Top Stories
NYT: "The Obama administration and its European allies are preparing a new offer for negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program, senior administration officials say, but the conditions on Tehran would be even more onerous than a deal that the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected last year... The new offer would require Iran to send more than 4,400 pounds of low-enriched uranium out of the country, an increase of more than two-thirds from the amount required under a tentative deal struck in Vienna a year ago. The increase reflects the fact that Iran has steadily produced more uranium over the past year, and the American goal is to make sure that Iran has less than one bomb's worth of uranium on hand. Iran would also have to halt all production of nuclear fuel that it is currently enriching to 20 percent - an important step on the way to bomb-grade levels. It would also have to make good on its agreement to negotiate on the future of its nuclear program." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqfDvtriMvbcbMb_oom9twK-jde9kigWN4lEjwlj1ZnWIu7lf9X1d-SxVIkAc2sQB06zcuJmd-xeBuC-Jjh8xA8FV6bp8wsHeoVdNkN2RAvzFg==
WSJ: "The U.S. Treasury Department designated another 37 front companies operating in Germany, Malta and Cyprus, along with five Iranian individuals, for helping Iran's state shipping company evade sanctions. The action targets the shipping lines' network and exposes the use of the country's national maritime carrier to advance its weapons of mass destruction program, and to carry military cargoes, the Treasury said in a statement. OFAC sanctions freeze any assets under U.S. jurisdiction of a designated entity, and they ban U.S. people from doing business with them. 'We will continue to expose the elaborate structures and tactics Iran uses to shield its shipping line from international scrutiny so that it can continue to facilitate illicit commerce,' said Stuart Levey, undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in the statement." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqdHVhSPFF7gcB7Ipv6nsF9caip76Z-lNlUAkUdIiyIqlfl_PyXmZc4wijSwRZ3KjCQRFq1TJJ4mdNt8wAB6CCyLXSpDFIxQRMM=
WashPost: "The United States and Europe have worked cooperatively on Iran policy since President Obama took office, but a small crack might have begun to open over sanctions that are beginning to pinch ordinary Iranians. The European Union issued regulations this week that went well beyond a U.N. Security Council resolution passed in June, outlining tough restrictions on the sale of equipment and technology to the Iranian oil and gas industry, as well as on investment in those sectors. But the regulations - unlike legislation passed by the U.S. Congress - allow for the import and export of oil and gas to the Islamic republic. 'If you want to send a tanker filled with refined petrol to Iran, and you have proved that you are not carrying any other goods that we deem illegal, Europe has no problem,' said a European official who specializes in sanction policies and spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject... The practical effect of the European action might be minimal because European oil giants might still refuse to supply Iran with fuel for fear of appearing to thwart U.S. sanctions." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqd5XksMNJKMUmhwRZjKrXLLiOm6DDZtKk2y6nWBa4fEcwGjA2V5z3Fu_ZSKWtkEff7onPtmjSGGQuRlMq5tHt-YteSG2xizmun9jD8IQ_D-IQ==
Nuclear Program
Bloomberg: "Rio Tinto Group, the world's third- largest mining company, said Iran can maintain a 15 percent stake in its Rossing uranium operation after a United Nations ruling barred the country from investing in mines of the fuel... 'It is shameful that Rio Tinto would attempt to defend any business with Iran,' Kimmie Lipscomb, a spokeswoman for New York-based non-profit group United Against Nuclear Iran, said today. 'How can Rio Tinto claim that by conducting business with Iran in a uranium mining venture, it is not contributing to Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons?'... Mark D. Wallace, president of UANI and a former U.S. ambassador to the UN, wrote to Rio Chairman Jan du Plessis last week, saying Iran's stake appeared to be a violation of U.S. law. He requested a response by Nov. 2. 'Profits from the Rossing uranium mine are channeled directly to the Iranian government, emboldening and financially empowering its pursuit of an illegal nuclear weapons program,' Wallace wrote in the letter dated Oct. 21. 'It is time for Rio Tinto and Rossing to recognize this threat as well and follow the lead of other responsible companies and stop putting short- term profits ahead of Iran's clear threat to global security.'" http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqeNkrzEezIWnN4uUHNoHEYJdcLXeDL-Sv8XQSlRGRtL7GDzsTI0Ai4BW4MQBeDb4VXeRY4BKLMZRBZT_1tVFfoQiyKt0tVTAys=
AFP: "Six world powers seeking to persuade Tehran to rein in its nuclear program have yet to receive a formal reply from Iran on their proposal to resume long-stalled talks, US officials said Wednesday. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents world powers in the nuclear dialogue with Iran, has proposed to resume the long-stalled talks in Vienna, starting with a dinner meeting on November 15, followed by two days of consultations. Top Iranian officials, including Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, welcomed the offer but have yet to present a formal response. And President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said negotiations were the only solution. 'The first thing we're waiting for is a response from Iran,' State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqe7yDWmE77JMmQAM0ArhGcdDGHRTA72ZTPh1APini5evYa0oN8VEz3UJhNjvzNM9ud7ZZF6N866OgCN29D3d3gBAhHc7cKxyCw=
Reuters: "China's top energy firms have slowed work on projects in Iran as their ties grow with U.S. energy companies, a blow to Tehran as it struggles under sanctions to attract investment in its strategic oil sector. OPEC's second-largest producer, needing billions of dollars just to maintain its oil output capacity, has turned to China to fill the vacuum left by Western firms that have withdrawn under political pressure as the U.S. and its allies look to halt Tehran's nuclear program. But the Chinese government informally instructed firms to slow down after the U.S. imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran in late June and as two of China's top three energy companies, CNPC and CNOOC Ltd, worked toward deals that gave them greater access to the U.S. energy sector, Beijing-based sources at the companies said. The U.S. operations of foreign firms operating in Iran's energy sector could be targeted under sanctions. As China's presence in the U.S. energy sector grows, so does its potential exposure to the sanctions." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqcbbOQSo5UseLWsgAhnqQSYPndaYHg12djAKkvj-ntOhB1ltwLr4jcS_CnQDo4JfWHr5DGio3UxR7TVIFEO5-C8SDjWTZERz2D6sgNXx3U7BA==
Haaretz: "Nigeria's secret service said on Tuesday it had intercepted 13 containers of weapons from Iran in what Israeli defense sources believe may be part of a new smuggling route from Iran to Hamas in Gaza. Rocket launchers, grenades and other explosives camouflaged as building material were seized in the Nigerian port of Lagos after being unloaded from an Iranian ship. Nigerian media reports said the ship, which came from Iran, docked in Lagos' port for a few hours only, unloaded 13 containers and sailed on. The bill of lading said the shipment consisted of building materials, Nigerian State Security Service spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar said." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqeWQ0RryHBLvIA9qMNbKGXueQGlT4VnX6G88M61M93BBxfBGQSpFfVMaAAlyx-4ZeuLyAcVY5pcHtT5QnsjTVddrYbx3f_OmR0=
Daily Telegraph: "Intelligence operations are vital to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the head of MI6 Sir John Sawers has claimed. He said that diplomacy was not enough and said that intelligence activities were responsible for Iran's admission last year of a second enrichment plant, which in turn led to tougher diplomatic pressure. 'Stopping nuclear proliferation cannot be addressed purely by conventional diplomacy,' he sad. 'We need intelligence-led operations to make it more difficult for countries like Iran to develop nuclear weapons,' he said." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqf7hoXw1AaIZBQ1P68MzLBALfJ94LD-83zahLgF6APobfeolH5gtiFULOynSRWeejk0CUWubQ3le7jfFHJdtSdo0t4igTPvbZo=
Reuters: "Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) said it would assess any impact of European sanctions on its oil trade with Iran and had stopped some activities there following tougher U.S. measures earlier this year. The European Union sanctions over Iran's nuclear work, launched in July and which became law this week, seek to block oil and gas investment in the Islamic Republic, the world's fifth largest oil exporter. 'Our trading business with Iran is carried out under longer-term contracts,' Shell's chief financial officer, Simon Henry, said on Thursday. 'We continue to lift (buy Iranian crude) under those contracts, but we do need to assess any implications of the European legislation.'" http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqdQiEb0wSkXyCJrwo3lpUPkrKoQoJCBhramDof0fSJD_44utLOb_0QVE21yihEv0X-vsx8Mtsu-mMPssPIkuG6oUkaivfdZrAUu7dWEnOmaNA==
Commerce
Bloomberg: "Iran will sell rial bonds worth $2.3 billion on Nov. 6 to finance the second development phase of its South Pars gas field, Mehr reported, citing a senior energy official. The bonds will be sold through Iran's Saderat Bank and Melli Bank, Pars Oil and Gas Co.'s managing director Ali Vakili told the state-run news service. Iran sold in August about $500 million worth of bonds for the first development phase of the gas deposit, the Oil Ministry said at the time. The three-year bonds, yielding 16 percent, were auctioned by the bank on Aug. 21, it said." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqdw93zd7DNW_ihIYGO6LNt0GTjV793wy7egPS_bP4ouWtkhPwA0qDH0Uvo8fa1ovf69FIM2xqQRYr2z6yw1DSUxRkko9jn8Y_Y=
Human Rights
AP: "Iran, where a woman convicted of adultery has been sentenced to death by stoning, is likely to become a member of the board of the new U.N. agency to promote equality for women, prompting outrage from the U.S. and human rights groups. Mark Kornblau, spokesman for the U.S. Mission, said Wednesday that Iran's membership 'would send the wrong signal at the start of this exciting new initiative.' 'UN Women is a vital new agency tasked with promoting gender equality and women's empowerment worldwide,' he said. 'We and many other countries are concerned by the negative implications of Iran's potential board memberships, given its poor record on human rights and the treatment of women.'" http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqdt8DvmhIc87Rqqt4__w5Wp-7e55wCN_74zpAnPT0bxPYOAXPMiz2ua7pITdGaANZ3S3gbAmp4HmzfQQdPiE1it6R1CTIZspB0=
Domestic Politics
TIME: "Tehran's working classes are clearly worried President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nebulous plan for reforming the economy. It has raised fears of inflation and unemployment with the likely end of the huge subsidies the government shells out for energy and bread, among others. But Iran's business classes are anxious as well. Farshad, 52, the owner of a company that produces industrial chemicals, wonders aloud whether in the near future he will be paying double or five times as much for the crucial natural gas supply which drives his business. 'We cannot see the future clearly. Until now when they have made promises they have not carried them out 100%,' Farshad says. 'They have said sweet words that are nice to hear, but if things continue to be uncertain I might even stop production. I'm at a loss.' The government has done little to alleviate the worries of industrialists like Farshad." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqf3cCRWCCYwxO9cWibiKxNYy_lVmusa60eNRV0UA_ojwU5X87tt79n-IHdhL5RGvGcJX9Zi8hVSerDLb_ZoK-b9ZUtRXPLLVPY=
Reuters: "While ordinary Iranians struggle to survive international sanctions and deepening economic uncertainty, the gap has widened between the disadvantaged and those who can afford to travel to Paris for a haircut. The extravagant tastes of wealthy Iranians show no signs of abating in spite of tougher sanctions targeting the Islamic state over its disputed nuclear program. Several new shopping malls packed with designer boutiques have just opened in Tehran and cities such as Tabriz and the holy Shi'ite city of Mashhad. Shiny vehicles clog the streets... The center of power has shifted since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election in 2005 from bazaar merchants and traditionally influential clerics to the elite Revolutionary Guards and businessmen with ties to the government and the Guards." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqeYn7AtxJRybfJMloa4b-IXQ6P0tymnPm8MrYnGUr1TeMdpQcG8PNtosyUiJY3sqFfhjAHzoYCh-LXzvrKV13Vc5GytKGTIGi5RUokirqR5BQ==
Bloomberg: "A member of Iran's Parliament has criticized the government for its lack of transparency in implementing a plan to cut energy and food subsidies and direct part of the cash to poorest Iranians, Mehr reported. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government needs to 'clarify ambiguities before taking any step,' Gholamreza Mesbahi- Moghadam, a member of the parliament's economic committee said yesterday, according to the state-run news agency. Iran plans to eliminate subsidies on fuel, electricity and basic consumer goods over the course of five years." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqdm612tC3JpBhE7W76_945-lTlH3FXqOnK4glNIgovlT9f4NEf4PwwPAETVYojodn_ReB93akb3qBDG0V8A3vI44yqLpy0o0iA=
Opinion
Golnaz Esfandiari in Radio Farda: "To counter the 'soft war' allegedly being waged against the Islamic republic, the Iranian authorities this week went to the front line: Tehran University. The university, seen by Tehran as an avenue through which Iran's enemies carry out their supposed nonmilitary efforts to destabilize the country and lead to its demise, hosted the First National Soft War Forum on October 26-27. The event included speeches by senior officials, including President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who praised 'Iranian Islam' in the face of what he described as 'American Islam.' Several panels were conducted, an exhibition was on display, and a 'soft war' webpage -- intended to be a Wikipedia-style catch-all for documenting actions taken against Iran -- was launched, although the page went down within a few hours. Since the country's disputed June 2009 presidential vote and the unrest that followed, the term 'soft war' has become prevalent in the vocabulary of Iranian officials." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqc5hBrufkIfCKt9iD49uJ8h202gGW0XG7du8wl6NptM_HOUMUbgGTk5M8TiiTuiIkputLyqRi_A0FGVaUbMruPRBhegIim96cE=
News Analysis
Mike Shuster in NPR: "There is growing evidence that the most recent economic sanctions imposed on Iran are beginning to hurt. The Islamic republic is having difficulties finding international banks to handle the revenue from its oil sales - and those sales appear to be shrinking. Meanwhile, a recent dramatic drop in the value of Iran's currency has left many people shaken. At the same time, the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is removing subsidies that could lead to price increases on everything from bread to gasoline. There hasn't been a moment since the triumph of the Islamic revolution in 1979 that Iran's government has not faced sanctions imposed by the U.S. and more recently by the U.N. Security Council. But over the years, it seemed that sanctions had little effect on Iran's economy. Now the U.S. is putting enormous pressure on banks in Europe, Asia and the Middle East to stop cooperating with Iran. The effort is paying off, says Nader Hashemi, an Iran expert at the University of Denver." http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hfdiftcab&et=1103840894138&s=30860&e=001jr2-g16hyqefuv8sS2qP5PdwEgkU2BAGpEjwvEV8Wcqz1NHZG6dTvjSLN9GI9Q0P6odIbIyZYpJaklPDO8Nw3t7lJASqTIGw6GBWowByWt8=
|
Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Eye on Iran is not intended as a comprehensive media clips summary but rather a selection of media elements with discreet analysis in a PDA friendly format. For more information please email Press@UnitedAgainstNuclearIran.com
United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons. UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment