DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ China's Xi calls for early resolution of Iran nuclear issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony in Beijing, China, February 14, 2023. Iran's President Website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERSBEIJING, Feb 14 (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for the early and proper resolution of the Iran nuclear issue while expressing his support for the Islamic Republic in safeguarding its rights and interests, according to Chinese state media. China will continue to "participate constructively" in talks to resume negotiations on implementing the Iran nuclear agreement, Xi told Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi in talks in Beijing. In September, the United States imposed new sanctions on companies involved in Iran oil exports, including five based in China. Washington said it would continue enforcing sanctions on Iran's oil and petrochemical sales so long as Tehran continues to accelerate its nuclear program.

☆ Factbox: Nikki Haley: Who is the Republican 2024 presidential candidate?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Tuesday she will seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, putting her at odds with one-time boss Donald Trump, the former president currently leading the Republican race. She took on leadership roles in several business organizations before winning a seat in the South Carolina state legislature in 2004. UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADORHaley endorsed several rivals to Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential nominating contest, and occasionally tangled with him during the primaries. But she went on to serve as his ambassador to the United Nations, where she gained a reputation as a vocal defender of U.S. interests. She did not attend a recent Trump rally at the South Carolina state capitol.

☆ Western forces are raiding gunrunners at sea and throwing wrenches into Iran's plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

CENTCOM said this month that it supported "partner naval forces" during a January raid in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. naval forces seized 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles from a fishing vessel transiting along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen. UK naval forces also seized surface-to-air missiles and cruise-missile rocket engines that came from Iran. U.S. naval forces seized 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles from a fishing vessel transiting along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen. It remains to be seen whether the increase in raids will actually impact Iran's regional influence over the long-term.

Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley campaigns for Georgia Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker at a rally with supporters in Hiram, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will launch her candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on Feb. 15, squaring off against her one-time boss, former President Donald Trump, according to a source familiar with her plans. If she were to win the nomination, Haley would be the first woman at the top of the Republican presidential ticket in history, as well as the party's first non-white nominee. Even in a field where most candidates have changed their mind about key issues multiple times, Haley is particularly chameleonic. Haley, who governed the state from 2011 to 2017, is popular there, polls show.

☆ DAVOS 2023: EU's Von der Leyen backs listing Iran's Guards as terrorist group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday she backed listing Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation to respond to the "trampling" of "fundamental human rights" in the country. Ties between the EU member states and Tehran have deteriorated in recent months as efforts to revive nuclear talks have stalled. The European Union is discussing a fourth round of sanctions against Tehran over the crackdown and Iran's supply of weapons to Russia. "We are looking indeed at a new round of sanctions and I would support also listing the Revolutionary Guards. I have heard several ministers asking for that and I think they are right," Von der Leyen said.

☆ Jailed Iranian American appeals to Biden, starts hunger strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Arshad Mohammed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Siamak Namazi made the plea in a letter to Biden seven years to the day that Iran released five other U.S. citizens in a prisoner exchange choreographed to coincide with the implementation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Namazi, whose father was allowed to leave Iran in October for medical treatment after being detained on espionage-related charges rejected by Washington, said he would be on a hunger strike for the same seven days. read more"All I want sir, is one minute of your days' time for the next seven days devoted to thinking about the tribulations of the U.S. hostages in Iran," he added. Asked for comment, a White House national security council spokesperson said the government was committed to securing Namazi's freedom. "We are working tirelessly to bring him home along with all U.S. citizens who are wrongfully detained in Iran," the spokesperson said.

☆ Oil will jump 28% in 2023, with another energy crunch set to push prices higher, Eurasia Group says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Oil prices will rise above $100 a barrel in 2023, according to a projection in the Eurasia Group's top risks of the year. Oil demand looks poised to grow as China recovers quickly after backing off zero-COVID polices and the US experiences only a shallow recession. Brent and WTI crude prices recently traded below $78 a barrel each. They said those two factors would bolster demand growth for crude oil and expose an acute lack of new supply. China's economic recovery and increased global demand for liquefied natural gas will likely drive US natural gas prices closer to $8 per million British thermal units or more.

☆ The U.S. passed a historic climate deal this year — here's a recap of what's in the bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

The IRA's provisions have major implications for clean energy and manufacturing businesses, climate startups and consumers in the coming years. As 2022 comes to a close, here's a look back at the key elements in the legislation that climate and clean energy advocates will be monitoring in 2023. Taking aim at methane gas emissionsSome pumpjacks operate while others stand idle in the Belridge oil field near McKittrick, California. Mario Tama | Getty ImagesThe package imposes a tax on energy producers that exceed a certain level of methane gas emissions. And the bill has a hydrogen production tax credit, which provides hydrogen producers with a credit based on the climate attributes of their production methods.

☆ EU and Iran to continue working on nuclear deal, Borrell says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 20 (Reuters) - EU foreign 7policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday condemned Iran's support for Russia in its war in Ukraine and the ongoing repression of opposition in the country, but said the EU would continue to work with Iran on restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. "Necessary meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Jordan amidst deteriorating Iran-EU relations," Borrell tweeted ahead of a regional conference being hosted by Jordan. "Stressed need to immediately stop military support to Russia and internal repression in Iran. Agreed we must keep communication open and restore JCPOA on basis of Vienna negotiations." Reporting Bart Meijer, Editing by Charlotte Van CampenhoutOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden in newly surfaced video says the Iran nuclear deal is 'dead' but adds he won't announce that publicly
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Biden in a newly surfaced video says the Iran nuclear deal is "dead." In the video, Biden said the deal was "dead" but underscored that his administration couldn't announce this publicly. The Biden administration in recent months has also signaled that other issues pertaining to Iran have bumped the deal down its list of priorities. The 2015 deal was designed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran.

WASHINGTON/PARIS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - For nearly two years the United States has tried and failed to negotiate a revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal yet Washington and its European allies refuse to close the door to diplomacy. Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action under which Tehran reined in its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions. A U.S. intelligence estimate disclosed in late 2007 assessed with high confidence that Iran was working to develop nuclear weapons until the fall of 2003, when it halted the weapons work. "We will continue with the pressure while keeping the door open for a return to diplomacy," U.S. special envoy for Iran Robert Malley told reporters in Paris last month, adding that if Iran crossed "a new threshold in its nuclear program, obviously the response will be different." Even if the 2015 nuclear deal cannot be resurrected, the senior Biden administration official said other diplomatic solutions might be possible.

☆ U.S. accuses U.N. of yielding to Russian threats over Iran drone inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iran has acknowledged it had supplied Moscow with drones, but said they were sent before Russia invaded its neighbor in February. Britain, France, Germany, the United States and Ukraine say the supply of Iranian-made drones to Russia violates a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution enshrining the Iran nuclear deal. Ambassador Robert Wood told a Security Council meeting on Monday on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resolution. "We are disappointed that the Secretariat, apparently yielding to Russian threats, has not carried out the investigatory mandate this council has given it," Wood said. Iran's U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, said Iran has not transferred to Russia any items prohibited by the Security Council.

☆ Saudi foreign minister: 'All bets off' if Iran gets nuclear weapon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Sunday that Iran's Gulf Arab neighbours would act to shore up their security if Tehran were to obtain nuclear weapons. Indirect U.S.-Iranian talks to salvage a 2015 nuclear pact between global powers and Iran, which Washington exited in 2018, stalled in September. "If Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off," Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said in an on-stage interview at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi when asked about such a scenario. "The signs right now are not very positive unfortunately," Prince Faisal said. "We hear from the Iranians that they have no interest in a nuclear weapons programme, it would be very comforting to be able to believe that.

☆ UAE official says European ties with Gulf 'should not be transactional'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A senior United Arab Emirates official said on Saturday it was encouraging to see greater European outreach to Gulf Arab states in the face of the Ukraine conflict and energy crunch, but that engagement should not be "transactional". "I think that language is partly driven by self-interest -- trying to find new gas providers, new oil providers," he said. Gargash reiterated a call for "explicit" security assurances from traditional Western allies, especially in dealing with the threat from Iranian drones that Gulf states have long warned about. Western states have accused Russia of using Iranian drones to attack targets in Ukraine, which Tehran and Moscow have denied. Gulf states have resisted Western pressure to break with Russia, a fellow member of the OPEC+ oil producer alliance which in October agreed cuts to output targets.

☆ Trump attacks Jewish leaders for 'lack of loyalty' amid fallout from controversial dinner with 'deranged antisemite' Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuente
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump accused Jewish leaders of a lack of loyalty and claimed he was the best president for Israel. Trump has been widely criticized for having dinner with Nick Fuentes and Ye, who have made antisemitic comments. "How quickly Jewish Leaders forgot that I was the best, by far, President for Israel," Trump wrote. Trump, whose daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner are Jewish, has previously been called out for using antisemitic tropes himself. Since the dinner with Trump, Ye has made even more explicitly antisemitic comments, including saying that he likes Hitler and denying the Holocaust.

☆ Russia trying to get ballistic missiles from Iran, says Britain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Russia is attempting to obtain more weapons from Iran, including hundreds of ballistic missiles, and offering Tehran an unprecedented level of military and technical support in return, Britain's U.N. "Russia is now attempting to obtain more weapons, including hundreds of ballistic missiles," Woodward told reporters. We're concerned that Russia intends to provide Iran with more advanced military components, which will allow Iran to strengthen their weapons capability," she said. Iran has promised to provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles, in addition to more drones, two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters in October. The United States said on Wednesday that it has seen the continued provision of Iranian drones to Russia, but that Washington had not seen evidence that Iran has transferred ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine.

☆ Blinken vows US support for Israel despite unease over govt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday the U.S. will not shrink from its unwavering support for Israel despite stark differences with Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu and concerns the Biden administration may have about potential members of his incoming right-wing government. Blinken said the Biden administration would engage with Netanyahu’s government based on its policies and not on personalities, including potential senior Cabinet ministers who have expressed vehement anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab views in the past. He said those would be detrimental to Israel’s long-term security or future as a Jewish democratic state. We will hold it to the mutual standards we have established in our relationship over the past seven decades,” Blinken said. He lauded the recent completion of a maritime border accord between Israel and Lebanon.

☆ Netanyahu says he hopes Trump sees his way to condemn antisemitism after dinner with Ye and Nick Fuentes: 'It's not merely unacceptable, it's just wrong"
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes Donald Trump will condemn antisemitism following his dinner with Ye and Nick Fuentes. Netanyahu, a longtime ally of Trump's, won reelection last month and is due to resume power as Prime Minister. Trump faced backlash from his own party following his Mar-a-Lago dinner with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West who has spouted anti-semitic threats, and white nationalist Nick Fuentes. He has yet to denounce Kanye West at all. "On this matter, on Kanye West and that other unacceptable guest, I think it's not merely unacceptable, it's just wrong.

☆ Why Saudi Arabia is hosting one of the world's biggest raves
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The kingdom’s Soundstorm music festival, which began in 2019, is back again for its fourth year and will start on Thursday. “(It) is a particularly powerful example because it seeks to bring together young people and women from across Saudi Arabia and the world,” she said. By contrast, Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival, considered North America’s biggest dance music festival, had an attendance of over 400,000 this year. Last year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that performers should either “speak up” about Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations or not attend the festival at all. Some however argue that opening up countries to international norms and values can allow for better discussion on human rights shortcomings.

☆ Diplomatic foes Iran and U.S. clash in winner-takes-all contest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Hritika Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ties have been strained in recent years when then-President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of an Iran nuclear deal. The United States killed a top Iranian general in 2020 and Tehran responded with missile strikes at U.S. forces based in Iraq. The eagerly awaited meeting is a rematch of the 1998 World Cup group stage contest, dubbed the "mother of all games", which Iran won 2-1. Overshadowing Iran's World Cup build-up this year has been civil unrest at home over the September death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, arrested for flouting the country's strict Islamic dress code. They sang quietly on Friday at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, where boos and jeers were heard from Iran supporters.

☆ Iran to enrich uranium to 60% purity at Fordow nuclear site - TV
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Iran has started enriching uranium to 60% purity at its underground Fordow nuclear site, according to state media on Tuesday, which described the action as a response to the U.N. nuclear watchdog's demand for more cooperation from Tehran. "In a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has informed the agency that it has started enriching uranium to 60% purity at Fordow site," the semi-official ISNA news agency reported, adding that it was a "strong response" to the agency's latest resolution. Iran's SNN network said Tehran will also be building a new set of centrifuges at its Natanz and Fordow nuclear sites. In June, Reuters reported that Tehran was escalating its uranium enrichment further by preparing to use advanced IR-6 centrifuges at the Fordow site, which can easily switch between enrichment levels. The IAEA resolution is the second this year targeting Iran over the investigation, which has become an obstacle to talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal because Iran has demanded the probe be ended.

☆ Republican U.S. House will sharpen China focus, monitor Ukraine aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Representative Michael McCaul, the Republican in line to head the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said his top priority will be competing with a rising China, including monitoring high-tech exports. To become law, any bills must be passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden. McCaul said he expected the aid to keep flowing, noting bipartisan support for the Kyiv government. The House Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees also plan a joint investigation of business dealings that Hunter Biden had with a Chinese energy firm in 2017. The Democratic-led House impeached Trump in 2019 on charges that he withheld military aid to Ukraine to put pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to launch an investigation of Hunter Biden.

☆ No push for Iran nuclear talks, U.S. envoy says, due to protests, drone sales
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Talks to revive a 2015 accord between Iran and world powers have been at a stalemate since September. Western states accuse Iran of making unreasonable demands after all sides appeared to be nearing a deal. "If these negotiations are not happening, it's because of Iran's position and everything that has happened since (September)," Malley said. The EU, the United States, Canada and Britain have imposed sanctions over human rights abuses in Iran as well as for its drone sales to Moscow. Iran began breaching those terms in 2019 in response to a U.S. withdrawal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump.

☆ Exclusive: U.S., EU powers push IAEA board to order Iran to cooperate urgently
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Francois Murphy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The draft resolution was sent to other countries on the 35-nation International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors on Friday ahead of a quarterly meeting that starts on Wednesday. It also comes the day after the IAEA issued a report, also seen by Reuters, on the years-long investigation into the traces. Iran has agreed to hold a meeting with IAEA officials in Tehran after next week's board meeting to make progress in the stalled inquiry. The draft resolution referred to Thursday's IAEA report, which said IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi was "seriously concerned that there has still been no progress". The board passed a similar resolution in June, when only China and Russia opposed it.

☆ Iran sets up meeting on U.N. nuclear inquiry as diplomatic clash looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Francois Murphy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. The IAEA has said it will not yield to political pressure and its job is to account for all nuclear material. The E3 and the United States will hold talks in Paris on Monday to discuss Iran ahead of the board meeting, two diplomats said. Iran has recently installed hundreds more advanced centrifuges, machines that enrich uranium, at its underground plants at Natanz and Fordow. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear technology is solely for civil purposes.

Search resuls for: "Iran Nuclear"

25 mentions found