UK Presents UN With Evidence Of Iranian Weapons Violations

In response to a question by Iran International’s correspondent Samira Gharaei about a report on Monday that Iran has supplied new drones to Russia, Ned Price said that the US has been warning about this expanding “two way” relationship since last year.

Price reiterated that “we are taking action to do everything we can to counter this relationship and to counter the transfer of technology…we have exposed this linkage and we are continuing to galvanize countries around the world to maintain focus on this.”

He went to characterize the alliance between Moscow and Tehran as a “profound threat to the people of Ukraine but also a security relationship that has the potential to be a threat way beyond.”

Asked about Iranian opposition leaders coming together and potentially forming a council to counter the Islamic Republic, Price said the United States cannot make decisions for Iranians but it is eager to listen to both those inside the country and activists in the diaspora, and will continue to hear a wide spectrum of voices.

Price also confirmed that US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley was heading a delegation that has arrived in Saudi Arabia to hold discussions with Gulf Cooperation Council countries on air and missile defense, challenges presented by Iran and issues of counter terrorism.

Elsewhere, Price warned about the dangers posed by Iran’s nuclear advances and its export of terrorism, in the context of US Chinese areas of cooperation.

In a statement released Monday, Saudi Foreign Ministry said the Arab Kingdom’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Borrell exchanged views regarding Iran’s nuclear program and reviewed relations between Riyadh and the European Union.

“The two sides also discussed the latest regional and international developments and the efforts made to strengthen international peace and security,” added the statement.

However, the European Union in its statement did not mention the discussion of Iran’s issue during the talks between the two sides.

“Mr. Borrell, convened a meeting in Brussels with His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Mr. Aboul Gheit. They discussed the Middle East Peace Process, the increasing number of victims of violence, conflict and occupation, and the absence of a political perspective for a peaceful solution,” said the EU statement.

Earlier, the US Department of State announced a senior government delegation will travel to Saudi Arabia “to attend meetings which will focus on three priority sets: Integrated Air and Missile Defense and Maritime Security, Iran, and Counterterrorism.”

The US delegation will be led by Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley, added the State Department.

Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev (Mohammad-Hussein Dovtaev), 30, an Austrian national, was charged with collecting information likely to be useful for committing or preparing an act of terrorism, sources told Iran International.

The suspect's name in Russian spelling signals that he is originally from one of the former Soviet republics, more likely from a Muslim-majority country.

He was arrested at Chiswick Park by officers from the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command.

Iran International was warned by authorities in November that its journalists were under threat from Iranian agents and the Metropolitan Police took measures to strengthen security around the network’s office in the area.

Dovtaev has been charged with violating Section 58 of the Terrorism Act of 2000. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, February 13.

Amid repeated threats by the Islamic Republic against Iran International’s reporters, the UK government vowed in December to step up protection of London-based journalists.

British Foreign Minister James Cleverly said during a session at the parliament on December 13 that the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), in partnership with the Home Office, had ensured that the Iranian journalists were protected by the British police.

“The UK remains absolutely determined to ensure that Iran does not intimidate people within this country. We will always stand up to the aggression from foreign nations,” he noted, adding, “We will absolutely not tolerate threats, particularly towards journalists who are highlighting what is going on in Iran, or indeed any other individual living in the UK.”

Abdol-Amir Rabihavi, the business adviser of the Islamic Republic in Iraq, told IRNA that Iran's exports to Iraq have been growing, and by the end of the current Iranian year in March, this figure will reach 10 billion dollars.

He said the US has decreased the supply of dollars to the Iraqi market which previously was at least $250 million per day. “The average supply of dollars, which is completely controlled by Washington, is now between 79 million and 84 million dollars per day, and in fact, the United States is responsible for the sharp decrease in the supply of dollars in Iraq,” he said.

In early February, Iran International obtained information that revealed some details about the inner workings of a Revolutionary Guard’s Quds force unit tasked with smuggling money from Iraq to Iran.

Iran is apparently facing a serious shortage of foreign currencies. Its currency, the rial, has fallen by 50 percent in the past years and now stands at a historic low of 460,000 rials to one US dollar.

In January, Iraq’s currency also fell substantially against the US dollar leading to reports that US banks had instituted tougher review of transactions originating from Iraqi banks, leading to a shortage of dollars in Iraq.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Iraq, Fuad Hussein accompanied by Central Bank Of Iraq Governor Ali al-Allaq met with both the State Department and with Treasury to discuss a host of economic issues. But an urgent issue was how to prevent Iran from using Iraq’s banking ties with the United States to launder US dollars and circumvent Washington’s sanctions.

The outcome of the talks on this specific issue are not clear yet, but a statement from the US Department of the Treasury made it clear that the problem was among the main topics discussed.

The Treasury said that the two sides discussed the Iraqi “government’s plans for economic and financial sector reforms and a mutual commitment to anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures.”

In January, Iraq’s currency fell substantially against the US dollar leading to reports that US banks had instituted tougher review of transactions originating from Iraqi banks, leading to a shortage of dollars in Iraq.

The Associated Press reported that the move was triggered a couple of months before to stamp out what Iraqi officials describe as rampant money laundering that benefits Tehran and Damascus which are under US sanctions.

According to information received by Iran International in early February, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Iraq are involved in the money laundering operations that aim to funnel the regime’s revenues from oil and gas exports back to Iran. As per a repeatedly extended sanctions’ waiver by Washington, Tehran is only allowed to import medicine and some essential goods in exchange for its exports of gas and electricity to its neighboring country.

According to a report by London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the decline in the value of Iraq’s dinar and the accompanying price increases for foodstuffs and imported goods can be traced back to a remarkable change in the policy adopted by the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

To what extent these issue were resolved during the Iraqi delegation’s visit to Washington is not clear, but banking reforms were mentioned in statements and that shows this was a key topic in the discussions.

Iran is apparently facing a serious shortage of foreign currencies. Its currency, the rial, has fallen by 50 percent in the past years and now stands at a historic low of 500,000 rials to one US dollar.

Despite tougher implementation of US banking regulations by the Treasury, the tone of US officials was extremely deferential and respectful of the Iraqi government. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price during his briefing on February 9 described bilateral relations as one of close partners.

“Our relationship with the Government of Iraq is one based on partnership. It is one based on mutual respect. It is based on our mutual interests and what works to the benefit of both of our countries. It is not our approach…to issue demands, to issue decrees. When we engage with our Iraqi partners, we do often talk about the challenges that we confront in the region and well beyond. Many of those challenges are challenges to both of our interests. Iranian-backed forces in some cases pose a challenge to both of our interests,” Price told reporters.