TEHRAN – Iranian and Turkish private sectors can help streamline the bilateral trade through removing the problem of money transferring between the two countries, IRNA quoted Iranian deputy trade minister Hamid Safdel as saying.
In an interview with the Turkish newspaper Dunya, he referred to the current level of bilateral trade, which stands at $20 billion, as insignificant, and added that a preferential trade agreement will be signed in the current year between the two neighbors.
He pointed to the establishment of 2,300 Iranian companies in Turkey, and said, “The visit by about two million Iranian tourists to Turkey is also a good sign of tourism cooperation between Iran and Turkey, but it cannot be said that in spite of this potential, the tourism between the two countries is assessed as quite satisfactory.”
On January 1, IRNA cited data by Turkey’s statistics center, indicating that the value of trade between Iran and Turkey surpassed $20.8 billion in the first 11 months of 2012, showing around 40 percent rise compared to the same period in 2011.
Turkey’s exports to Iran amounted to $7 billion in the mentioned period, mainly due to the exports of gold to Iran.
Oil, gas, and petrochemicals account for a lion’s share of Iran’s exports to Turkey.
On December 11, 2012, Iran’s Ambassador to Turkey Bahman Hosseinpour said the trade volume between Tehran and Ankara can potentially increase fivefold to as high as $100 billion a year.
The Iranian ambassador added that ample investment opportunities await Turkish investors in Iran.
via Iran, Turkey can streamline bilateral trade through private sectors: official – Tehran Times.
Nuclear experts from Iran and six world powers head to Istanbul next week to discuss a revised international proposal that Iranian officials welcomed as a “turning point” at a meeting in Kazakhstan last month.
The U.S. team to the Istanbul talks, to be held March 18, includes two veteran State Department arms control negotiators, Robert Einhorn and Jim Timbie, as well as Jofi Joseph, an Iran director in the White House WMD shop, US officials told the Back Channel Thursday. Einhorn and Timbie previously attended technical talks with Iran held in Istanbul last July, along with then White House WMD czar Gary Samore, who left the administration in January for Harvard.
Iran’s delegation to the technical talks in Istanbul next week is expected, as last July, to be led by Hamid-Reza Asgari, a longtime member of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, who multiple Iranian sources tell Al-Monitor is an Iranian intelligence officer who has been involved in Iran’s international arms control discussions for over a decade. Iran’s team to Istanbul last July also included Ali Ashgar Soltanieh, Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
(A revealing detail on their dynamic comes from a late 2009 US cable, released by Wikileaks, and written by then US envoy to the IAEA Glyn Davies. It describes Soltanieh as having moved to shake US Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman’s hand at a 2009 Vienna meeting, “necessitating Iranian Legal Advisor Asgari to pull him [Soltanieh] away from” the U.S. delegation, Davies wrote.)
American and Iranian officials had fairly extensive discussions at the last technical meeting in Istanbul last July, a senior US official, speaking not for attribution, told journalists at P5+1 talks with Iran in Almaty, Kazakhstan last month.
“There’s a little heightened hope that Iran will respond in a meaningful way when they meet,” Mark Fitzpatrick, a former State Department arms control official now with the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, told the Back Channel Thursday. “If Iran comes back engaging in the details…if they are talking the same language…it would be very much progress.”
President Obama, speaking on Wednesday ahead of his first presidential trip to Israel next week, said that the United States currently assesses it would be at least a year before Iran could manufacture a nuclear weapon if it decided to do so, and the United States and international partners had been intensifying efforts to reach a diplomatic resolution in that window because it would prove more durable.
“Right now, we think it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon, but obviously we don’t want to cut it too close,” Obama told Israel’s Channel 2 Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
“So when I’m consulting with [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi [Netanyahu], my message to him will be the same as before,” Obama continued. “If we can resolve it diplomatically, that is a more lasting solution. But if not, I continue to keep all options on the table.”
Arms control experts said calculating such a time line involves a complicated set of likely and unlikely assumptions. “If Iran decided today to build nuclear weapons, it would require years, not weeks or months, to deploy a credible nuclear arsenal,” Greg Thielmann, a former US intelligence analyst now with the Arms Control Association, told the Back Channel Thursday.
The Istanbul experts level talks come as Iranian leaders have intensified debate on the pros and cons of direct talks with the United States in recent days, suggesting Tehran may be mulling whether to take President Obama up on the offer and under what conditions.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s official website this week posted previously unreleased photos of Iranian and American officials meeting in Iraq in 2007, as well as interviews with Iranian officials involved in the talks, Al-Monitor reported Thursday. Then US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker told Al-Monitor Friday that he found Tehran’s publication of the photos “interesting,” and said they were of meetings he attended in Iraq in 2007, when he served as the US envoy to Baghdad.
Two Iranian presidential candidates close to the Supreme Leader also weighed in on prospects for US-Iran talks in Iranian media interviews this week.
Ali Akbar Velayati, the Supreme Leader’s longtime foreign policy advisor and a former Iranian foreign minister, speaking to Iranian journalists Wednesday, “said that as long as Americans have not changed their behavior and methods of conduct with Iran, the stance of the Islamic Republic of Iran will remain unchanged,” the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported Thursday.
But former Iranian nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani said there were situations when the Supreme Leader would endorse talks with the Americans, as he has on certain occasions in the past.
“It is not the Supreme Leader’s view that Iran and the United States should not have negotiations and relations until the Day of Judgment,” Rowhani, the Supreme Leader’s representative to the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, was cited by Iranian media Thursday.
“If there is a situation where the country’s dignity and interests are..served, he will give permission for dialogue…as…negotiations have been held between the two countries on issues related to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the nuclear (issue),” Rowhani continued.
(Hamid-Reza Asgari, top right, a senior advisor in Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, is pictured with Iran’s envoy to the IAEA Ali Ashgar Soltanieh (left, with beard), attending a meeting in Vienna with French, Russian and American diplomats October 21, 2009. REUTERS/Herwig Prammer.)
Head of Representative Office of Lev Gumilev Center of Russia in Azerbaijan.
Director of Information and Analytical Center Etnoglobus (ethnoglobus.az), editor of Russian section of Turkishnews American-Turkish Resource websitewww.turkishnews.com
Spread and activity of Islam within the last 20 years is the result of globalization policy of the West, particularly the U.S. Its first phase started in the late 80’s of previous century following the collapse of the Soviet Union and activity of Islam in the region.
Different faith and trends of Islam which came to the territories of the Soviet Union from the Middle East and Persian Gulf became power acting against Russia during the Second Chechen War.
After withdrawal of Russian troops from Afghanistan, Taliban regime took the control of most part of Afghanistan as a result of which Islam started to be spread in Middle Asia.
At the same time of opening of the geography of the Former Soviet Union to Islam, big area where the Muslims are settled have traditionally confronted with non-traditional Islam trends.
Later, as a result of events called as «Arab spring» and by intervention of the US and coalition forces, governments in power in Tunis, Yemen, Egypt and Libya were overthrown and Islamic forces seized the power.
In reality, when the U.S made a decision regarding government overthrow in the Middle East, it also caused the processes to be out of control in the region. After military intervention in Iraq, Iraqi regions mostly populated by Shias neighboring with Iran fell under the control of Iran.
Since national consciousness in Arab countries is as the same as religious, tribal consciousness, government overthrow in Arab countries through revolution by the West increased the religious senses of people as a result of which Islamic political parties found a way to the government. Arab countries with limited freedom, living in regimes with closed doors to democracy, linked the freedom with Islam and found it reasonable that political Islam seized the power.
Islamic forces, seizing the power following «Arab spring», contrary to all expectations, at least for the present moment, pursue moderate policy. The fact that new Egyptian government fights against Al-Qaida militants together with official Tel-Aviv in the borders with Israel is another proof of it. However, claims of Egypt’s new government regarding forming “Pan-Arab” empire with capital Quds by evaluating the country as influential state of the region allow us to think that all the processes are about to change towards radicalism.
US military operations in Iraq and governmental overthrow in the Middle East contributed to new phase of Islamic formation. Along with hardline Islam demonstrated by “Hamas” in Palestine and “Hezbollah” in Lebanon, victory of moderate pro–Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey brought changes to world’s political order. In 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran demonstrated the world specific management order formed by unity of secular and religious laws. Another country in the region claimed to be Islamic center is Saudi Arabia. Thus, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia joined in struggle to distribute their reputation sphere in Islamic world.
Besides, “Arab Spring” has turned the stable competitiveness into armed conflict between the Shia and Sunni Islam. Another reason is the increase of reputation of Iran in the areas settled by the Shias as a result of events that happened in the Middle East.
Location of the main parts of carbohydrates from Persian Gulf to Caspian Sea in the areas where the Shias live densely makes brain centers of Israel and USA to draw attention to this factor. As a result, the projects such as “the Shia Line”, “Combination of resources of Persian and CaspianBasins” has been made. This factor is one of the reasons of political processes in the Middle East caused by conflicts between the Shia and the Sunnis.
On another hand, the processes in the Middle East, especially the destiny of Syria, made reconsider the relations of Islam countries among them. It should be noted that, the effort to eliminate tension of recent years and the observance of warmness in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the Non-Aligned Movement Summit held in autumn of the past year in Tehran are one of the factors certifying this thought. But, this obligatory attitude should not be considered as a break from struggle against the reputation in two regional powers in Persian Gulf and Islam world.
As there possibility of “Arab Spring”, which is now in Syria, is still remained for other Arab countries, to avoid it, Saudi Arabia demonstrates its desire to give to Iran its confidence breaking the coldness ice that continues for a long time.
From another hand, coming into power of Islam Parties instead of overthrown powers in Arab countries and increase of salafi trends’ influence strengthens the Saudi Arabia in the region and demonstrates its twofaced game against Iran. Clear threats are stated by Salafi leaders against the Shiism.
It should be stated that, “Arab Spring” caused protests by Alavis in Turkey and increase of inter-trends conflicts and allowed Al-Qaida to penetrate into this country.
Al-Qaida, supported by Saudi Arabia, struggling for reputation in the region with Iran, having taken advantages of spread of salafism in the region as a result of “Arab spring”, began to increased it’s reputation. This struggle is still in its initial phase. In the future, competition of Islamic trends, in fact, regional countries supporting these trends, will step into new phase.
Reports: Germans accuse Turkey of exporting items with ‘nuclear applications’ to Iran
BY: Adam Kredo
German prosecutors have accused Turkey of exporting to Iran nearly 1,000 items with “nuclear applications,” according to German and Turkish media reports.
German prosecutors allege Iran has established multiple “front companies” in Istanbul, accordingto Today’s Zaman, an English-language publication in Turkey. These illicit companies are believed to have shipped nuclear-related material back to Iran.
Kristen Silverberg, a former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, said Iran has a history of using front companies as a means to skirt sanctions.
“The Iranian regime has a long practice of using front companies” to evade sanctions and conduct illicit business affairs, Silverberg, who serves as president of United Against Nuclear Iran, a non-partisan advocacy group, told the Washington Free Beacon.
Iran has “really perfected the art of sanctions evasion, and we’ve seen them do that in response to every round [of sanctions], which is why it’s so important for the U.S. and its allies to identify the front companies and continue to sanction them and any country abetting them,” Silverberg said.
News of the nuclear exports comes just days after German and Turkish officials busted several Iranian smugglers suspected of transferring nuclear goods from India to Iran.
German and Turkish officials conducted raids in each country on Monday, capturing several Iranian suspects. Three other suspects remain at large.
“In 2012 German police detected that materials with nuclear applications obtained in Germany and India were transported to the Mitech company in Iran through Turkey by an Iranian national, Hossein Tanideh,” Today’s Zaman quoted the German report as saying.
Tanideh was captured in Turkey earlier this year.
“Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, which is also the German branch of Interpol, informed its counterpart in Turkey about Tanideh’s dealings, and Tanideh was arrested,” according to the report.
German officials were reportedly able to trace Tanideh’s activities to back several of the Iranian front companies.
The investigation revealed that Tanideh was tied to several business owners who were exporting material to Iran.
“As part of the investigation, a thorough search was conducted at IDI, a foreign trade company owned by Tanideh,” Today’s Zaman reported. “Police raided the main office of the company in Bakırköy, İstanbul, and seized all the documents in the office.”
The seized documents showed that Tanideh and one of his business associates “sent the materials with nuclear applications they got from Germany and India to Mitech in Iran and declared them as plumbing parts and fixtures,” according to the report.
Turkish police are believed to have learned from these documents that 91 nuclear-related items were funneled from Germany to Turkey on multiple occasions before making their way to Iran.
Another 856 nuclear items were shipped from India to Turkey and then to Iran at various points, according to the report.
“Despite six years of sanctions Iran is still capable of procuring critically vital, made-in-Europe dual use technology for its nuclear weapons’ program,” said Emanuele Ottolenghi, a Germany-based senior fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“Dozens of front companies still operate in Europe under the nose of local authorities,” he said. “The mushrooming of Iranian companies in Turkey is clearly related—obtaining export licenses to this NATO member state is relatively easy.”
By using Turkey as a conduit, “Iran is able to elude sanctions,” Ottolenghi explained. “European authorities must do much more to stop this traffic and demand much more vigilance from Turkey since, by now, there are more than 3,000 Iranian companies registered in Turkey.”
Iran sanctions experts questioned whether Turkish officials had quietly allowed these shipments to take place.
“The big question is: Did Ankara know about this procurement network before the Germans blew the lid off?” said Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Treasury Department.
Iran and Turkey continue to expand business ties.
“A good number of Iranian-financed firms have set up shop in Turkey recently,” Today’s Zaman reported. “In January this year, there were 28 Iranian-funded foreign companies established in Turkey, which ranked just behind German investors.”
Turkey has been implemented in a series of troublesome actions meant to skirt Western sanctions on Iran.
Turkey’s Halkbank, a majority state-owned lender, faced scrutiny for carrying out so-called “gold for oil” transactions with Iran. It is believed that Turkey traded more than 60 tons of gold in exchange for Iranian crude oil.
Regional reports have also indicated that Turkey may trade ships to Iran in exchange for oil in another scheme meant to skirt Western sanctions.
Turkey has also been suspected of funding the terror group Hamas, leading experts to wonder if the nuclear-export fiasco reveals a growing terrorism problem in Turkey.
These exports, “coupled with Halkbank’s gas for gold scheme, coupled with Hamas funding, coupled with Turkey’s failure for five years to comply with international standards for terror finance laws paints a very troubling picture of Turkey,” said Schanzer, who serves as vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Former Pentagon adviser Michael Rubin said these front companies appear legitimate but are actually tools of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
“The economic wing of the Revolutionary Guards runs a number of front companies for seemingly legitimate purposes,” Rubin said. “The Iranians can use these companies’ Turkish partners to access a lot of dual use technology that Iran could never import directly. That’s hard enough to keep track of under normal circumstances, but we’re saddled with a Turkish government that sees Obama’s professed friendship as evidence that they can literally get away with murder.”
This entry was posted in Middle East, National Security and tagged Germany, Hossein Tanideh, Jonathan Schanzer, Nuclear Iran, Today’s Zaman, Turkey. Bookmark thepermalink.
Germany and Turkish security officials have caught smugglers suspected of transporting nuclear materials from India to the Iranian city of Arak, overseas media reports.
Ynet News says the security officials conducted a simultaneous raid in Germany and in Istanbul. The raid led to several arrests: A Turkish citizen who was born in Iranian was found with documents that detailed the smuggling and was arrested in Istanbul. And another Iranian suspect was detained and arrested at Ataturk Airport. German police, meanwhile, are holding five Iranian suspects, Ynet says.
Two other suspects are at-large. Ynet reports that Turkish customs officials raided the home of an Iranian couple suspected of involvement in the smuggling operation. But the two weren’t at the house, and police are still seeking their whereabouts, Ynet says.
via Turkey, Germany arrest Iranians in nuclear smuggling scheme – Washington Times.
Golshifteh Farahani an Iranian actress. In January 2012, Golshifteh was banned from returning to her homeland by the government of Iran after posing nude in the French Madame Figaro and also in the César Award’s video for Most Promising Actors category.
