Thursday, January 23, 2014

Eye on Iran: Iranian Official on Nuke Deal: 'We Did Not Agree to Dismantle Anything'








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CNN: "Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted Wednesday that the Obama administration mischaracterizes concessions by his side in the six-month nuclear deal with Iran, telling CNN in an exclusive interview that 'we did not agree to dismantle anything.' Zarif told CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto that terminology used by the White House to describe the agreement differed from the text agreed to by Iran and the other countries in the talks -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. 'The White House version both underplays the concessions and overplays Iranian commitments' under the agreement that took effect Monday, Zarif said in Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum... 'The White House tries to portray it as basically a dismantling of Iran's nuclear program. That is the word they use time and again,' he said, urging Sciutto to read the actual text of the agreement. 'If you find a single, a single word, that even closely resembles dismantling or could be defined as dismantling in the entire text, then I would take back my comment.' He repeated that 'we are not dismantling any centrifuges, we're not dismantling any equipment, we're simply not producing, not enriching over 5%.'" http://t.uani.com/1l1cq7O

Reuters: "One of the chief beneficiaries of this week's easing of Iranian sanctions is the country's ruler - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei controls a massive business empire known as Setad that has invested in Iran's petrochemical industry, which is now permitted to resume exports. Under a six-month deal between Iran and world powers, Tehran has promised to scale back its nuclear development program in exchange for the suspension of certain economic sanctions, including curbs on the export of petrochemicals. On Monday, the day the suspension of the restrictions took effect, the U.S. Treasury Department published a list of 14 Iranian petrochemical companies that previously had been sanctioned but are now permitted to do business abroad. The list includes three firms that the department said last year are controlled by Setad - Ghaed Bassir Petrochemical Products Co, Marjan Petrochemical Co and Sadaf Petrochemical Assaluyeh Co... Setad stands to profit from the preliminary agreement in ways besides the export of petrochemicals. The agreement makes it easier for Iran to import humanitarian goods, including medicine. Setad controls numerous Iranian pharmaceutical companies. http://t.uani.com/1l1eYTv

Reuters: "An apparent delay in Iran's building of a nuclear conversion plant suggests its stockpile of low-enriched uranium (LEU) gas will grow for a while longer, despite Tehran's deal with world powers to curb its disputed atomic activity. Among other steps, Iran agreed under the six-month accord - which took effect on Monday - to limit its LEU reserve. The new plant is meant to achieve that by turning the material into oxide powder that is not suited for further processing into high-enriched - or bomb-grade - uranium. Diplomats and experts said the matter was of no immediate concern since Iran's commitment concerned the size of the stockpile towards the end of the deal, in late July, giving it time both to complete the facility and convert enough material. But one Vienna-based envoy said Iran's progress in building the conversion line would be closely watched as part of the implementation of its obligations under the accord with the United States, France, Russia, Germany, Britain and China. 'It will be a problem if the facility is not completed in the next few months,' Mark Fitzpatrick, director of the non-proliferation program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think-tank, said... 'Although the immediate attention is focused on removing the stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium, it is important not to forget about the much larger stockpile of 3-5 percent enriched uranium,' Fitzpatrick said." http://t.uani.com/1feQhvS
   
Nuclear Program & Negotiations

Reuters: "Iran is determined to negotiate a comprehensive deal on its nuclear program with major powers so it can develop its battered economy, President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday, inviting Western companies to seize opportunities now. Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, the pragmatic president said Tehran was negotiating with the United States as part of a 'constructive engagement' with the world and wanted Washington to back up its words with actions. However, a day after a chaotic Syria peace conference from which Iran was excluded, he was unbending in his support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Ending the 'terrorism' that is backed by some of Syria's neighbors was a precondition for any settlement of the country's civil war, he said." http://t.uani.com/1eVf5IF

AP: "The Obama administration expects negotiations on a final nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran to begin by mid-February. That's according to congressional aides who were briefed by State Department and Treasury Department officials Wednesday. They say the U.S. and its partners are currently consulting among themselves on next steps in the nuclear talks. The group plans to meet with Iran again next month." http://t.uani.com/1mwR5i0

Sanctions Relief

Reuters: "Iran will have a new, attractive investment model for oil contracts by September, its president and oil minister told some of the world's top oil executives here on Thursday, part of its drive to win back Western business. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said their new administration was keen to open up to Western investments and technology, executives who attended the meeting said. They also stressed the importance of fossil fuel, with global energy demand rising. 'The fact that the president of Iran came to the meeting today... is clearly a sign that Iran wants to open up to international oil companies,' said Paolo Scaroni, chief executive of Italy's Eni, who was at the meeting. 'It was an impressive presentation,' said one of three further oil executives who were at the meeting and spoke with Reuters on condition of anonymity. 'They said they are working on a new model to work with investors and are happy to see us,' he added. 'They not only need money but technologies. They are happy to have consultations about how new contracts shall work. They want to decide on the model by September.' ... Along with ENI, France's Total, Britain's BP, LUKoil and GazpromNeft from Russia, and several other companies were present. Royal Dutch/Shell had said its new chief executive Ben van Beurden would not be there. It was not clear if the meeting, which was held behind closed doors amid tight security, was attended by U.S. oil executives from companies such as Exxon Mobil or Chevron." http://t.uani.com/1asxdgc

AP: "France is sending business executives by the planeload to Iran. German and Dutch entrepreneurs are taking courses on how to close a deal in Tehran, and car makers are drawing up plans for investment. Europe's business community is abuzz with preparations to rush back into Iran, an economic powerhouse in the Middle East, as some sanctions are suspended. And the interest is welcome - Iran is desperate to revive its economy after years of international isolation... More hand-shaking will take place soon thereafter in Tehran, when France's business lobby group flies in executives representing about 100 firms for 'exploratory' talks to take advantage of the sanctions' suspension, an official with the organization said. Competitors are doing the same, so firms from the oil and gas sector, carmakers and other manufacturing companies want to move quickly, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the subject remains sensitive within governments. 'Everyone is in the same state of mind,' she said... Among the first signs that business is ready to resume is the surge in demand for flights. Austrian Airlines last week announced it will resume five weekly flights to Tehran, and its parent company Lufthansa said it's thinking about adding more seats to its daily flights. Turkish Airlines, which serves six Iranian destinations, is seeking permission to increase frequencies. Even though there are fears that sanctions could go back up when the current deal expires in six months, companies are upbeat. 'Optimism is predominating that there has finally been something of a relaxation in political relations and therefore in business possibilities,' said Volker Treier, head of trade relations at the Association of German Chambers of Commerce. The association last week held an event on doing business in Iran and executives 'filled the room very quickly,' Treier said. The sectors represented included machinery, vehicle production, food, medical technology and pharmaceuticals." http://t.uani.com/KL8uXL

AFP: "Iran's oil minister will hold a 'face-to-face' meeting at Davos with major oil companies to try to coax them back to the sanctions-hit Islamic republic, media reported Wednesday. 'We have designed a gigantic volume of investments and technical activities to recover and produce more oil and gas from our fields ... and giant international oil companies can play a role in this regard,' Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh was quoted as saying by state broadcaster IRIB's website. 'At the oil and gas industry meeting in Davos, which will be attended by Iran's president, I will hold a face-to-face meeting with the high-ranking managers of major oil companies to explain (their roles),' said Zanganeh... 'Our efforts at the oil ministry have been focused on the post-sanctions era,' Zanganeh said." http://t.uani.com/1iqj1qp

Free Beacon: "Iran has been granted absolute control over more than $4 billion that will be unfrozen and returned to Tehran under the recently enacted nuclear accord, causing concern that the cash will be used to fund terrorism. The billions in cash come with no strings attached, meaning that Iran has complete authority over how the funds are spent-and the U.S. government cannot ensure that it will not go toward terrorism... The White House is staying quiet on the issue. When asked last week 'what safeguards will be in place to make sure that money is not funneled to terror groups by Iran,' White House Press Secretary Jay Carney declined to answer. Congressional insiders say that the White House dropped the ball by not mandating oversight of the unfrozen funds. 'It's really unconscionable to think America is now funding both sides of the war on terror,' said one senior congressional aide working on sanctions... 'Can you imagine being an American solider fighting in Afghanistan learning the Iranian IED that just killed their friend was funded by U.S. sanctions relief?'" http://t.uani.com/1l1nbqL

Sanctions Enforcement

CNN: "Sanctions against Iran are illegal and are undermining international law, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria. 'When it comes to sanctions, have they been successful so far? Sanctions first and foremost are illegal,' he told Zakaria on Wednesday on the sidelines of the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 'And a Congress which claims to be making laws should not contravene international laws.' 'These sanctions translate into the weakening of the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons), the weakening of international laws and regulations. No other country can decide for another country.' ... 'We are not afraid of threats,' Rouhani said. 'And the language of threats is ineffective when it comes to Iran. The language they need to choose should be a legal one, a respectful tone of voice when addressing the Iranian people. ... It benefits our region and the interests of other countries.'" http://t.uani.com/1cYZCF8

Syria Conflict

AFP: "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Thursday that elections would be the best way of ending the civil war in Syria and warned the West it could not impose a political solution on Tehran's neighbour and ally... 'The best solution is to organise free and fair elections inside Syria,' Rouhani told the World Economic Forum in Davos. 'No outside party or power should decide for the Syrian people and Syria as a country.' Describing a conflict that has been raging for nearly three years as a 'major catastrophe', Rouhani said Iran was deeply concerned by the influx of foreign fighters he described as 'terrorists' into Syria. 'Millions of innocent people have been killed, maimed or made homeless - it is a miserable situation and very sad,' Rouhani said." http://t.uani.com/1dRISW8

Reuters: "U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday left the door open for Iran to participate in Syrian peace talks, saying Tehran could make a difference in ending the conflict. 'Iran certainly does have an ability to be helpful and make a difference,' Kerry told a news conference at the end of an international conference seeking to resolve the Syrian crisis. 'We hope they will decide to be constructive and make a decision to operate in a way going forward that can allow them to do so,' Kerry said, adding: 'There are plenty of ways that that door can be opened in the next weeks or months, and my hope is they will want to join in a constructive solution.'" http://t.uani.com/LYrNOR

Trend: "A member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Akbar Shahriari who was killed by Syrian opposition this week, was buried this morning in Tehran, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Jan. 23. Fars called Shahriari a 'defender of Zeinab shrine' in Syria. On Jan. 19, Mohammad Reza Beyzaie, who was also a member of IRGC, was killed in Syria, IRGC`s Sepahe Ashura news portal reported. Military officials were present at Beyzaie's burial in Tabriz on Jan. 22. On Nov. 4, Iran's Mehr news agency reported that a high-ranking IRGC general Mohammad Jamalizadeh Paghaleh was killed in Syria. Reportedly, the general, who was the member of IRGC's Qods force, did not go to Syria officially, but voluntarily. Jamalizadeh was killed by the Syrian opposition, which Mehr cited as Takfiri groups." http://t.uani.com/1hmVLGe

Human Rights

ICHRI: "In a statement released today, several UN Special Rapporteurs called on Iran to urgently halt the surge in executions that has been ongoing in Iran since the beginning of 2014. According to the website of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran Ahmed Shaheed, 'At least 40 persons have been reportedly hanged in the first two weeks of January, of which at least 33 executions were carried out in the past week alone. 625 executions, including at least 28 women and a number of political prisoners were reported to have been carried out in 2013.' 'The persistent execution of individuals for exercising their rights to freedom of assembly, association, and affiliation to minority groups contravenes universally accepted human rights principles and norms,' Shaheed said... 'We once more urge the Government of Iran, as an active member of the international community, to heed the calls for a moratorium on executions, especially in cases relating to political activists and alleged drug-offences,' the Special Rapporteurs said in their statement." http://t.uani.com/1hOnYGB

NYT: "Advocates for a former Marine imprisoned in Tehran more than two years ago are seeking to use a diplomatic window created by the temporary nuclear agreement with Iran to gain his release. In a letter to President Obama released on Wednesday, four top former American defense and security officials urged 'immediate action' to expedite the release of the Marine, Amir Hekmati, who has been held in Evin Prison with no publicly disclosed charges against him. 'Mr. Hekmati has committed no crime,' read the letter, signed by William S. Cohen, a former secretary of defense; Gen. Peter Pace, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. James L. Jones, a former national security adviser; and Gen. Joseph W. Ralston, a former allied commander in Europe. They wrote that Mr. Hekmati had 'conducted his life with unyielding honor and courage.'" http://t.uani.com/1eEJFYB

IHR: "Seven prisoners were hanged in the prison of Kermanshah (western Iran) reported the Iranian state media.  Five of the prisoners were convicted of trafficking of 102 kilograms of various narcotic drugs and two were convicted of murder said the report... According to the official and unofficial reports received by Iran Human Rights near 50 people have been executed in different Iranian cities since the beginning of 2014." http://t.uani.com/1aOrfRt

ICHRI: "After 55 months in prison, most of which has been spent in exile, Iranian student activist Zia Nabavi was released on bail of approximately $168,000 for a five-day furlough today, a source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran... Zia Nabavi was arrested on June 15, 2009, along with several of his friends. The interrogations and the physical and psychological pressure placed on the student activist during the initial 120 days of his arrest were repeatedly protested by human rights activists. A Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided by Judge Pirabassi, sentenced Zia Nabavi to 15 years in prison in exile from his native Tehran, which was later reduced at the appeals level to 10 years." http://t.uani.com/1mwNRen

Opinion & Analysis

Frida Ghitis in CNN:
"If you want to see the impact of Iran's growing power in the Middle East, look no further than Syria. On Monday, three important developments occurred simultaneously: First, world diplomats scrambled anxiously to salvage plans for a conference on Syria scheduled to start on Wednesday. The 'Geneva II' meeting almost went off the rails before it began, with Syrian opposition leaders threatening to stay away unless the United Nations retracted the invitation it had unexpectedly extended to Iran. At the same time, a new report about the Syrian civil war showed what appears to be convincing evidence of large-scale 'systematic torture and killing' by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran's top ally. The report's authors said the new evidence could prove al-Assad and his regime are guilty of perpetrating crimes against humanity. And in the third major event of that day, the interim nuclear deal between Iran and world powers went into effect. Under the deal negotiated in November, Iran suspended some of its nuclear enrichment operations, and Western governments started lifting some of the economic sanctions they have used to pressure Tehran. These three events will be included by historians and analysts when they write the story of the turmoil of the early 21st century Middle East. They will note that this was a week that showed the consequences of Iran's gradually rising influence, as the Islamic Republic moved steadily toward its goal of becoming the dominant power in the region. Not long ago, the dictator al-Assad appeared on the verge of losing power to a popular uprising. President Barack Obama declared he 'must get out of the way.' But his regime's loyal allies in Tehran sent in reinforcements. At the urging of its Iranian patrons, Lebanon's Shiite militia, Hezbollah, moved its forces across the border into Syria, helping to turn the tide of the war and adding to its increasing radicalization. The war went from a grassroots democratic movement to a brutal showdown between Sunni extremists -- whose strongest elements now include al Qaeda fighters -- against Shiite forces loyal to Iran and al-Assad. Now the Syrian war, which has displaced millions of civilians and has killed more than 130,000, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, is spilling into Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere. It has become a proxy war for regional rivalries, with Sunni states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, supporting the opposition, and Iran, along with Hezbollah, standing steadfastly with al-Assad by providing him with manpower, ammunition and intelligence. Iran has not only saved al-Assad, it has changed the character of the fight. It has turned it into a much more dangerous regional conflict, all but eliminating the prospects for a positive outcome anytime soon and adding to the indescribable suffering of the Syrian people. Where do Iran's nuclear program and the agreement with world powers fit into all this? The interim deal was meant to freeze the nuclear program in place for six months while a final agreement is negotiated. But the announcement of the deal late last year immediately transformed the landscape. In the eyes of Arab states, the U.S. was taking the first steps towards capitulating before Iran's aspirations. The Iranian regime's goal is to spread its version of Islamic revolution and to make Iran the most powerful country in the region... One reason Iran signed the interim deal is that it has already achieved a great deal of what it sought with its nuclear program." http://t.uani.com/KKXhXr

Max Boot in Commentary: "This is wishful thinking, not a realistic assessment of U.S.-Iran relations at a time when the mullahs are more active than ever in backing violent proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Bahrain, among other states. The problem is that the costs of Obama's Iran gambit are considerable. As Doran and I noted, the less that the U.S. does to oppose Iranian designs, the more that Sunni states will do-and in the process they will wind up empowering extremists of the kind who currently roam freely through western Iran and northern and eastern Syria. But the president seems blind to the costs of his outreach to Iran, which is worsening a regional civil war, because he is so mesmerized by the prospect of an agreement that will secure his place in foreign-policy history. At one point Remnick, who seems to be channeling the inner Obama (he claims, echoing the president, that the GOP is 'fuelled less by ideas than by resentments'), writes:  'A final pact, if one could be arrived at, would end the prospect of a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities and the hell that could follow: terror attacks, proxy battles, regional war-take your pick. An agreement could even help normalize relations between the United States and Iran for the first time since the Islamic Revolution, in 1979. Obama put the odds of a final accord at less than even, but, still, how was this not good news?' The problem is that this is undoubtedly how Obama views the issue too-with the biggest threat coming not from an Iran in possession of nuclear weapons but from the 'prospect of a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.' Because the mullahs know where he stands, and realize how little they have to fear from Obama now that they have succeeded in getting him to back off crushing sanctions, he is unlikely to achieve his ambition of stopping the Iranian nuclear program, much less his grand design of integrating Iran into a peaceful new equilibrium in the Middle East." http://t.uani.com/1aOvEnh

Jeffrey White in WINEP: "Since 2012, the Syrian regime has drawn from its allies to create a force of foreign combatants that have become essential to its survival. The presence of these fighters is a major factor in the conflict and will have significant influence on the eventual military or political solution. At this point, President Bashar al-Assad probably cannot decide the regime's course for the war on his own -- like Rome inviting the barbarian tribes to defend its gates, he has effectively mortgaged his independence to his Iranian, Hezbollah, and Iraqi allies, and their withdrawal would likely turn the war back against the regime. According to Assad's narrative, the Syrian Arab Army is winning the fight against the rebels, but it is the foreign legions that have made such claims possible... Iran's role has been primarily as a coordinator and facilitator of foreign forces in Syria; its direct role in combat appears to be quite limited. Tehran encouraged -- and perhaps dictated -- Hezbollah's decision to intervene directly in the war, and it has helped Iraqi Shiite fighters with training, movement, and arms. In addition, it provides military assistance, advice, and technical expertise to the regime, in some cases by deploying military specialists on the ground. Although Iran does not appear to have committed large numbers of combat troops, personnel from the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force are operating in Syria, and some have been killed." http://t.uani.com/1mwTtoV

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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