Short News Summary for Thursday, August 2, 2018. Read the most important news from Iran and the world on the eleventh day of Mordad 97 moment by moment here.
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Apple becomes the first trillion-dollar company in the world. The value of Apple technology company in the stock market on Thursday, August 2, exceeded one trillion dollars. Apple is the first American company to achieve this record. The value of each Apple share, which was founded in a garage in 1976, reached over $207 on Wednesday. After Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple, left the company in the 1980s, it faced financial difficulties, but with his return and the company's focus on mobile phone manufacturing, Apple’s stock price began to rise. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, and Tim Cook currently leads this giant company.
"The rush to buy goods in Qom has reached its highest level." A local site in Qom reported that in a meeting of the city’s "Market Regulation Working Group" on Thursday, it was announced that the rush to buy goods in Qom has reached its highest level. The site "Qom News" quoted Ibrahim Safahi, a member of the board of the Qom Chamber of Guilds, saying: "In stores, the rush to buy goods has reached its highest level, and this market agitation is purely psychological, and there is no shortage of goods." He added: "Prices of goods are unreasonable, and on the other hand, prices are not expert-reviewed, and there is a variety of prices in the market, with no oversight on this matter." In recent months, due to the depreciation of the rial and the rise in foreign currency rates, the prices of essential goods in Iran have sharply increased, and people have turned to buying dollars, gold coins, and other investment goods to preserve their assets.
"Iran's large military exercise has begun" in the Persian Gulf. CNN reported that a large military exercise by Iran in the Persian Gulf has "begun." CNN, citing a U.S. security official, added that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has started a large naval maneuver in the region’s waters since Thursday, August 2. Previously, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army had predicted that Iran would begin the maneuver within 48 hours, but it seems that the exercise started earlier. The IRGC or the Iranian army has not reacted to CNN's report regarding the start of the exercise, and they have neither confirmed nor denied this news.
Objection of Ahmad Montazeri rejected by "Hassan Rouhani's representatives." Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of parliament, tweeted that the Supervisory Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting rejected Ahmad Montazeri's objection regarding the distortion of his interview in the documentary "Qaim Maqam." The documentary "Qaim Maqam," which examines the life and political conduct of Mr. Montazeri, was broadcast on April 23 of this year, and at that time, Ahmad Montazeri protested against the "excerpt" of this documentary aired on state television and wrote a letter to Ali Asgari, the head of the IRIB. According to Mahmoud Sadeghi, "Mr. Ahmad Montazeri's objection to the distortion of his interview in the documentary Qaim Maqam was raised yesterday in the Supervisory Council of the IRIB, and according to one of the representatives, the council, especially the representatives of the government of hope and prudence (Mr. Ali Jannati and Hesam Ashna), did not agree with his request, and it has been decided that this practice will not be repeated in the future."
Israeli Defense Minister: The situation in Syria has returned to its previous state. The Israeli Defense Minister welcomed the Syrian army's regained control over the Golan border areas with Israel and said that from Israel's perspective, the situation in Syria has returned to its previous state. Avigdor Lieberman said on Thursday, August 2, that with the Syrian army's regained control in the Golan, Israel is dealing with "a specific address, a responsible party, and a central power" at its borders. The Israeli Defense Minister also stated that if Syria adheres to the 1974 agreement and does not allow Syria to become the front line for Iran against Israel or a place for the transfer of weapons for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel will have no issues with Syria.
Protests have spread to Tehran. Videos received from Tehran show that at least one protest took place in the capital on Thursday evening from Vali Asr Square towards Imam Hossein Square. According to one of the videos, the protesters, numbering in the hundreds, are marching on the sidewalk and Vali Asr Street, and a trash can has also been set on fire. The protesters, while clenching their fists, chant: "Cannon, tank, firecracker / Clerics must disappear." In the latest round of street protests in Iran that began earlier this week, Tehran has been relatively calm, but cities like Isfahan, Shiraz, and Golhardasht Karaj have witnessed widespread protests.
World Gold Council: Demand for coins and gold bars in Iran has doubled. The World Gold Council reported on Thursday, August 2, that since the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, demand for coins and gold bars in Iran has doubled. The United States exited the JCPOA on May 8 of this year, and President Donald Trump announced the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran. According to the World Gold Council report, following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, a significant drop in the national currency value and economic instability have led to a doubling of demand for coins and gold bars in Iran during the second quarter of this year, reaching 15.2 tons, which is unprecedented since the first quarter of 2014. This statistic comes at a time when global demand for coins and gold bars has not changed significantly.
Submission of the "complete list" of recipients of government currency to the Ministry of Economy. The Central Bank of Iran announced that it has sent the "complete list" of recipients of government currency since April 11 of this year to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Iranian news agencies reported that this letter was sent yesterday by Abdolnaser Hemmati, the head of the Central Bank, following the Iranian President's directive to the Minister of Economy. The mentioned list has not yet been published. Since April of this year, Rouhani's government declared a single exchange rate for the dollar and set it at "4200 tomans." However, in recent months, many reports have emerged regarding the import of goods with government currency and their sale at free market rates by importers. The government and the judiciary of Iran have stated that they will deal with the offenders among importers. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the first deputy of the judiciary, said last week that only in the first three months of this year, $50 billion was allocated for ordering goods with the 4200 toman currency.
Zarif on negotiating with the U.S.: Meeting for the sake of meeting has no meaning. Iran's Foreign Minister, who is in Singapore to sign documents for Iran's accession to the "Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations," stated that he has no plans to meet with his American counterpart Mike Pompeo on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Iran has not had few meetings with the U.S., "but the current government has shown that it does not adhere to its commitments, and meeting for the sake of meeting has no meaning, and the Americans must show that meetings lead to an agreement that is respected." This Iranian official's remarks refer to Donald Trump's statements on August 1, indicating his readiness to meet with Hassan Rouhani, his Iranian counterpart. Trump exited the nuclear agreement with Iran on May 8 and stated that severe sanctions would be imposed on Tehran. Trump's readiness to meet with Iranian leaders and negotiate for a new agreement has been met with a negative response from Tehran.
Two suspects in the theft of mathematician Kouchak Birkar's medal identified. Reuters reported on Wednesday that two suspects in the theft of the Iranian Kurdish mathematician's medal have been identified. According to the report, security forces at the award ceremony venue have identified two individuals in connection with this case by reviewing surveillance cameras. There is still no information about the identity of these individuals and the stolen medal of Dr. Kouchak Birkar.