Eye on Iran: Netanyahu Warns Obama: Iran Must Not Be 'Threshold Nuclear Power'

Join UANI           Top Stories AFP: "A skeptical Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday directly warned US President Barack Obama not to accept any Iran deal that would allow Tehran to become a 'threshold nuclear power.' ... The Israeli leader, who is deeply skeptical of Obama's bid to broker a deal on constraining Iran's nuclear program before a deadline next month, delivered a clear signal that Israel is dismayed at the outlines of a possible agreement. 'Iran seeks a deal that would lift the tough sanctions that you worked so hard to put in place and leave it as a threshold nuclear power,' Netanyahu said, as he sat next to Obama. 'I fervently hope that under your leadership that would not happen,' Netanyahu told Obama." http://t.uani.com/1x2wZTu Reuters: "The U.N. nuclear agency is expected to make a new attempt soon to advance its investigation into suspected atomic bomb research by Iran, diplomats said on Thursday, more than a month after Tehran missed a deadline for cooperation. They said experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran may meet early next week in Tehran, with the IAEA seeking to achieve progress in the slow-moving inquiry into the country's nuclear program... Western officials say Iran must step up cooperation with the IAEA if it wants to reach a broader diplomatic deal with world powers that would end a decade-old nuclear dispute and gradually end crippling financial and other sanctions on the oil producer. Early last month, the IAEA said Iran had failed to answer questions by an agreed Aug. 25 deadline about two areas of the investigation into alleged research activities that could be applicable to any attempt to make nuclear bombs - explosives testing and neutron calculations." http://t.uani.com/1vxqM0W Press TV (Iran): "Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces has pointed to influence of Zionists in the White House and US institutions, stating that the flow of information to American political leaders is being controlled by pro-Israel elements. 'Due to the influence and dominance of Zionists over the US power structure, the information channels of US officials are under the sway of what has been created by Zionists,' Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said on Wednesday... Firouzabadi added that as long as US officials do not want to free themselves from the yoke of Zionists and purge US intelligence services from their presence, the rights of people will continue to be trampled. 'The American people, prior to any other demand, must be pushing for the Zionists to be purged from the White House, the Congress and US intelligence services. Otherwise, their problems like racism, violation of the rights of the oppressed, discrimination in the United States of America and the spending of taxpayers' money for the benefit of Zionists will not be solved,' he stated." http://t.uani.com/1rP7sNC     Nuclear Program & Negotiations JPost: "The sister of a leading Iranian nuclear physicist widely believed to have been assassinated by Israel as part of an effort to derail the Islamic Republic's drive to create nuclear weapons says her brother was murdered by Iran 's Revolutionary Guard (IRI) because he wouldn't cooperate with the effort to divert nuclear activities from peaceful purposes. When Iranian scientist Dr. Ardeshir Hosseinpour was killed in February 2007, the cause of death was reported to be 'gassing' and most presumed the act was carried out by Israel. That belief stood, largely because of Iranian accusations to that effect; and because of Israeli policy to neither confirm nor deny such acts. But now, seven years later, Mahboobeh Hosseinpour has come forward with the claim that the IRI was behind her brother's death because of his refusal to be involved in Iran's nuclear enrichment program whose use was for atomic purposes." http://t.uani.com/1BBuHvq Sanctions Relief Trend: "Iran's non-oil exports (excluding gas condensates) surpassed $16.685 billion during the first half of the current Iranian fiscal year (March 21-Sept. 22) which indicates an increase by 9.3 percent compared to the same period of the preceding year. Iran exported some 38.663 million metric tons of non-oil goods during that period which is 0.45 percent less compared to the 6-month period of last year, according to the Iranian Customs Administration's latest monthly report released Oct. 2. The country's total exports including gas condensates and petrochemicals amounted to $23.199 billion, 19.62 percent more compared to the last fiscal year's first six months. Iran exported $6.514 billion worth of gas condensates during that period, which indicates an increase by 57.8 percent in comparison with the same period of preceding year." http://t.uani.com/1yAqxrv Fars (Iran): "Iran and China have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the implementation of several urban projects, a senior trade official announced. Chairman of Qazvin Chamber of Commerce Alireza Keshavarz said the MoU was signed by China's CITIC Group and Qazvin Municipality in a bid to implement seven projects in Qazvin city. 'Many of the factories in Qazvin produce quality products and if their raw materials are imported from China we can produce joint goods and products,' Keshavarz added." http://t.uani.com/1nRe2U6 Human Rights Al-Monitor: "Iran's Gonabadi dervishes held a protest on Sept. 28 against what they claim is the poor treatment of dervish political prisoners and a 'news boycott' by domestic media. According to Mazjooban Noor, a website dedicated to publishing news about the Gonabadi dervishes, at least 1,000 people joined the protest outside of the Ministry of Justice building in Tehran. The protesters stood side by side and locked hands in what was described as a peaceful gathering... Not all such protests have ended peacefully, however. On Sept. 21, Gonabadi dervishes staged another protest in front of the Tehran prosecutor's office. According to BBC Persian, various witness accounts said that the protesters were attacked by security officials with tear gas and several protesters were wounded. Today, Oct. 1, Mazjooban Noor reported that hundreds of Gonabadi dervishes were arrested on their way to a protest against the Sept. 21 attack on protesters. Farhad Nouri, one of the administrators of Mazjooban Nour's website, told BBC Persian, 'The pressure on dervishes is such that they are all living in a big prison. This is why they decided to spontaneously and peacefully to migrate to Evin [prison].'" http://t.uani.com/1pIjlPz Domestic Politics RFE/RL: "An Iranian official has said the government's use of satellite jamming could pose a health risk to citizens. Sayed Motasadi, deputy director of the human environment committee of Iran's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), told the official IRNA news agency on October 2 that 'the possibility [of satellite jamming] causing cancer exists.' Motasadi said a study conducted by the EPA in cooperation with the Ministries of Communications and Information Technology has concluded that there is a connection between cancer and jamming. Earlier this year, the government ordered an investigation into the effects of satellite jamming on public health following a request by President Hassan Rohani. Iran has been known to use jamming technology to prevent satellite transmissions of foreign-based television and radio channels." http://t.uani.com/1vxr1ZX    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.