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Stories
NYT: "A year after President
Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, the worst predictions of what would
happen next have not come to pass... But if the celebrations inside the
White House this week appear muted, it is in part because very little
about the Washington-Tehran relationship outside the strict parameters
of the 130-page agreement has improved. Tehran is still sending its
forces to support President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and to gain
influence in Iraq, and now has begun to honor its fallen soldiers there
as heroes. Taking advantage of a newly worded United Nations resolution
that merely 'calls upon' Iran to limit its missile testing, it has kept
up a steady pace of tests, with more and more capable weaponry. The
United States has protested, but has recognized that Russia and China
would never permit the imposition of sanctions... the easing of
economic sanctions against Iran has gone much more slowly than most
Iranians expected, leading to a sharp decline in popular support for
the deal and the government of President Hassan Rouhani, which staked
its political future on the negotiation. And that in turn threatens the
biggest bet of the deal: that Washington's fraught relationship with
Iran would begin to turn, as it has with Cuba and Myanmar. Mr. Obama's
top aides say it is far too early for that; the moment will come, they
argue, only after the death of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei. Even then, there is no assurance hard-liners will not prevail
in the struggle for influence inside Iran." http://t.uani.com/2acte9t
WashPost: "The legacy-making deal,
completed a year ago Thursday, is still a work in progress. And by
virtually all accounts, Iran has done everything it is required to do
under the agreement. But the best-case scenario, that the deal would
exert a moderating influence on Iran's behavior, has yet to be
realized. Human rights abuses have piled up and Tehran has conducted
missile tests that U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has called inconsistent with
'the constructive spirit' of the deal... But the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action is under threat from the half of the deal that kicked in
six months ago, when the United States, the European Union and the
United Nations revoked nuclear-related sanctions. European businesses
have been leery of running afoul of U.S. sanctions over human rights
abuses and terrorism, and Tehran has complained the United States is
not doing enough to let them know what is legal. Kerry has gone out of
his way to outline the new rules, to little avail and much criticism
from the deal's detractors... 'There are those of us who are concerned
that unless there's a change in Iran's other egregious behavior, its
nascent nuclear status is problematic,' said Mark Wallace, head of
United Against Nuclear Iran, which opposed the deal and now is warning
corporations of potential pitfalls." http://t.uani.com/29V2Wti
WSJ: "Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani on Wednesday marked the first anniversary of his country's
landmark nuclear deal with the U.S. and other world powers with a
warning that Tehran could quickly restore its nuclear capacity if the
terms of accord are breached... On Wednesday, Mr. Rouhani, a strong
proponent of the accord, said Iran would continue to adhere to the
terms of the deal but expressed wariness over whether the other
signatories would do so. 'We always keep our word,' the Iranian leader
said on state television. 'But if they want to breach their commitment,
our nuclear capabilities are such that we can reach the level we want
in a short period of time.'" http://t.uani.com/29Ga8Zz
UANI
in the News
Algemeiner: "The American government's
behavior has enhanced Iran's inflammatory rhetoric and nefarious
activity, former US senator Joseph Lieberman told The Algemeiner on
Wednesday. 'If we are weak, Iran will take advantage of our weakness,'
said Lieberman, chairman of advocacy group United Against a Nuclear
Iran (UANI). 'If we are strong, they will adjust their behavior as much
as they feel they have to.' His comments coincide with the one-year
anniversary of the July 14, 2015 signing of the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and world powers. However, said
Lieberman, a vocal critic of the JCPOA, 'The single greatest failure of
the nuclear agreement is that, rather than blocking Iran's path to
building nuclear weapons, it opens an internationally approved way for
Iran to build nuclear weapons in no more than 15 years.'" http://t.uani.com/29Sg02I
Nuclear
& Ballistic Missile Program
Politico: "Secretary of State John
Kerry on Thursday heaped praise on the nuclear deal between Iran, the
United States and five other powers on the occasion of its one-year
anniversary, remarking that it has 'lived up to its expectations' and
'made the world safer.' 'As of today, one year later, the program that
so many people said will not work, a program that people said is
absolutely doomed to see cheating and be broken and will make the world
more dangerous has, in fact, made the world safer, lived up to its
expectations and thus far, produced an ability to be able to create a
peaceful nuclear program with Iran living up to its part of this
bargain and obligation,' Kerry said in Paris before attending a parade
for Bastille Day. Kerry acknowledged that challenges with the Iranian
regime persist, but noted that the agreement was never meant to resolve
those issues. 'Nobody pretends that some of the challenges we had with
Iran have somehow been wiped away,' Kerry continued. 'This program was
about a nuclear track and about a nuclear program. It was not about the
other issues that are involved in the relationships of a number of
nations in the region and the United States. So we continue to focus on
those issues, whether it's Syria or Yemen, terrorism, there are other
real issue. We will continue, and are continuing to focus on those
issues.'" http://t.uani.com/29V3xuP
Reuters: "Iran is assessing whether to
apply for associate membership of the ITER multi-national nuclear
fusion project, its director said on Wednesday, just a year after
Tehran struck a deal with six world powers to curb its own atomic
programme. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)
project, which was launched 10 years ago by Europe, United States,
China, India, Japan, Russia and South Korea, aims to build the world's
largest experimental reactor, or tokamak. It would generate energy
through nuclear fusion, rather than the fission process currently used
in nuclear power stations around the world. Fusion could prove cleaner,
safer and more efficient. The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of
Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, visited ITER's headquarters in southern France
this month and Iranian media quoted officials as saying that there was
a 'general agreement' for cooperation on ITER. But in an interview with
Reuters, ITER Director General Bernard Bigot said the purpose of the
visit had been just to understand the project. 'After that they told us
they had a long-standing interest in fusion and they would like to
consider how to join the ITER project, but clearly not as a full
member,' he said. Full members provide experienced engineers and
scientists and substantial financial contributions. 'They felt that
full membership is not best for them, but consider association in some
specific areas or fields where they can contribute. Now it's up to them
to make up their mind,' Bigot said." http://t.uani.com/29SxdMu
Congressional
Action
Reuters: "The House of Representatives
passed legislation on Wednesday to block the purchase of 'heavy water'
from Iran, defying President Barack Obama's veto threat a year after
the announcement of the landmark Iran nuclear agreement. The House
passed the 'No 2H2O from Iran Act' by 249-176, with support coming
almost exclusively from Republicans, who hold a majority of seats in the
chamber... The Obama administration said in April the United States
would buy $8.6 million worth of heavy water from Iran, angering
Republicans who called it a subsidy of the country's nuclear program.
The White House issued a threat on Monday to veto the bill, and two
others the House is due to consider later this week. Representative Ed
Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, denied that the
House measure would violate the landmark pact. He said it would deter
Iran from producing heavy water by making its sale more
difficult." http://t.uani.com/29zcKHK
WashPost: "After months of
negotiations, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker is
introducing a new bill to impose sanctions on Iran, as Republicans
continue to warn that last year's nuclear deal with Iran was a
dangerous mistake by the Obama administration. But, so far, only two
Democrats are backing the measure. Corker's legislation seeks to step
up mandatory sanctions against individuals and entities involved with
Iran's ballistic missile program, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard
Corps, and cyber-threats and espionage efforts. It also would renew
thorugh 2026 the expiring Iran Sanctions Act, or ISA, which outlines
trade, energy, defense and banking sector sanctions over Iran's nuclear
and missile activities. In addition, the proposal would prohibit Iran's
financial institutions from engaging in dollar-based financial
transactions with banks in third-party countries. But Corker's usual
negotiating partner, committee ranking member Ben Cardin (D-Md.), is
not on board with the compromise and is not expected to sign on anytime
soon... Cardin is not an advocate of Congress doing nothing. He
stressed that 'the way to proceed is to get Democrats and Republicans
working together,' suggesting that the only way to do that this
Congress might be to simply pass an unadorned renewal of the Iran
Sanctions Act, which expires at the end of the year. 'That's a pretty
clear statement by Congress, unambiguous, and it will receive
near-unanimous support,' Cardin said." http://t.uani.com/29GZFyh
The
Hill: "House
Democrats and Republicans sparred on Wednesday over a bill aimed to
ensure that no U.S. financing can be used in the sale of Boeing jets to
Iran. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling
(R-Texas) said the bill would provide 'a little insurance' against
President Obama or his successor waiving a prohibition placed on U.S.
financial institutions and the Export-Import Bank from financing
Boeing's recently announced sale of passenger planes to Iran. 'These
bills are all part of a bipartisan effort to ensure that Iran does not
have access to the U.S. financial system and that taxpayers and
depositors are not forced to pick up the tab for these risky
arrangements,' Hensarling said. 'They are about taking every possible
step to ensure that American made aircraft are never used in pursuit of
ending the lives of Americans or our allies.' The committee on
Wednesday evening approved three bills designed to prevent Boeing's
sale. President Obama would likely veto any attempts by Congress to
stop the sale." http://t.uani.com/29LBmjo
Sanctions
Enforcement
Reuters: "More than a dozen U.S.
Republican lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Obama administration to
impose penalties on the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker ZTE
Corp for alleged violations of Iran export controls. In a letter to
three Cabinet secretaries, 14 House of Representatives Republicans led
by Robert Pittenger of North Carolina said the Chinese technology giant
has 'blatantly worked to evade American sanctions and export control
laws' to sell products to Iran that could be used to oppress
dissidents... 'We urge you to punish ZTE,' the lawmakers said in the
letter that was addressed to the secretaries of Commerce, Treasury and
State. 'We do not want to see the effectiveness of export control laws
become compromised, especially export laws intended to address human
rights violations and systematic oppression,' the lawmakers wrote. The
Republicans asked the Commerce Department to reimpose sanctions on ZTE
Corp that U.S. officials temporarily suspended earlier this year."
http://t.uani.com/29V1yGT
JPost: "A German government quality
control agency and a private certification agency that works with it
both violated EU sanctions and the federal agency's policy by providing
certificates to Iranian banks, constructions companies and energy
firms, a joint investigation by The Jerusalem Post and the Federal
Republic's largest daily, Bild, reveals. The quality control
certificates make it easier for the Iranian firms to conduct business,
because of Germany's reputation for high industrial standards. The violations
occurred between late October 2012 and January 2016, when the Iran
nuclear agreement was implemented. After accusations of sanctions
violations emerged in 2012, Kurt Lindenblatt, the head of certification
for the Bonn-based TÜV InterCert SAAR private agency, wrote, in an
email obtained by the Post and Bild: 'The list of the companies that
are under an embargo was briefly scrolled through... there are several
Iranian companies... that possess certificates from us.' TÜV InterCert
SAAR issues management systems quality control certifications to
companies, as does the German Accreditation Council, the country's
national accreditation body. The Federal Economic Affairs and Energy
Ministry oversees the council, which is a government agency." http://t.uani.com/29LxGhu
Domestic
Politics
LAT: "When a young female Iranian
lawmaker named Fatemeh Hossaini was swept into office as part of a
pro-reformist wave in February's parliamentary elections, it was
supposed to be a signal of change in a country long led by a corrupt
and overwhelmingly male elite. But the substantial income of Hossaini's
family has dragged her into the middle of a widening national outcry
over public-sector corruption that underscores Iran's economic
troubles. As part of a series of leaks exposing high salaries among
Iranian state-owned companies, Hossaini's father, Safdar Hossaini,
chairman of Iran's sovereign wealth fund, was revealed to be earning
more than $23,000 per month - dozens of times what the lowest-paid
government workers earn. Known as the National Development Fund of
Iran, the fund is meant to reserve surplus oil and petrochemical
revenues for development and economic emergencies. Safdar Hossaini
resigned in silence along with his colleagues. Then Hossaini's
husband, Hani Mirmohammad-Ali, a tile seller turned civil engineer, was
accused of using family connections to get a license to operate a money
exchange shop that has been implicated in money laundering. A year
after the Iranian nuclear deal was signed, the so-called 'Payslip-gate'
revelations are adding to a growing frustration at the lack of economic
improvement under President Hassan Rouhani, who promised the historic
pact would ease widespread unemployment and industrial decline." http://t.uani.com/29EFWfh
Opinion
& Analysis
UANI
CEO Amb. Mark Wallace in TIME: "When Tehran reopened for global business after
sanctions lifted one year ago, investors scrambled to be first into the
last major frontier market opening to the outside world. A top British
trade official described it as the 'biggest emerging market since the
collapse of the Soviet Union'-offering access to a young and educated
population, vast oil-and-gas reserves, and industries with huge,
untapped potential. Iran capitalized on the excitement by orchestrating
a global roadshow to lure would-be investors, hosting a flurry of trade
delegations and dispatching its foreign minister to business
conferences and other events. But executives and shareholders at
international firms tempted by Iran's sales pitch should stop the flow
of investment money-or risk their brand and business. Our organization
has tracked business pursuits worldwide in Iran, convinced major
multinational corporations to divest, seen the moneyed interest and the
regret, and seen the smart skepticism as well. In late May, Finnish
President Sauli Niinisto played host to Iran's foreign minister and a
group of Iranian business leaders. But Iran's sordid history loomed
large: last year, pictures emerged online of cranes linked to a
Helsinki-based company, Cargotec, that were used in two public executions
of Iranian prisoners-instantly making the company a symbol of the
regime's brutal tactics against its own citizens. The visit underscored
the kind of brand damage that foreign companies face. But the risks go
much further: If the hardliners take back control, or Iran swerves away
from its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, it
could trigger automatic 'snapback' sanctions that would expose
investors to immediate and heavy losses. Given Iran's long record of
cheating on its international nuclear obligations, and President
Obama's recent warning about the regime 'engaging in a range of
provocative actions,' the prospects that the deal could unravel are
more real than theoretical. In the year since the signing of the Iran
Deal, Tehran has ramped up its support for Islamic Jihad, Hamas and
Hezbollah; has tested multiple ballistic missiles in defiance of U.N.
Resolution 2231; has imprisoned a least three dual nationals on
trumped-up charges of espionage; and has doubled down in its meddling
in multiple regional battle theaters, including Iraq, Syria and Yemen,
to name a few. As a result, foreign businesses operating in Iran
confront an uncertain and fluid legal environment for their Iranian
operations that will remain unless and until Iran demonstrates
long-term and sustained compliance with its obligations. Another major
risk is the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)-a terrorist
organization sanctioned by the U.S. and international community-and its
big, hidden economic interests throughout Iran... Any international
company doing business in Iran could find themselves entangled. Take
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the Italian multinational conglomerate...So,
while Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif recently proclaimed that Iran
is a 'stable, safe and healthy environment for our citizens and for
those visiting and doing business with us,' the facts suggest
otherwise. The world's companies still face complex, real and profound
risks in doing business with Iran." http://t.uani.com/29ShR7P
Eli
Lake in Bloomberg:
"On the first anniversary of the Iran nuclear deal, some of its
most ardent supporters are worried. President Barack Obama has tried
his best to reach out to Iran and end the cycle of enmity between the
two nations, but who knows what the next president will do? So 75 of
America's foreign-policy mandarins are urging the White House to
establish more permanent diplomatic channels with Iran. In a letter
organized by the Iran Project, a nonprofit that advocated the deal,
they call on Obama to establish formal channels between the U.S.
Treasury and Iran's central, bank as well as a line of communication
between State Department deputies and the Iranian foreign ministry. 'We
acknowledge that opportunities will be limited for testing Iran's
willingness to work directly with the U.S. due to the political
uncertainties in both countries in the coming year,' the letter says.
'But engagement should be the U.S. government's long-term goal.' That's
understating it. As I've reported, Hillary Clinton's top adviser on
national security, Jake Sullivan, last month gave a speech in which he
said the U.S. should be raising the costs on Iran's destabilizing
activities in the Middle East. As for Donald Trump, one of his top
advisers, retired General Michael Flynn, just published a book saying
that Iran is in an alliance with terrorists against the U.S. Then there
is Iran itself. Since agreeing to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action, the regime has fixed an election, arrested an American citizen,
briefly held captive U.S. sailors, repeatedly tested ballistic
missiles, hosted a holocaust cartoon contest and increased efforts to
illicitly obtain nuclear technology. This last infraction came out in
the open after Germany's equivalent of the FBI published a report on
the findings this month. For the Obama administration and its
supporters, the best way to counter Iran's bad behavior is to reach out
even more to Iran. It's a fashionable theory for engagement
enthusiasts. If only we treated rogue states like normal states, then
they will act accordingly." http://t.uani.com/29H0JSW
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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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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
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