Short News Summary for Monday, August 13, 1397 (August 13, 2018) - Read the most important news from Iran and the world on the 22nd day of Mordad 97 here moment by moment.
1. Klantari: Judiciary has ordered not to pursue environmentalists' case - The head of Iran's Environmental Organization announced that the judiciary has instructed this organization not to pursue the status of detained environmental activists. Eisa Klantari stated during a visit to Iran newspaper that the Ministry of Intelligence has reported that there is no evidence of espionage against these individuals, but the judiciary has not yet clarified the status of the detainees and has told the Environmental Organization that this case "does not concern you" and should not be pursued. Several environmental activists, including Kavous Seyed Emami, an Iranian-Canadian citizen, professor at Imam Sadiq University, and director of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Institute, were arrested last February. Two weeks after Kavous Seyed Emami's arrest, on February 21, his family was informed that he had "committed suicide" in prison, but his family has rejected this claim.
2. Nateq Nouri: People's trust in the system has decreased - Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri, a member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, stated that people's trust in the Islamic Republic system has decreased due to the performance of officials. He emphasized that while there have always been external problems, internal issues are now more pressing. Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, also stated that the military threat from the U.S. is "not very serious," but internal weaknesses and threats are more serious. In recent months, following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, Iran has witnessed numerous protests against rising prices and currency devaluation, with protests occurring in over a hundred cities last December.
3. OPEC: Iran's oil production has decreased for the second consecutive month - The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reported that Iran's oil production has consecutively decreased in June and July. Following the announcement of the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement on May 8, Iran's oil production began a downward trend. According to OPEC's report, Iran's daily oil production decreased by about 29,000 barrels in June compared to May and by 56,300 barrels in July compared to June. The decline of over 85,000 barrels per day in Iran's oil production over the past two months comes as the first round of U.S. sanctions, primarily financial, began last week, with three months remaining until the oil sanctions take effect.
4. Iraq: Only a ban on dollar transactions with Iran - The Iraqi Prime Minister stated that his government is only committed to not using the dollar in transactions with Iran, not to implementing all U.S. sanctions against Tehran. Haider al-Abadi said in a press conference that his commitment regarding Iran is to avoid using the dollar, not to follow U.S. sanctions. His statements contradict his remarks from the previous week, where he stated that Baghdad opposes U.S. sanctions against Iran but will comply with them to protect Iraq's interests. This has angered Iranian and Iraqi politicians supportive of Iran. It was also announced that Abadi's trip to Iran was canceled due to dissatisfaction from Iranian officials regarding Baghdad's new policy.
5. Tesla to go private with Saudi investment - Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, announced that he has been negotiating with the Saudi Public Investment Fund to privatize the company, but no final agreement has been reached yet. Musk had previously stated that he had secured the necessary funding to convert the company from a public to a private entity. If Tesla becomes a private company, shareholders will not be able to buy and sell their shares on the stock market. The Saudi Public Investment Fund currently owns 5% of Tesla's shares.
6. Norwegian Fisheries Minister resigns after trip to Iran - The Norwegian Fisheries Minister, who traveled to Iran and China without informing his government, was forced to resign. Per Sandberg, 58, traveled to Iran with his Iranian-born girlfriend for a vacation in July. Members of the Norwegian government are required to inform the government of personal trips to other countries. After the minister's return from Iran, Norway's security agency took his phone for a security check to ensure it had not been hacked.
7. Ali Motahari criticized the Chief Justice's letter to the Iranian leader - Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, criticized the recent letter from the Chief Justice to the Supreme Leader for special measures against economic disruptors, stating that one should not resort to governmental decrees for any excuse. Sadegh Larijani, the Chief Justice, recently requested the Supreme Leader's permission to handle those labeled as economic disruptors and corrupt outside the normal process in a special court. The Iranian leader agreed to this request. In response, Motahari stated that the judiciary could have achieved its request through a bill or urgent proposal and should not have acted in a way that bypasses the parliament. He noted that if special laws contrary to existing laws are needed temporarily, this request should come from the parliament.
8. "Red status" in 10 provinces regarding divorce statistics - Habibollah Masoudi Farid, the social deputy of the Welfare Organization, announced that 170,000 divorces were registered last year in the country, stating that "10 provinces are in a red status regarding divorce statistics." He added that Kermanshah is the sixth province where this comprehensive family care center has been opened.
9. The trend of eliminating air transport from Iranian households - Maqsoud Asadi Samani, secretary of the Airlines Association, stated in an interview that due to the change in currency exchange rates, the prices of foreign airline tickets will double, saying, "With rising prices, air transport will be eliminated from the budget of some households."
10. Tehran Governor's office rejected Ahmadinejad's request - According to IRNA, Bahram Sarmast, the political director of the Ministry of Interior, stated that the Tehran Governor's office rejected Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's request to hold a gathering due to the lack of legal conditions. Ahmadinejad had recently called for a gathering on his Telegram page.