Eye on Iran: Iran Speaks More Softly But Keeps Building Bigger Sticks

Join UANI           Top Stories Bloomberg: "While Iran's military has toned down its rhetoric about military capabilities and exercises, it continues a low-profile buildup of weapons in and near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a classified Pentagon assessment. 'Iran's military strategy is defensive' and designed to 'deter an attack, survive an initial strike, retaliate against an aggressor and force a diplomatic solution' while avoiding major concessions, says the unclassified executive summary of a congressionally mandated Pentagon report submitted to lawmakers on July 7... Even so, the new assessment says, 'Tehran is quietly fielding' increasing numbers of anti-ship ballistic missiles, 'small but capable submarines,' coastal missile batteries and attack craft... Separately, Iran possesses 'a substantial inventory of missiles capable of reaching targets throughout the region, including Israel.'" http://t.uani.com/1toLY92 Tasnim (Iran): "Iran's President Hassan Rouhani slammed the sanctions against the country over its peaceful nuclear energy program as cruel and illegal which have put the Iranian people under pressure. 'Although a part of sanctions has been lifted, we still remain under sanctions. All Iranian people expect the government to remove the cruel sanctions in the framework of the law and by safeguarding the rights of the nation. All of us have the same demand, and it is among the administration's priorities,' said Rouhani in his speech in the Iranian northwestern city of Ardebil... President Rouhani further pointed to extremism and violence in the region and said moderation is key to tackling such problems. 'Moderation initiative which was put forward by Iran at the United Nations was everyone's demand. Nobody could refrain from voting in favor of the Resolution WAVE (World Against Violence and Extremism) which was proposed by Iran at the UN General Assembly,' noted Rouhani, adding that today all the world is fed up with violence." http://t.uani.com/1q2u0YP Reuters: "China's crude imports from Iran expanded 40.6 percent in July from a year ago, customs data showed on Thursday, as Tehran's largest oil client stayed with the elevated shipment levels that began late last year. China began stepping up purchases from the OPEC member after a preliminary nuclear deal in November of last year eased some sanctions on Iran. China has been making up the main portion of Asia's higher Iranian oil imports since then. Top state refiner Sinopec Corp has been lifting more Iranian oil this year partly because it is cheaper versus similar grades from Saudi Arabia, industry officials have told Reuters. Higher imports of condensate, a light crude oil from Iran's South Pars gas project, have also contributed to strong intake figures. China counts condensate as crude oil... China's July imports from Iran came in at 2.37 million tonnes, or 558,865 barrels per day (bpd), rising 5 percent from 531,200 bpd in June, official customs data showed on Thursday. Imports from Iran over January-July were 617,670 bpd, up 47 percent compared with 420,263 bpd a year ago." http://t.uani.com/1oUIIDc Nuclear Program & Negotiations Reuters: "Iran has started taking action to comply with the terms of an extended agreement with six world powers over its disputed atomic activities, a U.N. nuclear watchdog report obtained by Reuters on Wednesday showed. The findings in a monthly update by the International Atomic Energy Agency - though no major surprise - may be seen as positive by the West ahead of the expected resumption next month of negotiations on ending the decade-old nuclear dispute." http://t.uani.com/VHWE6e Sanctions Relief Fars (Iran): "Indonesian ambassador to Tehran Dian Wirengjurit announced that his country plans to help Iran to set up assembly-line of Toyota cars in Aras Free Zone in the Northwestern parts of the country. 'Negotiations with the head of the Indonesian plant of Toyota Company have been held and he has agreed with launching assembly-line of Toyota cars in Aras Free Zone,' the Indonesian ambassador said in a meeting with Managing Director of Aras Free Zone Mohsen Khadem on Wednesday. The Indonesian ambassador pointed to the production of 1.5 million cars in Iran, and said, 'This is a valuable time to import raw materials and tires to Iran with no third party involved.'" http://t.uani.com/VHUB2b Sanctions Enforcement & Impact Trend: "Iranian president Hassan Rouhani says that the country's oil crude export is less than 50 percent of its production due to international sanctions. Rouhani who is on a visit to the north western province of Ardebil, made the remarks in a meeting with veterans and elites of the province, Iran's State IRINN TV reported Aug. 21. Rouhani underlined that although some parts of the sanctions have been lifted, Iran still remains under sanctions. 'Iranian people are still under the pressure of the sanctions,' he said. Lifting sanctions is among the administration's priorities, the president said, adding 'We are trying to remove the cruel sanctions within the framework of the law and by safeguarding the rights of the nation.'" http://t.uani.com/1pTJpeM Domestic Politics Al-Monitor: "Alireza Panahian, a representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and one of the most conservative clerics in the country, compared Iranians who are 'Westoxified' to the threat of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS), formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). 'The Westoxified among us are no different from takfiris and ISIS,' Hojjat al-Islam Panahian said at a ceremony for Iranian documentary filmmaker Hady Baghbani, who was killed in Syria one year ago. Westoxified - gharbzadegi in Persian - which literally means 'West-struck,' is a term that became popular after the 1962 book by the same name by Iranian writer Jalal Al-e Ahmad. Essentially, it denotes an individual who sacrifices an Iranian identity for a Western one. Panahian said that then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini 'taught us that these criminal extremists [such as IS] are no different for us than liberals, and both are the blades of scissors to cut the middle path of resistance.' Iran sees itself, Syria and Hezbollah as part of an axis of resistance against US and Israeli hegemony in the region. Panahian referred to Westoxified Iranians as 'Zionist fifth columnists.'" http://t.uani.com/1q2t1HV Human Rights WashPost: "A photojournalist arrested in Iran alongside Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian and his wife was released on bail Wednesday, a family source said. Separately, the State Department said U.S. officials raised the arrest and detention of The Post's Tehran bureau chief, an American citizen, when they met for rare direct talks with Iranian diplomats this month. Rezaian's wife, journalist Yeganeh Salehi, is an Iranian citizen." http://t.uani.com/1nee02n AFP: "An Iranian journalist who covered parliament for pro-reform media has been released on bail almost three months after being detained, her lawyer said on Thursday. Saba Azarpeyk was freed late Wednesday on bail of two billion rials ($65,000), set by prosecutors overseeing crimes related to media and culture, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaie told the official news agency IRNA. She is accused of 'propaganda against the regime,' the lawyer said. Azarpeyk was arrested on 28 May at her home." http://t.uani.com/1q2tDgH 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.