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Top Stories
NYT:
"Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, on Tuesday used his first
news conference to call for serious negotiations to solve the decade-long
dispute over the country's nuclear program, and he repeatedly suggested
openness to direct talks with the United States, an idea that until
recently had been unthinkable for many years. At the same time, Mr.
Rouhani said Americans needed to take the first step in the stalled
nuclear negotiations, and he would not specify what his country would be
prepared to do, if anything, to make those negotiations advance. While
the tone of Mr. Rouhani's remarks appeared more accommodating than that
of his predecessor, he broke no new ground on Iran's position regarding
the nuclear dispute, the most serious international issue confronting the
country. 'As the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I state that
the Islamic republic system is very seriously determined to solve the
nuclear issue. It will defend its people's rights and at the same time
will remove the concerns of the other party,' Mr. Rouhani said... Mr.
Rouhani never made any explicit reference to Israel at his news
conference. But he said that the interests of 'one foreign country' had
been imposed on Congress, and that 'even the interests of the U.S. are
not considered in such actions.' Mr. Rouhani also said, 'We advise that
the White House come out of its current confusion, see the realities and
make decisions based on them.'" http://t.uani.com/1esdc56
Bloomberg:
"Iranian President Hassan Rohani's offer to participate in nuclear
negotiations stops short of halting his nation's uranium enrichment
program as demanded by countries that imposed sanctions crippling its
economy. 'We are ready to engage in serious and substantial talks without
wasting time,' Rohani said yesterday in his first news conference as
president two days after being sworn in. He offered no new proposals and
called on the U.S. to take 'practical steps' at the start. 'We seek a
win-win game and this is possible,' he said... 'Iran's peaceful nuclear program
is a national issue,' Rohani said. 'We will not give up the rights of the
Iranian people.' ... 'Rohani's pronouncements were a reminder that Iran's
bottom-line positions -- insistence on the right to develop a peaceful
nuclear energy program, including the right to an indigenous enrichment
capacity -- almost certainly will not budge in the foreseeable future,'
Ali Vaez, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group in
Washington, said in an e-mail." http://t.uani.com/143loTH
Reuters:
"The inauguration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is a chance
for that country to move quickly to resolve concerns about its nuclear
program, but the United States wants to see actions from Tehran, the
State Department said on Tuesday. The inauguration of Rouhani, who took
his oath on Sunday, 'presents an opportunity for Iran to act quickly to
resolve the international community's deep concerns over their nuclear
program,' said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. She added,
however, 'there are steps they need to take to meet their international
obligations and find a peaceful solution to this issue, and the ball is
in their court.'" http://t.uani.com/11M268C
Nuclear
Program
Trend:
"Answering a question about the direct talks between Iran and the
US, Rouhani said that there still are a number of US officials who do not
have the accurate understanding of the facts regarding the recent
presidential elections in Iran, and the message sent by the Iranian
nation. 'Unfortunately, there is this pressure group, a war-mongering
group, which opposes the holding of constructive talks, and this group
pursues the interests of a foreign country, from which they receive
orders,' Rouhani underscored. 'What counts, is a practical response from
the US side. If there are any constructive, meaningful responses from the
US, we will answer them accordingly,' Rouhani said." http://t.uani.com/11M5j89
Sanctions
Reuters: "Iran has taken
delivery of several new oil tankers in recent weeks as it relies more on
its own fleet capacity to help sustain crude export shipments in the face
of western sanctions... Foreign shipping companies, fearing a loss of
western business, have refused to do business with Iran, putting the onus
on its main tanker operator, NITC. Data from publisher IHS Maritime shows
that four supertankers, each with a maximum carrying capacity of 2
million barrels, joined NITC's fleet between May and the end of July.
Another three entered service with NITC earlier this year. 'Iran needs
those ships, especially as there are so few owners now who want to be
seen transporting Iranian oil,' said an oil tanker market source, who
confirmed the deliveries. 'Having more tankers gives Iran more flexibility
to store oil at sea and trade. They need to keep their oil fields running
and get cargoes out somehow.' ... All the vessels were part of a $1.2
billion (781 million pounds) order agreed in 2009 with two Chinese
shipyards for 12 new supertankers." http://t.uani.com/1esb11A
Reuters:
"Iraq's Kurdistan region is exporting crude oil by truck to an
Iranian port for shipping to Asia, industry sources say, using a trade
route that is likely to anger both Baghdad and Washington... Now the
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has approved a second route for crude
through Iran used previously only for petroleum products, the sources
said. For the past two months, crude has been trucked from Kurdish fields
over the border to Iran's Bandar Imam Khomeini (BIK) terminal, 900 km
(560 miles) to the south on the Gulf. Amounts are unclear but could be as
much as 30,000 bpd, they said... At Iran's BIK terminal, the truckloads
of crude are pooled in storage tanks and then pumped onto ships for
export. The tankers sail directly to Asia or to storage facilities at
Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere in the Gulf, where the
crude is kept in tank farms part-owned by European companies, AIS Live
ship tracking data shows and industry sources say." http://t.uani.com/18a6zCZ
AFP:
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Tuesday for
'increased pressure' on Iran, saying it was the 'only thing' that would
deter it from pursuing a nuclear weapons capability. He was addressing a
delegation of 36 visiting US Congressmen after Iran's new President
Hassan Rowhani called for 'serious' talks without delay to allay concerns
about Iran's nuclear programme. 'Iran's president said that pressure
won't work,' Netanyahu told the delegation led by House Democratic whip
Steny Hoyer. 'Not true! The only thing that has worked in the last two
decades is pressure. And the only thing that will work now is increased
pressure,' Netanyahu said in remarks relayed by his office.' ... 'You
relent on the pressure, they will go all the way. You should sustain the
pressure.'" http://t.uani.com/16zmL1o
Jewish Ledger:
"Flanked by legislators and leaders of Connecticut's pro-Israel
community, Governor Dannel P. Malloy formally signed legislation Friday
authored by State Rep. Matt Lesser of Middletown that bars state
contracts from going to companies that do business with Iran.
'Investments in Iran's energy sector violate U.S. and international laws,
but some corporations choose to flout the law,' said Lesser, who serves
as an assistant majority leader and vice chair of the Government
Administration and Elections Committee. 'The state has the right to set
rules for state contracts, but it has the duty to safeguard the public's
tax money,' Lesser said. 'The current Iranian regime is a state sponsor
of terrorism, it flagrantly violates the civil rights of its own
citizens, and it is in violation of its own commitments regarding nuclear
nonproliferation. Most importantly, these investments violate the law.'
... "On behalf of the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut
and United Against Nuclear Iran, we greatly appreciate the sponsorship of
HB 5358 proposed by Rep. Matthew Lesser and his diligent work to achieve
passage and the signing of Governor Malloy today," [JFACT Director
Robert] Fishman said." http://t.uani.com/1930Akz
Opinion &
Analysis
Peyvand Khorsandi
in The Independent: "Since his election in June,
I've been asked a number of times what I think of Hassan Rouhani, the new
Iranian president. As an Iranian exile, I don't think much - or I'd be on
the first plane home (for a visit, anyway). For what it's worth, I think
he's atrocious, and I was surprised when Iranians voted him in; by all
accounts they were petrified at the prospect of four years under one of
his even more reactionary rivals. I say even more reactionary because
there should be no doubt the man is one of 'Them' - an unabashed
Islamist: if he is a moderate or a reformer, I'm the Jolly Green Giant.
You can't be a moderate in Iran. Protecting the sanctity of the Islamic
Republic's founding Khomeini-ist principles, and its resulting
injustices, is your raison d'etre and if you're not up to the task,
you're dead. It's all very Cosa Nostra - you can't stray; you can't pull
the wool over anyone's eyes and thuggish credentials are a must: it's a
gangster regime, pure and simple. For years this guy was the Secretary of
Iran's feared Supreme National Security Council. Countless killings
occurred under his watch; not least during the student uprising of 1999
which Rouhani vowed to 'crush mercilessly and monumentally'. Gunning down
students is par for the course in the Islamic Republic. A few dead young
people who sought democracy are no big deal to Iranian Islamists. July
1999 was the precursor to the protests of June 2009. Then, the original smiling
mullah - the Colonel Sanders of the Islamic Republic, Mohammad Khatami,
stood by as government forces attacked his supporters who were protesting
the closure of a reformist newspaper. There is no reason to expect any
more integrity from Rouhani. Iran has to be viewed in terms of bloodshed.
You can understand more about how the Iranian regime operates by watching
the 2008 Italian mafia film Gomorrah than by watching Newsnight or
reading the reportage of some Western newspapers, whose journalists seem
to believe Rouhani is about to unveil Scandinavian-style social democracy
in Iran." http://t.uani.com/14jj0wf
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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