Iran News Round Up - October 18, 2017

Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh expressed hope that President Donald Trump’s decertification announcement will not have much impact on oil prices. Zanganeh noted that oil deals are still being negotiated with the Europeans. Zanganeh also said that everything has been going well regarding foreign companies’ involvement in Iran’s South Pars gas field. France’s Total SA agreed to invest $1 billion into the Iran’s South Pars gas field in June 2017. (IRIB) (Reuters) (E)

Artesh Ideological and Political Organization (IPO) head Hojjat ol Eslam Abbas Mohammad Hassani said that the Artesh considers “an insult to the IRGC as an insult to the Artesh” in a statement on October 16. Hassani noted that the “Artesh is a supporter of the IRGC” because they both have the same mission in “preserving the independence and territorial integrity of the Islamic motherland and defending religious and national values.” Hassani added that the Artesh is waiting for permission to do its duty to confront those who insult the IRGC. Members of the larger political apparatus - including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif - have also made a show of unity with the IRGC in the wake of the U.S. Treasury’s designation of the IRGC on October 13. (Sepah News)

The Times reported that Iran was behind a June 2017 cyberattack that targeted British lawmakers. Approximately 90 of the 9000 email accounts were compromised in the “sustained and determined attack.” Iran’s cyberattack capabilities have grown markedly over the years and the Iranians have penetrated well-defended networks in the U.S. (The Times) (E) (Reuters) (E)

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani after President Donald Trump’s speech on October 13. Rouhani stated that the JCPOA is “in no way negotiable.” Macron had reiterated France’s commitment to the JCPOA and urged Iran to remain committed to the nuclear deal. The two heads of state also discussed Macron potentially visiting Tehran. If Macron were to visit Iran, he would be the first French president to visit Tehran since 1971. (Bloomberg) (E) (President.ir)

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that the U.S. does not hold the Iranian people accountable for the Iranian regime’s past violence against Americans and others in the region. He added that U.S. support of “moderate voices” in Iran to “retake control of their government” is a component of President Donald Trump’s comprehensive strategy to deal with Iran. (State.gov)

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that “Iran has taken on high costs [in implementing the nuclear deal]” and if Iran no longer benefits from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) then Iran will “reconsider [its role] in the JCPOA.” Larijani made the comments on the sidelines of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in St. Petersburg, Russia on October 16. (Fars News Agency) (Tasnim News Agency) (E)

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) head Ali Akbar Salehi that Iran would cease the implementation of the Additional Protocol if the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) collapses. Salehi stated that “with the cancellation of the JCPOA, the Additional Protocol would be meaningless.” Tehran signed the Additional Protocol as part of the JCPOA but the Iranian Parliament has not yet ratified the agreement. The Additional Protocol is an expanded set of requirements for information and access to help the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in verifying that states’ nuclear activities are strictly for peaceful purposes. Salehi also noted that Iran would only allow inspections as “long as the deal [remains] in place.” The former senior nuclear negotiator also threatened that if Iranian officials believe that the JCPOA is no longer beneficial for Tehran, that Iran “could resume 20% [uranium ] enrichment at Fordow (the underground uranium enrichment site near Qom) within four days.” Salehi stressed that Iran would prefer the JCPOA to remain untarnished and that Iran’s nuclear program has always been peaceful. Salehi indicated in late August that Iran’s commitment to the nuclear deal depends on EU withdrawal from the nuclear deal, not U.S. withdrawal. (IRIB)

• Zarif to file complaint with JCPOA’s Joint Commission. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will file a complaint with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action’s (JCPOA) Joint Commission. Zarif contends that the U.S. has violated Sections 26, 28, and 29 of the JCPOA. Sections 26, 28, and 29 of the JCPOA pertain to P5+1 members refraining from re-introducing lifted sanctions and implementing policies that would adversely affect economic relations with Iran. The Joint Commission is designed to “[review], with a view to resolving, any issue that a JCPOA participant believes constitutes nonperformance by another JCPOA participant of its commitments under the JCPOA.” (BBC Persian)

Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati stated that “Iran had no role” in the seizure of Kirkuk by Iraqi central government forces in a statement made on October 17. Velayati claimed that the majority of Iraqi Kurds oppose Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani’s “hasty actions.” Velayati stated that the Iraqi central government and its forces’ success in seizing Kirkuk “broke” Barzani’s  “plotting against regional security,” a likely reference to the KRG-led push for Iraqi Kurdish independence in a separate speech on October 16. (Tasnim News Agency) (Tasnim News Agency)

• Iran closes off official border crossings into Iraqi Kurdistan. Iranian officials have confirmed the closure of three major border crossings between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan on October 15. The Iranians have temporarily closed down three official border crossings at Parviz Khan near Qasr-e Shirin, Kermanshah Province; Bashmagh near Marivan, Kurdistan Province; and Tamarchin near Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province. Qasr-e Shirin Mayor Faramarz Akbari announced that the Khosravi crossing will be utilized in place of the closed Parviz Khan border crossing. Iran has stated that the closure of the three major border crossings into Iraqi Kurdistan occurred at the behest of the Iraqi central government. These closures come after Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), Counterterrorism Services (CTS), and Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) launched a combined offensive to seize a military base and an oilfield from Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Kirkuk, Iraqi Kurdistan on October 15. The Iranians had already closed Iranian airspace to Iraqi Kurdistan and had also temporarily banned the transportation of oil products into Iraqi Kurdistan. (ISNA) (Mehr News Agency) (Tasnim News Agency)
• Soleimani travels to Iraqi Kurdistan. IRGC Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan to participate in talks between the Iraqi central government and Kurdish authorities on October 15. The talks focused on the escalating crisis between the Iraqi central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). (Reuters) (E)

Marie Donovan breaks down why a new strategy for dealing with Iran’s destabilizing behavior is necessary, in “America needs a new strategy to deter Iran’s destabilizing behavior.”

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