Iran Newsclips, February 24, 2015
david.cutler
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U.S., Iran positive after nuclear talks, say much left to do, Reuters
Negotiators Weigh Plan to Phase Out Nuclear Limits on Iran, New York Times
Phased Iran-US Nuclear Deal Taking Shape, AP
Historic US-Iran nuclear deal could be taking shape, AP
U.S., Iran Explore Option of 10-Year Nuclear Freeze, Wall Street Journal
Goldenberg: The Key to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran? The Window of Vulnerability, War on the Rocks
Iran says to speed up work with IAEA as deadline looms, Reuters
Jenkins: Reading the Runes in the Latest Report on Iran’s Nuclear Program, Lobe Log
Hiatt: A credibility gap, Washington Post
Ross: The U.S.-Israel divide on Iran, Washington Post
Kerry in apparent jab at Netanyahu: Those bad-mouthing Iran deal don't know what deal is, Jerusalem Post
Lake and Rogin: White House Lowers Bar for Iran Nuke Deal, Bloomberg View
Russia talks up chances of Iran nuclear deal, AFP
Leaked cables show Netanyahu’s Iran bomb claim contradicted by Mossad, The Guardian
Olmert: Netanyahu, Obama, Churchill and Iran, Huffington Post
US warns it is ready to walk away from Iran nuclear talks, AP
Israeli Ex-Official Urges Global Powers To Be 'More Determined' To Halt Iranian Nukes, RFE/RL
Ya'alon: Nuclear deal with 'messianic, apocalyptic' Iran will endanger Israel and West, Haaretz
Eran and Guzansky: On the road to a nuclear Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia are on diverging paths, Haaretz
Costello: Netanyahu's Dangerous Iran Push, Huffington Post
Document Reveals Growth of Cyberwarfare Between the U.S. and Iran, New York Times
Obama Parries Questions on Iran Deal From Arabs as Well as Israelis, Wall Street Journal
U.S. says Iran helped Houthis seize Yemen, Al-Arabiya
Australia to play key role as Iran broker with Julie Bishop to visit Tehran, Sydney Morning Herald
Iran forming 'third front' against Israel on Golan: Netanyahu, AFP
How Iran's military chiefs operate in Iraq, Reuters
Syria says will harvest enough wheat, Iran credit line good, Reuters
Iran ends mission defending western border against Islamic State, UPI
Russian offers Iran latest anti-aircraft missiles: TASS, Reuters
Islamic State militants claim attacks on Iranian ambassador's residence in Libya, Reuters
Iranians Wait And Wonder If A New Dawn Is Coming, NPR
Iran smuggles in $1 billion of bank notes to skirt sanctions – sources, Reuters
German exports to Iran soar after sanctions eased, Reuters
Iran Seeking Role In Selling Gas To Europe, RFE/RL
Iran to spend up to $4.8B on oil development, Reuters
Sanctions Put Academic Freedoms to a Test on a Campus Far From Tehran, New York Times
Rebirth of the Cool: American Music Makes a Return to Iran, New York Times
U.S., Iran positive after nuclear talks, say much left to do, Reuters, February 24, 2015
The United States made some progress in talks with Iran on its nuclear program and managed to "sharpen up some of the tough issues", a senior U.S. official said on Monday, but both sides said much remained to be done. Negotiators from Iran and six major powers agreed to resume talks next Monday at a venue to be decided, the official said, speaking after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held two-day talks in Geneva. Zarif told Iran's Fars news agency: "We had serious talks with the P5+1 representatives and especially with the Americans in the past three days ... But still there is a long way to reach a final agreement."
Negotiators Weigh Plan to Phase Out Nuclear Limits on Iran, New York Times, February 23, 2015
Iranian and American officials ended a round of high-level nuclear talks here on Monday considering a proposal that would strictly limit, for at least 10 years, Iran’s ability to produce nuclear material, but gradually ease restrictions on Tehran in the final years of any deal. The proposed phasing out of restrictions is part of a broader effort to mollify critics in Tehran, where some hard-liners in the government and the military oppose any deal that would force Iran to forsake nuclear production for a generation, and Washington, where some members of Congress have objected to an agreement that would not impose lengthy restrictions on Iran’s program.
Phased Iran-US Nuclear Deal Taking Shape, AP, February 23, 2015
The U.S. initially sought restrictions lasting for up to 20 years; Iran had pushed for less than a decade. Iran could be allowed to operate significantly more centrifuges than the U.S. administration first demanded, though at lower capacity than they currently run. Several officials spoke of 6,500 centrifuges as a potential point of compromise. If the sides agree on 15 years, for instance, the strict controls could be in place for 10 years with gradual lifting over five. Possible easing of the controls could see Iran increasing the number of enriching centrifuges back toward the 10,000 or so it now has operating, and increasing the level of enrichment while keeping it well below levels approaching weapons-grade.
Historic US-Iran nuclear deal could be taking shape, AP, February 23, 2015
"We made progress," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said as he bade farewell to members of the American delegation at the table with Iran. More discussions between Iran and the six nations engaging it were set for next Monday, a senior U.S. official said. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the sides found "a better understanding" at the negotiating table.
U.S., Iran Explore Option of 10-Year Nuclear Freeze, Wall Street Journal, February 23, 2015
The possible compromise on the table appears closer to Tehran’s timeline. While it would add some years in which the Iranian nuclear program continues to be closely monitored and constrained, Iran would be able to increase its capacity to enrich uranium, and thus get closer to bomb-making capability again. Critics in Congress and in Israel quickly attacked the prospect of a 10-year time frame as inadequate. … Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) said in an interview that a 10-year time frame wasn’t long enough to truly curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. “If you’re going to do all of this and then just end up with a 10-year agreement, you just really haven’t accomplished near what people had hoped,” said Mr. Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Such a time frame would be “very concerning,” he added. “About the time they’re beginning to do what they should be doing, they’d be out from under the regime.”
Goldenberg: The Key to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran? The Window of Vulnerability, War on the Rocks, February 23, 2015
For the past year, the debate on Iran’s nuclear program has focused far too much on the various technical components without examining the sum of its parts. The objective for the United States in the negotiations should not be focused on any one component (e.g. centrifuge numbers), but instead on obtaining an agreement that creates the conditions that will deter Iran from ever trying an overt or covert breakout to a nuclear weapon. … The type of agreement that is currently being contemplated would likely put the Iranians a couple of years away from a small arsenal. This creates a significant zone of vulnerability for them if they were ever to choose to dash. It is more than enough time for the United States to catch the Iranians cheating, build the political consensus for action at home, and cobble together an international coalition that could take military action. The very fact that the United States would have time to mount a response would very likely deter the Iranians from ever trying to dash in the first place.
Iran says to speed up work with IAEA as deadline looms, Reuters, February 24, 2015
Iran's nuclear negotiator promised speedier cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday, days after the U.N. watchdog said Tehran was continuing to stall parts of an investigation into its nuclear programme. "We agreed ... to move faster and in a better sense (in cooperating with the IAEA)," Abbas Araqchi told reporters after meeting IAEA head Yukiya Amano in Vienna.
Jenkins: Reading the Runes in the Latest Report on Iran’s Nuclear Program, Lobe Log, February 20, 2015
In effect Iran is being asked to prove its innocence. But when it tries to do so, the evidence it submits is rejected out of hand because it calls into question the evidence that is being used to justify the suspicion of guilt. Is that consistent with due process?
Hiatt: A credibility gap, Washington Post, February 22, 2015
But making that kind of lesser-evil defense would be challenging in any circumstances. Three conditions will make it particularly hard for Obama to persuade Congress and the nation to accept his assurances in this case: the suspicious, poisonous partisanship of the moment here, with Israeli politics mixed in; worries that he wants a deal too much; and the record of his past assurances.
Ross: The U.S.-Israel divide on Iran, Washington Post, February 20, 2015
First, it should ensure that the verification measures in the deal provide for “anywhere, anytime” access to all declared and undeclared facilities, and buttress these measures, which are in the additional protocol of the NPT, with new means to enable effective inspection of a large nuclear program. Since any deal with Iran would serve as a precedent, the United States’ five negotiating partners should support this. Second, it should be prepared to spell out in advance the consequences for all classes of violations of the agreement.
Kerry in apparent jab at Netanyahu: Those bad-mouthing Iran deal don't know what deal is, Jerusalem Post, February 22, 2015
Speaking at a congressional hearing on the US State Department budget Tuesday, Kerry said in apparent answer to Netanyahu's recent warnings about the emerging deal, "I can't state this more firmly, the policy is Iran will not get a nuclear weapon. Anyone running around right now, jumping to say we don't like the deal, or this or that, doesn't know what the deal is. There is no deal yet."
Lake and Rogin: White House Lowers Bar for Iran Nuke Deal, Bloomberg View, February 24, 2015
For anyone hoping a nuclear deal with Iran might stop the Tehran government from destabilizing the Middle East or free its political prisoners, the Obama administration has some bad news: It's just an arms control agreement. As details of a proposed pact leaked out of the Geneva talks Monday, administration officials told us they will ask the world to judge any final nuclear agreement on the technical aspects only, not on whether the deal will spur Iranian reform.
Russia talks up chances of Iran nuclear deal, AFP, February 24, 2015
Russia voiced confidence on Tuesday that world powers and Iran would be able to reach a comprehensive accord over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme by a June 30 final deadline. Moscow's chief nuclear negotiator said after the latest round of talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad in Geneva that tangible progress was being made. "We are satisfied to see every new meeting achieve further progress," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying. "There is a growing confidence that an agreement will be reached by the assigned deadline -- in other words, June 30," Ryabkov said in the Swiss city.
Leaked cables show Netanyahu’s Iran bomb claim contradicted by Mossad, The Guardian, February 23, 2015
Binyamin Netanyahu’s dramatic declaration to world leaders in 2012 that Iranwas about a year away from making a nuclear bomb was contradicted by his own secret service, according to a top-secret Mossad document. It is part of a cache of hundreds of dossiers, files and cables from the world’s major intelligence services – one of the biggest spy leaks in recent times. Brandishing a cartoon of a bomb with a red line to illustrate his point, the Israeli prime minister warned the UN in New York that Iran would be able to build nuclear weapons the following year and called for action to halt the process. But in a secret report shared with South Africa a few weeks later, Israel’s intelligence agency concluded that Iran was “not performing the activity necessary to produce weapons”.
Olmert: Netanyahu, Obama, Churchill and Iran, Huffington Post, February 23, 2015
Let alone, he should have been very careful in his dealings with the Republican Congress, trying as a matter of utmost Israeli interest to maintain bipartisan support for Israel, particularly in the case of Iran. It may be that even a much more conciliatory and cooperative Netanyahu would prove insufficient to bring about a complete agreement between him and President Obama on Iran, but surely the acrimony of these days could have been averted. Here is where we come again to Churchill. Perhaps two leaders who have such diametrically different opinion of Churchill and his international relations legacy, as PM Netanyahu and President Obama could not create the kind of relations with Israel, which existed in the days of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. But if that is the case, Netanyahu had ample opportunities in the past five years to realize that, and to develop an Israeli response to the Iranian threat, which is not dependent on the US and President Obama. He did not do it until now, and it may be exactly the time to do it.
US warns it is ready to walk away from Iran nuclear talks, AP, February 21, 2015
With only weeks left to the deadline to reach a first-stage nuclear deal with Iran, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday that “significant gaps” remained and warned that America was ready to walk away from the talks if Tehran doesn’t agree to terms demonstrating that it doesn’t want atomic arms. Kerry spoke after the Iranian Atomic Energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi and U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz added their muscle to the talks for the first time to help resolve technical disputes standing in the way of an agreement meant to curb Iran’s nuclear programs in exchange for sanctions relief for the Islamic Republic.
Israeli Ex-Official Urges Global Powers To Be 'More Determined' To Halt Iranian Nukes, RFE/RL, February 23, 2015
Yaacov Amidror, who served as national security adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until 2013, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that Israel would support a "good agreement" that would prevent Iran from accessing nuclear weapons but will speak up against a "bad deal." Iranian officials have said repeatedly that the country's nuclear activities are peaceful and that nuclear weapons are un-Islamic. Amidror said Israel is "much more sensitive" than the United States about Tehran's nuclear activities because of its proximity to Iran and its proxies.
Ya'alon: Nuclear deal with 'messianic, apocalyptic' Iran will endanger Israel and West, Haaretz, February 23, 2015
In his statement following the talks, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said:"The deal with Iran, as it is now being consolidated, is a danger to peace in the Western world and threatens the security of the State of Israel. Iran is spreading terror across the world to harm Israeli and Western interests, "and every deal that will be signed between the West and this messianic and apocalyptic regime will strike a severe blow to Western and Israeli interests and will allow Iran to become a nuclear threshold state and continue its terror activities," Ya'alon said in the statement.
Eran and Guzansky: On the road to a nuclear Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia are on diverging paths, Haaretz, February 23, 2015
When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly went head to head with U.S. President Barack Obama with his highly politicized plan to address the U.S. Congress on March 3, he invited all the negative consequences Israel wishes to avoid. Instead of putting the dangers of a nuclear Iran at the center of international discourse, he shone the spotlight on his personal relationship with Obama. … Sitting quietly, but no less concerned about a “bad deal,” is Saudi Arabia. In the last few years there has been a marked shift in Saudi thinking on nuclear issues. Saudi princes have explicitly and publicly stated that the Kingdom will be obliged to examine its own nuclear military option if Tehran is not stopped in its march toward nuclear weapons. Some of the most senior Saudi princes have said that if Tehran is granted the “right” to enrich uranium, Riyadh should explore obtaining its own nuclear capability. It is highly probable that a U.S.-Iran deal will prompt Saudi Arabia to demand a similar agreement.
Costello: Netanyahu's Dangerous Iran Push, Huffington Post, February 20, 2015
The combination of reduced knowledge of Iran's expanding nuclear program and the burning of diplomatic prospects would put the U.S. in a difficult position. Would the U.S. accept Iran on the cusp of a nuclear weapon threshold? Launch military strikes that would only delay, and likely incentivize, Iran's nuclear pursuits? Or undertake a decade-long occupation to change regimes and guarantee a non-nuclear Iran?
Document Reveals Growth of Cyberwarfare Between the U.S. and Iran, New York Times, February 22, 2015
A newly disclosed National Security Agency document illustrates the striking acceleration of the use of cyberweapons by the United States and Iran against each other, both for spying and sabotage, even as Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart met in Geneva to try to break a stalemate in the talks over Iran’s disputed nuclear program. The document, which was written in April 2013 for Gen. Keith B. Alexander, then the director of the National Security Agency, described how Iranian officials had discovered new evidence the year before that the United States was preparing computer surveillance or cyberattacks on their networks.
Obama Parries Questions on Iran Deal From Arabs as Well as Israelis, Wall Street Journal, February 21, 2015
The direction of U.S. diplomacy with Tehran has added fuel to fears in some Arab states of a nuclear-arms race in the region, as well as reviving talk about possibly extending a U.S. nuclear umbrella to Middle East allies to counter any Iranian threat. The major Sunni states, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, have said that a final agreement could allow Shiite-dominated Iran, their regional rival, to keep the technologies needed to produce nuclear weapons, according to these officials, while removing many of the sanctions that have crippled its economy in recent years.
U.S. says Iran helped Houthis seize Yemen, Al-Arabiya, February 24, 2015
Iran has “contributed” to the Houthi militia’s takeover of Yemen and the collapse of the government there, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday. Speaking to U.S. lawmakers, Kerry agreed that Tehran’s support for the Houthi militia was “critical” for the rebels, but he added Iranian leaders appeared to have been “surprised” by the events in the Gulf country and “are hoping to see a national dialogue” take place.
Australia to play key role as Iran broker with Julie Bishop to visit Tehran, Sydney Morning Herald, February 23, 2015
Julie Bishop is to become the first senior Australian government figure to visit Iran in more than a decade and only the second senior Western leader over that same period, when she travels to Tehran in April. The trip is being viewed as a potential game-changer in the fight against the Sunni-extremist Islamic State organisation, but it could also help unlock lucrative economic opportunities for Australia - reviving a once booming trade in education, wheat, meat, and other areas. It is understood the rare visit by a senior US-aligned government figure has received the enthusiastic backing of the White House, which hopes Australia might provide a conduit for a new constructive dialogue between Washington and Tehran given the common enemy currently rampaging through Iraq, Syria, and now Libya.
Iran forming 'third front' against Israel on Golan: Netanyahu, AFP, February 22, 2015
Netanyahu said Tehran's attempts to entrench itself along Israel's borders was one of the biggest emerging security threats facing the Jewish state. "Alongside Iran's direct guidance of Hezbollah's actions in the north and Hamas's in the south, Iran is trying also to develop a third front on the Golan Heights via the thousands of Hezbollah fighters who are in southern Syria and over which Iran holds direct command," he said.
How Iran's military chiefs operate in Iraq, Reuters, February 24, 2015
In all, Hashid Shaabi oversees and coordinates several dozen factions. The insiders say most of the groups followed a call to arms by Iraq's leading Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. But they also cite the religious guidance of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, as a key factor in their decision to fight and – as they see it – defend Iraq. Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of the Badr Organisation, told Reuters: "The majority of us believe that ... Khamenei has all the qualifications as an Islamic leader. He is the leader not only for Iranians but the Islamic nation. I believe so and I take pride in it." He insisted there was no conflict between his role as an Iraqi political and military leader and his fealty to Khamenei.
Syria says will harvest enough wheat, Iran credit line good, Reuters, February 24, 2015
Having lost control of its oil wells, Syria has been forced to import crude. Iranian support has remained solid, despite the decline in world oil prices which are around half the level they were at last June, said Safiyeh. "The import of petroleum products did not stop because of the fall in the oil price. It continued, with the Iranian credit line, and continues until now," Safieh. He did not give numbers. "There is an Iranian credit line. The truth is there are excellent (credit) facilities, and also Russia stands with us and the BRICs are standing with us in any matters requiring the provision of necessary supplies," he said.
Iran ends mission defending western border against Islamic State, UPI, February 21, 2015
Months after threatening to invade Iraqi territory, Iran announced Sunday the end of a special mission safeguarding its western border against Islamic State militants. Brigadier General Kiumars Heidari, deputy commander for Iranian ground forces, told the Islamic Republic News Agency that the mission placing army units on the western border with Iraq had ended 45 days after a "red-line warning" was issued to IS forces to stay 40 kilometers, or 24 miles, from Iran's border. In September army commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said that Iran would attack "deep into Iraqi territory" if IS forces came too close.
Russian offers Iran latest anti-aircraft missiles: TASS, Reuters, February 23, 2015
Russia has offered Iran its latest Antey-2500 missiles, the head of Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec said on Monday according to media reports, after a deal to supply less powerful S-300 missiles was dropped under Western pressure. Sergei Chemezov said Tehran was now considering the offer, TASS news agency reported. Russia scrapped a contract to supply Iran with S-300 surface-to-air missiles under Western pressure in 2010, and Iran later filed a $4-billion international arbitration suit against Russia in Geneva, but the two countries remain allies. The United States and Israel lobbied Russia to block the missile sale, saying it could be used to shield Iran's nuclear facilities from possible future air strikes.
Islamic State militants claim attacks on Iranian ambassador's residence in Libya, Reuters, February 22, 2015
Militants claiming loyalty to Islamic State said they were behind Sunday's twin bomb attacks on the residence of the Iranian ambassador in the Libyan capital and a rocket strike on the eastern Labraq airport. The attack on the ambassador's residence came two days after the group claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing that killed more than 40 people in the eastern town of Qubbah, one of the worst attacks on civilians since a 2011 uprising toppled Muammar Gaddafi.
Iranians Wait And Wonder If A New Dawn Is Coming, NPR, February 20, 2015
Shahsiah says it was inspired by a Persian poem, and she's applied the same design to scarves and mugs. It's all from the same collection, she says: a poem about a new day, a new dawn. Is that a metaphor? Yes, most of our work consists of metaphor, she says. When she says "our work," she means her work with her friend and business partner Sara Noghani. They're both in their 30s, and stylishly dressed, as you'd expect of the proprietors of a clothing shop. They met years ago, as college students, and lived through what seemed like a new dawn in Iran.
Iran smuggles in $1 billion of bank notes to skirt sanctions – sources, Reuters, February 24, 2015
At least $1 billion in cash has been smuggled into Iran as it seeks to avoid Western sanctions, a bigger figure than previously reported, Iranian officials and Western intelligence and diplomatic sources say. Sanctions imposed by the West over Iran's nuclear program have shut Tehran out of the global banking system, making it hard to obtain the U.S. dollars it needs for international transactions. In December, the U.S. Treasury said the Iranian government had obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in bank notes using front companies. Interviews by Reuters with Iranian officials and Western diplomatic and intelligence sources show a bigger smuggling effort by Tehran, as well as the routes and methods used -- details not previously reported. These sources said at least $1 billion in U.S. bank notes had been smuggled into Iran in recent months, with the Iranian central bank playing an important role.
German exports to Iran soar after sanctions eased, Reuters, February 24, 2015
German exports to Iran jumped 30 percent last year to 2.4 billion euros, data from the Federal Statistics Office showed on Tuesday, bolstered by the easing of Western sanctions amid progress in talks on the country's nuclear programme. Germany is traditionally Iran's biggest trading partner in Europe and last year's increase, the sharpest in a decade, was driven by sales of machinery, agricultural and pharmaceutical products, the Office said. It did not say which companies had benefited. German firms that had been forced to reduce their activities in Iran when the sanctions were tighter include Siemens . Others with business interests there include Bayer and utilities RWE and E.ON.
Iran Seeking Role In Selling Gas To Europe, RFE/RL, February 22, 2015
In recent months, Iranian officials have been signaling to potential customers in Europe, potential suppliers in the Caspian Basin, and transit country Turkey that Iran is not only ready to get into the game but that without Iranian participation the European Union's Southern Gas Corridor will take many years to realize, or might never be realized. Of course, the Southern Gas Corridor is all about decreasing Russian gas exports to Europe, an increasingly important issue for European governments as ties with the Kremlin continue to deteriorate over events in Ukraine. A quick look at a map shows why Iran, with the second-largest gas reserves in the world, is well-placed to sell gas to Europe and also link gas-rich countries in the Caspian Basin region to Europe.
Iran to spend up to $4.8B on oil development, Reuters, February 24, 2015
Iran will withdraw up to $4.8 billion from its sovereign wealth fund to spend on developing its oil and gas fields next fiscal year under a proposal approved by parliament on Tuesday. The decision to dip into the National Development Fund underlines the heavy financial pressure which Iran faces from low oil prices and international economic sanctions over its disputed nuclear program.
Sanctions Put Academic Freedoms to a Test on a Campus Far From Tehran, New York Times, February 22, 2015
On Wednesday, UMass officials announced that they would revise the policy, saying that Iranian nationals will not be banned outright from pursuing any academic disciplines, but that the university will develop “individualized study plans” that do not run afoul of sanctions. “As we got some more information, we were convinced we could do something a bit less restrictive and still accomplish what we wanted to accomplish,” Mr. Malone said. The policy was revised after a week that left Mr. Mostafavi and many of the dozens of other Iranians here feeling betrayed, some professors and non-Iranian students incensed, and the university administration buried under criticism as deep as this winter’s New England snowfall. The school’s policy not only shocked students, but gained international attention and prompted the State Department to contact UMass officials.
Rebirth of the Cool: American Music Makes a Return to Iran, New York Times, February 23, 2015
“We love you Bob!” someone shouted in English from the balcony after Mr. Belden, 58, finished his third song of the night. A Grammy Award-winning producer, composer and jazz performer, he smiled broadly. “It is an utter honor to be here in Iran,” Mr. Belden said, drawing even more cheers. The concert last Friday was the first by an American musician in Iran since the 1979 revolution.