Eye on Iran: Houla Massacre: US Accuses Iran of ‘Bragging’ About Its Military Aid to Syria

Top Stories

Guardian: ”The US has accused Iran of ‘aiding and abetting’ the massacre of women and children in Houla by providing support for the Syrian militia accused of carrying out the slaughter. The state department said that Tehran was ‘bragging’ about its role at the weekend after the deputy commander of Iran’s elite Quds force said the force has units inside Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad. Victoria Nuland, the state department spokeswoman, said that Iran’s hand is clearly visible in the killing of more than 100 people, including scores of young children, by a Syrian militia group, the Shabiha, which closely resembles an Iranian militia, the Basij. ‘The Iranians have clearly supplied support and training and advice to the Syrian army, but this Shabiha thug force mirrors the same force that the Iranians use. The Basij and the Shabiha are the same type of thing and clearly reflects the tactics and the techniques that the Iranians use for their own suppression of civil rights,’ she said.” http://t.uani.com/LeAv4L

AP: ”A senior Iranian military official says Iran’s oil industry was briefly affected by a powerful computer virus that has unprecedented data-snatching capabilities and can eavesdrop on computer users. Gholam Reza Jalali, who heads an Iranian military unit in charge of fighting sabotage, said Wednesday that Iranian experts had found and defeated the Flame virus. Jalali told state radio Wednesday that the oil industry was the only governmental body affected and all problems had been resolved.” http://t.uani.com/LFye1R 

Defiant Iran Says It Won’t Halt Enrichment or Allow Parchin Access

Defiant Iran Says It Won’t Halt Enrichment or Allow Parchin Access

As Iran and world powers prepare for another round of negotiations next month in Moscow, a senior Iranian official said Tehran would not stop enriching uranium and rejected the UN’s repeated demand to visit a military site suspected of hosting nuclear weapons-related activities.

Iran: No reason to stop 20% enrichment

The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani said on Sunday that the Islamic Republic would not stop the production of higher-grade uranium. “We have no reason to retreat from producing the 20%, because we need 20% uranium just as much to meet our needs,” the senior official said. [1]

The United Nations Security Council has passed several resolutions since 2006, demanding that Iran suspend “all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.” [2]

Iran’s 20% enriched uranium is of particular concern because it can be converted into weapons-grade material relatively easily and in just a matter of months, experts say. [3]

Handelsblatt: GAUCK WARNT VOR IRAN – „Gefahr für Israel und Europa“

Mit deutlichen Worten hat Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck bei seinem Israel-Besuch vor Iran und dessen Atomprogramm gewarnt. Gauck zeigte sich zudem besorgt ob des immer schlechter werdenden Israel-Bildes in Deutschland.

Tel Aviv Bei seinem ersten offiziellen Besuch in Israel hat Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck vor den Gefahren des iranischen Atompotenzials gewarnt. Er sei wegen der Nuklearpläne des Iran „sehr besorgt“. Diese seien nicht nur für Israel und den Nahen Osten eine Bedrohung. Auch für Europa stelle dieses eine potenzielle Gefahr dar, sagte Gauck bei seinem Treffen mit dem israelischen Staatspräsidenten Schimon Peres.

Deutschlands Politiker würden für die Sicherheit und das Existenzrecht Israels eintreten, sagte Gauck in Jerusalem, wo er von Peres mit militärischen Ehren empfangen worden war. Deutschland und Israel seien „enger verbunden als jemals zuvor“, so Gauck. Er wolle in Israel „ein Zeichen der Solidarität in schweren Zeiten“ setzen.

Über die immer kritischere Haltung vieler Deutscher zum jüdischen Staat äußerte sich Gauck besorgt. „Ohne Umfragen überzubewerten: Als Freund Israels besorgen mich die Ergebnisse dennoch“, antwortete er der Zeitung „Haaretz“ auf eine Frage nach dem sinkenden Ansehen Israels in Deutschland. Eine Umfrage hatte kürzlich ergeben, dass 70 Prozent der Deutschen Israel vorwerfen, seine Interessen ohne Rücksicht auf andere Völker zu verfolgen, und 59 Prozent die israelische Politik für aggressiv halten.

IRAN - Wie der Konflikt um das Atomprogramm eskalierte

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„Aus den Abgründen seiner Geschichte kommt Deutschland eine einzigartige Verantwortung gegenüber Israel zu“, betonte Gauck. „Wachsende Ressentiments gegenüber Israel sind zwar nicht allein ein deutsches Phänomen, aber wir Deutsche sollten uns besonders kritisch fragen: In welchem Geist urteilen wir über israelische Politik? Doch bitte nur im Geist der Freundschaft. Da ist durchaus auch Platz für Kritik, nicht aber für Vorurteil“, betonte der Bundespräsident.

Zu der Kritik von Nobelpreisträger Günther Grass an der israelischen Iran-Politik sagte Gauck, die Meinung des Schriftstellers entspreche in keiner Weise der offiziellen Haltung Deutschlands. Grass habe seine „persönliche Meinung“ geäußert, sagte Gauck in seinem Interview mit Haaretz.

Vollständiger Artikel

Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and relevant provisions of Security Council resolutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran

New IAEA Report on Iran’s Nuclear Program

On May 25, 2012, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency issued a new report about Iran’s non-compliance with U.N. resolutions on its controversial nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency concluded that it is “unable to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran, and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities.”

But the IAEA did note that progress was made during talks in Tehran on May 21 between IAEA Secretary General Amano and chief Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili on ways to clarify outstanding issues. The report urges Tehran now to engage with the substance of those issues and to provide access to Parchin, a military site where recent satellite imagery has indicated “intensive activities.” Iran has blocked IAEA inspectors from Parchin despite repeated requests to inspect it.

The following is a link to the full report. IAEA Safeguards Report on Iran

Roundup of Today’s International News 28/05/12

IRANIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAMME

After Talks Falter, Iran Says It Won’t Halt Uranium Work
Iran’s nuclear chief, reversing the country’s previous statements, said on state television on Sunday that the country would not halt its production of higher-grade uranium, suggesting that the Iranian government was veering back to a much harder line after talks in Baghdad with the West last week ended badly.

U.N. inspectors find high-grade uranium traces in Iran
The IAEA report said environmental samples taken in February at Iran’s Fordow facility – buried deep beneath rock and soil to protect it from air strikes – showed the presence of particles with enrichment levels of up to 27 percent. That is above the 20 percent enrichment level Iran has declared at the site, and takes it across the line from low-enriched to high-enriched uranium.

Iran has enough uranium for five nuclear weapons, claims US thinktank
Iran had produced almost 6.2 tonnes of uranium enriched to a level of 3.5% since it began the work in 2007 – some of which has subsequently been further processed into higher-grade material. This equates to nearly 750 kg more than in the previous IAEA report issued in February, and the thinktank said Iran’s monthly production had risen by roughly a third.

‘The Baghdad Conquest’: Iranian Reaction to Nuclear Talks

by MUHAMMAD SAHIMI

Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Farsi and Arabic press and excerpts where the source is in English. Tehran Bureau has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Any views expressed are the authors’ own. Please refer to the Media Guide to help put the stories in perspective. You can follow breaking news stories on our Twitter feed.

Two days after the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group – the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany – ended in Baghdad, Iran’s mass media continues to react to the outcome. The headline of the Saturday issue of Kayhan, the hardline newspaper that is believed to reflect the views of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, read “Iran Did Not Budge.”

In an editorial titled “Resolution of the Problem, Stopping the Negotiations,” Kayhan’s hardline managing editor, Hossein Shariatmadari, warned that the P5+1 has pursued negotiations with Iran for political purposes, motivated by the distressed economic conditions in the West. “As far as we can tell, the West pursues the negotiations for the sake of negotiations, not for resolving the problems between the two sides and melting the ‘artificial ice’ that it has created and spread during the past decade over Iran’s nuclear program,” Shariatmadari wrote. “Thus, if this is true — and all evidence indicates that it is — then Iran’s agreeing to continue the negotiations in Moscow or any other place in the world needs serious reconsideration. There is concern that continuing the negotiations, at least without an agreed-upon modality and the commitment of both sides to move along this path, will be tantamount to playing in the enemy’s field.”

The Latest from Iran (28 May): No More Nice Guy — Tehran Shifts Line on Nuke Talks

0630 GMT: Audio of the Day. The website Melimazhabi posts what is a leaked audio from speeches by a Revolutionary Guards commander and the Supreme Leader’s representative to Khatam al-Anbia

0620 GMT: Cartoon of the Day. In his address to the new Parliament yesterday President Ahmadinejaddefiantly told MPs to respect his authority and stand with him against the “evils” which “put the Iranian nation under pressure”. Nikahang Kowsar, however, sees Ahmadinejad as the one under pressure from the legislaors:

0600 GMT: Scare Story of the Day. Joby Warrick of The Washington Post, primed by unnamed American and “Western” sources, declares, “U.S. Officials Among the Targets of Iran-linked Assassination Plots” in Azerbaijan:

n-tv: Atomgespräche vorerst gescheitert – Der Westen droht Teheran

US-Außenministerin Clinton: “Alle unsere Sanktionen bleiben in Kraft und werden in dieser Zeit weiter vorangetrieben”(Foto: REUTERS)

Die wohlklingenden Worte vor den Atomverhandlungen mit dem Iran haben getäuscht. Teheran lässt den Westen kalt abblitzen. Die zweitägigen Gespräche gehen ohne konkretes Ergebnis zu Ende, denn die Islamische Republik pocht weiterhin darauf, selbst Uran auf mindestens 20 Prozent anzureichern.

Kurz nach dem vorläufigen Scheitern der Atomgespräche mit dem Iran hat der Westen den Druck auf Teheran erhöht. Die USA, Frankreich und Großbritannien drohen mit härteren Sanktionen. Man halte an dem zweigleisigen Modell von Verhandlungen und Strafmaßnahmen fest, sagte US-Außenministerin Hillary Clinton. “Alle unsere Sanktionen bleiben in Kraft und werden in dieser Zeit weiter vorangetrieben”, sagte sie.

Vor den Verhandlungen hatte es noch optimistische Äußerungen zum Verlauf gegeben.(Foto: REUTERS)

Auch der britische Außenminister William Hague und sein französischer Amtskollege Laurent Fabius ermahnten Teheran. Der Iran müsse “konkrete Schritte” unternehmen, damit Fortschritte möglich seien, sagte Hague. Ansonsten werde der “Druck anhand von Sanktionen zweifelsohne erhöht”. Fabius sprach von “neuen Maßnahmen”, sollte es in Moskau keine greifbaren Ergebnisse geben.

Iranian Ex-Diplomat: P5+1 ‘Wants Iran to Give Diamonds for Peanuts’

by NOAH ARJOMAND

Former nuclear negotiation spokesman foresees little progress until West offers “proportionate reciprocation.”

Dr. Seyed Hossein Mousavian is an Iranian career diplomat who served as ambassador to Germany during the Rafsanjani administration and then headed the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council under the Khatami administration. From 2003 to 2005, he was the spokesman for the Iranian nuclear negotiation team led by Hassan Rowhani. Currently a visiting scholar at Princeton University, he is the author of the forthcoming book The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: A Memoir.

Mousavian responded by email to questions from Tehran Bureau about the results of the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear activities held in Baghdad this week and the prospects for a deal that will resolve the standoff between the Islamic Republic and the West.

Clinton emphasizes “differences” with Iran

Hillary Clinton

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says “significant differences” with Iran still remain after two days of negotiations in Baghdad.

The G5+1 met with Iran on May 23 for two days of intense negotiations that ended yesterday, with plans to meet again next month in Moscow.

Both sides reportedly presented their proposals to resolve the nuclear disputes. The West suspects Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons, but Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

The world powers called on Iran to stop enriching uranium to the 20-percent level and to shut down its underground nuclear plant at Fordo. They also called for unrestricted access to Iran’s nuclear sites for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Clinton said Iran also put forth its own ideas, and “significant differences” still remain.

Some Western diplomats in Baghdad had said that some of Iran’s points of concern are unrelated to nuclear issues.

Saeed Jalili, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, confirmed that one of Iran’s points deals with Bahrain and the state of its democracy.

In the past year, Bahrain has faced widespread popular protests that threaten the legitimacy of its ruling monarchy, and Saudi Arabian and UAE troops have entered the Gulf Island country to put down the protests.

Iran has been strongly critical of what it has called foreign intervention in Bahrain.

The Mehr News Agency reports that Iran has also called for cooperation in the fight against piracy and drug trafficking.

In terms of nuclear issues, Iran reportedly insists on its right to uranium enrichment under NPT provisions. However, Jalili has announced that uranium enrichment at the 20 percent level is open to negotiation.

The world powers are set to meet again with the Iranian delegation in Moscow on June 18 and 19.

Clinton has said: “”As we lay the groundwork for these talks, we will keep up the pressure as part of our dual-track approach. All of our sanctions will remain in place and will continue to move forward during this period.”

Source: Radio Zamaneh

Oil Minister warns West against sanctions

Rostam Ghassemi

Iran’s Minister of Oil warned today that sanctions on Iranian oil will lead to a leap in the price of oil on the global market and he called on the West to move wisely in this regard.

Rostam Ghassemi spoke at the opening of Tehran’s Friday Mass Prayers, saying that EU sanctions on Iranian oil have already driven up oil prices.

U.S. sanctions against Iran will take effect on June 28, and the EU oil embargo begins on July 1.

Iranian officials insist they are in no way concerned about the sanctions or the market for their petroleum exports.

Ghassemi, who was head of the Khatam-ol-Anbia financial group linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, says Iran “with the support of the Supreme Leader will triumph in the economic war waged against it by the West.”

The United States has managed to make a significant dent in Iran’s oil market, convincing many countries to completely boycott Iranian oil and others to sharply reduce their imports.

Ghassemi added that Iran’s enemies have long been intent on stopping Iran’s oil and gas developments and now they are also trying to restrict its oil market.

Ghassemi said the vacuum created by Shell and Total’s withdrawal from contracts to develop Southern Pars has been filled by domestic contractors, and Iran’s oil industry will soon become self sufficient.

The IRGC-based company Khatam-ol-Anbia has taken over many oil-sector contracts in recent years.

While the Iranian economy is heavily dependent on its oil exports, recent sanctions have caused a sharp rise in the price of oil, which has created an unprecedented rise in Iran’s oil revenues, according to reports from the Central Bank of Iran.

Despite a fall in Iran’s oil production, its oil revenues are reportedly on a sharp rise.

Source: Radio Zamaneh

Ashton, Jalili Describe ‘Intense’ Talks; Next Round: Moscow in June

by MUHAMMAD SAHIMI

Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Farsi and Arabic press and excerpts where the source is in English. Tehran Bureau has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Any views expressed are the authors’ own. 

3 a.m. IRDT, 5 Khordad/May 25 After the conclusion of two days of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany) concerning the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, the chief negotiators for each side — European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Saeed Jalili, secretary-general of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council — spoke to a group of reporters in Baghdad. Ashton addressed the journalists first, then Jalili.

IAEA Finds Evidence of Higher Enriched Uranium; Fiat Out of Iran

Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Farsi and Arabic press and excerpts where the source is in English. Tehran Bureau has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Any views expressed are the authors’ own. 

2:30 a.m. IRDT, 6 Khordad/May 26 Analysis by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of environmental samples taken by agency inspectors at Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant on February 15 revealed particles with enrichment levels of up to 27 percent. That is higher than the 20 percent enrichment level that Iran officially informed the IAEA was the maximum for which the Fordow facility was designed; 20 percent is also the highest level of enrichment that Iran has publicly acknowledged conducting. In reply to the agency’s request for an explanation of the presence of the 27 percent-enriched particles, Iran stated, according to an IAEA report issued Friday, “that the production of such particles ‘above the target value’ may happen for technical reasons beyond the operator’s control.”

Israeli Military Leaders Speak Out Against Iran Strike

Retired and outgoing officers express lack of confidence in Natanyau and his push to attack Iran

Precis

The rift in Israel between the political leadership’s push for an attack on Iran, and the security establishment’s opposition widened in recent weeks. Three new voices spoke out on the question of Iran in the Israeli press, throwing doubt into the motivation of those who push for an attack, namely Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The list includes Israeli Army Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz, as well as his predecessor, Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, Former head of the Mossad, Meir Dagan, and others. At the end of April, Yuval Diskin, former head of the Israeli internal intelligence agency, the SHABAK, spoke out against the attack as well. The Real News’ Lia Tarachansky spoke to renown Ha’aretz journalist Gideon Levy, and Major General Shlomo Gazit, the former head of Army intelligence, and the first head of the Israeli agency in charge of the occupied Palestinian territories.

Bio

Gideon Levy is a prominent Israeli journalist and author of the weekly column Twilight Zone in the Israeli paper Ha’aretz. He is also an editorial board member of Ha’aretz. Between 1978 and 1982 Levy served in the Shimon Peres office when Peres was the leader of the Labor Party.

Related Story: Israel Divided Over Plan to Attack Iran

Watch full multipart The Real News in the Middle East

Iran Special: Statement By EU’s Catherine Ashton After E3+3 Talks

The E3+3 (sometimes known as the 5+1 Powers) talks with Iran about its nuclear program have ended in Baghdad. The parties haveagreed to meet in Moscow on 18-19 June to continue the discussions.

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STATEMENT BY CATHERINE ASHTON, HIGH REPRESENTATIVE
FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY AND VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COMMISSION IN BAGHDAD ON 25th MAY 2012

First of all, I would like to thank the Iraqi government, and in
particular Foreign Minister Zebari, for the excellent hospitality and
organisation of these talks.

The E3+3 remain firm, clear and united in seeking a swift diplomatic
resolution of the international community’s concerns on the exclusively
peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme, based on the NPT, and the
full implementation of UN Security Council and IAEA Board of Governors
Resolutions.  We expect Iran to take concrete and practical steps to
urgently meet the concerns of the international community, to build
confidence and to meet its international obligations.

Iran Analysis: 4 Lessons of The Baghdad Nuclear Talks…And What’s Next

Iran Delegation at Baghdad Talks1. THE UNBRIDGEABLE GAP

“Significant differences remain.”

With those three words, Catherine Ashton, the lead negotiator for the 5+1 Powers (US, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia), summarised the near-failure of the two-day nuclear talks with Iran in Baghdad.

For all the chatter about behind-the-scenes preparatory talks between the two sides, the 5+1 — led by the US and its European allies — put down an opening proposal which was never going to get a welcome from the Iranian delegation, even as a starting point. The demands remained, notably Iran’s commitment to give up enrichment of uranium to 20% and the closure of the Fordoo enrichment facility. The incentives were limited — Iran might be able to enrich to 3.5%, with supplies of 20% uranium from outside countries — and even insulting: the reference to the key issue of sanctions was “We could give you some spare parts for your civilian aircraft, having withheld these for years.”

Iran Snap Analysis: Propaganda, Negotiations, and the Economic Ties That Bind

The second round of talks between Iran and the 5+1 Powers (US, UK, France, Germany, China, Russia) on the nuclear programme are now receding. The third, to be held in Moscow, are more than three weeks away.

So it is now time for the Islamic Republic to put out stories about its economic achievements and success in repelling the aggressive sanctions of the “West”. Press TV offers an example:

 

Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yukio Edano says Tokyo is considering “realistic” options to ensure the country’s imports of Iranian crude are not disrupted. 

“We are responding to this [Iran] issue through working with other ministries as a whole,” Edano told reporters at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday. He added, “By analyzing various risk factors and overall issues, we would like to ensure crude supplies [from Iran] will not be disrupted in a realistic manner.”

Here is what Press TV leaves out — the already-significant impact of the sanctions on Japanese purchases of Tehran’s oil, with the possiblity of more constriction — from the original report by Platts News Service:

Bipartisan Letter from Congress Supports Diplomacy

May 21, 2012

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama,

We write to convey our strong support for the prevention of a nuclear weapons-capable Iran through diplomacy. We share your commitment to the ongoing multilateral discussions on Iran’s nuclear program and urge you to continue working with our P5+1 partners in pursuit of this goal.

We believe that a nuclear weapons-capable Iran poses a grave threat to the United States, to Israel, and to the global community. It is critical that we employ every available tool at our disposal to dissuade if possible—and prevent if necessary—the Iranian regime from developing nuclear weapons or the capability to produce them from stockpiled materials and components.

The latest round of economic sanctions by the United States, members of the European community, and others has demonstrated that such measures can and do elicit a response from the Iranian regime and have contributed to a clear framework for the current multilateral talks. Clearly, continued diplomatic engagement is essential and, as you prepare for the upcoming round of discussions this week in Baghdad, we believe there are two critical factors that support a redoubling of these efforts.

The first is the lengthened roster of partners: China, Russia, Germany, France, Britain, and the United States. The P5+1 partners are working together in an unprecedented display of cooperation that demonstrates a collective acknowledgement of the threat of a nuclear weapons-capable Iran. The second is the degree to which Iran, under intensified pressures, has appeared willing to engage in a serious and substantive discussion on its nuclear program.

We are aware of the possibility that the Iranian regime is simply “buying time” to further its nuclear ambitions, but we believe that Iran’s declared openness to multilateral discussions—coupled with verifiable intermediate steps to bring its program toward compliance with international obligations—is sufficient to warrant renewed determination. Given such facts, the United States and its P5+1 partners must not relent in leveraging pressure on Iran in these upcoming talks. With the looming threat of harsher sanctions due to take effect in July, the P5+1 nations may be in a stronger position to obtain positive results in Baghdad.

Mr. President, as you recently stated, “…both Israel and the United States have an interest in seeing this challenge resolved diplomatically. After all, the only way to truly solve this problem is for the Iranian government to make a decision to forsake nuclear weapons.” We agree, and we strongly believe that the United States must take full advantage of opportunities for diplomatic engagement, in concert with sanctions and other appropriate measures, to prevent a nuclear weapons-capable Iran.

Sincerely,
Signatories: Price, Dreier, Amash, Bass (CA), Becerra, Blumenauer, Braley, Butterfield, Capps, Clarke (MI), Clyburn, Cohen, Conyers, Cooper, Courtney, Cuellar, Davis (IL), Davis (KY), DeGette, DeLauro, Dent, Dicks, Dingell, Doggett, Edwards, Ellison, Eshoo, Farr, Filner, Fortenberry, Garamendi, Gonzalez, Granger, Grijalva, Gutierrez, Hanna, Hastings (FL), Heinrich, Himes, Hinchey, Honda, Jackson, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Jones, Kaptur, Larson, LaTourette, Lee, Lewis (GA), Loebsack, Lofgren, McCollum, McDermott, McGovern, Miller (CA), Moore, Moran, Murphy (CT), Olver, Pingree, Rahall, Rangel, Scott (VA), Speier, Thompson (CA), Tierney, Visclosky, Watt, Welch, Woolsey and Yarmuth

Source: UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE

Iran and ‘Divided’ P5+1 Exchange Proposals to End Nuclear Standoff

by MUHAMMAD SAHIMI

Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Farsi and Arabic press and excerpts where the source is in English. Tehran Bureau has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Any views expressed are the authors’ own. Please refer to the Media Guide to help put the stories in perspective. You can follow breaking news stories on our Twitter feed.

5:45 a.m. IRDT, 4 Khordad/May 24 The first day of negotiations in Baghdad between Iran and the P5+1 group — the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany — ended Wednesday evening; the talks will resume Thursday. Saeed Jalili, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and secretary-general of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), also met separately with Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief who leads the negotiations for the P5+1. Jalili’s deputy at the SNSC, Ali Bagheri, likewise met separately with the Chinese delegation. Bagheri apparently also met with German diplomat Helga Maria Schmid, Ashton’s senior adviser. In secret negotiations in an undisclosed location last week, Bagheri and Schmid had agreed on the agenda for the Baghdad meeting.Each side has reportedly submitted a package of proposals. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, “Our understanding is that at the first session today, the EU3+3 [P5+1] side put forward a detailed proposal which includes confidence-building measures that can pave the way for Iran to demonstrate that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and for it to comply with its UNSC [United Nations Security Council] obligations. And then this approach would also include step-by-step reciprocal steps aimed at near-term action on our part if Iran takes its own steps.”

It appears that by Wednesday evening hopes for quick progress had faded. The P5+1 apparently presented Iran with a list of tough demands involving the curbing of its uranium enrichment, but offered little sanctions relief in return. The Christian Science Monitor reported that Iranian officials have said the new package by the P5+1 goes beyond the “step-by-step” and “reciprocal” process that had been agreed upon in the round of talks held in Istanbul last month. According to the Monitor, one Iranian diplomat said, “The response from the Iranian side is, ‘What you are asking for is not what we agreed to in Istanbul.’” The diplomat added, “Steps were meant to be ‘reciprocal, simultaneous, and…balanced’ in their value to each side. Instead, Iran was told Wednesday that there would be ‘consideration’ of easing sanctions ‘later,’ after Iran made concessions.”

The P5+1 package apparently requires Iran to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions and “immediately” halt enriching uranium to 19.75 percent (commonly rounded to 20 percent, though the small difference is significant), and to ship its stockpile of uranium enriched to that level out of the country. While various reports from Tehran over the past few weeks had indicated that Iran may be open to such a proposal, it also expected to receive a significant concession in return, which the P5+1 package apparently does not contain. At the same time, full compliance with Security Council would require Iran to suspend its enrichment of uranium even at the 3.5-5 percent level, which Iran is unlikely to accept, at least in the absence of major incentives or concessions.

Michael Mann, Ashton’s chief spokesman, said, “We are getting into the substance of the matter…. We hope the Iranians will respond positively. We’re going to make solid progress if things go well.” While the Western powers are “hopeful” that Iran will have a positive response to their set of proposals, according to Mann, he indicated that sanctions would not be eliminated as an immediate consequence of the Baghdad talks. IRNA, Iran’s official news agency, quoted one of its correspondents as saying, “The problem with the P5+1 package is that there is no balance, and there is nothing [for Iran] to get in return for what they [Iran] give.”

In response to a question about the mechanism for reciprocal steps by both sides, the State Department’s Nuland said, “This is a package of first steps, so Iran would take some steps and then we would take some steps [emphasis mine]. We will see how Iran reacts to that proposal. But [the negotiators] are in the middle of it now, so I think we will let them finish, and then I’m sure there’ll be some press statements after they’re finished.”Iran has announced that it offered a comprehensive package of five basic points to the P5+1 after the first session of talks wrapped up. It is said to involve both nuclear and unspecified nonnuclear issues, which may concern regional security matters, in particular the crisis in Syria. Various sources have reported that Iran has not changed it principal position, namely, that it is entitled to the use of nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment, for peaceful purposes. Iran’s package reportedly envisages a step-by-step approach to resolve the dispute over its nuclear program, and the practical steps the Western governments should take in parallel. Press TV, the English-language subsidiary of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, reported that the members of the P5+1 are divided over how to respond to the Iranian package. IRNA similarly reported that there is no consensus among the P5+1 members, reflected by the fact that a member of the U.S. delegation said that Washington would still pursue new sanctions, to which Russia has announced its opposition.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said that “no negative signals have been exchanged between the two sides.” He added, “The Iran and P5+1 negotiations have entered a sensitive phase…. The P5+1 conveyed its offers to the Iranian representatives and is waiting for a response.” In the United States, aboard Air Force One en route to Colorado Springs, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said,

The talks are underway in Baghdad, as scheduled, and the fact that they are taking place as a continuance of the initial round [in Istanbul] is a sign of progress. The initial round was important because the Iranians focused on their nuclear program, and that will continue to be the case, we hope. I don’t have any readout of today’s meetings, but I can say that we want to see this effort succeed. Any process has to have as part of it reciprocal actions and Iran must demonstrate it is serious about moving forward with addressing the concerns of the international community. As I said yesterday when asked about the announcement by the IAEA director [Yukiya Amano], the fact that there are positive steps forward is absolutely worth noting, but we judge Iran by its actions, not by its promises. And so we will continue to press forward with our allies and partners with the unprecedented sanctions regime as we, on a separate track, work with our P5-plus-1 partners to pursue an effort to resolve this conflict diplomatically.

Source: Tehran Bureau

Iran Begins Talks with World Powers

Source: VOA

Talks between world powers and Iran have started in Baghdad in an effort to negotiate an agreement over disputes involving Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

Wednesday’s meeting brings together Iran’s nuclear negotiator with representatives of the so-called P5+1: Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States plus Germany.

At issue is Iran’s production of highly-enriched uranium that Western nations fear could ultimately be used to make a nuclear bomb. Iran says its nuclear program is being developed for peaceful means.

The talks are being held in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone. It is the second meeting since diplomacy resumed in April after more than a year of delays. Amid increased hopes for a breakthrough, diplomats expect talks could go into a second, unscheduled day.

Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society — Standing Against Homophobia, Defending Students, and More (Arseh Sevom)

Arseh Sevom, the NGO promoting civil society in Iran, post their summary of latest developments:

Anti-Homophobia Campaign in Iran

May 17th marked the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. With sodomy remainingan offense which can be punishable by death, youth in Iran have begun a Facebook campaign to give voice to a message of anti-homophobia.

A report in Persian is accompanied with photos of small actions of defiance.

An Iranian student organization called “Iranian Liberal Students and Alumni” has issued a memodemanding an end to all kinds of homophobic behavior.

The Latest from Iran (23 May): Nuclear Talks in Baghdad

The European Union’s Catherine Ashton meets Iran’s Saeed Jalili at today’s nuclear talks in Baghdad

2050 GMT: Nuclear Watch. After a bilateral meeting between the EU’s Catherine Ashton and Iran’s Saeed Jalili of almost two hours, discussions have ended in Baghdad for today.

2010 GMT: Nuclear Prediction Comes True. EA this morning:

Iranian media features the line of politicians and clerics that any discussion must begin with a “Western” offer to ease sanctions. That is the requirement for the talks to move to consideration of limits and monitoring of Tehran’s enrichment.

Scott Peterson of the Christian Science Monitor this evening:

“The response from the Iranian side is: ‘What you are asking for is … not what we agreed to in Istanbul,’” an Iranian diplomat close to the talks [said[, referring to the demands of six world powers that include Iran capping uranium enrichment and scrapping a deeply buried facility.Steps were meant to be “reciprocal, simultaneous, and ... balanced” in their value to each side, says the Iranian diplomat. Instead, Iran was told there would be “consideration” of easing sanctions “later,” after Iran made concessions.

EA this morning:

Behind the public pose, there has to be a significant assurance by the Americans and Europeans over sanctions, on the basis that Iran will not demand self-sufficiency in enriching uranium to 20%.

Peterson this evening:

"This is what we were afraid of," says the Iranian diplomat. "No one is going to accept these things this way. [Giving up] the 20 percent and shutting down Fordow [enrichment plant], in return for nothing? Nothing?”

Eye on Iran: Iran Nuclear Talks Begin

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WSJ: ”Global powers presented Iran with a new package of demands and inducements Wednesday aimed at limiting the country’s nuclear program, according to Western officials involved in the diplomacy. The negotiations are seeking to build on a tentative agreement reached Monday between Iran and the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that would allow international inspectors access to sites, scientists and documents that the West believes are related to an alleged Iranian nuclear weapons program. The talks, which are being held in the Iraqi capital, bring together Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany. The international diplomatic bloc, known as the P5+1, is seeking to get Iran to freeze its production of nuclear fuel enriched to 20% purity, according to Western diplomats, and to ship out its stockpile of the fuel to a third country. Such moves are seen as reducing Iran’s ability to quickly amass the fissile material needed to develop an atomic weapon.”http://t.uani.com/KBz1BD 

Meir Javedanfar: How Israelis (Including Iranian Israelis) Read Iran

by TARA MAHTAFAR

“Most Iranian Israelis are very pro-Iran, and very anti-regime.”

Meir Javedanfar is an Iranian-born Middle East analyst based in Tel Aviv. He specializes in Iranian affairs in areas including intelligence, defense, the economy, and domestic politics. He is the director of the Middle East Economic and Political Analysis Company (MEEPAS) and coauthor of The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran, which examines the background of the Iranian president and the country’s nuclear program. In this interview, conducted via Skype, Javedanfar analyzes the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, Israeli public opinion on a possible military strike against Iran, and the views of Iranian Israelis concerning the “nuclear threat” from Tehran.

***

Let’s start with the human and societal side, which we hear less about. Has Ahmadinejad’s inflammatory rhetoric against Israel, particularly his denial of the Holocaust, and escalating tensions with Iran, negatively affected Iran-born Israelis?

IAEA and Iran Reach Agreement; Senate Approves Tougher Sanctions

by MUHAMMAD SAHIMI

Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Farsi and Arabic press and excerpts where the source is in English. Tehran Bureau has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Any views expressed are the authors’ own. .

1 a.m. IRDT, 3 Khordad/May 23 Yukiya Amano, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), announced that he had reached an agreement during his one-day trip to Iran that will allow his inspectors to visit the Parchin military site 12 miles southeast of Tehran. The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency and Iranian officials agreed to create a document that will outline the steps necessary for Iran to address suspicions over its nuclear program. ISNA, the Iranian Students News Agency, confirmed that an agreement had been reached.This is the first time since June 2007 that the IAEA and Iran have agreed on a protocol to give agency inspectors greater access to the Islamic Republic’s facilities. Parchin, where Iran has produced conventional military explosives and ammunition for several decades, has been a focus of attention since the IAEA report this past November in which the agency claimed that Iran might have conducted experiments with high explosives there that are relevant to triggering a nuclear device.

Iran Analysis: A Guide to Watching Today’s Nuclear Talks

European Union’s Catherine Ashton and Iran’s Saeed Jalili at last month’s nuclear talks in Istanbul (Cartoon:Nikahang Kowsar)

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About now, Iranian officials, led by Saeed Jalili, are sitting with six other delegations (US, British, France, Germany, China, and Russia) at a conference table in Baghdad to discuss Tehran’s uranium enrichment.

This is the second set of talks since a resumption after a 2 1/2-year break. The opening day in Istanbul on 14 April was a promising introduction, with all sides showing willingness to carry on talks. Over the last six weeks, there have been a series of closed-door preparatory meetings, notably between Helga Schmid of the European Union and Ali Bagheri, the deputy head of the Iranian negotiating team.

On Monday, there was a significant, promising prelude to Baghdad when International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano visited Tehran for a day of discussions about a  protocol for inspecting and safeguarding Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iranian officials were enthusiastic about the outcome; even more importantly, Amano indicated on Tuesday that a deal was imminent on IAEA access.

So does that progress continue today and beyond?

The Latest from Iran (23 May): Nuclear Talks in Baghdad

0708 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. He may have been sidelined in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear talks with the “West”, with his supporters sniping at the discussions, but President Ahmadinejad is still grabbing for the limelight.

Press TV headlines Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric, using a photo opportunity with an advisor to the Sudanese President, “Today, arrogant powers and the enemies of mankind have put pressure on independent nations and governments, including Iran and Sudan. It is upon all independent nations and governments to stand up against expansionists through solidarity, brotherhood and supporting one another.”

And news breaks that Ahmadinejad will visit China in June for a “security summit”, with the gloss that he will discuss nuclear issues with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

0705 GMT: Subsidy Cuts Watch. A significant concession from the Minister of Economy Shamseddin Hosseini — although he did not present it this way — on Tuesday, as he said that the timing for the implementation of the second phase of subsidy cuts is “not clear”.

Government officials said in December that the second phase was “imminent”, but the plan has been beset by political criticism and economic difficulties.

Eye on Iran: US Won’t Ease Oil Sanctions at Iran Nuclear Talks

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Bloomberg: ”Negotiators headed to Baghdad for a second round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program won’t be giving Iran the relief it is seeking from oil and financial sanctions hobbling its economy, according to Obama administration officials and Western diplomats. Instead, the U.S. and the five other major powers that will hold talks tomorrow with Iran in the Iraqi capital have agreed on confidence-building measures they may offer in response to Iranian concessions, said several U.S. officials and Western diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue… At the [May 17 House Foreign Affairs Committee] hearing, Mark Wallace, president of United Against Nuclear Iran, a New York-based advocacy group, said Congress should send a strong message to the administration by passing stronger sanctions on Iranian banking, insurance, disclosure and shipping. Wallace urged lawmakers to make sanctions more ‘airtight’ and said the administration can be more aggressive about enforcing an economic blockade on Iran and pressing EU allies ‘to not walk back those very important steps that they’ve taken.’” http://t.uani.com/Lcw75f

Fox News: ”Intent on weakening Iran economically, the Senate on Monday approved tough new penalties on the Tehran regime to thwart its nuclear ambitions. By voice vote, the Senate backed the measure ahead of talks between leading nations and Iran in Baghdad on Wednesday. The bill would target Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, require companies that trade on the U.S. stock exchange to disclose any Iran-related business to the Securities and Exchange Commission and would expand penalties for energy and uranium mining joint ventures with Tehran. The bill also would deny visas and freeze assets on individuals and companies that supply Iran with technology that could be used to crack down on its citizens, such as tear gas, rubber bullets and surveillance equipment. Both the Obama administration and the international community have imposed tough sanctions on Iran over its nuclear development program, which Iran maintains is for peaceful purposes only.”http://t.uani.com/Lycpqm

How to Engage Iran in Baghdad: Toward a Win-Win Strategy

by ANGIE AHMADI

Emphasize potential rewards rather than further punishments.

Angie Ahmadi is an associate at the National Iranian American Council.

The recent nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.N. Security Council members plus Germany (the P5+1) in Istanbul sparked optimism that the decade-long dispute could be resolved. Positive anticipation of the next round of talks in Baghdad has been amplified by Tehran’s softened rhetoric. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi recently stated that Iran will work to improve relations with the West. Even more significantly, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s special adviser on international affairs, Ali Akbar Velayati, described the Istanbul meeting as a step forward: “We hope the following steps will be positive and the West’s positioning will not mutate.” These remarks indicate a degree of support from Khamenei. But how should Iran’s seeming appetite for compromise be utilized by the West to build what E.U. foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called “a sustained process of dialogue”?Parsing Iran’s recent behavior can help create a successful framework for negotiations in Baghdad. More than sanctions, Iran’s domestic political developments may offer a better explanation of Tehran’s posture. Iran’s political landscape has shifted in ways that could provide Khamenei with greater decision-making latitude, and factors often identified as impediments to engagement — factional rivalries within the ruling system and anti-Americanism as a fundamental element of the regime’s identity — may carry less weight than in the past. With an emasculated opposition and a curtailed President Ahmadinejad, Khamenei faces less political pressure at home, thereby removing some obstacles to compromise. Although it is widely believed that a deal with Khamenei is unlikely given his negative perception of the West and risk-averse personality, historical precedent suggests the contrary. Khamenei has been constitutionally authorized to block any foreign policy initiative, but he allowed attempts by former presidents Rafsanjani and Khatami to negotiate with the West. Hence, it may be more accurate to say that Khamenei is unlikely to support a deal unless he perceives it as fair and not undermining his own authority.

FAZ: IAEA: Einigung mit Iran über Untersuchung von Atomanlagen

Nach Auskunft des IAEA-Chefs Yukiya Amano haben sich Iran und die Internationale Atomenergie-Organisation auf eine Untersuchung des iranischen Atomprogramms geeinigt. Kleinere Meinungsverschiedenheiten müssten aber noch geklärt werden.

© AFPAmano spricht nach seiner Rückkehr aus Teheran am Wiener Flughafen mit Journalisten

Die Internationale Atomenergie-Organisation (IAEA) und Iran haben sich auf eine Untersuchung des umstrittenen Atomprogramms geeinigt. Eine entsprechende Vereinbarung solle bald unterzeichnet werden, sagte IAEA-Chef Yukiya Amano nach seiner Rückkehr aus Teheran am Dienstag in Wien. Einige kleinere Meinungsverschiedenheiten müssten noch geklärt werden.

Amano sagte, Teil der Vereinbarung sei auch der Zugang zu der militärischen Forschungsanlage in Parchin nahe Teheran. Der Westen verdächtigt Iran, dort Tests mit Atomsprengköpfen zu simulieren. In dem Abkommen sollen die Bedingungen festgehalten werden, unter denen Iran der IAEA Zugang zu Dokumenten, Experten und Anlagen gewährt. Amano sagte: „Es bestehen noch einige Unterschiede, aber Herr Dschalili erklärte, diese werden kein Hindernis sein, um eine Einigung zu erzielen.“ Details nannte der IAEA-Chef nicht.

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NYT: U.N. Nuclear Monitor Strikes Deal with Iran, Reports Say

TEHRAN — The leader of the United Nations nuclear monitoring arm was reported on Tuesday to have said he expects to sign a cooperation deal with Iran “quite soon” after conferring with senior Iranian officials during an unusual one-day trip to Tehran.

The announcement by Yukiya Amano, the director general of theInternational Atomic Energy Agency, came as he returned to Vienna from Tehran ahead of negotiations scheduled for Wednesday betweenIran and the world powers over Iran’s disputed uranium enrichment.

Reuters reported that Mr. Amano said a “decision was made to conclude and sign the agreement.” While some details remained to be worked out, he added: “I can say it will be signed quite soon.”

Neither the Iranians nor the United Nations monitor, the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, offered details on the substance of the visit to Tehran on Monday, his first to Iran since his appointment in 2009. Al Alam, Iran’s Arabic-language channel, quoted Mr. Amano as saying his meetings had been “very useful,” but did not elaborate.

Mr. Amano’s trip here, announced unexpectedly on Friday, was part of what diplomats in Vienna called an effort centered on persuading Iran to allow inspections of a site the agency suspects has been used for secret tests for triggering mechanisms that could be used in a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials have ridiculed those suspicions and contended that the site, called Parchin, was sufficiently inspected by the agency in 2005.

The visit precedes a second round of talks between Iran and six world powers, scheduled to start on Wednesday in Baghdad. At that meeting, negotiators will try to reach agreement on the framework of the beginning of a compromise in which Iran would stop enriching uranium to 20 percent purity — a level considered a short technical step away from weapons grade. In exchange, Western powers would allow the Islamic republic to produce its own fuel at a much lower rate of purity not usable for nuclear weapons.

Whether such a compromise can be achieved remains unclear. Israel, which considers Iran a threat to its existence and has threatened to bomb Iran’s nuclear installations, has urged negotiators for the world powers to reject any deal that would permit Iran to enrich any uranium. Although there have been some subtle signs from Israel that it may be more flexible, its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ceded no ground on Monday.

Mr. Amano met with Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, who is scheduled to fly to Baghdad for the talks with the world powers: Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. The semiofficial Fars News Agency said Mr. Jalili had complained that the United Nations agency had been “leaking” information to Iran’s enemies, suggesting that such information had led to the assassination of five of Iran’s nuclear scientists from 2010 to November.

On Monday morning, morning Mr. Amano met with the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Fereydoon Abbasi, who survived an assassination attempt in 2010. Both men “explicitly” discussed the current problems between Iran and the agency, the Fars report said, adding the Iranian side had offered suggestions. No further details were given.

Hussein Shariatmadari, an influential adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, contended in remarks published Sunday that the purpose of Mr. Amano’s sudden trip had been to frustrate Iran’s negotiators by canceling a strategic meeting that was to have taken place in Vienna on Monday. Those negotiators had been scheduled to receive long-awaited documents from the agency suggesting that the country had tested nuclear triggers in a blast chamber at Parchin. Iranian officials say they need the documents to prepare for the meeting on Wednesday with the world powers.

“This is the ‘proof’ the West always uses against us, but which they are afraid to show us,” Mr. Shariatmadari, editor in chief of the state newspaper Kayhan, wrote in a column. “Now they can continue to pressure us with their claims during the Baghdad talks.”

But other Iranian officials said Mr. Amano’s visit was commendable.

“Visiting Tehran, for the first time, helps Mr. Amano to get a realistic impression of our nuclear activities,” said Hamid Reza Taraghi, a political analyst close to Iran’s highest leaders. “We need to continue this positive atmosphere in Baghdad.”

In Israel, Mr. Netanyahu went out of his way to restate his hawkish position.

“The objectives of Iran are clear: It wants to destroy Israel and is developing nuclear weapons to realize that goal,” Mr. Netanyahu said. The big powers “need to put before Iran clear and unequivocal demands: Iran must end all enrichment of nuclear material, Iran must remove from its territory all material that has been enriched up until now, and Iran must dismantle the underground nuclear facility in Qum.”

The prime minister’s remarks came on a day that Haaretz, the left-leaning Israeli daily newspaper, published a front-page article suggesting that his administration “may be more flexible about Iranian low-level uranium enrichment than it is currently willing to let on.” The article referred to a written statement by the defense minister, Ehud Barak, saying that enrichment up to 3.5 percent could be acceptable, and said Mr. Barak had shared this view with American officials.

Full text

Welt: US-Senat gibt grünes Licht für neue Iran-Sanktionen

Washington – Zwei Tage vor Beginn der Gespräche der fünf UN-Vetomächte und Deutschlands (5+1) mit dem Iran über dessen umstrittenes Atomprogramm hat der US-Senat grünes Licht für eine weitere Verschärfung der Wirtschaftssanktionen gegen das Land gegeben.

Unter anderem richten sie sich gegen die einflussreichen iranischen Revolutionsgarden und ihre Rolle bei den Ölexporten. Der Beschluss wurde am Montag (Ortszeit) in Washington einstimmig gefasst.

«Heute hat der Senat dem Iran in klares Zeichen gesendet, während er sich auf die 5+1-Gespräche in Bagdad vorbereitet», sagte der Co-Autor der Vorlage, der demokratische Senator Robert Menendez. Teheran müsse bei den Gesprächen einen überprüfbaren Plan zur vollständigen Offenlegung seiner Atomwaffenpläne vorlegen. «Ansonsten wird Washington die wirtschaftliche Schlinge weiter zuziehen», sagte der Senator aus Florida.

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UN Nuclear Chief Seeks Weapons Probe Deal In Tehran

Source: RFE/RL

The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog agency has held talks with Iranian officials in Tehran about clearing the way for an international probe into whether Iran has conducted secret nuclear-weapons research.

Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani (left) during meeting with IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano (center)

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Yukiya Amano was reported to have met with the head of Iran’s nuclear-energy organization, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, during talks on May 21.

Amano was also expected to meet with chief nuclear negotiator Said Jalili and Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.

Roundup of Today’s International News 21/05/12

IRAN – IAEA, P5+1 TALKS

Lift sanctions, Iran tells West before nuke talks
Iran on Saturday said sanctions over its disputed nuclear programme should be lifted in talks with world powers next week in Baghdad, but maintained the punitive measures would not compel it to abandon its atomic “rights.”

IAEA chief in Iran to urge more cooperation
“There has been good progress during the recent rounds of discussions between Iran and IAEA. So I thought that now is the right time … to visit Iran and have direct talks with high officials of Iran,” UN nuclear watchdog chief, Yukiya Amano added. But he added: “This visit is very short, and I’m not an inspector”.

IAEA To Press Iranians On Site Visits Before Iraq Meeting
“Iran will not sign a deal with the IAEA until it can be used as one of its chips in the Baghdad meeting,” Fitzpatrick said. “The IAEA report will be a punctuation mark painting the increasingly dire picture of Iran’s program.”

For Iran ‘Breakthrough,’ Coalition Cannot Break Down
Far from a breakthrough, what we can expect from the nuclear talks in that case is a long, slow and frustrating process.

Iran News Round Up (May 21)

Politics Political analyst Sadeq Zibakalam: “In case,… Mr. Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf enters the [presidential] electoral arena, I believe that the reformists should swallow their pride and sentiments… All reformists should join in supporting Mr. Qalibaf. This means that Mr. Aref officially asks the reformist voters to vote for Mr. Qalibaf… Mr. Aref would be an ideal president for the reformists, but the fundamental question is this: Would Mohammad-Reza Aref be able to take steps towards reform? What steps could Mr. Qalibaf take in the direction of realizing reformist agenda…? We should have no doubt that Mr. Qalibaf would be stronger…” Diplomacy Asr-e Iran describes Saudi Arabia as “the enemy of Iran,” and predicts a gloomy future for relations between the two countries. Iran-Azerbaijan relations: Trend News Agency reports anti-Iran demonstrations in Baku. Combatant Clergy Association slams the Republic of Azerbaijan for hosting the Eurovision. Ayatollah Kazem Sediqi, temporary Tehran Friday prayer leader, criticizes Azerbaijan for hosting the Eurovision and for “allowing a parade for the homosexuals.” Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari, Tabriz Friday prayer leader: “The government of Azerbaijan should know that by staging a homosexuals’ parade in the city of Baku, the anger and hatred of the Muslims of the world would be uncontrollable.” Ayatollah Alam al-Hoda, Mashhad Friday prayer leader: “This is theconspiracy of Israel in a Shi’a country…” The Tehran Friday prayer ends with a rally protesting the Saudi-Bahrain union plan.

Military and Security Fars News, quoting Al-Menar, writes that Hojjat al-Eslam Mohammad Mohammadi, representative of the Supreme Leader to the Awqaf and Charities Organization, during a visit to Lebanon, meets with Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Ghazanfar Roknabadi, the Islamic Republic’s ambassador to Beirut, was also present at the meeting. Parliamentarian Ali Mottahari: “The Revolutionary Guards intervened in many constituencies [during the parliamentary election] in order to seriously support candidates backed by this force…” Ramezan Sharif, Revolutionary Guards Public Relations commander,dismisses Mottahari’s accusations: “Those making such claims should document their allegations… It is clear that the Guards preserves itself the right to legally pursue those who claim the Guards has intervened in elections…” According to Basij Commander Mohammad-Reza Naqdi, the Basij has established “rapid reaction forces of the Basij.“

Nuclear Issue The Justice Seeking Student Movement in a statement commenting on the announcednegotiations with the 5+1 Group stresses that “there is no excuse for joining the arrogant [powers] at the negotiation table…” The statement continues: “Have we forgotten that the United States and the great powers of the East and West think of nothing but their arrogant interests? Do we think that their enmity towards Islamic logic has come to an end? Do we think that the arrogant [powers] of the world have abandoned their arrogant nature? And do we hope to achieve victory for the Iranian nation and the sympathy of the world at these negotiations? Have we forgotten that whenever we have negotiated with the bullying powers of the world, in the end we returned from those negotiations with shame…?” “The world conditions are in our favor right now… Stopping the nuclear program in order to get rid of some of the sanctions and other such vague promises is not acceptable… Economic conditions and problems should not be used as excuses to retreat… It has been proven that whenever Iran has taken steps to reduce the pressure by adjusting its foreign policy towards negotiations with the arrogant [powers]… they have seen this as a sign of our weakness… Therefore, any agreement imposing restrictions upon the right of the country for nuclear progress is unacceptable… Our red line is return to the Tehran declaration… the additional protocol is our red line…” [E] Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi expressed the hope that the Wednesday talks in Baghdad between Iran and the six world powers would entail good results as it was the case in the April 14 talks in Istanbul. [E] Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano, in a meeting with Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoun Abbasi in Tehran on Monday, underlined eagerness of the UN nuclear watchdog to further develop cooperation with Iran in various areas of nuclear applications.

Trade and Economy [E] India’s Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limits (MRPL) received the first cargo of Iranian crude oil insured by an Iranian company. [E] Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi downplayed the effects of sanctions on the country’s progress in the oil and gas industries, and said Iran has managed to set a record in building refineries in recent years.

Iran in the Afghan Media Afghanistan’s deputy foreign minister told the upper house of parliament that the spy agencies of Iran and Pakistan had ordered certain armed groups to destabilize Afghanistan through assassinating government officials: “After overt reactions in the media, Iran will increase intelligence activities to spread propaganda and equip armed groups across the country, in partnership with the ISI, Haqqani terrorist network, Lashkar-e Taiba, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.”