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Top Stories
NY Times: "Iranian
lawmakers and commanders issued stark warnings to the United States and
its allies on Tuesday, saying any military strike on Syria would lead to
a retaliatory attack on Israel fanned by 'the flames of outrage.' The
warnings came against a backdrop of rising momentum among Western
governments for a military intervention in the Syrian conflict over what
the United States, Britain, France and others have called undeniable
evidence that President Bashar al-Assad's forces used banned chemical
weapons on civilians last week, killing hundreds. ... 'In case of a U.S.
military strike against Syria, the flames of outrage of the region's
revolutionaries will point toward the Zionist regime,' the semiofficial
Fars news agency quoted Mansur Haqiqatpur, an influential member of
Parliament, as saying on Tuesday." http://t.uani.com/1cgrvdO
Bloomberg: "Iran
lifted its output of uranium, the heavy metal at the center of the
Islamic Republic's clash with the United Nations, according to monitors,
who also reported negotiations with the country will continue. Iran's
production of uranium enriched to 20 percent rose to 372.5 kilograms (821
pounds) from 324 kilograms in May, the International Atomic Energy Agency
said today in a 14-page restricted report. The stockpile of material on
hand to enrich at short notice grew 2 percent in the last 3 months to
185.8 kilograms. It has converted or is in the process of converting
186.7 kilograms, or 50 percent of the stockpile, into reactor fuel. 'The
agency will not be in a position to provide credible assurance about the
absence of undeclared material and activities in Iran unless and until
Iran provides the necessary cooperation,' the Vienna-based IAEA said,
adding that it 'continues to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear
material.'" http://t.uani.com/184ae4B
WSJ: "A
U.S. attack on Syria would likely dash expectations of progress in
nuclear negotiations with Iran and undermine new Iranian President Hasan
Rouhani's call for improving relations with the West, diplomats said. An
attack on Damascus would likely give Iranian hard-liners, who oppose a
nuclear compromise, the upper hand over moderate President Hasan Rouhani,
who has made foreign policy and nuclear talks a priority. The deputy
commander-in-chief of Iran's armed forces, Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, said on
Monday that the U.S. would be 'crossing a red line' if it violated
Syria's borders and warned of dire consequences for Washington, according
to Iranian media." http://t.uani.com/15jghzm
 Nuclear
Program & Sanctions
AP:
"Iran and the U.N. nuclear agency have agreed to restart talks
focused on the agency's attempts to probe suspicions that Tehran worked
on atomic weapons, diplomats said Wednesday, in the first such meeting
since Iran's hard-line president was replaced by a more moderate
successor. The diplomats told The Associated Press that the negotiations
will resume Sept. 27, with the main focus on gaining access to a section
of a military site that the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency has
long tried to access." http://t.uani.com/16QuJTd
Reuters:
"Iran has installed about 1,000 advanced uranium enrichment
centrifuges and is set to test them, a U.N. nuclear report showed, a
development likely to worry Western powers hoping for a change of course
under the country's new president. The International Atomic Energy
Agency's quarterly report - the first since relative moderate Hassan
Rouhani won Iran's June presidential election - also said the Islamic
state had started making fuel assemblies for a reactor which the West
fears could yield nuclear bomb material. Iran denies any such aim. On the
other hand, Iran's most sensitive nuclear stockpile has grown little -
remaining below its arch-enemy Israel's stated 'red line' that could
provoke military action - since the previous IAEA report in May. This
could buy time for more negotiations with six world powers. The IAEA
report showed Iran continuing to press ahead with its disputed nuclear
program at a time when the outside world is waiting to see if Rouhani
will act to ease tension with the Islamic Republic's Western
critics." http://t.uani.com/1fiPM2B
Syria Conflict
Reuters:
"Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday
U.S. intervention in Syria would be 'a disaster for the region,' the ISNA
state news agency reported, as Western powers made plans to hit Damascus
over a chemical weapons attack. After supporting Arab uprisings across
the Middle East and north Africa in 2011 as examples of what Khamenei
called an Islamic awakening, Tehran has steadfastly supported the secular
President Bashar al-Assad, its main strategic ally in the Middle East,
against a two-and-a-half-year-long rebellion. 'The intervention of
America will be a disaster for the region. The region is like a gunpowder
store and the future cannot be predicted,' the agency quoted Khamenei as
saying." http://t.uani.com/16QgQB7
Reuters:
"Iran denied reports on Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad had flown to Iran, according to Iran's English-language state
broadcaster Press TV. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi
said the reports were 'ridiculous,' Press TV said. Some financial market
participants on Wednesday were citing reports in Middle East outlets that
Assad had left Syria for Iran." http://t.uani.com/15wDJ02
Reuters:
"A top U.N. official visiting Iran has urged it to use its influence
to persuade the Syrian government to attend planned peace talks with
opposition groups in Geneva, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman has spent
the past two days in Tehran meeting officials, including Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif, to discuss trying to reach a political solution in
Syria. 'Mr Feltman shared the U.N. position that Iran, given its
influence and leadership in the region, has an important role to play and
a responsibility in helping to bring the Syrian parties to the
negotiating table,' U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said." http://t.uani.com/1fiQ21m
Foreign Affairs
AP:
"Iran's parliament gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill
requiring the government to sue the U.S. for its involvement in the 1953
coup that overthrew the country's democratically elected prime minister.
The bill follows the release of newly declassified documents offering
more details of how the CIA orchestrated the overthrow of Prime Minister
Mohammed Mossadegh 60 years ago. It calls for setting up a committee to
study the issue and provide a report within six months before legal
action is launched against the U.S. government in an international
court." http://t.uani.com/14D9VPF
Opinion &
Analysis
Brian Fung in the
Washington Post: "On Monday, Google became one of
the first American companies to take advantage of newly loosened U.S.
sanctions against Iran. With a Google Plus post, the search giant
announced that it was offering its Play store to Iranian citizens,
allowing them to download free apps from its app marketplace. The Treasury
Department, which sets the export restrictions, issued the new rules back
in May. But the recent easing is actually part of a longer process that
doesn't just change U.S. policy toward Iran; it also potentially touches
the sanctions regime affecting other targeted states, including Syria.
The directive that Google took advantage of this week is known as General
License D. It replaces a narrower export regulation that made it possible
for U.S. companies to sell social networking technology, blogging software,
instant messaging tools and several other select types of technologies to
Iran. The new rule established this spring widens the acceptable range of
salable products to include 'services, software, and hardware incident to
personal communications.' What's key about this is that the U.S.
government no longer cherry-picks technologies, said Tim Maurer, a fellow
at the New America Foundation in Washington. 'This new license provides
blanket authorization for products and services, whereas before, you had
regulation that required businesses to apply for specific licenses -
which meant additional costs to apply and to wait,' said Maurer. Google
isn't the first major tech company to respond to General License D. In
June, Apple updated its export compliance page to say that some of its
products fell into the whitelist. Iran is currently the only
U.S.-sanctioned country to benefit from such a broad license. It's not
clear why Treasury officials decided to open up to Iran this way first
rather than picking a less controversial country, but the point is rather
moot. Iran has already blocked access to Google Play from inside its
borders, according to Internet researcher Collin Anderson. Still, the
Obama administration has followed a pattern of gradually relaxing export
restrictions worldwide. In 2010, the Treasury Department allowed American
companies to export a limited set of named, specific technologies to
countries including Iran, Sudan and Cuba. Then, in 2011, the agency
issued a similar rule on Syria. In recent months, Treasury officials have
adopted a broader rule for Syria, saying they would 'look favorably' on
license applications involving technologies that aren't already covered
by the 2011 round of loosening. The new rule isn't quite as relaxed as
the policy toward Iran, but the easing of Syria sanctions does appear to
reflect the department's previous progression, said New America's
Danielle Kehl. With Washington abuzz in speculation over a potential
military intervention in Syria, granting a blanket authorization might
help the rebels coordinate their activity in the long run. It's not
likely to happen in time for U.S. jets to arrive, though. Even if it did
happen, it'd likely be months before any U.S. companies felt confident
enough in the rules to do anything about it - just like it took months
for Google to open up the Play store to Iran. http://t.uani.com/1dmAgWG
Hanin Ghaddar in
NOW Lebanon: "As more indications show that the
international community is heading to some sort of strike on Syria, the main
concern is now Iran. While the Islamic Republic might not react directly
by bombing Israel or Jordan, it will try its best to secure its
interests in Syria. Therefore, the U.S. needs to make sure there is a
plan in place to check any growing Iranian influence in Syria after the
possible military strike. This requires a long-term strategy for Syria,
one that should also take into consideration the heightened Sunni-Shiite
tension in Syria and Lebanon. Iran's objective in Syria is not to
protect the Assad regime. Iran wants to make sure it does not lose the
territorial advantage in Syria, mainly linking Lebanon to Damascus and
the coast through Qusayr and Homs. With or without Assad and his regime,
they will do anything to maintain it even if they have to fight until the
last Sunni in Syria and the last Shiite in Lebanon, and this needs to be
addressed during and after a military strike. More Sunni-Shiite clashes
could be a consequence. ... [For Iran,] There are only two options:
1) Use Hezbollah and its counterpart in Iraq to further destabilize the
region. This will work to a certain extent but will not change much on
the ground in Syria if the West is heavily invested. On the contrary, it
will increase sectarian tensions - which have reached a dangerous level
already - and even Hezbollah is not happy with the repercussions. 2) Give
more attention to diplomatic efforts in order to reach a settlement over
the nuclear program. The more bargaining chips Iran loses in the region,
the more compromising it will be. The nuclear program is what really
matter for Iran, after all. In any case, Hezbollah will have lost it all.
Its involvement in Syria has killed it as a resistance force, regionally
and locally. The fear here is for Lebanon's Shiites, who will have to pay
the price of all the above." http://t.uani.com/1537xOz
Stephen Schwartz
in the Weekly Standard: "The title of Ferghe News,
an Iran-based website, means "Cult News." It is dedicated
mainly to defaming Sufi Muslims. But Ferghe News, following the ideological
posture of the Iranian clerical dictatorship, also condemns the
Saudi-based Wahhabi sect (historically the most violent enemies of the
Sufis), the Baha'is, never favored by Khomeinist Tehran, and "New
Age" movements. Ferghe News and its scandalmongering are anything
but frivolous or trivial. They represent a malign use of the Internet to
support the suppression of dissident Iranian Sufis and to gin up criminal
charges against them. In a recent post, the site described indoctrination
against Sufis as an element of the activities in 'jihad training camps'
at Azad University, in Khorramabad, capital of Lorestan province in
western Iran. Typical headlines in Ferghe News accuse Sufis of rape,
murder, opium-smoking, corruption, serving as U.S. agents, affiliation
with Freemasonry, and influence over the Green movement that emerged all
too briefly to challenge the questionable results of the second election
of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iranian president in 2009. (Masons are a
conspiratorial hobgoblin for many Muslims. Sunnis blame them for
undermining the Ottoman caliphate, and Shias accuse them of serving
Britain against Persian interests more than a century ago.) The online
persecutor of the spiritual Sufis has assailed the two largest Sunni Sufi
movements (known as tariqat or "pathways"), the Qadiris and
Naqshbandis, and other such bodies. But Ferghe News reserves its worst
denunciations for the Shia Gonabadi-Nimatullahi Sufis, the leading Sufi
trend in Shia Iran and in the Iranian diaspora. The Gonabadi-Nimatullahi
group is named for the 15th-century poet Noorud'din Nimatullah Veli,
whose verse is widely read and loved by Iranians. But the Gonabadi Sufis
do not accept the theocratic doctrine of "governance by the
jurisconsult," invented by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to justify
the monopoly on power by his disciples after the Islamic Revolution of
1979. Western observers pick through the Iranian media looking for
indications, however small, that Ahmadinejad's successor as president,
Hassan Rohani, will ameliorate Tehran's confrontational posture toward
the world. Meanwhile they ignore mountains of evidence of continued
internal repression in the clerical state." http://t.uani.com/17gxLCX
Economist:
"Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said (pictured on the left) has
passed many messages between America and the Islamic Republic of Iran
during their 34-year long antipathy. He lobbied the Iranians on behalf of
the United States to release detained American journalist Roxana Saberi,
and eventually pardon three young hikers who were accused of spying in
2009. He also negotiated the release of both Shahrazad Mir Gholikhan and
Mojtaba Atarodi, Iranians whom America had imprisoned for allegedly
trying to export to Iran night-vision goggles and high-tech lab
equipment, respectively. It is hardly surprising then that the arrival on
August 25th of the 72-year-old sultan for a three-day state visit in the
same month as the inauguration of President Hassan Rohani (pictured on
the right), a more moderate man than his predecessor, has sparked
regional media speculation that he brings with him another message from
the Americans. Al-Hayat, a pan-Arab newspaper, quoted sources in Iran as
saying that the trip was 'not normal and does not fall under normal
protocol'. Bahar, a publication linked to Iran's newly-empowered
reformist bloc, reported that the sultan was visiting as a precursor to
future talks between America and Iran to negotiate a deal on greater
nuclear transparency in exchange for sanctions relief. Fararu, a
reformist-leaning website, has suggested that a new back channel might be
established between the two countries, to pave the way for discussions
over Iran's disputed nuclear programme as well as the crisis in Syria.
Iran's foreign-ministry spokesperson at first denied that the sultan
would bring word from the US, but the foreign minister, Mohammad Javad
Zarif, subsequently backtracked, saying that he would wait to see what
the sultan might convey. Both America and Iran have softened their
rhetoric since the election in June of a presidential candidate who
campaigned on improving relations with the West. Iranians are
demonstrating a rare cautious optimism that a deal, which would bring
much-needed sanctions relief, might be at hand this time. The
sultan's trip coincided, meanwhile, with that of Jeffrey Feltman, a
former US ambassador to the UN, who was visiting as an official of the UN
to discuss Syria, and whom the Iranian press described as "the most
senior American official to visit Iran since the revolution". Mr
Feltman reportedly trod the line between feeling out for Iranian help
over Syria and encouraging calm in the event of an increasingly likely
Western intervention against Bashar Assad. Whatever the speculation over
Sultan Qaboos's trip, he will have had plenty to discuss with his Iranian
hosts." http://t.uani.com/19N1S3e
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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