Iran Newsclips, January 21, 2015
david.cutler
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National security heavyweights oppose new Iran sanctions, The Hill
Hillary Clinton: More Sanctions on Iran Would be 'Serious Strategic Error,' NBC News
Administration Says Corker's Iran Proposal Could Tank Negotiations, CQ News
Senators Blast White House Over Iran Talks, Defense News
Barbara Boxer, Rand Paul work together on Iran bill, Politico
Netanyahu coming to Congress next month, CNN
Party Lines Are Blurring in Congress Over Iran, National Journal
U.S., Iran to hold nuclear talks in Switzerland on Friday, Saturday, Reuters
Iran's Hard-Liners Irked By Zarif's Geneva Stroll With Kerry, RFE/RL
U.S. Officials Say Russia Continues To Play Constructive Role In Iran Talks, RFE/RL
Amid nuclear talks, Iran still trying to swap prisoners, Al-Monitor
Iran acknowledges US is willing to reach nuclear agreement, The Guardian
US Republicans invite Benjamin Netanyahu to speak on Iran, Financial Times
Iranian Commander Vows to Avenge Israeli Airstrike, New York Times
Thousands in Tehran mourn Iranian general killed by Israel, AFP
US to award Iran $11.9 billion through end of nuke talks, Washington Free Beacon
Iran demand stalls move to reopen British embassy in Tehran, Financial Times
Pyruz: Possible dimensions of Russo-Iranian defense discussion/agreement, Uskowi on Iran
Beset by hardship, Iranians losing hope for future, Reuters
Low oil adds to Iran woes during nuclear pact: U.S. official, Reuters
Iranian civil society speaking up for Afghans' rights, Al-Monitor
6,000 Receivers Destroyed In Iran's War On Satellite Dishes, RFE/RL
Iran vice president under Ahmadinejad gets five years, AFP
National security heavyweights oppose new Iran sanctions, The Hill, January 21, 2015
Opponents of passing a new Iran sanctions bill got a boost from two foreign policy luminaries on Wednesday: former national security advisers Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Both came out against a new sanctions bill during appearances at a Wednesday Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, saying the new legislation would damage talks with Iran on curbing that country’s nuclear program. “They will break the talks,” said Scowcroft, who served as national security adviser under Republican Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. “I think we should see them out and not take steps which would destroy the negotiations.”
Hillary Clinton: More Sanctions on Iran Would be 'Serious Strategic Error,' NBC News, January 21, 2015
"If we're the reason -- through our Congress -- that in effect gives Iran and others the excuse not to continue the negotiations, that would be, in my view, a very serious strategic error," Clinton said during an appearance in Winnipeg sponsored by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The former Secretary of State said that "insofar as we know," Iran has put its nuclear program on hold during the negotiations, creating a "status quo" that remains in the interest of the United States. … Clinton added that "obviously, all bets are off" if Iran is found to be cheating or restarting its nuclear program.
Administration Says Corker's Iran Proposal Could Tank Negotiations, CQ News, January 21, 2015
Corker has been pitching his proposal as distinct from legislation that would mandate tougher sanctions on Iran if an agreement is not reached by the June 30 deadline. Corker said British Prime Minister David Cameron — who joined President Barack Obama last week in urging Congress to reject Iran sanctions legislation now — raised no objections during discussions last week to his proposal for an up-or-down vote on a final deal with Iran. “I talked with our international partners,” Corker said. “Not a single one of them has any concerns whatsoever with Congress having the ability to vote up or down on a final deal. Many of them believe it strengthens our hands. But Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Corker's committee that the proposal could undermine the negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons. He said Iran “will doubt on our ability to deliver” quick sanctions relief under a potential deal if the Republican-controlled Congress also has to approve the agreement.
Senators Blast White House Over Iran Talks, Defense News, January 21, 2015
Senior US senators are pressing the White House to let Congress vote on a potential deal over Iran's nuclear weapons program — and a key Democrat says the Obama administration is spewing lines "straight out of Tehran." Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., joined the panel's chairman, Tennessee Republican Bob Corker, in urging Obama administration witnesses to make a deal with Iranian leaders contingent on congressional approval. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who worked for the panel for six years, said within the administration "there is a fear of setting a precedent" under which Congress would demand to approve other such international pacts.
Barbara Boxer, Rand Paul work together on Iran bill, Politico, January 21, 2015
The retiring Boxer (D-Calif.) and possible presidential contender Paul (R-Ky.) are teaming up to create a “moderate proposal” on Iran sanctions, Boxer said Wednesday morning. They aim to offer an alternative to bipartisan legislation that is gaining steam that would impose new economic penalties on Iran if Western nations fail to strike an agreement on winding down Tehran’s nuclear program. Those sanctions would begin taking effect in July.
Netanyahu coming to Congress next month, CNN, January 21, 2015
Far from holding their fire, Democrats who support a sanctions bill, like Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, have increased their criticism of the White House. "The more I hear from the administration and its quotes, the more it sounds like talking points that come straight out of Tehran," railed Menendez at a hearing with administration officials on Capitol Hill. Boehner told reporters he did not consult with the White House about the invitation to Netanyahu, saying "the Congress can make this decision on its own."
Party Lines Are Blurring in Congress Over Iran, National Journal, January 21, 2015
But just as some Democrats are jumping ship and challenging the president, two Republicans seemed to break with the GOP majority's push for new sanctions on Iran during the committee hearing. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona said he supports the administration's negotiations and pushed back against the proposal for new sanctions. "We often say that the purpose of sanctions is to get parties to the table," Flake said. "They are at the table, and so I'm confused by the notion that some would want to impose additional sanctions while negotiations are going on."
U.S., Iran to hold nuclear talks in Switzerland on Friday, Saturday, Reuters, January 21, 2015
U.S. Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is scheduled to travel to Berlin on Wednesday for talks with political directors of the Group of Seven nations, which includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, the State Department said. Germany hosts the G7 summit this year. "Under Secretary of State Sherman will then travel to Zurich, Switzerland, where she will be joined by the rest of the U.S. negotiating team to meet with Iranian officials January 23 to 24," the State Department said in its statement.
Iran's Hard-Liners Irked By Zarif's Geneva Stroll With Kerry, RFE/RL, January 21, 2015
Iranian hard-liners say the stroll was a grave mistake and that it damaged Iran's authority. Hard-liners are also irked over a short trip Zarif took to Paris last week to meet his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, to narrow the differences over Tehran's nuclear activities. … The head of Iran's paramilitary Basij force, Mohammad Reza Naghdi, said by walking with Kerry and sharing a friendly moment with an "enemy of humanity," Zarif showed disrespect to tens of thousands of Iranian soldiers killed in the Iran-Iraq War.
U.S. Officials Say Russia Continues To Play Constructive Role In Iran Talks, RFE/RL, January 21, 2015
Senior U.S. officials say that despite a recent military agreement between Moscow and Tehran and Western sanctions over its actions in Ukraine, Russia continues to play a constructive role in the nuclear talks with Iran. “At least as of this moment, what we have seen in the context of the negotiations with Iran, Russia continues to play a constructive role." Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in testimony at a January 21 Senate hearing.
Amid nuclear talks, Iran still trying to swap prisoners, Al-Monitor, January 20, 2015
There are numerous theories about why Iran keeps jailing Iranian-Americans, including hard-line efforts to undercut the administration of President Hassan Rouhani. Another motive, however, has been clear at least since the days of Rouhani's predecessor: seeking to trade detainees for Iranians in US custody. Last week, the family of Amir Hekmati, an Iranian-American ex-Marine imprisoned in Iran since visiting relatives there in 2011, released a letter sent by Hekmati to Rouhani. “For the past three years, my family has been receiving emails and phone calls from individuals in Iran proposing prisoner exchanges, going so far as asking my family to lobby publicly for the release of these individuals,” the letter said.
Iran acknowledges US is willing to reach nuclear agreement, The Guardian, January 21, 2015
The Iranian government’s spokesman, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, who is a close ally of the country’s president, Hassan Rouhani, told reporters on Wednesday that Tehran viewed the US administration as determined to end the nuclear standoff with Iran. “We are seeking the Iranian people’s rights in the nuclear negotiations and our assessment show that they, especially the Americans, have the will to reach an agreement with Iran,” he said, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
US Republicans invite Benjamin Netanyahu to speak on Iran, Financial Times, January 21, 2015
US Republicans raised the stakes in the political battle over Iran sanctions on Wednesday when John Boehner invited Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress next month. The House of Representatives Speaker said the Israeli leader, who has at times been a strong critic of the Obama administration’s diplomacy with Iran, had been asked to speak to a joint session of both houses of Congress on February 11.
Iranian Commander Vows to Avenge Israeli Airstrike, New York Times, January 20, 2015
Iran’s highest Revolutionary Guards commander issued a threat against Israel after the death of an Iranian general in an Israeli helicopter strike along the border with Syria, saying that “destructive thunderbolts” awaited. The commander, Mohammad Ali Jafari, said in a statement distributed by the state news media on Tuesday that the fact that an Iranian general had been so close to Israeli territory proved that Iran’s power “has passed over geographical borders.”
Thousands in Tehran mourn Iranian general killed by Israel, AFP, January 21, 2015
Thousands gathered in Tehran Wednesday at a funeral procession for a Revolutionary Guards general killed by Israel, after his commander warned the Jewish state it should "await destructive thunderbolts".
US to award Iran $11.9 billion through end of nuke talks, Washington Free Beacon, January 21, 2015
The Obama administration on Wednesday paid $490 million in cash assets to Iran and will have released a total of $11.9 billion to the Islamic Republic by the time nuclear talks are scheduled to end in June, according to figures provided by the State Department. Today’s $490 million release, the third such payment of this amount since Dec. 10, was agreed to by the Obama administration under the parameters of another extension in negotiations over Tehran’s contested nuclear program that was inked in November.
Iran demand stalls move to reopen British embassy in Tehran, Financial Times, January 21, 2015
Efforts to reopen Britain’s embassy in Iran have been stalled by a dispute over Tehran’s demands to inspect two containers of secure communications equipment destined for the mission and British concerns over Iranian immigrants. Hopes of a rapprochement between Iran and Britain grew after William Hague, the former foreign secretary, announced the time was right to consider restoring the UK’s mission in Tehran last June, after months of careful diplomatic footwork. The UK and US are the only two major western powers not to have a formal presence in the Islamic Republic.
Pyruz: Possible dimensions of Russo-Iranian defense discussion/agreement, Uskowi on Iran, January 21, 2015
It would surprise this writer to see the Russians deliver the S-300 to Iran at this late point in time. If accurate, either this is further posturing by the Russians vis-a-vis the United States in its dealings with the Ukraine crisis, or perhaps a red line has been crossed, with the Russians reacting with delivery.
Beset by hardship, Iranians losing hope for future, Reuters, January 21, 2015
As prices of food, water and electricity rise further beyond reach, struggling Iranians are losing belief in their pragmatic president and his promise of a brighter future. The country has been hit by the double hammer blows of persisting Western sanctions over its nuclear activities and plunging oil prices - but its leaders tell the people that adversity will make them stronger. This offers scant comfort to many ordinary Iranians struggling to support their families as high unemployment and low wages take their toll.
Low oil adds to Iran woes during nuclear pact: U.S. official, Reuters, January 21, 2015
The swoon in oil prices means Iran will lose billions of dollars more in revenue during the seven-month extension of its temporary nuclear agreement, a U.S. Treasury Department official specializing in terrorism and financial intelligence said on Wednesday. "If oil prices remain at current levels, Iran will lose an additional $11 billion in oil revenue from what it was expecting to take in during this most recent seven-month extension" of the temporary pact, David Cohen, the U.S. undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence said in prepared remarks for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
Iranian civil society speaking up for Afghans' rights, Al-Monitor, January 21, 2015
Mossadeq Parsa, an Afghan civil rights activist and executive director of the Bahavi Foundation, spoke with Al-Monitor about the problems Afghan refugees face in Iran. “All the governments, including [President Hassan] Rouhani’s government, have violated the basic and human rights of the refugees. The ban on education, torture in camps, deporting refugees without considering environmental and climatic conditions and tens of other examples add to the problems Afghan people face.”
6,000 Receivers Destroyed In Iran's War On Satellite Dishes, RFE/RL, January 21, 2015
Six thousand satellite receivers and dishes have been destroyed in a stadium in the city of Shiraz, according to reports by Iranian news agencies that posted photos of the police action, in the latest phase of Iran's ongoing war on banned satellites. The dishes were decorated with slogans highlighting all the ills and threats that Iranian officials claim satellite channels bring into society. "Rule of Satan on Life," read one of the hand-written slogans.
Iran vice president under Ahmadinejad gets five years, AFP, January 21, 2015
Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iran's first vice president under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been sentenced to five years in prison and fined, state media said Wednesday. … The Supreme Court's verdict came after a long-running trial on what Iranian media said were corruption charges.