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WSJ: "A deal that sent $1.7 billion
in U.S. funds to Iran, announced alongside the freeing of five Americans
from Iranian jails, has emerged as a new flashpoint amid a claim in
Tehran that the transaction amounted to a ransom payment. The U.S.
Treasury Department wired the money to Iran around the same time its
theocratic government allowed three American prisoners to fly out of
Tehran on Sunday aboard a Dassault Falcon jet owned by the Swiss air
force. The prisoner swap also involved freedom for two other Americans
held in Iran as well as for seven Iranians charged or convicted by the
U.S. The announcements coincided with the implementation of the nuclear
agreement with Iran, lifting international economic sanctions in exchange
for Iran curtailing its nuclear program. The $1.7 billion financial
settlement ended a 35-year legal saga that centered on a purchase of U.S.
arms by Iran's last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, that were never
delivered because of the Iranian revolution in 1979. The White House
described the settlement as a victory for taxpayers, arguing that the
U.S. was likely to lose in arbitration under way in The Hague,
Netherlands, and could have been held liable for billions more if the
process had dragged on. 'Iran will be returned its own funds, including
appropriate interest, but much less than the amount Iran sought,'
President Barack Obama said on Sunday. But the transaction is stirring a
debate here over whether the funds were essentially a ransom paid to
Iran's leadership. A senior Iranian military official has publicly stated
that the clearing of the $1.7 billion was a key factor in Tehran's
decision to release the imprisoned Americans, most of whom were charged
with espionage. 'Taking this much money back was in return for the
release of the American spies and doesn't have to do with the [nuclear]
talks,' said Gen. Mohammad Reza-Naghdi, commander of Iran's powerful
Basij militia, in state media on Wednesday. 'The way to take our rights
back from the arrogants [Americans] is to become powerful, and we must
grow stronger and stronger every day.' ... White House and State
Department officials have denied any connection between the payout of the
disputed funds and the prisoners' release... But Republican lawmakers are
calling for an inquiry. They've also criticized what they said was an
imbalance in the prisoner exchange: The White House freed seven Iranians
and dropped extradition proceedings against another 14 in exchange for
the five Americans... Some lawmakers also are questioning why the White
House didn't use the $1.7 billion to compensate U.S. terror victims. Iran
has lost numerous court cases in the U.S. tied to terror attacks Tehran
allegedly supported... The settlement talks dovetailed with the secret
talks being pursued by the U.S. and Iran to secure the release of their
prisoners. The White House has described the two issues as distinct. But
top State Department diplomats involved in negotiating the prisoner swap,
including Mr. Kerry and Brett McGurk, a Middle East specialist at the
State Department, were concurrently working to ensure the $1.7 billion
payment was cleared by last weekend, according to people involved in the
deliberations. One person said Mr. McGurk was involved as early as
Christmas in helping to complete the payment." http://t.uani.com/1Pn94eN
Reuters: "U.S. intelligence agencies
investigating the kidnapping of three Americans in Baghdad last week are
focusing their probe on three militant Islamic groups closely affiliated
with Iran, U.S. government sources said on Thursday. Asaib Ahl al-Haq,
Kata'ib Hezbollah and the Badr Organization are the principle focus of
the probe into how the men were snatched in the Dora neighborhood, south
of Baghdad, the sources said... Despite the U.S. belief that Iran was not
involved, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday said he had
asked Iran for help in finding them... Kerry told reporters that he and
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed the case of the
three men during a meeting on Wednesday. Iraqi intelligence and U.S.
government sources on Tuesday said the men were kidnapped and were being
held by an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia. They are the first Americans
to be abducted in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011. 'I
asked him (Zarif) for whatever help, if Iran knew any way to provide
help, or if there was some way they could have impact in getting the
right outcome,' Kerry told reporters. 'He said he would take it under
advisement and try to do what they can. He didn't have any immediate
knowledge whatsoever about it,' Kerry added. The three men are employed
by a small company that is doing work for General Dynamics Corp, under a larger
contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with the
matter. Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kata'ib Hezbollah and the Badr Organization are
Shi'ite militia groups that are part of Iraq's Popular Mobilization
Front, a group closely tied to Iran, according to the New York-based
Counter Terrorism Project advocacy group." http://t.uani.com/1PsIcUw
TASS
(Russia):
"Construction of the second power unit at the Bushehr nuclear power
plant (NPP) will start by March 20, head of Iran's Atomic Energy
Organization Ali Akbar Salehi told IRINN TV channel on Thursday.
'Construction of the second power unit at Bushehr will start until the
end of this year [the year ends on March 20 on Iranian calendar - TASS].
In two-three years we will launch construction of the third power unit.
In 8-10 years they will be connected to common power systems,' Salehi
said. 'All steps necessary to start construction have already been made.
The capacity of each new Bushehr power unit will stand at 1050 MW. We
want to use as much as possible cutting-edge technologies and
achievements in the sphere in the construction,' he stressed. The second
and third power units at the Bushehr NPP will be constructed together
with Russia's Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation in accordance with
the contract signed in Moscow in November 2014. Salehi earlier said that
the total sum of the contract on two power units stands at $11 billion...
According to the official, Iran will grant special privileges to Russia
in peaceful nuclear energy cooperation... 'At this point I must mention
that the first nuclear power plant in Bushehr was built by none other
than Russia. And it was Russia that agreed to build two more
power-generating units there. We will grant special privileges to our
friends who supported us in difficult times, even considering the fact
that many countries, from which are now receiving proposals (on the
construction of new nuclear power plants), are at times offering even
better financial conditions,' Salehi said." http://t.uani.com/1PneG91
Nuclear
Program & Agreement
WSJ: "U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry said some of the funds freed up by the implementation of the
Iranian nuclear deal could end up in the hands of the hard-liner Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps and wouldn't rule out the possibility that they
could be used for terrorism, but he insisted the money isn't driving
Iranian provocation in the region. Republicans in Washington were quick
to condemn Mr. Kerry's comments, citing his acknowledgment in a
television interview and a later meeting with reporters that the money
could support terrorist activities. The White House also has said the
extra money Iran will receive under the international nuclear agreement,
which took full effect last weekend, potentially could be used by Iran to
support militants in the region. But the potential for new sources of
support for extremists has sparked more alarm now that the deal is in
effect, triggering the flow of billions in frozen Iranian assets as well
as sanctions relief. No Senate Republican backed the Iran deal when the
chamber voted on it in September. Mr. Kerry said on CNBC that the U.S. so
far isn't seeing 'the early delivery of funds going to that kind of
endeavor,' but added: 'I'm sure at one point we will.' 'It is certain
that they will use this money to support terrorism,' Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.,
S.C.), one of the loudest GOP critics of the administration's foreign
policy, told reporters Thursday. 'You might as well have written the
check to [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad yourself. You might as well
have funded Hezbollah yourself,' he said in comments aimed at Mr. Kerry.
Mr. Kerry later told reporters traveling with him that the U.S. believes
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as well as the country's supreme leader
won't be able to deliver on promises to improve Iran's economy if they
funnel money toward militancy. Additionally, the U.S. has sanctions and
other mechanisms in place to hold Iran responsible if it does, Mr. Kerry
said. 'The IRGC is already complaining that they're not getting the
money, by the way,' Mr. Kerry said. 'I can't tell people that, No, some
amount might not. But we don't believe that that is what has made the
difference in the activities of Iran in the region.'" http://t.uani.com/20j9Gnm
AP: "The U.N. Security Council has
set out new arrangements to monitor an arms embargo on Iran and
restrictions on its ballistic missiles and other programs that remain in
place after its compliance with last summer's landmark nuclear deal and
the lifting of U.N. and Western sanctions. The new arrangements replace
the Security Council committee that monitored U.N. sanctions until they
were lifted last Saturday. A note from the council president circulated
Thursday sets out 'practical arrangements and procedures' for the
Security Council to ensure implementation of the resolution it adopted on
July 20 that endorsed the deal to rein in Iran's nuclear program. They
include selecting one of the council's 15 members to be the
'facilitator,' and asking U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to authorize
U.N. support for the council's work, including helping to organize
meetings and managing communications. While crippling economic sanctions
are now lifted, the nuclear deal with six major powers keeps the U.N.'s
arms embargo on the country for up to five years, though it could end
earlier if the International Atomic Energy Agency clears Iran of any
current work on nuclear weapons. A similar condition was put on U.N.
restrictions on the transfer of ballistic missile technology to Tehran,
which could last for up to eight more years. The United States just
imposed new U.S. sanctions over Iran's ballistic missile testing. The
resolution contains a provision that would automatically reinstate U.N.
sanctions if Tehran reneges on its promises. All provisions of the
resolution will terminate in 10 years, including the 'snap back'
provision. But the six major powers and the European Union sent a letter
to the secretary-general in July saying they agreed to extend the snap
back mechanism for an additional five years." http://t.uani.com/1nDumsc
Sanctions
Enforcement
WSJ: "The U.S. Department of
Commerce showed, less than a week after the Iran nuclear agreement was
implemented, how it will remain on the beat enforcing existing sanctions
compliance obligations. Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, which
develops U.S. export-control policy, said in a statement that it issued a
temporary denial order against three people and two entities for
attempting to sell aircraft to Caspian Airlines, which the U.S. placed
under sanctions in 2014 for its alleged support for terrorism. 'U.S.
sanctions imposed on Iran because of its support for terrorism remain in
place notwithstanding the implementation of the JCPOA,' said Commerce
Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement David W. Mills, referring to
the nuclear agreement between Iran and global powers." http://t.uani.com/1SBusxc
Sanctions
Relief
WSJ: "Amid all the noise about what
companies can do under the Iran nuclear agreement, there are some things
legal experts reminded Risk & Compliance Journal that aren't
authorized. U.S. companies, save for a few certain activities, are still
prohibited from dealing with Iran, and what they can facilitate for their
foreign subsidiaries is limited. Also, no Iran-related transactions can
be conducted in dollars. Erich Ferrari, in a post for the Sanction Law
blog, wrote that people are not accurately reading the general license
authorizing foreign subsidiaries of U.S.-owned companies to do business
with Iran. Mr. Ferrari, founder of Ferrari & Associates PLLC, a
sanctions-focused firm, noted that there are still questions regarding
'facilitation,' or what the American side can do to help with business it
can't conduct itself directly. To that point, the license doesn't allow
American companies to broker deals between Iran and their foreign
subsidiaries, and it's unclear whether they can create a new foreign
entity specifically for Iran-related business, he wrote. The relief is
similar to a reset from 2010 before the rounds of secondary sanctions
came into place, wrote Mr. Ferrari. 'Thus, if you couldn't engage in an
Iran-related transaction prior to 2010, then you probably cannot do so
now,' he wrote. Ryan Fayhee, a partner at law firm Baker & McKenzie
LLP, pointed out in an email that missing from much of the Iran-deal
coverage is the lack of U-Turn relief afforded under the agreement,
meaning that no foreign transactions involving Iranian business can be
carried out in dollars. If so, the transaction will be blocked,
regardless of who is involved. 'This will present a significant
compliance issue for companies and banks, largely as a result of the
confusion stemming from a misunderstanding that sanctions have been
lifted globally,' said Mr. Fayhee." http://t.uani.com/1ZRJfZa
WSJ: "The sanctions relief process
of the Iran nuclear agreement began Saturday with the marking of
Implementation Day. Among the developments was the U.S. authorization for
foreign units of American companies to strike business deals with Iran...
Among the documents issued by OFAC was a general license that authorized
an entity outside the U.S. controlled or owned by an American to do
business with the Iranian government, or any Iranian. The license also
authorized activity to set up such an entity, including work to ensure
companies have 'automated and globally integrated' systems, such as
back-office structures, for handling the business. Experts praised the
general license, noting that the section allowing for changes in
operating procedures answered key questions for U.S. parent companies
about what they could do to avoid compliance pitfalls in their attempt to
seek business with Iran. 'This puts them on roughly equal footing with
their foreign competitors,' said David Mortlock, a partner with the law
firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. Richard Matheny, a partner at law
firm Goodwin & Procter, said he expects 'a flurry of activity' by
U.S.-owned foreign companies 'to see how they can take advantage' of the
opportunities the license allows. Another license authorized imports of
Iranian-origin food and carpets. OFAC also issued a statement that
'establishes a favorable licensing policy' for the sale of aircraft and
spare parts to Iran, provided the transactions don't involve someone
still under U.S. sanctions... Despite the new authorizations, it will
still be tough for Western, and especially U.S. companies to engage in
business with Iran... Michael Burton, a partner at law firm Jacobson
Burton Kelley PLLC, said it will be easy for U.S.-owned foreign companies
to get the new authorizations wrong, and to potentially pull their U.S.
parents into the transactions in ways that would violate the
license." http://t.uani.com/1K1bNrV
WSJ: "Iran is preparing to restart
regular crude-oil shipments to the European Union possibly as early as
February, Iranian officials said this week, despite a host of barriers to
selling its petroleum to the West. Iran's state-owned National Iranian
Oil Co. is tentatively preparing a shipment of at least 1 million barrels
of light crude to a Mediterranean port in the European Union around
mid-February, an Iranian official said. It would be the first shipment to
the EU since an embargo on Iranian oil was lifted last week as part of
the end of western sanctions. The preparations come as rivals like Russia
and Saudi Arabia have been aggressively discounting their crude oil to
Europe in a price war ahead of Iran's full return to the market. Both
countries seized a greater share of the Iranian market after western
countries tightened sanctions on Iran in 2012. With sanctions lifted over
the weekend, Iran has pledged 500,000 barrels a day of new crude exports
in the next few months and 1 million barrels a day within a year. 'Most
of that oil will go to Europe,' one Iranian government official said,
reflecting the country's desire to claw back customers in a market it
dominated before sanctions. The rest will chiefly go to Asia, the
official said... No Iranian oil has reached the EU since western
sanctions were tightened in mid-2012, apart from a small number of
tankers delivered to Italy to honor pre-sanctions contracts. It remains
unclear how the European refineries will be able to legally purchase the
crude. Several layers of U.S. sanctions remain in place over terrorism,
human rights and weapons issues, including a ban on dollar transactions
with the Islamic Republic. Most oil transactions are carried out in
dollars... Oil companies such as Total SA of France, Anglo-Dutch giant
Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Spain's Cepsa are in talks with Iran to buy
crude, the official said." http://t.uani.com/1ZH2E9U
Reuters: "Freed from nuclear-related
sanctions, Iran has signaled its appetite to buy more than 100 Western
planes, a prospect that would usually have the giants of the $130
billion-a-year jet industry scrambling for a piece of the action. But a
muted response from both Airbus and arch-rival Boeing underscores the
lingering uncertainty and complications of doing business with Tehran.
Western and Iranian officials say Iran will require at least 400 jets
over a decade to replenish its ageing fleet. Of those, 100-200 are pressingly
needed, and would be worth over $20 billion at list prices. That makes it
a hugely enticing market at a time when planemakers are facing a slowdown
after years of strong orders. But industry leaders say it could take
months or longer to remove all the legal, regulatory and political
obstacles so that significant numbers of jets can be sold to Iran, which
still remains subject to a broad range of other U.S. sanctions. 'This is
an opportunity in a big market that needs a lot of replacement capacity, let
alone growth capacity. But we have to be crystal clear that sanctions
have been removed,' said Aengus Kelly, chief executive of Dutch leasing
giant AerCap. The willingness and ability of planemakers to enter the
Iranian market will provide an early test case of how quickly the country
can reopen for business after years of U.N., U.S. and European Union
sanctions over its nuclear program... Iran is to host aviation leaders on
Sunday and Monday at a Tehran conference together with Australian
consultancy CAPA to discuss ambitious plans to restore and expand its
airline and tourism industries... Despite its edge over rival Boeing in
the headlines, any deals Airbus strikes will also require U.S. license
approval, since more than 10 percent of its planes come from U.S. parts.
With significant U.S. interests including a new Alabama factory, the
European company is expected to tread carefully. 'We are studying our way
forward ... in full compliance with all international laws,' a spokesman
said... Some aircraft executives are worried about the risk that
sanctions can be reintroduced if Iran fails to curb its nuclear
activities, under a so-called 'snapback' mechanism... Sponsors of
Sunday's Tehran meeting include Chinese-backed Dublin leasing firm Avolon
and other foreign lessors, who could have a significant role due to long
delivery times for new jets." http://t.uani.com/1Npw2KN
WSJ: "Schlumberger Ltd., the world's
largest oil-field services company, is in talks to buy back its former
Iranian unit, Well Services of Iran, said the chief of the ex-subsidiary.
In an interview, Siamak Javid, managing director of Well Services of Iran,
didn't disclose how much Schlumberger was offering, or how advanced the
talks were. He said it was too early to say if the talks would succeed. A
Schlumberger spokesman said 'we typically do not discuss [merger and
acquisition] opportunities.' As Schlumberger prepared to exit Iran in
2010, along with other western companies, it sold Well Services of Iran
to Nima Energy Ltd., a Hong Kong-based holding company... The potential
deal would be among the first to emerge since western sanctions over
Iran's nuclear program were lifted last weekend. Iran is attempting to
lure energy services companies back to kick-start its oil industry as it
tries to resume exports to Europe. Schlumberger's agreement to sell Well
Services of Iran had language that implied it would have first rights to
buy the company back when sanctions were lifted... Schlumberger, a
multinational company with headquarters in Houston, Paris and The
Hague, has a controversial history in Iran. As part of a plea
agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice last year, a Schlumberger
subsidiary agreed to pay $232.7 million in March 2015 and plead guilty to
conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
According to U.S. officials, the Texas-based unit facilitated the sales
of drilling equipment to Iran and Sudan from 2004 to 2010, using methods
that sidestepped sanctions and took steps to disguise the transactions,
such as referring to Iran as 'Northern Gulf' in emails." http://t.uani.com/1ndBRps
Reuters: "Iran believes Greece can be a
conduit for re-entering Europe's oil market following the lifting of
international sanctions, Greece's energy minister said on Friday after
meeting Iran's deputy oil minister in Athens. Panos Skourletis said he
had held talks with Amir Hossein Zamaninia about Greece restarting oil
purchases from Iran. Hellenic Petroleum, Greece's biggest oil refiner,
was a major buyer of Iranian crude, which accounted for about 20 percent
of the southeast European country's annual crude oil imports before
sanctions were imposed on Tehran in 2011. 'They (Iran) are positively
disposed towards Greece and think that Greece can be the European conduit
for them to re-enter the market,' Skourletis told Reuters, saying the two
countries had traditionally enjoyed close relations. The two ministers
also attended wider talks between officials from Hellenic Petroleum and
the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) on Friday, a meeting whose arrangement
was reported by Reuters on Jan. 18. Hellenic Petroleum is estimated to
owe Iran around $550-600 million for oil it bought before the sanctions
but was unable to pay for when the international embargo was imposed.
Skourletis said the two sides agreed Hellenic Petroleum could settle its
debt now the sanctions were easing, and was optimistic a mutually
acceptable deal could be reached." http://t.uani.com/1OCaajj
Reuters: "Japan on Friday lifted
sanctions on Iran, falling in line with major world powers after the
United Nations atomic energy agency confirmed last weekend that Tehran
had fully taken steps to curb its disputed nuclear program... 'Japan
would like to strengthen our cooperative relationship with Iran further
and contribute to the peace and stability of the Middle East through our
traditional friendly relationship with Iran,' Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yoshihide Suga said as he made the announcement at a regular press
conference. With the lifting of the sanctions, Japanese insurance
companies will be able to issue policies covering trade deals involving
Iran. Japanese business will also be able make new investments in Iran's
oil and gas sector. An investment agreement between Tehran and Tokyo is
expected to be signed soon. Japanese companies are already lining up to
resume business ties with Iran, with Suzuki Motor Corp on Thursday saying
it was considering returning to the Iranian market." http://t.uani.com/1SBy8iH
Daily
Star (Lebanon):
"Lebanon appears hesitant to seize this opportunity and move to the
promising Iranian market until the picture becomes very clear. Lebanese
banks, with deposits of more than $150 billion, seemed very cautious if
not reluctant to take a hasty and risky decision to do any business with
Iran. 'It is too early to consider examining possibility to do business
with Iran because the Americans need to clarify the types of operations
one can do with this country. I don't think any Western bank is eager to
make any move toward Iran until the sanctions are fully lifted,' Joe
Sarrouh, the adviser to the chairman of Fransabank, told The Daily
Star... Sarrouh stressed that banks in Lebanon and the West want to know
whether lifting the sanctions will also cover the Iranian Revolutionary
Guard, which controls large parts of the oil and gas sector as well as
some important businesses. 'There are a lot of things that need to be
clarified. We want to know if the U.S. Congress or judicial authorities
plan new sanctions on Iran concerning other files,' he said... Another
banker said that lenders fear an American punitive measure if they moved
too fast to Iran. 'Why should we take any risks? We don't want do
anything which we regret about in the future. For the time being, we will
be the last banks to do business in Iran,' the banker explained. But
Lebanese industrialists and business leaders saw a great opportunity to
increase the volume of trade with Iran even if the sanctions are not
fully lifted." http://t.uani.com/1PsJajr
FT: "An Iranian oil supertanker
named Serena is heading to South Korea, among the first to exit floating
storage and head for foreign shores following the lifting of sanctions.
Vessel tracking data and shipping brokers say it left the Iranian port of
Assaluyeh on January 12 after being moored there for more than a year,
report Anjli Raval and David Sheppard in London. Between January 15-20 it
was possibly loading shipping fuel nearby off Khor Fakkan along the east
coast of the United Arab Emirates, in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has in the past
used ship-to-ship vessel berths in the Gulf of Oman to transfer Iranian
oil to other tankers, however this time data suggests no oil has been
discharged... By early Thursday the vessel had set sail for the South
Korean port of Uslan. It has now exited the Gulf of Oman and entered the
Arabian Sea. 'This tanker is among hundreds of vessels which were removed
from a sanctions list in recent days,' said analysts at data company
Genscape." http://t.uani.com/1RZ1Den
Reuters: "Hindustan Petroleum Corp plans
to import crude from Iran this year for the first time since 2012, its
refineries head said, which could make it the first company to resume
purchases since the lifting of sanctions on Tehran. HPCL was buying
60,000 barrels per day from Iran until problems securing insurance halted
imports. Iran is now emerging from the economic isolation in return for
Tehran complying with steps to curb its controversial nuclear ambitions.
'There is a possibility that Iranian crude will fit in our basket in a
small way,' B.K. Namdeo told Reuters on Friday. 'We hope insurance
hurdles that forced us to halt supply will be resolved as the sanctions
have been lifted.'" http://t.uani.com/1RYWQd6
Reuters: "Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk,
the world's top insulin supplier, expects to be ahead of the pack now
nuclear sanctions are lifted in Iran, thanks to a continuous presence and
a pre-emptive investment plan. The country is an attractive target for
Big Pharma seeking to sell new medicines to its large and growing
population, but going in at ground level and securing good relations with
authorities will be key, industry executives say... 'With the sanctions
being lifted, we can operate more freely,' Jakob Riis, Novo's head of
marketing told Reuters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The Danish company has maintained a staff of around 130 in Iran through
the sanctions era and it now plans to more than double that, adding 160
additional staff, following a decision in September to invest 70 million
euros ($76 million) on a factory in the country. 'Novo has been there
throughout. Now there are a lot of companies lining up to get into Iran
and I think we are going to benefit from having been there for a while,'
Riis said... Other drugmakers are actively pursuing the opportunity.
'It's a significant country,' said Christophe Weber, CEO of Takeda,
Japan's biggest drugmaker. 'We have a team assessing the situation.' ...
Also ahead of the curve, Indian generics maker Cipla set up a
manufacturing plant in Iran in 2014." http://t.uani.com/1SBwz4b
Domestic
Politics
Reuters: "Several Iranian clerics and
politicians have strongly criticised the mass disqualification of
moderate aspirants to run in parliamentary elections in February, the
opposition website Kaleme said on Thursday. Preventing pro-reform
hopefuls from entering the race by Iran's hardline watchdog body, the
Guardian Council, is expected to deepen political infighting between
hardliners and President Hassan Rouhani's allies in Iran. Moderate
politicians believe the mass rejections via a vetting process are aimed
at helping hardline candidates keep control of the 290-seat parliament,
which could hinder political and social reforms promised by Rouhani
during his 2013 election campaign... 'Disqualification of those who
believe in the Islamic Republic, Islam and the pillars of our system ...
will create a deep rift between real believers of our system and the
establishment,' Kaleme quoted Ayatollah Kazem Nourmofidi as saying.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that
'those who don't have faith in the clerical establishment, should not be
allowed to perform a duty'... 'This is the biggest number of
disqualifications in the history of the Islamic republic,' the semi-official
ILNA news agency quoted moderate politician Hossein Marashi as saying...
Head of the Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said 'pressure will have no
effect', hinting that the revision will be limited... 'You have
acknowledged the right of only 30 percent of our voters, ignoring rights
of others,' said Grand Ayatollah Ali Mohammad Dastgheyb in a letter to
the Guardian Council, published by the Kaleme. 'Don't you think it will
create a huge rift between the people and the leadership?'" http://t.uani.com/1S9tzdJ
Foreign
Affairs
Reuters: "The world's largest Muslim
body backed Saudi Arabia in its weeks-long diplomatic spat with Iran in a
statement issued on Thursday night, accusing Tehran of backing terrorism
and meddling in other countries' affairs. The Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC), based in the Saudi city of Jeddah, had gathered for an
exceptional meeting called by Riyadh over the storming of its embassy and
consulate by Iranian protesters on Jan. 2... In its final statement, the
OIC condemned the attacks on Saudi missions and criticized 'inflammatory
Iranian statements on the implementation of court rulings against a
number of perpetrators of terrorist crimes in Saudi Arabia'. '(The OIC)
condemns Iran's interference in the internal affairs of countries in the
region and other countries, including members (Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and
Somalia) and the continuation of its support for terrorism,' the body
added." http://t.uani.com/1SBAwG5
Daily
Star (Lebanon):
"Iran's intervention in the affairs of the Arab world is
complicating the situation in the region and is the main reason for its
rift with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Tammam Salam said Friday. 'While
Russia and the United States are exerting efforts to reach a solution in
the region... tension is on the rise between various sides in the region,
in particular Saudi Arabia and Iran,' Salam said during a panel session
with his counterpart Haider al-Abadi at the 46th annual meeting of the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Salam said that Riyadh is
'right to consider that it has a leading role that it should assume in
the Arab world in order to maintain its stability, but Iran, on the other
hand, has been interfering in the affairs of the Arab world for the past
years, which is the main point of contention between the two countries.'
'Saudi Arabia isn't meddling in Iran's affairs, then why is Tehran
interfering in our local affairs and complicating the situation?' Salam
asked, according to a statement released from his media office." http://t.uani.com/1PndDpu
Opinion
& Analysis
WINEP
Bipartisan Statement Signed by UANI Chairman Joseph Lieberman: "In this policy statement
marking the nuclear deal's 'Implementation Day,' a group of experts
organized by The Washington Institute urges the Obama administration to
take steps ensuring Iran's full compliance with its many continuing
commitments, and to implement a truly robust regional strategy designed
to push back on Tehran's problematic behavior throughout the Middle East.
'It is a mistake to infer that Iran has now satisfied its requirements
[under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action],' the statement reads. 'To
ensure Iran's full compliance over the life of the JCPOA, it is essential
that the United States, along with its P5+1 partners, establish the
highest level of vigilance now.' Toward that end, the sixteen
distinguished bipartisan experts called on Washington and its partners to
ensure that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has put in
place the monitoring regime called for in the nuclear accord and to
undertake whatever intelligence gathering is necessary to verify Iran's
compliance. The statement also emphasized that the administration must
'take the moment of Implementation Day -- and Iran's receipt of
considerable sums in sanctions relief -- to implement a truly robust
strategy to counter Iranian destabilization' in the Middle East. The
group recommends bolstering U.S. support for traditional regional allies;
more active efforts to counter Iranian military and other support to
terrorist proxies; and swifter resort to punitive measures, including
sanctions, as a response to egregious actions by Iran outside the scope
of the JCPOA. The group specifically urged the White House to counter the
perception that Iran is a constructive partner in the counter-ISIL
campaign. 'Nothing could be further from the truth,' the group argued.
'The reality is that Iran's policy across the region is to promote
instability.' Download the PDF above to read the full statement. The
group previously drafted a June 2015 statement on the nuclear
negotiations and an August statement on the JCPOA." http://t.uani.com/1PsKRNY
UANI
Advisory Board Member Michael Singh in WINEP: "When the next President enters
office, Iran will be a nuclear-weapons threshold state operating more
than 5,000 centrifuges, with more than 14,000 additional ones at hand but
deactivated-assuming the July 14 accord is implemented and survives its infancy.
It will be openly engaged in research and development on advanced
centrifuges. Its heavy water reactor and its underground second
enrichment facility will both be modified but otherwise intact and in
use. Iran will have successfully defied multiple UN Security Council
resolutions by refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, to dismantle
illicitly built nuclear infrastructure, and to make a full declaration
regarding its past clandestine nuclear activities or fully address IAEA
inquiries about them. Iran will also possess a large, sophisticated
ballistic missile arsenal, face no ban on the development of
intercontinental ballistic missiles, and will be relieved of sanctions
against its missile efforts by 2023 regardless of its actual missile
activities. Its regional influence will have expanded, and its support
for terrorism will likely continue unabated, benefited by Iran's influx
of financial resources and the prospective lifting of sanctions against
its export of conventional arms in 2020 and selective de-designations of
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force and its commanders. Iran
will not be free of all sanctions, but it will have shed the most
significant and restrictive ones, allowing it to grow economically and
expand its influence diplomatically and militarily. A major divide will
linger between the United States and its closest regional allies over
perceived U.S. diffidence in the face of Iranian assertiveness, further
eroding a U.S.-led security architecture already reeling from the Iraq War,
the Arab uprisings, and subsequent American disengagement from an active
role in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere. It might be tempting to regard these
developments as regrettable but peripheral to America's global foreign
policy agenda as Asia and Russia loom larger as concerns. Some may regard
it as an acceptable price for deferring a long-running confrontation
between Tehran and Washington over Iran's nuclear ambitions. But the
truth is that Iran poses a challenge to vital U.S. interests in the
Middle East: nonproliferation, counterterrorism, the freedom of
navigation in key waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz, cyber security,
and others. Iran's strategy for advancing its own objectives clashes with
America's strategy for advancing its interests, which aims to ensure
regional stability, provide for the security of Israel and other allies,
weaken violent non-state actors, and prevent the rise of any hegemon from
within the region or without. The next President will thus inherit not
only a nuclear accord that was opposed by majorities of congress and the
American public, but a broader policy that her or she regardless of party
affiliation will find insufficient to meet the challenges the U.S. faces
with respect to Iran and the Middle East. As part of a broader
comprehensive strategy to rebuild American alliances, advance U.S.
interests, and improve stability and security in the region, the next
Administration should devise an Iran policy focused on re-establishing
American deterrence, strengthening constraints on Tehran's nuclear
program, countering Iranian efforts to project power regionally, and
increasing pressure on the regime. The next President will be doing so in
a more difficult international and regional environment and with fewer
tools at the ready compared to predecessors. The Obama Administration's
Iran policy has boiled down to a double gamble: first, that striking an
agreement with Tehran that relieved sanctions while leaving it with an
extensive nuclear weapons capability was better than the available
alternatives; and second, that U.S. overtures and security assurances,
together with the time bought by the agreement, could see Iran
transformed into a more benevolent regional power whose threat to the
United States and its allies is diminished. The challenge for the next
President is that he or she will not know upon assuming office, or
perhaps even over the full four to eight years of his or her tenure,
whether President Obama's gambles will ultimately pay off. Nor will
the next Administration have the luxury of waiting to see the nuclear
bargain's impact on Iran's long-term internal dynamics, because it seems
more likely that Iranian behavior will worsen rather than improve in the
short-to-medium-term, and that the regime will strengthen its hold on
power... The next President is likely to inherit an Iran policy with
which he or she is dissatisfied-not only an overly generous nuclear
accord, but also a record of relative inaction against Iran's expanding
regional activities and on questions of human rights. Countering
Iran in the wake of the nuclear accord will be a challenging and
complicated task. International consensus may prove elusive, and the U.S.
government will have sacrificed many of its most effective tools of
pressure. But it is a task than cannot be shirked. It should be pursued
with an eye not only to thwarting the threats Iran poses to U.S.
interests, but also as part of the sort of comprehensive strategy toward
the Middle East that has been absent in recent years, one that takes care
to not only preserve but to enhance American influence and leadership
globally." http://t.uani.com/1OLkZNO
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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
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email Press@UnitedAgainstNuclearIran.com
United Against Nuclear
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