The Eurasian Economic Union ensures the free movement of goods, services, and capital between its member states
Iran and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) on Thursday sealed a memorandum on free trade, RIA Novosti reports.
According to the media outlet, the signing ceremony took place in Tehran on the territory of the International Exhibition Center. The document was reportedly signed in the presence of Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Alireza Peyman-Pak, who is also the head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization.
The EEU, which is based on the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, was established in 2015. It was later joined by Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. The union is designed to ensure the free movement of goods, services, capital, and workers between member nations.
Iran has previously been able to exchange goods with EEU member states on the basis of preferential trade. The union has provided discounts for Iranian goods, while Tehran has granted preferences to items originating from the Eurasian bloc.
News that the Islamic Republic is joining the EEU free-trade zone comes as cooperation between Russia and Iran has started expanding rapidly amid Western sanctions against the two countries. Between January and October 2022, trade turnover between Moscow and Tehran reached $4 billion, surpassing the figure for all of 2021, according to Russia’s Customs Service. Russian exports to Iran surged by 27%, while imports from the country jumped by 10%, the data showed.
READ MORE: New trade route helps Russia and Iran bypass sanctions – Bloomberg
Last year, the nations reached a number of agreements, including arrangements for the purchase of aircraft equipment, and for the joint construction of gas pipelines and gas field development.
https://www.rt.com/business/570141-iran-russia-free-trade-zone/
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
