Top Stories
WT: "Iran is poised to begin producing nuclear weapons
after its uranium program expansion in 2009, even though it has had problems
with thousands of its centrifuges, according to a newly released CIA report. 'Iran continues to develop a range of
capabilities that could be applied to producing nuclear weapons, if a decision
is made to do so,' the annual report to Congress states."
NYT: "President Obama predicted on Tuesday that he would
be able to persuade the United Nations to 'move forcefully' against Iran with
new sanctions within weeks, not months, as he turned up the pressure on Tehran
to back off its nuclear program." http://nyti.ms/bl0FdB
Reuters: "An Iranian nuclear scientist who has been
missing since June has defected to the United States and is helping the CIA,
ABC news reported on Tuesday." http://nyti.ms/8Zj0oL
Nuclear Program
AP: "Top diplomats from the world's leading economies say
Iran's recent actions deepen the serious doubts about whether its nuclear program
is intended to be peaceful. Closing a
conference of foreign ministers from the Group of Eight main industrialized
nations on Tuesday, Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon urged Iran in the
strongest possible terms that it must fully cooperate with the International
Atomic Energy Agency and comply with UN regulations." http://bit.ly/9EaOSl
Radio Farda: "Iran's official media has said the
country's chief nuclear negotiator will visit China on April 1 to 'discuss the
nuclear issue' with high-ranking Chinese officials. Said Jalili's visit will come after the
foreign ministers of the Group of Eight major industrial economies called for
greater pressure on Iran to halt its uranium-enrichment program." http://bit.ly/a9u4nJ
ABC News: "When pressed, however, the president said, 'we
think we can get sanctions within weeks.'
Why does the president seem so confident? 'We've been working the
Chinese pretty hard,' a senior administration official told ABC News this
morning." http://bit.ly/arHCn7
Domestic Politics
Radio Farda: "Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is
one of the most powerful men in Iran. As
such, he is usually highly visible in his official functions, which include
periodically leading Friday prayers at Tehran's mosque -- an event broadcast
nationally on state TV. But amid the
street protests since Iran's disputed presidential election in June, Rafsanjani
has all but vanished from the television screen." http://bit.ly/a3MLVC
Radio Farda: "Iran's Green Movement and the postelection
crisis have revitalized the Iranian opposition abroad. But the new influx of
members and ideas -- supporters range from liberal-minded democrats to
monarchists to communists -- has also revealed deep divisions about the
movement's ideology and tactics. Diversity has been critical to the
opposition's rapid growth; but with no strong leadership and no clear program,
it could also prove to be its Achilles' heel." http://bit.ly/b9CSL2
Foreign Affairs
WSJ: "Ayad Allawi, leader of the bloc that won the most
seats in Iraq's parliamentary election, lashed out at Iran on Tuesday, accusing
Tehran of interfering in the battle to form a new government in Baghdad." http://bit.ly/cClEfy
Culture
Reuters: "As Iran's regime continues to stir world concerns,
films about Iranian history take on added interest. Director Shirin Neshat was
born in Iran, but her controversial photographs and experimental videos have
made it impossible for her to return; she now lives in New York. Neshat's first
feature, 'Women Without Men,' looks back at the crucial moment in 1953 when
democratically elected President Mohammed Mossadegh was overthrown in a coup
engineered by England and the U.S." http://bit.ly/bsYZdw
Opinion
Mark Wallace in the Atlanta Journal Constitution: "But
government action alone has proven incapable of checking Iran's leaders. That's
why the private sector has a vital role to play. By severing economic ties with
Iran, Western companies can reinforce the international community's efforts to
stop Iran's nuclear weapons program. And by insisting that companies fully
disclose their interests in the Islamic Republic, investors can hold firms
accountable for their dealings." http://bit.ly/b3nBSL
Bilal Saab in Foreign Policy: "The truth about Iran is
that we haven't got a clue how the Islamic Republic would respond to an attack."
http://bit.ly/bbU1Zn
Danielle Pletka in WSJ: "Has the U.S. abandoned plans to
target the Iranian regime's access to banking and credit and to isolate Iranian
air and shipping transport? While recent reports to that effect have been
strenuously denied by the administration, it has become clear that Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton's promise of 'crippling sanctions' and President Barack
Obama's 'aggressive' penalties are little more than talk. The administration
simply cannot persuade a critical mass of nations to join with it." http://bit.ly/c6eiTm
News Analysis
CS Monitor Q&A: "As a debate over Iran nuclear
sanctions take front stage at the G8 meeting in Quebec today, The Monitor looks
at how effective past sanctions have been and what new measures are being
considered." http://bit.ly/9VAHh9
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment