Iran and Russia to cooperate in transit trade

Iran and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on transit cooperation. The MoU on tripartite cooperation between the Iran Transportation Development Fund, the International Coordinating Council on Trans-Eurasian Transportation (CCTT), and the Economic Development Center of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was signed in Moscow.

The MoU was inked in the presence of Iran’s Ambassador in Russia Kazem Jalali, Russian Deputy Transport Minister Dmitry Zverev, Head of Iran Transport Development Fund Davoud Danesh-Jafari, Director-General of the Business Center for Economic Development Center of the CIS (BC CIS) Vadim Ganin, and Secretary-General of International Coordination Council on Trans-Eurasian Transportation (CCTT) Gennady Bessonov.

Based on this MoU, the signatories agree to cooperate with each other to increase trade, transit and storage of goods along international corridors, especially the North-South corridor.

The signatories of this memorandum also emphasized the exchange of information, carrying out joint projects, and exchange of specialized delegations to achieve these goals.

Earlier this month, during a meeting between Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash and a visiting Russian delegation headed by Igor Yevgenyevich Levitin, a senior aide to the president of the Russian Federation, the two sides emphasized the necessity to boost the transit of commodities through the Caspian Sea.

During the meeting, held at the Iranian Transport and Urban Development Ministry in Tehran on Sunday evening, the two countries emphasized the development of cooperation in the air, sea, rail, and road sectors and multimodal transportation.

In the meeting, the Iranian minister considered the development of transportation cooperation between the two countries to be beneficial for both sides and said while the maritime trade between the ports of the two countries has a very long history, the use of the capacity of the active ports of the two countries in the Caspian Sea can be considered for new cooperation.

The senior aide to the president of the Russian Federation, for his part, summarized the expert meetings and the visit of the Russian delegation to the Rasht-Astara railway route and called for the development of transportation cooperation in all areas.

Iran and Russia reached an agreement last year for reviving the idle section of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) in Iran for expanding transit ties.

The first Russian freight train arrived at Iran’s Sarakhs railway station in Khorasan-Razavi province on the border with Turkmenistan last July to officially launch the eastern section of the INSTC.

The Russian train was allowed into the Iranian border in a ceremony attended by First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber along with transport, oil, industry, and agriculture ministers as well as the vice president for science and technology.

The second Russian transit cargo for India entered Iran also from the northeastern Sarakhs border in October last year.

Iran and Russia are also cooperating in the maritime sector to use the Caspian Sea to shorten the transit route from Russia to India.

 

Saudi foreign minister holds talks on Sudan with counterparts

According to Saudi Gazette, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia discussed the developments in Sudan with counterparts during phone calls on Sunday.

Prince Faisal and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly discussed the rapid development of events in Sudan, and the conditions of stranded foreigners.

They stressed the importance of stopping the military escalation, providing necessary protection for Sudanese civilians and residents on its soil, and providing safe humanitarian corridors for those wishing to leave Sudan.

Prince Faisal and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell discussed the efforts being exerted to stop the military escalation between the conflicting parties in Sudan.

They also discussed the end of the violence, and provide the necessary protection for Sudanese civilians and residents on its territories.

The two sides also reviewed the latest regional and international developments and the efforts being exerted in this regard, especially in enhancing international peace and security.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari congratulated the Saudi foreign minister on the successful evacuation of Saudi citizens and other nationals from Sudan to the Kingdom.

Bilawal Zardari also commended the Saudi authorities for their high efficiency and professional handling of the evacuation operations, which contributed to their success.

 

Can Netanyahu afford to spark a new Israel-US crisis?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could spark another crisis between his government and the Biden administration by tapping May Golan as a potential New York consul general, a move is yet to be finalized.

Two media outlets reported on Saturday that Netanyahu had backed away from the Golan appointment in light of US objections to the matter.

US State Department spokesman Verdant Patel frowned on such a move Thursday when asked during a press briefing about comments the 36-year-old Likud minister has made in the past against African asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants in south Tel Aviv.

“Broadly, we would condemn such kind of rhetoric and believe that such kind of language is also particularly damaging when it’s amplified in leadership positions,” Patel said.

Patel did not expand on the matter further. But under the terms of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the US has the right to refuse to allow Golan to fill the role of consul general in New York.

Left-wing Jewish groups have already spoken out against the move, which would need government approval.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the executive director of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, tweeted, “May Golan [and] her racist politics are not welcome here. If she is appointed as consul general, American Jews will give her a proper reception, just as we did to Smotrich.

J Street said, “This appointment would be another affront by the Netanyahu government to shared democratic values, and an offense to the people – Jewish and non-Jewish alike – of a city that embodies America’s commitment to vibrant diversity.”

Golan tweeted on Thursday, “I am very flattered to be considered for the post of Israel’s consul general in NY.

“I want to assure everyone that if I will be appointed, I will represent 100% the mainstream policies of PM Netanyahu and the Likud Party, to which I belong,” she wrote. “I am completely committed to the unity of the Jewish people, and that is the exact policy that I will follow. If appointed, I will work with the leaders of all the Jewish organizations – as part of the effort to strengthen the great partnership between Israel and the American Jewish communities.”

Prior to her entry into the Knesset in 2019 on the Likud ticket, Golan was one of the more recognizable faces of the battle against the presence in Israel of African asylum-seekers and migrants, particularly in her neighborhood of south Tel Aviv.

In 2011, she was filmed at a rally stating that outside her home were migrants who one could see from their eyes wanted to kill her but no one believed it.

“We’re racist because we want to preserve our lives and our sanity. I am proud to be a racist. If I am racist in order to preserve my life, then I am proud,” she stated at the time.

In an interview with the Hebrew daily Haaretz in 2014, Golan alleged that the migrants posed a health risk.

“I believe that infiltrators don’t have to work in restaurants. I check every restaurant before I go in and call on Israeli citizens who care about themselves and their health to do the same thing.”

Until her name was raised for the New York consul general post, Golan had been poised to be named to a newly created ministerial post for women’s affairs.

The New York Consular General post has been vacant for close to a month, since Asaf Zamir resigned from the role to protest the government’s judicial overhaul plan.

The plan has also generated tension between Netanyahu and the Biden administration, which fears it would weaken Israeli democracy.

US President Joe Biden clarified last month that Netanyahu would not be invited to the White House in the near term.

Comments by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called for the IDF to wipe out the West Bank Palestinian town of Huwara, have also added stress to the situation. Smotrich later clarified that he meant the IDF should act against terrorists in the town.

 

 

 

Bulgaria: Newest customer of Iranian oil

The Eurostat, European Union statistics office announced the import of Iranian oil by three European Union (EU) members in 2022, and introduced Bulgaria as the newest customer of Iranian oil in this union, IRNA reported on Sunday.

The information published by Eurostat shows that the European Union imported 4,181 tons of crude oil or oil products from Iran last year.

Although the amount of EU oil imports from Iran is not a significant figure, it indicates the desire of European refineries to ignore the US sanctions against Iran, and the inclusion of these figures in the official European oil import statistics shows the desire of the European authorities to distance themselves from the sanctions, or at least showing their objection to the US sanctions policy against Iran.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said that the oil and gas sector experienced a growth of 9% in the past Iranian calendar year 1401.

Oil Minister Javad Oji has recently said that a new record high will be reached in the country’s oil export in the current Iranian calendar year.

The country’s oil export in 1401 was 83 million barrels more than that of 1400 and 190 million barrels more than the export in 1399, the minister announced.

Underlining that now oil export has reached the highest figure in the last two years, the official said, “Considering that the Oil Ministry is one of the main providers of the country's foreign currency; in the 13th government, despite the tightening of cruel sanctions, fortunately, thanks to the grace of God and the efforts of our colleagues in the country's oil and gas industries, there are good records in the field of exporting crude oil, gas condensate, and petroleum and petrochemical products.”

Despite the negative impacts of the US sanctions, Iran has been ramping up its oil production and exports over the past few months.

In his remarks in November 2022, President Raisi highlighted the failure of the enemy’s policy of maximum pressure, saying the country’s oil export has reached the pre-sanction levels.

Back in January, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) in a report put Iran’s average oil production in 2022 at 2.54 million bpd, 140,000 bpd more than the previous year.

Iran's oil production in 2021 was about 2.4 million bpd.

 

 

G7 calls for extension full implementation and expansion of Black Sea grain deal

The Group of Seven (G7) economic powers called on Sunday for the extension, full implementation and expansion of a critical deal to export Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, the group's agriculture ministers said in a communiqué.

Brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the deal was signed in Istanbul last July, allowing Ukraine to export more than 27 million tons of grain from several of its Black Sea ports.

Russia has strongly signaled that it will not allow the deal to continue beyond May 18 because a list of demands to facilitate its own grain and fertilizer exports has not been met.

In the communiqué after a two-day meeting in Miyazaki, Japan, the G7 agriculture ministers recognized the importance of the deal, saying, "We strongly support the extension, full implementation and expansion of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI)."

"We condemn Russia's attempts to use food as a means of destabilization and as tool of geopolitical coercion and reiterate our commitment to acting in solidarity and supporting those most affected by Russia's weaponization of food," the communiqué said.

G7 members stand ready to support recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, including by providing expertise in de-mining of agricultural land and reconstruction of agricultural infrastructure, the document said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to discuss the Ukraine Black Sea grain export deal with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York.

 

Is Iran-Azerbaijan tension being fueled by Israel?

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia had profound repercussions for Iran’s influence and policies in the South Caucasus. Tehran neither impacted the trajectory of the conflict nor exerted significant diplomatic influence in ceasefire negotiations and the ensuing peace agreement. 

Though Iran was the most relevant regional power in the conflict, bordering both Armenia and Azerbaijan, it was sidelined by Turkey and Russia. Tehran was obliged to align with Ankara and Moscow in supporting Baku’s territorial conquests, revealing a significant departure from its traditional pro-Armenia stance. 

From Iran's point of view, it is Tel Aviv that provokes Baku to take a belligerent policy against Tehran and to challenge the geopolitical status quo.

Azerbaijan did not reciprocate Iran’s good faith. Baku knowingly isolated Tehran in Nagorno-Karabakh’s reconstruction, while prioritizing Israel and Arab and European countries.

Backed by mighty military powers such as Turkey, Israel and Pakistan, Azerbaijan felt it could flex its muscles against Iran’s regional power projection. Recently, Baku hosted a joint military drill with Ankara and Islamabad, aiming to further strengthen ties among the three countries and to bolster counterterrorism efforts. 

The joint drill contradicts the provisions of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, which bans the presence in the Caspian Sea of armed forces not belonging to the Parties" (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan). 

On the margins of the drill, Baku tacitly challenged Iran’s connectivity with Armenia by disrupting Iranian trucks transiting a road that passes through Azerbaijan’s newly captured territories. Azerbaijan set up check points, began charging fees to Iranian trucks, and even detained two Iranian truckers.

Unlike Azerbaijan’s attempt to depict recent incidents as routine procedure, Tehran sees this new, assertive Azerbaijan in a bigger picture, where Baku plays the anti-Iran puppet role for other regional powers hostile to Iran, such as Israel. 

Tehran initially tasked the Revolutionary Guard Corps with deploying equipment and troops across the country’s northwestern border. But this was just a small part of Iran’s grand plan to intimidate Baku. Days later, Tehran launched its own military drill near the Azerbaijani border, saying "We will never tolerate the presence of the fake Zionist regime near the Iranian border, nor any changes in the regional borders and geopolitics”.

This rare move, alongside hawkish comments by Iranian officials, suggests that Tehran is indeed concerned about the potential for grave geopolitical changes near its borders. 

Iran’s Kayhan newspaper, a publication close to hardliners, claimed that based on a Turkish-American plan, Armenia’s western-oriented president, in collusion with Baku, intends to concede Armenia’s Syunik province to Azerbaijan. This is the only conceivable reason for Iran’s outrage at Azerbaijan. 

Syunik province separates the rest of Azerbaijan from the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave, and constitutes the Armenian border with Iran.

The 2020 peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia guaranteed Azerbaijan a corridor to connect Nakhchivan to the rest of Azerbaijan via Syunik province. Previously, all connections were made through Iran in the south or Turkey in the west. 

Baku is apparently not satisfied with this plan, and maintains an ambitious goal to take all of Syunik province, which could put Iran in a disadvantageous geopolitical position.

Tehran would lose its connection to Armenia and convenient access to the region, while being compelled to deal with a newly emboldened regional power that is heavily backed by Iran’s arch-enemy, Israel.

From Iran’s point of view, it is Tel Aviv that provokes Baku to take a belligerent policy against Tehran and to challenge the geopolitical status quo.

The title Tehran has chosen for its ongoing drills in the country’s northwest drives this point home ‑ Fatehan-e Khaybar is a call back to the Battle of Khaybar in the year 628, in which the Prophet Mohammed confronted the Jews of the Khaybar region, who were inciting Arabian tribes against the Muslims of Medina. 

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently warned Azerbaijan against aligning with Israel noting, “Those who think that their security will be ensured by relying on foreigners should know that they will pay a hefty price.”

The type and scale of military equipment stationed at the border suggests that Iran intends to deter Baku from territorial adventurism, but Tehran ultimately wants to avoid an armed clash. If the situation deteriorates and Azerbaijan opts not to address Tehran’s concerns and warnings, Iran may cross the border to push preemptive deterrence from Armenian soil. A key factor at that point would be the extent to which Azerbaijan’s allies, primarily Turkey, would be prepared to support Baku and participate in a direct confrontation with Iran. 

Meanwhile, Iran seems determined not to step back without affirming its national security red lines, establishing a credible level of deterrence, and asserting its undeniable regional role, which has been somewhat tarnished amid the recent security developments in the South Caucasus. 

Saudi Navy carries out evacuation operation from Sudan

The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) carried out the operation that evacuated citizens, other nationals, diplomats and international officials from Sudan on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry announced. The RSNF conducted the operation with the support of various branches of the armed forces.

The Ministry said, “66 persons from Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso were among the evacuated.” The number of evacuated Saudi citizens was 91 persons.

All the Saudi citizens and nationals of other countries have arrived safely in Jeddah. This has come in the implementation of the directives of the Kingdom’s leadership, the Ministry said.

The batches arrived in Jeddah at King Faisal Naval Base and were received by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Eng. Waleed Al-Khereiji.

Al-Khereiji said that the journey of the evacuation was long, starting from Khartoum, passing through a number of regions in Sudan until reaching Port Sudan, and with the cooperation of government agencies in the Kingdom. He affirmed that an important role of the operation was done by Ministry of Defense that implemented this plan.

“We all celebrate the return of our sons and the sons of brotherly and friendly countries to the land of Saudi Arabia, which coincided with the celebration of Eid Al-Fitr.”

Saudi Arabia has worked to provide all the main needs for the foreign nationals, in preparation for facilitating their departure to their countries.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan received a phone call from his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Sheikh Salem voiced sincere congratulations on successful evacuations by Saudi ships of citizens from 11 countries from Sudan to Jeddah.

Sheikh Salem expressed Kuwait's appreciation and gratitude to the Saudi foreign minister for the Kingdom's efforts to ensure the evacuation of Kuwaiti citizens from Sudan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had announced earlier on Saturday the start of arranging the evacuation of Saudi citizens and a number of nationals from other countries from Sudan to Jeddah by sea on 5 Saudi ships. The second Saudi ship was carrying Saudia airline crew who was targeted in Khartoum airport.

It is noteworthy that after a week of fighting between two factions of the country’s military leadership, at least 400 people have been killed in Sudan.