Top Stories
NYT:
"The effort to negotiate a comprehensive solution to the Iranian
nuclear issue began in earnest on Tuesday, with Iranian negotiators
meeting one on one with officials of the United States and other major
world powers. Senior Iranian officials said on Tuesday that they were
ready for long and complicated negotiations, but that Iran would not
accept the dismantling of its nuclear facilities. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's
deputy foreign minister and deputy nuclear negotiator, told reporters
here that the talks had started well, but that 'to us, what has been
announced as dismantling Iran's program and facilities is not on the
agenda.' But American officials have said that they foresee Iran having
to dismantle a significant amount of its nuclear infrastructure related
to uranium enrichment as part of any final deal... That negotiating
effort is likely to focus on some equation between the amount and quality
of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium and the number and sophistication
of the centrifuges it possesses. Iran is thought to have 19,000
centrifuges of varying quality, of which only 10,000 are working." http://t.uani.com/1cq1oD8
WSJ:
"Talks on a permanent Iran nuclear accord opened Tuesday with the
U.S. pressing Tehran to agree the deal should encompass caps on its
expanding ballistic missile capabilities. The dispute is the latest in a
growing number of issues that divide Washington and Tehran as the Obama
administration seeks to use diplomacy to end the military threat posed by
Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. and its allies view Iran's missiles as
part of the country's potential nuclear threat, thus a subject for the
talks on a permanent nuclear agreement. 'They have to deal with matters
related to their ballistic missile program,' said White House spokesman
Jay Carney. But Iran says the missiles are part of its defense
establishment and beyond the limits of nuclear talks. In any case, the
issue of whether Iran's ballistic missile capabilities will be on the
agenda already has exposed a rift between the Americans and
Iranians." http://t.uani.com/1dMgKCV
Free Beacon:
"The chairman of a German company whose cranes are reportedly being
used for public hangings in Iran lashed out at critics and dismissed
calls for his company to end its relationship with Tehran on humanitarian
grounds. German construction company Atlas has come under fire from
advocacy groups for purportedly supplying cranes to Iran, which then uses
them to publicly hang opposition leaders and others... The name Atlas can
be seen on the cranes in several photographs of Iran's public hanging
ceremonies, in which a masked executioner strings up a man as locals
gather to watch, often with their children. The photographs prompted the
advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) to write Atlas Chairman
Fil Filipov to demand that his company 'immediately terminate all
business activities in Iran.' Atlas, which appears to be represented in
Iran by an affiliate named Hydro Atlas, says it is not doing business
with Iran and does not know how its equipment made its way to the
country. 'We do not ship any cranes to this country!' Filipov told the
Washington Free Beacon via email when asked about the pictures showing
its cranes being used in hangings. Filipov dismissed humanitarian
concerns in a series of emails to the Free Beacon and said he has 'no
idea' how his company's equipment ended up in Iran. Asked if he was
concerned that Atlas cranes were being used in executions, Filipov
responded, 'We are not the police ... we make over 2,000 cranes per year
and do not know who imports cranes where ... Atlas does not sell cranes
to this country!' ... UANI spokesman Nathan Carleton said Filipov should
to be more accountable given Iran's record of human rights abuses. 'It is
regrettable that Mr. Filipov is not more concerned with this situation-it
is a very serious matter,' Carleton told the Free Beacon. 'Instead of
making such flippant responses, Mr. Filipov should explain how his cranes
got to Iran and why there is an Iranian firm calling itself his business
partner and using his logo.'" http://t.uani.com/1jQAAAw
Nuclear
Program & Negotiations
Reuters:
"Iran says it will not cede its 'right' to install advanced
machinery to refine uranium, signalling defiance on what looks likely to
be a serious sticking point in its nuclear talks with world powers that
began on Tuesday. Iran's development of new-generation centrifuges is
under scrutiny in the West as they would enable a much more swift
accumulation of fissile material that could be used for nuclear weapons
if enriched to a high degree. Faced with technical hurdles and difficulty
in obtaining parts abroad, Iran has been trying for years to replace the
erratic, 1970s vintage IR-1 centrifuge it now operates at its underground
Natanz and Fordow uranium enrichment facilities... A senior U.S. official
said last month research and development (R&D) was among issues that
'will have to be dealt with in the comprehensive resolution', without
making clear how." http://t.uani.com/1c2Do5I
AFP:
"Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday warned against
crossing 'red lines' in negotiations with world powers aimed at reaching
a lasting agreement over Tehran's nuclear programme... 'The red lines of
the establishment must be preserved in the negotiations so that the
national pride is not damaged,' said hardline Guards commander General
Mohammad Ali Jafari, ISNA news agency reported... Iranian officials have
previously laid down 'red lines' on the talks, saying they would not
negotiate several issues, including the dismantling of nuclear facilities
and reductions in the number of centrifuges at enrichment sites... Jafari
said with Khamenei's guidelines Iran 'will be victorious either way' in
the talks. 'The objectives of the talks is to lift the pressure of
sanctions ... or that government officials will lose hope in the
negotiations and will instead turn their focus on domestic capacities to
confront the sanctions,' ISNA quoted him as saying." http://t.uani.com/1oRKB0Y
Breaking Defense:
The UN atomic watchdog will still have a hard time answering crucial
questions about whether Iran seeks nuclear weapons despite winning better
access for inspectors, the UN's top inspector Yukiya Amano told Breaking
Defense in an exclusive interview Monday at the agency's headquarters
here. Amano said the main problem going forward is that Iran refuses to
implement an Additional Protocol that would allow inspections of sites
beyond those where the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency knows
nuclear material is used or stored. This protocol is the key to making
more rapid progress in verifying the peaceful or military nature of Iran's
nuclear work. 'The implementation of the Additional Protocol is very
important to provide assurance that all nuclear activity in Iran is for a
peaceful purpose but we are not yet at that point. . . . We are at an
early stage of clarifying and resolving the issues,' he said." http://t.uani.com/1e7hmyw
ICHRI:
"In a new interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency
(IRNA), Kayvan Khosravi, the Spokesperson for the Supreme National
Security Council Secretariat, cautioned the media not to publish news
quoting any authorities other than the Supreme Security Council's
Secretariat office. 'Announcing news and information related to the
Supreme National Security Council and its Secretariat by any official is
not allowed, and [any] resolutions, decisions, and news appropriate for
publication in the media will solely be announced by the Council's
Secretariat,' Khosravi said. 'Any action that would lead to the
publication of such resolutions will be prosecutable as a criminal act.'
... In what became the Rouhani administration's first official
restriction on the free flow of information, last December, the Ministry
of Culture and Islamic Guidance conveyed the SNSC's gag order to the
media, prohibiting them from reporting 'unofficial' news about the
nuclear issue... The SNSC has repeatedly prohibited the media from
covering news it deems 'sensitive.'" http://t.uani.com/1fyMF6t
Sanctions
Enforcement & Impact
WSJ:
"The U.S. has made no secret of its determination to strictly
enforce the remaining energy and banking sanctions on Iran, actively
discouraging European companies from rushing to do business with Tehran
following November's nuclear deal. Yet there was a fresh acknowledgement
Monday by a senior U.S. official that the Obama administration still had
real concerns about the issue... The U.S. outreach on sanctions has had mixed
results. European business missions have continued to visit Tehran... On
Monday evening, a senior U.S. official expressed some of the
administration's frustrations on these business overtures to Tehran,
slamming companies who are trying to position themselves for future
Iranian business. Asked if the U.S. still had concerns about European
companies' business overtures to Tehran, the official said. 'I think as
the President has implied, we would, of course, prefer countries to wait
to see where we get with a comprehensive agreement before rushing off to
Iran... But what we don't think is good for business and not good for
Iran - it's not fair, in our view, for the Iranian people for countries
to go to Iran and say We want to get in line, so if a comprehensive
agreement is reached we can be first in line. It raises people's
expectations, and the relief will only come if there is a comprehensive
agreement." http://t.uani.com/1oROIKH
AP:
"Kansas would lift restrictions on investments by its largest public
pension fund in companies that do business in Sudan but impose new limits
on investments in companies that do business with Iran under proposals
reviewed by a legislative committee Monday. The House Pensions and
Benefits Committee has two separate bills dealing with investments by the
Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, the pension system for
teachers, state workers and many local government employees. KPERS has
about $4.5 billion in international investments. The panel took no action
on either measure." http://t.uani.com/1mt9uSa
Reuters:
"German prosecutors said on Wednesday they had arrested a
German-Iranian man suspected of exporting to the Islamic Republic goods
that could be used in a weapons program. The products include vacuum
pumps, valves and other industrial products that can be used for civil or
military purposes, Federal Prosecutors said in a statement. The 62-year
old man, arrested in the Bonn area of western Germany on Tuesday, is
suspected of acquiring almost 230,000 euros worth of goods made in
Germany or in other states for Iran between 2011 and 2013." http://t.uani.com/1e78poQ
Syria Conflict
Reuters:
"Two suicide bombers targeted the Iranian cultural centre in Beirut
on Wednesday, killing four people and themselves in an attack claimed by
Sunni militants who said it was a response to the intervention of Iran
and Hezbollah in the Syrian war. The army said two cars packed with
explosives had been used in the rush hour attack in the predominantly
Shi'ite southern suburbs of Beirut. Similar tactics were used in a twin
suicide attack on the nearby Iranian embassy in November. The Abdullah
Azzam Brigades, an al Qaeda-linked group, claimed responsibility for the
attack, which wounded more than 100 people and was condemned by Lebanon's
Sunni Prime Minister Tammam Salam as an act of terrorism. In a post on
Twitter, the Brigades described the 'twin martyrdom operation' on the
Iranian centre as retaliation for Hezbollah's role in Syria and pledged
more attacks. The blast went off about 20 metres (yards) from the
targeted building." http://t.uani.com/1nNAruZ
Human Rights
IHR:
"Seven prisoners were hanged in the prisons of Kerman (southeastern
Iran) and Qazvin (west of Tehran) early this morning. Based on the
reports by the official Iranian sources at least 15 people have been
executed in the last six days." http://t.uani.com/1fgBW45
NYT:
"Amir Hekmati, the former Marine incarcerated in Iran on spying
charges, has retained a prominent Iranian lawyer to represent him in a
new effort to gain his release after nearly two and a half years in
Tehran's Evin Prison, Mr. Hekmati's family reported on Tuesday. The
lawyer, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, is well known in Iran as one of the
legal representatives for the family of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former
president and ideological pragmatist who remains an influential force in
Iranian politics... Mr. Hekmati is one of two, and possibly three,
Americans in Iranian custody. The others are Saeed Abedini, a pastor
sentenced in January 2013 to an eight-year prison term, accused of
unlawfully creating a network of Christian churches in private Iranian
homes, and Robert A. Levinson, an intelligence operative and retired
F.B.I. agent who has been missing for seven years." http://t.uani.com/1jQBz3P
Domestic Politics
AP:
"Iran's top leader ordered the government Wednesday to create an
'economy of resistance' to counter sanctions imposed over Tehran's
nuclear program. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Western sanctions 'a
full-fledged economic war' and said Iran is determined to force the West
to retreat... The program requires the government to diversify Iran's
exports, reduce dependence on sales of raw materials and promote
knowledge-based high-tech industries. 'If (Iran) pursues ... an economy
of resistance, we will overcome economic problems and will defeat the
enemy ... that has imposed a full-fledged economic war against this great
nation,' he said in his order which was posted on his website
leader.ir." http://t.uani.com/O9uiiH
AP:
"The first cabinet decision made under Iran's new president, Hassan
Rouhani, wasn't about how to resolve his country's nuclear dispute with
world powers. It was about how to keep the nation's largest lake from
disappearing. Lake Oroumieh, one of the biggest saltwater lakes on Earth,
has shrunk more than 80 percent to 1,000 square kilometers (nearly 400
square miles) in the past decade, mainly because of climate change,
expanded irrigation for surrounding farms and the damming of rivers that
feed the body of water, experts say. Salt-covered rocks that were once
deep underwater now sit in the middle of desert." http://t.uani.com/1e79xJ6
Opinion &
Analysis
Jeffrey Goldberg
Interview of UANI President Gary Samore in Bloomberg:
"Until recently, Gary Samore was the Barack Obama administration's
top expert on weapons of mass destruction and the go-to White House
official on the complexities and challenges of the Iranian nuclear
program. So I pay attention when he says that the Iran nuclear talks --
restarting today -- have an almost zero chance of success. One of the
many reasons for this, he believes, is that the West has given the
Iranian regime insufficient cause to feel as if it must give up its
nuclear dreams. The negotiations might drag on for two or three years.
And then? 'And then the Iranians could decide they're strong enough to
walk away,' he says... I sat down with Samore at his office at Harvard
University -- where he is the executive director for research at the
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the John F.
Kennedy School of Government -- to discuss this next round of
negotiations. Below is a lightly edited transcript.
Question: What would Iran have to
agree to in order for these negotiations to work?
Answer:
Iran would have to drastically limit the number of centrifuges they will
have at Natanz, for starters. They could be dismantled, or disinstalled,
or put in storage someplace, but a monitored storage. Basically, they
would have to operate far fewer centrifuges than they currently have.
We're also talking about taking down their supply of low-enriched
uranium, way below the seven or eight tons they have currently have that
they have no need for. We're talking about losing Qom, the famous Fordow
facility inside a mountain. We're talking about closing or converting the
Arak heavy water research reactor, either shutting it or converting it to
a low power light water reactor. And we're talking about enhanced
monitoring and verification.
Q: You think it could happen?
A: As
I read the Iranian position, they reject all of that. [President Hassan]
Rouhani says they won't dismantle a thing. He says he has to have an
enrichment facility big enough to provide fuel for the Bushehr nuclear
plant, and that would be tens of thousands of centrifuge machines, fifty
or sixty thousand of the current machines, to provide fuel for a single
year's fuel load. And they say they need their heavy water research
reactor to produce isotopes. So I think we're miles apart. And I think
both sides are really locked in by their domestic politics. If Rouhani
were free to act, he might very well accept restrictions for the sake of
getting the sanctions lifted and for changing Iran's international
position. But he's very constrained by the hard-liners. ...
Q: What do you think Obama would be happy
with?
A: We
all know that Iran's nuclear program is nothing but a disguise for their
effort to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, and as part of the deal
we should allow them to have some fig leaf, a cosmetic program. The truth
is they don't need any centrifuges; they don't need a heavy water
research reactor. These are all part of an effort to acquire a nuclear
weapons capability. But what we'd settle for, I think, is a year -- that
they would need a year from the moment they decided to go for a bomb to
produce weapons-grade material for a bomb. This means they could be left
with a couple of thousand centrifuge machines and a vastly reduced
stockpile of low-enriched uranium. If we were confident that we would
have a year's advance notice that they were starting to break out -- to
produce weapons-grade uranium -- that would give us more than enough time
to destroy the facility. If the Iranians accepted this, I think the White
House would go along.
Q: But you're saying this won't work.
A: I
don't think the Iranians feel compelled to make these kinds of
concessions. This would mean giving up everything they've achieved over
the past decade, and this is a very important project for them. This
won't work in terms of finding a comprehensive solution...
Q: You don't feel that the Iranians are
negotiating in good faith anyway, in the sense that they're ready to give
up substantial parts of their nuclear program?
A: No.
...
Q: So the process ends in a year or two
with no breakthrough. Where does that leave us?
A: After a year, if the Iranians have
rejected all the proposals we put forward for compromise and then walk
away from the deal, we might be in an even better position to go back
hard on sanctions. France would be with us, the British and the Germans
-- we will have certainly demonstrated that we were serious in reaching a
deal, and President Obama has been very strong on coalition building. And
our allies would know that the only reason the Iranians even came to the
table was the sanctions. In a year or two, I should point out, unless
there's a dramatic change in the world oil market, our position is going
to be even stronger, with shale oil and gas coming on line. The world's
dependence on Iranian oil is going to be even less than it is now. I
think time is on our side in this." http://t.uani.com/1jGSXET
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment