Russia Says It's Working On Major New Agreement With Iran

His wife Tanaz Kolahchian revealed the news of his release on Monday.

Davoudi had created a channel on the social media platform Telegram through which he highlighted human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic.

Found guilty by a revolutionary court on charges of "propaganda against the state" and "insulting officials," Davoudi was sentenced to 30 years in jail and 111 lashes.

He was also alleged to have “collaborated with an enemy state" in giving an interview to Voice of America Persian-language television.

In April, Davoudi’s lawyer Vahid Farahani said that Davoudi was accused of "establishing a group to overthrow the system" in an interview with the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.

Davoudi is among a number of distinguished defense lawyers jailed in Iran for carrying out their legal duties.

A 38-year sentence given to defense attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh in 2019 drew widespread international condemnation before her release two years into her term.

Without recourse to defense attorneys held for executing their professional responsibilities, defendants on politically motivated charges are compelled to select their legal representation from a list of state-approved lawyers.

The group targeted the tanker with a rocket after the crew refused to respond to all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sareea said in a televised statement.

He vowed that the Houthis would continue blocking ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows the entry of food and medical aid into the Gaza Strip - more than 1,000 miles from the Houthi seat of power in Sanaa.

On Saturday, Sareea had threatened that Houthis would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of their nationality. He also warned all international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports. "If Gaza does not receive the food and medicine it needs, all ships in the Red Sea bound for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, will become a target for our armed forces."

The attack on the tanker STRINDA took place about 60 nautical miles (111km) north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at about 2100 GMT, a US official told Reuters. A second US official said the STRINDA was able to move under its own power in the hours after the attack.

"There were no US ships in the vicinity at the time of the attack, but the (US Navy destroyer) USS MASON responded to the M/T STRINDA's mayday call and is currently rendering assistance," the US military's Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

The attack caused a fire and damage but no casualties, the US military said in a statement.

The Houthi spokesman said that the group had managed to obstruct the passage of several ships in recent days, acting in support of the Palestinians.

The Iran-backed group controlling large parts of Yemen, began attacking Israel and international shipping in November, after other Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria began targeting US bases in the two countries. Iran has clearly decided not to directly get involved in the Gaza war, but its proxies have been trying to exert military pressure on Israel and the United States. IRGC-affiliated media in Tehran reported the Houthi statement about targeting the tanker on Tuesday, without further comment.

The chemical tanker is now headed for a safe port, the ship's Norwegian owner, Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, told Reuters. The STRINDA tanker's crew of 22 from India are all unhurt, Mowinckel Chair Geir Belsnes said.

The chemical tanker is Norway flagged, and its Norwegian owner, Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, and manager Hansa Tankers could not be immediately reached for comment outside office hours.

The STRINDA had loaded vegetable oil and biofuels in Malaysia and was headed for Venice, Italy, data from ship tracking firm Kpler showed.

It was not immediately clear whether the STRINDA had any ties to Israel.

During the first week of December, three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters, prompting a US Navy destroyer to intervene.

The Houthis also seized last month a British-owned cargo ship that had links with an Israeli company.

The United States and Britain have condemned the attacks on shipping, blaming Iran for its role in supporting the Houthis. Tehran says its allies make their decisions independently.

Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to show restraint in responding to the attacks.

With reporting by Reuters

The complaint has been lodged by three former political prisoners who seem to have narrowly escaped the Islamic Republic’s “prison massacres” of 1988.

Ebrahim Raisi was a member of the infamous Death Committee in Iran, which oversaw summary execution of between two to five thousand political prisoners in 1988.

The three survivors have accused Raisi of crimes against humanity, including genocide, torture, and extrajudicial executions. They have asked the Swiss federal public prosecutor to arrest and prosecute him.

Raisi was scheduled to participate in the United Nations Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, but UN officials told AFP on Monday evening that the Iranian delegation would be led by foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

It is unclear whether the change of plans –if confirmed– has been forced by the legal bid to arrest Raisi.

The legal complaint contends that Raisi played a pivotal role in the Death Committee. His role has been all but established by scores of testimonies, and by an audio recording of the meeting in which members of the Committee seek blessings of Hossein Ali Montazeri, the Supreme Leader’s deputy at the time.

In 2018, Amnesty International published a 180-page report on the “1988 prison massacres”, documenting summary execution of political prisoners in Tehran and 15 more cities across Iran. Ebrahim Raisi is one of the very few people to have been accused of crimes against humanity in that report. 

In tandem with the legal action, an international campaign has been launched against Raisi’s involvement in the UN refugee forum. The signatories –including Nobel laureates, judges, academics, and UN rights experts– call for Raisi’s prosecution for past and ongoing crimes under international law.

"We firmly believe that the United Nations, as a bastion of human rights and justice, should not compromise its reputation by extending an invitation to an individual accused of grave human rights violations," reads the petition. "His presence at the UN forum contradicts the fundamental values the UN stands for."

The campaigners have asked the UN to "promptly rescind its invitation to Raisi," arguing that the institution’s reputation would be marred by extending an invitation to an individual accused of severe human rights violations.

“His regime beats, blinds and poisons Iranian women and girls,” wrote Hillel Neuer, an international human rights lawyer and the executive director of UN Watch. “Any democratic leader that meets with this terrorist will be rewarding evil.”

Responding to the petition, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), defended Iran's participation, stating that the country is a UN member state with a significant number of refugees.

"The Iranian delegation will be led by the foreign minister," a spokesperson for UNHCR said in an email, according to AFP.

The UN Global Refugee Forum will be held in Geneva 13-15 December. It is held every four years with the aim of “easing pressures on host countries, enhancing refugee self-reliance, increasing access to third-country solutions and improving conditions in countries of origin.”

The 2023 forum is hosted by Switzerland and UNHCR, and co-convened by Colombia, France, Japan, Jordan and Uganda.

Commenting on allegations that vast fortunes meant for tea imports have been embezzled, President Ebrahim Raisi claimed his government exposed the scandal nine months ago in publicly broadcast hearings. Iran's Judiciary has recently revealed that several senior officials of Raisi's administration have been implicated in the case.

He also cited Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's assertion that "just talking about the thefts does not solve the corruption problem".

Accusations in the corruption case implicate numerous government offices spanning both current and past presidential administrations. This includes ministers of agriculture and industry, along with the governors of the Central Bank of Iran and the heads of the Iranian Customs Administration.

Raisi’s comments come as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, yet to comment on the case, consistently dismisses assertions of systematic corruption within Iran.

The scandal comes as the government struggles to curb inflation running above 50 percent, coupled with shortages of medicines and powdered baby formula.

Last week, Iran's Inspection Organization disclosed an investigation into a prominent tea importer for questionable financial practices. The company, responsible for a significant portion of the country's tea imports, allegedly received $3.37 billion in foreign currency at a discounted government rate for tea and machinery imports from 2019 to 2022. It is accused of selling $1.4 billion of the currency on the free market at a higher rate.

Alireza Salimi, a member of the parliament, commented on the corruption case saying: "The tea scandal has saddened many; all responsible parties should swiftly provide accurate and truthful information to prevent individuals deeply involved in corruption from taking advantage of the situation."

Observers suggest the developments point to systematic corruption, implicating several high-ranking government officials.

Natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid form for convenient and secure non-pressurized storage or transportation is known as liquefied natural gas, or LNG. The gas is cooled to around -260°F throughout the process, which lowers its volume by roughly 600 times and makes it more useful for long-distance transmission in situations where pipelines are not an option.

According to the IEA's most recent study, rising economies are forecast to increase demand for LNG overall, and a 25% increase in global LNG capacity between 2022 and 2026—led by the US— which is expected to ease market tightness.

With an export volume of 114.1 billion cubic meters, Qatar was the largest LNG exporter in the world in 2022. The average monthly record for US net natural gas exports as LNG and via pipeline was 13.6 Bcf/d in May 2023. With an average of 11.6 Bcf/d in the first half of 2023, the United States was the world's leading exporter of natural gas.

Iran was estimated to have produced 262.261 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in 2022, a 2% increase from the year before. During that time, the nation consumed 230 bcm of gas. Iran has exchange agreements with Turkmenistan and supplies natural gas to Turkey and Iraq.

Iran has been progressing with the Iran LNG project, located at Tombak Port, around 50 km north of Assaluyeh. Managed by the Iran LNG company, a subsidiary of the Iranian Gas Exporting Company (IGEC), the project involves two LNG trains, each capable of producing 5.4 million tons of LNG annually. One of the three planned LNG export projects, the 10.8 million t/yr Iran LNG project, was halted due to international restrictions linked to Tehran's nuclear program.

In late November, the CEO of Iran Natural Gas Liquefaction Company, Hadi Amirshaghaghi, gave an update on the Iran-LNG project. Started in the early 2000s, the project encountered obstacles and progressed just 38% by 2013. Resurrected since 2021, it is currently 53% completed, with major parts ready for operations.

It is claimed that the ongoing LNG project lost $5 billion a year, which is why the present administration has made its recovery a top priority. US sanctions, finance problems, and acquiring technology are among the obstacles. Iran also needs to address its limited export potential and high domestic gas consumption. By mid-2025, the Raisi administration hopes to have the project finished.

The severe natural gas shortage in Iran, particularly problematic during winter, has led to disruptions in gas supply for residential usage, forcing the use of inferior fuel oil like mazut, contributing to air pollution. Amirshaghaghi, has suggested a technological capability to reverse part of the LNG manufacturing process, turning it back into sweet natural gas. With 99% progress in storage tanks and over 50% progress in maritime facilities, addressing the gas network shortfall may involve announcing and attracting investors, providing a significant gas injection into the national network. 

Presently, Iran's natural gas consumption grows by 5% annually, but growth rate in output is flat or even decreasing. It expects South Pars field in the Persian Gulf to become less productive and pressured over the next three to four years, turning the country from an energy producer to an importer. The amount of gas imbalance is expected to increase from 250 million cubic meters per day to 300 million cubic meters per day this year and 500 to 550 million cubic meters per day by the end of 2031.

A $40 billion Memorandum of Understanding between the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and Gazprom was signed by Iran and Russia in July 2022. The MOU sought to cooperate on several energy-related initiatives, such as the completion of LNG projects in Iran and the development of gas and oil fields. It is noteworthy, therefore, that the MOU never came to pass, and that Russia did not provide Iran with the anticipated financial assistance or technology needed to finish the Iran LNG project.

Sanctions pose serious challenges for Iran, preventing it from obtaining essential liquefaction technology and endangering its financial stability. Iran may have the gas to liquefy, but there are still limitations to the feasibility of LNG exports. The nation has significant obstacles in acquiring liquefaction technology, and its past endeavors in pursuing these kinds of projects seem destined for protracted periods of financial waste. Although obtaining a supply of gas for liquefaction and export is difficult, accepting the less complicated and non-competitive regasification method appears to be a viable remedy.

Additionally, regasification—which is the process of returning LNG to its original gaseous state—represents a comparatively simple process that operates in a less competitive market than liquefaction. This anticipated change denotes a move away from Iran's initial objective of becoming a significant LNG exporter and toward a likely role as an LNG importer. This change is significant because it shows how Iran has changed from being an exporter to an importer in the world energy market. Given the lack of natural gas, importing LNG from Qatar would be the only practical alternative if the Raisi administration is successful in completing the Iran LNG project. This is because of the short distance involved.

It is also critical to highlight the many difficulties that come with LNG regasification, such as the need to build necessary infrastructure and navigate through sophisticated technological issues. These elements add to the complexity of this energy transition, emphasizing the necessity of meticulous preparation and strategic thought.