Iran News Round Up - November 21, 2017

European External Action Service (EEAS) Secretary General Helga Schmid met with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss regional developments and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Tehran on November 20. Both sides emphasized the importance of political dialogue in solving political challenges in Syria, Yemen, Qatar, and Lebanon. Schmid reiterated the EU’s support for the full implementation of the JCPOA. (IRNA) (E) (Fars News Agency)

Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) Chief IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri traveled to Sochi, Russia on November 20 to meet with his Russian counterpart Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov and Turkish counterpart Chief of the General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar. The three top military officials discussed conflict resolution in Syria, regional stability, and counterterrorism. The high-level military gathering took place two days prior to the arrival of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi to discuss an end to the Syrian Civil War scheduled for November 22. (ISNA) (Defa Press)

Office of the Supreme Leader Representative Vahid Haghanian dismissed senior Iranian officials’ criticisms of the Ahmadinejad-era Mehr Housing Project buildings following the November 12 earthquake in western Iran. Several public officials, including President Hassan Rouhani and First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri, suggested that Mehr Housing Project buildings’ poor construction and inattention to geological factors resulted in additional, unnecessary casualties. Haghanian defended the government-sponsored housing units, saying that the buildings were safe and structurally sound. He also chastised Jahangiri for politicizing the earthquake. The November 12 earthquake reignited a heated domestic debate regarding government-funded construction projects and the need for greater privatization within the Iranian economy. Rouhani promised to hold the “culprits” responsible and appointed three ministerial-level cabinet members to the Supreme Council for Spatial Planning following the November 12 earthquake.

• Supreme Leader visits earthquake-affected town. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for rapid housing reconstruction during a visit to the earthquake-stricken town of Sarpol-e Zahab, Kermanshah Province on November 19. Khamenei stressed the need for a centralized effort toward reconstruction and to provide housing for many of the displaced victims. Khamenei also lauded the contributions of the IRGC, Artesh, and Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) toward earthquake relief efforts. (Radio Farda) (E) (Sepah News) (Fars News Agency)

Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two Iranian companies, two German-registered front companies, and two Iranian nationals involved in a counterfeiting scheme with the IRGC Quds Force to print counterfeit Yemeni bank notes. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that the “scheme exposes the deep levels of deception the IRGC Quds Force is willing to employ against companies in Europe, governments in the Gulf, and the rest of the world to support its destabilizing activities.” (Treasury.gov) (E) (Treasury.gov) (E)