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  • Mar, Wed, 2020
Foreign

U.S. sanctions 2 South African companies, 7 others over Iran

Sanctions

By Harrison Arubu

New York, March 18, 2020 (NAN) The United States has sanctioned two South African companies along with seven others in China and Hong Kong for allegedly trading in petrochemical products with Iran.

The U.S. Department of State identified the two South African entities as SPI International Proprietary Limited and Main Street 1095 in a statement on Wednesday.

It named the Hong Kong-based companies as McFly Plastic HK Limited; Saturn Oasis Co., Limited and Sea Charming Shipping Company Limited.

The affected Chinese companies are Dalian Golden Sun Import & Export Co., Limited; Tianyi International (Dalian) Co., Limited and Aoxing Ship Management (Shanghai) Ltd.

Also hit by the action is the Social Security Investment Company of the Iranian Armed Forces.

Three Iranians, said to be executive officers of three of the affected companies, are also targets of the latest sanctions.

They are Mohammad Hassan Toulai, Managing Director of the Armed Forces Social Security Investment Company; Hossein Tavakkoli, Director of SPI International Proprietary and Reza Ebadzadeh Semnani, Director of Main Street 1095.

The department accused the South Africa, Hong Kong and China-based companies of “knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petrochemical products from Iran’’.

The Secretary of State, Mr Michael Pompeo, said the affected companies and individuals engaged in activities that could enable the Iranian regime’s violent behaviour.  

“The actions of these individuals and entities provide revenue to the regime that it may use to fund terror and other destabilising activities.

“These include the recent rocket attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces located at Camp Taji in Iraq.

“Our sanctions will deprive the regime of critical income from its petrochemical industry and further Iran’s economic and diplomatic isolation.

“The United States will continue to fully enforce our sanctions,’’ said Pompeo. (NAN)

ARU/IKU/AIB

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Edited by Tayo Ikujuni/Abdulfatah Babatunde

Foreign

Iran arrests Russian journalist over alleged visa violation

Iran arrests Russian journalist over alleged visa violation

Arrest
Tehran, Oct. 7, 2019 (dpa/NAN) A Russian journalist arrested in Iran was on Monday detained due to a visa violation, an Iranian government spokesman said, rejecting reports that the woman was accused of espionage.
The spokesman, Ali Rabiei, said it had nothing to do with espionage, adding that the case is being investigated and will soon be cleared.
Reports about the arrest of journalist Yulia Yuzik surfaced on Instagram sometime in September.
Earlier, the Russian embassy in Tehran had expressed the suspicion that Yuzik had been taken into custody under suspicion of espionage.
According to her mother, Julia was accused of working for Israeli secret services.
However, the Iranian Ambassador, Mehdi Sanaei, was asked by the Russian Foreign Ministry to clarify the situation.
Sanaei promised that the journalist would be released soon after clarifying some questions.
In Iran, foreigners who violate visa rules are normally expelled from the country, but are not arrested or even detained for a longer period, unless there is suspicion of illegal activities such as espionage.
However, it is also illegal for journalists without a press visa to enter the country on a tourist visa and to work as journalists without the knowledge of the press office.
The Iranian security authorities usually react quite strongly to this. (dpa/NAN)
YI/MST
Edited by Yahaya Isah/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Sport

Iranian women allowed to watch World Cup qualifier in stadium – official

Iran
Dubai (UAE), Aug. 25, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Iranian women will be allowed to attend a men’s football World Cub qualifying match in the Islamic Republic of Iran in October, the official IRNA news agency quoted a Sports Ministry official as saying on Sunday.

While foreign women have been allowed limited access to matches in Iran, Iranian women have been banned from stadiums when men’s teams are playing since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

FIFA wrote to the Iranian Football Federation in June asking it to provide a timeline towards women being able to buy tickets for the qualifiers, or face consequences.

“Women can go to Tehran’s Azadi stadium to watch the match between Iran’s national team and Cambodia in October for the Qatar World Cup qualifier,” Deputy Sports Minister Jamshid Taghizadeh said.

The Asian football governing body (AFC), which has 47 members including Iran, said it was working to help FIFA find an “amicable solution” that would allow Iranian female fans to attend future games in Iran.

“There is no legal ban for women to watch the football matches in the stadium. The activation of the infrastructure is underway,” Taghizadeh said.

Iranian female fans have long campaigned to be allowed to watch men’s football and occasionally a limited number of women have been allowed into the stadium.

In June, some women were detained by security forces when they went to the Azadi Stadium for a friendly against Syria.
Last year, some women risked arrest by donning fake beards and wigs to attend a major game in the stadium. Their pictures and videos were posted on social media.

The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar. (Reuters/NAN)
KIA/AFA
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Edited by Felix Ajide

Foreign

U.S. ready to lift Iran sanctions, restore diplomatic ties, but needs deal first – Envoy

Sanctions

Moscow, June 24, 2019 (Sputnik/NAN) The U.S. is ready to lift all the sanctions against Iran and restore diplomatic ties with Tehran, but on condition of a comprehensive deal first.

U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook made this known on Monday.

He said “If we can reach a comprehensive agreement, the U.S. is prepared to lift all of our sanctions, restore diplomatic ties that were broken 40 years ago, and to welcome the Iranian people into the international community.

“But we need to get to the deal first,” Hook told reporters.

He added that the U.S. was looking for a “truly comprehensive deal,” which would address Iran’s nuclear and missile programs as well as Tehran’s regional policy.

“There is no back channel currently operating between the United States government and the Iranian government,” Hook added. (Sputnik/NAN)

HLM/YEE

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(Edited by Hadiza Mohammed/Emmanuel Yashim)

Foreign

Saudi foreign minister supports Trump on Iran

NAN-F-63
Support
London, Oct. 24, 2017 (Reuters/NAN) Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Tuesday in London said that Saudi Arabia supports U.S. President Donald Trump’s concerns about Iran.

Trump broke ranks with other major powers this month by refusing to formally certify that Tehran is complying with the nuclear deal, even though international inspectors said it is.

Al-Jubeir said the nuclear deal had shortcomings, and that he agreed with Trump’s assessment that Iran was working to destabilise the region and was funding militant organisations.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, has been at loggerheads with Iran, a Shi‘ite Muslim country, for decades, and the countries have fought a long-running proxy war in the Middle East.

“(Iran’s behaviour) is not acceptable, and there will be consequences to the Iranians. This is what President Trump has said, and we are very supportive of that,” Al-Jubeir said.

Following Trump’s decision, U.S. Congress has until mid-December to decide whether to re-impose economic sanctions on Tehran that was lifted under the pact.

Al-Jubeir said that new sanctions on Iran would be welcome, and that a delay could mean that by the time sanctions had impact, Iran could have already developed “a dozen” nuclear bombs.

“The international community needs to support those (sanctions) in order to send a very strong message to Iran that your behaviour, your nefarious activities, has consequences,” Al-Jubeir said.

Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes and denies it has aimed to build an atomic bomb. (Reuters/NAN)
OYE/IS
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Ismail Abdulaziz