|
|
Top Stories
Reuters:
"The U.N. atomic watchdog and Iran will hold a new round of talks
this week to try to reach an agreement to resume a long-stalled
investigation into suspected nuclear weapons research in the Islamic
Republic, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said on Monday. Amano, director general
of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made a rare visit to Tehran
two weeks ago and said when he returned to Vienna that he expected a
framework cooperation deal to be signed soon with Iran. Iranian officials
have made clear that only once such an accord has been finalized will
they grant U.N. inspectors access to the Parchin military site, where the
IAEA suspects Iran may have carried out nuclear weapons development
activity." http://t.uani.com/LgjSnt
NYT:
"Despite sectarian bombings and political gridlock, Iraq's crude oil
production is soaring, providing a singular bright spot for the nation's
future and relief for global oil markets as the West tightens sanctions
on Iranian exports... Energy analysts say that the Iraqi boom - coupled
with increased production in Saudi Arabia and the near total recovery of
Libya's oil industry - should cushion oil markets from price spikes and
give the international community additional leverage over Iran when new
sanctions take effect in July." http://t.uani.com/M4R95z
Times of Israel:
"A former US envoy to the United Nations warned this week that the
US-led P5+1 talks with Iran may be heading toward a deal under which Iran
is permitted to continue enriching uranium to 3.5% on its soil, and would
thus be able to 'turn a switch and effectively increase enrichment at any
time, and build a weapon at a time and place of its choosing.' In a
telephone briefing for US Jewish community leaders, Ambassador Mark
Wallace noted that Iran was pressing for an easing of economic sanctions
going into this month's Moscow round of negotiations, and that the West
was desperate to maintain diplomatic engagement, with European players
notably anxious to stave off the notion of military intervention. It was
vital that sanctions were maintained, and that imminent heavier sanctions
not be weakened or delayed, Wallace told the briefing for the Jewish
Federations of North America. 'You'll see an effort to dial back or
postpone the impact of those sanctions,' he predicted. 'Now is not the
time to delay.' In fact, he said, 'it's time to impose an economic
blockade on Iran.'" http://t.uani.com/Mr9Vup
Nuclear
Program
Bloomberg: "Russia's
President Vladimir Putin will meet with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Beijing on
June 6 or June 7 before world powers gather in Moscow to discuss Iran's
nuclear program. The meeting with Ahmadinejad will allow Putin to 'feel
the heat surrounding the Iranian problem and how this issue is perceived
in Tehran,' Yuri Ushakov, a former ambassador to the U.S. who advises
Putin on foreign policy, told reporters in Moscow yesterday. The
Ahmadinejad meeting foreshadows an international round of talks about
Iran's atomic program in Moscow on June 18-19, the third attempt in three
months to address global concerns that Iran is developing atomic
weapons." http://t.uani.com/LqWTrZ
Reuters:
"Iran's supreme leader accused the West on Sunday of lying about his
country's nuclear plans in order to cover up their own problems, in a
fiery speech that gave no indication he was ready to compromise in talks
with world powers. In an address marking the 23rd anniversary of the
death of his predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned
Israel that any attack on Iran would be answered with a 'thunderous
blow'. Khamenei - who has total command over Iran's nuclear policy - has
publicly forbidden the development of nuclear weapons, but western
nations suspect that Tehran is developing in isolation each of the
components required for an atomic bomb capability. 'What Americans and
westerners do is idiotic. They magnify the nuclear issue to cover up
their own problems,' Khamenei said, referring to the economic gloom in the
U.S. and Europe." http://t.uani.com/Lsrm8T
RFE/RL:
"U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has dismissed Iran's latest
threats against Israel as 'nothing new,' insisting she would judge Tehran
by its actions at upcoming nuclear talks. Clinton, speaking at a news
conference in Stockholm, said she was looking forward to what Iran would
bring to the table in Moscow for the June 18-19 talks with major world
powers. Clinton insisted that she would like to see a diplomatic
resolution 'for everyone's sake.' Her comments came after Iran's Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast a shadow over prospects of a
resolution with a fiery speech that threatened to respond 'like thunder'
to any act of aggression by Israel, which is said to be considering
military strikes against Tehran's nuclear facilities." http://t.uani.com/KEEwSA
WSJ:
"The U.S. is pursuing a wide-ranging, high-tech campaign against
Iran's nuclear program that includes the cybersabotage project known as
Stuxnet, which was developed by the Central Intelligence Agency in
conjunction with Idaho National Laboratory, the Israeli government, and
other U.S. agencies, according to people familiar with the efforts. The
covert CIA effort also includes persistent drone surveillance and
cyberspying on Iranian scientists, they said. The U.S. strategy to use
technologically advanced measures against Iran illustrates how the
Internet and other remote-access capabilities are facilitating spy
operations deep inside denied territories... Through the administrations
of President Barack Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush, the U.S.
has pursued a cyber campaign, code-named 'Olympic Games,' to attack the
Iranian program, former officials said... A key element of Olympic Games
which hasn't been previously disclosed was a partnership between the
CIA's Information Operations Center and the Idaho National
Laboratory." http://t.uani.com/K9Qy1Q
Reuters:
"One source familiar with the Bush administration's initial work on
Stuxnet said it had stalled Iran's nuclear program by about five years.
'It bought us time. First, it was to get across from one administration
to the next without having the issue blow up. And then it was to give
Obama a little more time to come up with alternatives, through the
sanctions, et cetera,' said the source." http://t.uani.com/M4iusL
Reuters:
"Iran has warned the United States not to resort to military action
against it, saying U.S. bases in the region were vulnerable to the
Islamic Republic's missiles, state media reported on Saturday... 'The politicians
and the military men of the United States are well aware of the fact that
all of their bases (in the region) are within the range of Iran's
missiles and in any case ... are highly vulnerable,' Press TV reported
Brigadier-General Yahya Rahim Safavi as saying. Safavi is a military
adviser to Iran's clerical Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and was
until 2007 the commander in chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the
force that protects Iran's Islamic system of governance." http://t.uani.com/LssiKm
AP:
"Iran is finishing construction of a new space center that will
allow it to soon launch more domestically made satellites into orbit, the
country's defense minister said Saturday. The remarks by Gen. Ahmad
Vahidi's were the first confirmation that Iran is building a new space
facility amid the standoff with the West over Iran's controversial
nuclear program. The West is concerned the program masks efforts to make
atomic weapons, a charge Tehran denies, insisting it's only for peaceful
purposes. Iran's ambitious space plans have also raised concerns in the
West because of their possible military applications -- the same rocket
technology used to send satellites into orbit can also be retooled to
make intercontinental warheads." http://t.uani.com/KJW6F6
FP:
"Understanding the dimensions of the Iranian nuclear program has
never been more important than it is today, as Iran vows to continue
enriching uranium and expanding its nuclear infrastructure in the face of
harsh economic sanctions and U.N. Security Council resolutions to halt
work, and U.S. and Israeli leaders, fearing that Iran is on the verge of
atomic-weapons capability, threaten to check Tehran's nuclear advances by
force if diplomacy fails. Here's a tour of the six facilities that you'll
want to keep a close eye on as tensions with Iran escalate." http://t.uani.com/Lssn0K
Sanctions
Reuters:
"The United States is conferring with Israel about new sanctions
planned against Iran should international negotiations this month fail to
curb the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme, a U.S. official said on
Monday. The comment offered a strong hint that Washington is continuing
to apply the brakes on any plan by Israel to attack Iranian nuclear
facilities preemptively. Israel has signalled increasing impatience with
the lack of progress towards circumscribing the nuclear programme during
the negotiations, involving Iran, the United States and five other world
powers. The third round of talks will be hosted by Russia on June 18-19.
'If we don't get a breakthrough in Moscow there is no question we will
continue to ratchet up the pressure,' David Cohen, U.S. Treasury
undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, told Haaretz
newspaper during a visit to Israel." http://t.uani.com/KqFunn
AP:
"A senior U.S. official says sanctions on Iran are biting, but more
will be done to pressure the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.
David Cohen, who is the Treasury Department's undersecretary for
terrorism and financial intelligence, told Israel's Army Radio on Monday,
'The sanctions are having an impact on Iran, but I also recognize that
more needs to be done. And we are intent on doing more.'" http://t.uani.com/Nc386Z
City Press:
"A senior former MTN executive has admitted to bribing South
¬Africa's former ambassador to Iran to thank him for assisting the mobile
giant. City Press has obtained a transcript of Chris Kilowan's evidence
before a US court a month ago in which he implicates himself and top MTN
executives in ¬underhanded dealings to acquire a multibillion-dollar
mobile licence in the pariah state. In a chilling account of events
¬before the Columbia District Court, Kilowan testified for Turkish
cellphone company Turkcell in its $4.2 billion (R36 billion) lawsuit
against MTN - South Africa's fifth-biggest company - for 'stealing' its
¬Iranian mobile licence." http://t.uani.com/Nzkus7
Reuters:
"China's Sinohydro Group said it has not received any written
notification that Iran has cancelled a $2 billion contract for it to help
build a hydroelectric dam in the country. On Thursday, Chinese state
media reported Iran had cancelled the contract to build the dam in Iran's
western province of Lorestan over a dissatisfaction of financing options
offered by China. 'Up till now, the company has not received any written
notice from the owners to cancel the Bakhtiary Dam project,' Sinohydro
said in a statement to the Shanghai stock exchange." http://t.uani.com/JOGsZD
Reuters:
"Iran's state food buyer is expected to play a bigger role in sugar
imports in coming months as the Islamic Republic tries to secure stocks
to avoid unrest and sidestep a sanctions-driven finance freeze that has
affected private buyers. Food shipments are not targeted under Western
sanctions aimed at Iran's disputed nuclear programme, but financial
prohibitions have frozen Iranian firms out of much of the global banking
system, making payments difficult. Iran's Government Trading Corporation
(GTC), which procures, stores and distributes basic staples including
sugar, flour and bread, is stepping up activity, trade sources
said." http://t.uani.com/KqFGmT
Reuters:
"International financial sanctions against Iran are hurting its
trade with the United Arab Emirates, the UAE's economy minister Sultan
bin Saeed al-Mansouri said on Monday. 'Trade with Iran was always with
consumable items...We should not really stop that. The issue is with the
financial transactions...regarding that, it has been affected,' he told a
news conference. 'If you want to export 20 tonnes of rice, the financial system
does not allow you to do that.' Mansouri did not elaborate." http://t.uani.com/M4YsdC
Opinion &
Analysis
Laurence Odhner in
JPost: "There are few arrows left in our quiver of
potential sanctions that would do sufficient damage to Iran to dissuade
it from its current course. There is one last arrow left in the arsenal
that will pierce Iran's soft underbelly. Daily commerce moves day to day
as though we were dealing with a normal country. One can book a flight to
Tehran on any number of major European air carriers, such as Lufthansa,
KLM, or Air France and a plethora of smaller regional airlines. Precisely
who is flying to and from Iran, and for what purposes? They can't all be
rug merchants. How many Hezbollah operatives take advantage of this easy
access in establishing cells in Western countries? One wonders. A crew
member with the German airline Lufthansa once confided to me that the
flight staff are treated like kings in Iran. I asked why. The answer,
'because we killed so many Jews.' It would be easy for the United States
to declare to all airlines that they cannot serve Iran if they wish to do
business with us. Further, we will not tolerate the servicing of any
ancillary airline by a major carrier, or that carrier will find that our
sanction extends to them as well. The immediate cessation of all air
service to and from Iran would profoundly disrupt the country's already
fragile economy. The moribund tourist industry would gasp its last
breath. All types of air cargo, packages, and mail would grind to a halt.
Iranian officials would find it difficult to cultivate relations with a
host of malignant governments, such as Venezuela and Bolivia, short of
using email. To tighten the garrote one more turn, we could also apply
the sanction to all passports issued by the Iranian government.
Currently, Venezuela willingly supplies false passports to Iranian
operatives, but with the sanctions, they would need to significantly ramp
up their black-market industry to keep up with the demand. An airline
embargo would bring with it a number of other benefits. Barring Iran from
banking with SWIFT does not stop a country which historically has used
couriers to move money. An airline embargo would help plug that hole. In
addition, an air embargo would exacerbate the rift between 'Nazis with
turbans' and wealthy Iranians who are accustomed to easily boarding a
flight to Paris or London to load up on a list of infidel goodies that
they can't get at home." http://t.uani.com/MbrprV
Roland Elliot
Brown in FP: "Has the Islamic Republic lost its
mirth? In early May, Mahmoud Shokraye, a cartoonist for the Iranian
newspaper Nameye Amir, was sentenced to 25 lashes for depicting an MP,
Ahmad Lotfi Ashtiani, as a soccer player. The mild satire, which an
Iranian 'press court' deemed 'insulting,' was a reference to Ashtiani's
populist proposal to transfer a Tehran soccer team, Naft, to his
constituency in the central-western city of Arak. The sentence was
extreme even in a society that routinely imprisons journalists and
practices corporal punishment, and Ashtiani appears to have withdrawn his
complaint in light of international attention. Nevertheless, the case
represents an unprecedented legal threat to cartoonists already schooled
in self-censorship. News of the sentence won Shokraye the solidarity of
high-profile colleagues, even as one of them lamented his restraint. 'If
I were an editor I wouldn't have published it because it wasn't a very
strong cartoon or caricature of the guy,' says Nikahang Kowsar, a 21-year
veteran of Iranian editorial cartooning, and a board member of the
Cartoonists' Rights Network International (CRNI) living in exile in
Washington, D.C. 'I would have told Mahmoud to add some humor to it. But
thank God I am not Mahmoud's editor, because if I had asked him I probably
would [have been] lashed as well as someone who had guided him.' Kowsar,
a cartoonist who came to the medium partly through his admiration for
David Levine's caricatures in the New York Review of Books, says he was
warned by a publisher at the outset of his career that satirists often
run afoul of the clergy's prohibition against laghv, an Arabic-derived
word for nonsense. The authority for this, Kowsar points out, comes from
the third verse of the 23rd sura of the Quran, which describes Muslims as
people who 'turn away from ill speech.' 'He said that the clergy also
call whatever they dislike laghv,' Kowsar recalls. According to the
Islamic Republic's founding cleric, mirth was never on the menu. 'There
is no humor in Islam,' Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini famously remarked.
'There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is
serious.' And yet, Shokraye's case remains perplexing. The cartoon medium
has been established in Iran for more than a century, and Shokraye's
image doesn't at first appear to transgress any established taboos. As
Kowsar notes, cartoonists inside the country often depict high-profile
figures such as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Speaker of Parliament
Ali Larijani without incident." http://t.uani.com/K6At3A
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment