The U.S. applied to seize Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 after a Gibraltarian court approved its release on Thursday. The decision to release the ship comes after the UK government pledged to leave the EU in the coming weeks, a move which experts says could affect Gibraltar’s right to keep the tanker in detention. The tanker was being held on suspicion of breaching EU sanctions.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that a proposed European naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz would be discussed at a meeting with European foreign and defence ministers in Finland at the end of August. Finland currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency. Britain joined the U.S. on the security mission in the Persian Gulf after Iran seized and detained a British-flagged tanker. Germany declined to join the operation.
Ten employees of the Haft Tapeh Sugarcane Industrial complex in the province of Khuzestan, southwest Iran were put on trial on August 14, and a further seven were sentenced to eight months in prison and 30 lashes on August 13, according to Iranian media outlets.
And developers in Iran launched a platform for flood victims using crypto currency which enables people to make donations to flood-hit regions in Iran. IranRescueBit has been set up to allow donations to the Iranian Red Crescent (IRCS), a designated non-governmental humanitarian organization with a strong presence throughout Iran. The organization is funded by the Iranian government and its chairman is appointed by the President of Iran. Unofficial reports said that the Iranian government was not involved in the blockchain project.
- A new report charting the history of the IRGC concludes that General Salami’s appointment as commander-in-chief signals a more combative phase for the military wing.
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- The mayor of Khorramabad, the capital of Lorestan province in Iran, has been arrested on corruption charges. The arrest follows the detention of several officials at Sadra City council last week for similar offences.
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- The central bank in Iran postponed plans to launch a single foreign currency exchange market (Forex). Bank officials said a failure by currency traders to file the relevant documents by the set deadline caused the setback.
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- Iranian officials have banned 52 female musicians from performing since January, citing Ministry of Culture and Islamic guidelines for the decisions.→ Link to source
