Dalga Khatinoglu
Commentator on Iran, Caucasus and Central Asia
Contact: Dalgaxatinoglu@gmail.com
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Articles by Dalga Khatinoglu
February 07, 2012
Iranian oil minister Rostam Qasemi banned purchase of oil-processing technologies from 5 European companies. Three of them are from the UK (UOP, SW и Start Company), one from France (Axens) and the last - joint Dutch-British company (Royal Dutch Shell).
Despite the fact that these companies...
February 08, 2012
Gas consumption in Iran has hit the record high of 551 million cubic meters per day in a situation that weather temperature in 28 of the total 31 provinces has reached below zero.
Currently Iran's daily gas production stands at around 554 million cubic meters, just 3 million cubic meters more tha...
January 22, 2012
Iran's oil siege is becoming more tightened. Dozens of reports have appeared about Asian oil importers' decreasing Iran's crude imports.
Saudi Arabia Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi has announced that his country is ready to boost oil production to 11.8 million barrels per day just by turning valves to...
January 24, 2012
The European Union tightened sanctions ring around Iran by imposing new round of penalties during EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday.
The EU members, who previously blocked 443 Iranian entities and 113 true personalities' assets step by step, this time agreed on Iran oil embargo, ...
January 25, 2012
New sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the European Union will significantly damage the Iranian weakened economy, which has seen 50 percent-drop in national currency value over the past 12 months, especially during the last month, but still no changes is observed in Iran's nuclear ambitions, which is...
January 11, 2012
The rising tensions over holding a ten-day naval drill in the Persian Gulf, aimed at showing Iran's capability in blocking the strategic Strait of Hormuz through which 20 percent of the global oil transfer is carried out, has raised debates over probable substitutes for the Strait.
Last week, the...
December 22, 2011
Rising USD rate by 40 percent and more than 45 cents difference between the rate in the open market and official statistics in Iran caused some serious confusion.
Iranian Mehr News Agency reported on Wednesday, that rising USD is happening with out any obstacles. According to the stats of Iran's ...
December 16, 2011
Head of the Trend Persian service Dalga Khatinoglu
Twelve OPEC member countries agreed to officially fix cartel's output ceiling to 30 mbpd, a 6 million barrel increase over the ceiling they set in 2008.
According to official OPEC reports, member countries ignored quotas and increased their oi...
November 15, 2011
Head of the Trend Persian service Dalga Khatinoglu
Iran says it will discuss the international gas prices at the first summit of the heads of state of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), which will open in Doha, the capital city of Qatar on November 15.
Could Iran, holding almost 16 perc...
November 05, 2011
Head of the Trend Persian Service Dalga Khatinoglu
The economic and political interdependence between the two Persian-language nations - Iran and Tajikistan, with $200 million worth trade turnover is not as vital as the matter of sink or swim, but significantly important for both them.
Five mu...
November 11, 2011
Trend Persian Service head Dalga Khatinoglu
Despite Iranian officials' constant rejections of releasing the information about the decrease in the country's oil production, The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OPEC) new report confirms dropping of Iranian oil output by 120,000 b...
October 28, 2011
Iran, with its largest population on the Caspian Sea shore among other littoral countries, is keen to save the world's biggest inland body of water from pollution and has initiated a "Comprehensive plan to reduce pollution" plan.
The Fars News Agency quoted the head of Department of Environment M...
October 11, 2011
Iran says attempting to keep oil production ceiling at OPEC meeting and discussing the gas price at the upcoming Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) are Iran's top agenda.
The 160th OPEC meeting, headed by Iran, will be held in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on December 14 and the 11th ministeria...
October 22, 2011
Construction of artificial islands with glorious buildings on them has own aesthetic aspects to attract more tourists.
The international law provides legal frames for them, but still puts some limitations. Ecology should not be damaged and the nature should be preserved.
Ecologists alarm
Do...
July 25, 2011
Russian Foreign Minister Segey Lavrov proposed ´step-by-step´ plan to resolve Iran´s nuclear problem two weeks ago during his tour of the U.S.
This plan was surprisingly refuted by Iranian president, but was welcomed by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.
Lavrov says e...
July 14, 2011
Iranian ruling Conservatives Coalition formed "Unification Committee" without inviting and involving Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad´s representatives.
This Committee is aimed at unifying conservatives to direct the participation and competition of representatives in next parliamentar...
May 19, 2011
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov's statement regarding opening of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in the near future has again raised the question of safety of this plant.
Ryabkov said that the operations to inject fuel into the core of the reactor of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant hav...
April 11, 2011
Iranian labor minister Ali Reza Sheykholeslami said that roughly $100 million were allocated in 2011 within the program of creating the working conditions at home, namely, working and earning money at home instead of working in the office.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced abo...
February 12, 2011
The Iranian people overthrew the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi 32 years ago on Feb.11. The escaped King, who was exiled from the U.S., could find asylum at Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, but after a while he passed away.
Today, 32 years later on the same day Hosni Muburak, who replaced Sada...
December 30, 2010
Iran's prospects to increase production of LNG in the near future are doubtful. Low production levels, the stagnation in gas production projects, and the lack of local infrastructure for the construction of a gas liquefaction plant, outweighs the high demand for gas in the country.
As LNG produ...
December 04, 2010
Important events taking place on the eve of Iran's talks with the "P5+1" (represented by Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy), scheduled for Dec.5 in Geneva, show that the ongoing attrition war between Tehran and Western countries may r...
October 20, 2010
Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany will hold next talks from 15 to 18 November. There is a great probability that these talks will be held in Vienna. The last round of talks on Iran's nuclear program in a designated format was held in October last year. However, ...
September 24, 2010
The Russian President's decree, banning the transfer of air defense systems S-300, armored vehicles, combat aircrafts, helicopters and ships to Iran, does not mean that official Moscow carries out strategic cooperation with the West and turns its back on Iran.
Medvedev's decree was adopted under ...
August 24, 2010
The intensive involvement of foreign companies in energy projects of Turkmenistan, the UN Security Council's sanctions against Tehran's nuclear program and as a consequence, the refusal of Europe and the United States from participation in energy projects of Iran, can leave Turkmenistan without a co...
July 29, 2010
In recent years, due to yearly increasing demand for natural gas in India the country's activity in search of import sources of this type of fuel has markedly intensified.
According to experts forecast, gas consumption in India will increase twice in the coming years.
At present, 45.58 billi...
June 04, 2010
The IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano once again noted the lack of transparency of Tehran's nuclear program in the report, which is the second on Iran's nuclear program since Yukiya Amano's appointment as head of the IAEA. Despite that the international community has welcomed Iran's consent on uran...
May 18, 2010
Despite that Turkey and Iran signed an agreement on exchange of 1,200 kg of low-enriched uranium in the territory of Turkey, along with new hopes for resolving problems connected with Iran's nuclear program, there are uncertainties.
During his visit to Greece, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ...
May 01, 2010
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned the Iranian President Ahmadinejad that he should not distract the attention of the conference regarding Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which will be held in New York, from its main goals. But this conference is the most suitable m...
April 08, 2010
The country has faced problems with the basic capital, technologies for oil and gas export and the realization of these products recently as a result of the international sanctions because of Iran's nuclear program and the pressure exerted by the U.S. on the world's major oil companies.
In an inter...
March 05, 2010
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's dream on introduction of "paralyzing" sanctions and blockade with regards to Iran upon the example of the measures taken in 1960 by the United States against Cuba is not feasible because Tehran has a higher level of force.
Despite West's dissatisfaction ...
February 24, 2010
India, whose energy demands grow every year, imports 350,000 barrels of oil per day from Iran and the trade turnover between two countries is about $13 billion per year (10 billion in the sphere of energy).
Also, India cooperates with Israel in the military sphere and with the United States in th...
January 23, 2010
Beginning from January 2010, the Swiss trading company Glencore International AG, playing an important role in ensuring Iran's domestic needs for petrol, has stopped to export this product in the country.
According to the Iranian parliament's commission on economy representative, Ali Adani, at pr...
January 11, 2010
The Secretary-General of the conservative Islamic Coalition Party, Mohammad Nabi Habibi, who takes an active part and enjoys influence in the economy, market and business of Iran, has differentiated former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani from Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi, whom he descr...
December 08, 2009
While Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad states that "Iran is ready to govern the world", the White House warned that the possibility given to Tehran will soon expire.
The West accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons, supporting terrorism and dictatorship, but Tehran believes the Western co...
December 02, 2009
What direction does the Iranian nuclear program have? The country really needs nuclear energy given Iranian energy needs increasing 11 percent. Official Tehran has developed the program to transform nuclear energy into electricity, with total capacity of 20,000 megawatts within twenty-year plan. But...
October 27, 2009
West demands Iran to provide to Russia 1,200 kg uranium enriched at 3.5 percent for receiving 20-percent enriched uranium in order to provide fuel for reactor of Tehran nuclear laboratory. Why 1,200 kg?
Although Iranian negotiating group's initiative to the permanent members of UN Security Counci...
October 17, 2009
France demanded Iran to give Russia 1,300 kg uranium enriched by 3.5 percent.
To provide fuel for Tehran's nuclear laboratories, Iran is ready to cooperate with "5 +1" countries, Iranian President said last month during his visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly. This laboratory prod...
October 13, 2009
The deficit of foreign investments in Iranian oil and gas sector exceeded $22.5 billion in 2008. Iranian oil and gas sector needs investments to the amount of $24 billion annually. According to UN, investments did not exceed $1.5 billion in 2008.
The Director of Iranian Privatization Committee, G...
October 03, 2009
Official Tehran and the "5 +1" group have shown optimism in connection with the meeting between Iran and the permanent members of UN Security Council + Germany. There is no comprehensive information on the details discussed at the meeting, but noteworthy is Iran's proposal to purchase uranium enrich...
September 07, 2009
Ahmadinejad's new Cabinet of Ministers has a strong influence on Iranian economy, despite only one agency, the Ministry of Economy, determining Iranian economic program is represented in the new Cabinet of Ministers.
During the first term of Ahmadinejad's presidency, oil revenues were earmarked f...
August 25, 2009
The elections held in Afghanistan on Aug. 20 are very similar to the presidential elections held in Iran on June 12.
The candidates' pre-election debates lively aired via TV channels, their speech about the planned falsifications before the presidential elections, the people's active participatio...
August 06, 2009
Despite non-participation of several Iranian influential figures, as well as opposition members in Ahmadinejad's inauguration in the Parliament on August 5 and continuing protests of opposition against President, the only thing for Iranian internal forces and international community is to recognize ...
July 28, 2009
The readiness demonstrated by Iran to supply the nuclear power plant which is under construction in Armenia's Armavir city with nuclear fuel once again raises the question concerning the Islamic Republic's nuclear potential. On Sunday the governor of the Iranian West Azerbaijan province Rahim Gurban...
June 06, 2009
Agitation campaign during the presidential elections in Iran and live broadcasting of debates between candidates on public televisions have caused excitement and agiotage amongst the people. These debates are an innovation for the people. After hot debates between the presidential candidates, former...
May 28, 2009
Active participation of non-Persian population in the next presidential elections in Iran can guarantee the victory of the reformist camp representatives, otherwise the current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will easily win the elections.
Taking into consideration that the majority of the populati...
May 22, 2009
"Black Gold" which brings about 70 percent of the revenues to Iran's economy has turned into rhymes in the presidential candidates' statements. Who will lose on the outcome of debates in this rhyme competition?
Iran's current president has promised in the presidential election in 2005 that revenu...
May 14, 2009
Basler Zeitung newspaper reported that information disseminated in Switzerland that during the UN meeting in Geneva last month, Iranian President discussed with his Swiss counterpart the issue of freeing American journalist Roxana Saberi convicted four months ago.
Although officially information ...
May 11, 2009
It still surprises me all discussions held between Iran and U.S. from the beginning of the Iranian revolution till today have been a failure.
The chain began with a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister and Prime Minister and U.S. officials (Zbigniew Brzezinski, Robert Gates, etc.) in Algeria...
April 24, 2009
Iran says it has designed new package of proposals for the UN Security Council permanent members. This is second package of proposals designed by Iran for West. President Mahmoud Ahmadinjead said the next package of proposals "was announced taken into consideration international processes and condit...
April 14, 2009
Trend News Persian Desk Head Dalga Khatinoglu
April 11, 2009
The Guardian Council, which will observe the presidential elections in Iran, released a statement in response to Reformists' concern about the possible falsification of elections. The statement, which was placed on the Web site of the Council, promises to prevent any falsification during the preside...