Iran News Round Up

Fred Kagan clarifies common points of confusion regarding the Trump administration’s decision on the nuclear deal, in “Confusion over the Iran deal.”

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that Iran will not “tear up the JCPOA so long as the [U.S.] also does not tear up” the deal, but “if the U.S. tears up [the JCPOA], then [Iran] will rip it to shreds!” during a speech on October 18. Khamenei exclaimed that it is simply “not enough [for the Europeans] to say that they’re against [the U.S. renegotiating the JCPOA and implementing additional sanctions], the Europeans “need to stand up [against] the U.S.” Khamenei claimed that Iran has “chopped off the [U.S.’s] hands” in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

• On Iran’s economy: Khamenei also said that he “has never been against foreign investment” in Iran but noted that the Iranian economy must be able to withstand turbulence and that Iran’s economy must be inwardly focused.
• On Iran’s missile program: The Iranian leader stressed the necessity of Iran continuing to develop its missile program in order to defend itself and to not allow history to repeat itself, citing Iran’s poor missile defense capabilities during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. (Khamenei.ir)
• Rouhani: Iran’s economy is resistant to “foreign political pressures.” President Hassan Rouhani responded to President Donald Trump’s Iran strategy roll-out in a speech on October 17. Rouhani praised Iran’s economic stability, lauding that it has become resistant to “foreign political pressures.” Rouhani said that Trump’s October 13 decertification had no effect on Iran due to the “consciousness and resistance” of the Iranian people. (Fars News Agency)

Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) Chief IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri met with his counterpart Syrian Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayyoub on October 18 in Damascus, Syria. Ayyoub criticized recent Turkish military operations in Syria and accused Turkey of violating the Astana agreement. Bagheri criticized the September 25 Iraqi Kurdistan referendum and subsequent Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani-led push for Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence. Bagheri applauded the “Iraqi parliament and Iraqi armed forces for regaining control of the situation,” tacitly referring to the October 15 seizure of Kirkuk from Kurdish Peshmerga forces. (Sepah News) (IRNA) (Twitter) (E)

Norwegian solar company Saga Energy signed a $2.95b (€2.5b) deal with Iranian Amin Energy Developers to install solar panels amounting to 2GW in various sites throughout the Dasht-e Kavir, Iran’s central desert region. Norway’s Ambassador to Iran Lars Nordrum said that “Norway is fully committed to the [nuclear deal]” in a statement about the new solar panel deal. Nordrum hoped that Norway will be able to invest more in Iran after this deal. British renewable energy investment company Quercus signed a $1.5b deal with the Iranian Ministry of Energy to build a 600MW solar power station in September 2017. The deal between Norway and Iran is the second major solar energy deal between the Europeans and the Iranians since the nuclear deal’s implementation in January 2016. (Yahoo News) (E) (BBC Persian)