Top Stories
Reuters: "World powers should stop threatening Iran if they want to achieve results at talks on Tehran's nuclear program, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday. Speaking at a news conference on a visit to Azerbaijan, he gave no indication whether talks tentatively scheduled for next month between Iran and six world powers -- Russia, the United States, Britain, France, China and Germany -- would go ahead. 'If they want to achieve positive results they should stop thinking as aggressors. There are those among them who think as aggressors, and they think they can achieve positive results by putting pressure on us and threatening us,' he said. 'They should change the old methods, otherwise the results will be the same. No embargoes can change the Iranian people.' Both sides have expressed a readiness to meet for talks on December 5 but have not agreed on a venue. Ahmadinejad said Iran had offered to hold the meeting in Istanbul, and the six powers had suggested Geneva." http://reut.rs/aMOiBW
AP: "Israel has 'some time' to determine whether international sanctions are enough to pressure Iran not to pursue a nuclear weapons program, Israel's military chief told reporters Wednesday... Ashkenazi, the head of Israeli Defense Forces, said he agrees that sanctions are currently working. The 'real question,' he said, is whether they are sufficient enough for the long term. 'That has to be determined,' Ashkenazi told U.S. and Israeli reporters at the Pentagon, where he was meeting with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen... Asked whether the latest round of sanctions were enough to discourage Iran's suspected nuclear ambitions, Mullen said they have taken a 'fairly significant bite' out of Iran's capabilities and put much more pressure on Tehran than initially thought possible. Declining to give specifics for security reasons, Mullen said: 'I've certainly seen a body of evidence that indicates the sanctions are taking their toll -- much more rapidly than some had anticipated (and) more deeply' Mullen reiterated the long-held U.S. position that a potential military strike 'will remain on the table.'" http://bit.ly/dDyXoe
Reuters: "The United States said on Wednesday it will not investigate Inpex Corp, Japan's top oil explorer, for its past investments in Iran because of its decision to pull out of an Iranian oilfield project. Inpex on Oct. 15 announced that it would withdraw from Iran's Azadegan oil field project because new U.S. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program posed a potential threat to the company's business. The company, which had a 10 percent stake in the oil field, feared the sanctions could hamper its ability to raise money from U.S. institutions as well as hinder its global projects... In a statement, the State Department said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had decided to use a provision of the Iran Sanctions Act to spare the company from an investigation into its past investments in Iran's energy sector. 'This decision is a result of INPEX's Oct. 15 announcement to complete its withdrawal from the $2 billion project in Iran's South Azadegan oil field,' the department said, saying Inpex had promised not to conduct any energy-related activity in Iran that could trigger Iran Sanctions Act sanctions." http://bit.ly/dA3CJk
Nuclear Program & Sanctions
AFP: "Iran has 'successfully' test fired an upgraded version of a Soviet-era missile, a commander said in a report on Thursday, after Moscow dropped plans to supply Tehran with S-300 missiles. The website of Iran's English-language Press TV reported that the Islamic republic had 'designed an air defence system that has the same capability as the Russian-made S-300 system.' 'We have developed the system by upgrading systems like the S-200, and we have tested it successfully using all our potential and experience in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the Army and the Defence Ministry,' it quoted Brigadier General Mohammad Hassan Mansourian, the deputy commander in the Iran's air defence unit, as saying. It was unclear from the report about the nature of the test, and whether it was carried out during ongoing aerial defence war games." http://bit.ly/aA1e9U
AP: "The human impact from the wrangling between Iran and the West over its nuclear program could fall first in nuclear medicine clinics around the country, where hundreds of cancer patients a week get treatment with radioactive isotopes. Iran says fuel for the Tehran research reactor that produces the isotopes will run out in September next year, leaving it without the materials needed to diagnose and treat some 850,000 cancer patients across the country. A deal for the West to provide fuel for the reactor has all but fallen apart in the deadlock over Iran's broader nuclear program, and Iran's drive to produce the fuel on its own has brought condemnation from the U.S. and Europe. They fear the program could boost what they contend is the secret goal of Iran's nuclear ambitions: to produce a bomb." http://wapo.st/cm6Wta
Reuters: "Oil trade with Iran remains more difficult following tougher sanctions against the Islamic Republic, industry sources said, despite a message from the European Union that such operations are legal. Saras, an Italian oil refiner, said last week that transactions with Iran have become more challenging as banks are reluctant to get involved. Other European oil companies have made similar remarks privately. 'The banking side is the tough part. It is very tough. It has to be banks that haven't got any kind of interests in the United States,' said an Iranian crude oil customer in Europe. Iran is a major oil exporter and its production is equal to about 4.2 percent of daily world demand. The amount of Iranian crude sold to countries that are members of the International Energy Agency declined by 22 percent in August." http://bit.ly/9HWJnY
Bloomberg: "The North Atlantic Treaty Organization won't point specifically to Iran's ballistic missiles as a threat when its members meet in Lisbon at the end of the week, the Financial Times reported, citing NATO General- Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen. In an interview with the newspaper, Rasmussen said more than 30 countries have, or want to acquire, missiles that could reach territory of NATO members, so it would make no sense to single out Iran. This may mean Turkey will support plans for an alliance- wide ballistic missile defense system, the FT said." http://bit.ly/amCkaw
FT: "Dubai is seeking to facilitate legitimate trade with Iran to counteract the effects of unilateral US sanctions, which have dried up financing for business deals with Tehran. Following mounting complaints from Dubai merchants, the federal government in the United Arab Emirates and Washington are setting up a committee to clarify the financial sanctions and their scope. Dubai, a major re-export hub, has historically been a haven for Iranian business. But its thriving trade with Iran has been hit by international sanctions imposed over the past year in an attempt to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions. At a time when the emirate is emerging from financial crisis and refocusing on trade and tourism, exports to Iran are declining - from an estimated high of $10bn in 2008 to $8bn last year. 'The big problem in Dubai is the American boycott of Iran,' said a leading Dubai businessman, adding that the US wants many Dubai-based Iranian companies closed down." http://bit.ly/aIgl13
Commerce
Reuters: "Azerbaijan pledged to deepen energy ties with neighbouring Iran on Wednesday, signing a memorandum of cooperation with Tehran on gas supplies and electricity swaps. The memorandum, the details of which were not made available, was signed during a visit to Baku by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad... Western diplomats have said that oil- and gas-producing Azerbaijan could prove a weak link in the sanctions regime given its ties with Iran, home to a large ethnic Azeri minority. 'This document envisages deepening cooperation between our countries,' Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said after the signing ceremony. 'It concerns projects in gas deliveries from Azerbaijan to Iran, electricity swaps and development of railway links within the framework of the north-south international transportation corridor,' Aliyev said in televised comments." http://bit.ly/9eXQtB
Human Rights
AFP: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that the case of a woman sentenced to death by stoning was still under investigation and denounced the US outcry over her sentence as biased. The case of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, who has been sentenced to die by stoning on charges of adultery, has sparked international outrage and calls from the United States and Europe for her execution to be called off. 'This case is still under investigation. Iran's investigative agencies are very competent and they will take the right decision on this matter,' Ahmadinejad told a press conference in the Azerbaijani capital Baku." http://yhoo.it/cG5l49
Domestic Politics
AP: "A one-time Iranian Air Force pilot seeking political asylum in France, and armed with what he says is a valuable list of contacts, says he intends to serve as a bridge between military officers and resistance forces. Behzad Masoumi Legwan claims dissent in Iran's military is widespread. Masoumi's arrival in France was announced Nov. 10 by the Europe-based Green Wave Iran movement, which says it helped him come to Paris. Masoumi said at a news conference Wednesday that he established links with dissident military officers and can now be a bridge between them and resistance forces. He was purged in 2001 but says he had access to bases till 2007, then escaped to Iraqi Kurdistan after June 2009 unrest." http://yhoo.it/dycWfO
CNN: "An Iranian fencer who competed at an event in France has gone missing, a semi-official Iranian news outlet reported Wednesday. Mashregh reported that Mohammad Hossein Ebrahimi, a member of the country's fencing team, participated in an event in France but disappeared on the way to an airport. The competition took place between November 4 and last Saturday. Ebrahimi was scheduled to leave France for Guangju in China for a competition there, Mashregh said." http://bit.ly/bg24i2
Foreign Affairs
AFP: "Iran called Wednesday on foreign powers not to block cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, ahead of a summit between the two nations struggling to mend an unprecedented rift in bilateral ties. 'We cannot allow far away countries to prevent our cooperation and strategic partnership,' Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in an interview on Russia Today television channel. 'We have longstanding relations with Russia and we hope to cooperate in the long-term with this country,' he said, adding, 'our countries have an enormous potential for political, economic and technological cooperation.' Mehmanparast spoke ahead of a Thursday summit in the Azerbaijani capital Baku between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." http://bit.ly/bD7alb
Opinion & Analysis
Ed Barnes in Fox News: "As Iran increases its military might in the Mideast and potentially becomes a nuclear threat in the world, its efforts to present itself as a benign and socially involved international state have been taking a beating. A string of diplomatic failures in recent weeks has left the Islamic Republic hobbled by international sanctions and allied primarily with other rogue states, trying to find new ways to save its image. The most recent disaster came on Nov. 9, when UNESCO withdrew its support for next week's World Philosophy Day ceremonies in Tehran, which were intended to be part of the organization's worldwide effort to promote 'philosophical debate that respects human dignity and diversity.' The event has been held annually since 2002... Perhaps because of the diplomatic failures, Iran has touted its recent elevation to the presidency of OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) for the first time since the 1979 revolution that established the Islamic state. Iranian newspapers and politicians in Iran touted the selection to the presidency as a sign of the country's growing influence. One politician said the choice was a victory over 'global arrogance trying to isolate the country' and was proof of the 'futility of international sanctions.' The only problem, oil analysts point out, is that Iran did little to secure the post, which they say is a revolving one that each state gets in alphabetical order. It is the secretary-general's post that has influence, and Iran is not likely to get that any time soon, they say." http://fxn.ws/9DDIno
Amos Harel in Haaretz: "Dr. Olli Heinonen, former deputy secretary general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, presented a relatively optimistic forecast regarding the Iranian nuclear danger when speaking with Haaretz last month. Iran's centrifuges, he told Yossi Melman, are not working well; some of them are defective. Only about 3,000 are working properly, and Iran will need many more to enrich uranium to a level that will allow it to manufacture a nuclear weapon. Intentionally or not, Heinonen provided a significant argument against an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites in the near future. Heinonen is talking about a critical period of more than a year, during which diplomatic efforts can still see the program halted. A host of international media reports about computer worms and mysterious explosions of Iranian nuclear sites and missiles, responsibility for which has been attributed to various intelligence agencies in the West, could attest to even more time available before a violent clash becomes inevitable." http://bit.ly/cZ7L0P
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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.
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