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Reuters: "The storming of the British embassy compound in Tehran provides extra ammunition to European governments pushing for stronger sanctions against Iran, in particular a contentious embargo on Iranian oil, diplomats said on Wednesday. EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday to map out Europe's response to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency in recent weeks that suggested Iran has worked on designing an atom bomb. Much has already been agreed -- the EU will add some 180 names to a list of people and entities targeted by pan-European sanctions -- but a number of EU capitals have yet to decide exactly how much economic pressure the EU should apply on Iran over its nuclear program, which it says is peaceful. Tuesday's attack on the British embassy by dozens of students and protesters angry over Britain's unilateral sanctions could go some way towards convincing them stronger action is needed, diplomats said. 'From a political point of view this (attack) cannot, I think, work in the direction of EU member states wanting to ease pressure on Iran,' one senior EU diplomat said. 'On the contrary.'" http://t.uani.com/vdJSCZ
NYT: "With Britain's decision to close its vandalized embassy in Tehran and expel all Iranian diplomats from London, Iran appears to have moved a major step closer to international pariah status. That isolation could complicate efforts by Western governments to halt what they have identified as Iran's covert efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, according to diplomats and others who monitor Iranian affairs. A day after announcing the British measures, Foreign Secretary William Hague - in Brussels for a meeting with his European Union counterparts - said Thursday he would 'be advocating an intensification of economic sanctions, particularly to increase the isolation of the Iranian financial sector.' Those measures, he told the BBC, 'will be related to the Iranian nuclear program' rather than to Britain's damaged diplomatic offices in Tehran." http://t.uani.com/uYSjkO
AFP: "The United States on Wednesday highlighted Iran's 'increasing isolation' after Britain closed its embassy in Tehran and several European countries recalled ambassadors for consultations. The measures taken after the British mission was attacked by protesters angry at fresh sanctions against Iran's nuclear program show 'that Tehran's actions are leading to its increasing isolation in the world,' State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said... 'It's very, very hard to get into the minds of the Iranians who attacked the British embassy yesterday or the minds of the government officials who tacitly condone this attack,' Toner said. He said 'it was an egregious violation of their Vienna Convention commitment' to protect diplomats. The United States cut their diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic in 1980, following the hostage-taking at the US embassy in Tehran." http://t.uani.com/t6MFSs
British Embassy Attack AP: "Iran has released 11 hardline protesters detained for storming the British Embassy and diplomatic compounds in Tehran this week, the semi-official Fars news agency said Thursday. Fars said 11 people, described as students, were set free late on Wednesday, a day after they were arrested for storming and ransacking the embassy and British diplomatic compounds in Tehran. There was no immediate explanation for the release. Under Iranian law, damaging property carries a prison term of up to three years. It could, however, indicate the 11 have high-level protection from circles within the Iranian establishment. The storming of the compounds was preceded by an apparently state-approved rally outside the British Embassy to denounce Britain's support for the latest round of U.S. sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear program." http://t.uani.com/s0aZfe Reuters: "Britain will support an embargo on Iranian oil imports following the deterioration of relations between the two countries, diplomatic sources told Reuters on Wednesday, as France tried to rally support for new sanctions within the EU. 'Now that the UK has downgraded diplomatic relations with Iran, it will support increased sanctions ... and would likely go ahead with those sanctions unilaterally or with France and Germany,' said a diplomatic source, referring to the ban on Iranian crude oil imports. A British government source said Britain was 'broadly supportive' of further energy sanctions on Iran when asked about the proposal for an Iran embargo." http://t.uani.com/vAUwX9
Reuters: "France is recalling its ambassador from Iran for consultations a day after protesters stormed the British embassy in Tehran, and will push for tougher sanctions at an EU foreign ministers' meeting on Thursday. 'Given the flagrant and unacceptable violation of the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations and the seriousness of the violence, the French authorities have decided to recall their ambassador from Iran for consultations,' French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in a statement. Foreign Minister Alain Juppe's chief of staff had earlier in the day summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Paris to condemn the attacks on the British diplomatic missions in Tehran, which forced London to close its embassy and evacuate staff." http://t.uani.com/uNxwcJ
Reuters: "Italy is considering closing its embassy in Tehran and will summon the Iranian ambassador to ask for guarantees for the safety of the country's diplomats after the assault on the British embassy, Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said on Wednesday. 'We're seeking firm guarantees,' from the Iranians, Terzi told reporters after testimony in parliament. 'We're reflecting rapidly on the presence of our ambassador and our diplomatic personnel (in Tehran),' he said." http://t.uani.com/spOhUd Nuclear Program & Sanctions AFP: "Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday ruled out a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities 'for the moment,' in remarks to public radio, but said that the Jewish state would keep all options open. 'We have no intention of acting for the moment... We should not engage in war when it is not necessary, but there may come a time or another when we are forced to face tests,' Barak said. 'Our position has not changed on three points: a nuclear Iran is unacceptable, we are determined to stop that, and all options are on the table,' he added." http://t.uani.com/tnuc4M
Reuters: "CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping group, stopped export shipments from Iran in July and has been scanning all containers bound for the Islamic Republic since September, the French company said on Wednesday. Growing sanctions pressure on Iran due to its atomic programme is hitting the country's vital seaborne trade, with France prominent in calls to impose new restrictions. 'In July 2011 the CMA CGM group decided to stop all exports out of Iran,' the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters on Wednesday. 'Since September 2011, all containers bound for Iran are scanned at Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates before being shipped to their final destination using feeder vessels,' it said. CMA CGM had said in a note to customers in September it was introducing a scanning process from Khor Fakkan for all Iranian inbound container cargo, 'in order to maintain a safe service in regards of the international sanctions'... CMA CGM was criticised by certain members of the U.S. Congress for lax security in Iran after an arms seizure in March by Israel aboard one of the firm's ships, which the Israelis said concerned Iranian-supplied weapons bound for Gaza. The French group said it was the victim of a false freight declaration and was not accused of wrongdoing by Israel." http://t.uani.com/vEr8hh
Bloomberg: "Iran plans to attack U.S. Air Force bases in Germany to disrupt supplies should the country become the target of U.S. air strikes because of its nuclear program, Bild newspaper reported, citing a probe by the Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The Federal Prosecutor's Office has initiated preliminary proceedings against a German national on the grounds of suspected spying activity for sabotage purposes, the newspaper said. The German businessman is thought to have had 'conspiratorial contacts' with the Iranian embassy in Berlin, Bild said." http://t.uani.com/rRPM8M
Bloomberg: "Iran would seem to have no choice but to abandon its nuclear program. The reality, however, is more complex. Iran has $80 billion in annual revenue from its crude oil output of about 3.5 million barrels a day, according to the Iranians and production estimates from the International Energy Agency. Its near-total reliance on energy sales is a vulnerability if oil prices crash. So far they haven't, and Iran continues to have steady customers in China, Japan, India, and South Korea. Surprisingly, it has European customers, too: Italy, Greece, and Spain are especially important. With prices around $100 a barrel, Iran has, by some estimates, foreign reserves of $60 billion. Its economy may grow 4 percent this year, says Kenneth Katzman, an Iran specialist for the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service." http://t.uani.com/u7SYZR
Opinion & Analysis
WSJ Editorial Board: "The scenes outside the British embassy in Iran yesterday evoked Tehran, 1979. Young, bearded men forced their way in and briefly held six British employees. The attack was no impromptu happening. Police stood by, and Iranian state television broadcast events live. By some strange reflex, Western media insisted the attackers were 'students.' To Iranians who know better, they were the basij militia, the regime's first line of defense. These thugs were called out to brutally put down the 2009 Green Revolution, a genuine student-led uprising. The assault was no doubt revenge for Britain's decision to impose financial sanctions in the wake of the recent U.N. report on Iran's nuclear-weapons program. Iran's parliament voted Monday to expel the British ambassador, MPs chanted 'Death to Britain' and issued threats against the U.K. embassy. Twenty-four hours later, the basij arrived. The episode is one more reminder that Iran is not the 'status quo power' that many in the West imagine. It is a regime that flouts civilized norms and seeks to dominate its region and terrorize the U.S. and its allies." http://t.uani.com/u9jSvX
Emanuele Ottolenghi & Claudia Rosett in WSJ: In preparing to expand sanctions on Iran this week, the governments of the European Union face a critical choice. They can carry on with their current strategy of relying chiefly on pinpoint designations against suspected nuclear proliferators-an approach that, to judge by the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is failing to stop Iran's drive toward nuclear weapons. Or, in concert with the U.S., the EU can shift to a stronger, more comprehensive approach, targeting not only those directly involved in proliferation, but the networks to which they belong. Some such measures are on the agenda this week, including imposing a ban on Iranian crude oil and sanctions against Iran's central bank. But most likely, the EU will simply expand its sanctioned-entity list based on the old paradigm of restricting proliferators without harming Iran's economy. The reality of the state's involvement in the national economy makes this a distinction that is nearly impossible to implement. Take the case of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC is deeply entwined in Iran's nuclear and missile proliferation ventures, and with Iran's overseas terrorist clients and web of domestic repression. The IRGC can afford this mischief because it has also become one of the biggest economic interests in Iran, with a commercial empire encompassing hundreds of companies and financial holdings involved in everything from auto manufacturing to pipelines, petrochemicals and port logistics. On Oct. 14, David Cohen, the U.S. Treasury Department's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, told the U.S. Congress that 'The IRGC has expanded its reach into critical sectors of Iran's economy, displacing ordinary Iranians, generating revenue for the IRGC and conducting business in support of Iran's illicit activities.' He also reaffirmed that the IRGC plays a 'central role' in 'all forms of Iran's illicit conduct, including Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, its support for terrorism, and its involvement in serious human rights abuses.' Accordingly, the U.S. has been raising the bar by blacklisting not only IRGC entities dedicated chiefly to proliferation, but other IRGC-linked outfits that help enable and sustain Iran's proliferation activities. The EU, however, has been reluctant to take broader action. To date, EU sanctions architecture relies on three relatively slim pillars: disrupting Iranian procurement networks, restricting and monitoring Iran's financial transactions, and interdicting Iranian transport companies with a proven record of assisting the nuclear program. Only since July 2010 has the EU begun to expand its measures by targeting Iran's energy sector, expanding previous sanctions and adding restrictive measures against human-rights violations. This has included singling out the IRGC and some of its companies and commanding officers for both proliferation activities and human-rights abuses. But Iran's patterns of evasions and deceit are making it increasingly difficult to draw a neat line between its legitimate economy and its proliferation rackets. A prime example of this difficulty is Tidewater Middle East PLC, an Iranian port operator blacklisted by the U.S. in June as an entity 'owned by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that has links to Iranian proliferation activities.' ... Despite such evidence, which persuaded the U.S. to go after Tidewater, many European governments are demurring. They claim that shutting down business with a port operator will not stop proliferation efforts but will instead damage business, much of which they see as legitimate. No doubt some of it is. But failing to take action for the sake of these businesses comes at the cost of enabling and enriching the IRGC. If the EU is serious about sanctions, it must stop pinpoint measures and target the IRGC's entire commercial empire." http://t.uani.com/uEzmAk
Max Boot in LAT: "In retrospect, weakness in the face of aggression is almost impossible to understand - or forgive. Why did the West do so little while the Nazis gathered strength in the 1930s? While the Soviet Union enslaved half of Europe and fomented revolution in China in the late 1940s? And, again, while Al Qaeda gathered strength in the 1990s? Those questions will forever haunt the reputations of the responsible statesmen, from Neville Chamberlain to Bill Clinton. The answer to the riddle - why did the West slumber? - becomes easier to grasp if we think about present-day relations with Iran. The Islamic Republic has been attacking the West, and in particular the United States, since the day of its birth. A central feature of the 1979 revolution, after all, was the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The resulting hostage crisis allowed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to consolidate power and drove out more moderate leaders. This is the direct inspiration for Tuesday's storming of the British Embassy in Tehran. If violating diplomatic immunity worked once, why not again? Then, throughout the 1980s, Khomeini and his henchmen in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps worked to spread their brand of militant Islam. They established a beachhead in Lebanon, where Iranian operatives worked with Hezbollah proxies to bomb Western targets (including the U.S. Marine barracks, the French barracks, the U.S. Embassy and numerous Israeli targets) and to kidnap more than 100 Westerners. Iranian and Hezbollah operatives also are widely held responsible for bombing Jewish targets in Argentina in 1992 and 1994 and for the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers U.S. barracks in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the 9/11 Commission report made clear that there were significant links between Iran and Al Qaeda. At a minimum, Iran has provided safe haven to Al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden's son. There was no Iranian link to the 9/11 attacks, but after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force mounted an active campaign to kill American personnel there. Iran's lethal contribution to one of the deadliest terrorist campaigns in history included the provision of 'explosively formed penetrators' capable of punching through the thickest armor, and rockets capable of surmounting the tallest blast walls. Iranians trained Shiite extremists (and probably Sunnis as well) inside and outside Iraq. All the while Iran was covertly developing nuclear weapons. The Nov. 8 report from the International Atomic Energy Agency presents a devastating portrait of the advanced state of Iran's nuclear program: 'Contrary to the relevant resolutions of the [IAEA] Board of Governors and the [U.N.] Security Council,' the report notes, 'Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities.' It is also working to weaponize nuclear materials and to develop long-range missiles. Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, said Tuesday that Iran has enough material for four or five nuclear bombs; all that is required is a decision to proceed. Faced with such provocations, the international community has reacted with scarcely believable passivity." http://t.uani.com/spUYQT |
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