|
|
|
Join UANI
Top Stories
Reuters:
"Iran can produce fissile material for an atomic weapon in two
months, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday told a Senate
hearing in which he faced tough questions from lawmakers about
negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. 'I think it's public
knowledge today that we're operating with a time period for a so-called
breakout of about two months. That's been in the public domain,' Kerry
testified at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. 'So six months
to 12 months is - I'm not saying that's what we'd settle for, but even
that is significantly more,' Kerry said in response to a question about
whether a 'breakout' window of up to a year was the negotiators' goal...
Kerry said such a 'breakout' window did not mean Iran would have a warhead
or other delivery system. 'It's just having one bomb's worth,
conceivably, of material, but without any necessary capacity to put it in
anything, to deliver it, to have any mechanism to do so,' he said." http://t.uani.com/1eqNpuD
Reuters:
"Negotiators from Iran and six world powers struggled on Wednesday
to narrow 'significant gaps' in talks aimed at clearing the way for a
long-term accord on curbing Tehran's nuclear program. The negotiators
from Iran and the so-called P5-plus-one - the United States, Russia,
China, Britain, France and Germany - plan after their two days of talks
in Vienna to start drafting the agreement to meet a self-imposed July 20
deadline. 'The Iranians clearly have a sense of urgency to get a deal
done, as does the P5+1,' a Western diplomat close to the talks told
Reuters. 'We know that there are still some significant gaps that remain
and know this process will not be easy. But we're all committed to
getting it (the draft) done by July 20,' he said, in an assessment echoed
by other Western diplomats. The toughest areas to be tackled are Iran's
future uranium enrichment capacity, nuclear facilities that Western
powers believe have little or no civilian value, and future nuclear
research work, as well as a schedule of steps to remove the international
sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy... A senior Iranian official
said Tehran was seeking to protect its 'red lines' in what he said were
'difficult' negotiations. 'Iran wants a deal in which its rights have
been considered,' the official said. 'The talks have entered a very
difficult stage. Making progress is difficult.' ... Iran's Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly said that the oil-producing OPEC
member's 'red lines' are that it will never give up enrichment or shut
any nuclear facility." http://t.uani.com/1eaetn8
Reuters:
"The White House made clear on Tuesday that it did not welcome
Iran's choice of Hamid Abutalebi as its new United Nations ambassador,
saying officials had told Tehran that the selection was 'not viable.' But
White House spokesman Jay Carney stopped short of saying Abutalebi would
be barred from entering the United States because of his alleged role in
the 1979-1981 hostage crisis, during which radical Iranian students held
U.S. Embassy staff for 444 days. 'We've informed the government of Iran
that this potential selection is not viable,' Carney told reporters.
Asked to explain what 'not viable' meant, Carney said: 'It's diplomatic
jargon to mean what you want it to mean.' He declined to elaborate on
whether Abutalebi would be barred from the country, and emphasized that
Iran's choice of Abutalebi was a 'potential selection' that had 'not been
formally made.' As the 'host' nation for the U.N. headquarters, the
United States is generally required to provide access to the United
Nations for foreign diplomats. However, the State Department last week
said U.S. law allows it to deny visas to diplomats for reasons of
'security, terrorism, and foreign policy.'" http://t.uani.com/1g76dzA
Nuclear Program & Negotiations
Reuters:
"Iran's senior negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi,
said 'general discussions' had been completed. 'The (heavy-water nuclear)
reactor of Arak will remain as the heavy-water reactor ... but there are
technical ways to decrease concerns over its activities ... Also Iran
will not stop or suspend its uranium enrichment work under any
circumstances,' Araqchi said. 'But the level of enrichment can be
discussed.' ... Araqchi said the next round of talks will be held in
Vienna 'sometime between May 10 to May 20'. 'We don't want to sacrifice
quality of the talks for its quantity. In the final deal, Iran's nuclear
rights should be respected and our demand for lifting all sanctions
should be respected,' Araqchi said. The six nations have agreed
internally to have a draft text of an accord by the end of May or early
June, one diplomat from the powers said. But he added: 'We're still in an
exploratory phase ... In the end, things will happen in July.'" http://t.uani.com/1jqs3lr
Reuters:
"Iran should continue talks with world powers to end a long-running
nuclear dispute, but without ceding any of the gains made by its nuclear
program, the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader was reported as saying on
Wednesday. Iran's negotiators should not yield to issues 'forced upon
them', Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in remarks to nuclear scientists in
Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported. He added that Washington
knew well that the Islamic Republic was not seeking a nuclear weapon.
'These negotiations should continue ... but all should know that
negotiations will not stop or slow down any of Iran's activities in
nuclear research and development,' he was quoted as saying. Iran had
agreed to negotiate an end to the dispute 'to break the hostile climate
created by the arrogant powers against Iran', he added, using a term
Iran's leadership normally employs to refer to the United States and its
Western allies." http://t.uani.com/1gL12ov
AP:
"Iran is celebrating its National Nuclear Technology Day as talks
with world powers over its contested program continue in Vienna. Marking
the holiday Wednesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged
negotiators not to give in to 'coercive words.' Khamenei, who has the
final say on all state matters, also says the Islamic Republic won't stop
its nuclear program." http://t.uani.com/1ix4EwK
AFP:
"Iran's lead negotiator in nuclear talks with world powers said both
sides were inching closer on some issues as they sought Wednesday to
intensify discussions on reaching a definitive agreement before a July
deadline. 'On certain questions we have narrowed our differences,' Abbas
Araqchi told Iranian media late Tuesday after a first day of talks in Vienna
that were expected to wrap up later Wednesday. The negotiations, aiming
to settle a decade-old standoff and so avert a dangerous escalation,
remained however 'difficult and complicated', Mehr news agency quoted
Araqchi as saying. He gave no details. He added that the next round
between Iran and five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus
Germany -- the fourth this year -- would take place in mid-May." http://t.uani.com/1sAe1CU
Reuters:
"Iran is cooperating with U.N. nuclear inspectors seeking answers
about detonators that could be used to help set off an atomic explosive
device, part of a wider investigation into Tehran's activities, their
chief said on Wednesday. Iran agreed late last year to grant inspectors
of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) greater access to
nuclear-related sites and to provide more information about its atomic
programme, which it says is for purely peaceful purposes. Under the
framework deal, Iran also agreed to start addressing suspicions that it
may have worked on designing an atomic weapon - a potential breakthrough
in a long-stalled investigation into suspected bomb research by Tehran.
By mid-May, Iran is supposed to provide information to the IAEA about its
need or application for the development of so-called Exploding Bridge
Wire detonators. These fast-functioning detonators have some non-nuclear
uses, but can also help set off an atomic device. Asked about
implementation of the deal, IAEA director general Yukiya Amano said: 'We
are working on it and they are cooperative.'" http://t.uani.com/1g7006Y
Free Beacon:
"The former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization revealed that
Iran concealed information from the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) because it believed intelligence agencies were using the reports
to sabotage its nuclear program. Fereydoon Abbasi told the Iranian daily
Khorasan that the West obtained its information from reports submitted by
Iran to the IAEA as well as from foreign firms providing equipment used
in Tehran's nuclear program. The interview is believed to be the first
time that a former senior official in Iran has given details about
sabotage and about Iran's subsequent concealment of information about its
nuclear facilities. Abbasi said that Iran had for at least seven years
withheld information about its construction of a heavy water reactor at
Arak and the location and activity of the facilities workshops. The Arak
facility is expected to be a principal subject in negotiations over
Teheran's nuclear program between Iran and Western nations aimed at
curtailing the program, which resume today in Vienna. The interview with
Abbasi was published yesterday by the Middle East Media Research
Institute (MEMRI)." http://t.uani.com/1oM8VUF
Free Beacon:
"Secretary of State John Kerry told a Senate committee Tuesday that
the Obama administration is 'obligated under the law' to earn
congressional approval of any nuclear deal with Iran in order for
congressionally-imposed economic sanctions to be lifted. Kerry's comments
suggest that the White House may have abandoned its effort, disclosed in
January by the Free Beacon, to find ways to lift sanctions on Iran
without the approval of Congress." http://t.uani.com/1ix20qR
AFP:
"The United States on Tuesday asked North Korea to look at Iran's
example, saying it was willing to negotiate with a hostile nation when it
is 'serious' about its promises. Amid high tensions between North Korea
and its neighbors, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said that the
United States remained firmly opposed to North Korea's nuclear weapons
program but was open to diplomacy. 'We have consistently said we are
willing to engage when countries show a credible and serious interest in
abiding by their obligations. This was true in Burma, it's the case with
Iran, and it can be the case with North Korea as well,' Burns said at the
Asia Society in New York." http://t.uani.com/1hgNypl
Sanctions
Relief
Al-Monitor:
"Iran is seeing less economic benefit than it was promised from an
interim nuclear accord, in part because foreign companies and banks are
unwilling to risk re-engaging the Islamic Republic on a short-term basis.
Al-Monitor has learned from an Iranian official, who spoke on condition
that he not be named, that a major multinational company has refused an Iranian
request for aircraft maintenance services - authorized by the Nov. 24
deal - on grounds that the company could not complete the work by the end
of July. That's when implementation of the interim nuclear accord is due
to expire unless it is renewed by Iran and the five permanent members of
the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1), or it is superseded by a
longer-term deal. (The company is not Boeing, which recently received a
license to provide spare parts and maintenance for planes sold to Iran before
the 1979 revolution.) Iran's economy has stabilized somewhat since the
interim accord was reached, but most of the benefits appear to have been
psychological or have come from better management by President Hassan
Rouhani's team compared to that of former President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad." http://t.uani.com/1hBpI2M
Free Beacon:
"Senate insiders say that senior Treasury Department officials have
been lying for years about their backroom efforts to oppose and dismantle
Iran sanctions legislation that ultimately forced Tehran to the
bargaining table over its illicit nuclear program. Top officials in the
Treasury and State Departments are said to have staunchly opposed the
2011 passage of the sanctions legislation authored by Sens. Bob Menendez
(D., N.J.) and Mark Kirk (R., Ill.), and even worked to dismantle key
pieces of the bill after it was passed by the Senate in a 100-0 vote,
according to senior Senate insiders who worked on the legislation.
Treasury's role in the backroom negotiations over the bill were thrust
into the spotlight earlier this month when Treasury Under Secretary David
Cohen entered a heated exchange with Kirk over the administration's
opposition to sanctions. Kirk, as well as Senate insiders who spoke to
the Washington Free Beacon, said that Cohen was not truthful in his
testimony and is attempting to rewrite history in a bid to whitewash the
Obama administration's long opposition to tough Iran sanctions." http://t.uani.com/1eafyLT
Bloomberg:
"OPEC, which supplies 40 percent of the world's oil, will
accommodate additional output from members Iraq, Iran and Libya,
Secretary-General Abdalla El-Badri said, without explaining how it will
do so under the group's ceiling. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries will wait until 2015 to discuss output targets with Iraq, which
currently operates outside the production-quota system for each of the
group's other 11 member countries, El-Badri told reporters today in Doha,
Qatar. OPEC foresees gradual increases from Iraq and Iran, while Libya is
capable of boosting output by as much as 1 million barrels within a
month, he said. 'There is no problem for OPEC to absorb any production
increment from Iraq and Iran in 2014,' El-Badri said. 'When Libya output
comes back, we will accommodate it because its production is in our
numbers.' ... Iran raised production to 2.9 million barrels a day last
month, an increase of 65,000 barrels from February, the data show." http://t.uani.com/1qqL08H
Reuters:
"A senior Iranian aviation official has arrived in Vienna to discuss
lifting sanctions on the country's aviation sector as part of nuclear
talks with world powers, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Sanctions on the sector have been in place since the 1970s... 'Managing
director of Iranair Farhad Parvaresh is in Vienna to possibly discuss
sanctions imposed on Iran's aviation (sector),' Fars said on Tuesday,
without elaborating." http://t.uani.com/R2N1xR
Sanctions
Enforcement & Impact
WSJ:
"New York's top financial regulator has issued subpoenas to four
U.S. insurers to determine if they have complied with U.S. laws against
doing business with Iran, expanding a probe previously focused on foreign
companies, people with knowledge of the matter said. The New York
Department of Financial Services in recent weeks sent subpoenas to Chubb
Corp., CNA Financial Corp., Liberty Mutual Group and Navigators Group
Inc., the people said. The inquiries seek detail about marine-cargo
policies the insurers had in place with a commodities firm that has
figured into the long-running NYDFS probe, the people said. U.S.-based
insurers, like most other domestic companies, are generally prohibited by
U.S. law from business dealings that involve Iran. A subpoena is a legal
demand for information and doesn't signal wrongdoing by the recipients.
It isn't clear that any insurance policies issued by the four companies
violated U.S. laws, the people said. Last year, New York Financial
Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky sent information requests to more
than 40 non-U.S. reinsurance companies requesting detailed information on
their dealings with entities or people connected to Iran, as previously
reported. Reinsurers take on responsibility for some claims from policies
sold by insurers to businesses or individuals. The New York probe
recently turned up evidence indicating the four U.S. insurers had issued
marine-cargo policies for commodities firm Glencore Xstrata PLC allegedly
tied to the Iran metals trade, the same people said. Similar coverage was
a focus of the earlier probe involving the foreign reinsurers." http://t.uani.com/1ix3l0T
Syria Conflict
NYT:
"Some in Syria are newly eager to catalog, as a show of strength,
the added muscle from abroad, and not just from Hezbollah. A Syrian who
coordinates between government forces and Hezbollah around the shrine
said that Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards are not simply advising
Damascus, but fighting near the northern city of Aleppo. Hezbollah and
Iran, he said, have trained more than 100,000 Syrians, in Syria, Lebanon
and Tehran, to form the National Defense Forces militias. On Tuesday,
Iran delivered 30,000 tons of food supplies to Syria, The Associated
Press reported. 'The game is changed,' the coordinator said, asking not
to be identified for his safety. He confirmed much of what Western
officials assert about the government's foreign support, calling it a
trump card that Damascus saved for the right moment. 'It is no longer a
secret,' he added. 'It is on the table.'" http://t.uani.com/1ejQQsO
Human Rights
IHR:
"After a break in the executions on the occasion of the Iranian new
year, the executions have resumed in Iran. One prisoner was hanged in
Ardebil today and three other prisoners are scheduled to be hanged in the
Baluchestan province in the near future." http://t.uani.com/1g6Yx0g
Opinion &
Analysis
UANI Outreach
Coordinator Bob Feferman in Algemeiner: "For two
years, I have been doing outreach work around the country for the
advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). While I have heard all
kinds of responses over the years, I recently heard a new expression for
the first time: 'Iran fatigue.' One person told me: 'Many people have
been reading and hearing so much about Iran's nuclear program that they
don't want to hear any more.' Beyond my initial shock, I felt it was
worth asking: who really suffers from 'Iran fatigue' - and what does it
actually mean? There is no doubt that the families of the 140,000 dead
Syrian civilians - and the two million Syrian refugees - are suffering
from Iran fatigue. They know that were it not for Iran's Revolutionary
Guard Corps and its proxy Hezbollah, the regime of Bashar al-Assad would
have fallen years ago and spared the lives of thousands. There is no
doubt that the people of Israel also have serious Iran fatigue. They are
sick and tired of being threatened with annihilation by Iranian leaders
and frustrated with the world's inaction over Iran's incessant efforts to
supply rockets and missiles to terror groups in Gaza, and Hezbollah in
Lebanon. There is also no doubt that Iranian human rights activists and
their families - including journalists and members of the Baha'i faith -
have serious fatigue from their own government. While they languish in
prison, or are publicly executed on building cranes, indifferent
corporate entities in the West, such as MTN and Atlas, continue to do
business with the Iranian regime. Although an interim agreement called
'The Joint Plan of Action' was signed in Geneva between the P5+1 and
Iran, we should not be fooled. Iran has not relinquished its quest to
develop nuclear weapons. Indeed, Iran is still doing research and
development on advanced centrifuges and its ballistic missile program,
and still spinning centrifuges to enrich uranium. Therefore, we should
not allow the charm offensive of Iranian leaders to crush our resolve,
and spin us into 'Iran fatigue.' It's time to diagnose if you are truly
suffering from 'Iran fatigue.' If you frequently send e-mail messages to
companies demanding they end their business in Iran, you can rightly
claim Iran fatigue, and you have our thanks and appreciation. If you have
spent hours encouraging your members of Congress to impose new sanctions
on Iran, or worked to pass debarment laws in your state, you too can
rightly claim Iran fatigue, and you have our thanks and appreciation.
However, if you have done none of the above, then it's time to think
about the alternative. The disinterest among some Americans, particularly
when it comes to holding well-known companies accountable for their
Iranian business activities, has been surprising and disappointing to say
the least." http://t.uani.com/1kKqm1M
Ali Afshari in
Al-Monitor: "Much attention has been paid to
conservative critics of President Hassan Rouhani. What has received
little attention however is the state of internal divisions within
Rouhani's Cabinet over both the subsidy programs and corruption at the
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization. Understanding the main
political leanings of Rouhani's Cabinet and a few of the disagreements
that have surfaced is key to understanding how far his administration
can, or will want to go in implementing cultural and political reforms
and pursuing his foreign policy initiatives. Rouhani chose most of his
personnel from the following three groups: his circle of close associates,
members of the Executives of Construction Party (Kaargozaaraan), and
traditional and pragmatic Principlists. He designed his Cabinet to be a
mixture of representatives from different groups of people who voted for
him. Yet he also wanted to keep his administration moderate and balanced
by utilizing centralist forces that are somewhere in between the
Reformist and the Principlists. Rouhani's circle of close friends and
associates include people such as his brother and special assistant
Hossein Fereydoun, Cultural Adviser Hesam al-Din Ashena, Spokesman
Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, Chief of Staff Mohammad Nahavandian, Chief
Adviser Akbar Torkan and Minister of Industry Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh.
Most of them are members of the Moderation and Development Party. The
party was founded by Rouhani in 1999. Their origin, like that of Rouhani
himself, goes back to the right-wing faction of the Islamic Republic
whose political and economic viewpoints were transformed after the
Iran-Iraq war. They worked closely with Hashemi Rafsanjani's presidency
during the so-called Construction Era. During the Reform Era of Khatami's
presidency when cultural and political norms of Iran were shaken, they
took a middle ground between the Reformists and the Principalists - but
leaned closer to the to the Principalists. Even during Rafsanjani's
presidency, they supported the administration as long as the new policies
did not create conflict with the supreme leader. Certain members of this
circle, such as Fereydoun and Ashena, have a background in the
intelligence service. In general, they give priority to economic
expansion and follow the free market model although a few of them, such
as Nobakht, defend institutionalized economy and believe in a limited
government interference in regulating the market. In the political and
cultural arena, they believe in political activism only within the
frameworks of the constitution and also believe in the idea of the
guardianship of the jurist (velayat-e faqih). They only support limited
political and cultural transformations. Kaargozaaraan are the left-wing
supporters of Rafsanjani. Compared to the Moderation and Development
Party, they have a more open-minded attitude toward cultural and
political issues. Politically, Kaargozaaraan are part of the Reformist
faction. They believe in collaboration and exchange between different
forces in a civil society. Of course, not all reformist forces active in
the Rouhani administration are from the Kaargozaaraan faction. Yet,
Kaargozaaraan has a dominant presence. Forces connected to the
Principlist faction, such as Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan, Justice
Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Culture Minister Ali Jannati, and
Interior Minister Rahmani Fazli, make up the third angle of Rouhani's
administration. Rouhani has tried to use this diversity to expand support
for his administration inside the country. However, this lack of harmony,
and the internal rivalry, is problematic and has had a negative effect on
the administration. The resignation of Reformist politician Mohammad Ali
Najafi was the result of these internal rivalries and irresolvable
conflicts. Najafi had tried to implement reforms when he was head of the
cultural heritage and tourism organization and wanted to reveal previous
corruption. However, Rouhani did not support this and there were
speculations that he was prevented by cultural adviser Ashna, who's part
of Rouhani's inner circle." http://t.uani.com/1lK91rg
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment