Friday, October 2, 2015

Eye on Iran: US Democrats Offer Plan to Track Iran Nuclear Compliance






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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
         

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.

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