United States and European Union revoke sanctions on Iranian oil exports

The United States and European Union on January 16 revoked sanctions that had cut Iran's oil exports by about 2 million barrels per day (bpd) since their pre-sanctions 2011 peak to little more than 1 million bpd.

Iran, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), issued an order on January 18 to increase production by 500,000 bpd, the country's deputy oil minister said.

The following activities are allowed: sale, supply, transfer or export of naval equipment and technology for ship building, maintenance or refit, to Iran or to any Iranian persons engaged in this sector; the design, construction or the participation in the design or construction of cargo vessels and oil tankers for Iran or for Iranian persons; the provision of vessels designed or used for the transport or storage of oil and petrochemical products to Iranian persons, entities or bodies; and the provision of flagging and classification services, including those pertaining to technical specification, registration and identification numbers of any kind, to Iranian oil tankers and cargo vessels.
All cargo flights operated by Iranian carriers or originating from Iran have access to the airports under the jurisdiction of EU Member States.
Inspection, seizure and disposal by EU Member States of cargoes to and from Iran in their territories no longer apply with regard to items which are no longer prohibited.
Provision of bunkering or ship supply services, or any other servicing of vessels, to Iranian owned or Iranian-contracted vessels not carrying prohibited items is allowed; and the
provision of fuel, engineering and maintenance services to Iranian cargo aircraft not carrying prohibited items is permitted.

[May 1 2013 IRISL: new Iran sanctions by U.S. Treasury]

Babak Zanjani, chairman of more than 60 companies known as the Sorinet Group of the United Arab Emirates allegedly conspired with First Islamic Investment Bank of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as  accused violators of the Iranian sanctions.

Two Sorinet companies -- Sorinet Commercial Trust Bankers of Dubai and International Safe Oil of Labuan, Malaysia -- were named by the Treasury Department as allegedly being involved in the multibillion-dollar scheme .   Account International Safe Oil was previously reported to be involved in the transfer of Iranian oil at the port of Labuan, Malaysia

Glammarine agreed to let a company called Account International Safe Oil use the Titan Ruchira and Titan Tulshyan to store 4 million barrels of Iranian oil, shipping sources said. Account International is not registered in Malaysia or Hong Kong.   A Middle East industry source familiar with the company said Account International was an affiliate of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). A second source based in East Malaysia said the firm had business links to HK Intertrade, a Hong Kong-based firm sanctioned by the United States in July for operating as a front company for Iran.

Individual: AFZALI, ALI
DOB: July 1, 1967

Entity: PEARL ENERGY COMPANY LTD
Address: Level 13(E) Main Office Tower, Jalan Merdeka, Financial Park Complex, Labuan, 87000, Malaysia

Entity: PEARL ENERGY SERVICES, SA
Address: 15 Avenue de Montchoisi, Lausanne, 1006 VD, Switzerland

Individual: Mohhammad Hossein DAJMAR
AKA: Mohammad Hossein DAJMAR
DOB: February 19, 1956
Iranian Passport: K13644698, expires May 16, 2013

Individual: Gholam Hossein GOLPARVAR
AKA: Gholamhossein GOLPARVAR
DOB: January 23, 1957
Iranian Passport: U14643027, expires November 11, 2013

Individual: Hassan Jalil ZADEH
AKA: Hassan JALILZADEH
DOB: January 26, 1959
Iranian Passport: A1508382, expired February 24, 2010

Individual: Mohammad Hadi PAJAND
DOB: May 28, 1950
Address: 73 Blair Court, Boundary Road, London, NW8 6NT, United Kingdom

Entity: ASHTEAD SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: BYFLEET SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: COBHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: DORKING SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: EFFINGHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: FARNHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: GOMSHALL SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: HORSHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man




Mohhammad Hossein Dajmar, designated today, is Chairman and Managing Director of IRISL and three previously-designated front companies – Safiran Payam Darya Shipping Company (SAPID), Hafiz Darya Shipping Company (HDS), and Soroush Sarzamin Asatir Ship Management Company (SSA). Also designated today are Gholamhossein Golparvar, Managing Director of SAPID and a director of SSA and HDS, as well as Hassan Jalil Zadeh, Managing Director of HDS. Finally, Mohammad Hadi Pajand, Company Secretary of Irinvestship Ltd., and a company director of Lancelin Shipping Company Ltd. – two previously-designated IRISL affiliates – was also designated by Treasury today.


11/30/10
The following [NPWMD] entries have been
added to OFAC's SDN list:
ASHTEAD SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 108116C (Man, Isle of);
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
BYFLEET SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 118117C (Man, Isle of);
OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL CHANGES TO SDNLIST IN 2010
- 88 -
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
COBHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 108118C (Man, Isle of);
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
DORKING SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 108119C (Man, Isle of);
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
EFFINGHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 108120C (Man, Isle of);
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
FARNHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower ,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 108146C (Man, Isle of);
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
GOMSHALL SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, c/o
Soroush Sarzamin Asatir (SSA) Ship
Management Co, Shabnam Alley, Golriz St, Vafa
Alley, Fajr St, Shahid Motahari Avenue,
1589675951, Tehran, Iran; Manning House, 21
Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Man, Isle of;
Business Registration Document # 111998C
(Man, Isle of); Email Address info@ssa-smc.net;
Website www.ssa-smc.net; Telephone:
982126100191; Fax: 982126100192 [NPWMD]
HORSHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, c/o
Soroush Sarzamin Asatir (SSA) Ship
Management Co, Shabnam Alley, Golriz St, Vafa
Alley, Fajr St, Shahid Motahari Avenue,
1589675951, Tehran, Iran; Manning House, 21
Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Man, Isle of;
Business Registration Document # 111999C
(Man, Isle of); Email Address info@ssa-smc.net;
Website www.ssa-smc.net; Telephone:
982126100191; Fax: 982126100192 [NPWMD]
• 11/30/10
The following [NPWMD] entries have been
added to OFAC's SDN list:
AFZALI, Ali, c/o Bank Mellat, Tehran, Iran; DOB 1
Jul 1967; nationality Iran (individual) [NPWMD]
PEARL ENERGY COMPANY LTD., Level 13(E)
Main Office Tower, Jalan Merdeka, Financial
Park Complex, Labuan 87000, Malaysia;
Telephone:6087541688; Fax: 6087453688
[NPWMD]
PEARL ENERGY SERVICES, SA, 15 Avenue de
Montchoisi, Lausanne, 1006 VD, Switzerland;
Business Registration Document # CH-
550.1.058.055-9; Telephone: 0216140614
[NPWMD]
• 11/30/10
The following [NPWMD] entries have been
added to OFAC's SDN list:
DAJMAR, Mohammad Hossein (a.k.a. DAJMAR,
Mohhammad Hossein); DOB 19 Feb 1956;
nationality Iran; Passport K13644698 (Iran)
expires 16 May 2013 (individual) [NPWMD]
DAJMAR, Mohhammad Hossein (a.k.a. DAJMAR,
Mohammad Hossein); DOB 19 Feb 1956;
nationality Iran; Passport K13644698 (Iran)
expires 16 May 2013 (individual) [NPWMD]
GOLPARVAR, Gholam Hossein (a.k.a.
GOLPARVAR, Gholamhossein); DOB 23 Jan
1957; nationality Iran; Passport U14643027
(Iran) expires 11 Nov 2013 (individual)
[NPWMD]
GOLPARVAR, Gholamhossein (a.k.a.
GOLPARVAR, Gholam Hossein); DOB 23 Jan
1957; nationality Iran; Passport U14643027
(Iran) expires 11 Nov 2013 (individual)
[NPWMD]
JALILZADEH, Hassan (a.k.a. ZADEH, Hassan
Jalil); DOB 26 Jan 1959; nationality Iran;
Passport A1508382 (Iran) expires 24 Feb 2010
(individual) [NPWMD]
PAJAND, Mohammad Hadi, 73 Blair Court,
Boundary Road, London NW8 6NT, United
Kingdom; DOB 28 May 1950; nationality Iran
(individual) [NPWMD]
ZADEH, Hassan Jalil (a.k.a. JALILZADEH,
Hassan); DOB 26 Jan 1959; nationality Iran;
Passport A1508382 (Iran) expires 24 Feb 2010
(individual) [NPWMD]

Iran sanctions notwithstanding, China loads crude at Karg Is.

Yuan yang hu

The Chinese-owned supertanker Yuan Yang Hu, with capacity to carry two million barrels of crude, called at Iran’s Kharg Island on March 20-21 and is en route to China, shipping tracking data showed.

The vessel is owned by Dalian Ocean, a subsidiary of state shipping giant China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (Cosco).

Yuan yang hu

Ship Type: Crude oil tanker
Year Built: 2010
Length x Breadth: 330 m X 60 m
Gross Tonnage: 152727, DeadWeight: 297305 t
Speed recorded (Max / Average): 11.7 / 11.7 knots
Flag: China [CN] 
Call Sign: BQCH
IMO: 9398943, MMSI: 413880000

[January 31]

National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) has for the first time chartered an Indian vessel covered under a scheme arranged by New Delhi through state-run insurers, sources said.

NITC has chartered the vessel the Omvati Prem, owned by Mumbai-based Indian shipper Mercator Ltd, and used it to carry an oil cargo that sailed from Iran in December for Indian refiner Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd., the sources said. The deal included cost, insurance and freight (CIF), they said.

India’s junior oil minister Panabaaka Lakshmi in a written reply to a question in parliament in November on the insurance scheme did not specify if Iran could charter vessels with Indian insurance cover for supplies.

Use of the scheme effectively transfers the liability for any damage or spill to India’s state-run insurers, and ultimately to New Delhi. When NITC uses its own vessels, the liability stays with its Iran-based insurer.

India established the scheme to keep some oil flowing after EU sanctions came into effect and disrupted shipping. The government arranged emergency cover that was meant for use by Indian flagged vessels chartered by local refiners.

There was little appetite for Indian shippers for the scheme as the insurance was limited to $50 million, a fraction of the $1 billion coverage that a supertanker would typically have from reinsurers against personal injury and pollution claims.

Mercator was the only company to use the scheme. Before NITC chartered the Omvati Prem, MRPL had used the vessel — which can carry about 635,000 barrels — to import Iranian crude.

MRPL is India’s biggest buyer of Iranian crude and did not charter the vessel for this voyage due to commercial and technical reasons, one source

Another shipping source privy to the deal said Omvati Prem discharged in Mangalore on Jan. 8. Mangalore Port’s website showed that the vessel arrived on Jan. 7.

NITC has struggled to keep the flow of oil going to India as it lacks vessels of small enough size to dock at India’s Mangalore port. One of the sources said NITC had chartered the Omvati Prem for about two months.

“Iran offered Mercator a better rate than MRPL, that’s why they have taken the risk of joining hands with NITC,” another shipping source said. “Mercator has taken a risk as NITC is a blacklisted company under sanctions.”

Mercator paid $26,105 for P&I cover to United India Insurance Company and 1,852,710 rupees ($34,000) for hull and machinery cover to The New India Assurance for a voyage between December 28 and January 27, documents seen by Reuters show.

Sources at the two insurance companies were not aware that Mercator had used the policy to deliver an Iranian cargo on a CIF basis.

Mercator did not respond to Reuters enquiries. MRPL, India’s shipping ministry, United India Insurance and The New Indian Assurance Co Ltd all declined to comment for the story.

D.K. Mittal, secretary for financial services at the finance ministry, and Syed Akbaruddin, spokesman at India’s foreign ministry, were not immediately available for comment.

India, along with Iran’s other major Asian clients including China and Japan, has won an exception to U.S. sanctions on financial institutions that process oil payments by reducing Iranian oil imports.

NITC was the target of fresh EU sanctions imposed in October and was declared by Washington to be an extension of the Iranian state in July 2012. That prevents U.S. companies from dealing with it.

NITC has changed many tanker names as it adopts new tactics to keep Iran’s oil exports flowing in response to sanctions.

China, India, Japan and South Korea are the top four buyers of Iranian crude and have all struggled to find ways around the shipping insurance ban.

Japan provides its refiners with government-backed insurance of up to $7.6 billion per tanker to ship Iranian oil, in line with cover from the international P&I Club.

(

"They (Iran) bought a number of tankers from China and can now do more deliveries ... It's taken some pressure off Iran and facilitated tanker traffic and we are seeing higher exports to China," he told Reuters this week.

The second industry source said the rise in exports to near 1.4 million bpd was a result of traditional buyers finding new ways to secure shipping insurance.

But, like FGE, he estimated that they would fall slightly to around 1.3 million bpd in January.

CHINESE THIRST

Chinese data showed the country bought 593,400 bpd of Iranian crude in December, the second-highest level of daily imports in 2012, a rise that Chinese officials also attributed to an easing of shipping delays.

Previously, Iran's tanker fleet had struggled to meet delivery schedules to China because EU measures in July barred Europe-based insurers from covering tankers that carry Iranian oil.

"China is saying let's up the numbers because no one is doing anything about it, and it looks like Obama has made a political decision not to go to war with Iran," said a senior source with a large independent trading house, referring to U.S. President Barack Obama.

Elena McGovern, oil and gas analyst at Business Monitor International, said: "The implications of preventing Chinese imports from Iran would be too damaging to the (U.S.-China) bilateral relationship. I would be very surprised if Obama were to take China to task on Iranian imports."

Arctic Sea: wobegone hijackers go to trial

Tatyana Barteneva, mother of Dmitry Bartenev




Irina Verenich wife of Aleksei Andrushin



Tatyana Seleven, wife of Igor Borisov





Nastya Strelkova, Andrushin's sister


Arkhangelsk regional court is trying six for seizure of the Arctic Sea: Alexei Andryushin, Dmitry Bartenev, Alexei Buleyev, Igor Borisov, Vitalijs Lepins and Yevgeny Mironov Five defendants pleaded partially guilty, and one pleaded guilty to all the charges,"
The review of the 52-volume criminal case is expected to last several months. The families of the men on trial for piracy say the highly unlikely hijackers are the biggest victims in the case. Few in Estonia believe there's any chance they'll soon return to Lasnamae.

People in Tallinn's Russian community who know the men dismiss the allegations as absurd. They say the alleged hijackers are ordinary layabouts, petty criminals and heavy drinkers who couldn't possibly have been capable of pulling off a major international heist on the high seas.

Tatyana Barteneva's son Dmitry Bartenev is one of the men on trial in Moscow. Inside the tidy, cramped apartment she shared until recently with both her two grown sons, the 63-year-old nurse with a blond bob hairstyle defends Bartenev and the other alleged hijackers as the victims of a plot they didn't understand.

"I don't think they're such idiots as to pick a fight with Russia," she says. "Why would they need that?"

Barteneva has lived in Tallinn since the age of 9, when her father, a Soviet military officer, was posted here in the 1950s. Her late husband was the captain of a fishing trawler, and their son Dmitry took odd jobs at sea.

Tallinn's Lasmanae neighborhood, the home of many ethnic Russians
According to his brother Aleksei Bartenev, Dmitry was unemployed last March when he noticed a leaflet outside a local supermarket advertising security work in Spain. A big man with prominent features and a crew-cut, the 42-year-old sometime sailor was on probation for drunk driving. He described the job to several of his friends, who jumped at the chance to travel abroad for pay.

The men shared similar backgrounds. Born in Estonia, all but one never met the tough requirements for Estonian citizenship. Locals say Bartenev and others like him are part of a lost generation of former Soviets who were unprepared to make it in what became a new country after the communist collapse.
“I think they were framed, and it is not just my opinion, everybody who knows them also thinks so,” Alexei Bartenev. “They were seeking a job and got involved in a political conflict, were made hostages of a political game.”
Sitting in a popular local bar called Zanzibar, where leopard-print seat pillows offer some visual relief from the uniform apartment blocks outside, Irina Verenich the wife of Aleksei Andrushin -- an unemployed, 28-year-old construction worker --"I told him so many times, 'What are you doing?'" she says. "I said, 'You help people you don't even know, and no one will help you in return.' And that's exactly what happened."
In addition to the six Russians from Lasnamae, two men from Latvia signed up for the work he offered. Several of the men posted notices on a popular social-networking site saying they'd be away for several months. They told their families they'd be gone until early October.


earlier 1 earlier 2 earlier 3

Arctic Sea: unsold missiles, bargain rates

The recent cancellation of a billion dollars worth of Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran has left the manufacturer with lots of unsold gear. So now Russia is hustling to find new customers, offering attractive prices.
more
earlier
2009

CMA CGM Everest: Senegal recalls ambassador

Senegal has recalled its ambassador to Tehran after Iran failed to provide a "satisfactory" explanation for arms sent from Iran and discovered in a Nigerian port in October. Senegal and Iran enjoyed strong diplomatic ties until 13 containers loaded with arms and munitions were found in October aboard the Everest, a ship belonging to the French-based company CMA CGM, in the port of Apapa in the Nigerian capital Lagos.

The foreign ministry said the arms were bound for a "state in western Africa," without naming the exact destination.

Tehran has said that the arms shipment belonged to a private company and was not destined for Nigeria but for another "west African country," later identified as Gambia.

Gambia broke off diplomatic relations with Iran on November 22 following the disclosure of the arms shipment.

Nigeria on November 12 informed the United Nations Security Council of the illegal shipment, citing a possible breach of a international sanctions against Iran relating to its controversial nuclear programme. earlier
more
still more

Arctic Sea: Russia used criminals - wikileaks

In the cable's most revealing section José "Pepe" Grinda Gonzalez, Spain's national court prosecutor referred to the case of the Arctic Sea ship as an example of arms trafficking. Russia maintains pirates seized the vessel in July 2009 off the coast of Sweden, diverting it to Africa and the Cape Verde islands. It has consistently denied there were any weapons on board.

Although Gonzalez does not elaborate, his remarks suggest he believes the ship was used by organised criminals to smuggle arms under secret orders from Russia's intelligence agencies. There has been speculation the ship was carrying S-300 missiles destined for Iran. read

Arctic Sea: Patsy now a Lithuanian gets 3 years

Sergei gets penal colony
Eerik gets medal



Sergei Demchenko, Lithuanian national formerly called 'German-based businesman' by prosecutors, has been sentenced to three years in a penal colony by a Moscow court.

The 37-year-old struck a deal with the prosecution, fully admitted his guilt, and assisted in the investigation into the attack on the ‘Arctic Sea’ in the North Atlantic last year,
Latvian citizen Dmitry Savins confessed earlier this year, he was the second crew member to do so after Andrei Lunev pleaded guilty to hijacking and was sentenced to five years.

As part of a plea bargain Savins testified against the alleged mastermind behind the attack, Eerik-Niiles Kross, the former head of Estonia’s foreign intelligence service.
Latvian prosecutors said there was no evidence linking Kross to the Arctic Sea seizure. Eerik-Niiles Kross, who served as the director of Security Coordination Office in the Estonian State Chancellery, which is connected to the Ministry of Defense Information Service (Riigi Teabeamet), from 1995 to 2000.

In 2009, a deal was allegedly struck between Russian and Middle Eastern businessmen,to evade the' technical' delays of the S-300 missile delivery. Some sources claim the Russian military's weapons industry was implicated in the deal and transferred a number of new missiles to Kaliningrad. However the Kremlin was uninvolved, and apparently the deal was carried out in secret between businessmen from the private sector. After the deal was executed, an intelligence agency learned of the ship's departure with the weapons towards Algeria, a country located on a regularly used route for the transfer of weapons to Iran and Syria. The Arctic Sea docked in Kaliningrad in June to undergo various repairs.
On July 24,2009, the Arctic Sea, manned by a Russian crew and carrying a cargo of what was declared to consist solely of timber, was allegedly boarded by hijackers off the coast of Sweden. The story goes that the hijacking of the 'Arctic Sea' was ordered by the Moscow government.after discussions with other countries to prevent the delivery of the missiles to Iran. here more



"Allegedly they did not know the extent of the Estonia documents that Wikileaks acquired."

Eerik-Niiles Kross - a former high-level security analyst who advised the Georgian government - believes the Wikileaks revelations could endanger US relations with its allies. "Last time, Wikileaks revealed military information about Afghanistan, which in some sense was a direct threat to many lives. This time, they will reveal insider diplomatic information, which will not necessarily endager anybody, but it definitely threatens relations between the US and its allies," said Kross. "It's unfortunate that it happened because it endangers honest dialogue in the future within inner circles and with allies because everyone fears that it might somehow reach the newspapers."

Nevertheless, Kross believes the documents will reveal nothing scandalous about Estonia. "It is possible that there are judgements about the profile of some Estonian politician or diplomat, but those are only the personal matters of a few. There is nothing there that would harm bilateral relations." here

Arctic Sea: Canceled Iran S-300 for drones?

Russia offered Israel $1 billion for advanced drone (automatic aircraft) technologies, and in addition offered to cancel the deal to supply Iran with S-300 missiles, according to an official cable published November 28 via WikiLeaks.
The cable was sent by US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher after meeting Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs at the Defense Ministry Amos Gilad. The cable was sent one year before the Kremlin announced it would cancel its deal to supply Iran with the missiles.

Arctic Sea: Russian Prosecutor gets hijack case

Eerik-Niiles Kross




Investigations into six suspected hijackers of the Arctic Sea freighter have been completed and sent to the Prosecutor General's Office, the Investigative Committee said November 17. Earlier this month, the Investigative Committee sent the case of a suspected ninth member of the group, Sergei Demchenko, to court.

Maritime and military experts have claimed the ship was carrying S-300 anti-aircraft missiles for Iran,

Demchenko, who went to school with Savins, is accused of helping train the hijackers in Estonia.

June 2010
In a plea bargain, Savins testified against the alleged mastermind behind the attack, Eerik-Niiles Kross, the former head of Estonia's foreign intelligence service.

Savins said Kross had acted in collusion with another organizer of the attack - Sergei Demchenko, a German-based businessman.

Kross denied the allegations.

"The allegations that I ordered the seizure of the Arctic Sea are at variance with the facts," he was quoted as saying by Estonian daily Eesti Paevaleht. "I believe that these fabrications are connected to my consultation services for Georgia on security matters. Georgia is not Russia's best friend."

Kross owns Trustcorp, a consultancy firm that has in the past few years been working with Georgian state agencies.

Latvian prosecutors said there was no evidence linking Kross to the Arctic Sea seizure. Eerik-Niiles Kross, who served as the director of Security Coordination Office in the Estonian State Chancellery, which is connected to the Ministry of Defense Information Service (Riigi Teabeamet), from 1995 to 2000.

Lisbon NATO Summit and Russia: Crown Jewels for Chicken Feed? November 16, 2010
By: Eerik-Niiles Kross read

CMA CGM Everest: arms came from Iran

Military-grade weapons cache found in Apapa, Nigeria's busiest port came from Iran. CMA CGM, based in France, issued a statement Saturday saying that an "Iranian trader" owned the 13 shipping containers its ship picked up. The shipment left Bandar Abbas port in southern Iran aboard the MV CMA CGM Everest, which made a stop in India before arriving at Lagos' Apapa Port in July.


MV CMA CGM Everest,

IMO 9300154 Container Ship 24084 2005 Marshall Islands ex- JOHN RICKMERS here

Arctic Sea: Reverse flow to North Korea?

North Korea's No Dong ballistic missile has a tri-conic nose cone. That configuration is typically associated with Iran’s Shahab-3, causing analysts to say that technical information gleaned by Tehran in flight trials is being fed to Pyongyang. Such a move would suggest that Iran has made considerable progress in developing its indigenous missile-engineering ­expertise.The rapid rise is in Iranian ­lower-end rocket threats. The biggest worry stems from the fact that Iran is being equipped with inexpensive but effective guidance systems that have tightened targeting errors.

Arctic Sea: S-300 down payment refunded Iran

Russia announced October 7 that it will refund Iran the down-payment it paid for the S-300 air defense system. "We should return them all the funds," Russian Technologies chief Sergei Chemezov

Arctic Sea: Iran insists on S-300 missiles

Top Iranian officials have criticized Moscow's yes-vote on the new round of sanctions against Iran as well as its about-face on the contract that Kremlin blames on the resolution.
However, the Islamic Republic says the S-300 system is a stop-gap measure and it has plans to develop its own long range anti-aircraft missiles.

Arctic Sea: sale of S-300 to Iran banned by Russia

The Kremlin has formally banned the sale of S-300 air defence missile systems to Iran three months after new UN sanctions.

A decree was issued by President Dmitry Medvedev prohibiting the sale, which had been in the pipeline for years.

Earlier, Gen Nikolai Makarov, head of Russia's general staff, confirmed that the missiles were "definitely" subject to the sanctions introduced in June. more earlier

Arctic Sea: Iran to build S-300 clones?

Commenting on Moscow’s failure to honor its commitment to deliver the S300 missile air defense system to Iran, Brigadier General Mohammad-Hassan Mansourian said, ""We purchased the system for our operational needs, but they haven't delivered it to us.""

Local industries are trying to replace the S300 system with similar home-made missiles to meet domestic air defense requirements, he explained

Arctic Sea: Aladdin's wish

08-21-2010 Parliamentarian Alaeddin Boroujerdi "Russia’s measure (loading fuel into Bushehr nuclear plant) ensured Iranian nation that it abides by its commitments and public opinion in Iran expect that Russia implement its obligations on S-300 missile system as well.” more

Arctic Sea: Is this the end of Rico?”

In July 2010, after some hesitation, Moscow announced that the S-300 deal is forbidden by the new UN sanctions.
In December 2005, Russia agreed to sell Iran long-range S-300 anti-aircraft missiles - 40 to 60 launchers with four missile tubes each, radars, and control stations, worth some $1bn (£650m). Together with the shorter-range Tor M1 and the older super-long-range S-200 already provided by Russia, Iran could build a solid anti-aircraft shield able to defend its nuclear facilities against a possible US or Israeli assault, and inflict serious damage to the attacking force.Without the S-300, the Iranians do not have a balanced air defence. Moscow has been withholding the delivery of the S-300 to Iran since 2008, while officials maintained the delays were "technical"..
Iranian officials reacted angrily. Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi demanded that Russia must pay for the damage it has caused by failing to deliver the S-3

In 2009, a deal was allegedly struck between Russian and Middle Eastern businessmen,to evade the' technical' delays of the S-300 missile delivery. Some sources claim the Russian military's weapons industry was implicated in the deal and transferred a number of new missiles to Kaliningrad. However the Kremlin was uninvolved, and apparently the deal was carried out in secret between businessmen from the private sector. After the deal was executed, an intelligence agency learned of the ship's departure with the weapons towards Algeria, a country located on a regularly used route for the transfer of weapons to Iran and Syria. The Arctic Sea docked in Kaliningrad in June to undergo various repairs.
On July 24,2009, the Arctic Sea, manned by a Russian crew and carrying a cargo of what was declared to consist solely of timber, was allegedly boarded by hijackers off the coast of Sweden. The story goes that the hijacking of the 'Arctic Sea' was ordered by the Moscow government.after discussions with other countries to prevent the delivery of the missiles to Iran.

Iran sanctions: shipment of s-300 missiles frozen

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday, said that Russia had decided to "freeze the delivery of the S-300 missiles."

Putin also said supporting the Iran sanctions was a decision that "wasn't exactly easy," according to the presidential aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with Sarkozy's office policy.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will issue a decree specifying which types of weapons cannot now be sold to Iran, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Moscow.

Russia in the past has sold other air-defense missiles, aircraft and other weapons to Iran. here