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☆ U.S. Sanctions 14 Iraqi Banks in Crackdown on Iran Dollar Trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Locations: iraqi, iran

☆ Iraq Tests U.S. Sanctions With Oil-for-Gas Deal With Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( David S. Cloud | Ghassan Adnan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/iraq-tests-u-s-sanctions-with-oil-for-gas-deal-with-iran-c318b917

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: iraq, iran

☆ Israeli Researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov Held Hostage by Iran-Linked Militia in Iraq, Israel Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/israeli-researcher-elizabeth-tsurkov-held-hostage-by-iran-linked-militia-in-iraq-israel-says-c4a38e7d

Persons: Dow Jones, elizabeth, tsurkov Locations: iran, iraq, israel

☆ U.S. Launches Quiet Diplomatic Push With Iran to Cool Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Laurence Norman | David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-launches-quiet-diplomatic-push-with-iran-to-cool-tensions-2f45af3

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: iran

The United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria on the day of the drone attack. Photo: Rick Bajornas/Un/Zuma PressAn Iranian-backed militia in northern Iraq was behind the drone attack that killed a U.S. military contractor in northeast Syria on March 23 and wounded more than two dozen American civilian and military personnel, according to U.S. officials. The Iraqi origin of that attack hasn’t been previously reported but was acknowledged by a senior U.S. military official Saturday in response to questions from The Wall Street Journal.

The United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria on on the day of the drone attack. Photo: Rick Bajornas/Un/Zuma PressAn Iranian-backed militia in northern Iraq was behind the drone attack that killed a U.S. military contractor in northeast Syria on March 23 and wounded more than two dozen American civilian and military personnel, according to U.S. officials. The Iraqi origin of that attack has not been previously reported but was acknowledged by a senior U.S. military official Saturday in response to questions from The Wall Street Journal.

☆ Iran’s New Friends: Russia and China
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

On New Year’s Eve in 1977, President Jimmy Carter rose in the glittering banquet hall of Tehran’s Niavaran Palace to toast the deep bonds between the U.S. and Iran. As Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi looked on, Mr. Carter showered accolades on the monarch, praising Iran’s modernizing society, attention to human rights and military power. “Iran, because of the great leadership of the Shah, is an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world,” he told his host before they raised their glasses in friendship.

☆ Iran Invites Saudi Arabia’s King to Visit as Bitter Rivalry Recedes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( David S. Cloud | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—Iran has invited Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz to visit the country, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday, a sign of the rapidly improving ties between two longtime regional rivals. The invitation comes after the two governments agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations last month in a deal brokered by China, which ended seven years of estrangement and jolted the geopolitics of the oil-rich region.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore flights between their countries and resume government and private-sector visits, after their top diplomats met in Beijing on Thursday as a thaw begins in one of the Middle East’s thorniest rivalries. The summit comes weeks after the two governments agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by China, which ended seven years of estrangement and jolted the geopolitics of this oil-rich region.

An exchange-rate board in Tehran last month, when the Iranian rial plunged against the dollar. TEHRAN—Iran’s move to reset diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia was a radical break from years of enmity between the two Middle East rivals, but it hasn’t been enough to prop up its struggling economy. Before China stepped in to broker the deal earlier this month, Iran’s currency, the rial, had lost a fifth of its value over the last two weeks of February to hit a record low, adding to the problems besetting the ruling clerics here.

In Tehran, a man holds a newspaper with news of Iran and Saudi Arabia’s agreement to re-establish diplomatic relations. China’s brokering of a détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia accelerates a geopolitical realignment in the Middle East, as rivalries that erupted during the Arab Spring fade and outside powers besides the U.S. vie for influence. The restoration of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh, announced Friday in Beijing after years of enmity between the two capitals, reflects the new reality: With Washington increasingly preoccupied in Ukraine and Asia, the region is trying to move past its old divisions, resolving conflicts and easing tensions.

☆ U.S. Defense Chief Visits Iraq for Talks on Troop Presence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( David S. Cloud | Ghassan Adnan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with Major General Matthew McFarlane in Baghdad. REUTERS/Idrees AliBAGHDAD—Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Baghdad for talks with Iraqi officials on continuing the U.S. troop presence. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani has previously endorsed allowing the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq to stay. Mr. Austin stressed that they were there primarily to train and advise Iraqi troops, not to join them on combat missions to root out remaining Islamic State fighters.

☆ Elon Musk: New Twitter CEO Could Be Named by the End of the Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Elon Musk spoke virtually to the World Government Council in Dubai on Wednesday. DUBAI—Elon Musk said the likely time to put in place a new Twitter Inc. CEO could be toward the end of the year. Last year, Mr. Musk floated the idea of naming someone to take over day-to-day management of the social-media platform that he bought in October in a deal valued at $44 billion.

☆ Elon Musk Signals New Twitter CEO Possible by Year End
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—Elon Musk said the likely time to put in place a new Twitter Inc. chief executive could be toward the end of the year. Last year, Mr. Musk floated the idea of naming someone to take over day-to-day management of the social-media platform that he bought in October in a deal valued at $44 billion.

KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkey—The political opposition in Turkey slammed the country’s ruling party over calls to postpone a pivotal election, while the United Nations said Syria yielded to international pressure to open border crossings in the aftermath of earthquakes that devastated both countries last week. The death toll from the Feb. 6 quakes rose to more than 37,700, including 31,900 in Turkey, 1,400 in the government-controlled portion of Syria and at least 4,400 in the country’s rebel-held northwest, according to official estimates. The disaster has destroyed thousands of buildings and left millions uprooted from their homes and living in tent cities, often in bitter cold.

KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkey—The political opposition in Turkey slammed the country’s ruling party over calls to postpone a pivotal election, while the United Nations said Syria yielded to international pressure to open border crossings in the aftermath of earthquakes that devastated both countries last week. The death toll from the Feb. 6 quakes rose to more than 41,200, including 35,400 in Turkey, 1,400 in the government-controlled portion of Syria and at least 4,400 in the country’s rebel-held northwest, according to official estimates. The disaster has destroyed thousands of buildings and left millions uprooted from their homes and living in tent cities, often in bitter cold.

GAZIANTEP, Turkey—Turkish authorities widened a crackdown on those allegedly involved in shoddy construction practices and looting in cities across southern Turkey devastated by last week’s earthquakes, making dozens of new arrests as hopes faded of finding many more survivors in collapsed buildings. The death toll from the massive quakes has reached over 35,000, with 31,600 fatalities in Turkey and 3,500 deaths in Syria, according to authorities, who say they expect the casualty numbers to continue to rise sharply.

GAZIANTEP, Turkey—Aid is now rushing into Turkey since twin earthquakes devastated vast swaths of the country, but anger is growing in destroyed towns over a stuttering government response and allegedly shoddy construction that has led to dozens of arrests of contractors. The death toll across Turkey and Syria has reached over 28,000, with 24,600 dead in Turkey and another 3,500 dead in Syria.

GAZIANTEP, Turkey—Aid poured into Turkey Friday, the fifth day after earthquakes killed more than 22,000 people, as Turks and Syrians gathered for traditional prayers, buried the dead, and reflected on their loss. In the Turkish capital, Ankara, one of the country’s most senior clerics, Ali Erbaş, led prayer, as rescue teams continued to find survivors in the rubble and aid agencies sheltered thousands of displaced people on both sides of the Turkish-Syrian border.

☆ Iran Grants Amnesty, Reduces Prison Sentences for Some Protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei granted amnesty for some of those arrested in antigovernment demonstrations. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei granted amnesty and reduced prison sentences on Sunday to a “significant number” of protesters arrested in antigovernment demonstrations, Iranian state media said, highlighting the regime’s shifting tactics after a lethal crackdown that has recently quieted street demonstrations in many parts of the country. The move, part of a wider amnesty ahead of the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, covers protesters who have asked the government for forgiveness, but it excludes anyone accused of violent crimes, arson or having contact with foreign intelligence services, Iran’s official judiciary news service Mizan reported.

☆ Iran Threatens Response to Israeli Drone Attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani’s letter was the first time an Iranian official has publicly blamed Israel since the attack. Iran blamed Israel for the first time for a drone attack last month on a military facility in the city of Isfahan and said it reserved the right to “respond resolutely.”Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, made the accusation in a letter to the secretary-general, the first time an Iranian official has publicly blamed Israel since the weekend attack.

☆ Iraq Economy Reels as U.S. Moves Against Money Flows to Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iraq’s currency has fallen as much as 10% against the dollar as controls have been implemented on the U.S. currency. BAGHDAD—Iraqis are blaming an unexpected culprit for a weakening currency that has caused the price of food and imported goods to rise: a little-noticed policy change by the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The New York Fed began enforcing tighter controls on international dollar transactions by commercial Iraqi banks in November, in a move to curtail money laundering and the illegal siphoning of dollars to Iran and other heavily sanctioned Middle East countries, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

☆ Iraqi Prime Minister Supports Indefinite U.S. Troop Presence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( David S. Cloud | Michael Amon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BAGHDAD—Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani defended the presence of U.S. troops in his country and set no timetable for their withdrawal, signaling a less confrontational posture toward Washington early in his term than his Iran-backed political allies have taken. “We think that we need the foreign forces,” Mr. Sudani said in his first U.S. interview since taking office in October, referring to the American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization troop contingents that train and assist Iraqi units in countering Islamic State but largely stay out of combat. “Elimination of ISIS needs some more time,” he added.

☆ Iran Executes Two Protesters Accused of Killing Militia Member
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Military personnel stood in front of an Iranian flag during a pro-government rally last month in Tehran. Iran hanged two men Saturday who were convicted of killing a militia member during antigovernment protests, according to Iranian state media, the third and fourth Iranians known to have received the death penalty in connection with the nearly four-month-old nationwide demonstrations. The executed men, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, 22 years old, and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, 39, were convicted in the Nov. 3 killing of Ruhollah Ajamian, a member of the pro-regime Basij militia force. Prosecutors said Mr. Ajamian was stabbed and bludgeoned with rocks during protests in the city of Karaj, near Tehran.

☆ Islamic State Suspected to Be Behind Series of Attacks in Iraq
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( David S. Cloud | Ghassan Adnan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

People mount over the coffins of people killed in a militant attack near Baghdad earlier this week. BAGHDAD—Suspected Islamic State militants ambushed a military patrol in northern Iraq late Wednesday, killing two Iraqi soldiers and wounding three others, Iraqi security officials said, in the latest sign that the group is attempting a violent resurgence. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack near the city of Kirkuk, but the officials said they suspected fighters from Islamic State. Gunmen opened fire on Iraqi troops riding in two military vehicles, which were also targeted by roadside bombs, according to the officials.

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