The United States renewed "civilian nuclear cooperation" waivers that allow Russian, European, and Chinese companies to pursue work at some of Iran's declared nuclear sites without the risk of U.S. sanctions. The 60-day waivers cover ongoing projects at the Bushehr nuclear power reactor, the Arak heavy water plant, and the Tehran Research Reactor.
News Briefs
March 31, 2020
Germany, France, and the United Kingdom announced the completion of the first transaction through the INSTEX trade mechanism, facilitating the export of medical goods from Europe to Iran. Stakeholders are now working to enhance the mechanism and facilitate additional transactions.
-- The Associated Press
March 26, 2020
The United States sanctioned 20 companies and individuals with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the IRGC-Quds Force, and Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The sanctions target a network of front companies used to fund terrorist activities in the region, including the Reconstruction Organization of the Holy Shrines in Iraq, as well as Kataib Hezbollah commander Shaykh Adnan al-Hamidawi, and IRGC officials accused of selling Iranian oil to Syria and smuggling weapons to Yemen and Iraq.
-- Al-Monitor
March 26, 2020
The United States renewed waivers allowing Iraq to import Iranian gas and electricity but limited the duration of the waiver to 30 days. According to a U.S. official, the shortened period is meant to serve as a warning that Iraq must expedite efforts to diversify its energy supply away from Iran. The United States also sanctioned entities accused of exploiting the waivers to funnel money to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF).
-- The Wall Street Journal
March 23, 2020
The European Union will give Iran 20 million euros in humanitarian aid over the next two weeks to help combat the coronavirus. The EU will also support Iran’s request for financial help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
-- Reuters
March 22, 2020
The United States announced new sanctions on companies and individuals connected to Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation of Research (SPND), including scientists who worked on Iran’s nuclear program in the early 2000s. The United States accused Iran of keeping the scientists together as a team so that it would have the necessary expertise to develop a nuclear weapons program in the future. The individuals continue to work on R&D of dual-use technologies, and the listing will restrict them from participating in international conferences and performing research with foreign universities.
-- The Washington Post
March 21, 2020
France released Jalal Ruhollahnejad, an Iranian engineer wanted by U.S. authorities for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions, in a prisoner swap for French academic Roland Marchal. A French court had already approved plans to extradite Ruhollahnejad to the United States, where he would face charges of attempting to acquire sensitive U.S. technology on behalf of a company with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
-- Reuters
March 19, 2020
The United States imposed three new rounds of sanctions on Iran targeting more than a dozen individuals and companies. The Commerce Department added five Iranian nuclear scientists to its export control list; the State Department sanctioned eight firms and three executives for helping Iran sell petrochemical goods; and the Treasury Department blacklisted Alam Althrwa General Trading LLC and Alwaneo LLC Co. in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for purchasing petroleum products from the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).
-- The Wall Street Journal
March 17, 2020
Merdad Ansari, an Iranian national and United Arab Emirates resident, has been extradited to Texas, where he will face federal charges for his role in a scheme to sell military sensitive items to Iran from 2007-2011 in violation of the Iranian Trade Embargo. According to prosecutors, Ansari and his co-defendant, Mehrdad Foomanie, bought or attempted to buy more than 105,000 parts worth an estimated $2,630,800 and planned to ship them to Iran through Foomanie’s Hong Kong, Chinese, and Iranian companies. Ansari has been charged with conspiracy to violate the Iranian Transactions Regulations (ITR), conspiracy to launder money, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and could face up to 45 years in prison.
-- The Hill
March 17, 2020
Ali Sadr Hasheminejad was convicted of violating U.S. sanctions on Iran after he funneled $115 million in payments from a construction project in Venezuela to his Iranian relatives and their companies, including the Iranian International Housing Company (IIHC). Hasheminejad hid the Iranian connection to the payments and processed financial transactions using a network of front companies and bank accounts in Switzerland, Turkey, and St. Kitts & Nevis, including Clarity Trade and Finance and Stratus International Contracting. He was found guilty of five charges, including bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and conspiracy to violate International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
-- Malta Today