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Top Stories
NYT:
"Iran's president acknowledged on Tuesday that new sanctions imposed
by Western powers were the most onerous ever but said they would have no
impact on the Iranian position in a protracted dispute over its nuclear
energy activities. The statement by the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
was his first public appraisal of the new European and American
sanctions, which are aimed at crippling Iran's oil industry. He spoke as
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps sought to punctuate defiance of
Western pressure by test-firing missiles capable of hitting Israeli and
American military bases in the Middle East. Clips of the missile
launchings were broadcast on state television. 'The sanctions imposed on
our country are the most severe and strictest sanctions ever imposed on a
country,' Mr. Ahmadinejad said during a meeting with Intelligence
Ministry officials in Tehran, reported by Iranian news services. 'But the
enemies' assumption that they can put Iran in a weak position through
these sanctions is false and is the result of their materialistic
calculations.'" http://t.uani.com/Nax95y
Reuters:
"Iran's daily oil exports in July could fall below half the average
shipped in 2011 before tough new Western sanctions stemmed the flow.
Japan and South Korea, among Iran's top oil buyers, have halted all
Iranian imports this month due to sanctions imposed by Brussels on Sunday
that aim to cut Iran's oil revenues and force Tehran to curb its disputed
nuclear program. Exports in July will fall to a maximum of 1.1 million barrels
per day (bpd), said an industry source familiar with Iran's monthly
shipping plans who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the
matter. Actual exports are likely to be less as top buyer China disputes
freight costs with Iran's top tanker company, delaying the loading of
cargoes set to flow east. India could also reduce its July loadings as
Iran struggles to find tankers of the size Indian refiners require do to
port constraints. India is Iran's second largest customer. Iran's exports
have declined steadily this year from the 2.2 million bpd average in 2011
as its oil buyers cut imports to comply with U.S. and European Union
sanctions." http://t.uani.com/NaIJxU
Reuters:
"Iran has threatened to destroy U.S. military bases across the
Middle East and target Israel within minutes of being attacked, Iranian
media reported on Wednesday, as Revolutionary Guards extended test-firing
of ballistic missiles into a third day. Israel has hinted it may attack
Iran if diplomacy fails to secure a halt to its disputed nuclear energy
program. The United States also has mooted military action as a
last-resort option but has frequently nudged the Israelis to give time
for intensified economic sanctions to work against Iran. 'These bases are
all in range of our missiles, and the occupied lands (Israel) are also
good targets for us,' Amir Ali Haji Zadeh, commander of the Revolutionary
Guards aerospace division, was quoted by Fars news agency as saying. Haji
Zadeh said 35 U.S. bases were within reach of Iran's ballistic missiles,
the most advanced of which commanders have said could hit targets 2,000
km (1,300 miles) away." http://t.uani.com/NatmW4
UANI
in the News
JPost: "In
a move that could destabilize Beirut's financial position, a US pressure
group urged international financial firms on Tuesday to ditch Lebanese
debt and securities, saying that Hezbollah is using Lebanon's banks in a
large scale money-laundering scheme that is also helping Iran evade
banking sanctions. New York-based United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI)
made public the results of a three-month, confidential investigation into
the influence of Iran and Hezbollah on Lebanon's banking system and its
sovereign bond market. The group says Lebanon's financial system -
including Banque du Liban, the country's central bank - is being used to
funnel massive amounts of illicit cash from Hezbollah and its state
sponsor, Iran. Lebanon's banks then use the laundered money to buy
Lebanese sovereign debt, which has the effect of making the country
appear far more financially stable than it actually is, UANI
claims." http://t.uani.com/PiXsKL
Daily Star:
"An anti-Iranian U.S. activist group is piling pressure on U.S. and
European banks to dump their holding of Lebanese sovereign debt,
describing Lebanon's banking sector as a front for Iranian money
laundering in cooperation with Hezbollah. 'As a result of the actions and
omissions of BDL [Lebanon's Central Bank] and the LBS [Lebanese banking
system], Lebanon has become a sovereign money laundering jurisdiction
that receives massive inflows of illicit deposits ... from Hezbollah's
terror and criminal activities, and the illicit symbiotic relationships
among Iran, Syria and Hezbollah,' said a press release issued Tuesday by
the New York-based group United against Nuclear Iran. The press release
was quoting a May 28 letter by UANI CEO Mark D. Wallace to Central Bank
Governor Riad Salameh. UANI argued that despite Lebanon's 'great risk of
sovereign default' due to its high debt to GDP ratio, Lebanese sovereign
bonds showed 'irrational strength' that corresponds with increased
pressure against Iran... However, the secretary-general of the
Association of Banks in Lebanon told The Daily Star Tuesday that the U.S.
Treasury and American financial authorities did not produce any evidence
that the Lebanese banking sector was involved with money laundering
activities or terrorist funding." http://t.uani.com/LVU3Ki
Nuclear
Program & Sanctions
WSJ: "The European Union said it will
hold further talks with Iran on the country's nuclear program, following
a one-day technical-level meeting between the international community and
Tehran in Istanbul. No date has been set yet for the talks, which will be
between Iran's deputy nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri, and his EU
counterpart, Helga Schmid, the EU said Wednesday. An EU official said
they expect a time to be agreed in the coming days. At Tuesday's Istanbul
talks, the two sides shared details of their proposals for resolving the
nuclear standoff, 'and the experts explored positions on a number of
technical subjects,' EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a
statement. The Istanbul meeting, which ran into Wednesday's early hours,
had been called after high-level talks in Moscow last month between Iran
and the P5+1-the U.S., the U.K., France, China, Russia and Germany-failed
to produce a breakthrough. At the time, Western officials said
insufficient progress had been made for setting up a fourth round of
top-level negotiations between Ms. Ashton and Iran's chief negotiator,
Saeed Jalili. That didn't change after Tuesday's negotiations." http://t.uani.com/MY7fQD
NYT:
"The hulking tanker Neptune was floating aimlessly this week in the
warm waters of the Persian Gulf, a fresh coat of black paint barely
concealing its true identity as an Iranian ship loaded with hundreds of
thousands of barrels of oil that no one is willing to buy. The ship's
real name was Iran Astaneh, and it was part of a fleet of about 65
Iranian tankers serving as floating storage facilities for Iranian oil,
each one given a nautical makeover to conceal its origin and make a buyer
easier to find. The Neptune had been floating there for a month, and
local fishermen said there were two even larger tankers anchored nearby.
Iran, faced with increasingly stringent economic sanctions imposed by the
international community to force it to abandon any ambitions to develop
nuclear weapons, has been reluctant to reduce its oil production, fearing
that doing so could damage its wells. But Iran has insufficient space to
store the crude it cannot sell. So while it furiously works to build
storage capacity on shore, it has turned to mothballing at sea." http://t.uani.com/LVNwzf
Reuters:
"Japan will not import any Iranian crude in July as buyers held back
to avoid any risk of running foul of EU sanctions targeting insurance,
which have severely disrupted the OPEC member's supplies, industry and
government sources said on Wednesday. Japan will join South Korea among
top Asian buyers in halting all Iranian imports this month due to
sanctions imposed by Brussels on Sunday that aim to cut Iran's oil
revenues and force Tehran to curb its nuclear program. The measure will
cost Iran dearly in July, as Japan and South Korea imported a combined
256,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iran's crude in May, worth over $750
million at current oil prices. 'We're aware there will be no imports in
July,' said a Japanese government official, who requested anonymity
because he was not authorized to speak to the media. China, Iran's top
oil buyer, is also likely to see reduced imports in July as it bickers
with Iran's top shipping company over freight costs." http://t.uani.com/LR6nQk
WSJ:
"After months of talks with the US and European Union about the
impact of sanctions targeted at Tehran on shipments of oil to South Korea
from Iran, Seoul halted those imports on July 1. Sorry, we should say
that oil imports from Iran 'came to a halt.' The difference is important
for the South Korean government, which is now engaged in an awkward dance
as it considers its options to cover the shortfall. Unlike its equally
energy hungry neighbor Japan, South Korea can't afford state guarantees
on shipments of oil from Iran to replace the now-banned European
insurance cover on Korean shipments of oil from Iran. With few options to
cheaply substitute Iranian crude, one possibility is a resumption of
crude imports from Iran, but on Iranian ships. Tehran has reportedly
offered its own ships to several countries for oil imports." http://t.uani.com/MY0Wwm
Reuters:
"Kenya is cancelling an agreement to import 4 million tonnes of
Iranian crude oil per year because of international sanctions against
Iran, its top energy official said on Wednesday. The news earlier this
week that Kenya would turn to Iran for up to 80,000 barrels of oil per
day surprised Western powers. Kenya is a key strategic ally in the
U.S.-led fight against militant Islam in east Africa. The deal, signed
last month, came at a time that Western powers are increasing pressure on
Tehran over its disputed nuclear programme." http://t.uani.com/LR6KdD
Reuters:
"Tanzania is looking into U.S. accusations it has reflagged oil
tankers from Iran and would strip the vessels of the east African
country's flag if that proved to be the case, the foreign minister said
on Thursday. Howard Berman, the ranking member of the U.S. House
Committee on Foreign Affairs, has accused Tanzania of reflagging at least
six and possibly as many at 10 tankers, saying it was helping Iran evade
U.S. and European Union sanctions aimed at pressuring Tehran to curb its
nuclear programme. He said Tanzania could face U.S. sanctions for the
practice. 'If it is confirmed that the ships flying Tanzania's flag are
indeed from Iran, we will take steps to deliberately obliterate the
registration,' Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Membe told
reporters." http://t.uani.com/MXWMon
Reuters:
"The United States said on Wednesday it was reviewing a U.N.
agency's dealings with sanctioned countries such as Iran after documents
showed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) had supplied
IT equipment to the Islamic Republic. The Geneva-based WIPO, a 185-member
body that includes Iran, sent IT equipment to Iranian authorities,
according to correspondence between WIPO and the Iranian agency dealing
with intellectual property, dated August 2010 and provided to Reuters by
a source close to WIPO... 'We have made several inquiries to the WIPO
Secretariat and requested any related documentation. We have received
several project documents and are in the process of reviewing them,' said
David Kennedy, spokesman for the U.S. Mission in Geneva." http://t.uani.com/L2o4gs
WSJ:
"A private Iranian company Wednesday offered to take over a French
refinery to avoid its shut down, according to a person familiar with the
matter, potentially placing authorities in Paris in a dilemma over their
economic agenda and desire to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program.
That the refinery bid is even possible underscores the complexity of the
web of trade restrictions imposed on Iran. But it could face numerous
operational challenges that illustrate the difficulty closely held
Iranian companies have doing international business amid a sanctions
regime, a legal expert said. An official at Iranian oil and gas
contractor Tadbir Energy Development Group confirmed that the company had
sent a letter outlining its intention to bid for the Petit-Couronne
refinery, which serves the Paris area and refines about 10% of France's
fuel requirements. 'We sent a letter...to buy Petit-Couronne,' the
official said." http://t.uani.com/LzG1Qa
Reuters:
"The Swiss government said on Thursday it would widen sanctions
against Iran but would not implement a European Union ban on trading
Iranian oil because of 'foreign policy reasons'. An EU ban on the
importation, purchase or shipping of Iranian oil was rolled out on 1 July
in an effort to pressure the Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear
programme. The new Swiss sanctions, which come into force on Friday, will
affect supplies for the petrochemical industry, telecommunications
equipment as well as the purchase and sale of precious metals and
diamonds, the non-EU country said in a statement." http://t.uani.com/KVDiix
Human Rights
CNN:
"A prominent Iranian literary translator is missing, just weeks
after being released from Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, a source close
to him said Monday. The individual said Mohammad Soleimani Nia, 40,
hasn't been seen since he responded to a call from authorities last
Wednesday to retrieve personal belongings that had been confiscated. He
was to pick up items, including his driver's license, computer and
passport at an office near Evin Prison." http://t.uani.com/M7iV2M
Foreign Affairs
AP:
"Iran's state TV charged Wednesday that the BBC hacked its website
to change the results of a poll about Iran's nuclear program. The BBC
denied the allegation... The British broadcaster's Farsi language service
reported that the poll showed 63 percent of those who took part favored
halting uranium enrichment in exchange for an end to Western economic
sanctions. The TV report Wednesday said the actual figure was 24 percent,
and the rest favored retaliation against the West with measures like closing
the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key to exporting oil from the Gulf. In
a statement, the BBC said the claims were 'both ludicrous and completely
false, and the BBC Persian Service stands by its reporting.'" http://t.uani.com/OtMYFQ
Opinion &
Analysis
Yassamin Issapour
in WSJ: "Europe and the U.S. may be in grim economic
straits, but the Islamic Republic of Iran is doing just fine-at least if
Iran's leaders are to be believed. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has
insisted relentlessly that his country's economy is healthy, while
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has christened the current Iranian calendar
year as the 'Year of Domestic Production and Support for Iranian Capital
and Labor.' The truth, of course, is very different. Iran's economy faces
rising inflation and a significant depreciation of the rial due to
tightening international sanctions. Against this backdrop, it is only
natural for Iran's leaders to seek to reassure distressed citizens. But
after the failure of negotiations over its nuclear program in mid-June,
Iran is now weathering a new round of U.S. and EU sanctions, which kicked
in July 1. Nobody knows for sure to what extent this pressure will be
effective against Iran, a country tremendously rich in natural resources.
With the planet's third largest oil reserves and second largest natural
gas reserves, Iran's economic fortunes should be bright. Regime officials
are positioning their country as a major energy hub for the Middle East,
inking new deals in recent months with Syria, Iraq and Pakistan. But it
is already apparent that sanctions have had a real effect on Iran's
economic health. Statistics issued by Iran's central bank show inflation
at 21%, but with the cost of staple goods rising by leaps and bounds, the
actual experience of inflation is bound to be graver. The price of bread
increased by 40% in the month of June alone, causing a nationwide outcry.
The price of chicken and vegetables increased by 3.7% and 10% in a period
of just two weeks last month. Iranian households now have to pay on
average half of their monthly salaries just to keep food on the table.
These trends also come at a political cost for the regime. Members of
Iran's embattled working class could well breathe new life into Iran's
moribund opposition. This force, colloquially known as the 'Green
Movement,' coalesced in mid-2009 but was successfully beaten back in
ensuing months by regime forces. Back then, the Green Movement lacked the
support of Iran's working class, which is mostly comprised of government
employees who strongly support the regime as their source of livelihood.
But today, government policies are leaving Iran's workers behind. In its
most recent appraisal of state salaries, the Iranian government chose to
raise wages for state employees by 15%, significantly less than the
national rate of inflation." http://t.uani.com/M7ic1p
Amir Taheri in the
NYPost: "'The Missiles of the Prophet': That's the
code-name chosen by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for its
latest naval exercises, which started Monday in the Strait of Hormuz. The
show of force is designed to coincide with the start in Istanbul of a new
set of talks on Iran's nuclear program, where Tehran faces the five
permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. The rendezvous
was fixed last month, after Iran and the 'sextet' failed to find any
'substantive common ground' in high-level talks in Moscow. Rather than
admit failure, the two sides agreed to have 'technical experts' meet in
Istanbul. But what are these talks about? Tehran claims that the aim is
to 'agree on the technical modalities' of further talks, perhaps at a
higher level, to 'dispel misunderstandings' about Iran's nuclear
ambitions. Once these 'technical' talks are over, a date can be set for
another meeting at the political level, perhaps in September. It must be
clear to anyone who has followed all this that Iran is acting in
accordance with a famous Persian proverb: Leading the horse to water and
bringing it back thirsty. That is, Tehran will only make time-consuming
gestures toward letting the 'horse' drink - but will never actually agree
to stop the core of its nuclear program, which consists of enriching as
much uranium as it can at higher and higher levels. Three years ago, Iran
had a few kilograms of low-grade enriched uranium. Today, it has several
tons of uranium enriched to about 20 percent. The regime has also
embarked on a vast program of building 'protected sites' for its nuclear
program, deep in mountains and designed to withstand air attacks. One
site, at Fordo, is already operational; completion of five more is
expected within the next two years. As always, Tehran wants to buy time.
And everyone knows it - well, everyone except (perhaps) Catherine Ashton,
the European Union's foreign-policy czarina and leader of the 'sextet.'
Tehran's calculation is that the talks would make it politically
difficult for Israel to contemplate military action against Iranian
nuclear sites. After all, the mantra of 'give negotiations a chance' has
many supporters, even within the Israeli leadership." http://t.uani.com/Pj8uQf
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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.
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