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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...illion-euro-development-aid-for-iran-10645006
World EU agrees 18 million euro development aid for Iran
The European Union agreed 18 million euros (£16.1 million) in aid for Iran on Thursday, including for the private sector, to help offset the impact of U.S. sanctions and salvage a 2015 deal that saw Tehran limit its nuclear ambitions.
FILE PHOTO: European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini arrives for the second day of a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, July 12, 2018. Tatyana Zenkovich/Pool via REUTERS
23 Aug 2018 07:20PM
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BRUSSELS: The European Union agreed 18 million euros (£16.1 million) in aid for Iran on Thursday, including for the private sector, to help offset the impact of U.S. sanctions and salvage a 2015 deal that saw Tehran limit its nuclear ambitions.
The announcement is part of the bloc's high-profile efforts to support the nuclear accord that President Donald Trump abandoned in May. It is part of a wider package of 50 million euros earmarked for Iran in the EU budget.
The EU is working to maintain trade with Iran, which has threatened to stop complying with the nuclear agreement if it fails to see the economic benefits of relief from sanctions.
The bloc's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement the bloc was committed to cooperation with Iran.
"This new package will widen economic and sectoral relations in areas that are of direct benefit to our citizens," she said.
The bloc will spend 8 million euros on the Islamic Republic's private sector, including assistance for small and medium-sized enterprises and Iran's Trade Promotion Organisation.
A further 8 million euros will go to environmental projects and 2 million euros to fighting harm caused by drugs.
(Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel @AdeCar, Editing by Gabriela Baczynska)
Source: Reuters
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August 25 2018 - 11:39AM
EU's Iran aid sends 'wrong message': US
Envoy Brian Hook wants the EU to help the US end Iran's "threats to regional and global stability".
The top US envoy on Iran has criticised a European Union decision to give 18 million euros in aid to Tehran, saying it sent "the wrong message at the wrong time" and urged Brussels to help Washington end the Iranian threat to global stability.
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http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/world/2018-08-25/doc-ihicsiaw8037265.shtml
EU announces assistance to Iran 18 million euros in German media: countering US sanctions Iran
August 25, 2018 09:06 World Wide Web
0
Original title: "The EU takes a dangerous step!"
"The EU has taken a dangerous step!" The EU announced on the 23rd that it will help Iran 18 million euros. The German media expressed concern that the EU is subject to US sanctions.
Germany's "Pictorial" reported on the 24th that the European Commission said in a statement on the 23rd that 18 million euros will be "one divided into three": 8 million euros will be used to support the Iranian private sector, especially potential SMEs help Iran expand its industrial value chain; 8 million euros help the Iranian government meet environmental challenges, including providing environmental technology to Iran; the remaining 2 million euros are used to help the Iranian government mitigate the harm caused by drugs. After the conclusion of the Iranian nuclear agreement in 2015, the EU agreed to give Iran 50 million euros in aid. This 18 million euros aid is part of it.
The "Pictorial" reported that the EU's move was aimed at helping Iran to offset the losses suffered by the United States in restoring sanctions and maintaining the Iranian nuclear agreement, indicating that "the EU is firmly on the Iranian side." EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Mogherini said on the 23rd that the EU is committed to maintaining the Iranian nuclear agreement, which will be used to expand the economic relationship between the EU and Iran in some areas, which directly affect the interests of the EU public. EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Mimicha added that these measures are proof of the EU's support for the peace and development of the Iranian people.
However, German news TV said that the EU’s move indicates that it has “participated in the struggle between Tehran and Washington” and has taken a dangerous step. It may be subject to retaliation by the Trump administration. European companies may be sanctioned, and European and American trade agreements are also Will face more variables.
Keywords: Iran EU nuclear agreement United States
欧盟宣布援助伊朗1800万欧元 德媒：对抗美制裁伊朗
2018年08月25日 09:06 环球网
0
原标题：“欧盟迈出危险性的一步！”
“欧盟迈出危险性的一步！”欧盟23日宣布援助伊朗1800万欧元，德国媒体对此表示担忧，怕欧盟遭到美国制裁。
德国《图片报》24日报道称，欧盟委员会23日在一份声明中表示，1800万欧元将被“一分为三”：其中800万欧元将用于支持伊朗私营部门，尤其是有潜力的中小企业，帮助伊朗拓展产业价值链；800万欧元帮助伊朗政府应对环境方面的挑战，包括为伊朗提供环保技术等；余下的200万欧元则用于帮助伊朗政府减轻毒品构成的危害。2015年伊核协议达成后，欧盟同意给予伊朗5000万欧元的援助。这次的1800万欧元援助是其中一部分。
《图片报》报道称，欧盟此举旨在帮助伊朗抵消因美国恢复制裁所受的损失，维护伊核协议，表明“欧盟坚定站在伊朗一边”的立场。 欧盟外交与安全政策高级代表莫盖里尼23日说，欧盟致力于维护伊核协议，这笔拨款将用于拓展欧盟与伊朗在一些领域的经济关系，这些领域直接关系欧盟民众利益。欧盟国际合作与发展专员米米察则补充说，这些措施是欧盟支持伊朗人民和平和发展的证明。
不过德国新闻电视台表示，欧盟此举表明它已经“参与到德黑兰与华盛顿的斗争中”，走出了危险的一步，可能遭到特朗普政府的报复，欧洲公司可能会被制裁，欧美贸易协议也将面临更多变数。
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...s-billions-iranian-economy-western-firms-hold
China pumps billions into Iranian economy as Western firms hold off
Chinese firms making major inroads into country’s economy as European businesses worry about risk of fresh US sanctions
PUBLISHED : Friday, 01 December, 2017, 1:56pm
UPDATED : Friday, 01 December, 2017, 1:56pm
Comment: 1
Reuters
Diplomacy & Defence China says business and energy ties with Iran don’t harm other countries
11 Aug 2018
China is financing billions of dollars worth of projects in Iran, making deep inroads into the economy while European competitors struggle to find banks willing to fund their ambitions, Iranian government and industry officials said on Friday.
This Week in Asia
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E-mail *
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Freed from crippling nuclear sanctions two years ago, Iran is drawing unprecedented Chinese funding for everything from railways to hospitals, they said.
State-owned investment arm CITIC Group recently established a US$10 billion credit line and China Development Bank is considering lending US$15 billion more.
“They [Western firms] had better come quickly to Iran otherwise China will take over,” said Ferial Mostofi, head of the Iran Chamber of Commerce’s investment commission, speaking on the sidelines of an Iran-Italy investment meeting in Rome.
The Chinese funding, by far the largest statement of investment intent of any country in Iran, is in stark contrast with the drought facing Western investors since US President Donald Trump disavowed the 2015 pact agreed by major powers, raising the threat sanctions could be reimposed.
Iranian officials say the deals are part of Beijing’s US$124 billion Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build new infrastructure – from motorways and railways to ports and power plants – and link China with Europe and Africa to pave the way for an expansion of trade.
A source in China familiar with the CITIC credit line, which was agreed in September, called it “an agreement of strategic intent”. The source declined to give details on projects to be financed, but Iranian media reports have said they would include water management, energy, environment and transport projects.
An Iranian central bank source said loans under the credit line would be primarily extended in euros and yuan.
The China Development Bank signed a memorandum of understanding for US$15 billion, Iranian state news agency IRNA said on September 15.
The bank itself declined to comment, in line with many foreign investors and banks, including from China, who were reluctant to discuss their activities in Iran for this story. The web sites of banks and companies often carry little or no information on their Iran operations.
Why Trump’s threat to withdraw from Iran nuclear deal is a concern for China
With a population of 80 million and a large, sophisticated middle class, Iran has the potential to be a regional economic powerhouse. But with the risk of sanctions hanging in the air, more and more foreign investors want Tehran to issue sovereign guarantees to protect them in case the projects are halted.
Economic ties between Iran and Italy, its biggest European trade partner, have been affected.
Italy’s state-owned rail company, Ferrovie dello Stato, is a consultant in the building of a 415-km (260-mile) high-speed north-south rail line between Tehran to Isfahan via Qom by state-owned China Railway Engineering Corporation.
The Italian firm is separately contracted to build a line from Qom west to Arak, but it needs 1.2 billion euros (US$1.4 billion) in financing. Though backed by the state’s export insurance agency, it says it needs a sovereign guarantee.
“We are finalising the negotiations and we are optimistic about moving forward,” said Riccardo Monti, chairman of Italferr, the state firm’s engineering unit, adding that the financing should be finalised by March next year.
Former prime minister Matteo Renzi’s promise in Tehran last year to oil the wheels of trade with a €4 billion credit line from Italy’s state investment vehicle is effectively dead, a source in Italy familiar with the matter said.
Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) risked losing the confidence of its many US bondholders who could sell down their holdings if the credit line went ahead, the source said.
A few European banks have deepened trade ties with Iran this year – Austria’s Oberbank inked a financing deal with Iran in September.
South Korea has also proved a willing investor, with Seoul’s Eximbank signing an US$9.5 billion credit line for projects in Iran in August, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
But China is the stand-out.
Valerio de Molli, head of Italian think tank European House Ambrosetti, reckons China now accounts for more than double the EU’s share of Iran’s total trade.
“The time to act is now, otherwise opportunities nurtured so far will be lost,” de Molli said.
China and Iran carry out naval exercise near Strait of Hormuz as US holds drill with Qatar
Iranian officials attending this week’s meeting in Rome sought to goad European firms and their bankers into action by talking up the Chinese financing and investments.
“The train is going forward,” said Fereidun Haghbin, director general of economic affairs at Iran’s foreign ministry. “The world is a lot greater than the United States.”
Some Iranian officials remain concerned that investment could become lopsided and are looking at creative ways to maintain investment links with the West, however.
The Iran chamber is encouraging Western firms to consider transferring technology as a way of earning equity in Iranian projects rather than focusing on capital.
It was also seeking approval to set up a €2.5 billion offshore fund, perhaps in Luxembourg, as an indirect way for foreigners to invest in Iran, especially small and medium-sized Iranian enterprises, Mostofi said.
China expected to work with Europe to preserve Iran nuclear deal after Trump threat
The fund would issue the financial guarantees that foreigners want in return for a fee, effectively stepping in where banks now fear to tread. Most of the fund’s capital would come from Iran, Mostofi said.
For now, however, big Western firms remain stuck.
Italian power engineering firm Ansaldo Energia, controlled by state investor CDP and part-owned by Shanghai Electric Group, has been in Iran for 70 years.
Its chairman, Giuseppe Zampini, told Reuters at the Rome conference there were many opportunities for new contracts but his hands were tied for now, partly because Ansaldo bonds were also in the hands of US investors.
“My heart says that we are losing something,” Zampini said.
World EU agrees 18 million euro development aid for Iran
The European Union agreed 18 million euros (£16.1 million) in aid for Iran on Thursday, including for the private sector, to help offset the impact of U.S. sanctions and salvage a 2015 deal that saw Tehran limit its nuclear ambitions.
FILE PHOTO: European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini arrives for the second day of a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, July 12, 2018. Tatyana Zenkovich/Pool via REUTERS
23 Aug 2018 07:20PM
Share this content
Bookmark
BRUSSELS: The European Union agreed 18 million euros (£16.1 million) in aid for Iran on Thursday, including for the private sector, to help offset the impact of U.S. sanctions and salvage a 2015 deal that saw Tehran limit its nuclear ambitions.
The announcement is part of the bloc's high-profile efforts to support the nuclear accord that President Donald Trump abandoned in May. It is part of a wider package of 50 million euros earmarked for Iran in the EU budget.
The EU is working to maintain trade with Iran, which has threatened to stop complying with the nuclear agreement if it fails to see the economic benefits of relief from sanctions.
The bloc's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement the bloc was committed to cooperation with Iran.
"This new package will widen economic and sectoral relations in areas that are of direct benefit to our citizens," she said.
The bloc will spend 8 million euros on the Islamic Republic's private sector, including assistance for small and medium-sized enterprises and Iran's Trade Promotion Organisation.
A further 8 million euros will go to environmental projects and 2 million euros to fighting harm caused by drugs.
(Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel @AdeCar, Editing by Gabriela Baczynska)
Source: Reuters
Tagged Topics
https://www.easternriverinachronicle.com.au/story/5606826/eus-iran-aid-sends-wrong-message-us/
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https://www.easternriverinachronicle.com.au/story/5606826/eus-iran-aid-sends-wrong-message-us/
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August 25 2018 - 11:39AM
EU's Iran aid sends 'wrong message': US
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Envoy Brian Hook wants the EU to help the US end Iran's "threats to regional and global stability".
The top US envoy on Iran has criticised a European Union decision to give 18 million euros in aid to Tehran, saying it sent "the wrong message at the wrong time" and urged Brussels to help Washington end the Iranian threat to global stability.
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http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/world/2018-08-25/doc-ihicsiaw8037265.shtml
EU announces assistance to Iran 18 million euros in German media: countering US sanctions Iran
August 25, 2018 09:06 World Wide Web
0
Original title: "The EU takes a dangerous step!"
"The EU has taken a dangerous step!" The EU announced on the 23rd that it will help Iran 18 million euros. The German media expressed concern that the EU is subject to US sanctions.
Germany's "Pictorial" reported on the 24th that the European Commission said in a statement on the 23rd that 18 million euros will be "one divided into three": 8 million euros will be used to support the Iranian private sector, especially potential SMEs help Iran expand its industrial value chain; 8 million euros help the Iranian government meet environmental challenges, including providing environmental technology to Iran; the remaining 2 million euros are used to help the Iranian government mitigate the harm caused by drugs. After the conclusion of the Iranian nuclear agreement in 2015, the EU agreed to give Iran 50 million euros in aid. This 18 million euros aid is part of it.
The "Pictorial" reported that the EU's move was aimed at helping Iran to offset the losses suffered by the United States in restoring sanctions and maintaining the Iranian nuclear agreement, indicating that "the EU is firmly on the Iranian side." EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Mogherini said on the 23rd that the EU is committed to maintaining the Iranian nuclear agreement, which will be used to expand the economic relationship between the EU and Iran in some areas, which directly affect the interests of the EU public. EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Mimicha added that these measures are proof of the EU's support for the peace and development of the Iranian people.
However, German news TV said that the EU’s move indicates that it has “participated in the struggle between Tehran and Washington” and has taken a dangerous step. It may be subject to retaliation by the Trump administration. European companies may be sanctioned, and European and American trade agreements are also Will face more variables.
Keywords: Iran EU nuclear agreement United States
欧盟宣布援助伊朗1800万欧元 德媒：对抗美制裁伊朗
2018年08月25日 09:06 环球网
0
原标题：“欧盟迈出危险性的一步！”
“欧盟迈出危险性的一步！”欧盟23日宣布援助伊朗1800万欧元，德国媒体对此表示担忧，怕欧盟遭到美国制裁。
德国《图片报》24日报道称，欧盟委员会23日在一份声明中表示，1800万欧元将被“一分为三”：其中800万欧元将用于支持伊朗私营部门，尤其是有潜力的中小企业，帮助伊朗拓展产业价值链；800万欧元帮助伊朗政府应对环境方面的挑战，包括为伊朗提供环保技术等；余下的200万欧元则用于帮助伊朗政府减轻毒品构成的危害。2015年伊核协议达成后，欧盟同意给予伊朗5000万欧元的援助。这次的1800万欧元援助是其中一部分。
《图片报》报道称，欧盟此举旨在帮助伊朗抵消因美国恢复制裁所受的损失，维护伊核协议，表明“欧盟坚定站在伊朗一边”的立场。 欧盟外交与安全政策高级代表莫盖里尼23日说，欧盟致力于维护伊核协议，这笔拨款将用于拓展欧盟与伊朗在一些领域的经济关系，这些领域直接关系欧盟民众利益。欧盟国际合作与发展专员米米察则补充说，这些措施是欧盟支持伊朗人民和平和发展的证明。
不过德国新闻电视台表示，欧盟此举表明它已经“参与到德黑兰与华盛顿的斗争中”，走出了危险的一步，可能遭到特朗普政府的报复，欧洲公司可能会被制裁，欧美贸易协议也将面临更多变数。
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...s-billions-iranian-economy-western-firms-hold
China pumps billions into Iranian economy as Western firms hold off
Chinese firms making major inroads into country’s economy as European businesses worry about risk of fresh US sanctions
PUBLISHED : Friday, 01 December, 2017, 1:56pm
UPDATED : Friday, 01 December, 2017, 1:56pm
Comment: 1
Reuters
Diplomacy & Defence China says business and energy ties with Iran don’t harm other countries
11 Aug 2018
China is financing billions of dollars worth of projects in Iran, making deep inroads into the economy while European competitors struggle to find banks willing to fund their ambitions, Iranian government and industry officials said on Friday.
This Week in Asia
Get updates direct to your inbox
E-mail *
By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy
Freed from crippling nuclear sanctions two years ago, Iran is drawing unprecedented Chinese funding for everything from railways to hospitals, they said.
State-owned investment arm CITIC Group recently established a US$10 billion credit line and China Development Bank is considering lending US$15 billion more.
“They [Western firms] had better come quickly to Iran otherwise China will take over,” said Ferial Mostofi, head of the Iran Chamber of Commerce’s investment commission, speaking on the sidelines of an Iran-Italy investment meeting in Rome.
The Chinese funding, by far the largest statement of investment intent of any country in Iran, is in stark contrast with the drought facing Western investors since US President Donald Trump disavowed the 2015 pact agreed by major powers, raising the threat sanctions could be reimposed.
Iranian officials say the deals are part of Beijing’s US$124 billion Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build new infrastructure – from motorways and railways to ports and power plants – and link China with Europe and Africa to pave the way for an expansion of trade.
A source in China familiar with the CITIC credit line, which was agreed in September, called it “an agreement of strategic intent”. The source declined to give details on projects to be financed, but Iranian media reports have said they would include water management, energy, environment and transport projects.
An Iranian central bank source said loans under the credit line would be primarily extended in euros and yuan.
The China Development Bank signed a memorandum of understanding for US$15 billion, Iranian state news agency IRNA said on September 15.
The bank itself declined to comment, in line with many foreign investors and banks, including from China, who were reluctant to discuss their activities in Iran for this story. The web sites of banks and companies often carry little or no information on their Iran operations.
Why Trump’s threat to withdraw from Iran nuclear deal is a concern for China
With a population of 80 million and a large, sophisticated middle class, Iran has the potential to be a regional economic powerhouse. But with the risk of sanctions hanging in the air, more and more foreign investors want Tehran to issue sovereign guarantees to protect them in case the projects are halted.
Economic ties between Iran and Italy, its biggest European trade partner, have been affected.
Italy’s state-owned rail company, Ferrovie dello Stato, is a consultant in the building of a 415-km (260-mile) high-speed north-south rail line between Tehran to Isfahan via Qom by state-owned China Railway Engineering Corporation.
The Italian firm is separately contracted to build a line from Qom west to Arak, but it needs 1.2 billion euros (US$1.4 billion) in financing. Though backed by the state’s export insurance agency, it says it needs a sovereign guarantee.
“We are finalising the negotiations and we are optimistic about moving forward,” said Riccardo Monti, chairman of Italferr, the state firm’s engineering unit, adding that the financing should be finalised by March next year.
Former prime minister Matteo Renzi’s promise in Tehran last year to oil the wheels of trade with a €4 billion credit line from Italy’s state investment vehicle is effectively dead, a source in Italy familiar with the matter said.
Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) risked losing the confidence of its many US bondholders who could sell down their holdings if the credit line went ahead, the source said.
A few European banks have deepened trade ties with Iran this year – Austria’s Oberbank inked a financing deal with Iran in September.
South Korea has also proved a willing investor, with Seoul’s Eximbank signing an US$9.5 billion credit line for projects in Iran in August, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
But China is the stand-out.
Valerio de Molli, head of Italian think tank European House Ambrosetti, reckons China now accounts for more than double the EU’s share of Iran’s total trade.
“The time to act is now, otherwise opportunities nurtured so far will be lost,” de Molli said.
China and Iran carry out naval exercise near Strait of Hormuz as US holds drill with Qatar
Iranian officials attending this week’s meeting in Rome sought to goad European firms and their bankers into action by talking up the Chinese financing and investments.
“The train is going forward,” said Fereidun Haghbin, director general of economic affairs at Iran’s foreign ministry. “The world is a lot greater than the United States.”
Some Iranian officials remain concerned that investment could become lopsided and are looking at creative ways to maintain investment links with the West, however.
The Iran chamber is encouraging Western firms to consider transferring technology as a way of earning equity in Iranian projects rather than focusing on capital.
It was also seeking approval to set up a €2.5 billion offshore fund, perhaps in Luxembourg, as an indirect way for foreigners to invest in Iran, especially small and medium-sized Iranian enterprises, Mostofi said.
China expected to work with Europe to preserve Iran nuclear deal after Trump threat
The fund would issue the financial guarantees that foreigners want in return for a fee, effectively stepping in where banks now fear to tread. Most of the fund’s capital would come from Iran, Mostofi said.
For now, however, big Western firms remain stuck.
Italian power engineering firm Ansaldo Energia, controlled by state investor CDP and part-owned by Shanghai Electric Group, has been in Iran for 70 years.
Its chairman, Giuseppe Zampini, told Reuters at the Rome conference there were many opportunities for new contracts but his hands were tied for now, partly because Ansaldo bonds were also in the hands of US investors.
“My heart says that we are losing something,” Zampini said.
