Iranian Officials Rattling Sabers Over U.S. Sanctions

Iranian President Hassan Rohani issued a public statement over the weekend urging U.S. President Barack Obama not to sign a 10-year extension of U.S. sanctions approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate earlier in the week. Echoing earlier statements by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that an extension of Washington’s sanctions regime would be a violation of the JCPOA nuclear deal, Rohani darkly warned that “in response to non-commitment, violation, or hesitation in its implementation, we will act promptly.”

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev announced a partnership last week with global internet giant PayPal on joint research projects in the areas of big data, machine learning and cybersecurity. “This partnership will allow PayPal to leverage BGU’s topnotch researchers and years of groundbreaking research,” said Matan Parnes, PayPal’s general manager in Israel.

Andrew Cuomo, Governor of the US State of New York, issued a “blacklist” Friday of foreign companies that support the effort to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) Israel, prohibiting state agencies from investing in them. The list was issued hours after the legislature of the Canadian Province of Ontario voted overwhelmingly to pass a motion rejecting “the differential treatment of Israel, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.”

Reports out of the Gaza Strip over the weekend indicated that at least three individuals engaged in digging smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt were killed when the tunnel they were working on collapsed. A fourth individual was missing and presumed dead. The Egyptian military said the tunnel collapse was caused by their flooding the tunnels they have discovered with sea water.

President-Elect Trump has serious decisions to make about the Middle East, including what to do about Syria, how to tackle Islamic State, how to take on Iran, and, of course, how to handle the perennial Israel-Palestinian problem. Trump’s margin of error is narrow, especially since Russia and Iran are likely to test his leadership and determination.