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CBS: "Meir Dagan has been described as 'hard-charging' and 'stops at nothing.' For more than eight years, Dagan made full use of those qualities as chief of Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, where he focused on keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. When that job ended, Dagan did something unheard of for an ex-Mossad chief: he spoke out publicly, voicing opposition to Israel launching preemptive airstrikes against Iran's nuclear facilities anytime soon. Dagan believes the Iranian regime is a rational one and even its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - who has called for Israel to be annihilated - acts in a somewhat rational way when it comes to Iran's nuclear ambitions. Lesley Stahl reports." http://t.uani.com/ycEaE2
CBS Video: http://t.uani.com/xldTgX
LAT: "Despite President Obama's assurances that the United States will know if Tehran begins to secretly build a nuclear bomb, some senior officials familiar with U.S. intelligence and spying capabilities in Iran are doubtful. The issue is a crucial one because the White House has suggested that U.S. satellites, sensors and spies, as well as United Nations inspections, provide a reliable tripwire to decide whether diplomacy has failed and military action is needed to stop Iran from assembling a nuclear device. The officials' doubts stem, in part, from Iran's record of deceit. Over the last decade, Western intelligence agencies have twice discovered large-scale clandestine Iranian facilities built to enrich uranium. The question now is whether Iran is hiding other nuclear enrichment sites or weapons research centers. 'You have to assume that, if they went clandestine once, they could well go clandestine in other places,' said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee." http://t.uani.com/xVrbDO
AFP: "Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger said in an interview Sunday that the United States should assume that Iran is actively preparing to build nuclear weapons. Kissinger, 88, was asked on the CNN show 'GPS' if the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon was so dire that Israel would need to launch a military strike in the near future. 'I am very uneasy with the so-called intelligence report that say we don't know whether they are actually working on nuclear weapons,' Kissinger told CNN. 'I think we should start from the premise that they are undergoing all this in order to achieve a military capability. I don't think that is a disputable point.'" http://t.uani.com/AzXdD9
Nuclear Program
Reuters: "The U.N. nuclear watchdog does not rule out that Iran may be trying to remove evidence from a military site that inspectors want to visit as part of an inquiry into suspected research relevant to atomic bombs, the agency's chief said on Friday. Yukiya Amano's comments, in an interview with Reuters, came a day after six world powers demanded Iran keep its promise to let international inspectors visit the Parchin military complex. Their joint call demonstrated firmer resolve among the powers on Iran before a planned revival of high-level talks, as well as widening disquiet about the nature of Tehran's nuclear ambitions, with Israel threatening last-ditch military action." http://t.uani.com/wv4lmF
WSJ: "Talks with Iran on its nuclear program must now advance 'swiftly and seriously,' European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Saturday. Responding to a request from Iranians, Ms. Ashton said last week that six major powers were ready to resume talks with Iran as soon as possible. 'Our purpose is to persuade Iran to move away from its nuclear program,' Ms. Ashton said at a press conference in Gymnich, Denmark, following a meeting of EU foreign ministers. 'We hope from the contacts we've had that this process can now move forward swiftly and seriously.' The EU has said the talks-the first in more than a year-must start by focusing on confidence-building steps Iran will take to show its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes." http://t.uani.com/A4es0Z
NYT: "Addressing his home audience after talks with President Obama in Washington this week, the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, acknowledged that differences still existed in the Israeli and American timetables for contending with the Iranian nuclear program. In taped interviews to be broadcast this weekend on the three main Israeli television channels, Mr. Netanyahu told Israelis that he hoped that international pressure and economic sanctions would succeed in persuading Iran to abandon its nuclear program, which Israel and the West suspect is a cover for Iranian efforts to achieve the capability to make nuclear weapons. But in excerpts of the interviews shown late Thursday, Mr. Netanyahu reiterated the point he had sought to make forcefully in Washington: that if Iran did not change course, Israel, which considers a nuclear Iran a threat to its existence, would not allow itself to be in a position where its fate was left in others' hands." http://t.uani.com/wQUuzM
Reuters: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has launched a fresh tirade against the West, saying the Islamic Republic does not fear military action, Iranian media reported on Sunday. 'The Iranian nation doesn't fear your bombs and warships and planes. Such weapons are worth nothing,' the Fars News Agency quoted him as saying on a visit to the town of Karaj, to the west of Tehran. 'You say to Iran all options are on the table. Leave them there until they rot. The time of arrogance and colonialism has passed, and the era of your unreasonableness passes too.'" http://t.uani.com/yOsHtc
Sanctions
WSJ: "Western powers and Iran's leaders have presented mirror images of the country's plight over the past month. In the vast middle ground between these poles are millions of Iranians, many of whom profess little use for either stand. For the West, which has loaded up new sanctions touted to be the toughest yet, Iran's economy has started to buckle. It will only grow worse, the U.S. and others argue, until something gives, perhaps the regime itself. To Iran's leaders, who used a parliamentary election last week to rally their considerable political base, the new sanctions are another chance to thumb their noses at the West. Their defiant message: Sanctions may hurt, but that only makes us stronger... Faced with a dispiriting economy, they are finding ways to get along, usually with difficulty. Some thrive. But few boast about their resilience. Fewer still see themselves taking to the streets, even if things get much worse." http://t.uani.com/x87ycd
Reuters: "Japan will continue to import as much Iranian crude oil as it needs, the Japanese ambassador to Tehran was quoted by Iranian media on Sunday as saying. Japan has been put under pressure to reduce its use of Iranian crude by the United States which has imposed tough sanctions against Iran's energy and banking sectors to force Tehran to curb its nuclear activities. Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said last week that Tokyo and Washington were close to an agreement for Japan to reduce its Iranian oil imports. But Japanese ambassador Kinichi Kumano said Japan hopes to continue its economic, political and cultural relations with Tehran, despite the nuclear problem." http://t.uani.com/wsCkHA
Human Rights
AFP: "The United Nations called on Iran to ban the death penalty in cases that do not meet standards of 'serious crime' as defined by international law, according to a report to be published Monday. In the report, special UN rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed 'urges the Government to prohibit the death penalty for cases that do not meet the standard of serious crime as defined by international law, and recommends that authorities commute capital sentences for individuals whose crimes do not meet that standard'. He also called on the Iranian government 'to seriously consider a moratorium on the death penalty for all crimes' ... and 'to allow for legal representation of accused persons at all stages of investigations'. Shaheed noted an 'alarming increase in executions since 2003'. The report on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council here on Monday." http://t.uani.com/xhZv7I
Domestic Politics
AP: "Iranian authorities canceled a ceremony Monday in honor of the country's Oscar-winning director even though the government had hailed his win as a triumph over a competitor from Israel. The event for Asghar Farhadi, whose movie, 'A Separation,' won the Oscar for best foreign film last month, was abruptly scrapped after authorities denied permission, according to the semiofficial Ilna news agency. There were no details as to why a permit was denied but some Iranian conservatives were upset with the film's themes: domestic turmoil, gender inequality and the desire by many to leave the country." http://t.uani.com/xWV8N8
Foreign Affairs
AFP: "Iran stands fully behind Syria and blames the United States and Arab nations for the bloody unrest shaking its ally, media on Monday quoted a deputy foreign minister as saying. 'The Islamic Republic of Iran underlines its total support for the Syrian people and government,' Hossein Amir Abdollahian said, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency. He said Western and Arab nations 'that support the insecurity and instability in Syria are responsible for any aggravation of the crisis in Syria.' Amir Abdollahian said Iran continues to believe in a 'political solution' based on reforms agreed to by Assad. In a separate interview to Russian media picked up by the Iranian daily Kayhan, the deputy foreign minister said: 'The troubles in Syria are happening with the backing of the United States, European and Arab countries with the massive delivery of weapons to the country.'" http://t.uani.com/AvaHh8
Opinion & Analysis
David Ignatius in WashPost: "After another week of near-constant talk about war with Iran, here's one counterintuitive possibility: The Obama administration, in its eagerness to deter an Israeli strike, has committed itself to a pressure campaign that, if pursued vigorously, could eventually lead to regime change in Iran. President Obama's pledge of escalating economic, political and other pressure on Iran goes to that regime's weak link. For the mullahs' greatest vulnerability is their political structure, which is divided and unpopular, rather than their nuclear program, which appears to have fairly broad domestic support. And this political foundation may be shaken by the campaign under way. The clerical regime isn't an explicit target for the United States, but it's at growing risk because of the forces in motion. Month by month, sanctions and other activities will undermine the regime's political and financial base - squeezing the Iranian leadership and tempting it to take rash actions that would trigger a devastating response. The situation resembles a hunting trap that gets tighter as the prey tries harder to escape. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta made that explicit when he said Thursday that the United States was preparing military options should non-military pressure fail. Ironically, the worst option in terms of regime change would probably be a unilateral Israeli military strike. Given Israel's capabilities, a strike would do enough damage to rally political support behind the Iranian leadership (and deflect the Arab Spring) but not enough to cripple the nuclear effort. An Iranian opposition leader told me last week that such an attack would be 'a gift from God for the mullahs,' enhancing their political position rather than weakening it. What has emerged from last week's U.S.-Israeli discussions is a sort of tag team: The West is moving toward what it describes as crippling sanctions, while Israel waits restlessly outside the ring, apparently eager to jump in and strike a military blow. This combined pressure has already brought Iran back to the negotiating table, which is welcome but hardly a reason for the West to back off. As the sanctions bite deeper into Iran's oil exports and revenue, further enfeebling the regime, Tehran may have to contemplate the kind of negotiated settlement that Ayatollah Khomeini once likened to drinking from a 'cup of poison.' Or, the regime may lash out with military action of its own - a dangerous course, given America's overwhelming retaliatory power and the ability of Israel and Saudi Arabia to absorb Iran's initial punch." http://t.uani.com/zweQ61
Jonathan Tobin in Commentary: "One of the standard themes of those who claim there is no need to take action to halt Iran's progress toward nuclear capability is that intelligence experts dispute the notion that this program poses a threat to Israel or the West. The star of this campaign is former Mossad chief Meir Dagan, who will be featured on CBS' '60 Minutes' this Sunday. The interview is being hailed by some as debunking what they consider to be the alarmism expressed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, therefore giving cover to those who wish to table the entire subject rather than to ramp up the pressure on Tehran. But as with many previous statements by Dagan, the excerpts of the interview that have been released are bound to disappoint Iran's apologists. Though Dagan is fiercely antagonistic to both Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak and opposed to an air strike on Iran now, he clearly views Iran's nuclear program as a threat to Israel and believes it must be stopped. His differences with Israel's government center on how much time we have before it is too late and what measures would be most effective in doing the job... Second, though interviewer Leslie Stahl focuses her attention on Dagan's opposition to a strike on Iran now, the subtext to his position is that he spent much of his time at the head of the Mossad working on efforts to spike the ayatollah's nuclear ambition. Under his leadership, Israeli intelligence concentrated much of its resources on covert activities whose purpose was to slow or stop progress toward an Iranian bomb. Although he says he considers the Iranian regime 'rational' (though he added 'not exactly our [idea of] rational'), that doesn't mean he thinks containing a nuclear Iran (something President Obama has now specifically rejected) is a good idea. Instead, as one might expect from a veteran spook, Dagan wants more emphasis on covert activities and other efforts that are aimed at an even more ambitious project than a mere surgical taking out of Iran's nuclear facilities: regime change. In the sense that a democratic Iran, or at least one not ruled by Islamist fanatics, would be much safer for Israel and the rest of the world, he is, of course, right... The question of how much time Israel has before it is too late to do anything about an Iranian nuclear weapon is not unimportant. Dagan is clearly of the opinion the situation is not yet critical. But, as he was careful to point out to Stahl, 'I never said a lot of time. [There is] more time.' All of which paints a picture of a difference of opinion within the top levels of Israeli intelligence which is more about tactics and timing than, as Netanyahu's critics as well as Israel-haters seem to imply, about the critical nature of the threat itself. Meir Dagan's opinions deserve to be heard and considered, but they should be understood as coming from within a consensus that views Iranian nukes as a deadly threat, not outside of it." http://t.uani.com/xogIHt
George Jahn in AP: "Nine years ago, the United States invaded Iraq after telling the world that Saddam Hussein had covert weapons programs that could build nuclear arms. In the end, nothing was found. Today, acting on similar fears, Israel is threatening to attack Iran. While much is known about Iran's nuclear activities from U.N. inspection visits, significant questions remain uncertain, fueling fears of worst-case scenarios and calls for new Mideast military action. This much shapes the anxieties: In just one decade, Iran's modest nuclear program has expanded into a mature operation that some experts say has the capability to produce a warhead in less than a year. And this much is verified: Iran has the equipment and raw materials to produce the fissile core of a nuclear weapon, as does any country that can produce its own reactor fuel. But there is no evidence that the Islamic Republic has taken steps in that direction. Finally, this much is suspected: The U.N. nuclear watchdog says there are credible indications Iran is researching the intricate technology needed to turn a core into an actual bomb. Tehran denies it, and there's not conclusive proof or any sign it has actually succeeded, but the research alone if confirmed would be seen as clear proof of Iran's intentions. Reports by the U.N. nuclear agency, the only international organization given firsthand views of Iranian nuclear sites, contain a mix of confirmed data and a variety of theories built on outside intelligence. An Associated Press analysis of the published data by the International Atomic Energy Agency and interviews with officials probes the critical questions on Iran's nuclear ambitions: What can it do and what can't it do now?" http://t.uani.com/zjeYSu
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