“The enemy thinks that it can achieve its desired results in the economic sector through pressure and sanctions.
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Iran: Toyota Apology Highlights Ongoing Fear of US Sanctions
Iran’s regime has used Friday Prayers across the country to proclaim military strength, in the face of a US attempt to put more pressure on Tehran.
Clerics and a senior military commander emphasized the Islamic Republic’s readiness to repel any attack.
“The country’s defense sector is fully ready to nip any threat in the bud,” said Brig. Gen. Gholam Reza Jalali, the head of the Passive Defense Organization — responsible for operations from cyber-security to civil defense — in a pre-sermon address at the weekly prayers in Tehran.
Jalali also claimed US “soft threats” through infiltration and propaganda, including use of the July 2015 nuclear deal to get information about Iranian capabilities:
The enemy seeks to inspect the country’s military and defense sites as well as infrastructure factories under the pretext of obtaining assurance about the implementation of the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]….
The enemy thinks that it can achieve its desired results in the economic sector through pressure and sanctions.
The statements were a chorus for the Wednesday address of the Supreme Leader that Iran will not negotiate its defense capabilities, despite new US sanctions and the rhetoric of Donald Trump and his top officials.
See Iran Daily, Oct 26: Supreme Leader — “Our Defensive Power is Not Negotiable”, at Home or Abroad
The US Congress adopted new restrictions on Iran in late July. Trump announced sanctions on the Revolutionary Guards on October 13, and on Thursday the House of Representatives voted 427-2 to impose new measure against Iran’s ballistic missile program.
France’s Total Balks Over $4.8 Billion Gas Deal Because of US Sanctions
In a significant sign of the ongoing US pressure on Iran’s economic recovery, French oil giant Total has slowed implementation of a $4.8 billion deal to develop the world’s largest gas field.
Total is withholding a decision on the July agreement over Phase 11 of the South Pars gas field. Chief Financial Officer Patrick de La Chevardiere said on Friday that plans to announce tenders will soon be announced; however, the main contract will be awarded at the beginning of 2018 only if there is “clarity” from the US.
Total Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne said on Wednesday that the company is “committed” to the Iran deal but that it is going “step by step” and watching the situation carefully:
I see what’s happening in the US and we have to look at the fact that we are governed by laws and no one knows what Congress will decide.
If the framework changes, if we can legally do and execute the contract we will do that. There are huge opportunities in Iran. But let’s see if we can do that initial project first.
The Total project is a badly-needed boost for a Rouhani Government struggling to get the large foreign investment and trade needed for recovery after years of sanctions and mismanagement. Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh has said the energy sector requires more than $200 billion in investment.
The suspension of Total’s plan would dampen possibility for other contracts. Deputy Oil Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia has insisted that potential US sanctions will have little or no effect on future plans, with negotiation of 28 provisional agreements with foreign oil companies.
