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The Hill:
"President Obama pledged to veto any new sanctions on Iran during
his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. 'New sanctions passed by
this Congress, at this moment in time, will all but guarantee that
diplomacy fails - alienating America from its allies, and ensuring that
Iran starts up its nuclear program again,' the president warned
lawmakers. 'It doesn't make sense,' he continued. 'That is why I will
veto any new sanctions bill that threatens to undo this progress. The
American people expect us to only go to war as a last resort, and I
intend to stay true to that wisdom.' Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mark
Kirk (R-Ill.) have recently drafted legislation that would impose
sanctions on Iran if it walks away from international negotiations or
violates the terms of any deal... Obama touted the negotiations, saying
they had helped halt Iran's nuclear program and urging patience. 'Our
diplomacy is at work with respect to Iran, where, for the first time in a
decade, we've halted the progress of its nuclear program and reduced its
stockpile of nuclear material,' the president said. 'Between now and this
spring, we have a chance to negotiate a comprehensive agreement that
prevents a nuclear-armed Iran; secures America and our allies - including
Israel; while avoiding yet another Middle East conflict,' he said.
Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) office responded to the president's
remarks by sharing news articles showing broad support in Congress for
sanctions. 'There is bipartisan support for Iran sanctions legislation,
and bipartisan opposition to the president's veto threats,' said a
statement." http://t.uani.com/1CbcVTB
Reuters:
"As prices of food, water and electricity rise further beyond reach,
struggling Iranians are losing belief in their pragmatic president and
his promise of a brighter future. The country has been hit by the double
hammer blows of persisting Western sanctions over its nuclear activities
and plunging oil prices - but its leaders tell the people that adversity
will make them stronger. This offers scant comfort to many ordinary
Iranians struggling to support their families as high unemployment and
low wages take their toll. They had pinned their hopes on President
Hassan Rouhani, who won power in 2013 with pledges to improve the economy
by ending the decade-long nuclear stand-off with the West - but a
comprehensive deal has still not materialized. 'All these promises of
improving the economy are just nice words,' said Morad Rezaian, a
father-of-five who owns a small grocery shop in the southern port city of
Bandar Abbas. 'I can't feed my kids with empty promises.'" http://t.uani.com/1BEWKPm
NYT:
"Iran's highest Revolutionary Guards commander issued a threat
against Israel after the death of an Iranian general in an Israeli
helicopter strike along the border with Syria, saying that 'destructive
thunderbolts' awaited. The commander, Mohammad Ali Jafari, said in a
statement distributed by the state news media on Tuesday that the fact
that an Iranian general had been so close to Israeli territory proved
that Iran's power 'has passed over geographical borders.' The Iranian
general, Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, was killed along with a Hezbollah
commander and the son of the group's former military leader, Imad
Mughniyeh, in Sunday's attack on a Hezbollah convoy near the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. After issuing a ritual denunciation of
the 'Zionist regime,' Mr. Jafari said: 'These martyrdoms prove that we
should not distance ourselves from the jihad; the Zionists should prepare
themselves for our shattering thunderbolt. They have experienced our rage
in the past.'" http://t.uani.com/1Be5oSd
Military Matters
Reuters:
"Russia might deliver a long-overdue S-300 air defense missile
system to Iran, honoring a contract that was canceled in 2010 following
strong pressure from the West, Iranian and Russian media said on Tuesday.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is visiting Tehran and signed an agreement
with Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan to boost
cooperation, Iran's Fars semi-official news agency said. Fars said the
two countries would resolve problems with the delivery of the advanced
missile system, while Russia's RIA state news confirmed the issue was
once again under discussion. 'A step was taken in the direction of
cooperation on the economy and arms technology, at least for such
defensive systems such as the S-300 and S-400. Probably we will deliver
them,' RIA quoted Colonel General Leonid Ivashov as saying... The United
States and Israel heavily lobbied Russia to block the missile sale,
saying it could be used to shield Iran's nuclear facilities from possible
future air strikes. Iran in turn has taken Russia to arbitration to
finalize the sale." http://t.uani.com/159x8eQ
Congressional
Sanctions
The Hill:
"Facing heavy pressure from President Obama, Senate Democrats on
Tuesday signaled they have reservations about moving forward with Iran
sanctions legislation. Some senators who had previously backed a
sanctions bill treaded carefully when asked whether they support holding
a vote on legislation before the Iran talks wrap up in June. 'Well let's
wait and see when there's a bill. There's no bill yet,' said Sen. Charles
Schumer (D-N.Y.). 'Let's wait and see how the whole thing plays out.'
'There's a question and a debate about timing, and that's something we
should continue to discuss,' said Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.). 'I don't have
a sense that there's anything that will happen in the near term,' Casey
added. The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mark
Kirk (R-Ill.), would sanction Iran if the country walks away from the
negotiations over its nuclear program or violates the terms of any deal.
The Senate banking committee had scheduled a hearing for Tuesday to
debate and vote on sanctions, but postponed the session until next week,
with outside opponents of the bill citing a lack of bipartisan support. A
spokeswoman for Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the panel's chairman, said
the hearings were 'rescheduled to give senators more time.' The
committee's ranking Democrat, Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio), opposes passing
a sanctions bill ahead of the June 30 deadline. 'There's not a rush on
this. I mean these negotiations are going forward, I don't want to
disrupt the negotiations. ... Our long-term allies are saying 'Don't do
this.' So I don't know what the hurry is except for Mitch McConnell's
politics,' Brown said. Brown said he wants to see what administration
officials have to say at a classified briefing on Iran next week. 'I want
to hear the briefings before I commit for sure on Menendez-Kirk,' he
said. The White House is pushing Senate Democrats to withhold their
support, arguing passage has the potential to end the chances for
reaching a historic diplomatic accord with Iran." http://t.uani.com/1xX10lR
AP:
"Senators are pushing to have a say about the ongoing international
negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, a
move they say will further destabilize an increasingly volatile Mideast.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is working on legislation that
would allow Congress to weigh in by allowing it to take an up-down vote
on any deal the Obama administration reaches with Tehran. A committee
hearing on Wednesday will focus on the status of the negotiations and the
role of Congress. 'Whether it's the intelligence agencies in Israel or
the people we deal with around the world, I have had no one yet say that
Congress voting up or down on this deal would do anything but strengthen
the administration's hand and help cause this process to come to
fruition,' Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said Tuesday." http://t.uani.com/1J817mI
Sanctions
Relief
Free Beacon:
"The Obama administration on Wednesday paid $490 million in cash
assets to Iran and will have released a total of $11.9 billion to the
Islamic Republic by the time nuclear talks are scheduled to end in June,
according to figures provided by the State Department. Today's $490
million release, the third such payment of this amount since Dec. 10, was
agreed to by the Obama administration under the parameters of another
extension in negotiations over Tehran's contested nuclear program that
was inked in November. Iran will receive a total of $4.9 billion in
unfrozen cash assets via 10 separate payments by the United States
through June 22, when talks with Iran are scheduled to end with a final
agreement aimed at curbing the country's nuclear work, according to a
State Department official. Iran received $4.2 billion in similar payments
under the 2013 interim agreement with the United States and was then
given another $2.8 billion by the Obama administration last year in a bid
to keep Iran committed to the talks through November, when negotiators
parted ways without reaching an agreement. Iran will have received a
total of $11.9 billion in cash assets by the end of June if current
releases continue on pace as scheduled... The first two payments were
made in December, followed by Wednesday's payment. The next release is
scheduled for Feb. 11, with two more scheduled for March. The rest of the
frozen cash assets will be given back to Iran on April 15, May 6, May 27,
and June 22, respectively." http://t.uani.com/1BF0gcx
WSJ:
"As talks over lifting sanctions on Iran continue, Renault SA is
positioning itself for what executives hope will be a reopening of one of
the Middle East's biggest car markets. The French auto maker recently
resumed selling automotive components to Iran, where the parts are used
at a plant run by an Iranian partner to assemble Renault-branded cars.
Renault halted those shipments in 2013 amid Western sanctions
specifically prohibiting them and amid tightened banking sanctions that
made getting payments out of Iran effectively impossible. Renault
executives have also considered investing in Iranian joint venture
partner Pars Khodro should the West lift sanctions, according to people
familiar with the matter... Pars Khodro is 85%-owned by Iranian state-run
auto maker Saipa. Renault's Iranian unit, Renault Pars, has broached the
idea of taking on as much as 45% of Pars Khodro, these people said."
http://t.uani.com/1xWVgIB
Human Rights
RFE/RL:
"Six thousand satellite receivers and dishes have been destroyed in
a stadium in the city of Shiraz, according to reports by Iranian news
agencies that posted photos of the police action, in the latest phase of
Iran's ongoing war on banned satellites. The dishes were decorated with
slogans highlighting all the ills and threats that Iranian officials
claim satellite channels bring into society. 'Rule of Satan on Life,'
read one of the hand-written slogans. Others included 'Enemy of Islam,'
'Enemy of the Family,' 'Spread of Prostitution,' 'Drug Addiction,'
'Lies,' 'Insecurity,' and 'Death to Zionism.' Iranian authorities
regularly crack down on satellite dishes by raiding homes, dismantling
their equipment, and fining the homeowners. Iran also jams foreign
broadcasts." http://t.uani.com/15tD2rK
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