Iran

11 May 2022; MEMO: Iran's intelligence ministry said today it had arrested two European nationals for their alleged role in "the organisation of insecurity" in the Islamic Republic, the semi-official Students News Agency (ISNA) reported according to Reuters.

The pair were arrested "for organising chaos and social disorder aimed at destabilising the country" in conjunction with foreign intelligence services, ISNA cited the ministry as saying, without giving further details...

TEHRAN, May 10 (NNN-MNA) – In a statement yesterday, the G7 Non-Proliferation Directors Group, called for the revival of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, as the best political solution.

“We renew our support for a restoration and full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. A diplomatic solution remains the best way to restrict Iran’s nuclear programme,” the Statement of the G7 Non-Proliferation Directors Group said.

10 May 2022; MEMO: Iran's Foreign Ministry yesterday announced there was "no progress" in talks with Saudi Arabia.

"There has been no new development in Tehran's talks with Riyadh," the ministry's spokesperson, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told reporters, adding that his country was hoping for the recently-signed joint agreements to "be implemented."

Khatibzadeh pointed out that the two countries had discussed the Yemen conflict "despite the existence of disagreements on this file."

Tehran, IRNA – Simultaneous with a visit to Tehran by the Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, a report by Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) suggests that Iran’s exports to Poland over the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20) grew 114% compared to figures from the preceding year.

IRICA spokesman Ruhollah Latifi said that Iran exported over 18,000 tons of goods worth $24 million to Poland over the year under review which shows a 145% growth in term of weight and a 114% increase in value terms year-on-year.

08 May 2022; MEMO: The European Union's Iran nuclear talks coordinator Enrique Mora is to visit Tehran on Tuesday, the semi-official agency Nour News reported on Saturday, as the bloc said it was seeking to break a deadlock and save the 2015 accord.

Tehran, IRNA – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau met and conferred in the Iranian capital on Sunday.

After the end of their meeting, the two foreign ministers are scheduled to attend a joint press conference.

The Polish foreign minister arrived in Tehran on Sunday night for a three-day visit.

Tehran, IRNA – The Islamic Republic of Iran plans to start the longest horizontal offshore drilling in the Middle East from Laft Port to Qeshm Island within a month, an Iranian official said.

Managing Director of Iran Gas Engineering and Development Company (IGEDC) Reza Noshadi made the remark in a news conference on Sunday, saying that the gas pipe-laying has reached Zabol county in Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran.

TEHRAN, May 5 (NNN-IRNA) – An Iranian lawmaker reiterated yesterday, the importance of seeking a reliable guarantee from the United States, in the talks to salvage the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Zohreh Elahian, member of Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, told the semi-official Mehr news agency, Iran must get a “reliable guarantee” from the U.S., to prevent Washington from scrapping the agreement again and reimposing sanctions on Tehran.

04 May 2022; MEMO: A Swedish-Iranian national sentenced to death in Iran on charges of spying for Israeli intelligence is to be executed this month, Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency said on Wednesday, citing sources, reports Reuters.

02 May 2022; MEMO: Western officials have largely lost hope the Iran nuclear deal can be resurrected, sources familiar with the matter said, forcing them to weigh how to limit Iran's atomic program even as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has divided the big powers, reports Reuters.

While they have not completely given up on the pact, under which Iran restrained its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions, there is a growing belief it may be beyond salvation.