Iran Newsclips, January 7, 2015
david.cutler
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Editorial: Responding to Iran's Nuclear Gambit, Bloomberg
Former Kansas Congressman Slattery Visits Iran, Optimistic About Nuclear Deal, KCUR
Congress Must Have Voice In Iran Talks, New Foreign Relations Chairman Says, Huffington Post
The New GOP Congress Is Preparing to Assert Itself on Iran, National Journal
Khalaf: Iran’s atomic matters of the heart, Financial Times
Iran must immunize itself against nuclear sanctions: Khamenei, Reuters
Iran, six powers to hold nuclear talks on January 18: EU, Reuters
Heffez: Iran a force in cement industry, The Hill
Editorial: Responding to Iran's Nuclear Gambit, Bloomberg, January 7, 2015
For the P5+1's goal of ensuring Iran never makes a nuclear weapon, it is less important to insist on a certain number of centrifuges than to secure a long-term agreement by Iran to export enriched uranium for processing abroad so that it can't be diverted to make weapons. Equally vital is a regular and exhaustive inspection regime to expose any covert nuclear facilities in the country.
Former Kansas Congressman Slattery Visits Iran, Optimistic About Nuclear Deal, KCUR, January 7, 2015
“I happen to believe very strongly in what President Eisenhower used to call 'people to people diplomacy,' and I think it’s very important for people in conflicting areas of the world to get to know each other and try and find common ground, avoid war, and try to find peaceful coexistence where possible,” he said. Slattery said he strongly believes that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s government is eager to complete an agreement with the Obama administration on the nuclear issue. He says he believes that the United States needs to test Iran’s commitment not to build a nuclear weapon.
Congress Must Have Voice In Iran Talks, New Foreign Relations Chairman Says, Huffington Post, January 7, 2015
“The Iranian Parliament definitely is going to weigh in on [a nuclear agreement], so you would think that the U.S. Congress would weigh in on the issue,” Corker said, just hours after being voted in as chair of the foreign relations panel. “Congress kind of put us in this position with the sanctions regime on a couple of occasions. ... You would think that we would have the ability to weigh in on any final arrangement.”
The New GOP Congress Is Preparing to Assert Itself on Iran, National Journal, January 7, 2015
There are two main bills that are likely to be the focus of the Republican push on Iran. The first, known as the Kirk-Menendez bill, would increase sanctions on Iran if it abandoned negotiations. Introduced in December 2013, it floundered in the Senate the following month. Republicans will most likely resurrect the bill for a vote this month.
Khalaf: Iran’s atomic matters of the heart, Financial Times, January 7, 2015
The success of negotiations depends on political will, but that has to translate into numbers and technical concessions. It depends on how many centrifuges Iran will give up and on the extent of sanctions relief it can receive. It also depends on whether oil prices reach new lows and how far the government can sustain itself under sanctions. The right words and the right numbers could coincide, and a deal could pave the way for the love affair that Mr Rouhani and Mr Obama both apparently desire. Otherwise, Iranians will have to brace themselves for more heartache.
Iran must immunize itself against nuclear sanctions: Khamenei, Reuters, January 7, 2015
"What would you do if they set a condition for lifting the sanctions that would compromise your (national) pride?," supreme leader Khamenei told a gathering, in comments published on official IRNA news agency. "No official would accept it. Efforts must be made to immunize Iran against the sanctions," he said, without going into details on how that should be done.
Iran, six powers to hold nuclear talks on January 18: EU, Reuters, January 7, 2015
The six powers - the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany - and Iran "will continue negotiations in Geneva on 18 January with a view to making further progress towards a long-term comprehensive solution on the nuclear issue," an EU statement said. "The meeting will be at political directors' level, chaired by EU Political Director Helga Schmid," it said.
Heffez: Iran a force in cement industry, The Hill, January 7, 2015
Iran is simultaneously contributing to Iraq’s destruction and its (re)construction. According to an official at the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber, Iran currently supplies about half of Iraq’s total cement consumption. The underlying message that Iran is sending through its cement industry is ‘what war destroys, we rebuild.'