Archive for the ‘Iran’ Category

Heres the latest chapter in Irans clampdown on crypto-miners – AMBCrypto News

The crypto-community of Iran has shared its opposition to the reinstated seasonal limit on cryptocurrency mining. Despite being aware of the potential of cryptocurrencies as a way to avoid international sanctions, the government is once again limiting crypto-mining operations to reduce the burden on the nations power supply.

According to reports, 118 government-approved mining firms in Iran no longer have access to electricity due to seasonal increases in demand. This decision was made by Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, a spokesman for Irans power sector.

After having to deal with many power disruptions last year, the Iran Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Company (Tavanir) has ordered cryptocurrency miners to halt operations once more until the end of this summer. The utility company is blaming projected electricity constraints for the anticipated three months of hot weather when demand would rise due to rising cooling consumption.

According to Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, this step will lower excessive demand on the national grid during the peak season. The move has been criticized by stakeholders, however, who believe it is unjustified and will harm Irans cryptocurrency mining industry.

The sustained use of power for mining, both legal and illicit, was largely blamed for the power shortage and frequent blackouts. To help with the energy shortages in the chilly winter months, when demand for energy increases for heating purposes, they were once more instructed to unplug their equipment after being permitted to restart operations for a while.

According to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finances Bitcoin Mining Map, Irans share of the worlds hashrate dropped to just 0.12% as a result of shutdowns last year. This effectively drove Iran out of the cryptocurrency mining business. Similar events have now prompted various responses from the outside world as well as warnings that Iran is falling behind its rivals.

Before the prohibitions, cryptocurrency mining in Iran was growing. In May 2021, blockchain analytics company Elliptic calculated that 4.5% of all Bitcoin mining occurred in the nation. According to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, that percentage dropped to 0.12% in January.

Since legal mining operations only make up a minor portion of the networks load, some Iranians think that eliminating crypto-miners from the picture would have minimal impact on the power supply. The effectiveness of the prohibition on allowed mining is not yet obvious, according to the report.

Iran isnt alone in facing these issues, however. Between July and August 2021, China registered its lowest crypto hashrate ever as a result of the countrys most severe crackdown on crypto-mining. The crypto hashrate quantifies the computational power utilized by proof-of-work cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

However, it seems as though the sector has quickly recovered since. In China, underground mining has taken root. Only time will tell whether the same happens in Iran.

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Heres the latest chapter in Irans clampdown on crypto-miners - AMBCrypto News

Qatar to host indirect Iran-U.S. talks on reviving 2015 nuclear deal-media – The Union Leader

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Qatar to host indirect Iran-U.S. talks on reviving 2015 nuclear deal-media - The Union Leader

Twitter in India bans accounts of Pakistan Embassies in UN, Turkey, Iran and Egypt – ThePrint

Islamabad [Pakistan], June 28 (ANI): Twitter in India banned official accounts of Pakistan Embassies in UN, Turkey, Iran and Egypt. Earlier, Twitter also withheld the account of the national public broadcaster in Pakistan Radio Pakistan.

Twitter blocks the account of Pakistani Embassy in UN.

Account of Pakistani Embassy in Turkey is also withheld by Twitter in India.

Moreover, Twitter in India also blocked account of Pakistani Embassy in Iran and Egypt.

Twitter in India, earlier also blocked the account of Pakistani national radio broadcaster Radio Pakistan.

After Twitter in India withheld these official accounts the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Twitter to restore these accounts with immediate access.

This development comes at a time when the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting earlier blocked 16 YouTube news channels including 6 Pakistan-based channels for spreading disinformation related to Indias national security, foreign relations, and public order.

According to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, YouTube channels were spreading false, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony, and disturb public order in India.

The blocked social media accounts include six Pakistan-based and 10 India-based YouTube news channels, having a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore.

None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the Ministry as required under rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021, the government said.

YouTube channels based in Pakistan were found to have been used in a coordinated manner to post fake news about India on various subjects such as the Indian Army, Jammu, and Kashmir, and Indias foreign relations in the light of the situation in Ukraine among others, it said.

The content of these channels was observed to be completely false, and sensitive from the perspective of national security, sovereignty, and integrity of India, and Indias friendly relations with foreign States.

Moreover, India has earlier called out Pakistan for propagating fake news through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Pakistan is frequently lambasted by the global community due to its violation of human rights. The country also has unstable politics which is gripped by constant protests and demonstrations. And yet, as per the reports by digital forensics, Pakistan carries on with its propaganda to diminish India at world stage.

Apart from the government accounts in Pakistan, in a report by Digital Forensics, Research, and Analytics Center (DFRAC), it was revealed that many fake accounts created by Pakistanis are hiding behind the screens and running hashtags with an agenda to target Indias prestigious institutions.

These Pakistani accounts blatantly spread disinformation. The crucial thing to note here is that some of these accounts were created for the sole purpose of defaming India. After pushing the agenda they changed their username.

All behind the screen who were fuelling this agenda campaign seemed to be copying each others content to escalate the fake narrative. (ANI)

This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

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Twitter in India bans accounts of Pakistan Embassies in UN, Turkey, Iran and Egypt - ThePrint

Iran rejects Israeli charges of attacks in Turkey – FRANCE 24 English

Issued on: 24/06/2022 - 13:36

Tehran (AFP) Iran on Friday dismissed as "ridiculous" allegations by Israel's foreign minister while on a visit to Ankara that the Islamic republic was planning anti-Israeli attacks in Turkey.

"The baseless allegations... are ridiculous and part of a pre-designed plot to destroy relations between the two Muslim countries," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement.

"It is expected from Turkey not to remain silent in the face of these divisive allegations," he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday thanked Turkey for thwarting an alleged Iranian assassination plot against its tourists in Istanbul.

"We're not only talking about the murder of innocent Israeli tourists, but also a clear violation of Turkish sovereignty by Iranian terror," Lapid said.

Media outlets in Turkey have reported the arrest of eight people allegedly working for an Iranian intelligence cell that planned to kill Israeli tourists in Istanbul.

Iran and Israel have been engaged in a years-long shadow war but tensions have ratcheted up following a string of high-profile incidents that Tehran has blamed on Israel.

The Islamic republic has pointed at Israel for the killing of Revolutionary Guards Colonel Sayyad Khodai at his Tehran home on May 22.

Two other senior Guard members have also died -- one in a reported accident and the other in a shooting -- in the past month.

The Revolutionary Guard, the ideological arm of Iran's military, said Thursday it was replacing its veteran intelligence chief.

Khatibzadeh stressed that Iran would respond forcefully to "assassinations and acts of sabotage by the Zionist regime" but "without threatening the security of civilians and the security of other countries".

Israel last week urged its citizens to leave Turkey because of the "real and immediate danger" coming from Iranian operatives.

It is still keeping Istanbul at its highest level of travel warning, while putting the rest of Turkey on the second-highest alert.

2022 AFP

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Iran rejects Israeli charges of attacks in Turkey - FRANCE 24 English

Fears of a Nuclear-Armed Iran Might Be Overblown – World Politics Review

Reports that Iran is nearing the point where it could conceivably develop a nuclear weapon are once again causing widespread alarm. The latest information suggests that Irans stockpile of enriched uranium, if significantly further enriched, is more than enough to provide the weapons-grade fissile material needed for a bomb. That alone wouldnt be enough to buildor delivera working bomb, but it does put Tehran closer than ever to equipping one.

The news comes as multilateral talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear dealknown formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOAhave stalled. Iran could return to the negotiating table at the 11th hour, agreeing to return to compliance with the deal, from which the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew in 2018, in exchange for sanctions relief and a normalization of relations with the West. But this seems increasingly unlikely, meaning Iran will once again be poised for a nuclear breakout scenario, by which it could slowly accumulate the necessary components for a bomb under the guise of a civilian nuclear program, and then assemble them into a nuclear weapon faster than efforts to stop it can be mobilized. ...

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Fears of a Nuclear-Armed Iran Might Be Overblown - World Politics Review