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Top Stories
Reuters: "Top
Obama administration officials have been pushing U.S. lawmakers hard to
hold off on new sanctions over Iran's nuclear program, but some key
lawmakers said on Wednesday they had not yet been convinced to support a
delay. Senator Bob Corker, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee and a member of the Senate Banking Committee, which
is considering the sanctions package, said lawmakers were skeptical
because they felt they had to push the White House to back strict
sanctions on Tehran. 'It's incumbent upon them over the next 24 to 48
hours to persuade folks like me and others that the course of action they
want to follow is a sound one,' Corker told Reuters. 'I think ... because
Congress had to push the administration into the sanctions regime in the
first place, there is a degree of skepticism. But from my standpoint I'm
certainly open to listening,' he said. Corker had a breakfast meeting on
Wednesday with Secretary of State John Kerry. On Thursday, Kerry and
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew were to hold a classified briefing on the
status of talks with Iran for the Senate banking panel." http://t.uani.com/HgPor7
Free Beacon:
"Democrats in Congress are seeking to delay a new round of Iran
sanctions by up to four months as they assess the impact of U.S. policies
towards Tehran, according to draft legislation circulating on Capitol
Hill. A bill sponsored by Democrats in Congress seeks to establish a
panel to 'review, assess, and make recommendations with respect to the
current United States strategy toward the threats posed by the Government
of Iran,' according to a draft copy of the bill obtained by the
Washington Free Beacon... The Iran Strategy Assessment Panel would have
120 days to travel, discuss, and investigate the prospect of passing new
sanctions on Iran, according to the bill. Congressional insiders and
experts say that the proposal unnecessarily duplicates Iran legislation
already passed in the House and that it would give the regime more than
enough time to achieve an undetectable nuclear breakout capability."
http://t.uani.com/17uQL1Y
Reuters:
"Iran and six big powers began expert-level talks on Wednesday,
building on diplomatic momentum created by a pragmatic shift in Tehran
towards negotiating a peaceful solution to the dispute over Iranian
nuclear ambitions. However, despite much friendlier contacts between the
sides since Hassan Rouhani took office as Iranian president with a pledge
to reduce tension with the West, major differences remain to be overcome
for any breakthrough deal to be reached. Highlighting one big hurdle,
Iran said it was continuing its most sensitive nuclear activity, uranium
enrichment to a level close to that needed for bombs, denying a statement
by a parliamentarian last week that it was halted." http://t.uani.com/1aKYvLU
 Nuclear
Program
NYT: "Iran
has never stopped 20 percent uranium enrichment, Iran's top nuclear
official said on Wednesday, contradicting an influential lawmaker who
last week said the country had voluntarily halted its production. 'Twenty
percent uranium and nuclear plates are being produced inside the country
and there has never been a halt in the production trend,' the official,
Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was
quoted as saying by the Icana news agency, which is the mouthpiece of Iran's
Parliament. Iran has a stockpile of nearly 300 kilograms of uranium
enriched up to 20 percent, which it says is needed to power a reactor in
Tehran, but analysts say Iran has produced enough fuel to last
years." http://t.uani.com/1gexrIO
Bloomberg:
"A Belgian man accused of violating a U.S. law aimed at curbing
nuclear weapons proliferation will be arraigned on charges tomorrow, U.S.
Attorney Zachary T. Fardon of Chicago said. Nicholas Kaiga, 36, the
managing director of a Belgian company called Industrial Metals &
Commodities, has been in federal custody since June and was indicted last
week, according to a statement issued by Fardon today. He allegedly tried
to ship aluminum tubes made by a suburban Chicago business -- and subject
to the federal International Emergency Economic Powers Act -- to a
company in Malaysia that was controlled by an individual 'who is located
at times' in Iran, the prosecutor said." http://t.uani.com/Hu05Hx
Sanctions
The Hill:
"House leaders are running out of patience with their Senate
counterparts over Iran sanctions. The lower chamber voted 400-20 in July
to tighten the noose on Iran's energy sector and have been waiting for
three months for the upper chamber to follow suit. The Senate Banking
Committee had been expected to introduce and mark up its own sanctions
bill this week but that timeframe has slipped after the Obama
administration urged senators to hold off while U.S. diplomats test
Iran's recent overtures... The latest delay hasn't gone down well with
House members of either party. 'The Senate should act,' said Rep. Henry
Waxman (D-Calif.), a Jewish Democrat who's close to leadership. 'We ought
to pass these increased sanctions, and make sure that the Iranians don't
think that they can charm their way out of this situation. Act now.' A
spokesman for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the Republican
leadership agrees. 'The House has acted on this important issue already,'
Michael Steel said. 'It's time for the Senate to follow suit.'" http://t.uani.com/HwqGmC
Reuters:
"Asia's top buyers of Iranian crude have reduced purchases by 11.5
percent so far this year, and shipments are set to fall further even
after tentative signs of better relations between Tehran and
Washington... The U.S. believes the impact on Iran's economy has forced
Tehran to the negotiating table, and sources say the U.S. is unlikely to
allow exports to rise before striking a deal on the nuclear programme.
Until then, Asian buyers need to show the United States evidence of
continuous reductions in purchases from the OPEC member to qualify for a
waiver from sanctions every six months. 'We will maintain our current
stance until the United States takes actual action to ease sanctions,'
said a source at a north Asian buyer of Iranian crude. 'There have been hopes
that U.S. sanctions against Iranian oil import will be eased, but we
can't change our trading policy only with hopes.' ... Iran's oil sales
are expected to fall sharply in October to their lowest in months at
about 719,000 bpd, according to sources who track preliminary tanker
loading plans." http://t.uani.com/17uNYpv
Reuters:
"Japan's crude oil imports from Iran in September rose 35 percent
from a year earlier to 252,216 barrels per day, Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry data showed on Thursday." http://t.uani.com/1cshxKn
Reuters:
"Iran will probably abandon a multi-billion-dollar contract to
supply gas to Pakistan, the semi-official Fars news agency reported
Iran's oil minister as saying on Wednesday. 'The contract for supplying
gas to Pakistan is likely to be annulled,' Fars quoted Iranian Oil
Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh as saying on the sidelines of a gas forum
in Tehran on Wednesday. He gave no other details, Fars said. Under the
contract, Iran is supposed to export 21.5 million cubic meters of gas per
day to Pakistan from next year... Iran has already spent hundreds of
million or dollars and nearly completed the 900 km (560 mile) pipeline to
the Pakistan border. Pakistan, although suffering from severe gas
shortages, has made little progress on its part of the line due to a lack
of funds and warnings it could be in violation of U.S. sanctions on
Iran." http://t.uani.com/1aKVGdx
CBN:
"The Obama administration assured Jewish and pro-Israeli groups that
it will not allow Iran to make a nuclear weapon. In a meeting at the
White House Tuesday, officials told Jewish leaders that they want to
resolve the issue through diplomacy. Some believe Iran's new president,
Hassan Rouhani, is a moderate who is willing to negotiate. But Bob
Feferman of the United Against Nuclear Iran told CBN News's Gary Lane
that the West has to increase pressure on the Islamic state." http://t.uani.com/17ZdqxG
Syria Conflict
BBC:
"Footage from Syria appears to show the extent of Iran's involvement
in the conflict-ridden country. The regime in Tehran says it is assisting
Damascus by sending advisers from its elite Revolutionary Guards. But
when some rebels captured a video camera, belonging to an Iranian
cameraman who had been embedded with the Revolutionary Guards, the scope
of Iran's covert activities in Syria became clear." http://t.uani.com/1hwlz43
Human Rights
RFE/RL:
"Iranian President Hassan Rohani has been in office just three
months, but he is already being reminded of his campaign promises. High
on the list is his pledge to release opposition prisoners, which has
largely gone unfulfilled. In recent days, two prominent critics of the
Iranian establishment have told Rohani that many voted for him after he
vowed to work to end the house arrest of Mir Hossein Musavi and reformist
cleric Mehdi Karrubi. Those two opposition figures, along with Musavi's
wife, Zahra Rahnavard, have been under house arrest since February 2011.
This week the issue came to the fore when Ayatollah Ali Mohammad
Dastgheib criticized Rohani's silence after Musavi's daughters were
allegedly physically assaulted by security guards... 'Our first condition
was for you to try to release all political prisoners, particularly to
end the house arrest of Musavi and Karrubi,' said the outspoken
ayatollah. 'Those who were against this idea voted for others.' Abdollah
Nuri, a former interior minister and a widely respected reformist figure,
has also reminded Rohani that many voted for him hoping for a political
thaw. Nuri made the comments last week during a meeting with Karrubi's
family. A transcript of his comments was e-mailed to RFE/RL and published
by opposition media on October 28. Nuri told Rohani 'not to forget' that
his supporters voted for him because they are fed up with 'lawlessness,'
'the violation of civil rights,' and 'narrow-mindedness' in the Islamic
republic." http://t.uani.com/1geyo3L
Al-Monitor:
"Contradicting his previous statements, Iran's Justice Minister
Mostafa Pourmohammadi said that President Hassan Rouhani's administration
would not get involved in the effort to release Mir Hussein Mousavi, his
wife Zahra Rahnavarad and Mehi Karroubi, who are approaching nearly 1,000
days of house arrest. After meetings today, Pourmohammadi responded to
reporters' questions about the recent attack on Mousavi's daughters by
security agents guarding Mousavi and his wife. Pourmohammadi said, 'What
could be said about this event is that it is noise from the media.' When
asked if the Rouhani administration has formed a special committee to end
the house arrests of Mousavi, Rahnavard and Karroubi, Pourmohammadi said,
'The administration will not interfere in this matter.'" http://t.uani.com/1h306Sr
AFP:
"Malaysia insisted Wednesday two Iranian women sentenced to death
for drug trafficking must face 'due process' despite a warning from
Tehran that their executions would harm bilateral relations. Shahrzad
Mansour, 31, and Neda Mostafaei, 26, were sentenced to death in September
for smuggling methamphetamine into Malaysia in December 2010. Defence
lawyers are appealing the case. The two Muslim nations both use the death
penalty against drug traffickers. But Iran's foreign ministry warned last
week that executing the women would have a 'negative effect' on bilateral
ties, and called for them to be spared. In a statement sent to AFP,
Malaysia's Foreign Ministry said that while it valued relations with Iran
it could not tolerate 'illegal activities, which are detrimental to
Malaysia's image and security.'" http://t.uani.com/17zhWXa
Foreign Affairs
AFP:
"Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will visit France next
week to deliver a speech at UNESCO, ahead of nuclear talks in Geneva with
world powers, media reported Wednesday. Zarif, the first Iranian foreign
minister to visit France in years, will also hold talks with French
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Paris, the official IRNA news agency
said. Relations between Tehran and Paris sharply deteriorated under
former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but ties between Iran and
the West have been witnessing a thaw since the election in June of his
moderate successor Hassan Rouhani. French President Francois Hollande met
Rouhani in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General
Assembly in New York, where Zarif and Fabius also hold a meeting. France
was an important economic partner of Iran until 2000, but later it
campaigned for the adoption of oil and banking sanctions against Iran
over its disputed nuclear programme... Zarif will be addressing the
United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's as it
meets for its 37th general conference." http://t.uani.com/1bFQmq9
Opinion
& Analysis
Simon Henderson & Olli Heinonen in WINEP:
"Despite public statements suggesting progress, the actual advances
so far appear to be limited to atmospherics. Further progress will
require Tehran to make concessions that some Iranian political figures
have ruled -- at least publicly -- as not open for negotiation. Ceasing
production of enriched uranium and stopping the installation of more
centrifuges would be an important initial indication of good faith.
Equally important would be a changed attitude toward verification,
including prompt and full implementation of all provisions of the IAEA's
Additional Protocol, which Iran agreed to in 2003. This goes hand in hand
with verification of the military-related questions the agency has raised
since 2004, as well as concerns over the plutonium-capable IR-40
heavy-water reactor at Arak, which is steadily approaching its
commissioning. The Obama administration appears anxious for negotiations
to succeed, though it has also stated that no deal is better than a bad
deal. If the talks collapse, international support for sanctions would
likely begin to fall apart, reducing U.S. leverage. The world is
watching, particularly U.S. allies in Europe and Asia, as well as
regional friends like Israel, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi
Arabia. Last week, Riyadh indicated disappointment with Washington for
its lack of resolve in Syria and its apparent conciliatory attitude
toward Iran. Washington appears to believe that time is on its side, with
Iran's nuclear advances still reversible. From a technical point of view,
that is debatable. And any concessions granted to Iran, such as allowing
it to enrich uranium at all, would soon be demanded by other countries
that have previously been denied those rights. Indeed, rewarding Iran in
this way for noncompliance with its nonproliferation commitments would
seem indulgent. In the Middle East, many are concerned that Iran's progress
puts it on the cusp of becoming a de facto nuclear power. Perception
being a reality, Tehran is emerging as the regional hegemon, and an
agreement with the West would be seen as Washington confirming this
status. Even at this delicate stage, then, Washington needs to negotiate
expeditiously, achieving tangible progress that defangs Iran and eases
the fears of U.S. allies." http://t.uani.com/1h2ZcoY
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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