On UAE side, Suoud Salem AlAqroobi, Director of International Relations, Federal Customs Authority, FCA, signed the action plan with R. Syarif Hidayet, Director of International and Public Affairs Department, Indonesian Customs on the Indonesian side…reports Asian Lite News
Via teleconference, the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Indonesia signed an Action Plan for a mutual recognition arrangement on the Authorised Economic Operator Program, AEO, in a step to facilitate inter-countries trade, effective and swift implementation of program mutual recognition agreement under the umbrella of the agreement on cooperation and assistance in customs affairs executed by both countries on 24 July 2019.
On UAE side, Suoud Salem AlAqroobi, Director of International Relations, Federal Customs Authority, FCA, signed the action plan with R. Syarif Hidayet, Director of International and Public Affairs Department, Indonesian Customs on the Indonesian side.
Companies registered under the AEO program in UAE counted 81 companies while efforts are exerted to sign AEO mutual recognition agreements with South Korea, KSA and China, and India is underway to execute the agreement. Such agreements cover 29.8% of State aggregate non-oil trade globally.
Ahmad Abdullah Bin Lahej Alfalasi, Director General of FCA, said that UAE is keen to bolster economic and trade relations with the Republic of Indonesia, and leverage such relations to highest levels based on the historical ties between both the country since the establishment of the federation, in addition to the soaring magnitude of trade exchange and economic cooperation between the countries.
He highlighted that the action plan with the Republic of Indonesia represents a milestone on customs relations between the two countries while the plan serves as an essential step to implement AEO program mutual recognition, which will positively affect inter-countries trade movement in addition to securing numerous advantages to authorised companies under the program in both countries.
Nepal has so far reported a total of 218,639 coronavirus cases with 1,305 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Population…reports Asian Lite News
The Nepali government has sent requests to several countries that are producing Covid-19 vaccines seeking their early availability after they are proven to be effective, officials said here on Sunday.
The requests were made after the Nepali government introduced an ordinance last week, paving the way for bringing the vaccines for emergency use, reports Xinhua news agency.
“We have sent requests to the countries including China, India, the US, the UK, Russia and Australia for early availability of vaccines,” Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population told Xinhua.
“The letters were sent through our foreign ministry. It has been three days that we sent the requests,” Gautam said.
Sewa Lamsal, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Xinhua that such requests were made to a number of countries.
By introducing an ordinance, the Nepali government has authorized the Department of Drug Administration, the regular of the pharmaceutical sector, to register the vaccines of infectious diseases that have been declared as an epidemic or pandemic.
The department has also been authorized to make necessary recommendations to provide import licenses to the firms or institutions to import vaccines as per the ordinance.
The Nepali government has also formed a high-level committee represented by secretaries of finance, home and foreign affairs ministries to facilitate the early import of the vaccines.
Nepal has so far reported a total of 218,639 coronavirus cases with 1,305 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.
Moscow, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin (Sputnik via Xinhua/IANS)
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke against protectionism and unilateralism when addressing the G20 summit via video link.
“We have to tackle the urgent problems that have accumulated in international trade.
In particular, it is necessary to strive to curb protectionism, abandon the practice of unilateral sanctions, and resume supply chains,” Putin said.
He believes that there is no alternative to the World Trade Organization today, and a stable and effective multilateral trading system based on universal norms and principles is needed.
Putin said that countries need to beef up effective mechanisms of multilateral cooperation and strengthen key international institutions, while relying on the UN Charter and generally accepting norms and principles of international law, Xinhua reported.
The two-day summit is hosted by Saudi Arabia, the current president of the bloc.
“Palestine proposed to Russia, the European Union, and the UN to hold a meeting, with the participation of other states but without the US, to discuss convening an international peace conference,” said Azzam el-Ahmad…reports Asian Lite News
A senior Palestinian official said that Palestine has proposed to exclude the US from the Middle East Quartet to advance the stalled peace talks with Israel.
“Palestine proposed to Russia, the European Union, and the UN to hold a meeting, with the participation of other states but without the US, to discuss convening an international peace conference,” Azzam el-Ahmad, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee, told official Voice of Palestine radio on Saturday.
The current Middle East Quartet, with the mandate to facilitate the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, comprises the US, Russia, the European Union and the UN, reports Xinhua news agency.
However, el-Ahmad noted, Washington’s role in the Quartet could be reactivated after US President-elect Joe Biden administration takes office, depending on its support of the two-state solution.
“There is no alternative to the two-state solution,” he said.
“Implementing this vision requires fulfilling the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and establishing an independent state on 1967 borders.”
Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President Lobsang Sangay (left) and his office representative Ngodup Tsering outside the White House compound after the crucial meeting in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh on November 21, 2020. (Photo: IANS)
In the last six decades, the head of the CTA was denied entry to the US State Department and the White House; the logic for both denials was that the US government did not recognize the Tibetan government in exile…reports Vishal Gulati
Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President Lobsang Sangay (left) and his office representative Ngodup Tsering outside the White House compound after the crucial meeting in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh on November 21, 2020. (Photo: IANS)
For the first time in six decades, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) president Lobsang Sangay has entered the White House — a historic recognition by the United States to the democratically elected government-in-exile that is headquartered in this northern Indian hill station.
This is for the first time that the head of the CTA has been invited into the White House, a spokesperson for the CTA told IANS on Saturday.
Last month, Sangay became the first CTA president to be formally invited into the US State Department to meet Assistant Secretary and Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Robert Destro.
In the last six decades, the head of the CTA was denied entry to the US State Department and the White House; the logic for both denials was that the US government did not recognize the Tibetan government in exile.
“Today’s visit amounts to an acknowledgement of both the democratic system of the CTA and its political head,” said the spokesperson.
Sangay met the White House officials.
It is a great honor to be the first political head of the Central Tibetan Administration to formally enter the White House https://t.co/nbdVONjlmg
Prior to this meeting, Sangay had met the White House officials in undisclosed meetings and locations over a dozen times in the past 10 years since he became the CTA’s president in 2011.
This unprecedented meeting perhaps will set an optimistic tone for CTA participation with US officials and be more formalized in the coming years, said the CTA.
Though he nears the end of his second consecutive term as the CTA president, Sangay has tirelessly advocated for the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019.
Earlier this week, Sangay had several virtual meetings. Through meetings, Sangay has discussed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act and other matters with the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Chairman Jim McGovern and senior Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffers, both on the Republican and Democrat side.
CTA Representative Ngodup Tsering and Kelsang Dolma accompanied Sangay on these meetings in the White House.
Before heading to the US on his second leg of tour in less than a month, Sangay told IANS in an exclusive interview that the next priority of his government is passing of Tibet Policy and Support Act in the Senate.
“This Act builds on the Tibet Policy and Support Act of 2002 and will be a major update to the US policy on Tibet. Among important updates, passing of this Act will make it the official policy of the US to see that the selection of Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including the future Dalai Lama, follows the wishes of the Tibetan Buddhist community and according to the instructions of current Dalai Lama without any influence from the Chinese government,” Sangay categorically told IANS.
Without mincing words, he added, “The Act will also forbid China from opening a new consulate until a US consulate is allowed in Lhasa.”
Sangay, the youngest to head the government-in-exile, said the State Department has always maintained that the CTA is the Tibetan government-in-exile.
In a related development, hours after US Democratic lawmakers informally re-nominated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead the party for another two years, her decades old unwavering support to the cause of the Tibetan people has been reaffirmed with passing of a bipartisan resolution on ‘autonomous’ Tibet.
In a tweet on November 18, she informed: “Today, the House sent a strong message with the passage of resolutions calling for the end of China’s human rights abuses.
“The House on a bipartisan basis will always fight for freedom of religion & culture in Tibet and for the rule of law in Hong Kong.”
The resolution, headed by Republican Congressman Ted Yoho, affirming the significance of the advocacy for genuine autonomy for Tibetans in China and the work the 14th Dalai Lama has done to promote global peace, harmony, and understanding.
The resolution states that the House of Representatives recognises the cultural and religious significance of a genuinely autonomous Tibet and the deep bond between the American and Tibetan people.
It commends the 14th Dalai Lama for his commitment to global peace and non-violence and determines that it would be beneficial to convene a bipartisan, bicameral forum, either through a Joint Meeting of Congress, a teleconference broadcast in the auditorium at the Capitol Visitor Center, or roundtable, between members of Congress and the Dalai Lama to discuss peaceful solutions to international conflicts.
Eliot Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, accused China of violation of international religious freedom in Tibet.
He said the State Department has found that the Chinese government has systematically impeded travel to Tibetan autonomous region areas for US diplomats, officials, journalists and tourists.
The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959. The Tibetan exile administration is based in this hill town.
Lord Nazir with Pannun (right) attending a press conference in London (File)
The House of Lords Conduct Committee’s decision to expel Lord Nazir Ahmed will affect the anti-India campaigns across the world, especially in Europe and Britain. Lord Nazir is the vocal supporter of the banned Sikh for Justice in the UK. A special report on the banned outfit by Kaliph Anaz
Lord Nazir with Pannun (right) attending a press conference in London (File)
When the whole world is busy with their fight against Covid-19, a terrorist forum is campaigning against India with the support of failed states. Sikh for Justice (SFJ) led by New York based Attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is one among them. The US based secessionist association, has stepped up its anti-India activities in the recent past. It is challenging the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India by espousing the agenda of “Khalistan”. They are also trying to exploit and manipulate the distress emanating from the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The main objective of the forum is to radicalise Sikh youths and recruit them for terror related activities. Although SFJ’s stated objective this year is to undertake the so-called ‘Referendum 2020′(R-2020) among the Sikh community in India and abroad to solicit political support for creation of ‘Khalistan‘, individual backgrounds of the prominent persons associated and SFJ’s actions suggest otherwise.
SFJ is a front for radicalising Sikh youth and subsequently recruiting them as ‘foot-soldiers’ for affiliate terrorist groups. These youth, radicalised by SFJ, are later exploited by the terror groups for carrying out violent actions in Punjab and elsewhere in India.
SFJ claims to use political tools for achieving its stated objective. However, it has never attempted to join the existing robust democratic set-up in India. Parliamentary, State Assembly and local bodies elections in Punjab have been held regularly with wholesome 66% voter turnout in 2019 general elections and 77.2% in the 2017 Assembly elections. SFJ lacks support among the numerous political parties and vibrant civil society groups in Punjab; nor has SFJ even attempted to engage these groups, the tools of Indian democracy.
Lord Nazir Ahmed with Khalistani protesters in London (File)
Due to lack of ground support in India, SFJ’s attempts to carry out propaganda activities in Punjab and neighbouring states like the so-called ‘voters registration drive’, ‘Punjab bandh’ (protest lockdown in Punjab) and ‘rail roko‘ (stop the trains) have thus far been unsuccessful.
It employs electronic, social media and cyberspace extensively for its propaganda activities which largely focuses on radicalising the Sikh youth through fake and distorted narratives, promotion of hatred among various communities in India and instigating Sikh soldiers and security personnel.
SFJ has gained support of Sikh individuals who harbours separatist sentiments and are based in USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France and Italy. SFJ, its affiliates and proponents, extensively abuse the freedom of speech extended by their host countries to camouflage their nefarious designs and activities.
The banned forum claims to have been founded in 2007. However, information on its organisational structure and membership is scarce. SFJ claims to have offices in USA (New York, Fremont and Washington), Canada (Toronto) and Switzerland (Geneva), with so-called additional centres for its secessionist campaign ‘R-2020’ in Vancouver and London. Further, there is no known source of income and fund raising, though its activities on ground and in social media require large amount of expenditure.
SFJ’s chief proponent Pannun is known in Punjab for handling cases of political asylum of illegal migrants of India in the US. However, more incriminating is the association of SFJ with fugitive terrorists. Most of the SFJ leaders are wanted in India for involvement in terror-related offences and are designated terrorists under UA(P)A, 1967.
A variety of Pakistan-based state and non-state actors who promote cross-border terrorism in India and SFJ are closely associated. Pakistan was a focal point of SFJ activities till April 2019. Till then, Pakistan based anti-India element Gopal Singh Chawla who is known to be close to Pakistani establishment and also the designated terrorist outfit Lashkr-e-Taiba, headed SJF’s Pakistan chapter. However, during bilateral negotiations on the opening of Shree Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, India’s strong objections compelled Pakistan to somewhat disassociate with SFJ. Till October 2018, websites of SFJ were created, maintained and hosted (at a domain https://snip.pk) by a Pakistan based company. They were discontinued only after exposure in media.
Relationships between SFJ and various Pakistani elements remain strong as ever, albeit more clandestine. This can be seen in the predominant mobilization of Pakistani diaspora for almost all recent anti-India events conducted by SFJ in North America and Europe. SFJ also promotes separatism in J&K in its propaganda and events.
There are 25 criminal cases registered and under various stages of investigations against SFJ by India’s Central Security Agencies and State Police forces of Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand. The charges vary from carrying out unlawful activities challenging integrity of India, sedition, criminal conspiracy to carrying out activities and promotion of religious enmity, possession of illegal firearms and secessionist material etc. In all these cases, SFJ members based abroad were involved in motivating, funding and directing the radicalised youth in India to carry out violent acts like targeted killings, arson etc.
SFJ has also indulged in violence against Indian interests and diaspora in USA and UK. Incidents like that of violence and intimidation for hours by a mob of SFJ supporters and Pak diaspora at the Independence Day (August 15) celebrations at Indian High Commission, London in 2019 are examples. Furthermore, SFJ members, led by Avtar Singh Pannun had attempted arson and violent acts outside Embassy of India, Washington on Republic Day in 2019.
SFJ proponent Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and his supporters also assaulted the then President (Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee) Shri Manjit Singh GK twice during his visit to the USA in August 2018. SFJ through social and electronic media releases on various occasions have threatened to physically harm senior Indian political leadership, defence and security personnel.
Officials and Punjab police personnel have been threatened with physical violence to deter them from acting against the outfit. The notorious forum supported the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack by Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM).
Traditionally, Sikhs have volunteered in large numbers and been recruited in Indian security and armed forces. To create discontent among them, SFJ persistently makes seditious calls to Sikh soldiers. During recent tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the Indo-China border, SFJ called on Sikh soldiers to desert the Indian Army incentivising them with Rs.5000/- in addition to their existing salary.
Lord Nazir Ahmed with supporters during a rally
Pannun through a letter addressed to the President of China (September 17) advised the China Government to play seditious messages to Sikh soldiers deployed at the LAC through loudspeakers. SFJ has, on at least two occasions, instigated Punjab police to abstain from duty during the pandemic.
SFJ has been found making statements to the effect that “India’s state sponsored terrorism is deadlier than corona virus which is responsible for the death of 5 lakh odd Sikhs” and “Punjab state government is extorting money from COVID-19 patients of Punjab.” It has been targeting Punjab police personnel, who have been in the forefront, since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. It is instigating the Sikhs in Punjab against police on trivial and localised incidents. Instances of such instigation include the clash (April 2020) between a group of Nihang Sikhs and police in Patiala, and a Sikh youth’s accidental death (May 2020) in a brawl with police in Kapurthala. Additionally, SFJ also called for ‘Punjab bandh’ on August 31 to celebrate the killing of a sitting Chief Minister of Punjab, who was killed in a ghastly terror attack in 1995.
Social media
SFJ’s social media propaganda includes slogans like “Indian ‘state sponsored terrorism’ is responsible for suicides of over 80000 farmers in Punjab and Indian government has massacred more than 5,00,000 Sikhs”; Punjab is being destroyed by the state government by “infusion of drugs and forcing the farmers to commit suicide by diverting water resources of Punjab”, and “India orchestrated the April 25 attack on Gurudwara Har Ki Rai in Kabul, Afghanistan”.
Asian Lite cover on Lord Nazir Ahmed
It’s recent propaganda also focuses on instigation of Sikhs to choose between Khanda (Sikh religious symbol) and Tiranga (Indian national flag), implying that the two cannot coexist peacefully. This is a blatant refusal of India’s secular fabric. To arouse Sikh sentiments, SFJ has accused the Indian establishment of destroying Gurudwaras in India. Recently, through an audio message sent to specific individuals, Pannun threatened other communities to force them to leave the Indian state of Haryana (neighbouring Punjab) citing that it would soon be a part of a nation state of the Sikhs , ‘Khalistan‘.
Flag Fee of $2500
Seeing a total lack of support for SFJ’s ‘calls’ to initiate subversive activities in India, SFJ has started offering monetary incentives to people in Punjab to carry out unlawful activities. It announced US$ 2500 to any individual for ‘raising the Khalistan flag’ on Independence Day (August 15, 2020). The banned forum alsooffered a sum of US$ 1,25,000 for similar actions at Red Fort.
Four misguided Sikh youth, fell for this and dishonoured the Indian national flag at Moga in Punjab on August 14. They were found to be funded by SFJ member Rana Singh based in USA.
SFJ has now offered Rs. 7500/- to students in Punjab to carry out the so-called ‘voters registration’ drive. It instigated and offered monetary incentives to farmers of Punjab to enforce a closure of the railway network in Punjab on September 13, 2020. However, none of these attempts by SFJ were successful.
To exploit the discontent among certain sections of farmers in Punjab and Haryana on the issue of recent reforms in agriculture sector, SFJ through a video message and a poster released on 30th September 2020, called on the farmers in Punjab to raise “Khalistani” flags and to initiate anti India slogan/graffiti writing on their walls.
Through their social media propaganda, SFJ is claiming that “BJP is committing ‘economic genocide’ like the Indian National Congress committed Sikh genocide”. It also called on the farmers to register with their names, phone numbers and email ids at www.khalistan4farmers.uk to receive Rs. 5000 as monthly aid.
The forum announced to the farmers agitating in Shambhu border rally (October 04, 2020) that the first, second and third to raise “Khalistani flags” would be rewarded USD 5000, USD 3000 and USD 2000 respectively. Additionally, SFJ also leveraged a rally held in Mantova (Italy) on October 03, 2020 to protest the alleged ‘anti-farmer policies of the Indian government’.
Since March 2020 SFJ has given multiple seditious calls to Indian Muslims to seek ‘Urduistan’, a separate country for Muslims. It has also instigated the people of Tamil Nadu to secede from India. Also in July 2020, SFJ called on the people of J&K to support ‘Khalistan’ for the ‘freedom of Kashmir’, indicating the SFJ’s support to Pak- sponsored cross-border terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir.
Morrison, who previously warned that the report contained “difficult and hard news” for Australians, said the allegations would be pursued until “justice is indeed served”…reports Asian Lite News
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has vowed that allegations of war crimes committed by his country’s soldiers in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016 will be taken “very seriously”.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) on Thursday released the findings of a landmark four-year inquiry that found “credible evidence” of the special forces soldiers’ murdering 39 prisoners, farmers and civilians during the war in Afghanistan, reports Xinhua news agency.
It recommended that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) open criminal investigations into 19 individuals for their roles in the incidents.
Morrison, who previously warned that the report contained “difficult and hard news” for Australians, said the allegations would be pursued until “justice is indeed served”.
“Where things don’t measure up to those standards as a country and indeed as a Defence Force, we look seriously at those issues, take them seriously and deal with them seriously to uphold those standards,” he told Sky News Australia.
“And that this report will be received and provided to the office of a special investigator to pursue any matters that must be pursued and can be pursued under our rule of law and that justice is indeed served.
“And these are the assurances that I have provided to the Afghan government, that this is the process that we will follow,” he added.
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who was Australia’s leader for about three of the years covered by the inquiry, said he was “disgusted” by the findings.
“It beggars belief that following the atrocities witnessed during the Iraq war at Abu Ghraib that such crimes could be repeated, and worse, by Australian forces in Afghanistan,” Rudd, who served as the prime minister between 2007 and 2010 and again in 2013, said in the statement.
“Those who are responsible for these crimes, and any efforts to conceal them, must be brought to justice.
“Behind every unlawful killing is a family grieving for someone they love. The families of those victims must be compensated for their unjust loss, the former leader added.
The report recommends that compensation be paid to the families of the Afghan victims before any criminal prosecutions and that the honors awarded to those implicated in the report be revoked.
The inquiry, which was conducted by New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Paul Brereton, heard testimonies from more than 400 witnesses.
One witness, former special forces medic Dusty Miller, said his decision to speak out was vindicated by the report.
“It’s all true. It happened. It’s factual. It’s what happened over there, it’s something that I witnessed on a number of occasions,” he said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Friday.
“It’s been approximately eight years of knowing what certain individuals got up to over there and to hear the Chief of Defence Force publicly confirm those allegations. It’s complete vindication.”
The envoy slammed the UN agency for condemning its outer space program as threats to international peace, saying the “practice of double standards and unfairness should no longer be tolerated”…Reports Asian Lite News
North Korea has slammed the UN Security Council (UNSC) for labelling the country’s space program as threats, calling the agency an “undemocratic organ devoid of impartiality”, the media reported on Friday.
While addressing a plenary session of the UN General Assembly earlier this week, North Korean Ambassador Kim Song stressed on the importance of reforming the UNSC for “better representation” of its member states, Yonhap News Agency reported.
“Until now even after 75 years of the founding of the UN, the Security Council does not extricate itself from the stigma of an undemocratic organ devoid of impartiality,” Kim said, according to the statement posted on the North Korean foreign ministry’s website.
The envoy slammed the UN agency for condemning its outer space program as threats to international peace, saying the “practice of double standards and unfairness should no longer be tolerated”.
“As is well known, illegal armed invasions and air strikes against sovereign states resulting in civilian killings are left unquestioned, whereas the righteous self-defensive measures for safeguarding sovereignty and even the exploration of outer space for peaceful purposes are labelled and condemned as threats to international peace,” he said.
It also highlighted the necessity of reaching “a fair and balanced agreement that achieves the common interests of the three countries and preserves their water rights.”…reports Asian Lite News
Egypt looks forward to taking part in the next round of trilateral talks with Ethiopia and Sudan on an Ethiopian dam built on their shared Nile river, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry’s statement came after the foreign and water ministers of the three countries concluded a virtual meeting, Xinhua reported.
Egypt wants to reach “a binding legal agreement” on how to operate the Ethiopian giant dam as soon as possible, the ministry said.
It also highlighted the necessity of reaching “a fair and balanced agreement that achieves the common interests of the three countries and preserves their water rights.”
During the last round of trilateral talks held earlier this month, Egypt voiced its discontent as no progress was made in the negotiations.
Ethiopia started building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2011, which prompted concerns from downstream countries like Sudan and Egypt.
Over the past few years, the tripartite talks on the rules of filling and operating the GERD, including those recently brokered by the United States and the African Union, have been fruitless.
Biden has promised a return to diplomacy with Iran after four hawkish years under Donald Trump, who withdrew from a denuclearization accord and slapped sweeping sanctions….reports Asian Lite News
Iran said Wednesday it would “automatically” return to its nuclear commitments if US President-elect Joe Biden lifts sanctions, as the outgoing administration doubled down with more pressure.Arab News Reports
Biden has promised a return to diplomacy with Iran after four hawkish years under Donald Trump, who withdrew from a denuclearization accord and slapped sweeping sanctions.
Tehran again meeting its commitments “can be done automatically and needs no conditions or even negotiations,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in comments published in the state-run Iran daily.
Joe Biden and Kamala harris
Zarif described Biden as a “foreign affairs veteran” whom he has known for 30 years. Once in the White House, Biden could “lift all of these (sanctions) with three executive orders,” Zarif argued.
If Biden’s administration does so, Iran’s return to nuclear commitments will be “quick,” the minister added.
The development comes after the US has imposed fresh sanctions against Iranian officials and a patronage network for the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the latest action after Washington recently targeted the Islamic Republic’s oil and financial sectors, according to the Treasury Department.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed the sanctions against the Islamic Revolution Mostazafan Foundation, also known as Bonyad Mostazafan or the Foundation, which is an immense conglomerate of some 160 holdings in key sectors of Iran’s economy, including finance, energy, construction, and mining.
While Bonyad Mostazafan is “ostensibly a charitable organization charged with providing benefits to the poor and oppressed, its holdings are expropriated from the Iranian people and are used by Khamenei to enrich his office, reward his political allies, and persecute the regime’s enemies”, the statement said.
Presided over by former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official Parviz Fattah, Bonyad Mostazafan was created in the wake of the Islamic Revolution to confiscate and manage property, according to the Treasury Department.
The Foundation has “since emerged as a source of power, wealth, and influence for the Supreme Leader and his inner circle”.
Besides the Foundation, the OFAC on Wednesday also designated Mahmoud Alavi, head of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), which has “played a key role in the Iranian regime’s brutal human rights abuses against the Iranian people”.
US President Donald Trump
In similar moves, on October 8 the US designated 18 major banks of Iran, and a few days later on October 22, new sanctions were imposed on five Iranian entities for “attempting to influence” the November 3 American presidential election.
On October 27, the US imposed fresh sanctions against the Iranian oil sector, for its “financial support” to Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.
