Iran Newsclips, January 13, 2015
david.cutler
Quick Links:
Iran's Rouhani says countries behind oil price drop will suffer, Reuters
Obama reassures Israel over Palestinian move, Iran, USA Today
Iran May Be Gaining Ground Amid Eased U.S. Sanctions, Casey Says, Bloomberg
Rubin: Cotton talks about Iran, Washington Post
Russian, Iranian Officials Discuss Nuclear Talks, RFE/RL
Heeley: Sanctions and extensions: How much money will Iran receive? The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Pillar: Sanctions and Symmetry in the Iran Negotiations, Lobe Log
Nicoullaud: Iran’s NPT Withdrawal Option, Lobe Log
Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh on the State of Human Rights in Iran, Radio Zamaneh
Iran Daily Reruns Saudi 'Death' Headline After Official Warning, RFE/RL
Iran's Rouhani says countries behind oil price drop will suffer, Reuters, January 13, 2015
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that countries behind the fall in global oil prices would regret their decision and warned that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait would suffer alongside Iran from the price drop. "Those that have planned to decrease the prices against other countries will regret this decision," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast on state television as oil plunged to near six year lows on international markets. "If Iran suffers from the drop in oil prices, know that other oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will suffer more than Iran," he added.
Obama reassures Israel over Palestinian move, Iran, USA Today, January 13, 2015
Said the White House: "The president reaffirmed to the prime minister that the United States is focused on reaching a comprehensive deal with Iran that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and verifiably assures the international community of the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program."
Iran May Be Gaining Ground Amid Eased U.S. Sanctions, Casey Says, Bloomberg, January 13, 2015
Iran is gaining momentum on the international stage after the U.S. extended relief from economic sanctions against the country until June 30 during talks over its nuclear program, Democratic Senator Bob Casey said today. “The Iranian regime is scoring points,” said Casey of Pennsylvania, who served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for more than six years. “They frankly look better than they did a few months ago because they’ve been engaged in negotiations and dialogue.” “I worry that over time that these current sanctions have less significance,” Casey said at a Bloomberg News breakfast in Washington.
Rubin: Cotton talks about Iran, Washington Post, January 13, 2015
Cotton recommends adopting a clear policy of regime change; “cease all appeasement, conciliation, and concessions toward Iran, starting with these sham nuclear negotiations”; enact immediate, crippling sanctions; and make our military threat more credible. (“Congress can do so not only by imposing new sanctions, but also by offering to transfer advanced weapons like surplus B-52 bombers and 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs to Israel. Perhaps Israel already has the capabilities to retard Iran’s nuclear program — I leave that assessment in the capable hands of the Government of Israel — but a congressional offer, whether or not accepted, can remove any doubts in the minds of Iran’s ayatollahs.”)
Russian, Iranian Officials Discuss Nuclear Talks, RFE/RL, January 13, 2015
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has discussed ongoing Iran nuclear negotiations with officials in Tehran. According to TASS, Ryabkov met January 12 with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Tehran's top nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araghchi. According to AFP, Zarif said a more active Russian role could speed up negotiations to seal a comprehensive nuclear deal. Ryabkov said good ties between Tehran and Moscow can still secure "a rapid settlement of nuclear relations relating to Iran."
Heeley: Sanctions and extensions: How much money will Iran receive? The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, January 13, 2015
According to recent reports, the amount of cash relief Iran has received has been less than originally thought, with estimates placing the initial number at as much as $7 billion. Treasury, however, has reported the number at $4.2 billion.
Pillar: Sanctions and Symmetry in the Iran Negotiations, Lobe Log, January 12, 2015
More often they promote the idea that what they are doing will provide the United States with useful leverage and induce Iran to make still more concessions. And some people genuinely believe that. This is one of several respects in which Americans tend to believe that bargaining with another state works in an asymmetric, exceptionalist way, in which other humans respond to pressures and inducements in a fundamentally different manner from how Americans themselves respond, when in fact there is far more symmetry. Thinking in role-reversal terms might help to correct that mistaken belief.
Nicoullaud: Iran’s NPT Withdrawal Option, Lobe Log, January 12, 2015
Despite the dramatic drop in oil prices and the potential of new sanctions, Iran is not cornered, as its P5+1 interlocutors would prefer to imagine. Tehran can still turn the tables. For instance, Iran could announce its intention to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). As a treaty signatory, Iran is well within its rights.
Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh on the State of Human Rights in Iran, Radio Zamaneh, January 13, 2015
nfortunately, the trend of releasing prisoners has stopped, and instead we've had more arrests and more harsh sentencing. It should be pointed out here that Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani’s house, which was put up for bail, has been confiscated for more than four months. The authorities refuse to grant him leave, and this is the second time this has happened. When I look at these incidents together, I have to conclude that there are no promising prospects for the release of other political prisoners.
Iran Daily Reruns Saudi 'Death' Headline After Official Warning, RFE/RL, January 13, 2015
"News Of His Death" read the headline of the January 6 front-page story of hard-line Vatan-e Emrouz -- a derogatory, colloquial Persian expression that can be interpreted as "May I Hear News Of His Death." The story featured a picture of Saudi King Abdullah, who is reportedly being treated for pneumonia. His health has led to speculation about succession in the oil-rich kingdom. Iranian news agencies reported on January 12 that the Press Supervisory Board warned the newspaper that the headline "damages Iran's ties with its neighbors" and violates "resolutions by Iran's National Security Council."