Iran Newsclips, January 16, 2015
david.cutler
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Obama Vows to Veto Bipartisan Bill on New Iran Sanctions, New York Times
Kerry, Iran's Zarif meet again in Paris to narrow nuclear gaps, Reuters
Negotiators: 'Time cannot be wasted' at Iran nuclear talks, Al-Monitor
Iranian Negotiator 'Hopeful' For Political Agreement On Nuclear Deal, RFE/RL
Parsi: The Senate's Gift to ISIS: Sanctions on Iran, Huffington Post
Obama and Senator Robert Menendez Spar on How to Handle Iran, New York Times
US, Iranian opponents could blow up nuclear negotiations, Al Jazeera America
Iranian Embassy Says Russian Defense Minister To Visit Tehran, RFE/RL
‘Significant’ questions remain on Iran nuclear issue, says Hollande, AFP
Reed: What impact has the fall in global oil prices had on Iran? Iran Primer
Obama Vows to Veto Bipartisan Bill on New Iran Sanctions, New York Times, January 16, 2015
President Obama said Friday that he would veto bipartisan legislation calling for new sanctions on Iran, and he urged Congress to “hold off” on any vote while negotiations continue on Tehran’snuclear program for the next several months. “Congress needs to show patience,” Mr. Obama said during a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House with Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain. “There is no good argument for us to try to undercut, undermine the negotiations until they have played themselves out.”
Kerry, Iran's Zarif meet again in Paris to narrow nuclear gaps, Reuters, January 16, 2015
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian counterpart Mohammad Jawad Zarif met in Paris on Friday to try to narrow gaps over Iran's nuclear program, their second session in three days with broader negotiations due to resume soon. … Zarif and Kerry met for about an hour to follow up on a lengthy meeting on Wednesday in Geneva in search of an accord seen as crucial to reducing the risk of a wider Middle East war. "Both Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Zarif were in town for previously scheduled meetings. They agreed to stay in touch and plan to meet again in the coming weeks," a senior U.S. State Department official said without elaborating.
Negotiators: 'Time cannot be wasted' at Iran nuclear talks, Al-Monitor, January 15, 2015
US and Iranian negotiators met at a Geneva waterfront hotel for over six hours Jan. 15, amid indications they are trying to draft a document they could present for discussion to other members of the P5+1— the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany — who are due to meet here Jan. 18. Iran and the P5+1 agreed in November to extend the negotiations until June 30, while trying to finalize a framework accord for the deal by March. “We are not working on a 'draft' framework, but on the actual framework," a diplomat at the talks, speaking not for attribution, told Al-Monitor Jan. 15. “I think we will know in a few days” how much progress has been made.
Iranian Negotiator 'Hopeful' For Political Agreement On Nuclear Deal, RFE/RL, January 15, 2015
The official told reporters in Geneva on January 15 that, despite differences over the technical and political aspects of a deal, as well as differences about sanctions, Tehran is "very hopeful that we can get that political agreement even before the March deadline."
Parsi: The Senate's Gift to ISIS: Sanctions on Iran, Huffington Post, January 15, 2015
The Islamic State has many enemies and very few friends. But sometimes, even declared enemies of the Caliphate (or ISIS) can lend it a helping hand. That is essentially what is happening now as Senators Mark Kirk and Bob Menendez push to undermine the nuclear talks with Iran -- a key adversary of ISIS. If nuclear diplomacy breaks down, the US and Iran will once again find themselves on a path towards war. ISIS will be the greatest winner in that scenario. After all, who wouldn't want to see its enemies turn against each other?
Obama and Senator Robert Menendez Spar on How to Handle Iran, New York Times, January 15, 2015
President Obama and Senator Robert Menendez traded sharp words on Thursday over whether Congress should vote to impose new sanctions on Iran while the administration is negotiating with Tehran about its nuclear program, according to two people who witnessed the exchange. In the course of the argument, which was described as tense but generally respectful, Mr. Obama vowed to veto legislation being drafted by Mr. Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, and Senator Mark Kirk, Republican of Illinois, that would trigger sanctions after multiparty talks are set to end this summer.
US, Iranian opponents could blow up nuclear negotiations, Al Jazeera America, January 16, 2015
The summary, prepared by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — a strong proponent of new sanctions, which White House officials have warned could wreck prospects for a deal — says that in the event an agreement is reached, President Barack Obama would be obliged to send the text for 30 days of review by appropriate congressional committees.
Iranian Embassy Says Russian Defense Minister To Visit Tehran, RFE/RL, January 15, 2015
Iranian officials say Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is expected to visit Tehran for two days next week. The press service of the Iranian Embassy in Moscow told Interfax on January 15 that during his January 19-20 visit to Iran, Shoigu was expected "to hold full-scale negotiations with his counterpart Hossein Dehqan."
‘Significant’ questions remain on Iran nuclear issue, says Hollande, AFP, January 16, 2015
France said Friday that “significant” questions remained before a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme can be struck, after its foreign minister met his Iranian counterpart. “Laurent Fabius raised with Mohammad Javad Zarif the significant questions that remain to be solved,” according to a statement from the French Foreign Ministry.
Reed: What impact has the fall in global oil prices had on Iran? Iran Primer, January 15, 2015
The oil price collapse since June has had only a modest impact on Iran— so far. But lower revenues have already forced President Hassan Rouhani to significantly reduce budget projections and even decrease Iran’s dependence on oil. More steps may lie ahead, depending on both the market and the results of Iran’s talks with the world’s six major powers on a nuclear deal.