The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve the Iran Sanctions Extension Act. The legislation would extend sanctions on Iran for 10 years, including some longstanding restrictions that are unrelated to Iran's nuclear program. The bill still requires Senate approval and President Obama's signature before the end of the year or the sanctions will expire.
News Briefs
November 23, 2016
-- New York Times
November 17, 2016
The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that would block the sale of commercial aircraft to Iran. The bill is intended to counter the U.S. Treasury Department's earlier decision to issue licenses to Airbus and Boeing for the sale to Iran of 112 and 80 planes, respectively. The bill still requires Senate approval.
-- Associated Press
November 14, 2016
China's Defense Minister General Chang Wanquan and Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan signed a memorandum of understanding for the expansion of military and defense cooperation. The two sides also discussed counterterrorism efforts that can be conducted within the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
-- Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
November 10, 2016
Federal authorities unsealed an indictment on November 10 charging four Turkish and Iranian nationals with violating U.S. sanctions on Iran by conducting over $100 million of transactions for the Iranian government and Iranian metal companies. According to the indictment, between 2014 and 2016, the four defendants -- Habibollah Zarei, Bora Deniz, Nesteren Zarei Deniz, and Abdullah Evren Erdem -- helped Iranian companies export thousands of tons of copper and steel, using U.S. banks to route financial transactions for the scheme. All four defendants are still at large.
-- U.S. Department of Justice Press Release
November 9, 2016
Iran exceeded a soft limit on its stock of heavy water, according to a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seen by Reuters. The IAEA reported that Iran had 130.1 tonnes of heavy water on November 8, just above the 130-tonne threshold set by the multilateral nuclear agreement. Iran told the IAEA that it planned to export 5 tonnes of heavy water, as allowed by the agreement. This is the second time Iran has exceeded the heavy water threshold since the deal was implemented in January.
-- Reuters
November 7, 2016
Iran has completed an agreement with a foreign leasing company to finance the purchase of the first 17 aircraft the country plans to purchase from Airbus. While Iranian officials did not name the leasing company, industry sources said that Iran had been negotiating with United Arab Emirates' Dubai Aerospace on a financing deal. Under the agreement, the leasing company would assume the initial part of Iran's order from Airbus and then lease the jets to Iran.
-- Reuters
October 28, 2016
Two Los Angeles-area men, Zavik Zargarian and Vache Nayirian, were arrested on October 26, 2016 for conspiring to smuggle over $3 million of military aircraft parts to Iran. Zargarian's company, ZNC Engineering, is also named in the indictment, along with Hanri Tarminassian and Hormuz Nowrouz, who are both believed to be in Iran. According to the indictment, Zargarian acted on behalf of Tarminassian to acquire military aircraft parts from U.S. based suppliers, which included parts for F-14, F-15, F-16, and F-18 fighter jets. The defendants also allegedly conspired to ship fluorocarbon rubber O-rings, which have miltiary applications, to the Iranian Air Force, via transshipment through Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
-- Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California
October 13, 2016
Russia completed its delivery of the S-300 air defense system to Iran, according to Russia's state-owned arms exporter. In 2010, Russia had cancelled the contract for the S-300s under diplomatic pressure from the United States and Israel, but Russian President Vladimir Putin ended the self-imposed ban on the sale of the system to Iran in 2015. Delivery of the components of the S-300 to Iran began in April 2016.
-- Reuters
October 8, 2016
The U.S. Treasury Department issued new guidance on October 7 that eased restrictions on Iran's ability to trade in dollars and on the ability of foreign companies to do business with Iranian entities sanctioned by the United States. According to the new guidance, the United States will not necessarily sanction foreign firms for conducting transactions with companies owned or controlled by blacklisted Iranian entities, provided the sanctioned entity is not the controlling stakeholder. The new guidance also clarifies that Iran can access dollars through non-U.S. financial institutions, as long as those transactions do not transit the U.S. financial system.
-- Wall Street Journal
September 29, 2016
The Obama administration supported the early lifting of United Nations sanctions on two Iranian state banks, Bank Sepah and Bank Sepah International, as part of a series of agreements finalized between the United States and Iran on January 17, the day after the nuclear agreement went into effect. The two banks, which have been linked to financing for Iran's ballistic missile program, were not initially set to be removed from the U.N. blacklist until 2023. The package of agreements also included a prisoner exchange and the transfer of $1.7 billion in cash to Iran to settle a failed arms deal from 1979.
-- Wall Street Journal