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Top Stories
AP:
"Congress pushed ahead Tuesday with a new package of crippling
sanctions on Iran, targeting its energy, shipping and financial sectors
in the hope that hitting Tehran's oil income will halt its suspected
nuclear weapons program... House and Senate negotiators reached agreement
late Monday on legislation that builds on the current penalties directed
at financial institutions that do business with Iran's central bank. The
new bill would impose sanctions on anyone who mines uranium with Iran;
sells, leases or provides oil tankers to Tehran; or provides insurance to
the National Iranian Tanker Co., the state-run shipping line. Lawmakers
hope to vote on the bill this week before their monthlong August recess,
with a House vote as early as Wednesday... The bill would penalize anyone
who works in Iran's petroleum, petrochemical or natural gas sector, or
helps Tehran's oil and gas industry by providing goods, services,
technology or infrastructure. Any entity that insures or reinsures
investments in Iran's oil sector would be penalized. So would anyone who
helps Iran avoid sanctions through reflagging of vessels... A few
lawmakers said they were frustrated that the legislation didn't go far
enough... Mark Wallace, the former ambassador and head of United Against
Nuclear Iran, welcomed the bill and urged its quick passage. He wished,
however, that it could have been tougher. 'While this legislation will
further isolate the Iranian regime, UANI has long called for much more in
the form of a full economic blockade of the regime,' Wallace said in a
statement." http://t.uani.com/R500rl
Reuters:
"President Barack Obama announced new U.S. sanctions on Tuesday
against foreign banks that help Iran sell its oil and said the measure
would increase pressure on Tehran for failing to meet its international
nuclear obligations. Obama's decision, in an executive order, came ahead
of congressional votes on new sanctions intended to further strip Iran of
its oil-related revenues... Obama's new sanctions target foreign banks
that handle transactions for Iranian oil or handle large transactions
from the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) or Naftiran Intertrade
Company (NICO), two key players in Iran's oil trade... Obama's order also
targets China's Bank of Kunlun and Iraq's Elaf Islamic Bank for providing
services to Iranian banks... 'There is no reason why President Obama
should oppose a full economic blockade of Iran at this point,' said Mark
Wallace, a former ambassador to the United Nations in the George W. Bush
administration, and now head of a pressure group called United Against
Nuclear Iran." http://t.uani.com/R81Njz
NJ Today:
"Gov. Chris Christie signed into law legislation to impose financial
sanctions on Iran Tuesday... The new law (formerly A-2146) prohibits all
state and local entities from doing business with individuals or
companies that engage in certain investment activities in the energy,
financial or construction sectors of Iran. The law follows the direction
of the July 2010 Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and
Divestment Act signed into law by President Obama, which expressly
authorizes states and local governments to prevent investment in
companies operating in Iran. Specifically, the law prohibits state and
local contracting units, boards of education, and county colleges from
contracting with individuals or entities engaged in certain investment
activities in the energy, financial or construction sectors of
Iran." http://t.uani.com/OJ71zM
Nuclear
Program
WSJ:
"Israeli leaders dismissed the chances that a U.S.-led campaign of
economic sanctions will succeed in convincing Iran to give up its nuclear
program, a sign Israel is losing patience with negotiations and may be
closer to military action. The stark comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, coupled with U.S. Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta's more hawkish tone toward Iran during his visit
to Israel, underlined the challenge facing the Obama administration in
heading off an Israeli strike that could engulf the region in another
major conflict and, potentially, force the U.S. to intervene. U.S.
officials say it is difficult for them to tell whether Israel is serious
about attacking Iran or saber rattling in order to pressure the U.S. and
the Europeans to do more to curb the country's nuclear program-or
both." http://t.uani.com/OnZ6IP
AP:
"U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday that Iran must
either negotiate acceptable limits on its nuclear program or face the
possibility of U.S. military action to stop it from getting the bomb.
Speaking outside the city of Ashkelon in southern Israel, with an 'Iron
Dome' rocket defense shield as a backdrop, Panetta sought to balance his
threat to possibly use force against Iran with a message of patience. He
said every measure short of military action must be exhausted first, and
he suggested Israel agrees. His Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak, sought
to portray the allies as united on Iran. But he left no doubt that his
government believes time is running short to stop Iran from getting a
nuclear weapon it could use on the Jewish state." http://t.uani.com/NU1B3W
Sanctions
AFP: "Beijing reacted furiously
Wednesday to new US sanctions imposed on a Chinese bank over transactions
with Iran, urging Washington to revoke them and saying it would lodge an
official protest. China's foreign ministry urged the United States to
lift the sanctions on the Bank of Kunlun, which it said violated the
'norms of international relations' and damaged relations between Beijing
and Washington. US President Barack Obama on Tuesday imposed new economic
sanctions on Iran's oil export sector and on a pair of Chinese and Iraqi
banks accused of doing business with Tehran." http://t.uani.com/Qe7Kdl
Bloomberg:
"OPEC oil production declined for a second month in July as Iranian
output tumbled to a 22-year low, a Bloomberg survey showed. Production
fell 393,000 barrels, or 1.2 percent, to an average 31.165 million
barrels a day this month from 31.558 million in June, according to the
survey of oil companies, producers and analysts. It was the second
straight decrease after daily output reached 21.62 million barrels in
May, the highest level since October 2008. Iran pumped 2.86 million
barrels a day, down 300,000 barrels from June and the lowest level since
February 1990. The Islamic republic was the third-biggest producer the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in July, after Saudi Arabia
and Iraq. Iran had been the second-biggest since May 2000." http://t.uani.com/NIf8hK
Bloomberg:
"Russia is taking legal action to block companies controlled by Iran
from acquiring the strategic Astrakhan port on the Caspian Sea in
violation of United Nations sanctions, the Russian competition watchdog
chief said. 'We know that these companies, through a certain chain, are
under the direct control of the government or structures close to the
government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,' Igor Artemyev, head of the
Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, told reporters in Moscow today. 'Ports are
strategic assets.' After the Russian government blocked the deal two
years ago, the Iranian-controlled companies bought a significant stake in
the port, which carries strategic national importance, from its Russian
owners and now control at least 25 percent, Artemyev said. Russia is
working on annulling the deal, which contravenes United Nations sanctions
against Iran imposed over its disputed nuclear program, he said." http://t.uani.com/NTlsQK
Bloomberg:
"Azerbaijan plans to exclude Naftiran Intertrade Co., a partner in
the BP Plc-led Shah Deniz natural- gas development, from a pipeline
project to Europe from the Caspian region. 'Nico's participation in the
Trans-Anatolia pipeline or other pipelines is not being considered,'
Vaqif Aliyev, head of State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan's investments
department, said by e- mail, referring to Naftiran, which is a unit of
National Iranian Oil Co. 'It has not been invited to join.' Nico holds 10
percent of Shah Deniz, which is estimated to contain 1.2 trillion cubic
meters of gas, enough to supply demand in the European Union for about 2
1/2 years." http://t.uani.com/NlFwbm
Terrorism
WSJ:
"U.S. officials are increasingly concerned about what they call a
growing terrorist threat from Iran as well as an emerging al Qaeda presence
in Syria, according to an annual State Department report assessing
terrorism trends in 2011... 'We are increasingly concerned about Iran's
support for terrorism and Hezbollah's activities,' said Daniel Benjamin,
the State Department's counterterrorism chief, adding that both appear to
have stepped up their terrorist activity in the past year and 'are
engaging in their most active and aggressive campaign since the 1990s.'
The U.S. views Hezbollah of Lebanon as a proxy of Iran... Iran also has
allowed al Qaeda members to move money and operatives through Iranian
territory to South Asia, the report said. Iran has denied any connection
with al Qaeda." http://t.uani.com/NJ14or
WSJ:
"Iran has allowed the Taliban to open an office in eastern Iran and
discussed providing them with surface-to-air missiles, ramping up the
potential for cooperation with the insurgents, according to senior Afghan
and Western officials. Iran's shift came after the U.S. and Afghanistan
sealed a long-term partnership agreement in May, and in an effort to
expand its options for retaliation should its nuclear facilities be
attacked, the officials said. Iran, a Shiite theocracy, wasn't friendly
with the Sunni Taliban government ousted by the U.S. in 2001 and hasn't
permitted an official Taliban presence in the country until now. But
these days both sides 'see America as the bigger enemy' a Western
official in Kabul said." http://t.uani.com/Qe4RJw
Foreign Affairs
Reuters:
"Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has snubbed a visiting
Iranian envoy to signal his 'displeasure' with Tehran, a Foreign Ministry
official said on Tuesday, only weeks after Yemen said it had uncovered an
Iranian-led spy ring in the capital Sanaa. The Iranian envoy was visiting
Yemen to invite Hadi to the Non-Aligned Movement's summit in Tehran in
August." http://t.uani.com/MRpKuV
Opinion &
Analysis
Advisory Board
Member Olli Heinonen in CSM: "After a recent
announcement by the deputy chief of the Iranian navy that it is
considering nuclear propulsion for its submarines, actions have proceeded
swiftly. A bill an Iranian Parliament (Majlis) committee was approved,
and debate has followed, parallel to the latest round of P5+1 talks with
Iran in Istanbul, which concluded last week. The Majlis debate brought to
the arena additional aspects of the Iranian plans: the use of nuclear
propulsion for oil tankers and possible use of uranium with higher
enrichment. There is speculation that nuclear propulsion will be used as
a bargaining chip to trade away in international talks or as (eventual)
justification for continuing uranium enrichment and get to higher
enrichment. Some have raised questions about Iran's proclamations and its
actual capacity to develop nuclear submarines. Nuclear powered vessels
were not mentioned in the paper distributed by Iran at the recent Moscow
and Istanbul talks. (What else is in the pipeline that has not been
mentioned?) The issue gets more complicated, since non-nuclear-weapon
states are allowed to remove from IAEA safeguards nuclear material
intended for non-proscribed military use, such as fuel for nuclear
submarines, under arrangements to be agreed with the International Atomic
Energy Agency... If we put aside for a moment the question of if,
whether, and when Iran will make good on its proclaimed intent, this is
what it could mean in terms of enrichment for Iran. Iran would need to
produce approximately 50 kg of 90 percent highly enriched uranium or 100
kg of 45 percent highly enriched uranium to power a small submarine. The
highly enriched uranium produced under the first scenario is equivalent
to the amount needed for two nuclear weapons. But before that, a
land-based test reactor of the same scale would need to be constructed.
In sum, with those two reactors and additional materials needed for
testing and manufacturing, such a project would require highly enriched
uranium amounts equal to half a dozen nuclear weapons." http://t.uani.com/OJ7Atq
Thomas Joscelyn in
The Weekly Standard: "The State Department released
its annual Country Reports on Terrorism on Tuesday. Once again, the U.S.
government has deemed Iran the world's leading state sponsor of
terrorism. The Iranian regime's sponsorship of terrorism includes troubling
relationships with al Qaeda ('AQ') and the Taliban. 'In 2011,' the State
Department's report reads, 'Iran remained unwilling to bring to justice
senior AQ members it continued to detain, and refused to publicly
identify those senior members in its custody.' Similar language was
included in previous State Department reports. But that is not all there
is to the Iran-AQ relationship. Iran 'also allowed AQ members to operate
a core facilitation pipeline through Iranian territory, enabling AQ to
carry funds and move facilitators and operatives to South Asia and
elsewhere.' During a briefing with the press, Ambassador Daniel Benjamin,
the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, was asked what
the U.S. government is doing to counteract Iran's sponsorship of
terrorism. Benjamin said that the Obama administration is 'deeply
concerned about Iran's activities on its own through the' Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps - Qods Force (IRGC-QF), which is the Iranian
regime's principal terrorist-supporting arm. Benjamin also highlighted
the work Iran does 'together with Hezbollah' to 'pursue destabilizing
activities around the globe.' Iran does not only work with Hezbollah
terrorists, however. 'I think that it's important to note that we've seen
quite a number of different designations in the last year,' Benjamin
explained. 'We have seen a number of al Qaeda activists in Iran who have
been designated.' ... Iran does not limit its sponsorship of terrorism to
the Middle East. Iran has 'sought to expand its activities in the Western
Hemisphere,' the State Department warns. 'The most disturbing
manifestation of this was the Iranian plot against the Saudi Ambassador
to the United States.' In that plot, the IRGC-QF sought to use Mexican
drug cartels to do its bidding. None of this is surprising. Iran will
work with virtually anyone who is opposed to the U.S., whether they are
al Qaeda terrorists, Taliban insurgents, or suspected members of Mexican
drug cartels." http://t.uani.com/OIhR9l
Michael Ledeen in
Foreign Affairs: "The nuclear question is at the
center of most countries' Iran policies. China, France, Germany, Russia,
the United Kingdom, and the United States have all engaged in
negotiations to convince Tehran to give up its presumed quest for the
bomb. Now, with talks sputtering, Western powers have implemented
increasingly tough sanctions, including the European Union's recent
embargo on Iranian oil, in the hope of compelling the regime to reverse
course. Yet history suggests, and even many sanctions advocates agree,
that sanctions will not compel Iran's leaders to scrap their nuclear
program. In fact, from Fidel Castro's Cuba to Saddam Hussein's Iraq,
hostile countries have rarely changed policy in response to Western
embargoes. Some sanctions advocates counter that sanctions did work to
get Chile to abandon communism, South Africa to end apartheid, and Libya
to give up its nuclear program. But the Chilean and South African
governments were not hostile -- they were pro-Western, and thus more
amenable to the West's demands. And Libya's Muammar al-Qaddafi ended his
nuclear pursuit only after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, fearing that
he would suffer the same fate as Saddam Hussein. Iran, which is clearly
hostile and which watched what just happened to a disarmed Libya, will
not back down. Some therefore see sanctions as only a prelude to military
action -- by Israel, the United States, or both. In other words, current
Iran strategy boils down to an eventual choice between appeasement and
attack. Neither outcome is attractive. However, if the United States and
its allies broadened their perspective and paid attention not merely to
Iran's nuclear program but also to the Islamic Republic's larger assault
on the West, they would see that a third and better option exists:
supporting a democratic revolution in Iran... Iran's democratic
revolutionaries themselves must decide what kind of Western help they
most need, and how to use it. But they will be greatly encouraged to see
the United States and its allies behind them. There are many good reasons
to believe that this strategy can succeed. Not least, the Iranian people
have already demonstrated their willingness to confront the regime; the
regime's behavior shows its fear of the people. The missing link is a
Western decision to embrace and support democratic revolution in Iran --
the country that, after all, initiated the challenge to the region's
tyrants three summers ago." http://t.uani.com/N9Pbmh
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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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