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AFP:
"Acutely aware of Republican fury over the Iran nuclear deal, US
Senate Democrats introduced a plan Thursday that helps prevent Tehran
from cheating on its obligations under the agreement and boosts security
for Israel. The measure is sponsored by nine Democrats, including senior
Senators Ben Cardin and Chuck Schumer, who both opposed the landmark
accord that reins in Iran's nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions.
Congress endured a brutal, weeks-long debate over the nuclear agreement.
With every Republican voting against, the deal earned a majority of
disapproval in Congress, although Democrats were able to prevent the pact
from being blocked. 'We are concentrating on tomorrow, not the past, to
ensure that the agreement is enforced, that Iran is permanently prevented
from obtaining a nuclear weapon. That's our objective,' said Cardin, top
Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sponsors said the
Iran Policy Oversight Act would allow for tracking of funds that Iran
gained from sanctions relief under the deal, to monitor whether or not
the tens of billions of dollars is used for nefarious purposes including
financing terrorist operations. 'We need to watch those funds like a
hawk, and ensure that they're not going to fund terror in the Middle
East,' Schumer said. While the accord would lift economic sanctions, the
new legislation reaffirms lawmakers' commitment to maintaining Iranian
sanctions related to terror financing and human rights abuses." http://t.uani.com/1MO0dOp
NYT:
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel doubled down Thursday
in his harsh condemnations of the Iranian nuclear deal, describing the
widespread international praise for it as a grave misjudgment. 'I wish I
could take comfort in the claim that this deal blocks Iran's path to
nuclear weapons,' Mr. Netanyahu said in his speech at the annual meeting
of the United Nations General Assembly. 'But I can't, because it
doesn't.' ... Describing Iran as 'a dark theocracy that conquers its
neighbors,' Mr. Netanyahu rejected the view that Iran would use money
freed by the nuclear deal's sanctions relief for economic development.
'Unleashed and unmuzzled, Iran will go on the prowl, devouring more and
more prey,' Mr. Netanyahu said in one of at least two animal analogies
bound to offend the Iranians. He also questioned why many nations could
now believe Iran will change from a 'rapacious tiger into a kitten.' ...
'Here's a general rule I learned,' he said. 'When bad behavior is
rewarded, it only gets worse.' Mr. Netanyahu spent the bulk of his
40-minute address criticizing the Iran deal as well as the United Nations
for what he called the organization's 'obsessively hostile' positions toward
his country. At one point he took a lengthy pause to underscore what he
called the world's 'deafening silence' in response to Iranian threats to
destroy Israel. 'It would be far easier to remain silent,' Mr. Netanyahu
said later. 'I refuse to be silent.'" http://t.uani.com/1L8Pu1U
AP:
"Iran's state TV is reporting that Royal Dutch Shell and France's
Total will be the first foreign companies to be allowed to operate
gasoline stations inside Iran. The Press TV English-language channel
quotes the head of Iran's filling stations union, Bijan Haj Mohammadreza,
as saying 100 new licenses have been issued to each company. Until now,
the only retail service stations belonged to the National Iranian Oil
Products Distribution Company. The agreement comes after Iran and world
powers reached a deal in July that curbs the Persian country's disputed
nuclear program in return for the lifting of international economic
sanctions." http://t.uani.com/1GoiRrB
Congressional
Action
Reuters:
"Two weeks after efforts to kill the Iran nuclear deal failed in the
U.S. Congress, lawmakers were still developing legislation on Thursday
seeking to influence, or undermine, the international agreement. The
House of Representatives voted 251 to 173 on Thursday for a measure that
would bar President Barack Obama from waiving any sanctions on Iran under
the pact until $40 billion has been paid to Americans deemed to be
victims of Iranian-backed terrorism. The measure passed the
Republican-led House largely along party lines, with Republicans in favor
and Obama's fellow Democrats opposed. It was largely a show vote. The
White House said on Wednesday that Obama would veto the measure if it
passed, and that he would oppose any legislation that would undermine the
nuclear agreement reached in July between the United States, five other
world powers and Iran. The measure also would be unlikely to advance in
the Senate, where Democrats last month gathered enough votes to protect
the deal itself." http://t.uani.com/1WBM1gg
Al-Monitor:
"In a sign of the tightrope Democrats are having to walk, the
measure caused a split among liberal organizations that have played a key
role in building support for the deal on Capitol Hill. The liberal
pro-Israel group J Street quickly endorsed the measure in a move one
person close to the group acknowledged was a 'unique position.' 'The
bill's provisions closely track the policy prescriptions J Street put
forward immediately after last month's key votes on the accord in
Congress,' J Street in a statement... The National Iranian American
Council, on the other hand, denounced it as 'unhelpful.' 'At best, the
wrongheaded measures included in the bill are empty symbolic gestures
aimed at reasserting a more confrontational posture in the region,' NIAC
Action Executive Director Jamal Abdi in a statement. 'At worst, they are
an actionable policy agenda that would undermine the gains secured by
diplomacy and set us on a path to unraveling the nuclear deal. This is
the wrong bill at the wrong time, and could become the second act for
nuclear deal opponents.' ... Cardin said he was hopeful Republicans would
eventually get on board, and an aide to Senate Foreign Relations
Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he would review it. But GOP
leaders in both chambers are unlikely to get on board any effort that
could give Democrats cover on Iran. One aide to a hawkish Republican
dismissed the bill as 'the longest piece of legislation that does nothing
that I've ever seen.'" http://t.uani.com/1M6lZKC
Sanctions Relief
Bloomberg:
"BP officials met with Iranian oil executives late last month in
Tehran as the British company seeks to return to the country once
sanctions are lifted. 'BP has met with oil industry officials in Iran
recently,' a company spokesman said in an e-mail. 'The details of those
discussions are confidential. We have said for some time that we would be
interested in reviewing opportunities in Iran once sanctions permit it.'
Although BP wasn't part of a business group that travelled to Tehran with
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in August when he opened the British
embassy, Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley said in June the company
would be 'very much' interested in investing in Iran when sanctions are
lifted. The company is 'fully in compliance' with sanctions until then,
the spokesman said." http://t.uani.com/1FLwg22
Bloomberg:
"Lukoil PJSC, Russia's second-largest oil producer, plans to sign a
deal on exploration and production with Iran following changes in the
Persian Gulf nation's tax laws. Vagit Alekperov, Lukoil's billionaire
chief executive officer, said he plans to meet with Iran's Oil Minister
Bijan Namdar Zanganeh when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries gathers in Vienna in December... Lukoil stopped work in Iran as
a minority partner in a project called Anaran in 2010 due to
sanctions." http://t.uani.com/1QPpwkb
Reuters:
"India will pay the second tranche of $700 million in oil dues to
Iran on Oct. 12, sources said, within weeks of paying a similar amount
after a July deal that set the roadmap for the lifting of sanctions aimed
at Tehran's nuclear activities. Iran in August asked India to release
$1.4 billion of the payments it was owed in two equal instalment, the
first of which was paid on Wednesday. The payment by the Indian refiners this
month will be similar to the first instalment, sources said on
Thursday." http://t.uani.com/1iRiHTW
Terrorism
Daily Star
(Lebanon): "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said Thursday Iran had delivered a number of SA-22
anti-aircraft and Yakhont anti-ship missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon to
target Israel, and vowed to 'act' to prevent future weapons transfers.
Speaking at the 70th U.N. General Assembly in New York, Netanyahu also
said Iran was increasing arms and military personnel to Syria to 'prop up
[President Bashar] Assad's brutal regime.' Israeli officials have
previously said that Iran was trying to deliver the sophisticated
missiles to Hezbollah, but Netanyahu's remarks Thursday represented the
first time a high-level figure explicitly said they had reached their
destination. The Pantsir-S1, more commonly known as SA-22, is a
Russian-made short-to-medium range surface-to-air missile and
anti-aircraft artillery weapon system. The K-300P, or Yakhont, also
Russian-made, is a mobile coastal defense missile system that is designed
for the destruction of various surface ships... Israel is believed to
have carried out a series of airstrikes on arms depots and convoys in
Syria allegedly bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon since early 2013. 'We will
continue to act to stop the transfer of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah in
Lebanon through Syrian territory,' Netanyahu said." http://t.uani.com/1hfW0HV
Reuters:
"Bahrain said on Thursday it had recalled its ambassador to Iran, a
day after it said security forces had discovered a large bomb-making
factory and arrested a number of suspects linked to Iran's Revolutionary
Guards. Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had also declared
the Iranian charge d'affaires in Bahrain a 'persona non grata' and gave him
72 hours to leave the country. In a statement on its website, the
ministry said the decision to recall its ambassador had come 'in light of
continued Iranian meddling in the affairs of the kingdom of Bahrain ...
in order to create sectarian strife and to impose hegemony and
control.'" http://t.uani.com/1RkpzFu
Anti-Americanism
Al-Monitor:
"Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke Oct. 1 to Iranian
commanders and officers about the futility of compromising with the
enemy. Although Khamenei has recently made harsh statements targeting
Saudi Arabia over the stampede at the hajj that killed 465 Iranians, his
statements to military leaders were indirect but can be construed as a
response to the historic handshake between Iranian Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif and US President Barack Obama Sept. 28 at the UN
General Assembly in New York. In praising Iran's independence despite the
hostility of other countries, Khamenei said, 'The enemy wants the
submission of the Islamic system, and by appeasing them, the hostility
will not be resolved.' He added, 'The rise of an independent nation that
opposes the bullies and those who are affiliated with them is intolerable
for the dominating powers. Therefore, they are hostile to these types of
[independent] nations, and the idea that if we don't say a certain thing,
or do not do such a thing, be considerate with the enemy and their
hostility will decline, is a wrong idea.'" http://t.uani.com/1M6mbJS
Human Rights
ICHRI:
"Soheil Arabi, whose death sentence for 'insulting the prophet' was
recently struck down by the Supreme Court, has been sentenced to seven
and a half years in prison, a source close to the case told the
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Branch 10 of Tehran
Criminal Court also ordered Arabi to study Islamic courses for two years
to 'prove his repentance' for posting content on Facebook against the
Prophet Mohammad, the source added. 'Mr. Arabi must read 13 books on
theology and religious awareness for two years and prepare summaries for
each one to clear his doubts. He must also be in contact with the True
Path Institute as well as the Imam Khomeini Research Center and present
his questions. Every month he will present to the court the questions,
answers and book summaries,' the source told the Campaign. Arabi, 32, was
arrested in November 2013 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards for his
posts on Facebook and sentenced to death for 'insulting the Prophet'
(sabb-al-nabi) by Branch 76 of the Tehran Penal Court. But on June 27,
2015, the Supreme Court nullified the death sentence... Arabi...is
currently serving a three-year sentence in Evin Prison for 'insulting the
Supreme Leader' and 'waging propaganda against the state.'" http://t.uani.com/1GohysF
NYT:
"Saeed Abedini, the Iranian-American pastor serving an eight-year
prison term in Iran on charges of undermining national security, could
face additional charges, including links to antigovernment groups, his
wife, Naghbeh Abedini, said Thursday. Mrs. Abedini, of Boise, Idaho, said
she had learned that her husband could face a hearing on such charges
through his parents in Iran. Mr. Abedini, 35, is one of three Americans
of Iranian descent imprisoned in Iran. Mrs. Abedini expressed hope that
all three could still be released in the aftermath of the Iran nuclear
agreement. Iranian officials have recently hinted about the possibility
of a prisoner exchange with the United States." http://t.uani.com/1KVVaZI
Opinion &
Analysis
Ehud Yaari in
Foreign Affairs: "Since the start of the civil war
in Syria, the Iranian-funded Palestinian militant group Hamas has irked
Tehran in a number of ways. First, it refused to support Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad, one of Iran's allies. Then it further provoked Tehran by
establishing closer ties with Turkey, moving its headquarters from the
West Bank to Istanbul. In July, top Hamas leaders sought to cultivate
ties with another of Iran's enemies-Saudi Arabia-and even flew to Riyadh
to meet with Saudi King Salman. Iran has responded to Hamas' defiance by
reducing funding and making a serious attempt at empowering another
Palestinian terror group in the Gaza Strip. Over the past year and a
half, the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, assisted by
the Palestinian Operations department of Lebanon's Hezbollah, has
financed and provided media exposure to the al Sabirin ('the patient')
movement in the Gaza Strip. This new militant group seeks to emulate
Hezbollah and the Iraqi Shiite militias such as the Badr Organization,
known for its blatant pro-Iranian sentiments. Iran hopes that al Sabirin
will become a reliable proxy militia in Gaza... Rumors among Islamist
circles in Gaza claim that Salem receives an annual budget of $10 million
from Iran, typically smuggled in suitcases through the tunnels along the
border with Egypt... Salem makes a point of holding rallies on the
anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and frequently praises
Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah. Salem often borrows
from the rhetoric of other Shiite leaders as well, describing Israel as
'the absolute evil' that is 'bound to disappear,' words familiar to those
who listen to speeches by Iran's supreme leader, Ali Hosseini Khamenei.
Al Sabirin's logo, which is a gun sprouting from the center of its name
in Arabic, is nearly identical to Hezbollah's, as are its slogans and
terminology. Unlike Hamas and the PIJ, which have ignored Iranian
requests to denounce the Saudi offensive in Yemen, Salem was very quick
to oblige. The group's members wrote profusely and disparagingly of the
Saudis in Iranian media outlets. Like Iran, al Sabirin pursues a fiercely
anti-American agenda, issuing endless denunciations of U.S. policies. The
United States is described in the movement's publications as the 'source
of superpower terrorism' and that Washington is pursuing a doctrine of
'supremacy' against 'the wretched of the earth.'" http://t.uani.com/1JJNdF3
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
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