The Washington Post reported that prosecutors in New York City say an Iranian government-owned shipping company has evaded U.S. sanctions by setting up shell companies and funneling millions of dollars through American banks. The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, known as Irisl, and 15 other defendants are charged with a conspiracy to set up shell companies in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom to trick New York banks into sending and receiving more than $60 million worth of payments.
“Ahmadinejad’s inner circle under pressure” is an article published by the same agency. It says that a growing confrontation between Iran’s clerical rulers and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is spilling over to unusually direct criticism of the president’s inner circle of advisers. The power struggle took one of its apparent victims Tuesday when Iran’s deputy foreign minister and ally of a top Ahmadinejad aide resigned. The Associated Press reported that Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh faced corruption charges, but has denied the allegations. Last week, semiofficial media in Iran reported that a planned state visit by Ahmadinejad to neighboring Armenia was canceled when two of his advisers were not allowed to leave the country.
The Guardian touched on the same theme and published the article headlined “Iran hardliners force deputy foreign minister to resign.” It says that Iran's newly appointed deputy foreign minister has resigned under pressure from hardliners who view him as part of a movement seeking to weaken the role of Iran's powerful Muslim clerics. The dispute over Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh is part of a burgeoning power struggle involving President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the parliament and the country's clergy. While Malekzadeh faces corruption charges, the opposition to his appointment appeared more ideological. In his resignation letter addressed to the foreign minister on Tuesday, Malekzadeh denounced his critics.
The Turkish information agency Hurriyet reported that Iran's parliament is seeking to impeach Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi for appointing an aide to the president's under-fire chief of staff as one of his deputies. The motion to impeach Salehi, signed by 33 lawmakers, was officially "read out in parliament on Tuesday by an MP on the presiding board," as required by the law. But Salehi later said he had accepted the resignation of Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh, whom he appointed four days ago as a deputy foreign minister in charge of administrative affairs. A number of MPs were quoted in the Iranian media as saying this resignation could head off the impeachment.
“IAEA must facilitate nuclear safety” is an article published by the Iranian information agency. It says that A top Iranian nuclear official has called on the IAEA to promote nuclear safety by facilitating the exchange of nuclear safety data among member states. Abbasi called for more cooperation between the IAEA and member states on upgrading the level of training and facilitating the exchange of information aimed at improving nuclear safety measures. The Iranian official said safety issues encountered in incidents such as Japan's Fukushima disaster should not constitute an obstacle to the development of peaceful nuclear technology and added that such incidents call for the promotion of new nuclear safety standards and underline the need that all member states, especially developing countries, are provided with necessary information pertaining to peaceful nuclear activities.
