Did sanctions cause Iranian airplane to land without its front tires?
House committee unveils new sanctions eliminating humanitarian waiver for Iranian civilian aircraft
Ahmadinejad to be questioned by parliament over bank scandal
Iranian police getting aid from western companies
Iran creates unite to defend against cyber attacks
Iran wants relations with U.S., but not now
Iran demands US apology, cash over assassination plot charges
Pakistan withdraws from Iran pipeline project
Iran FM says US buildup near Iraq lacks ‘prudence’
Did sanctions cause Iranian airplane to land without its front tires?
Recently an Iran Air airplane, due to technical malfunctions, was forced to land without the use of its front tires. Iran currently has one of the worst airline safety records–over 1,000 people have died in airplane crashes in Iran in the past decade–and this is directly related to sanctions that prevent the sale of air parts and repairs to Iranian civilian airlines. (Lobelog.com 10/28)
House committee unveils new sanctions eliminating humanitarian waiver for Iranian civilian aircraft
The House Foreign Affairs Committee is holding a hearing this Wednesday on a new sanctions bill that has just been updated to strip the President of his authority to waive sanctions to allow civilian aircraft parts and repairs to be sent to Iran for humanitarian purposes.
Ahmadinejad to be questioned by parliament over bank scandal
Iranian president Ahmadinejad will be called in front of parliament to answer questions regarding the recent $2.6 billion bank scandal. This announcement came in close proximity to the announcement that Ahmadinejad’s finance minister had been found guilty of involvement in the same scandal. (Al-Jazeera English 10/31)
Iranian police getting aid from western companies
Western companies such as Ericsson AB and AdaptiveMobile Security Ltd., have been supplying the Iranian government with the technologies required to monitor the communications and whereabouts of dissidents. According to Bloomberg, the technologies were directly tied to the government’s ability to locate and crackdown on protestors after the 2009 presidential elections. (Bloomberg 10/30)
Iran creates unit to defend against cyber attacks
In response to the two cyber attacks on their nuclear program, Iran has announced the creation of a cyber unit. The unit will be headed by the armed forces and will include officials from the defense and telecommunications ministries. (Washington Post 10/31)
Iran wants relations with U.S., but not now
Iranian foreign minister Ali Salehi responded to Secretary of State Clinton’s recent remarks, saying that Iran seeks good relations with all countries, except Israel, but that this relationship needs to be based on meaningful negotiations. He added, “On the one hand there is an expressed desire for negotiation but on the other hand there is (U.S.) rhetoric that does not correspond with (that).” (Reuters 10/29)
Iran demands US apology, cash over assassination plot charges
In a letter recently given to U.S. diplomats, Iran has called for the U.S. to publically apologize to both the al-Quds Force and the Islamic republic. Additionally, the letter requested unspecified financial compensation for damages caused by the allegations. (MSNBC Open Channel 10/30)
Pakistan withdraws from Iran pipeline project
Pakistan has reportedly backed out of pipeline that would have linked them to Iranian gas fields, opting instead for the TAPI pipeline (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India). The backing out of Pakistan, assumed to be tied to U.S. pressure, Iran in a difficult position as Iran has already built its portion of the pipeline. (uskowi on Iran 10/29)
Iran FM says US buildup near Iraq lacks ‘prudence’
To compensate for the removal of U.S. troops from Iraq, the U.S, is planning a 40,000 troop build up along Iran’s border. In response, Iranian foreign minister Salehi has called for the U.S. to show more prudence and caution “because the region is really going into troubles, and…the consequences of these developments are not yet known.” (Associated Press 10/31)
October 31, 2011