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Fox News: "Porsche has become the latest international automaker to pull its business out of Iran in an apparent response to an effort by two U.S.-based advocacy groups to step up pressure on the Tehran regime, FoxNews.com has learned. United Against a Nuclear Iran and Iran Watch List launched their campaign in 2010 after they discovered the Iranian auto industry, the 13th-largest in the world, is dominated by members of the Iranian regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 'We have to send a message to that regime that no longer can it be business as usual until they renounce their nuclear weapons program and stop sponsoring terrorism around the world,' said former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mark Wallace, who heads United Against a Nuclear Iran. Wallace says the auto sector feeds the Iranian regime not only as 'a massive source of revenue,' but also as a means of accessing advanced foreign technologies and products." http://t.uani.com/ItMB98
Fox News Video: Porsche Pulling Out of Iran http://t.uani.com/IVhyoV
NYT: "Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Monday that Iran was prepared to resolve the nuclear dispute with world powers at their next meeting, in Baghdad on May 23, if the West showed some good will by easing the sanctions imposed on Iran. Mr. Salehi, above, also hinted that Iran might be willing to change its uranium enrichment policy, which is at the heart of foreign suspicions that the Iranians are secretly developing the capacity to make nuclear weapons. The first talks in 15 months on the dispute adjourned Saturday with both sides calling them constructive. Mr. Salehi told the Iranian Student News Agency that the talks were 'a turning point in the Iran-West dialogue.' Still, neither the United States nor the European Union has indicated any intention to ease the sanctions, which their proponents call necessary to press Iran to negotiate in good faith. On Monday, United Against Nuclear Iran, a pro-sanctions group based in New York, said that Porsche AG, the German auto company, would end its business in Iran, making it the second carmaker to do so this month." http://t.uani.com/HN3aR0
AFP: "The United States on Monday ruled out Iran's call for a lifting of sanctions, saying that the Islamic republic must first address concerns over its nuclear program in 'concrete' ways. Iran held talks with major powers on Sunday for the first time in 15 months. Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi later said that the entire dispute could be quickly resolved if the West shows goodwill by easing sanctions. 'No one's talking about any sanctions being reversed or canceled at all,' State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters in response. But Toner said that the United States, echoing a statement by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, was ready to look at incentives in return for progress from Iran." http://t.uani.com/J7cc6G
Nuclear Program & Sanctions Reuters: "U.S. lawmakers on Monday pushed for more sanctions against Iran after talks between Tehran and global powers failed to stop Iran from developing its nuclear program. Although the talks between Iran, the United States and five other world powers were described as 'constructive' by the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, some U.S. lawmakers said they were unimpressed. 'The United States should not mistake positive diplomatic dialogue for compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions,' said a spokesman for Republican Senator Mark Kirk. Kirk and several other U.S. legislators have been pressuring the White House to get tougher on Iran and are pushing for a range of additional penalties that would further isolate Iran and prevent it from trading with the rest of the world... 'We have five weeks to convince the Iranians that the sanctions we passed in December were only a first step,' said Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, who along with Kirk helped design the sanctions that were signed into law in December." http://t.uani.com/J77rdn
Reuters: "Marine insurance, or lack of it, may yet turn out to be the most effective sanction used by Western nations in 17 years of tightening the screws on Iran's nuclear program. A European Union oil embargo on Iran, set to take effect in July, prohibits EU insurers from covering Iranian oil exports anywhere in the world. With around 90 percent of the world's tanker insurance based in the West, the arcane world of reinsurance and liability coverage has become a powerful weapon. Iran, OPEC's second-largest producer, exports most of its 2.2 million barrels of oil per day to Asia, and the four main buyers - China, India, Japan and South Korea - have yet to find a way to replace the predominantly Western cover for the giant crude oil cargoes en route from Iran to refineries across Asia... 'The bottleneck is insurance. If that's not settled, we will no longer be able to transport oil,' said one Japanese buyer of Iranian oil, who wished not to be named. Without some kind of EU exemption, Tokyo and Seoul may need to provide sovereign guarantees to replace lost shipping insurance or force refiners to go elsewhere for crude supplies." http://t.uani.com/IKUw56
AP: "Iran's armed forces will make its enemies regret any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Tuesday as Iranians marked National Army Day with a military parade near the capital Tehran. Although Ahmadinejad did not specify any countries, such language used by Iranian officials is a common reference to the West, especially the United States and Israel. The harsh tone was typical of speeches for military events but it contrasted sharply with a sense of cautious progress after the direct talks with world powers last week on Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The remarks could leave Western officials confused by the mixed signals." http://t.uani.com/IiNPoo
Reuters: "State-run Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd has raised further the size of its annual crude import deal with Saudi Arabia by nearly 17 percent, sources said, to make up for planned lower imports from Iran. The Indian refiner, which had almost doubled its Saudi deal from January to 42,000 barrels per day (bpd) will now get an average 49,000 bpd this year, said the sources. MRPL, Iran's biggest Indian oil client, plans to cut its imports from Iran to 80,000-100,000 bpd in 2012/13 (March-April) from 142,000 bpd the previous year, sources had earlier told Reuters." http://t.uani.com/HPPS69
Human Rights
AFP: "Canada's foreign minister on Monday called on Iran to halt the imminent execution of Canadian-Iranian Hamid Ghassemi-Shall and to release the man accused of espionage. 'Canada is gravely concerned by indications that the execution of Mr. Ghassemi-Shall may be carried out imminently,' Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a statement. 'Canada urgently appeals to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to grant clemency to Mr. Ghassemi-Shall on compassionate and humanitarian grounds.'" http://t.uani.com/HPVk6x
Domestic Politics
AP: "Iran calls it the 'soft war' with the West: Battles to control, defend and monitor the Internet and other high-level telecommunications. The latest move came quietly when the powerful Revolutionary Guard recently launched what it claims is a hack-proof communications network for its high-level commanders. Largely overshadowed by the showdowns over Iran's nuclear program, the efforts to build a cyber-fortress have become a priority among leaders fearful of Internet espionage and virus attacks from abroad and seeking to choke off opposition outlets at home. The drive also highlights the stepped up attempts by many nations - particularly across the Middle East - to filter the Web after social networking sites played such a crucial role in the Arab Spring uprisings." http://t.uani.com/IKWQJi
Foreign Affairs
Reuters: "The United Arab Emirates, angered by the Iranian president's visit to a Gulf island both countries claim, warned on Monday that the dispute could not 'go on forever' and urged Tehran to agree to talks or international arbitration. Tensions rose last week following Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Abu Musa, one of three Gulf islands also claimed by the UAE and located near important oil shipping channels at the mouth of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. 'We cannot have this matter going on forever,' UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan told a news conference in Abu Dhabi... The UAE has recalled its ambassador from Tehran for consultations, and also cancelled a friendly soccer match with Iran's national team set for Tuesday, in response to what its officials called a 'flagrant violation' of its sovereignty." http://t.uani.com/J7d23l
Opinion & Analysis
NYT Editorial Board: "Iran's agreement over the weekend to hold a new round of nuclear talks next month with the United States and five other powers is a constructive development. On Monday, Iran's foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, said Tehran is ready to resolve its nuclear disputes 'quickly and easily' and suggested flexibility on uranium enrichment. But nothing is ever quick and easy with the Iranians. They are masters at diplomatic sleight of hand and have provided ample reason for mistrust. Resolving concerns about the country's nuclear activities - a source of international alarm since the once-covert program was first exposed in 2002 - remains a long shot. But tough international sanctions on Iran, including an oil embargo that is set to take effect in July, and Israel's threats of possible military action may be forcing Iran's leaders to reconsider their posture. The actual results of the weekend talks in Istanbul were very modest. Still, the Iranians seemed ready to talk seriously about their nuclear program and even put some ideas on the table. No details were disclosed, but the two sides were encouraged enough to schedule another session for May 23 in Baghdad. The pressure is now on for that next session to produce some concrete agreement. The most immediate needs are to get Iran to stop enriching uranium to 20 percent purity, just a few steps from bomb grade; to move its stockpile of uranium enriched to 20 percent out of the country; to close the underground production facility at Fordo; and to cooperate more fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran's unsurprising push for an immediate lifting of sanctions must be resisted. Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief, was right to stress a 'step-by-step approach and reciprocity' if Iran complies with its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, including a promise to forgo nuclear weapons." http://t.uani.com/J4iRTU
WashPost Editorial Board: "The most positive aspect of the negotiations with Iran that opened Saturday was the contrast with the previous, disastrous encounter of the United States and its five partners with Tehran's negotiators 15 months ago. Then, Iranian representative Saeed Jalili refused even to discuss the country's nuclear program, insisting that all sanctions be lifted as a precondition to further dialogue. On Saturday in Istanbul, Mr. Jalili made no such demand. Instead he made clear that his government accepts the connection between an accord on its nuclear activities and sanctions relief. Arguably Mr. Jalili was shifting only from an outrageous and illogical position to one in keeping with Iran's decision to participate in negotiations. But it was nevertheless enough for the international coalition to agree to hold another round of talks May 23 in Iraq, with preparatory discussions beforehand. Not until then, it seems, will Tehran be pressed on whether it is prepared to take the 'confidence-building' steps set out by the Obama administration, including the freezing of its medium-level uranium enrichment, the export of part of its fuel stockpile and the suspension of operations at a new underground plant. That delay drew a sharp response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Iran 'has been given a freebie' because 'it has got five weeks to continue enrichment without any limitation.' Still, the lapse won't determine whether Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, and it probably won't make its program invulnerable to Israeli military action. It will bring the parties closer to July 1, when major new sanctions, including an embargo on oil purchases by the European Union, take effect. If the regime of Ali Khamenei genuinely wishes to strike a bargain, that should be clear by then." http://t.uani.com/JxPbJX
Laura Rozen in Al-Monitor: "New details on the Iran nuclear talks in Istanbul this weekend, which were largely touted as being 'positive,' now show the meeting had, in fact, deteriorated. European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili kicked off the first international nuclear talks in over a year with a three-hour dinner at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul Friday night. The mood at the informal dinner-meant to build rapport between the two chief negotiators ahead of the formal talks getting underway the next day-was described by aides as 'good and friendly.' Conversation deliberately steered away from specific discussion of the Iran nuclear issue. (What did they discuss? 'Political party funding in the U.S.,' a European diplomat apprised of the conversation told me Monday, among other topics, including the Arab spring.) Whatever rapport was established at the Friday dinner may have helped right the conference from what some feared was a behind-closed-door threat of near collapse Saturday night. By the conclusion of the meeting Saturday night, when Jalili and Ashton held another meeting, the atmosphere of the high-stakes talks re-launch had grown strained and tense-unbeknownst to most of the 500 journalists sitting in the Istanbul congress venue's basement press center. In the 90-minute meeting, held in the office of the Turkish foreign minister, who vacated it, Jalili 'relentlessly' pressed Ashton for a delay in European Union oil sanctions set to go into effect by July 1, another western diplomat told me Tuesday. 'During the Ashton bilateral, it was Jalili of old,' the diplomat told me on condition of anonymity Tuesday. 'He asked 100 times' for a delay in the oil sanctions. Ashton-who later privately characterized her Iranian counterpart during the encounter as a 'relentless' character in pressing the demand-demurred that that was not realistic, and not in her mandate, aides said. She was able to steer the meeting back to a successful conclusion, based mostly on what was agreed in the two-and-a-half hour morning plenary meeting involving all seven delegations. 'The morning session was very positive: the vibe in the 3+3 was wow, they are engaging,...we know what the principles are,' the Western diplomat said on condition of anonymity. 'But let's not get excited: it's going to be a bloody long road for them to negotiate, a long and painful process.'" http://t.uani.com/JaG7ho
Emanuele Ottolenghi in The Weekly Standard: "On March 20, Armenian defense minister Seyran Ohanyan visited Washington, D.C. Talks focused on U.S. defense assistance to the small republic, and regional issues were also discussed, but there is no evidence that Ohanyan's U.S. counterpart, Leon Panetta, raised the question of Armenia's excessive coziness with Iran. But he should have. As the United States, the European Union, and western allies expand efforts to squeeze Iran through crippling sanctions, Tehran is working to create loopholes to mitigate the impact. Often, the Iranians have used third countries for this purpose. From the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Germany, Iran established networks of businesses and front companies designed to assist and finance the regime's illicit procurement activities. But the UAE and Germany, alongside other erstwhile partners of Iran, have since joined the sanctions' effort, pushing Iran out of their financial systems and scaling down on trade. Accordingly, Iran has sought to expand its activities in countries where a combination of geostrategic and domestic factors make Iran's presence acceptable to local authorities, while staying under the radar of Iran's enemies. Armenia is fast becoming a new transit point for the Islamic Republic's activities and one that may prove critical in the regime's efforts to fend off sanctions as it marches toward a nuclear weapons program. Armenia lends itself well to Iranian circumvention of sanctions: for instance, it ranks 129 of 183 countries surveyed by the 2011 Global Corruption Index. Yerevan's extensive trade relations with Russia make it a convenient transit point for merchandise that can benefit from a lax approach to export controls by customs and border authorities." http://t.uani.com/JaI9xP |
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