Iran Newsclips, February 12, 2015
david.cutler
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The Consensus is Clear: Bibi's Speech is a Mistake, Storify
Cohen: Curtail Iran and Win, New York Times
Esfandiari and Litwak: Have the Iran Nuclear Talks Reached an Impasse? Wall Street Journal
Senate aims to set up vote on Iran deal by month's end, Al-Monitor
Nuclear negotiators lean in as clock ticks on Iran deal, Al-Monitor
Pipes: Why the (toothless) Iran sanctions bill matters, Washington Times
Iran commander Suleimani says IS 'nearing end,' AFP
Iran optimistic it can improve ties with Saudi Arabia: envoy, The Daily Star
Majority of Israelis don't trust Obama on Iran, CNN
This maps shows how Iranian weaponry is making it to one of Africa's most violent hotspots, Business Insider
The Green Movement Stirs and Rouhani Responds, Lobe Log
Why did Velayati meet with Putin? Al-Monitor
Construction of Iran’s new nuclear plant to begin in fall, Radio Zamaneh
Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Returns to Iran's Political Scene, NBC News
‘Happy Birthday, Iran’: Israeli Ambassador Sends Tehran His Warmest, Foreign Policy
There would have been no progress in nuclear talks without Leader’s support: Zarif, Tehran Times
Drug Abuse in Iran Rising Despite Executions, Police Raids, AP
EU expected to re-impose sanctions on Iranian oil tanker firm, Reuters
The Consensus is Clear: Bibi's Speech is a Mistake, Storify, February 12, 2015
Editorial boards, media figures, Israelis, and members of Congress line up against John Boehner and Benjamin Netanyahu playing politics on Iran.
Cohen: Curtail Iran and Win, New York Times, February 12, 2015
The falseness of the debate lies in the disingenuousness of the dismantlers. Iran has mastered the fuel cycle. This may be regrettable but is no less true for that. It did so before Obama took office. The country knows its way around basic enrichment technology. Thousands of centrifuges are spinning, although many fewer than would have been without the effective interim agreement concluded in late 2013. What then does it mean to dismantle knowledge? You can’t bomb a people’s knowledge out of existence. Yet this in essence is what the dismantlers propose. In reality, the dismantlement camp favors escalation that makes a calamitous conflict with Iran more likely; it is a war camp.
Esfandiari and Litwak: Have the Iran Nuclear Talks Reached an Impasse? Wall Street Journal, February 12, 2015
At this point in the diplomatic process, the talks focus on technical details of a prospective agreement. But the politics of nuclear diplomacy loom large. … But for Iran’s leaders, the technical details are the issue. They appear to be preparing the Iranian people for the possibility that no agreement will be reached and, if so, that failure will be blamed on the intransigence of America and its negotiating partners, rather than any shortcoming on Iran’s part.
Senate aims to set up vote on Iran deal by month's end, Al-Monitor, February 11, 2015
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., hopes to have his committee vote on legislation giving Congress a say over a nuclear deal with Iran in the next few weeks, Al-Monitor has learned. … "I hope to be in a position fairly soon after recess to do something on it," Corker said. One source close to the issue said a committee markup of the bill has been tentatively scheduled for the last week of February, but that may slip by a week as lawmakers focus on President Obama's war authorization request and other pressing matters. Corker introduced legislation last year that would in effect have given Congress veto power over a final agreement, but he suggested Feb. 11 that the new bill may differ substantially. He told Al-Monitor that the mechanism by which Congress would weigh in was an "evolving concept" as he tweaks his bill to get more members of both parties on board, but that his goal remains "for the president to have to submit this to Congress."
Nuclear negotiators lean in as clock ticks on Iran deal, Al-Monitor, February 12, 2015
Amid a sense of urgency to see if Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) can reach a political agreement for a nuclear deal by the end of March or risk a likely Congressional vote on new Iran sanctions, US and Iranian negotiators are approaching their bottom lines as they continue to haggle over three key elements of a final deal: enrichment capacity, sanctions relief and duration. In recent meetings, the United States has presented Iran with a few different ways an acceptable enrichment capacity could be achieved in a final deal that would meet Washington’s requirement for a minimum one-year “breakout” — the amount of time it would take Iran to produce enough enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb. As they wait to see if Iran agrees to move forward with one of the proposed formulas, Iran is pressing for earlier sanctions relief in a deal. The two sides are also haggling over the duration of a deal, with the P5+1 reportedly asking for 15 years, and Iran for a shorter deal.
Pipes: Why the (toothless) Iran sanctions bill matters, Washington Times, February 12, 2015
With this clever tactic, the Iranians have provoked a grand test of wills in Washington, turning Obama into their enforcer obliged to tame Congress; Majlis speaker Ali Larijani has warned that “If Obama can’t solve his problems [with Congress], he himself will be responsible for the disruption of the negotiations.” Rather than tell Tehran to take a hike, the administration (in keeping with its larger strategy) fell for this ruse, resulting in a forthcoming Senate battle royal.
Iran commander Suleimani says IS 'nearing end,' AFP, February 12, 2015
"Considering the heavy defeats suffered by Daesh and other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, we are certain these groups are nearing the end of their lives," Suleimani was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency, using an Arabic acronym for IS. His extremely rare published remarks came in a speech made Wednesday in his home province Kerman to mark the 36th anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution. Suleimani also said Tehran's regional influence was growing. "Today we see signs of the Islamic revolution being exported throughout the region, from Bahrain to Iraq and from Syria to Yemen and North Africa," he said.
Iran optimistic it can improve ties with Saudi Arabia: envoy, The Daily Star, February 12, 2015
Iran is optimistic it can improve relations with regional foe Saudi Arabia, Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fathali said Wednesday, adding that the two countries have common enemies in Israel and ISIS. “We seek to establish the best brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia, based on the principle of mutual respect,” Fathali told a radio station. “We see positive indications on the horizon for Iranian-Saudi relations,” he added.
Majority of Israelis don't trust Obama on Iran, CNN, February 12, 2015
Nearly three in four Israelis don't trust President Barack Obama to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, according to a new survey among likely voters who also have an increasingly negative perception of the U.S. President. The Times of Israel survey was conducted last week amid a growing row between the U.S. and Israel over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to address a joint session of Congress next month, two weeks before the Israeli election. Asked whether they trust Obama to ensure Iran doesn't get the bomb, a whopping 72 percent of likely voters in the March 17 Knesset elections said no, compared to 64% a year ago.
This maps shows how Iranian weaponry is making it to one of Africa's most violent hotspots, Business Insider, February 12, 2015
The Sudan-South Sudan border region is one of Africa's most persistent trouble-spots. … In return for being an Iranian client, the ever-embattled regime in Khartoum receives crucial Iranian help in setting up and operating its domestic arms capacity. And it gets plenty of weapons, too. The Small Arms Survey sites UN sources that report Iran was responsible for "13 percent of Khartoum’s self-reported arms imports from 2001 to 2012."
The Green Movement Stirs and Rouhani Responds, Lobe Log, February 11, 2015
On February 14, Iran’s Green Movement leaders will enter their fifth year of house arrest. Despite his implicit campaign promise, President Hassan Rouhani has been unable to gain the release of former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, his wife Zahra Rahnavard, and former speaker of parliament Mehdi Karroubi. As recent events indicate, however, supporters of the Green Movement are still demanding the release of these opposition leaders and insisting that Rouhani’s office implement democratic reform.
Why did Velayati meet with Putin? Al-Monitor, February 11, 2015
Over the last few months, the Russians appear to be signaling a green light for a deeper relationship with Iran. In fact, after feeling the bitter taste of sanctions on Moscow, Iran and Russia, which have their own disagreements on various issues, are turning into close and strategic friends. More delegations are meeting between these two archenemies of the 19th century, including a recent visit to Iran by the Russian defense minister and the announcement of a “hopeful” solution to the S300 missile dispute, a deal Iran has paid for but Russia has not yet delivered on.
Construction of Iran’s new nuclear plant to begin in fall, Radio Zamaneh, February 11, 2015
The Russian Ambassador to Iran says all preparations for the construction of a second nuclear power station in Bushehr are on track and the construction will commence in the fall of 2015. Levan Jagarian told Interfax: “The construction project of the Bushehr 2 nuclear power plant will proceed according to schedule.” He added that there are no foreseeable delays at this time and the project is on track. Behrooz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Agency, reported in July on agreements with Russia to build two power plants in Bushehr.
Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Returns to Iran's Political Scene, NBC News, February 11, 2015
However, the crowd at the mosque on Sunday could be an indication of problems to come for Rouhani if high-stakes nuclear talks with the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France fail and the world once again ratchets up economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Swaths of the country are deeply skeptical of the détente with the West that Rouhani's government is trying to engineer. If Rouhani fails, hardliners may once again have an upper hand.
‘Happy Birthday, Iran’: Israeli Ambassador Sends Tehran His Warmest, Foreign Policy, February 11, 2015
Wednesday marks the 36th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, and Dermer congratulated the country on the occasion by posting a video that attacks Iran for its poor human rights record.
There would have been no progress in nuclear talks without Leader’s support: Zarif, Tehran Times, February 11, 2015
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday that the Supreme Leader has set “the red lines the guidelines” for the Iranian nuclear negotiating team led by him. … The Leader said on Sunday that he supports a transparent, single-stage, and good nuclear deal between Iran and the major world powers. Zarif said he also has the same view as the Leader’s.
Drug Abuse in Iran Rising Despite Executions, Police Raids, AP, February 12, 2015
Officials say methamphetamine production and abuse of hard drugs are skyrocketing in the country despite potentially lethal criminal penalties for users if they are caught. The increase is partly because Iran is the main gateway for the region's top drug exporter, Afghanistan — and partly because Iranian dealers are profiting so handsomely. Ghazal Tolouian, a psychologist who treats dozens of meth addicts at a therapy camp in a mountain village northwest of Tehran, says most of her clients fall into two categories: students "who want to pass university entrance exams successfully," and "people who have to work a second and third shift to make ends meet and earn more money."
EU expected to re-impose sanctions on Iranian oil tanker firm, Reuters, February 12, 2015
European Union governments are expected to agree later on Thursday to put the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), Iran's biggest tanker company, back on a list of sanctioned firms, EU diplomats said. The EU's second-highest court ruled last July there were no grounds to blacklist the NITC after the company contested the designation, but the EU said it would seek legal means to keep the company on the list of companies under asset freezes.