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AP: "The United States has evidence of active Iranian support for the Syrian government's 'abhorrent and deplorable' crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said late Tuesday. 'The outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end and now,' she told reporters after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefed the Security Council behind closed doors on Syria and other hotspots. 'The brutal violence being used by the government of Syria against its own people is abhorent and deplorable and the United States condemns it in the strongest terms,' Rice said... 'Instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is disingenuously blaming outsiders while at the same time seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria's citizens through the same brutal tactics that have been used by the Iranian regime,' the U.S. ambassador said. Asked to elaborate on the Iranian involvement, Rice refused to go into detail but said 'we have said repeatedly that we are very conscious of and concerned by the evidence of active Iranian involvement and support on behalf of the Syrian government and its repression of its people.'" http://t.uani.com/fRp3Qa
WSJ: "India is looking for a new way of routing crude oil payments to Iran and is trying to see if it can be done through banks in Turkey, a senior oil ministry official said Wednesday. The official didn't provide any other details, but said that supplies from Iran haven't been disrupted. 'Iran has been ungrudging in supply. They continue to supply as our credibility is very high in the international market,' he said, adding that 'we are exploring various options' and that 'we are trying through Turkey.' The question of crude oil payments to Iran came into focus in December, when India's central bank stopped payments to Tehran through the Asian Clearing Union. The Asian Clearing Union is an arrangement where the participants settle payments for intra-regional transactions among member central banks, helping economize the use of foreign exchange and transfer costs. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Iran, Myanmar, Bhutan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka are members of the union. India then made some overdue payments to Iran through Germany's Deutsche Bundesbank. But, according to media reports, Germany stopped accepting money from India for Iranian oil payments following criticism from the U.S. and Israeli governments. A payment mechanism needs to be found quickly, the senior India oil ministry official told reporters, as India meets four-fifths of its total crude oil needs through imports. India imported 21.20 million tons of crude oil from Iran in the year ended March 31, 2010, about 13% of the country's total crude imports." http://t.uani.com/eb6eCg
AP: "Iran's president on Wednesday shunned a Cabinet meeting for the second consecutive time this week, apparently showing his discontent over a recent government appointment by the country's supreme leader. There is a growing rift between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say in all Iranian state matters. The confrontation stems from Ahmadinejad's recent dismissal of the intelligence minister, Heidar Moslehi, who was ordered by the president to resign last week. The minister was then promptly reinstated by Khamenei in a public slap to the president... Although Khamenei ordered Moslehi to remain in the Cabinet, the president reportedly didn't give in to the order and failed to officially invite Moslehi to Sunday's session. Surprisingly, Moslehi showed up and Ahmadinejad abstained. Iranian media reported that Moslehi attended the Cabinet session Wednesday but Ahmadinejad again abstained. The Ahmadinejad-Khamenei discord could destabilize Iran from within. The country is at odds with the West and under U.N. sanctions over its controversial nuclear program. It could also cast a shadow on the remaining two years of Ahmadinejad's presidency... Khamenei is believed to be intent on helping shape a new political team, absent of Ahmadinejad loyalists, to lead the next government." http://t.uani.com/fDqtJU
Human Rights
Reuters: "Iran wants Sarah Shourd, one of three Americans arrested in 2009 on spying charges, to return from the United States to stand trial in May, her lawyer was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Sarah Shourd was released on $500,000 bail last September while her two male companions, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, remain in jail in Tehran. They appeared in court for the first time in February and pleaded not guilty but Shourd did not appear. The next hearing is set for May 11. Lawyer Masoud Shafiee told official news agency IRNA a subpoena had been sent to Shourd through Iran's Foreign Ministry but he did not expect her to appear. 'In the court notice which I received as their lawyer, the presence of Sarah Shourd has been considered mandatory,' he said. 'In the phone conversation that I had with Ms Shourd, she told me she had gathered more evidence and proof for being innocent and will present it as defense to the court.' 'The possibility of her attending the second court session which is due on May 11 at 10 a.m. local time (0530 GMT)... is not much,' he added." http://t.uani.com/fkC6A2
Domestic Politics
Reuters: "Iran's parliament approved Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's annual budget on Tuesday, putting aside differences with a president that lawmakers have often accused of undermining their role in running the Islamic Republic. The 5,170 billion rial (around $500 billion) budget for 2011/12 was approved with 149 votes in favour, 61 against, and nine abstentions among the 226 members present in parliament, state broadcaster IRIB reported on its website. The semi official Mehr news agency said on its English language website that the budget was 45 percent bigger than last year. Other news agencies did not give comparative figures. Ahmadinejad presented the draft budget to parliament on Feb. 20, urging lawmakers to pass it unchanged before the start of the new year on Mar. 21, a deadline they missed by more than a month... One lawmaker said the budget was based on an oil price of $80 per barrel, well below levels over the last two months when prices have soared on world markets largely due to political unrest in the region." http://t.uani.com/ico0xi
Foreign Affairs
AFP: "Visiting Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Tuesday vowed that Cairo's possible ties with Iran will not undermine the security of oil-rich Arab states in the Gulf. 'If we have to open a (new) page with Iran... it will not undermine the security of the Gulf states because the security of Gulf states is important to us and Egypt's national security,' he told reporters. Sharaf arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday for a two-day official visit as part of his first Gulf tour that began in Saudi Arabia and will also include Qatar. Relations between the Sunni-ruled Arab states in the Gulf and non-Arab predominantly Shiite Iran were strained following a crackdown on protests in Bahrain led by the tiny kingdom's Shiite majority. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi asked Egypt on Saturday to take a 'courageous step' towards renewing diplomatic ties which Tehran broke in 1980 over Cairo's recognition of Israel." http://t.uani.com/fWxY8e
Opinion & Analysis
Amir Taheri in WSJ: "When the Arab uprisings started in Tunisia this winter, there were no more enthusiastic cheerleaders than the Khomeinists in Tehran. Their cheering got louder when revolution spread to Egypt, and louder still when Libyans rose in revolt. But Tehran's cheering has begun to fade. The reason is that the revolt has spread to Syria, the mullahs' sole Arab ally. A sign that Tehran may be getting nervous came last week when the Islamic Majlis, Iran's ersatz parliament, published a report on 'The Arab Revolution.' The authors ask for 'urgent action to protect our strategic interests' in case the regime of President Bashar Assad is toppled. What kind of action? Syrian opposition sources claim that Tehran has sent snipers to help Mr. Assad kill demonstrators. The regime used this tactic during the protests following the disputed presidential election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009. (Neda Agha-Soltan, the young woman who became the symbol of the pro-democracy uprising in Iran, was killed by one such sniper.) President Barack Obama has also spoken of Iran's possible involvement in Syria. Whether or not Tehran has sent snipers to prop up Mr. Assad, the Islamic Republic is bound by treaty to help him fight 'any threats against Syria's security and stability.' Tehran and Damascus first signed a military cooperation treaty in 1998. At the time, Iran's minister of defense, Adm. Ali Shamkhani, stated publicly that the treaty would also cover 'intelligence and security issues' with regard to dissident armed groups. Since then the treaty has been refined and deepened on several occasions, most recently under Mr. Ahmadinejad in 2008. Syria is the only country with which the Iranian armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hold joint staff meetings at least once a year. Iran has also emerged as a major supplier of weapons and materiel to Syria, according to the official Iranian news agency IRNA... Under Mr. Ahmadinejad, Iran has expanded its presence in Syria significantly. At least 14 Iranian 'Islamic Cultural Centres' have opened across Syria, and hundreds of mullah missionaries have been sent to introduce Iranian-style Shiism to Syrians. Similar tactics in Lebanon have succeeded in 'Iranizing' a large chunk of the Lebanese Shiite community. The Assad regime has a larger strategic importance for the Islamic Republic. 'We want to be present in the Mediterranean,' Mr. Ahmadinejad said in a speech last month in Tehran, marking the arrival in the Syrian port of Latakia of a flotilla of Iranian warships. This was the first time since 1975 that Iranian warships had appeared in the Mediterranean. Indeed, Iran could build a presence in the Mediterranean through Syria and Lebanon. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has already developed mooring facilities in the Syrian port as a prelude to what may be a full-scale air and naval base. Mr. Ahmadinejad, who believes that the United States is in historic retreat, sees Iran as the successor to the defunct Soviet Union as the principal global challenger to what he says is 'a world system, imposed by Infidel powers.' The loss of Syria would puncture many of Mr. Ahmadinejad's aspirations." http://t.uani.com/gTbkRR
Hossein Askari in The National Interest: "Throughout the years, Saudi decision-making has been characterized by three fundamental principles-discretion, caution and cash. But last month, by deploying troops to Bahrain and lecturing Iran, the al-Sauds acted out of character. They sent an unintended invitation to Iran to intervene around the Persian Gulf, an invitation that Iran cannot refuse and one that might be the seed for the downfall of the al-Sauds and other GCC monarchies. First some essential background. The al-Sauds, and more generally the Bedouins from Najd, have harbored a visceral hatred for Shia Muslims and especially for Iranians, but said and did nothing during the Shah's reign given the Shah's military might and his close relations with the United States. Then the Iranian Revolution brought the Shia-Sunni divide and Iran's revolutionary zeal to the top of the list of Saudi concerns. The al-Sauds believe the mullahs are untrustworthy and determined to destabilize Saudi rule. The Iran-Iraq War in all its savagery was a gift for the al-Sauds. Iranians and Iraqis killing each other was the best of both worlds; Shia were killing Shia and their two rivals in the Persian Gulf were decimating each other. The conflict fueled even more hatred between Iran and Iraq, further dividing the two for years to come, and leaving them little time and few resources to destabilize Saudi Arabia. Although the Saudis and their GCC allies put up mountains of cash to support Saddam Hussein, it was a worthwhile investment. After the bloody war, the period of standoff between the two Shia powers afforded the al-Sauds continued comfort. It appeared that devastation from the war, along with sanctions and continued policy ineptitude, would keep both countries backward for years to come... The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent ascendance of Shia to power there was a new blow to Saudi ambitions. Their worst nightmare was coming true. While they had hated Saddam Hussein, they saw him as useful in keeping Iraqi Shia in check and providing a counterweight to Iran. Hoping for a reversal given the ongoing turmoil in Iraq, the al-Sauds did little to discourage Saudi suicide bombers from going to Baghdad. But matters did not go as the al-Sauds hoped, and the Shia maintained their power in Iraq. Today, the al-Sauds feel threatened as never before. The Arab Spring has toppled two allies and is threatening others in the region. While Arabs in the street are trading full stomachs for dignity, representative rule, a more equitable share of oil wealth and a say in their political and economic future, the US appears to be abandoning its so-called friends in support of the revolutionaries. The Saudis believe the coming clash in the Persian Gulf is likely to be along the Shia-Sunni divide. But instead of proceeding as they have in the past, the al-Sauds are reacting viscerally against the Shia uprising in Bahrain and have stepped into a hornet's nest that may well be the opening gambit to a Shia-Sunni clash across the Persian Gulf." http://t.uani.com/hFHFqP
Avi Jorisch in The Weekly Standard: "As Iran continues to flout United Nations Security Council resolutions on nuclear proliferation, policy¬makers in United States and Europe have come to view tough economic and financial sanctions as perhaps the last peaceful means of bringing the Islamic Republic into line. It's true that sanc¬tions aren't a silver bullet, but properly targeted they're a credible shot across the bow that might influ¬ence the Iranian regime to change course. Most major financial institutions around the world have chosen to stop providing banking services to Iran. But some branches of designated Iranian banks are still operating in the capitals of some of American's closest allies, in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We need our partners to shut them down, lest they undermine the overall sanctions effort. Without hard currency, Iran will find it far more difficult to continue its illicit behavior, such as its support of ter¬rorist organizations and pursuit of nuclear weapons. Accordingly, the U.N., the EU, and the United States have taken steps to isolate Iranian banks that are suspected of funding such activities via the international financial system. Beginning in 2006, the U.N. ordered member states to cease doing business under any circumstances with Bank Sepah and its affiliates. It also placed restrictions on two other banks, Melli and Saderat. Most recently, the U.N. also designated the First East Export Bank, located in Malaysia. As recently as last month, Australia, Canada and the EU also published a list of illicit Iranian Banks. For its part, the United States has formally desig-nated those named at the U.N., as well as an additional 16 Iranian banks. In the U.S., the powers needed to take specific action against designated banks, their affiliates, and their assets are largely enshrined in the 2001 Patriot Act and the recently passed 2010 Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA). CISADA compels U.S. financial institutions to certify to the government that they and their customers have no direct or indirect business ties to designated Iranian banks. But CISADA also forces international banks to choose between the US market and doing business with designated Iranian banks. Banks who choose to continue doing business with sanctioned Iranian banks could face serious punishment; the Justice Department can take immediate action, closing down any branches they maintain on U.S. soil, cut off their correspondent account to any U.S. bank, and force a sale of all their U.S. assets. In other words, if you provide Iran with banking services you risk being cut off from the U.S. financial system. To date, over 80 financial institutions around the globe have either completely cut off or signifi¬cantly reduced their relationship with Iran. Major international banks, which in the past provided credit lines to the commodities industry in particular, have stopped supplying financial services to Iran. These include Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and UBS AG. And yet even as some of Washington's international partners claim that they support sanctions they've left open certain loopholes that allow Tehran free access to the inter¬national financial sector and hard currency. For instance, some European policymakers claim that designated branches can continue to operate in their jurisdictions as long as the transactions relate to contracts signed prior to the U.N. designation. This provision lets Iranian banks keep their business licenses in Europe with the result that these banks continue to operate relatively freely. It's time for our allies to close these loopholes, and further strengthen the sanctions regime. We need to apply every peaceful tool we have in stopping Iran's drive toward a nuclear bomb-for as long as such options are still available to us." http://t.uani.com/fDH1Dp
Andy Greenberg in Forbes: "The Internet has fueled, and by some accounts may have even sparked, the wave of revolutions sweeping across the Middle East. So perhaps it's little wonder that Iran, which has always kept a tight grip on its citizens' access to the digital world, has stepped up its oppression to become the world's number one enemy of Internet freedom. In a report released last week from Freedom House, the civil liberties-focused non-profit analyzed the level of access to an unfettered Internet in 37 countries. Estonia was found to be the most liberal and connected, followed by the United States. Iran hit the bottom of the list, down significantly from the last time the report was compiled in 2009 and the country ranked above China, Tunisia, and Cuba. What happened? According to the report's analysis, Iran has cracked down on every front online. Since the Internet was used to organize protests after the disputed June 2009 re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the country's government enacted a Computer Crime Law the next month severely restricting acceptable content online and banning anything vaguely resembling political opposition, including women's rights, homosexual rights, and content considered insulting to religious figures. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corporation (IRGC) bought a controlling stake in the Telecommunications Company of Iran in September of that year, and already exerted de facto control of the alternative IranCell through former IRGC officials. That tightened control has also allowed high-level monitoring of content. Encrypted sites like Gmail are often banned to force users towards less-shielded alternatives that allow easier spying, and all data is stored by Internet service providers (ISPs) for six months before deletion so that it can be investigated. To prevent users from circumventing surveillance, the regime has clamped down on the use of anonymity tools like Tor. In a blog post in January, Tor executive director Andrew Lewman wrote that one of the five Iranian ISPs is now blocking publicly-known Tor nodes, even when that connection is encrypted. 'In a short few months, Iran has vastly improved the sophistication of their censorship technologies,' he wrote. The government was also recently found to be spoofing the SSL certificates on sites to trick users into thinking their connection is secure even when it isn't." http://t.uani.com/fpgiLJ
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