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Top Stories
CBS:
"Iran has long denied that it is directly involved in the Syrian
civil war, but that is a lie. CBS News has photographic proof that Iran's
elite Revolutionary Guard is engaged in combat alongside Syrian
government forces to put down a popular revolt that began two-and-a-half
years ago. Why does it matter? A human rights group reported Thursday
that the death toll in the war has now reached 120,000, including nearly
43,000 civilians. And the State Department told CBS News one-third of
Syrians have now lost their homes - the equivalent of 100 million
Americans being displaced. We've seen rare pictures of Iranian advisers
in Syria before, but we haven't seen them fighting like this: Members of
the elite Revolutionary Guard on the frontlines of Syria's civil war. The
video was shot by Hadi Baghbanis, a Tehran cameraman who was invited to
film a guard unit under the command of 33-year-old Mohsen Ismail Haideri,
who offers a guided tour on camera of his battle sector on the outskirts
of Aleppo." http://t.uani.com/1cubKnp
Reuters:
"Vice President Joe Biden led a high-powered delegation to Capitol
Hill on Thursday to try to persuade U.S. lawmakers to hold off on any
more sanctions against Iran and let delicate diplomatic talks over
Tehran's nuclear program unfold. President Barack Obama is convinced that
there is the potential for an international deal to prevent Iran from
developing a nuclear weapon but worries that congressional pressure for
additional sanctions could complicate negotiations. Biden, Secretary of State
John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew held a closed-door session
with Senate Democratic leaders and Republican and Democratic members of
the Senate Banking Committee to update them on major power talks with
Iran. A new round of negotiations is set for next week in Geneva. An
official in Biden's office said the administration's message was that
there may come a point when more sanctions are needed, but now may not be
the best time for Congress to act. But the appeal to wait is a tough sell
in Congress, which tends to take a harder line on Iran than the
administration. Several lawmakers said after the meeting they had not
been convinced, and that fresh sanctions are needed to discourage
Tehran's nuclear ambitions." http://t.uani.com/1aMCWZt
Bloomberg:
"Two top Senate backers of added U.S. sanctions against Iran said
the Obama administration failed to persuade them to put legislation on
hold during efforts to negotiate curbs on the Islamic republic's nuclear
program. Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the Democratic chairman
of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Mark Kirk, an Illinois
Republican, said they intend to push forward with new economic sanctions
after emerging from a closed-door briefing today with Vice President Joe
Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew.
'I'd have to hear something far more substantive from what I heard today
to dissuade me' from acting on legislation, Menendez told reporters...
Kirk said he saw no prospect of success from the talks in Geneva. 'It
just seems a long rope-a-dope,' Kirk said." http://t.uani.com/1f86cN5
 Nuclear
Program
AFP: "Iran's
foreign minister expressed hope Thursday that upcoming negotiations about
the country's disputed nuclear programme will lead to a quick
understanding with world powers. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
said Iran would approach crunch nuclear talks in Geneva next week 'with
good faith' and 'with determination to reach understanding and with hope
to reach an understanding at an early stage'... He added, 'all elements
are in place. I believe resolving this issue should not be difficult
because Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons.' 'We believe that even a
perception that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons is detrimental to our
security so we will do our best in order to remove that
perception.'" http://t.uani.com/16rZCyy
AP:
"A senior Tehran nuclear negotiator says Iran is 'hopeful' about
prospects for more progress in nuclear talks with world powers ahead of
next week's meetings in Geneva. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
told state TV late Thursday that while Iran and the six powers - five permanent
U.N. Security Council members and Germany - had agreed on a framework in
October, the Iranian side is 'hopeful to make achievements on the
content' in the next round of the talks. But Araghchi cautioned the road
ahead is 'a long and meandrous path.'" http://t.uani.com/1aZ9RZi
Reuters:
"Iran and six world powers ended an expert-level meeting over
Tehran's disputed nuclear activities on Thursday, but there was no
immediate word on whether they had come any closer to an elusive
breakthrough deal. The two-day meeting was meant to prepare for the next
round of political negotiations on November 7-8, building on a diplomatic
opening created by the election of Hassan Rouhani as new Iranian
president... Around 3 p.m. (1400 GMT), delegations of nuclear and sanctions
experts were seen leaving the conference room where the discussions began
on Wednesday afternoon. Participants declined to comment on the nature of
the closed-door talks. Michael Mann, spokesman for the European Union's
foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, said only that the Vienna talks
had sought to 'address various technical questions and contribute to
preparations for the next round of talks in Geneva.'" http://t.uani.com/HsPUmk
Syria Conflict
Reuters:
"Turkey and Iran said on Friday they had common concerns about the
increasingly sectarian nature of Syria's civil war, signaling a thaw in a
key Middle Eastern relationship strained by stark differences over the
conflict. Iran has been a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad since the start of the 32-month-old uprising against him, while
Turkey has been one of his fiercest critics, supporting the opposition
and giving refuge to rebel fighters. But the election in June of
President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who says he wants to thaw
Iran's icy relations with the West, and shared concern over the rise of
al Qaeda in Syria, have spurred hopes of a rapprochement." http://t.uani.com/1aOpaav
Human Rights
FT:
"Until two days before her concert at one of Tehran's leading music
venues, Jivar Sheikholeslami, a 32-year-old Iranian singer in an
all-female folklore band, did not know if she would get official
permission for the performance. For more than 30 years, female singers in
Iran have not been able to sing solo or perform to a mixed audience. It
is illegal to take pictures of them singing or to record their
performances. Even group performances to all-women audiences, such as
that planned this week at Andisheh hall, have been closely monitored
since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. 'Why should I be kept under so much
stress before my performance?' she says. 'If the female voice was against
religion, God would have created us mute.' But the concert did take
place, amid growing hopes that female singers might have more freedom
under Hassan Rouhani, president, who swept to power in June promising a
weary population that hardline policies would be softened... Within the
Islamic Republic, many hope that there will also be an easing of
restrictions on cultural life." http://t.uani.com/17xgs1N
Domestic
Politics
NYT:
"Dusty and dilapidated, dwarfed by the modern high-rises of the
Iranian capital, the former United States Embassy building stands in a
vast compound in the center of Tehran, a forlorn symbol of what
increasingly seems like a bygone era here... Foreign journalists were
allowed a rare peek inside the compound on Thursday, in anticipation of
the Nov. 4 anniversary of the 1979 hostage taking. The day will be
celebrated with state-organized rallies where 'Death to America' will, as
always, be the main slogan. 'Before that moment, it was the U.S. who
dictated the history of nations,' said Mohammad Reza Soghigi, who guided
the foreign reporters visiting the site. 'After the takeover, it was Iran
that dictated the history of the U.S.' For Iranian hard-liners, the
embassy compound is a symbol of the lasting power of the Islamic
Revolution." http://t.uani.com/16rYM4A
Opinion
& Analysis
Chicago Tribune Editorial: "In
a typical negotiation, the more leverage you bring to the table, the
better your chances for snagging a favorable deal. So you'd think that
the Obama administration would welcome a push from Congress to slap more
economic sanctions on Iran, in a bid to boost U.S. leverage in talks to
halt Tehran's rogue nuclear program. But the administration is pressing
the U.S. Senate to delay a vote on those expanded sanctions. The economic
squeeze orchestrated by the U.S. and the European Union has been
effective: Iran has been crippled by a weakened currency, high inflation
and rising unemployment. Its oil sales have plunged. Earlier this year,
the House voted overwhelmingly - 400 to 20! - for legislation that would
further dry up Iran's oil exports and deal another severe blow to its
teetering financial system. It would blacklist more companies that are
controlled by Iran's government. It would pressure the EU to block Iran
from conducting banking transactions in euros. The overarching goal: a
near-total banking and trade embargo that would freeze Iran. That
legislation is now in the Senate Banking Committee. The Obama
administration says an aggressive move on sanctions could jeopardize the
new negotiations with Iran. New sanctions, the White House says, could
undercut the negotiating power of Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani,
and embolden hardliners to walk away from the table. The Senate has been
delaying a vote on the sanctions bill, but lawmakers are likely to take
it up soon. We understand why the White House wants maximum flexibility
for its negotiators. The White House case would be more compelling,
though, had it not resisted the ramp-up in sanctions in the first place.
That pressure has helped force Iran to talk. It's possible the White
House public position on this is intended for Iranian consumption.
Something of a good-cop, bad-cop routine: Those folks on Capitol Hill
want to pummel you; we're trying to hold them off. But we need a real
deal and we need it quickly. Bottom line: There's value in keeping this
sanctions legislation moving through Congress. A vote on broader economic
sanctions would send a tough message to Iran, but it wouldn't constrict
the negotiating leverage of the White House. The president has latitude
on how and when to impose and withdraw sanctions. He can suspend
sanctions for a time if he declares that to be in America's security
interests. What's more, even if the Senate pursues this legislation now,
it will take months to go into effect. A Senate vote would serve notice
on the Iranians: Bargain in good faith and reach a deal because the
alternative is even more dire economic calamity." http://t.uani.com/1iAfNMu
David Gardner in
FT: "Although nothing concrete has happened to lift
the sanctions siege that is suffocating the Iranian economy, Iran is on a
roll. This is partly a change in atmospherics, but to an important degree
also a change in geopolitical fortunes. The dithering response by the US
and its allies to the dizzying dynamics of an Arab world in upheaval has,
paradoxically, transformed the August 21 nerve gas attack on rebel
suburbs of northeast Damascus into an opportunity for rapprochement with
Iran. This is a much bigger deal for Barack Obama than Syria and sits
with the US president's horror of further military entanglement in the
broader Middle East after Afghanistan and Iraq. The Russian-American
initiative to audit and destroy the chemical arsenal of Bashar al-Assad's
regime may have been cobbled together. But as a collateral consequence
the shadow of US detente with Iran now hovers expectantly over Syria and
the region. In atmospheric terms, attitudes towards the Islamic Republic
are starting to change, as the US and Iran start dancing their diplomatic
pas de deux. Partly, this is due to the charm offensive of Hassan Rouhani,
Iran's silky and urbane new president, against whom Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad,
his mercurial and messianic predecessor, was like a pantomime villain out
of central casting. Mr Rouhani's job is to break the US-led siege
crippling Iran, by negotiating a compromise on Tehran's nuclear programme
that would, at the very least, allow Iran to continue enriching uranium
while offering verifiable proof that it is not seeking an atomic bomb. In
this he has the support of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader.
But if Mr Rouhani cannot show tangible gains relatively soon, the vested
interests of Iran's theocracy will overwhelm him. Already, this week, the
reformist Bahar newspaper was closed for an article on the Imam Ali, the
seventh century founder of Shiism and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed,
which was interpreted as a metaphorical critique of the Supreme Leader's
powers. Yet, Iran is in confident mood. Sanctions have cut oil exports to
far below potential capacity. But the government is drawing up what it
says will be attractive new contractual terms to lure top flight US and
European oil companies, to invest a desperately needed $100bn over the
next three years. The balance of power in the Middle East, moreover, has
tilted back in Iran's favour. The west's hesitation on Syria,
subcontracting arming the rebels to allies in the Gulf, has drained
credibility from America and its friends and built a platform for the
revival of Sunni jihadism from Lebanon to Iraq. The Sunni Islamist
government of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt crashed and burned. Shia
Iran, whose prestige among Arabs collapsed after the suppression of its
own Green Movement in 2009 and its sectarian response to the Arab spring,
is a net beneficiary. The Iranians have also consolidated their position
in Lebanon through Hizbollah and in Iraq through the beleaguered Shia
Islamist government of Nouri al-Maliki, in need of help to hold back the
now cross-border Sunni jihadi threat. In Syria, as a top western diplomat
puts it, 'everybody accepts now that Bashar al-Assad is completely
dependent on Iran.'" http://t.uani.com/1bJbJHa
Charles Recknagel
in RFE/RL: "Soft on the outside, hard on the
inside. That may be the best way to describe the often startling
contrast between Iran's current foreign and domestic policies. Since
taking office in August, President Hassan Rohani has won widespread
praise for showing greater flexibility in nuclear talks with the
international community. The praise has come even from countries usually
highly skeptical of Iran's readiness to solve the nuclear crisis through
negotiations. As U.S. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said
following this month's talks in Geneva between Tehran and the six world
powers, 'We are at a different point in this with a new government in place,
and we are having a level of conversation that is different from what we
had in the past.' But if such statements, echoed by the European Union
and the UN's nuclear agency, have created the sense that the Iranian
government is now far more ready to consider compromises than before,
flexibility is not what characterizes its behavior at home. Hadi Ghaemi,
director of the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in
Iran, says that hard-line forces which lost the June presidential election
to Rohani have pushed back to make sure his softer approach begins and
ends with foreign affairs. 'What we are seeing is that the political
forces which lost in the presidential election are still very much in
control of major branches of the state, such as the Judiciary, the armed
forces, such as the Revolutionary Guards, and the intelligence and
security branches, which are very powerful,' Ghaemi says. 'All of these
groups are at the moment trying to use domestic repression to their
advantage so that any kind of rapprochement in foreign policy does not
undermine their power at home.' The result is that the first three months
of Rohani's administration have been marked by events that call into
question his ability to deliver on campaign promises to end the 'suppression
and radicalism' of recent years. Among his campaign pledges was the
release of political prisoners, with strong suggestions that this would
include Green Movement leaders Mir Hossein Musavi and reformist cleric
Mehdi Karrubi. Some lower-level prisoners have been released, but Musavi
remains under house arrest and two of his daughters were allegedly beaten
by security guards after a recent visit with their father. Karrubi is
reportedly confined to an Intelligence Ministry safe house. Similarly, hard-liners
have shown their power by closing down a reformist newspaper this week
for the first time since Rohani took office. Iran's state press watchdog
shut the daily 'Bahar' over an article seen as attacking the rule of
religious figures. The censors said that undermined Islamic principles.
Scott Lucas, editor of EA Worldview, a specialist website on Iran and the
Mideast, calls the closure of Bahar a clear message to Rohani's
supporters not to expect more room for criticizing the ruling
establishment... The Iranian regime provided a reminder of just how
brutal it remains at home as it hanged 16 prisoners on October 26 in
retaliation for a rebel attack that killed 14 border guards in the
southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan. The mass execution mirrored
the hanging of 11 alleged rebels following a bomb attack in the same
province in 2010. The jarring discrepancy between Iran's softening image
and its hard reality may mean the world will have to get used to viewing
Rohani's presidency through two different lenses: one for foreign policy,
one for domestic." http://t.uani.com/1aMMQub
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a
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