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Top Stories
Independent
Online: "International
Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has admitted
that SA's representative on the International Atomic Energy Agency was
instructed by the government to take a stance in a key nuclear
proliferation vote that benefited ANC-connected cellphone giant MTN in
its commercial dealings with the government of nuclear pariah Iran. The
vote, under scrutiny in a written parliamentary question by DA spokesman
on defence David Maynier, was one in early 2005 in which a decision was
to be taken in the IAEA on whether to refer the issue of Iran's refusal
to allow UN inspectors access to its controversial nuclear programme to
the UN's Security Council for further action. Referring the matter to the
Security Council would almost certainly have led to an intensification of
trade sanctions, arms embargoes and other punitive measures against the
recalcitrant Iranians. For their part, as emerged in papers before a
court in Washington DC, the Iranians had made it a pre-condition for
entering into a $31.6bn cellular contract with MTN that SA use its
influential IAEA vote against UN sanctions on Iran." http://t.uani.com/Ph0gSC
Reuters:
"The U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran failed on Friday to strike a
deal aimed at allaying concerns about suspected nuclear weapons research
by Tehran, a setback in efforts to resolve the stand-off diplomatically
before any Israeli or U.S. military action... ensions rose another notch
on the eve of Friday's talks between Iran and the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) when diplomatic sources said Iran had installed many
more uranium enrichment centrifuges at its Fordow underground site. While
the new machines are not yet operating, the move reaffirmed Iranian
defiance of international demands on it to suspend enrichment and may
strengthen the Israeli belief that toughened sanctions and concerted
diplomacy are failing to make the Islamic Republic change course." http://t.uani.com/RnYyDR
NYT:
"The Obama administration insisted Friday that 'there is time and
space' for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis, despite
new evidence, to be released next week by international nuclear
inspectors, that Iran is bolstering its ability to produce a type of
uranium that can be converted relatively quickly to bomb fuel. In a
statement that was notable chiefly for the fact that it was issued before
the International Atomic Energy Agency's report is scheduled to be made
public, a White House spokesman, Tommy Vietor, said Iran 'is continuing
to violate its international obligations' despite the imposition of
sanctions that severely restrict the country's oil revenue." http://t.uani.com/PKSh2d
Nuclear
Program
AFP:
"Iran has 'sanitized' to such an extent a military base where
nuclear weapons research allegedly took place that the UN atomic watchdog
may say next week there is now little point inspecting it, Western
diplomats told AFP. The International Atomic Energy Agency has been
pushing Iran to allow access to Parchin, most recently at a failed
meeting in Vienna on Friday, where it suspects explosives testing
consistent with nuclear bomb research occurred... Western nations have
accused Iran of bulldozing parts of the sprawling base near Tehran and
the IAEA said in May that activities spotted there by satellite 'could
hamper the agency's ability to undertake effective verification.'" http://t.uani.com/ODMyfj
Reuters:
"Iran indicated on Monday it might allow diplomats visiting Tehran
for this week's Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit to inspect the Parchin
military base, which U.N. nuclear experts say may have been used for
nuclear-related explosives tests. When asked about the possibility,
Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh said: 'Such a visit
is not customary in such meetings ... However at the discretion of
authorities, Iran would be ready for such a visit,' the Iranian
government-linked news agency Young Journalists Club reported. The
tentative offer was made just three days after the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) again requested access to Parchin for its inspectors
at a meeting in Vienna." http://t.uani.com/U5HmD5
Reuters:
"A U.S. think-tank published satellite imagery on Friday which it
said showed 'pink colored material' covering a building at a sensitive
military site in Iran which U.N. nuclear inspectors want to visit. The
Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said the tarp -
at the Parchin military complex - might be an attempt to conceal alleged
clean-up work there at a time when Iran is under growing international
pressure to open up its disputed nuclear program to scrutiny. The images
were consistent with a Reuters story on Thursday, which cited diplomatic
sources as saying a brightly-colored tent-like structure now covered the
building." http://t.uani.com/NWizhc
NYT:
"At the entrance to the convention hall where Iran is sponsoring an
international summit meeting are the crumpled wreckage of three cars
driven by Iranian nuclear scientists who have been killed or hurt in bomb
attacks. Placards with the photos of the scientists and their children
stand alongside. The message is clear. As Iran plays host to the biggest
international conference the Islamic republic has organized in its
33-year history, it wants to tell its side of the long standoff with the
Western powers, which are increasingly convinced that Tehran is pursuing
nuclear weapons." http://t.uani.com/PhcquO
Bloomberg:
"Iran will allow officials from the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement
to visit nuclear facilities during a summit in Tehran this month, the
Foreign Ministry said. The visits will be arranged according to the
interests of 'our guests,' Ramin Mehmanparast, a ministry spokesman, said
at a press conference in Tehran today. Iran will also schedule trips to
industrial and scientific sites, he said. United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said on Aug. 23 that he will attend the
gathering in Iran's capital from Aug. 26-31 that will also include
Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem will also attend meetings
during the summit, Mehmanparast said." http://t.uani.com/U5InuS
RFE/RL:
"During a visit to RFE/RL's headquarters in Prague on August 26,
U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (Independent-Connecticut) said there is 'clear'
evidence that Iran is seeking to build a nuclear weapons capacity and
that if Tehran achieves this goal it would represent a threat to the
entire world. 'I am supportive of the current approach of the Unites
States administration toward Iran's nuclear weapons development program,'
he said. 'We think this is evidence -- clear -- not just from the U.S.
but international United Nations agencies, that the Iranian regime is
building the capacity to build a nuclear weapon -- many of them -- and
that if that happened it would be threatening to the entire region and
the entire world.'" http://t.uani.com/SI8XdD
Sanctions
Reuters:
"Iran's foreign minister urged delegates at a Non-Aligned Movement
(NAM) developing nations summit on Sunday to oppose sanctions imposed by
the West on the Islamic Republic to punish it for its nuclear activities.
Western diplomats have sought to play down the importance of NAM at the
start of Iran's three-year presidency of the body set up in 1961 to
counter big power domination of international relations. However, Iran
welcomed delegates from the group of 120 developing nations to the
meeting it says proves that Washington has failed to isolate it from the
rest of the world." http://t.uani.com/OiQEsO
AFP:
"A senior US lawmaker called for diplomatic repercussions on
Washington's ties with Iraq and Afghanistan if the countries do not
cooperate on curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who
chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asked Pentagon chief Leon
Panetta and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to detail what measures
are being taken to prevent Tehran's efforts to bypass sanctions through
financial dealings brokered by Iraq and Afghanistan. 'The Iranian regime
is trying to access the financial sectors of Iraq and Afghanistan, as
well as the energy sector of Iraq, to provide Tehran with crucial foreign
currency reserves at a time when sanctions are having an effect,'
Ros-Lehtinen wrote in a letter to Panetta and Geithner." http://t.uani.com/RfVshb
Reuters:
"U.S. authorities are investigating UniCredit's (CRDI.MI) German
unit HVB as part of a global crackdown on possible violations of
sanctions on Iran that has already cost Standard Chartered (STAN.L) a
hefty settlement. In an emailed statement on Sunday, UniCredit said the
New York County District Attorney's Office, the U.S. Department of
Justice and the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets
Control were leading the investigation... UniCredit said HVB was
conducting a broader review of its historic compliance with U.S. economic
sanctions on its own initiative. HVB declined to comment beyond the
statement." http://t.uani.com/QH9ckm
Bloomberg:
"HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA), which is under investigation by U.S.
regulators for laundering funds of sanctioned nations including Iran and
Sudan, is in talks to settle the matter, two people with knowledge of the
case said. The bank, Europe's largest by market value, made a $700
million provision in July for any U.S. fines after a Senate Committee
found it had given terrorists and drug cartels access to the U.S.
financial system. That sum might increase, Chief Executive Officer Stuart
Gulliver has said. An HSBC settlement regulators and the Manhattan
District Attorney were aiming to conclude as early as September may have
been slowed when New York's banking superintendent accused Standard
Chartered of laundering $250 billion for Iran." http://t.uani.com/RfUxNL
Daily Telegraph:
"Documents obtained by The Sunday Telegraph in Quito last week
reveal that detailed plans have been drawn up to establish substantial
banking mechanisms between the two countries, even though they lie 8,000
miles apart and have only the tiniest of trade links... 'The trading
links between the two countries are marginal, so this new orientation by
our government can only be explained in ideological terms or hidden
deals,' said Cesar Montufar, an opposition leader who first helped reveal
the Iranian ties last month. 'Correa wants to position himself as a
representative of the radical left on a global stage. The Assange case
fits with that strategy. And so does his approach to Iran.' What would
make those links all the more appealing to Tehran is that Ecuador has
used the US dollar as its own currency since a 2000 financial crisis
brought the country to its knees. So any deal would give Iran, which is
being choked of access to US dollars by international sanctions,
immediate access to America's financial backyard." http://t.uani.com/PlqwfU
Reuters:
"World oil consumers are poised to tap into emergency oil
inventories as soon as early September after the International Energy
Agency (IEA) dropped its resistance to a U.S.-led plan, a source and an
oil journal said on Friday...But market fundamentals may not be the
principal consideration. While the disruption to Iran's exports may be
used as the excuse for action, U.S. officials are also keen to temper
rising prices that risk diminishing the impact of financial sanctions on
Tehran, Reuters reported last week, citing sources." http://t.uani.com/PITc5w
Human Rights
Radio Zamaneh:
"More than 400 Iranian political and social activists have written
to the UN Secretary General to urge him to visit Iranian opposition
leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard and Mehdi Karroubi, who have
been under house arrest in Iran for more than 18 months. Ban Ki-moon, the
UN Secretary General, is scheduled to attend the NAM meeting in Tehran
this week... The signatories have written that this is the best
opportunity for the UN Secretary General to directly evaluate the human
rights conditions in Iran." http://t.uani.com/Om3kxv
WSJ:
"Iran returned opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi to house arrest
just a day after he had undergone a three-hour heart operation,
opposition websites reported, deepening tensions between the government
and its internal critics as Tehran prepares to host an international
summit of nations... The heart attack drew renewed attention to the
treatment of Mr. Mousavi, who supporters say was healthy before the
government accused him of sedition and put him into isolated house arrest
18 months ago. He was returned to house arrest Friday, Kalame reported.
Mr. Mousavi was dismissed prematurely from the hospital because of
security concerns about the conference, a family member said Friday, adding
that his condition was stable and that immediate family were allowed to
visit him on Friday." http://t.uani.com/SF8sT9
Amnesty:
"Writer Arzhang Davoodi, who is facing fresh charges after being
imprisoned in Iran for nearly nine years, must be released immediately
and unconditionally, Amnesty International said. Arzhang Davoodi, 60, who
has been imprisoned since October 2003, faces a court hearing before
Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on 28 August on a new
charge of 'enmity against God' (moharebeh), which carries a possible
death sentence. The new charge is believed to be linked to his peaceful
political activism and writings, including the release of an audio
recording in which he called for 'freedom and democracy.'" http://t.uani.com/Tiw0cn
Terrorism
Reuters:
"One way to win a court case is to get the United States Congress to
change the rules of the game midstream. A little-noticed provision tucked
into the latest Iran sanctions bill may have done just that for American
victims of a 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut.
The sanctions bill, signed by President Barack Obama on August 10, set
out additional penalties against Tehran to curb the country's nuclear
ambitions. The bill also specifically disarms claims the Central Bank of
Iran has made in a legal battle in federal court in Manhattan over $1.75
billion in securities frozen in a New York bank account that the central
bank says it owns. The plaintiffs in that case are trying to get Tehran,
through the Central Bank of Iran, to pay damages for Iran's suspected
role in helping Hezbollah carry out the barracks attack during the civil
war in Lebanon." http://t.uani.com/Qjq3iJ
Syrian Uprising
Reuters:
"Iran has a responsibility to support the government of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad as it fights an armed uprising, the head of the
intelligence unit of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was
quoted as saying on Saturday. An Iranian lawmaker said a legislative
committee would visit Syria to strengthen bilateral relations and consult
Syrian officials, the state news agency IRNA reported. 'We all have a
responsibility to support Syria and not allow the line of resistance to
be broken,' Fars news agency quoted Hossein Taeb, the intelligence unit
head, as saying." http://t.uani.com/Qjvmi8
Foreign
Affairs
AP: "India,
Iran and Afghanistan will hold talks on giving greater access to
landlocked Afghanistan, a move that could also ease Iran's isolation in
the region, Indian officials said Saturday. The three countries will meet
Sunday to discuss how best to utilize the southeastern Iranian port of
Chahbahar and develop road and rail links from there to Afghanistan,
Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters." http://t.uani.com/RfWRUN
Opinion &
Analysis
UANI CEO Mark
Wallace in Leadership Action Network: "For the past
year, there has been a great deal of debate as whether it would be wise
for Israel to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities. While there are
divergent opinions about whether such an attack would be prudent, one
argument very hard to dispute is that Israel is absolutely right to be
concerned with what's happening in Iran. How else should one feel given a
situation where one country has been openly threatening the other for
years and building a catastrophic weapon by which to attack it? If your
neighbor stuck his head over the fence, told you he hates you and wants
to kill you, and then started assembling a gun, wouldn't you consider
trying to stop him before he pulled the trigger? Yet as serious as the
threat from Iran is, and as justified as an Israeli response might be, it
would by no means be an ideal outcome for anyone. Indeed, a military
strike against Iran, particularly a unilateral one, would undoubtedly
disrupt oil markets and cause instability or outright war in the Middle
East. It is still possible to avoid such an outcome, but only if we act
now. The reason it's not too late to stop Iran's dangerous pursuit is
that there is overwhelming evidence showing that Iran's economy and
currency are now in freefall. Given that dynamic, it is clear that an
economic blockade against the regime could have a decisive impact in
making the Ayatollahs choose between their nuclear program and their
economy. All it would take is some resolve on the part of the U.S., the
EU, and other interested parties, to increase sanctions against Iran and
force the regime's hand. This is not blind optimism: Iran's economy truly
is reeling these days, thanks in large part to two actions that were long
advocated by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI): the U.S. and EU's
decision to sanction Iran's central bank and bar oil imports, and UANI's
successful campaign to force the international banking consortium SWIFT
to deny access to Iranian banks. Now, with that pressure starting to work
(even the Iranians are admitting it now), the U.S. and its allies need to
close the many loopholes that the regime is still exploiting. There is a
very effective way to do this: sanctioning any company or entity around
the world that does business with the Iranian regime. Whether it's an
automaker like Nissan, a telecommunications provider like MTN, or a bank
like HSBC, there are numerous irresponsible corporate actors that
continue to support the Iranian regime and thereby keep it afloat. Here
in the States, Congress and President Obama should stop nipping at the
corners, and immediately take decisive steps to economically embargo the
Iranian regime. Legislation imposing such an embargo should be modeled on
the following UANI proposal: any business, firm, or entity that provides
services to or enables or facilitates access to services in Iran and/or
with any Iranian-controlled entity, shall be barred from receiving U.S.
government contracts, accessing U.S. capital markets, entering into
commercial partnerships with U.S. entities, or otherwise doing business
in the U.S. or with U.S. entities. At the point that a corporate entity
has to choose between doing business in the U.S. or in Iran, it will make
the right decision, and help isolate the regime." http://t.uani.com/Re3Z4f
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Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against
Nuclear Iran (UANI) a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear
Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code. Eye on Iran is not intended as a comprehensive
media clips summary but rather a selection of media elements with
discreet analysis in a PDA friendly format. For more information please
email Press@UnitedAgainstNuclearIran.com
United Against Nuclear
Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a
commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a
regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons. UANI is an
issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own
interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of
nuclear weapons.
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