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Reuters:
"Britain has informed a United Nations sanctions panel of an active
Iranian nuclear procurement network linked to two blacklisted firms,
according to a confidential report by the panel seen by Reuters. The
existence of such a network could add to Western concerns over whether
Tehran can be trusted to adhere to a nuclear deal due by June 30 in which
it would agree to restrict sensitive nuclear work in exchange for
sanctions relief... 'The UK government informed the Panel on 20 April
2015 that it 'is aware of an active Iranian nuclear procurement network
which has been associated with Iran's Centrifuge Technology Company
(TESA) and Kalay Electric Company (KEC),' the Panel of Experts said in
its annual report. The panel monitors Iran's compliance with the U.N. sanctions
regime. KEC is under U.N. Security Council sanctions while TESA is under
U.S. and European Union sanctions due to their suspected links to banned
Iranian nuclear activities. Iran, which is has been under sanctions for
years, has a long history of illicit nuclear procurement using front
companies and other methods of skirting sanctions. That has enabled it to
develop a substantial atomic program in spite of aggressive international
efforts to curtail it, U.N. diplomats say." http://t.uani.com/1Q2y081
WashPost:
"Iran's foreign minister issued a stern warning to Congress on
Wednesday, saying the United States will isolate itself if lawmakers act
to nullify a nuclear deal the administration is working to ¬finalize with
Iran. Mohammad Javad Zarif, speaking at an event at New York University,
dismissed assertions by some members of Congress and presidential
candidates that they would not necessarily be bound by any deal agreed to
by President Obama. 'I believe the United States will risk isolating itself
in the world if there is an agreement and it decides to break it,' said
Zarif, who earlier this month returned to a hero's welcome in Tehran
after reaching a temporary framework agreement in Switzerland with the
United States and five other world powers. 'Whether you have a Democratic
or Republican president, the United States is bound by international law,
whether some senators like it or not,' he added. 'And international law
requires the United States live up to the terms of an agreement it enters
into.' ... In his most expansive comments yet on the framework, Zarif
said there remain disagreements on the phrasing of 'almost everything,'
but the negotiators expect to work nonstop between now and the June 30
deadline for a comprehensive deal." http://t.uani.com/1bGogkt
Reuters:
"Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday suggested that an intelligence
operative, possibly linked to the U.S. government, may have taken
advantage of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, who has been
charged in Iran with espionage and other crimes. 'The fact is there are
people who take advantage of the needs of some people who try to get a
visa to come to the United States or for their wives to come to the
United States and make demands that are illegal and dangerous and damaging
to the professionalism of a journalist,' said Iran's Mohammad Javad
Zarif... Iran's top diplomat, who is in New York to attend a U.N. meeting
on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, said the charges were grave.
'Unfortunately your friend and my friend, Jason, is accused of a very
serious crime,' he said. 'And I hope he is cleared. But he will have to
face court. He is an Iranian citizen. It is unfortunate that some
low-level operative tried to take advantage of him.'" http://t.uani.com/1bhLzRe
Nuclear Program & Negotiations
AP:
"Iran's foreign minister says his country and world powers will meet
Thursday to start bringing together the elements of a draft on a
comprehensive nuclear deal, with meetings starting Monday in Europe to
finalize all its elements. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said at an event
Wednesday in New York that even though Iran certainly wants to meet the
June 30 deadline for an agreement, 'no time deadline is sacrosanct.' He
met with Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday." http://t.uani.com/1QOKMZb
AFP:
"Iran is willing to submit to the highest level of international
transparency on its nuclear program and wants to conclude a final accord
as soon as possible, its foreign minister said Wednesday. 'The (UN
nuclear agency) IAEA has seen everything and if you're looking for a
smoking gun, you've got to wait a long, long, long time before you get
one,' Mohammad Javad Zarif told an audience at New York University...
Tehran is ready to accept the 'highest level of international
transparency' available to members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, said Zarif. 'Iran is prepared, within an agreement, to accept the
additional protocol and I think with that you will have all the
transparency that you need.'" http://t.uani.com/1Iry6Ur
Military
Matters
AFP:
"Danish shipping group A.P. Moeller-Maersk on Thursday urged Iran to
release the crew of a chartered cargo vessel seized by Iran over a
10-year cargo dispute with an Iranian company. 'We must insist that the
crew and vessel are released as soon as possible. The crew is not
employed by Maersk Line, nor is the vessel owned by Maersk Line,' the
company said in a statement. 'Maersk Tigris and its crew are thus not in
any way party to the case, which presumably is the reason behind the
seizure of Maersk Tigris,' it added... The Danish company said it had
been told by the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organisation at a meeting
Wednesday that the seizure was linked to the loss of 10 containers it had
shipped to Dubai for an Iranian company in January 2005." http://t.uani.com/1FA8aVN
IHS Maritime:
"Maersk has said it believes the actions of Iran in arresting the
container ship Maersk Tigris in the Strait of Hormuz on 28 April is
'illegal'. Speaking to IHS Maritime today, Maersk representative Michael
Christian Storgaard said it was 'illegal from a UN point of view to seize
a commercial vessel' while in international waters or while making
innocent passage through a country's territorial waters. 'We have not
seen any arrest orders and we don't have any written official documents,
a court ruling, or an arrest order,' he said, stating that this would be
'the norm'. 'When someone seizes something, you are told the reason. You
are presented with some court ruling or an arrest order or an official
document,' he said. Maersk said in a public statement today that it could
only 'presume' the ship was arrested on the incorrect assumption that the
ship belonged to Maersk, because of an ongoing court case between Maersk
Line and an Iranian company. 'This is what Iran is saying and so we have to
accept that. But we have not received any written or formal confirmation
that the seizure and the cargo case are connected,' said Storgaard."
http://t.uani.com/1EFNN94
Reuters:
"Iran's foreign minister told a New York City audience on Wednesday
that Tehran respects freedom of navigation in the Gulf, a day after
Iranian patrol boats seized a Danish container ship in one of the world's
busiest oil shipping lanes. 'The Persian Gulf is our lifeline ... We will
respect international navigation,' Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said
during a discussion hosted by New York University's Center on
International Cooperation and the think tank New America. 'For us,
freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf is a must.' .. Iran's Ports and
Maritime Organization said a court had ordered the ship seized after
ruling against Maersk Line in a case about debts brought by Pars Talaie,
an Iranian company. Zarif told the audience on Wednesday that Maersk was
required to pay damages on the basis of a court order. He said the legal
proceedings had been going on for some 14 years. 'Simply, our naval
forces implemented the decision of the court,' Zarif said in New York,
characterizing Maersk's actions as 'peculiar.'" http://t.uani.com/1IryTod
Congressional
Action
Reuters:
"The U.S. Senate rejected an effort on Wednesday to tie sanctions
relief for Iran under an international nuclear agreement to a requirement
that President Barack Obama certify that Tehran is not supporting acts of
terrorism against Americans. A handful of Republicans joined Senate
Democrats to reject by a 54-45 vote a proposed amendment offered by
Republican Senator John Barrasso that would have added the terrorism
clause to a bill subjecting an international nuclear agreement to review
by the U.S. Congress." http://t.uani.com/1zgg6ds
WSJ:
"The country's most powerful pro-Israel lobby is urging senators to
support a bill giving Congress a role in reviewing a nuclear deal with
Iran, even if that means opposing amendments the group would ordinarily
support. The letter from American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or
Aipac, could make it easier for lawmakers to vote down contentious
amendments that have threatened to siphon Democratic support from the
bill currently being debated on the Senate floor. 'We know that senators
will offer amendments on a wide range of initiatives, many of which Aipac
would ordinarily support,' the group wrote in a letter signed by Chief
Executive Howard Kohr and two other officials. 'However, our paramount
objective during Senate consideration of this bill is to ensure speedy
enactment of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act by preserving its
broad, bipartisan support-so that Congress assures itself a seat at the
table in deliberations on any nuclear agreement with Iran.'" http://t.uani.com/1Kx7aSn
Sanctions
Relief
Al-Monitor:
"Ned Lamont thought he would be a pioneer when he set off earlier
this month on his first trip to Iran, but the Connecticut businessman and
former politician discovered otherwise when he walked into the Parzian
Azadi Hotel in north Tehran. 'I thought we would be like Livingstone,'
Lamont told Al-Monitor, referring to the famous 19th century explorer of
Africa. But 'everybody is already in Iran. There were groups from 20
different countries.' The founder and chairman of Campus Televideo, which
provides video and data services to US colleges, and a former candidate
for the US Senate and governor of Connecticut, Lamont joined 21 other
Americans in early April for a journey organized by the Young President's
Organization and World President's Organization - groups that connect
CEOs from around the world." http://t.uani.com/1I0P78U
Iraq Crisis
Reuters:
"Iraq is poised to deploy Shi'ite paramilitaries backed by Iran to
Sunni tribal areas west of Baghdad, a move supporters say is needed to
defeat Islamic State militants but opponents say could inflame more
sectarian violence... But with the army advance having faltered,
officials are now speaking openly about dispatching the militia,
organized under the umbrella of 'Hashid Shaabi' - 'Popular Mobilisation'.
This could alarm the United States, which is supporting the Iraqi
government from the air against Islamic State fighters but is wary of
Baghdad's alliance with Shi'ite militiamen who openly receive arms, funds
and strategic direction from Iran." http://t.uani.com/1HUpNjn
Yemen Crisis
AFP:
"Two Iranian destroyers, sent to the Gulf of Aden to protect
commercial ships, have reached the entrance of Bab el-Mandab, a strategic
strait between Yemen and Djibouti, Iran's navy said Thursday... 'We are
present in the Gulf of Aden in accordance with international regulations
to ensure the safety of commercial ships of our country against the
threat of pirates,' said the head of the Iranian navy, Rear Admiral
Habibollah Sayari, quoted by the official IRNA news agency. The navy has
sent the Alborz and Bushehr destroyers to patrol the entrance to the
strait, he added... Sayari said the two destroyers would stay posted
around Bab el-Mandab until late June." http://t.uani.com/1DYF394
Reuters:
"The United States sought Iran's help to bring Yemen's warring
parties into talks on a political settlement when U.S. and Iranian
foreign minister's met on Monday, a U.S. official said on Wednesday. Iran
is allied with the Houthi militias that took the Yemeni capital Sanaa in
September, demanding a more inclusive government. The Shi'ite Houthis
have since swept south, unsettling Sunni-ruled oil exporter Saudi Arabia,
which fears the spread of Iranian influence in the region... Asked
whether U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had asked Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in talks in New York on Monday to use its
influence to get all sides into talks, a U.S. State Department official
told reporters, 'Yes.' The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity,
said this meant seeking Iranian help to get the Houthis to
negotiate." http://t.uani.com/1IrzjuQ
Human Rights
ICHRI:
"On the eve of International Workers' Day on May 1, Iranian
authorities have arrested at least five labor leaders. The arrests have
taken place in the context of intensifying labor protests, strikes, and
arrests of individuals organizing or participating in labor protests.
'The Government views any labor mobilization as a national security
threat,' said Hadi Ghaemi, Executive Director of the Campaign. 'Workers
should be allowed to peacefully defend their common interests, without
risking years behind bars.' 'Rouhani needs to turn his attention to the
people of Iran. Workers are suffering and their demands need to be
heard,' added Ghaemi. Tehran Security Police arrested two members of the
Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Ebrahim Maddadi
and Davood Razavi, in their homes on April 29, and two other labor
activists, Mahmoud Salehi and Osman Ismaili, were arrested in the city of
Saqez in the Kurdistan Province on April 28. On April 25, plainclothes
security agents in Sanandaj, Kurdistan, arrested the labor activist Reza
Amjadi." http://t.uani.com/1DYsWcg
ICHRI:
"Iranian police demolished the home of an imprisoned Baha'i
community leader in Semnan on April 22, 2015. The home belonged to
Jamaloddin Khanjani, one of seven Baha'i leaders who have been in prison
since 2008. Mr. Khanjani's nephew, Siavash Khanjani, told the
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the family had been
able to secure an order from the Supreme Court to prevent the demolition,
but the police had already destroyed most of the structure by the time
the family arrived from Tehran with the orders. The property is Mr.
Khanjani's family home, located in the family's agricultural fields in
Semnan Province's Dazgareh Afshar village." http://t.uani.com/1AkQUOr
Opinion &
Analysis
WashPost
Editorial: "President Obama offered encouragement to
the family and colleagues of Post reporter Jason Rezaian last weekend,
saying, ' We will not rest until we bring him home to his family, safe
and sound.' We hope Mr. Rezaian, who had been imprisoned in Iran for 281
days as of Wednesday, will hear of the president's words. More important,
though, they should be weighed by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, who must realize that the unjust detention of an American
journalist is only harming his regime. The Rezaian case has become a
showcase for Iran's ruthless internal power struggles and the
politicization of its judicial system. The 39-year-old reporter, who was
born and raised in California but is an Iranian and U.S. citizen, has
been described by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as 'a
good reporter' and a 'friend.' Yet he has been held in Tehran's notorious
Evin Prison since July 22, apparently at the instigation of intelligence
and judicial authorities. Not until last week was Mr. Rezaian allowed a
substantial meeting with his attorney. A statement she provided afterward
said he was charged with four crimes, including espionage, 'collaborating
with hostile governments,' 'propaganda against the establishment' and
'collecting information about internal and foreign policy and providing
them to individuals with malicious intent.' On Wednesday, Mr. Zarif
suggested that a 'low-level operative' for the U.S. government might have
tried to 'take advantage' of Mr. Rezaian by asking him to gather
information. Both Post Executive Editor Martin Baron and the White House
quickly pointed out that the accusations are absurd." http://t.uani.com/1GKrfpJ
Bradley Peniston
in Defense One: "What happened next to the MV Maersk
Tigris, however, was quite out of the ordinary. 'The master was contacted
and directed to proceed further into Iranian territorial waters,' said
Warren. 'He declined and one of the IRGCN craft fired shots across the
bridge of the Maersk Tigris. The master complied with the Iranian demand
and proceeded into Iranian waters in the vicinity of Larak Island.'
William Watson, a maritime consultant based in Washington, D.C., called
the situation 'very strange and peculiar.' Iran, which claims the entire
strait as its territorial waters, might legally board a vessel if it
deviated substantially toward the Iranian coast, Watson said. But ships
moving normally through the strait have the right of innocent passage, a
right routinely and firmly asserted by U.S. warships, among thousands of
other vessels... Via its Fars News Agency, the Iranian government said,
'The ship is a trade vessel and has been seized by the Iranian navy at
the request of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization...The ship was
seized after a relevant court order was issued for its confiscation.' The
article said the IPMO had monetary differences with the ship owner. Watson
found this mystifying. If someone has a financial claim against a
vessel's owners, the claimant can 'arrest' the vessel, or hold it until
the dispute is resolved. But he added that in his decades of watching the
world's maritime trade, he'd never heard of such a thing done on the high
seas. Arrests happen in port or at anchor, he said." http://t.uani.com/1EFNE5t
Kai Bird in NYT:
"And, though no one mentions it, Iran needs at least a hundred
billion dollars of foreign investment to modernize its oil fields, and
American oil companies are eager to bid for these contracts once
sanctions are lifted. But here's the rub: Largely forgotten are two
judgments handed down in U.S. Federal District Courts. Dammarell vs. the
Islamic Republic of Iran (2003) and Peterson vs. the Islamic Republic of
Iran (2007) held Iran responsible for truck bomb attacks on the United
States Embassy in Beirut in April 1983 and a similar attack on the U.S.
Marines barracks in October of that year. Seventeen Americans were killed
in the embassy attack - including eight C.I.A. officers - and 32 Lebanese
employees died. Two hundred and forty-one U.S. servicemen were killed in
the Marine barracks bombing. Both civil suits, and one later filed by the
Lebanese employees resulted in multibillion dollar judgments against
Iran. The Iranian government, which did not respond to the lawsuit or
defend itself at trial, has yet to pay a penny to any of the families of
the victims or the survivors. These outstanding judgments represent a
major stumbling block to any diplomatic resolution of Washington's
troubled relations with Tehran. It is hard to imagine any scenario in
which the Iranians agree to accept responsibility for truck bomb attacks
that occurred more than three decades ago. And yet it is equally
unimaginable that the Obama administration could ignore the Federal
District Court judgments entered on behalf of so many American civilians,
servicemen and intelligence officers. When the economic embargo against
Iran is lifted, the lawyers representing these claimants will demand that
these judgments be paid - and they are sure to go after any American
corporations doing business with Iran. (Congress made this possible in
January 2008 with a law that permits federal courts to seize commercial
funds flowing between American companies and Iranian entities, such as
the Iranian National Oil Company, and direct these monies to the victims
of the Iranian attacks.) No doubts exist about Iran's responsibility. One
of those who died in the Beirut Embassy bombing was Robert Ames, the
C.I.A.'s top expert on the Middle East. Ames was legendary inside C.I.A.
headquarters in Langley, Va., for having penetrated Yasir Arafat's
P.L.O., forming a deep friendship with Arafat's intelligence chief, Ali
Hassan Salameh. A seasoned clandestine officer, Ames regularly briefed
President Ronald Reagan in the White House. After the embassy bombing,
President Reagan noted in his diary, 'We lost [name deleted] our top
research man on the Middle East.' Six months later, after a second truck
bomb hit the Marine barracks, Reagan wrote, 'We all believe Iranians did
this bombing, just as they did with our embassy last April.' Washington
had its suspicions but no hard evidence that Iran had launched the
attacks. But now we have the names of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard
officers responsible for these deaths. One of them is Ali Reza Asgari, a
Guard intelligence officer stationed in Baalbek, Lebanon, throughout the
1980s. Asgari later served as Iran's deputy defense minister. But
according to numerous Western news reports, in 2007 Asgari defected,
apparently to the United States, bringing with him a laptop filled with
information about Iran's nuclear weapons program and much information
about his training of Hezbollah's intelligence apparatus in the 1980s and
'90s." http://t.uani.com/1DMV9DR
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