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WSJ: "Leaked U.S. diplomatic cables provide new details on the U.S. assessment of how Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps has promoted Tehran's influence in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The demise of archenemy Saddam Hussein, with whom Tehran fought an eight-year war in the 1980s, presented the Iranians with an unprecedented opportunity, and they appear to have exploited it from Day One. The leadership of the Qods Force-the Guards' paramilitary and espionage arm-'took advantage of the vacuum' in the aftermath of the fall of Mr. Hussein's regime to begin sending operatives into Iraq when 'little attention was focused on Iran,' according to an April 2009 dispatch from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The cable was part of a trove of classified U.S. diplomatic communications made public this week by WikiLeaks. Early priorities for the Iranian operatives included assassinating former Iraqi fighter pilots who flew sorties against Iran during the Iran-Iraq war, according to a December 2009 dispatch from Baghdad. As of the end of last year 180 pilots had been killed, according to the report. But Iran's broader goals have been the establishment of 'an economically dependent and politically subservient Iraq' and the undermining of rivals, in part through paramilitary means, the cables suggest." http://on.wsj.com/gxVF9k
WSJ: "The Obama administration is pleased that Iran has agreed to return to Geneva for a new round of international talks on its disputed nuclear program, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday. 'We are encouraged that Iran has agreed to meet in Geneva next week,' she told a news conference after attending the opening day of a summit meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which does not include Iran. 'This is an opportunity for Iran to come to the table and discuss the matters that are of concern to the international community-first and foremost, their nuclear program.' She also said the talks could be more comprehensive but that the nuclear matter would be central. The talks are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday with the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. Ms. Clinton said a uranium-exchange agreement that was announced following talks with Iran in October 2009-but which later unraveled-would have to be modified to take into account the fact that Iran has since produced more enriched uranium." http://on.wsj.com/hh9r2f
AFP: "The US Treasury Department on Tuesday announced sanctions against 10 businesses linked to Iranian weapons programs, including eight on the Isle of Man, one in Switzerland and one in Malaysia. The firms are affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and Bank Mellat -- which have already been targeted for their role in aiding Iran's weapons of mass destruction programs. 'As long as Iran uses front companies, cut-outs and other forms of deception to hide its illicit activities, we intend to expose this conduct and thereby counteract Iran's attempts to evade US and international sanctions,' said US sanctions czar Stuart Levey. On the Isle of Man -- an island nestled between Britain and Ireland -- the firms targeted were shipping companies said to be fronts for the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. Nearly 80 of firms have been sanctioned for their links with the Iranian shipping line, which is accused of carrying proscribed military cargoes. Also sanctioned were Pearl Energy Company and a Switzerland-based subsidiary, who were accused of helping 'provide financing and expertise to entities seeking to enter Iran's petroleum sector.'" http://bit.ly/fzObD6
Nuclear Program & Sanctions
AP: "In military maneuvers and air shows, Iran has been proudly touting advances in its air forces and defenses, including radar systems, anti-aircraft batteries and new attack and reconnaissance drones. It's a sign of a new priority for Iran's military - trying to quickly bolster its ability to patrol its skies in the belief that U.S. or Israeli warplanes or missiles could strike its nuclear facilities. But Iran's highly publicized unveilings of air systems in recent months - including an armed drone dubbed the 'ambassador of death' - have not yet translated into any significant tactical gains for the Islamic Republic, defense analysts say. For the most part, Iran's air attack capabilities still depend heavily on domestically modified versions of long-outdated warplanes, including former Soviet MiGs and American F14A Tomcats from the 1970s, and its anti-aircraft batteries and drones remain untested, the analysts say." http://wapo.st/g5hRcZ
WashPost: "On Oct. 10, to celebrate its 65th anniversary as a one-party state, North Korea unveiled a new missile in the type of military parade that for decades has been a hallmark of authoritarian regimes. The North Koreans call the missile the Musudan. The Musudan is now playing a starring role in reports this week prompted by WikiLeaks' release of U.S. diplomatic cables. One of the documents says that Iran has obtained 19 of the missiles from North Korea, prompting news reports suggesting that the Islamic republic can hit targets in Western Europe and deep into Russia - farther than Iran's existing missiles can strike. The problem, however, is that there is no indication that the Musudan, also known as the BM-25, is operational or that it has ever been tested. Iran has never publicly displayed the missiles, according to experts and a senior U.S. intelligence official, some of whom doubt the missiles were ever transferred to Iran. Experts who analyzed Oct. 10 photographs of the Musudan said it appeared to be a mock-up." http://wapo.st/hnudEL
AFP: "The United States said Tuesday it hopes Iran will come to talks in Geneva next week ready to pursue 'a serious process' to clear up international fears about its nuclear ambitions. 'Now that the meeting is set, we hope Iran will come to the table prepared to engage in a serious process to address the international community's concerns about its nuclear programs,' State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told AFP. The European Union announced earlier that nuclear talks between Iran, the United States and five other powers will resume in Geneva on December 6-7, more than a year after they ground to a halt with sanctions having multiplied." http://bit.ly/gMPZ5J
Reuters: "Dhows laden with goods bound for Iran line Dubai's creek. Workmen lift boxes of cheap wares, made in China, onto the creaking wooden vessels ready to make the short journey across the Gulf to the Islamic Republic. The buzz of activity belies growing evidence that this traditional trade between Dubai and Iran is suffocating under the ever-tightening grip of sanctions, and businesses fear it could soon become a thing of the past. The United Arab Emirates has signalled it will rein back its role as a trading and financial lifeline for Iran after the U.N. Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions on Iran in June, over accusations it is developing a nuclear bomb. The measures could spell disaster for many of the Iranian banks and thousands of Iranian businesses who deal with Dubai, which built its reputation on its role as the re-export hub for the Gulf." http://bit.ly/hJxBVy
JPost: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki dropped his planned visit to the Netherlands on Tuesday because US sanctions meant his Iran Air plane might be refused fuel. 'Mr. Mottaki canceled his visit because the government of the Netherlands could not guarantee that his plane would be refueled by private fuel firms at Schiphol airport, which follow US sanctions,' Ward Bezemer, a spokesman for the Dutch Foreign Ministry, wrote The Jerusalem Post... Mottaki was slated to attend a conference organized by the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies that involves an 'understanding of the regional developments and Iran's role towards achieving regional stability.'" http://bit.ly/e5UIJt
Human Rights
AP: "Iran on Wednesday hanged a former soccer player's mistress - known as a 'temporary wife' - who was convicted of murdering her love rival in a case that captivated the Iranian public for several years. Shahla Jahed was hanged at dawn, after spending more than eight years in jail for the slaying of the player's wife, the official IRNA news agency reported. Jahed had become what is known as a 'temporary wife' of former soccer star Nasser Mohammad Khani. She was charged in 2002 with stabbing his wife, Laleh Saharkhizan, to death and convicted of murder in 2004 and again in 2009, after her appeal was denied. Contracts with 'temporary wives' are a legal way for Iranian men to have mistresses outside marriage, with the agreements lasting from between several hours to a few years." http://wapo.st/hU9yzN
LAT: "As protesters poured into the streets of Iran in the aftermath of the disputed 2009 reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, U.S. diplomats scrambled to decipher the erupting political crisis and the goals of the opposition's so-called green movement, according to recently disclosed diplomatic cables. The diplomats hurried to understand without the benefit of an official outpost in Tehran, a result of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Instead they read news bulletins and spoke with allied embassies in places like Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. They contacted Iranian dissidents, human rights activists and disgruntled businessmen, according to the confidential dispatches made public in recent days by WikiLeaks. By early this year, diplomats dubbed 'Iran watchers' at the U.S. Consulate in Dubai had produced the first in a series of cables examining the Iranian opposition since the 2009 election." http://lat.ms/gaYKJd
CNN: "Sarah Shourd, the American hiker freed from an Iran prison after 14 months, released a song Wednesday to support her fiance and friend who remain behind bars in Tehran. Shourd composed the song, 'Piece of Time,' while in solitary confinement in Evin Prison. It is available on a YouTube channel dedicated to seeking the release of the pair who remain imprisoned: YouTube.com/user/FreeTheHikers. 'I wrote many songs in prison that helped me get through 410 days alone in a cell,' Shourd said. Iranian authorities released her in September on humanitarian grounds." http://bit.ly/es6OIo
Domestic Politics
AP: "For the second time in a month, heavy air pollution in Iran's smog-filled capital has forced authorities to close government offices and schools and declare a two-day public holiday because of the health dangers of being outdoors. A government committee decided pollution levels in Tehran warranted the closure of all government offices, schools and industries on Wednesday and Thursday because of 'polluted and unhealthy' conditions. Critics say each holiday incurs about $130 million in financial losses. The air over Iran's capital is among the most polluted in the world, and health experts say many Iranians suffer serious health problems as a result." http://wapo.st/gXAdnm
Foreign Affairs
WashPost: "Along this dusty border crossing that links Iraq with erstwhile enemy Iran, there is growing evidence that it is Iran that holds the upper hand at the twilight of the U.S. military mission here. Weapons and Shiite militiamen continue to cross into Iraq along the poorly secured border, part of what U.S. military officials describe as an Iranian effort to keep proxy fighting forces in Iraq. The flow faces little challenge from a poorly trained, ill-equipped Iraqi border police force that might be the weakest link in the security apparatus that the U.S. military intends to leave behind. Supply shortfalls have hampered the Iraqi border force, which often has to make do with limited fuel for vehicles and generators." http://wapo.st/gbgHYY
Opinion & Analysis
Karim Sadjadpour in FT: "If extra-terrestrials were to have read Monday's WikiLeaks revelations on the Middle East, they would conclude that the earth's two superpowers are the US and Iran. The Iranian menace dominates Washington's diplomatic discussions. And angst is felt even more acutely by Sunni Arab leaders, in particular those of Saudi Arabia, who privately encourage America to deliver Shia Iran its military comeuppance. So far, the Obama administration has admirably eschewed their advice. Instead it has used a recent $60bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia, along with further multi-billion-dollar deals with the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait, to develop a strategy of military containment. Yet such an approach ignores the fact that Iran's strength lies primarily in its political influence, not its military prowess. Tehran's military budget is less than a quarter of regional rival Saudi Arabia's. But its soft power, along with it support for militias, can undermine governments with vastly superior armies, as has been evidenced by the US in Iraq. The WikiLeaks revelations make clear that Arab officials believe Iran to be inherently dishonest and dangerous. The feeling is probably mutual. But they hide perhaps a more interesting issue, namely what type of Iranian government would actually best serve Gulf Arab interests." http://bit.ly/g3xWWr
Suzanne Maloney in FT: "In the coverage of the revelations contained within the thousands of leaked US government cables, official American reports of Arab animosity and trepidation towards Iran have gained much attention. Lost amid the brouhaha is one simple, unfortunate reality: the prospects of making meaningful progress on constraining the Iranian nuclear programme have just receded. In fact, despite all their juicy details, the WikiLeaks revelations on Iran offer no epiphanies. In the accounts of US diplomats, Arab leaders revile Iran, fear its nuclear programme, resent its creeping influence across the region and, above all, appeal to Washington for more aggressive steps against Tehran. But the hawkishness of Arab leaders on Iran when behind closed doors has long been the region's worst kept secret. After all, the leading regional states boast long-standing alliances with Washington and spend billions of dollars on US military equipment. The real problem that the WikiLeaks document dump poses is the repercussions for diplomacy towards Iran and, in particular, the upcoming talks over Iran's nuclear programme. The public airing of private sabre-rattling will force Arab states to recalibrate both their public approach and private actions on Iran in order to maintain the uneasy equilibrium that is the hallmark of their strategic stance." http://bit.ly/fZxcmB
TIME: "The Iranian nuclear expert assassinated in Tehran on Monday was the top scientist and senior manager of Iran's nuclear effort. Majid Shahriari was killed when an explosive charge placed in his car was detonated by remote control after he climbed into the vehicle, according to a Western intelligence expert with knowledge of the operation. The assassination carried the signature of Israel's Mossad, which has carried out similar operations on foreign soil over the decades. Typically, a team of agents reconnoiters the target and his routines over a period of months, assessing vulnerabilities and opportunities to escape afterward. Most of the operatives are usually on their way out of the country by the time the charge is detonated by a member who sees the target enter the booby-trapped car. 'It's like a suit,' says the intelligence expert. 'An assassination must be custom-made.' Only political appointees ranked higher than Shahriari in Iran's nuclear effort. His death dealt a double blow to the Iranian nuclear program. The most immediate cost was the loss of operational expertise and detailed knowledge of an effort that has gone on for decades. But his death also brought home to every other scientist the risk of remaining in their line of work." http://bit.ly/giSOrC |
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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