Eye on Iran: U.S. Sends Ships to Strait of Hormuz to Shield Vessels After Iran Seizure

Join UANI           Top Stories NYT: "The Navy on Thursday began deploying warships to protect American commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz against any interference from Iran, which this week seized a cargo ship in the narrow waterway, though which about 20 percent of the world's oil passes. Military officials said American warships and aircraft would maintain a presence in and around the strait and stay in contact with some American cargo ships traversing the sea lane, which separates the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea. But the officials drew a distinction between the new effort, which they characterized as 'accompanying' commercial vessels, and escorting ships, which would involve convoys led by warships. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter approved the new policy on Thursday, said the officials, who cast it as a show of force intended to discourage Iran from making any aggressive moves against American shipping in the strait. At least one American ship has passed through the strait under the eye of the Navy, they said. The military is trying to balance the need to protect shipping against a recognition that taking an overly aggressive posture could upset negotiations on a nuclear deal between Iran and the United States and other powers... Still, other American officials said there had been growing concerns in recent weeks that Iranian gunboats were harassing cargo ships passing through the strait, part of which includes Iran's territorial waters. Iranian gunboats, for instance, trailed an American-flagged container ship, the Maersk Kensington, through the strait last Friday." http://t.uani.com/1EVDpf7 NYT: "Congressional lawmakers, already conflicted about an impending nuclear deal with Iran, are increasingly angry over the incarceration of American citizens in that country, where at least three are imprisoned, including one held for more than three and a half years. Whether that anger could grow and have a bearing on the outcome of the nuclear talks is unclear. The latest evidence of indignation was seen on Thursday when Representative Dan Kildee, Democrat of Michigan, announced at a news conference in Washington that he had introduced a bipartisan congressional resolution that says in part, 'Iran should release all detained Americans immediately and provide any information it possesses regarding any Americans that have disappeared within its borders.' ... Mr. Kildee emphasized that he believed that the nuclear and prisoner issues should remain separate. But he also said there is deep antipathy in Congress over what many regard as Iran's use of Americans as hostages. 'This is a very high priority,' he said. 'Iran should understand that the American people and American Congress are watching.'" http://t.uani.com/1HXMCCV Guardian: "Iran's foreign minister is facing a backlash from his supporters, after claiming in a recent US interview that his country does not imprison citizens solely because of their opinions. Mohammad Javad Zarif, who remains popular in Iran for his handling of the nuclear negotiations, appeared on the Charlie Rose talkshow this week while on a visit to New York for a review conference of the non-proliferation treaty at the UN. 'We do not jail people for their opinions,'he said when asked about the detention of Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post reporter held in Iran for the past nine months... Speaking to the Guardian on Friday, Iran's most prominent human rights activist and lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, said those comments were simply not true. 'I certainly cannot accept that,' she said by telephone from Tehran... Following Zarif's remarks, many Iranians took online to express their discontent, posting comments beneath his latest posts on Facebook. 'Nobody is jailed in Iran for his or her opinion? Liar,' wrote one user. 'When you lie, there is no difference between you and [former hardline president] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,' said another. One user posted: 'You broke many hearts in Iran. We are expecting you to apologise.' Another reminded Zarif of a popular religious saying in Iran: 'One who lies is the enemy of God.'" http://t.uani.com/1bJHUfA     Nuclear Program & Negotiations NYT: "The Obama administration is scrambling for reassurances it can present this month at a Camp David summit meeting to persuade Arab allies that the United States has their backs, despite a pending nuclear deal with Iran. Officials at the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department have been meeting to discuss everything from joint training missions for American and Arab militaries (more likely) to additional weapons sales to a loose defense pact that could signal that the United States would back those allies if they come under attack from Iran... Mr. Carter wanted to know 'how do you make clear to the G.C.C. that America isn't going to hand the house keys of the Persian Gulf over to Iran and then pivot to Asia?' said one Middle East expert at the dinner, using the acronym for the Gulf Cooperation Council. The council includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. On April 20, during lunch with President Obama at the White House, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, pressed for a defense pact with the United States, according to a senior administration official. The president in turn sought support from the Emirates for the Iran nuclear deal, which Secretary of State John Kerry is negotiating. Administration officials said Mr. Obama had not settled on what to offer but that there were several possible options, most of them difficult to pull off." http://t.uani.com/1Jefa9L Press TV (Iran): "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic will get all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on the country by the UN Security Council (UNSC) annulled. Addressing a large crowd in the southern city of Shiraz in Fars Province on Wednesday, Rouhani hailed the Iranian negotiating delegation and said the Islamic Republic will finally get all anti-Tehran UNSC resolutions nullified through logic. 'More important than centrifuges is the power of the Iranian negotiating delegation, and we take pride in our scientists and our diplomats, and we will get all UNSC resolutions nullified through logic,' the Iranian president said." http://t.uani.com/1FCmahR IranWire: "President Hassan Rouhani announced on April 30 that the details of the nuclear deal would be made public. The announcement came amid rumors that publication of the Lausanne 'factsheet' was imminent, and as tension mounted among the upper echelons of Iranian power. Rouhani told a crowd in Shiraz that the government planned to publish key points of the agreement, with a view to releasing further details later." http://t.uani.com/1JWKLNt Military Matters AFP: "Iran will release a cargo vessel chartered by Danish shipping group A.P. Moeller-Maersk as soon as the company settles a debt stemming from a long-running business dispute, the Iranian embassy in Denmark said Thursday. 'Iranian authorities reiterate that there has been absolutely no political or security intentions or considerations behind the incident,' the statement said. 'The seizure of the ship was solely an enforcement of a judicial court ruling resulting from a commercial dispute between two private parties,' it added. Maersk said it was told by the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organisation at a meeting Wednesday that an Iranian court had ordered it to pay $3.6 million (3.2 million euros) in compensation in the case... Maersk on Thursday urged Iran to release the crew and vessel, saying: 'The crew is not employed by Maersk Line, nor is the vessel owned by Maersk Line.'" http://t.uani.com/1FCgTqu  Congressional Action The Hill: "Two junior conservatives blindsided Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Thursday by attempting to force a vote on an amendment that could derail the bipartisan Iran nuclear review bill. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is running for president, surprised McConnell by leapfrogging ahead of colleagues waiting for chances to get votes on their amendments. They used a procedural maneuver to force McConnell to schedule a vote on an amendment requiring Iran to recognize Israel's right to exist as part of any nuclear deal. McConnell's only way of avoiding the controversial amendment would be to file a motion to end debate on the Iran Nuclear Review Act, which would block Republicans from offering any amendments to the bill. It would also represent a reversal of McConnell's intention to allow amendments on legislation in the GOP-controlled Senate after he criticized Democrats for not doing so when they held the chamber. The GOP leader now faces a tough choice over whether to save the Iran bill from a poison-pill amendment or to cut off debate and move to a swift final vote on the legislation - despite earlier pledges to allow a robust floor debate." http://t.uani.com/1DHjUQl Roll Call: "Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker predicted there was no hope for additional amendments to his bill to provide for review of the Iran agreement - and that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's next step would be to limit debate. 'Mitch has a decision now about filing cloture. My sense is, you'll need to talk with him, but that's what he's going to do,' the Tennessee Republican said of his Kentucky counterpart's likely next move. Senate Republicans announced no further floor votes for the week. 'We were moving towards approving a large, large tranche of amendments,' Corker said, speaking of the work underway Thursday morning to set up votes that never happened. 'I think that's probably over now.' Corker's comments to reporters came after a GOP luncheon that followed an appearance by Sen. Tom Cotton on the floor to explain that he was insisting on simple majority votes on contentious amendments to legislation to provide congressional review of any final nuclear deal with Iran, apparently stymieing the possibility of moving forward, at least for now." http://t.uani.com/1JFIoBN Sanctions Relief Reuters: "Iran's crude oil exports have risen in April following softer sales last month, helped by a framework nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers and the possibility that Western sanctions could be lifted soon... One source, who tracks tanker movements, said Iran's crude oil exports have risen by around 500,000 bpd in April to 1.18 million bpd, helped by firmer sales to India, which bought no Iranian crude last month. 'It's the exports to Japan and India, which have meant slightly higher Iranian exports in April even though China took slightly less,' the source said... Last month, India halted oil imports from Iran for the first time in at least a decade as New Delhi responded to U.S. pressure to keep its shipments from Tehran within sanction limits ahead of the negotiations on a preliminary nuclear deal. The source said India, Iran's second-largest client after China, was estimated to have bought four cargoes of crude in April totalling around 4.7 million barrels. Japan was estimated to have bought three cargoes in April, rising from two shipments in March. A second tanker-tracking source said Iran's exports in April rose by 450,000 bpd from March's unusually low level, towards 1.3 million bpd." http://t.uani.com/1HXXNv7 AFP: "EU energy boss Maros Sefcovic said late Thursday Europe could import natural gas from ex-Soviet Turkmenistan via Iran as Brussels ramps up efforts to break its dependence on Russian-sourced energy... Sefcovic said the two had discussed the 'possibility of building a pipeline through the Caspian as well as through Iran, since diplomatic relations with Iran are developing positively'. 'The EU hopes that negotiations between the big six and Iran conclude successfully,' he added, speaking in comments aired on Turkmen state television late on Thursday night." http://t.uani.com/1AponqR Anti-Americanism Press TV (Iran): "Takfiri terrorist groups in the region are fighting a 'proxy war' in the interest of the United States and Israel, Iran's defense minister says. Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan made the remarks during a meeting with Syrian Defense Minister Fahd Jassem al-Freij in Tehran on Tuesday. Dehqan said that 'providing permanent security for the Zionist regime, weakening and disintegrating Muslim countries, altering the Middle East's map, countering the wave of Islamic awakening, and ultimately complete domination over this Islamic region' are the main objectives of this war." http://t.uani.com/1FClqJq Press TV (Iran): "A senior Iranian commander has highlighted the Iranian military's full preparedness to defend the country against any threats, saying Iran's decisive response will make the enemies regret their actions. 'The power and readiness of the Iranian Armed Forces is such that can make any aggressor regret its action,' Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said on Wednesday... He said the US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and the presence of American forces in the Persian Gulf waters were aimed at putting pressure on the Islamic Republic. The Iranian commander referred to Washington's support for the ISIL Takfiri terrorist groups currently wrecking havoc on Syria and Iraq as another scheme to pressurize Iran. 'Today, Americans have changed [their] strategy, and by forming and supporting Takfiri terrorist groups they are pursuing their sinister scheme in Iraq and Syria and other Muslim countries and commit crimes against humanity,' said Pourdastan." http://t.uani.com/1GCgOiJ Yemen Crisis AFP: "Iran has been shipping weapons to Yemen's Huthi rebels since at least 2009, according to a confidential UN report, indicating that Tehran's support dates back to the early years of the Shiite militia's insurgency. The report by a panel of experts was presented to the Security Council's Iran sanctions committee last week... The panel of experts reported on the findings of an investigation into the 2013 seizure by Yemeni authorities of an Iranian ship, the Jihan, that was carrying weapons. The information collected by the experts 'suggests that the Jihan case follows a pattern of arms shipments to Yemen by sea that can be traced back to at least 2009,' said the report seen by AFP. One instance saw an Iranian fishing vessel attempt to secretly ship hundreds of anti-tank and anti-helicopter rockets to the rebels... The experts' report details six other incidents involving Iranian ships, five of which are said to have been carrying weapons bound for Yemen." http://t.uani.com/1DP3N4w  Human Rights HRW: "Iran's intelligence and security forces have rounded up and detained scores of Ahwazi Arabs, including several children, in what appears to be an escalating crackdown in Iran's Khuzestan province, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. According to activists and family members, many arrests took place in the lead-up to the tenth anniversary of mass anti-government demonstrations that gripped the Arab-populated province in April 2005. Family members said the arrests have been carried out without warrants by groups of armed masked men affiliated with Iran's security and intelligence services, usually following home raids of Ahwazi Arab activists during the late evening or early morning hours. The human rights organizations expressed concern that people may have been arrested merely in connection with their perceived political opinions, for peacefully expressing dissent or for openly exhibiting their Arab identity and culture." http://t.uani.com/1FCphq5 Domestic Politics NYT: "In Iran, where the state news media eagerly report on the growing inequality - but always omitting personal details about the wealthy - the crash unleashed a storm of comment on social media, the majority of it very nasty. 'Good riddance,' someone wrote on Ms. Akbarzadeh's Instagram page under a picture of her posing with a ring studded with diamonds in the shape of a dollar sign. 'This girl set fire on normal people, now she set fire to herself.' What angered many was not that Ms. Akbarzadeh was in a car with a man about to be wed, though that is illegal under the country's selectively enforced Islamic laws, which prescribe that unmarried men and women must be segregated. What rankled most was the cocktail of double standards that the crash symbolized, particularly the intertwined issues of rising corruption and inequality." http://t.uani.com/1DP3new Tehran Times: "Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the 'key' to solve economic problems is not in Lausanne, Geneva or New York, but inside the country... 'Boost of domestic production is the backbone of solving the country's problems,' the Leader said in a meeting with large number of laborers in Tehran ahead of Workers Day on Friday... 'Some say that under the situation of sanctions and pressure, it is not possible to boost domestic production. Undoubtedly, cruel sanctions have some effects in causing problems, but sanctions and pressure cannot prevent public, systematic and pre-meditated efforts to boost domestic production,' he stated." http://t.uani.com/1bJMaf8 AFP: "Thousands of Iranian workers held a May Day demonstration in Tehran Friday to demand improved conditions and protest against foreigners taking jobs in the Islamic republic, Ilna news agency reported. The demonstrators gathered in the centre of the capital near the offices of the House of Labour, the official workers' union. 'Employing foreign workers amounts to putting Iranians out of work,' was the main slogan on a large banner erected by the protesters, seen in a photograph carried by the semi-official news agency." http://t.uani.com/1blk1KW Foreign Affairs Reuters: "Bahrain's central bank said on Thursday it had placed two Iran-linked companies, Future Bank and Iran Insurance Co, into administration to protect the rights of depositors and policyholders. In a brief statement, the central bank did not elaborate on why it took the action or give any information about the two companies. It said it wished 'to reassure both the local and international financial community that this measure is an isolated incident and will not impact any other bank or insurance company in the kingdom." http://t.uani.com/1GLE7t0 Opinion & Analysis David Ignatius in WashPost: "U.S. and Iranian officials have been insisting for years that they want to resolve the nuclear issue before discussing the sectarian wars raging across the Middle East. Not anymore. As the battles have escalated in recent months, so has talk about regional diplomacy. The interest in peace talks was voiced by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, whom I interviewed here Wednesday in a 90-minute public forum organized by the New America Foundation. His message, repeated several times, was that Iran wants dialogue with Saudi Arabia and other Arab powers to end the wars ravaging Yemen and Syria. U.S. officials share Zarif's desire for negotiations, which he first floated in a New York Times op-ed piece last week. But they want to see evidence that Iran is actually ready to curtail its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Shiite militias in Iraq and Houthi rebels in Yemen. 'We are interested,' a senior Obama administration official said Thursday. 'We've spoken to Zarif about how ultimately [the Iranians will] have to be part of a regional solution. But Iran's behavior has not been such as to inspire confidence that diplomatic discussions would work.' This official said that it would be hard for the administration to persuade Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab nations to join Iran in a diplomatic process without evidence that Zarif is offering 'anything but rhetoric.' ... It's probably no coincidence that Iran's new interest in regional diplomacy comes as its proxies have faced tougher opposition on the battlefields in Yemen and Syria. In effect, Iran's Sunni adversaries, led by the Saudis and Emiratis, have decided to push back hard against Iranian-supported forces, by intervening militarily in Yemen and working with Turkey and Jordan to mobilize rebels in Syria. For the first time in many years, Iran seems to be on the back foot in the regional proxy wars." http://t.uani.com/1GC5YJA Matthew Continetti in Free Beacon: "Not since Baryshnikov has a foreigner so captivated a New York audience.  'A Conversation with H.E. DR. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran' played the other day at NYU. The show ran for just 90 minutes, but reviews were spectacular. Give this man a Tony: Zarif slayed 'em. 'Demonstrating suave fluency in English and a familiarity with American history and law,' wrote the New York Times, 'Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday that the United States would risk global ostracism if it were to scrap a signed international pact that resolves the Iranian nuclear dispute.' Zarif, the Times went on, 'was easygoing and smiling, living up to his image as a diplomatic charmer to an audience that was polite and respectful.' Not to mention sycophantic. Zarif, adds Dexter Filkins of the New Yorker, 'comes off as practically American.' Why? Well, 'He went to college in the United States, at San Francisco State University, and to graduate school at the University of Denver. As Ambassador to the United Nations, he lived in New York for five years. His English is perfect.' Perfect English? Is that all it takes to have reporters and diplomats praise your suavity and charisma, chuckle at your jokes, cavil to your every demand? Bibi Netanyahu's English is perfect too-but Hell will freeze before he sees Zarif's press. I don't find the Iranian foreign minister a 'diplomatic charmer' at all. His demeanor at NYU was arrogant, insulting, bullying, unrepentant. David Ignatius of the Washington Post sat there like a semi-conscious mummy as Zarif ordered Congress around, declared that all sanctions will be lifted immediately upon the conclusion of any deal, warned that 'people' should be 'worrying about the U.S. violating its obligations and us snapping back,' refused to accept culpability for spreading disorder in the Middle East, wouldn't say if U.N. inspectors will have access to Iranian military sites, said Iran has no intention of speaking to the Jewish State, accused the Washington Post (Ignatius' paper) of running a 'publicity campaign' on behalf of one of its reporters held prisoner in Iran, and took every opportunity to fling sarcasm and insult and enmity toward Netanyahu, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and America in general. No wonder John Kerry's a fan. What made Zarif's appearance all the more nauseating was his pretense of moral standing. He has none." http://t.uani.com/1KzTbvb          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.