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ANKARA Hardline conservative challengers accused Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in an election debate on Friday of failing to revive the economy even after a diplomatic thaw with the West he has touted as the key to attracting new investment.

During a three-hour debate carried live on state television, the pragmatist Rouhani's opponents sought to denigrate his economic record and said that the Islamic Republic would be harmed if he were re-elected on May 19.

Rouhani secured Iran's nuclear accord with world powers in 2015, welcomed by many Iranians, but discontent has risen over the lack of broad improvement in living standards despite the lifting of most international sanctions in 2016 under the deal.

"The gap between rich and poor has widened in Iran...Monthly cash handouts to poor people should be tripled," Ebrahim Raisi, an influential Shi'ite cleric who is Rouhani's strongest rival, said in the debate in a nod to lower-income rural Iranians. The monthly cash subsidy is currently around $14.

"One of the main priorities of the Islamic Republic is to preserve social justice...Steps should be taken to protect poor people. We need to overhaul the economic system," said Raisi, who enjoys the support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Rouhani, who was elected by a landslide in 2013, defended his economic record, complaining that it had been subjected to "lies and defamation".

He repeated that Iran's road to economic recovery, growth and modernization lay in deeper engagement with other countries.

"More investment means the creation of more jobs...If we want eight percent economic growth, we need foreign investment."

Iran's real gross domestic product grew by 7.4 percent over the past year but that was mainly driven by oil exports rather than job-creating investment, according to the International Monetary Fund. Official unemployment runs at just over 12 percent but independent analysts put it at around 20 percent.

Khamenei and hardline loyalists have heaped pressure on Rouhani, saying the diplomatic opening afforded by the nuclear deal had not yielded benefits promised by the president.

LIMITED ECONOMIC DIVIDEND

The economic pay-off has been limited by factors beyond Rouhani's ability to rectify soon under Iran's complex system of dual theocratic and republican rule, analysts say.

Many foreign investors have been put off by obstacles to doing business such as the poor state of Iranian banks, the heavy role of powerful hardline institutions such as the elite Revolutionary Guards in the economy, a lack of clarity about the legal system as well as lingering unilateral U.S. sanctions.

Iran's president broadly manages domestic affairs, above all the economy, and can influence foreign policy decisions. But overall state policy is the remit of Khamenei, who wields decisive powers across government and the military and security services, and warily endorsed the 2015 nuclear settlement.

The election will see Rouhani facing off against Raisi, conservative Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, ex-conservative culture minister Mostafa Mirsalim and reformist ex-vice president Mostafa Hashemitaba.

Raisi, one of four sharia (Islamic law) judges who oversaw executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988, has been mentioned as a possible successor to Khamenei.

Raisi and Qalibaf, who is a former Revolutionary Guards commander, have promised to ease unemployment by creating millions of jobs per year, if elected. Economists have criticized their campaign promises as "unrealistic".

Despite his vulnerability over the economy, analysts say Rouhani retains a good chance of re-election thanks to support among large numbers of urban young and women who have welcomed a modest relaxation of social restrictions since 2013.

They also fear that a return to a hardline presidency could usher in more repression at home and isolation abroad.

"I am tired of slogans, tired of political feuding...But I will vote for Rouhani. In the election I have to choose between bad and worse," university student Homeyra Pazokian said.

(Additional reporting by Sharafedin Bozorgmehr in London; Writing by Parisa Hafezi; editing by Mark Heinrich)

WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday a major conflict with North Korea is possible in the standoff over its nuclear and missile programs, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute.

SEOUL North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Saturday from a region north of its capital, but it appears to have failed, South Korea's military said, defying intense pressure from the United States and the reclusive state's main ally, China.

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Hardliners attack Iran's Rouhani over economy in election debate - Reuters

There is a renewed focus on the handful of American citizens who remain locked up in Iran, after Politico recently reported that the Iranian prisoners released by the Obama administration last year were set free despite being deemed potential threats to national security.

It was in January 2016 that we learned a group of American citizens in Iranian custody were finally being released as part of ongoing negotiations over the Iran nuclear agreement. Their return came in exchange for the release of several Iranians by the U.S., individuals who were described by then-President Obama as "civilians" who had never been "charged with terrorism or any violent offenses."

As the president pointed out at the time, however, not every American believed to be trapped in Iran was coming home, and some are still missing to this day.

Here is a list of Americans still being held in Iran. The former FBI agent still missing after 10 years

Robert "Bob" Levinson, a 20-year veteran of the FBI, disappeared in March 2007 after traveling to Kish Island on the southern coast of Iran. Levinson, working as a private investigator at the time, was said to be attempting to recruit a source for the CIA.

The last time Levinson was seen alive was in a 2010 hostage video, thoughit remainsunclear exactly who was holding him. Iran has denied any knowledge of his whereabouts, but then-President Obama suggested in his announcement of the prisoner swap that Iran had "agreed to deepen our coordination as we work to locate Robert Levinson."

President Trump spoke of making Levinson's case a priority on the campaign trail, and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said last month that the U.S. "will spare no effort" in bringing Levinson home.

Levinsons wife, Christine, said in an interview on Fox & Friends earlier this week that for 10 years Iran has said they will investigate and get back to us, but never did. She believes President Trump is a deal-maker who can get the job done.

The father-son duo arrested just months apart Levinson's family members aren't the only ones hoping President Trump will be able to return their loved ones to them. The family of two Iranian-Americans imprisoned since October 2015 and February 2016 suggest time is of the essence.

Siamak Namazi, a businessman and scholar, was arrested just a few months before his father, Baquer, a former representative of the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), was taken into custody. Since then, the pair have been sentenced to matching prison terms of 10 years on charges they had been spying for the U.S.

"If we are not able to secure their release very soon, I will never see my father, I will never see Siamak, my brother, my children will not see them, Babak Namazi told Fox Washington correspondent Rich Edson earlier this month. There are concerns about both of the the Namazis' health, as well as the conditions they're being held in.

It was in October 2016 that then-candidate Trump tweeted: Well, Iran has done it again. Taken two of our people and asking for a fortune for their release. This doesn't happen if I'm president!

Jared Genser, the Namazis attorney, told Fox News that Spicer's recent comments calling for the Namazis' release represent "an important step forward." But, he added, the words from the White House need "to be followed up by immediate and aggressive action."

As confirmed in a travel warning from the State Department last year, Americans with dual-Iranian citizenship typically arent afforded any kind of legal protections because "[t]he Iranian government does not recognize dual citizenship." The warning goes on to state that "Iranian authorities make the determination of a dual nationals Iranian citizenship without regard to the dual nationals personal wishes," and that "[c]onsular access to detained U.S. citizens without dual nationality is often denied as well."

The couple apparently arrested for alcohol, parties

According to the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), a dual-national Iranian-American and his wife have not only been in prison without any evidence of wrongdoing for nearly a year, their initial arrest was apparently based on charges of serving alcohol and holding mixed-gender parties.

Karan Vafadari, an art gallery manager, was arrested along with his wife, Afarin Nayssari, by Iran's revolutionary guard back last July.

According to a blog apparently run by Vafadari's sister, the couple's charges were recently upgraded to include attempting to overthrow the Islamic Republic and the recruiting of spies.

Robert Toscano, the former Italian Ambassador to Iran, defended Vafadari and his wife in an open letter last year. Toscano suggested "[o]ne has to be truly gullible and the easy victim of propaganda in order to believe that they were detained because they were offering alcoholic drinks to their guests." He said that the more-likely reason for their detention was "political blackmail toward the U.S. (of which they are also citizens)."

Originally posted here:
Locked up in Iran: Americans still being held, including former FBI agent missing for 10 years - Fox News

The Hindu

Iran summons Pak. envoy over killings The Hindu Iran's Foreign Ministry has summoned Pakistan's Ambassador in Tehran to protest against the killing of nine Iranian border guards by Sunni militants attacking from neighbouring Pakistan, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported on Friday. The Sunni ... Iran summons Pakistani envoy over attack on borders guardsABC News Militants kill 10 Iranian border guards in attack on frontier with PakistanThe Guardian Iran summons Pakistan envoy over massacre of border guardsPress TV The Express Tribune -Deutsche Welle all 81 news articles »

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Iran summons Pak. envoy over killings - The Hindu

From the right: Chuck Schumers First 117 Days

Most of the news media will be grading President Trump Saturday on his 100th day in office. But Scott Jennings at Real Clear Politics thinks Chuck Schumer deserves a report card, too. And after 117 days as Senate Democratic leader, he has much to show for it. For example, Schumers role in ensuring that Neil Gorsuch was confirmed to the Supreme Court will be an enduring legacy. Indeed, his decision to force a change to Senate rules eliminating the filibuster was nothing less than inspired. As a result, hes made it quite likely that the next nominee will be even more conservative, since only a simple majority will be needed. So history will long remember Schumer for reshaping the Supreme Court for decades to come.

Security pros: Caught in Obamas Iran Nuke Trap

The recent State Department statement certifying Iran to be compliant with the nuclear deal raises troubling questions, warn John Bolton and Paula DeSutter at The Washington Times. Like whether the State Departments bureaucracy knows or cares that US Iran policy has changed with the Trump administrations advent. The president could have sidestepped the issue, especially given his administrations short time in office and its ongoing review of Iran policy. The challenge he faces is not getting entangled in a bureaucratic trap set by his predecessor. Barack Obama negotiated the deal to be inherently unverifiable, because he was after a political agreement . . . that would neither require Senate approval nor be easily terminated by subsequent administrations. Moreover, the actual verification process has been significantly weakened, making the deal a US diplomatic Waterloo.

Foreign desk: Turkey Is Neither Enemy Nor Ally

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has extended the geopolitical equivalent of a middle finger to President Trump after receiving a congratulatory phone call over his victory in an apparently rigged referendum enhancing his already vast power, contends Max Boot at Commentary: Turkish aircraft this week bombed US-backed rebels in Syria and Erodgan is showing his contempt for concerns raised about the fairness of the referendum. Which is why Trump needs to rethink US policy toward Turkey, which is hardly acting like a NATO ally should, and make clear that he will not stand for Turkish actions that are inimical to American interests.

Conservative: Whats Wrong With Obamas $400K Speech?

The condemnation from liberal commentators has been almost unanimous since word got out that ex-President Barack Obama is being paid $400,000 to speak to a Wall Street investment firm. But Ed Krayewski at Reason says that just illustrates the silly nature of Democrats (and, increasingly, Republicans) anti-Wall Street rhetoric. Specifically, that there is something wrong with Wall Street . . . as a whole, and that there [is] such a thing as making enough money. So what if Obama is drawing a $400,000 a year pension and signed a $12 million book deal? Its no ones right to tell him when hes made enough money except him or his family. As for companies buying influence, the real problem lies with the rapid growth of the kinds of regulations and bureaucracies wide open to corruption.

Numbers cruncher: Tax Plan Giveth and Taketh Away

Yes, President Trumps tax plan does benefit the very rich, along with everyone else, by lowering tax rates. But, notes Steven Malanga at City Journal, it also imposes an expensive penalty on the wealthy by eliminating a set of deductions including, crucially, the deduction for state and local taxes. That will put further pressure on states like New York and California to reduce taxes. Because 88 percent of the deductions benefit goes to taxpayers with $100,000 or more in income, reformers have long proposed eliminating it while lowering tax rates across the board as Trump is proposing. Still, for wealthy individuals in high-tax states, the pain would be significant, perhaps prompting many of them to reconsider their residency. But Trump has both given to and taken away from the rich, in pursuit of lower taxes for others.

Compiled by Eric Fettmann

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Schumer's report card, Obama's Iran trap for Trump, and other comments - New York Post

NEW DELHI: India's presence in the strategically located Iranian port of Chabahar Delhi's primary gateway to landlocked Afghanistan is all set to get a big boost.

Tehran has recently proposed to Delhi to manage phase one of the port built by Iran even as the two sides are still negotiating terms and conditions of Delhi's role in expanding phase two of the port where the Modi government wants to invest Rs 150 crore, or $235 million. ET has learnt that Tehran has offered Delhi management rights for two years for phase one of the port and such rights could be renewed by another decade.

But port management proposal is not just only development regarding Chabahar Port, there will be hectic activities with a trilateral meeting being planned between Iran-India-Afghanistan on operation of Chabahar Port in May. Last year, the three sides had signed an agreement for operation of Chabahar Port.

Besides, a summit to attract investments for the Special Economic Zone in the port complex will be held mid-May in Iran. Delhi-Kabul-Tehran could also hold trilateral consultations on the future of Afghanistan soon with Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar planning to visit Tehran in the future close on the heels on series of consultations organised by Moscow on dealing with the Afghan situation and use of Mother of All Bombs by the USA against the ISIS. The visit of the US NSA to India also provided India an opportunity to understand Washington's plan for the landlocked country.

Incidentally these meetings in Iran are expected to occur ahead of the presidential polls where the incumbent Rouhani is seeking re-election.

India's allotment of $235 million for phase two of Chabahar is divided into two parts $150 million Line of Credit (LoC) from the EXIM Bank for development of port complex and $85 million allotted later following contract between the two sides for supply of equipment to develop two berths in the port complex.

A Special Purpose Vehicle has been created by the Indian shipping ministry for development of phase two of the port. On the Iranian side, Ports and Management Organisation is the nodal authority for implementing the project. India has been given the rights to operate two berths and few terminals in this phase two of the port.

Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd. operator of Indias largest port, and Essar Ports are among the companies that have expressed an interest in managing and operating two terminals at Chabahar. JM Baxi Group, known in India for its chartering, broking and other shipping services, has also shown interest. The India Ports Global Limited, the company mandated to drive Indias investments in overseas, on March 17 invited firms to express interest if they want to be considered for a strategic partnership.

India has been negotiating with Iran for releasing initial tranche from $150 million worth LoC ever since MoU was signed with Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkaris visit to Tehran in May 2015 weeks before the Persian Gulf country signed the landmark nuclear deal with the global powers. The contract between the two countries for developing the port -- that will rival Pakistans Gwadar Port --was finalised when the Indian PM visited Tehran in May 2015.

This strategic port will allow India to circumvent Pakistan and access Afghanistan and Central Asia directly via sea. India is also constructing railway line between Chabahar and Zahedan to connect Port to rest of the Iranian railway network.

Link:
Iran offers India to run phase one of Chabahar Port - Economic Times