Mehr Vision|No.5|August 2016 Page 1 |No. 5| Auguat 2016 MEHR NEWSAGENCY Persians in the Land of the Incas Page 2 |No. 5| August 2016 MEHR NEWSAGENCY Contents Post-sanction Iran seeks to jolt economic ties with Latin America 3 West playing with fire by curbing Aleppo liberation 6 US seizure of Iran’s money a tactic to goad Iran 7 Coup plotting: a US tradition 9 Turkey’s ‘Arab Spring’ moment: No Sisi and no more Gulen 10 How to read world when UK departing from EU 12 Brexit vote adds to global uncertainty, volatility and risk 13 ‘US exerts heavy influence over UN’ 15 Germany not to take Bush-style wrong reaction 16 World ‘failed to accurately address’ Palestinian issue 17 Bank Mellat to be reimbursed for reputational damage, loss of earnings 21 Thailand, Iran economies can be ‘complementary’ 23 Iran new potential market for Thailand 24 Mehr Vision Economy Managing Director: Ali Asgari Editorial Board: The wind carried him to the whiteness of the clouds 26 Seyed Amir Hassan Dehghani, The Empty Doorway 28 Mohammad Ghaderi, HamidReza Gholamzadeh Iran’s Natl. Botanical Garden piece of heaven on earth 29 Look up! There is an art gallery above you! 30 Editorial Coordinator: Journalism, thrill of pursuing truth on perilous path 31 Marjohn Sheikhi Olympic athletes now enjoy halal food 32 Contributors: ‘Son of Desert’ to explore Iranian central desert: planned for 2017 33 Lachin Rezaian, Marjohn Sheikhi, Persepolis threatened by drought, land subsidence 34 Parnaz Talebi, Maryam Khormaei, Bam Citadel to open to public after 13 years 35 Hossein Azari, Mohammad Ghaderi, Hamid Reza Gholamzadeh, Turkish GAP projects ‘bane of environment’ 36 Samad Habibi, Peyman Yazdani Art Director: Mahboubeh Azizi News in Vision 37 Phone: +98-21-43051350 Email: [email protected] Address: No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran Mehr Vision welcomes contributions by readers which can be sent via email. Persians in the Land of the Incas Cover Story Page 3 |No. 5| Auguat 2016 MEHR NEWSAGENCY Post-sanction Iran seeks to jolt economic ties with Latin America By: Marjohn Sheikhi the European Union and a number of da Silva publicly defended Iran’s right major Asian countries refused to have to develop nuclear energy for peaceful economic cooperation with Iran under purposes. Ahmadinejad’s Latin Ameri- Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad excessive pressure from the United can tour then took him to Bolivia, Ven- Javad Zarif kicked off his first Latin States, it was perhaps inevitable for ezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Ecuador American tour to six countries on Aug. Iran to turn its eyes toward Latin Amer- where the two sides conferred on all 21, aimed at jolting Iran’s neglected ican countries which had wearied of potential venues of cooperation. economic ties with Cuba, Nicaragua, the American imperialistic attitude. The visits however came under crit- Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela. In late November 2009, Mahmoud icism, not just from the United States Ahmadinejad became the first Iranian which felt threatened and frustrated by Following the imposition of various president to have made a state visit to Iran’s continued attempts at maintain- trade and economic sanctions against Brazil since the mid-1960s. The visit ing political and economic links with Iran in a bid to force the country to gained special momentousness at the other countries despite the West’s best abandon its peaceful nuclear program, time the Western side of the world had efforts in isolating it, as well as the fact the Islamic Republic began to seek for been ‘hell-bent’ on undermining every that the development of Iran’s trade new trade markets in order to bypass effort by the Iranian government in es- and diplomatic ties with Latin America the economic deadlocks imposed by tablishing political and economic ties was seen by the US as Tehran’s expand- the West and keep its ample commer- with those other countries that had the ing influence in Washington’s backyard cial capacities alive. chance and freedom of choice to not and a threat to its national interests, Iran was grappled with the toughest board the Anti-Iranian sanction train but also from a number of political an- case of unjust sanctions during the of- with the US administration at the helm. alysts inside the country who believed fice of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and During Ahmadinejad’s visit, dubbed by that investing in Latin American coun- the US hostility toward the country was US Secretary of State as ‘quite disturb- tries, due to the long distance, would at its highest peak. At the time where ing’, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula not be ‘economical’ for Iran and that » Cover Story Page 4 |No. 5| August 2016 MEHR NEWSAGENCY the country is in a sense spreading it- self too thin. In foreign policy, too, they believed that Iran’s top priority should be with promoting relations with neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, instead of attempt- ing to extend relations as far away as to Venezuela or Brazil with minimal impact on the country’s core foreign policy issues. Once President Hassan Rouhani took office in 2013, Iran’s relations with Latin America seemed to dwindle, or at least go back several rows behind the forefront of the country’s foreign poli- cy priorities (most notably, the closing of National Iranian Oil Company’s offic- es in Bolivia and Venezuela in 2014). It was the time where Iran was finally its. the country’s only embassy in the making tangible progress on its nuclear According to Bahram Ghasemi, For- Middle East would move from Cairo negotiations with the six world pow- eign Ministry Spokesman, Zarif’s trip to to Tehran. Iran’s exports of technical ers, and the United States had become Latin America shows the government’s and engineering services to the region directly involved in certain aspects of attempts at facilitating a trade boom had previously helped tremendously Iran’s foreign policy. With the negotia- between Iranian economic agents with with all-out expansion of economic tions finally leading to a positive con- those in other countries and is consist- relations and reducing the impact of clusion and the Joint Comprehensive ent with the objectives of ‘Resistance US sanctions against Iran, therefore it Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed on 14 Economy’ which includes among other is imperative for the country to follow July 2015 and coming into effect on tenets ‘targeted promotion of export- up on the same path now that the nu- January 16, 2016, Iran was now look- able goods and services…as well as clear case has been settled and there ing at a wider horizon of opportunities the promotion of foreign investment are more opportunities for investment which the lift of sanctions offered. for export purposes’ and increasing and exports. While Iran has maintained its good ‘regional and international economic Meanwhile, Chile has reopened its political relationship with many coun- collaboration’ as issued in a decree on embassy in Tehran, 35 years after its tries in Latin America, economy-wise, Feb. 19 by Leader of the Islamic Revo- closure, and it is likely that Zarif’s visit the country has not fared so well. Ac- lution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. to that country and his meetings with cording to Deputy Foreign Minister Considering the fact that Latin senior officials of Chile would further Majid Takht-Ravanchi, “there exist America encompasses 30 countries expand bilateral ties and improve dip- many areas for cooperation and joint with a total of 600 million populations, lomatic relations to the level of ambas- ventures, but until now we have not Iran’s improved relations with this part sadors. been able to benefit completely from of the world with its shared anti-US As maintained by Bahram Ghasemi, these capacities.” and anti-imperialist ideology will for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stra- Now accompanied by a 60-person certain open up many doors for meet- tegically supports a balanced outlook delegation consisting of business -ex ing economic interests of both sides. towards all countries and geographic ecutives from the private sector, For- According to International Mone- areas, and strengthening relations with eign Minister Zarif will make his first tary Fund, trade between Iran and Lat- neighboring and Islamic countries as trip to Latin America, specially aimed in America tripled between 2007 and well as comprehensive development of at bolstering economic ties. Zarif’s 2008, rising to $2.9 billion, and up to relations with Latin American and Afri- trip began in Cuba on August 21, then $4 billion in 2013. Figures estimated can states have always been a priority will proceed to Nicaragua, Ecuador, Iran and Venezuela’s bilateral trade of the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy. Chile and Bolivia, and finally ending at $19 million in fiscal year 2013. The Zarif’s six-nation tour, thus, in the in Venezuela. The trip, as stressed country invested $1.1 billion in Boliv- light of post-sanction opportunities, by Takht-Ravanchi, has the potential ia’s gas facilities during Ahmadinejad’ is expected to usher in significant im- to begin a new chapter in relations administration, which helped great- provements for economic, industrial between Iran and Latin America, as ly with the Latin American country’s and technical cooperation with Latin various contracts in the fields of oil, diplomatic ties with Iran as Bolivian America in the fields of pharmacy, dam energy, maritime, and transport are President Evo Morales lifted visa re- building, housing, dairy industry, as expected to be signed during the vis- strictions and declared in 2008 that well as oil and gas| Politics Politics Page 6 |No.