Tariq Saeedi Notwithstanding the showcase rhetoric, the new American sanctions announced on 10 January 2020 are clearly meant to punish the people of Iran for their failure to overthrow the regime. Here is the summary of the press release issued by the US Department of Treasury on 10 January 2020 The new sanctions apply to: […]
Iran-US spat – resizing of situation and a word of caution for Central Asia
Tariq Saeedi Iran fired some missiles at two US bases in Iraq on Tuesday and declared it as ‘proportionate response’ to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani. Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday and hinted at increasing the pressure on Iran without going for further military action. Both sides desire de-escalation although the tussle through […]
Ирано-американский раздор – перемасштабирование ситуации и предупреждение для Центральной Азии
Тарик Саиди Иран выпустил несколько ракет по двум американским базам в Ираке во вторник и объявил это “пропорциональным ответом” на убийство генерала Кассема Солеймани. Трамп обратился к нации в среду и намекнул на усиление давления на Иран без дальнейших военных действий. Обе стороны стремятся к деэскалации, хотя борьба с помощью побочных средств, безусловно, будет продолжаться. […]
Iran situation – some words for Iran, some for the west, and a few for Central Asia – Part 1
Tariq Saeedi The gasoline prices in Iran were jacked up by 50% recently. This led to riots that caused damage to the public and private property, and a number of casualties occurred when the authorities dealt with the rioters with a heavy hand. The riots have subsided though they may smolder for a while. President […]
First Caspian Economic Forum – Part 3
At the inaugural session of the First Caspian Economic Forum at Awaza on 12 August 2019, the president of Turkmenistan, the prime ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, and the first vice president of Iran answered some questions from the moderator. We are presenting here the slightly summarized and paraphrased translation of their answer: Turkmenistan […]
Trump Unveils “Warsaw Plan”
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former COAS Pakistan friendscolumn@hotmail.com President Trump is building-up his strategic naval forces, in the Gulf Region, NOT to fight the ‘naval superiority battle’ of the deep seas, but to apply “Shock and Awe” therapy on the Iranians, suffering from decades of “Monetary Terrorism” and “Social Engineering” – an act of war, imposed […]
Иран – санкции, санкциями, а жизнь продолжается…
nCa Анализ – Эльвира Кадырова Пока в Белом Доме оценивают эффективность политики максимального давления на Тегеран и даже готовят в Варшаве саммит по Ближнему Востоку в антииранском духе, экономическая жизнедеятельность в Исламской Республике, что называется, продолжается весьма умеренными темпами. По крайней мере, согласно сообщениям иранским СМИ – все выглядит не так плохо, как кажется на […]
Iran – Life goes on amid US sanctions
nCa Analysis by Elvira Kadyrova While the White House assesses the effectiveness of the maximum pressure plan on Tehran and even prepares a summit on the Middle East in the anti-Iranian vein in Warsaw, Iran’s economic activity proceeds at quite moderate pace. At least, Iranian news media in their reports say the situation is not […]
Lapis Lazuli Corridor – Part 7
The members of the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, except Georgia, are also the members of the ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization). Therefore, ECO has an important role to play in the development of connectivity solutions in the region. Here is the text of the speech of Ambassador Hiseyin Avni Bicakh Deputy, the Secretary General of the Economic […]
Trump withdraws from Iran Nuclear Deal – Probable side effects for Central Asia
Tariq Saeedi President Trump announced Tuesday (8 May 2018) that he was pulling out of the Iran Nuclear Deal. This would potentially bring several consequences to the doors of Central Asia, some positive, some negative. There are four elements to this mix: 1. Rationale of Trump for ditching the Iran deal; 2. Response of US […]