Khamenei says sanctions must be removed, not suspended
Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/September 04/15
In his most detailed speech regarding the final nuclear agreement, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei discussed the need for sanctions removal, rather than suspension. “If the framework of sanctions is to be preserved, then why did we negotiate?” asked Khamenei during his meeting with the Assembly of Experts. He said if sanctions are not removed, “It is completely opposed to the reason the Islamic Republic has a presence in the negotiations because the goal of the negotiations was to remove the sanctions.” The meeting took place after former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and current negotiator Abbas Araghchi testified before the Assembly of Experts. Khamenei said, “If on certain matters we compromised and gave concessions on certain issues, it was primarily to remove sanctions. Otherwise what need was there to negotiate? We would have continued our work and the 19,000 centrifuges that we have. In a short time we could have reached 50,000 or 60,000 centrifuges, and continue 20% enrichment and speed up development and research.”
Khamenei added, “If the sanctions are not to be removed, then there was to be no deal; therefore, the obligation of this matter needs to be clarified.” He added, “This was our issue from the beginning; we stressed that the sanctions must be removed, not suspended.”
On his personal views versus what the Iranian negotiators were able to achieve in the nuclear talks, Khamenei said, “Our view was the immediate removal of sanctions, but friends here defined it in another way and we did not oppose. But the sanctions must be removed.” On the nuclear facilities and components that are to be dismantled or removed in Iran, Khamenei said, “If the sanctions are to be suspended, then the actions we are to take will be at the level of suspension, not structural actions on the ground.”
On the country-specific sanctions — versus the UN Security Council resolutions — Khamenei said, “The opposing side says some of the sanctions are not in the hands of the US government. We say those sanctions that are in the hands of the US government and the European governments must be removed.”
On the issue of whether or not parliament needs to approve the final comprehensive nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Khamenei said, “I do not have any recommendations to parliament on how it s members will review [the deal] or whether they will ratify the deal or reject it. It is the representatives who have to make a decision.”
Arash Bahmani wrote in Al-Monitor about some of the arguments over parliament’s role, with the Iranian negotiators preferring that an approval be made through the Supreme National Security Council while Principlists in parliament want the approval of the deal to go through them. A special committee has also been convened through parliament that will take testimony from former and current negotiators, though according to Etemaad newspaper the committee will have little authority other than to issue a report.
Khamenei also criticized the language used by US officials against Iran and the Iranian officials who justify those comments, saying, “Don’t say that the Americans make these speeches to satisfy domestic opponents. Of course, I believe the domestic fight in America is real and they have differences and the reason for this difference is clear to us. But what is officially said needs a response, and if it is not answered the words of the opposing side will take hold.”
Will the EU bolster the Iranian Revolutionary Guards?
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/September 04/15
There is a noticeable surge in the number of foreign companies desiring to conduct business with the Islamic Republic. This surge comes primarily from many European countries and EU companies. Russia and China have already been conducting business with Iran. However when it comes to the United States it is less likely to initiate any business deals with Iran anytime soon due to domestic political opposition, the lifting of embargo, and the Congressional efforts to reject the deal. Nevertheless, after the nuclear agreement was struck between the six world powers (known as P5+1) and Iran, EU countries and companies are in a clear rush to conduct business with the Islamic Republic without, I believe, contemplating the repercussions of these actions.
Three crucial avenues that will be used to elevate the economic status of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) will be indirectly provided by the EU governments and companies. These avenues are Iran’s access to over $100 billion which gives financial freedom, removal of sanctions on oil and gas industries which increases their profit, regional and global influence, and relations with companies tied to the IRGC. These short-sighted and business-driven moves by European countries and companies might bring short-term benefit and profit for them, however, I believe they may lead to severe economic and geopolitical consequences that will impact not only other countries and citizens in the region but also have a grave affect on EU economic, national, and geopolitical interests in the long-term.
Lifting sanctions on the IRGC and connected companies
The IRGC is the most powerful industrial and business empire in Iran controlling all variations of conglomerates and industries ranging from transportation, mobile, arms, as well as engineering, and financial. European governments and companies were cognizant of the fact that if they would like to reap business benefits from Iran’s nuclear deal, they have to go through Iran’s Guards to get the deals signed. Aware of this desire, Iranian leaders were politically shrewd enough to capitalize on the EU’s economic ambitions. As a result, they put the plan of removing sanctions on IRGC senior officials, financial institutions and affiliated companies on the table. Iranian leaders were confident that EU members would agree with the condition for the purpose of benefiting their economy.
The EU ought to be cautious of its business-driven policies.
Secondly, EU countries were most likely attempting to appease Iran’s hardliners (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior guard of IRGC) so that IRGC would not hinder the signing of the nuclear deal. The lifting of sanctions on IRGC officials will have significant impact by strengthening the IRGC stranglehold in the region. According to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi, in the first phase- which can occur as early as October of this year- “In the initial step, 800 Iranian institutions, organizations and individuals will be taken off the list on the day the agreement is put into practice.”
Since the lifting of sanctions occurs “on the day the agreement is put into practice”, then the removal of these institutions and individuals who are mostly tied to IRGC, does not need to be contingent on whether Iran is complying with the nuclear deal or not. The European Union and United Nations’ sanctions on some of IRGC officials will be lifted as part of the nuclear pact. One of these figures is General Qassem Soleimani, the head of IRGC elite branch, the Quds Force. He is believed to be the mastermind behind managing Shiite proxies in the region and implementing Iran’s foreign policy in foreign countries through hard power. He oversees the training, financing, and arming of Tehran’s proxies. The sanctions will be lifted on various industries including engineering, transportations and arms which are directly controlled by the IRGC business empire. Except for three Iranian banks, the sanctions on all other banks and financial institutions will be lifted on the day of implementation. Sanctions of the three banks will reportedly be lifted in the second phase. In the second phase, sanctions on IRGC three main arms will be lifted, although this is dependent on whether the IAEA reaches a conclusion that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful or not.
The threat and vicious circle
Although the United States was the major influence behind the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran – by diplomatically pushing for the nuclear deal – I believe it is the EU that is now assisting the Islamic Republic and IRGC in enjoying and harvesting the economic fruit.
In order to immediately profit from conducting business with Iran, at the expense of the regional stability and citizens’ life and security in the Middle East, EU countries and companies are prepared to remove sanctions on Iranian individuals and companies linked to Iran’s Islamic Guards without concern for the fallout. These types of policies are short sighted as they focus only on the immediate financial benefits. The EU ought to be cautious of its business-driven policies. The same IRGC institutions and individuals that the EU is attempting to lift the sanctions against will be conducting the same interventionist activities or repressive domestic policies that they are fulfilling now in Iran and throughout the region.
