Top Stories
WSJ: "Iran said Monday that it had barred two inspectors
from the United Nations' nuclear watchdog from entering the country, accusing
them of providing false information to the agency and disclosing findings
before allowing Iranian officials to review them. The move heightens tensions between Iran and
the international community over the country's nuclear program." http://bit.ly/98FL6Y
AP: "Defense Secretary Robert
Gates says there's still
time to stop Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. He gives new U.N.
penalties a 'reasonable
chance' of persuading Iran's clerical leadership to end what the U.S.
claims is
its drive to build a bomb. Iran denies it is seeking a weapon."
http://bit.ly/9TuaNP
NYT: "Iran hanged a Sunni rebel leader, Abdul-Malik Rigi,
on Sunday morning after a revolutionary court found him guilty of 79 criminal
charges, the ISNA news agency reported." http://nyti.ms/cbscxN
Nuclear Program
AP: "The U.S. warned Pakistan that a recently signed gas
pipeline deal with Iran could run afoul of new sanctions being finalized in
Congress, the U.S. special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan said Sunday." http://bit.ly/c5DUmX
Reuters: "Brazil's foreign minister Celso Amorim said on
Monday he still hoped a plan for Iran to part with some of its nuclear material
could serve as the basis for further talks with Tehran about its atomic program,
despite new sanctions. Western powers
have voiced deep misgivings about a plan brokered by Brazil and Turkey for Iran
to send abroad 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium in return for reactor fuel,
and supported a fourth round of sanctions against Tehran this month." http://bit.ly/bHkRjw
AFP: "The United Arab Emirates has closed down 40
international and local firms as part of a crackdown on companies that violate
UN sanctions on Iran, a newspaper reported on Monday. These companies have been dealing in 'dual-use and
dangerous materials banned under UN resolutions and the nuclear
non-proliferation treaty,' the Gulf News reported quoting an unnamed UAE
official." http://bit.ly/cvTtzu
Human Rights
LAT: "Hard-line Iranian clerics determined to reverse the
trend of what they regard as 'badly veiled women' took aim Friday at an
unlikely target: conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." http://bit.ly/aLKN5B
CBS News: "The documentary 'For Neda' premiered on HBO2
TV on Sunday, but days earlier -- in fact, as of the middle of last week - it
was freely available on YouTube. It's an
unusual way to release a new movie, but this is an unusual movie. It is at once the story of a murder and a
victory for truth in a landscape of lies. As the documentary's British director explained, 'The Iranian security
forces may be monitoring the Internet, and slowing online speeds to a crawl --
but they can't stop DVD's going viral.'" http://bit.ly/denj9Y
Foreign Affairs
AFP: "The departure
of two Iranian aid ships for Gaza has been delayed due to lack of coordination
and a change of cargo, a Red Crescent official said on Monday without
specifying when the flotilla would leave. ISNA news agency quoted Mohammad Javad Jafarian, head of the youth wing
of Iranian Red Crescent, as saying that the sailing had been delayed and 'no
definite' date had been set for the departure of the ships to Gaza." http://bit.ly/b29l2v
Opinion
Emanuele Ottolenghi in WSJ: "Last week, only days after a
U.N. Security Council Resolution introduced new sanctions against Iran,
Europe's leaders approved guidelines to expand their scope. Given that Europe
is Iran's main trading partner, a bold move now could have devastating
implications for Ahmadinejad, Khamenei & Co. But will Europe go far enough?
Scepticism seems in order." http://bit.ly/cu4962
Tony Karon in The National: "That could be empty
posturing, but the Iranians play a skilled leverage game in nuclear
negotiations with the West. New sanctions designed to press Iran to return to
the table are also a bargaining chip, because the western powers will demand a
price for lifting them. If recent history is a guide, Iran will respond by
seeking additional bargaining chips of its own, through the conditions it sets
for new talks - or through actions that create pressure on the West." http://bit.ly/anTHsz
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment