOTOS)

By

Fatemeh Askarieh

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December 16, 2015

A number of anonymous youngsters in Shiraz have created a Wall of Compassion in a street in their city.

People hang their excessive clothes on the wall for the poor and needy to collect directly.

The following images have been released by Mehr News Agency:

Iranian Red Crescent gains maximum rank in int’l evaluation

By

Emad Askarieh

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December 16, 2015

Director of the international programs development of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Roger Brake announced Tuesday that Iran has achieved the maximum possible rank in organizational capacity index.

Praising Iran’s status in the IFRC family, the IFRC chief said that the presence of 2,700,000 trained personnel and 600,000 volunteers to rescue and take care of the victims of unexpected incidents in the Iranian Red Crescent Society has made it one of the world’s most competent and largest of its kind.

He said that the IFRC coach who participated in the evaluation of the Iranian Red Crescent Society was highly impressed by the professional approach applied in that organization both in terms of the trainings and in terms of the services offered.

Iran urges justice for perpetrators of Nigeria Muslim killings

By

Emad Askarieh

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December 16, 2015

A senior Iranian official has called on the Nigerian government to bring to justice those involved in the military’s bloody crackdown on Shiite Muslims in the African country.

In a statement released Tuesday, Secretary General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening Ali-Akbar Velayati expressed “deep regret and sorrow” over the Nigerian army’s recent “brutal attack” on Shiite Muslims in that country.

He added that people across the world still remember the killing of 25 Muslims by the Nigerian army during last year’s rallies marking the International Quds Day, stressing that the demonstrators were killed only for supporting the Palestinian nation against Israel’s atrocities and occupation.

Velayati, who is also a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, further stated that the Nigerian army, provoked by the Israeli regime and backed by Wahhabi extremists, has once again attacked Muslims in the African country following the massive march of Nigerians during this year’s mourning rituals of Arba’een, which marked the 40th day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussain (PBUH), the third Shiite imam.

Local media said on December 12 that more than a dozen people were killed after clashes erupted between the Nigerian army and Shiite Muslims in the northern city of Zaria, Kaduna State. The military accused the Shiites of attempting to assassinate Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, the chief of the Nigerian army staff.

The clashes broke out when Nigerian soldiers opened fire on the people attending a religious ceremony at Hussainiyyah Baqeeyatullah, a religious center belonging to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).

One day later, revered Nigerian Shia cleric, Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, and his wife were arrested during a raid by the army on his residence and the buildings connected to the Shiite community in Zaria. Local sources say hundreds of people trying to protect the cleric were killed.

In other developments, over 200 Iranian lawmakers condemned the “brutal” killing and called for the formation of an ad hoc committee to investigate the matter. And President Hassan Rouhani called for the establishment of a fact-finding committee in Nigeria to investigate the crackdown on Shiite Muslims.