Author Archives: persiangulf

Iran to keep most unfrozen overseas assets in foreign banks

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By: Najmeh Bozorgmehr

Iran plans to keep most of the $100bn in assets it holds in foreign banks out of the country now the funds have been unfrozen, in a bid to fend off inflationary pressure from a sudden injection of cash into its economy, according to the country’s vice-president. Read More »

How Iranians could rescue London’s luxury property market

THE TELEGRAPH-
As Iran emerges from decades of sanctions, London may see an influx of cash from investors looking for a safe bet

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By Isabelle Fraser-

The end of economic sanctions on Iran could spell a new opportunity for the UK property market.
The lifting of sanctions last weekend has unlocked an estimated £70bn of Iranian assets – and the luxury London market is line to benefit. Read More »

Digging Deep To Build The Tallest Hotel In Iran

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Ebrahim Pourfaraj wants to build the biggest hotel in all of Iran.

He’s already started his project in the far north Tehran, a wealthy zone where the city climbs up the slopes of the snow-capped Alborz Mountains.

You get out of the car, carefully stepping over the little mountain stream that flows in a channel beside the curb. After stepping through a construction trailer, you emerge on a steel-mesh platform looking over the edge of an enormous hole.

Read More »

Iran is targeting more than fleet renewal after the lifting of aviation sanctions

Economist

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AVIATION geeks love Iran Air, but for all the wrong reasons. Decades of sanctions have left Iran’s flag-carrier with one of the oldest fleets in the world, featuring museum-vintage aircraft like a 39-year-old Boeing 747SP, the only passenger aircraft of its type still in service. Blocked from ordering Western-built jets for three decades, Iran Air and the country’s 15 other carriers have extended the lives of their obsolete planes while scouring the black market for second-hand ones. The results are predictable: 37 crashes of Iranian aircraft since the turn of the century, claiming more than 900 lives. Read More »

Five Unanswered Questions About Iran’s Airbus Mega-Order

Forbes-

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By: Martin Rivers

There is no doubt that Iran’s landmark agreement with Airbus to purchase 118 new aircraft will transform the fortunes of an aviation sector ravaged by international sanctions. The acquisition of brand new, western-built aircraft will help flag-carrier Iran Air reclaim its title as a leader in Gulf aviation, ending decades as an industry pariah unable to strike commercial deals. Read More »

Heinz or Delpazir: the state of Iran’s homegrown industries

THE GUARDIAN-

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By: Yara Elmjouie –

Western companies set to enter the Iranian market should beware – a poll of Iranian consumers shows real opportunities but suggests local producers will be no pushovers

Multinationals looking to swoop into Iran as most sanctions lift will find important sectors of the 80 million-strong market already conquered by domestic brands. While most domestic industries are uncompetitive by global standards, they are strong enough to create both risks and opportunities for all players. Read More »

Moderates Under Pressure in Iran

THE NEW YORK TIMES-
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By THE EDITORIAL BOARD-

Next month’s elections in Iran do not bode well for Iranians eager for more political and social freedoms or for the promising new relationship with the West symbolized by the recent deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program. Even before any ballots are cast, the death-to-America hard-liners who bitterly opposed the deal are stacking the deck against moderates led by President Hassan Rouhani, who signed the agreement and is more open than others in the power structure to further engagement with Western nations as well as expanding rights and freedoms for Iranian citizens. Read More »

Pastor Saeed Abedini’s wife files for legal separation on day her husband returns to their Idaho home

CHRISTIAN TODAY-

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Naghmeh Abedini poses with two of her children with husband Saeed in a photo that appears on her Facebook page.
American pastor and former prisoner in Iran Saeed Abedini returned to his family in Boise, Idaho, on Tuesday only to be greeted by the news that his wife Naghmeh Panahi had filed court documents to legally separate from him, citing spousal abuse as the reason for their broken marriage, reports said. Read More »

Naghmeh Abedini regrets emails of marital woe

BOPTIST PRESS-

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Naghmeh Abedini

by Diana Chandler-

NASHVILLE (BP) — The wife of imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini has voiced regret for emails she sent to close friends reportedly accusing the pastor of spousal abuse stemming from what was described in press reports as his addiction to pornography.
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