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Reuters:
"Iran has pursued a longstanding effort to buy banned components for
its nuclear and missile programs in recent months, a U.S. official said
on Sunday, a period when it struck an interim deal with major powers to
limit its disputed atomic activity. Vann Van Diepen, Principal Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and
Non-Proliferation, said Iran was still 'very actively' creating front
companies and engaging in other activity to conceal procurements. The
reported supplies do not contravene last year's breakthrough agreement
between Tehran and six world powers to curb its most sensitive atomic
activity in exchange for some limited easing of sanctions damaging its
economy. But such trade would breach a 2006 U.N. embargo banning the provision
by any nation to Iran of materials related to its nuclear and missile
development work. Western experts say such low-profile procurement
efforts by Iran date back many years, perhaps decades in the case of its
nuclear activity. Asked if he had seen a change in Iranian procurement
behavior in the past six to 12 months, a period that has seen a cautious
thaw in U.S.-Iranian relations after decades of hostility, Van Diepen
replied: 'The short answer is no. They still continue very actively
trying to procure items for their nuclear program and missile program and
other programs,' he told Reuters in an interview. 'We continue to see
them very actively setting up and operating through front companies,
falsifying documentation, engaging in multiple levels of trans-shipment
... to put more apparent distance between where the item originally came
from and where it is ultimately going.'" http://t.uani.com/1kVVMWm
AFP:
"Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday talks with
world powers this week are unlikely to result in a comprehensive accord
on Iran's controversial nuclear drive. 'This round of talks will be more
serious than previous ones,' Zarif said in remarks reported by the
official IRNA news agency. 'But we do not expect an agreement (in this round),
as it is not expected in the timetable we have agreed,' he added. Iranian
negotiators and representatives of the so-called P5+1 group of world
powers resume talks in Vienna on Tuesday for the second time since
November, seeking to transform an interim deal into a long-lasting
agreement by July 20. According to Iranian media, the latest talks will
wrap up on Wednesday, a day before Iran celebrates the Persian New
Year... In Tehran, more than half of Iran's 290-member parliament issued
a statement on Sunday warning against 'any restrictions on
research-related activities', particularly Arak and uranium enrichment.
They also said Iran's 'defence issues, including the missile programme'
-- which could provide Tehran with a device to deliver a nuclear warhead
-- should not be discussed in negotiations with the P5+1." http://t.uani.com/1ivwjAv
VICE:
"Not long ago, we received a press release that caught our eye -
this is not a common occurrence - and was distributed by an NGO called
United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). Based in New York and headed by
former US Ambassador to the United Nations Mark D. Wallace, UANI had
photos of alleged criminals being hanged in front of spectators in the
Iranian cities of Qaem Shahr and Babol. However, the condemned weren't hanging
from traditional gallows. They were hanging from construction cranes that
had one word painted on them: Atlas. As in, German heavy-equipment
manufacturer Atlas Maschinen GmbH, with whom UANI was clearly upset.
Wallace had written a 2011 Los Angeles Times op-ed in which he described
his organization's goal of persuading crane manufacturers to stop doing
business in Iran as long as the regime expressed such fondness for
hanging people from those cranes. Argue all you want about whether or not
that's an effective strategy - there are, after all, many other tall
things in Iran from which to hang people - but we were curious what it's
like to manufacture cranes and then find out from a pissed-off NGO that
they're being used for executions. So we called Fil Filipov, the chairman
of Atlas... 'I have no idea if what they say is right or wrong, and I
have no plans to respond,' Filipov told VICE News. 'I don't give a damn
what they write.' During the course of our conversation, Filipov said
Atlas does business in 58 countries, but he denied doing business in
Iran. He insisted multiple times, 'I don't sell to that country.' But
that didn't explain Hydro-Atlas, the company in Tehran that describes
itself as the 'official representative of Atlas GmbH in Iran ... initiated
in 1976 with the participation and partnership of the German company
Atlas.' We asked Filipov about that... Being hanged from a crane is a
particularly gruesome way to die. When the gallows we're all used to
seeing in moves are used, the condemned's neck often breaks as he falls,
which typically causes near-instant death. When someone is hanged from a
crane, however, he is slowly lifted from the ground by his neck and left
to dangle in the noose. It can take more than 20 minutes to die...
According to UANI, its campaign has persuaded five large crane
manufacturers to pull out of the Iranian market: Konecranes of Finland,
UNIC and Tadano of Japan, Germany's Liebherr, and most notably
Connecticut's Terex." http://t.uani.com/1nww90g
Nuclear
Program & Negotiations
AP:
"Tehran may have a new ally on Tuesday when Iran nuclear talks
reconvene - the Ukraine crisis. U.S.-Russian tensions over Ukraine could
fray the search for consensus on what Iran needs to do to ease fears it
could make atomic arms. Both Washington and Moscow are emphasizing that
their commitment to eliminating any Iranian proliferation threat
overrides their clash over Ukraine. But diplomats tell The Associated
Press that Moscow and Washington are wide apart on how much Tehran needs
to trim its nuclear program, a split that Iran could exploit... But
former U.S. nuclear negotiator Gary Samore says any superpower tensions
will make Tehran feel 'under much less pressure to make concessions.' ...
Samore, of Harvard's Belfer Center, says Iran is bound to feel 'emboldened'
- and public statements from Tehran seem to mesh with that view." http://t.uani.com/1nxMQZm
AP:
"A senior Iranian official said Monday that an alleged attempt to
sabotage one of Tehran's nuclear facilities involved foreign intelligence
agencies who tampered with imported pumps. Asghar Zarean, in charge of
nuclear security for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, was commenting on
claims regarding the heavy water nuclear reactor at Arak in the center of
the country. Iran first made the charges Saturday... Zarean said in
comments posted on state TV's website that the contractor who sold the
pumps did not know they were faulty. He did not identify the contractor.
'Foreigners were behind it and contractors had no specific role. The
(intelligence agencies) exploited the contractors' lack of knowledge,' he
said." http://t.uani.com/1ohEdim
Sanctions
Relief
WSJ:
"The U.S. is 'comfortable' with the level of Iran's oil exports, a
senior official said Friday, despite data from a top energy agency
showing that over the last two months the country's oil sales have
reached their highest level in a year. Iran's oil exports have risen amid
a thaw in relations with the West that is showing signs of boosting the
Islamic Republic's battered economy. The surge in oil exports-if it
continues-threatens to exceed a cap on exports Iran agreed to as part of
an interim deal over its nuclear program. The deal between Iran and six
global powers requires that Iran's shipments don't average more than one
million barrels a day of crude over the six months of the agreement,
which started Jan. 20. Asked about the data, the U.S. official said there
were no concerns at this stage. 'There will be month-to-month
fluctuations in the level of oil. What we look at is the aggregate over
time,' the U.S. official said... The U.S. official said the country's
experts have had 'very direct discussions' with Iran's remaining oil
importers about the appropriate level of Iran's crude exports. 'We are
comfortable with where we are in that process. We will continue to
monitor this as closely if not more closely than you all do and we will
take appropriate action if we begin to have concerns.' ... If Iran
continues to produce at its current levels, the additional sales would
translate to about $6.2 billion in extra revenue for Tehran this
year." http://t.uani.com/OuNOFS
Reuters:
"South Korea's crude imports from Iran surged 104 percent in
February from a year earlier as refiners hiked purchases ahead of
maintenance shutdown starting from March, according to the country's
customs data and a refining source. South Korea imported 1.1 million
tonnes of Iranian crude last month, or 294,069 barrels per day (bpd), up
4.5 times from January and double from a year earlier, preliminary
customs data showed on Saturday. In the first two months of the year,
South Korea imported 173,744 bpd, up 2.3 percent from a year ago, and a
surge of 30 percent from the 134,000 bpd that Seoul took from Iran in
2013." http://t.uani.com/OmKnkG
WSJ:
"Easing sanctions on Iran are already driving up Iran's
petrochemical sales to Asia, a top Iranian oil official said Thursday.
The news is the latest sign that an interim nuclear deal between six
world powers and Iran is giving a breather to Iran's battered economy.
'We have [made] some progress' in selling petrochemicals to Asia.
Petrochemicals are one of the country's main sources of exports revenue
after crude oil, Mohammad-Hossein Peyvandi, the deputy head of the
state-owned National Iranian Petrochemical Co., said in an interview with
The Wall Street Journal." http://t.uani.com/1ddcDvX
Trend:
"Iran and Russia are negotiating an oil-for-goods swap contract,
Russia's Ambassador to Iran, Levan Jagarian said, the Iranian ISNA news
agency reported on March 17. The ambassador went on to say that Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed
to sign a contract. The issue is important for Russia, Jagarian said,
adding that the content of the contract is very complex so the two sides
are continuing to discuss it. The diplomat expressed the hope that the
swap contract will be signed as soon as possible. Originally Reuters
reported on Jan. 10 that Iran and Russia are negotiating an oil-for-goods
swap which would allow Iran to lift its oil exports substantially. Reuters
said Russian and Iranian sources close to the negotiations said final
details were under discussion for a barter deal that would see Moscow buy
up to 500,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil in exchange for Russian
equipment and goods." http://t.uani.com/1hrLvMl
Trend:
"South Korea's POSCO has announced readiness to invest in Iran's
steel projects, the Fars News Agency reported on March 15. A number of
officials from POSCO met with officials from Iran's Mobarakeh Steel
Company in the Iranian city of Isfahan... The automobile parts industry
is to be the biggest beneficiary, as sales of exports in 2012 was $148
million, 28.6 percent of the market, according to the Korea
Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. The temporary lift of sanctions will
give back the luster that Korean auto parts has lost when an influx of
Chinese products began to flow to the Iranian market since the sanctions
began seven months ago. The steel industry is among the beneficiaries of
the ease of sanctions. Sales of steel products totaled $373 million. The
market share of steel products is also 24.3 percent, nearly a quarter of
the whole market. Particularly, the demand for steel plates for
automobiles is expected to rise, and overall, Iran's focus on
manufacturing is expected to help to increase the general demand for
steel as a whole." http://t.uani.com/1cQpcTg
Trend:
"India's Tata Group has announced readiness to invest in Iran's mine
and energy sectors, the Mehr News Agency reported on March 15. Madhu
Kannan, Tata's Head of Business Development, and Janaki Chaudhry, the
group's head of strategy and business development, met with Mehdi
Karbasian, the head of the Board of Directors of Iranian Mines and Mining
Industries Development and Renovation, known as IMIDRO, in Tehran. Kannan
said Tata is looking for an Iranian trade partner to carry out projects
jointly in the long term. Karbasian, for his part, said that Tata can
launch joint ventures for establishing steel plants and carrying out
mining exploration projects." http://t.uani.com/1qLC4Ob
Sanctions
Enforcement & Impact
Bloomberg:
"Costco Wholesale Corp., the largest U.S. warehouse-club chain, said
its U.K. unit inadvertently granted a membership to a person in the name
of Iran Air, a move that could have violated sanctions against Iran. The
transaction was reversed and the membership was canceled on March 12, the
Issaquah, Washington-based company said yesterday in a filing. No revenue
was recognized from the transaction, Costco said. The U.S. and Europe
have imposed sanctions on Iran in an attempt to prevent it from pursuing
a nuclear program, restricting companies' dealings with the country. Last
year, Costco canceled a business membership at its Japanese subsidiary
that was opened in the name of the Iran embassy. In that case, the membership
generated $1,032 in revenue and an estimated $13 in profit in the quarter
ending in August." http://t.uani.com/OmL7Gz
Human Rights
ICHRI:
"Today, March 17, 2014, Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on
the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, officially presented his latest
report to the UN Human Rights Council. Stating that he had met with
representatives from the Iranian Judiciary and other government
organizations in Geneva, Shaheed said, 'the report before the Council
demonstrates that the rhetoric and modest steps taken to date are yet to
translate into the kinds of deep reforms needed to respond to the human
rights concerns raised by the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council,
the UN Secretary-General, Treaty Bodies, all Special Procedures, human
rights defenders and international organizations.' Shaheed publicly
released his report on Friday, March 14, and member states had a chance
to react to the report... Ahmed Shaheed said about his report, "...
I note that hundreds of individuals reportedly remain in some form of
confinement for exercising their fundamental rights; including some 39
journalists and bloggers, 92 human rights defenders, 179 Baha'i, 98 Sunni
Muslims, 49 Christians, and 14 Dervish Muslims. It is also distressing
that the leaders of the Green Movement, Mr Mir Hussain Mousavi and Mr
Mehdi Karroubi remain in detention after three years in the absence of
charges.'"
Trend: "The Iranian Majlis
(parliament) will form a fact finding committee to investigate the EU
Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton's meeting with some human right
activists on March 8 in Tehran, ISNA reported on Sunday. The National
Security Committee of the Majlis held a session today and decided to form
a fact finding committee about Ashton's visits in Iran. The intelligence
minister and deputy foreign ministers attended the session. The chairman
of the Majlis National Security Committee Hossein Naqavi Hosseini raised
the question of why intelligence and foreign ministries did not take
measures to prevent Ashton's visits." http://t.uani.com/1iUSVgn
Domestic
Politics
Bloomberg:
"Red-hot furnaces, oil rigs that glint in the sun, tankers carving
through silver seas, all set to the Star Wars soundtrack. This, suggests
Iran's state television, is what an 'economy of resistance' looks like.
While the music is Hollywood, the four-minute broadcasts reflect the
vision of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who authored a defiant
February decree that sought the overhaul of an economy that remains
crippled by global sanctions. Buccaneering entrepreneurs should be
supported, oil and gas fields scoured for their riches... 'Brandishing
the flag of resistance acknowledges the reality that the economy is in
crisis,' said Michel Makinsky, a lecturer on Iranian politics and economy
at France Business School, Poitiers. It accepts that 'the lifting of
sanctions won't be able to improve it in the short run,' in part due to
the 'catastrophic management' of President Hassan Rouhani's predecessor,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he said." http://t.uani.com/OuObjA
Opinion &
Analysis
Dwight Bashir in
CNN: "This coming week, two seemingly unrelated
events concerning Iran are taking place. First, the U.N. expert on
human rights in Iran is presenting his latest report in Geneva at the
25th session of the UN Human Rights Council, and will conclude that
conditions have not improved since President Hassan Rouhani took office
last August. Second, in Vienna, global powers (P5+1) begin the next round
of talks with Iran seeking a comprehensive, long-term deal over Tehran's
nuclear program. On the face of it, Iran's human rights record and its
nuclear capabilities have little or no connection. But a deeper look
suggests that they in fact do - and the implications are profound. In
January, the United States and European Union eased some economic
sanctions as a first step toward implementing the short-term agreement
struck in November. Today, supporters of a long-term nuclear deal
increasingly advocate the complete lifting of sanctions of any kind. In
essence, they endorse the following logic: If you favor sanctioning Iran,
you are advancing a policy of belligerence. If not, you back diplomacy.
The implication is that if the United States wishes to pursue
constructive diplomacy, it would do well to reject sanctions, period. But
the premise of this thinking - that sanctions and peacemaking are
incompatible - is flawed. It assumes that the quest for a deal will
be harmed by the type of broad-based actions, affecting all of Iran,
which certain sanctions entail. Yet even if this were true, it ignores an
unassailable fact: There are other kinds of sanctions that don't affect
the Iranian people as a whole, but which instead train a careful but
glaring spotlight on selected Iranian officials who are themselves
obstacles to peace, while highlighting the opportunity of purported
moderates like President Rouhani to pursue diplomacy. In so doing, such
sanctions could well advance, not thwart, efforts for an accord. What
sort of sanctions might achieve such an outcome? The words of U.S.
National Security Advisor Susan Rice in December point to a possible
answer: 'As we test the potential for a diplomatic resolution to the
nuclear issue...another key test is...progress on human rights. Our
sanctions on Iran's human rights abusers will continue...' Rice's words
recall two salient facts. First, targeted sanctions are not an untried
idea. As she implies, they were available when she spoke. Second, as
anyone familiar with these sanctions knows, the human rights abusers
being targeted weren't moderate peacemakers, but unabashed hardliners
historically opposed to diplomacy with the West. Two American laws
provide for such sanctions: the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions,
Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA) and the Iran Threat
Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012. Both allow for travel bans
and asset freezes on Iranians deemed responsible for, or complicit in,
violations after Iran's 2009 disputed presidential elections, while
CISADA explicitly calls for identifying officials involved in severe
abuses of religious freedom. The problem, though, is this: Washington has
failed to publicly name a single abuser since Rouhani's electoral victory
in June of 2013. While hardliners continue to trample on human rights -
including the freedoms of religion and expression, association and
assembly - the United States has abandoned rights sanctions for now,
despite Rice's words. This retreat is inexplicable. Far from harming
Iran's people, these sanctions proclaim our solidarity with them, while
naming and shaming those who abuse them - typically the same officials
who impede diplomacy, including a sensible nuclear deal. For those who
believe Iran has moderates willing and able to enact rights reforms and
strike a nuclear deal, and that Rouhani is among them, naming and shaming
their natural opponents can only strengthen their hand. For those who
insist that moderates either don't exist or have no power, sanctions put
Tehran on notice that amidst the nuclear discussions, rights abuses
matter and have consequences... In the end, human rights sanctions aren't
an obstacle to a long-term nuclear deal with Iran. Rather, they identify
who the real obstacles are. And they represent what could be a key
ingredient to peacefully resolving the nuclear standoff." http://t.uani.com/1d6Jus2
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